Chapter 903: Hey, where is this? Yes. This is Newniverse. (3)

“...This is....”

“There’s nothing to do.”

Inside Wooju Team’s vehicle.

As the car glided smoothly forward, the guests scratched their heads.

‘There’s nothing to do.’

Just moments ago, Wooju had shown off unbelievable driving skills while escaping the complicated alleys of Gangnam.

And even after that, the impressive driving continued.

Even the production staff in the car behind them looked visibly shocked.

Lee Gyeonu spoke.

“You’re really good.”

“Right? I get a lot of compliments. People always say I’m amazing at driving.”

“There’s really nothing you can’t do.”

As Lee Gyeonu said that, his eyes landed on the car’s horrifying interior.

‘...Well, there is one thing you’re bad at.’

It was an interior design bad enough to kill a thousand-year crush.

But he didn’t bother saying it out loud.

-But the interior is kind of...

-Sunbae. Are you doubting someone who was selected as a fashionista at Paris Fashion Week and even attended the Met Gala?

He could already picture Wooju spouting nonsense like that and stubbornly insisting he was right.

It was a classic NewBlack TV pattern, after all.

‘But why am I even here?’

With a blank expression, Lee Gyeonu looked around the car.

Two awkward idols.

A friend he occasionally texted.

Before he knew it, he was filming a variety show with them.

“By the way....”

Hanjo, sitting beside him, asked,

“How do you know Wooju, sunbae?”

“Me?”

As Lee Gyeonu was about to give a rough answer—

Wooju burst into laughter.

“Me and sunbae are best friends. He even said in an interview that I’m one of his closest friends.”

“Really?”

Nod.

Lee Gyeonu confirmed.

‘We are close.’

Of course, it wasn’t like he didn’t have closer acquaintances.

But due to his personality, he had more female friends than male ones.

The problem was that mentioning them in interviews felt awkward, so among men, he chose Wooju as the closest.

And it wasn’t wrong.

They really were close.

Holiday greetings, messages saying he enjoyed his dramas, and so on.

Wooju [(photo)]

Wooju [This cloud looks like you, sunbae]

Wooju [You’ve been well, right?]

He even sent funny photos and jokes from time to time.

They definitely had a decent level of familiarity.

The problem was...

“I didn’t expect to come here myself.”

While preparing for the film Sun Myungju, studying Wooju had backfired.

For method acting, understanding what the character’s son was like could be helpful.

So when he was asked to solve questions about Wooju, he did.

-And ta-da. You passed.

-Excuse me?

And just like that, he was accepted and ended up appearing on New Universe as a guest.

His manager and company director had been so excited, insisting, “You absolutely have to go on New Universe.”

Wooju smiled.

“I’m glad you came, sunbae. Your movie releases next month, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll set things up properly later so you can promote it well.”

“Thanks.”

Lee Gyeonu smiled.

‘Think of it as a good opportunity.’

Promoting the upcoming film, while also getting to know Wooju better—both would help his acting.

‘Right!’

A look of realization crossed his face.

‘I am Sun Myungju. Sun Myungju... Sun Myungju is participating in this show while wearing Lee Gyeonu’s face....’

Suddenly, he looked at Wooju with a warm smile.

Like a father looking at his son.

The two idols blinked.

‘He really loves promoting his movie.’

‘Wow... his eyes are literally dripping honey.’

Wooju, watching him through the rearview mirror, flinched unconsciously and gripped the steering wheel tighter.

It felt like someone father-like was watching him, making him feel like he had to do well.

Meanwhile, they spent time getting closer.

“Didn’t we gather like this before?”

Han Taehyeon took the lead in the conversation.

“During our NewBlack special, we met like this, remember? We even bought ingredients and made NewBlack rice bowls at the restaurant.”

“Oh right.”

“That was really good.”

It wasn’t hard for the three to get close.

They had common ground.

“Last time, this guy told me he’d write me a song if I did an acrostic poem. I even called him and did it, and he just sent me one melody and that was it.”

“He’s seriously evil. He calls me asking to teach him rap until dawn... I taught him a ton, gave him tips, and then he just disappeared.”

“I’ve been getting vocal training for my movie lately, and it’s so hard....”

