In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 31

Seon Myung-joo.

That was the name of a world-famous pianist who was popular 15 years ago.

“Ah…!”

Exclamations came from various places in the audience.

He was that well-known.

Most of the reactions came from the audience members who were over 30 years old.

Seon Myung-joo.

Strictly speaking, he was not a typical pianist.

His specialty was jazz.

He was a legend in the jazz world, starting from winning the best performer award at the International Jazz Competition. 

He was selected as the musician of the year at various awards, and his face appeared on the covers of prestigious music magazines.

His life story was also sensational.

He was an orphan who struggled to survive, but discovered his talent for piano and rose to become a global figure.

He was unknown when he was active in Korea, but his name became known in his homeland as he gained tremendous popularity in the US and Europe.

Especially in the late 90s, when the nation was suffering from the IMF crisis, the people who watched baseball and golf to forget reality also paid close attention to his whereabouts as he toured the world.

Seon Myung-joo, who played the piano on the most dazzling stage in the American continent, was a hope and a pride for many people when the whole of Korea was depressed.

But that brilliance did not last long.

Seon Myung-joo, who left the country for an overseas tour, lost his life when the plane he and his wife boarded crashed.

It was a shocking news for those who lived in the late 90s.

That’s why it was natural for people to sigh when Seon Woojoo revealed his father.

They met a singer who was the son of a famous person who was once loved by the people.

Not everyone knew Seon Myung-joo.

“Who is Seon Myung-joo?”

Some of the young couples who came to watch the music cafe with a light heart were unfamiliar with the name.

Due to the nature of the music cafe, where people who are interested in music come to watch, there were many people who knew Seon Myung-joo, but on the contrary, some secretly took out their phones and entered ‘Seon Myung-joo’ in the search bar.

Soon, they widened their eyes as they checked some of the contents on Wikipedia or similar sites.

The faces of the people who took pictures with Seon Myung-joo were extraordinary.

They were the US president at the time or world-famous artists.

They wondered if it was a photoshop, because they were such amazing people. 

They couldn’t even imagine what his actions meant to the people at that time.

“As expected.”

The PD who was sitting in the control room whistled.

“He has a lot of buzz.”

***

The story about my dad was not a secret.

I thought it would be revealed someday, so I was surprised when Ha Seung-joo asked me, but I soon calmed down.

I expected this day to come.

It was just a little sudden.

When I was offered by Ha Seung-joo, the MC of the music cafe, I left a reply that I would think about it.

It was not a matter that I could decide on my own.

“…What should I do, grandma?”

I called my grandma from the hallway of the waiting room.

Talking about my parents on the broadcast was not a simple matter for me.

The victims of the accident were not only my dad.

My mom and dad, who were raised by a single mother, boarded a plane to go abroad and died in a crash.

I remember my grandma who was heartbroken because she couldn’t even recover the bodies of her children.

The story of my parents would inevitably bring up the accident, and that could reopen my grandma’s old wound.

She answered me simply when I explained the situation carefully.

-Do as you please.

“Huh?”

-Do whatever you want. It’s a past thing anyway.

She sounded calm, as if it was really a past thing.

I noticed a hint of emotion in her voice.

A hesitation somewhere.

Maybe it was the longing for her only daughter.

But my grandma’s next words were different from what I expected.

-Are you okay?

“Huh? What do you mean?”

-You, you idiot. I’m asking if you’re okay.

She was worried about me.

Of course, it was not a topic I wanted to bring up.

But it had been 15 years since my parents passed away.

It was such a long time that their faces were faint.

If it hadn’t been that long, I wouldn’t have been able to talk about it.

-So, you’re Seon Myung-joo son. This is quite surprising.

Ha Seung-joo adjusted his glasses and pretended to be astonished.

I smiled.

He was a good actor, having been on TV shows.

-Did the other members know about this?

The audience’s eyes turned to the members. The members of New Black nodded calmly to the question.

***

Before the broadcast, in the waiting room.

I gathered Jang So-won and the members and explained what would happen on the show.

As soon as the story was over, Bi-ju expressed his concern.

“No way.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you think it makes sense to exchange your family story for a few minutes of airtime? I don’t think this is right.”

He sounded quite firm, unlike his usual soft tone that was like water mixed with alcohol, or alcohol mixed with water.

Seok-hwan, who was watching from the side, also opened his lips.

“It’s enough to just appear today. You don’t have to push yourself.”

He said that, but his eyes showed conflict.

On one hand, he was worried as a close brother. 

On the other hand, he saw it as a great opportunity from the perspective of the manager in charge.

It was hard for rookies like us to get more airtime, even if the managers lobbied for it. 

And the story about our dad would surely make headlines in a good way.

