In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 19:

Chapter 19

The first day ended with a fantastic samgyeopsal.

We had a really good time because our musical tastes matched well, but unfortunately, the work was sporadic.

It was because of our schedules.

We had our own lessons, and Jang So-won sunbae was busy with the OST work for the drama that was about to air.

It was a hectic schedule, but we enjoyed working together whenever we met.

Listen to this.

The acoustic guitar in the studio.

I pick up the guitar that has become familiar to my hand and strum the strings.

My hand moves freely along the melody progression that I had been thinking of every time I went to bed at the dorm.

At first, the younger ones were amazed as if they were watching a zoo monkey.

Hyung, you can play the guitar now?

Ive always known how to play.

You have a new skill every time I forget.

The younger ones who had reacted like that were now listening to my performance as if they were used to it.

They nodded their heads or followed the rhythm.

Jang So-won also closed her eyes and listened to the melody that I had supplemented with concentration.

When the performance was over, I asked.

What do you think of this top line melody progression?

It sounds good. Can you give it to me?

Now the guitar is passed to her, and she immediately modifies and plays the melody that I made.

Of course, it was much better than what I made.

She was a pro after all.

I was amazed every time I saw her copy, modify, and play my melody on the spot.

She finished playing and asked with a smile.

How about this?

It was really good.

I said.

It reminds me of your song Sunflower.

Right. I added a bit of that sound to what you made.

Yes. It definitely suits the simple and acoustic vibe.

Do you want to play it again?

I received the guitar again and started playing.

When we did this, the younger ones reacted like spectators watching a ping-pong match, turning their heads this way and saying oh, and turning their heads that way and saying ooh.

The song work progressed like water flowing.

Like making a ship.

At first, there was only a skeleton, then wood was added, then iron plates were attached, and finally a mast was raised.

Something was being made like that.

It was a fresh way of working.

It was completely different from the song production process that I learned at TJ Entertainment, a large-scale agency.

It was a mess, in a way.

We just got together and talked like a neighborhood banquet, got ideas for lyrics, made and fixed melodies.

It was not solemn at all, but playful.

There were many advantages to that.

It was a pleasant atmosphere, so there was no hesitation in saying ones ideas, and it was fun, so we could keep trying new things.

It was a really fun experience.

It was the first time that the work itself was fun.

I would come to the Hwai Entertainment building and heal myself by working after getting scolded by the trainer teachers during the lesson.

And at the same time, we all felt it.

No one said it out loud, but we felt it instinctively.

There was a tailwind blowing from somewhere.

***

Of course, not everything was smooth.

Most of all, we lacked time.

Making the song and writing the lyrics was fun, but when it came to recording, the schedule was very tight.

It was because Hwai Entertainment set the release date for early February.

That was the only hardship.

We practiced hard, but the quality we wanted didnt come out, so the atmosphere got a bit sour.

Ji-ho even cried a lot because of Jang So-wons reaction, who turned into a tiger teacher.

But in the end, we successfully recorded.

And when we listened to the final version, we had a dubious expression on our faces.

It was a little worse than we thought.

Jang So-won asked with a smile.

Doesnt it sound worse than you expected?

Huh? No.

Its written all over your face. You guys.

She explained to us.

This is because the mixing and mastering are not done yet.

Mastering?

Simply put, its the process of adjusting the balance of the song. The engineers catch and fix the subtle sound differences. It may not be a big difference, but youll know once you hear the final version.

Oh

You can look forward to it.

She said confidently.

It will come out so different that you wont recognize it.

***

February 2014.

It was the evening before the release of Jang So-wons album Wishful Thinking that contained Something.

It was Sunday, the only day of the week when we could rest at the dorm in the evening, so the atmosphere was relaxed.

Like prison inmates taking a break.

No.

Why do I keep thinking of prison?

I shook off the random thoughts and turned on the internet on my smartphone. I typed New Black in the search bar and the results came up right away.

-Jang So-won, new album Wishful Thinking release imminent

-Collaboration with rookie New Black on Something

-Who is the rookie boy group New Black that collaborated with Jang So-won?

