The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 9

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Former Idol Carries the Indie Band
Chapter 9
Looking back, there were many reasons Heo Jun-seong had come to love the guitar, but there was one reason above all.
As a child, the guitar had looked to him like the star of any performance.
So whenever he played, he threw himself into it utterly.
Even when he felt the limits of self-teaching and started taking lessons at a music academy.
Even when forming a band with friends and matching their ensemble sound.
He couldn’t shake the old habit.
But now something was different.
A street performance that meant nothing to most people.
A neighborhood park, common and ordinary.
Fewer than thirty people in the audience.
Yet in front of them, his senses suddenly opened wide.
‘Why are these people cheering for us when they’ve never seen us before?’
The answer was obvious.
It was ensemble, not a solo performance.
It was music, not a guitar solo.
It was art, not technique.
The constituent tones within the C Chord that Cha Seo-ha had mentioned.
He was one note among many that made that chord.
The tension he didn’t know he was holding suddenly drained away.
And Cha Seo-ha’s words came back to him.
Turn around and look behind you.
There’s an even more beautiful sound back there.
In the moment when some ineffable feeling wrapped around Heo Jun-seong’s entire body, Cha Seo-ha’s voice soared to the highest reaches of Banwol Park.
And then the Guitar Solo began.
Zing!
His left hand Slide and Tremolo Picking flashed brilliantly, showing what a true Climax opening should sound like.
His picking was fierce yet precise, in harmony with the Bass.
The String Noise that crossed the strings was careful not to steal the Synth’s space.
Every sound he created carried not greed but a sense of belonging, released into the air.
Heo Jun-seong surged forward without recklessness.
He ran without getting ahead.
The Guitar, known as the six-string orchestra and brimming with electronic tones, struck at the hearts of the people before him.
“Woah!”
“Dude, that’s insane! What was that?”
“Wow! That was so cool!”
The audience answered back.
And so Heo Jun-seong’s solo ended with the final Tremolo.
He held his pick high, his gaze fixed somewhere in the middle of the crowd.
His expression showed no excessive bravado, no false modesty.
Only the rush of exhilaration that follows a fine performance filled his face—pure and overflowing.
Having just finished a masterful performance, he radiated a masculine energy that caught everyone’s eye.
Cause we are
We are shining sun
We are glorious
We are who we are
Kim Ji-hu and Lee Do-yeong sang together into the microphones positioned in front of them.
The Call-and-response Part of this song.
Since it was already a well-known track, a few people in the audience sang along.
The song was drawing to its close.
Pre-recorded Drums.
Beneath them, Lee Do-yeong’s weighty and steady Bass.
Heo Jun-seong’s sensuous Guitar.
Kim Ji-hu’s seasoned skill filling the empty spaces with various Synth and Wind Instruments sounds.
And Cha Seo-ha’s exceptional vocals.
It was the beginning of a legendary band.
* * *
“Thank you!”
“Woah!”
“You guys are crazy!”
“Wow, what was that? What did I just watch?”
“Right? They’re incredible.”
“And so handsome!”
“Haha, thank you. We’re the Band with No Name Yet.”
“What, no name? Did you guys just form?”
“Wait… is the band name literally ‘Band with No Name Yet’?”
“Right? With skills like that, they can’t be brand new.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t make sense.”
There was a brief murmur at the mention of having no name.
But most people assumed “Band with No Name Yet” was their actual name.
Indie Band names are often unusual anyway.
“But they’re a band, right? Not a failed idol busking?”
“Yeah, I kind of unconsciously thought they were idols too.”
“Something about it feels like a flop idol busking…”
“Nah, they’re way too good-looking to be flops.”
“True. They’re all handsome.”
Some people made more unusual guesses.
“How was the first song?”
“It was great!”
“So cool!”
The female students in the front rows responded enthusiastically.
If I’m being honest, I’d love to grab Heo Jun-seong and spend the whole day praising that incredible performance, but this isn’t the right moment.
We’re in the middle of a show.
“The next song has a heavier vibe. Enjoy it with us!”
“Yeah!!”
And so the next track, Mandella Effect’s , began.
* * *
“Oh, I think I’ve heard this one before.”
“Yeah, the guitar riff sounds familiar.”
“They’re good.”
“Yeah. Nice.”
The reaction to wasn’t as strong as it had been for the first song.
The Guitar Riff was famous enough to rack up nearly 800 million views on YouTube, but the song itself didn’t have mass appeal in Korea.
