A Rockstar's Trial

After her temporary retreat from attempting to drink and smoke to celebrate turning twenty, Suyun simply thought, Well, I'll adapt sooner or later. She had brought the cigarettes along anyway, still debating whether to quit for the sake of her throat. But what hit her next... was a post on the internet.

While monitoring online communities, she stumbled upon a thread that had just made it to the trending board.

Why on earth did they remember her identity? And as if remembering it wasn't enough, why did they have to sit down and post about it on the internet? Why, of all things, did this have to happen?

That was the first thought that crossed Suyun's mind when she saw the screenshot of the post that Iseor had gleefully shared in their group chat.

What followed was an absolute, merciless roasting.

Seeing the chat messages, Suyun trembled with sheer humiliation and tried to type a furious reply, but even that was denied to her.

"Suyun. Are you listening to your mother?"

"...Yes, I'm listening."

Whether she had seen an article or the online community post, Hye-in had called her the moment she heard Suyun was drinking and smoking, demanding she come home immediately.

Entering the house with the heavy heart of a beast led to the slaughterhouse, Suyun ended up facing something she hadn't experienced in decades.

"You're an adult now, so it's fine to try those things. But didn't you do all of that in the past? Weren't you trying to stay away from them?"

"No, that's not it..."

"It's not? Then did you plan to start drinking and smoking the very second you turned twenty?"

"Mom, please just listen to me."

"Suyun. I just wish you would listen to me for once. Why on earth did you try to do that? You suffered so much because of it before, and your image took a hit too. And what if you get addicted? Why would you..."

"No, that's really not it..."

"If not, is something bothering you lately? Are you stressed out?"

"Ah..."

After enduring that stressful ordeal at home, she went to the office only to find Iseor, Hyun-ah, and Seoha waiting to tease her, subjecting her to another round of public mockery.

"Looking at recent events! It seems a new character archetype is slowly forming for you on the internet, Suyun!"

"And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what would that be?"

"The way you acted on the live broadcast, and now this drinking and smoking incident... looking at all of that! An image of being 'clumsy' or a 'lovable lightweight' is starting to take shape!"

"...Is that a good thing?"

"Of course! Having a distinct character archetype is a massive commercial advantage, no matter what!"

Oblivious to her inner torment, Manager Jung Yuyoung babbled on. Even Team Leader Go chimed in with some bizarre commentary: "Even for a rock band, a female member getting caught drinking and smoking usually hurts their image, so it's quite remarkable how this turned into a positive spin."

It was, truly, a non-stop parade of trials and tribulations.

"Suyun, we've arrived."

At Hye-in's voice, Suyun ground her teeth and shoved her phone into her pocket. It felt like the drive had taken less time than usual.

"Alright, I'm off."

"Take care of yourself. Listen to Manager Jung. You know you shouldn't be drinking out there, right?"

"I'm not drinking."

"I'm just worried. No matter how safe Japan is, traveling alone..."

"Manager Jung is with me, and I'm not going there to play around anyway, so it's fine."

"Right. If I weren't so busy with work, I would have gone with you. I'm sorry I can't."

Suyun got out of the back seat, walked to the front, and gave Hye-in a brief hug. For some reason, Hye-in's voice sounded slightly tearful as she said, "Come back safe and healthy."

Suyun wondered if she was making too big a deal out of this, but keeping her thoughts to herself, she simply said, "I'll be back."

With that, Suyun wheeled her suitcase into the airport.

Market research for Group Sound's expansion into Japan.

That was the reason Manager Jung Yuyoung, two PR staff members, and Ha Suyun had come to Japan.

"Starting tomorrow, Suyun and I will move together during the day! The rest of you, please visit the locations we discussed at the office yesterday, assess the current situation, and report back to me!"

This was the first thing Jung Yuyoung said the moment they unpacked.

In other words, today, their first day, was a rest day.

Leaving the two PR staff members who had excitedly bolted out the door, Jung Yuyoung lay sprawled on her bed.

"Aren't you going out, Manager Jung?"

"I'd rather rest! The accommodation is great, so I think I'll just drink some coffee, look at the view outside, and read a book! Are you not going out, Suyun?"

"I'm going to drop by an instrument shop in a bit."

"An instrument shop?"

Her previous trip. Two years ago, when she had come to Japan with Hye-in and her bandmates, they had visited an instrument shop in Ochanomizu. Of course, she could have gone to a different one, but in Suyun's mind... since she already knew one place, there was no need to go out of her way to find another.

"Come to think of it, you didn't bring an instrument! I was meaning to ask you about that earlier."

"Instruments are cheaper in Japan. I figured I'd buy one here and use it if I need to play anything while moving around."

"Is it really cheaper in Japan?"

"Much cheaper."

Suyun replied as she gathered her things. Card, passport, phone, portable charger.

"You have a lot of stuff in your bag..."

"You never know what might happen."

Watching Suyun pack her items one by one, Jung Yuyoung couldn't help but think she looked less like a traveler and more like a refugee preparing for evacuation.

"Was it here?"

Suyun stood in front of the instrument shop. The one she had visited before. She didn't remember the exact streets or the name, so she had found it only after repeatedly entering and exiting various alleys.

But this place seemed slightly different from before. The exterior looked like it had been remodeled.

Still, loath to wander around any further, Suyun stepped inside.

"Welcome."

