The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 122

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Former Idol Carries an Indie Band
Chapter 122
We settled on the title “Fire Truck” for the new single.
The riff Heo Jun Sung had crafted evoked the wail of a siren from a fire engine racing without pause.
Repetitive. Intense.
We loved that feeling so much, we named the song after it.
After creating a guide track and recording everyone’s parts, we finished the song.
Making a single had become second nature to us.
When we first formed, we’d have to spend days rolling around ST Studio just to finish one track.
But now, a single word was enough to communicate.
And the others’ hands had become skilled enough to realize exactly what we heard in our heads.
Heo Jun Sung’s restraint, Lee Do Young’s confidence, Kim Ji Hu’s cooperation—these had elevated Oktatop to another level entirely.
Even for a casual single, we had to film a music video.
Competing on music alone has merit, sure.
But this isn’t that era anymore.
You need something to watch.
We’d tasted real success from the Rooftop Core craze, and we couldn’t give that up now.
“It’s pretty straightforward, right?”
“Yes, it should wrap quickly.”
I showed Jo Sung Hoon the storyboard I’d prepared in advance.
The music video would be us performing “Fire Truck” as a full ensemble in our rehearsal hall.
It was a one-take shoot, and as long as nobody made a mistake, we could nail it in one go.
Plus, we’d already done several rehearsals, so I figured we’d probably finish it on the first take.
“Alright then, shall we get started?”
At Jo Sung Hoon’s direction, we began the ensemble.
The original track played as we filmed.
A siren wailed. The ensemble kicked in.
My vocal part on this track was minimal.
Four bars at the beginning.
Then four more bars after Heo Jun Sung’s solo.
Four bars again after the ensemble supported his solo.
Then the instruments came back.
After that, I just repeated the lyric “Fire Truck.”
Those repetitions came in sparse bursts.
And at the end, I sang those opening four bars again, and the song finished.
So what was I doing when I wasn’t singing?
The moment Heo Jun Sung’s solo emerged, I started thrashing around like a man possessed.
It wasn’t dancing.
And it wasn’t exactly keeping rhythm either.
It was more like wild flailing—I was savoring the ensemble’s performance with my whole body.
When my next part rolled around, I sang with a slightly more contained energy.
For the eight-bar section, I was bouncing in place, singing at the top of my lungs.
I threw an arm around Heo Jun Sung’s shoulder, touched my hand to Kang Min’s drums.
I disrupted Kim Ji Hu’s playing, and in front of Lee Do Young, I made absurd gestures and laughed.
It was like a one-man theatrical performance.
While I was putting on this whole show, the others played as calmly and composedly as possible.
As if I wasn’t even there.
The song wound down like that.
“Okay… cut!”
One take. Done.
Jo Sung Hoon approached us, tilting his head slightly.
“You guys…”
“Yes?”
“This… something tells me this is gonna be something special.”
* * *
A few days later.
-OKTOP – Fire Truck
The new single dropped.
The music video released alongside it.
This time, there were no fancy teasers, no big promotional build-up.
We just threw it out there.
And the response wasn’t bad.
It was exactly what you’d expect.
-oktop’s new song is out
-dropped it with zero warning lol
-idk it smells kinda commercial to me
-wait but the guitar?? so addictive lmaooo
-what’s that mechanical-sounding repeating part?
└it’s electric guitar
└thanks
-barely any vocals and the song still slaps?
-honestly this could play in a club lol
The initial response to the song was roughly “decent new track.”
Catchy, commercial, an addictive repeating riff.
But the structure was genuinely unusual.
There was something challenging about it, but what mattered was that it sounded good.
The real buzz came from the music video.
-you HAVE to watch the mv his vocals were basically nothing but the video was absolutely dominated by seo ha
-just listening to the song i was like oh whatever but watching the mv i felt like i’d lost my mind
-man i wanna thrash around that freely too
└go ahead and thrash
└some of us have social dignity.
-why do i keep rewatching this even though the mv is basically nothing
-song makes you drop your guard then the mv hits you in the face. so very oktop
└fr calculated band
-yeah the song hits different once you see the mv
-these guys really commit to their mvs
-that hipster vibe is so good
Steady praise rolled in for the music video rather than the song itself.
It was a well-crafted track with an excellent guitar riff.
