The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 72

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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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The Former Idol Carries an Indie Band
72
Back in school, I was never a strong student.
I played sports a bit, but I was just the kid in the neighborhood who happened to be decent at soccer.
Nothing that would become a career.
I was just one of those ordinary students you’d find in any classroom. That was me.
Then one day, a friend introduced me to punk rock, and my entire life changed.
After I formed the Destruction band, things started to get better.
I didn’t make money from it, but the moment I played music, all the world’s noise would fade away.
It felt like music was destroying all of life’s hardships.
Just like the name “Destruction” suggested.
And so I worked tirelessly toward making it as a band.
Childhood full of passion.
We played music whenever we had a chance, and even dreamed of music when we slept.
Eventually, we earned the title of Rebel in the indie scene.
And so Destruction flourished.
Three or four years after forming the band, we started to wilt.
After we’d all finished our military service, we felt just how massive the wall of reality was.
Two of our original members eventually left the band, and we recruited new ones.
Our musicianship grew better each day, but the momentum wasn’t what it used to be.
More than maintaining our pure dedication to music, we felt anxiety about success growing faster than our actual skill.
The bigger our worries became, the more time we spent drinking and discussing the future of the Korean Band Scene rather than playing together.
We spent our time evaluating other bands instead of focusing on our own music.
Then one day.
Wanting to work harder again, I decided to work with the members on an album and truly begin Destruction’s second act.
The day our album dropped.
There was something that drew more attention than our release.
—Star Observation Cam. You know Moon Ga-yeong? That friend? Oktop’s Rendezvous Full Version performance!
At first, honestly, I didn’t think much of it.
I figured it was just some band that would disappear after a moment.
But after that, Oktop appeared on music broadcasts.
The band that had interfered with our album promotion was an idol group—I couldn’t accept that.
When Oktop showed up at Band Slam, it was even more unbearable.
And so, carrying that hatred toward Oktop, I came this far.
I hated them, envied them, felt jealous of them, couldn’t stand the sight of them.
To destroy Oktop today, we made thorough preparations.
Oktop’s excellent musicianship.
We prepared a song superior to theirs.
“Wooooah!”
A roar—almost a scream—erupted from the audience.
A slow but heavy drum and bass.
A guitar full of reverb, sharp and piercing at moments.
And I sang desperately over it all.
Like a Diamond, enduring every hardship and adversity in the world.
* * *
“He’s doing way better than in Rehearsal….”
“Did Im Hyun Taek perform this well before?”
The producers could only marvel at Im Hyun Taek’s command of the stage.
“The song is good too, isn’t it?”
“Who wrote this? There’s no way they composed it themselves.”
Destruction’s ensemble playing was exceptional.
On a level that couldn’t be compared to any stage they’d shown before.
A song that far surpassed even that brilliant ensemble.
Destruction sang and played as if they’d fallen into a world entirely their own.
It felt like watching a film of all the time they’d walked together.
Destruction’s narrative was definitely recorded as a chapter in the history of the Band Scene.
And those eight grand years of narrative became reality on this stage today.
And everyone watching felt a similar emotion.
* * *
Destruction’s performance was being watched in real time by the waiting room participants.
Every participant received their own private waiting room since this was the Main Round Stage.
The Dam Jang Party members, who’d won in the previous round, were also watching Destruction’s performance from their individual waiting rooms.
“Wow…. A band that’s been around for a long time really is different.”
“Seriously, seriously so good.”
“The performance is really cool, but it’s like… moving? That kind of feeling, you know?”
While the Dam Jang Party members were praising Destruction.
Dam Pa, the team’s vocalist and guitarist, watched the stage with an uneasy mind.
“Hm…….”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, they’re just too good.”
Dam Pa, rarely maintaining such a low energy.
With his Perfect Pitch and his keen ability to analyze music, the Destruction stage looked flawless to him.
Symphonic Rock that captured the epic atmosphere well.
The session and vocals executing the prepared song perfectly.
Even their outfits and the grand flag waving behind them.
It was far too perfect a stage.
“What’s wrong with doing well? It’s seriously a legendary performance.”
