Little Pink Starfish

I was dumbfounded.

“My name is Madojin. Nothing more to say. That’s all.”

With that, Madojin sat down.

<Kahahaha! What a splendid clown!>

From inside my Bluetooth earphone case, The Star Hated by All burst out laughing.

<This is a relief! If his mic work is that terrible, he’s no threat to us!>

…No.

I thought differently.

Up until now, each contestant had flaunted their “weapons” during their self-introductions.

They’d invent personalities to match their looks, even act over-the-top and kiss up.

The audience here likely sensed it too.

That everyone would give it their all.

And they were right. Every contestant had done their utmost to appeal.

Madojin, who had ended his intro with just a few words, was basically pulling massive aggro.

As soon as he spoke and sat down, camera flashes exploded from every direction.

Once the Stairway to Heaven event ended, audience reactions would flood online communities—and Madojin would absolutely be mentioned.

An unusual rookie, or perhaps a rude one.

Either way, the attention was guaranteed.

And if the aggro worked, the judges would call it a kind of “talent” and award points accordingly.

Since he didn’t do anything wrong, the image could be polished up later.

Especially since his performance in the first round was stellar, he could easily be rebranded as the “dedicated artist” type.

“Ahaha… yes. Very quiet, isn’t he? Rather than chit-chatting, he wants to show with his skills! We understand your intent, Madojin-ssi….”

The flustered host tried to recover.

As expected, he brought up skills, just like I thought.

I glanced at Madojin.

We made eye contact.

Huh?

Madojin gave a faint smile.

First time I’d seen him smile.

Unsettling….

“Ahem.”

I cleared my throat and looked away.

It was highly likely Madojin had done it all according to plan.

He must’ve intended to draw aggro.

If that’s the case, then he’s no clown.

<Then what is he? A meticulous strategist?>

Wrong.

I answered The Star Hated by All silently.

That guy felt more like a mannequin than a person—

A mannequin that switches outfits moment by moment.

People choose clothes that suit them. But a mannequin can wear anything and make it work.

If he passed the first round with skill, then he chose chaos for the second.

I had no clue what he was truly thinking.

Seriously, what is that guy?

“Alright! Let’s move on to the next contestant!”

The host’s voice brought me back. I bit the tip of my tongue.

Think about Madojin later—

It’s my turn now.

<Are you ready?>

…More or less.

“This next contestant is a trainee from none other than YN Entertainment!”

As soon as the name YN Entertainment was mentioned, the audience roared.

Even before or after the gate to stardom opened, big agency trainees always had the same image in showbiz—

A guaranteed ticket.

But if they didn’t live up to that expectation, it turned into a huge risk.

Just look at how many YN trainees got eliminated in round one.

Across all divisions, not just boy idols, a third of them dropped out.

It wasn’t unusual. It was the same last season, and other big agencies saw similar results.

…But what’s that?

Right after Madojin finished, the round flame-like illusions above the audience disappeared.

And something else came into view.

Familiar faces floated above their heads.

A blond-haired guy, hair shimmering like gold—

Wasn’t that the human form The Star Hated by All took when I was hospitalized?!

<Fufufu! You noticed, my creation!>

What the hell did you do?!

<Why, the obvious thing. Last night, I visited their dreams. Dreams are the mirror of the unconscious. I engraved your name clearly in their very souls!>

…I had no idea what exactly he did, but I had no time to argue.

I clenched my fist.

Crack!

“I heard Chaea of Nocturne, who judged the first round, even said she met him in a dream?”

The host looked thrilled.

“Introducing! The trainee contracted with an unnamed Constellation—Ryu Eunyul!”

I bowed to the audience.

Not in a modern style—but like a medieval nobleman.

A little overacting was necessary here.

I lifted my head slightly and checked their reactions.

Not bad.

“I greet you from the estate of Count Aysen.”

I spoke politely.

<Bleghhhh!!!>

The Star Hated by All gagged inside my Bluetooth case.

Shut up!

“I’m Ryu Eunyul of YN Entertainment. The host just mentioned Chaea sunbae… if she really did meet me in a dream….”

I put on a sales smile.

No—just that wasn’t enough!

I thought back to when I was a kid, when Mom bought me the toy I wanted more than anything. That warm, genuine joy.

I smiled like that.

“I’ve been dreaming of meeting all of you for a long time.”

Waaaah!

The crowd gasped.

“That’s too much!”

Someone called out.

I didn’t miss the beat.

“Hehe. I guess I went a bit overboard, huh?”

I gave a playful expression.

<Such a rookie incubus face you’re making, my creation.>

UGH I SAID SHUT UP!!

