This Life’s Universal Superstar
Chapter 2

Three years felt like both an eternity and a blink. Anyone who had been through military service would know exactly what I meant. I never imagined twenty-one months could feel so endless, somehow longer than the six years I had spent as a trainee.

“Military service… Yeah, good luck with that.”

That was what Seokhwan had told me before we parted at the terminal. Now I understood. A lot had happened in those three years. After leaving the company, I started helping at my grandmother’s restaurant and enlisted as soon as I turned twenty. I didn’t want to sit around relying on her without contributing.

During that time, I thought a lot about my future. My dream of becoming an idol had ended, and for a while, I felt lost. Eventually, I found a new direction—I decided to become a songwriter. I had some musical talent, likely inherited from my parents, both of whom had been musicians. I thought if I couldn’t be an idol, I could at least create the songs they performed.

Starting as a songwriter to become a producer one day seemed like a pretty cool path. To make it happen, I knew I would need to get into a good music program, which meant taking the college entrance exam. Studying for the exam while in the military wasn’t easy. I had fallen behind in my academics during my trainee years, so preparing for both the GED and college entrance exams felt like climbing a mountain. If it hadn’t been for the English and Chinese I had picked up during training, I would probably still be struggling.

That was how I spent those two years, building my studies from the ground up. After countless practice tests and workbooks, I was finally ready for the real thing. It was the winter of 2013. Three years had passed since I had left the agency. At twenty-one and recently discharged, I was just another student heading to take the college entrance exam. The morning air was frosty, cold enough to see my breath. I finally understood why people always said it felt colder on exam day.

Damn, it’s freezing.

It was early morning and the streetlights were still on. As I walked down the street, I browsed the web on my new smartphone, a treat to myself for finally being discharged.

[Which Celebrities Are Taking the College Entrance Exam Today?]

I tapped an article in the entertainment section and saw familiar faces—TNT’s Han Taehyeon, La Vie en Rose’s Jun Yoobin, and a few others. These were people I had often crossed paths with at TJ Entertainment, now filling my screen.

The name that most caught my eye was Han Taehyeon of TNT. After I was dropped from the debut lineup, TNT had debuted almost immediately, and the result was a massive success. They hadn’t just succeeded—they had exploded. They swept up every rookie award that year, winning almost everything possible, and were hailed as the greatest rookie idol group of all time. Honestly, I never expected them to blow up like that.

Then again, it had nothing to do with me now. I let out a long sigh and looked up at the icy hill that led to the exam building. It must have snowed the night before because the whole path was coated with ice.

How am I supposed to get up there?

As I stood there, wondering how I would make it up the hill, a strange sound came from behind me—it was the rattle of a wheel bumping over a manhole cover. An elderly man was pushing a handcart, struggling up the hill. He looked about my grandmother’s age, and seeing him reminded me of her. Each gust of wind made him sway as he pushed forward, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

Should I help him?

I checked the digital watch I had kept since my time in the military. There was still plenty of time before the exam started. Besides, maybe doing a good deed would bring me some luck. Perhaps a higher being might take notice, commend me, and send some kind of blessing my way. With a smile, I walked over to the man.

“Excuse me, sir.”

He didn’t seem to hear me.

“Sir?”

“Are you talking to me?” he replied in a frail voice, meeting my eyes.

“You look like you could use some help. I’ve got some energy to spare, so let me lend a hand.”

The man looked surprised.

“You’re offering to help?”

“Yes.”

“But… You seem a bit too thin.”

I puffed out my chest a bit.

“Don’t worry. I may look skinny, but I just finished military service!”

The moment I grabbed the handles and began pushing, I realized I had made a terrible mistake.

“Huh?”

“What’s the matter?” the old man asked.

“Oh, nothing!”

I forced a smile, though I could feel cold sweat trickling down my back.

Why is this so heavy?

“Um…”

Within seconds, two things became clear. First, I had assumed the cart was full of cardboard, but it was packed with scrap metal, broken appliances, and old radios. Second, the elderly man pushing it was extremely strong. Every time the wind lifted his pants, I caught a glimpse of his muscular calves. I felt embarrassed for jumping in to help someone who clearly didn’t need it.

“Are you all right, kid?”

“This is a lot heavier than it looks…”

The old man let out a hearty laugh.

“Nothing in life’s as easy as it looks, son.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that.”

“This isn’t a job just anyone can do. It takes experience.”

“How long have you been doing this?” I asked, partly to buy myself a moment to breathe.

“My whole life.”

“Hah… Wow… That’s impressive.”

The man beamed with pride.

“This cart helped me pay for my son’s college tuition, but look at you! Already huffin’ and puffin’! Where’s all that youth, huh?”

Finally, we reached the top of the hill. I bent over, panting hard.

That was insane.

Steam practically rose from my jacket and sweat trickled down my face.

Lesson learned. Never underestimate a handcart again.

“Thanks, kid. You weren’t much help, but you’ve got a kind heart. And a good-looking face too.”

“Oh, uh, thank you. Take care, sir.”

“So, where are you headed now?”

“Just up ahead to that school. I’m taking an exam today.”

“Ah, the big college entrance exam?”

“Yes.”

“Goodness, a busy student stopping to help an old man on such an important day…”

He took my hand and squeezed it. His hand was surprisingly warm.

“You’ll be blessed for this,” he said sincerely.

“Thank you.”

I hadn’t been much help, but his words still made me feel good. Maybe this was why people volunteered. After exchanging a few more kind words, I bowed and continued toward the exam building. It was just up ahead. As I walked, rolling my sore shoulders, a loud sound suddenly grabbed my attention. I turned to see a white sedan speeding down the narrow street by the school.

What the hell? Are they out of their mind?

The car swerved wildly as if the driver was drunk. It was headed straight for… the old man, standing next to his cart, talking on his phone.

