The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 127

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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 127
Oktatop’s debut single B-side, “Cruise!!”
Fundamentally upbeat, “Cruise!!” was the most fitting opener for any performance.
The crowd erupted in hot cheers as the intro burst forth.
Seo Ha wore an expression of deep satisfaction.
“Nice, yeah.”
He flashed a smile at the audience before launching into the first verse.
Waves lapping at my toes
The sun shattered far away
No wall stands in our path
We’re racing forward
The melody guitar shifted to backing as Kim Ji Hu’s melody layered and he began fingering the chords.
The instruments pulled back noticeably as Seo Ha sang with everything he had above them.
He strode boldly across the stage, reaching toward the audience, drawing close to his bandmates.
His friends’ playing and the crowd’s roar hammered at his chest like it might burst.
Even harsh wind becomes a song
The sea becomes a road
Fate calls us forth
We will voyage on
They entered the pre-chorus as the instruments began their build-up.
Lee Do Young and Kang Min added emphasis to the steady rhythm, hinting that something was about to explode.
Kim Ji Hu’s chord progression flowed with dramatic intensity.
And dancing along the highest line of those chords: a guitar singing free.
Seo Ha matched his friends’ timing, pushing power into his vocal line.
Though it was a singing style that burned energy, it didn’t exhaust him at all.
“Yeah! Yeaaaah!!”
“Whoo!”
The crowd, already intimately familiar with this song’s arc, screamed with shining eyes.
A roar demanding the chorus come faster.
We’re ready to jump.
A howl saying: don’t hold back—give it to us now.
Oktatop answered that call gladly.
You want it?
Then here it comes.
We Cruise! we Cruise tonight!
Crossing an endless sea!
We Cruise! we Cruise tonight!
We won’t stop—we’re free!
In the moment the pre-chorus ended, every instrument’s sound briefly fell away.
With perfect timing, every instrument and voice erupted at once.
“Yeaaaah!!!”
“Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!”
“We Cruise!”
“We Cruise tonight!”
The crowd either sang the chorus with them or began jumping madly in their seats.
Those at the front gripped the barrier, shaking it, whipping their heads in sync.
Like they’d made a pact.
And this was only the first song.
Everyone was pouring out every bit of energy their bodies held.
Before the stage had begun, Seo Ha had wondered something.
How far could Oktatop really go?
They’d set a goal, but could they actually reach it?
Nothing was certain yet, but……
“We won’t stop—we’re free!”
The crowd seemed to be answering him.
Like the chorus lyrics promised, crossing an endless sea.
They were showing him the endpoint of a band that never stopped.
These were the people charting Oktatop’s unstoppable voyage toward the future.
* * *
Oktatop finished the first song and moved into the next without stopping to talk.
Seo Ha darting across the stage.
Heo Jun Sung playing with fierce head-banging.
Lee Do Young now brimming with confidence.
Kang Min and Kim Ji Hu—beyond question.
Their flawless unity sent the stage and audience into absolute pandemonium.
Flag-bearers raised their banners high as fans weaved between them in a conga line, shrieking and running through the crowd.
The slammers hadn’t taken over yet, but the heat kept climbing.
“Yo, what? Why are they so good?”
“Oh, oh man…. Right?”
The cost-conscious crowd tucked into the standing section.
Those who’d come to judge Oktatop’s worth before the stage found themselves utterly captivated by their passion.
“Wait, their live is insane—is that Seo Ha?”
“Yeah. Dude can seriously sing.”
“Kang Min’s still flawless, and the string players are no joke.”
“Agreed.”
As praise for the members poured forth—
“Yeaaaah!!!”
Kim Ji Hu’s synth solo flooded the festival grounds.
Right hand playing melody while his left hand demonstrated Octaving and Transposing—advanced technique.
No one without Kim Ji Hu’s precision could pull off something so skillful.
“What?! What is that?!”
“How did you even do that?!”
“Dude, that’s insane!”
The conga line dissolved in shock.
Countless spectators froze, pausing to simply absorb the performance.
The level of artistry was that stunning.
Once Kim Ji Hu finished his solo, his expression was captured in sharp focus on the large screen behind the stage.
Despite having just delivered superhuman technique, his face remained unmoved.
An expression that said “What are you looking at?” throughout.
Arrogant as hell—and yet that was Kim Ji Hu’s charm.
That careless attitude only made his skill shine brighter.
The second song ended and screams poured out.
“Yeaaaah!!”
“Killer!”
“Tore it up!!”
