In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 220

The comment section was shaking like an erupting volcano.

-Wow, crazy

-Hwayeom, you’re insane

-I got goosebumps for a moment

The comments were pouring in faster than Woojoo could read.

‘Are they really rookies?’, ‘They’re amazing’, ‘This is the first time I’ve seen idols who are this good’

-Is anyone watching PBS right now? It’s insane

-[Song Master] It’s been a while since I felt chills watching a competition show

-They’ll definitely be on the trending search after this ㄷㄷㄷ

-I’m curious about New Black, does anyone know more about them…?

Woojoo refreshed the page and saw it change every time.

They did really well.

Woojoo was hoping for it, but he didn’t expect the response to be this good.

His siblings were also excited and sending messages.

Jiho [Ahhhhhh]

Jiho [Our dad is crying]

Bijoo [It’s so good]

Bijoo [I’m so happy that our hard work paid off…]

Bijoo [You all did a great job ㅇ]

Bijoo [Especially Rihyuk, our family said the part you sang was the best]

Rihyuk [What]

Rihyuk [Well, that’s obvious… Please thank them for me]

Me [Rihyuk, you worked really hard]

Me [Our precious main vocal…☆]

Woojoo spared Rihyuk the talk about their families, but he could guess the atmosphere in each house.

The participants had proud expressions, and the families were looking at the screen with fervent faces.

He could vividly imagine the members’ families who were enjoying every cheer on TV.

Junghyun [Video]

Junghyun [It’s a festival here]

Woojoo watched the video of the villagers who were shouting ‘Wow!’ at the community hall and burst into laughter.

Then Woojoo turned his gaze.

This time, to his family.

Woojoo looked at Mrs. Kim Deoksoon, who was staring at the TV as if she was going to pierce through it.

Woojoo wondered.

What would his grandmother think of that stage? How would she feel when she saw him singing there?

‘Idol?’

Woojoo suddenly remembered a long time ago.

‘What are you trying to do with idol…?’

‘No, Grandma will support you whatever you do. But won’t it be hard? Your body too. The industry is a hellhole.’

‘If you’re going to do it, don’t feel pressured. If it doesn’t work out, just come back after eating a bowl of curses.’

When Woojoo said he wanted to try being an idol, his grandmother sent him her support and worries.

Woojoo also smiled and answered.

“Grandma, please wait a little longer. I’ll come back successful.”

But he never achieved any meaningful results after that.

Being a trainee in the country was not easy.

The dance trainers would sigh whenever they saw him. The company would classify him as a burden whenever the debut group discussion came up.

The staff members of the Rookie Development Team would persuade him to become an actor instead, saying that he didn’t have the idol material.

He felt hopeless.

Every time he called Gunsan, he would say things like “I’m doing well”, “I ate this and practiced that today”, “The kids are so nice”, but he couldn’t say the most important thing: “When will I debut?”

Even in that situation, Grandma always supported him.

She never asked him how things were going, but always worried about him and comforted him, saying that he should do what he wanted.

He was so sorry and grateful.

Waiting for his uncertain trainee life and supporting him behind the scenes was something that only family could do.

For almost 10 years, until Woojoo debuted as New Black, Grandma was his lighthouse and his refuge.

The most precious person to him, and the one he had to treat well.

That was why he felt regretful.

He was doing well as an idol, but he didn’t have many chances to show Grandma his true profession.

This was the first time he showed her his pure singing skills without any favors.

…That was why he was nervous.

The stage on TV was the result of what her grandson had been doing, while she cheered and backed him up.

What would Mrs. Kim Deoksoon think after seeing this?

As Woojoo glanced at Grandma’s side profile, Nabi landed on his belly.

Meow.

He gently scratched the cat’s chin.

Kim Deoksoon didn’t have any special thoughts when her grandson first said he was going on a broadcast.

“Well, he’ll do fine.”

He did weird basketball shots on variety shows.

He went to the countryside and massaged the shoulders of old ladies he didn’t know.

He went on cable and wrote video letters to cats.

She just thought he had another new hobby this time.

But then.

“Boss, did you see Woojoo on TV this time? I was shocked when I saw him last night.”

“I watched the Legendary Song Discovery. Boss, was that your grandson?”

“Unnie, look at this. Woojoo’s comments are crazy…!”

The reactions of the people she knew were different from usual.

It was a hotter atmosphere than when he became a star in Taiwan.

It was the biggest response since he debuted.

“Did a lot of old folks like me watch it?”

Sukja said the ratings were number one, but not that high.

Looking at the age groups of the regulars at the store and the nearby merchants, it seemed like he became popular among the adults.

She was too busy to watch the first episode, so she watched it again.

‘Ugh, I’m sick of being happy. That.’

She watched the first broadcast over and over again with the tablet her grandson gave her.

