Chapter 299: A Six-Person Birthday Party (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 299: A Six-Person Birthday Party (2)
Baek Hae-won sobbed with her fist in her mouth.
The reason was simple: Spark was just so wholesome.
Up until they appeared as a group for the live stream, Hae-won had been cheering happily, thinking, 'Whoa, the boys are here!' But the moment she started wailing was during the letter-reading segment.
The letters laid bare just how much the members cherished Kim I-wol. For Hae-won, who firmly believed Spark was a family, it was a deeply moving moment.
≫ Spark is definitely a family.
≫ If you pull their family registry, they’ll all show up as brothers. I’ve seen it.
≫ Cheong-hyeon, I’m tearing up too.
≫ I-wol, please hold onto time. I’ll age in your place.
≫ Guys, your faces are already a movie.
≫ Every shot is a best cut and a highlight.
≫ Your narrative deserves a Best Screenplay award, and your letters deserve Best Director.
Jeong Seong-bin was hyped up to celebrate, and Kim I-wol was busy being wide-eyed and surprised, making the live stream twice as noisy as usual. Still, Baek Hae-won loved every second of it. It wasn't often you got to see Spark this unrefined.
Then, the moment that made Hae-won’s heart nearly explode finally arrived.
『Now! The real gift!』
This precious baby snake-Jindo-chinchilla-harpy eagle-black panther brought out a massive present.
The gift was none other than a bass guitar. Kim I-wol’s eyes darted around in clear confusion, unsure of what to do.
≫ Bass! Bass!
≫ I-wol, play the bass for us!
≫ Let’s see the gift in action!
≫ Of course he’d pick one that’s so white lol.
The comment section was instantly flooded with requests for the bass. Baek Hae-won’s comment was surely buried in there somewhere.
『Hyung, they’re asking you to play the bass.』
『Huh?』
Kim I-wol’s eyes went wide. Gi-yeon, you really are the best monitoring agent.
『U-Uh...』
While Kim I-wol was acting all clunky and awkward, Park Ju-woo appeared out of nowhere carrying an amp. It was a birthday broadcast you couldn't look away from.
Won Chae-hee hadn't been a fan of Kim I-wol for very long.
Even so, she knew it was rare to see him this flustered.
As Park Ju-woo unceremoniously thudded the amp onto the floor, Kim I-wol insisted on doing it himself and crouched down with his back to the camera.
Let me repeat that. Kim I-wol crouched on the floor with his back to the camera.
This was unprecedented in Spark’s history. It was proof to everyone just how much he had lost his composure.
≫ A 183cm giant baby excited after getting a gift—he’s real.
≫ Our I-wol has changed (POSITIVE).
≫ I never thought the day would come where I’d see I-wol’s back instead of a fancam.
≫ You can feel his sincerity through his back.
Kim I-wol playing the bass was a rare, intangible cultural heritage that had only been teased a couple of times and otherwise only existed in legends.
Listening to a single instrument session wasn't usually Won Chae-hee’s thing, but since the birthday boy was so happy, she was more than willing to listen for three minutes out of a two-hour live.
『What... should I play?』
Kim I-wol gripped the neck, his voice sounding troubled. Then, he plucked the strings with his bare hands.
'Hm?'
A series of incredibly flashy finger movements flickered across the screen. Even for a warm-up, the sound was worlds apart from the Instagram videos Assistant Manager Kim had shown her while bragging about his own bass playing.
『Did you even tune it? There’s almost nothing to adjust.』
『Of course.』
On the phone screen, Lee Cheong-hyeon gave a thumbs-up.
Kim I-wol sat back down in his chair, facing the camera.
As he took off his cardigan to play, the white-haired Kim I-wol seemed to become one with the white bass.
When requests to clear the table came pouring in, the members moved Kim I-wol to the other side of it entirely. The atmosphere instantly shifted, making it look like five friends had gathered to watch Kim I-wol’s private recital.
『Ju-woo, do you have a request?』
I-wol asked, glancing back. Park Ju-woo, sitting with his chin in his hand, spoke up.
『...Anything by RoseD is fine.』
『Hmm.』
I-wol pondered for a moment. Then, he reached back and grabbed a black pick with his index and middle fingers as if drawing it toward him.
Tapping the pick against his thigh, I-wol muttered a number that seemed to be the song title. Park Ju-woo’s eyes lit up. It must have been a song he particularly liked.
『Should I play the Inst?』
『Sure.』
After a few more words, I-wol adjusted his grip on the pick.
Rhythmical drums and an electric guitar kicked in one after another, and then...
'Holy shit.'
...A heavy, clean, mid-to-low bass sound dominated the session, racing through her earphones.
Anyone who has been in a fandom for a long time inevitably develops a sharp ear. You become like a ghost at catching whether your idol layered harmonies, added back vocals, or went off-pitch.
