Underground Echoes and a Familiar Melody
Most people are born on the surface of the earth and live their lives there. They rarely venture underground. That's why the idea of the subterranean instinctively repulses humans. The damp, dimly lit atmosphere alone feels like a barrier, forbidding entry. At the same time, that's precisely why live houses are often tucked away underground. Cheap rent, sound doesn't leak out easily, and fewer noise complaints.
This live house was probably no different.
"Kinda feels like we're heading into some spot from an anime," Iseo muttered as they descended the short staircase.
Myeongjeon grabbed Hyeona, who was nodding along, and pushed her to the front. She didn't speak Japanese, after all.
"Welcome. Do you have reservations?"
"Ah... um, yeah. On-site... on-site purchase. You know, can we buy tickets here?"
"Okay, okay. How many?"
"Five, five people."
While Hyeona handled the transaction in her halting Japanese, Myeongjeon took a quick look around the live house interior. Slightly smaller than Paradox, but the design, sound equipment, and the drink bar visible in the back—all showed clear signs of care and investment.
"Here... the tickets. Exchange these over there for drinks. Can't bring them onto the floor..."
The tickets had a pretty unique design. Myeongjeon decided to keep hers as a souvenir instead of exchanging it—she'd chugged a bottle of water on the way over anyway.
"Show starts in five minutes~!"
With the staff's announcement in the background, Myeongjeon slowly scanned the venue once more. Not sold out, but decently packed. The lineup featured bands even she, with her deep knowledge of the Japanese rock scene, hadn't heard of.
At the drink bar where Iseo was ordering, a rough-looking, bearded young guy—the quintessential "Japanese rock dude"—was mixing drinks.
"Is this the usual spot for performances like this?"
"Yeah. The place we play in Hongdae is a bit bigger and above ground... that's about it. Not much different from here."
Lee Hyein posed the question, and Myeongjeon answered while scouting for seats. A spot where four high school girls and one adult woman could peacefully enjoy a rock band's set.
"Thank you!"
The second band's set ended to applause. Iseo and the others clapped enthusiastically too.
"So, what'd you think of those two?"
Suyeon tossed out the question during the brief lull. Iseo pondered for a moment. The songs from both bands had been... subtle, somehow. She wondered if it was just the Japanese sensibility not clicking with her, but recalling her bandmates' reactions and the songs Suyeon had written, there was definitely something lacking. Or maybe Suyeon was just that good at composing.
But technically speaking... Iseo's eyes widened. She wasn't an expert on Hongdae's indie band scene—far from it. The indie bands she'd seen were mostly the after-hours acts at Paradox, a few that Seoha dragged her to, and the ones from the audition. If you discounted the audition bands as selected pros, the rest had shaky fundamentals: missing beats, off-pitch notes, overreaching on complex riffs.
These Japanese bands were different. On par with—or better than—the mid-to-upper tier from Invasion from Seoul. Not enough to sell out the place, not cherry-picked elites, but objectively solid basics despite the moderately filled crowd.
"Both bands have solid fundamentals from the members. Music-wise, honestly, not sure."
Hyein had stepped out for some air to give her ears a break, with Hyeona tagging along. Seoha spoke up among the remaining three.
"I get why they call Japan a rock powerhouse, band nation, whatever. In Korea, they'd be the talk of the town for skill alone."
"Yeah."
Suyeon nodded at Iseo's follow-up, then chimed in.
"Say person A ranks around 10th out of 100 in Korea. In Japan? Maybe 100th or 110th out of a thousand. The distribution's similar in both countries."
Iseo found it surprising. She'd assumed Japan was on another level.
"But population makes the difference. In Korea, a city the size of Cheonan or Gwangmyeong might acknowledge one top-tier like A. In Japan, that same area has maybe ten. Population bloats the numbers—even if the curve's the same, sheer quantity differs."
Suyeon gestured toward the band packing up on stage.
"That's why Japan's a music paradise... but also not. Even bands at that level can't fill this place. Take Mystica: in Korea, they'd be 'indie band making a living off gigs.' Here? Just one of many."
And to succeed in Japan, we'd have to surpass all these.
Suyeon trailed off. A heavy silence fell, sobering the mood. Iseo rubbed her stiff neck.
Truth be told, after the audition, she'd gotten a bit arrogant. Smooth sailing had her fantasizing in bed: I'm good enough for anywhere. World tour soon? But here, it felt like a good, cold splash of reality. Especially after all the recent praise. She clenched her fist tighter. Back home, practice bass till my fingers bleed.
"Next up, the third band!"
The staff's call came after Hyeona and Hyein returned. The third band's set began much like the others: subtle songs, solid basics. Differences? More polished sound... and not just originals—they threw in a few covers. Seamlessly, without fanfare, right after a few words from the vocalist.
"The song we're about to play... I love Korean music, specifically Korean rock. Found this one digging through charts recently. A band track charting amid all the K-pop? Surprising, so I checked it out—loved it. Practiced it to share with you all..."
"What's he saying?"
"Covering a Korean song... Korean rock. Says he found it on the charts, really good..."
Hyeona frowned, straining to catch and translate the band guy's words. As Iseo thought K-rock on Korean charts?, the vocalist murmured low in Japanese.
"Please listen... Kao."
The melody hit, and Iseo's eyes flew wide.
"Wait, that's our song?!"
The audience, savoring the unfamiliar tune in hushed quiet, froze as sharp Korean cut through. Eyes turned their way; Seoha quickly clapped a hand over Iseo's mouth and bowed apologetically to the crowd.
"Shh."
"But it's our song... we gotta say something..."
Iseo mumbled through her hand. Suyeon sighed deeply.
"So what if it's ours? They're the ones performing. What're you gonna do, storm the stage yelling, 'We wrote and sang this first! Get off, our turn!' Total buzzkill."
"Exactly. I get the excitement, but it'd ruin their show. Just take it as a fun memory and move on, dear."
With Hyein chiming in, Iseo's thrill deflated. She reconsidered. Yeah, if Group Sound covered a Japanese band's song and fans suddenly shouted "That's ours!" from the crowd, it'd be awkward as hell. They hadn't invited them up.
"Hey, you girls over there. Come up front?"
It was the performing band.
A cluster of girls huddled in the stage corner—total outsiders to this live house. Hard to see details from afar, but they looked stunning... high school age, maybe. Familiar faces? Probably imagination.
Finally got some high school girl fans. Long road for an unknown band...
He clenched his fist, feeling validated. Sure, they'd been there since the first set, but no need to dwell on morale-killers. Life's about convincing yourself, after all.
That feeling peaked when Korean burst from them mid-Kao. No clue what it meant, but reacting in Korean meant they dug it. Good sign.
"Hey, you girls. Come up front?"
He pointed to the stage edge amid focused stares. The girls chattered.
"What's he saying?"
"Wants us... up front..."
"Why?"
"Dunno..."
Incomprehensible Korean flew back and forth until one approached the stage, looking a bit sulky.
"Whoa..."
Her beauty was undeniable—stunning, really. The band's bassist let out an unconscious gasp. He agreed. But... familiar?
"WHY?"
Short English at stage front. He racked his brain desperately. Not a friend or anything. Recent, memorable... Not AV, obviously. Gravure? Nah. YouTube? Close. Wait...
Then it hit him.
"Group Sound! Kao! Guitar! Right? You're the vocalist?!"
The video he'd seen recently. The stage where Kao debuted: Invasion from Seoul 2024 finals. A never-before-heard song that moved the live crowd to tears and chants. The band's vocalist. And her guitar work—ghostly, otherworldly. Ha Suyeon stood before him.