In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe - C.161:

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 161

Woojoo almost burst out laughing when he looked back.

It was because of the expressions on their kids’ faces.

Woojoo didn’t know exactly how to interpret them, but they looked extremely proud, happy, and arrogant. They had smiles like little kids bragging about their older brother to their friends.

Woojoo couldn’t live like this.

On the other hand, the nine tree friends on the screen were staring at Woojoo blankly.

They seemed to be amazed.

The Street Boys started to make a fuss.

-What? What? How did you do that?

-Wow, awesome. So that’s why we got kicked out of the year-end evaluation.

-See? I told you, right? I saw a clip of that guy’s composition last time and it was amazing.

-Why are you so proud? You’re just a persimmon tree.

-Anyway, you’re a traitor.

-No, I’m not…

It ended with someone’s crying face, but the Street Boys looked at Woojoo like he was an alien.

Hanjo asked.

-But how did you arrange the song?

“Ah.”

Woojoo answered with what he had in mind.

“The Trend Sunbae-nims’ songs are really good, but they’re a mixed group, so the female vocals have a different range, right? I adjusted the tone to match the main vocal, Rihyuk, and Kiwon.”

Woojoo gently pressed the keyboard with his fingers.

As he showed them the arranged melody after the original song, there were exclamations of awe from everywhere.

“And since it’s a 90s style, I changed the notes a bit to suit the latest trends. If the original song was like this…”

Woojoo played the melody that mixed ‘Fate’ and ‘Sunshine’, and then played the changed melody again.

Now they looked at Woojoo like he was a monster from outer space.

To be honest, there were more parts that he cared about, but he decided not to explain them.

But it seemed to be enough to convince them.

“How do you like it? Are you satisfied?”

-It’s amazing.

-Really. I think we can go with this.

The customers sounded happy. There seemed to be no disagreement about the song selection.

Jiho shrugged his shoulders and said, “How is it? Amazing, right?”

-Yes. It’s amazing.

-We’ll give you our leader, so please exchange with us.

Hanjo looked at his younger brothers incredulously.

-You’re selling me?

-Let’s sacrifice your body and save our group.

-We’ll also give you LB as a set.

-Oh. I’m confident I can do well there! I’m good at washing dishes, too!

“No way,” Bijoo said. “We won’t even sell Woojoo Hyung for a billion.”

-What about 10 billion?

“Uh…”

Everyone laughed at Bijoo’s eyes shaking for a moment.

As Woojoo chuckled nervously, being auctioned off, Rihyuk behind him parted his lips with a serious face.

He looked like he was going to put a sharp retort to this ridiculous joke, as usual. Woojoo had high hopes.

Come on, Rihyuk. Give them a good comeback.

But what came out of his pale face was something he never expected.

“10 billion is not enough. You have to consider the estimated value. This precious thing… person will generate so much revenue next year.”

“That’s right. We can’t sell him cheap.”

“Let’s sell him expensive if we’re going to sell him. We.”

Woojoo grabbed the back of his neck at the sight of his younger brothers joking around. He declared as he looked at them laughing on both sides, “I’m quitting the Mint Choco-dan.”

-No way.

-Woojoo-nim is already the leader of the Mint Choco-dan.

-That’s right. We ditched Hanjo Hyung as soon as we heard the arrangement.

-Guys…

…When did Woojoo become the leader?

Bijoo clapped his hands and shouted, “Hyung, you’re the leader.”

“Shall we sing a song of congratulations for your inauguration?”

As they sang ‘congratulations~ congratulations~’ from both sides, Woojoo felt like his soul had left his body.

He had seen a meme like that before.

A meme of a cat being surrounded by ten retrievers wagging their tails like crazy.

It was so cute that he saved it on his phone…

But cute his ass.

Woojoo understood exactly how the cat felt as it ran away from the retrievers.

He would delete it from his album as soon as this call was over.

Feeling a bit dizzy, Woojoo said, “I’ll pass on this kind of celebration. I’m resigning from the position of Mint Choco-dan leader.”

-Huh…

“I’ll delegate the leadership to Hanjo.”

