Little Pink Starfish

The main part of the episode began after the opening.

“So, what are we doing today?”

They were probably going to decide on positions.

According to Kang Seok-woo, the first mission was supposed to be a battle between members with the same positions from each team.

“We’re going to play a room assignment game.”

…Guess not.

“There’s one single room and two double rooms in the dorm. Meaning, only one person gets to use the single room.”

I want that single room.

Not for comfort, but because of the nightmares.

I often wake up screaming from nightmares.

That’s a huge inconvenience for whoever’s sharing a room with me.

Especially when schedules are tight and every minute of sleep counts.

“The game is very, very, very simple.”

Blue smirked and revealed the game.

“Guess-the-birthday! Those who guess the most correctly get to choose their rooms in order.”

“Birthdays? But we already know each other’s…”

“Ready team from TakeScene?”

“Yes!”

“Do you know Han Si-on’s birthday?”

“…No?”

“It’s a game to guess the other team’s birthdays. By the way, Ready, do you know mine?”

“August 9th?”

“Nope. Up.”

“…September 8th?”

“Down.”

“…”

“Why don’t you know my birthday? We’re in the same agency, and I bought you so many meals.”

“S-sorry!”

After teasing Ready for a while, Blue finally revealed his birthday.

August 19th.

Pretty close, but he grilled him hard.

Well, it’s all for show anyway.

“Okay, TakeScene. Line up.”

TakeScene lined up in order: Jooyeon, Fade, Ready, SeeU, and iLevel. The game began.

“You get two questions. SeDalBaekIl team starts in line order!”

Wow, seriously. What kind of game is this?

Would this actually be fun to watch on TV?

It feels like it’s going to take forever.

“Han Si-on? Try guessing Jooyeon’s birthday.”

“Hmm. November 11th?”

“Up.”

But…

This is a total freebie.

“December 25th?”

“…Correct.”

“…!”

I knew Jooyeon’s birthday.

He held a concert every Christmas that doubled as a birthday celebration—I once performed as a guest.

Was it during his solo days after For The Youth disbanded? Or before that?

Anyway.

“G-got it right, huh?”

I acted a bit stunned, then gave Jooyeon a thumbs up.

“Born on a great day.”

Blue laughed behind a cue card like he couldn’t believe it.

“Alright. Next is Fade! Since you’re new, Han Si-on starts again.”

I glanced to the side and saw On Saemiro and Lee Ion staring daggers.

They must really want that single room.

But…

“March 4th.”

“…!”

“What? No way?”

“Y-yeah. Correct.”

Jo Yo-seong—aka Fade.

His birthday is a day apart from mine.

Back when we were in For The Youth, we used to throw joint parties.

Surprisingly, I also guessed Ready’s birthday. Not on the first try, but on my second round.

“Correct! You didn’t get some TakeScene profile sheet or anything, right?”

“Nope.”

Looks like the single room is mine.

No need to worry about waking anyone with nightmares.

We played another pointless game after that too.

This time it was to decide dinner: clean, healthy food vs. fried chicken.

Since intense dietary control starts once we move in, this was considered a “last supper.”

I personally wanted the clean meal—but we won the game.

Sweet, salty, greasy food isn’t great for physical condition.

It’s fine to eat it occasionally at my age, but still.

Funny thing is, once the cameras were off, we were told to only eat a little.

It was a PPL thing, so they plated it nicely, but said we could only eat one chicken between us.

Anyway, I think I get how Coming Up Next is structured now.

The show is built on competition.

Just looking up from the dorm, you can see the rival team in the next building, also aiming to debut.

And since future missions will continue with team battles…

All these silly games are probably intentionally kept light and silly.

Once those two games ended, I was unpacking in my room when Goo Tae-hwan casually walked in.

“You done?”

“Still unpacking. Why?”

“Just curious what the single room looks like.”

He doesn’t show it, but he’s actually kind of social.

While looking around and making small talk, he suddenly stopped.

“What?”

“Your humidifier… it’s a different one.”

“Oh. This one’s better.”

The one he gave me for my birthday was small and portable, perfect for a compact space.

But its humidifying power was weak.

If we get a practice room, I’ll install it there.

It was actually a pretty good gift.

It might seem over-the-top, but throat care is essential for singers.

And I’m someone who’s used to taking care of myself.

Not just throat care—I’m also big on skincare and beauty maintenance.

You can’t sell 200 million records as an audio star anymore just by voice.

Oh, right. I guess I won’t need to bulk up now that I’m in Korea.

People used to accuse me of being “an Asian gay” because I wasn’t that big-boned.

America’s full of people at vastly different education levels. The ignorant ones are openly racist.

