In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: Rxel

Episode 316

A small practice room.

Members of the Malaysian female cover dance team, ‘one hit,' were gathered around their leader.

"They’re coming? Are they really coming?"

"Yes."

JJ, the leader, put down her phone and grinned.

"New Black is coming."

In an instant, the practice room heated up with a festive atmosphere.

"New Black is really coming here!"

Just the thought of it made their hearts race.

The famous K-pop idols they had only ever seen in dance videos were actually coming here.

"They’re going to teach us the choreography too? Is that for real?"

"Yes, they’ll watch our choreography and even give us tips."

"Oooooh!"

For them, who were in the middle of intense practice for the K-pop Festival finals in October, it was a golden opportunity.

Sandra, one of the members, spoke with an excited expression.

"We can't waste any time. Let’s practice right now."

"Right. We’re not good enough yet."

The dance team immediately threw themselves into practice.

Their skills, which had seemed "pretty good" when they were just among themselves, suddenly felt woefully inadequate with the original artists coming.

While they were practicing fervently as if cramming,

New Black’s local agent arrived with a small filming camera.

"We’d like to do a brief interview before New Black arrives."

"Yes!"

The dance team members sat in front of the camera, set up on a tripod, ready for the interview.

"Do you know a lot about New Black?"

"Of course! They’re the original artists of ‘Masquerade,’ the song we’re covering."

They answered eagerly.

"If you’re into K-pop, you can't not know them. They’re on the charts these days, you know."

"I even bought their album. I’m going to get it signed later."

"I’m going to their concert tomorrow."

Hearing someone mention they had succeeded in getting concert tickets, the others looked at her enviously. JJ, the leader, spoke up.

"I was so jealous when they went to Singapore last time. We’ve been waiting for New Black to come to Malaysia."

"Exactly."

"We kept writing in the live comments, asking them to come here."

"That was you?"

Their answers continued, showing just how popular K-pop was among fans in Southeast Asia, and the interview progressed in a friendly atmosphere.

Finally, the last question came.

"Then, is there a member of New Black you like the most?"

"Hmm."

The dance team members looked at each other.

After about three seconds, they answered in unison, as if on cue.

"Bijoo!"

The interviewer responded with an "Oh," and asked,

"Is there a reason you like Bijoo?"

Each of them gave a similar response.

"I like him because he dances so well."

"We chose ‘Masquerade' because we watched Bijoo's fancam. At that time, it was just… wow."

"Yeah, we were really blown away."

They recalled the shock they had felt then.

The video titled “2014 Mango Chart Awards – New Black Bijoo fancam” uploaded on Meetube.

The moment they saw someone moving fast and gracefully under the intense red lighting, they felt, "We have to do this."

"So we looked up more videos, and those were amazing too. He seemed so fierce on stage."

"But in reality, he has a completely different personality, and we love that."

"Exactly. We like all the New Black members for that reason."

Just looking at their stage performances, they seemed quite intense, edgy, and cool.

But when they searched on Meetube, they found videos of someone getting lost in Taiwan, whining, "Waaaah."

One of the members said,

"Being dancers ourselves, Bijoo is definitely our favorite, but honestly, we’d like to see all of them in person at least once."

"We want to see them all. We’re curious about everyone’s face."

"Oh no, I think I’m going to cry already."

After filming their message to New Black, the interview ended.

And then, thirty minutes later.

"Have they arrived?"

"Looks like they’re here."

As they quickly checked their outfits and waited,

they began to hear footsteps descending the basement stairs.

Soon, the door opened.

"Apa khabar (Hello)?"

For a moment, they were taken aback by the perfectly local-sounding greeting.

"Heuhhh…!"

At the sight of New Black's leader entering with a gentle smile, everyone in the room froze stiff.

His features were arranged so perfectly, clearer than the resolution of a display TV in a shopping mall.

The soft curve of his lips formed a gentle smile.

‘What is this? What is this?'

As he gave a light wave, they felt something melting inside them.

‘People in Korea get to live seeing something this good?'

‘So dazzling!'

‘What kind of halo…?'

As they marveled at the shimmering light, which felt almost like an optical illusion,

Woojoo softly said something to the manager, who then dimmed the following lights.

And as the halo faded away,

"Wow…"

the other members who had followed him into the room revealed themselves.

