Rockstar Again - Chapter 100



Only Noblemtl

Episode 100. Welcome to the Jungle (5)

It’s been a long day.

I think most celebrities are like this. On days when there’s filming, just because it’s a one-hour broadcast doesn’t mean one hour of preparation is all it takes.

Makeup and outfit preparation starting at dawn.

In the case of music broadcasts, there are stage rehearsals and pre-show checks.

After finishing that, there is an endless wait for the main broadcast filming to begin again.

This is especially true for , which is broadcast live.

For the production staff, where a single mistake can be fatal, the pre-inspection time is bound to be even longer.

From the perspective of a musician performing, they have to check more thoroughly, so you can think of it as pouring an entire day into a broadcast that lasts about an hour.

“Over there… Dongha.”

Suchan looked at me with an embarrassed voice.

“why?”

“Your guitar… … .”

There seems to be something wrong with the trailing edges.

But my guitar?

When I asked a question, Suchan hyung raised his arm.

“… … It’s broken… … What should I do?”

“What happened?”

“They say the staff who were preparing the stage dropped it while moving it. Ah… … I should have moved it, but I was out of my mind earlier… … .”

hmm.

Even though it’s a guitar that I use on stage, it’s not that precious of an instrument to me.

As a musician and a guitarist, there is probably no one who doesn’t cherish their instrument.

The guitar I use on stage is literally. It’s not my precious instrument. It’s already known that the Juliet that I stole from Tae-ju hyung 30 years ago and the guitar that I stole from Man-seok hyung are Lee Dong-ha’s instruments.

So what?

I just wrote whatever I could.

“Don’t you have anything extra prepared?”

“… … .”

Suchan’s silence says it all.

It’s not because the guitar is broken.

That’s because he didn’t prepare an extra guitar.

There are Juliet One and Two, but I can’t use them. The moment I use them, it’s like proving that I’m moving.

If not, I’ll have to explain it in detail.

Just like a guitar with a similar shape.

After reassuring Suchan that he was okay, I sent a message to Choi Donghae, with whom I had exchanged numbers a little while ago.

Jang Pil-sung is a vocalist so he doesn’t have a guitar, but Choi Dong-hae is a guitarist and vocalist like me so he probably has a guitar. Even if he doesn’t have any concerts, he probably carries it around with him, right?

of course.

In the band, I don’t play the main guitar like I do, but I play rhythm guitar. In the end, it’s the same guitar.

[Can I borrow another one?]

The message arrives immediately, as if someone had been waiting for my call.

[Choi Dong-hae: None.]

It’s so crisp.

Although the answer is not what you wanted.

“Let’s wait since the company said they’ll bring it first.”

“Um… … Okay, I understand.”

I got up and got up from my seat in the waiting room.

* * *

It’s a very natural thing to go to the bathroom while waiting for a long day.

You can’t bring a chamber pot into a 21st century waiting room.

But this is kind of funny.

“Don’t you wonder what you’re doing when you get older?”

Entrance to the bathroom.

A familiar voice is heard from inside the bathroom.

A-Fly.

Today’s competition’s opposing team, the punks who are known for their sass.

Aren’t these guys managed by their agency?

Anyway, I stopped for a moment and listened to the story quietly.

I was wondering what kind of story he was going to tell this time.

“But when you see each other’s faces, smile. That’s what the company tells you to do. Look at the other person’s age. If you get involved, we’ll be the only ones getting scolded for being shameless.”

“Is that kid from last time an old guy too?”

“The guy you fought with?”

“uh.”

“I don’t think that’s it? His voice was young.”

“Is that so… ? Hey, f*ck. What does it matter? We’re going to win anyway.”

“I’m a little nervous. They’ve been getting overwhelming votes so far.”

“The company is taking care of me.”

“nerves?”

“Okay. Don’t worry, just do well on stage and come back. The company will take care of the voting.”

Whoosh, conversations that are not heard with the sound of water.

There are a few things that are certain.

These people, who I see every time I go to the bathroom as if they live there, are the kind of people I can’t get along with.

TH Entertainment, A.Fly’s agency, is up to something.

‘If it’s TH Enter, it’s Choi Tae-ho, right?’

This is how it’s woven together.

Wiggle.

Is this the blood rushing to my head and making it squirm… … or is it the movement of the little child inside me waking up?

Whatever it is, my nerves are pretty tense.

If Suchan had come to the bathroom with me, I would have asked him about various things.

When I look to the side, I see Dongchan hyung, bright and cheerful, without any thoughts.

“The breath is completely gone. Let’s go back to the waiting room, hyung.”

“Huh? Okay.”

As expected.

This guy doesn’t care about anything.

Just bright.

The cheerful Dongchan walks ahead.

* * *

At the end of a long day, I’m back on stage with my brothers.

I stood back at my seat, center stage, and closed my eyes.

Over the past year, quite a lot has changed.

My brothers are old.

Beomseok’s hair flew away.

The short, middle-aged man has become a man who exudes tiger energy.

There’s more than that.

But it wasn’t the unfamiliar things I felt today.

‘Where am I going?’

It is a question of existence.

Events change people.

So how did time slip change me?

Ultimately, what am I standing here for?

I open my eyes and look down at the audience. People’s eyes, full of anticipation and questions, are focused on me.

I feel a determination not to miss even the smallest thing.

This is what it will be like in the end.

stage.

performance.

enthusiasm.

When I lightly strum the guitar, I feel a slightly different tension. It’s a little tighter and the strings are thicker.

It’s a small difference, but it makes a big difference.

