The Ones Who Watch
“Rowen-hyung knows Ryu Eunyul?”
Chaea was puzzled.
Sure, both of them belonged to YN Entertainment, but it wasn’t like their positions allowed for interaction.
Rowen could practically take over as an executive if he wanted.
Eunyul, no matter how talented, was still just a trainee.
Chaea decided to ask directly.
“…Do you know a trainee named Ryu Eunyul?”
Rowen replied casually.
“Hmm. Who knows?”
Who knows?
That sly grin of his was so typical Rowen. Even if she pushed for more answers, he’d probably just keep smiling.
Still, she gave it one more try.
“You’re not going to tell me, no matter how much I ask, are you?”
“Nope. Of course not.”
Chaea sighed.
“And that line about ‘the real winner is someone else’ is bugging me too.”
So he’s keeping an eye on someone besides Eunyul?
“Ugh. He’s impossible to read.”
While Chaea stewed in questions, Rowen leaned back in his seat.
For the record, he hadn’t come for any big reason.
He happened to be on break, got a ticket, and thought he’d drop by to watch the second round of CYB.
And, well, if he got to see Eunyul up close, even better.
If Eunyul messed up… he’d roast his tongue on the spot.
Meanwhile, Rowen’s mind was filling with strange whispers.
[Skill Effect ― Constellation ‘The Lightning That Whirls Like the Wind’ is focusing on the woman 45° to your left.]
[Skill Effect ― Constellation ‘The Lightning That Whirls Like the Wind’ suggests starting a conversation.]
[Skill Effect ― Constellation ‘The Lightning That Whirls Like the Wind’ is begging you to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE just say something.]
“Sorry, but that’s not why I came.”
Rowen sighed.
The ‘Lightning That Whirls Like the Wind’ was a title belonging to Zeus, the notoriously flirty god.
Sure, he had many great accomplishments—but his most infamous one?
Being a legendary playboy.
And now that Hera wasn’t around to keep him in check?
He was having the time of his life.
The only reason Zeus chose Rowen in the first place was simple.
Rowen remembered the moment he touched the star fragment at the temple.
In a vast cosmic space, a thunder-wrapped titan flickered in the void.
Then, a voice echoed in his mind:
[Constellation ‘The Lightning That Whirls Like the Wind’ is focusing on your lady-killer face.]
And so, the contract was made.
A ridiculous process—but Zeus’s powers had been a big help to Rowen.
His passive “flirtation” skills were occasionally annoying but manageable.
Even now, Rowen had zero interest in romance.
*”Ten more years. Relationships come *after* I’ve done everything I want to do.”*
Rowen smiled.
The logo song ended, and the MC’s voice rang out.
“Thank you all for waiting!”
Cheering erupted.
“Let us now unveil the contestants who will climb the Stairway to Heaven!”
Before the applause could settle, the curtains hiding the participants lifted.
The cheers grew even louder.
“…Seriously though.”
Chaea looked down into Count Eissen’s mansion hall and sighed.
“This round’s dress code is vampire, apparently. Isn’t that a bit much? Back in my debut, we did a whole ‘orc warrior’ cosplay at the High Orc Settlement.”
She said it with a deadpan expression.
Pfft.
Rowen chuckled.
“Yeah, that was wild. Reminds me of our CEO.”
“He still dresses like that?”
“Yup. Same as ever.”
The two of them fondly recalled their awkward early days.
The other judges seated in the VIP lounge probably were too.
In Round 2, the judges didn’t give feedback.
They were just there to watch and score from a distance—essentially VIP spectators.
The audience would be the ones actually judging this time.
For the first time, the contestants would face the public directly.
Rowen and Chaea both cherished the memory of that moment from their own journeys.
“Let’s see how well Eunyul does.”
As the contestants began to introduce themselves, Rowen thought.
“And maybe…”
His gaze sharpened.
“…I’ll get to see him again.”
Getting a ticket to CYB’s second round wasn’t easy.
They weren’t first-come, first-served—they were lottery-only.
Canceled tickets were strictly managed through Neoverse.
Which meant: no scalping, even if you were loaded.
(Though let’s be honest—money usually wins.)
Anyway, the event was being streamed live via Neoverse.
Online forums were on fire with real-time commentary.
People generally liked the vampire theme—especially compared to last season, which was held at the High Orc Settlement.
“No way actual orcs didn’t pick that theme. Smells like an old hunter’s doing.”
