Of course, Sedalbaekil’s fandom didn’t come to this conclusion because of their musical knowledge or technical understanding.
It’s not easy for anyone to immediately identify what techniques or genres are used just by hearing a song.
Even more so when it’s a song crafted by someone like Han Sion, who had mastered every genre and technique imaginable.
Besides that, this song might even become a mainstream hit.
It seemed likely.
It had the fame of Colorful Struggle combined with the freshness of its arrangement (if you could even call it just an arrangement).
But appealing to the public’s taste isn’t something that can be done purely with skill or quality.
So when TT declared “This will work,” they meant within the idol industry.
They didn’t know exactly what was changed, nor could they be sure if it would appeal to the general public.
But they were sure it would hit in the idol market.
Because it stirred the emotions of devoted fans.
And this was Sedalbaekil—the group least expected to provoke such fan feelings—delivering a perfect twist.
‘Ah, damn. I hope it doesn’t get leaked.’
‘I hope only TT knows for now.’
‘Once promotions start, it’s going to blow up!’
Because of that, Sedalbaekil’s hardcore fans practically made a pact to keep their mouths shut.
When rival fandoms poked fun about them not being “idol enough”—
-Sedalbaekil is great, but don’t they seem kind of embarrassed? Like they don’t want to be too idol-like?
-Haha.
-Why are you laughing?
-lol
-Ugh;
They just smiled.
Affectionately amused.
But there was one person who was extremely flustered by this situation.
‘Why… why isn’t it leaking…?’
That person was Han Sion, who had been planning a leak-based marketing strategy.
The one desperately preventing leaks was none other than CEO Kang of ANB Engine, the company that built Sedalbaekil’s official site and app.
‘An idol group’s promotion track cannot be leaked! Absolutely not!’
Possessed by the spirit of Zhang Fei on the battlefield, he was blocking every leak attempt imaginable.
Honestly, Han Sion was a little surprised.
Even though their official site was a custom-built platform avoiding open-source tools as much as possible, blocking allleak attempts seemed impossible.
Or so he thought.
But somehow, here they were.
How was it even possible to block even screen recording through alternate routes?
Maybe he had recruited someone who belonged in the online education industry instead.
Han Sion recalled a recent conversation with instructor Yang Seokhun about revenue sharing—he’d been struggling with students illegally recording his lectures.
Either way, CEO Kang’s impressive skills were actually interfering with Han Sion’s plans.
In the end, Han Sion had no choice but to discreetly explain his strategy to CEO Kang.
He even said it would be good if the video got leaked quickly.
-You mean I should… sabotage the protection?
Hearing CEO Kang’s trembling voice through the phone, Han Sion reassured him that wasn’t necessary.
If anything, the fact that CEO Kang could block leaks this well opened up even more possibilities for future promotions.
This situation was just a special case.
-Oh, I see. That’s a relief.
“By the way, how did you manage to block everything? Is that even possible?”
-I worked hard, but honestly, there weren’t that many attempts. Just a few pros trying.
“Really?”
-Yeah. Honestly, if someone just played the video and filmed it with another phone, there’s nothing I could do, right?
“True.”
-But I think fans aren’t doing that because they want to preserve Sedalbaekil’s image.
Wasn’t that a bit too optimistic?
It seemed more likely that Sedalbaekil wasn’t as popular as expected.
Or maybe the fan club had more inactive members than it appeared.
Thinking that, Han Sion explained why he wanted the leak in the first place.
When you assign a task to a developer, it’s important to explain the underlying rationale clearly.
Otherwise, things can go wrong.
Hmm… Was that my age showing again?
Anyway, the reason was simple.
They had planned from the start to promote with the K-pop version of Colorful Struggle.
Originally, they were going to change the title and fully rewrite the lyrics in Korean.
But since the original made it onto the Billboard chart, releasing it as a remix would be more advantageous.
Billboard counts remixes toward the original track’s total performance.
If the K-pop remix released while the original was still holding its Billboard spot, they might even have a shot at sneaking onto the Hot 100.
Not that there was any real reason to force a Billboard campaign right now.
It was time to focus on domestic promotions.
But if the opportunity arose, there was no reason not to seize it.
The reason Han Sion wanted a leak was because Colorful Struggle had become too successful.
The original version cast a huge shadow.
When the K-pop remix came out, some people might instinctively reject it.
People don’t mind new things as much as they hate seeing something familiar suddenly feel different.
He had seen that pattern countless times across his long career.
So he wanted to use the leak to soften that rejection.
Because the keyword “leak” was provocative— even people who weren’t interested in K-pop would be curious enough to click at least once.
Even if they didn’t listen, just spreading the idea that “Sedalbaekil is performing Colorful Struggle as a K-pop version” would be enough.
It might cost them in streaming numbers, but since the pre-release track was the real focus this time, that didn’t matter.
At that moment, CEO Kang spoke nervously.
-Is it really okay for you to tell me all this? It seems very sensitive…
What was he talking about?
He seemed so determined to keep blocking leaks that Han Sion had no choice but to tell him.
But of course, he couldn’t say that.
“I trust you completely, CEO Kang. The official site is home for idols, and you’re the one who built that home.”
-S-Sion…
That was just a little lip service, but why was he getting so emotional?
-How much of a leak would you like? Just tell me.
“Can we leak only the audio in high quality? Without any video?”
-No video at all?
“Yes. A completely black screen would be ideal.”
-Easy. I’ll handle it right away, very naturally.
“By the way, I had promised you concert tickets before, but the schedule got delayed. I apologize.”
Han Sion hadn’t expected Colorful Struggle to chart on Billboard.
