Invasion from Seoul (5)

“Group Sound, please come in!”

When their turn came, a staff member called out Group Sound's name. Iseo sprang to her feet, extremely tense, then glanced around. Hyuna and Seoha looked at her as if to say it was their turn next, both of them nervous. Only Suyeon was staring blankly ahead, looking slightly sleepy.

“You're Group Sound, right?”

They entered the judging room they had been watching from earlier. In front of the judges, a projector screen displayed footage of the band, and chairs had been set out for them to sit in. Several speakers were set up on either side, and instruments were piled in one corner.

Once the members of Group Sound sat in the prepared chairs, the judge in the center opened with that question. Suyeon answered in her usual relaxed manner. “Yes, that's right.”

“Could you tell us where the band's name came from? It sounds somewhat familiar.”

That was what Iseo wanted to know too. Why was their band called Group Sound? It wasn't a name that felt familiar to her at all.

“I don't know if you know this…” Suyeon began, tilting her head slightly. “In the seventies and eighties, bands were sometimes called ‘group sounds.’ That's where we took it from.”

“I see. Since you play retro-style music, I suppose you gave the band a retro-style name as well.”

The judge said that and started playing footage on the projector screen. It showed the performances they had done for the preliminary round at Gangnam Station. Many of the songs were from their EP, but there were also plenty that Suyeon had made them practice on the spur of the moment, saying things like, “Let's try playing this.” The most representative example was ‘Private Girl.’...