In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

We all took a step back together.

A spacious yet shabby brick building, the size of a neighborhood supermarket.

Above it hung a sign for Clay Tyler’s studio, unmistakable in its presence.

“It’s the right place.”

It seems we’ve found the right spot.

“Could it be closed today?”

“No. Before coming, we exchanged messages with Clay. He said to come by anytime during the week.”

We had sent a message before leaving Korea, informing him of our visit.

His response was positive.

‘Looking forward to the day we meet!’ he replied, his message brimming with laughter.

“The door is closed.”

Junhyeon cautiously reached for the doorknob.

Click-click.

After trying the locked door a few times, Junhyeon responded with an expression of sudden realization.

“It’s locked.”

“You catch on quick, Junhyeon.”

A desolate wind from a foreign land swept past us.

Then, we exchanged glances.

Having notified him in advance of our visit, the locked door could only mean one thing.

‘He’s bolted!’

‘He’s taken off.’

‘He’s good at running away.’

His escape skills were on par with Rihyuk’s.

Looking at the locked dance studio, I turned to Wonseok, who was holding his phone.

“Hyung, this is the right address, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, so it is correct…”

“I’m calling right now, but it seems he’s not answering.”

Did he really run away because we were coming?

Had we become such dreaded figures that he wanted to avoid us at all costs?

“It’s not like we did anything…”

“In that case…”

While speaking, scenes flashed through my mind like a panorama.

The choreographer and his daughter, exhausted.

And us, cheerfully laughing and enjoying ourselves in front of them.

“Did we go too far?”

“It seems we might have.”

As we were discussing this, we glanced at the one who had been silent until now.

“…”

It was our main dancer.

Always smiling, his eyes usually crinkled with joy, but now they drooped sadly.

His hand, holding an envelope of gifts, was limp.

He was clearly upset, but he kept smiling, not wanting to worry the other members.

“It seems there’s some issue today. Let’s come back another time.”

Bijoo suggested we leave with a smile, but we were too restless to move.

‘He’s really upset.’

‘That’s the face he makes when he’s alone…’

It felt like the disappointment of a parent who brings their child to a toy store, only to find it closed.

Bijoo had been so excited about coming here.

On the way, he had shown us on his smartphone how he would ask Clay about this and that dance move.

“Let’s go, hyung.”

“Alright.”

There wasn’t much else to do.

I put my arm around Bijoo’s shoulder and said resolutely.

“We have plenty of time left, let’s go there.”

“Where?”

“I’ll give you a hint. It starts with ‘D.’”

Bijoo looked puzzled, but Junhyeon answered.

“Digimon World?”

“Disneyland. Junhyeon, can we even go there?”

We burst into laughter at his absurd answer.

Then we told the delighted Bijoo.

“We were going to go there anyway. Let’s check it out.”

“Right. Let’s go to the world of dreams and hope, hyung.”

Bijoo’s eyes widened.

“All of us?”

“Yes. Let’s go…

Overwhelmed by our gaze, Rihyuk nodded.

The suggestion to go to the amusement park to lighten the mood brought Bijoo’s bright smile back.

As we were heading back to the car.

“…Huh?”

We encountered an American walking down the street, earphones in, moving to the beat.

She wore a hooded tee and fashionable pants.

She looked at us with wide eyes. We were the first to speak.

“Joy?”

“…”

“Joy Tyler?”

She bowed her head deeply.

Her actions seemed to say, ‘No, it’s not Joy,’ and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Joy!”

“Uh… Long time no see!”

Her cheeks trembled slightly as she smiled.

We approached her with cheers, and Joy Tyler swallowed nervously before asking.

“What brings you to this area?”

“A surprise visit.”

“It’s quite the surprise…”

“Didn’t Clay tell you we’d be coming to LA?”

I could sense the meaning behind Joy Taylor’s gaze.

“I didn’t hear that.”

“No wonder,” she said, her face showing understanding.

“Dad told all the dancers at the studio to gather because there was a surprise guest.”

“Oh!”

“It was you guys.”

Laughter spilled out at her words, laden with so much meaning.

At the same time, Bijoo’s expression gradually brightened.

“So we can’t go to Disneyland? I just texted the girls asking what souvenirs they wanted.”

“We can’t go?”

“Let’s go later. Another time.”

Only our youngest and the rapper looked downcast.

Meanwhile, Joy Taylor led the way.

“This place closed down recently.”

“Oh.”

