The Sound Crossing the Sea

Interlude

"What Kinoshita's band played just now was a bit unique, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

His friend, Kenta, replied as he slotted coins into the vending machine. With a heavy clunk, two cans of hot coffee dropped into the dispenser. Feeling the near-scalding warmth, Kenta tossed his can back and forth between his hands to cool it down before speaking again. "Didn't they say it was a cover song?"

"I caught the band's name earlier. Was it... Group Sound? I think it was something like that."

At his friend's words, he pulled out his smartphone and ran a search. Group Sound... The only results that came up were Wikipedia entries for the historical 1960s genre. Nothing else. Changing his approach, he typed "Group Sound" in English. This time, YouTube started displaying results.

"What's this? They're a Korean band. And they're all girls?"

"An all-female band? Like SCANDAL or SILENT SIREN?"

"I don't know. The song sounded pretty good when I heard it earlier... Should we give ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it a listen?"

On a street corner where drunkards stumbled by, couples—whether actual lovers, secret affairs, or people being dragged along by club promoters—hurried past in every direction. Standing in a quiet nook of the bustling street, the two friends tapped on a video and started playing the band's song on the phone.

The music began to flow.

"Whoa, this is..."

Even through the phone's tinny, cheap dual speakers, he could tell this music was on a completely different level from what he had expected. The cover Kinoshita's band had played earlier... hadn't actually been a very good performance.

"Those guys completely ruined the song."

"No wonder Tanaka-san looked so displeased earlier. The guitar... it felt like they skipped almost all of it. There was no feeling at all. It felt like they played a heavily simplified version."

The moment you heard the original, you immediately thought, These guys are insanely good! He plugged in his earphones and listened to the music again.

The fundamentals of music—rhythm, beat, time signature, tempo... while keeping all of them razor-sharp, they moved with absolute freedom. It felt like a rare, authentic orthodox band with rock-solid fundamentals.

If he had to nitpick, the bass felt a little stiff, but that was only in comparison to the other members.

"I didn't know Korean bands were this good at music."

"I've never heard anything about that."

He stroked his chin. He certainly hadn't. Even at the Fuji Rock Festival, which he visited occasionally, a Korean band only appeared once every few years. He'd heard hip-hop artists came sometimes, but he'd never seen a Korean band.

"I don't know. I'll have to go home and listen properly."

When he got home and played the music through his speakers, it felt completely different from before. Especially the guitar.

Is this even possible?

It was just the perspective of a single enthusiast, but... it was a performance that could summon Japan's leading technical guitarists. No, not just summon them—she might actually be better.

A touch that carried an effortless ease, as if saying, "I've already done all of that, so I'm not doing it anymore."

As if possessed, he searched "Group Sound" on Amazon. Nothing came up. He searched "Group Sound Album" on Google. The only things that came up were Korean music retail sites like Yes24 or Aladin.

No Japanese edition of the album could be found anywhere.

That was when it hit him.

Wait, is this not being imported to Japan yet...?

"This is the current situation!"

With those words, Team Leader Jung Yuyoung cheerfully read through the data. Hundreds of Japanese users were signing up for Group Sound Premium, and they were also purchasing merchandise and albums. Inquiries demanding an official album release in Japan were flooding in, and there was already a significant buzz on the Japanese internet.

"Can't they buy our albums in Japan?"

"They can! Through international shipping. But there's no official release yet. We haven't even gone over there, and we never expected to gain popularity there in the first place!"

Suyun agreed. No matter how globalized the 21st century was, Korea was still a wasteland for bands. To have album orders pouring in from a country where they hadn't done a single piece of promotion—it was mind-boggling.

"So for now, we're reaching out to contacts in Japan... but we don't know when a contract will be finalized."

"Our initial thoughts are as follows."

Ko Kyungmin spoke, handing over some documents. Ha Hye-in and Suyun, who were attending a meeting together for the first time in a while, accepted the papers. The document was titled Japan Expansion Plan (Tentative).

"Originally, our plan assumed we had absolutely zero recognition in Japan... We were going to move there, live there, tour the live houses, and build up. Just like the strategy you chose for Club Paradox, President. We aimed to make a major debut that way, bringing our Korean albums over and growing within the Japanese scene."

Projected on the screen was the outline of the revised plan. Red lines crossed out old plans, replaced by new blue text. Ko Kyungmin pointed to a few words as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he continued.

"But the situation has changed. The fact that our albums are selling in Japan even without any promotion means—though we can't be absolutely certain—we can expect quite high sales once we actually start promoting there. Furthermore, instead of starting from the very bottom as we first thought, we can enter the market with our band and musicality already recognized."

