Little Pink Starfish

“It Might Look Like I’m the Protagonist, But Hehe, I’m Not”

There was a time when he proudly embraced that ridiculous nickname.

“Back then, I hadn’t changed my name yet, so I was known as Kim Bongcheol, not Kim Sumin…”

Kim Bongcheol gave a bitter smile.

He felt embarrassed by his younger, more reckless self.

The indoor venue set up for the CYB Round 1 Finals.

Kim Bongcheol sat in the VIP seats in front of the audience.

When he turned to glance back, the seats behind him were packed with spectators who had received invitations.

They were all young people.

Kim Bongcheol knew well that he didn’t quite fit in this space.

He was a former Hunter.

Unlike the other special guests who had made names for themselves as singers, athletes, or academics, he had long since lost his professional edge.

All the Gates had closed, and Hunters were now treated as relics of the past—just influencers at best.

“Still, I never imagined I’d be watching a boy idol concert…”

It felt awkward to be standing in an idol performance hall in his fifties.

He had reached the age where one cared about appearances.

That’s why he buried his ridiculous nickname and changed his outdated real name.

“So childish…”

Looking around at the interior of the performance hall, Kim Bongcheol mused.

The lightsticks and slogan placards the audience held looked utterly childish to him.

“But if it means I can see that man’s son…”

With that thought, Kim Bongcheol straightened his posture.

There was someone he had always wanted to meet.

“The nameless soldier who once saved my life on the battlefield…”

He had never even gotten to thank him.

By the time he tracked him down to express his gratitude, it was already too late. His lifesaver was no longer in this world.

For ordinary civilians, exposure to the miasma of a Gate would corrupt the body.

“…He died young.”

All that remained were the man’s wife and only son.

And then Kim Bongcheol learned that the man’s son was competing in CYB.

“I just had to meet him.”

A fond smile crept across Kim Bongcheol’s face.

“The child of my savior…”

DU-GU-DU-GU-DUNG—!

With a grand sound effect, the stage lights came on.

The lights centered on Aiden, who stood in the middle of the set.

“God-given spotlight! Welcome to the first stage of the CYB male idol division finals!”

As Aiden’s voice rang through the mic, cheers erupted from behind Kim Bongcheol.

“So much energy…”

He crossed his legs, slightly amused.

“And now, please welcome our special guest judges!”

One by one, the special guests stood up and bowed toward the audience.

“Joining us today is former Hunter Kim Sumin, also known by the nickname J.H.A.!”

At Aiden’s introduction, Kim Bongcheol stood up.

He turned to the young crowd and gave a respectful bow.

“Just get on with it already!”

“Han Iro!!”

The audience reaction wasn’t great.

“Haha! Looks like everyone’s just dying to see the performances.”

Aiden brushed off the lukewarm response with his usual charm.

“Let’s see here…”

He skimmed the cue cards.

“The opening performance was selected by volleyball player Lim Seongmin: ‘Chronicles of the Four Seasons’ by The Pillow!”

“Not their turn yet…”

Kim Bongcheol folded his arms.

Lights focused on the stage, and soon, loud band music filled the venue.

He was here solely to see Ryu Eunyul perform.

That was the only reason he agreed to be a guest judge.

He didn’t care about anything else.

As each team took the stage to cheers, Kim Bongcheol paid little attention.

He was too old to be moved by idol music.

“And next up…”

Aiden scanned the cue cards again.

“This one was selected by former Hunter Kim Bongcheol: ‘Afterlife’ by John River Williams!”

“Finally…”

Kim Bongcheol cleared his throat.

Hearing his name announced gave him a strange feeling.

He hadn’t been interested in the CYB male idol division, but after learning about Ryu Eunyul, he’d looked up videos of his performances.

“…He’s got serious talent.”

Even someone like Kim Bongcheol, with little interest in pop music, could tell that Ryu Eunyul was something special.

The stage slowly dimmed, and the crowd quieted down.

— My father,
Today I’m going to kill you.

Soft acoustic accompaniment began as Ryu Eunyul’s voice echoed through the hall.

“These lyrics…?”

Kim Bongcheol’s eyes widened.

As a longtime fan of John River Williams, he knew immediately.

Though it was translated into Korean, those weren’t the lyrics to Afterlife.

They were from another one of Williams’s songs.

— Don’t be afraid,
My father.
Ominous clouds are coming.
Your breath is fading.
And I sit by your bedside alone…

Wearing a Western cowboy-style outfit, Ryu Eunyul stepped to center stage beneath dim lights.

The leather costume highlighted the rugged essence of folk rock.

Given John River Williams’s identity as a folk rock artist, the styling was spot-on.

— Don’t be afraid,
My father.
When you rise beyond the clouds,
That death will be my burden to bear.

