In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Chapter 286

“What’s your job?”

“Well, I thought you might be someone who works in a field that requires some strength… like sports, for example.” The doctor asked, “Have you ever done any sports?”

“I was in the baseball club in elementary school.”

“Why did you quit?”

“I liked doing things on my own, so I didn’t fit well with the group life. The coach tried to stop me from leaving, though.”

“Ah…”

The doctor sighed deeply. Woojoo asked him, “Why are you like that?”

“If you had played baseball, you would have been on TV wearing a uniform by now. Considering your physical condition, you might have been the first pick in the draft…”

“What about farming?”

The doctor shook his head at Junghyun’s serious question.

“It might sound like I’m belittling farming, but… isn’t it a national waste to devote this body to farming only?”

“Is it that much?”

“It would have been the same for any sport. You would have been on TV wherever you went. Even if you farmed, you would have appeared on the same show as the world’s wonders.”

In Woojoo’s head, a special episode titled ‘The Mysterious Secret of Young Farmer Kim’ was automatically completed.

The mysterious rocks piled up in the rural vacant lot.

While Rihyuk went there and exclaimed, ‘This is… Baekje style!’, the hidden camera revealed the secret.

The handsome farmer in a straw hat, ‘Kim Junghyun, ♂, 21 years old’, moving rocks around the vacant lot every night as a hobby.

It really suited him well.

They all agreed with the doctor’s words.

“We always say that among ourselves. Junghyun should have gone to Taereung.”

“This guy breaks plastic bottles with acorns, and the fans don’t believe us when we tell them. They say we’re overdoing it.”

“He’s the kind of person who lifts the bookshelf if something gets under it.”

The doctor nodded as if he understood, listening to their testimonies.

Then he started to explain.

“As you can see here…”

“Uh, where? Wait a minute.”

They pushed their legs to move the wheels, sitting on two chairs stacked together.

Drrr. Drr.

The five pairs of legs moved like spiders, approaching him. The doctor calmly waited.

“We’re ready.”

“Yes. As you can see, Kim Junghyun’s muscles are much better than the average person’s.”

“Wow…”

They didn’t know anything.

“Simply put, his muscle quality is much better than others’. It’s a case that might occur once in ten thousand people, maybe. By the way… how much do you weigh now?”

“I’m 66, but I’m losing weight, so I’ll reduce it to 64.”

“64? At that height?”

He looked at them with a look that said, ‘Can you live normally?’ for a moment.

The nurse behind him widened her eyes and looked at them when they said the average weight was 60.

Somehow, it felt like they were more curious about their weight than Junghyun’s unusual physique.

They said calmly to them, “I got used to living as I lived.”

“Oh…”

The doctor, who was impressed by his words of wisdom, coughed and continued his explanation.

“Anyway, you can see that he can exert the maximum amount of strength that he can at his current weight. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to beat the athletes who have trained and trained, but he would be the strongest person in the same weight class.”

“As expected…”

They nodded, convinced, when Rihyuk asked a question.

“I have a question.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve looked through some sports medicine books. They said that the qualitative difference in muscles is negligible, and that the strength is determined by the cross-sectional area or the neural memory.”

“That’s right.”

“Aren’t all muscles the same? Why is his muscle only…”

They didn’t know what he was talking about, but they cheered him on, saying, ‘Good job, good job.’

The doctor was stimulated by his words and adjusted his glasses with his index finger.

Then he asked with a serious expression, “Hmm… I can explain that part too, but it might be difficult to go on air.”

“I still want to hear it.”

They also nodded and said, “We want to hear it too.”

“Challenge!”

“We love science.”

The doctor smiled warmly at their enthusiasm and opened his mouth.

“Well then…”

“TBC ‘Men on a Mission’ Part 3 – Cookie Video”

Five of them were piled up on two round wheelchairs, listening to the doctor’s passionate explanation.

Doctor: First of all, I need to talk to you about hormones. You know what hormones are, right?

Jiho: Environmental hormones…?

Bijoo: Secondary sexual characteristics…?

Doctor: (helpless)

Soon, the doctor’s explanation focused on Rihyuk, who seemed to understand what he was saying. ‘This guy is better off’ he thought.

[▶▶ 3x speed]

The caption indicated fast-forwarding, and the screen showed the doctor’s explanation and Rihyuk nodding earnestly.

They looked like a student and a professor.

