Chapter 100
“1:1 Original Song Mission! Your opponents… will be decided by nomination. Today’s announced order, from first to sixth place! Each band will nominate an opponent in turn. If a higher-ranked band with the right to nominate chooses a lower-ranked band! The nominated band loses its right to nominate, and that right passes to the next band.”
With the empty audience seats before us, the rankings appeared on the screen. Mystica was in first place, and we were second. WEKIDS was third… followed by the others in order.
Muzaku had come in twelfth, but after the audience left, the MC announced that they had voluntarily withdrawn. The other bands asked what had happened, but it did not seem as though anyone received a proper answer.
‘Either way, this is better than the previous rules.’
A one-on-one battle in which the higher-ranked bands had the right to choose their opponents. It was a format designed to produce scenes of the strong, in vulgar terms, ‘slaughtering the commoners.’ Given what he had seen of the producer’s personality so far, Myeongjeon was sure he would hate this kind of format, but… to calm public sentiment surrounding the show, they had no choice but to show this sort of ‘fairness,’ Myeongjeon thought.
The third round’s format—disbanding bands and doing this and that—might have produced plenty of footage for television, but it was a terrible format for the bands actually competing in the audition and their fans.
“And although this mission is a one-on-one battle! To ensure fairness…”
The MC paused for a moment to draw out a dramatic reaction, then pointed at the screen. Typography streamed across it: ~ the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s… What was that supposed to mean?
“Each battle will be assigned a random era! The genre is unrestricted, but you will need to interpret the music in a way that suits that era. For example, if you choose to perform a metal song from the 1980s! You will need to preserve the feel of metal from that period. On top of that, you must reinterpret it by adding your own color.”
At the MC’s words, the bands began murmuring. It was only natural. No matter what, this meant there would be limits on how they could interpret their songs.
“If we get a period before the 1960s, doesn’t that mean we can’t play metal? The genre didn’t exist back then.”
“Well… maybe we could bring in hard rock and insist it’s heavy metal. There’s ‘Helter Skelter,’ and the Kinks’ ‘You Really Got Me,’ too.”
Myeongjeon answered Seoha’s mutter. The MC continued speaking.
“Of course! We intend to interpret the genres somewhat broadly. The mentors will be judging that aspect, so please keep it in mind.”
“That should be… okay, right? Our mentors? They seemed like decent people.”
Iseo muttered that. The other bands reacted similarly. It was an unavoidable issue. For instance, someone might bring glam metal, maximize its pop elements, and declare, “This is metal!” To prevent that, someone ultimately had to establish a standard.
“Then, the first-place band out of the twelve, Mystica! Please come forward and nominate your first opponent.”
Several people he had seen before went up. Drums, bass, guitar, and vocals. Mystica was a metal band with a standard lineup.
“Uh… To be honest, it feels a little awkward that we’re in first place. We didn’t expect things to go this well…”
The vocalist made light banter. A small ripple of laughter went through the studio. Some bands were saying things like, “They’re not going to pick us, are they?”
“The opponent we’re going to nominate is…”
At that point, Mystica’s leader, Kim Seungjae, paused for a moment… and looked at Myeongjeon.
“Group Sound.”
At those words, the bands suddenly sprang to their feet in surprise. But… were they actually surprised? Myeongjeon wondered. Looking around, he saw that the other bands sitting beside them were also staring at Group Sound with startled expressions.
“Then one of the two is going home?”
“Wasn’t Group Sound in second place?”
“Whoa. This is insane.”
Amid the intense reactions, Myeongjeon tilted his head slightly and looked at the rival band’s leader. His eyes asked, Are you confident?
“Group Sound, come on up!”
As though he refused to be cowed by that gaze, Seungjae looked Myeongjeon straight in the eye and shouted into the microphone in a hearty voice. Laughter erupted throughout the studio. Myeongjeon and the members stood and headed for the stage.
Mystica. Among the contestants in this audition… they were probably the most outstanding band in terms of ability. An interview began on the slightly tense platform, with four people facing four.
First came the opponent’s turn. One of the mentors asked a question.
“Why did you choose Group Sound?”
“Well… There are a lot of reasons. First of all, we’re familiar with them, and after performing with two of their members during the third round, we noticed some weaknesses? Well, we noticed something, anyway… More than anything, I thought they were ultimately a mountain we had to climb.”
That was Kim Seungjae’s answer. Applause followed the voices going, “Ooh~.” Were they praising his brave decision?
“How do you feel about Group Sound choosing you?”
“I don’t feel anything in particular.”
Myeongjeon answered that way. Another “Ooh~” rang out, distinctly louder than before. The rival band looked at Myeongjeon with their expressions slightly stiffened.
“You don’t feel anything in particular! Why is that?”
“This is a survival audition, after all. If we want to win the whole thing, there’s no avoiding anyone. We have to beat everyone.”
Myeongjeon paused for a beat, then continued.
