Band of Guitarists Pilot Meeting
Her black hair, gleaming like obsidian, fell past her shoulders. The meeting room lights reflected off her skin in a radiant sheen, while the cold gaze from her eyes made the room feel just a touch subdued. But from lips that seemed ready to deliver a stern reprimand came words that defied expectations.
"Um... I think I might be in the wrong place... Sorry about that."
"No, no, aren't you here for the program meeting today? Band of Guitarists."
"Yes."
"Then you're in the right spot."
"Ah, thank you."
The sole woman entering a meeting room that boasted a military-like absolute gender ratio—100% male. Sure, the balance had shifted slightly, but that wasn't about to cause any drama. Still, it made everyone suddenly mind their words and actions.
"Who's she?" "No idea." Or "Isn't that the Group Sound girl?" "Maybe? Nah, doesn't look like it." Whispers like that floated around.
In the subtle tension, Ha Suyeon ignored it all and approached a few familiar guitarists to greet them.
"Fancy seeing you here, sir."
"Oh~ Long time no see. Doing well? Wait, that's a weird thing to ask the hottest rising star right now. Haha! Hey, Hand teacher. This is the student I know. Ha Suyeon—she's the one who made that hit Sky Garden."
"Ah! That one! I listened to it. Such a bouncy, fun track!"
She chatted with guitarists she'd done sessions with before, and along the way, got introduced to others.
"Hello. You're Han Seongjin from Yosuah, right?"
"Uh... yeah, that's me. Who might you be...?"
"I'm Ha Suyeon from the little band Group Sound. I really enjoy your YouTube videos, and Creation Theory was amazing too—I just wanted to say hi."
"Oh, really? Nice to meet you. Wait, Ha Suyeon... You're Seo Myeongjeon's disciple, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Whoa, that makes you a total senior by rank~ Hoyeong! Your senior's here. What're you doing? Come say hi."
These were veteran guitarists the young ones barely knew or were too intimidated by fame to approach. But 'Ha Suyeon' greeted them without a hint of hesitation, winning people over naturally.
Not that she saw it that way herself.
Back in the day, I'd just sit quietly in the corner, and these guys would all come over to greet me on their own.
She recalled old memories. By the time she was treated like an elder, even on session gigs, the band's players would all come pay respects. There was a time when manners like that were the norm. But now?
The current 'baby' of the group, Ha Suyeon, was the one bowing to the veterans—while the others just sat there blankly. This country's doomed if that's how it is, she thought. It was that miraculous logic: "The old days were better" when it suited them, "Old folks are the problem" when it didn't.
"Um... is everyone here? Anyone missing...? Seong Jinhyeon the guitarist? He's here. Yoon Myeonghwan? Here too..."
Meanwhile, a writer came in to check attendance and left. Minutes later, a solidly built PD entered, looking fairly senior.
"Wow, everyone's gathered. Love how lively it is. Nice to meet you all! I'm PD Im Jonghun. Some of you know me, some don't."
The PD bantered a bit, stroked his chin while scanning the room, then spoke up.
"But the vibe's too stiff. We're filming for a few hours anyway—let's do quick self-intros to loosen up."
"Are we at that age for icebreakers?" The mood deflated instantly.
But you can't say no to the top dog. So it went: "Hi, I'm Han Seongjin." And so on—until it reached Ha Suyeon's turn, pausing the chain.
Amid shaggy-haired youngsters and metal-spirited bushy types, the girl stood out, creating an otherworldly aura.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Ha Suyeon, leader of Group Sound. My experience is way too short to stand here with all of you... but please take care of me. Thank you."
"The concept's roughly this... I know some of you have concerns, but we won't edit those parts, so no worries."
Program rundown: Introduce each other's bands from an outsider's view, play each other's tracks over MR for a collab vibe to spark interest. Or, as some thought, "Isn't this just fanning competition?" Easy format, ripe for backlash.
So the PD followed up right away.
"This is just a pilot anyway. Testing the waters—no big ratings push. Relax, show your skills, and let's have fun filming."
Participants nodded along. Some muttered about needing intense practice. The PD called a 30-minute break and headed out.
In the quiet waiting room, chatter resumed. She slung her guitar over and fiddled with it.
Should've just brought the Strat.
Becoming a Star used the Jazzmaster, but that was temporary. Her main axe was always the Strat, start to finish. A twinge of regret hit—then someone stood before her.
"Uh, excuse me..."
"Yes?"
She looked up. An average guitarist. She'd heard an intro earlier but couldn't recall the name—not famous, then.
"I heard earlier. You're Ha Suyeon from Group Sound, right?"
"Ah, yes."
"Hi. I'm Sin Sangwoo from Kafka. Loved your Sky Garden release. Big fan."
"Uh... thanks."
She answered and turned back to her guitar, figuring it was just a quick hello. But he lingered, speaking before she could touch it.
"I had a question, if that's okay—about Sky Garden?"
"Sure? Go ahead."
"What I'm curious about is..."
He launched into composition theory questions. Money code? Didn't you usually do blues scale? Why Jazzmaster over Strat? That expression here's so fresh—what's the reasoning?
She answered politely, wondering why these details. Money code for hits, obviously. But it could feel stale, so Jazzmaster shoegaze tones freshen it up. J-Rock bass progressions double the vibe... theory talk.
Then guitar techniques.
"Like here, you gotta play it this way. Hard to explain, but da-da-dak—sounds resetty even if simple. Like a sleepy tap on the shoulder, then drop the sabi and it hooks from alien to laser-focused..."
She fiddled absentmindedly, looked up—crowd gathered. Someone: "I have a question too."
Startled, amid the buzz: "Young kid knows theory cold. Did Seo teacher cover that?"
"Uh..."
Dilemma. Say yes, boost Seo's rep? Or risk "Seo couldn't compose, just gaslit his girl disciple."
Someone chimed: "Bro, Seo hit guitar hard but composing? Nah."
"Theory's possible. Remember that posthumous piece at the memorial?"
"True, but..."
She swallowed the urge to retort. Internet was right: hardest impulse is the need to correct. Not anymore? Tough luck.
Meeting wrapped, PD urged: "If you do YouTube, please mention the pilot once! Not promo stage yet—just say it's a thing... haha."
Free promo beg, but what could they do? Committed, they needed the buzz too. Some grumbled, others casually went live—subtly.
Each ripple tiny—like creek water, not waves. But as many guitarists shared via SNS, lives, word-of-mouth... it spread to musician fans, music fans.
And at the center: one person who'd left the deepest mark that day.
No coordinated tales—just sharing deep impressions from the meeting. But the common thread had folks saying "This viral?" or asking others "How good is she really?"
Thus, rumors of 'guitarist Ha Suyeon' began amplifying online.