The Hater

"So, I actually won tickets to be in the studio audience. But I don't have anyone to go with. You're the only one I know who actually knows anything about music."

"I told you, I don't really like them."

"Still, if you hear them live, who knows? You might change your mind."

"Sigh... Well, since you're asking, I'll tag along, but..."

His friend grumbled on the other end of the line.

"Alright, cool. I'll text you the location and time on KakaoTalk," he said, before hanging up.

In the sudden silence that followed, he wondered why none of his other friends shared his passion for music.

It's not like I'm asking them to be obsessed. Just liking it enough to go out and listen to it like I do would be nice...

Even he wasn't what anyone would call a hardcore music enthusiast. He just went to concerts of artists he liked or applied to be in TV studio audiences. He certainly didn't debate music theory online or join fan clubs. In his mind, he was just an ordinary guy who liked music a bit more than average.

Yet, with one single exception, none of his friends cared about music at all. To them, music was just something they heard a few times during their military service, background noise in cafes, or whatever happened to play when the radio was turned on. Even the ones who claimed to "listen to music" just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠threw on random YouTube playlists and called it a day. If he ever asked them to go to a concert because he didn't want to go alone, they would inevitably shoot him down with a blunt, "Why would anyone pay to go to those?"

The one exception was the friend he had just spoken to, but his attitude left a lot to be desired. He seemed to know his stuff, but he was... how should he put it? Constantly dissatisfied? Overly critical? That was the vibe he gave off.

Their conversations usually went like that. Or like this:

His friend would then spam him with recommendations for obscure indie bands he had never heard of—names like Mystica, Muzaku, Velvet Monochrome, and the like. Trusting that his friend knew what he was talking about, he had actually given them a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠listen, but none of them could even hold a candle to Group Sound.

When he pointed this out, his friend had simply scoffed, "That's just because you haven't listened to enough music. Once you develop an ear for it, you'll see."

Still, since there was no one else to talk to about music, he always ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ended up chatting with him. It was the same just the other day.

He had just taken his friend's word for it back then. But later, while browsing the internet, he stumbled upon a studio audience recruitment notice for a music program called The Session. As if possessed, he immediately applied for two tickets.

It was a special episode dedicated entirely to Group Sound.

When his application was selected, he looked for someone to go with, and in the end, he had no choice but to contact that very same friend. Going alone would just be too boring.

"Maybe hearing them live will change your mind."

"Sigh... Fine, fine. I'll go."

His friend had reluctantly agreed. Though the grumpy response left him feeling a bit miffed, he still looked forward to the day. Good or bad, he was going to see them play live.

And that was how they ended up here.

The day of the recording.

"Man, do we really have to stand in this line?"

"Hey, we're already here. You might as well try to enjoy it. Why do you always have to be so negative?"

"Honestly, I still don't get why people think they're so good. Even their live clips..."

"Stop it, just stop."

At his words, his friend clicked his tongue and looked down at his phone. He looked around at the crowd waiting in line. It wasn't just a single demographic of teenagers like you'd see at an idol concert; people of all ages were standing together.

Well, they are incredibly popular...

As he thought this, he glanced over at his friend's phone screen. He seemed to be browsing some online community.

...?

He felt like he had just witnessed something incredibly bizarre. But he simply scratched his head and looked forward.

"Audience members, please begin entering now!"

It was finally time to go in.

"Hello. I'm Ha Suyun, the guitarist of Group Sound."

The audience filed in, the band's gear was set up, and shortly after, the members of Group Sound took the stage. Looking at Ha Suyun as she held the microphone, he realized that at least one of the rumors online was absolutely true.

She really has the face of an idol.

"Our concert is coming up soon. Well, maybe not that soon..."

"It's literally months away. How is that 'soon'?"

"If you're taking the CSAT in November and it's already September, is that a lot of time? No, your exam is basically ruined, right?"

The banter between the members drew a wave of laughter from the crowd. He smiled too, then glanced sideways. His friend was still staring sullenly at his phone.

"Anyway, as for live performances, we have this and... well, we have one more YouTube thing to shoot. I don't know what the future holds, but for now, this is the end of our official schedule. We've put a lot of effort into preparing today's live set, but for the concert, we're going to make sure you don't regret a single penny... In fact, we'll make you feel like you actually made money by coming. So please, come and see us..."

As her rambling speech dragged on, the show's host stepped in and playfully cut her off, prompting another round of laughter from the audience.

"First, our opening song... is actually not one of ours. I don't know if any of you will recognize it. It's a fairly famous piece, so I expect some of you might know it. The title is..."

With those words, Ha Suyun stepped forward and took her position. The stage lights dimmed. A single spotlight cut through the darkness, illuminating her.

Then, a quiet announcement echoed through the hall.

"Cliffs of Dover."

