The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 138

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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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The Former Idol’s Indie Band Hard Carry
Episode 138
Time passed after the album release announcement, and the track list was partially revealed.
1. OK. TOP (Title.)
2. Demerit (Feat.???)
3. The Next Chapter (Feat.???)
4. Day By Day (Feat.???)
5. Yeounji-dong Ballad (Feat.???)
6. Serengeti Giraffe (Feat.???)
7. Interlude (Jun Sung and Dae Chan) (Feat.???)
8. Traffic Accident (Feat.???)
9. Gothic Seoul (Feat.???)
10. Jamaica (Feat.???)
And the public’s reaction was ambiguous.
-What the hell is this?
-So every track except number one has a feature?
-Oh, that’s why the album title is Compilation
-Don’t know what it is, but I’m excited because I don’t know what it is
-Hmm… I really just want to hear Oktatop though, kind of a shame
-Curious to see how it turns out
-Isn’t this too experimental? Why am I so worried…?
-Feels like they’re just doing what they want. If the numbers aren’t good, let’s not all get discouraged. If Oktatop does what they want to do, that’s enough
If this album had been made purely for commercial appeal, such a move would be difficult.
Moreover, in typical compilation albums, collaborative efforts are the standard approach.
But this case was different.
We didn’t collaborate with anyone else—we made it entirely with our own capital.
And the purpose of the album release was solely to promote the entire scene.
Quite explicitly, at that.
After the track list was revealed following the album announcement, the public’s reaction remained uncertain.
It was an unfamiliar track list for those who belonged to fandoms and stanned particular artists.
Once the album dropped and content started flowing out, only then would we get a proper sense of the response.
* * *
“Boss, are there any interviews lined up?”
“There are. Tons of them.”
Before the album released, I asked Jo Hyun Seop about the filming requests that had come in.
“I think it’d be good for us to prioritize interview content.”
“Yes, and from what I saw last time, the public responded really well to our members’ everyday moments.”
“Right. I think we should structure things so we’re doing supplementary content simultaneously with the interviews, not just interviews alone.”
Like mind reading with a snap of the fingers.
Whenever I shared a plan, the boss understood exactly what I was thinking.
He really earned that reputation as a heavyweight in the industry.
“Since we also need to prepare for performances, let’s not schedule too much. Maybe four or five pieces would be ideal.”
“Got it.”
And so we finalized the content schedule for promoting our next album.
To summarize the current state of the band scene, it was like this.
Oktatop entered the charts around the twentieth position with an album, or sometimes the top ten if it went higher.
And if any of the strategic issues I designed broke, we could even reach number one at best.
Maruru Band and Odyssey had solid company backing, so they achieved higher chart positions than us.
But sustained placement or climbing the charts long-term was still difficult terrain for them.
Distruction was performing surprisingly well.
They still released tracks on their own without a label, yet managed to chart.
Granted, never at high positions, but going head-to-head with singers operating under companies with their own strength alone—that was genuinely remarkable.
Dampa released songs occasionally, but charting was still out of reach.
Instead, his YouTube channel was doing well, and he was producing content like band music introductions and album reviews, which was enough.
Looking at it this narrowly, it seemed like a band boom was coming, but it still wasn’t enough.
Apart from the bands I’d mentioned, there were far too many talented people not yet getting their moment in the sun.
For our scene to grow and take root, those people also needed to be recognized by the masses.
* * *
“Hello, this is Oktatop!”
“The artists have arrived!”
Before the album released.
We conducted interviews and photoshoots with various magazines, fashion publications, and music industry outlets.
Today was the final shoot of those sessions.
We followed the staff’s guidance to our designated spots.
“Wow, what’s this?”
“There’s so much stuff.”
On the table lay what looked like dozens of cards.
“These are questions we collected in advance from fans. They’re asking things they’re curious about regarding Oktatop. We’ve also written some of our own, so just flip through them as you go.”
“Ah, I see. Got it.”
It was a format I’d done countless times during my idol days in my past life.
This brings back memories, somehow.
“Oh, this looks fun.”
“What kind of questions are there?”
The guys’ eyes lit up like kids staring at a treasure chest.
“Alright then, we’ll start filming!”
The shoot began shortly after.
The camera started rolling.
The PD gave us the signal, and we greeted the camera.
“One, two, three.”
“Hello, this is Oktatop.”
“Yes, we’ve just made a comeback with an album called The Compilation! Let’s have some applause!”
At my words, the guys clapped and cheered.
True to form—charged with energy rather than refined composure.
“Woo-hoo!”
“Yeah!”