“It doesn’t matter who comes, when they come, how strong they are, or what method they use. In the end, the ones who will win are us—Group Sound.”
* * *
After filming ended, it was the day Invasion aired. Perhaps because they had decided to broadcast the final round live, the broadcast schedule was gradually being moved up. Today’s episode was supposed to feature the repechage battles and footage of the bands making their songs during the third round.
“But why do we always gather here?”
“Because this is the best place.”
Before the broadcast began, Iseo was sprawled across the sofa, lazily wiggling her feet. Myeongjeon looked at her lounging around in shorts as though she were at home, then smacked her thigh.
“Ow! What are you doing?”
“Is this your house? Is this your house?”
“Suyeon, why are you acting like that? When a friend comes over, you should make them feel at home.”
“Exactly. A friend came over, so why do you keep choosing to do mean things? Hmm? Suyeon, you should have a kind heart and treat your friend gently… Stop hitting me! Please! It hurts!”
“You need a good beating.”
While Myeongjeon was carrying on that little farce with Iseo, Hyuna and Seoha arrived. Unlike Iseo, they greeted Hyein, washed their hands obediently, and sat down on the sofa.
“You should try to learn from them.”
“Why do you keep doing that~”
Hyuna looked at him questioningly. Myeongjeon answered by smacking Iseo’s thigh once more. As Iseo shouted, “Hey! I told you to stop!” and Hyuna’s eyes grew round at the sight… the next episode of Invasion began.
Two bands had made it through the repechage. The production emphasized their abilities… especially the fact that Ullim Stones had chosen Group Sound.
“They’re making it sound pretty intense. But wasn’t it actually nothing special? I think we just won normally.”
Iseo muttered that. And, sure enough, the broadcast showed Ullim Stones’ performance edited to look ordinary and unremarkable, followed by Group Sound’s performance, which delivered an enormous impact. The first half of the show ended after focusing on the foolish-looking leader tearfully regretting his choice and the band members who appeared displeased.
“Are they trying to completely destroy that band’s leader?”
“With that PD, he might be.”
Myeongjeon thought so too. That bastard was capable of it. But he was worried about what the rival band’s leader, who had vanished after pulling that stunt, might do. It seemed they needed to review their plan once more.
While they exchanged a few brief words, the commercials ended and the second half began. The broadcast showed how the members were selected, the state of the draft, and so on. Naturally, the reaction online was not merely blazing—it was boiling like lava.
“They divided up the screen time like complete assholes. Most of it is the boy bands? The idols? Those guys over there.”
By then, Iseo had made Myeongjeon sit in front of her and pulled him into her arms as she muttered. No matter how uncomfortable he got and kept saying, “No, let go,” Iseo refused to release him. Myeongjeon let out a deep sigh and turned his attention back to the broadcast.
“Well… That’s how television works. Broadcasting means showing things that are as provocative as possible and likely to attract attention… In a way, I suppose it’s only natural.”
As the broadcast segment passed, giving viewers anger, frustration, and motivation to watch the next episode, Hyuna said that.
The next scene featured Hyuna. It was footage from the band meeting.
[“Um… Honestly… I don’t think arguing right now is very important…”
“I’m sorry, but if you can’t do it properly, could you at least stay quiet… No, I’m sorry. That’s not how I meant to put it…”]
[Q : What kind of atmosphere was the band in?]
[Hyuna : How should I put it? Uh… It felt like we weren’t properly coming together… Everyone’s enthusiasm was getting ahead of them.]
“The feeling that we weren’t properly coming together” was changed to the caption [The feeling that we lacked unity], while “Everyone’s enthusiasm was getting ahead of them” became [We’re being pointlessly enthusiastic.]. Hyuna’s words, “So I wanted to give them a little shock,” were allowed to play faintly in the background without a single caption. It was edited so viewers would have trouble making them out.
“So this kind of editing is considered normal too, huh?”
Myeongjeon asked Hyuna that. Hyuna’s face turned red at the editing, which bordered on character assassination directed at her. Hyein, who had been working beside them while occasionally glancing at the screen, also made a teasing remark like, “Wow, that’s a little harsh~”
“Ah… No! I—why! No! I never said anything like that…!”
“Of course you’d think it was normal. Bin-nim said something earlier—surely they wouldn’t take it back after saying they’d been maliciously edited, right? Come on~”
“No, that wasn’t what I meant…!”
Hyuna flustered while the members snickered. Myeongjeon found himself smiling brightly. It was quite an amusing sight.
* * *
The broadcast ended with the ‘Temporary Band’ Myeongjeon had put together. The mentors fussed, saying, “Is this a dream team!!” and the episode concluded with Myeongjeon verbally steamrolling the other members of the band.
What the broadcast emphasized in particular was the Muzaku rhythm guitarist spouting strange nonsense. Of course, they had not bluntly stamped him with a label saying, ‘This guy talks nonsense.’
