The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 61

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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 Hard-Carry for an Indie Band
Chapter 61
Just as Seo Ha had anticipated, the judges’ comments on Who’s the Real had indeed been influenced by the production staff.
Okgtop performed beautifully, time and time again.
Across all participants in the 1st Round over two days, they commanded the highest level of skill on display.
Of course, there were many teams with greater experience and depth compared to Okgtop.
But in terms of raw, instinctive ability, Okgtop was undoubtedly first.
In the production staff’s judgment, if Okgtop simply continued this way, they would likely climb quite high.
With good visuals too, if they made it to the finals where audience voting and live text voting took place, the dynamics would tilt in Okgtop’s favor.
Having already made that assessment, the production staff had installed one device necessary for narrative purposes.
In truth, whether it was three votes or four votes made no difference to their passing, but they instructed judge Park Chul Hwan to find a flaw in Okgtop.
The flaw he found was that Okgtop was wearing clothes that didn’t suit them.
Park Chul Hwan’s opinion was not entirely off the mark.
Seo Ha’s distinctive voice was indeed hardware that suited punk better than metal.
And Park Chul Hwan’s opinion came from genuine conviction.
He believed Okgtop was a team that shouldn’t climb higher.
Okgtop was true indie, not an idol band, as they had proven.
But what mattered to judge Park Chul Hwan was not the title itself.
If you’d just stepped into the scene, you needed the romanticism and authenticity of rock that suited that phase.
That sincerity and romance—and only after years of experience, after reaching a certain standing, should one pursue popular music.
That was what he believed the true path of musicians looked like.
Park Chul Hwan simply disliked what could be called “prettily-grown bands.”
If Okgtop gained something from this broadcast and entered the major scene, he was certain it would be poison for both Okgtop and the scene itself.
Okgtop, unaware of these underlying motives—
Along with the other members, even Seo Ha interpreted judge Park Chul Hwan’s “Fake” verdict as nothing more than the broadcast station’s interference.
“Clothes that don’t suit us…….”
Seo Ha muttered to himself as he opened the door to ST Studio.
He turned over Park Chul Hwan’s words in his mind.
Honestly, he hadn’t minded hearing it.
But watching his friends take it to heart, he couldn’t just sit idle.
For the next round, he needed to prepare one special weapon.
To win the round while following Park Chul Hwan’s direction, without straying from his artistic sensibility—
And simultaneously commanding broadcast appeal.
That kind of weapon.
“Hello, sir.”
“So, how’s the prep for next round coming along?”
“I’m about to compose the song now.”
“Now?”
“Yes, things didn’t go as planned somehow.”
“Alright, you must be busy—go on and get to work.”
“Thank you.”
After that brief exchange with Jo Hyun Seop, Seo Ha entered the empty studio.
* * *
“Boss, when was that broadcast coming out? The one with that kid?”
“Late August.”
“A whole month left. I hope it airs soon.”
Park Min Ji, an intern at ST Studio, was watching Seo Ha through the monitor.
For over an hour since entering, Seo Ha had been absorbed in his work alone.
Was there anything in this world more beautiful than a handsome person concentrating on their craft?
He was working with headphones on, so she couldn’t tell what music he was making, but just watching was enough to make her happy.
And the thrill of seeing the composition process for a song that would air on broadcast soon filled her with anticipation.
“What kind of music do you think he’s making this time?”
“Who knows, I’m curious too.”
Seo Ha stopped playing bass and suddenly began pulling at his hair.
Something wasn’t coming together the way he wanted.
Even a genius has moments of struggle.
Setting the bass aside, Seo Ha stood and stretched.
“Doesn’t seem to be going smoothly.”
“I thought he just whipped things out like nothing, but he has these moments of doubt too.”
“There’s no artist without them. Even world-class geniuses face creative struggle.”
Seo Ha paced the studio, sat down, stood up again, and even tapped the wall with his palm.
Forgetting the CCTV was there, he did some strange movements, then suddenly let out a loud shout.
Then, as if something had struck him, he rushed over to the computer, grabbed his bass, and—
“Wow, suddenly got that posture.”
“That posture looks cool.”
Seo Ha leaned his upper body forward and began playing bass.
It was a posture bass players often adopted—one that emerged when they were truly immersed.
“Looks like he found his groove.”
“I wonder what’s coming!”
After Seo Ha seemed to finish the composition, he switched the output from headset to speakers and played the song back.
The moment the song’s identity revealed itself, Jo Hyun Seop recognized the original.
“Huh? He’s doing that?”
Seo Ha’s song choice was completely unexpected.
They’d thought he might use one of their own tracks, but instead he’d pulled out something incredibly famous.
Would this hurt them or help them……?
To make something with that song, they’d need one powerful blow.
Had he really prepared something like that?
And as the song began, Seo Ha stood up from his seat.
“Kyaaah!”
At the action Seo Ha demonstrated, hearts literally burst from Park Min Ji’s eyes.
“That…… what is that…….”
Jo Hyun Seop, meanwhile, stared in bewilderment at the weapon Seo Ha had prepared.
