The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 123

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

A Former Idol’s Hard Carry of an Indie Band
Chapter 123
Jun Myung was someone who truly lived with dedication.
I knew his skill with instruments hadn’t come from childhood lessons—he’d picked it up along the way.
He’d do anything asked of him to lift the group to the surface.
Even in variety shows that involved all-night filming, his expression never twisted or faltered.
At the events he occasionally got caught up in, he’d sing live until his throat tore and dance until his body shattered.
There was no reason not to support someone who worked that hard.
And if we could lend a hand to people like that, all the better.
Besides, we’d benefit from it too—a win-win situation and a good deed all at once.
And besides.
The way he did everything to lift his group reminded me so much of myself.
For some reason, I wanted to help.
“So what is this?”
I played a song called Greeting by New Member for my bandmates.
“Let’s cover this and post it.”
“Why?”
“The song’s good.”
“Huh? An idol song?”
Heo Jun Sung looked quite taken aback.
“Well, the song’s solid. The progression is unique though—it’s not pop sensibility.”
Kim Ji Hu immediately launched into song analysis.
“That’d be fun!”
Lee Do Young was simply enthusiastic.
“The drums are kind of….”
Idol music almost never used real drums.
This track was no exception.
That’s why Kang Min was dissatisfied.
Not because it was idol music or not, but because there’d be no real playing feel to it.
“Hey, we’re obviously going to arrange it, so don’t worry about that.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Are you just doing this because the song’s good?”
Kim Ji Hu asked what my real intention was.
“Actually, it’s because one of their members is covering one of our songs, so I told them we’d do one of theirs.”
The order was a bit different, but either way it worked out the same.
“Ah, that makes sense. That’s mutual benefit then.”
“Yeah? Then we’ve got to do it.”
If you receive something, you have to give something back.
And the others knew that well too.
We got straight to work arranging it.
* * *
New Member would rise to the surface soon enough.
I remembered this because it coincided with the exact moment the challenge craze started sweeping our country.
The phenomenon was genuinely fascinating.
It was the moment I clearly understood that ‘to break through, it’s not just about singing well.’
Anyway, we had to prepare well until then.
Rock festivals were far more significant than other activities.
We’d been invited to three festivals total.
A small-scale festival held on the Han River Riverside.
A medium-sized festival with a storied history, also held at a park near Han River.
And the momentous Skyway Music Festival in Incheon.
The Skyway Music Festival has been held annually since 1999 and is the dream stage of every Korean band musician.
Our band Oktatop was set to perform there, and our participation was revealed in the third lineup announcement.
It’s not particularly rare for rookies to participate in the Skyway Music Festival.
Bands selected through the festival’s own Rookie Discovery Competition naturally participated.
Bands that had won awards through other broadcasts or offline auditions participated all the time.
And then there was another category.
Monster Rookies.
Bands that generated enormous buzz the moment they formed, with no special awards to their name.
In all these cases, public opinion typically split three ways.
-Oktatop’s already at Skyway?
-Isn’t that too early? lol
-To me they still seem like kids
-They’re talented but is it really time already?
-No, it’s not about experience—these are pop kids from an audition show
-Honestly, wouldn’t it be better to book other bands?
-Did Skyway lose its taste? Why Oktatop?
-Oktatop? Suddenly feels kinda meh, not the vibe
-They need to pay their dues more before jumping up like this
Hardcore scene fans mounted their objections first.
For them, what mattered wasn’t absolute musical skill—it was whether they felt authenticity or impact from the band.
Those who didn’t sense that in Oktatop were already developing a bias against us.
And then there was another reaction.
-Crazy!! Oktatop’s already at Skyway!! Our boys are going ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Yeah, Oktatop’s legit
-There are people already bashing Oktatop for moving up, but think about the impact—no band’s driven the scene like this.
-If you think Oktatop’s participation is unprecedented and that bothers you, look at their unprecedented trajectory before complaining
-What’s with all these fools crawling out saying stuff about Oktatop
-Oktatop at Skyway? Honestly this is insanely rare, why can’t I go that day?
-Definitely going on the second day
