The Sound of August Nights
Following the drum fill of their first performance in Japan, what soared from the stage was a bouncy bassline that rushed in alongside a cheerful guitar. With the lights at their backs, the four silhouetted figures began to step to the rhythm, swaying their bodies as they played.
"Huh?"
Someone's quiet murmur drifted out, only to be instantly swallowed by the heat of the venue. The melody currently flowing from the speakers might have been unfamiliar to those gathered here... or perhaps not. It sounded less like typical band music and closer to the 'Hallyu' style. Though some might have dismissed it for that reason, it was a song that had somehow garnered rave reviews even from those picky listeners—the melody of "August Night" by the Korean idol group, Aurora.
Yet, while the melody was the same, the arrangement and structure were entirely different. The original track had possessed a band-like vibe, but what they were hearing now was a pure, unadulterated rock band song.
"Stay, Tune!"
Guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums. The full-fledged performance kicked off as the four instruments intertwined, drawing the audience in so completely that it felt as though the show was already at its climax. Without doing anything to disrupt the experience, the crowd stared at the stage, their ears entirely attuned to the speakers.
And at the exact moment everyone had been waiting for... just as the intro wrapped up flawlessly, one of the girls on stage opened her mouth to sing.
Even though the clouds hanging low in the night sky are collapsing toward you,
I just sat there, frozen.
Because I missed you so much, I cried.
No matter how much time passes...
A slightly cute voice echoed through the microphone. What they heard was Korean, not Japanese. Yet, it didn't feel foreign at all; in fact, it was incredibly familiar. After all, it was a song you couldn't help but hear at least once while walking down the street since last year.
Even if you and I are on the same line, we cannot touch.
At the end of this street, I am alone once again.
A bouncy sound poured from the speakers. Shrugging their shoulders and hopping lightly, the four girls on stage performed with a physical energy that made it clear they were genuinely enjoying this music, this concert.
But since we'll meet again someday, I won't say goodbye.
Let's meet on an August night, so I can hold onto you and we can't escape.
Japan's live house culture is fundamentally different in tone from Korea's. Unlike Korean club culture, which often involves casual dancing, drinking, or even hooking up, Japanese audiences tend to listen quietly and appreciate the music—unless the band actively prompts them or the music is specifically designed to be loud and rowdy to pump up the crowd. Originating from the culture of meiwaku—the desire to avoid causing trouble or inconvenience to others—they try not to disturb anyone else's listening experience.
But right now, the atmosphere inside Rene Mure was 180 degrees different from that of a typical live house.
Into the meaningless, floating garden in the sky,
I climb endlessly.
My feelings for you, the passing of time,
Everything will stumble and collapse upon the sand.
Group Sound's biggest hit, Garden in the Sky, filled the air.
The toothbrush on the sink, the dried-up soap, the water-stained mirror,
Inside them, we might just become stars.
And the title track of their first studio album, Becoming Stars, followed.
The turtle left three days ago, without knowing where it was going.
When the shadow of the first snow that already fell finds you once again...
The pre-release track of their first EP and the song that had put Group Sound on the map, Gray Days, also rang out.
You're just looking up, countless stars falling before your eyes.
Just when and which path did you want to take?
Even Mistake, a song they had performed during Invasion from Seoul 2024 but rarely played since—one of the very tracks that had introduced them to the world—was unleashed.
Group Sound poured out everything they had without holding back, driving the audience's reactions to a fever pitch. The drums anchored the songs with perfect precision without missing a single beat, while the bass danced groovily on top, making everyone bounce. The keyboards added dynamic layers, filling the ears with pure delight. And the guitar—sometimes playing only the melody, other times bursting forth to deliver a powerful impact—truly engraved the essence of 'band music' into the minds of the audience.
Their performance seemed to speak directly to the crowd gathered for their first Japanese show. It promised them that they would never regret coming here. No, it promised to make their experience something everyone else would deeply envy.
"Group Sound! Group Sound! Group Sound! Group Sound! Group Sound!"
A minute felt like a second, ten minutes like a single minute, and the entire hour and a half... felt like the blink of an eye. The concert, passing by like a fleeting instant, came to an end, leaving behind the thunderous cheers of the audience.
"Everyone, please line up over here~"
What followed was Group Sound's fan signing event. The crowd, who had gathered to witness the skills of "the band that conquered Korea" and "the band that crossed over to Japan after dominating Korea," had been standing dazed as if under a collective hypnosis. Now, they scrambled toward the makeshift signing tables set up on stage. Some were so desperate they even stripped off their own T-shirts to offer them up, claiming they had no paper to get signed.
Man, this is exhausting, Suyun thought as she signed autographs for the swarming crowd. It wasn't that the performance itself or interacting with the fans was too difficult. They had done plenty of this in Korea, and seeing people look at her with adoration and recognize her always managed to re-energize her even when she was running on empty.
The only problem was the language.
"！。、？" (The live was absolutely insane! Seriously, I was so moved. Your guitar skills are crazy good, do you have a guitarist you respect?)
"Please. Yukkuri. I don't know Japanese well. I understand a little listening. Yabai? Dangerous? What is? My guitar skills aren't dangerous. Me, good. Guitar. Very good."