The only bass solo videos Won Chae-hee had ever seen were short highlights that popped up in her algorithm.
Those hadn't really moved her. She felt the sharpness of the sound was stronger in guitars, and the head-thumping sensation was better felt through drums.
But even to Chae-hee’s ears, Kim I-wol’s playing was neat and tidy without a single note out of place. At the same time, it was flamboyant. They were contradictory concepts, but no other words could better describe her current impression.
Where had she heard it? She remembered a judge’s comment on some program saying that feeling a performance is "clean" despite being full of technical flourishes is proof that the performer is truly a master.
Won Chae-hee understood the meaning of those words perfectly now. It was pleasant to the ears, but just watching I-wol’s hands fly over the strings made it obvious.
'He said it was a hobby?'
He didn't seem like the type to do anything half-heartedly, even a hobby, but still.
The image of I-wol’s long eyelashes under his lowered lids as he kept the beat overlapped with the long strings of the bass, making Chae-hee’s head ache. She realized once again that humans can suffer even when their happiness index is too high.
Lost in the performance, Chae-hee had momentarily forgotten one thing.
Park Ju-woo was a massive metal addict, and the song he chose would be anything but simple.
During a brief gap, Kim I-wol bit the pick between his teeth.
Then, he began slapping the bass with his bare hands. Blue veins bulged over his fair forearms. A whirlwind of slaps and taps erupted.
≫ UA, close the shutters.
≫ Whoa.
≫ Shredding???? He’s shredding??????
≫ Whoa.
≫ wao
≫ oohwaa
≫ Vobs' pick for the best birthday gift of 20XX.
Long, white fingers like a well-crafted plaster statue and a brand-new bass shining without a single scratch.
The grey shadows that repeatedly appeared and disappeared along the lines of his arm muscles, and the veins that, once noticed, made it impossible to look away.
'Fucking insane.'
Won Chae-hee pressed a hand to her forehead. It felt hot. It was as if she were suffering from an overload.
I liked the new bass. It had been a while since I’d played seriously, so I was a bit worried, but I was glad I didn't make any mistakes. If I had been 100% synchronized, I would have been in my "stiff-handed office worker" state.
As I wiped the pick and moved to set the bass down, I locked eyes with Park Ju-woo. His eyes were sparkling.
"O God of Rock, are you satisfied?"
"Totally...!"
"Hyung, you’re the best!"
Coming from you, Lee Cheong-hyeon—who plays the piano like a maestro—it just feels like being praised for playing the recorder at a school talent show.
"It can't be helped. Now that I know your skills, I have no choice but to cast you for my sessions."
"You have MIDI."
"You know better than anyone why we use live sessions despite that, right?"
I kept my mouth shut. Cheong-hyeon burst out laughing.
"Since when have you played the bass?"
Kang Gi-yeon asked, unable to hide his shock.
I felt the same way. What was I supposed to say? If I said since I was twenty, these guys would know it was a lie.
"Since I was a student."
I glossed over it as naturally as possible and pretended to focus on packing up the bass. I didn't realize Korea’s long period of compulsory education would be helpful in a situation like this.
The birthday live ended a massive success. I also gave everyone a stern warning, telling them that such deviations without prior reporting were grounds for a disciplinary report.
All sorts of talk cropped up regarding my birthday live. I had expected the fans to enjoy the members' surprise appearance and the gifts to some extent, but...
≫ An active idol’s bass skills.
≫ RoseD - 46610 Bass Live (Spark I-wol ver. / 1 hour)
≫ Professional bandsman reacts to Spark I-wol’s 46610.
...Something strange blew up. I’d made videos like this before, but I’d never been in the video.
It felt like the whole world was lying to me. The view count on a 30-second highlight clip alone was astronomical.
"Hyung, did you see this?!"
Lee Cheong-hyeon came running from afar, shouting. On his phone screen, a thumbnail of a pixelated me and a man in glasses watching with interest shone brightly.
The title was just as flashy: 'Professional Bassist Analyzes Spark I-wol’s Bass Playing.' Why are you analyzing someone you just met? It’s scary.
"I haven't seen it, and I don't want to."
"Why? It’s full of praise for you."
"That’s exactly why I don't want to see it."
"O pitiful soul who cannot accept praise as praise..."
Cheong-hyeon looked at me with genuine pity. I think there’s a misunderstanding; I’m just embarrassed.
"Since you don't want to watch it, I’ll summarize it for you. 'Was this person originally a bassist? This isn't a sound that comes from just dabbling for a year or two; you can tell just by listening'..."
"Is that a summary? That’s just a subtitle-reading service."
It was absurd. All I could do was sigh.
"But hyung."
"What now?"
"How many years have you really played the bass?"
Cheong-hyeon asked the question that pierced right to the heart of the matter.