The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 20

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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 Does Indie Band Hard Carry
Chapter 20
One hour before the performance.
The producer of Star Observation Cam conducted an interview with Moon Ga-yeong against the backdrop of Jeong-un High School.
“School is like a treasure I never got to have.”
Behind the typical platitudes that celebrities who became stars as minors tend to spout, the conversation turned toward the singer.
Originally, Moon Ga-yeong’s agency head had asked them to avoid any mention of the singer, but recently the footage had been so thin that there was no help for it.
At the same time, you couldn’t very well assign provocative missions to a high school girl who was still a minor.
From the producer’s perspective, there was no choice but to include content about Moon Ga-yeong’s challenge to become a singer in the broadcast.
‘The casting was wrong from the start.’
The producer held that thought while giving no sign of it, and proceeded with the interview focused on the school and the festival.
Finally, the conversation turned to the performance.
“I hear you’re going to perform today?”
“Yes. I’ve trained a lot with my trainer, but this will be my first time standing in front of people.”
“How does that feel?”
“Well, it feels like an appropriate beginning toward a dream. To others, it’s probably just an ordinary, even humble high school festival… but to me, it’s like a treasure I’ve never properly had before.”
‘That’s pretty decent dialogue.’
In fact, this was a line that Cha Seo-ha had asked Moon Ga-yeong to deliver as part of her acting.
Moon Ga-yeong hadn’t memorized it, but because it was quite apt, it had flowed out naturally.
“Is there something you’re hoping to achieve by taking the stage today?”
Even as he asked the question, the producer knew the answer would be abstract.
A beginning toward dreams, childhood memories she never got to have, the first time sharing her passion with the world—and so on.
He wasn’t considering any other kind of answer.
But Moon Ga-yeong’s response was truly unexpected.
“I want to beat my rival.”
“A rival?”
“Actually, I’m the only one who thinks of them that way. Those kids have probably never even heard me sing.”
Moon Ga-yeong laughed like a high school girl, but the producer’s attention snagged on the word rival.
“What band?”
“Oktatop—it’s a band made up of three friends from our school and two from other schools. They’re super famous around here.”
“What made you think of them as a rival?”
“There’s this guy named Cha Seo-ha who’s the leader and vocalist, and he’s seriously talented at singing. He’s good at composing too. So I told him I wanted to use a song he made called Rendezvous, and he turned me down flat.”
“Why?”
A typical male high school student wouldn’t have been able to refuse Moon Ga-yeong’s request, and a typical indie band wouldn’t have been able to refuse a celebrity’s request.
“He said Rendezvous doesn’t suit me.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah.”
“So you got rejected and sharpened the blade of your cute little revenge?”
“It’s not revenge exactly… I guess I wanted to show him. That I can do well too. Just some childish impulse, you know?”
“So the song you’re performing today—I heard it’s an original composition, but did you get it from another band?”
“This is kind of funny too—the song I’m performing today is also by Cha Seo-ha.”
“What?”
“He said it suits me better than Rendezvous. The title is Diving.”
“But then even if you do well today, wouldn’t that be thanks to Cha Seo-ha? You can’t win that way, can you?”
“Exactly. It feels kind of unfair.”
Seeing Moon Ga-yeong’s feelings not quite settle into place, the producer let out a small laugh.
Well, she was eighteen, after all.
It was an age suited to amateurism squabbling rather than commercial logic.
“Are those kids good?”
“Really good. When they busk, people swarm like clouds.”
“Do you think you can win?”
“I’ll give it my best shot!”
Once the interview wrapped, the Star Observation Cam producer found himself thinking two things.
First was that he hoped Oktatop would perform pretty well.
Honestly, he had little expectation.
Nationwide, how many people were there who could sing decently in a neighborhood?
And of those, only a handful ever made the leap into the real show business industry.
Were a hundred people even debuting as singers in a year?
Still, there were amateurs who could appear on broadcast and amateurs who couldn’t.
The producer just hoped those Oktatop kids would at least meet the minimum standard.
That way he could somehow work the Jeong-un High School festival into something watchable.
The second thought was that he hoped they’d be at least somewhat good-looking.
Even if you fill the same airtime with content, the footage of something worth zooming in on has different impact than something without that appeal.
