The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 111

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

A Former Idol Carries an Indie Band
Chapter 111
While Oktatop held their joint concert, released an album, and even filmed for an American broadcast before returning,
the rehearsal studio of the Maruru Band was filled with nothing but a suffocating silence.
—Views: 30,000.
The mini album they’d released through a label after winning second place at Who’s the Real last year had spectacularly flopped.
The response was poor, so they released a single and made the rounds on music broadcasts, but the results were equally dismal.
They’d poured considerable capital into album production costs.
Breaking even seemed nearly impossible.
They weren’t earning a single won.
Just before appearing on that audition program, the Maruru Band had undeniably been the leaders of the Hongdae indie band scene.
They had a substantial fanbase, and whenever they held a concert, they turned a profit, large or small.
By now, rock festivals should have been reaching out to book them in advance….
“We’re done for.”
Bassist Yun Jeong A let out a bitter sigh.
Min Hyun A simply stared blankly ahead, saying nothing.
They had to keep the band structure but perform songs that didn’t establish any foundation for them.
The label said it would make money, and they couldn’t break their contract.
But every activity had ended in failure, and the label had begun to lose faith in the Maruru Band.
Just recently, the label’s manager had approached Min Hyun A in secret.
She suggested that the band concept didn’t seem to be working—why not release a solo dance track instead?
The moment Min Hyun A heard the word “concept,” something inside her snapped.
‘Concept?’
Did they think we were some band club playing dress-up?
Besides, she didn’t want to abandon her bandmates and go solo.
She didn’t want to dance either.
It wasn’t an official plan—just the manager’s personal opinion—so Min Hyun A gave no real answer.
“I’m heading out first.”
“Me too.”
“I’ll get going as well.”
The other members left the rehearsal studio, abandoning their despair.
Left alone, Min Hyun A scrolled through her phone listlessly.
—Hyun A eonni, your visuals are incredible. Seriously, what an honor to witness your face.
A recent comment from a fan on one of her activity videos caught her eye.
Even with the album’s failure, there was still a fan who loved her unconditionally.
Somehow, that blind devotion only made her feel more pathetic.
When she’d first started making music, she’d been happy performing in front of just three people.
She’d told countless audiences: we are the Maruru Band, and we’ll work hard going forward—please keep supporting us.
Back then, a single comment like that would have made her happy.
Actually, there weren’t comments like that back then, but she’d been happy anyway.
She couldn’t understand how it had come to this.
Her YouTube algorithm was completely dominated by band content.
She scrolled down a little and recognized a familiar face.
—Oktatop Appears on American Talk Show (The Greenroom Ep. 326)
She’d already heard that they’d appeared on an American talk show recently.
If you asked who was killing it most in the current Korean indie scene, there was no question: Oktatop.
Solo concert: 350 seats sold out.
Lemon Chart: 4th place.
International platform Sounda chart: 1st place.
Music video views: 9.5 million.
American broadcast appearance.
There wouldn’t be another indie band matching these achievements.
The Maruru Band had once seen Oktatop as just a skillful underdog.
They’d drawn crowds to Ban-Wol Park, practically killed the Hongdae scene,
and stolen the stage from junior bands.
She’d definitely resented it.
But those galling upstarts were now thriving at a level nowhere near comparable to where they stood.
“How in the world did they manage it….”
Not out of curiosity.
They had to do the same.
Oktatop, building their own path without any system backing them.
That was what every indie band dreamed of.
Not pathetically signing under a label like us, performing songs in unwanted concepts, going on music broadcasts to do lip-sync and hand-sync.
Making music on their own terms and sustaining it.
That was our goal.
And so Min Hyun A swallowed her pride and kept scrolling.
Then came a few notification sounds.
“Hyun Taek? Are you busy?”
—No, Hyun A. It’s been a while. What’s going on?
* * *
Our coming in second place at Who’s the Real was planned.
The plan had various reasons,
but one of them was that the Maruru Band had to be the champions.
In the original history, they’d won, and they deserved to claim that hundred million won.
But after that, the Maruru Band’s activities fell into utter ruin.
This time, they had to follow the same path.
