Little Pink Starfish

나는 멍해졌다.

“Seriously… all of you…?”

I blinked, staring at the scene in front of the door.

“You actually came here like that?”

“What? Got a problem with it?”

Han Iro squinted at me.

He was wearing a cone party hat—on which disturbingly cute vegetables were illustrated—and held a box with a cake inside.

A salad cake.

“I know this great salad cake shop nearby,” he said, stepping inside and removing his shoes.

“We can’t eat high-calorie cakes right now, can we? So I got something special. Made with soy milk powder instead of flour, almost no sugar. Let’s dig in.”

“…Off the record, I’m not touching that thing.”

Jeong Noeul passed me by and whispered in protest.

He was wearing a dinosaur onesie and had the disheveled look of a carnivorous baby raptor that just crawled out of hibernation.

“Hyung, say something. We’ve been eating nothing but salad for a week, and now even the cake is salad. This is just cruel.”

“More than that, isn’t it weird enough you’re all dressed like this in the middle of the night…?”

“That’s not important, hyung.”

Noeul stood next to Iro and looked back at me.

Like a little raptor tamed by a vegetable wizard.

“Not having a party after all that would be even weirder.”

“He’s right, Eunyul. It’s a good day.”

“I agree.”

Min Heejae placed a hand on my shoulder.

“You’ve been through a lot lately. When it’s time to celebrate, you should. You did well, Instrument.”

“…Thanks for the nice words, hyung. But with those glasses on, it sounds more like teasing.”

I sighed and walked into the room.

Han Iro placed the box on the island table.

“Now, behold the masterpiece.”

I wondered if that ridiculous hat was merch from his favorite salad cake shop.

…They really went ahead and manufactured that mess of a design?

“Ta-da!”

With a childish sound effect, the cake was revealed.

“…This is…”

I studied the surface.

Surrounding the “White Chrysanthemum” text in cream were familiar-looking fruit decorations.

“They… look like us.”

Little SD fruit characters, each resembling someone on the team.

I poked the one that looked like me.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“…Bet this cost a lot?”

I asked.

Han Iro smirked as he took a seat.

“We pooled our money during the first meeting—without you, of course.”

So even if the show flopped, they were going to celebrate anyway?

“What kind of comment is that, Eunyul hyung?”

Jeong Noeul sat next to Iro.

“We had total faith we’d kill it. No doubts at all.”

He forcibly dragged me into a chair.

“…If you say so.”

I chuckled.

“By the way, did you check the reactions?”

Iro asked as he placed candles on the cake.

“What reactions?”

“Don’t play dumb—you’re really getting good at that. I mean today’s performance.”

“Oh… not yet.”

“I think you should.”

I was too wiped out to check anything after coming back.

I picked up my phone and opened the browser.

I didn’t even need to search. The headlines on the portal’s main page caught my eye.

[CYB Ryu Eunyul delivers legendary performance despite controversy]
[CYB Male Idol Division Ryu Eunyul: “I want to keep living” – Faces controversy head-on]
[CYB White Chrysanthemum team ‘ripped the stage apart’]

“…Hah.”

A helpless laugh escaped me.

Just days ago, I was “Boy A,” trending on the portal’s main page.

Now, even the temperature in the headlines had shifted completely.

I clicked a particularly dramatic one and scrolled to the comments.

Since this was under the Entertainment section, not Society, maybe that helped. Or maybe our stage really was good enough to silence the claws.

The comments were overwhelmingly kind.

— I watched it live… when Eunyul whispered “I want to keep living” at the end, I just burst into tears.
— Thank you so much for staying alive, Eunyul.
— I gave birth to Eunyul with my heart today…
— That performance from beginning to end was honestly like a drama… TTTTTT

— Right?? Even from the moment Iro added Eunyul to the team, I was already emotionally wrecked. He knew Eunyul was in a tough spot and picked only people with connections to him.
— CYB is still a competition, but this kind of teamwork is beautiful.

A smile spread across my face.

Flashes of everything we’d gone through to prepare for this performance crossed my mind.

“You look really happy, Instrument.”

Min Heejae leaned his chin on my shoulder and whispered.

Normally I’d yell “Get off, creep,” but now I just—

“Yes. Really happy.”

That’s all I said.

“Good. But don’t get too comfy—it’s your night, and we’re not letting you off the hook until you’re screaming with joy.”

“…Why does that sound like a kidnapping threat?”

“Alright then!”

Han Iro clapped.

“Let’s blow out the candles and start the gift exchange!”

“…You even brought presents?”

It was starting to feel more like a surprise birthday party.

“Of course.”

He returned from the entryway with three gift bags.