And even if they sang reasonably well, if their face wasn’t right, it’d be hard to use them on broadcast.
But…
“There’s no way kids like that would show up at a school festival.”
They’d already be sweating through trainee life at some agency.
So realistically, his expectations were dim.
And what was it again?
Leader, vocalist, and composer all in one?
When one person could barely do a single thing properly, how well could an eighteen-year-old punk doing a little bit of everything possibly be?
“Producer.”
“Yeah, Jung. Did you get any decent teacher or student interviews?”
“Nothing. There’s literally nothing usable. Aren’t we screwed this episode?”
“What can we do? At least film Moon Ga-yeong’s song performance as stylishly as you can. Set up a keying team to pull out the green screen.”
“I just hope the song is at least decent. I heard she got it from some new composer.”
“She got it from a band at this school.”
“Really?”
“… Should I draft an apology in advance? I think the network director’s going to lose it when this airs.”
That had been the conversation an hour ago.
But now.
“P-Producer!”
“… I see it too.”
“Jackpot! We hit jackpot!”
The moment Oktatop took the stage, everything changed.
* * *
There were two guest performers at Jeong-un High today.
First was Oktatop.
Second was Moon Ga-yeong.
And it was Moon Ga-yeong who would close out the finale.
Technically speaking, Oktatop should have gone last, but the aura of being a celebrity alongside filming for a variety show was not something you could ignore.
Moreover, the festival organizers at Jeong-un High didn’t know exactly how good Oktatop was.
And so the performances by current Jeong-un High students wrapped up.
While the MC killed time with prepared remarks, behind the fallen curtain on stage, Oktatop busily set up their instruments.
Shortly after, the curtain vanished.
“Waaaa!”
“Kyaaaah!”
“So handsome!”
“Wow, they’re insanely good-looking!”
“Wow! Lee Do-yeong looks so cool!”
“Wait, is that Cha Seo-ha? Crazy, what is this, are they celebrities?”
“These guys were at our school this whole time?”
As the students shrieked at the sight of Oktatop taking the stage, Cha Seo-ha grinned.
They’d certainly prepared this performance with an eye toward the bonus content.
But standing before an audience this keyed up, nothing else mattered.
All he wanted was to satisfy them with good music.
So this was real.
Not the Cha Seo-ha drifting through that IF world, but the real Cha Seo-ha of Oktatop.
“Hi, everyone! We’re Oktatop!”
Waaaaa!
“We’re starting with Rendezvous!”
Right on cue, Kang Min’s powerful drums beat against the chests of Jeong-un High students.
The song took off.
Crossing time
Crossing space
I’ll come find you
No matter how much we change
I’ll recognize you
All the instruments harmonized beautifully, pouring out powerful energy.
Above it all, Cha Seo-ha sang with ease.
For a high school venue, the sound system wasn’t bad, but compared to broadcast standards, it couldn’t be called good.
Moreover, Jeong-un High students weren’t particularly familiar with band music, and Rendezvous was a new song to them.
But recognizing something genuine on stage wasn’t that difficult for an audience.
“Dude, what is this.”
“So damn good.”
It wasn’t just the vocals.
While the vocals were overwhelming, the guitar soaring over the house built by the drums, the bass and keyboards clearly reached into professional territory.
Just before the chorus kicked in, Cha Seo-ha moved toward Lee Do-yeong.
The rhythmic slap bass part that formally announced the approaching chorus.
Lee Do-yeong executed that part flawlessly, then grinned just like Cha Seo-ha.
The Jeong-un High students’ screams at the plot twist of the student they’d thought was a model student were inevitable.
‘This guy’s got something.’
Cha Seo-ha, worn a satisfied smile, delivered the chorus.
When we meet
It all begins
A new world
New music
No matter how much we change
I’ll recognize you
Oktatop’s prepared stage was far superior to what they’d practiced.
The atmosphere of the venue was hotter than expected.
Fueled by the pouring cheers, Oktatop’s performance moved past the first verse and chorus and entered a section that didn’t exist in the original composition.
“Drums!”
An instrumental solo section not in the original.
After Cha Seo-ha’s shout, Kang Min properly unleashed his skill.
Short, provocative fills.
Then, with intense headbanging, Kang Min played the drums like he was demolishing them.