That way, it would help us.
And using that help as a springboard, we could save the Maruru Band too.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, hello.”
Min Hyun A from the Maruru Band had contacted me directly.
I’d been planning to reach out myself if things stayed quiet, but having her come to me like this was convenient and welcome.
We met at a quiet cafe in the neighborhood.
“So, what brings you here….”
I asked, feigning ignorance,
“I’ve been following your recent work. The songs were great too.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Ice clinked as it shifted in a glass.
A brief silence followed.
I waited for her to speak first.
“Can you help us?”
I simply widened my eyes and waited for her to elaborate.
Min Hyun A went on to explain their current situation.
The mini album and single had failed spectacularly.
Everyone except the label’s manager wanted to shelve the Maruru Band.
They were doing some gigs, but with no profit, the label was already looking to invest in their next project instead.
The Maruru Band had no way to make money, no way to release an album.
Of course, they probably understood
that asking me wouldn’t magically solve anything.
Well, though, since it was me asking—things were a bit different.
“That sounds rough.”
“Yeah…. Oktatop is doing fine without a label, so I wanted to get some advice from you.”
Min Hyun A’s expression suggested she couldn’t believe she was asking a kid ten years younger for help.
“……Honestly, what am I even saying….”
She mumbled to herself, her voice tinged with frustration.
When I didn’t respond, she seemed ready to get up and leave.
“How much time is left on your contract?”
“Nine months.”
“Is the label a bad company?”
“No, they’re just businesspeople—not bad people. The manager actually cares about us. It’s just that we haven’t found our direction….”
“Hmm….”
From what I knew, the label the Maruru Band had signed with wasn’t bad.
They just didn’t understand bands well, and money was slightly higher on their priority list than the artists.
“If your current label believed in the Maruru Band and just provided funding, wouldn’t that be perfect?”
“Yes, we’re confident in the music.”
“Then let’s do it.”
“……How?”
“I’ll give you three months. Prepare the best performance possible.”
“The best… performance?”
“Yes, I’ll put on a concert. I want you to perform at it.”
“Wait, Seo Ha. The label has to approve that first.”
“They will. The label will tell you to do it.”
Min Hyun A still looked like she regretted coming here.
And I had no intention of pushing further right now.
“For now, just keep what I’ve said in mind. You’ll understand soon enough.”
“……Understood.”
And so the meeting ended.
* * *
Oktatop’s second act was the flourishing of the band scene.
It wasn’t going to be easy.
The band scene had never led trends in Korea yet.
But did the fact that nothing like it had happened before mean it never would?
The word “new” exists precisely because nothing like it has existed until now.
The modifier “American expansion” and “number one on international charts” that had attached themselves to Oktatop showed no signs of fading as it chased us.
Before this momentum cooled, we had to make another move.
“Our next release is a single.”
“A single? Hey, it’s nice to go lighter sometimes.”
“Thank goodness the recording hell is lightening up. This is a blessing.”
Making music was one thing, but the production process naturally took its toll.
We needed to keep up our release pace, and occasionally these lighter moves were necessary.
Of course, the result would be anything but light.
I pulled out a song sketch I’d been working on.
“Alright, everyone gather around. Here’s our next song sketch.”
“Cha Seo Ha really doesn’t waste time.”
Kim Ji Hu nodded, and I played the song.
A rough skeleton of a track.
The detailed instrumentation was still lacking—it was a sketch with only atmosphere.
“Oh…….”
“What, you want to do something like this?”
“Hmm, it’s not bad though.”
“Wow….”
A dark-toned song.
Yet one that carried momentum and pace.
It was a style completely different from what we’d been doing so far.
“Is this Gothic Rock?”
“Yeah, kind of leans that way.”
At my answer, all eyes turned to one place.
Lee Do Young stood at the center of that gaze.
“Would this suit him?”
* * *
The word most often attached to Oktatop was youthfulness.
Young people fully savoring the moments they could only experience now, with their entire being.
That was youthfulness.
And there was one weapon most effective when wielded during that youthful prime,
and I’d decided to deploy that secret weapon precisely at this moment when we were most famous,
and that weapon was trend.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————