“Sir!” I shouted, but he didn’t react.

He seemed hard of hearing, and he was practically yelling into his phone. The car was hurtling toward him, and my heart pounded in panic.

No!

I didn’t have time to think. I bolted toward the old man and his cart with everything I had. The car was closing in, fast.

“Watch out!” I yelled.

Just as the car’s bumper came right in front of me, I flung myself at the old man, shoving him out of the way. The car smashed into his cart before plowing through the glass window of a nearby salon.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

The old man lay on the ground, thankfully unhurt. I wasn’t so lucky. In the rush to push him, I had lost my footing and suddenly felt myself falling.

Wh-what the…?

I had stepped right onto a patch of ice. In an instant, I lost my balance. My body tilted backward, and it felt like gravity had disappeared, like being on a roller coaster in free fall. The next thing I knew, I had crashed into something and was tumbling down the hill. When I finally stopped rolling, I found myself staring up at a barbecue restaurant sign with a cartoon cow grinning down at me.

My head hurts.

My vision began to blur.

Three servings of sirloin for 45,000 won…

That was the last thing I saw before everything went black.

***

When I came to, I was in a hospital bed. It was ten o’clock in the morning. When they told me I had missed the entrance exam, it felt like my world was falling apart. If there was a god out there, I wanted to ask what I had done to deserve this. This kept happening, every single time. Whenever things started to look up, something would come along to ruin it.

On my seventh birthday, I lost my parents. When I was about to enter a piano competition, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. Just before I was set to debut, I got cut from the group. And now, on the day of my college entrance exam, I saved a life but ended up missing the test. What was I going to tell my grandmother? Just thinking about her praying for me at the temple made my chest tighten.

Fantastic. Just fantastic.

Years of bad luck must have built up my resilience because, somehow, I managed to calm down sooner than I had expected. Honestly, this wasn’t even the worst that could have happened to me. Usually, bad things seemed to strike without rhyme or reason. At least this time, I had saved someone’s life. The problem was, all I had to show for it was missing the exam. I looked over at the bed next to mine. The old man lay there, wincing and curling up with each cough—he had fractured a rib when I shoved him.

“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I said, feeling guilty.

“Oh, don’t say that.”

I looked up and saw a kind-looking woman standing by his bed. Standing next to her, her husband nodded.

“If it weren’t for you, my father wouldn’t be alive right now.”

“I was just doing what I could,” I replied.

They introduced themselves as the old man’s son and daughter-in-law. His son looked like a professor, and when he handed me his business card, I saw that he was, in fact, a professor at a university hospital. The old man’s name was Choi Ikhyeon and his son was Choi Yongjae.

“Is your father’s name really Choi Ikhyeon?”

“Yes, that’s right. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no reason.”

It reminded me of Choi Ikhyeon, a patriot from Joseon-era Korea who led the Righteous Army. I learned about him while studying for the college entrance exam. Yongjae looked at me with a worried expression.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“The doctor said it’s a miracle I’m okay. He told me I should be fine if I get plenty of rest today.”

“Why don’t you stay at the hospital a little longer to recover? We haven’t even had the chance to thank you properly, and we’d be happy to cover your medical bills—”

“Oh, that’s not necessary. I didn’t help out expecting anything in return.”

The couple kept insisting, saying I should at least let them treat me to a meal, but I shook my head. As kind as they were, I wasn’t exactly in the mood to sit and chat over a meal. Just as I was saying goodbye to them, the elderly man in the hospital bed reached out and grabbed my wrist.

“Young man…”

His voice was weak and shaky, likely from the pain in his ribs.

“I’m so sorry,” he said.

“Sorry? For what?”

“It’s my fault. You had such an important exam today, and because of me… an unlucky old man like myself… I feel terrible. I truly am sorry.”

“Please, don’t say that.”

Seeing his tear-filled eyes, I took his hand and tried to reassure him.

Almost as if I were making a promise to myself, I said, “I can take the exam again, but saving a life isn’t something I’ll get another chance at.”

“Still…”

“Really, it’s okay.”

I smiled to comfort him. The old man wiped his eyes, while his son and daughter-in-law stood by, unsure of what to say.

“Well, take care,” I said.

After saying goodbye to the family, who were still urging me to let them treat me to a meal, I walked until they were out of sight, then let out a long sigh. I couldn’t believe I would have to study for another year. As the reality of it sank in, I glanced up at a TV in the hospital lobby playing an action movie I had seen in the military. It was about a world-class spy who had lost his memory and was on the run.

The scene on the screen was near the beginning of the movie. A police officer had his gun aimed at the main character, who—with no memory of his abilities—raised his hands in surrender. As the officer approached and put a hand on his shoulder, the spy’s instincts kicked in, and he flipped the officer over.

Huh?

Although I had seen the scene before, I felt something strange—an odd sensation. It wasn’t quite a physical feeling or something I could register with my five senses. Just as I was trying to make sense of it, my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Am I speaking with Sun Woojoo?”

The voice on the other end was deep.

“Yes, who’s calling?”

“Hello, I’m Inspector Jang Gyeongil with the Eunpyeong Police Department’s traffic division.”

“Oh, okay.”

“We’re investigating the accident from this morning and need a statement from you as a witness. Could you tell me where you are right now?”

When I told him the name of the hospital, he sounded pleased.

“Perfect. I’m actually in the lobby as we speak.”

“Really? I’m here too.”

“Are you the tall man on the phone?”

“Yes. Where are you?”

“I’m right here—”

At that exact moment, I felt a hand on my shoulder from behind. Without thinking, my body moved on its own.

What the…?

It was as if someone else was controlling me. I grabbed the hand on my shoulder, spun around, and flipped the man to the ground. A heavy silence filled the hospital lobby.