But this probably doesn’t matter to me.

Ultimately, thoughts stop on the stage.

All you need is a stage and fans.

Just vent out your doubts about existence or your anger towards God.

There seem to be a lot of reporters today.

Most reporters are probably interested in who we are, not our music.

And then they’ll put out articles like this.

Hong Young-pil, what’s your age?

Again, as I move my gaze to the left, I see Youngpil setting up the synthesizer.

I had that thought when Youngpil’s brother’s identity was revealed and he was receiving a barrage of attention from people.

I walked across the stage and approached Youngpil hyung and asked him.

“Brother Flute.”

“Huh? Why are you here…? The show is starting soon?”

“Getting older. Is that wrong?”

“……what?”

“No, right? The media is making a fuss about old people doing music. After all, isn’t it because getting older is wrong? What do you think, hyung? Is it wrong or not?”

After a moment of blank expression, Youngpil answered with his characteristically gentle smile.

“It’s natural. It’s not wrong.”

“right?”

“Yeah. Everyone gets old. Except you. No. Dong-ha, you’ll get old too eventually.”

After hearing his brother’s answer, Youngpil walked back onto the stage and approached Dongsik.

This guy doesn’t seem surprised when I approach him.

Offstage, the staff were gesturing and making a fuss, but I really wanted to ask my hyungs.

“What kind of musicians will we become?”

“The best rock band in the world.”

“I like it because it’s simple, hyung.”

Even though he is over 50 years old, his whole body is filled with energy.

It seems that the arduous practice in the basement practice room wasn’t just simple overwork.

As if he had read something from me, Dong-sik slightly lowered his sunglasses and stared at me with his bare eyes.

So that only I can see your eyes.

“Rock is action. I took action.”

yes.

I took action.

He rejoined despite his clearly late age.

I practiced like a madman to get my skills back.

“Okay. Registration complete.”

I approached Taeju hyung, noticing that Dongsik hyung’s eyes softened at my words.

“sun.”

This guy says this all of a sudden without me even explaining it to him.

Perhaps it was because I read between the lines after skimming through all the other hyungs.

“… … .”

“You can do whatever you want.”

“There’s no turning back now. Not even for my brothers.”

“When was there something behind? You time-slipped and found out. There are scientists who say you can go to the future, but they say you can’t go to the past.”

“… … .”

“We’re just in the present tense. We’re moving towards the end.”

“It’s kind of cool.”

“So let’s live well, Dongha.”

“This has also been accepted.”

“Juliet is with me.”

Then Tae-joo hyung shows the guitar stand behind him.

I see my Juliet showing off her graceful appearance.

A staff member came up on stage in a hurry and grabbed my arm.

“The stage is about to start, what should I do if this happens? It’s a live broadcast!”

When I checked the face, it was FD Na Tae-pyeong.

I know that face. We were together when I was picking mine.

I’ve already asked my brothers everything I wanted to ask and said everything I wanted to say.

It’s okay now.

“FD, I’m thinking of buying something today. Is that okay?”

At my words, FD Na Tae-pyeong’s eyes became as big as lanterns. It seemed like he was listening to our conversation through a walkie-talkie or microphone.

An Chi-seop’s face, who was crossing his arms under the stage, brightens.

That person… … is clearly a person who will be talking about the viewer ratings for his own funeral even after he dies.

FD Na Tae-pyeong went down with an anxious face and checked that the camera light was on.

It’s clear that two-thirds of the audience are A-Fly fans because they’re staring at us.

The remaining third is a mix of our fans wearing sunglasses and masks and regular fans.

Now gently.

It’s past time to introduce the Sinabro brothers.

Wasn’t two months enough time to let you know how great of a musician you guys are?

The little child inside me doesn’t want to be fooled by Apple’s tricks.

Lee Dong-ha, who was upset by the public and media’s focus on his age rather than Youngpil’s music, joined hands.

“Everyone. Is it a crime to be old? Can’t you dream a little when you’re old? You have ears. You’ve listened to music, right? Then you’d know, you have talent? Those who are criticizing, eat shit. Those who are defending, it’s annoying to keep saying that it’s an old person’s challenge or something. Adding age? If you like it, they’ll just see you as a musician.”

The audience is in an uproar.

Now that I think about it, it seems like I’m dissing my hyungs, but I can feel the parties involved bursting into laughter.

My whole body feels sharp.

I took the guitar I had hurriedly brought from the company off my shoulder.

Bam!

When he hits the floor, the wooden part of the guitar shatters.

“what……?”

The audience is shocked and shocked by the performance.

Tae-joo hyung walks in carrying Juliet.

The mask and sunglasses have already been taken off, leaving a bare face.

The commotion in the audience grows louder.

It seems that there are very few people who recognize Taeju hyung right away. It can’t be helped.

Who would have thought that the chairman of a conglomerate would be playing bass here?

Instead, the audience’s reaction is surprising and a little disappointing at the same time. That’s also frustrating. They take off their masks and it’s disappointing that they’re not the fresh idols they expected.

I honestly don’t completely understand that, but it’s not an exaggeration, right?

“I made the first move. I’m a little worried about whether the company’s stock price will go up or down. So what? If the stock price goes down because of this one thing, it’ll be a chance to buy at a low price. I’ve grown the company quite well.”

I put Juliet on my shoulder while listening to Tae-joo hyung whispering in my ear. After plugging in the wire and connecting it to the amplifier.

“Moving. This song is about spacemen. It’s an unreleased song, so listen carefully.”

When I take off my mask and sunglasses, my vision becomes brighter.

It’s much better.