The Reincarnated Idol Hard Carries an Indie Band - Chapter 95

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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’s Hard Carry of an Indie Band
Chapter 95
The music video shoot took longer than expected, but the result was worth it.
Moon Ga Young’s acting was beyond question.
Professional performance truly showed remarkable difference in even the smallest expressions and movements.
With the company’s consent, she’d done the guest appearance as a favor, but since she’d donated her high-level talent, I personally handed her a modest sum.
It wasn’t much, but I could’ve given her more if she’d asked.
This low-budget music video we shot today was going to bring us serious money.
The day after shooting wrapped, Jo Seong Hoon sent me a rough cut of the music video, and I was satisfied with the result.
Album release preparation was done—all that was left was to set the release date.
The national exam was over, and concert prep and album prep were in their final stages.
We returned to Banwol Park for the first time in a while.
“Hello everyone!”
“Woaaah!!”
There were fewer people than usual.
We hadn’t visited Banwol Park during our rest period after appearing on the audition program.
The fans who used to come here probably had no idea Ogtop was back.
People lucky enough to pass through stopped in their tracks and watched as Ogtop suddenly appeared for a free busking session.
With a famous face from TV suddenly performing free busking, the passersby felt like they’d hit the jackpot.
Starting with “Awaken,” we played “Rendezvous” and “Cruise!!” back to back.
As the energy heated up, I quickly scanned the crowd before saying anything.
Everyone was watching us with shining eyes.
There were no guards, and no one was trying to rush the stage.
These were people who kept excellent order.
They simply brimmed with anticipation—wondering what the next song would be, what I’d say next.
Yes, this was it.
“Are you guys having fun?”
“Yes!!”
“Who’s seen our broadcast?”
“Me! Me!”
“Me!!”
“I’ve watched it all! From episode one!”
Countless people answered enthusiastically.
I glanced back at my friends, and they were all looking at the crowd with the same light in their eyes I felt.
So much had happened, but somehow it felt like we’d come full circle.
The pleasant chill of early winter briefly cooled the heat.
“Celebrity!!”
A middle schooler standing at the very front shouted.
“Ha, celebrity. You like celebrities, huh.”
I looked at that audience member and answered.
“But we’re not celebrities.”
“Kyaaaa!!”
“Woaaah!!”
My comment drew roars from the crowd.
They probably felt it was humility.
But what I wanted to convey wasn’t humility—it was sincerity.
“Everyone! We’re going to keep coming back here! We’re not celebrities with restrictions on what we can do—we’re just people who do what we want to do!”
It wasn’t that we wouldn’t become more famous.
We’d make a lot of money and gain celebrity status.
But even so, we wouldn’t forget this place—our hometown—Banwol Park.
“So, since we’re back after a while, let’s give it everything!!”
“Yes!!”
In response to the crowd’s cheer, Kang Min held his drumsticks high, and the next song began.
* * *
Through the audition program, Ogtop had turned the whole world upside down.
Lee Jong Myeong’s downfall was accelerating by the day.
Countless advertising agencies and broadcasters had sued him, and the penalty fees against him had already exceeded ten billion won.
Of course, this wasn’t the end.
Since it was a matter that had driven someone to death, bankruptcy wasn’t an option—he’d have to spend his entire life repaying the debt.
While Ogtop had shaken the world, they were now living an ordinary life as if nothing had happened.
They made the music they loved, prepared for concerts, and hung around Banwol Park on weekends.
Sometimes they made time for trips, gathered at the neighborhood PC Room, or all went to the Noraebang together.
Walking around the neighborhood, you could easily spot Ogtop.
Rather than celebrities, they’d carved out an image as high school band kids who’d simply been lucky enough to get famous on TV.
And today was the day of their year-end concert.
Ogtop’s concert had sold out its 350 seats in less than a minute of tickets going on sale.
For a celebrity performance, the seating capacity was laughably small.
Yet this speed of sellout was unprecedented in the indie scene.
December was already rushing toward its end.
The spectators waiting outside the Concert Venue had to endure the cold of deep winter, yet their heated spirits were hard to suppress.
Most people’s primary desire was to see Ogtop.
But certain conversations could be heard easily enough.
“Destruction is a guest at Ogtop’s concert? Does that even make sense?”
“Maybe they’ll fight on stage….”
“Nah, they must’ve made up if they invited them.”
“After all that? You think they actually made up?”
One person showed their friend the broadcast footage of Kang Min and Im Hyun Taek facing off.
