Little Pink Starfish

Han Si-on on the monitor looked almost identical to how she did on the live audition stage.

“Well, it’s clearly not just makeup.”

Her stage makeup didn’t seem thick to begin with, so this wasn’t surprising. But still, you never know.

There are definitely male idols whose looks change drastically before and after makeup.

[I didn’t prepare any performance or original song. I apologize.]

After saying that, Han Si-on began singing the assigned song.

The designated piece by Lion Entertainment was “The Language of Flowers.”

It was a song released when she was still a kid, but it had been repeatedly revived through variety shows, so it was familiar.

Han Si-on’s singing was clean.

When you’ve been a fan for a long time, you can’t help but become a bit of a critic—and objectively, her singing was very clean.

“And it’s not like she sings like this because she doesn’t know how to do flashy stuff, right?”

Just think about the remix performance under the streetlight.

That one was seriously flashy.

And, as expected, the internet reaction was positive.

– Oh wow, she’s really good at singing.
– So clean. No bad habits. Definitely main vocal material.
– Thought she seemed kinda rude in the interview, but her image totally changed when she sang.
– Her face is totally my type.
– Doesn’t she give off kind of a melancholic vibe?
– Yeah, for real. She looks like the type you’d want to bully, lololol.

But that was just the surface. Underneath, the tone was a bit different.

– Is she that “rip-Sion”? Eh, not feeling it.
– Right? Just seems like a decent normie who happens to sing well.
– 90% of the people claiming they were at the live audition are making it up.
– Did y’all know? Lee Hyun-seok is the CEO of Coming Up Next’s outsourced studio.
– Guess she got in through Lee Hyun-seok’s connections.
– Lol, a connection-idol. She’s got what it takes to make it.

There were two main reasons behind these reactions:

First, people felt a sense of backlash against the overhype from those who attended the live auditions.

Second, she had performed just too smoothly.

Survival show audiences often see themselves as talent scouts. They tend to give higher marks to someone who scores 120 in one area and 60 in others, rather than someone who scores a consistent 90 across the board.

They want to play the “my eye for talent is better than yours” game.

In that sense, Han Si-on’s style worked against her.

She was solid across the board, with flawless basics.

Even her high notes were so effortless they didn’t even feel like high notes.

“And right now, she has no defenders.”

With no one actively defending her, it felt like a festival of haters dumping their criticisms.

As that thought passed, the art student suddenly felt confused.

“Am I hearing her through rose-tinted ears?”

Was it because she saw the streetlight performance? Or because she just liked Han Si-on?

The idea that she might be overrating Han Si-on due to lost objectivity struck her hard.

And then—

[The song is called “Tony Bright,” originally sung by Melisma. It was released in the 1940s.]

[Is it R\&B?]

[The original is delta blues, but I arranged it with a Chicago blues vibe.]

– LOL trying way too hard to sound pro
– “Arranged in Chicago blues style,” yeah right, lol
– Blues?? Go play in Hongdae, why even come to this audition?

With sharp comments flying, her free song began.

Funky drums and an explosion of electric guitar.

– ???

The electronic pop vibe was unexpected, throwing people off. As heads started to bob, Han Si-on grabbed the mic.

[The gypsy woman told my mother]
[Before I was born–!]

Her voice sliced through the guitar, gliding down by half-steps for an audio thrill.

[I got a boy child’s comin’]
[He’s gonna be a son of a gun]

A perfect beat-matched delivery gave it stability.

Her voice rose and fell like a rollercoaster, firing off clear melodies.

Then a sudden drop to low vibrato from a brief high note—

[He gonna make pretty women’s]

But the volume only increased—

[Jump and shout!]

Close-up on the stunned faces of Lion Entertainment’s rookie development team.

And then—

[Got dry skin from the changing seasons? Trouble with breakouts?]

A mid-program ad cut in.

The art student, who had been unknowingly holding her breath, exhaled sharply.

“Phew!”

It was clear now.

She hadn’t overestimated Han Si-on.

Han Si-on was just that good.

The college student curled her lips smugly and began typing:

– I was speechless watching this, but now it’s silent here. Guess everyone’s so-called ‘talent radar’ sucks.

Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who felt that way—defender comments started rolling in.

– Was I the only one baffled reading the earlier comments? Blues is literally the origin of the R\&B you all love lol
– R\&B stands for Rhythm and Blues, y’know
– It’s always the clueless ones who hate the hardest, lol

And of course, nothing beats ending your comment with a single “ㅋ.”

---

After Han Si-on’s performance—

TakeScene lowered their heads under Choi Dae-ho’s harsh critique, but the sequence showed them pushing through and trying again.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Team B’s selection round to pick 5 out of 10 began.

The show moved faster than your average survival program.

No sob stories, no spotlight hogs.

Even when there was a perfect chance to zoom in on Lee Ion’s visuals, the camera stayed in a wide shot.

Almost obsessively fair screen time.

There were even a few lighthearted scenes:

[Why is it called “Lion”?]
[……Excuse me?]
[Isn’t “Dae-ho” supposed to mean “Tiger”?]

– LOL what is this guy, a psycho?
– What even was that?

