Lightning Rumors and the Bassist's Blues
Footless words are said to travel a thousand miles. But these days, lightning-struck letters spread even faster. The story of a session guitarist who utterly humiliated Kim Jaehun—the music director more infamous for his bootlicking than his skills—spread like wildfire through the music scene in the blink of an eye.
"Heard about that jerk Hoon?"
"Yeah, right when it happened. Man, that guy's been begging for something like this forever."
Most conversations revolved around sticking it to their common enemy, Kim Jaehun. But there were others too. Tales leaking from the staff who'd been there that day—stories too unbelievable for their common sense.
"One-take guitar recording? What kinda bullshit is that?"
"No, seriously, my buddy was on staff and saw it with his own eyes."
"It wasn't even pros or teachers—just some high school girl, right? And she nailed it in one go? Get real."
"But it's true, I swear. Ugh, frustrating."
Some denied the facts. Others mused,
"If someone's that quick on recordings, why not call her for the next gig? Sounds like she's killer."
"Yeah. I peeked during mixing—barely needed fixes. Just tracked it straight, polished a bit, done."
Everyone had their own take, buzzing about this miracle high school girl guitarist who'd appeared out of nowhere. And it was the same among the guitarists.
"Junhong, heard there's some promising kid on the scene?"
"Yeah, that's the one I was spreading around. Thing is, she might be Seo Myeongjeon's student."
"What? Myeongjeon hyung had a disciple? Wait, so that girl everyone's talking about—she's his apprentice?"
Chats like that floated around drinking sessions.
"A G3? Honestly, tough sell. I'm not arrogant, but I thought I was pretty damn good in my prime. Even back then, it was a stretch. Still, word is there's a pretty notable guitarist these days. You know the late Myeongjeon hyung? Normies might not, but..."
"Right, Gyuroe. Myeongjeon hyung was top-three in Korea, no question. Anyway, apparently he had a disciple? Plays so well it feels like hyung came back to life. And get this—she's a high school girl?"
A ghost was haunting the internet. The ghost of a genius beautiful high school girl guitarist.
It didn't set the whole web ablaze, but in Korea's band scene—narrow, niche, on life support—folks desperate for new bait perked up. And soon, they pinned down the identity of this rumored guitarist.
Name: Ha Suyeon.
Gender: Female.
Age: High schooler (presumed).
Looks: Stunningly pretty.
YouTube channel: White Room. Around 10k subs. Max views: 250k.
Skills on display: Impressively high level.
But self-edited videos? You can keep trying till it sounds good. Not solid proof.
So they hunted for unfiltered evidence... and found one.
Lim Junhong's channel: a live take on Eric Johnson's Manhattan.
People lost their minds. That age, that smooth, capturing the original vibe perfectly?
Anything else? End credits mention a track called "That Day's You." Solid '80s blues rock vibe. Band: Group Sound?
Have they gigged?
They backtracked in time. Found the second performance—anime cover intel, SNS posts like,
That led to the first gig.
Crappy school cam and mic, but the band's chops shone through.
As reactions poured in—
—one snide remark from someone snake-hearted, fearing their faves would get overshadowed,
That rippled through the tiny scene's online chatter.
"Alright, short break."
Myeongjeon lightly scraped a scratch, then addressed the other three.
Seoha bolted up for coffee. Hyeona stayed seated, practicing piano on the keyboard—or trying to, anyway.
Myeongjeon approached Iseo, who sat on the sofa staring blankly ahead.
"What's up with you today."
"Huh?"
"Something wrong?"
Iseo hadn't focused from the start. Practice was on track, but her face screamed mental meltdown, so no scolding. Still, as band leader, had to ask.
"Uh... nothing really."
"Nothing special means something lunar? Pfft... sorry, bad joke."
She looked dead set against opening up, so Myeongjeon tried lightening the mood. But the vibe sank further. Spotting Seoha's shocked glare, he apologized quick.
"Anyway, if it was nothing, you wouldn't look like that. On your period or what?"
"No... not that."
"Not that, just a gloomy day then? No rain. Random sad vibes? Gloomy Sunday? Not even Sunday."
But Iseo just gazed at him with sad eyes.
Not like she's begging me to pry—if there's an issue, speak up so I know...
These weren't little kids, so why so damn stubborn? Then it hit Myeongjeon: they were kids. And hell, he was too—just an old soul in a young body.
Just age-appropriate stuff.
Myeongjeon sighed inwardly. That middle school syndrome thing? Not just middles—puberty hits this age hard. Super sensitive to everything. He'd been the same: slung an acoustic over his shoulder, declared he'd busk nationwide for cash, got his ass beat by Dad. Then whined to some musician bro, "Parents don't get me," and got, "Yeah, music's tough. But you can make it like me." Turned out the guy ran a rice shop later...
Compared to that, Iseo was tame. No tantrums about the world not getting her—just showed up, bad face and all.
"Gotta tell us what's up so we can help. Your face screams it. Family stuff? Our place is big—crash a few days."
Ha Suyeon said it. Iseo hesitated.
Should I even bring this up? It's minor, but these girls care this much—worth sharing petty crap?
But she decided to spill. Otherwise, it'd drag on.
"Saw people trash-talking me online."
"Trash... nah, probably not. I am weak on bass... just facts."
"What?! No way! Somat's bass slays. Protect Somat! Who's spewing that insane crap? Gotta report all those toxic commenters."
Hyeona lunged into a hug. Myeongjeon twirled a strand of hair.
Wanted to say, "Yeah, you're lacking, but improving—ignore the bullshit, focus on practice." But nah, she'd bolt thinking it was real.
"And it wasn't even harsh. Just 'dead weight on the band,' 'worst member'... that level."
"That's hate! Internet keyboard warriors turn Mozart the second they type. Tons like that in piano circles too. Bet they can't even play Czerny."
"They probably have tried Czerny..."
"Hyeona, shush!"
Seoha and Hyeona bantered. Myeongjeon eyed the community screen Iseo showed him.
Bass critiques galore.
Not even expert-level takes...
Ignoramuses shout loudest. Felt exactly like that. "Bass sucks imo. Lacking this, that, doesn't fit..." Random netizens cherry-picking gripes.
If it was that bad, Myeongjeon would've said no gigs. Plus, first show—and she'd fixed those flaws since.
Just clueless noise.
But telling her that won't stick.
Myeongjeon closed the browser, turned to Iseo.
"Objectively speaking..."
"Objectively?"
"You're showing solid growth, fact."
Iseo relaxed a bit. "Objective" from Suyeon meant stone-cold truth.
"Sure, with lessons and my coaching, fast progress is expected. But even accounting for that, you're quick. To normies, 'could go pro?' vibes."
"Uh..."
"That said, we haven't shown our stuff to these types. Second gig—no footage. First was months back, and you've leveled up since. So they're just yapping without knowing your real skill."
Myeongjeon shrugged, then tossed her a challenge.
"If it still bugs you... wanna show 'em what you got at the next gig? Shut those clowns up."