Little Pink Starfish

Abrilah, Prince of Another Realm.

The Demon God’s most loyal right hand.

But strictly speaking, Abrilah wasn’t even a demon.

He was a being from another dimension—one who stumbled into hell while journeying across realms.

Despite not being a demon, he was given the status of a high-ranking demon purely through strength.

When Abrilah manifested in Jeju Island, he made his base in Baengnokdam.

And almost immediately, he seized control of the entire region.

The biggest reason was that there were no stationed hunters there, due to the island’s geographical isolation.

Most of Jeju’s hunter guilds were C-rank. Even the best only reached B-rank.

They were completely unequipped to deal with an S-rank gate.

Which meant: the damage Abrilah caused to the human world was even worse than Muddorok’s.

Incheon is still undergoing purification—what state could Jeju be in?

Once known as Korea’s premier tourist spot, Jeju had long lost that reputation.

Its population had dwindled.

Now, only those who couldn’t leave the island for various reasons, the priests conducting the purification, and researchers investigating gate-related damage remained.

So why hold CYB’s third preliminary round on Jeju Island?

It was obvious.

The third round was the “entrance exam.”

Participants selected songs and practiced with assigned teammates to put on a performance—that entire process was considered the entrance exam.

The final hurdle to reach the main competition.

And holding the new faces’ first official stage in a disaster-struck area?

It wasn’t just a performance. It was a calculated PR move—raise attention, and play the card of a “relief concert” to improve image.

As for me…

I had to absorb Abrilah’s power along with the Star Hated by All.

“The Prince of Another Realm is different from that Muddorok creature,” the Star Hated by All said from within the Bluetooth earbud case.

“Muddorok was my child, so I could guess how he was hanging on. But Abrilah… I don’t know.”

The king of hell didn’t know?

“He came from another dimension. Sure, that dimension was technically under my jurisdiction, but managing just one hell in this world is already exhausting…”

What a truly lazy bastard.

Well, sloth is one of the seven deadly sins, I guess.

I took a sip of strawberry juice.

The air on the plane headed for Jeju felt heavy.

All the remaining third-round contestants were squeezed into the flight.

Only 80 participants were left now.

By the main round, that number would drop to about 50.

Just making the top 50 would mean your face was now known to the public.

And after that, they wouldn’t be cutting contestants in bulk week after week.

But that wasn’t enough for me.

“…Well, we both made it somehow.”

Hamin said beside me, clutching a cola can with a dazed look.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

I exhaled.

Only four trainees from YN Entertainment were left, including Hamin and me.

“We trained this whole time for CYB… It feels a little empty.”

Hamin nodded.

“Ryu Eunyul.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s both make top 10.”

“…Top 10.”

That alone was a dream.

Making it to the top 10 meant getting treated like a super rookie.

But I’d already decided.

My goal was to win—even if it seemed impossible.

So I said it straight.

“…I’m aiming to win.”

Hamin paused, then grinned.

“Then I’ll go for the win too.”

“Do what you want.”

“No going easy on each other if we’re up against each other, okay?”

“Of course.”

That’s only fair.

“Anyway, I’m gonna hit the restroom.”

I got up and looked around.

If I was right, both Madojin and Han Iro should’ve passed the second round too.

There was no point in checking Madojin’s status window—it wouldn’t work on him.

But Iro… I needed to confirm something.

Let’s see.

…There’s Madojin. Sitting perfectly upright, of course.

And Han Iro…

Found him.

He was sitting by the aisle, head propped up, eyes closed.

Unlike the last time I saw him through the Flaming Demon’s Eye, his face looked completely normal.

Pretending I was heading to the restroom, I walked in his direction.

Stopped right in front of him.

“Han Iro status…”

I was just about to mutter it when—

“You’re Ryu Eunyul, right?”

Han Iro opened his eyes and asked.

“Y-yeah…”

I was too stunned to hide my reaction.

Wasn’t he asleep?!

“Seori hyung told me. Said there was a talented junior coming up.”

He looked up at me and smiled.

Wait—Seori?

That’s Rowen’s real name: Lee Seol.

I’d figured out that he and Han Iro knew each other when I went to Incheon.

Still, for Iro to call him by his real name… they must’ve been really close.

“Congrats on passing the second round.”

“You too, Iro.”

“No need to be formal. You’re nineteen, right? Me too.”

“Ah, okay…”

I’d completely lost control of the pace.

“Hahaha! You look like a mud-covered beetle larva!”

Shut up!

“Anyway, nice to meet you. Let’s get along.”

Han Iro held out his hand.

Still dazed, I shook it.

“Han Iro status window.”

Ding!

