Rockstar Again - Chapter 97



Only Noblemtl

Episode 97. Welcome to the Jungle (2)

The troubles of 1994.

Even though I was a senior in high school and should have been focusing on studying, I picked up the guitar.

Even though I had enough time to memorize a whole notebook of English words, I spent growing bean sprouts.

So what?

Even if you just study half-heartedly, you’ve already secured a spot in a Korean university.

Because I just had to choose which course to take.

Thinking back now, I think it was a pretty efficient use of time.

Even if you study more there, there are only a limited number of universities you can enter in South Korea. But that doesn’t mean you can go to universities far across the ocean like Harvard in the US or Oxford in the UK.

At that time, my father was a day laborer, not a doctor.

I have no intention of complaining about my fate.

I’m just speaking realistically.

The reality is that I didn’t have the money to dream of things like studying abroad.

Even if there was money at home, there wasn’t really…

I would not have left my father and gone to a foreign university.

For me, studying was just that much.

It’s enough to be a proud son to your father.

Grab the guitar.

There were several people next to me swallowing the mic.

Dad, and uncle.

Eunsol, my innocent first love, who is now another man’s wife… … should have been my wife, and that house should have been my home… …

Beomseok, who was Sancho at that time.

The three members of the band are the North Korean agent, Long-Haired Bone, and Long-Bone Brothers.

If you think about it that way, is this… … the aftereffects of the accident?

Living a nineteen year life, I’m sure the people around me weren’t all like that, right?

Like classmates.

People you meet while riding the bus to school.

Neighbors.

A fan I met during a performance around Itaewon and Jongno.

Bands that performed on the same stage.

Even without going into detail, it’s obvious that there are many more people around me than I can think of.

But nothing in particular came to mind.

When I think about it now, it’s really amazing.

I also wonder if I got a head injury in the accident on the day I time-slipped.

You see that in dramas and movies, like partial amnesia.

If you insist on it like that, there are some things that are a bit sloppy.

When I needed a guitar, I immediately thought of Manseok from Myeongga Musical Instruments…

Maybe something like this?

It’s called time slip.

And it’s quite shocking that it came 30 years into the future.

Just, wow! Time travel, future skids! You can’t just dismiss it like that.

Of the countless people who shared the world with me until yesterday, a significant number would have become dead.

It means that my friends have become the uncles next door.

Even among my friends, there must be some who have died.

Although it may not be that old, 30 years is a long time for a person.

Even if you put your two hands and feet together, it’s still twenty.

The time it takes to get over it… …is enough to change the mountains and rivers three times.

So what I mean is.

The world has collapsed and I have become like someone who has come to another world.

I wondered if my brain had been wired to not remember anything about the past, except for a few specific people, in order to protect itself from shock.

I wonder if the man in his 50s passing by was my friend. If I keep thinking like that, I won’t be able to live properly in the past or the present.

Then, whether by necessity or by encounter.

It seems to come to mind without you knowing it.

Because it’s not really partial amnesia.

When I looked at the photos I searched on my phone, my head started to tingle.

As Yeong-pil came to see his brother and greeted him, a person’s memory overlapped.

“This kid has grown so much… … .”

It was a word that eventually came out of my mouth, unable to end with a short sigh.

You’ve really grown a lot.

People’s eyes are focused on me, but memories are flooding back to the point where I can’t act out Lee Beom-seok’s Lee Dong-ha.

In that situation, should I pretend to be vocal A?

I don’t have the spirit for that anymore.

-Hyung, what are you doing?

A strange little bastard who used to chase after me when I was a strange little bastard.

He is so small, barely 150cm tall, that if it weren’t for his short hair, I would have mistaken him for an elementary school student.

-Oh my! You’re killing me.

-What are you killing? Go home before you kill me. You’re a little kid. You don’t come to places like this. Go and study.

-Is studying important for someone who does music? Didn’t you go all-in on rock without studying?

-What about all-in? I study hard. And really well.

-no way…….

-Hey, what? Get out now.

Even if we chase them away like that, the next day they somehow knew about our schedule and came to the concert hall.

Rock wasn’t restricted to those under 19, but the concert hall we were at at the time wasn’t a concert hall just for the stage.

I didn’t think it was emotionally good for a middle school student, so I kept scolding him.

-older brother.

-Don’t call me brother. I’m not that old.

– That’s what I’m saying. You’re still young, so why do you keep kicking me out? That’s it.

-At least I haven’t been to a concert hall since I was in middle school.

-Brother, are you really good at studying?

-Korea University is a funny place.

The young fan who had asked me that question several times eventually followed me to my school and even asked people to check my grades.

What happened after checking?

Because I kept kicking him out, he didn’t come to the concert hall, but somehow he found out and came to the practice room.

Thinking about it now, I guess he was a stalker, you could say he was a sasaeng fan.

But I didn’t hate him because I felt that even a short, middle-aged man like me was sincere about music.

―Wow… … So unfair… … .

– So. You go and study too. When you become as good as me in your studies, come back again. Then I’ll teach you guitar.

-Please just teach me the guitar. Why do you keep leaving it out because it’s difficult?

-If it’s not difficult, just buy a book and study on your own.

―Why are you studying from a book written by some idiot when the best guitar player in the world is right next to you?

―This little bastard’s tsueeeeeekieee… … . He has an eye for people… … You, honey. Is this just this one time in particular?

-Gyarrrrrrrring!

―… … What did you do just now?

―It’s an expression of feeling good, hehehe… … .

―Ah… … I’m dying of pain. Shut up and come here, just hold on.

The first day I allowed you to be by my side.

The young stalker was jumping for joy.

―Hey… … Try holding it again. Why are your fingers so short? They’re not just short, they’re chubby. Are they fish cakes?