But what’s with Goo Tae-hwan just standing there?

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing. Just wondering about our positions. Especially rappers.”

“We should talk about that on camera. It’s a broadcast.”

“True, but… I was wondering if you wanted me to be a rapper.”

“Me? If I did, I wouldn’t have picked you over the other two who got 3 top votes.”

Kim Hae-woon and Nam… what was his name again?

Anyway, the two he beat in the final round were rappers, and I picked Tae-hwan.

That should be enough of an answer. I don’t know why he’s still uncertain.

“You take the intro.”

“The intro?”

“It has to hit hard. You’ve got the rhythm for it.”

He nodded like he’d found some great mission.

“Want help unpacking?”

“I prefer doing it alone.”

When I stepped outside after finishing, everyone else was already waiting.

I apologized for being late, and Lee Ion gave me a light punch on the shoulder with a smile.

“It’s just a few minutes. Let’s go. To the gym.”

The next filming location was the indoor gym across from the pension.

When we arrived, CEO Choi Dae-ho was there.

“Today, I’m not here as a judge, but as a boy group producer.”

He then assigned positions for the SeDalBaekIl team.

Han Si-on: Leader / Sub-vocal

Huh? I’m not the main vocal?

Not even lead vocal, but sub?

---

“PD-nim, is it okay to pit Han Si-on and Jooyeon against each other already? Doesn’t feel right.”

“Why?”

“If you look at the rough cut, Episodes 1 and 2 are structured like two separate tracks. The protagonists are Han Si-on and Jooyeon.”

Originally, B-Team was supposed to debut in Episode 1, and meet TakeScene at the end.

Then starting from Episode 2, their rivalry would begin.

But Kang Seok-woo decided to give more focus to Han Si-on and SeDalBaekIl, and changed the structure with extra airtime.

They started with two tracks: TakeScene and SeDalBaekIl.

One side shows TakeScene facing a crisis before debut.

The other shows the selection process that forms SeDalBaekIl.

Each group showcases their unique strengths and appeals.

That makes viewers think:

“Both teams are good… who would win in a head-to-head?”

It’s classic storytelling—show both the hero and rival, then make them clash.

Kang Seok-woo planned to open the showdown with the main vocals, Han Si-on and Jooyeon.

But the head writer shook her head.

“Bosses don’t fight in the first stage. First, they beat up some minions, face a mid-level boss, then clash.”

“So you’re saying even though it’s team vs. team, their individual showdown matters?”

“Of course. Viewers might get more invested in individuals than the teams.”

“Why?”

“Because one team is going to disappear anyway.”

After thinking, Kang Seok-woo agreed to the writer’s opinion.

Direction is the PD’s domain, but writers often see the bigger picture.

Trying too hard to create a flashy scene can make you miss that.

“Okay. Makes sense. So what now?”

“Let’s give On Saemiro a bit of a challenge. He’s in a weird spot—overshadowed by Jooyeon on the outside and Han Si-on inside.”

“Isn’t Lee Ion also in that spot?”

“True, but Lee Ion has his visuals. He’ll stay buzzworthy. We can spotlight him later.”

“What if Saemiro flops under pressure?”

“You know how it is. The public acts like they root for success, but they love to mock failure too.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Seok-woo stroked his chin.

In early meetings, On Saemiro was the planned B-Team lead—but Han Si-on’s arrival changed that.

“Alright. Let’s push Saemiro.”

“Then we’ll pretend to randomize the positions and match him against Jooyeon.”

Kang Seok-woo shook his head at the idea of rigging it.

“No. While we’re at it, let’s pressure Han Si-on too.”

“Sorry?”

“Go ask CEO Choi to come up with a reason to drop Han Si-on from the main vocal spot.”

“Why?”

“Aren’t you curious? He probably thinks he’s been perfect. Let’s see how he reacts.”

“Hmm…”

The head writer thought it over, then nodded.

Watching Han Si-on crack could be interesting.

Too much drama would need to be edited, but a few cracks could earn sympathy and support.

And right now, Han Si-on doesn’t seem desperate.

He acts like being the main character is a given.

Like everything’s too easy.

“Got it! I’m on it!”

Soon after, CEO Choi agreed with the idea.

“That’s not bad. Didn’t he argue with Fade recently too?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll come up with an on-screen reason. You pass on the off-screen one.”

“Ah, so it’s like a punishment for causing trouble?”

“It’ll be easier for him to accept that way. But he’ll still be leader as planned.”

“Okay, understood.”

The writer nodded too.

But moments later, they encountered something they hadn’t expected at all.

Han Si-on accepted the demotion without even asking why.

“This might actually be better.”

They couldn’t guess what he was thinking.