Little Pink Starfish

‘This spot should be good.’

Choi Suyeon found a place with a good view for filming.

Fortunately, she was surrounded by audience members who appeared to be fans of Ryu Eunyul.

‘They’re cute…’

Choi Suyeon smiled.

[Ryu Eunyul, a gem!]

The cheesy slogan made her smile more.

‘Maybe it’s thanks to that PR video.’

Ryu Eunyul’s image seemed to be leaning toward that of a merman.

It reminded her of her days as a fansite manager, but Suyeon shook her head and refocused.

The stage was still dark.

She tightened the aperture and checked the autofocus.

The camera was in perfect condition.

Suddenly, Doo-doong! — a booming sound, and the CYB promotional video began playing on the screen.

A divine spotlight!

Count Your Blessings (CYB)

A popera-style logo song played.

After the CYB slogan flashed, quick cuts of the male idol division finalists were shown.

Then the stage went dark again.

Flash!

A spotlight lit up Aiden, who had taken on the role of the male division’s head mentor this season, along with the dance, vocal, and producing mentors.

“Hello, everyone.”

Aiden spoke.

“I’m Aiden, this season’s head mentor for CYB. It’s an honor to greet you like this.”

He bowed.

Waaaah—!!

Cheers erupted.

Some of that was for the male idol division of CYB itself, but it was clear much of it was for Aiden personally.

‘…He just never ages.’

Choi Suyeon thought.

‘Well, none of the Codess members seem to age…’

Suyeon had started fangirling during Codess’s prime.

Back then, Codess had been loved by the entire nation.

Not just female fans — they were a rare boy group that even male fans adored.

Their overwhelming talent played a part, but their global success had stirred national pride, too.

‘No one expected Codess to disband so suddenly.’

Despite their continued success, one day Codess simply announced they were disbanding.

In hindsight, it was inevitable.

Codess was only ever a project group.

But many still hoped they’d continue on regardless.

The members scattered.

Rowen was the only one continuing artistic activities.

‘Aiden… turned to broadcasting more than singing…’

Suyeon sighed.

‘And there are all those nasty rumors…’

Things like him blacklisting a producer, or that even agency CEOs couldn’t touch him, or that he started some secret society…

Nothing confirmed, but during her time as a YouTuber, Suyeon had heard some shady things about Aiden.

‘…Forget it.’

Suyeon shook her head.

‘Let’s just enjoy today.’

She took a deep breath and focused.

After the mentor intros, the usual ceremonial greetings followed.

“…And finally, it’s time to introduce the stars of this season’s CYB male division.”

Aiden smiled and turned to the side.

The spotlight on him and the other mentors slowly dimmed.

“Here they are — boys blessed by the constellations, standing before you.”

Aiden’s voice came low and dramatic.

“Please welcome them. This season’s CYB group song…”

The surroundings went pitch black.

“…‘WAVE’!”

As Aiden spoke the title, blue lighting gradually swept across the stage.

The round stage’s silhouette came into view.

— And then…

A monologue began, Han Iro’s voice.

— It was a frail little drop of water.

So fragile that, afraid it might break, it simply drifted endlessly in midair.

Ah, I hate this.

I don’t want to be like this.

One day, let me melt into the waves and overflow.

The lights clarified, and Han Iro came into view, standing at the front of the formation.

Behind him, about ten contestants stood in lines.

— One day, let me become part of the sea and quench someone’s thirst.

Let me become clear rain and kiss withered flowers.

One day, let me…

…No, that’s not it.

‘Maybe it’s thanks to his acting background — it feels like a one-man show.’

Choi Suyeon calmly observed.

Multicolored bubbles began to blossom around Han Iro.

His smiling face was softly projected on the screen.

— One day, let’s become a magnificent wave.

As he finished that line—

Pop!

The bubbles burst all at once.

Ddan-ddan-ddan—

A heavy, Future House-style instrumental dropped.

With Han Iro leading the formation, two wing stages on either side of the main stage lit up.

‘Where’s Ryu Eunyul?’

Suyeon spotted Ryu Eunyul at the front of the right wing.

She smoothly tilted her camera toward him.

— Don’t Hide, Don’t Hide
I Can See It In Your Eyes
The spotlight’s for me
Don’t look away
So we can face each other, us
Don’t Hide, Don’t Hide
I Can See It In Your Eyes

Even with a choreography full of complex steps, his vocals were stable.

‘He’s definitely talented…’

Suyeon thought.

With this level of skill, he might’ve done well even in the solo artist division.

Maybe the mentors realized it too — Eunyul was clearly placed in a highly visible position.

The group dance transitioned into diverse movements based on the main choreography.

Then, suddenly, Ryu Eunyul stepped out of formation and walked toward the giant screen at the back of the stage.

‘What’s this?’

Just as Suyeon wondered, the bass dropped, and a dreamy melody began.

Blue ripple effects spread across the screen like water droplets.

— Heaven has no need for tears
We make stars when we’re sad
My Star, the thousands of lights that fall from our eyes

The song shifted to a Deep House rhythm with R&B tones as the chorus began, centering on Ryu Eunyul.

