Little Pink Starfish

After the broadcast ended, The Masked Singer sparked tremendous buzz.

The Masked Singer is the kind of program where the amount of buzz fluctuates depending on the name value of the cast.

Even if surface-level viewership seems stable, internal metrics show huge differences.

And this time, it hit a peak.

After the episode aired, the buzz around this week’s The Masked Singer skyrocketed with no end in sight.

There were two reasons.

The first was the shocking elimination of Joosung-han.

There are people often referred to as “a celebrity’s celebrity.”

Joosung-han was exactly that kind of person.

Not because of his looks.

In fact, by entertainment industry standards, Joosung-han’s appearance was fairly average.

The reason was simple.

He was just too good at his craft.

People may call Do Jae-wook the “God of Vocals,” but those who know music well understood that Joosung-han’s pure singing skill was actually superior.

Whereas Do Jae-wook was good at “music,” Joosung-han was only good at “singing.”

He had a poor ability to choose good songs for himself or songs that suited him.

Which is why there were almost no junior singers who ever covered Joosung-han’s songs.

It sounded great when Joosung-han sang it, but when they tried it themselves, it didn’t hit the same.

While that might’ve been frustrating for Joosung-han, for netizens, it became a fun source of mockery.

Of course it became a meme.

Joosung-han was that famous, that meme-worthy, that respected.

And that singer was eliminated in the first round.

No way it wouldn’t become a hot topic.

If that was reason one, the second reason was the performance of Real Original.

He sang Kito’s From a Place That Doesn’t Come in Round 1, and Jung Hyun’s Goodbye in Round 2.

Both were famous songs, but totally overused ones.

Unexaggerated, these are the #1 and #2 most hated songs by judges of audition programs.

But Real Original sang them so deliciously.

The arrangement didn’t tamper much with the original, but it was perfect, and even the parts that weren’t changed still somehow sounded amazing.

Especially From a Place That Doesn’t Come, the song that knocked out Joosung-han, quickly ranked #1 on YouTube’s trending videos.

No need to mention real-time search rankings.

It would’ve been weird not to speculate about who was behind the mask.

– Is this a dropout attempt from Sido?
– Sido can’t sing like this lol;
– Shut it. Sido might not be the main vocal but his expressiveness is no joke.
– What Sido. This is definitely not an idol.
– Agreed. There are a lot of idols who can sing well, but idols can’t emote like this.
– Kinda feels like someone older? Maybe the gloves are to hide his hands?
– Huh, now that you mention it, that leather jacket and gloves do give off old-school vibes.
– Isn’t it obviously Jangsoo-hyung? Why’s no one realizing this lol
– Jangsoo-hyung? Possible… but isn’t he all-in on musicals these days?
– He could’ve done one variety appearance.
– Jangsoo-hyung can sing. I was shocked at his musical last time.
– Nah nah. Jangsoo-hyung has more of a metallic tone, and he can’t manipulate rhythm like this. He sings pretty straight.
– You guys don’t hear the arrangement? This is obviously Hip-Sion.
– Hell no. That’s not Han Sion’s voice. Go listen to STAGE SIDE C and come back.
– You think Hip-Sion would appear on The Masked Singer? If he got the offer, he’d be like, “Ugh, what a vulgar show,” and hold his head in disgust.
– LOL what kind of image of Han Sion do y’all have in your heads.
– Kinda like a sociopath who’s only warm to his teammates lol
– Isn’t that intro totally Koo Taehwan?
– 22222 I thought that too.
– Who’s Koo Taehwan?
– That one dude from Sedalbaekil who looks like a delinquent.
– Ohh, the “intro slave”?

Massive speculation flooded the internet about Real Original’s identity.

Koo Taehwan’s name came up, but not with major weight.

He was just one among more than twenty names being thrown around.

Actually, more people seemed to think it was Han Sion than Koo Taehwan.

Watching that unfold…

‘This is working.’

Main PD of The Masked Singer, Yang Jungtae, let out a breath of relief.

Truthfully, Joosung-han vs. Koo Taehwan was an accident.

Yes, Koo Taehwan was urgently cast in the “sacrificial lamb” spot to face Joosung-han in Round 1.

But the plan was never for them to face each other directly.

If they were going to clash, it was supposed to be in the final round.

But during the rearranging process, the wrong information was relayed to Joosung-han.

Namely, that the PD was changing the match-ups for his sake.

Which implied that the PD thought Joosung-han’s opponent was stronger than him.

But that was a misunderstanding.

Yang Jungtae hadn’t thought Koo Taehwan would beat Joosung-han.

If anything, he believed the odds were 70–30 in Joosung-han’s favor.

Not that Koo Taehwan had a 0% chance, but that Joosung-han was clearly the favorite.

The core issue with The Masked Singer is that even the contestants don’t know who their opponents are.

That’s a crucial rule.

The fun lies in guessing “Who is that person?” If contestants themselves knew, the appeal could be ruined.

Because of that lack of communication, the Joosung-han vs. Koo Taehwan matchup happened.

Both had the stance of “I’m fine with whoever.”

At some point, Yang Jungtae also gave up.

If they’re gonna face off to become the Mask King anyway—does it matter if it’s now or later?

So he let it be, fully expecting Joosung-han to win.

No need for a reason.

Because he was Joosung-han.

He just couldn’t imagine him losing in the first round.

But the result was Joosung-han’s loss, Koo Taehwan’s victory.