"! !!" (Uhaha! So cute!!)
"、？、？" (By the way, what is your most recommended song among your tracks? Also, do you have a favorite Japanese band?)
"Uh... Uh..."
"Excuse me, but this member isn't very good at Japanese... Did you ask for a recommended song... or a band...?"
"Pink Floyd."
"！！！！" (Pink Floyd!! You really know the origins of rock!!)
"...What is he saying?"
"He says you're someone... who knows their stuff..."
"That's right. Me, kompon. I know the roots well. I know rock well. Pink Floyd, the best."
"?" (Roots?)
Suyun had studied Japanese quite hard in her own way. From a brain that previously only contained construction site terminology, she had managed to reach a level where she could stammer out some basic Japanese. However, as someone starting from absolute zero, she simply couldn't beat the two members who had a solid foundation built on anime and manga.
"I told you to study Japanese harder."
"I am studying hard..."
Seeing Suyun look exhausted in front of the long line of Japanese fans, Iseor suddenly chimed in. Suyun muttered her defense, but as usual, once Iseor spotted an opening to tease her, she refused to let go.
"I mean, we learned it together, so why is your Japanese so bad, Suyun? Is Japanese hard? When it's this easy?"
"When it's... this easy... hehe, hehe."
"Is this hard? 'Everyone, please love Group Sound a lot!!' Is this hard? Is listening hard? All you have to do is just listen!"
"Honestly... if you can't speak Japanese, promotions in Japan might be a bit... difficult... Maybe it's time for us to step up to the forefront..."
"Those two weebs are getting excited again."
Suyun wanted to stare blankly at a distant mountain, but all she could see was the ceiling of the live house. Seoha (whose Japanese skills were on par with Suyun's) muttered under her breath as if watching a couple of clowns, perfectly capturing Suyun's own sentiments.
Performances in Japanese live houses are fundamentally forbidden from being recorded or filmed, and the general atmosphere discourages it anyway. It felt as though the record labels' extreme sensitivity to copyright had trickled down directly to the general consumers. This factor effectively blocked 'viral marketing'—the primary tool used by Team Leader Jung Yuyoung to promote Group Sound—but no one minded, and Group Sound's promotion suffered no setbacks whatsoever. Why? Because everyone was spreading the word voluntarily.
"Man~ I recently went to a Korean band's concert! Korea is a K-pop powerhouse, but that's strictly K-pop! A Korean band throwing down the gauntlet in Japan, the land of bands—you can't help but be surprised! So I went to the live house 'Rene Mure' in Shibuya! Getting tickets was seriously so hard~!"
Whether in Korea or Japan, the desire of attention-seekers and the mindset of merchants chasing views are the same. Attention becomes self-satisfaction, and views turn into money. The actions of these people... caused Group Sound's story to spread far and wide, despite the lack of any official promotional campaign.
"We've only done one show, and we're already getting interview requests!"
"Interviews?"
"Yes! Music magazines, media outlets, you name it! They're sending proposal emails left and right, saying they want to interview Group Sound!"
Jung Yuyoung said, wrapping up with, "So be careful, because they might suddenly thrust a microphone in your face out of nowhere!"
Suyun twirled a strand of her hair. An interview... wouldn't we just do it? she thought, but there was a catch.
"Since you're warning us like this, does that mean you rejected them?"
"Yes! The interviews coming in right now are mostly just trying to write clickbait articles or chase views!"
Team Leader Jung showed them the state of some of these 'media outlets' as she spoke. It was indeed understandable why she had turned them down. Some were nothing more than solo YouTube channels.
"So please, don't go doing interviews with just anyone! Yellow journalism is rampant in Japan too. In Korea, you'd easily recognize which newspapers or media outlets are reputable, but you might not know the landscape here in Japan!"
"But did we only get requests from those kinds of places?"
Iseor asked, suddenly curious. Team Leader Jung shook her head.
"There are reputable outlets too! But there's really no reason for us to do interviews at this stage!"
"A mystique strategy... or something like that?"
"Exactly! We don't really need media exposure right now. It's much better to solidify our image as 'the incredibly talented band from Korea' first!"
With that, Yuyoung slid a document to each of the members. The paper, titled [Future Plans], didn't actually contain much text. It was just a sheet with a few lines written on it.
[Future Plans]
"Anyway, for now... we have two short-term plans! First is a nationwide tour of Japan! We won't be renting out massive concert halls; instead, we'll keep it to a live house tour scale!"
"Is it... similar to... our Korean tour...?"
"No! Even smaller, but much more frequent! We're planning to tour the actual 'entire country'! Japan has so many venues!"
Do they just really love nationwide tours here? Suyun thought, looking at Team Leader Jung's cheerful face. Regardless of her thoughts, Team Leader Jung kept going.
"And as for the second item... this is something we'll need you to put some effort into, Suyun..."
"What is it?"
Suyun asked. Team Leader Jung's expression turned slightly sheepish. What on earth was she about to say?
"Since we've entered the Japanese market, we need songs to use for our promotions here... So I was thinking we might need to make a new album... Would that... be possible...?"