Little Pink Starfish

Album 6. Center of Gravity

Seven days before headlines broke that a Billboard #1 songwriter would be appearing on Coming Up Next—

A fiery thread started heating up the idol community.

It began with posts from people who had attended the second mission taping of Coming Up Next.

[Raise your hand if you were at the raw taping.]

• I hurt myself clapping so hard at the venue, can’t raise my hand lol. It was sick.
• How are you even typing?
• My cat’s doing the typing.
• LMAO if SEDEBAEKIL debuts, they’re locked in as first-tier idols hahaha
• If they air the VCR as-is, Han Si-on is a god and the greatest genius in idol history. Argue and you’re wrong.
• LOL the take scene was flying, but it was raw flying talent, right? Delicious.
• Bars on bars hahaha
• At first I thought the concept was cringe as hell, but now I’m eating my words. Huge respect.
• For real, if this is how they’re performing, SEDEBAEKIL has to debut.
• Take Scene’s been training for like four years, right?
• Hey you. You think Choi Dae-ho has any industry ethics?
• LOL even Tiger and Lion get mixed up hahaha

Of course, not all the buzz came from genuine fans cheering for SEDEBAEKIL.

A lot of the posts were full of exaggeration and loaded phrasing—perfect bait for other fandoms to attack.

But still, it wasn’t like these people were trying to sabotage SEDEBAEKIL.

They really did do well. And the posters genuinely were impressed.

They just weren’t invested in the group long-term. It was more about the thrill of being first to witness it.

Then came the fake attendees, external community spillovers, attention-seeking trolls, hiatused fans, and ex-fans—all throwing more fuel on the fire.

Naturally, some people began to express fatigue.

• Can y’all shut up already about something I don’t care about?
• Raw Taping Inc. must be loaded. How many paid posters do they have?
• I don’t care about the show or the concept. Please stop spamming.

Some fans of a particular group’s producer member started dragging Han Si-on too.

They were bothered by the phrase “genius producer.”

• LOL it’s so obvious Hyun-seok did everything, how can people believe this?
• They’ll claim he just hummed the topline to other composers, but believe Han Si-on did all the arranging hahaha
• Just dumb, honestly lol

But surprisingly, none of the opinions took over as the dominant consensus.

Most people were in wait-and-see mode. Episode 2 was airing soon anyway.

Then came Friday night.

[Show starting! Thread open!]

Episode 2 of Coming Up Next aired.

And the reactions?

• ???????????
• Is he insane??
• He’s absolutely nuts. Mad respect.
• Debut Han Si-on now.
• You want a guy like that to debut??
• Who cares, he’s insanely good lol

The minor battlefield of idol trainees was now becoming a national conversation.

There were good takes and bad ones, but overall—

• So… who’s actually right here?
• (Photo) Today’s official WayFromFlower SNS. Kinda seems like they’re low-key pissed, right? lol
• Isn’t that just your imagination? Their junior did an amazing arrangement—why would they be mad?
• No but seriously, who’s in the right??
• Honestly, the song is just crazy good. I don’t know who Han Si-on is, but he seems better than WayFromFlower.
• Ugh, I’m so annoyed. For real.

It was a full-on mess.

---

The first scene of Episode 2 starred Han Si-on.

After a reminder insert of the Episode 1 mission stage, it kicked off with a mentoring session between Blue and Han Si-on.

[Si-on. This is an idol audition, right? So you’ve gotta show us your dance.]
[You mean cover a senior idol’s song, right?]
[Exactly. Just perform your favorite song without any arrangement.]

• He said “idol seniors” lol
• ??? Why’s that a big deal?
• He’s clearly distancing himself from being an idol. The wording is telling.
• LMAO this is some real mental gymnastics. Break your jaw listening to Han Si-on’s vocals?
• Nurses don’t call their seniors “nurse seniors.” They just say “senior.”
• Quality delusion right here.
• Just ignore them. What do you think Han Si-on will sing?
• No clue. Probably something that needs vocal skill? But since they said to dance…
• Blue’s actually mentoring well? I thought he was just a variety guy.
• You think Blue, top 1st gen idol, is a joke?

As viewers speculated about Han Si-on’s song choice, the show shifted direction with a surprising question:

[Which contestant do you think is the best right now?]
[Gu Tae-hwan. His sense of rhythm is no joke.]

• ???
• Isn’t Gu Tae-hwan that delinquent-looking guy?
• Yeah, he came in dead last in the mission.
• LOL Han Si-on’s smart. He’s naming the lowest rank to look considerate.
• That’s not smart, that’s dumb. Looks like an insult.
• So fake.
• Who cares. Maybe he’s a diversity pick.
• LMAO what is this, The Heirs?
• Hey, do you like my songs?
• LMAO

In reality, Han Si-on had answered, “Right now, Onsaemiro. For the future, Gu Tae-hwan,” but it was edited out.

The topic shifted again once mentoring with other trainees began.

The conversation resurfaced during a meal scene with Blue, Han Si-on, and Gu Tae-hwan.

[This place is too cramped for three guys. Should we eat in the lounge?]

After some small talk over their meal, Blue asked:

[Tae-hwan, you haven’t picked a song yet, right?]
[Yeah, I’m still thinking.]
[Si-on, what do you think would suit Tae-hwan?]

• Something from The Heirs OST.
• LMAOOOOO
• Stop forcing a 3-year-old drama meme.
• Wow, you knew it was from 3 years ago. You must be a fan!

