Little Pink Starfish

The busking wrapped up well.

We performed the songs we had prepared, plus a few more requested through encores.

For reference, there were many requests for NOP’s and Drop Out’s songs during the encore, but we didn’t sing them.

It would be a problem whether we sang them well or poorly.

Anyway, overall, the busking went just as I had planned.

Except for the unexpected busker who came up near the end.

“So that wasn’t part of your plan?”

“How could I have planned for someone else to cry?”

“No, I mean inviting the busker on stage.”

“That was spontaneous.”

I had brought that man up for a simple reason.

I didn’t want our busking to be seen as a nuisance.

Even though we avoided peak hours, we were performing seriously.

More people gathered than I had expected, to the point the busking area became paralyzed.

That meant there were people who might’ve been inconvenienced because of us.

It could have reflected badly on the group’s image, so I brought him on stage.

No other reason.

“That’s pretty considerate, isn’t it?”

“Si-on hyung does good deeds but always pretends he’s being rational about it.”

I shrugged at Choi Jae-sung’s comment.

Now it was Lee Ion’s turn to step in.

“You shouldn’t call hyung’s actions ‘deeds.’”

“You shouldn’t call hyung’s…”

Lee Ion made a dumbfounded face after having his line stolen.

“Then what about that song? Did you arrange it on the spot?”

“I mean… I came up with the concept yesterday.”

I had visited Hongdae for a site check the day before.

Since we were using multiple speakers, I wanted to avoid sound wave interference, so it was good to inspect the location beforehand.

That’s when I saw that busker perform.

He was also singing Nod’s “Love on Me” yesterday.

I wasn’t particularly impressed or moved.

If anything, I was a bit frustrated.

He had a good voice and decent skills, so I couldn’t understand why he was singing like that.

So, when the opportunity came, I helped him.

You could say I gave him a bit of a guide on how to sing in a way that might open more doors for him.

He had the talent, but was singing in a way that didn’t suit him.

“Oh, so Si-on sees these things.”

“He said the same to me. Told me to become a master of song intros.”

“Though honestly, Si-on hyung probably thinks of me as an intro slave.”

“…”

Choi Jae-sung really was getting sharper.

After returning to our lodging, we applied for a permit to busk at Ttukseom Hangang Park the next day.

But when we woke up, an unexpected situation had unfolded.

The video of our Hongdae busking had gained some attention.

Especially the moment with the unknown busker became quite a topic.

-Who’s that guy?

-Just a regular busker. Han Si-on invited him on the spot.

-?? Han Si-on can play guitar too??

-People who compose usually play instruments well.

-No, but this isn’t just “well.” I play guitar as a hobby too… this is pro level.

-Professional? Lol. This is just a skilled amateur.

-Nonsense. No amateur plays like that.

-Wasn’t this all staged?

-That guy busks there all the time. I’ve seen him often in Hongdae.

Of course, it wasn’t a viral sensation.

It didn’t top YouTube’s trending or real-time search rankings.

But it quietly spread through online communities.

Many general forums were posting screenshots of the videos.

As a result, more people started looking up fancams of our busking.

-WTF Sedalbaekil is insanely good live lol.

-Some people say it’s all editing, but this is obviously not.

-The ones saying that are Drop Out and NOP fans lol. You know how obsessive stans are.

-But shouldn’t they be happy? Han Si-on made songs for their groups too.

-Because Sedalbaekil is outranking their groups on the charts.

-Ohh lolol.

“Hm.”

I expected some buzz, but the response was stronger than I anticipated.

This would actually make my original plan even easier.

Still, the tasks ahead remained unchanged.

“Alright, let’s head out.”

“We’re not stopping by the salon today?”

“Nope. Yesterday was the first day, so we stopped by. Today let’s keep it natural. We’re just going to Hangang.”

“Then guys, don’t forget sunscreen.”

At Lee Ion’s comment, On Sae-mi-ro shrugged.

“I have bad memories with sunscreen…”

Says the one who sunburns the worst.

---

Sedalbaekil continued busking every day for the next week.

After the brief Hongdae stint on day one, we started hitting 2-3 locations per day.

Especially various Hangang parks across Seoul. Even in the July heat, visitors at Hangang could enjoy Sedalbaekil’s live performances.

Naturally, many fans started rushing out whenever word of a busking session spread.

As the busking continued, fans figured out Sedalbaekil’s patterns.

They usually started at Ttukseom Hangang Park, then moved to nearby places like Ttukseom Resort or Seoul Forest.

So if you kept an eye on SNS, you could quickly hop into a taxi and catch the next performance.