A brief round of applause followed, and then silence fell. In the quiet atmosphere, without any cue, a clean, serene guitar tone began to ring out.

The sound reverberated deeply, carrying a rich echo that made the studio feel as vast as a grand concert hall.

There were no lyrics. He didn't even know if this could be considered a conventional song. Yet, from the very first note, he felt himself completely pulled in.

It was a melody that sounded almost like a harp being plucked. No matter how little he knew about music, he could instinctively tell that this was beautiful.

If he closed his eyes and just listened, he could almost picture a peaceful, pastoral landscape. But what followed was a slightly warmer, thicker tone—one that was unmistakably, undeniably a guitar.

A pristine, flawless electric guitar sound without a single hint of noise.

The sound soared forward without hesitation, shifting notes multiple times in a single second, even within a single beat. There was no doubt, no trembling in her playing. He didn't possess the trained ears to judge technical perfection, but somehow, he just knew.

And then, in an instant, as if everything before had merely been a warm-up... the guitar began to sprint.

The goosebumps that broke out across his skin coincided perfectly with the first heavy strike of the drums.

This is where it really begins...!

Out of the darkness, the drums, bass, and piano joined in. Every instrument supported the guitar from the perfect position. And on top of that foundation, the guitar was absolutely dominating the stage.

Up on the stage, Suyun stood under the spotlight, her face entirely expressionless as she played. Yet, the sound pouring from those small hands completely ruled the entire hall.

Slowing down time, speeding it up... everything bent to her will. The performance finally culminated in a breathtaking, lightning-fast run of notes that seemed to split the beats into infinity, before coming to a sudden, clean halt.

He realized he had been clenching his fists so hard his palms were damp with sweat. Normally, that would have annoyed him, but right now, he couldn't care less.

I don't know much about music, but is that level of skill really possible at her age?

Even child prodigies and geniuses usually had to study for years from a young age. As far as he remembered, Ha Suyun had only been playing the guitar for about four years. How was this possible?

To have a level of skill that was so overwhelmingly obvious, even to an ordinary listener like him...

"Hey. Didn't you say Ha Suyun was bad?"

The thought suddenly made him turn to look at his friend. Seriously, what on earth was he thinking, calling someone who played like that "bad"? The question popped out of his mouth in a sharp, defensive tone.

Wait, could it be that this is just the average standard for indie bands in our country?

The thought crossed his mind right after he spoke. But looking at his friend, who sat with his mouth shut tight, unable to utter a single word, he realized that wasn't the case at all.

"How is that bad?"

"Well... she might have just practiced this one song to death... or something. Anyway, I didn't really care for it. It wasn't that good."

"That wasn't good?"

He shot back in utter disbelief at his friend's muttered excuse. But then again, maybe his friend was right. Maybe the other songs would be different.

With that thought, he left his visibly deflated friend alone and focused on the next song.

But his impression of Ha Suyun was never going to change. Suyun was brilliant throughout the entire set. In fact, "brilliant" didn't even do it justice; it felt as though she had become the guitar itself.

"Hey. Don't you ever pretend to be a music expert again."

He told his friend as they walked out of the studio. The friend, who usually loved to show off his musical knowledge whenever a song played, walked silently beside him, unable to say a single word.

Their appearance on the major broadcast show The Session, followed by their performance on The Live Stage—a live program on the massive YouTube channel Encore.

If it's spelled Encore, shouldn't it be pronounced 'ang-kol'? First Aurora, now Encore... Why does everyone keep pronouncing things so weirdly?

Regardless of Suyun's grumpy internal complaints, their appearances on both shows were a massive success.

Whether it was The Session, which was recorded in an environment almost identical to a real concert, or The Live Stage, which was recorded on an outdoor stage with a live audience, both provided the perfect stage to prove their skills. As the clips of the recordings circulated through online communities, they completely silenced the doubters.

"So, does this wrap everything up?"

"Hmm... No!"

On the day The Live Stage was released, Suyun was browsing the community forums when she posed the question to Section Chief Jung. But the answer she received was a firm negative.

"Is there still more to do?"

"We've finished stirring up the controversy and using the viral buzz to promote the concert. But we didn't make such a big deal out of this just for that!"

With those words, Section Chief Jung Yuyoung handed her a document. It was a thin script.

"Actually, we didn't plan this with the current situation in mind, but the timing just happened to work out perfectly!"

"What was the original purpose?"

"It was for promotions in Japan!"

The title written on the cover was: In Search of Korean Rock.

Naturally, the "rookie guitarist" seemed to refer to Suyun herself.

Wait, you want me to go meet those old geezers in this body?

Just a few years ago, even if they didn't always get along, they were people she had called "hyung" and "dongsaeng."

Suyun felt a sudden, deep wave of dread rising from the pit of her stomach...