"Thank goodness. I was so worried when I first heard about the original plan."

"I never heard anything about that..."

Hye-in sighed in relief, while Suyun looked utterly bewildered by this unfamiliar information. What did they mean, starting from the bottom? Was that what learning Japanese was all about? She remembered hearing about performing in live houses, but she hadn't realized they meant actually living there.

"Anyway, regarding the Japan matter, our staff plans to head over after the year-end live show to gauge the reaction. If things are as good as expected, or even better... we might be able to move the schedule forward. We might find ourselves in an even better position."

"Can't we move it up a bit more? Actually, I'd like to go over with you guys and check it out myself."

At Ko Kyungmin's words, Suyun replied. Japan. Throughout her past decades, she had spent far more time harboring resentment toward Japan. But that was her resentment as a Korean. As a guitarist, 'Suh Myung-jun' had definitely envied Japan and wanted to go there. In fact, anyone who played the guitar, anyone in a band... would feel the same way. Wasn't that true?

A country where even small provincial towns had live houses and active bands. A country where you could make a living just doing indie work without ever making a major debut. She didn't know the exact reality, but from what she'd heard from younger musicians... it sounded like an absolute paradise.

"Well, coming along is fine... but since you have immediate preparations to make, Suyun, wouldn't it be a bit difficult?"

"Ah, right."

There was the year-end concert. And regardless of that, she realized with a frown that in just a few days... they had a live broadcast with Aurora. They were definitely going to make her do some sort of cosplay or dress-up that day. Was there any way to bypass it?

Ah, wait. There is a way.

"Ugh, it's really freezing now."

Against the backdrop of a cold wind, five black, padded-jacket-clad figures entered the studio. The staff greeted them warmly. The Aurora members returned the greetings and sat on the sofa in the corner of the studio.

"When is Group Sound coming?"

"They said they'll be arriving shortly," a staff member replied.

"They'll get here when they get here. Why are you so curious?"

"No doubt she's going to roll around on the floor in joy the moment Group Sound arrives..."

Harin ignored her members' teasing, maintaining an ironclad expression. Because that was exactly what she planned to do.

"By the way, didn't someone say there's a cosplay today?"

"Yeah."

"Is it the final penalty from before?"

"No, they said it's not that. Apparently, they're doing something else for that today..."

"Who's doing it?"

"Suyun-nim."

At Harin's immediate answer, the members nodded in understanding. "Ah~"

Then they continued talking.

"With her face, she'd look good in anything, wouldn't she?"

"If she had become an idol, she would've made a fortune."

"What kind of cosplay is she going to do?"

Meanwhile, Su-ryeon lowered her voice.

"If you look at Suyun-nim's old Instagram, it's seriously insane."

"What...?"

Harin, who had been sitting silently like a Moai statue, snapped her head around. Ha Suyun's old Instagram! Such scandalous... no, precious material! Harin's eyes naturally drifted to Su-ryeon's phone screen. But the screen was off.

"See? I knew Harin-eonni would take the bait."

"Do you want to die?"

Harin grabbed Su-ryeon's sideburns.

"Eonni, that hurts!" Su-ryeon cried out, but Harin didn't care. She did it to make it hurt.

After complaining about the pain a few times, Su-ryeon added, "But there's really nothing much. She just looked like a somewhat mature middle or high schooler. It's not like she was wearing anything revealing."

I'll have to look it up when we get back to the dorm.

"Hello."

As they spoke, the entrance of the studio grew noisy. Harin's idol and muse... Group Sound had arrived.

After exchanging greetings and brief updates.

"By any chance, do you have any more songs to give us?"

"Songs?"

The members joked around. Harin stepped in, pushing them back. "Don't be rude." How dare they act so shamelessly toward Suyun-nim?

"It's not rude at all. Though we don't have any songs to give you right now."

"Gasp... You don't?"

"To be precise, we do have some, but I don't know if they'd suit you... and we just don't have time to work on them. We have to write our own songs too."

"We're going live soon~! Everyone, please take your seats~!"

Amidst the chatter, the announcement rang out. Harin, Aurora, and the Group Sound members all sat in their designated seats. And the live broadcast began.

"This is the Jeondeyong channel's 'Silence Retreat' Penalty Special! Today, we have invited the members of Aurora and Group Sound, who previously participated in our 'Silence Retreat' broadcast! Welcome, everyone!"

With that intro, the live stream started. Thousands of viewers had already tuned in. After some light-hearted banter, PD Kim Ga-eun announced they would take questions from the viewers. As the YouTube chat scrolled rapidly, PD Ga-eun skillfully caught a viewer's question and read it aloud.

