The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 14

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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 Her Indie Band
Chapter 14
What on earth is this?
There had been composers in my previous band too.
The people I’d seen so far were the names that circulated through the Hongdae band scene, and their skills were respectable.
Most of the people who’d wanted to recruit me as a DMC Champion were genuinely talented.
But Cha Seo-ha’s Rendezvous far exceeded their abilities.
This is…….
Not amateur work.
Professional skill.
But what surprised me even more was Cha Seo-ha’s attitude.
“What else? It’s an original composition.”
Cha Seo-ha treated his own song as if it were nothing special.
Which meant.
‘He didn’t compose this by sheer luck?’
Sometimes even composers stumble upon riffs or melodies beyond their current skill level through good fortune.
The composers themselves are the first to recognize when a song is born that way.
They sense immediately that it’s a piece they couldn’t currently create otherwise.
But judging from Cha Seo-ha’s reaction, this didn’t seem to be one of those songs born by chance.
When I jammed with the guys before, I could only tell that each member’s individual skill and their chemistry was good.
Thinking back now, it seems that was only possible because Cha Seo-ha was at the center.
“Kang Min, you ready?”
“What? N-no, recording?”
“Why are you stuttering?”
“No, I mean—how did this song come to be?”
“How do you think? I just built it up piece by piece.”
By the straightforward method?
So Cha Seo-ha’s average composition skill is at this level?
I was so shocked I didn’t know what to say.
So when Cha Seo-ha mentioned it would be a waste of studio rental time, I quietly sat down behind the drum kit.
“Alright, let’s go.”
I started recording to his cue.
I’d done recording sessions before.
When the older guys made songs, when I got paid for live performance offers, things like that.
Then it was work, but now I felt my mindset was different.
It’s fun.
It was a song with real substance to play.
Was it because the song quality was so high?
That’s part of it, but it doesn’t seem to be only that.
The emotion the music gave off was exceptional.
And it’s hard to explain, but it felt like my own taste was reflected in it….
Tap.
“Perfect, Kang Min. Really excellent.”
“Yeah, is this good enough?”
“Yeah, flawless. It works for me too.”
Cha Seo-ha gave a thumbs up from outside the booth.
Being recognized by someone like that gave me a rush of joy even greater than when I won the DMC Championship, brief as it was.
Click, click….
Cha Seo-ha was tweaking the drum track we’d just recorded, and I sat down next to him.
“You seem to have done a lot of mixing? Your hands are fast.”
“I’ve watched a lot of people do it.”
“You don’t develop those skills just by watching.”
The track editing, the equalization, the compression—all professional grade.
Some of the work I couldn’t even figure out what he was doing.
But seeing how much better the sound became, I could gauge his level.
Again, this isn’t something you develop just by watching a lot.
“So it’s not just performances you’re good at?”
“To succeed, you have to be good at everything.”
To succeed, you have to be good at everything.
I heard that in reverse, somehow.
Like saying: because he’s good at everything, he’ll succeed.
With this guy, it seemed like I could accomplish so much more than just satisfying my own ambitions.
Thinking that way made my chest tighten a little.
Even thinking back on it now, choosing the Rooftop felt like the right call.
* * *
“Hey Cha Seo-ha, come on in.”
“Hey Heo Jun-seong, you eaten?”
“Had a hamburger.”
“Those hamburgers are gross.”
We’d recently started using Kang Min’s practice room temporarily.
We used to use the school practice room, but even during breaks the students doing independent study complained about the noise, so we got kicked out.
When I arrived at the practice room, Lee Do-yeong was in the corner practicing bass.
Heo Jun-seong and Kim Ji-hu were bickering and laughing as usual.
And Kang Min was lying on the couch, watching something with a sinister grin.
Probably some anime or something.
“Hey, you wrote a song, right? Min told us.”
Kim Ji-hu asked with curious tone.
“Yeah, I was working on it before. Finished it in a rush yesterday.”
“I heard the quality is amazing? Min said you were incredible.”
Lee Do-yeong spoke this time, as if impressed.
Despite not having heard it yet.
“It’s not that incredible.”
“Oh, setting the bar low, huh? Don’t tell me it actually sucks?”
“Heo Jun-seong. You might end up embarrassed later.”
“Seriously, it’s that good?”
“You have to hear it yourself. I’m telling you it was really amazing.”
Actually, Kang Min gave a pretty solid review of the song I made yesterday—more precisely, the song that was still in sketch form.
“You’ll know once you hear it. Alright everyone, sit down. Oh, Min, can I use the computer?”
“Sure.”
“What kind of song is it?”
The most eyes lighting up at the mention of a new composition was Kim Ji-hu.
“I’m curious.”
Curiosity filled his expression.
“Alright, I’ll play it.”
I transferred the song to Kang Min’s computer and hit play.
Rendezvous.
At medium tempo, Rendezvous jumped straight into a refreshing verse after a short intro.
Crisp drums as the foundation, with a sensible bass and rhythm guitar following behind.
There was a synth adding subtle flavor here and there.
But to give the song mass appeal, the vocal took the front and center.
And it blooms.
Youth.