-To people bashing Oktatop: no band has contributed this much to the scene until now, so just shut it
-Wait, they’re on the Rookie Stage—why are you even hating? They shouldn’t be Headliner obviously but even right below that would make perfect sense
-Rookie Stage? They deserve to be on the main lineup. Don’t bash them seriously, they kill it
Fans mounted a bloody defense.
Here were people who’d applaud anything Oktatop did now, and those who, while not quite fanatics, genuinely acknowledged their music.
And then the final group.
-Oktatop songs have been popping up lately—are they good?
-Weren’t they on that audition show? Something about a PD getting demoted made the news—are they those guys?
-I’ve heard their songs a lot, but no idea how their stage will be
-Damn, they’re really good-looking—is it an idol band?
-They’re performing too? Curious how their stage will go
Those who simply didn’t know much or had never seen them perform, staying neutral.
These three groups existed, and the first two were already waging fierce wars in comment sections across communities, social media, and video platforms.
Whether it was right or wrong for Oktatop to be on the Skyway Music Festival already.
Search “Skyway Music Festival” and “Oktatop” and you’d easily find a battleground.
For some reason I found it entertaining and often sought out those endless arguments.
It was a waste of time.
Not the time I spent reading comments, I mean—
the fact that they were bickering like this….
We’d prove them right in the end anyway.
* * *
News came that Maruru Band was releasing an album before the festival date arrived.
IK Entertainment had been promoting through various teaser videos and posts weeks before the comeback.
In the videos and photos, all the Maruru Band members were shot with their respective instruments.
Their previous activities had also been in band format, of course.
But the music then was just pop songs that borrowed a ‘band concept.’
And then came Maruru Band’s newly revealed music.
They gained recognition from the public on music alone, purely.
They debuted at 87th place on the chart, and word-of-mouth grew with each passing day.
A week after release, they’d settled at 17th place.
-So the band boom really is coming? Maruru Band charted too
└They always had charting songs though, their highest was 56th
-Wait, so Oktatop’s Fire Truck is 8th, Odyssey’s new track is 11th, Maruru Band is 17th…. What’s happening? What’s really going on in the band scene?
-Wow the label finally got it right, they had them do weird stuff before
└Didn’t know IK released songs under them before, gotta check it out
└Please don’t listen to that
-Huh…. Is Maruru not doing Skyway? They went just like Oktatop
└lol not all the lineups are out yet
-Wait, the company got it right…? Then the whole album was written, composed, and arranged by Maruru Band lol
└That’s what getting it right means
The band scene boom was definitely arriving.
Maruru Band was, and Odyssey—who’d joined a management company after BAND NIGHT—was also charting at high positions.
Band music wasn’t boring, difficult, or outdated.
It was simply starved for capital compared to other genres that benefited heavily from marketing.
Rock was a genre that could achieve this much with solid support.
Of course, this was only the beginning.
Band music would climb to even higher heights from here.
* * *
Maruru Band made time and visited our practice room.
They brought us a ton of gifts, and even bought hamburgers separately for Heo Jun Sung.
It wasn’t just Maruru Band.
Each of the guests who’d appeared on BAND NIGHT definitely benefited from us.
Odyssey had recently signed with a company and their released album was selling quite well.
Distruction was busy fielding performance inquiries from all directions, they said.
Everyone made time to visit our practice room, express their gratitude, and spend some time with us.
There’s a perception that people who do rock are rough and rebellious.
The music is—but they’re all kind and courteous people.
Sure enough, showing goodwill to someone was a good thing.
Of course it was mutual—wanting each other to succeed—but when you get repaid like this, both giver and receiver end up happy.
We were getting along like this.
But the world didn’t know, still waging war over Oktatop on the burning stage of debate.
The controversy over whether it was right or wrong for Oktatop to perform at the Skyway Music Festival.
Opinions that started light had snowballed, and people had begun directly demanding our qualifications.
In comment sections, people hurled opinions at each other and said words too harsh to speak aloud.
As the festival drew closer, the debate—like a war—only grew louder.
Then one day, without warning, a video was uploaded to Oktatop’s channel.

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