Adrift in the Crowd
Even though I come here pretty often, I still can't get used to all these people... Myeongjeon let out a silent sigh. It was already a cramped spot packed with folks, and lugging a guitar on her back made it feel even more suffocating. She could swear she felt judgmental stares from all sides too.
"Man, there are so many people."
Iseo must've been feeling the same, because she said exactly that the moment she glanced at Myeongjeon.
"You knew it was gonna be crowded—why'd you wanna come here?"
"'Cause Hyeona-unnie looked stressed out. Figured it'd help her unwind a bit."
People get stressed sometimes in life, sure—but did you really have to baby them through every little thing? Kids these days... tsk tsk.
Still, separate from that, she did see the need for these kinds of outings. A band was basically a tiny society, after all, and it needed a certain level of care and maintenance.
"From what I know, there used to be no Animate here in Hongdae back in the day. No otaku shops or anything."
"Huh? Then where'd you buy merch?"
"You had to get it all through overseas sellers."
As those thoughts crossed her mind, Iseo and Hyeona up ahead launched into an animated chat. Hyeona especially looked way more lively than before.
"They said there weren't even stores like Animate back then, so for merch, you'd go to events like Comiket to buy fan-made stuff, or hit up the rare shops scattered around Hongdae."
"No way."
"One of the holy sites in Hongdae was this place called Box or something? They sold ball-jointed dolls—you know, those super detailed ones. They'd also have figures and Gundam kits. But then people started buying the fancy dolls, so the shop would close up, do this whole event where they'd read an adoption oath, and everyone would clap like, 'Congrats on your new family!' Apparently that was a thing."
"For real? That's straight-up romantic."
Myeongjeon glanced at Hyeona. Her eyes were sparkling—clearly the type who lit up when someone else geeked out over her interests.
That vibe carried on even after they reached their destination. Hyeona's eyes darted everywhere, picking up items with Iseo, chattering excitedly with commentary.
"Whoa, check out the size of this place. Insane. I always thought, gotta come here someday, but never actually did... Should've come sooner."
"Wasn't it just a matter of showing up?"
"It's not that easy. Coming to a spot like this alone..."
Iseo's face filled with question marks again. Myeongjeon felt the same.
Undeterred by anyone else, Hyeona kept wandering the aisles, muttering "insane," "huge," "crazy" under her breath, picking up merch with a blissful smile.
"This one's..."
In the midst of it, Myeongjeon picked up a manga. A pink-haired girl holding a guitar. Looked like a Les Paul Black Beauty... or maybe a different year?
"That's it! It's the manga where the song we're practicing together right now comes from."
"Oh yeah? Wild..."
Hyeona latched onto her side like she was about to give a full breakdown, reacting to Myeongjeon's offhand mutter.
"This manga's about the protagonist here meeting three other girls and forming a band, running it and all that. It overlaps a ton with Japan's live house scene, so there's all this super fun stuff. The main girl has social anxiety, but her guitar skills are insane—she's famous on YouTube as 'Guitar Hero'..."
Her ears started ringing like they were bleeding. Myeongjeon set the manga down.
"You don't read it?"
"Nah, not into comics."
Ignoring Hyeona's disappointed look, she eyed a small screen nearby. Softly playing was Asian Kung-Fu's Tama ga Korogaru, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu—"Rolling Rock, Morning Falls on You."
"This... Iseo, you asked me to play this one before, right?"
"Yeah."
"Did this come from a manga too?"
Seoha asked, and Hyeona and Iseo jumped in with answers. It was the ending song for episode 12, sung with this specific emotion in such-and-such way... Hyeona especially went all out explaining with total passion. It kinda made sense now how a girl who didn't seem that into rock knew a song over 15 years old.
* * *
With her stress seemingly relieved, Hyeona looked happy. At Iseo's suggestion to grab coffee before splitting up, the group headed to a nearby café.
"Haa..."
"What now?"
"I mean, hanging out like this is great and all... but thinking about the performance ahead just bums me out."
The thought hit her suddenly, and Hyeona grumbled. Just a bit ago, even—that otaku-packed Animate spot. How much were normal people sneering? She swore she'd caught some subtle looks of disdain.
"Come on, that's just your imagination running wild..."
"Unnie, quit overthinking."
And the responses telling her to chill. Seoha shot her a "why are you like this again?" look, and Iseo was similar.
But what could she do? She knew it was like that elephant-in-the-room thing—the more you try not to think about it, the more it pops up.
"How about we run a little experiment?"
