The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 60

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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
Episode 60
“Thank you. We were Oktatop!”
After a flawless performance, Oktatop stood in a line before the stage.
Cha Seo Ha wondered what he’d seen just before the stage ended.
Right before the performance finished, one of the production staff rushed toward the judging panel.
Then he said something to Park Chul Hwan, the judge seated at the far right, and made some gesture toward us.
After that, Park Chul Hwan pointed to his in-ear monitor, which he’d removed while watching the stage, and said something.
Upon hearing it, Park Chul Hwan nodded and put the in-ear monitor back on.
What exactly had been said?
He couldn’t know the full details yet, but what mattered now was that they’d executed the stage flawlessly.
There wasn’t a single mistake, and they’d expressed the intended direction of the arrangement well.
Even Kim Ji Hu’s Synth Solo, the most difficult part of the song, went off without a hitch.
Now it was time to hear the judges’ evaluations.
After the judges’ conference, Jung Hyuk, the guitarist from Seoul 1977, was the first to speak.
“Watching you, I felt like I was seeing Black Label in their prime.”
Black Label, the band that dominated the seventies British metal scene.
They weren’t at that level yet, but it was an honor to be mentioned alongside them.
“Wow.”
“Thank you so much.”
The guys bowed their heads in gratitude at the high praise.
And then the light came on in the display panel in front of Jung Hyuk’s seat.
-Real
Out of the four of them, they needed three votes of “Real.”
One down.
Then Kim Hyung Tae, the vocalist from Phoenix, continued the evaluations.
“The arrangement was fantastic. I had this preconception that Oktatop, whether doing metal or punk, was basically doing popular music—but you completely shattered that. Impressive work.”
-Real
Almost there.
There was no thought that they’d fail, but still, watching the proof of recognition accumulate felt good.
Next came Shin Myung Chul, the guitarist from Bulryang Onion, with his evaluation.
“Who wrote the Guitar Solo?”
“I wrote it myself!”
Heo Jun Sung answered confidently, raising his hand.
In truth, Cha Seo Ha hadn’t touched this part at all.
This time, he’d told Jun Sung to do whatever he wanted, and he’d come up with a pretty impressive solo section.
Though it was a bit long.
“Everyone here knows that Tapping Legato isn’t an easy technique. It’s one of the most difficult playing methods.”
Jung Hyuk, also a guitarist, nodded in agreement.
“But the way you handled such a difficult technique while maintaining the tempo was remarkable. And the keyboard player—”
“Yes?”
“The Transpose and Octave Switching—are those your own ideas?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
The other judges nodded in agreement.
Transpose is a button on a keyboard that raises or lowers all the notes overall.
Kim Ji Hu had kept his right-hand playing fixed and used functional methods to change the note values, choosing an obscure but aggressive approach, and it had struck the judges’ ears perfectly.
“It was a complex execution, but it was brilliant. Youth’s audacity really can’t be beaten.”
-Real
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
“We got it. Whoa…….”
They’d crossed the passing line.
While the others relaxed, Cha Seo Ha watched the last remaining judge.
“Well, I thought it was good too.”
Park Chul Hwan, the drummer from Matryoshka, had been tapping his ballpoint pen on the table.
After a pause, he continued.
“But Cha Seo Ha.”
“Yes?”
“You haven’t sung much metal, have you?”
It was a sharp observation.
Park Chul Hwan was right—Cha Seo Ha’s vocal tone wasn’t naturally suited to metal.
If anything, it suited the punk spectrum better.
It was true that he’d performed metal songs less than other rock genres.
But he wasn’t going to shrink from it.
“That’s correct.”
“That’s why it felt a bit like wearing clothes that don’t fit.”
Park Chul Hwan clicked his pen again.
“You performed well, but I think there was a directional problem with the arrangement Oktatop brought today. I’m giving you Fake.”
-Fake
While the result was technically a pass, it was an unexpected evaluation.
Lee Do Young looked disappointed, and Heo Jun Sung was already fuming.
Kim Ji Hu’s expression was unreadable, and Kang Min looked bewildered.
Well, if that’s what he thought, there was nothing to be done.
Shin Myung Chul continued after the final evaluation.
“Would you like to say a few words?”
Kim Ji Hu, who held the microphone, looked at Cha Seo Ha.
“Want to say something?”
