The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 18

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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’s Indie Band Hard Carry
Chapter 18
“So you decided to give that song to someone else?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, you’re insane.”
Kim Ji Hoo looked at me like I was genuinely out of my mind when I told him what had happened.
“Hey, we should be the ones to use that.”
“It won’t shine as much if I sing it.”
To be perfectly honest, even if Moon Ga Young sang it, the song wouldn’t truly come alive either.
It was a song that required genuinely excellent vocals.
But if we’re talking about who could get closest to perfect, it’d be a female vocalist over a male one.
“Fine, whatever. Yeah, it’s your song, you wrote it and had a female vocalist in mind, so I can’t stop you. But what about the variety show?”
“Let’s cause a stir.”
“How is appearing briefly on broadcast going to cause a stir? What kind of fantasy are you living in?”
Kim Ji Hoo wasn’t wrong.
There were plenty of cases where ordinary people appeared on television for a moment.
But making something big happen, or jumping into the major scene all at once?
Those were rare occurrences.
But we’re different.
There are multiple factors, but the three most important are these.
First, our members are good-looking.
Second, I exist.
Third, Kang Min exists.
“Kim Ji Hoo.”
“What.”
“Want to make a bet?”
“What kind of bet?”
“Whether our name gets plastered all over the indie band community within two months, or not.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“You in or not?”
“I’m in. What’s the prize?”
“Um… a wish voucher?”
“Deal.”
“So first we need to get ready for the School Festival, right?”
* * *
“Man, this is crazy….”
Kim Ju Hee ran a YouTube channel as a hobby.
The videos she usually uploaded were mostly daily vlogs.
She’d been uploading consistently, but most of her videos didn’t gain traction.
Then one day, on her way home from work, she happened to discover a high school band.
Usually high school bands sound amateur but have a certain romantic charm to them.
But these kids played and sang like pros.
As if possessed, she recorded their performance.
From some point on, she was certain those kids were going to blow up.
And in anticipation of the day her own video would be rediscovered, she carefully edited and uploaded more content.
Then at some point, her video received the “algorithm’s blessing.”
-Office Worker Daily Vlog. Banwol Park Busker Oktatop Releases New Song!
-Oktatop – <Rendezvous> (Full ver.)
One video where she’d spliced in a performance between her vlog content.
And she’d uploaded the full version of Oktatop’s <Rendezvous> performance simultaneously.
The full version of <Rendezvous> had racked up twelve thousand views.
“All this time my view counts never broke a thousand….”
Kim Ju Hee, buzzing with excitement over the exploding numbers, opened the comment section.
-High schoolers these days are insanely good-looking.
└For real, their features are brighter than my future?
-Are these idol trainees?
-Wow, the vocals are amazing. Where can I find this song?
└I looked but couldn’t find it. Must be unreleased.
-Wait, these are kids from our school??? Why is the class president in this?
-The drummer doesn’t look like a high schooler lol
└Yeah looks old
└Isn’t the drummer the best-looking one? “Old face” my ass
└You don’t know anything. This is the type who’ll get “baby face” comments later
└Old face agreed, handsome agreed
-Original composition? Honestly this is so good?
-When does this place become a holy site? lol
-Please debut you guys… your noona has money
-Just round them all up and make them into an idol group
└The guy playing guitar on the left should lose some weight
└That’s bass, not guitar….
└Honestly looks like a lottery ticket
└Wait isn’t that chest fat? Anyway losing weight would definitely help
-The camera makes them look better, in real life they’re probably ordinary
└You don’t know anything. Usually the real person looks better than on camera
-There’s a ton of comments about looks here but the real deal is these kids are just insanely skilled at music
-Better than most bands out there, honestly. How did you even find each other?
└Probably 100% a viral marketing stunt by some agency right before debut
└Oh that makes sense
“Ah, I’m losing it.”
Kim Ju Hee bounced on her feet, unable to contain her excitement.
Even though she’d only uploaded someone else’s performance video, she felt like she’d become a celebrity herself.
“So this is why celebrity fans do home-made content like this.”
Kim Ju Hee had developed genuine affection for Oktatop by now.
She was happy Oktatop was becoming famous, but what really thrilled her was that it had started from her own hands.
Combined with the anticipation that her own YouTube channel would grow along with them.
These two feelings were making her passion flourish even more brightly.
“I should edit this even more beautifully.”
* * *
We submitted the School Festival application under the name Oktatop.
The school noted that we had an external member.
And considering how popular we’d become recently at school, they gave us special status as an invited outside group.
It wasn’t a huge benefit, but it felt meaningful.
