Tokyo Wheels
"Hello."
The cafe had been filled with the low, pleasant hum of casual chatter. But the moment the door bell chimed and those quiet words were spoken in Korean, the entire room fell into a dead silence.
People who had been laughing and talking just seconds ago fell quiet, casting cautious glances toward the entrance.
So that's the girl who gave that infamous interview...
Morikawa Kyosuke, the leader of the band Banna, scratched his head as he watched her. He had heard about her from Hashimoto, a member of their sister band, Ryukenbu. Hashimoto had described her as a teenager with long hair and a cold, aloof gaze that looked capable of freezing anything it touched.
But Hashimoto had also insisted she didn't seem like the type to give such a provocative interview.
"She was actually super humble. She answered all my questions and didn't brag at all. I honestly think she just got caught up in some malicious, clickbait editing," Hashimoto had said, showering her with every compliment imaginable.
"Is that her?"
Even the quiet whispers of people talking among themselves cut through the silence like they were being shouted through a megaphone. Amidst the heavy, suffocating quiet, Ha Suyun walked silently across the room and took a seat at a corner table.
"Hello..."
"Hello~!"
"Nice to meet you!"
Fortunately, the cheerful Japanese greetings of the other girls who followed her in helped thaw the frozen atmosphere a bit. Still, the underlying tension in the room remained unchanged.
Morikawa thought it was only natural. Things had calmed down a bit by now, but when "that interview" first dropped, the backlash had been absolutely explosive.
Setting aside whether her claims were right or wrong, most local indie bands had boiled over with a single, collective thought: How dare a Korean come here and say that to us?
Morikawa and the members of Banna had felt the exact same way, though their anger had cooled over time.
"It's you guys, right? The ones from that interview."
The whispers in the cafe started and stopped, rising and falling in waves. After a few minutes of this tense atmosphere, someone finally broke the ice. A woman abruptly stood up from her table, marched over to them, and spoke in a low, strained voice.
"Ah, excuse me..."
"Yes, that's us."
The short-haired girl, who had been chatting with her bandmates, quickly answered, her chair scraping against the floor in her haste. But she was cut off by the cold, calm voice of the long-haired girl.
It was Ha Suyun.
"Do you have a question for us?"
"A question? You're asking if I have a question? Ha... I saw your interview, and I seriously couldn't stand it. You called this market a bunch of copycats doing viral marketing? Then why did you even come to Japan? And..."
The woman shook her head in disbelief, then unleashed a torrent of arguments she had clearly prepared beforehand. Some people in the cafe nodded along, while others looked on with disapproval. However, the general consensus of the room was to watch silently, agreeing that the confrontation was justified.
"And another thing—"
"So, what is it you actually want to say?" Suyun interrupted.
"What?"
"Sure, there might have been some exaggeration in what I said. But it's my honest opinion. In the end, the music people actually listen to is just the same old stuff trending on TikTok and Instagram. Isn't that true? No matter what kind of music an indie band plays, that's all anyone hears."
"You..."
"Can you deny it? That is the reality. As for my other comments... what, conquering Japan? Am I not even allowed to say that? Should I have said, 'I came to Japan to learn music'? I came here to play music. I didn't come here to study abroad."
It wasn't a highly logical argument, but the woman found herself unable to find a rebuttal. How do you argue with a blunt "So what?" All the logical arguments she had stayed up all night preparing suddenly felt completely useless.
"In the end, the only thing that matters is the music. Isn't that right? Are you making good songs?"
Suyun's words suddenly pierced straight to the heart of the matter.
To the woman, it felt as if Suyun was silently adding: Since you only make trash music, is that why you've been grinding for years and still haven't gone major? It was a projection born of her own deep-seated inferiority complex.
"...What did you say?"
"I believe that good music can ultimately break through SNS trends. I'm working hard to prove that. What about you?"
There was no clear logic or context to Suyun's words. "Good music" was never defined, and there were countless examples of good music failing to achieve success. If quality content guaranteed success, Vincent van Gogh would have never cut off his ear. It was a simplistic argument.
Yet, the woman couldn't bring herself to refute it. The absolute self-conviction of someone blessed with undeniable, destined-for-success talent possessed a unique gravity that silenced all opposition.
And even if she did reply, what could she say?
"You'll succeed because you have talent, but we don't"?
"A blessed genius like you doesn't know the struggle of ordinary people"?