“Watching it again, they really did fight fiercely. Well, we’ll find out soon enough.”
Some people were excited for Ogtop’s concert itself.
Some were fans of the guest bands.
But they all shared a common curiosity: what would Ogtop and Destruction look like together?
* * *
News of Ogtop’s concert had become a topic not just for fans.
“Hey, is this right?”
“What?”
Heo Jun Sung approached with his phone while I was reciting lyrics in the Waiting Room.
“Did an article come out about our concert?”
“An article came out?”
The phone Heo Jun Sung showed me displayed an actual article.
“‘Who’s The Real’ Runner-up ‘Ogtop’ Hosts Joint Concert with Broadcast Participants.”
“‘Ogtop’ Holds Solo Concert. First Move Since ‘Who’s The Real’ Runner-up Finish.”
“What? Really? One came out two days ago, and this was from last week…. When did all these articles pile up?”
“There are more besides these.”
It was extraordinary for an indie band’s solo concert to be covered by news outlets.
I picked up Heo Jun Sung’s phone and stood up from my seat.
“Listen up, everyone! Just a moment!”
All the teams participating today were sitting in the Waiting Room.
“Articles came out about our concert today!”
“Really?”
“Articles about amateur indie bands performing?”
“Seo Ha, what are you talking about? Is that true?”
“I mean, even if we did appear on broadcast…. Is this normal?”
It’s not normal.
One or two articles might happen, but.
The article tab Heo Jun Sung showed me had dozens of articles at a glance.
Journalists aren’t people who write articles just because they’re bored.
There are so many people in the entertainment industry, so many singers making comebacks and releasing albums.
The fact that journalists were covering an amateur performance was proof we had news value.
And this didn’t just mean Ogtop was getting popular.
“Everyone, the world is watching us like this!”
The initial shock of the articles wore off quickly.
A subtle emotion settled over the Waiting Room.
The waiting artists’ hands grew sweaty, and their trembling hearts were hard to calm.
They’d all performed before—some more than once or twice—so it wasn’t simple nervousness.
Was it the pressure of knowing people were watching more since the broadcast appearance?
That wasn’t it either.
“Since the world is watching us, let’s show today that indie musicians can do it too!”
“Okay! Let’s do this!”
“Yeah! Come on, let’s start a band boom!”
“Nice! Hey, let’s all do this properly!”
Perhaps a golden age of the band scene was about to arrive—that anticipation brought a quiet excitement.
What they felt wasn’t fear. It was anticipation.
* * *
Whether due to the Who’s The Real broadcast incident or not, the overall movements of the participants after that broadcast had been quiet.
At most, Maruru Band—the winners—had signed with an agency and appeared on various broadcasts, but that was it.
This concert was the first real movement from rock bands after the broadcast.
Starting with this concert, we were determined to bring about a true revival of the indie scene.
* * *
The concert began with Jo Seong Hoon Band.
They were the least popular and least skilled team among those performing today.
But that was an internal comparison—they’d grown considerably since before.
After Jo Seong Hoon Band’s solid performance came Dam Jang Party, who delivered a witty stage.
Dampa, who’d been doing internet broadcasts for a long time, captivated the audience with excellent banter.
He did quite lengthy commentary in the middle of the set—it was hard to tell if this was a rock concert or stand-up comedy.
Dam Jang Party’s stage was an excellent breath of fresh air in what could have been a relentlessly serious concert.
Good call booking them.
Next, Odyssey—which Choi Woo Young belonged to—presented the most polished stage.
Dressed in sunglasses and suits, they delivered a futuristic performance perfectly suited to the psychedelic genre.
This was the moment it became clear they’d shown only half of their arsenal on the broadcast.
Some in the audience thought if Odyssey had shown this on the broadcast, they might have beaten Maruru Band.
And then came Destruction’s stage.
They too showed clear growth.
Or rather, to be precise, Destruction had returned to their roots.
Since they’d been active the longest among today’s participants, few had actually seen Destruction in their early days.
But after their loss to Ogtop, Destruction had taken what they learned and applied it directly.
Making music purely for the sake of music itself.
That had preserved their foundation and allowed them to shine.
There were audience members who disliked them because of the image of bad blood with Ogtop.
But there were definitely people reconsidering Destruction after today’s stage.
After their performance ended.
Now only Ogtop remained.
The audience raised their anticipation for the protagonist’s entrance, but it wasn’t Ogtop who took the stage.

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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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