From the main dancer, who smiled as he gently swept his hair back, to the youngest of New Black, who was grinning cheerfully.

The members of ‘one hit,' admiring the beauty that brightened up the practice room, returned their gaze to Woojoo.

"Wooowww—"

All they could do was let out exclamations.

Even after seeing the stunning looks of the other members, they couldn’t stop admiring Woojoo's face.

And then.

Step. Step.

The members, lined up behind their leader like toy soldiers, twitched their cheeks with pride.

‘Hmm? What’s going on?'

‘They look really proud.'

‘They're showing off.'

New Black puffed out their chests confidently,

like children showing off an older brother who goes to middle school.

* * *

"Two, three!"

"Hello, we’re New Black!"

As they bowed and greeted, the others responded with enthusiastic applause.

They introduced themselves in Korean, but switched to English for the rest of the conversation.

They’d heard that most of the members were attending music schools and were familiar with English.

"Ohhh!"

Unfortunately, the conversation couldn’t even begin.

The team members, who had been staring intently at their faces, suddenly burst into tears.

"Oh, please don't cry."

"Don't cry. If you keep crying, we'll start crying too."

It was the kind of tears that came when emotions overflowed beyond their limit.

They handed out tissues and tried to soothe them with gentle voices, which only made them cry harder.

After about five minutes of crying,

they finally calmed down, and New Black burst into laughter as they looked at the dance team, whose eyes were now red like rabbit eyes.

"Feeling a bit better now?"

"…Yes."

Hoarse voices answered.

As Rihyuk handed them more tissues, their trembling hands accepted them, and they carefully folded the tissues to place them on their chairs.

"Why keep the tissues…?"

"To keep them. Sniff!"

Watching the dance team carefully save the tissues they received and wipe away tears with their sleeves brought smiles to their faces.

It was both touching and heartwarming.

It was New Black’s first visit to Malaysia, and they felt that coming here was truly worth it.

"I heard you qualified for the K-pop Festival finals in Changwon."

"Yes."

"First of all, congratulations!"

They sang the English version of a popular song in Malaysia, adding congratulatory lyrics.

As they danced like celebratory dolls, the members who had just been sobbing burst into laughter.

They laughed and praised them.

"Didn’t you say your choreography is for ‘Masquerade’? That’s such a difficult routine. Making it to the finals with that is really impressive."

"Ohhh…"

"You all must have jobs, but you’ve been practicing so hard… oh, oh no, please don’t start crying again!"

"Oooooh…"

As they hastily tried to stop them from crying again after praising their hard work,

Bijoo quickly changed the subject.

"Could we see your choreography first?"

"Yes!"

"Just dance comfortably. We didn’t come here to judge you; we’re just here to share a few tips."

Bijoo smiled kindly as he spoke.

"Relax. You can do it, right?"

"Yes!"

As New Black stepped aside to the other end of the practice room, the five members stood in front of the mirror with determined expressions and nodded. �

Then they began performing the choreography for "Masquerade."

* * *

When they finished the last move,

the hearts of ‘one hit' members began to pound.

‘So this is what it feels like to have your nerves on edge.'

‘This is even more nerve-wracking than the finals.'

New Black had been watching them dance while pressed up against the wall like cicadas.

Their lips were smiling brightly, but their eyes were carefully observing the choreography.

As they finished, New Black clapped and cheered.

"Wowww!"

"You did so well. Really."

"You must be tired from dancing, right? Great job."

New Black handed them tissues to wipe their sweat and praised them warmly.

As they anxiously waited for feedback,

"You did an amazing job."

Bijoo clapped his hands enthusiastically, looking genuinely impressed.

"The choreography for ‘Masquerade' is extremely challenging. You have to keep moving and stopping, which is exhausting physically."

"Yes, that’s right."

"It also requires a lot of muscle strength, so it was a tough song for us too. But you all captured the power beautifully at key moments, especially during the part where you spin and enter from the air."

Hearing the main dancer compliment specific parts of their performance filled them with a deep sense of pride.

‘This feels amazing.’

‘The original artists said we did well…’

‘All the practice was worth it.’

The other members of New Black agreed with Bijoo.

Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed they had entrusted him with today’s brief choreography coaching session.

“Then, before I share a few tips with you.”