[Han Iro]
— Level: 94
— Titles: “The Boy Who Survived,” “The Faceless Monster”
— Constellation: “Love Born with Bubbles”
— Constellation Rank: S

— Base Stats
Strength: 75 (+24)
Agility: 102
Stamina: 128
Mana: 45
Charm: 243 (+43) (–57)

— Special Skills
[Lady from the Bloody Bubble LV.43]
[Can Attend Every Wedding LV.24]
[Beauty Made of Bubbles LV.MAX]

— Status Effect
[Hates Ugly Men LV.57]

…No way.

His level was nearly double mine?

I mean, considering he started as a child actor, maybe that made sense.

But an S-rank Constellation?

“Love Born with Bubbles.”

The nickname and skills didn’t give me much to go on.

I’d have to look it up later.

Still… why were all his titles so ominous?

“Why are you staring like that?”

Han Iro tilted his head.

“No, it’s nothing…”

I decided to keep it low-key.

“You were a child actor, right? I watched Iris. Loved that movie…”

“Really?”

He smiled faintly.

“I hated it. And…”

He leaned closer and whispered.

“…You saw, didn’t you?”

So he noticed.

“Saw what…?”

“Your acting was awful. Six out of a hundred.”

I’ve already heard that from Rowen, thank you very much.

“I may not be active now, but I was a child actor. You really thought you could sneak by with a half-baked act?”

Damn…

How do I get out of this?

I was still floundering when he smiled again.

“We should talk. Just the two of us. Later.”

---

“All right, all right! Contestants, line up over here! Let’s get the timing right for this next take!”

A PD shouted from afar.

Contestants and staff bustled about.

The group training would last three weeks.

The whole process was being filmed and would be released on Neobus.

Which meant we’d all be living under the eye of a camera crew.

This also meant the real competition for screen time had begun.

Getting screen time would affect your score.

The absolute worst case? Being edited out completely.

If you can’t stand out, you’d better flop completely—being mediocre meant total erasure.

If you had to, drawing attention through drama was the way to go.

“That said…”

Hamin muttered beside me.

“Why are we filming this shot of us turning back toward the dorms for the second hour?”

Seriously.

I’d lost count of how many times we’d walked back and forth.

“Okay… standby…”

I’d heard that cue way too many times.

“Cue!”

All the contestants started walking toward the dorm in perfectly staged formation.

With enough editing, I guess it might look dramatic.

But for me, it just felt like a middle school field trip.

The dorm was a refurbished officetel building, big enough to house both contestants and staff.

They said it used to be abandoned.

The staff’s rooms were uncertain, but contestants would each get a private room.

That was a relief—I needed my own space to live with the Star Hated by All.

At the officetel entrance, we all turned around in sync.

Matching gazes and gestures as instructed.

Pretending we didn’t see the PD or staff.

“Cut!”

Finally.

I let out a deep breath.

Even after that, we had to shoot a few more scenes before we were finally allowed into the first-floor lobby.

I was exhausted.

Even as people chatted or nervously waited, the cameras kept rolling.

“Clutching hearts full of nervous energy.”

Perfect subtitle material.

That’s when it happened.

Murmurs.

Everyone turned toward one side.

A man was walking over.

A familiar face.

Though I’d only ever seen him on TV and NutView, this was my first time seeing him in person.

Aiden.

The one who entered CYB with Rowen and finished in fourth place—a true senior.

He was also the main dancer of Codess, the project group formed by the top 5 from that season.

…No way—is he the head mentor?

From the third round onward, unlike previous rounds, contestants would have mentors.

They’d judge performances all the way through the finals.

The head mentor oversaw all the specialized mentors—vocals, dance, etc.—making them essentially the most influential judge.

“Ah, ah.”

Aiden spoke into the mic.

Everyone fell silent.

“Welcome, everyone. I’m Aiden. I’ll be announcing your teams. Don’t worry—cameras aren’t rolling yet. This is a dry run, so save your reactions for the real take.”

Gulp.

I swallowed hard.

“Each five-member team was put together based on judges’ analysis of your strengths and weaknesses. Meaning…”

His gaze sharpened.

“…Some mismatches were intentional.”

Of course.

Putting the best people together would be unfair.

If they randomized it, unexpected issues could arise.

The judges hand-picked the teams—not to help us succeed, but to see how we handled adversity.

“I’ll announce the teams now. When we film this again, make sure your reactions are good.”

He took the list from a staff member.

“All right. Team A is…”

There were 80 participants.

Five per team meant teams A through M.

Team names would be decided later by the members.

“Team G… Ryu Eunyul from YN Entertainment.”

…So I’m in Team G.

“Also from YN, Lee Hamin.”

Nice! I smiled at Hamin.

“Kim Jungho from Management Q.”

The name sounded familiar—he was the guy from a band near Hongdae, I think.

“Jung Noeul from Hyacinth Studio.”

Jung Noeul?

Never heard the name.

Hyacinth Studio was a small agency—hmm.

“And finally…”

Just as Aiden was about to read the last name, someone grabbed my shoulder from behind.

I turned.

“…Madojin, independent contestant.”

Madojin was standing there.