-Hanjo Hyung?

They looked at each other blankly. Then someone said without hesitation.

-Resign.

-Resign, Hyung.

-Can’t I be the second leader?

-Go away, tree. Unless you want to be firewood.

Under the pressure of countless siblings, Hanjo resigned, and the third leader of the Mint Choco-dan was elected by a vote.

“Congratulations~ Congratulations~”

-Woo! Yu! Light! Color! Seon Woojoo!

“Congratulations on becoming the third leader of the Mint Choco-dan, Hyung!”

Beagles swarmed Woojoo from all directions.

Even Rihyuk, who would normally sneer at Woojoo, patted his shoulder with a bitter look in his eyes.

“Ugh… I hate this.”

Hanjo said.

-Woojoo-ssi, why don’t we just form our own group?

“Should we?”

They had to get along with each other if they wanted to be friends.

Since they couldn’t diss each other’s groups, they made their own group leaders into firewood and had a barbecue party.

After countless push and pull, Woojoo ended up being the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th leader of the Mint Choco-dan.

Of course, during that time, the joint stage meeting was also carried out diligently.

“Then we’ll prepare the performance like that. We need to talk about the costumes,” Woojoo said. “First of all, the song ‘Sunshine’ is a song that Trend Sunbae-nims released when they were relatively young, in their teens. It’s a fresh and lively song.”

Hanjo caught on to what Woojoo wanted to say.

-That’s right. So is ‘Fate’. It’s a song that uses their autobiographical story of dreaming in a high school hip-hop club as a material.

“Hanjo, you really think the same as me.”

-Did we click?

As they praised each other and smiled happily, the twelve siblings looked nervous.

Woojoo said, “In that sense, there’s only one costume that would suit this song, right? That is…”

-School uniforms.

“School uniforms, yes.”

At first, they felt a bit of resistance, but they quickly shut their mouths when they saw the eyes of the leaders of both groups, burning with obsession over school uniforms.

Jiho spoke. “Why don’t we just let them wear school uniforms if they want it so badly?”

-Yeah. When else would we get to wear these uniforms?

“Woojoo Hyung really loves school uniforms, that’s why. Please understand.”

-Hanjo Hyung too. He smiles from ear to ear whenever the school uniform concept comes up.

With that, Hanjo and Woojoo started to passionately explain the aesthetics of school uniforms to their younger siblings.

“You guys don’t know the beauty of school uniforms. How precious and conceptual they are. You might get sick of wearing them every day, but for some people, they are the clothes they always want to wear again.”

-That’s right. We won’t be able to do this concept once we get older.

“I agree. Think about your leaders’ ages. In a few years, we’ll look like a flashback scene from a high school drama if we wear school uniforms.”

Everyone burst out laughing at the flashback scene joke.

Anyway, after that persuasion, they were able to quell the complaints of the cafeteria kids who were making a fuss in each group.

They had a lot of discussions during the hour and a half long call. 𝘧𝓇𝘦𝘦𝘸𝘦𝒷𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝑐𝘰𝑚

It was the first time in a long time that they had such a fun and enjoyable conversation, and smiles filled their faces.

They weren’t very close friends yet, but it felt like they had made a good friend in the entertainment industry.

Most of the people they had met so far and maintained some friendship with were distant seniors.

Jang Sowon Sunbae, Ye siblings, Heysion, etc.

That was why they didn’t have anyone they could hang out with comfortably and say anything, but they seemed to be just that kind of people.

Of course, it wasn’t just them who felt that way, but the other side also had a similar vibe.

As if to prove how lonely they had been, Street Boys also poured out their chatter with a more upbeat tension than usual. New Black also responded enthusiastically and chatted away.

-When we get a little more seniority, we’ll have some free time! Let’s eat together then!

“Sounds good! I know a lot of good places!”

-Wow!

…A meal promise. That was fast.

But unlike New Black, there seemed to be another emotion mixed in with the reaction of Street Boys.

-This feels really good.

Someone said from the other side.

-This is the first time we’ve had a meeting like this where we can share our opinions.

-Yeah.

-It feels like we’ve become important people somehow. Thank you so much. Really.

