Chapter 416: Concert (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 416: Concert (3)
The next note was just as scathing as the last.
“‘I condemn the act of eating chicken breast steak on a cheat day.’ This opinion just came in. What do you all think?”
“It’s a regular meal, so isn't it fine?”
“No, chicken breast isn't exactly a ‘regular’ meal.”
The simple-minded Choi Je-ho and the logical Kang Gi-yeon clashed immediately.
“Did you write this?”
“No, but my point is that food you find when searching for ‘diet food’ cannot be the same as a ‘cheat day’ menu.”
As the disagreement grew heated, Kang Gi-yeon eventually stood up and began an impassioned speech.
“Honestly, you all agree. They might taste similar, but they aren't the same.”
“Is that so?”
“Gi-yeon, I-wol isn't a picky eater, so he won't understand if you put it that way.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon chimed in. Park Ju-woo, who was more of a ‘Master Eater’ than a mere gourmet, nodded in agreement with Kang Gi-yeon.
“So? You’re saying you want to eat a real steak?”
“I wouldn't know. I didn't write the note.”
“You didn't?”
Choi Je-ho shot him a suspicious look. However, Kang Gi-yeon remained composed. There wasn't a hint of a lie on his face.
Watching the situation unfold, Kim I-wol turned his gaze toward Lee Cheong-hyeon.
“Cheong-hyeon.”
“Yeah?”
“Was the soy hamburger steak not good either?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon silently turned his back on Kim I-wol.
“Then why did Kang Gi-yeon react like that?”
“He probably felt the same way deep down.”
Kim I-wol kindly explained to the bewildered Choi Je-ho.
“I think our team lacks gourmets. Does no one else find joy in the act of eating? Aren't you happy when you eat something delicious?”
Perhaps giving up on hiding it, Lee Cheong-hyeon jumped up from his seat.
“A cheat day once a month is fine! I’m not asking to increase the frequency. But shouldn't we be able to eat freely for just one day—no, just one meal?”
“It’s not like we dictate the menu. It’s a free meal.”
“How are we supposed to order pizza when the rest of you are sitting there eating chicken breast during a ‘free meal’!”
Lee Cheong-hyeon clutched his chest while looking at Jeong Seong-bin, as if he couldn't believe the word ‘free’ was even being used.
Wait, a free meal only once a month? Baek Hae-won was reminded once again that these idols were famous for being ‘Self-Managed Idols.’
“You could just order it.”
“Je-ho, we have a conscience!”
“I really don't mind, though.”
“I know! I know you guys don't care! We’re the ones who care!”
Choi Je-ho and Kim I-wol took turns driving Lee Cheong-hyeon crazy. Kang Gi-yeon stood behind him, muttering in agreement.
“I mean, I do want to eat something tasty once in a while, too...”
“Ju-woo.”
“Yeah?”
“A soft tofu set meal does not count as the kind of ‘party food’ Kang Gyeon and I are demanding.”
“Ah...”
“That’s right, Ju-woo. You can eat a soft tofu set meal anytime.”
Kim I-wol consoled Park Ju-woo. Is it for real that Park Ju-woo’s cheat meal is a soft tofu set meal? Baek Hae-won thought back to the days she’d impulsively ordered tteokbokki just because she’d succeeded in buying concert tickets.
“So, Cheong-hyeon, you’re saying you want everyone to eat something delicious together on cheat days?”
“Something delicious ‘by the maknaes' standards.’”
“Right, by the maknaes' standards. I-wol, Je-ho, what do you think?”
“I’m not picky, so I’ll go with whatever the others want.”
“Ah, Hyung!”
“Hyung? Cheong-hyeon, we’re friends.”
While Jeong Seong-bin tried to moderate, Kim I-wol and Lee Cheong-hyeon started bickering. It was a total mess of a fight.
“Just tell us what you think is delicious. That way we can decide.”
Choi Je-ho stepped in to mediate. Lee Cheong-hyeon cleared his throat and spoke clearly, like a student at a speech contest.