Bijoo, Junghyun, Rihyuk, Jiho. The members were all good, but she was happy every time her grandson’s face came out big.

She watched hard and wrote in a notebook to understand the broadcast content.

She also wrote notes like ‘Jo Yuri – the eyes of the kids looking at them are unpleasant’.

As she watched, it was a competition. A broadcast where they compete for the first place with singing skills.

That was why she didn’t expect much.

Other singers were like guppies, but New Black looked innocent like a butterfly in the house.

‘This is the meaning of participating.’

They were singers who are popular in Korea, but it would be hard to be the first objectively.

She was thinking like that, but…

“…”

As the song started, Mrs. Kim Deoksoon had the same expression as the audience.

‘What is this?’

It was the most pleasant and splendid stage among the things that came out today.

She was the one who clicked on the link of Bijoo’s mother who came up on the talk every time New Black came out on TV.

While watching, she smiled happily every time, saying ‘But he’s worth the face…’.

She didn’t know he could sing so well for the first time.

‘Wasn’t it Woojoo then?’

It was a skill that had risen more than when he sang Something on TV or at the end of the year evaluation.

The appearance of the grandson and the members who grew up more.

And she could see the part that she could know because she was family.

He was covering it with makeup and acting, but his eyes drooped slightly when he was tired.

The tremor in his hand holding the microphone.

She had been watching him for a lifetime, so she could see the clues of fatigue one by one.

‘You worked hard.’

She couldn’t imagine how hard he worked to show this much skill with that tired body.

It wasn’t a few days and nights, but at least a few years.

‘What is broadcasting…’

It was something he did because he liked it, but as a parent, she felt proud.

Finally, her grandson was recognized as a singer.

The competitors who put their hands in their mouths and said ‘Wow’ every time the scene changed, the panels who jumped up and waved, the smiling judges. The audience who waved their hands like waves or poked their eyes.

She felt like going in there right away and saying ‘He’s my grandson!’

‘You worked hard. You worked hard.’

She always felt more moved than anyone else by the sight of her grandson doing well on TV.

“Uh-huh.”

She coughed because tears were about to come out.

It was embarrassing to cry here.

She thought she would cry while watching the rerun tomorrow and continued watching TV.

The appearance of New Black who was breathing heavily with a full face in the midst of applause.

She couldn’t stand it when she saw the moist eyes of her grandson.

“Oh, you did well. You did well!”

She clapped like a seal and laughed without knowing.

“…”

She felt the gaze and turned her head, and her grandson and the cat were looking at her with round eyes.

Soon Woojoo came up to her like a wriggling caterpillar and hugged her.

“Grandma. How was I~?”

Sparkling eyes.

“Well, you did well. Watch TV. They all say you did well, so I don’t know what to say.”

“No. Grandma was moved. Your eyes are moist.”

“Your eyes must be swollen.”

“Really?”

But he also said that, Woojoo was also slightly teary-eyed by her reaction.

She counterattacked.

“Aren’t you the one who has tears and snot coming out like a twisted doughnut?”

“No, no… What are you talking about? I didn’t cry. My tear glands are dry.”

“You’re lying and sitting down. Are you becoming like Rihyuk?”

“What a harsh thing to say… If you’re going to say I look like someone, I look more like Grandma.”

They poured out to each other not to cry, and only Nabi stuck in the middle tilted its head.

The cat sat down between them as if to say not to fight.

They stopped talking and laughed at the sight.

It was a short silence, but they felt like a few words had passed between them.

“…You finally won. Are you going to sing that song as a prize if you win?”

“Yes, yes. I’m going to sing ‘Deoksoon-ah’ at the final stage.”

“I’m already ringing the bell.”

“Why? Don’t you like it, Grandma? I already have the arrangement in mind.”

He sang a verse of an old-fashioned trot song, calling out ‘Deoksoon~~’. His grandmother couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.

He giggled and snuggled closer to her.

As he lay his head on the couch and told her to look forward to ‘Deoksoon-ah’, he was so excited.

She brushed his hair back and said, “You worked hard.”

“…”

“You did your best to show me.”

“Oh, well…”

He squirmed as if he was embarrassed. Kim Deoksoon smiled silently at him.

She looked proudly at her grandson on TV.

Meow.

The cat seemed jealous of them being so close and leaving it alone. It gave them a look that said ‘What about me? What about me?’

“Nabi, come here too.”

“Come on. Let’s be together.”

At that, the cat cuddled up in the arms of the grandson and grandmother.

“Oh my. Look at our son. He won first place there. Oh, I’m tearing up.”

“Honey, wipe it with this tissue.”

At Bijoo’s house, the parents were overjoyed and hugged their son tightly, screaming. The sister and brother looked at the internet reactions and widened their eyes.

“Everyone~! Who is the pride of our village?”

“Kim Junghyun! Kim Junghyun!”