The main dancer approached gracefully and began stretching.

As they marveled at his flexibility, extending his legs to a full 180 degrees, a question came their way.

“What kind of song do you think ‘Masquerade’ is?”

“Hmm.”

“Understanding that makes it easier to convey.”

After a moment of thought, they answered.

“Seduction? Temptation?”

“Like something from a masquerade ball…?”

“It felt a bit unsettling.”

At those words, Bijoo smiled.

“That’s all correct. But there’s an even more important point.”

“A key point?”

“Yes. A brilliant composer I know once said, ‘Whatever the listener feels is the right answer.’”

At that, Woojoo, who was drinking water, coughed, and the other members chuckled.

Unfazed, Bijoo continued with sparkling eyes.

“Still, in terms of choreography, it’s essential to grasp the song’s intended meaning.”

“Oooh…”

“In ‘Masquerade,’ it’s all about ‘attraction.’”

“Attraction?”

“Let’s say it’s the pull between two people. Like, in a world where everyone wears masks, two people without masks lock eyes… that kind of pull?”

Just as they were beginning to understand his meaning,

Bijoo said he’d demonstrate and called Woojoo, the lead dancer, over to join hands with him.

“It feels something like this.”

Bijoo spun lightly to one side, and Woojoo, who had been close, took a slight step back.

They watched with their mouths slightly open.

“Wow…”

Their bodies moved as if connected by a single thread.

The other members joined in with amused expressions, replicating the choreography of ‘Masquerade.’

They moved as if invisibly bound to one another.

In that moment, they understood exactly what Bijoo meant by ‘attraction.’

“Now, I’ll share a few tips with you.”

Bijoo offered advice, pointing out specific moves from each member’s part, suggesting adjustments.

Even though he had only seen it once, he seemed to recall every move as if watching a recorded video in his mind.

He even replicated the dance team members’ movements precisely as he demonstrated.

“Alright, how about we go over each part together?”

The lesson proceeded in a cheerful atmosphere.

Even in parts they often messed up, New Black taught them with empathy, saying things like, “That part’s tricky, right?”

“Don’t worry too much. I mess up that part sometimes too.”

“No, he messes it up a lot~!”

There was playful bickering from the younger members.

Junghyun stood nearby, demonstrating with a serious look like a statue, then gave a thumbs-up with a grin.

And Woojoo, who pinpointed technically challenging parts.

‘It’s amazing.’

‘Most people who dance well don’t understand these things.’

‘He points it out exactly.’

Usually, talented dancers say, “Why can’t you get this?” But here was the lead dancer of New Black, with his overflowing talent, still mindful of the struggles of non-professionals.

They felt grateful to the New Black members who encouraged them, saying, “You’ll be even more perfect if you do it this way.”

“Hmm.”

At some point, they began to feel something strange.

After they finished each corrected part, Bijoo asked with a friendly smile,

“Did you have a reason for doing it like this?”

“Uh…”

“Oh, I’m not criticizing!”

He laughed brightly and waved his hands.

“I’m just curious, wondering if there was a reason for it.”

“Well, um…”

Though his voice was gentle, there was something intimidating about him.

His eyes had a fierce intensity when it came to dance.

‘Did we do something wrong?’

‘Why does this feel so familiar?’

It was an oddly familiar sensation.

Though his face was the same as the Bijoo they had seen in dance videos, he was giving off an unexpectedly familiar vibe.

He spoke calmly, but there was something terrifying about it.

As they pondered, they simultaneously widened their eyes.

“…!”

A tingling sensation shot through their minds as other faces overlapped with Bijoo’s.

‘Pro… Professor?’

‘Why am I seeing our lesson teacher’s face here?’

To students attending music colleges, it was an extremely familiar feeling.

The way he asked, “Why did you do it like that?” was just like the professors they were used to, and they gulped.

They almost answered reflexively, “Yes, teacher.”

“Alright, let’s all have fun together~!”

That was when it truly began to feel scary.

“Let’s practice the parts together! Hahaha!”

“This is going to be so fun!”

Like professors and their devoted grad students, New Black laughed gleefully, thoroughly confusing them.

And then.

“Ah, hahh…”

“Isn’t this fun? Now, let’s try connecting all of that together.”

“Connect all of it?”

“Yes!”

New Black smiled happily.

