Rockstar Again - Chapter 83



Only Noblemtl

Episode 83. Dong-ha, the stage, and the whales (4)

In front of TVK Media Center in Sangam-dong.

People gathered for the live broadcast of , and among them were Super Pink and Park Min-jae from Paradise High School.

Lee Yu-jin hit Park Min-jae on the back as he was staring blankly at his cell phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Ah… … Check out the comments on YouTube.”

“Oh. Youtuber. You’re cool.”

“It’s cool. It’s hard these days because we’re starting to hit traffic jams again.”

The reason YouTube entered a slump was simple.

In the summer, one video that ‘urged’ people to move became a huge hit and rose quite steeply.

Since aggro doesn’t last forever, after that I wandered around without finding a suitable topic.

After that, I tried uploading various videos, but the limitations were clear.

I uploaded two videos on the topic of why Lee Dong-ha is Vocal A, but the response was minimal.

Since there are so many videos uploaded on the same topic, the aggro is bound to be relatively weak.

It’s been a long time since YouTube became a red ocean, so it’s rare to find an individual like Park Min-jae making it big.

From established YouTubers to celebrities.

These days, it is not easy to survive among the large YouTubers who upload videos on their channels with producers, editors, and writers.

“But there’s a lot of English in your comments? Are they all foreigners?”

“Huh? Right. But I guess this doesn’t show up in the algorithm anymore, because only one person keeps leaving comments.”

“Oh… … But it’s global… … But what does it say?”

“… … I don’t know. It’s just good, isn’t it?”

The remaining two members of Paradise High School’s Super Pink, Park Ha-eun and Nam Bo-mi, poked their heads in to Park Min-jae, who was sighing.

“Let’s watch it together.”

“What is it? What’s good about it?”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

The four people who had been staring at the cell phone in Park Min-jae’s hand for a long time raised their heads.

However, among the four, Park Ha-eun, who had the better grades, spoke first.

“I won’t take a plane. I’ll never go abroad. My mom says our country is the best place to live.”

“If King Sejong had conquered the world, would we have had a better life?”

“He must have been busy creating the Korean alphabet, so isn’t it too much to expect him to conquer the world?”

“Is that so?”

“Hey. That’s fine. Even if you’re not King Sejong, you don’t need to study English anymore. Don’t you know AI? It does everything for you.”

Park Min-jae’s eyes sparkled.

Actually, one day, a foreigner kept leaving comments. I was curious about what he was saying, but I just thought he was praising Dong-ha hyung and let it go.

But the method was surprisingly close by.

“Then it will work!”

Long press to copy a comment, then search for the translator in your internet browser and paste it.

In less than 10 seconds, the foreigner’s comment that I was curious about revealed its true nature.

[I would like to meet the performer of this song. Can I meet him if I go to Korea?]

Again, repeating with another comment.

[Can you connect me with this performer?]

Repeat again.

[Please tell me the name of this performer.]

I don’t know who it is, but it’s really urgent. The three friends who were checking the foreigner’s comments together turned their gazes to Park Min-jae’s mouth.

“It is possible, but… … .”

“You’re crazy. Are you going to call me Dong-ha oppa again? I’m going to die, seriously.”

Since he had already been branded a shepherd boy, Park Min-jae did not complain any more.

instead.

I first touched the account of a foreigner who had commented by moving my finger.

“… … Is it salty?”

“what?”

“When I click on the account, Kirk Schmidt pops up?”

“Who is that? Speak so I can understand. Stop talking like an otaku who only knows you.”

Park Min-jae glared at Nam Bo-mi, who was being teased, and opened his mouth for his friends.

Even if I tell you, you won’t know anyway.

“Guitarist of Metal Road.”

of course.

Looking at the reactions of my three friends, I guess that was as expected.

They may not know it, but it’s a legend that any rock fan can’t help but know.

‘Why is Metallord commenting on my video?’

So Park Min-jae could only think of one of two cases: either a fan of Metallord used a picture of Kirk Schmidt, or he was salty.

I played with my fingers and replied with two English words that I knew.

Even Park Min-jae doesn’t need a translator for this level.

[FXXK YOU.]

Then, as I raise my head, I begin to sense a strange atmosphere.

“Hey, but why is the atmosphere like this?”

“Sunglasses, mask?”

“Huh? Why are you walking around like that?”

“I can tell at a glance that they are fans of Blue Porcelain.”

People wearing black masks and sunglasses are gathering in small groups at the broadcasting station.

Fans even wear matching outfits.

We also prepare cheering tools tailored to each group.

This feels different.

Seeing people standing in line at the broadcasting station with their faces covered… … there’s something strange.

They look like a horde of zombies… … and like people from some organization.

Even if the face is covered, you can still guess the gender and age.

The bulging bellies of some people.

You can tell he’s quite old by his thick hair.

Some people just know.

Because you can tell they’re women by their body type.

In short, it shows unity by covering the face, but other than that, it’s a mess.

There is a jumble of people of all ages and genders, their faces covered.

Nam Bo-mi, who trembled for a moment at that sight, hung on Lee Yu-jin’s shoulder.

“… … Eugene. Should we just go? I think I touched something I shouldn’t have touched.”

“It was hard to get. This is the only competition where it’s going wild.”

“But… … .”

“You like it too?”

The four of us didn’t become fans after seeing one performance, but we all wanted to see the show again.

I also applied to attend Blue Porcelain’s first live stage, but I was eliminated then.

at that time.

A message popped up on the cell phone in Park Min-jae’s hand.

[How are you? What are you doing? Are you eating?]

As I was replying to the comment on YouTube and holding it, Lee Yu-jin, who was next to me, also read the message.

