The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 125

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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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Reincarnated Idol Carries Indie Band
Chapter 125
Beep-beep-beep…….
“Ugh…….”
I woke to the alarm blaring since dawn.
The window was still dark outside.
Five thirty in the morning.
On a normal day, I would’ve buried myself in the blankets for a while, but today I threw them off and got up immediately.
I silenced the alarm and checked the notifications on my phone.
-Oktatop group chat
-Hamburger: You guys awake?
-Hamburger: Damn can’t sleep
-Hamburger: Seriously, everyone up?
-Hamburger: I’m seriously losing sleep now
-Hamburger: Man this is really screwed…….
-Kim Ji Hu: Shut up, you bastard
-Hamburger: Sorry
Heo Jun Sung had messaged me all night.
The guy should’ve gotten proper sleep, but what was he doing?
Today was the festival day.
The Skyway Music Festival.
One of the biggest festivals held in the country.
Given the scale, I hadn’t slept much either.
By the time I finished getting ready and dragged my tired body out, my grandmother had woken up.
“Puppy, you heading to the concert today?”
“Yeah, Grandma, I’ll be back soon.”
“All right, don’t get hurt.”
“Should I pick up something when I come back?”
“No, just come home.”
“Got it. I’ll grab something tasty if I see it.”
After saying goodbye to Grandma, I headed to the practice room, breathing in the early morning air.
I’d stood on countless stages before, but it’d been a long time since I felt this nervous.
The stage today would be packed with those picky audiences who’d watched true professionals perform without number.
If we pull off today, we prove ourselves.
If we don’t, we have to be ready for endless criticism.
Of course, we’ll do well.
We’ll show exactly who Oktatop is and how damn good we are.
But somehow the nervousness wouldn’t settle.
Yeah, this is probably excitement.
It applies to me too.
My friends are probably feeling the same way by now.
* * *
“Don’t get too nervous. You guys will do great.”
We gathered in front of the practice room and rode in Jo Hyun Seop’s car.
“You seem more nervous than we are, boss.”
“Shut it.”
But I could see the boss’s grip tightening on the steering wheel.
The moment Kang Min got in the car, he put on earbuds and practiced on the air drums, nodding along.
Heo Jun Sung had been chattering in the group chat all morning, but the moment he got in the car, he passed out cold.
Lee Do Young looked dazed from the nerves.
Kim Ji Hu just stared out the window.
I just kept my eyes fixed ahead, chatting with the boss about this and that.
The boss said he was excited, since this was his first time heading to a rock festival venue.
Then I heard a pleasant conversation from the back.
“Hey, Lee Do Young.”
It was Kim Ji Hu calling.
“Yeah?”
“Why didn’t you go to university? You had pretty good grades, didn’t you?”
“I wanted to keep doing Oktatop.”
“I see.”
“Aren’t you the same way?”
“Well, yeah…….”
Kim Ji Hu trailed off.
“I just think skipping med school was the right call.”
At that, Lee Do Young laughed quietly.
Kim Ji Hu picked a fight, acting offended at the laugh.
I’d already confirmed how Kim Ji Hu felt once before.
But hearing him say something like that with the rock festival ahead showed me how much this stage meant to him.
Yeah, we all need to keep doing this band together.
* * *
When we arrived at the Skyway Festival grounds, audiences hadn’t entered yet.
Several massive stages stood on the wide grass field.
Staff members were busily laying cables and checking the sound system.
Even though it was early morning, the air was thick with the bustling preparations.
“Whoa, so this is Skyway…….”
“You’ve never been here before?”
“Nope!”
It was my first time, Lee Do Young’s too, and the boss’s.
Heo Jun Sung and Kim Ji Hu said they’d come to hang out before.
Kang Min had not only visited for fun, but even stood on stage as a guest drummer for two songs the year he became a DMC Champion.
Since 1999, bands had stood on this stage every year.
A stage trampled by countless legends.
Today, we who’d only watched from a distance would actually step foot on that stage.
* * *
Our assigned waiting room was a converted container—a small space.
Nothing fancy, just what we needed.
-OKTATOP
Still, seeing our name on the waiting room door felt strange.
I’d seen waiting rooms with our name at music broadcasts too, during Jo Hyun Woo’s Gift Box appearances.
Those were more comfortable, and somehow felt more luxurious.
But this space had an overwhelming atmosphere all its own.
Raw energy.
A place only for the real deal.
An atmosphere perfect for intimidating participants.