The villagers, who had drunk a lot, gathered and shouted ‘First place!’ And in between them, Kim Junghyun, surrounded by his parents and brother, smiled happily.

“Son!”

“Dad!”

At a villa in Gangwon-do.

Jiho’s father, who was bragging about his son, started sending long messages to his business partners. His mother and sisters stroked the youngest son’s head, laughing.

-Hey. Tell me honestly. Who do you look more like, me or Grandma? It’s not me, right?

“Do you have to say such weird things on this precious weekend?”

Hotel cafe.

As he drank his beverage and took in the cityscape, Rihyuk hid a smile that rose slightly when he received a video call from his nephew.

-Did you see the internet? Now?

-Hyung! Look at the internet! We have so many articles now!

-Guys!

The internet was hot after Legendary Song Discovery ended.

The performance of ‘Life’ by New Black was a legendary one that deserved the adjective.

The intro performance that naturally hinted at what kind of song ‘Life’ was.

The sound and arrangement that stuck to the ears.

The excellent singing skills that no one lacked.

The emotion that was well expressed, enough to make the original singer, Noh Jaehyun, tear up.

-‘Song Team’ Noh Jaehyun, New Black ‘Life’ stage with tears … “They did really well”

-[Legendary Song Discovery] New Black ‘Life’ with goosebumps-inducing singing skills, praised by all judges

-[Entertainment Report] Who said they were rookies? … The reason for the ‘reversal’ of the trendy rookie New Black

Similar articles reflecting the popularity poured out without a break.

As the broadcast ended and the live chat stopped, the people who watched it in real time moved to portal news and clips.

-Awesome… I came back to watch it again

-I regret thinking they would be last because they were idols… They were really good

-You guys are the best

-These days idols have no flaws in their skillsㅋㅋㅋ They did great

-They are all main-level ^^7

-Isn’t it a legend that a rookie among idols won this lineup ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Crazy

-Why did I watch HBS instead of this…

Then there were also comments from people who were moved by today’s performance.

-I’m not the type to comment on the internet, but; the stage was so good. Isn’t this the magic of music? It brought back old memories and ah… It was a good stage

-It was touching and good. I hope you show us more stages like this.

-It was really ‘Life’. I know they are all around twenty years old, but I don’t know how they got this emotion. I support you.

It was a much bigger reaction than the first episode.

The number of views of the clip uploaded on the portal went up steeply without a sound.

Soon, ‘New Black’, ‘Noh Jaehyun’, ‘Life’ and other terms rose to the real-time search terms.

The real-time search term on the music site was also ‘Noh Jaehyun’s Life’.

“We did it…!”

The manager, Yoon Seokhwan, who was monitoring at home, clenched his fist.

‘They did it.’

New Black had successfully stepped on the first platform to become a popular idol group.

Already, the event staff were sending them congratulatory messages, and friendly reporters were contacting them. Yoon Seokhwan smiled broadly.

“LisaLover. You’re in charge of them, right?”

“They’re awesome.”

“Hey, can you get me a signed album later? I need to collect it before they get more famous.”

Seo Minki, who was meeting with his friends, shrugged off his drooping shoulders and grinned, thanks to ‘LisaLover’.

Another road manager, Seok Dowon, also smiled silently as he gulped down a can of beer.

There was one more person who was the happiest in the world right now.

“…What did you say?”

Baek Sunghyun, the main PD who had been planning and casting for the program ‘Challenge, Legendary Song Discovery Team!’ for six months, held his phone with trembling hands.

It was a call from the assistant director who was in the main control room.

“Say that again. What was the rating?”

He swallowed his saliva.

Soon, the other side told him the record.

The exact figure would be known tomorrow, but the voice excitedly told him how much the estimated figure was.

“….”

Then he quietly hung up the phone.

Baek Sunghyun felt his teeth chatter without realizing it.

His throat was dry, so he drank some beer.

The CP of the program, who was flipping the intestines with tongs, asked him eagerly.

He had been waiting until the end of the broadcast, so his face was at its limit of patience.

“What did you say? How many percent?”

“Ten….”

“Ten?”

“Sixteen point eight… came out.”

At the figure of 16.8%, the CP dropped the tongs without knowing it.

He didn’t care about the precious intestines falling on the table, and opened his mouth wide.

“Si… sixteen point eight?”

“Yes.”

“…Hey, Sunghyun. Did we hit the jackpot?”

“I think so, Sunbae-nim.”

Then the two men screamed ‘Wow!’ and hugged each other, not caring about the others’ stares.

And meanwhile.

-When will this song be uploaded???

-I want to listen to it soon… Not the clip, but the official recording.

-Mango, do your job.

-Oh…! I got it! It’s up!

The viewers who had watched the live broadcast were eagerly waiting for the performance song to be uploaded on the music site.

It was ‘Life’ sung by New Black.