Envy and jealousy, sparked by a talent that refused to be denied, began to blacken her heart. Completely ignoring the fact that everyone in the cafe was listening, she squeezed out a desperate, ridiculous retort.
"You can talk big all you want, but your band is only surviving because of your guitar playing and songwriting. The rest of them are completely sub-par..."
Gasps echoed through various corners of the cafe. Morikawa scratched the back of his head as he watched the scene unfold.
Suyun's eyes, which had been cool and listless, flared with a heat that looked capable of melting glaciers.
"That was a bit harsh."
"But she's not entirely wrong..."
"Quiet, you guys," Morikawa whispered, turning back to his bandmates.
But secretly, he agreed. They had an insanely skilled guitarist and an absurdly talented composer—whoever they were. But the other three members were just 'decent' at best, lacking any distinct color of their own. The bassist, in particular, felt clearly lacking.
Everyone here probably agrees...
"...What did you just say?" Suyun asked.
"Didn't you hear me? Your bass, drums, keyboard. All three of them are—"
"Hello, everyone! It looks like everyone's here. Shall we get started?"
The woman tried to double down, thinking she had successfully rattled them, but she was cut off by a completely different, cheerful voice.
The door swung open, and a representative from the Tokyo Wheels organizing committee walked into the cafe, instantly breaking the tension.
"...For now, this is the final lineup that has been made public. We'll be adding more artists through auditions later, but these are all the acts we are officially scouting."
Suyun pushed up her non-prescription glasses. Choi Iseor had given them to her, insisting, "These look so good on you!" but Suyun had no idea what fashion logic dictated that. What even was fashion?
Why do those two fight about clothes every single day?
To Suyun, clothes were just things you threw on. When she was younger, she had cared a bit, but as she aged, she had transitioned entirely to hiking clothes. Because they were comfortable.
The organizer's speech was so boring it drove her to these random thoughts. Why did they even call them here for this?
"...That's all from us. Thank you for coming today, and please have a safe trip back. Thank you!"
After a few more questions, the meeting disbanded. People left in a hurry, as if a bomb had gone off. The woman who had picked a fight earlier left without looking back, her head having cooled down.
"Let's go," Suyun said, standing up.
The other three followed her silently. They walked out of the cafe and navigated through the bustling crowds. After walking a few hundred paces past the thick of the crowd, Suyun spoke up.
"Don't worry about it," Suyun said without looking back. No reply came, but she continued anyway. "I think you guys are doing great. People like that only talk because they can't do it themselves... they're just jealous. They want to insult others and hope it hurts them. So paying attention to that stuff is just a waste of your own energy..."
Still, no reply came. Realizing she couldn't even hear their footsteps anymore, Suyun turned around.
The girls were huddled around an ice cream vending machine a little ways back, giggling among themselves.
"Hey!"
"Yunsuy, you want one too?"
You... little shits...
Here she was, trying to be sincere and comfort them, and they were completely ignoring her. Suyun walked back to the trio, utterly exasperated.
"Häagen-Dazs is so damn expensive. Wouldn't it be better to just go to a convenience store?" Yoo Seoha muttered.
"Vending machine ice cream has its own charm, though," Iseor argued.
"Ah, let's just go to a convenience store," Seoha sighed.
"Why?"
"I think it'd be better to buy some drinks and snacks and have a drink at the lodging. With ice cream."
"Shall... shall we?" Jung Hyun-ah stuttered in agreement.
Watching them, Suyun realized she had worried for nothing. Why did she ever worry about these carefree fools?
As she was about to scold them, Seoha spoke up, cutting her off.
"You don't need to worry about stuff like that."
Suyun looked at Seoha, her eyes demanding an explanation.
"It's not like this is the first time we've heard that... and it's not like it only happens in Japan. We're way past the point of getting hurt by that kind of talk," Seoha said calmly.
"And honestly, it's true that we're riding on your coattails, Yunsuy. We don't really have a right to complain. We have to admit what's true," Iseor added, looking at Suyun with a playful smile.
"...I don't think you're riding on my coattails at all. A band is always a collective effort. There's no such thing as one person leading and others just tagging along..."
"Even if that's true, it's a fact that there's a huge gap in our contributions, right?"
The smile on Iseor's face looked a bit bittersweet. Suyun brushed her hair back, feeling a pang of sympathy.
"Those people knew that, which is why they tried to trigger us. But what can we do? It's the truth. We just have to get better, that's all."