He had made the Donald McGus collaboration into a buzz-worthy clip mainly to boost Color Show’s views.
He didn’t want Sedalbaekil to be successful only in Korea and dismissed overseas.
But thanks to that, they reached Billboard and broke into SBN’s music show lineup.
The schedule had changed.
Originally, they planned to debut on a few stages before trying to break into M Show’s music broadcast.
-You remembered that?
“Of course. Once the concert schedule is set, I’ll contact you no matter what.”
-…Thank you. Honestly, I was thinking about shutting down the company, but thanks to you, I have hope again…
The company probably would’ve succeeded even without Han Sion’s help, but he seemed deeply moved.
Almost like Korea’s IT version of Lee Hyunseok?
“It’s over.”
Choi Daho put down the report he was reading, shaking his head.
Team Leader Park, who had worked with him since Coming Up Next, flinched and gathered the documents.
“Only finish the already scheduled broadcasts. Don’t add any new ones.”
“Understood. Should I focus on larger events and concerts instead?”
“Yeah. Nothing too cheap.”
Choi Daho stroked his chin.
He was trying to stay calm, but inside, he was burning.
TakeScene was a team he had ambitiously prepared, even creating a variety show to support them.
He had been confident they would succeed—and they needed to.
But the results?
Disastrous.
Even considering that this was still an investment phase, the losses were extreme.
In terms of scale, TakeScene’s debut indicators were actually quite good.
Their fandom density and direction were solid, and the response to their songs, music videos, and performances was positive.
They even performed well on variety shows, earning favorable reviews despite being rookies.
Because of that, their overseas metrics were strong.
International K-pop fans were less sensitive to domestic politics and viewed TakeScene purely on their merits.
But flip that around, and it explained why TakeScene was completely overshadowed.
Sedalbaekil.
No, Han Sion.
The problem wasn’t just that he ate up all the buzz—it was that TakeScene’s image became entangled with him.
If TakeScene were the perpetrators, Sedalbaekil were the victims; if TakeScene were the losers, Sedalbaekil were the winners.
If you removed all mentions of Sedalbaekil from TakeScene’s buzz, all that was left was positivity.
The problem was, then there was barely any buzz left.
The data spoke clearly.
For TakeScene to survive, Sedalbaekil had to disappear.
Not compete—be destroyed.
“Team Leader Park.”
“Yes.”
“What’s the plan?”
“I’ve been poking around On Saemiro’s parents, but they’re so dysfunctional it’s hard to control.”
“You think I want to hear that crap right now?”
“…I apologize.”
“You’ve collected a lot on Han Sion’s parents, right?”
“Yes.”
“If we release it right after TakeScene finishes promotions, it’ll be too obvious. Time it for Sedalbaekil’s music show debut. The articles should hit right after the broadcast.”
Han Sion had been in an accident with his parents. Only his parents were left in a vegetative state.
If that was the whole story, it would be just a tragedy.
But Han Sion had hired a top-tier law firm ace and inherited his parents’ wealth.
Why?
Normally, the inheritance would’ve gone to relatives.
Could a 20-year-old come up with that?
Even if he did, could he act so quickly right after an accident?
Maybe Han Sion had caused the accident on purpose.
Choi Daho planned to plant that suspicion through the media.
Of course, the logic wasn’t bulletproof.
But it was provocative.
So provocative that the public wouldn’t be able to resist biting.
No matter how talented Han Sion was, he couldn’t escape this one.
Frankly, Choi Daho had hesitated to use this card.
Not because he cared about ruining Han Sion—but because of lawyer Choi Jiwoon.
The ace of a giant law firm, with a family full of judges and prosecutors.
If things went badly, Choi Jiwoon might take it personally.
And the media wouldn’t leave Choi Jiwoon out once the scandal broke.
Plus, the issue was so explosive it could blow back onto Coming Up Next or even Ryan Entertainment.
Still, it had to be done.
Otherwise, TakeScene—into which they’d poured tens of billions—would be worthless.
Even at great risk, Sedalbaekil had to be crushed.
“Since Han Sion mustn’t catch on… On Saemiro’s parents, was it?”
“Yes.”
“Use them to create distractions. Between the music show, the members’ families, and everything else, it’ll create enough noise.”
“Understood. How should we leak Han Sion’s story? Going through newsrooms might leave ties back to Ryan Entertainment. But freelancers might be too weak of a speaker.”
Choi Daho didn’t answer.
He simply stared at Park and smiled.
“I trust your abilities.”
Both men were hardened veterans.
What Choi Daho meant was clear: “This was your idea, not mine.”
If things went wrong, Park would take all the blame.
But what choice did he have?
“…Understood.”
He nodded.
Thus, Choi Daho’s final arrow was aimed at Han Sion.
The moment he would release it: Sedalbaekil’s music show debut.
-This is the leak? This is the leak? This is the leak? This is the leak? This is the leak?
-This is insane.
-ㅠㅠㅠ Our boys are serious about being idols ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-HipSion lol. Instead of just going directly hip, he looped around and became even more hip lolol.
-True ㅇㅇ
-How do you even rearrange like this? Absolute genius.
-ㅎㅎ People are going to lose it when the full choreo video drops.
-Where’s the choreo video?
-It’s on the official site!
-What’s the official site?
-Your router’s home network.
-?????
I thought the public would reject the K-pop remix of Colorful Struggle.
I was sure of it…
Views: 2,420,139.
Over 2 million views on the leaked audio.
And every comment was praise.
“……”
Did we even need the leak after all?
Did I just do something stupid?
Risking the charts for no reason.
“Sion, what’s with your face?”
I’m upset.
Little Pink Starfish 
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