She could now understand and even speak a little Japanese. The clerk who greeted her with a glance looked familiar, though she couldn't remember him perfectly... He seemed to be the same person from back then. The one who had introduced her to the '57 vintage Fender Strat.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"Um, acoustic... akogi... I'd like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to see."

"Do you have a preferred brand?"

"Martin, Martin."

Just like before, the clerk attended to her with a warm, friendly attitude. He pointed toward a D-28, Martin's standard model.

"This is Martin's most representative model. It's currently on sale for about 300,000 yen."

"Um... can I, try playing it?"

"Yes, of course."

At his words, the clerk took the guitar down. Suyun took her stance and lightly plucked the strings. The guitar was perfectly tuned, as if someone had just tried it out a moment ago.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

As she aimlessly strummed a few chords, the clerk spoke up.

"Excuse me, customer, but by any chance..."

"Yes?"

"Have you visited our shop before? Your face looks very familiar."

"Yes, yes."

"Ah! You're that person from back then, right? The Korean customer? You spoke Japanese, so I wasn't sure at first."

"I learned a little, just a little."

"You learned fast!"

Perhaps recognizing her from the way she handled the guitar, the clerk smiled warmly. He went on to babble about how their business had boomed thanks to her video going viral back then, how they had even remodeled the storefront, and how customers occasionally came in asking where the beautiful high school girl clerk was.

"Would you perhaps be interested in working at our shop...?"

"I can't. I'm Korean."

"Ah, right, of course. Anyway, you did that busking performance and we filmed that promotional video... our sales skyrocketed because of it. Oh! Let me ask the manager if we can give you a discount since you're back."

"If you could, thank you."

The clerk made a quick phone call. After chatting in Japanese for a bit, he turned back to her.

"He said we can give you a fifteen percent discount."

Hearing that, Suyun thought that indeed, even in Japan, connections were everything.

"Yes, here is your change, 1,588 yen."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you!"

What she bought was a Martin D-28 acoustic guitar and a Suhr Classic Strat. She felt she needed a versatile model for session recordings. She decided to carry the Martin with her, while the Suhr would be delivered to her hotel, so she wrote down the address.

"Come to think of it, didn't you say you were in a band?"

"Did I?"

"Yes. You mentioned it back then, but I couldn't remember the name. I wanted to look it up and play your music in the shop, but the name slipped my mind..."

"It's fine. Our band's name is Group Sound."

"Group Sound..."

At Suyun's answer, the clerk scratched his head, deep in thought, before his eyes widened.

"Ah! I think I've heard of that! Is it this song, by any chance?"

The song the clerk played was Garden in the Air. It wasn't from an official channel, but a high-quality video uploaded by a Japanese user, complete with Japanese translations and subtitles. It was clearly made with a lot of care.

"Yes, that's right."

"This song is really popular lately! We've actually played it in the shop too. Since you're here, I absolutely must get your autograph."

With a grin, the clerk slid a large signing board toward her.

"Could you write our shop's name too? And maybe a photo, if you don't mind?"

Judging by his eagerness, he seemed determined to get his fifteen percent discount's worth.

After purchasing the instruments, Suyun, who had briefly considered busking, changed her mind and decided to head back to the hotel. Given her past experiences, she didn't see much point in busking all the way in Japan.

However, after taking a few steps, she turned back and decided to head elsewhere. Even if she wasn't going to busk herself, she could still watch others do it.

With the guitar strapped to her back, she took the crowded subway and arrived at Shinjuku Station.

The moment she stepped out into the plaza, she was greeted by a massive sea of people. Suyun had intended to wander aimlessly until she found a busker, but she stopped after barely four steps.

There was someone busking right nearby.

They're not very good...

That was her assessment after watching for a few minutes.

When she tossed a 500-yen coin into the basket, a grateful "Thank you!" came in return.

Suyun continued to wander around Shinjuku Station. Most of the performers possessed mediocre skills at best. Of course, it was highly likely they simply failed to meet her incredibly high standards.

Maybe I'll watch just a little more before I go.

Feeling a mild sense of disappointment, Suyun walked a bit further until she encountered a crowd that was heavily blocking the street.

The sound of singing was definitely coming from the center. But whether due to the sheer size of the crowd or the chatter of the onlookers, the music didn't carry well.

"Excuse me. Let me through, please."

With her guitar still on her back, Suyun squeezed her way through the crowd, gently nudging people aside. A few turned around with annoyed expressions, ready to snap, but the moment they saw her face, they sheepishly cleared a path.

What's going on?

Thanks to her looks, she easily navigated the crowd. Inside the clearing, she saw quite a few cameras set up. There was a host conducting some sort of segment, and a young man performing music (not very well, either).

"And that's a wrap!"

At the host's words, a smattering of applause, cheers, and whispers rippled through the crowd.

"He wasn't that good," "A bit disappointing, honestly," and similar remarks drifted over.

Seeing the cameras recording the scene, Suyun realized:

Ah, they're filming a TV show.

Since it was none of her business, Suyun turned around, intending to push her way back out of the crowd. But the wall of people behind her wouldn't budge.

"Now then, are there any other participants!"

The moment the host shouted, the crowd shifted, and Suyun was accidentally nudged forward... stumbling right out into the open.

With the cameras rolling, the MC yelled, "Ohhh!! A new challenger!! And she's an incredibly gorgeous girl!!"

"Excuse me. I'm not participating."

"No need to be shy!"

They really don't listen to a word people say.

That was Suyun's sole thought as she was guided toward the filming spot.