The doctor was excited by Rihyuk’s diligent note-taking and continued to explain quickly.

Meanwhile, the camera caught the other members’ expressions.

New Black: (blinking)

At first, they smiled brightly and listened to the explanation, but after a minute, they only smiled with their mouths.

After another minute, they started to slap their cheeks.

And after three more minutes, the New Black members tried to keep their eyes open while sitting.

Brahms’ ‘Lullaby’ played as the BGM.

The sound of a music box playing the lullaby filled the background, and the New Black members widened their eyes and laughed.

All this time, Rihyuk and the doctor were having a soulful conversation.

Doctor: Lastly…

The New Black members, who had been laughing with all their strength, clapped their hands, thinking it was the last explanation.

Woojoo: Wow~ Amazing. So cool.

Jiho: So that’s what Junghyun Hyung’s body was made of!

Bijoo: I see!

But the explanation was not over.

The doctor coughed and continued his explanation like a principal’s lecture, saying ‘lastly’.

The New Black members listened with a sad smile.

Doctor: There’s a person named Dennis Rogers in the US, and I think he and Junghyun might have a similar case.

New Black: Oh. Rogers Sunbae-nim.

The New Black members, who had been listening with enthusiasm, widened their eyes and stopped as the doctor continued with his medical explanation.

A 70s hit song played over Bijoo’s blank face.

I don’t know anything~ I don’t know anything~

The sleepy faces of the New Black members were cross-edited, and finally, Junghyun, who was just staring blankly, appeared.

The explanation was over, and Rihyuk and the doctor shook hands, while the others clapped like seals.

The camera approached their faces as they left the room.

‘Q. How was it?’ The New Black members shook their bodies and smiled brightly at the question.

Woojoo: It was the information I really wanted to know! It was a useful time. Right?

The others: Yeah!

Rihyuk: Did you really listen?

The others: Yeah!

Ignoring him, they all shouted ‘Junghyun’s body is the best!’ and cheered, ending the cookie video.

After revealing the secret of Junghyun’s body.

They visited the hair shop they usually went to, to get the styling that suited their new album.

And they also heard the news they had been waiting for.

“Wow…”

They rolled around on the sofa in the hair shop and got excited when they saw the link the promotion team sent them.

The concert opening announcement posted on the official SNS.

They clapped their hands and rejoiced as they saw the poster that filled the tablet PC screen.

“Awesome, right?”

“Isn’t the poster really pretty from the start? Wow, there are already so many likes. I have to like it quickly too.”

“Hyung. How about we hang one of these in the studio, the practice room, the dorm, and the company lounge when the real thing comes out?”

The poster on the screen was so pretty that Bijoo said that.

It was an American-style retro poster.

A colorful amusement park filled with primary colors shone brightly behind them.

And they were standing in front of it as if they had come to play.

“Wow…”

Even though they just saw the poster on the screen, their hearts were already pounding.

Maybe more than when they were nervous and excited before their debut.

Maybe it was because of the number of audience per show, which was about 5,000.

He still couldn’t imagine it.

That 5,000 Soufflés would gather like a festival at Olympic Park to see them. They all had a Kim Bong-dal in their hands, receiving goods and wrapping paper bracelets around their wrists.

“Can’t you imagine? Just multiply 2,000 by 2.5, which you saw at the showcase.”

“You fish don’t know. This warm feeling.”

“I know.”

Of course he knew.

The reason why the tablet PC was shaking was because someone who had it was shaking their legs.

When Woojoo looked at him with a blank stare, he made an excuse that it was because of the air conditioner.

“It’s not on~?”

“…”

“It’s not onnn~?”

“…!”

A war broke out at the youngest’s provocation, who even stuck his face in.

The Hyungs smiled warmly at the sight of them swinging cotton punches at each other.

“How can they look like they have no impact at all?”

“They don’t even dodge, but they don’t even touch each other. Hyung.”

“I know. It would hurt more to get cut by paper than to get hit by them.”

As Woojoo shook his head at the younger ones, he diligently monitored the reactions of the Soufflés on the screen.

“Hmm… but the reaction is half and half.”

“I know. I thought they would like it.”

“I guess it’s different from what we think.”

Woojoo thought the Soufflés would be happy and jumping around, but they weren’t.

Most of the reactions were positive, though.

There were quite a few responses that said the company was overworking them.

With the busy schedule, the concert, and the album preparation on top of that, they seemed to worry about their health.

