Little Pink Starfish

Album 2. C.U.N

The first shoot of Coming Up Next, held at a convention center in Incheon.

Maybe it was the venue, but it felt more like attending a business conference than an audition program.

“……”

Scratch that.

Now that I looked around, the participants’ hair was way too colorful.

And what the hell were they even wearing?

With those thoughts, I scanned the room and spotted nine contestants sitting awkwardly.

Ten of us, including myself, were seated in the main hall of the convention center, waiting for CEO Choi Dae-ho to arrive.

No one had even introduced themselves, so we were all just glancing sideways at one another.

To be honest, I had no idea what the actual premise of this show was supposed to be.

There was Team A, Take Scene, who had trained with Lion Entertainment for a long time.

And then there was Team B — newly formed (or rather, yet to be formed), without even a name.

Apparently, the two teams would compete, and the winning team would debut…

Logically, that just means Team A is going to debut, and Team B is just filler, right?

Even if Lee Hyun-seok from LB Studio hadn’t told me, it was pretty easy to guess the show’s true intent.

Of course, in the broadcast world, having a solid reason isn’t all that important.

What matters is ratings. And with good ratings, any justification follows.

So, do I think this program will succeed in the future?

No idea.

I can’t even remember if a show called Coming Up Next ever aired.

I wasn’t involved in the production at all, but that doesn’t mean I can say for sure that it did exist.

One thing I’ve learned through countless regressions is that some events remain uncertain, even without my interference.

For example:

American comedian Burnett Adel ends up in jail this year for a DUI hit-and-run.

But sometimes, in other timelines, he continues his career without issue.

Maybe he didn’t drink. Maybe he drank but didn’t get caught. Who knows?

Anyway, the point is — that happens.

My conclusion?

Situations based on personal emotions can change, even without my involvement.

So if the launch of Coming Up Next hinged on CEO Choi Dae-ho’s mood?

Maybe it never happened in a previous life.

Still, one thing was certain: Take Scene was going to debut.

I didn’t realize it at first just by the name, but I saw them on Lion Entertainment’s YouTube channel.

They were a pretty popular group, and the main vocalist could really sing.

Eventually, he’d shed the “idol” label and be recognized as a serious solo artist.

‘I wonder if there’s a star among them.’

With that thought, I examined the nine other contestants more closely.

Some of them seemed familiar, but I couldn’t be sure.

Maybe seeing them perform would jog my memory.

Just then, a staff member came in and handed out large name tags to attach to our outfits.

I stuck on the one with “Han Si-on” printed in big letters and started looking at the others’ names…

“Hello, everyone.”

CEO Choi Dae-ho walked in and started talking about nothing in particular.

Things like “You are the wellspring of K-pop’s future,” and “Lion Entertainment is always open to talented individuals.”

Nice soundbites for the camera.

I was zoning out through the boring parts when finally, something worth hearing came up.

“Before the main competition, we’ll have a preliminary mission where you introduce yourselves and show your skills.”

A pre-mission?

“Show your skills and personality in a single verse. Based on the rankings from this pre-mission, you’ll get to choose your order for the main stage.”

One verse.

Not a bad way to start the show.

It depends on the genre, but usually, one verse is about 60 seconds.

Short enough that no one gets bored, even with unfamiliar singers.

Plus, the song choice can reveal a contestant’s taste.

“The mission will start in three hours, and the order will be random. Any questions?”

A contestant wearing a snapback backwards raised his hand first.

“Can we use original verses?”

CEO Choi glanced at his nametag and responded.

“Participant Kim Hae-woon, are you a rapper?”

“Yes.”

“Original tracks are a strength for rappers. It can be either — original or existing songs. Next? Participant Nam Seong-il?”

“Will dancing be part of the evaluation?”

“We’ll be evaluating the whole stage. If dance enhances your performance, that’s a plus. But if it leaves you breathless and gasping, that’s a minus.”

“Do we have to sing the first verse?”

“No, any verse is fine — second, third, doesn’t matter.”

“Then can we start the backing track from the chorus if we’re singing the second verse?”

“Yes, that’s fine. This is a preliminary mission, not the main competition. We’ll accommodate your preferences.”

More and more questions came pouring in.

I had some too, but the others asked everything I wanted to know.

So I just stayed quiet — until CEO Choi suddenly looked at me and spoke.

“Participant Han Si-on, don’t you have any questions?”

He’d checked name tags to call on everyone else — but not mine.

That meant he’d remembered my name.

Good or bad, it meant I’d left an impression.

Judging from the New Talent Team Leader’s reaction back then, maybe it wasn’t a good one…

Maybe they debated until the last second whether to accept me.

I shook my head.

“No, I’m good.”

“Really? Not even one?”

What’s his deal?

Is he fishing for something?

Honestly, I wasn’t curious about anything.

But saying “no” isn’t a great look on camera.

I don’t know the idol world well, but I do know how to get attention on screen.

“Well… there’s one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Why ‘Lion’?”

“…Sorry?”

“Your name’s Dae-ho, right? Shouldn’t it be ‘Tiger’?”