Which led to CEO Choi Dae-ho revealing a previously untold story:

[When I was registering the company, I’d been awake for almost 40 hours.]
[I was so sleep-deprived, I mixed it up. Thought I wrote “Lion.”]

Casual viewers just chuckled, but idol fans? Different story.

---

His name means “great tiger,” but he acts more like a bobcat.
No, more like a cat.
Except cats are cute—this guy just causes trouble.
So that’s why it’s Lion Entertainment.

One of the many memes always dragged up when Choi Dae-ho’s name comes up.

To see the truth behind that meme had people roaring with laughter.

Then came the reveal of the one-verse pre-mission rule, and contestants’ song choices began to surface.

One of them was Han Si-on.

[I hope we don’t overlap… can I ask what you picked?]
[Under the Streetlight.]
[Oh? You’re allowed to sing the chorus?]
[Not the chorus. Just verse one.]
[Oh… it is a good song.]

– Ugh, such trash.
– God, I hate this song. Worst ever.
– If a guy picks this at karaoke, punching him should be legal lol
– I like the song, but verse one? Really?
– Total hipster move.jpg

Sure, the internet tends to exaggerate, but the disgust seemed real.

And yet, Han Si-on turned the tables once again.

Keeping the original beat but transforming the vocals completely, she stunned the audience with her rendition.

And right before the emotionally charged chorus:

[Thank you.]

A lone smile and a calm thank-you, followed by fellow contestants’ stunned reactions.

– Damn. Respect. Feels like she’s a total indiehead, but I still wanna see her do something boy-group-like.
– So… when exactly is our Si-on debuting?
– I usually hate the “I’m a genius” types on survival shows, but she feels… different?
– That’s because she’s not pretending, lol
– Come on, you think she actually made that arrangement? A producer did it for her.
– But seriously, how? How can vocals alone elevate a song this much?

The production team adjusted the order to show Lee Chang-joon’s technical critique first:

– What did he say?
– No idea.
– Just means it was sick.

Then came Choi Dae-ho’s critique.

[“Coming Up Next”—literally, it means “the next performer.”]
[We’ll have to wait and see…]
[But so far, the most promising ‘next up’ is Han Si-on.]

They inserted her pre-performance interview after the stage.

[Why do you want to be an idol?]
[I’ve been thinking about that since I filled out the application… but I’m not sure.]
[Not sure?]
[Yeah. I’m serious about it, but I don’t know when or why that feeling started.]
[That’s what real dreams are like. They don’t need a reason. Thank you.]

By now, it was clear to anyone watching—

Han Si-on was the protagonist of Coming Up Next, Episode 1.

---

My face feels hot.

Probably because it’s obvious I was the star of the first episode—people kept sneaking glances at me.

But really, didn’t everyone already expect this?

It’s not that surprising.

I kept my expression serious and stared at the screen.

The reaction cam was still rolling, so I couldn’t act too pleased.

Even though my performance was the highlight, the show wasn’t over yet.

Other contestants’ pre-mission stages aired, and the order for the first real mission was determined.

[Han Si-on, please choose your performance slot for the main competition.]
[I’ll go first.]
[……First?]
[Yes. Right at the front.]

Why did I do that again?

Was I trying to shake off some blues?

Interviews with contestants about my choice were inserted, and TakeScene’s sequence was revisited.

That’s how episode 1 ended.

But the preview for the next episode was a bit shocking.

[Is this for real? Is that really Han Si-on’s song choice?]
[Seriously? That song? Why?]

A shot of the judges reacting to my pick?

Expected.

[I couldn’t believe my ears.]
[Han Si-on’s going to sing bleep?]

Contestant reactions too? Of course.

And the producers cleverly included Blue’s mentoring session:

[Si-on, this is an idol audition, right?]
[So, you need to show us some dancing.]
[You mean covering songs by senior idols, right?]

It helped prevent my image from being stuck in an indie mold and sparked curiosity.

All very expected.

What I didn’t expect came next.

[Isn’t it unfair that only Han Si-on gets to release a song?]
[It was just a pre-mission round. No one said anything about a release.]
[I’m not even sure she’s serious about becoming an idol… (edited) It feels unfair.]

What was his name again?

Kim Seong-woo? Kim Woo-seong?

Anyway, the production used Kim Woo-seong to stir the pot.

Without explicitly promoting the release, they revealed the song “Under the Streetlight” would be available.

To be honest, it would’ve been hard to promote the song release outright within the flow of the show.

But this was a brilliant solution.

Director Kang Seok-woo really knows what he’s doing.

[Wouldn’t it feel unfair to other contestants if I released a track?]
[Personally… I’d rather not.]

I liked that they inserted that part too.

Though, poor Kim Woo-seong.

Knowing the producers likely coaxed that interview out of him, I can forgive him once. Maybe.

The teaser faded to black, and Episode 1 was over.

I’m satisfied.

Director Kang Seok-woo kept his promise to me, and I lived up to his expectations.

Our unspoken contract has been renewed.

“Cut. Let’s take a short break.”

“Great work, everyone!”

“Thanks for your hard work!”

Still… I am a little curious.

How well will the song actually do?