Little Pink Starfish

Broadcast stations live and die by ratings.

That’s why they often make reckless moves.

‘But isn’t this too reckless?’

The Music Taste CP’s dilemma was justified.

Sedalbaekil’s album had sold more than expected, but chart-wise, music show scoring would only start next week.

So for Sedalbaekil to be nominated for first place, State Of Mind would have to be nominated as a digital single…

But with no broadcast score, that was impossible.

The music video had high views, but it wasn’t quite at the global fan level yet…

The digital score was strong, but that alone wasn’t enough for first place.

Yet, upper management issued the order: put Sedalbaekil up for first place if possible.

Music shows haven’t reflected true public sentiment (read: financial backing) for a while anyway.

But this statement made the CP even more anxious.

Whenever upper management said things like this, it never ended well.

He ultimately decided nominating Sedalbaekil this week was too risky.

Instead, he said to Han Shion:

“Honestly, I was tempted… but no. Let’s aim for first place next week.”

“Next week? But we don’t have any broadcast scores…”

“You’ll get them. Once you start promoting. I’ll try to get you on some radio and variety shows. We’ll make it happen.”

Han Shion nodded.

In truth, this was unexpected for him.

He hadn’t expected the CP to take his hint so seriously.

He hadn’t even hoped for a promise of first place next week.

Han Shion had simply wanted to be rejected.

He had something he wanted to say after hearing, ‘That’s not possible.’

A grand fan service for the fans who had been so anxious.

“No, CP-nim. The system must be respected. No need to overdo it. Of course, if you help with appearances, we’d be grateful…”

“Really?”

“Yes. But there’s one small favor I’d like to ask…”

“What is it?”

“How about creating a nice little heartwarming story?”

“A heartwarming story?”

---

Usually when people say “public recording” (gongbang), they mean both pre-recording and live broadcast. But fans usually only attend pre-recordings.

Because the pre-recording audience is chosen by the agency, while the live show audience is selected by the network.

So after the pre-recording ends, most of the fan club disperses, leaving only a few lucky fans to watch the live show.

But today was different for the TTs.

Even before pre-recording began, the issue about Han Shion’s parents had broken. And by the time the pre-recording ended, uncomfortable news had spread everywhere.

Unless you were one of those who disliked Han Shion, everyone was worried.

“What should we do…”

So even after pre-recording ended, many fans lingered around the station.

Or gathered nearby to discuss things.

There was nothing they could really do by hanging around, but feelings aren’t so easily rationalized.

Fortunately, the issue had resolved well, and fans felt a sense of relief.

But still, something didn’t sit right.

‘The sympathy wave is getting too big…’

‘People might just see him as pitiful now…’

As fans were worrying, a notice appeared on Sedalbaekil’s official site.

For those who attended pre-recording, if possible, please reconvene with your wristband, membership card, and ID.

It wasn’t mandatory, but they knew many were still nearby.

Fans thought it was for some extra fan service.

A big issue had just occurred and been resolved.

The easiest thing would be handing out more merch…

‘Maybe they’ll even show up in person…?’

Highly unlikely, but fun to imagine.

Fans rushed to the designated location in excitement.

Almost everyone came.

Even fans who traveled from faraway provinces had planned to spend extra time in Seoul anyway.

But they soon realized their assumption was wrong.

It wasn’t about more goods or meeting the members directly.

Yet the surprise was in a good way.

“CP Jo Youngdong of Music Taste kindly allowed you to enter today’s live broadcast.”

They would watch the live show.

And:

“After the show ends, we’ll arrange a brief meet with the members, so please follow instructions carefully. We won’t be sitting in the usual audience section.”

They would meet Sedalbaekil after the show.

“And special 2017 public recording photocards will be given to those who cooperate.”

Even more goodies!

From that moment on, the word “unlucky fan” disappeared from their dictionary.

They were lucky fans now.

---

-Wow, first time watching a music show since I was discharged lol. It’s been years lol.

-When I was in the army, Dropout, Hazel, and FromUsGirls were the rookie big three. Who’s hot now?

-If they were rookies then, that was like 7-8 years ago, right?

-Old man…

-I don’t care. When does Sedalbaekil come on?

-When’s the text voting? I wanna vote for Sedalbaekil.

-lol they’re not even nominees, what are you voting for?

-Huh? Why aren’t they? They’re dominating the digital charts.

-They have zero broadcast and album points… Honestly, I don’t get why they started promotions this week. They should’ve waited for next week’s album release to aim for first.

-If you knew how hard it was for Sedalbaekil to get into music shows, you wouldn’t say that; they didn’t have the luxury to match schedules.

-Why is it hard to get on music shows? Don’t they just appear?

-Because of C.D.H., that bastard.

-Pre-order numbers haven’t been released yet.

