Chapter 904: Hey, where is this? Yes. This is Newniverse. (4)

“...That’s what happened.”

At Ri Hyuk’s explanation, everyone burst into laughter.

I said,

“So you ended up getting pushed all the way to the exit while trying to keep a safe distance.”

“That’s right....”

Hearing that he only realized it was the exit after the fact, it somehow made sense.

Jang Sowon, who had come as Ri Hyuk’s guest, shook his head.

“Seriously, our Ri Hyuk is really something....”

“Well, let’s just say it turned into a fun experience.”

At first, his acquaintances had run over shouting “Hey!”, but now they seemed to accept it with understanding.

LB spoke with a dark expression.

“I was seriously terrified. I came back from the rest stop with a twisted potato, and the car was gone... it brought back memories of being abandoned by a broadcasting station....”

Hanjo explained,

“Our Street Boys group has nine members, so we leave members behind pretty often.”

“But it’s always me.”

“It’s just coincidence.”

Since they usually split into multiple cars, they assumed if someone wasn’t in theirs, they’d be in another.

Watching him look genuinely upset about being “abandoned,” I called out,

“Ri Hyuk.”

“Yes.”

“As an apology, please give him a hug.”

Ri Hyuk mechanically opened his arms and approached LB, patting him awkwardly.

LB immediately brightened, clinging to him with a “Ri Hyuk~,” while Ri Hyuk looked horrified.

Just as we were laughing—

“Hyung, Jiho’s here too.”

“Jiho’s here?”

A red SUV rolled in, and Jiho stepped out.

The moment we saw him, we burst into laughter.

“Jiho, your face looks half-dead.”

“Did you stop by a deserted island on the way?”

Unlike the other groups’ youngest members laughing, Jiho stepped out from the driver’s seat looking exhausted.

For a moment, he had worn the expression of a responsible head of household—but then he ran toward us.

“Hyyyyuuung!”

“Was it hard?”

“It was so hard....”

He whined that no one helped him drive and only threw jokes the whole time.

We just laughed, patting the youngest.

As we reunited—

Guests from each team greeted one another and the staff.

“Oh—hello!”

“Hello, it’s been a long time since °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Fashion Week.”

Taehyeon greeted Jihoon, Street Boys gathered together, and in the distance, Ye Heechan warmly greeted Producer Gu Jaeyoung.

“Heechan, you came?”

“Heechan!”

They had worked together for a long time, so the greetings were affectionate.

Watching Heechan chat comfortably with the writers, I felt relieved.

He had recently wrapped up Mr. Producer, so we had wondered if it was okay to invite him.

But the staff had reassured us.

“He finished on a good note, and Heechan isn’t the type to care about that anyway.”

Live simply in a complicated world.

He was known as the embodiment of that mindset.

Even during the show, he had always gone with the flow.

“Come to think of it, he’s kind of similar to you, Junghyun.”

“Yeah... I guess so.”

Not just Heechan—everyone had brought people similar to themselves.

Ri Hyuk’s team was a prime example.

Cha Woo Hyun with a blunt expression, Jang Sowon with sharp features, and LB who looked mischievous.

All intimidating at first glance—but warm inside.

Just like Ri Hyuk.

“And Jiho’s team...”

“That’s definitely Jiho’s type.”

“They really are similar.”

Ha Hyun, Seok Jihoon, and Kiwon laughed together.

A youngest-line raised with love.

“Look at Junghyun hyung’s team too. Don’t they all feel like him?”

“They do.”

Everyone had a solid, muscular vibe.

Even their gentle personalities matched.

As I thought about how everyone befriended people like themselves—

“By the way....”

I said, looking at Taehyeon, Hanjo, and Lee Gyeonu in the distance,

“Our side doesn’t really have anything in common.”

“No, no, no.” 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Jiho wagged his finger.

“All four of you are really similar.”

“How?”

“There’s a vibe. Always smiling, but perfect at work, and the type who has to achieve something to feel satisfied....”

“Really?”

I wasn’t sure, but the others all agreed.

Just then—

The staff began finishing setup and preparing mic packs.

But one person was missing.

“Producer!”

I asked Gu Jaeyoung,

“Where’s Biju?”

“Well....”

At my question, everyone grew tense.

They were all imagining the same things.

-Oh, I think I entered the wrong destination.

-Did you know cars can dance too? I didn’t want to find out either...

-Left left left—left! Wait—right!

We swallowed nervously as the guests murmured.

“Biju is....”

Gulp.

“Biju is....”

“....”

“He’s coming.”

From afar, a small yellow car rolled in.

Everyone sighed in relief.

Our team’s sunflower stepped out with a bright smile.

“Hello, everyone!”

The more people there were, the more energetic Biju became.

He ran toward us.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

We gave him thumbs up.