“It’s not difficult at all. You’ll find it much easier doing it with us.”

“…”

Seeing how energized they looked, the dance team began to feel a growing sense of dread.

It was like they were having fun as a herd of zebras while a herd of giant elephants stomped over, saying, “Come playyyy!”

Danny, one of the members, swallowed hard.

“Uh, aren’t you busy?”

“Hm?”

“You must have a packed schedule in Malaysia…”

“Oh, we do have other schedules…”

Jiho, the youngest, flashed a bright smile.

“But we made extra time so we could spend it with all of you!”

Their pupils shook.

“Um, how long?”

“About two hours?”

“…”

Normally, they would have been moved to tears, thinking, ‘They’re giving us two whole hours!’ but now it was only filling them with dread.

Of course, they weren’t unhappy about it.

It was a dream come true to breathe the same air as their idols in the same space.

And every time they received coaching, the moves became noticeably easier.

But…

‘They’re not leaving…’

They were thrilled to meet their idols, but their idols showed no signs of leaving anytime soon.

All to continue practicing with them.

“Oh no!”

“You can do it! Haha!”

“Aagh!”

“This is fun! Fighting!”

Their gratitude for New Black’s sincere effort to teach them better choreography.

Their mixed feelings as their skills noticeably improved.

And somewhere in between, a vague sense of fear left the five-member team wobbling like sad reeds.

“Hahaha!”

As the choreography practice continued, a determined glint appeared in the ‘one hit’ members’ eyes.

‘If finishing this will get us out of this, then we’re going to make it happen.’

‘I’m doing this out of sheer spite now.’

‘I won’t mess up a single hand movement.’

Once deemed the weakest contender in the finals due to their casual preparation, ‘one hit’ was now evolving into a dark horse in the competition.

* * *

@thenewblack.official

(A photo showing the ‘one hit’ members standing with intense, determined eyes like special forces, with New Black laughing heartily in the background like drill instructors.)

Had a wonderful time in Malaysia! It was so much fun.

* * *

On the best board of the country’s largest idol community.

[The idol that’s now touching the hearts of art school enthusiasts (feat. New Black)]

(Meetube video link.)

Start watching from 3:46. Subtitles are available.

This is New Black teaching choreography tips to a cover dance team during their recent visit to Malaysia for an overseas tour lol

But Bijoo’s lines in the video are triggering the trauma of all the arts students.

– Haha, I feel exhausted just hearing it.

– “Is there a reason you did it like this?” LOL it’s real.

-“Did you have a reason for adding that move there?”

– Hearing it is bringing up my trauma.

– A familiar vibe from an unfamiliar idol…

– And he’s even being kind.

– That “let’s connect it together” line is the pinnacle lol

– He’s cute, though.

– It’s funny because they’re genuinely trying to be considerate.

– The video is hilarious; just look at the expressions on the dancers’ faces.

– They start out all cheerful, then get dazed, and by the end, they look fierce.

– Even foreign fans in the Meetube comments are in distress in English, seems like people are the same everywhere lol

– I’m amazed seeing their improvement, though.

– Yes, seriously, you can see the difference between the early and later parts of the choreography.

– If they win the competition, wouldn’t that be epic? lol

– No way lol

* * *

The first week of the overseas tour wrapped up smoothly.

After a fan signing event at a shopping mall in Malaysia and a radio appearance, they held a concert the next day.

It was heartwarming to see the crowd of ‘Dalbongs’ waving in

the darkness.

“Thank you!”

They bowed in gratitude to the fans who sang along to the final song, ‘Fireworks.’

They took a commemorative photo with the national flag in the background.

The next day, they headed to Singapore for their concert.

After a busy schedule, they returned to Korea.

They were back to film ‘Ha Seungjoo’s Music Café.’

“We absolutely will.”

During the drive to the PBS broadcasting station, they placed their hands together and firmly resolved.

“We will return with a fresh image.”

They exchanged determined looks, and the managers encouraged them with fist pumps, saying, “Yes, good luck.”

“Huh.”

Suddenly, the hour and minute hands on a wristwatch caught their eyes.

5:25.

They exchanged glances and smiled gently.

“Bijoo-si~”

“Bijoo-si~”

As Bijoo placed his hands on his cheeks in delight, the managers began to look worried.