It was just a normal meeting for New Black, but the other side was so happy.

They looked like elementary school students who had been stuck at home because of a bad family environment and had gone to the market alone for the first time.

Woojoo felt a bit bitter, but also thanked them for having fun with them even though they were boring.

As they were about to say goodbye, Hanjo asked.

-By the way, before we tell the company people, I have a question. When will the arrangement be done?

“Wait a minute. I’ll ask our A&R staff. This is not something I can do by myself in terms of time…”

As Woojoo said that, he sent a message to Seo Pilgeun, who worked in the composition department of the A&R Team, with the public phone.

There was no answer.

Woojoo called him…

“Huh, why isn’t he picking up?”

“Did he go home?”

“No. He said he was working late today.”

Then, something flashed through Woojoo’s mind. He reached out to Junghyun and said, “Junghyun, can I borrow your phone?”

“Wait a minute.”

Junghyun rummaged through his pockets and tilted his head. Then he went over to the sofa.

The phone stuck between the cushions came into Woojoo’s hand.

…Woojoo should have borrowed someone else’s.

Woojoo immediately took Junghyun’s phone and called Seo Pilgeun.

As expected.

-Hello.

He picked up right away.

“Team Leader Seo.”

-…Woojoo? What, what’s up?

“Why didn’t you answer my call?”

-Oh, uh, well… Woojoo, huh? Aha! I didn’t answer because I didn’t know the number. Hahaha.

No. Woojoo didn’t understand why they avoided him when it came to composition.

Woojoo just contacted him a few times when he had something to ask or needed about composition…

Woojoo saw the light return to his siblings’ eyes.

“…How many times?”

“Just put your hand on your chest and think. It’s this old man.”

Woojoo ignored him and explained the purpose of his call.

After Woojoo hung up, he looked at the nine Street Boys who were staring at him.

They all avoided his gaze while he was on the phone. Woojoo wondered what they had been talking about.

“Whatever you guys are thinking, it’s a misunderstanding. Hey, Tree-ssi, stop avoiding eye contact. I’m not a dangerous person.”

-I’m not a tree, I’m LB…

“Anyway, about the work, Hanjo-ssi? Why are you avoiding eye contact too?”

-My eyes were tired from looking at the screen.

These guys were really acting as a group.

“If you don’t look me in the eye, you’ll have to work with me.”

All nine of them opened their eyes wide. And the siblings who were behind Woojoo leaned their necks like giraffes and looked at him.

“…….”

Soon, a noisy laughter erupted everywhere.

…Woojoo wanted to do it alone. Seriously.

After the meeting for the TBC year-end music festival joint stage.

The ball was in the adults’ court.

Their A&R Team handled the details of the arrangement, and the management teams of each agency took care of the preparation of costumes and other coordination matters related to the joint stage.

They only set up the big picture, but they couldn’t draw the small details ourselves. Everyone had their own expertise.

And they didn’t have much time.

There was more than one year-end stage.

They also had to prepare for the Something stage with Jang Sowon Sunbae, and more importantly, there was another joint stage besides TBC.

The COEX exhibition hall.

They looked around and exclaimed.

“Wow…”

There was blue everywhere.

There were temporary blue tents set up here and there in the large exhibition hall.

Each tent had a sign with words like ‘Daydream’, ‘TNT’, ‘Male Dancer’.

It was the place where the performers of the HBS music awards, which would be held today, the 21st, Sunday, would wait.

“Are there not many people here yet?”

“It’s the end of the year. The other seniors are busy with their schedules. There will only be rookies at this time.”

Usually, the rookies rehearsed first because they had to wait longer after the rehearsal.

And today, the rookies’ joint stage was first.

They entered a small tent with the name ‘New Black’ with their managers and other staff.

“Guys, let’s practice by ourselves first.”

While the staff were unpacking, they went to a corner and practiced the choreography they had learned before.

The Masquerade choreography was now so familiar that they could match the movements even with their eyes closed, but today’s joint choreography was not.

When they practiced, the trainers and dancers matched the movements of the other teams, but it was difficult to do it by themselves, imagining the movements of the other people in their heads.

