The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 66

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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
Episode 66
Before the third round began, the production team conducted thorough background checks on all the contestants.
And in the end, they got exactly the narrative they wanted.
“PD, we’ve got one good angle.”
“Yeah, I heard. Cut the front footage appropriately and layer just Distruction and Oktatop’s nerve war nicely.”
“Understood.”
“Perfect for the early episodes.”
The substantive conversation between Kang Min and Im Hyun Taek in the restroom never made it to camera.
But the incident in the rehearsal room alone was enough to create compelling footage.
And the broadcast crew was capturing Kang Min and Choi Woo Young’s conversation too.
“And PD, we also caught some old history between Kang Min and Choi Woo Young on the sly. They seemed to make up in the rehearsal room earlier?”
“They made up?”
The claim that recording would stop was obviously a lie.
The two, unfamiliar with filming, trusted only the production team’s word and had no idea everything was being captured as they shared genuine conversation.
“Should we add some narrative for Odyssey and Oktatop?”
“Nah, skip it. Nobody’s going to care about emotional payoff in this episode.”
“True, that’s fair.”
“Oh, but if Odyssey gets a high ranking, cut that separately and save it.”
“Got it.”
* * *
While the editing direction was being finalized in the PD Office, the Studio was bustling with main stage preparations.
Several teams had already performed, and now it was Kang Min’s turn approaching.
“You ready, Min?”
Kang Min met his friends before taking the stage.
“It was easier than usual, honestly. The song was pretty straightforward. The drums are basically just the basic rhythm.”
“I mean, compared to that hellish piece Cha Seo Ha makes, that’s nothing.”
“Right, as long as we’re not playing with Seo Ha, everything feels easy.”
“Cha Seo Ha still thinks Oktatop’s a taekwondo club or something.”
“What are you all talking about? That’s the bare minimum. Kids these days are just lazy, I tell you.”
“You’re the same age as him.”
Kang Min’s eyes filled with the sight of his friends spouting nonsense.
‘Why do I feel like crying….’
Just moments ago, he’d been caught up in something like a storm.
His heart felt uneasy, and the rehearsal hadn’t been fun.
But coming back from all that, these friends—family to him—welcomed him.
And for that reason, Oktatop felt even more precious to Kang Min.
He thought: this is where I belong.
‘Man, these guys are something else….’
Shortly after, the production team gave the signal, and the moment for Kang Min to take the stage drew near.
* * *
Unlike the other rounds, in this round’s main performance, all session players read from sheet music during the ensemble.
The time given was too short to memorize all the music.
Teams that had done special arrangements had to produce new sheet music, which the leader would compile and deliver to the production team.
It was one hour before the main stage began.
“Team 3 hasn’t arrived yet? No arrangement from Team 3?”
The production team searched urgently for one team.
“They’re not here. Let’s check the Waiting Room.”
That’s when Im Hyun Taek rushed over from somewhere, breathless.
“Oh, sorry. I had to use the Restroom.”
“How can you be late? Give us the sheet music quickly.”
“Yes, sorry.”
Im Hyun Taek handed over the sheet music he’d revised with his bandmates.
The production team quickly organized it and printed new copies.
“Sorry for being late. Thank you!”
Im Hyun Taek gathered the printed sheet music and left.
The main stage began.
* * *
“How are they all this good?”
“How are we supposed to rank them….”
“The lower ranks are clear, but it’s hard to tell the difference at the top.”
The judges were at a loss after watching the two previous teams’ performances.
Both stages had gone remarkably well.
Of the eighteen surviving teams that made up the temporary band rosters, three remained.
The two teams that had just performed did far better than expected.
Both in terms of team dynamics and internal musicianship, it was difficult to distinguish a clear winner.
“The next team will probably do even better….”
The last team remaining was Kang Min’s.
All five performers had such individual excellence that expectations were high.
“Though, maybe not. The stronger and more unique they are, the more they want to stand out, right?”
“Yeah, that’s fair.”
“And I heard they had a fight earlier.”
“Really?”
“Distruction and Oktatop apparently don’t get along.”
“Wow…. The production team really is something.”
“Tell me about it.”
As various conversations went back and forth, the next team took the stage and greeted the judges.
“Are you all prepared?”
As the bandmates hesitated, Dampa answered.
“Yes! We’re all set and ready to go!”
“Ha, Dampa, your energy is always wonderful. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
* * *
After tuning, Kang Min sat down for a moment and took a deep breath as usual.
Im Hyun Taek had cursed at him and slapped his face, but it wasn’t enough to shake his mental fortitude.
Kang Min had said everything he needed to say, clearly.
Besides, the drum difficulty was quite low, so there should be no problem with the ensemble.