-We don’t have tracking numbers yetㅠㅠ

-What are you guys even saying? Pre-orders? Tracking numbers? What’s with music shows being “hard to get on.”

Music shows had lost popularity long ago, but still, everyone knew they existed.

Even if people didn’t watch, they were aware.

Which always gave networks some hope.

Of course…

[August Ratings]

SBN Music Taste

Week 1 – 0.8%

Week 2 – 0.9%

Week 3 – 0.8%

That hope had betrayed the networks for years, and music shows were now just used to maintain influence in entertainment circles.

But now—

For the first time in a long while, there was a flicker of hope.

“P-Producer, real-time ratings are over 2% — almost 3%!”

“What?!”

SBN’s control room staff rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

The show began, and real-time boards and SNS exploded with comments.

For some, this attention was an opportunity.

-Oh, what was the name of that rookie group just now?

-They’re good. Lots of charisma.

Far more viewers were watching than usual.

Most were waiting for Sedalbaekil.

-Why aren’t they coming out yet?

-They probably changed the order to milk the hype lol.

-Ugh, I hate these old dudes. Jumping on because of some issue. Typical bandwagoners.

-lol didn’t Han Shion leak the news himself? To look pitiful.

-Are you guys insane? How could you even say that?

-Young people these days are disgusting online. It’s the end of days.

-End of days lololol

A chaotic mix of support, trolls, and hate comments filled the real-time chat.

Many who would usually rant on private accounts were now gathered here.

Then Sedalbaekil finally appeared.

It wasn’t a performance but an interview.

[Though today marks their debut stage, they already shine brightly as rookies!]

[Hello, we are Sedalbaekil.]

-Wait, this was their debut??? But they already have multiple chart-toppers.

–Résumé, Colorful Struggle, State Of Mind, Kpop Struggle. Four #1 songs for a debut group!

-No fake news— Kpop Struggle never hit #1.

–State Of Mind blocked it.

-lol why don’t they have a group chant? Most groups do.

-[Info] Sedalbaekil was hastily named during Coming Up Next, so they never made one.

-lololol

-Han Shion’s pretty handsome? I pictured him more gloomy and greasy.

-What does gloomy and greasy even mean.

After a brief interview and performance preview, they left.

Once word spread Sedalbaekil’s stage was coming up, more viewers tuned in.

Most weren’t idol fans but curious about today’s issue.

Still, some positive reactions emerged.

-Wow, I haven’t followed idols since I started working. It’s been so long.

-They’re all younger than me nowㅠㅠ What should I call them?

-That’s when you use “dongsaeng-oppa.”

-lololol wtf

-When are my Sedalbaekil dongsaeng-oppa coming out?

They were fans who had been away from K-pop for years.

Time passed, and as 80% of the show wrapped up—

Sedalbaekil’s stage arrived.

It started with the pre-recorded Colorful Struggle (Kpop Remix).

-What? Isn’t this a different version of Colorful Struggle?

-It’s the remix version!

-I wanted to hear the original though.

-This one’s good too hehe

Colorful Struggle, which gained massive popularity through Color Show and Billboard, was already hugely famous.

So much so that an all-English song had topped Korean charts.

But Kpop Struggle was a bit different.

It was fairly well-known, having been leaked intentionally and used in State Of Mind’s MV intro.

But it hadn’t spread as widely to the general public.

Because State Of Mind dominated the charts, Kpop Struggle never got a #1 spot.

Still—

A good song speaks for itself.

-Wow, so sophisticated.

-What is this? Hip-hop?

-More like lo-fi soul lol. Maybe some chipmunk technique too.

-Isn’t chipmunk supposed to raise the pitch?

-No, that’s just the Kanye association. Technically, it’s pitch manipulation—it can go lower too.

Muted lights cascaded across the stage.

Sedalbaekil had practiced endlessly to sync the lighting perfectly with their choreography.

Even a one-second miss would make it look sloppy.

Though this was possible because it was a pre-recorded stage.

-Wow, do idols do this nowadays?

-It’s surprising. This isn’t the image I had of Sedalbaekil… my old fan heart is waking up.

-The synchronization is insane.

-Feels good seeing Han Shion doing well on stage. I hope he overcomes hardship and thrives.

People were impressed.

[…Did you rock it?]

-Who’s that platinum blonde? He’s stunning.

-That’s Lee Eon, sirㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-How can someone look like that?

-We’re seeing this for the first time tooㅠㅠ Platinum blonde!

-First reveal?

-Yes TTTT

-Han Shion’s the only one with black hair lol.

-Such a Confucian boy.

-No, as a fan since debut, I’d say he’s more of an American macho type.

-They debuted less than a year ago. What do you mean “since debut?”

-That’s such a petty nitpick.

As people buzzed about Kpop Struggle, the screen shifted—

Revealing the first-ever public performance of State Of Mind outside of its music video.