After the festival was confirmed, we threw ourselves into practice every single day, squeezing every free moment.
“Okay, break time!”
“Man, my fingers are about to fall off.”
“I need to buy new Drumsticks.”
“Hey, Ji Hoo, you got any Guitar Picks left?”
“Buy them with your own money.”
Even sprawled out from exhaustion, the guys kept chattering.
This is what’s good about high schoolers.
Or rather, what makes them so loud.
“Alright, alright, as your leader I have some opinions to consolidate. Everyone pay attention.”
“What are you talking about?”
They grumbled but picked themselves up off the ground.
Ah, so this is what leader’s authority feels like.
It’s an odd sensation.
In my past life, there definitely would’ve been a vote on whether to even listen to the 13,173rd thing Cha Seo Ha had to say.
“What is it?”
“The band’s direction.”
“Direction? Didn’t we already talk about this?”
Expand our presence and seek contact with capital.
That’s what we’d concluded, or so Kim Ji Hoo seemed to think, tilting his head.
“What I want to talk about today is how to expand that presence.”
“Wouldn’t people love us if we keep putting out good music?”
I nodded at Lee Do Young’s words.
“That’s right. Ultimately, if the music is good, I think we’ll eventually blow up.”
“Then aren’t we good?”
“So you want to leave that ‘eventually’ to chance? Three years? Five? Ten?”
None of them were stupid enough to miss that my point was connected to Moon Ga Young’s variety show appearance.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I want to separate music and marketing.”
“What?”
“Our music will always stay pure. We’ll keep trying to find the best, and no matter what anyone says, we’ll only play songs that carry Oktatop’s identity. Even if someone offered us a billion won to play dance-pop, if it contradicts our identity, I won’t do it.”
“A billion won is….”
“Hey, Heo Jun Sung, be quiet.”
“I agree with you on the music side. But what about the marketing?”
I opened my mouth, watching Kang Min’s unusually serious expression.
“But in promoting that music, I don’t want to choose our means or methods.”
“For instance?”
“We could shoot YouTube promotional videos, or go on audition programs.”
“Hmm….”
They were at the age where “coolness” mattered, so there was a slight resistance in their faces.
“Or we could make every indie scene fan curse us out.”
“Curse us? Why would they curse us?”
“For being a rootless idol band. But when that noise comes, I won’t defend myself. I’ll use it gratefully.”
“Why?”
“Because they’ll listen to our music even more to curse us out. No matter what we do, as long as the music is good, we’re winning, right?”
Everyone seemed to fall into thought at my words.
But Heo Jun Sung, Kim Ji Hoo, and Kang Min’s expressions quickly settled.
“As long as the music doesn’t change, I think we’re fine.”
“Same here.”
“Truth is, we can’t avoid marketing entirely anyway.”
But Lee Do Young’s expression was complicated.
And there was a reason it had to be.
Lee Do Young’s older brother had taken his own life.
Because of malicious comments.
But that’s exactly why I wanted to show him.
That your brother did nothing wrong.
That you don’t have to turn someone’s criticism into reality.
That even your brother in heaven would hope for that.
But since I didn’t know he knew about this yet, I didn’t add anything.
After a moment, Lee Do Young opened his mouth.
“If I’m getting cursed out with you guys, that sounds okay.”
Apparently not reading Lee Do Young’s complex feelings, Heo Jun Sung spoke casually.
“But wait, this is all just an analogy. It’s not like we’re actually going to get cursed out.”
“No, Heo Jun Sung.”
“Huh? What?”
“We’re going to get cursed out. Thoroughly.”
* * *
In the car heading back to the agency after finishing a drama shoot.
I was dozing off when my Manager’s voice woke me.
“Ga Young, you booked the Studio for tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Okay. What time should I pick you up?”
“I have a reservation at two in the afternoon, so come about thirty minutes before.”
“Got it.”
“Thank you.”
“About recording — are you really planning to release it?”
He was probably someone I spent more time with than my own parents.
But even someone like him could only represent the company’s interests.
“If it turns out well. If it doesn’t, we shouldn’t.”
“Right?”
The Manager’s face brightened, but these words were really a promise to myself.
The song Cha Seo Ha had made was absolutely brilliant.
To be honest, I’d been straining just to maintain my composure as a celebrity in that café.
Especially that guide vocal, moving between chest voice and falsetto to express the female vocalist….
If I got a song like that and still couldn’t give myself a passing grade on my own vocals, then I shouldn’t be a singer.
That’s what I was thinking.
‘But isn’t his composition skill disproportionately matched with his lack of realism?’
It was because his request instead of a composition fee had been far too modest.

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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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