The trio began complaining about Wooju.

‘That evil spaceship!’

It was like a support group of victims from a certain mischievous dinosaur.

As the complaints piled up—

Wooju, gripping the wheel, puffed his cheeks.

“Hey now....”

At his sulky expression, the three burst into laughter.

“If viewers hear this, there’ll be another personality controversy. You have to tell the full story.”

Wooju continued,

“Han Taehyeon, what did the A&R team say about the melody I gave you? They said it was good enough to build a song from, right? And Hanjo, didn’t I help you with the part you were stuck on as repayment?”

Then he glanced at Lee Gyeonu in the rearview mirror.

“Sunbae, your vocal skills improved too, didn’t they?”

One by one, he brought it up.

“Hmm?”

“Did that happen?”

“I don’t remember.”

The three laughed and teased him.

Even Lee Gyeonu joined in slightly.

Wooju gripped the steering wheel again.

A faintly sad expression.

“But hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re really good at driving.”

“Really...?”

At just a few compliments, Wooju perked up immediately.

Everyone nodded.

‘He really is good.’

Though some parts were... peculiar.

For example, when taking a curve, he looked like a serious F1 racer.

But when making a U-turn, he had the smile of a veteran taxi driver. ℯℯ𝑙.

It somehow felt like riding in a car driven by a taxi driver with 50 years of experience.

‘What video did he watch this time?’

Just as everyone was thinking that—

Wooju spoke.

“By the way, I wonder how the others are doing.”

“Ah.”

At the mention of “the others,” Han Taehyeon asked,

“Come to think of it, they’ve probably picked up their guests and started by now.”

“Yeah.”

“Are the other members good drivers too?”

“Junghyun’s naturally good, so he’s an exception. Biju’s fine as long as there’s navigation. Ri Hyuk will do fine as long as he doesn’t get nervous. Jiho will be fine too.”

They imagined it.

‘Will they... really?’

Wooju was an unpredictable case, so that was expected—but aside from Junghyun, the others were harder to imagine.

They usually felt chaotic.

Hanjo asked,

“Who do you think will be the best?”

“Excluding Junghyun... among the three... Jiho?”

“Jiho?”

“Jiho has really good judgment. If I had to pick someone to replace me as leader, I’d pick Jiho.”

The unexpected answer sparked curiosity.

‘Jiho?’

“So....”

Jiho smiled as he held the steering wheel.

Looking at Seok Jihoon, the youngest of TNT and an actor, seated in the back.

“Sunbae, you have a license, but your driving experience is....”

“Short.”

“Unprotected left turn?”

“It means you don’t get protection when turning left, so you have to be careful yourself... something like that?”

“Guidelines?”

“Probably lines that guide you...?”

Jiho chuckled and looked at the others.

Ha Hyun of Teen Spirit.

And Kiwon, the youngest of Street Boys.

If Seok Jihoon was someone he got close to through acting discussions, these two were old school friends.

“Kiwon, you....”

“I have a license.”

“Driving experience?”

“Uh... a few road lessons?”

Then he looked awkwardly at the boyish Ha Hyun.

“And you’re unlicensed.”

“Yup, baby.”

“Yup, baby my foot—ugh!”

It seemed like he’d drawn the wrong team.

Since they were picked by ranking, his passengers were practically driving novices.

Ha Hyun said optimistically,

“Still, we’re basically the youngest in our teams, right? Jihoon hyung, me, and Kiwon here.”

“That’s true.”

“We might seem useless. But if there’s one thing we’re good at!”

The youngest trio shouted in unison.

“We’re great at filling the audio!”

“Hahaha! That’s true!”

“Hahahaha!”

Bright, carefree rookies.

Watching them laugh without a care, Jiho narrowed his eyes.

‘They’re so annoying.’

Completely unaware that he usually acted the same way.

Seok Jihoon said,

“If they grouped us like this, they’re definitely going to make us play games later. And the youngest always excel at those.”

“That’s right, sunbae.”

“I’m good at mini-games too.”

Even Kiwon, usually calm, was caught up in the mood.

Average age: early twenties.

It felt like a group of friends on a trip.

‘I need to focus.’

While they chatted excitedly, Jiho calmly drove.