“You came to the old address. The new building is about a block away from here.”

Soon, the new building came into view.

Like the previous studio, it was a single-story building but looked much cleaner and more expensive.

“After working with you on ‘Wind Flower,’ we’ve been flooded with requests from K-pop companies.”

A brief laugh escaped me at the thought that we had helped them move to a better place.

Click.

The door to the new building opened, revealing an impressively spacious practice room.

“Wow…”

While the dancers inside sent curious glances our way, wondering who we were, a hearty laugh rang out.

“Hey!”

“Clay!”

A slender man in a smart suit approached with open arms.

We exchanged light fist bumps and shoulder taps.

Bijoo smiled brightly, especially when greeted with an enthusiastic “B!”

Clay carefully matched his fist to Junhyeon’s and lightly touched his shoulder.

“I brought a gift for Clay.”

“A gift?”

He grinned from ear to ear when I handed him a gift set related to traditional Korean culture he had shown interest in before.

And he laughed heartily at the sight of t-shirts with ‘Clay Taylor’ and ‘Joy Taylor’ written in Korean.

“Come over here. You said you were curious about my dance studio, right? Let me introduce you to everyone.”

With that, he clapped his hands and gathered the dancers.

I could feel their curious gazes, wondering who we were, the guests that the studio owner welcomed so warmly.

“First off, these guys have an incredible talent for dance, among the best I’ve seen,” Clay said with a beaming smile.

It seemed they were amazed by the praise for their skills.

“Their passion for dance is also incredible. They must have come to the dance studio today to experience a variety of dances. Right?”

We nodded, as that wasn’t entirely untrue. Then someone asked.

“You look familiar, who are you all?”

Clay smiled, showing his white teeth.

“These are the guys from New Black.”

“…”

“You’re trying to remember where you’ve seen those faces in the music videos, aren’t you?”

He clapped his hands and said.

“Let’s all have a good time together.”

He then introduced us one by one, starting with “This is Jorge…”

I wasn’t sure how our story had spread, but the dancers looked at us with a mix of fear and curiosity.

After the introductions were over.

“Then I’ll just watch.”

As we turned our heads, Clay said with the happiest face.

“I dressed up in a suit to take you to a nice restaurant for lunch. Guess I won’t be dancing.”

That’s when I realized why this stranger’s expression seemed so familiar.

Was it when we received the medal?

It was similar to the smile Mr. Noh Jaehyun wore when he introduced us to other famous singers after the ceremony.

“Ha ha! Ha ha ha!”

Clay looked happy today.

The dancers trembled with fear.

“New Black.”

The ones who had turned Clay Taylor into a drenched rag had arrived.

“So that’s why he called us all together!”

The studio’s director, who had summoned them, was infuriating, but it was too late for regrets.

Yet, the fear lingered.

Clay Taylor, the boogeyman in the closet, feared by this foreign boy band.

“Nice to meet you!”

The five-member group approached with laughter.

For now, the dancers greeted them with awkward smiles.

Under Clay’s lead, the atmosphere turned into something like a workshop, and New Black stood in the center of the practice room.

“They don’t look like they can dance well.”

They had pretty faces.

Their bodies were so slim, it was questionable if they could generate any power.

“Oh…”

The five members showed a part of the dance to ‘Nine,’ and the onlookers’ eyes widened.

Those who had been crouching looked up with wide eyes.

They danced well.

Despite the incredibly fast beat, their movements were organically precise, without a single error.

“Wow.”

It was the first time they had seen such a perfectly synchronized dance.

A quality that could only come from practicing all day long.

The amount of practice was daunting at first glance, and I found myself overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

As Nine’s choreography came to an end, the dancers who had been preparing applause of encouragement burst into applause of amazement instead.

Someone jokingly asked, “Do you dance all day long?”

“No,” replied a member with a solemn expression. “About fourteen hours a day.”

“…”

“Sometimes fifteen?”

The leader standing next to him nudged him and said, “It’s a joke, Junghyun.”

“Ah. Hahaha!”

The rapper’s sudden hearty laughter made all the dancers erupt in laughter too.

Somehow, they felt approachable.

Soon after, the members of New Black exchanged compliments about their dance, and some of them demonstrated their moves.

“Wow…”

Every twist and turn of their bodies was met with applause from the New Black members.

However, the dancers’ expressions were not as bright.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Did I always dance like this?’

I was performing the same dance as today, yet something felt unsatisfying.

Soon, I realized the reason.

