The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 8

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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 8
“You’re the best at it.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Your mental state seems a bit unstable, but skill-wise, you’re ahead of all of us.”
Is that so?
Sure, I’m better than them, but I haven’t really shown it properly yet.
Last time I sang, I got so caught up in emotion that I probably overacted way too much.
“It pisses me off when someone who’d never be humble pretends to be humble.”
“Yeah. Seo-ha. That look in your eyes right now is a bit of a problem.”
I was momentarily shaken by Lee Do-young’s observation, but I recovered quickly.
I think it’s because our band members have good ears for music.
Good enough to catch the deep skill lurking beneath what I haven’t properly displayed.
Even if I’m still lacking now, these guys have the talent to succeed in the music scene.
And these kinds of guys listen well to what I say?
I like that.
In my past life, every time I tried to choose even one song, it was like the 31,848,575th song selection committee meeting.
“Then I’ll be the leader.”
“What? That’s a different issue. The leader of a band is obviously the guitarist. I get that you’re good, but leader isn’t it.”
“Um, Seo-ha. Wouldn’t it be better if someone who’s done it before becomes the leader? I’m kind of the class president anyway.”
“Hey, if we’re going by that logic, then I should do it. I’m the student council president at Cheongseol High.”
The reaction was intense.
“Didn’t you just say I’m the best?”
“An ace doesn’t usually lead. The leader is the one who can embrace even an ace.”
And so the first leader-selection meeting began, and it eventually came down to rock-paper-scissors.
Whether heaven helped or not, I was fortunately the winner.
Isn’t this miracle just as precious as the return itself?
“Fine. Using my authority as leader, I’m adding one more song to the setlist.”
“What? Four songs now?”
“I need to have a say in the songs too.”
“When you’re not even a player.”
“Are you dissing the vocalist right now?”
“Sure, sure.”
“Look, whatever. I’m going with this.”
I suggested a new song for the setlist.
When we played it, the members’ faces grew puzzled.
“What? This is Japanese music?”
“That’s an unexpected choice. What kind of song is this?”
“Uh, well, it’s, like…….”
While I was being evasive, Lee Do-young searched for something and played it.
“Hmm, looks like it’s from an anime?”
After confirming the video Lee Do-young played, the members naturally turned to stare at me with very serious expressions.
“You…… watch this kind of stuff?”
“No. This isn’t what I like——”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed. I think I can respect this kind of interest too.”
“Seo-ha has unexpected sides.”
“No, that’s not what I like.”
“The music isn’t bad though. We’ll use a recorded drum track for this, right?”
“The guitar is flashy and sounds good.”
“Can’t help it. Cha Seo-ha likes it.”
I DON’T like this!
This is a Japanese anime song that Kang Min likes!
I chose it because if we upload the performance video to YouTube, there’s maybe a one-in-a-million chance Kang Min might see it!
I don’t even know what this is!
* * *
What were we like in my first life?
Honestly, the very beginning of the band isn’t something I remember that clearly.
I quit taekwondo because of an injury, and I accepted Lee Do-young’s proposal without much hesitation.
It seemed less like I wanted to make music and more like I wanted to do something, anything at all.
But I learned these guys were really good people, and I realized how much fun it was to make music together.
I discovered I had talent as a vocalist, and strangely enough, I also realized all our members were exceptionally talented.
Throwing myself into music with that hope became the most beautiful and shimmering memory of my entire life.
And now.
That memory has become reality, and hope has transformed into longing.
So over these past ten days, I’ve clearly come to understand.
This life isn’t about living to repay a debt to my friends.
It’s about running toward the light together with them.
That beginning started with today’s busking.
* * *
Ban-wol Park was a place people often visited for walks, with an open area beside a sprawling lake.
The hour when the sun stretched its shadows long.
Four boys gathered.
“How are you feeling?”
At Cha Seo-ha’s question, Heo Jun-sung paused in thought before speaking.
“I feel like I’m going to regret it.”
“What do you mean?”
“If we mess up the performance after practicing like hell, I feel like I’ll really regret it.”
“Was it practicing like hell? Seemed like a normal level to me.”
“…… You demon.”
Unaware of the fact that he’d imposed a top idol’s training routine on a high school band, Cha Seo-ha tilted his head in confusion, but Lee Do-young and Kim Ji-hu were entirely on Heo Jun-sung’s side.
“Then we just need to do well.”
“We will do well. Because if we don’t, you’ll drill us even harder.”
“When did I ever drill you guys?”
“Always, every moment, constantly.”
“Huh……?”
“Anyway, it’s a shame we don’t have a drummer.”
At Kim Ji-hu’s comment, Cha Seo-ha shrugged.
“Who knows? Maybe a skilled drummer will see our performance today and want to join us.”
“Why would a skilled drummer not already have a band?”
“A skilled me didn’t have a band either, did I?”
“…… Lucky you.”
“Wow. Hearing ‘lucky you’ from Kim Ji-hu’s mouth is a first. Usually it’s hard to be luckier than that guy.”
“I like Seo-ha, but he’s a bit lucky for sure.”
Cha Seo-ha chuckled and looked around at his members.
They’re casually chatting away while setting up their instruments, but I can feel their hands trembling slightly.
Everyone seemed nervous.
After all, the band is just starting, and we don’t have much experience playing together.
Kim Ji-hu and Heo Jun-sung have done some busking, but only three or four times total.