Eyes forward.

Check the rear when changing lanes.

Always signal.

“Oh. He’s good.”

Without his older members around, the youngest had become responsible.

‘Heh!’

He actually had talent for this.

Observing situations, making accurate decisions, guiding others calmly.

He knew it himself.

There was a reason he was always class president.

But—

‘I hate using my brain....’

Why take a hard road when an easy one exists?

When his older members were around, he didn’t have to think.

If he snacked, Biju would wipe his mouth.

If finances got confusing, Ri Hyuk would handle it.

If he couldn’t open a kimchi container, Junghyun would appear and open it.

As for idol activities, he just followed Wooju.

‘I want to have no sense of self....’

Jiho drove well with a slightly sad face.

Meanwhile, the three laughed.

“Kyaaahaha!”

“Hahaha!”

It became a legendary New Universe moment titled:

[Wang Jiho Mirror Therapy]

Seo Ri Hyuk’s vehicle.

“....”

“....”

Jang Sowon gagged.

“Ugh....”

“Su-sunbae, are you okay?”

“I’m... fine.”

The others in the car looked similar.

LB in the passenger seat rubbed his hands, saying he felt sick.

Ballad singer Cha Woo Hyun closed his eyes.

Seo Ri Hyuk looked flustered.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine....”

The entire team was suffering from motion sickness.

Not because his driving was rough.

“Safety! Always safety!”

It was because of his extremely cautious driving.

“Gasp!”

“What’s wrong, Ri Hyuk?!”

“I didn’t maintain a safe distance. It should be 64 meters...!”

“......”

“According to road traffic standards, it’s speed squared divided by 100. I’m about 10 meters short.”

Every time he gasped, it wore down their nerves.

“Ugh....”

“....”

Eventually, they °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° decided to stop at a rest area.

“Let’s... rest a bit.”

“Yes.”

The three ran to the restroom.

Left alone, Ri Hyuk looked dejected.

‘What should I do?’

He felt guilty.

While flipping through an e-book titled 101 Ways to Create a Pleasant Atmosphere with Your Speech—

The three returned, looking better.

“Ah, I feel alive again.”

“Should we grab snacks?”

“Yes!”

“Twister potatoes?”

“Maybe something like dried sweet potatoes....”

As they left—

Knock knock.

Someone tapped the window.

“You can’t park here.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yes.”

“Where should I go?”

Following directions, Ri Hyuk moved the car.

While focusing on increasing distance from the car behind—

He realized something was wrong.

[This is the exit. Goodbye.]

“...Huh?”

Pushed by cars behind him—

He ended up back on the highway.

[Recalculating route.]

“...?”

Meanwhile—

“Where’s Ri Hyuk?”

“...Where’s the car?”

“...He went back on the highway.”

“...?”

At the same time—

Unlike Ri Hyuk’s chaos—

“Wow....”

“You’re really good, Junghyun.”

Junghyun’s vehicle moved smoothly.

“Ah—”

Rapper Hation fed him snacks.

“Our Junghyun is good at everything.”

“Thank you.”

Even when he accidentally turned on the wipers—

Rain suddenly started falling.

“...Did you predict that?”

“I just felt like I should.”

“...Wow.”

And then—

They heard the news.

Ri Hyuk had left his team behind.

Laughter erupted.

“Junghyun, can you pick them up?”

“Yes.”

Later—

All the stranded members boarded his van.

“...You planned this, didn’t you?”

“No...?”

Junghyun tilted his head.

‘It’s just coincidence....’

He believed that.

Finally, they arrived.

“Phew.”

Relief.

“Good job.”

“No accidents.”

Then—

“Ri Hyuk!”

“...?”

An empty car.

“...?”

“...??”

Ri Hyuk hid his face in embarrassment.

Then—

Junghyun’s van arrived.

Everyone got out—

Including Ri Hyuk’s team.

“...Why are they there?”

“...?”

Then—

They ran toward him.

“Seo Ri Hyuk!”

“Seo Ri Hyuuuk!”

“Seo Ri Hyuk!”

They surrounded the car, shouting his name.

Ri Hyuk hid his face.

The staff burst into laughter.

Like penguins circling him—

Calling his name over and over.