We’ve arranged this five-minute-and-thirty-second track down to around three minutes.
The long, winding Intro that builds as each instrument joins was changed so all instruments come in at once instead.
And we cut the Narration Part from the Bridge Section entirely.
Even so, drawing mass appeal was difficult.
People who love rock were truly enjoying it, but they were very few.
Most of the audience lingered here on the momentum of the previous song.
It’s not impossible to draw a reaction from the audience with a song that lacks mass appeal.
For that to happen, all the performers need to be confident and immersed in the ensemble.
Right now, only Cha Seo-ha and I are managing that.
Kim Ji-hu was simply playing without mistakes.
And Lee Do-yeong seemed to have anticipated this atmosphere—his confidence had visibly crumbled.
A performer losing confidence on stage is the worst thing that can happen.
Because not only the players and bandmates notice it—the audience will too.
ended in an awkward atmosphere.
It looked like a song selection mistake.
But it was something I’d anticipated and something we needed.
I didn’t let the members see it, but honestly, the success of today’s busking isn’t that important to me.
What really matters is whether our members can break through their shells.
Lee Do-yeong had lost his nerve, and Kim Ji-hu was frustrated with the ensemble’s quality.
They were ready to break through.
* * *
“That wasn’t boring, right?”
“No! It was fun!”
Everyone—the performers and the audience alike—knew the atmosphere had been awkward.
Cha Seo-ha wasn’t about to dodge it cowardly.
“Hey, didn’t I tell you not to do this?”
“Huh? When did you?”
“That guy playing guitar wanted to do this, and even though I warned him, he wouldn’t listen.”
“Hey!”
“Pfft!”
“Hahaha!”
Heo Jun-seong’s flustered reaction sent the audience into laughter.
And no wonder—just moments ago, he’d been playing with the composure of a seasoned performer.
“No, everyone said my song choice was good…”
“Are you running away like a coward?”
“Okay, fine, I give up.”
Heo Jun-seong waved his hands in surrender, giving up any further rebuttal.
“That first song you heard earlier—our bassist chose that one. How was it? Good, right?”
“Yeah!”
In response to the audience’s affirmation, Lee Do-yeong answered with a short Slap Bass riff.
“Ooh!”
“Woah!”
Cha Seo-ha’s eyes widened at Lee Do-yeong’s quick wit, and he launched straight into his next quip.
“Hey, Jun-seong, you should’ve answered with cool playing like that instead of getting flustered.”
“But I can’t argue back with just playing.”
“What, can a guitar talk back?”
Heo Jun-seong was completely defeated.
Of course, this banter dissolved much of the awkward tension from before.
“The next song was picked by our dashing keyboardist.”
“You’re so handsome!!!”
A female student in the front row shouted at Kim Ji-hu.
Like Lee Do-yeong, Kim Ji-hu answered with his playing.
“See? That’s how you do it.”
Cha Seo-ha shot Heo Jun-seong another smirk, and Heo Jun-seong trembled with indignation.
“Why are those two so funny?”
“Haha! Oh man, they’re hilarious.”
“Are they a comedy duo?”
“That guitarist is so entertaining.”
Cha Seo-ha was grateful that Heo Jun-seong made such a useful foil.
“Well then, let’s move on to the next song!”
Now it was time for Mice’s , Kim Ji-hu’s choice.
* * *
Ironically, was the song we’d rehearsed the best.
Perhaps because the ensemble difficulty was so incredibly high, everyone had committed to focused practice.
We’d reached a point where we could deliver the most polished ensemble among all our prepared songs.
The actual performance itself wasn’t something to worry about.
But Lee Do-yeong couldn’t stop thinking about how the previous song had been received.
‘So songs without mass appeal don’t get good reactions.’
The earlier had been edited so it wouldn’t be difficult to appreciate.
And since we’d practiced enough, there weren’t any mistakes.
Yet the response was far weaker than the first song.
‘Will this one be the same?’
He wanted to become a capable bassist.
Like that genius.
But no matter how much he practiced, he couldn’t become like that person.
Of course, he knew his own experience was still short.
But that genius had been incredibly skilled since childhood.
If he could become like that person, he could draw reactions from the audience regardless of mass appeal.
‘No. Focus on the stage for now.’
Heo Jun-seong began playing the main riff, signaling the start of .
Soon the Drums joined in, and then the Bass.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————