"Oh... here's a question for Group Sound. 'Our Aurora girls look absolutely terrified whenever they talk about Suyun-nim's practice sessions. What on earth happened?'"

"Ah, don't even talk about it. I'm getting PTSD just thinking about it."

Su-ryeon's dramatic complaint triggered a burst of laughter. Suyun reached for the microphone, but her hand grasped empty air. Iseor snatched the mic away.

"You can't give her a chance to speak. Whenever she talks about practice, she says the most bizarre things."

"What bizarre things did I say?"

"She says stuff like, 'This isn't practicing, it's resting,' or 'You can only become a true musician if you practice every single second except when you're eating.' It's seriously so exhausting. Some people might not get how bad it is..."

Iseor gestured wildly with her hands. "How do I explain this... Um..." Muttering to herself, Iseor seemed to hit upon a good analogy and looked up. "For example, imagine you go to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠play basketball for the very first time, and they suddenly make you shoot three-pointers."

"Well, you can make a three-pointer eventually, right? Even if it's just once."

"She makes you shoot until you make it. And once you do, she goes, 'Okay, now you know how to shoot a three-pointer. Now do it fifty times in a row.'"

At that, PD Kim Ga-eun stared at Suyun with a horrified expression. But Suyun's face didn't change in the slightest.

"That's what practice is supposed to be."

"No, it's not! But do you know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what the real problem is? If you can't make fifty in a row, she doesn't let you go home. I'm not even joking! I actually timed it once, and she made me do the exact same thing for eighteen hours straight."

"Whoa..."

"You practice until you get it right. Practicing for eighteen hours doesn't change anything. If you can't do it, you just remain someone who can't do it."

"Ah, looking at the live chat right now, there are so many comments saying this is too cruel. 'Give us our girls back,' 'Now I know why they were trembling so much'..."

"By the way, we got subjected to it again recently because of a music show pre-recording... Of course, we're a band, so we know we have to do it. But knowing you have to do it doesn't mean you want to do it," Seoha testified.

Suyun, staring blankly ahead with a deadpan face, muttered, "That's just something you obviously have to do."

The chat went wild with shock.

PD Kim Ga-eun read the chat. "We have comments like, 'Even my boss who pays minimum wage doesn't do that,' and 'Satan is taking notes.'"

"Now, we have to carry out the final penalty... But before that! I heard the Group Sound members made a promise among themselves. A penalty they'd give each other? I heard that penalty is cosplay."

At those words, Harin looked at Suyun. Based on the few live broadcasts and casual conversations they'd had, Suyun was someone who strictly avoided revealing clothing. According to Su-ryeon, she wasn't like that in the past, but now she had become a total 'Confucian girl' who questioned why anyone would wear revealing clothes or do cosplay.

Yet, Suyun's face showed no sign of panic or despair. Instead, she looked brimming with confidence. What was she planning?

"So, in this live broadcast, we're finally going to see Suyun-nim's cosplay!"

"Ah, regarding the cosplay, our members prepared Suyun's outfit—!"

"Hold on."

The moment cosplay was mentioned, Iseor excitedly began pulling out a piece of fabric that looked incredibly skimpy. But Suyun's voice cut her off.

"I'm the one doing the cosplay, right? That's why I prepared the cosplay outfit in advance."

"Oh... what is it?"

"It is definitely a cosplay outfit. A real cosplay."

Iseor shot her a suspicious look. But Suyun, holding a bag, simply said, "I'll go change now."

After disappearing for a moment, Suyun emerged wearing...

"Whoa, so cute!"

"That is definitely a cosplay."

"Right?"

A red hat with white fur on her head. A red shirt and pants trimmed with white fur. And a clearly fake beard.

"It's a Santa cosplay. This is more than enough, right? Since it's a cosplay."

"Wow, that's adorable. What do the Aurora members think?"

"It's so cute~!"

"The chat is blowing up right now. 'So cute,' 'I want to take her home.' There are so many comments like that."

"This counts as cosplay, right? Then we're done here, right?"

As the conversation continued, Suyun stood triumphantly with her hands on her hips in her Santa outfit.

"...Like hell that's gonna fly!!"

But Iseor and the Group Sound members shouted in unison, dragging Suyun back toward the dressing room at the back of the studio.

"Let go of me!!"

After a scream echoed out, Suyun emerged a few minutes later wearing an outfit with significantly less fabric...

"She's so beautiful!"

"I think I've seen that character somewhere. Isn't it a famous character?"

"You look gorgeous. Suyun-nim, could we get your thoughts?"

"I have no thoughts. I just want to die."

An outfit covered in frills, highly revealing, and resembling a well-known anime character. And Suyun's expression as she wore it was the very definition of wanting to die.