Han Si-on, however, answered very seriously.

[He’s got great natural rhythm, so something that shows that off. Maybe contemporary R&B or trap house.]
[What about tropical house?]
[That’s good too, but I think two-four rhythm suits him better than one-three.]

Gu Tae-hwan’s reaction was… flat.

[…I’ll try my best.]

• Looks like he didn’t like that lol. Look at his face.
• PTSD flashback from school.
• He’s super handsome but why so cold?
• Delinquent types are polarizing.
• Dudes usually hate them.

Then came what everyone was waiting for: Han Si-on’s song choice.

In real time, the conversation had happened earlier, but edits reshuffled the order—as usual.

[Si-on, did you decide on a song?]
[Yes, based on what you said.]
[Already? What is it?]

His answer was bleeped. Blue looked surprised.

[You’re singing bleep?]
[Yes. I think it’ll be fun.]
[Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it. Singing bleep, and unarranged too?]
[Yes.]

Then came Blue’s interview cut.

He said he was caught off guard by the song choice and had no idea how it would turn out.

Just as the audience was growing anxious, Blue dropped a clue:

[Still, it’s a song from the hottest idol group right now…]

• It’s NOP.
• Has to be NOP.
• No way, it’s DropOut.
• DropOut hasn’t been active in over 2 years.
• LOL that’s wild.
• Isn’t TENX10N the hottest right now?
• Tension? Their fans lost it over that “Under the Streetlight” track flopping the chart lineup.
• That was hilarious. 9 songs lined up, and “Streetlight” went 7th, 4th, 1st in 3 days.
• LOL 7-4-1 formation.
• Football references on point.
• Don’t bring up Tension—they just swarm with ten people and dump sales.
• Nah, Tension’s objectively the hottest right now.
• Welcome, Tension stans.
• If someone screws up and leaves, is it Ninesion?
• Just cut them in half and call it Ocean. Nice ring to it.
• (Info) Tension’s 5-member sub-unit is actually named Ocean.
• You can’t make this stuff up.

Viewers expected Han Si-on’s performance and song to finally be revealed.

But nope.

PD Kang Seok-woo had zero intention of spoiling it before the stage.

• Come on!! Just tell us already!

As viewers squirmed in anticipation, the spotlight shifted to Gu Tae-hwan.

• What’s with this guy.
• He’s seriously trying now?

He was seeking vocal coaching based on Han Si-on’s advice and researching intensely.

The production even showed clips of his search history and notes.

• Looks like a thug but doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean… a guy who gets it done when he tries…
• Probably survives on microwave pizza bread…
• Gasp. I’ll go buy you some.

Then came the highlight: Gu Tae-hwan approaching Han Si-on.

[I tried picking some songs based on your feedback.]
[Oh… yeah. Sounds good.]
[Could you help narrow it down?]
[Then… maybe one of these two?]
[I’ll try my best.]

Later, he loitered near Han Si-on’s practice room.

[What does “good rhythm” mean exactly? Is it about keeping time?]

And waited outside the dance studio.

[Rhythm sense is innate. It relates to note length.]
[You mean I have that?]
[Not “good,” per se—more like “compelling.” Just stick to the bar timing and sing freely in between. It’ll sound great.]

And always, it ended the same.

[I’ll try my best.]

• What is this, an NPC quest? lol
• He pledged to “try his best” five times lmao
• NPC recognizes your sincerity!
• Hidden reward: Song choice!

Then Han Si-on, onscreen, said the exact same line as a commenter:

[Wanna try singing it once?]

• LMAOOOOOOOO
• QUEST COMPLETE
• Wait, but Gu Tae-hwan’s in SEDEBAEKIL, right? Is Han Si-on actually helping him debut?
• This is like a delinquent and a hall monitor forming a team.
• Nah, Han Si-on’s more like the guy who disappeared for a year after some legendary incident and returned as a super senior.
• Nerd alert. These delusions are detailed as hell.
• But seriously, why hasn’t Take Scene shown up yet?
• Shut up.
• Let us enjoy the good parts.

The episode continued with montages of each contestant training in their own way.

But Han Si-on’s footage was oddly scarce.

The producers were clearly hiding his song on purpose.

The only proper cut was:

[Why did you choose to go first?]
[Thought it’d be better to get it over with.]

That interview clip spread among contestants and began fueling a new rumor—

That Han Si-on couldn’t dance.

• I don’t care how good the vocals are, stiff dancers are a no-go.
• Yeah. If he can’t even be stored (in the group lineup), it’s just frustrating for the others who are trying.
• But no way someone that good at singing can dance well too.
• Wait, is that NPC guy actually good at singing? I didn’t watch Episode 1.
• You haven’t heard “Under the Streetlight”? It’s #1 on the charts right now.
• I have.
• That’s his song.
• For real? No way??

Finally, Han Si-on stepped onto the stage for the B-Team’s first selection mission.

[Is this right? Did Han Si-on really choose this song?]
[Seriously? Why this one?]
[I… don’t get it at all.]

The camera zoomed in on Han Si-on’s smile as the judges reacted in disbelief.

Just as viewers thought the performance was about to start—

[Meanwhile, Take Scene was…]

The scene cut.

• KANG SEOK-WOO, YOU BASTAAAAAAARD!!!

The reactions? Explosive.