Instead, the show brought in all the members and had them say things like, “It was a somewhat puzzling choice,” and, “It wasn’t a choice suited to a competition,” then slapped on a see-no-evil-style caption such as [A member offering an unconventional opinion].
What did that mean? Myeongjeon thought it was practically the same as tossing out bait and saying, ‘Go kill this guy~.’ In fact, WEKIDS’s fans were making such a racket online that they seemed ready to tear the guy apart limb from limb.
‘So they’re planning to tear him apart like this.’
Myeongjeon thought that as he took a sip of decaf coffee. In the meantime, Seoha spoke up.
“Something feels strange.”
“Why?”
“The fact that we ended up facing Mystica. Just last year, they were a band I really admired. I wanted to join them and become friends with the members… I even went to their shows and asked things like, ‘How do you get into that band?’”
Seoha’s expression held a mixture of subtle emotions. It was understandable. Myeongjeon himself had played guitar for a long time before hearing the band he admired ask, “Would you like to play a session with us?” He had been unable to sleep that night. Of course, he had never become an official member.
“Now that we’re going to knock that band out of the competition, it feels a little surreal.”
“…Wait, is it a foregone conclusion that we’ll win?”
“Isn’t it? We’re going to win.”
“We will win, but… Don’t people usually say things like, ‘That’s why I’m worried,’ or, ‘Do you think we can win?’ Saying, ‘I feel bad because we’re going to eliminate them,’ is a little strange.”
What kind of sentiment was that? Myeongjeon thought so, then turned his attention to their rival band, Mystica. Until now, they had not been a band he had paid much attention to, since they were not a direct opponent.
But given the theme and the fact that this was a one-on-one battle… it seemed they needed to know at least something about their opponents before going in.
“How about we watch one of that band’s performances?”
Myeongjeon switched the TV to YouTube and searched for Mystica. Videos streamed down the screen. Their view counts were not particularly high, but there were a lot of them.
“Mystica… They’re a heavy metal band. In terms of subgenre, well, you could call them traditional metal if you’re being kind, or dated metal if you’re not.”
The songs themselves were like that too. Straightforward driving rhythms that called old heavy metal to mind. Simple but addictive riffs. They lacked the sinister, dark atmosphere that later bands used to imprint the idea that ‘this is what heavy metal is’ on people. Their songs were more upbeat, if anything.
“Old men would love them.”
“That’s actually the case. The reason Mystica can make money while playing heavy metal is… in vulgar terms, because older people steeped in memories of that era come to see them.”
Myeongjeon thought that made sense in response to Seoha. Even if it was the good old days, listening to the same thing every day would get boring. But if someone was showing people something new that sounded similar? There was no reason not to listen.
Besides, although they aimed for old metal, their technique did not feel old-fashioned at all. Refined sound and excellent technique. They were skilled enough for Myeongjeon to understand why Seoha had wanted to join them.
“And the more troublesome thing is, the shows they occasionally put on…”
The video they had opened was labeled as a tribute performance. It had been recorded inside a live club, with fairly clear picture and sound quality.
There were no studded leather jackets or anything else treated as heavy metal’s standard costume. At least they had not gone as far as cosplay. Their vocalist was nowhere near Rob’s level of charisma, but he still showed a certain stage presence and took command of the stage.
A raspy but refreshing high register. And a straightforward, intensely pounding guitar. The performance was not a perfect copy of the original, but neither could it be called a mere imitation.
‘Even by Myeongjeon’s standards, there wasn’t a single thing this band lacked in terms of ability.’
“So they know how to bring the spirit of that era back to life. The assigned period this time is the 1970s, right? Wasn’t that when this kind of metal was at its peak? Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, NWOBHM… That’s an incredibly strong lineup.”
“That’s true.”
The era designated as the battle theme for [Mystica] and [Group Sound] was the 1970s. Every band Seoha had mentioned had been active during that period… and had made their names in music history.
From that perspective, it seemed entirely natural to worry about facing Mystica, whose main weapon was the music of that era.
But there was something these members did not know…
“So who do you think was the emperor of the 1970s rock-band scene?”
Myeongjeon asked the question out of nowhere. Seoha did not understand what he was getting at, so Myeongjeon pointed at his guitar. Seoha’s expression suggested that she had figured something out.
“Who was the emperor?”
Iseo asked, having failed to understand at all. Myeongjeon paused at her question. There was room for debate, perhaps, but that was what he thought. The world did have an absolute metric called ‘album sales,’ after all.
“Pink Floyd.”
That was right. The 1970s were the era when the sound he pursued emerged and that band reached the height of its golden age. The period when The Dark Side of the Moon was released—the best-selling album in rock music history and the second-best-selling album in history. When Wish You Were Here, regarded as one of the greatest albums ever made, was released. And finally, when The Wall, considered one of the greatest concept albums in history, came out.
And more importantly… it was also the era Myeongjeon had lived through. The era when he had been able to feel the world firsthand.