“No, it’s not that—it’s just Oktop a bit…….”
Seemed risky.
I know Oktop plays music well, but can they do better than this?
And the fact that Oktop plays music well is already something many people know.
If they use that as their weapon, will it really land?
Having good visuals could give them an advantage, but I hoped they wouldn’t win on something like that.
“Surely Oktop won’t be eliminated.”
Deep down, Dam Pa was rooting for Oktop to win.
It was partly personal fandom, but from what he’d seen in the last session battle, Im Hyun Taek’s ungentlemanly conduct had bothered him.
And Kang Min’s manly response had been so cool.
Oktop was the Band Scene’s rising star.
Destruction was the long-established guardian.
Dam Pa desperately wanted to see a newcomer crush a veteran.
* * *
I’m Unbreakable
Like a Diamond
Unlimited Spirit
Going on forever
Im Hyun Taek poured all his Shouting into the Microphone.
And as his Shouting ended, Jung Bo Un, carrying a Guitar, walked toward the center of the stage.
Harmonics that matched the atmosphere perfectly cut through the Studio.
He brushed the neck with his left hand a few times, swung his arm in one swift motion, then launched into Picking.
Jung Bo Un, head down, poured all his focus into the performance.
The speed of the Picking accelerated gradually, and the emotion of the performance reached its peak.
A performance that drew the image of a protagonist from some medieval fantasy world pushing through adversity toward their goal.
It was an excellent performance that simultaneously captured the nobility of medieval times and the rough atmosphere of overcoming hardship.
As the guitar solo ended, they moved into the final chorus, and Im Hyun Taek sang again, confidently walking toward the center.
As the song neared its end, Im Hyun Taek finally took in the audience.
Until just moments ago, he’d been lost in his own world singing.
Because of that, he could paint clearly what the stage meant to convey, and as he raced toward the end, he held this thought.
‘Today we will crush Oktop here and climb to greater heights.’
Im Hyun Taek’s resolve was being delivered throughout the entire Studio, carried on the band’s resonance.
‘We will eliminate the fake and restore order to the Band Scene.’
Those who felt that emotion were overwhelmed, their gazes fixed on Im Hyun Taek as if entranced.
‘Today we will mark a page in the history of bands!’
Destruction handled the stage flawlessly, never losing focus until the very end.
And so their performance concluded, painting “perfection.”
* * *
The seats were cleared and Destruction’s members took the stage.
After that, the judges offered their thoughts, except for Shin Myung Chul, their dedicated producer.
“That was wonderful to watch. Really…. truly spectacular. I never imagined I’d see such a brilliant performance—it was like watching a film.”
Judge Jung Hyuk conveyed his sincere admiration, and Destruction bowed gratefully.
And Park Chul Hwan’s evaluation followed.
“Symphonic Rock can easily become neither one thing nor the other if handled poorly. The difficulty is just too high. But today, what I witnessed was truly perfect. There’s nothing more to add.”
Park Chul Hwan privately favored Oktop, but his assessment was without falsehood.
The stage Destruction had just shown was truly perfect.
After hearing the judges’ thoughts, Destruction exited to the Backstage.
* * *
“Oktop, you’ll be taking the stage in one minute!”
Destruction’s performance was quite solid.
Stage setup, instrumental play, vocals, performance.
Everything exceeded my expectations.
But there was one thing that didn’t fall outside my predictions.
Just as Kang Min said, Destruction had been trying to neutralize us.
Because of that, the fact that they’d bring out a song showcasing high musicianship didn’t surprise me.
For that, I’m grateful.
“Good, everyone gather!”
My call brought them all together in a circle.
“You saw them, right? How well they performed?”
They reacted to my question in their own ways.
“Yeah, we saw!”
“So what are we gonna do!!!!”
“So what, doesn’t matter.”
“No problem at all!!”
In the bustling Backstage, they answered at the top of their lungs.
The way they answered with that energy wasn’t just because of confidence.
It was to properly draw out the weapon we possessed.
“Good! Let’s go smash them all!”
“Yeah!!!”
“One, two!”
“Oktop!!!!”

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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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