Landing in Tokyo
Landing at Narita Airport for their first performance in Japan, they took the subway into Tokyo. Perhaps because it was a weekday morning, public transit was reasonably uncrowded. Dragging one massive shared suitcase and several personal ones, transferring here and there, they finally arrived at their destination—about a ten-minute walk from the station, neither too close nor too far.
"We got lucky," Manager Jung Yuyoung said.
"Why's that?"
"Shimokitazawa isn't far from here. It's about an hour's walk?"
"Wow, that's great."
Chatting with Manager Jung, they arrived at a three-story apartment building that looked quite upscale. She had mentioned it was built about thirty years ago, but it didn't feel like it at all. In Korea, a thirty-year-old building usually felt like it was on the verge of collapsing from decay.
"Let's go inside! The lease is already fully signed!"
As they stepped into the apartment, a narrow hallway immediately greeted Suyun. In Korea, the living room would usually appear first. The layout felt entirely different right from the start. There were four visible doors: a toilet room, a bathroom—Suyun could never understand why the toilet and the bath were kept in separate rooms here—one bedroom, and the living room...
"I thought you said there were three bedrooms?"
"There are two more inside!"
And indeed, there were. A living room with an open island kitchen, and two more bedrooms. In total, three bedrooms, one living room, and one kitchen. It felt roughly similar in size to Suyun's own apartment, though hers was slightly more spacious.
"This is your lodging, and we won't be managing it for you. Of course, if you have any requests, lease issues, or if something breaks, we'll have company staff stationed in Japan, so you can ask them!"
"Our staff is staying in Japan?"
"Yes. Not right here, but we got them a place nearby! The office is there too!"
"Is our company actually doing surprisingly well?"
"What do you mean 'surprisingly'? We're obviously killing it."
The two bickered, but Manager Jung Yuyoung continued as if she were entirely used to the sight.
"I'll be splitting my time between Japan and Korea for the first few months, and once things stabilize, I'll stay in Korea full-time. The staff staying here permanently will be Assistant Manager Park, Mr. Kim, and Assistant Manager Kanazawa. But they aren't here just to babysit you, so you'll need to maintain the apartment yourselves!"
"They're not just here for us?"
"Of course not, dummy."
"The company is in a phase of business expansion right now! Anyway, let's head inside first!"
After showing them around the apartment and going over the house rules, Manager Jung excused herself for a moment, saying she had some lease-related paperwork to handle. Left to themselves, Suyun and the other three sat around the living room table and began to talk.
"So we don't get our own rooms."
"In Tokyo... individual rooms... are almost impossible... Even this place probably costs... several hundred thousand yen..."
The living room was clean but completely bare. There were two bedrooms with bunk beds, and the remaining room was a walk-in closet. Opening the refrigerator revealed nothing but water. Fortunately, the air conditioner was running perfectly, blowing out a cool breeze. Breaking the silence, Iseor spoke up.
"But how are we splitting the rooms?"
"Good question."
On the matter of roommates, Suyun hesitated for a moment. Iseor? It would be too noisy. Seoha? Likewise, she'd probably be a bit loud, though better than Iseor. That left Hyun-ah as the only logical choice.
"How about Suyun and I share a room, and the older girls take the other?" Iseor suggested.
"No way," Suyun replied.
"Why?!"
"If I share a room with you, you'll keep shoving things in my face right before we sleep, asking if it's funny, what I'm doing, this and that... You'll never stop talking."
"You hate that?"
"Yes."
Iseor wore a look of utter betrayal. Beside her, Seoha chimed in, "Yeah, sharing a room with her is a bit much for me too..."
And so, the pairings were naturally decided: Suyun with Hyun-ah, and Iseor with Seoha.
"Let's unpack, tidy up a bit, and then go out to eat. There must be restaurants nearby, right?"
"I want fried chicken," Iseor whined.
"They don't have Korean fried chicken in Japan. If you want something similar, you have to get KFC."
"Convenience store... chicken... is really good..." Hyun-ah murmured.
"They sell chicken at convenience stores?"
Exchanging such trivial banter, the four of them headed to their respective rooms. By the time they finished unpacking, Manager Jung and the other staff members had returned. They discussed what furniture to buy, what supplies they needed, and went over the apartment's rules. After grabbing a quick dinner at a nearby diner, the company staff headed back to their office and lodgings.
