Little Pink Starfish

During the airing of Self Made Season 2 Episodes 2 and 3, many issues came up.

The most “ordinary” of those issues was the program’s success.

‘It’s kind of funny to call that ordinary.’

The reason PD Kang Seokwoo and M Show saw it that way was simple.

The buzz around Sedalbaekil was bigger than that of Self Made.

Normally, when cast members generate buzz through a variety show, that buzz gets distributed through the program.

It was like that with Onsaemiro on The Masked Singer.

Onsaemiro won four consecutive weeks and became the second person in the program’s history to earn honorary graduation.

The fandom already knew about Onsaemiro’s skills, but the general public didn’t.

Or rather, Onsaemiro’s vocal skills, previously overshadowed by Han Sion, were finally revealed to the world.

That buzz essentially allowed The Masked Singer to serve as a platform distributing the content called Onsaemiro.

Even now, whenever people talk about Onsaemiro’s skills, The Masked Singer is always mentioned.

But Sedalbaekil and Self Made were a bit different.

Originally, M Show’s plan was to distribute the content called Sedalbaekil through the platform Self Made…

‘But the way things are going, it’s the opposite.’

It turned completely upside down.

It feels more like the massive platform called Sedalbaekil is distributing the content called Self Made.

Factually speaking, this is absurd.

Sedalbaekil becoming unknown singers, making OSTs for webtoons, producing advertisement music for the game M.O.L, performing as Masked Robber — all of it happened because of Self Made.

Without Self Made, none of it would’ve happened.

Not only that.

Making music for Apple ads (which still feels unreal), meeting Chris Edwards in America and directing BOTY, and receiving HR Corporation’s proposal for an English album — all of these happened within Self Made.

So technically, Self Made is the platform that created these opportunities for Sedalbaekil.

But no one in the public sees it that way.

-How much is Self Made milking this with just one good casting lololol

-They even get paid for using all those clips. If Sedalbaekil blows up in America, M Show gets a sweet pension.

-Why are Sedalbaekil fans always overreacting like this?

-No nonsense. Do you know how much you have to pay to use Michael Jackson interview footage as archive clips?

-You’re comparing Sedalbaekil to Michael Jackson?

-You’re so dumb. If that’s how you heard it, you need to relearn the language.

-Comments aren’t heard. They’re seen.

-looool

Everyone thought Self Made was riding on Sedalbaekil’s coattails.

For the production team, this complete reversal of platform and content dominance was a first.

But it was also understandable.

What Sedalbaekil had accomplished was enormous.

Even more so because they achieved it without any help from the Self Made production team.

To confess now, PD Kang Seokwoo and the Self Made staff initially thought the “challenge of an unknown singer” would just yield some lighthearted episodes.

It’s not that they doubted Sedalbaekil’s abilities, but three months felt too short to achieve anything significant.

How much can you really accomplish in three months?

So the production prepared small missions with spending money and even arranged behind-the-scenes support to assist the “unknown singers.”

They arranged it so even Sedalbaekil wouldn’t know the station was helping.

But none of it was necessary.

Sedalbaekil easily reached things even M Show’s full power couldn’t, changing the entire nature of the show.

Especially after a few conversations between the station director and Han Sion.

And so, Self Made Season 2 Episode 4 aired.

Episode 4 clearly showed how much the show’s character had changed.

The contract with Apple, street performances, training BOTY, recording Players with Sedalbaekil, and meeting HR Corporation’s CEO.

As viewers wondered how many more amazing stories lay behind all this, Sedalbaekil spoke up.

[I want to prepare our second album.]

[Second album? A full-length second album?]

[Yes.]

[Why all of a sudden?]

[The HR Corporation CEO, the people around us — they all keep looking at the music we made in the past. But we’re in our prime right now, aren’t we?]

This scene had been staged for the broadcast.

The conversation about wanting to prepare the second album actually happened the day they directed BOTY.

At that time, the members had been given a vacation off-camera (except for Han Sion, who had received Chris Edwards’ request for directing), and had talked in their hotel room.

Han Sion relayed the conversation to PD Kang Seokwoo the next day.

The station director, seeing even greater potential in Sedalbaekil, then made a suggestion.

M Show would serve as the billboard for Sedalbaekil’s second full album.

So the scenes airing now were all scripted.

But it didn’t feel awkward.

‘Han Sion’s good at acting too.’

Han Sion, who had an absurd amount of talent, could act fairly well.

Not enough to say he’s as good as a professional actor, but not awkward either.

With Han Sion leading the conversation and the members reacting naturally, shot in a documentary style—

[Sedalbaekil announces second full-length album preparation via Self Made.]

[Is 2018 Sedalbaekil‘s year? Announcing both the English version of their first album and the upcoming second album.]

The journalists spread the news.

-OMGㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ when are our boys going to rest?

-I love it but… I really love it butㅠㅠ

-If they release the Billboard version of the first album and then drop a second album in K-pop too lolololol

-Will future generations call 2018 not “the year” but “the year of Sedalbaekil“?