“Great, Ryu Eunyul-ssi! Mind if I ask you a few questions?”

The host cut in textbook-style.

“Yes! Of course!”

I replied, and he glanced down at his prepared list.

“You were scouted on the street, I heard? That’s rare these days. How’d that happen?”

“Ah, well….”

I scratched my temple and pretended to think.

I’d expected the question and already had my answer.

“I was a male fan of Rowen sunbae. Ever since he competed in CYB. I was hanging around YN Entertainment HQ with other fans when a staff member approached me.”

Then I laughed like I was embarrassed.

“I’m really thankful for that.”

“I see. Must be great being in the same agency as Rowen.”

“Yes! Absolutely. He’s my role model.”

Dropping Rowen’s name was like a jab in boxing.

He really was my role model, but I wasn’t the only trainee who respected him.

Even the ones before me had mentioned him.

If I talked about any direct mentorship from him now, I’d attract tons of attention—

…but Rowen would probably kill me.

So I stopped there.

Just being in the same agency was enough of a unique edge.

“But Rowen’s Constellation is Lightning That Whirls Like the Wind, right?”

The host asked with a sly tone.

“I heard yours hasn’t been revealed. Even if yours is amazing, when you think of the case of ‘The Man Who Bore Death, Dogs, and Serpents’… it’s a little concerning.”

Ah, that guy—Loki.

That happened in the CYB North American tournament two seasons ago.

‘The Man Who Bore Death, Dogs, and Serpents’ contracted with a hopeful actress without revealing his name.

Then staged a protest at the finals, yelling he was starting Ragnarök.

His powers were limited, so it ended as a fiasco. He even said it was a joke.

But the actress was disqualified anyway.

She coaxed him into revealing his name, and returned the next season as an official contractor.

She placed 13th in the North America tournament.

That incident blew up.

Now a rising actress, Daisy Caulfield—the contractor of The Man Who Bore Death, Dogs, and Serpents—had said:

“What do I think of my Constellation? Well, if a guy like this helped create the world, no wonder Earth’s so messed up. Blasphemy? He’s a perv who likes it when I talk like this.”

And now, the host was referencing that to question me.

“Don’t you think your Constellation might be too dangerous to become a top star like Rowen?”

Ahem.

I’d seen this coming.

“…There’s one thing I can say for sure.”

I began.

“If something did happen, I think everyone here would enjoy it.”

The host gave me a look, like: Go on, say more.

“My Constellation isn’t ‘The Man Who Bore Death, Dogs, and Serpents’… so if there is trouble, I’ll probably come up with a different kind of chaos.”

Of course.

My Constellation is Lucifer.

“I hope that doesn’t happen… but I think everyone here—including you, Host-nim, and even fans who couldn’t be here—would be intrigued if it did.”

I smiled.

“So maybe… you should look forward to it. Just what kind of mischief my Constellation might pull.”

Everyone in showbiz secretly hopes for a juicy scandal.

A weak Constellation staging Ragnarök? That’s the perfect kind of chaos.

Rather than reassuring them nothing would happen, I figured it was better to say: Bring it on, if you dare.

“Wow~ confident much.”
“But I hope it doesn’t happen… that kid would suffer….”

Voices from the crowd.

Not bad.

I exchanged glances with the host.

“Yes! That was a wonderful answer. Though, personally, I hope nothing does happen.”

He smoothly transitioned the talk.

The rest of the Q&A went smoothly.

For my talent act, I did a disappearing pen trick.

I purposely failed and acted flustered.

Begged to try again. Failed again.

Well, I never could do it anyway.

That was the point—showing vulnerability.

And just like that, my turn ended.

…I did my best.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

As I sat down, Madojin spoke.

“No need to be nervous… you’d do just fine….”

I shrugged and gave a forced smile.

Now all that was left was sipping my drink and watching the others.

Hamin performed about average. One contestant stammered and nearly cried after finishing.

About ten people later…

“Next….”

The host glanced at the script.

“This next contestant is from Hanbit Entus.”

KYAAAAAH!!

Even before he finished, the audience screamed.

Here it comes.

If it’s Hanbit Entus, then it must be…

“Haha. Please calm down, everyone. I haven’t even introduced him yet. I know he’s famous, but still….”

Then the host straightened up and declared:

“Introducing! Hanbit Entus’ Han Iro!!”

…Han Iro.

A former child actor.

Meaning, even if it was in the child actor division, he’d already competed in CYB and worked in showbiz.

Among this season’s idol contestants, he had the most attention.

As the host finished, Han Iro stood up.

A roar louder than anything before.

I squinted to look closely.

…Huh? Wait a second.

I tilted my head.

And mumbled:

“…What’s up with half his face?”