“Oh… … Minjae. What is it? A woman?”

Park Min-jae frowned for a moment at Lee Yu-jin’s words.

“Why is this guy like this? It’s scary.”

“Hyung? Are you a man? Who?”

You’re a guy, right?

But I can’t answer who it is.

If I tell him who I am, he will look at me with contempt again.

“Yes. Weird brother.”

“Ahem.”

Lee Yujin, who answered in a snort, put her hands on Bomi and Haeun’s sides and laughed.

“Let’s go quickly.”

* * *

I looked at my brothers from the center of the stage.

It’s a space I’m quite familiar with now.

Because we are already preparing for a third performance at the same venue.

I wonder if it’s right to call it a performance…

Because the stage given to us is only two songs.

That doesn’t mean I’m neglecting it.

There is something I want to achieve through this stage.

Because I have something to prove on this stage.

‘You foolish bear. The smell of paste vibrates all the way here.’

Although music can’t be compared to sports, drums are the most physically demanding of all the instruments used in a band.

After beating those drums underground for over a month, it can’t be normal.

He turns his body and stares blankly at Dong-sik, but I don’t know what he’s thinking.

Look at it now.

All I do is just touch the instruments that have been set up silently.

If you look at him rubbing his elbow for a moment, you can see that he is not in top condition.

If you look to the left of the stage, you can see Youngpil standing in front of the synthesizer. I think I know what he’s thinking.

‘I guess you’ll miss your sister-in-law and Daeyoon.’

After more than a month of practicing together without being able to speak, Youngpil’s eyes also began to show venom.

Since Dong-sik, who is a foolish bear, shows no signs of leaving, it seems like he thinks that the shortcut to escaping is to improve his skills and create a situation that satisfies Dong-sik.

Well… … I met my sister-in-law and Daeyoon in front of the practice room right before coming to the broadcasting station, so I was able to recharge and feel more motivated.

Daeyoon didn’t know that Youngpil was in a band, so they met in secret.

Well, it’s not like you can tell someone to cover their face until they see their own family.

anyway.

‘Good job. Move on.’

I encouraged myself by checking on my brothers.

Although I am still young in terms of age, I know one thing for sure.

The future changes depending on the choices I make.

So, you have to choose carefully.

You have to be precise about what you are going to get out of making a choice.

For our team, the reason we entered this competition, our purpose… … I wanted to say that it wasn’t about winning.

It’s not that I’m being humble and saying that winning isn’t my goal.

There are still two stages left until the championship, excluding today. I knew that I would win anyway. Looking at it like that, it seems like I gained the power of foresight through time travel to the future.

So, winning is just like… … a tollgate.

If you go from Seoul to Busan, you’ll see this several times; it’s just something you see along the way.

‘passion.’

It may be a cliche, but it applies to both my brothers and me.

We needed passion.

Beginning and challenge can be similar words.

But beginning and passion are different.

When I found my brothers again, the reason they joined was simply to try it one more time.

It could have been a guest, or it could have been a regret for not being able to tie the knot.

Because reality is so harsh, you may have thoughtlessly taken steps toward paradise.

But now it’s different.

Even though I’m wearing sunglasses, I can still see my brothers’ eyes.

Eyes filled with longing.

The stimulation of competition.

The tension that the stage creates.

The gazes of the fans filling the seats are making the brothers’ time flow backwards.

Kwu …

Behind the scenes.

So, a large whale is passing behind the brothers’ backs.

Kuuuuuuuuu―.

A large whale floats across the stage, emitting an ultrasonic cry.

It must be a fantasy.

Still, it is clear.

The movements are extremely powerful.

‘Nice to meet you. It’s been a while.’

As I wave my hand in the air, a whale floats over my brothers’ heads.

Actually… … It was our first meeting, even though it had been a long time.

But somehow, it felt familiar, so I think that greeting just came out.

Because we are quite similar.

Maybe the whale was us.

A mammal that is a unique creature that cannot survive without water.

Brothers who lived like dead people, far from rock.

A genre that is almost heterogeneous in contemporary popular music.

―Phuuuuuuuuuu―!

As the floating whale let out a ragged breath, a column of water shot up.

That’s why whales are us.

Despite having all the elements that would make them ostracized from an evolutionary perspective, whales still exist.

We exist too.

Among those who say rock is dead.

Among the masses who don’t even know what rock is.

Listening to the complaints of those who have grown old with rock and those who have held on to rock that has grown old.

We stand here.

And winning too.

My brothers’ skills have also improved.

Because of that, I was able to record my first album with my brothers who were at a level that I could acknowledge.

And also the production of the album.

Nothing matters anymore.

When there’s a stage, we play and sing.

That’s how whales live.

Doing your best in a given environment.

I can hear the host mumbling something.

Well, it’s our turn, I guess.

We’re waiting on stage with the set up. We’ll have the performers stand up and that’s all the MC will have to say.

Knock knock.

When I tap the microphone a couple of times, Ahn Chi-seop, who is watching me from under the stage, nods his head.

I opened my mouth, confirming that the microphone had a voice modulation effect.

“The first song I’ll show you on this stage is my own composition. Start 1994.”

Jiiing―!

The strong sound characteristic of a distorted electric guitar starts from my guitar and is emitted through the line to the speakers.

Sound waves spread out, passing through people’s ears and racing towards their heads.

What further explanation is needed?

A whale in water has too little time to waste on gossip.

Three whales, now quite useful, are chasing after me.

An Chi-seop is seen hurriedly giving instructions, turning off his voice modulation, perhaps because he didn’t know it would start so suddenly.

Well, that’s true.

It would be funny if a distorted voice came out while singing.