They were practicing over and over again until they got it right, when the tent opened and Minki Hyung came in with his phone.

“They said almost all the other teams have arrived. They want us to coordinate our movements in front of the stage. I said OK.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

New Black quickly followed the two managers and headed to the open space at the corner of the exhibition hall.

When they got there, they saw that two girl groups had arrived before them. More than a dozen of them greeted New Black.

“Hello!”

They were Blink from KM Entertainment and Serenity from MOP Entertainment.

Like New Black, they all had name tags on their chests for the dry rehearsal.

The Blink members came up to them with a friendly smile.

“Oh, long time no see. Nice to meet you!”

“Yes, indeed.”

They seemed to have gotten over the slight awkwardness they had after the Everdream ad, and greeted them warmly as usual.

Serenity also exchanged greetings with them, since they had recently been on a music show together.

Well, none of them had a long conversation, so it was more like a superficial greeting, but somehow they seemed more eager to talk to them than to each other.

How should he put it?

It was like when you were talking awkwardly to someone you had never met before, and then someone you knew came into the room.

The two girl groups looked uncomfortable with each other, as if they were strangers.

…That was weird.

Woojoo tilted his head involuntarily.

They must have paired New Black with Street Boys for the rookie joint stage at the TBC year-end festival.

Woojoo had assumed that Serenity and Blink would be doing a joint stage as well.

But the atmosphere didn’t seem like that.

They looked like they had just met and were uneasy.

Could it be…

At that moment, Woojoo thought of the fact that KM Entertainment and MOP Entertainment were two of the Big Four agencies, but then he stopped.

“Hello! We are Street Boys!”

Street Boys appeared and interrupted Woojoo’s thoughts. Their members came over to them and greeted them warmly.

“We haven’t seen you since our phone call a week ago.”

“Ha, it’s the leader.”

“Hello, leader.”

…Woojoo ignored them.

They kept calling him the leader of Mint Choco-dan in front of other teams and managers, but they didn’t know how embarrassing it was.

Woojoo quickly opened his mouth to avoid the following words.

“Well, since we’re all here, shall we try to sync up?”

“Yes!”

There was a bit of confusion at first, as they had to arrange more than twenty idol members.

They only settled down after looking at each other’s name tags.

Then, with a strange tension in the air, the four groups synced up.

“Hey! Watch out!”

“Ah, the steps are tangled. Let’s spread out a bit.”

At first, there were people bumping into each other everywhere, but after about five minutes, the sync was smooth.

They all seemed to have practiced well enough, and Woojoo couldn’t help but admire them.

After about thirty minutes of syncing up.

They got the news from the production team that it was time for the dry rehearsal, and the practice was over.

“Good job, everyone!”

They clapped their hands and started to move to the stage. The youngest one who stuck to Woojoo’s side whispered to him.

“Hyung, the atmosphere is kind of weird, don’t you think?”

“Right?”

It seemed like he wasn’t the only one who felt that way, as the other younger ones nodded quietly.

What should he say?

The atmosphere was unique, as if they had gathered the four rookie groups that had the best results this year.

It wasn’t that they hated each other or anything, but they felt a subtle sense of competition and nervousness. They didn’t say anything out loud, but it seemed like they were expressing the words ‘I have to do well!’ with their whole bodies.

If Woojoo had to compare it, it felt like they were among the finalists.

As of December 21st, there were 64 idol groups that had debuted on music shows.

Among them, only four groups could perform on the year-end stage.

New Black from Lemon Entertainment.

Blink from KM Entertainment.

Serenity from MOP Entertainment.

Street Boys from DNS Media.

There might be more teams that could achieve good results later, but as of now, these were the only ones that were called noteworthy rookies, including New Black.

It was an amazing feat, but that didn’t mean that these four teams would definitely succeed in the future.

It was just a final entry.

Performing on the year-end stage meant something like that.

Only these four teams out of all the rookies had earned the right to enter the mainstream music industry as newcomers.

And there was another meaning to today’s HBS Music Awards.

One of these four would win the Rookie Award.