Everyone had prepared something.

Whoosh—!!

I blew out the candles, and everyone clapped like parents watching a toddler do a cartwheel.

They even set off party poppers.

Colorful streamers exploded overhead.

“…Thank you, everyone.”

I muttered, half-laughing at myself.

“Hold on to that gratitude.”

Han Iro handed me his gift bag, smiling meaningfully.

“Because what’s coming next will have you bawling on the floor with gratitude. Better get your tissues ready.”

“…Sounds like you want me to cry.”

I took the bag and gave it a little shake.

Not the kind of thud you’d expect from a box of vegetables or a gardening kit.

“Then why…”

I glanced at Heejae and Noeul, who were deliberately avoiding eye contact.

I opened the package.

“…What the hell, Han Iro.”

My voice was flat with disbelief.

“What? You don’t recognize it?”

He looked genuinely surprised.

“I do. But still…”

On the box was a spacesuit-wearing bear holding a turnip sword.

Inside was, obviously, a matching toy.

“…Vegetable Soldier Bearman figure.”

A relic from a popular childhood anime.

A space bear wielding a turnip blade against evil vegetables…

“…Thanks. It’s just what I’ve always wanted.”

I read the words like a textbook passage.

“Hey! That thing’s rare and expensive, okay? It’s got a premium price—MMPH!! Noeul!”

Han Iro protested, only for Jeong Noeul to clamp a hand over his mouth.

“Hyung, my gift isn’t anything silly like a space bear toy. It’s super practical. Please use it well.”

“…Really?”

I eyed his package.

It was thin and stiff—looked like a picture frame or maybe…

“…‘100 Meat Recipes to Serve Our Kids’?”

I’d guessed hardcover, and I was right.

“What am I supposed to do with this? Cook for you?”

“Of course! You get to enjoy cooking, and I get to enjoy eating. Practical, right? Plus, I saw you cook on N–LIVE and it was… rough. Perfect chance to improve!”

“…Ha.”

Not only was I the team cook now, I’d been demoted to cook-in-training.

“…Thank you, Noeul. You’re the only one who truly worries about me.”

I spoke like I was reciting a dictionary.

“Right??”

He grinned, pleased with himself.

“Guess it’s my turn.”

Min Heejae handed over his bag, grinning.

His was the scariest.

Still, he was the team’s eldest and usually kept things professional.

Surely it’d be something decent—

“Something for you, Instrument. I wanted to find the perfect match for the perfect instrument.”

“Please stop sounding like a weirdo.”

I opened it.

“…Poetry books?”

A few slim volumes were inside.

“You had a hard time writing lyrics, didn’t you?”

He smiled softly.

“You’ve clearly got talent, Eunyul. I think if you keep working at it, you’ll make even better songs. Thought reading some poetry might help.”

“…Hyung.”

I wanted to thank him for being normal—but doing so would only trigger Iro and Noeul.

So I held it in.

“Wow, Ryu Eunyul. You’re really trying to act unbothered, but your face is screaming ‘I love this’ right now.”

Han Iro rested his chin on his palm and commented dryly.

“Really? Then I guess my gift is the only one you didn’t like.”

Jeong Noeul smiled cluelessly.

Iro sighed at him.

“…Thank you all. Really.”

I meant it.

“I’m happy about the gifts, sure. But more than that… thank you for not hesitating to team up with me.”

“Hesitate? Why? You’re obviously the ace, hyung.”

Jeong Noeul looked genuinely baffled.

“Instrument, don’t think we joined your team out of pity. We just saw our chance to win.”

“Heejae’s right, Eunyul.”

Han Iro grinned.

“So quit thanking us like a principal at morning assembly…”

He stood and reached toward my head.

“Wait—don’t you da—!”

Too late.

All three of them smushed their hands onto my head.

SPLAT!

My face landed squarely in the cake.

---

How much time passed?

We partied late into the night.

After seeing them off, I collapsed into bed.

And I dreamed.

It wasn’t hard to tell I was dreaming.

Because the place I stood…

Was the rooftop of the Hunter Memorial Hall in Yongsan District.

The place where I once considered ending it all.

The place where I spoke to the Star.

I stood there, dazed.

Then—someone smiled at me.

A boy stood at the edge in a school uniform.

Teetering on the brink.

“Wait…”

I ran forward.

“…It’s dangerous!”

Just as I reached for him—

Whoosh!

He turned and grabbed my hand.

We fell together.

No—wait.

<…My master.>

I opened my eyes.

The world was upside down.

<Are you really…>

The boy, who looked so much like me.

A middle school version of me.

Smiled faintly.

<…Are you really okay now?>

We sank together into the water.