"...I'm sorry, guys," Suyun said, kicking a small pebble on the ground. It bounced a few times and plops right into a storm drain.
"What do you have to be sorry for? And if you're really sorry..."
"If I'm really sorry?"
"Cut down on our practice hours. We need some rest too... No, I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Why are you looking at me like I'm a piece of trash? Can't I take a joke? Hey, hey, Yunsuy. Suyun. Suyun, wait! Let's go together! Wait up!"
1:00 AM, living room of their lodging.
Suyun had gone to sleep ages ago. The table was cluttered with food, snacks, and empty beer cans. One of them was lying flat on the floor, while another stared blankly ahead.
Iseor, who had just chugged a can of Strong Zero, muttered with her head hanging low.
"But honestly, today."
"Today what?" Seoha asked.
"Honestly, you guys were super pissed off too, right?"
No one replied. But Iseor knew the silence meant yes. Because she felt the exact same way.
It was inevitable. No matter how brightly a star shines, if there is a bigger, more brilliant star right next to it, its light will fade. And if a star is like that, what about a mere planet? It becomes an existence people don't even notice.
But even a planet wants to shine. They just keep it buried because not everyone can shine with the same intensity. But keeping it buried didn't mean they wanted to disappear into the darkness forever.
"Of course I was pissed," Seoha muttered.
"There must be people online who think like that too, right? And in the audience."
"Of course... there are... If you actually look, even here..."
Hyun-ah, who was sprawled on the floor, replied. She had been ego-searching on her phone. Japanese comments filled with raw criticism were plastered across her screen.
"Let's show them," Iseor muttered, her voice growing stronger, like water reaching its boiling point.
"Show them what?"
"Are we just going to take that lying down? I can't. We have to show them something. Show them we're not just Suyun's backing band."
The quiet determination in Iseor's voice was slowly turning into a passionate fire.
"We're not just some kids who quietly play bass, drums, and keyboard and then leave. We've got skills too. We need to make an impact! Let them know: never look down on Korea again! Our music market might be smaller than yours, but we produced Ha Suyun on guitar, Choi Iseor on bass, Jung Hyun-ah on keyboard, and Yoo Seoha on drums...!"
"What's wrong with her? Is she drunk?" Seoha asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah! I'm drunk! What are you gonna do about it!"
Iseor slammed the table, stood up, and glared.
"I can't live being looked down on like this! I, Choi Iseor, am a Korean! I'm going to show them the power of a KOREAN! KOREAN BAND GROUP SOUND has other members besides Ha Suyun! I'm going to show them something! Are you in? Are you guys in or what?"
Though slurring her words, Iseor extended her hand with burning eyes. Seoha stared at her face for a moment, then grabbed her hand.
"Yeah, let's show them. Whatever it is. The audience, those bastard bands... we'll shut them up so hard they'll regret ever opening their mouths!"
"What about you, Hyun-ah?!"
"I... I will too...! I have to show them... show them something!"
"Yeah! How long are we going to live being looked down on? Rise up, Korean bands! Rise up, Group Sound! Rise up, the three sorrowful members besides the guitarist! Let's show them we're not just accessories!"
"Let's show them!!"
"Aaaaah!! Let's... let's show them!!"
"Let's show those sushi-eaters! Do you know Kimchi? Do you know Choi Iseor? Do you know Jung Hyun-ah? Do you know Yoo Seoha?"
"Let's show them!!"
"HEY!!! GO TO SLEEP!!!"
A roar from the bedroom instantly shrank the half-crazed, hugging trio. The door flew open.
"You little shits...! I don't care what you're doing, if you have that much energy, go practice at night! Getting drunk and screaming like idiots! Aren't you embarrassed to hear those things?"
"No, starting tomorrow..."
"Tomorrow, tomorrow! What is it with tomorrow? Why don't you ever think of starting today? Drinking late at night, aigoo... I seriously can't deal with you guys. I'm too old for this, I should just grow old and die. I don't even know why I'm living like this, I really don't. The longer I live, the weirder things I see..."
Suyun, looking completely disheveled, stood there "scolding" the trio. Her sleepy yet solemn lecture made them feel like they were being scolded by a venerable elder. Even the way she talked sounded like it.
She was clearly the youngest here, so why did she sound like that?
But more than that, the thought that they really had to practice properly starting tomorrow took deep root in their minds.