Seo Ha took a sip of water and adjusted his grip on the microphone.
“Everyone! Are you having fun!”
“Yesss!!”
The moment Seo Ha’s words landed, Lee Do Young’s eyes widened as he stared at him.
Not “Hey you crazy bastards—you having fun?” but “Everyone, are you having fun”—that’s what came out.
For a moment, Lee Do Young was startled by the idol vibe suddenly radiating from Seo Ha.
“We’ve only just formed, but it’s truly an honor to stand on the Skyway Music Festival stage!”
“Whoooo!”
“We’re good!”
“You’re killing it!!”
In response to the crowd’s roar, Oktatop answered with music.
“On a stage this magnificent, we can’t let you down, right?”
Another wave of cheers.
Seo Ha’s gaze swept to the back of the audience.
A few spectators still stood with arms crossed, watching with disapproving eyes.
“We’ll give you a show you won’t forget!”
“Yeaaaah!”
“I’m about to sing so hard my throat bleeds until everyone with their arms crossed back there is jumping! Come with me!”
“Yeaaaaaah!!!”
At Seo Ha’s shout, the people with folded arms felt embarrassed and straightened up.
And with that, Oktatop’s “Awaken” began to flow.
* * *
Jo Hyun Seop was recording Oktatop’s stage.
“Awaken” had been rearranged into a full metal version.
Water guns fired into the air from the stage.
Seo Ha wielded a water gun, spraying the audience.
When they weren’t playing, Lee Do Young and Heo Jun Sung also grabbed the water guns positioned at either end, firing toward the crowd.
A passionate performance.
Watching through his lens, Jo Hyun Seop felt an indescribable elation.
Since his early days in entertainment, he’d witnessed countless artists’ stages.
From small showcases to major overseas concerts.
Having seen countless diverse performances, there was rarely anything that felt truly special anymore.
And yet—today, Oktatop’s stage held something extraordinary.
“Is this what I’ve been running around for?”
When Jo Hyun Seop first saw Oktatop, he’d thought them simply quite promising.
As he watched them unravel a series of obstacles one by one and notch achievement after achievement, he’d become convinced they’d draw a bold line through the music market.
Of course, whether that would become reality remained unknown.
But seeing that sliver of possibility had made him want to follow them, to watch over them.
Even so, he’d expected today’s schedule to be unremarkable.
No different from any other major event or festival performance.
But today’s festival proved far different from what he’d anticipated.
He’d seen performances on a larger scale than this.
That concert in the United States, featuring artists of greater renown—
Yet Oktatop’s raw stage before him now set his heart ablaze far more fiercely.
“No, it’s not just this I’ve been after.”
His chest burned, but it was still incomplete.
Oktatop’s full potential wasn’t on display yet.
If he could walk alongside them going forward, he sensed they’d show him something far more magnificent.
“Amusing bastards.”
Watching Oktatop fill his lens, Jo Hyun Seop dared to imagine a future so grand his lips couldn’t hold it.
* * *
Oktatop had been given thirty minutes.
They were halfway through now.
Oktatop had charged forward with nothing but high-intensity tracks, and the crowd was losing their minds riding that wave.
Before the festival began, questions hung over Oktatop’s credentials.
But as the final slot on the Rookie Stage, they were proving worthy.
No—they were delivering a performance that exceeded it by far.
And at that very moment, posts were appearing on the band community about the festival broadcast.
-At Skyway Music Festival rn and Oktatop’s performing btw seriously killing it
-ppl who were hating on Oktatop bout to rethink everything lol
└watching live and reflecting on my life rn….
-yo Oktatop is INSANE best act on the Rookie Stage fs
-told y’all Oktatop’s good enough for Skyway so there
-if the Rookie Stage had a headliner it’d be Oktatop no question
-honestly too good to waste on Rookie Stage
└yeah they’d fit right on the main stage no sweat
-im one of the ppl who used to hate on Oktatop. ngl didnt know theyd be this good
-every member of Oktatop is insane but Seo Ha is literally unhinged
-i used to not get the hype around Oktatop but turns out i just never saw them live
-best Rookie Stage act ive seen in years this is main stage material
Real-time posts about Oktatop’s stage were flowing in steadily from people watching live.
Some of those posting had harbored doubts about them before.
One performance had flipped their entire perception.
But this wasn’t everything.
Oktatop’s stage was still ongoing.
Once it ended, fancams shot by the audience would upload to YouTube, and that’s when—
that’s when the broader shift in perception would really begin.

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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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