But Suyeon dropped a total curveball.
Experiment?
"...What kind?"
"You know, that otaku song you mentioned—if we sang it, how much would people actually care?"
"Huh?"
Hyeona's brain short-circuited for a sec. What? She wanted to test how much attention an otaku song would draw? It didn't compute.
But Suyeon seemed set on something, heading to a quiet corner to get started. She opened her guitar case, leaned the Strat against the wall, and left the case open in front of her.
Then she called Iseo over and whispered something.
"Hum it?"
"You know the song, right?"
"Uh... kinda, yeah... You serious? Right here? With all these people?"
"What's the big deal?"
After that exchange, Suyeon cleared her throat. The ahem echoed louder than it should.
"Should we... stop her?"
"Why?"
Embarrassed by Suyeon's antics, Hyeona whispered to Seoha. But Seoha just shrugged it off.
"Just watch."
With that, Suyeon started humming. Loud enough to turn heads all around—a sweet hum mimicking the intro guitar melody.
As Suyeon sang, Iseo shyly stepped behind her, adding hesitant a cappella harmonies.
People stared intently. At first curious, then looks faded. Just two casually dressed high school girls at the end of their gazes.
They sound amazing.
Hyeona thought from a safe distance. She'd bolted the second the humming started, leaving Seoha behind. But Seoha stayed put.
Suyeon-sunbae probably doesn't know this song. Or... from what she said to Iseo earlier, maybe she does?
Something made her scan the crowd. Not far from Animate, so plenty of otaku types from the store, or folks who looked the part.
A few kept their distance from Suyeon, faces twisted in mild disgust. Just like Hyeona herself.
But Suyeon didn't care. Neither did most passersby. Some stopped nearby, listening; tossed coins or bills into the case; pulled out phones to record.
Softly, powerfully. Her voice spread low and steady, building layer by layer. Feet planted firm, like I'm right here. Doing what she wanted. No need to mind anyone else.
Suyeon sang like that. Eyes closed, fingers snapping, utterly ignoring how anyone saw her.
When the lyrics ended, her voice didn't stop. She hummed the melody on, reinterpreting what wasn't in the original—what potential it held. All flowing from her lips.
Hyeona found herself stepping forward, unbidden. From her hideout spot—one step, two. Three, four.
The song wrapped up, met with light applause. People dropping money, clapping hard, tossing quick words her way.
"So, what do you think?"
Once things settled, Suyeon asked Hyeona.
Hyeona couldn't answer properly. Words just wouldn't come.
She'd bailed at first. Looking around now, she realized lots had done the same as her.
Why?
As Hyeona stayed silent, Suyeon spoke up.
"People don't care that much about others. Music? If it's good, they listen; if not, they walk. Sure, some might laugh. 'What's with that song?' Or call it lowbrow, amateurish. Plenty like that."
Her polite speech vanished, shifting to casual banmal. But somehow, the other three just knew this was Suyeon's real voice.
"But those types aren't as many as you think. And they don't have that much pull. Haters are everywhere. Can you win over everyone's love? Be nice to every single person you see, and someone's gonna hate you for faking it. Donate all your money? They'll call you a dumbass with no future. Like it or not, haters gonna hate. You can't erase them all. But right now, you're hyping up their power way too much in your head. They can't actually do shit to you. Just yap."
Her tone was chillingly cold, gaze looking down on Hyeona. But the pressure vanished like mist.
"Think it over. If you really can't do it, we'll scrap the festival plan. Mull it and let me know."
With that, Suyeon walked off. Iseo tagged along briefly, then came back.
"Suyeon's heading out."
"Yeah..."
Complicated feelings swirled. But also a strange clarity. Like a knot untying, things resolving. Even though nothing was actually fixed.
Her worries remained unsolved. If Hyeona got on stage like this, her carefully distanced friends might recoil in horror; that "otaku" label she'd barely shaken could make her a school outcast.
Those risks were still there. And the song Suyeon just sang wasn't even proper otaku fare—it was a rock band original. Safe enough for a school festival... safe-ish?
But Suyeon's attitude. Her actions. Like saying all those worries were petty nonsense not worth agonizing over. And making it feel true.
Nothing was solved, but Hyeona felt like it all was.
"Alright! Let's do it—let's go for it."
"Huh?"
"I'm in. I've made up my mind. We're doing this for real."
Hyeona muttered with resolve. Iseo beamed at her unnie, but Seoha...
"Finally?"
She said, then punched Hyeona's shoulder.