Woojoo thought it was a reasonable concern.

It was almost as busy as the end of last year’s stage.

He felt sorry for the fans who were full of worry.

“We’re fine…”

“Then, how about a selfie as a sign of our well-being?”

They smiled brightly with the younger ones and took a selfie together, saying ‘Ppi!’ and uploaded it. Then a comment came up.

-If Kyuho is watching, please shake a carrot

-If you don’t have a carrot, then Rihyuk…

They laughed as they matched the comment with their carrot-colored kid next to them.

As they talked about the first concert, the younger ones who were ready one by one started to sit on the shop chairs.

They all had excited expressions.

This time, they decided to add some color, so each of them had different colors.

Bijoo had wine color, Junghyun had dark brown, Rihyuk had blue black. The youngest went with blond, which Bijoo had done before.

Woojoo…

“Teacher.”

“Hmm?”

Woojoo asked the hair shop teacher who was carefully trimming my hair while sitting on the chair, “Does this hurt a lot?”

“Yes.”

“Then I can’t do it.”

“Woojoo, you have a very hard-to-remove hair color. You have to bleach it three times when others do it once or twice.”

“…”

Was it ash gray?

He wanted to go with a colorful flower pattern hair color, but he had to give up because of the fierce opposition from the A&R Team staff.

They said it was like sprinkling ashes on his own path after picking out such a good song.

It was ironic to think of the hair color he was trying to do now as ash.

Honestly, a bright pink color like a flower would be prettier.

“Right, Teacher?”

“…”

The hair teacher pretended not to hear and hummed a tune.

The shop was playing famous songs on the chart, and Windflower was playing.

Even at this moment when they were preparing for the next album, Windflower was still staying at the 5th place on the chart.

Woojoo felt a little anxious when he thought that he had picked out the title of the previous album too well.

“Woojoo, how do you feel?”

“I feel good.”

Woojoo showed off his shoulder dance to Minki Hyung, who was holding a camcorder, wearing a gown.

“But where are you going to upload that?”

“This is our YouTube album making video.”

“Aha. Hello, YouTube viewers! Nice to meet you!”

“Woojoo…”

Woojoo sat down politely under the earnest gaze of the hairstylist. Minki Hyung asked him with a smile, “How is it? Does it hurt?”

“No. Well, this much is…”

As he was acting arrogant, the hairstylist said with a smile, “I haven’t applied the bleach to your scalp yet.”

“…”

Soon, the real pain began.

As several rounds of bleaching continued, he was shivering all over, but he didn’t care about the siblings who were mocking him.

It felt like his head was stuck in a frozen river for a long time in the middle of winter.

“Ughhh…”

“Does it hurt? You were laughing at me when I dyed my hair, saying that you could dye it without bleaching.”

“Ughhh! Ugh!”

Woojoo reached out his hand under the gown and shook it, but the youngest laughed.

Bijoo smiled brightly.

“Endure it for the fans, Hyung.”

“Ughhh!”

“Hmm? You can do anything for the fans, right?”

“Ughhh! Don’t talk to me!”

He was dying of pain!

Music video set.

Props were set up in front of a gloomy concrete-colored city background and a green screen for CG.

As he stretched his tense body, he gathered around the phone with the siblings.

“Ta-da!”

-Oh, my, what a surprise!

His grandmother’s eyes widened in the video call.

-How did your hair turn into blond overnight?

“Cool, right?”

-Well, any color would suit you, but… Move your face a little. Let me see the other members.

“Hmph.”

Woojoo moved his head to the side, making his face half of the screen, and then captured the other siblings.

-More.

“…”

As he stepped aside, the siblings shouted “Ta-da!”

“Grandma, hello!”

“How do we look?”

-Oh, my! You’re so colorful and restless.

His grandmother chuckled at the sight of the siblings’ colorful hair.

Jiho said with a confident face, “How is it? Don’t we look like delinquents? That’s the concept for this time.”

-When did delinquents become defined by hair color?

“No?”

The siblings who argued for the ‘dyeing=delinquent’ theory widened their eyes.

“Don’t we look more playful now?”

“It feels like we’ll bounce out of the club if we shake it like a bag.”

“Our hair color really stands out.”

Woojoo’s grandmother narrowed her eyes and made a face that said ‘how do I explain this to you’.

-You guys are just…

“Yes?”