“It’s smaller than I expected?”
“Waiting rooms at festivals are always like this.”
Compared to the grand stages out front, the back was always humble.
A cue sheet was posted next to the door inside the waiting room.
Our slot was pretty early.
There were three performance sections: the Rookie Stage for newcomers, the Main Stage, and the Skyway Stage featuring headliners.
These three sections existed by size.
Our slot was the very last on the Rookie Stage.
And today’s lineup had some familiar names too.
-Distruction
-Odyssey
-Maruru Band
Distruction and Odyssey, like us, were on the Rookie Stage.
Maruru Band had landed on the Main Stage.
Even though Maruru Band had botched a few recent performances, they maintained their reputation in the band scene.
The broadcast had various controversies, but they did have the title of Who’s The Real champion.
They had multiple songs that charted when the band scene was barren.
And their experience proved their qualifications for the Main Stage.
Anyway, after learning that friendly rivals were competing, we took a brief rest before rehearsal.
* * *
Countless teams ran through sound checks.
Famous bands with other schedules during the day went first for rehearsal.
Our turn came around lunchtime.
We checked our instruments before the empty audience seating.
The wide grass field.
In just a few hours, it would be packed with crowds.
Those picky audiences with the souls of true professionals.
They’d look at us with keen eyes or eyes full of longing.
And we’d prove here what the real Oktatop is.
When did we get here?
The thought hit me suddenly.
We started at Banwol Park, for sure.
Or even earlier—at Hyunui Ulreum, the instrument shop run by Jang Deok Chul.
My first time was playing guitar for Heo Jun Sung in that cramped shop.
Or even earlier than that—the classroom of second-year, third period, Jeongwoon High School.
Where I just casually asked Heo Jun Sung, “Wanna start a band with me?”
That’s all it was.
When did we get this far?
All the time we’d run came rushing through my head.
How far could we go if we kept at this for a few more years?
My goal was clear.
World conquest through music, basically.
Whether we can reach that goal or not, I don’t know.
We just try.
If we keep living in the present like this, the future will be better than now.
“Hey, I’m about to break my pick.”
“You didn’t bring spares?”
“I don’t know where it went.”
“Idiot.”
Some of us are pretty dumb.
But I couldn’t do this without those guys.
“All right, let’s start rehearsal!”
* * *
Heo Jun Sung ended up breaking his pick toward the end of rehearsal.
But the sound check went fine.
The moment we came down, Heo Jun Sung got smacked in the back of the head by Kim Ji Hu, scolded by Kang Min, and mocked by Lee Do Young.
“Hey, you did well though?”
Then I heard a familiar voice from beside me.
It was Im Hyun Taek.
“Oh, hey there.”
“You ready?”
“Of course.”
“Confident, huh?”
The hard feelings from the audition show had completely faded.
We’d had two performances together and several exchanges.
Even Kang Min, who’d had direct conflict with him, was on good terms now with Im Hyun Taek.
“Thanks to you guys, I even get to stand on a stage like this…….”
Im Hyun Taek scratched his head as he spoke.
“Seo Ha, remember what I said to you back at Who’s The Real?”
“What you said?”
“That if you’re going to do it, do it properly.”
“Oh! Backstage, when Distruction was eliminated?”
“Yeah.”
Of course I remembered.
Back then I thought it meant we should prove we beat them fairly so Distruction wouldn’t be ashamed.
But looking back now, it didn’t seem like that was it.
“That day I felt it. That you guys might be the hope of the band scene.”
“Hope? We’re just doing what we do.”
I tried to deflect awkwardly.
“No, you’re the ones who’ll lead this scene going forward.”
“Well, I appreciate you seeing it that way.”
“But after watching you keep going… you’re doing it right. It’s good to see.”
And he unfolds that “do it properly” comment now? What a guy.
Pretty funny, really.
“Keep it up going forward. Perform well today.”
“You guys do well too.”
After exchanging a few more words with Kang Min, Im Hyun Taek headed back to his waiting room.
He came all this way just to say that.
At first it didn’t sit right, but knowing he genuinely cared about the scene, I found myself warming to him.
* * *
Then came another long, long wait.
I had all the lyrics memorized, and my voice was fine.
Looking at the others’ condition, Heo Jun Sung, who I’d been worried about, looked sharp.
So we were good to go.
All that was left was mental control.
Just as I was wondering what mindset to take up on stage for the first time,
Lee Do Young brought something over.
“Hey, guys! Look at this!”

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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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