There were many articles, but they were mostly repetitive, so there were only about 3 or 4 in total.

Most of them were promotional materials sent out by Hwai Entertainment or our company.

There were no comments, of course.

At best, there might be comments like So-won unnie, fighting or something like that.

I scanned the name New Black and felt a bit disappointed that there was not much content.

I hope it goes well.

I put a lot of effort into making the melody every night, so I hoped the song would achieve some results.

Wait, is it too greedy to hope for success as a rookie?

Well, Jang So-won sunbae has a name value, so it could go well?

Im conflicted.

Its human nature to want to win the lottery without buying a ticket, but as the release date approached, I naturally felt humble.

Actually, I think Im unconsciously setting up a defense mechanism in case I get disappointed.

Oh, whatever.

I turned off my smartphone and lay down on the sofa in the living room.

As I stared blankly at the ceiling, a sweet and delicious smell wafted from the kitchen next to me.

Spicy stir-fried chicken.

Every time Bi-ju, who was wearing an apron, stirred the frying pan with a spatula, the smell wafted.

It smells good.

The youngest, who was pushing a mop with his feet, giggled.

Good?

Yeah, really good.

My dad said he sent us the best chicken from the warehouse. He said to eat it with you guys.

The identity of the spicy stir-fried chicken that Bi-ju was cooking was the one that Ji-hos father had sent us a while ago.

A lot of chicken that filled the fridge.

Breast, wings, and other parts of the chicken were enough to last us for a year.

Ji-ho.

Yes?

What does your father do?

He runs a chicken shop.

Isnt it hard for him to run his own business these days? Is he okay with sending us so much?

I dont know.

The youngest shrugged his shoulders.

My dad will take care of it.

I shook my head at his immature remark.

Hes still young.

His father must be working hard to fry chicken for his son.

Ji-hos parents are very sincere.

They have three older sisters and hes the only son. 

Cant you guess?

A T-shirt and shorts with a luxury logo.

A high-end watch on his wrist.

He was wearing that and pushing a mop.

Thud!

Something flew over my face as I lay on the sofa.

Oof!

I was startled and checked what was covering my face. 

It was my underwear.

What? Whos there?

Who do you think it is?

Ri-hyuk?

His eyes looked at me with disdain as I sprawled on the sofa.

Hey, mister.

Ri-hyuk, who was sitting next to a pile of laundry, tapped the floor.

Why did you stop folding the laundry? Stop slacking off and come help me.

I am folding them.

Really?

Im doing my best.

I stayed on the sofa and picked up a piece of laundry with my left hand.

Then I grabbed it with my right hand.

And then I folded it lightly.

Done.

Ri-hyuk seemed speechless for a moment.

Is that how you fold clothes? Do you really think thats folding? Geez, I cant even talk properly. You call that a piece of clothing?

Yup.

Have you ever done any housework?

Sure.

Then why do you fold them like that?

Its good for your mental health to do things roughly if theyre not important. Whats the point of folding clothes neatly? Youre going to wear them again, right?

I picked up another piece of laundry with my toes.

Thats disgusting, really.

There are important things and unimportant things in life, Ri-hyuk.

Yeah?

If you practice singing, you become a good singer, and if you practice dancing, you improve your dance skills, right?

Right.

And if you improve your skills, you perform better on stage, and if you perform better, you get more fans. And if you get more fans, our popularity goes up. See?

So?

If you practice singing, you become a good idol singer, but if you fold laundry diligently, you become a good idol laundry folder. And that doesnt help our work at all. So its about choosing and focusing, you see.

Ri-hyuk followed the logic of my argument and reached a conclusion.

So you just dont like folding laundry?

Bingo.

Youre so different from when youre in the practice room.

Ri-hyuk was folding the laundry again, apparently unhappy with my sloppy work.

He folded the clothes like a craftsman, without a millimeter of error, and he cleaned the bathroom without leaving a speck of dust.

He lived a hard life.

I stretched and got up from the sofa.

I wanted to taste the dakgalbi that was almost done.

I was about to pass by when I saw Ri-hyuk struggling with a difficult piece of clothing, wondering how to fold it.

Let me see.

Huh?

