The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 63

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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 Hard Carry of an Indie Band
Episode 63
There was just under a month left until Who’s The Real aired.
Despite only two filming sessions so far, most of the cast members were delivering the kind of compelling footage the production team wanted.
“Damjang Party—these people are actually more skilled than I expected.”
“This team’s guitarist also sings, and since he’s a former YouTuber, he photographs really well for broadcast.”
Producer Lee Jong Myung was reviewing the footage shot so far with the head writer.
“Odyssey? Is this team well-known?”
“They haven’t been together long, but they’re all people with solid track records.”
“No wonder they’re so skilled.”
“And apparently, Choi Woo Young from this team was in the same band as Kang Min from Okdap before.”
“Really? How do they get along?”
“From what I gathered in the interview, it doesn’t seem to be great.”
“Put them up against each other in the next round.”
“Understood.”
After the conversation about Kang Min, Producer Lee Jong Myung reviewed the Okdap clip.
An excellent first round.
Then there was a tense exchange with judge Park Chul Hwan, which they handled beautifully.
Moreover, when they threw in some impressive dancing on the band audition program, their on-screen presence really sharpened.
Okdap’s early narrative was strong enough as it was.
But judge Jung Hyuk from Seoul 1977 handed them the next layer of their story.
—Your current performance, Lee Do Young, feels a bit carried by Okdap. You’re aware of that, aren’t you?
Okdap hadn’t taken any special action in response to the comment, but cutting the right footage together would make for a compelling scene.
Okdap would definitely prepare some counter to that statement.
The bassist’s growth.
If they can’t pull it off, Okdap’s range ends there, and editing would have to focus on the other teams’ narratives instead.
If they do pull it off, another solid chapter gets added to Okdap’s story.
When he first brought Okdap on board, he hadn’t expected them to produce such compelling material.
He’d only meant to use them as an irregular element in the skilled band scene.
Plus, with good looks to spare, it was natural they’d sell.
But he hadn’t expected them to build their own narrative like this.
“You did good work, Writer Kim. Now let’s attach a crew and shoot some everyday moments of the cast.”
“Understood.”
* * *
“Thank you! We’re Okdap!”
Even while preparing for Who’s The Real’s filming and performance songs, Okdap didn’t skip the weekend busking at Banwol Park.
For weeks now, every time we busked, audience members would ask us if we were going on some audition program.
Each time, we’d brush them off with vague answers, but the ones who wanted a straight reply didn’t let up.
We were always awkward about dodging the question, but today would be the end of that.
As we were packing up after the set.
The K-Net production crew, who’d been filming us for a while, came over.
“Hello, Okdap. We’d like to do a quick interview.”
It was the head writer we’d seen fairly often on the filming set.
“Yes, understood.”
We lined up on a bench next to the stage with the crew.
But starting an interview in a situation like this wasn’t easy.
“Whoa, what’s this? An interview?”
“What is it? Where did they come from?”
“Hey, the camera says K-Net on it?”
“Oh, that must be the band audition show.”
“See! I told you Okdap’s going to be on it!”
The crowd surged out of control, and most of them were holding up their phones to film us.
“You can’t film! Please step back!”
The audience who’d come to watch our busking could hardly stay calm once they saw the camera and Okdap together.
Despite the crew’s pleas, the crowd kept pressing inward.
The crew was struggling to manage it, and control wasn’t coming easily.
“Hey, shouldn’t we help out?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
At Heo Jun Sung’s suggestion, we all stood up from the bench at once.
“Everyone! Sorry, could you please step back?”
“The filming too… Ah, yes. Thank you!”
Once we stepped forward, the crowd began backing away and putting their phones down.
Though some of them were still sneaking shots, of course.
It’s nearly impossible to control everyone in a situation like this.
Once things settled down enough to proceed, the questions came our way.
“We heard Okdap busks at Banwol Park every week. What does this place mean to you?”
“It’s like our hometown. It’s that kind of place for us—like what Club AGOGO is for Black Label or what Groovy 7 Street is for Meshed Ginger.”
“Oh, uh… yes, I see.”
He clearly didn’t understand what I was talking about, but he’d probably just cut it and use it anyway.
“Hongdae’s busking scene is famous, so why do you specifically choose to busk here?”
Heo Jun Sung answered that one.
“At first, Cha Seo Ha suggested it, so we just went along without thinking much. But looking at it, everyone’s home is pretty close to here. So we’ve kept it up.”
“Ah, I see. Does busking usually draw this many people?”
“Yes! Today it’s a bit lighter because it’s so hot, but usually we get dozens more than this.”
Lee Do Young’s cheerful response.
