Little Pink Starfish

Album 23. When the Curtain Falls

If you had to sum up Show Me the Money Season 7 in one sentence, it would be: “Defeat Saoi.”

From the very first performance, Saoi made a dazzling entrance and became a massive wall.

No matter the moment or situation, he overwhelmed the other contestants.

If this were an amateur audition program, that might be expected.

But Show Me had a very distinct contestant pool among the many audition shows out there.

Most audition programs featured “ordinary people” or “failed singers.”

People who had dreams of becoming singers but didn’t have much experience, or those who had tried desperately and failed.

It was a common narrative—and one that worked well.

Watching people chase their dreams was always compelling.

But Show Me featured “successful underground rappers unknown to the general public.”

In other words, it was a program that brought hidden talents from behind the curtain onto the stage.

This even influenced the judging.

If someone came with the label “I enjoyed the music this person made,” both the judges and the public looked at them more favorably.

Of course, there were still totally unknown contestants, but as the seasons went on, more and more were “skilled but just not famous.”

So if regular audition shows focused on those chasing dreams, Show Me focused on those chasing fame and money.

In fact, that was the very reason PD Yoon Jeongseop felt that Show Me was losing its vitality.

At first, this narrative was fresh and struck a primal chord, so it worked well.

Even PD Yoon himself had been surprised—“People really connect with ‘I just want to make a lot of money’ this much?”

Later on, they started mixing in some sob stories from the Top 10—about tough upbringings or hard lives—for a bit of standard empathy.

But such stories quickly lose their appeal once the novelty fades.

There’s an immortal value in watching someone chase a dream, but watching someone chase money only holds appeal while it’s trendy.

The problem was… the people telling those stories were still really good.

Narrative mattered, but skill couldn’t be ignored.

Especially when the skill gap was glaring.

That was Show Me’s biggest difference—and its biggest issue—compared to other audition programs.

Then Saoi showed up, and the entire foundation of the program changed.

As previously mentioned, Saoi was a wall.

It wasn’t that he was highly skilled.

He was on a different level.

No, he was born different.

Saoi made even the “hidden talents behind the curtain” look like amateurs, and left the other contestants ashamed.

There were more than a few who rewrote their verses after seeing Saoi.

Can I really talk about how much money I’ve made?

Can I really claim I’m the best?

When that masked lunatic is just standing there like a giant?

They began to second-guess themselves.

Since Show Me isn’t about singing pre-written songs but creating them in real time, the emotions of the moment heavily influenced the performances.

Naturally, contestants started becoming more honest.

Some revealed their inferiority complexes through their songs, and some expressed more sincerity in interviews.

“Money, fame—trying to grab that kind of success feels like reaching for a mirage.”

“But even so, people keep walking through the desert because they believe there’s an oasis out there somewhere, right?”

“Even if I don’t know whether I’ll ever get there, it’d be weird not to believe I could.”

“No one crosses a desert thinking, ‘I’m definitely going to collapse on the way.’”

One contestant’s interview like this created a bigger stir than PD Yoon expected.

-Honestly, I never got why rappers were all about money money money, but I kinda get it now.

-Yeah, I mean, who could live their life thinking, “I’m gonna fail and ruin everything”?

-Rappers get too much hate. Every industry has people who think like this—they just get more heat because they write it into lyrics.

-^^ This. Big up to that comment.

Of course, not everyone was influenced by Saoi. Some just kept doing the music they’d always done.

Many contestants had pre-written verses ready to go, and none of them had prepared for a scenario where Saoi existed.

But the judges eliminated those people quickly.

They didn’t know why, exactly.

It was just… the vibe.

And so…

-This season’s Show Me contestants seem kinda soft lol

-Yeah lol lots of kind-looking eyes this year

-The raps are more normal too.

-I’m just glad they’re not doing that “only-they-know” garbage niche genre stuff.

-Right? I still don’t know what the hell rage or drill are. Is it just siren sounds or what?

-lol same here

Even the viewers’ reactions were different.

Of course, as with all things in life, there were downsides.

-This season’s Show Me is boring lol

-Wasn’t just this season. Last season was boring too.

-It’s running out of juice.

-It’s been running for 7 years, that’s long enough.

Some people disliked the reduced sensationalism.

But the positives outweighed the negatives.

Signs showed that general viewers—not just hardcore fans—were returning to the show for the first time in a while.

“Doesn’t it feel like the program’s atmosphere is a bit different this season?”

“Yeah. I think they cast the contestants really well this time.”

The writers just left it at that, but PD Yoon Jeongseop knew exactly what was going on.

All of these changes were because of Saoi.

A kingdom changes based on the temperament of its king. A battalion moves based on the style of its commander.