“I’m an outsider, so I’ll leave.”

Jang So-won stood up.

“I don’t think this is a situation where I can say anything. This is a problem that the members should decide.”

Our road manager, Seo Min-ki, also agreed with his favorite. 

They said they would leave the room for a while and left the waiting room.

Only we were left in the waiting room.

I looked around.

It seemed like the members was against it and I was trying to persuade them.

“Think about it, it’s a good opportunity. We’re going to end our activities with this, so wouldn’t it be better to get more attention? It’s hard for rookies like us to get this much airtime anywhere…”

“Hyung, that’s the manager’s perspective.”

I felt like I was hit by the heavy voice of Jung-hyun.

“Hyung, you’re not a manager, you’re a member.”

“…”

“Thank you for taking care of us, but we’re not stupid. We know why we got to appear on Music Cafe.”

“…You know?”

“I heard it from the director.”

Seokhwan shrugged his shoulders at my gaze.

“They came to me the day after you had a meeting with the CEO. They said they wanted to change their image before finishing their activities. They said they had the same worries as you, so I told them you came first and talked to me.”

“How embarrassing. I thought I was the only one who thought that.”

“People think the same way.”

Ri-hyuk said.

“Don’t you think we would have thought that too? To be honest, I felt betrayed when you secretly had that meeting.”

“Hey, you guys didn’t tell me either.”

“That’s different, hyung.”

Bi-ju smiled.

“We didn’t want to worry you, hyung. You looked so busy with your interviews and personal schedules.”

“I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you would worry too.”

“Same same.”

We all burst into laughter at the youngest’s summary.

He was right.

We were pretending to be good brothers, so we could say we were the same.

“Well, then let’s agree to be honest with each other from now on.”

My brothers nodded at my words.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I guess I got used to taking care of the trainees at TJ, and I saw you guys as my younger brothers too. Even though we’re all members.”

“Please keep treating me like a kid. I’m cute.”

The youngest, who cut in cheerfully, got a punch from Ri-hyuk, who said, ‘Read the mood, dude.’

I forgot what I was going to say because of Ji-ho, and Jun-hyun spoke to me.

“You don’t have to try so hard to take care of us, hyung.”

“…”

“Just do what you want, hyung. This time, you’re not our leader or producer or anything like that. We wouldn’t be here without you anyway.”

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just a bit surprising.”

It was strange and new to hear such words from Kim Jun-hyun, who usually lived like a sloth.

He wasn’t a person who had no thoughts or awareness, as he smiled and said.

“Hyung.”

I looked around carefully.

Bi-ju, Jun-hyun, Ri-hyuk, Ji-ho, Manager Yoon Seok-hwan, Min-ki hyung. 

They were all familiar faces, but they felt new and different.

Did they always look like this?

Maybe I had been treating them as mere supporting characters in my story. 

Characters who just reacted to the plot, unlike me who was always active.

But when I thought about it, they were also the protagonists who made the story with me.

And they were people I was grateful for.

It was a habit in the entertainment industry to sell even distant relatives for more airtime. 

If they were like other people, they would have said ‘do whatever you want’ but secretly hoped for more content.

But they were all worried about me, and wanted me to do what I wanted.

“So, what are you going to do?”

I pondered for a moment at Ri-hyuk’s question. Then I answered.

“…I want to talk.”

If they asked me why, I wouldn’t know.

It wasn’t because I was worried about the airtime as a group leader or member, or because I wanted to get personal attention.

I just.

Had a story I wanted to tell.

***

-…He was a very famous person.

The introduction of my father ended, and I came back to reality.

The atmosphere was quite different from before.

At first, people were tilting their heads, wondering ‘who is Seon Myungjoo?’, but they soon became curious after hearing the introduction.

-I was curious from the beginning. You have talent in composing and playing instruments, so I was amazed, but talent is also inherited.

It was true.

The arrangement at the end-of-year evaluation, the sense of composing Something, were all thanks to the talent of my father, who was a musician.

-Is your dream of being an idol also related to him?

I nodded at Ha Seung-joo’s question.

That was why I wanted to talk about my parents.

I wanted to tell them.

Why I insisted on being an idol even though TJ Entertainment suggested me to be an actor or a producer.

“I loved watching my father play the piano when I was young. So I tried to play the piano too, but I was terrible at it. I was a kid, so I couldn’t even reach the pedals and I whined.”

The audience smiled, imagining my childhood.

“So I gave up on the piano.”

-When you were a kid?

“Yes, I think I was five years old then? I banged the piano keys with my tiny hands and said ‘I don’t want to do this!’ Oh, I don’t remember it, but my grandmother told me there was such an incident.”

Ha Seung-joo and the others smiled.