Of course, it would’ve been nice if they posted official notices, but fans understood the risks.

If they announced locations in advance, large crowds might gather and create safety hazards.

So the best approach was to stay ready and rush out when the news hit.

-We’re basically an on-call military squad at this point.

-What’s an on-call squad?

-It’s military slang for standby units.

-Wow, my first military fan.

-I’m not in the military lol. My brother is.

-The amount of panic hidden in those dots is amazing lol.

-I don’t mind though. Thanks to them, I’m getting fresh air instead of being cooped up in the lab. Maybe this is my boys’ way of helping their poor grad student fan.

-Snap out of it, grad student.

-You must’ve committed major sins in your past life…

-I went yesterday. It was fun lol. They were really welcoming. Didn’t have any merch, so I brought a T-shirt to get autographed lol.

-How was the vibe?

-It was a weekday but still surprisingly crowded. Though not everyone was there specifically for them — lots of park-goers too.

-I’m confused. Am I supporting an idol group or a college dance club?

-Definitely an idol group.

-Why?

-(Photo) (Photo) (Photo) There’s no way a college dance club has five guys who look like this.

-…Fair point.

-But seriously, I want to spend money on them… buy albums… get merch… go to concerts… attend fansigns… please!

There were mixed comments, but overall, the fans were in good spirits.

At least something was happening, and public reactions to the busking were positive.

It wasn’t hard to find people talking about Sedalbaekil’s activities on general forums.

But that didn’t last long.

Soon, another group started showing up at the busking sites.

The YouTube clout-chasers desperate for views.

“Live Vocals of Sedalbaekil Amid Editing Controversy! I’m Here to See for Myself!”

The problem was, these channels didn’t care about facts — only about generating buzz.

Some simply uploaded the performances and said, “They’re good.”

But more often…

-Hmm, it’s ambiguous. I see why people say what they do.

More of them deliberately mentioned the controversy to stir the pot.

Not because they disliked Sedalbaekil.

But because controversy brought more views.

Especially from hardcore Drop Out and NOP fans.

Some even degraded the audio quality on purpose before uploading.

They had figured it out:

Facts didn’t matter. What mattered was providing clickbait for those eager to attack Sedalbaekil.

-Ugh, I’m exhausted. The crazies are swarming.

-They deliberately mess up the audio and use it as “evidence.” It’s infuriating.

-Even if you give them the original link, they just plug their ears. “Your source is fake; mine’s valid.”

-Can’t they get on any official music show?

-Is there no official platform where they can prove their skills? If they upload on their own channel, haters will just claim it’s all edited.

Then came a shocking piece of news:

[Idol makes it to the national news ㄷㄷ]

[Sedalbaekil appeared on the 8 o’clock news;;]

[Did anyone just see the news?]

“Society section.” “News.”

Words that make fans’ hearts sink.

Sedalbaekil’s fans frantically checked the details.

“Huh?”

What was this?

---

[Anchor]

Today marks the minor heat (Soseo) of summer. Citizens are finding their own ways to beat the heat.

We’ll now connect to our field reporter at Hangang.

[Reporter]

Yes, I’m at Yeouido Hangang Park…

(skipped)

Some citizens are also enjoying refreshing live music at busking zones set up by the city of Seoul.

(Footage)

With the rainy season forecasted for next week…

---

-lol what the heck, Sedalbaekil.

-They busked so much they made it onto the news lol.

-Why was the footage so long? Aren’t these clips usually like 2 seconds?

-Guess they gave extra screen time since they’re topping the charts lol.

-But the angle felt like how they shoot unknown indie bands… even the anchor didn’t seem to know who they were.

-Meanwhile, the fact that they’re singing so well is the real highlight lol.

-Guys lol check MBN’s News Behind channel. They uploaded the full footage lol.

-lol MBN loves stuff like this. Remember that snow day when they uploaded slippery sidewalk compilations?

-Yeah lol. They set up cameras in front of their HQ and collected the footage themselves.

-They’ve really taken over the society section ㄷㄷ

-They can’t get on music shows but they’re on the news lol.

Everyone just laughed it off.

Assuming it was just a funny coincidence of random events aligning.

No one questioned it.

Why was it specifically Resume that was captured?

Why was the group chorus filmed?

Why was the scene, usually cut after 2-3 seconds, aired for a full 7 seconds?

Why was the full footage uploaded to the News Behind channel immediately?

Even Sedalbaekil’s fandom didn’t question it.

They simply felt:

‘This is it!’

There’s no content more official and credible than this.