The atmosphere instantly turned icy, but come on — I can’t be the only one who’s wondered that.

I’ve seen this question come up every time I searched Lion Entertainment.

---

Maybe because we’d all gathered early, they handed out lunch boxes to the participants.

Never seen this brand before — probably product placement.

The fact that there’s PPL this early means the show is definitely getting broadcast.

The trainees with some industry experience were trying their best to make the food look tasty while scheming in their heads.

‘One verse, huh.’

Only singing a single verse makes things easy.

Those weak in low notes can choose a high-note-heavy second verse.

Those weak in high notes can stick with a smooth, low intro from the first verse.

But the problem is:

‘Everyone’s probably thinking the same thing.’

Aside from rappers or strong dancers, most of the performances will probably have the same vibe.

I wanted to pick something that stands out — but had no idea what.

Only five out of ten make it. That’s real pressure.

At the very least, I had to outshine the guy next to me.

Kim Seong-woo, a trainee who missed debut and applied to Coming Up Next out of frustration, turned toward the guy next to him.

The name tag read “Han Si-on,” the guy currently eating his lunch.

The one who asked that weird question to CEO Choi — a total attention-seeker.

“This lunch is pretty good, huh?”

“Not bad.”

“Were you a trainee before? You look familiar.”

Lies.

He’d never seen him before.

“Nope. You?”

“I trained for a few years… Mind if I ask how old you are?”

“Twenty.”

“Oh, I’m nineteen. Feel free to speak casually.”

“Okay.”

“Hyung, have you picked your song?”

Han Si-on nodded without hesitation.

“Ah… I hope we didn’t pick the same one. Can I ask what you chose?”

“Under the Streetlight.”

“Oh? So you’re doing the chorus?”

“No, the first verse.”

“Uh… that’s a good song.”

Yeah, no.

Terrible choice.

Under the Streetlight is a rock ballad that starts dull and explodes during the chorus.

In karaoke, everyone checks their phones until the chorus hits.

It’s popular because the chorus is so good — not the verse.

Singing the first verse?

Even the second would be a better choice.

The first is in a low register, boring melody, and just repeats.

Actually, now that I think about it, the second verse isn’t that great either. Just less bad compared to the first.

‘This guy’s a goner.’

Only five will survive, which means five will disappear.

The pre-mission isn’t eliminative, but if he chose Under the Streetlight because he’s not confident in his vocals, he’s toast.

‘Good-looking, sure. But not enough to debut just on visuals.’

If they need a visual member, they’ll pick Lee I-on, sitting at the end.

He looked like a literal actor.

“Thanks. Enjoy your meal.”

Seong-woo naturally wrapped up the conversation and turned away.

---

After lunch, the contestants were each given private practice rooms.

About the size of a phone booth, soundproofed, with a speaker you could connect your phone to.

No way these existed in the convention center — the broadcast team must’ve cobbled them together.

As the ten contestants disappeared into their rooms to rehearse or choose songs, the judges began to arrive one by one.

Though it would air on Channel M-Show, Coming Up Next was ultimately Lion Entertainment’s internal audition.

Naturally, all the judges were picked by Lion.

CEO Choi Dae-ho.

Blue, a first-gen idol from Lion who succeeded as a solo artist and entertainer.

Yoo Sun-hwa, Korea’s top vocal trainer and Lion’s longtime collaborator.

Lee Chang-joon, a hit-making producer and Choi’s college junior.

All tied to Choi, sure — but M-Show was satisfied with the lineup too.

Excluding Choi, the other three were strong enough to serve as judges on major network shows.

“Ugh, a 3-day shoot at my age?”

“You’re not the one staying up — the contestants are.”

“That’s for real, right, CEO? No matter what happens, the judges get to sleep!”

“…You’ve grown a lot. You used to cry in the practice room begging to debut.”

“You do remember I debuted in 2000, right? That was 17 years ago.”

Yoo Sun-hwa chimed in.

“Didn’t I train your group back then?”

“That’s why my knees still go weak when I see you.”

“What about me?”

“You too, Producer Chang-joon. I still remember recording our debut album. ‘Again, again!’”

The mood was warm and friendly thanks to their long history.

Even without a script, their banter was good enough to use in the broadcast.

“So, got any promising kids?”

“Hard to say. They all seemed decent on paper. We’ll see once they hit the stage.”

Time flew by, and the contestants started stepping onto the stage.

There wasn’t an official host, but Blue would handle light MC duties.

He was the youngest, and a senior Lion artist — the perfect fit.

“Do you guys know who I am? Or am I too old for the younger crowd?”

“We know you!”

“Phew, that’s a relief. We’ll now begin the preliminary mission. It is important, but also not too important. Just do your best with a relaxed mindset.”

The contestants nodded at the friendly senior’s words.

Then, on the monitor, a name was randomly selected from the ten.

“Participant Choi Jae-seong. Ready?”

“Yes…! I’m ready.”

“Then come on up.”

And just like that, the preliminary mission began.

Han Si-on was the fourth to go up.