The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 74

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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 Idol-Turned Musician Carries the Indie Band
Chapter 74
Right after Oktop’s performance ended.
The seats had already been cleared, but the audience lingered in the afterglow, buzzing with energy.
“God, that was seriously so much fun.”
“I haven’t screamed like that in ages. Look at my voice—it’s completely shot.”
“Wow, it’s hot. I’m drenched. We really went all out.”
“Hey, is this like a festival or something?”
“No seriously, those guys are insanely good. I didn’t expect them to be this level.”
“I hope they do this again.”
“If Oktop says they’re performing again, I’m definitely going.”
Oktop’s stage, built on Communication as their main weapon, had landed perfectly with the audience.
The other participants watching on screen felt the same way.
Damjang Party’s waiting room.
“No way! I don’t know this one! If it’s like this, I totally don’t know it! No idea whatsoever!”
Damjang was practically tearing around the waiting room, pacing like a man possessed.
“I mean, come on—I thought they’d compete on musicality, but they just steamrolled with Communication!”
“Right? Oktop’s playing this so strategically, though. It’s a public vote, after all.”
From the Main Round onward, the producers’ expert judging was excluded, and victory would be decided by the audience’s votes.
To win, they needed to win over the audience, not the producers.
And that’s exactly what Oktop had designed for.
“Do you think Destruction assumed Oktop would compete on musicality?”
“Obviously. If I were them, I’d assume they’d compete on genre or musicality or something like that.”
Oktop had solid chemistry.
The unique youthful vibe they exuded was part of their arsenal too.
But what most people identified as Oktop’s main weapon was the quality of the music itself.
Yet this round, Oktop had only secured musicality to a necessary degree and filled the rest entirely with Communication with the audience.
It was a twist.
Whether this strategy—which defied everyone’s expectations—would pay off would only be clear once the voting finished.
But something about Oktop suddenly felt full of possibility to Damjang.
* * *
With Oktop’s performance, one round came to an end.
Oktop and Destruction stood on the stage.
Between them stood the emcee, Yu Hwan.
“Yes, I really enjoyed both teams’ performances.”
The emcee too seemed deeply moved, his tone pitched high with lingering emotion.
“It felt to me like each team performed with the other’s weapon. Are both teams satisfied with today’s stage?”
“Yes, we are.”
Lim Hyun Taek answered first.
“We performed without regret.”
Cha Seo Ha answered quietly.
“Well then, before the judging, let’s hear from the producers.”
At Yu Hwan’s words, Park Chul Hwan grabbed the microphone first.
“First, let’s give applause to Destruction for taking on Symphonic Rock.”
Applause rippled through the audience at Park Chul Hwan’s words.
“It’s not an easy genre. It’s a piece that only people who’ve spent a long time with music itself—beyond rock as a genre—could pull off, and I think you executed it brilliantly.”
Park Chul Hwan then looked toward Oktop.
“And Oktop… did you intentionally hold back during rehearsal?”
Cha Seo Ha answered.
“I’d be grateful if you’d see it as us conserving our energy.”
“I’ll admit—you fooled me. I never imagined you’d unleash that kind of energy on stage. Despite being so young, you showed real polish and seasoning. It was an excellent performance.”
Following Park Chul Hwan’s assessment, Shin Myung Chul added his thoughts.
The content was similar.
Destruction’s musicality was excellent, and Oktop’s stage was incandescent—both impressed.
Shin Myung Chul, like Park Chul Hwan, lavished praise on both teams, finding nothing but merit in both.
Then Jung Hyuk, the producer from Mirror 1977, took the microphone.
“Well, both teams were excellent. We’ve heard plenty of good things already, so I’d like to point out some areas for improvement…”
Producer Jung Hyuk’s sharp gaze turned first to Destruction.
“Lim Hyun Taek.”
“Yes.”
“Your vocals seemed to lose power as the song progressed. You’ll need to manage that better.”
“Understood.”
Lim Hyun Taek answered calmly without resistance.
He’d done so much rehearsal that his vocal care had suffered slightly, but he didn’t think it was noticeable enough to stand out.
He was startled by Producer Jung Hyuk’s acuity for picking up on it.