-Then what about 2019?

-We can figure that out later. Are you TT?

-lolololol look at Taehwan’s legacy lololol

-But seriously, MBTI is blowing up among fans lately.

-Yup. Not just among TT either.

-Our boys are trendsetters. Not just in music lol

The fandom reacted.

Then the general public followed.

–Sedalbaekil is kind of cool, aren’t they? Even after all this success, they keep challenging themselves. If it were me, I’d just spend money and play around.

-They don’t even have a company breathing down their neck for revenue;

-Yup yup yup. Honestly, I’d feel burdened after the huge success of the first album. But they’re charging straight into a second album.

-They’re totally ignoring the sophomore slump. So cool.

-But if this flops, they’ll just look stupid? The album hasn’t even been teased yet. Why all the hype?

-What are you even saying? Are you new to HipSion?

-HipSion doesn’t fail. If HipSion fails, it means the world isn’t ready for his music.

-Can HipSion even fail? He’s the kind of genius who says “maybe I’ll try doing an Apple ad” and signs the contract immediately.

-Where else would you find a Korean artist who gets a visit from the HR Corporation CEO asking to release an album?

-I really hope they make the second album a full band one. Like Han Sion teaching the members their instruments.

-I saw Choi Jaesung playing piano really well at the year-end stage.

-Then let’s have Han Sion on guitar, Choi Jaesung on keys, Onsaemiro on bass, and Koo Taehwan on drums.

-What about Lee Ion?

-The frontman.

-Yup. At least he’s got the face.

-Who are you to judge here?

-What’s wrong with Ion being the frontman?

-That’s the main vocal. That’s a good thing?

-No, it’s not; don’t pretend.

There was some friction between TT’s view of Sedalbaekil and that of the general public, but that was always the case.

Thus, in Episode 4, the members slowly began preparing the album.

Looking back, it was absurd, but they truly started working on it.

They didn’t just film some effort for the show and relax during their free time.

They said they’d already rested enough (though I have no idea when they rested) and threw themselves into the album work.

On top of that, PD Kang Seokwoo knew the answer to 2+2+1 = 2, the quiz Sedalbaekil had posed.

Well, he only understood the basic concept.

After M Show and Sedalbaekil agreed to collaborate, Han Sion explained the slogan’s meaning—

‘But I don’t get it.’

He didn’t really understand.

He knew roughly how they planned to create the second album, but wasn’t sure if it would really work.

Still, the music was Han Sion’s responsibility, recording was Sedalbaekil’s responsibility, and M Show would serve as the billboard.

They faithfully began showing Sedalbaekil working on their second album.

-So it really was two albums, huh?

-Yup yup yup. The first 2 in 2+2+1 was two albums — the English version of TFD and the second full album.

-Then the other 2 are singles, and 1 is a mini-album?

-That seems most likely.

-But Koo Taehwan sings so well; isn’t he K-pop’s best intro vocalist now?

-For real;

-Who knew Han Sion helping Taehwan on Coming Up Next would snowball into this.

-Speaking of Coming Up Next, what’s Ryan and Take Scene doing?

-They’re doing gigs lol. Saw them at a festival last week. Surprisingly good live performance. Juhyeon sang really well.

-Their stage and songs were pretty good too lol. But Sedalbaekil kept stealing all the buzz with simultaneous releases lol.

-Oh yeah lololol wasn’t it Color Show’s teaser that dropped when Take Scene’s teaser came out?

-They’re insane lolololol when Take Scene dropped the official MV, Color Show dropped their official too lololol

-Damn HipSion, never misses when it comes to revenge.

The tracks for the second album weren’t shown in detail.

Just brief teases, enough to stir viewers’ curiosity.

Still, the effect was powerful.

PD Kang Seokwoo followed Han Sion’s suggestion to show “this, this, and this.”

He had no pride as a lead director.

He and Han Sion had already seen through each other; they both knew each other’s personalities.

And Kang Seokwoo never doubted Han Sion’s musical talent.

If Han Sion said it would work, it would.

-Wow, Koo Taehwan and Lee Ion blend really well.

–Masked Robber didn’t get cast on GY for no reason lol.

-I got tickets for GY hehehe.

-So jealous. When is it?

-Next Saturday.

Sure enough, people reacted with excitement and curiosity.

But they also knew the limits of variety shows.

This was probably all they’d reveal.

To hear more of the songs, they’d have to wait for digital releases or the album drop.

That’s just how it works.

But…

[Shall we do this properly?]

Sedalbaekil was a group that always broke the rules.

Han Sion sat in front of the synthesizer and started playing the keys.

Koo Taehwan and Lee Ion began singing.

It wasn’t that they were taking turns for the intro or the opening.

It was a song with just the two of them singing.

Because the first 2 in 2+2+1 referred to Koo Taehwan and Lee Ion.