“I think that’s why I turned to singing. The first-generation idol seniors came on TV. And I danced and sang along. My parents really liked that.”

-That could be seen as the start of your idol career, Woojoo.

“Yes. It’s also my first memory.”

My first memory was of waving my arms and legs around.

My mom and dad clapped and praised me with smiles. 

As a baby, I looked up at them with my mouth open. 

I thought their expressions were as beautiful as jewels.

I wanted to frame them and hang them on the wall.

Maybe that’s when I started dreaming of becoming an idol.

Because I wanted to see them.

Like my parents, the expressions that people made when I danced and sang.

I calmly told that story.

-You finally got to stand on the stage that you only saw on TV when you were young. You achieved your dream that you had every day, Woojoo.

With Ha Seung-joo’s comment, the topic about my parents was over.

Then I started to worry.

Did I say too much, like a drunk person? 

This and that, without any order.

I felt embarrassed for being too emotional, but it was too late.

Well, the production team will edit it for me.

The talk about New Black was roughly done.

There was one more thing to talk about.

Jang So-won.

I had something to say to her too.

She was a member of Sugarfish, a group that almost reached the top of the nation, but disbanded in an instant due to the members’ scandals. 

She returned to the stage after doing some drama OST activities.

A life-changing moment.

When Jang So-won recalled her hard times, tears welled up in her eyes. 

The audience’s eyes also reddened.

It was also because of the night time, which stimulated the emotions.

And there was someone who was affected by that in my vicinity.

-Sob…

One of our members suddenly burst into tears while listening to the story.

Why are you crying again?

Our youngest, who was full of emotions, was crying.

It was not acting, but real.

The two streams of snot were the symbol of real tears.

His face, which still had baby fat and looked like a white rice cake, was crying. 

It was somehow cute and funny.

Jang So-won and Ha Seung-joo laughed.

-Ji-ho, are you okay?

-Sorry, but I can’t focus because of Ji-ho’s snot. Can someone from the staff bring me a tissue?

-It’s okay. Just wipe it with your sleeve.

-Hey! That’s a sponsorship!

-Ji-ho, don’t do that.

The audience burst into laughter at Ri-hyuk’s sudden remark and Bi-ju’s baby-like gesture.

The laughter that had stopped came out again when Jiho blew his nose.

The sound of snorting came out through the microphone.

It was the loudest laughter since I came here.

I gave him a tissue quietly, but he ripped it off with a sound. 

I felt a moment of detachment at the youngest’s behavior.

Ji-ho…

You’re recording right now… Get a grip…

I imagined the face of Yoon Seok-hwan, who was holding the back of my neck backstage.

The only consolation was that everyone here, including the audience in the seats, found the youngest cute.

Right. He’s cute.

So please, someone take him away…

-It seems Ji-ho is very tearful.

-He’s the youngest and more delicate than he looks. He’s the one who cried the most when I scolded him during recording.

Jang So-won answered with a smile.

She patted Ji-ho’s shoulder like a big sister, and a warm atmosphere filled the air.

I decided to just think positively, considering our image.

Honestly, it was fun.

From the perspective of having something to tease him about, who had cried for a month because of his mistake of calling New Black a souffle during his first-place speech.

I wasn’t the only one.

Everyone was waiting for it.

Maybe they had a lot of grudges against the natural monument hyung-jorong, because the members’ mouths were twitching.

Even Bi-ju was smiling broadly.

That said it all.

Look forward to it, King Jiho.

You’re going to be teased for a month.

***

The recording of Music Cafe so far had been successful.

If I had to point out a flaw, it would be that the rest of New Black’s members barely had any lines, even if I added them all up.

It was partly because of my dad’s story, but also because the members stuttered a bit during the talk.

But considering it was our first recording, it was excellent.

If I had to score today’s broadcast, it would be 90 out of 100.

Of course, that was the score for the talk.

Just as there are written and practical exams, there was one more important practical exam left, if the talk was the written exam.

The final stage.

The stage we had prepared with the intention of showing New Black’s musicality, our original purpose.

-Unfortunately, it’s time to say goodbye to Jang So-won and New Black. It was a really fun time today.

We thanked him in turn for Ha Seung-joo’s farewell.

-Then let’s bring the last stage.

With that, Ha Seung-joo stepped aside for a moment, and we moved towards the main stage.

I saw the staff on the scene moving busily.

The lights were dimmed.

Soon, the lights shone like direct rays, dazzling my eyes, while Jang So-won and we took our places.

And the sound source that flowed out.

The intro that echoed through the PBS public hall.

As soon as I heard it, there was a slight murmur from the audience.

“…?”

It was understandable.

It was the exact same intro as the first stage.