We might need to set a shower schedule too, Suyun thought, drying her hair with a towel after her shower. There were surprisingly many things to consider. For instance, Suyun was the type who absolutely had to shower the moment she got home before doing anything else. But the other girls...
"Are you done?"
As Suyun stepped out, Iseor, who had been lying on the bed scrolling through her phone, sluggishly sat up. Suyun did her absolute best to hide her sheer horror. Lying on the bed—the very place where they slept—while wearing clothes covered in outside dust was something Suyun would never, ever do.
Well, I can't expect everyone to live by my standards...
Suyun repeated the mantra to herself as she went back to her room to finish organizing. She hung up some clothes, folded others, set up her cosmetics, and placed her mirror. After meticulously organizing her things, she walked out to the living room, only to find the other three sitting around the table.
"Didn't we just eat dinner?"
"That was dinner! This is a welcome party to celebrate our first night in the dorms!"
Iseor cheered cheerfully, already holding a can of beer in her hand. On the table sat a pile of convenience store fried chicken. Beneath them were several cans of beer and a few strange cans labeled Strong Zero, at least from what Suyun could see.
"Suyun... have some..." Hyun-ah offered.
"Should I?"
Their dinner had been tonkotsu ramen from a shabby neighborhood joint. The ramen had been so greasy it practically screamed, "This is pure lard!" and Suyun had put down her chopsticks after only a few bites. She was still a bit hungry, and since they had bought chicken, she wondered if she should have a sip of beer to go with it...
"Ah-ah! Where does a lightweight who can't even drink think she's putting her lips?!"
But Suyun's attempt was thwarted by Iseor, whose face was already slightly flushed as she snatched the beer right out of Suyun's hand.
"Who are you calling a lightweight?"
"You! The entire nation of Korea—no, the whole wide world knows you can't hold your liquor! The photo of you throwing up after taking a single sip of soju in front of a convenience store, along with eyewitness accounts, is being posted on the internet yesterday, today, and tomorrow!"
"No, that was... Sigh..."
Standing tall with her hands on her hips, Iseor delivered her solemn lecture as if she were some grand authority. While the other two giggled, Suyun pressed a hand to her forehead. She had no idea who that bastard was who took that photo, but because of them, she couldn't even enjoy a drink in peace...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next day. Dragging the girls, who looked utterly exhausted from drinking god-knows-how-late into the night, Suyun headed toward the office Manager Jung had told them about. It was a short walk, about ten minutes away.
"How much did you even drink last night?"
"Not that much... like, three cans of beer."
"And you're in this state?"
"I don't know. Maybe Japanese beer is stronger..."
Exchanging such ridiculous excuses, they arrived at the office. It wasn't large, but it was clean. It felt just like the original Label Echo Sound office before they relocated.
"Hello."
"Hello...!"
The problem was that the state of the people inside was no different from the three members of Group Sound. Frowning and slouched over from their own hangovers, or desperately trying to focus on their monitors... it was a sorry sight.
"Oh, you're here?"
"Our girls were drinking last night because it was their first day, but it looks like you guys had a few too."
"Well, I went to this pub. It was a yakitori place where every single menu item was only 330 yen! I figured the more I ate, the more money I saved..."
"There's a place like that?"
The photo of the yakitori Manager Jung showed them was massive. In Korea, they would have easily charged 5,000 won for just two of them. Wondering how on earth Japan's cost of living was cheaper than Korea's, Suyun sat down in the meeting room.
"Then let's begin our first meeting! Our monumental first agenda item is about launching our activities here... We'd love to hear Group Sound's thoughts on which direction we should take!"
And so, the meeting officially began. The documents Manager Jung handed them, though filled with various explanations, essentially proposed two options.
"Are we starting with a live house?"
"Yes! Actually, we initially thought about going straight for a concert! But there was one small catch."
Manager Jung continued her explanation. The Japanese band scene was strictly divided by the concept of "major." If you debuted under a major record label, you were a major band; otherwise, you were an indie band. This was something Suyun already knew.
"Now, we're famous in Korea, and we do have some fans in Japan... but to Japanese rock fans, we're still outsiders. Strangers from a distant neighbor, Korea."