“Spicy stir-fried chicken on a griddle with extra fried rice, shabu-shabu with extra kalguksu noodles, pasta with extra noodles and shrimp, a double serving of jajangmyeon with a large sweet and sour pork, extra self-made rice balls with tteokbokki, and being allowed to order soybean paste stew for dessert after eating cold noodles.”
“Isn't that too many carbs?”
“I-wol, I’m talking here.”
Park Ju-woo’s face turned pale at the endless parade of menu items. It looked as if he was imagining himself eating all of it.
“Actually, I felt a bit disappointed about that too...”
Jeong Seong-bin joined in with an awkward laugh. Kim I-wol looked shocked.
“Were you guys always such big eaters?”
“It’s not that we’re big eaters; everyone in the world eats this much. You’re the only one who treats chewy cold noodles like a special feast.”
“I see Je-ho... eats that much too. I get it now.”
Kim I-wol understood immediately. The discussion surrounding cheat days concluded with a decision to fully respect the opinions of the younger members.
After that, various other notes exposed the grievances of the Spark members to the world. If you upload a new document to the shared folder, please remember to grant editing permissions.I appreciate you putting air freshener in the shoes you borrowed, but I’d appreciate it even more if you told me you did—I’ve washed them three times and they still smell like lilacs. They were all incredibly trivial.
“This is the last note. I’ll read it!”
Jeong Seong-bin pulled the final slip of paper from the box.
“‘I see some people skipping seconds during stretching; let’s do the full time. Skipping a few moves won't dramatically increase our practice time.’”
“That sounds like I-wol.”
“Didn't I-wol write the one about the shared folder earlier?”
Kim I-wol simply shrugged. Only the members were left in confusion. Lee Cheong-hyeon interrogated Choi Je-ho.
“I’m just asking in case, but Je-ho, you didn't ask I-wol to ghostwrite this for you, did you?”
“Who would hire a ghostwriter for a note at a concert?”
“A concert? This is a class meeting.”
Choi Je-ho laughed at Lee Cheong-hyeon’s remark as if it were absurd.
“Is it... Seong-bin?”
“Seong-bin doesn't speak that firmly. Our Seong-bin is so nice.”
Kang Gi-yeon defended Jeong Seong-bin. The leader certainly seemed to have a lot of support. Though she wasn't sure about the support for the older members.
“I agree that we should stretch diligently. You can never have too much warm-up exercise.”
Even while smiling, Jeong Seong-bin took the side of the note’s author. His diligent personality shone through even in these small details.
“Still, the content is warm. It’s worrying about the health of friends.”
“Gi-yeon, are you mocking me for condemning the cheat day thing just now?”
“Man, I can't say anything.”
Despite no one writing a note to put someone else down, the members bickered incessantly. Watching them fight over such trivial things made them look like ordinary students.
“Everyone, remember the opinions your friends shared, okay? In the next meeting, let’s have the person who wrote the note present their reasons directly. That’s all for today’s meeting!”
Fortunately, the class meeting ended on a bright and heartwarming note. As soon as Jeong Seong-bin finished his closing remarks, the school bell rang.
The ‘next meeting’ would likely refer to this same time at tomorrow’s concert.
Just as Baek Hae-won was praising herself once again for successfully booking tickets for both days...
“Hey, push the desks!”
“Let’s clean up quickly and go!”
The members moved the desks and chairs to the edge of the stage. Staff members waiting out of sight took the desks and chairs away once they were cleared.
It was rare for idols to move props themselves, especially during a concert.
Is it to keep the concept alive?
As Baek Hae-won wondered, the large black cloth covering the back of the stage dropped...
And a flashy set of band instruments appeared.
≫ Awangsil has a reason to exist just for producing Speaker.
It’s a total failure of a show, but I have to give them credit for this.
└ I disagree. It’s infuriating that Speaker’s debut stage was on a show like Awangsil.
└ Both the post and the comment are right.
≫ People who haven't seen Speaker: Why does this video have so many views?
People who have seen Speaker: Why does this video have so few views?
└ Fact: The view count trend has already surpassed survival show levels.