Crossing time
Crossing space
I’ll come to meet you
No matter how much changes
I’ll recognize you
look up the sky
I can fly
Originally, the lyrics to this song had been about going to meet a beloved girlfriend.
I’d wanted to keep the original as much as possible, but while recomposing the song for mass appeal, I had no choice but to modify the lyrics.
Well, the big picture hasn’t changed anyway.
Just that the person being met isn’t necessarily a romantic partner.
It was a popular arrangement, but the excellent composition and refined restraint made the lyrics and vocals of this song stand out.
The song that had been building up exploded into a funky rhythm as it hit the climax at the chorus.
When we meet
That’s when it starts
A new world
New music
No matter how much changes
I’ll recognize you
Beneath blue skies, youth in school uniforms finally meet.
And they resonate as if recognizing each other.
As if they’d known each other all along.
Raw and fierce.
And after another chorus, the song wrapped up with a bright, refreshing outro.
“And that’s the end.”
I asked with a smile on my face.
“So what do you think?”
Silence hung in the air for a moment.
I felt nervous somehow.
I’ve been evaluated by countless experts and the general public over the years, but I still couldn’t help the tension.
And besides, wasn’t this song originally supposed to reflect the members’ opinions?
I changed it on my own, so I felt even more nervous.
Then all their reactions came pouring out.
“What do you mean ‘what’? You crazy bastard!!”
“That’s… that’s insane…….”
“This is our song? Really?”
“See! I told you? It’s incredible, right?”
Watching the members shower me with praise, something that had been knotted in my chest seemed to loosen.
“Glad you like it.”
Heo Jun-seong hurried over to the computer and replayed Rendezvous.
“Man, this is amazing. Let’s listen again!”
Kim Ji-hu sat next to him and listened along, marveling at the music.
A sense of relief lifted me high, but I couldn’t just bask in satisfaction.
So I started briefing the guys on our next steps, with Rendezvous playing as background music.
“Alright, there’s something we need to do with this song.”
“What’s that?”
“I already mentioned it to Kang Min yesterday, but we’re going to release this song as an official release. Along with a couple more tracks.”
“Oh! As original compositions?”
“Man, our own release…….”
“That’s good. Having one official release definitely gives us distinction.”
“For that, we’ll need to do individual session recordings. I’m re-recording my vocals too.”
Yesterday Kang Min pulled off the drum recording smoothly.
His fundamentals were solid and he had decent recording experience.
It was an excellent session without me having to direct him much at all.
“Recording starts next week. Until then, focus on recording practice on your own.”
“So we’re taking a break from ensemble practice this week?”
Heo Jun-seong asked with hopeful eyes.
Of course, the other three had the same look on their faces.
“No way. We keep doing ensemble practice. You think we won’t be busking?”
“Wow, you devil.”
“Seo-ha’s a monster.”
“Think about it. When we become stars and do a world tour, are we going to separate recording practice and ensemble practice? Of course we’re doing both at once.”
“Setting such a high bar does make you seem cut out to be a leader, but isn’t it a bit much?”
I shrugged at Kim Ji-hu’s comment.
A bit much?
It’s the reality we’re approaching, and the reality we need to build.
“This guy… there’s no demon worse than him….”
I ignored Kang Min’s unusual choice of words.
Sorry, but we’ve only just started. There’s no rest for us.
Once we release an official single, we’ll definitely have distinction from other bands.
Of course, there’s the question of how we promote that single…….
But a good opportunity will come soon enough.
“Anyway, keep that in mind and everyone prepare hard until recording day!”
The guys all looked at me with tired expressions.
But the passion burning inside them was equally fierce.
* * *
Another week passed like that.
Cha Seo-ha visited ST Studio for recording.
“Hello, boss.”
“Yeah, these your friends?”
“Hello!”
“So these are the band friends you mentioned before. Nice to meet you.”
Jo Hyun-seop quickly scanned the band members greeting him energetically.
Heo Jun-seong looked like he’d be pretty impressive once he matured and got some styling.
Kim Ji-hu with his cold aura and Kang Min, who looked manly as he had the last time, were already in their final form.
Looking at Lee Do-yeong, Jo Hyun-seop thought the guy needed to lose a bit more baby fat.
‘Wait, is it baby fat or does he just need to diet? Anyway, his foundation is solid.’
It wasn’t any particular agenda—just an occupational habit.
“Anyway, work hard. Today’s free for up to one hour.”
“That’s plenty.”
Cha Seo-ha led the members into the recording room.
“Do you know him?”
“Kind of?”
“What do you mean ‘kind of’?”
“He’s someone I’m grateful to, but not someone I know deeply.”
“Hmm, I see. We should bring him something nice later.”
“Yeah.”
By the time Lee Do-yeong and Cha Seo-ha finished talking, the instruments were all set up.
“Alright, let’s start. Everyone can do this, right?”
“Obviously. After the way you’ve pushed us, if we mess up, what kind of humans would we be?”
“It was normal practice volume.”
“Seo-ha, that’s really not true.”
“That guy sometimes shows no mercy at all.”
“I’ve never seen anyone break through Drum Sticks as fast as he does.”
Today’s studio rental had a set time limit.
We couldn’t record indefinitely, so we had to finish the work in a short amount of time.

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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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