"That's true."
"If we were just going to stay active in Korea and occasionally fly over for concerts, it wouldn't matter. But since we're planning to promote in Japan in earnest, jumping straight into a concert might rub some people the wrong way."
Is that so? Suyun twirled a strand of her hair. Well, it was a plausible concern. Conservative gatekeepers existed everywhere. Labeling someone an "outsider" just because they didn't follow the "established rules" was a common phenomenon, not just in Japan but anywhere in the world.
"Anyway, that's why a live house gig will be our first stage! The issue now is that we've been debating which live house to choose, and our team hasn't been able to reach a conclusion."
"What kind of options are we looking at?" Seoha muttered.
Suyun flipped the page. The document listed four live houses in total. Looking at the detailed descriptions, interior and exterior photos, equipment setups, and other specifications, Suyun spoke up.
"What's the dilemma?"
"Team Leader Go suggested booking a small-to-medium-sized, newly established live house and gradually building up our fandom from there. For example, something like Option One on that list."
"Hmm..."
It was a venue with a capacity of about two hundred seats and a relatively short history. Manager Jung continued her explanation. Team Leader Go's idea was that if they chose such a live house and established themselves there, it would create a strong association—if you go to Venue A, you can see Group Sound!—building a unique brand image. From there, they could gradually grow their name while fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with the venue. That was the gist of Team Leader Go's argument.
"But I think it makes more sense to break into a famous venue right from the start!"
"Why is that?"
"Even if we're a foreign band, we already have a reputation. There's no need to go all the way down to the absolute bottom just to lay a foundation. Honestly, even doing a live house gig at all is an incredibly unconventional move for a foreign band. A band that sold out a twenty-thousand-seat arena coming to another country just to play a live house..."
Suyun twirled her hair again. Both arguments had merit. Ultimately, Team Leader Go believed that if they were going to start from the bottom, they should go all the way down to build a solid foundation, while Manager Jung believed there was no need to go that far.
"Besides, when a famous live house releases its schedule, it naturally draws a lot of attention! It's bound to have a massive promotional effect!"
"What do you guys think?"
Suyun turned her head to look at the girls sitting next to her. She immediately regretted it. They looked like they didn't have a single thought in their heads—or rather, their physical condition was so terrible they couldn't even muster the energy to think.
"You guys should just go back to the dorm."
"No, I'm fine, I... Ugh."
"Do they sell... hangover cures... in Japan..."
"I'm dying..."
Leaving the three half-dead corpses aside, Suyun twirled her hair. Well, which direction is better? Both options have their pros and cons. After a moment of deliberation, Suyun slowly spoke up.
"In my opinion..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
At Rene Mure, a live house in Shibuya.
"Manager!"
"Yeah?"
"The demo submissions have piled up again. I think you need to take a listen."
With over forty years of history, Rene Mure was as famous for its strict booking process as it was for its prestige. Countless artists begged for a chance to perform there. To put it in perspective, they received over three hundred demo tracks a month, yet only one or two new artists actually made it onto Rene Mure's stage. This reality gave the staff a deep sense of pride—the honor of being at the forefront of Japanese band music.
"Man, they're really flooding us this month. Why do so many hopeless acts even bother sending these?"
The booking manager grumbled as he walked over to the office computer. Opening the inbox, he saw a mountain of unread emails. He began opening them one by one, downloading the files, before eventually letting go of the mouse.
"Hey, download these for me. I'll listen to them later."
"Sure. Are there any bands you recognize? I can sort them separately."
"Bands I recognize... Not really."
"Got it."
The staff member sat down. But a moment later, the sound he made caught the ear of the manager, who was about to head back out to the floor.
"Huh? These guys..."
"What is it?"
"I think I've heard this name before. Have you?"
"No, never. Are they famous? Doesn't ring a bell."
The staff member pointed at the sender of one of the emails.
"Should I put them in a separate folder?"
"Just leave it. Since when do we judge based on a band's name? We listen to the music, invite them if it's good, and reject them if it's not. It's rare to find anything decent among these random demos anyway."
With that, the manager waved his hand and walked away. The staff member stared at the email for a moment, downloaded the track, and moved on to the next message.
The sender of the email he had just passed over had two English words written on it.
Group Sound.