It took me exactly three seconds.

I recalled the time when I was in the training camp, folding the clothes neatly to get a reward score.

And I handed it to him.

Huh?

He looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. I smiled at him.

I heard him muttering behind me, What the hell, how did you do that?

He was studying the clothes I folded like a rival product.

I passed by the youngest who was lazily wiping the floor with a rag and went to the kitchen.

Is it done?

Hyung, you came at the right time.

Bi-ju greeted me warmly.

Its almost done, I just need to season it. Do you want to try some?

Sure.

I gladly said, and Bi-ju handed me a ladle.

It was a perfect taste.

I nodded and gave him a thumbs up, and he lowered the heat.

Ji-ho.

Yes?

Go wake up Jung-hyun and bring him here.

We gathered around the table in the living room, with the last one being Jung-hyun, who appeared with his messy hair.

There was no dining table.

Well, there was no room for one.

We ate the dakgalbi from the frying pan and marveled at its taste.

How is it?

The cook asked and everyone was busy praising him.

Bi-ju, who looked proud, and his son, who provided the ingredients.

As we ate and chatted about trivial things, our topic shifted to the events of February.

Wow, our youngest is graduating from middle school.

Bi-ju exclaimed.

Time really flies.

I remember when we first met, he was barely taller than my waist. Hes grown a lot.

Dont exaggerate, hyung. He was already huge back then.

Thats right. Jung-hyun-hyung was shorter too.

Hey, it was only a 2~3cm difference.

I quietly ate the dakgalbi, not knowing much about their past stories.

Our youngest, who was 17 years old and already 175cm tall.

His face was still young, but his body had grown quite a bit.

Now Ji-ho is taller than Ri-hyuk.

Ah, Bi-ju-hyung!

Ri-hyuk looked displeased, as if the food had lost its flavor.

Everyone laughed at him.

But it was true.

Maybe it was because of his build, but Ji-ho looked slightly taller.

I asked.

How tall are you two?

Im 175.

I went to the health center yesterday and they said Im 174.6.

Huh?

Jung-hyun stopped inhaling the dakgalbi.

No way, Ji-ho is bigger.

Arent you 175?

Ri-hyuk coughed at my question.

Taking advantage of that, the youngest asked.

Then why dont we stand up and measure, hyung?

No thanks.

Then Ill take it as Im taller.

Ugh, why are you fighting over height? Right, Jung-hyun?

I fist-bumped him as he smiled.

The other two, except Ji-ho, looked like they were ready to grab a sword and start a fight.

Bi-ju looked betrayed.

Kim Jung-hyun, youre too much.

Yeah, shortest.

Do you not want to eat dakgalbi, dongsaeng-nim?

He was going to graduate from high school this year and go to the same cyber university as me.

It was a school we enrolled in because of the military.

While the two same-aged friends were squirming, I spoke to Ji-ho.

Hey, Ji-ho.

Yeah?

What should I give you as a graduation gift?

Me?

Ji-ho thought for a moment and said.

I dont need a gift. I just hope our song does well.

Me too.

Our song is coming out tomorrow. Do you think it will do well?

I dont know.

The guys who had quieted down were staring at my mouth.

It felt like a fortune-telling shop.

Shouldnt they ask Director Jo Gyu-hwan about this, not me?

I need to clear my mind.

Thats impossible.

Bi-ju said with a smile.

I keep having a reward mentality.

Its not up to us whether it does well or not. The best song by Senior Jang So-won was Sunflower, right? That was in the 30s, wasnt it? Thats how it was. Honestly, its a huge success if we make it to the chart.

Honestly, its impossible.

The music ranking depends on streaming, but neither we nor Senior Jang So-won have a fandom that will stream for 24 hours.

I dont know about the title song, but our song, the third track on the list, might be difficult.

Well.

Unless some sudden luck happens.

Huh?

The youngest, who was looking at his smartphone while eating, suddenly screamed.

What is it?

Whats wrong?

Guys, look at this.

Ji-ho showed us an internet article on his smartphone.

We all widened our eyes.

Today, a day before the music release, a nuclear bomb-like issue exploded in the entertainment industry.

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