Yang Jungtae knew Joosung-han could be a little prickly, but to his surprise, Joosung-han took it well.

He admitted he may have approached the stage with arrogance and gracefully accepted the loss.

He even asked Yang Jungtae to reveal who the opponent was—promising he’d never tell a soul.

Eventually, Yang Jungtae told him.

Actually, he introduced them in person.

In a private setting where no other contestants or staff could see.

After that, Yang Jungtae left—but he heard the two of them talked for hours.

Nearly 10 hours, apparently—but who knows what they discussed.

In the end, Yang Jungtae felt like everything had turned out perfectly.

Joosung-han promised to appear again.

And Koo Taehwan became the Mask King.

The episode hasn’t aired yet, but by next week, everyone will know.

Real Original is a serious contender for honorary graduation.

Now it didn’t even matter if more Sedalbaekil members appeared back-to-back.

Because he beat Joosung-han.

‘What if he actually does graduate?’

If Koo Taehwan becomes an honorary graduate, then Sedalbaekil would have two graduates.

Onsaemiro. Koo Taehwan.

So far, the only ones to achieve that were Do Jae-wook and Onsaemiro.

If by some miracle, Lee I-on also gets it?

If Han Sion joins in too?

It’s something people joke about—but many say MBN’s most prestigious award isn’t a music grand prize.

It’s The Masked Singer’s honorary graduation.

Because it’s that hard to get.

If that ever happened, it would cause a massive stir.

‘Of course, the chances are slim.’

That’s what Yang Jungtae thought.

---

I returned from a week-long trip to the U.S. to participate in Colors Media’s marketing.

Something interesting is happening in the States.

The English version of our 1st album, The First Day, distributed by HR Corporation.

And our 2nd album STAGE and the unit albums, distributed by Colors Media.

The two have become opposing forces.

It’s funny, really.

Both were made by me. Both were albums we created.

But still—they’re treated like opposites.

Like America’s political parties: Republican and Democrat.

At first it was absurd, but now that I’ve seen it—it kinda makes sense.

The First Day has a progressive sound, but a conservative core.

Because it was crafted by seasoned Billboard legends who’ve worked in music for decades.

On the other hand, STAGE has a conservative sound, but a progressive core.

The idea that three unit albums merge to form a second full album? That’s an avant-garde concept.

That’s why the clash happens.

More precisely, the albums leave too much room for interpretation.

– “TFD’s sound is progressive? You fools are mistaking polish for innovation. The composer didn’t do anything new—he just pushed existing elements to their peak.”

These folks say The First Day is better than STAGE.

– “What a joke. TFD is like a Beatles greatest hits album. A revival effort using outdated Billboard stars.”

– “In contrast, STAGE is built on wildly bold imagination with sound that embraces everyone.”

– “This is the real best album.”

These people claim STAGE is superior.

It’s not like they’re too dumb to know it’s the same group.

They do know.

And still—they fight.

HR Corporation sold TFD to stereotypical middle-class white Americans.

They love Yancos Greenwood, worship Eric Scott, revere Donald Maggurs, and see Mary Jones as a pioneer.

In contrast, Colors Media targeted STAGE toward so-called “hipsters.”

These folks go nuts over the organic structure of the unit and full albums.

They obsess over the contrasting unit concepts, and the way they merge into STAGE drives them wild.

They love QG’s twisted sound profiles.

For them, the Korean in STAGE isn’t a minus.

It’s a plus—makes it more unique.

So yeah—typical middle-class whites and eccentric hipsters clashing online.

No way that fight ends soon.

Especially when HR and Colors are fanning the flames.

Because of this, ironically, HR Corporation doesn’t need Sedalbaekil to sell The First Day.

If these all-Asian members appear in U.S. media, they might lose support from traditional white audiences.

They’ve even started canceling scheduled appearances.

Not just because of Choi Jaesung’s injury.

Meanwhile, Colors Media threw me right at the hipsters and otakus.

I didn’t appear on any TV shows in the States.

Instead, I was on hipster and otaku podcasts, power blogs, and did surprise live performances in the most unexpected places.

Shooting a live video under the stars in the Nevada desert? First time I’ve ever done that.

After wrapping all that, I returned to Korea—and two people I never expected were waiting for me.

“Um, do you remember me?”

Honestly?

I didn’t recognize him at first glance.

But once he explained, I realized who he was.

“Hi. Do you usually sing while playing guitar?”

“Usually, yeah… Is that okay?”

“What song are you going to sing?”

“I was thinking of Nod’s Love on Me…”

The busker I’d met in Hongdae.

He had talent, but couldn’t make the most of it, so I’d given him a little help back then.

And this man had met Choi Jaesung on Stage Number Zero.

– Wait, wasn’t that guy just now that Hongdae busker?

– There was a guy playing guitar with Han Sion when Sedalbaekil busked in Hongdae.

– Ahhh yeah, I saw that clip.

Surprisingly, netizens remembered him too.

Because of that, he got early attention, showcased his skills, and climbed pretty high.

He probably got knocked out in the semifinals because of Choi Jaesung.

I don’t know if he ended up third or fourth.

He might’ve even won if Jaesung hadn’t been there.

The other person—I knew his face.

We’d even collaborated briefly when I was working in Korea long ago.

Joosung-han.

One of the three vocal titans who just went up against Koo Taehwan on Masked Singer.

They were two completely different types of people.

But they both said the exact same thing to me:

They wanted me to produce their next album.