“Are there any difficulties when you’re busking?”
Kang Min was the first to answer this time.
“There are a lot of challenges, and sometimes our opinions don’t align. But what keeps us going is being bonded as one band and the power of music overcoming those differences.”
God, that answer was so painful.
“Oh, so togetherness really means a lot to you, Kang Min?”
“Well, that’s what a band is.”
I wanted to smack him on the spot as he nodded and gave his answer, but holding back laughter was the priority.
After that, the conversation drifted through details about our usual routines.
Since most of us had nothing to say besides music, I figured this part wouldn’t make the cut anyway.
* * *
Okdap’s busking and interview today were being watched from a distance by another contestant on Who’s The Real.
Choi Woo Young of Odyssey.
He’d previously been in Skydiver with Kang Min, but after being kicked out of the band, he’d formed a new group and joined them instead.
Choi Woo Young visited Banwol Park fairly often these days.
Despite the distance from his home, sometimes he’d come out here just to catch a glimpse of Okdap from afar.
Choi Woo Young hated Kang Min.
He told himself that while his expulsion from Skydiver was partly his own fault, Kang Min was the real reason.
Seeing Kang Min doing well frustrated and annoyed him.
Choi Woo Young believed that if he and Kang Min had stayed in Skydiver and held their ground, they could’ve achieved even greater success than Okdap.
That belief hadn’t changed even now.
“Ugh, this is irritating.”
With that, Choi Woo Young turned and left Banwol Park, leaving behind Kang Min conducting a cheerful interview.
* * *
After finishing the Banwol Park interview, the K-Net crew moved on.
Kim Da Young, the main writer for the program, was completely drained from running around all morning.
She’d started early at Jo Sung Hoon’s band’s studio, then stopped by Nakwon Arcade.
After that, she’d visited the personal broadcast studio where Damjang Party’s leader was streaming.
And just now, Banwol Park.
Banwol Park especially had been exhausting because of the crowd.
“Next is Hongdae…”
“Writer, hang in there just a bit longer.”
“Ah, there’ll be even more people there, won’t there?”
She’d burned through all her energy since early morning and had nothing left, but what could she do?
All the other staff were out interviewing other teams, and it was standard for the main writer to personally interview the bigger participants.
Still, the thought of just one more interview—the Maruru band—and then she’d be done gave Kim Da Young some relief.
Once today’s interview wrapped, there’d be no outside schedules for a while, so she wanted to head home early and recover with a cold beer.
“Writer, we’ve arrived.”
“Everyone, let’s get the equipment together.”
Buoyed by thoughts of beer, Kim Da Young rallied her energy.
She parked the car and walked onto Hongdae’s main street with the crew.
“Huh?”
They’d arrived at the time promised with the Maruru band.
They’d said they’d be busking from 8 PM to 9 PM, roughly an hour.
It was now 8:45 PM.
This should’ve been when the atmosphere was hottest.
But there were barely any people.
Looking around, maybe thirty at most.
It was such a stark contrast to the overflow crowd at Banwol Park.
“Hmm, this doesn’t photograph well. Focus on the Maruru band so the lack of audience doesn’t show.”
“Understood.”
After filming began, fifteen minutes passed and the Maruru band’s busking was over.
Like with Okdap, they moved to a different spot and started the interview.
Led by vocalist Min Hyun Ah, skilled and visually striking members took their seats.
In terms of looks alone, they were easily on par with Okdap.
Their skills were comparable, and they had the edge in experience.
From Kim Da Young’s personal assessment, Maruru was actually better than Okdap.
After a brief introduction from Maruru, the real interview began.
“Hongdae isn’t what it used to be, is it?”
“Right, it was still decent until last year, but the Hongdae scene has really died down lately. And today’s hot, so it’s even worse.”
There was a wistfulness in leader Min Hyun Ah’s voice as she answered.
She seemed to be pining for the once-vibrant Hongdae scene.
“For a band like Maruru, there are plenty of venues that would book you. Why choose to busk like this?”
“Because the scene needs us on the streets. People who used to be in Hongdae are scattering all over the place anyway.”
Kim Da Young’s attention sharpened at Min Hyun Ah’s answer.
“That’s admirable. For a band of Maruru’s caliber, it’s not easy to take to the streets. By the way, has busking become less common in Hongdae these days?”
“Well, yes, you could say that…”
“Are people moving somewhere else instead?”
Min Hyun Ah hesitated in her response.
A glance at the camera.
A glance at Kim Da Young.
She seemed to be gauging the situation, choosing her words carefully.
Kim Da Young moved first.
“Like, say, Banwol Park, for instance?”
“Well… that’d be one of them, I suppose.”

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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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