The fans surrounding Suyeon screamed all at once.

Suyeon smiled, focusing tightly on Eunyul.

The members’ movements slowly dispersed in sync with his gentle vocals.

And as the chorus ended, the BPM picked up again — it was dance break time.

Eunyul moved to the back, and stronger dancers like Jeong Noeul took center stage in a newly formed lineup.

“Hoo…”

Suyeon let out the breath she’d been holding.

‘I didn’t expect them to give Eunyul the chorus like that.’

For the final chorus, all the contestants performed together.

It was a grand sight.

It’s not often fifty boys take the stage like that.

— Don’t Hide, Don’t Hide

As the chorus progressed, the contestants gradually bent their bodies low.

— Everybody Look at Me…

And finally, the song ended.

A soft blue glow lingered over the stage.

Choi Suyeon held her focus on Ryu Eunyul for a few seconds as he smiled and caught his breath.

Then she pulled away from the camera and covered her ears.

WAAAAAAAH—!!

KYAAAAAAA!!

Screams exploded like thunder.

She hadn’t noticed it while filming, but now the noise seemed like it might blow the stage apart.

The contestants bowed or waved, each greeting the crowd in their own way.

‘So much energy…’

Suyeon felt a strange sense of envy.

Watching young fans waving slogans and shouting for Ryu Eunyul reminded her of her past.

‘Ryu Eunyul…’

Suyeon repeated his name in her mind.

‘Pay attention to Ryu Eunyul. Watch him. Watch Ryu Eunyul.’

The words the man in her dream had shouted came back unbidden.

‘Ugh. What am I doing right now?’

Suyeon scratched her head furiously.

Maybe it was because that dream man had brainwashed her into paying attention to Eunyul…

Somehow, his name wouldn’t leave her mind.

‘…He really felt like an untainted kid.’

She thought that, gazing at the darkened stage.

---

“Whew… that felt good.”

With a wet towel draped over my head, I sat on the edge of the bed.

Then I looked around.

‘Still feels unfamiliar…’

I was in my assigned room in Building A of the Bichang Guild Central Headquarters.

It had been about a week since I’d moved in and started training camp.

It was a single room, and most personal items were allowed, so the space itself was comfortable.

But until now, I’d mostly only used it to sleep.

We’d been so busy practicing the group song.

And now, that performance was over.

<Are you satisfied?>

The Star Hated by All, perched on my shoulder, asked.

“For now…”

Maybe I was getting used to it.

Practice had actually been fun.

There were 48 finalists, including me.

Getting synchronized with that many people hadn’t been easy.

The choreography was mercilessly difficult, too.

But it didn’t make me as nervous as the third prelims had.

That time, my song choice was a disaster.

And I fainted.

But this time was different. It felt like I’d cleared a hurdle successfully.

I even got a good part.

<Good. You can’t just keep whining like a runny-nosed brat forever.>

“Oh, perfect timing. I was about to blow my nose.”

I grabbed a tissue and blew into it.

<…Hoh. Not bad.>

The Star Hated by All seemed oddly impressed.

I wrapped up the tissue and asked with a pout,

“…How is blowing my nose impressive?”

<Whether you blow it, snore, or pick it — I don’t care. I merely meant you seem more composed than before.>

“That’s true…”

I laughed.

“Feels like just yesterday I was getting scolded by Rowen-senpai while prepping for the first round…”

Time had really passed.

With The Star Hated by All on my shoulder, I walked to the desk.

A pile of fan letters sent by audience members lay atop it.

Gifts weren’t allowed.

Only letters written on official CYB stationery were accepted.

Despite the hassle, fans had written and sent these messages.

I picked up the most eye-catching envelope.

It was covered in stickers.

“…Now that I have people who like me, I think I’ll be happy even if I don’t place high.”

<Don’t be ridiculous!>

The Star Hated by All shouted.

<Our goal is to win. Not just this domestic contest, but the world championship.>

“I know…”

I shrugged.

I held out my index finger so The Star Hated by All could climb on.

“But life doesn’t always go the way you want it to, right?”

<Pfft. You sound like some old man feeding pigeons who gets pecked to death.>

Grumbling, The Star Hated by All crawled along my finger.

“I get it, I get it. Don’t be mad. I was just being sentimental for a second…”

Muttering, I opened the envelope.

“…Sometimes, when life doesn’t go the way I want, I feel like I need things like this to give me strength.”

It was the first time I’d received a letter filled with affection.

<Tch. You really are a pitiful little creature. Go on, read it already.>

“Let’s see…”

I focused on the lines written inside.

There weren’t many.

Neat handwriting filled only a few short sentences.

My heart thumped a little. Let’s read it.

[Isn’t your room password a bit too easy?
Thanks to that, things went smoothly.
…Now you won’t forget me, right?
Don’t forget me.
We’ll be together soon.
— Min Heejae]

Flutter.

The letter slipped from my hands.

“Wh-what the…”

Staring at the letter on the floor, I muttered weakly.

“…What is this?”