A round of strange ad-libs passed through, and I glanced at the staff’s sketchbook to explain how today’s interview would proceed.
“So, this interview will work like this. We’ll look at the cards on this table. You can see the member cards, right?”
“Yeah, of course we can see them.”
“My eyesight’s pretty good.”
“Jun Sung, even with bad eyesight you’d be able to read this.”
“Hehehehe…”
They were the type to say whatever they wanted, camera or no camera.
“These cards are question cards. We’ll flip through them one by one and answer as we go.”
“Sounds good!”
“Who wants to go first?”
I wish they’d match my polite speech pattern, but…
Well, that informal vibe was Oktatop’s charm anyway.
“I’ll go!”
Heo Jun Sung grabbed a card without asking permission.
“Let’s see… Pick the two members with the best chemistry. And tell us why. Hmm…”
Heo Jun Sung studied us all carefully, lost in thought.
“Ah, this is tough… Probably Kim Ji Hu and Lee Do Young?”
“Us?”
“Why?”
The two members he’d singled out looked surprised.
Even I thought it was an unexpected pairing.
“No, not so much great chemistry as… Ki always nags at me about something, but he’s lenient with Do Young, and then Do Young subtly clowns me back for it… To me, it’s like an evil villain duo vibe.”
“Hey, that’s only because you do weird stuff. Do Young’s pretty well-behaved.”
“Yeah, Jun Sung. You wouldn’t get scolded so much if you just lowered your voice a bit.”
“See, see? This is exactly what I mean! You two are doing it again!”
“God, you’re loud.”
“It’s fine. Not everyone needs to be well-mannered.”
“…?!”
At Lee Do Young’s remark, Kang Min stifled a laugh.
“Alright, let’s move on to the next. Do Young, want to pick?”
“Sure!”
Lee Do Young drew a card.
“The noisiest member… That’s Jun Sung.”
Lee Do Young answered immediately and set the card down.
“Hahaha! Did that answer come out even with that question?”
“Wow, what’s with the timing?”
“Wait, am I really that loud?”
“Very.”
Kang Min drew the next card.
“Who makes the most mistakes during practice sessions? And tell us who makes the least. Let me see…”
Kang Min scanned us all quickly, just as Heo Jun Sung had.
“Ah, it’s a bit ambiguous.”
Even I thought it was hard to single out just one person.
“Originally Lee Do Young made the most mistakes, but these days he barely messes up. Actually, maybe Heo Jun Sung?”
“Hey, not me again?”
“No, you rampage on your own pretty often and mess up, right?”
“No, that’s only when I’m messing around.”
“Anyway.”
“Uh-huh!”
Truth was, these days we hardly ever made mistakes.
Unless Heo Jun Sung deliberately rampaged out of sheer excitement.
“And the person who makes the least mistakes is definitely Kim Ji Hu.”
At Kang Min’s answer, Kim Ji Hu nodded.
The guy was practically machine-like, in my view.
After Kang Min finished his answer, Kim Ji Hu picked up a card.
“Which member sleeps the most? Wow, the questions are really diverse.”
Kim Ji Hu seemed surprised at how trivial the question was, but he answered without hesitation.
“That’d be Kang Min. He really sleeps a lot.”
“Yeah, once he’s out, he doesn’t wake up.”
“Didn’t he oversleep before and show up late to the Busking at Banwol Park?”
“Eh? Wa—… um, yeah. I’ll admit it.”
At this point, the whole world probably knew you were a delusional fan.
“Alright, Seo Ha, your turn.”
At Lee Do Young’s words, I picked up a card.
The moment I read the question on the card, I felt something like destiny itself.
“If there’s something you want to show through this album, please introduce it.”
“Oh…”
“Of all people, you got that question?”
“It’s fate.”
I felt the same way.
I gathered my thoughts and answered, looking directly at the camera.
“This album’s protagonist isn’t Oktatop. It’s the bands who are featuring on our album, and every talented musician in the band scene who couldn’t participate. We hope you’ll keep your eyes on them.”
The production crew started to show surprise at my answer.
Until now, most teams probably talked about songs, visuals, choreography, or music videos.
“What we want to achieve with this album isn’t the promotion of Oktatop, but the promotion of the band scene. There are truly talented people out there. We’d be grateful if you’d listen to a lot of band music.”
Sensing the sincerity, the crew clapped enthusiastically, eyes shining.
How would the public receive these words?
In my past life, whenever I did interviews like this, I was solely focused on promoting ‘myself’.
And the results always fell within expected parameters.
But the ripples this remark might create—I couldn’t dare predict.
I wanted to see that unknown reaction with my own eyes as soon as possible.

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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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