Tender Surrender on Shibuya Streets
Even though Iseo had ambushed her with relentless mental attacks during the Japan trip, Myeongjeon ended up buying the thing anyway. It was the only remnant left from his distant childhood, evoking memories of that far-off time. His father and mother—people whose faces now only surfaced vaguely in his mind. There was less sorrow over their passing than a simple wish that they'd gone to a good place, and that he'd follow soon enough. And yet, people inevitably long for their childhood at least once. Myeongjeon was human, after all, so he couldn't help it.
"You're really buying that?"
With Iseo constantly needling her from the side, Myeongjeon felt like telling her to shove it. What annoyed her even more was that the instigator didn't seem to have any malicious intent.
"Can't I buy something for once?"
"It looks kinda beat-up... Wash it thoroughly when you get home. Bedbugs are everywhere these days. You never know."
The high school girl's merciless words turned precious memories into potential bedbug havens. Myeongjeon sidled up to Iseo and drove a knife-hand strike into her side before heading to the counter. Hyein, who had been waiting to check out, spoke up.
"Suyeon. Did you find anything?"
"Yeah."
Hyein fell silent for a moment, gazing at the doll Myeongjeon showed her with eyes lost in nostalgia, then said, "Retro stuff must really be trending these days. I saw this cartoon when I was little, and even back then, it was already pretty old."
"...Mom knows it too?"
"Yeah. I watched some cartoons as a kid, you know. Not as much as Hyeona, but still. It was already ancient back then."
Hyein's words dripped with nostalgia~. But Myeongjeon felt like she'd been blindsided. These kids... She couldn't even counterattack. After all, they hadn't actually done anything wrong. She was the only one getting attacked and fuming. She had to endure it. Snapping out of nowhere would just make her look crazy. She was still a high school girl, not even the iconic youthful 18 yet. Attacking with age wouldn't fly—in fact, it'd make her the weirdo...
"Here you go. Do you need anything else?"
The clerk handed over the instruments with Japanese Myeongjeon couldn't follow. She took the Stratocaster, while Iseo was mumbling something like, "Can you take this out...? Dis. Dis out. Take dis out. Can... can you?" trying to ask them to remove the pickup cover on the Rickenbacker.
"Man, I should've learned guitar too."
Hyeona and Seoha looked a bit wistful, but there was no helping it. Unlike the bass and guitar—which, heavy as they were, could be hand-carried—the keyboard and drums were impossible to lug around. They'd bought them, but arranged for air shipping, so they wouldn't arrive in Korea until later.
"Come to think of it,"
"Yeah?"
"Did we really need to buy these now? Wouldn't it have been better to grab them on the way back? Carrying them around must suck."
The thought suddenly hit Myeongjeon. Buying them was fine, but now they had to hit Enoshima and Hakone. She'd have to tote this gear the whole time. She wavered, wondering if she should just ship the Strat too. It wasn't like it was essential.
"Yeah, now that you mention it. If we'd bought on the last day, we could've just carried them onto the plane."
Iseo, who had been watching the bass mods with rapt fascination, replied like that.
"Still, we can practice a bit while hauling them around, right?"
"Practice on vacation..."
As Myeongjeon bantered with Iseo, Hyeona stood there with a thoughtful look. Once their chat wrapped up, she hesitantly spoke.
"I've been thinking..."
"Yeah?"
"How about... busking?"
"Busking?"
Hyeona nodded, spinning out ideas. "Japan's famous for busking, and Shibuya's like the holy grail of it, right?"
"Sounds good to me?" Iseo nodded along.
But Myeongjeon reacted negatively. It wasn't busking itself—it was something else.
"Nah, we don't have our gear. No amps, no batteries. Can't do it like this."
"Oh, right."
Busking sounded like just grabbing a guitar and strumming on the street, but reality was different. It didn't need a full stage setup, but gear was still crucial. Myeongjeon could busk so much back home because Hyein hauled the equipment. Even acoustics needed amps—electric guitar and bass? Forget it.
"Plus, no keyboard or drums. So it'd just be the two of us? Might as well solo or skip. We're a four-piece band—duo defeats the purpose."
At Myeongjeon's words, Seoha hugged her without a word. Hyeona and Iseo shuffled over awkwardly. Amid the sudden group hug, Hyein snapped photos with a grin, then Hyeona pulled back and spoke.
"Um, what about... renting?"
"Renting?"
"But then keyboard and drums are still an issue. We could rent small amps and carry them, but..."
Myeongjeon shot it down again. She wanted to join in since the girls were keen, but it was logistically impossible. Someone had to play devil's advocate. The band pondered her words. Then Seoha piped up.