“Sure.”
Cha Seo Ha took the microphone Kim Ji Hu offered.
“We performed as we prepared, so I have no regrets, but Judge Park Chul Hwan.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“You said there was a directional problem with the music we brought today?”
“Yes, that’s what I believe.”
“That’s truly your honest opinion, right?”
As Cha Seo Ha looked directly at Park Chul Hwan while speaking, the judge hesitated briefly.
“Yes.”
“Understood. Then we’ll do our best to follow your guidance moving forward. We appreciate your feedback.”
And so they left the audition venue with those cryptic words hanging in the air.
* * *
“Wait, they only got three votes? That was insane.”
“Yeah, that’s what happened.”
“Wow, the judges are brutal. Aren’t we gonna get knocked out?”
Dampa, a YouTuber, was speaking.
He’d reformed a band called Damjang Party that he used to perform with and had entered the audition program.
He’d run up to the person who performed right after Oktatop to ask about their results, shocked to learn that one judge had given them Fake.
The auditions were held indoors, and the waiting area was outside, but that didn’t mean the music couldn’t be heard.
Especially those waiting near the entrance could practically hear the performances live.
Dampa and his group had also heard Oktatop’s performance properly.
“Man, Oktatop got only three votes? That doesn’t even make sense?”
“Right? That Synth Solo was incredible.”
Unable to contain his curiosity, Dampa asked the participant who went after Oktatop.
“What did he say? What was his reason for giving them Fake?”
“Oh, he said something about how Cha Seo Ha doesn’t seem to have sung much metal, and the music didn’t suit him well.”
Dampa and his group were stunned by those words.
“That makes no sense whatsoever.”
* * *
Park Chul Hwan’s comment about not having sung much metal wasn’t wrong.
No matter how well they’d prepared, every piece of music has weaknesses.
And those weaknesses can grow or disappear depending on who’s listening.
But Cha Seo Ha didn’t think their music deserved a Fake rating.
After finishing Round 1, they returned to the Practice Room and began to question what had just happened.
“That judge definitely seemed to be really enjoying our stage.”
“Yeah, right. He didn’t look like he was gonna give us Fake.”
There’s such a thing as the atmosphere of a live moment.
All the judges had looked satisfied, and the guys had all read that energy.
Until the production staff intervened.
Definitely, after that point, Park Chul Hwan’s mood had shifted.
And Cha Seo Ha wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.
“The production staff seemed to be telling that judge something, though.”
Only Lee Do Young had witnessed that scene.
“I think it was probably because we did too well.”
“You did too well, so you got Fake?”
“Yeah, I think the production staff figured we’d climb really high, you know?”
Kim Ji Hu had already put it together from Cha Seo Ha’s words.
“Oh, they’re building narrative tension? If we seem too dominant from the start, the excitement doesn’t land.”
“Smart as always.”
He couldn’t be certain, but that’s what Cha Seo Ha thought.
It didn’t really matter anyway.
Let them do whatever they want.
They’d passed regardless of Park Chul Hwan’s choice.
“But still, it bugs me that they’re criticizing your vocals.”
Heo Jun Sung expressed his frustration, feeling wronged.
“Yeah, I get it. I was a little bothered too.”
In truth, he wasn’t really bothered at all.
He was just empathizing with his friend.
But he did want to scratch an itch.
Not Park Chul Hwan, though.
The production staff.
“We can be annoyed, but if we’re gonna climb higher, we need to listen to what the judges say, right?”
The others nodded silently at his words.
“Alright, guys. Let’s make a plan. We should do what the judge asked, shouldn’t we?”
Cha Seo Ha spoke to them with an expression full of anticipation.
An interesting idea had just occurred to him.
“Check out Cha Seo Ha’s face. What’s he planning this time?”
“He’s definitely cooking up something crazy again.”
* * *
Park Chul Hwan had told them to wear clothes that fit.
So Cha Seo Ha decided to do just that.
There was still a week until the next recording, and what mission would be given hadn’t been announced yet.
Of course, knowing the future, Cha Seo Ha already knew the next mission was a 1v1 Battle.
And he knew the song choice would be a free selection, just like Round 1.
Naturally, like Round 1, they planned to prepare the stage with the best possible quality.
And they’d give the production staff a headache.
They dared to scratch him to keep themselves alive.
These people needed a reality check.

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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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