Second Gig Blues
For the second performance, Myeongjeon plucked at the guitar a few times. A melancholic melody built on pentatonic and blue note scales. Last night, while agonizing over what song to write, she'd listened to Gary Moore's Still Got the Blues and drawn inspiration, banging it out in one go. She hadn't added bass, drums, or keys yet, but the main melody was done. It leaned a bit too guitar-heavy for a band tune, and she hadn't even written lyrics. …Well, to be precise, she had tried lyric-writing. More accurately, she'd sat at her desk for about three hours mulling it over. Scribbling down whatever words came to mind. But nothing clicked. So Myeongjeon decided to fill it in with humming for now.
'Come to think of it, maybe I just don't have a knack for this stuff.'
Just look at how she'd named her YouTube channel 'Guitar Heaven' and got flamed by anonymous netizens. Something like [What the hell is this, some 70s-80s geezer bullshit?]. Stuff like that. Made her think she might not have the talent. On the bright side, she'd never had any gift for composing—or any creative work, really… but now it was just lyrics she sucked at. Progress, right?
'But looking at it that way… isn't the song too old-school? Will this even land?'
Her YouTube uploads had gotten comments like that too. [High school girl doing blues? Her vibe's off…], [Skill doesn't match her age!]. She had no clue what was "off" or why it didn't match her physical age—this "high school girl" body—but clearly, it didn't fit the expected teen vibe.
'Maybe I should write something trendier.'
She'd thought about it. Myeongjeon didn't love trends, but she tried to keep up as a listener. In her view, after the city pop or country pop fad, Korea was sneaking back into retro vibes. Rock too. Korean indie rock fans were isolated, few in number. People sick of cookie-cutter idol tunes—Myeongjeon didn't see it that way, but most did—wandered off seeking novelty and settled there. Not a bad thing. Music wasn't good or bad. Surprisingly open-minded, Myeongjeon wouldn't claim one genre superior to another. Just personal tastes and history's rejects. The pity? The music she loved and excelled at had never trended in Korea.
Myeongjeon strummed a bit more, then set the guitar down. No point overthinking trends. What mattered wasn't what's popular, but what's good.
Time to stretch her hands and take a break. She grabbed her phone. KakaoTalk notifications galore. Park Dain on the school bullying issue:
Guy friends nagging what're you up to. And Choi Iseo on the gig:
One more song? They'd synced up enough; an easy one should be fine. Plenty of time since not all tracks were polished.
Iseo was stunned. Already? A whole song?
Moments later, a WAV file in KakaoTalk. Iseo popped in earbuds and hit play. Intense yet clean guitar tones. Woven in: melancholy but resolute… a sadness laced with self-assurance. The humming—sans lyrics—circled her mind, tickling something deep inside. Then the guitar solo strode in after the vocal part. Iseo rested hands on her thighs, listening quietly.
'Shoulda learned guitar…'
Some songs hit like that. So good you wanna learn 'em just to play. This one qualified, Iseo thought. End of track—she snatched her phone.
Myeongjeon pondered. Trust her with it? That other song was throwaway. But this was for the band…
'Handing her the track won't magically produce lyrics anyway. Tried it myself. Might as well let her try.'
She sent approval.
Jeong Hyeona meant it. Not a solo slot—just squeezing in. Three songs should suffice. But the desperate side bows.
Iseo chatted while opening YouTube. Her debut gig vid still racking views and comments despite time passed. Early ones clueless: anime? Otaku? Just "Japanese song." Now:
Iseo was thrilled. Faithful recreation—nay, so spot-on others craved it.
Iseo's happy circuits firing. But Hyeona thought differently. If YouTube = all net, otaku spots = all fandom, sure. Reality? Nah. YouTube's surface level.
Hyeona clicked a post. High views/reccs:
SNS too…
Share? Nah, Hyeona decided. Deep-web lurkers like her could handle malice; half-muggles like Suyeon couldn't. Instead, subtle mention.
'Fair point.' Iseo mused. World full of variety. Contrarians exist.
'Then show better bass next gig. Shut 'em up for good.'
Even Beatles get called bubbles. Their band would catch flak regardless. But motivation? Win-win.
Gig day.
"How're these bands?"
Rehearsing bands and watching planner Yeongsin. CEO eyed him.
"Eh, same old. You know the three you've seen."
"New ones though?"
"Two unseen teams, but one's vet just new to us… skills meh."
All these weeb bands same. Yeongsin sighed. Ambitious event, lackluster lineup.
"One's total newbie though."
"Saw the vid, but… edits happen. Sudden add-ins, doubt they're sharp."
Yeongsin scratched head. Initial contact vid skimmed. Decent enough for booking.
That good? Vids get juiced, YouTube full of hype kids.
First band's rehearsal wrapped. Polite claps from staff/planners. Sweaty members descend.
"How'd we do?"
"Solid. Looking forward to show."
Relieved nods. 'Sync time short, was worried. Passed.'
Instruments to waiting room. Familiar faces.
"Yo, Sein! Long time~"
"Hey! Three months? Last Hongdae?"
"Hit me up~"
Surface chit-chat. Narrow scene—network anyway.
Door opens: four unknown girls. Room scans 'em. Keys: average. Drums: passable. Bass trailing: heavy makeup, mismatched vibe… but pretty enough. Last: guitarist. Shock. Too polished for otaku covers? Wrong door? Otaku sahime1? Nah, all girls.
"Uh… first-timers? Band?"
"Y… yeah…"
"Hi~! Total rookies, second gig!"
Bass pulls forward hesitant keys, greets.
Awkward hellos.
"Band name?"
"Name… sticking with it?"
"No better option."
Bass asks; cool voice from back: "Group Sound."
"Group Sound?"
"Yeah. Group Sound."
"Ah… them."
Mystery name on poster. These kids.
"You doing four Bocchi the Rock tracks?"
"Yep!"
"Tough. Not easy."
Anime's chill vibe, "noob band" setup fools ya… but Kessoku Band packs pro-level difficulty for beginners. Drums, bass, lead guitar brutal. Rhythm easiest? But doubles vocals—still hard. Four high schoolers? Two normies, tough tunes.
'Think they're actually Kessoku??'
Skepticism natural.
'Total doubt faces.' Myeongjeon clocked 'em. Inevitable. Untalented folks assume others can't either… human nature.