His vision must have been completely shot, yet there was no sloppiness whatsoever.
Relentlessly interlocking polyrhythms and swift strokes.
Building grandeur mainly with the toms before cleverly varying the cymbals to produce a bright feeling.
A level of skill worthy of the DMC Champion title, and the audience erupted in tremendous cheers.
“Waaaa!”
“Wow! What is that! What is that!”
“Crazy, so damn good. Who is that person?”
“Not from our school, right?”
“No clue, but this is insane.”
After finishing his solo, Kang Min held up his sticks over his head.
Next, it was Lee Do-yeong’s turn.
A solo that well reflected Lee Do-yeong’s preference for sensibility and refinement over flashy display.
After a brief showcase of bass walking entirely at odds with pop punk, he immediately moved into sensible fingering.
If, after Kang Min’s intense performance, another slap-heavy attack loaded with ghost notes had poured out, there would have been no narrative arc.
“Hmm?”
“Wow, where’s this composure coming from?”
“Ah, the bass is crazy. Lee Do-yeong isn’t just good at studying.”
“Is it because he lost weight? He’s good-looking too…”
“For real.”
Lee Do-yeong’s relaxed solo conveyed refinement rather than spectacle.
For those who loved the dopamine rush, it was a moment to catch their breath.
For those who loved meticulous playing, it was a peak.
After the two rhythm instruments’ weighty foundation came Kim Ji-hu.
Like Kang Min, he was a stranger to Jeong-un High School students.
Kim Ji-hu launched into a hopeful, uplifting solo.
And the largest cheer of the entire performance erupted.
The female students’ voices dominated.
Kim Ji-hu gave it everything.
Ascending progressions carrying him forward as he showed off rapid comping.
After brief comping, he spread his hands wide across the keys and instantly unfolded an arpeggio.
Keyboards lack the intensity of other instruments.
Especially when someone like Kim Ji-hu is delivering clean playing.
But that was just a preconception.
Kim Ji-hu, accustomed to orthodox playing, had a weapon prepared for this moment.
After sweeping his gaze across the audience, he began throwing wild gestures while slamming the keys with his fists.
Keys scattered beneath random strikes, producing calculated dissonance.
Clearly dissonant, yet somehow satisfying—something that hit just right.
The image evoked a crazed musician out of a film.
Naturally, the audience erupted in cheers once again.
And matching that fervor, Heo Jun-seong began playing with soaring harmonics.
The flower of any band is the guitar.
It’s not an overstatement to call it the star.
Heo Jun-seong seemed slightly more energized than usual.
But that was the proper stance for a guitarist.
Hammering and delicate timing on the arming woven between picks.
Showcasing various techniques to propel the fast passages, the sound Heo Jun-seong created was flawless.
As the solo section neared its end, he held out a note for length to reclaim composure, glancing at the audience.
Finally, wearing a playful expression, he raised his pick high and exited.
When we meet
It all begins
A new world
New music
No matter how much we change
I’ll recognize you
The chorus followed immediately after.
Cha Seo-ha continued singing with a satisfied expression.
The song reached its climax.
Oktatop demonstrated perfect ensemble and unity of heart.
The individual strength that five people poured forth converged into one music, transcending the concept of mere ensemble.
Just one piece of music.
Their performance, lost in flow, was as flawless as if a prerecorded track were playing back.
And Cha Seo-ha, right to the end, raced across the stage pouring out every ounce of energy.
So it could become a stage that carried emotion, not just something to listen to.
That’s how the fresh, verdant stage only these ages, in this moment, at this time could paint came to an end.
Wow, waaaaa!
Cheers erupted as if from a famous singer’s concert hall, but Cha Seo-ha didn’t make any remarks.
Instead.
Zing-!!
A special stage prepared just for this performance began immediately.
A boy group called Yly, currently riding the highest wave of popularity, had their track Munchkin arranged as a band version.
Because they’d preserved the original’s feel as much as possible, the moment the song started, students who recognized it let out shrieks and cheers.
Next came To Become a Bird by veteran band Cho Hyun-woo’s Band.
A masterpiece so well-known that in this band-barren market hardly anyone remained ignorant of it—its characteristically lyrical and hopeful vibe was perfect to cap off this set.
And so we finished a successful performance, backing off stage on a wave of thunderous applause.

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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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