Direction
Another utterly boring day at school came to an end, and while practicing piano, a KakaoTalk message popped up from Hyeona.
She checked it without much thought, only to find content she couldn't just brush off.
Was that a thing??
I don't really remember well tho
Wait lemme think
Hyeona recalled the events from not long ago.
After their first rehearsal together, something about deciding on a direction... Suyeon-unnie had said something like that.
What had she said in response back then? Uh... she vaguely remembered agreeing.
But after getting home and thinking it over, it didn't sit right, so she hadn't brought it up since.
Wasn't our school festival not confirmed??
I think she said we hadn't decided yet
Hyeona paused, wondering how to put her feelings into words.
There was this subtle vibe about it. She wanted to do it, but at the same time, she didn't...
She started typing a long message to describe her emotions in detail, but then deleted it all.
It was easier to just give a reasonable excuse than to lay out every nuance and seek empathy to persuade.
That was her biggest reason for hesitating about the school festival gig.
It wasn't like she was getting bullied at school with kids going, "Hey, that guy's a total otaku!"
Nor was she part of some otaku clique getting the side-eye from everyone.
But she didn't have a ton of friends either.
She was just... there or not there, the one kid who handled being the "art school hopeful!" whisper in class while napping through lessons. That was Jeong Hyeona's life.
So performing a band set at her own school festival? Not exactly appealing.
Spotlight meant inevitable hassle.
Since it was a hot anime track, sure, some kids might recognize it and glom on with "Oh, I love that too~" vibes. Others would sneer, "Holy shit, she's a total fucking weeb."
Either way, school life would definitely shift from the status quo.
In these sensitive teenage years, even a classmate's roasting could make the world feel unbearable and plunge you into depression.
But on a school-wide scale? Better to skip the performance altogether than plot escape routes from the mockery afterward.
Of course, Seoha had zero grasp of that psychology.
Like, if you like it, just do it—what's the problem?
Even at shows she'd gone to with friends or acquaintances, plenty of "otaku music" acts were out there, and everyone seemed to be having a blast.
"Isn't it weird to worry about that stuff?"
"Huh?"
"Oh, nothing."
Seoha muttered absentmindedly, and the church deacon cleaning the practice room reacted.
She shook her head and fiddled with her phone, glancing around nervously.
"...I mean, I'd like to do it, but."
Hyeona muttered.
Didn't everyone have those thoughts sometimes?
Like, aliens invade and say, "Clear the top rhythm game chart on SS rank, and we'll spare Earth"—and you nail it, saving the planet and basking in glory.
Even without the absurdity, kids craved validation young. Wanting recognition for your skills or hobbies? Everyone fantasized about it once or twice.
Hyeona was your average Korean teen, so yeah, she'd dreamed of showing off in front of everyone someday!! Piano, otaku stuff, whatever.
But in this form? Needed mental prep. Felt embarrassing somehow.
Myeongjeon stepped into the café with Iseo.
Hyeona and Seoha were at a corner table.
Wonder what's up today.
Seoha's sudden KakaoTalk during class.
"We have something to decide today, could we meet for dinner maybe?"
Something to decide? She brought Iseo along anyway.
Quick greetings, then they sat.
Seoha looked chill as ever, but Hyeona seemed fidgety.
"So, what'd you call us here for today?"
"We have something to decide, but it seems like we haven't yet."
"What is it?"
"The band name."
Iseo let out an "Ah~!" of realization.
Come to think of it, yeah. Nothing more crucial for a band than its name—and they hadn't picked one...
"Big issue, huh. Got any ideas brewing?"
"Uh... not really."
Hm. Myeongjeon crossed her arms.
A good band name... She had a few tips, so she shared one.
"Anyway, it's easiest to go with English."
"Huh? Why?"
"Even a random made-up word sounds cool in English. Like Rolling Stones—badass, right? But 'Rolling Stones' as ' '? Lame. Same with The Beatles. ''? Everyone'd go... ehh."
Endless examples. AC/DC? Alternating/direct current? The Yardbirds? Cream? Animals? The Beach Boys? All sound off in Korean.
Korean band names? Songgolmae, Deulgukhwa, Muhan Gwedo, Joyongpil and the Great Birth... You could imagine the headaches crafting those.
"Nah, we don't need to overthink it. Stuff like ' ' is fine, right? Or ' '..."
"Is that actually good?"
Young kids' tastes were a mystery. Myeongjeon tilted her head slightly.
"Might be tough to nail down right now. Nothing's popping."
Iseo, who'd been mumbling "Cable Tie or something...", shut her mouth.
Cable Tie? What kinda band name is that?
"And the second thing we need to decide: when's our first gig?"
"Dunno... haven't set anything."
Myeongjeon tapped the table lightly, then spoke again.
"Didn't you say your school festival's end of December, Hyeona? That sounds perfect."
"Right?"
Seoha nodded like she'd expected it, Iseo smiling like she approved.
"Um..."
But Hyeona, the one in question, didn't look thrilled.
Hesitant? Or some other issue?
As Myeongjeon recalled, she'd seemed pretty hyped about performing at her own school fest.
"For me, it's kinda... you know."
"Why?"
"Well, kinda embarrassing? Performing in front of everyone, and our first full-band song is an anime insert track, right? With Japanese lyrics and all."
"Yeah."
"That's what's embarrassing. Playing something so... super weeb in front of people..."
"Why's that embarrassing?"
Hyeona muttered like she wanted to burrow into the earth.
And Iseo cut her off instantly, genuinely puzzled.
"Just do what you like. Who cares what others think."
"Of course it matters...! Iseo-unnie, you're an in-crowd popular kid with tons of friends, so you don't get it. Loners like me have to read the room to survive high school."
"...?"
Myeongjeon was genuinely baffled.
Read the room to survive? Were buzzcut student council goons still policing kids these days?
"What're you talking about? Survival? You just go to school—what's there to survive..."
Hyeona slammed the table and launched into a rant.
"You guys here are all popular, so you can't understand. At school, acquaintances say hi now, there's folks to eat lunch with, friends to hang with when bored. For someone like me, that's tough. Eating lunch? Eyeing the vibe. Bathroom break? Eyeing the vibe. No presence, so I get 'Was there even a girl like that in our class?' And sometimes kids pick fights like 'Yo, you're the piano girl? Play something?' If I did a song at the festival? Next day: 'Hey, that's the girl who played Japanese stuff at the fest?', 'Lmao she's a total fucking weeb~', 'Otaku vibes suck'—that's my reality."
Her tirade, rooted in real experience, felt so raw that Iseo and Myeongjeon felt overwhelmed.
"Back in middle school, you just did your own thing at school. No wonder no friends, no presence."
Seoha's timely jab landed.
"Isn't that just paranoia?"
"No, it really happens!"
Iseo muttered, and Hyeona let out a piercing screech.
"So, you're saying... for December, your school festival, you don't wanna do the band performance?"
Watching it all, Myeongjeon twirled a lock of hair and posed the question.