And Lee Do-young’s doing this for the first time.
“Nervous?”
“Nervous? Not at all!”
Heo Jun-sung answered, clenching his fists.
He’s trying to suppress the trembling.
“Right, you guys aren’t nervous right now.”
“I think I’m actually nervous.”
Lee Do-young answered in a shaky voice.
“Seo-ha, you’re not trembling?”
“I’m trembling too.”
“Your hands are all sweaty?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“So you do get nervous, Seo-ha.”
“No, this isn’t nervousness. It’s excitement.”
Kim Ji-hu looked at Cha Seo-ha with an amused expression.
“My hands are shaking just like yours. I feel like I’m sweating cold sweat, and I have no idea what to do. Isn’t that how you feel too?”
“Well, it’s pretty similar!”
“I feel the same way.”
“That’s not entirely off the mark.”
“Then think about this carefully. After we show everyone what we practiced, think about the audience’s response and applause.”
The three of them felt a surge of exhilaration at Cha Seo-ha’s words.
“I’m not nervous because I’m scared. I just want to show people what we practiced so badly. I want to show off so badly I feel like I’m going crazy!”
At Cha Seo-ha’s words, the three friends’ hearts began to beat faster.
Excitement and fear send the same signal.
The only difference is in how the mind interprets it.
“You guys. How are you feeling now?”
“Excited!”
“Yeah, I think I feel the same as Seo-ha now.”
Kim Ji-hu answered with a smile, his gaze cast down toward the keyboard.
Cha Seo-ha chuckled.
“Then let’s go.”
And so their first performance began.
* * *
SUN – “Climb On”
Kim Ji-hu’s gentle piano marked the beginning of the performance, and Heo Jun-sung’s guitar sent a message to the passersby in Ban-wol Park.
Watch this performance.
It’s going to be far better than you expect.
As passersby’s footsteps began to slow, Cha Seo-ha’s voice took off.
A modest vocal range.
A delivery style that seemed to pour out without affectation.
Overall, an intro with no difficulty.
It suited perfectly the atmosphere of a leisurely summer evening.
“There’s a performance?”
“Wow, what? The guy singing is handsome.”
“The guy on the left playing guitar is cute too.”
“That’s bass.”
Most stopped their walk, captivated by their appearance more than the music itself.
After all, what catches the eye first is the strongest impression.
But the music will be what lingers as an aftertaste in the end.
The song progressed.
The vocalist gradually raised the pitch, and after a brief intro and first verse, the mood genuinely shifted.
Climb on!
Climb on!
The drumtrack recorded as backing accompaniment and Lee Do-young’s bass merged together, and energy exploded in an instant.
It was a power created by everyone’s playing coming together.
Most people hearing “Climb On” for the first time typically had their first reaction right here.
Do people’s ears really all work the same way?
As intensity seeped into the music after the first verse, the passersby began turning into spectators one by one.
“Wow.”
“What? They’re good?”
The main instrument used in the original had been replaced with guitar.
The newly adopted sharp-toned sound created an epic atmosphere.
Followed by Kim Ji-hu’s synth bass weaving in.
These two leading instruments were like a spoiler for how the song would end.
The ensemble was superb.
Without any member’s weakness standing out, they pulled each other forward, walking together in a perfect blend.
And then came the chorus.
If you’re lost and alone
Or you’re sinking like a stone
Climb on!
Cha Seo-ha shifted his gaze toward Heo Jun-sung, sensing the moment.
The most crucial part of “Climb On” isn’t the piano intro that offers ample breathing room.
It’s not the verse that sounds like asking after an old friend, and it’s not the chorus that brings a smile.
It’s the nineteen-second guitar solo that appears in the latter half of the song.
Fierce yet encompassing everyone, rushing yet looking back.
A paradoxical guitar charge that seems it wouldn’t fit anywhere else but here.
That’s the killing part that completes the song, the very identity of the piece.
But…….
‘Can you do it?’
Until now, Heo Jun-sung hadn’t managed to express this sensibility.
He’d sufficiently covered the technical difficulty through practice.
But Heo Jun-sung’s greatest strength and weakness both.
Deep immersion.
He couldn’t leave even a handful of margin to look back.
But Cha Seo-ha trusted Heo Jun-sung.
* * *
“Okay, stop! Everyone freeze.”
On the first day they all gathered to practice for the busking.
Cha Seo-ha stopped the ensemble again.
Already the sixth interruption at the same section.
“Argh! Is it because of me again?”
“Yeah, Jun-sung. Don’t get excited and play calmly. You’re standing out too much.”
“It’s not easy…….”
The problem was that whenever the guitar solo kicked in, Heo Jun-sung would go into overdrive.
Kim Ji-hu’s face crumpled, and Lee Do-young wore a worried expression, but Cha Seo-ha was different.
“Jun-sung, listen carefully. This is actually a good thing.”
“…… What is?”
“Most guitarists can’t immerse themselves that deeply in every practice. But going into overdrive means you’ve become so absorbed you can’t look around.”
“…… .”
“So you play with a narrow but deep sensibility. In other words, you’re someone whose skill can only evolve once your sensibility evolves to the next level.”
“Sensibility…….”
“There’s no music in this world that exists as a single note. Why would I even need to go to music? Even the C chord, the most played chord in the world, is a composition of three tones.”
Look back.
There’s more beautiful sound waiting there.

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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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