-Just give up…

They shed tears at the words that sounded like ‘you’re like a 7-year-old rebelling’.

No. It wasn’t like that.

They tried to persuade his grandmother throughout the call, but she didn’t agree at all.

-Grow up. It’s better to look gentle than like a lettuce.

“…Is that so.”

-Yes.

“Yes?”

Woojoo nodded with a regretful face.

She changed the topic and told them about the concert at the end of August and the tickets for the family, and she was very happy.

Her cheeks were already flushed and she was excited, saying ‘can I just wear something nice?’. Woojoo smiled at the sight of his Lady Kim Deoksoon.

“Grandma, but you know, we really look like this…”

-Oh, my, the stew is burning! Burn!

Click–

“…”

“She hung up pretty quickly.”

“We must have annoyed her…”

They looked at each other blankly, then at their reflections in the mirror in the corner of the set.

“We have leather jackets.”

“And hoodies that look rebellious.”

“Even our pants are slightly ripped.”

No matter how they looked at it, they were the perfect image of delinquent teenagers from one to five.

Seokhwan Hyung passed by and hit them with a bone.

“Your basic expressions are too innocent.”

“…”

“With those faces, even elementary school kids wouldn’t be scared. You have to cover it up with makeup and stage acting.”

That was why they put more effort into their makeup than usual.

They sat on the chairs in the dressing room and told the makeup artists with determined faces, “I’m definitely a troublemaker. Please make me look like that.”

They nodded at each other as the artists agreed.

Thanks to their hard work, they were able to transform into somewhat decent-looking faces.

They asked Dowon Hyung, who was holding the camera, “How is it? Do we… look like we know how to have fun?”

“Um. Yeah.”

“What do you mean, um yeah? Hyung. Tell us exactly.”

He rolled his eyes and hesitantly answered.

“You look like the top students who go wild after the college entrance exam…”

“No. Why are you all like that?”

They protested loudly, and the managers and staff laughed.

They smiled as if they were joking.

They rolled their eyes at them and went into the music video shooting.

The main shooting went much smoother than they expected.

“Okay. Good expressions!”

They were worried that they wouldn’t match their usual image, but the footage showed that their worries were unfounded.

They smiled when they looked at them for their opinion.

“…You all knew and teased us.”

They seemed to have made fun of them for worrying unnecessarily.

On the other hand, the combination of their prepared facial expressions and choreography looked convincing.

They flinched and shivered every time their faces were close-up on the monitor.

“Wow, Junghyun Hyung’s expression just now was so scary.”

“Me too, I’m scared of myself.”

“I was startled when Woojoo Hyung reached out his hand.”

Their dancing under the cold gray background and the shining neon sign looked really rough, and they liked it.

The music video director agreed.

“You all did well with the concept. You really looked like fugitives.”

“Yes.”

They nodded.

The concept of this music video was them running away in a cyberpunk setting.

The background was dystopia from SF, suggested by Rihyuk.

The scenes where they hid under the dazzling neon signs or danced in the back alleys and rooftops were the main ones.

There was green neon everywhere.

They brainstormed with the A&R Team on how to make the most of the green color of this album.

It seemed like a good choice that matched the futuristic sound.

“But… Woojoo really nailed his expression.”

One of the staff pointed at Woojoo, who was dancing in the center of the screen.

Woojoo’s dynamic expression under the hairband.

“He really captured the vibe of the music video.”

“Right? I was thinking that too. When did Woojoo Hyung’s expression acting improve so much?”

“Hyung. Did you practice this by watching YouTube?”

Woojoo shook his head with a smile at their questions.

“No.”

“Then…”

Woojoo awkwardly laughed it off, and they looked at him again, who was smiling arrogantly in the music video.

For three seconds.

“Ah…!”

“Ah…!”

A simultaneous exclamation of ‘ah!’ came out of the members’ mouths.

They looked at him as if to say ‘right?’ Their eyes were asking questions.

“Them?”

“Them.”

As the others looked puzzled, Woojoo’s siblings exclaimed again as they watched the screen.

They had realized who he had used as references for his facial expressions.

It was the group whose usual expressions and vibes were similar to Woojoo’s.

They looked completely different on the outside, but they gave off a similar feeling.

“Hyung, there’s something behind you.”

“Oh, really?”

“It looks like a huge letter. Jon…”

Woojoo burst into laughter when they said that every time he gestured, ‘Jon’ flashed behind him.