Saoi was leading Show Me Season 7.

Even as more awakened contestants challenged him, Saoi remained unshaken and kept showing new sides of himself.

Not just his stage with Bluescreen (whose rap name was so bad that everyone just started calling him ‘Blus’).

No matter the mission, he was flawless.

Even when a contestant tried to pull something sneaky to beat him—like changing the beat at the last second, knowing Saoi always adjusts to his partner.

Normally the producers would’ve stopped that, but Show Me’s senior writer Oh Sohee talked to Saoi and then let it happen.

Because Saoi said it didn’t matter.

The result didn’t change.

Except that the contestant who tried to cheat got permanently blacklisted by the audience.

If the main plot of Show Me was “Defeat Saoi,” then the sub-plot would be “Guess Saoi’s identity.”

When Saoi first appeared, people thought he was a cold genius.

Some even said his masked genius act made him feel like the Phantom of the Opera.

But contrary to that image, Saoi was playful.

He casually dropped cryptic comments about his identity and even responded when a contestant who got eliminated said, “I won’t tell anyone, just tell me who you are.”

That moment blew up after it aired—because the contestant’s eyes went wide like they were about to pop.

-Who the hell is he?

-He’s gotta be someone famous, right? No one would react like that to some nobody’s name.

-Exactly. I thought he was a nobody too.

-Are you stupid? With the way the show is hyping him, there’s no way he’s a nobody.

-So he’s like a semi-nobody. If he were a true top star, they would’ve revealed his face in the teaser already.

Off-camera, PD Yoon contacted Han Sion.

He asked if he’d really revealed his identity to the eliminated contestant—but Sion hadn’t.

He’d just said one thing:

That he was a second-year idol.

Even that was enough to shock the rappers on Show Me.

Saoi kept playing around.

When someone said he seemed like a pianist, he used a beat made from a sampled guitar riff that he played himself.

When someone said he seemed like a pop vocalist, he sampled a baritone opera voice.

Of course, it was his own voice, sung like an opera singer.

Han Sion had never seriously studied opera, but he had learned how they sang.

At this point, one of the judges said:

“Isn’t he actually a group of people? Like ten guys behind that mask?”

“But the height’s always the same. The voice too.”

“I don’t know. If that’s not the case, none of this makes sense.”

“That makes even less sense.”

And so, Show Me finally reached the finals.

Last season’s finals had a Top 10, but this time it was a Top 8.

Those creating and participating in the show were curious.

Would anyone beat Saoi even once before the program ended?

And who would be behind that mask once the program concluded?

That’s when Saoi said to PD Yoon Jeongseop:

“I want to take off the mask in the Top 4.”

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Being on Show Me was more fun than I expected.

So fun it was almost disorienting.

Normally, I don’t feel much unless something directly affects my album sales.

In that sense, Show Me does absolutely nothing for my album sales.

It also does little for the image of Han Sion the musician.

Everyone already knows I’m good, anyway.

So why is this so fun?

Maybe it’s because if I prove myself on Show Me, it’ll be less of a burden when Choi Jaesung comes back as a rapper?

If the Show Me winner is the one who did the producing, people will be less biased about the rap part.

That’s the most logical explanation.

But when I look into my heart, I know that’s not all.

Back in the original 0th cycle, before the regressions began, I enjoyed playing guitar and singing in the Hongdae playground.

There was no reason for it.

It wasn’t fun because a casting manager might see me, or because my skills were gradually improving.

It was just fun.

That’s how people live when they only have one life.

So why does someone like me, who lives through infinite regressions, feel this fun?

I don’t know the exact reason, but through Show Me, I realized something.

Somehow…

My mindset has changed.

I don’t know why.

But this is why rap is such a great musical form.

Because you have to write so many lyrics, you end up putting your thoughts into words, and that helps you understand your own feelings.

So I told Yoon Jeongseop.

“After the Top 4—after the semifinal stage—I want to take off the mask.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Even if I go to the semifinals as Saoi, I want to stand in the finals as Han Sion.”

Honestly, this wasn’t part of the plan.

PD Yoon and I had already discussed exactly when and how I’d reveal my identity.

But the impulse hit me.

Impulse…

I can’t even remember the last time I acted on an impulse, but I wanted to do it.

PD Yoon heard me out and nodded without much hesitation.

But he added one condition.

“Uh, about you calling me hyung from now on…”

“Me? Calling you hyung?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s probably not gonna happen.”

Let’s be real—I’m older than you.

PD Yoon looked a bit down, but he accepted my proposal.

And just like that, time flew by.

The Top 4 stage was fully prepared, and the filming day arrived.