The Worst Situation?
Singer Star Season 5's Round 3 prelims were an extravaganza packed with standout performances, the richest lineup in the show's history.
Aired over three weeks, the episodes featured a ton of powerhouse contestants taking the stage.
The first week pitted the high school girl band Blooming against former prodigy trainee Lee Hye-na, a clash that gripped everyone's hearts.
In the second week, Joo Jinwoo's story of bouncing back from his previous flop with a near-perfect stage brought tears to viewers' eyes.
At the same time, Han Seong-sik's performance—the so-called miracle of the middle-aged office worker—drew massive cheers.
The third week brought the current hottest topic, Seo Siyeon, face-to-face with Im Jihye, rumored to have been in KY's debut lineup back in the day. Their showdown lived up to the hype, dazzling eyes and ears alike.
Im Jihye wowed with vocals leagues beyond her past self, while Seo Siyeon shocked everyone with a concept no one saw coming.
The Singer Star gallery—a mix of female-dominated and male-dominated vibes due to its broadcast focus—meant Im Jihye, popular with the girl crowd, still had decent public support.
Her solid stage even sparked serious debates claiming she outdid Seo Siyeon.
But one post flipped everything into chaos.
Singer Star was the hottest topic in Korea right now. Not knowing it at work or school made joining conversations impossible.
For cyber leeches lurking online, biting at celebs for views and cash, it was prime bait.
They'd nitpick expressions, stir fake drama like old Gongye antics, upload videos—why skip insider scoops from related sites?
Post-Olympics, with no big scandals in quiet Korean society, this blew up.
For the emerging cyber leech industry, just starting to carve out space, it was a godsend.
As they raced to drop videos, the actual victim, Seo Siyeon, was...
"Siyeon! Tasty?"
"Yeah! Super yummy!"
"Hehe... So you'll call me unnie now, right?"
"Uh... that's a bit..."
...peacefully scarfing ice cream.
Unnie.
A word I'd never heard or said living as a guy.
Oppa was familiar—trainees and idols called me that daily, no big deal. But unnie? Total alien territory.
Still, my gut told me: in this girl's body, even if I skip oppa, unnie was inevitable.
Lots of girls skip 'oppa.' But nobody skips 'unnie.'
I stared at Yoo Seolha, grinning as she shoveled toothpaste-flavored ice cream.
Couldn't fathom dropping thousands of won on frozen toothpaste.
Me? Matcha ice cream—premium ingredients, classy.
Same price, worlds apart.
"But Siyeon, what's the diff between matcha and green tea? Stores label one or the other, but tastes the same."
"From what I know, matcha uses leaves aged longer."
"Aha! Siyeon's so smart!"
Getting praised for trivia? Kid privilege.
I ducked my head, cheeks warming.
"Feeling better now?"
"Ah... yeah."
Yoo Seolha dragged me from nursery prep for a Seoul tour to cheer me up.
That day sucked, but over a week later, I was over it.
If anything, I felt bad for Im Jihye.
Me sneaking into her waiting room? My fault too.
Others wouldn't see it that way, but I did.
Too stuck in my past life mindset.
Calming failed trainees, explaining losses, pushing new paths—that was my job.
Treating her like those kids? Arrogant. My current self as Seo Siyeon was worlds from past-me.
"She's awful. How could she do that to a little kid like you!"
"I don't think she's inherently bad. We apologized on the spot. And she's paying way more than she should now."
Im Jihye was getting flamed across every community.
Singer Star caught it on camera but didn't air— no upside to burying her.
Avoiding backlash for being too harsh on kids was win enough.
With sky-high ratings, zero reason for needless drama.
But couldn't gag loose-lipped staff.
Early on, vague rumors got hushed. Once confirmed she chucked something at me? Open season.
"Doesn't seem punished..."
"Nah. Getting trashed online... hurts way more than you'd think."
A old memory hit; I shuddered.
Not nationwide hate—just idol stans—but it tanked my mood for weeks.
Im Jihye's unproven, leech fodder only. Me? Airwave news, full blast.
She's like the niece I've watched since elementary. Grabbing dinner should've been fine...
Still burned me—accused of dating my agency's idol. Unfair AF.
"You talk like you've been there."
"J-just saying it seems that way."
Yoo Seolha beamed.
Made sense: glassy sky, out a month, still #1.
Hell if I knew why.
My Round 1 Her in the Photo and Round 3 play were bangers too.
They charted, but no top climbs.
Vocals, obviously.
Seolha outsings me.
Had to admit it.
Hers was god-given. Maybe global-tier, like Park Hansu's Black Canary.
I wasn't a great singer anyway—no arguments.
But I nailed play tho?
That stage? Adult-level perfect. Dancing too—choreo-lite, but still.
Come to think: Seolha tweaked the dance for me, helped rehearse, said I had real talent.
Should I just go full idol?
"Siyeon. What're you thinking so hard about?"
Yoo Seolha, done with her frozen toothpaste, grinned eye-to-eye.
Smiling all day—had to dodge with a white lie.
Can't say: I'm stupid-cute and talented—idol material?
"Th-thinking about next round's song!"
"Nice. So diligent."
"Week till stage."
Next: Top 10 cut.
From 20, only 10 advance to live finals.
No revivals like Round 2 (6) or 3 (2)—drop, you're out.
Dubbed 'Random Genre Round,' draw a genre blind.
"Ugh... We got ballad. Band's never done ballad..."
"Lucky."
"Huh? What'd you draw, Siyeon?"
I picked from genre sticks.
"Hip-hop."
The absolute worst for me.