But this is a band audition…….
Can he even do that?
And he didn’t consult with me about this either?
* * *
After completing the song, Seo Ha sent it to the Okgtop group chat.
Shortly after, the members who had reviewed it sent their replies.
Hamburger: Whoa, what is this? Are we doing this for next round? Did you make this, Seo Ha?
Me: Yeah
Hamburger: Yes! I’m in!
Anime Nerd: Hehe! Sugoi! Subarashi!
Kim Ji Hu: Not bad. It’s a bold choice for sure, but the arrangement direction looks good, so I think it’ll work.
And after that, I sent them a short video clip to use as a weapon alongside the song.
Lee Do Young: What is this……?
Kim Ji Hu: Are you serious, Seo Ha?
Anime Nerd: Hora…… this is interesting….
Hamburger: Wow, it’s insane, but is this even allowed? Isn’t this too much?
I suspected that convincing these guys to use this weapon would be harder than actually making the song.
* * *
A total of 36 teams survived the 1st Round.
The 2nd Round was one-on-one competition, and losing teams were immediately eliminated.
Time flowed faithfully, the date of the 2nd audition drew near, and four teams had already been knocked out.
An annex studio next to K-Net Broadcast Station in Sangam-dong.
“It’s definitely better than the first round.”
“Creating rivals is what lights the fire.”
In the first round, there were too many mediocre teams.
Back then there were many teams to judge and dull performances to reluctantly watch.
But now, being able to watch only solid performances, the judges felt their energy rising.
“Chul Hwan, who are you most looking forward to?”
“For me, it’s definitely Maruru Band. They’re an overwhelmingly strong team.”
“But Okgtop performed better in the first round, didn’t they?”
“That can happen once. I’ll admit Okgtop is performing well, but in a long battle, they’ll have a hard time beating Maruru Band.”
“True. What about Destruction then? From what I saw, they’re also a strong championship contender.”
“They perform well too. I noticed in the first round their music became more fluid than before.”
Various other topics were discussed—teams that showed unexpected promise, teams that underperformed—and so on.
“Jo Sung Hoon Band entering stage.”
At that moment, Jo Sung Hoon Band, the only band with close ties to Okgtop, appeared.
“Hello. This is Jo Sung Hoon Band.”
The first performance of the fifth matchup.
The judges received their greetings, and while the band tuned their instruments, they continued their conversation.
“Those kids did better than expected in the first round, right?”
“Yeah, I’d never seen them before, but their creativity was so good. The performance was a bit lacking though.”
“But the vocalist was quite excellent.”
“They’re good now, but if the instrumentalists don’t practice more, they won’t be able to climb very high.”
“They show real promise for the future.”
In the first round, Jo Sung Hoon Band had shown unexpected ability.
There were so many teams with mediocre skill that the judges had no reason to expect much from these newcomers.
Yet Jo Sung Hoon Band’s music had many engaging points.
If there was a shortcoming, it was that the instrumentalists couldn’t quite keep pace with the creativity.
But the vocalist’s ability was strong enough to compensate to some degree.
What kind of performance would they show this time?
* * *
“Congratulations. Jo Sung Hoon Band advances to the 3rd Round!”
“Thank you so much!”
“Thank you, truly!”
The members of Jo Sung Hoon Band all bowed to the judges with tears welling in their eyes.
In truth, they’d come up with a light heart.
The band had only just been formed, so they’d expected to be eliminated quickly.
But they were climbing higher than anticipated.
As Jo Sung Hoon Band exited, a brief break was given.
“Ah, I forgot to ask who wrote the song.”
Park Chul Hwan had been impressed by Jo Sung Hoon Band’s performance both in the 1st and 2nd rounds.
Though the team certainly had shortcomings, their sparkling creativity made their future promising.
He thought Jo Sung Hoon Band was a team brimming with the kind of romanticism that someone newly stepping into the band scene could show.
“We’ll ask next round.”
The judges drank water or used the restroom and checked which matchup came next.
-S.L.Y VS Okgtop
“Oh, Okgtop is up next.”
“I wonder what song they prepared.”
“After what you said last time, aren’t they bringing a pop song?”
“Hey, let’s not talk about that.”
At Shin Myung Chul from Bullyangppa, who was starting to needle him, Park Chul Hwan showed visible discomfort.
He had given his honest assessment in the last round.
Okgtop was receiving far too much love for their experience level.
“Far too much love.”
Now that Okgtop’s stage was drawing near, a subtle unease began to bloom in his heart.
What song had they chosen this time?
And how would that result and the comments he’d made in the last round be woven together for broadcast?
Countless thoughts tangled in his mind in an instant.
“That Seo Ha guy looked kind of defiant last time—you think he’s bringing something even more intense out of spite?”
“Nah, no way. They’re still high schoolers—I bet they just bring something safe, something popular.”
“Yeah, they’re still kids. They’ll probably do what the judges told them to.”
As various opinions were being exchanged, a voice came through the speakers.
“Hello. This is Okgtop.”

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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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