“Like that YN CEO, Jung Moonsik?”
“Yup. Heard he still wears his old hunter gear. LOL.”“Old dudes think swords are cool. Hope they get chopped up.”
“At least vampires are classy. They finally learned after the last season’s disaster.”
Among the people watching was Choi Sooyeon, who smiled while reading the comments.
“This theme’s a win, for sure.”
She grinned.
“Young male idols always want to look cool—and that usually means going over the top. Makes for good footage.”
She lifted the small camera hidden under her coat and snapped a photo.
Click!
She checked the shot.
Nice.
In the photo, two contestants—same agency—had accidentally kissed during a dramatic “vampire bite” bit during their joint self-intro.
“This one’s gonna do numbers.”
She grinned wider.
Sooyeon ran a celebrity YouTube channel, and this event was gold.
It had started as a hobby.
She used to follow her favorite idol everywhere, taking photos and videos—your classic fan-site manager.
But then that idol got caught drunk driving—and Sooyeon happened to film it.
“Bastard…”
She still couldn’t forget it.
How much money had she poured into that guy?
“Was the ‘cashback’ seeing him arrested from the front row?”
The bitterness hadn’t faded.
But it gave her clarity.
She uploaded the footage, went viral, and switched from fangirl to entertainment news YouTuber.
She made bank now—but couldn’t pick a single idol to stan again.
“Whatever. Doesn’t matter.”
She fired off several more photos.
Fandoms didn’t pay the bills.
Selling content did.
“Next up, we have a rather unique contestant,” said the MC.
“He has no agency, entered as a civilian, and gives off a different vibe from the modern idols.”
Thump!
Sooyeon’s heart raced.
“It’s him.”
She readied her shutter.
When Neoverse released the 1st round highlight video, she’d picked out a few interesting contestants.
Even though the entire round was compressed into an hour, and each contestant got less than a minute—
she had analyzed every frame pixel by pixel.
The big agencies had attention, of course. But that wasn’t interesting.
She wanted surprises.
“Representing the constellation ‘Old Ancestor,’ here is Ma Dojin!”
He stood and gave a brief nod.
Sooyeon’s fingers clicked away at the shutter.
“His constellation is literally just an old ancestor. That alone is unique.”
That sort of weak-sauce deity should’ve been eliminated in Round 1.
But no—he passed.
Even sang a Rowen song, no less.
An audition ban song.
If he made it through with that, there were only two possibilities:
He was incredible, or he was being used for laughs.
Either way?
Content gold.
“Hello. I’m Ma Dojin.”
He stood in front of the mic.
His visuals were solid—broad-shouldered, tall, neat.
“Nothing much to say. That’s all.”
“…Huh?”
Sooyeon blinked.
That was it.
At the Stairway to Heaven event, contestants were supposed to sell themselves hard.
The audience only notices what stands out.
“Uh, um…”
Even the MC stammered, thrown off.
“Guess this is his limit. Oh well. Still got a thumbnail-worthy clip.”
Sooyeon wiped her lens.
The MC tried to recover.
“Ha ha… so stoic! Looks like Ma Dojin believes in showing rather than telling. Thank you!”
Then came the next contestant.
Sooyeon’s gaze shifted.
To the boy next to Ma Dojin.
Ryu Eunyul.
A YN trainee, and someone who’d gotten a decent bit of screen time in Round 1.
(Still less than a minute, but it was something.)
“His skills were solid. And that face…”
Whereas Ma Dojin had a masculine vibe, Eunyul was the opposite.
Small face. Delicate features.
Watery, slightly droopy eyes.
A single beauty mark under one eye.
Calm black hair contrasting with pale skin.
But what really stuck with her was… something else.
A dream she’d had the night before.
A man appeared.
Hair like ground-up gold.
Eyes glowing like yellow moons.
Lips glistening. Cheeks flushed. Sculpted jawline.
Shirt open enough to show his nipples.
That stunning man looked at her and said:
“Creation of flesh, carve this into your heart.”
“Uh… what?”
“Look at Ryu Eunyul! Look at Ryu Eunyul! Look at Ryu Eunyul! RYU! EUN! YUL! POWER! ULTIMATE!”
He chanted it over and over until she had no choice but to remember it.
Sooyeon gave a dazed laugh.
She didn’t yet realize—
every audience member there
had dreamt the same exact dream.
Little Pink Starfish 
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