"...What if we ask the people here?"
"For us? Sure, no problem. We'd actually love to oblige."
"Really?"
The clerk nodded affirmatively. Hyeona turned and gave a thumbs-up that it seemed possible. As the excited bandmates buzzed, the clerk continued.
"Normally, we don't do busking gear rentals."
"Huh? Then why..."
"But you filmed that video yesterday before leaving. We uploaded it to our shop's YouTube, and it hit over 10k views in a day. No idea how. We even got a couple customers who saw it. Great promo."
10k views wasn't huge—peanuts compared to Group Sound's usual numbers. But for this shop's channel, it was unprecedented, so they were happy to lend gear for more exposure.
"Oh, then the keyboard and drums we bought and left..."
"Yes, we can include those. But we'll need to talk price first..."
After haggling to a fair price, the clerk drove them to Shibuya in a van emblazoned with the shop logo, sharing tips along the way. Mostly busking advice.
"To busk in Japan, you need a busking license. Without it, cops will chase you off saying no performing here."
He explained a few facts: Official licenses were tested only a few times a year. Even if you passed now, it took effect next year. So most Shibuya performers did it illegally, dodging cops.
"So... what about us? If we set up right here..."
"It's not dead center, but I know a good spot. Cops there know us. You can play 30-40 minutes. Longer's pushing it."
Despite that, the drop-off was a bustling main drag. Someone was already performing. While the clerk and Hyeona negotiated, Myeongjeon surveyed the area, thinking the heat showed no mercy. Pedestrian traffic overflowed—prime for drawing a crowd.
Busking in Japan, huh. Life throws some wild curves.
As Myeongjeon mused, Hyeona returned from wrapping up.
"They'll finish in about 10 minutes."
Not a long wait. Drums stacked up. Amps and keyboard angled just right. Myeongjeon plugged into the guitar, aware of the eyes on them. Expectant stares since the previous busker wrapped.
Our visuals are worth the hype.
A solo busker fumbling setup wouldn't turn heads. But four high school girls? All cute? That stopped feet—even those with places to be, thinking, Wonder what they're up to. And it was happening.
"Setup complete!"
The clerk's shout rang out. Three small busking amps. Portable drums and synth keyboard. With his know-how, he wired a mini mixer, amps, and mics perfectly. All four instruments sounded crisp.
"What? When'd all these people show up?"
Iseo muttered. Myeongjeon glanced back—sure enough, a small crowd had gathered without even a note played.
"Eh, I'd be curious too if I saw these girls setting up."
Myeongjeon muttered, checking Hyein. She signaled OK, camera ready from local buy.
"What song we opening with?"
As Myeongjeon strummed the guitar lightly, she replied to Iseo.
"Dunno. Our look screams girls band, right? Betraying expectations might be rude. Start light?"
"That... sounds good..."
"Silent Siren, Zutomayo, Ado—something fun and breezy?"
The girls chatted. Seoha cut in decisively.
"Nah. I think we should go technical and flashy. Japanese crowds dig that."
Myeongjeon pondered. Solid point.
"Plus, reverse appeal."
That clicked—the perfect song. They'd jammed it recently; the girls could follow... maybe.
"Gonna shatter expectations."
Iseo said. Myeongjeon smirked. Fair. Objectively, Group Sound didn't look like a band for this genre. But that's why the newbie band got so much love.
"Let's go."
Drumsticks signaled start. Scattered onlookers cooed "Ooooh~." The song began languid. Some might call it lyrical, others sticky-sweet. Most glanced skeptically—This it? A few recognized it, buzzing faintly. But the early part dragged a bit.
"What is this..."
"Not girls band?"
"What song?"
Initial hype cooled. Then guitar pitch climbed, melody dynamiting up. Low "Ooooohs" leaked from the crowd. Boom—explosion.
Suyeon's guitar unleashed distortion solo. Furious speed, polar opposite vibe.
"Whoa... what?"
As focus locked on the playing, a gasp voiced the crowd's shock. Intensity ramped. Less vibrato, more full-body guitar thrash. Sound no high school band should produce swept them. But the real jaw-dropper: ear-splitting harmonic squeal from savage arming, like an F1 car screaming. Tapping storm followed.
"Hnnngh—"
Someone inhaled sharply at impossible finger speed. Even barehanded mimicry impossible. Brief pause—then storm reloaded. Crowd prepped thunderous applause, eyes popping. Newcomers froze mid-arrival, breathless at the girl's unreal technique. Amid street noise and band roar,
A name slipped from someone's lips, tiny amid the din, then faded. Nothing else but ambient clamor and the band's onslaught.