“We were worried, but you drove well.”

“We believed in you.”

“We knew you’d do well.”

Biju narrowed his eyes at us suspiciously.

Soon, all twenty people had gathered.

Producer Oh Taejun raised a megaphone.

“Please gather for the opening formation!”

We lined up as usual—us in front, others behind.

“Hyung, I missed you!”

“Me too!”

Junghyun and Jiho, standing at opposite ends, stretched their hands toward each other dramatically.

Everyone laughed.

“Alright, we’ll begin filming!”

As MC, I started the opening.

“This is the first shoot of the New Universe Project. First, thank you to everyone who joined us today!”

“Woooooo!”

“Hope it’s a hit!”

“Let’s go big!”

Applause erupted.

“You must be curious what we’ll do today. Any guesses?”

“Haunted house?”

“Relay race?”

“Torturing the guests?”

I shook my head.

“It’s early May, the sun’s strong, and we don’t want our guests sweating too much...”

The plan was simple.

The staff unveiled a banner.

[New Universe Project Opening Party]

“Think of it as a grand opening celebration.”

Guests smiled.

“No hard missions?”

“Oh my.”

But Jiho’s team raised their hands.

“No games?”

“Of course, we prepared fun mini-games.”

“Oooooh!”

Then—

“Everyone must be hungry, right?”

“Yes!”

“Perfect brunch time—sound good?”

“Yeees!”

Energy soared.

“Today, NewBlack will prepare a simple brunch for you.”

“Wooooooo!”

They chanted our names.

“Kim Biju! Kim Biju!”

“The grandson of a diner and the best chef in entertainment...!”

“Wooju hyung cooks really well. He used to make kimchi fried rice at the trainee dorm.”

Then—

“Ah.”

Producer Gu smiled.

“I forgot to mention. Each team will eat food made by their member.”

“....”

Cheers stopped instantly.

Only our team cheered.

Everyone else froze.

It was truly a meal of mixed joy and sorrow.

“Mmm~”

Wooju’s team smiled happily.

Street toast—sweet, savory, nostalgic.

“Reminds me of theater days.”

“This is the moment you’re glad you picked the right friend.”

Biju’s team was equally happy.

“This is better than a brunch café.”

“Biju, teach me this recipe later!”

“Of course.”

Meanwhile—

Ri Hyuk’s team stared at burnt food.

“...I shouldn’t have befriended him.”

“It’s one of those days...”

A disaster.

Junghyun’s team, however—

“...Not bad?”

“How did you cook it so fast?”

“It said low heat for 10 minutes, so I did high heat for 3.”

“That’s not the recipe....”

“But it was fast.”

“...True.”

Surprisingly edible.

Then—

Jiho’s team.

“...Jiho.”

“Yes?”

“Have you cooked before?”

“Yes. I’m really good.”

“At what?”

“Ramen!”

“....”

Everyone sighed.

Then—

“I figured you wouldn’t like my cooking, so...”

“So?”

“I ordered delivery.”

“!”

A motorcycle arrived.

Jiho grinned.

“McMorning.”

“Jiho!”

“We trusted you!”

Ri Hyuk’s team slumped.

After brunch—

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Yes!”

“...No.”

Then—

“Your dinner is already decided. Junghyun’s magic barbecue!”

Cheers erupted.

“And additional dishes will be sent from NewBlack’s favorite restaurants!”

More cheers.

Then—

“Let’s start with a mini-game.”

They hesitated.

“Game not ready?”

“No... choosing is hard.”

Then—

“Wooju and Junghyun, come forward.”

Palm push game.

And—

Clap! Clap! Clap!

A fierce battle began.

Wooju’s feints like a snake.

Junghyun’s solid defense like a rock.

Then Biju joined—

Gracefully dodging everything.

Five minutes of chaos.

“...Do we have to go that hard?”

Jiho and Ri Hyuk crossed their arms.

“If you can’t do that, you can’t win NewBlack TV missions.”

“That’s why we always rank 4th and 5th in physical games.”

Eventually—

They stopped.

Applause.

“Physical games are impossible.”

“Then rhythm games?”

“Dumpling game?”

Soon—

“Mandu mandu mandu!”

Chaos again.

Then—

“You cannot beat NewBlack.”

“....”

“So we found a solution.”

[Photo Quiz]

“Guess the person or object.”

“Ri Hyuk, you go first.”

“Me?”

“If you win, your team gets drinks.”

“Ri Hyuk!”

The first image appeared.

A Joseon-era portrait.

“...Impossible.”

Then—

“It’s Yi Hangbok.”

“...?”

Next—

“Justinian the Great.”

“...!”

Next—

“Theodore Roosevelt.”

“....”

“...Why are you like this?”

“...Wait a second.”

The staff huddled in panic—

And everyone burst into laughter.