It was the figure dancing a solo flamboyantly in the center of New Black.

‘B, was it?’

He was the member Clay Tyler always talked about.

Every time he elegantly extended his hands into the air, his red hair fluttering softly, gasps followed.

His skill belied his age; it was hard to believe he was just over twenty, as the years of practice were evident in his dance.

Even among the professional dancers present, only a few could claim to dance better than this.

‘I haven’t seen many singers who can dance this well…’

Especially when it came to captivating the audience, he seemed more talented than anyone else here.

With every flick of his fingertips and toes, it felt like an afterimage was left behind.

“How was it?” B asked, causing the dancers to pause before asking.

“How did you do that? The hand movement just now, like a flower? Did you visualize something similar?”

“Can you show us the third part you did?”

“It’s strange. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s memorable.”

Their attitude had become friendly all of a sudden.

Bijoo responded to those curious about the secret to capturing attention.

“We’re a boy band, so we have to sing and dance. Since we can’t be better than those who take dancing or singing as their profession, we’re always researching various things.” R

“Techniques?”

“For example, if I divert my gaze like this and raise my fingertips to my chest area…”

Eyes were drawn to his pale neck.

Throughout, the main dancer of New Black smoothly moved his neck, drawing everyone’s gaze to his chin.

And then, a gentle smile formed.

The dancers nodded in agreement.

When it came to standing out in front of cameras or someone’s gaze, New Black were the experts, more so than them.

“Can you tell us a bit more?”

Other members joined in, sharing expressions and various helpful tips.

“Is there a dance that’s trending in the US that we can see?”

“This one, where you bring your toes together.”

“Yeah, that part. Which muscles do you focus on when you do the wave?”

The New Black members also threw questions at the dancers.

They were exchanging questions and gaining valuable tips from each other.

And the dancers were impressed.

‘What’s this? It’s changed again.’

The idol’s ability to learn was incredible; after being shown once or twice, they immediately improved.

Among them, the standout figure alongside B was…

“Can you do breakdancing?”

It was the leader of New Black, who had only seen foreign dancers’ moves on Mitube and kept asking to see them performed.

“Hmm, I haven’t seen it done well in videos. Like this…”

“You might get hurt if you do it wrong…”

“It works.”

Even the dancers who tried to dissuade him blinked each time.

There was someone with insane talent who could perfectly copy any move shown.

Although it felt like I was revealing all my secrets, the mood among the dancers was at its peak.

‘It feels fulfilling.’

Every time they exchanged tips, it felt like a meaningful exchange.

New Black took away areas to improve in their dance, while the dancers learned techniques to shift the audience’s gaze on stage.

The atmosphere was warm and friendly.

And just like that, two hours flew by in a flash.

“Today was so much fun!”

“We feel the same.”

Both sides clasped hands with eyes full of reluctance to part.

Then B said, “Can I take your contact information? I don’t know if there will be an occasion, but if there’s a chance to work together…”

“Of course, that would be great!”

The dancers smiled brightly.

‘Clay really exaggerated.’

These were such warm and friendly people; it was clear I had misunderstood them because of Clay.

New Black responded with a kind smile.

“…?”

Startled.

For a moment, I thought I saw a wicked expression flash across their faces, but the dancers laughed it off.

‘I must have seen it wrong.’

As both sides exchanged warm smiles, hoping to see each other again, someone said, “Go ahead. Exchange them.”

Clay, who had been watching from near the wall like a cockroach clinging to it, chuckled brightly and muttered, “Go on, exchange contact information. Exchange it…”

Behind him stood his daughter, Joy Tyler, looking at her father with a look of disdain.

After a delightful time at the dance studio, we parted ways with the Tyler family at a famous restaurant in LA. It was a seafood place, so delicious that I made a mental note to visit again with Mrs. Kim Deoksoon if she ever came to the States. The portions were so generous that it was the first time I saw Junghyun laugh so heartily at the sight of a single serving.

And the next day.

“I might just live in America,” Junghyun said, his face beaming with happiness as he looked at the snacks on the table. He then offered me a bag, saying, “Look at this, brother.”

“Wow.”

“There’s so much jelly. It seems like people here like to eat until they burst, just like me.”

Watching Junghyun’s blissful face amidst the flood of jellies, we all burst into laughter.

Then we began to warm up our voices.

“Ahh, five hundred won. Five hundred won…”

The sound of us chanting ‘five hundred won…’ like a mantra echoed in the waiting room.