The poetic lyrics were characteristic of Williams’s music.

“These lyrics were adapted with care…”

Kim Bongcheol nodded appreciatively.

And then—

Ziiiiing— ZZZZiiiing—

A synthesizer blared through, splitting the acoustic sound apart.

Lights exploded across the stage, and Ryu Eunyul’s teammates appeared.

Each member removed their cowboy hats and tossed them toward the audience.

— From the Cradle to the Grave,
I want to see you in the next life.
All Eyes On You,
The long time engraved in our eyes…

Beneath the rich synthesizer sound, the members danced in their cowboy outfits.

“That’s the chorus of Afterlife.”

Kim Bongcheol watched calmly.

But inwardly, he was thoroughly impressed.

“They restructured the entire arrangement like this…?”

Boom— doom— boom—

With rich drums, the song transformed into an EDM version of Afterlife.

— Someday, wearing our most cherished hats,
No pain, no gain,
We’ll shout and toss money across the world!

Jeong Noeul stepped forward and nailed an intense choreography sequence.

Even while doing complex moves, he snapped his harness cord and winked at the audience.

Despite the fast and intricate EDM rhythm, his movements were flawless—almost instinctual.

“That’s from the lyrics of Street Festival.”

Kim Bongcheol realized the performance was blending multiple John River Williams songs.

“To connect the tracks this smoothly…”

The consistent EDM beat formed the rhythmic base, while dazzling, irregular choreography maintained balance.

“…Incredible.”

Without realizing it, he was fully focused on the stage.

— Tied by the threads of a previous life,
Your life and mine.
Our next life, too…

Jeong Noeul’s voice filled the pre-chorus.

— Like emptying out your pockets,
Life is fleeting but freeing.

Min Heejae stepped forward and continued the song.

“He said he’d destroy Afterlife…”

Kim Bongcheol chuckled, recalling Min Heejae’s youthful declaration.

“And he really did take it apart.”

He had once doubted how impressive an idol performance could really be—and now he was eating his words.

This was beyond expectations.

— From the Cradle to the Grave,
I’ll see you again in the next life.
All Eyes On You,
Our precious memories within our gaze…

Ryu Eunyul took center stage and handled the high notes of the final chorus.

“Hm?”

Kim Bongcheol tilted his head.

As the chorus ended, the EDM accompaniment stopped, and the stage darkened.

The members bowed around Eunyul.

And then—

— Now, take my hand.

Eunyul’s soft voice echoed across the hall.

“That’s…?”

Sssrrrr—

He was holding a worn piece of parchment.

It slowly disintegrated into light, and the music resumed.

“This… this is insane!”

Kim Bongcheol shouted involuntarily.

SPLAASH!

The stage, with Eunyul at the center, began to morph into a different space.

As if painted over with a new scene, the entire stage transformed—and soon, it was no longer a stage at all.

This wasn’t Earth.

The sky was a dark crimson, unlike anything on Earth. The ground was barren wilderness.

Kim Bongcheol looked around, stunned.

It felt like a recreation of the surface of Mars from a photo or video.

Only his seat and the still-audible music proved that it wasn’t real.

— From the Cradle to the Grave,
I want to see you in the next life.
All Eyes On You,
The long time engraved in our eyes…

The members sang the chorus while dancing.

Around them, the lyrics floated in stylized typography.

It felt like watching a music video live.

— From the Cradle to the Grave,
I’ll see you again in the next life.
All Eyes On You,
Our precious memories within our gaze…

The Martian-like wasteland and the cowboy outfits blended into a surreal harmony.

Dusty smoke trailed with every step, and in the distance, burning stars fell from the sky.

— Now, take my hand.

Ryu Eunyul sang the final line and extended a hand toward the audience.

At that moment, the stage returned to its original form.

Soft acoustic accompaniment filled the hall, gently welcoming the crowd back.

Even in an age where using a Constellation’s power to enhance performances was common, what just happened was shocking.

No one had ever changed space itself with a Constellation’s power before.

Perhaps that’s why—

There was a moment of total silence.

Clap, clap, clap.

Then came the sound of applause from the front row.

Kim Bongcheol had stood up and was clapping.

“WAAAAAAAH!!”

“KYAAAAAAAAAH!!”

The crowd finally exploded in cheers.

Kim Bongcheol beamed as he looked at Ryu Eunyul.

Eunyul was smiling, out of breath.

“You’ve grown up well.”

Kim Bongcheol was relieved.

“Now I can finally tell you.”

Of course, no matter how Eunyul had turned out, he had planned to tell him.

“About the despair your father once carried…”

That despair was not something Kim Bongcheol could bear alone.

He had always wished society—or at the very least, that man’s child—would come to understand it.

“…Now, I can tell you everything.”