“And Oktop—the bassist still feels like a weak point. The rest of your members’ abilities are so high that the bass feels comparatively submerged.”
Producer Jung Hyuk was singling out Lee Do Young’s skills again, following his previous criticism.
At those words, Oktop simply nodded.
In moments like this, proving yourself through music was better than making excuses.
After Producer Jung Hyuk, Producer Kim Hyung Tae delivered his assessment, and now the voting was approaching.
“All right, let’s begin the voting!”
The lights swirled to life, and solemn music filled the studio.
“Vote now for the band you loved, the true band you believe in!”
The studio was thick with tension.
Even the producers couldn’t guess who would win.
And shortly after.
The music and lights faded, and Yu Hwan took the microphone.
“Voting has closed.”
A moment of unbearable tension.
The results were revealed without delay, and the elimination was decided along with the vote count.
* * *
For our Destruction to beat Oktop, we had to show superior musicality.
Because Oktop’s main weapon was musicality.
So I’d scraped together money from part-time work, spent two million won, and brought out the Next Album Title Track.
I’d bought it quite a while ago, so the ensemble was already tight, but we rehearsed together every single day anyway.
We coordinated our outfits and got friends to wave flags from behind the stage.
Even the flag production cost us plenty.
So we prepared excellent music and a stage that matched it perfectly.
Today, we aimed to outshine Oktop—who were trying to steal the Band Scene with mainstream pop—and establish ourselves as true rockers.
Because that was how we protected this scene that was my home and my origin.
So why…?
-Destruction: 92 votes
-Oktop: 208 votes
Why in the world.
No matter what we try, we can never beat them.
“Congratulations! Oktop advances to Main Round 2!”
The audience’s cheers and applause erupted, but I felt my senses go numb in that instant.
Suddenly all sound seemed muted, as if underwater.
“…Thank you for listening.”
“…We prepared… to have a fun stage…”
Cha Seo Ha’s calm voice came through in fragments.
I checked the results again.
-Destruction: 92 votes
-Oktop: 208 votes
A crushing margin.
As my sense of reality slowly returned, I looked to the side.
Cha Seo Ha was still giving his victory remarks.
“…It was a joy to play with the audience again after a long time. Thank you.”
Cha Seo Ha’s voice was so composed.
Why was he so calm?
Shouldn’t he be happy he beat us?
Ah… I see now.
“Yes, they’re hard to see. Idol-turned bands like Destruction.”
What Kang Min had said to me during our last fight—it was the truth.
We stayed up burning the midnight oil trying to beat Oktop, investing every won we had.
But they weren’t even thinking about us.
Now that I think about it, Oktop never gave us a second thought unless I started something first.
What had I been doing all this time?
Suddenly, memories from the past began tangling in my head.
Calling out Oktop on the BandSlam stage.
Talking behind their backs at a drinking gathering, calling them an idol band or whatever.
Mocking them on the Band Community for daring to release an album.
The fight with Kang Min at the last competition.
I felt ashamed of my own behavior.
“Destruction also performed really well. You must be disappointed—could you share your thoughts?”
At the host’s words, my arm holding the microphone slowly rose.
What could I say?
Turning my head to the right, Oktop kept their gaze straight ahead.
“Ah…”
They really aren’t thinking about us at all.
Oktop, just looking forward, moving onward.
And me, only chasing their heels.
Of course we had to lag behind them.
Because we were always standing behind them.
I gathered these thoughts and poured them into the microphone.
“It’s disappointing, but I feel like we learned a lot from this.”
For a moment my emotions surged and I felt a lump in my throat, but I held it back.
“Truthfully, lately I’ve been thinking my music isn’t working. I thought it was just a mood, or that I’ve been making music too long, but now I see that wasn’t it.”
The audience applauded when I spoke the truth.
My throat caught for a moment, but I steadied myself and continued with a clear voice.
“…When my music was best was not when I had some goal to pursue, like now, but when I made music with a pure heart, music that was truly mine.”
Gentle applause rose again.
“…Going forward, I will continue to sing with Destruction in our own place. Thank you.”
My bandmates’ remarks followed, and the round ended with our defeat.
Still…
A bitter and shameful performance.

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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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