But the song structure was too unconventional to really hit mainstream audiences.
Still, “Fire Truck” was only just beginning to accelerate.
* * *
Right after release, “Fire Truck” climbed to number 23 on the Lemon Chart.
“This song seems a little quiet, huh?”
Heo Jun Sung frowned while watching the chart.
His riff was the star of the track, and he clearly wished it was doing better.
“That’s actually pretty good for a release like this.”
“Ah, but this was supposed to be my secret weapon. Maybe I should’ve saved it for the full album.”
“No, come on.”
Heo Jun Sung grumbled for a moment, then nodded when he heard my response.
He’d been so protective of this riff that he hadn’t even told me about it beforehand.
He wanted to unleash it on the scale of our most important full album release.
But from what I could see, this song needed to come out as a single.
So it wouldn’t get overshadowed by other tracks.
Unlike a full album, which demands narrative building and thematic weaving,
this riff had power precisely because it existed on its own.
It was that potent a line.
Like Heo Jun Sung’s own drive when he played solo.
They’d understand soon enough.
* * *
The day after the chart rankings went public.
I headed to DK Entertainment with Jo Hyun Seop.
Recently, I’d asked him to help me meet someone at the company.
Since Jo Hyun Seop happened to know the company’s representative, the meeting came together easily.
The meeting place was a small conference room at DK Entertainment.
Jo Hyun Seop stepped out to chat with the company’s head.
I was alone in the conference room, waiting, when the door opened.
“Hello! I’m JM.”
Im Jun Myung entered with his manager.
He gave a polite 90-degree bow as he came in.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Cha Seo Ha from Oktatop.”
We shook hands, and I felt his hand trembling slightly.
It had been ages since I’d seen this face.
Before I regressed.
A very long time ago.
When I was a rookie idol, NEWEMBER was our senior group.
We’d done decent right out of the gate,
but NEWEMBER’s start was rocky.
Normally, even a struggling boy group could find some footing overseas,
but this team was strangely unpopular everywhere.
Of course, there was a turning point for NEWEMBER.
And I was now thinking about how to use that.
“Man, I’m so nervous meeting Korea’s number one singer.”
“Feel free to speak comfortably. I’m only twenty.”
“Ah, I see. Well, then…”
Without bothering to warm up the mood any further, I got to the point.
“Actually, the reason I set up this meeting is because I wanted to ask you for a favor.”
“A favor? What kind of—”
“We released a new song. Would you be able to cover the guitar riff on it and post it?”
“A cover? That’s not difficult, but…”
At the mention of a guitar cover, his eyes lit up.
“Actually, I’ve been keeping an eye on your work for a while now.”
“Really? Seriously?”
Not just Im Jun Myung but the manager beside him looked genuinely surprised.
“Yes. Guitar obviously, but you play piano well too, right? And violin as well?”
“Yes, Jun Myung is really talented with all sorts of instruments.”
Im Jun Myung regularly uploaded instrument covers of famous songs on his official channel.
The problem was the view counts weren’t great—but that was only for now.
Soon, one video was going to blow up.
And his older videos would resurface one by one.
He’d gain massive popularity overseas as a handsome Korean boy group leader who plays instruments well.
Though his recognition in Korea would remain moderate.
“Thank you so much for watching! Guitar covers are nothing! Can we do it, manager?”
“Yeah, the boss said to help with anything that doesn’t overwork you. This is nothing.”
This was Jo Hyun Seop’s doing.
“Actually, I know about your new song. Fire Truck, right? The guitar riff is seriously good—I’ve already been practicing it. I’m a real fan of yours.”
“Ah, haha. Thank you so much.”
The tension that had gripped him moments before seemed to ease slightly.
“Then, as thanks, would it be okay if we did a cover of one of your songs?”
“Wow…”
Im Jun Myung locked eyes with his manager.
He looked like he couldn’t believe this was real.
“You know our songs?”
“Of course. Actually, I was thinking of doing a greeting cover. Is that alright?”
“Oh, absolutely. Definitely.”
The manager answered before Im Jun Myung could.
“Thank you. Really, thank you so much!”
Im Jun Myung stood up and bowed deeply to me.
He was two years my senior, so I stood to receive his bow,
and seeing his glistening eyes, I felt a sudden resolve to do my best.
Yeah, let’s climb higher together.

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