―It’s because the growth period hasn’t come yet… … .

-Okay. Just catch it quickly.

-Like this?

-This kid really doesn’t know anything? Not over there, the line above!

My brothers laughed at the two of us like that.

Watching the guy who picked up the guitar without being discouraged even after being teased quite a bit, I realized that teaching others can be quite enjoyable.

So… …to summarize.

He was my first and last disciple.

-I…….

“Do you know me?”

A charismatic rocker named Choi Dong-hae, who used to ask Young-pil if he didn’t know him, asks me.

“You changed your name. That’s why your hyungs don’t remember you.”

I didn’t hide it.

Then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, Youngpil grabs Jang Pilseong’s arm and pushes him towards the door.

“Ah, Mr. Pil-seong. If it’s okay, we have something to talk about separately with Mr. Choi Dong-hae. Please… … .”

“Huh? No… … But just now… … Dong… … Hua… … was that a strange sound?”

“You know. It’s a bit… … unusual. Anyway, please.”

“yes?”

Youngpil had already pushed Jang Pilseong out the door.

Jang Pil-seong is kicked out the door with awkward steps backwards.

“Su-chan, Dong-chan, and Tae-ri too. Do you want to go out and get some fresh air?”

Youngpil, who had kicked out even his stylist sister from his manager hyungs, leaned against the waiting room door as if blocking it.

Choi Dong-hae still looks at me with eyes full of doubt.

It’s not just me who’s looking at him strangely, but Youngpil is also looking at me in turn to see why he chased Jang Pilseong away.

With Choi Dong-hae standing there, Young-pil spoke to his older brother.

“It looks like you remember, hyung.”

“Uh… … Just now, all of a sudden. But are you okay?”

I guess it’s okay to reveal it like this right away.

Even without trying to explain the true meaning, that’s how the situation is.

“What’s wrong with that? If you go somewhere and tell someone, they’ll only call you crazy.”

Choi Dong-hae spoke to me again.

“By any chance… … you were also a Blue Porcelain user before?”

“huh.”

“But your voice sounds very young.”

The eyes are sharp and the lines are thick overall.

That’s why long hair with curls doesn’t feel feminine.

The aura of charisma created by the years radiating from his body is even more so.

“If you have a young voice, what’s the problem?”

“yes?”

“Why did you change your name? When you change your name, your hyungs won’t remember it right away. You’ve grown so much. Back then, you were a dwarf and a sack of shit.”

“… … Well… … I’m not that tall… … but I used to be short, right… … ?”

Choi Dong-hae, looking bewildered, trying to guess which member he was at that time.

Hey, 30 years ago your name was Choi Dong-gu.

So, when he would squat down in front of the practice room and wait for us, especially me, I would sing a song called “The Road to the Orchard Outside the Dong-gu.”

Choi Dong-gu, who recognized that as a signal that I had arrived, and the current Choi Dong-hae followed me with a big smile.

“Why did you change the name? Dong-gu is a good name. The orchard road outside Dong-gu. The acacia flowers are in full bloom.”

He said it with a sense of rhythm.

But after doing it, I feel a little dizzy… … .

What did you call this back in the day? It was so much fun, but now that I’m singing it again, it sounds really childish.

But still… … Let me emphasize this again, I was young back then.

Since I was a minor, I hope you don’t say anything childish about me.

It’s normal to be childish at that age.

Anyway, Choi Dong-hae’s wide eyes widened as if they were going to burst at the sound of my singing.

“… … Dong-ha… … Brother… … ?”

“Do you remember?”

“… … He passed away… … ? I cried so much in front of the funeral home back then… … ?”

“If it’s a funeral, then it’s a funeral. Why were you crying in front of it?”

Choi Dong-hae, in his 40s and radiating charisma, stumbled and barely managed to straighten up when Young-pil grabbed his arm.

“… … I thought that if I went there and looked at the memorial photo, it would mean that I was really dead… … . No… … That’s not important. Is it really true?”

“What’s your face like?”

“… … .”

“Why do you want to see everything with your own eyes? Even if I say I’m a good student, you don’t believe me and come all the way to other schools.”

“Is that really something only Dong-ha hyung and I know… … ?”

“I know because I’m the same age. Is your face gray? That’s why the hyungs don’t recognize you. Even if the atmosphere changes, you should change it appropriately. Change your name, change the atmosphere. If you ask if I recognize you after that, isn’t that cheating? Also. Since when did Imma Youngpil hyung become a celebrity? You pretended not to know him until now, and now you’re coming to me as if you’re close and trying to get me to do you a favor?”

Am I speaking quite… …as if I were a superior?

however.

It’s okay to do that to Donggu’s kid, not to anyone else, right?

Since when did you become the nation’s rocker?

It’s all about me holding the guitar and using my voice.

I learned it step by step.

“Ah… … . I didn’t really think I could be of any help… … . In the past, our fields were different… … Youngpil hyung mostly appeared in variety shows… … No, but are you really Dongha hyung? Take that off. Please.”

The dead have come back, this is normal.

I took off my mask and sunglasses.

If a disciple wants to see his master’s face, he must show it to him.

however.

When Choi Dong-hae saw my face, his face twisted into a fierce expression.

In a flash.

“This fucking little shit! Who are you kidding!”

“Ugh―.”

And then Choi Dong-hae, who suddenly rushes at me, strangles me.

Youngpil, who was nearby, tried to stop him, but… … .

This kid, this guy… … It wasn’t just charisma.

If it was a poodle or a chihuahua back then, it’s a wild beast now.

“This XX is really you… …!”

He grabbed me by the collar and made a grinding sound.

It was only after Dongsik Hyung came out that my neck was free.

Oh my… … I almost died.