While our staff meticulously applied our makeup, foreigners passing by in the hallway tilted their heads at the sound of ‘five hundred won.’

Then, when a foreign staff member asked Seokhwan what we were chanting, Seokhwan pressed his lips together tightly.

“What did they say?”

“They asked if they could know which religious scripture we’re reciting because it seems to bring such peace.”

“Uh…?”

It seemed the foreigners were curious about us peacefully chanting ‘five hundred won, five hundred won~.’

I turned to my brothers with a wide smile and said, “Let’s change it to avoid any misunderstandings.”

Soon after we switched to ‘one dollar… one dollar…’ our staff couldn’t help but flip over laughing.

We harmonized our voices as we continued to warm up.

“One dollar~ eleven hundred won~”

As we created a chorus singing ‘exchange rate high~ high,’ the makeup artists stopped their hands and burst into laughter.

In a joyful atmosphere, we warmed up our voices and proceeded smoothly with the rehearsal.

On our second day in LA.

Today’s schedule was the ‘Nostalgia Live Concert’ in a theater filled with roughly a thousand spectators.

The cast of the movie sang the OST of ‘Nostalgia’ on stage.

“Hmm-hmm.”

With a long wait ahead, we kept humming to warm up our voices or drank water to soothe our throats.

Our performance was about five minutes long.

Before singing ‘Falling Stars’ at the end, we were to make a surprise appearance and sing ‘Thousand Dreams.’

“Guys, they’re asking us to come out and wait on the side.”

“Okay.”

Leaving the dressing room with my brothers, we headed towards the backstage.

I felt a slight tension.

No matter the country, performing in front of people from another land is always a mix of excitement and nerves.

Backstage, while taking deep breaths and loosening up, an American staff member with a headset asked us with a smile, “Does it make you nervous to be on such a big stage?”

“Huh?”

As we looked puzzled, the staff member chattered on.

“Performing in front of not just a hundred, but a thousand people. This must be your first time at such a big event. Don’t be too nervous.”

We thanked them with a smile, and the staff member gave us a thumbs-up, as if to say ‘fighting.’

They had the warm smile of someone encouraging a rookie singer with no experience, which was endearing yet somehow made us chuckle.

“Thank you.”

We replied with a smile.

“Thanks to your support, I think the performance will go well.”

At the same time.

On stage, the lead actors of Nostalgia, Rupert Dean and Bella Page, were dressed in suits, engaging in a talk.

“Now we’re down to the grand finale.”

“Are you all excited for ‘Falling Stars’?”

One of the hottest songs on the Billboard charts and an original from the movie.

At the mention of ‘Falling Stars,’ the audience cheered, but some felt a sense of wonder.

‘Aren’t they going to perform ‘Thousand Dreams’?’

That song, also an original from the movie, had been all over MyTube and the radio recently.

Just as the audience harbored this question, Bella Page hesitated with the microphone in hand and said, “Wait.”

“Hmm?”

“It feels like we’ve forgotten something.”

“What did we forget? Oh!”

Rupert Dean said, “Ever After? Or The Reason?”

“No.”

Bella Page brushed her blonde hair aside in frustration.

“It’s ‘Thousand Dreams.’”

“Oh…”

Rupert Dean responded with a playful nod.

“We forgot that one. But we didn’t sing it…”

“Why not give it a try?”

Immediately, the live band waiting behind them started playing with perfect timing.

The male and female duet took the microphone.

“Oooh…”

“Pffft!”

They pretended to miss the notes, failing to sing the challenging song, and the audience erupted in laughter at their deliberate off-key performance.

Rupert Dean said, “This song might be too challenging for us to perform.”

“I agree,” I replied.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Certainly, some songs should only be sung by the original artists…”

The audience, catching on to the situation, erupted into cheers.

The two actors, having stirred up excitement with their skit, now smiled and turned to the production staff, microphones in hand.

“What’s that?”

Rupert Dean’s eyes widened in surprise.

“The original artist who sang this song is here? Really?”

“Then tell them to come up on stage quickly!”

The audience’s cheers and applause thundered through the venue.

“Wow!”

As the live band played a gentle tune, the spotlight shone on a quintet making their entrance from backstage.

The cheering audience paused for a moment.

‘But what was their name?’

‘Are they foreign artists?’

While the audience looked on with curiosity, the quintet entered with soft smiles.

It was the moment when New Black was introduced to an audience in a foreign land for the first time.