But the most important thing—whether they could pull together as one….
“Ah, forget it. Let’s just do this.”
All Kang Min wanted was to finish quickly and get back to his friends.
Shortly after, the camera began rolling.
The main stage began.
Choi Woo Young’s mysterious Synthesizer sound played for one second.
No, shorter than that, and immediately after, Dampa’s Clean Tone stroked guitar entered.
The music breathed much slower than the original.
Fractured ground beneath you
The earth shakes under your feet
Lost in a dizzy dimension
You’ve lost your way
Im Hyun Taek’s vocal, murmured as though reciting poetry.
A performance that matched the slower tempo perfectly.
Soon after, the bass slid in and joined.
Kang Min’s light Close Hi-Hat chattered in, adding a touch of brightness.
Entering the B-Part of the first verse and the pre-chorus section, the Kick Snare joined in.
As Dampa’s guitar playing switched to picking, the mood shifted from “calm music” to “cynical music.”
A very natural progression.
All the performers were seasoned professionals, so there was no discomfort in listening.
The seamlessly connected song had reached the first chorus.
Super Gravity
An undeniable force
You’re sucked into me
Super Gravity
Originally a girl group song with powerful, aggressive vocals.
But Im Hyun Taek delivered that section much more softly.
Blending emotion appropriately, without overdoing it.
His vocal carried a cynical and mysterious atmosphere, far from his usual intensity.
And the guitar was a perfect match for his vocal tone.
Dampa’s guitar was layered thick with fuzz and Distortion.
And behind it, a wall of sound filling the space.
Choi Woo Young’s Synthesizer, drenched in reverb and delay.
With such a keen sense of spatial depth, Choi Woo Young proved himself a master of the psychedelic sound.
And underneath it all, Kang Min’s steady 8-beat Drum and Im Min Joo’s Bass holding the foundation.
The balance and atmosphere were world-class.
There was no piercing vocal intensity, no breakneck tempo.
Yet the production value was such that listening to the music alone felt like watching a film.
“Wow….”
“Isn’t this basically a completely different song?”
“It’s become something entirely new.”
“The atmosphere they’ve created is just sublime….”
The judges were marveling at the arrangement direction.
“An arrangement like this could easily fall flat, but the players are so skilled that their ability to cover it is extraordinary.”
“The first two teams were good, but this one is even better.”
The song had come a little less than halfway through.
The judges were curious what would unfold next.
The first verse ended cleanly, and they were entering the second verse.
Kang Min turned a page of the sheet music, and for a moment he wondered if he’d misread something.
“What the hell is this.”
The sheet music was a mess.
The measures were divided strangely, with blank spaces.
And some notes were marked incorrectly.
He glanced at the other performers, but they didn’t seem to have any problems.
“Seriously.”
This was Im Hyun Taek’s doing.
In reality, something this trivial couldn’t disrupt Kang Min’s playing.
The drum pattern was simple to begin with, and at Kang Min’s skill level, the sheet music was merely a reference—nothing more—for a performance like this.
Im Hyun Taek obviously knew that too.
He couldn’t interfere with Kang Min’s playing over something so minor.
But the memory of how Im Hyun Taek had mocked him in the restroom came back, and in a fit of irritation, he’d pulled this prank.
In other words, he was just picking a fight again.
Because Im Hyun Taek had picked another fight, all sorts of thoughts began churning in Kang Min’s head.
Since the rhythmic difficulty was low, his playing looked smooth on the surface.
But his mind was not at peace.
‘Why does this guy keep coming at us? What’s his problem?’
The high-pitched Synthesizer that Choi Woo Young was playing grated on Kang Min’s nerves.
The thumping Bass annoyed him, and he wanted to smash Dampa’s guitar right then and there.
And Im Hyun Taek sang smoothly on.
‘I just wanted to make music with my friends and chill watching anime. Is that really such a problem?’
With those thoughts, certain scenes from the past surfaced.
The time when he’d left Sky Diver and wandered, wondering if he should quit music altogether.
The days when he joined Oktatop thinking he’d finally have fun making music, only to be hated by the world.
The day at Band Slam when he got stabbed in the back by former bandmates.
And the humiliation of today.
Because Im Hyun Taek kept scratching at him relentlessly, even unwanted memories surfaced.
Even family matters he didn’t want to think about….
As his thoughts reached that point, the second verse was wrapping up and the timing to enter the chorus was approaching.
And at that moment, Kang Min’s irritation reached its peak.
Cha Seo Ha had said something earlier.
“Go out there and play your way.”
“Got it, Cha Seo Ha. I’ll play my way. You all watch carefully.”
And so the song turned toward the chorus.

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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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