└ All the people who used to follow 90s rock bands have gathered here; of course the views are high LOL.
└ It’s insane that a 19-year-old wrote a song with this vibe, but the 20-year-old vocal woke up all the enthusiasts who were buried in their coffins.
≫ If Spark releases two or three more songs like Speaker, they could start a band-idol syndrome.
I know they’re good at their main jobs, but has there been a band this buzzed about recently?
└ Totally possible.
└ It might be hard because of the members who aren't specialists.
└└ Seeing them reach this level in just a year, it’s not an impossible stretch in the long run.
≫ Why Speaker is a masterpiece:
They know exactly what makes people’s hearts race.
The vibe of that era hits from the very first intro.
Even though I wasn't even born back then...
└ That last line LOL.
└ Truth. It brings up a nostalgia I never had.
└ That’s why they’re getting so much support from the 30-40 age group.
└ Meanwhile, the fact that the 10-20 age group doesn't find it old-fashioned proves it’s a legend.
≫ Guys, Speaker is starting to hit the global algorithm.
Don't lose to the English comments.
Let’s show them the power of Koreans.
└ jijimalja
└ What is this guy doing LOL.
Her heart began to race. With every step Kim I-wol took toward the white bass, a heartbeat echoed in her head. A wide shoulder strap settled over Kim I-wol’s white school shirt.
Park Ju-woo set up a microphone stand he’d pulled from the back of the stage in the center. He must have taken off his shirt while she wasn't looking; he was now wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt, a thin leather belt, and his school trousers.
Choi Je-ho, his tie loosened, struck the snare drum.
≫ The drums have a crazy sense of rhythm, more than anything else.
A one-year rookie has mastered this kind of timing?
It’s like heaven ordained him to play the drums; I’m not even jealous.
Since he has the power, the sound comes out great too... LOL. He’s got everything in terms of natural physique.
Blue veins bulged on the back of Kim I-wol’s white hands as he gripped the chords. Lee Cheong-hyeon, with his sleeves rolled up, placed both hands on the keyboard.
≫ The keyboard and bass are a stroke of genius.
Even though it’s a masterpiece and the vocal is superhuman, the reason a rookie band could maintain balance is because the experienced members are putting on a show of strength with the melody and bass.
Since the song requires many skills and the vocal covers a wide range, the notes they have to play and the parts they have to support are immense, yet they play it perfectly live in a band style.
While the keyboard has a bit of a standard feel (though it’s at a level where you’d just say it’s humanly possible; you wouldn't think he’s someone who changed genres...), the bass, as critics say, has devoured the pros.
They say the bass carries the band, and at this level, he’d usually be snatched up the moment he’s seen.
Jeong Seong-bin and Kang Gi-yeon plucked their strings in unison.
≫ I always teach students learning guitar for the first time to focus on the basics, and the guitarists here show exactly why.
When you get excessive or obsessed with speed, accuracy tends to drop.
Just seeing them fulfill their roles faithfully without missing a note makes it hard to believe they’re beginners... especially since it’s not an easy song.
I think placing two guitars that could easily be overshadowed by other sessions and clearly defining their roles was a great choice.
『Tangled people
Seething noise
Piercing through
The snapping sound』
The accompaniment was loud enough to burst eardrums. The lighting was so intense it felt like it would sear her eyes.
『I’ll shout until I’m heard
Pay attention, now』
Park Ju-woo instantly pierced through that chaos with a voice that sounded like a steel cable scraping against an iron wall.
『I’m speaking
If you won't listen』
≫ Was there ever a vocal like this in our country...?
I can't believe it even as I’m listening.
It’s even more absurd knowing he’s only twenty.
Logic is unnecessary in the face of overwhelming talent.
Park Ju-woo gripped the microphone in the stand tightly.
Baek Hae-won saw it clearly. The voice Park Ju-woo pulled up traveled through the veins in his neck and spread to the tip of his chin.
『speak louder
The only way is to play harder』
If songs had colors, the highlight of 『Speaker』 would be red.
Like Park Ju-woo’s flushed face, like a lighthouse that never goes out even on a dark blue sea.