Open Mic “HYSTERIA!!”
Suyeon shouted the song title like a thunderbolt and kicked off the rhythm. Some in the audience grumbled at the name, while others looked clueless. "Woooah!!" But most erupted in cheers. After all, anyone familiar with rock or songs from the 2000s onward had heard it at least once.
Then came the intense synth sound from the keyboard arrangement. The drum fill rolled in. The guitar exploded. The guitarist's dynamic movements rode the rhythm. But in stark contrast, the bassist stood with a blank expression, foot propped on the monitor speaker, roughly plucking away. A slightly uneasy, rough fingerpicking that felt unpolished. Yet it fit the song's vibe perfectly.
And as the sun dipped toward the horizon, with the ominous purple twilight sky screaming its final cry visible through the windows, the relentless bassline—never breaking once—meshed with the specially tuned speakers to half-paralyze the crowd. Those up front felt more than vibrating air; it was like a massager pounding their heads.
The formation's a bit different.
Ayoon watched the high school girl in flashy makeup relentlessly thumping the bass without a flicker in her expression. She recalled their first show she'd seen. Back in Yongsan, the guitar had taken center stage, with the rest hanging back a bit. But now the bass was out front left, and the other bandmates each claimed their own spots. Thanks to that, Ayoon could finally see the bassist up close—something too far away last time.
A sturdy build, lines that stretched straight and bold. Tall, big hands. And plenty of other big things about her... anyway, that girl.
She looks so damn cool.
Before this show today, Ayoon had overcome countless hardships and trials. Where was the band's SNS? What kind of kids were they? Scraping info from the bottom up, and the internet posts she'd seen along the way. Even to Ayoon, who was internet-savvy, plenty reeked of malice. Comments praising the guitar but slipping in "Eh, but the bass is kinda..."—the classic backhanded scrape.
Ayoon liked band music but didn't know much about it. Her friends she'd dragged along were the same. Harmony of instruments, this about the guitar, that about the bass—lost on them. She couldn't really tell if this bass playing was top-tier or not.
But even without knowing that stuff, one thing was crystal clear.
Bass... is freaking awesome.
The expressionless face seemed to embody iron will. Yet those flashy fingers? Like a swan's feet paddling furiously beneath calm waters. Ayoon thought how bass characters in anime always came off cool. Akiyama Mio, Yamada Ryo, Imai Lisa, and such. Somehow, she'd always gravitated toward bass characters...
The human body isn't objective. It doesn't take in external senses raw; it corrects them to its own standards. Take the nose right in front of your eyes. Normally, you'd be hyper-aware of it constantly. But brain correction lets us live oblivious to it.
Same with the current setup. Paradox's sound mix didn't bury everything else, but it shattered the old "invisible instrument" stereotype with a massive wall of bass. Intentional, of course. A trick to make it sound good 'cause it's loud.
Iseo's bass skills were solid, sure. But Myeongjeon didn't want "solid." That's why the venue's setup had gone through meticulous tweaks. As a result, everyone except the snobbiest hipsters walked away thinking, Whoa, that bass slays.
And to really hammer it home, the band had one more trick up their sleeve.
The high note signaling climax, then a sudden instrumental break amid the cheers. What should've been a flashy guitar solo...
"Huh, what?"
"Bass solo?"
Guitar volume dropped back, bass stepped up, unleashing a 16-beat solo storm. J-rock flavored with slaps, emphasizing high registers. The crowd who'd only seen groovy bass till now went wild for the flashy slaps. A few scoffed "J-rock cosplay," but not many. Mostly awe at how seamlessly it blended.
This wasn't the original plan.
Strumming guitar, Myeongjeon side-eyed Iseo. Cool as ice, no shakes, no mistakes—just precise bass. The opposite of her usual goofy grins. She had star potential.
Myeongjeon's original idea: a "Thunderfingers" John Entwistle from The Who-style solo. Lightning-fast rhythm annihilation that'd fit like a glove. But Iseo had other thoughts.
"I think this suits better. Slaps are cool anyway..."
Her proposed line blended beautifully. Not overdone, just enough slap for flair. It clicked—the front-row crowd gasped endlessly at her slaps.
Vocals wrapped, cheers exploded again. The band cranked max energy to the end... slamming drums, synth, bass, and guitar in unison.
"Thank you!!"
Thunderous applause. Some snapped pics of Iseo tossing her hair.
Looked like their plan hit dead center.
"Hope you enjoyed. Our bassist's pretty killer, right? Picked this just to show her off. They say bass is inaudible? Wanted to prove it wrong. Anyway... welcome again to Club Paradox! We're Group Sound. I'm main guitar and vocals, Ha Suyeon. That friend's bass and sub-vocals, Choi Iseo..."
Cheers poured with each intro. First song must've hooked 'em—big applause for Iseo. Then Hyeona, Seoha. Surprisingly, some knew Seoha and whooped.
"Only three songs is a bummer, but what can ya do? We're a newborn band. We'll stick around longer. Anyway... next up, original track. Title..."
"I'm still searching for you, the you I never met that day..."
And the solo that followed. Fully dialed speakers and effects gave a tone worlds apart from YouTube. The sound embodied every bend and twist—even dance-all-night folks froze. The raging waves of minutes past calmed. The club went serene, like nothing happened.
Myeongjeon gave the guitar a short pluck and grabbed the mic.
"Thank you. That was Group Sound."
A different kind of applause. Previous was skill cheers; this was immersion payoff.
"Ah... that was fun."
"Head home?"
"Feels like we don't need earplugs next show..."
Myeongjeon smiled wryly, packing gear.
"Was it always like this?"
"Put some extra care in."
"More than 'some'... maybe we should go full blues rock?"
Seoha replied to Myeongjeon's words. But he had no interest in that path. Possible or not, replaying decades of the same post-death felt off.
I handled composing this one, but from now on... gotta chat with these kids about what music they wanna make.
Looking up, Myeongjeon saw Iseo crouched stage-end, chatting with some girl fans.
Good timing...
Knowing fans exist versus feeling it? Worlds apart. Even if millions online hate you, one shoving a sign for "It's an honor—please sign!" sticks forever.
Myeongjeon smirked, guitar in hand, heading to the office.
"Great show. No long talk—put us on the official lineup."
"How's it work performance-wise?"
The owner handed over papers. Club Paradox rules scribbled everywhere. Myeongjeon skimmed and passed back.
"Short version: minimum shows per month. Can do more. Schedule next month's at month-start; follow unless something comes up."
"Settlements?"
"Normally tax off, 5:5. We skip counting pay1, so daily gate after tax, split 5:5. Artists divvy their 5."
The owner paused, clearing throat. He knew 5:5 wouldn't fly.
Listen and you'll get it. We're the type that packs houses anywhere.
Four high school girls in a band. All cute enough, music genre-agnostic. Who wouldn't be curious?
"But for you, 7:3 our way. Gate splits that; drinks/snacks pure ours, on-site merch minus production: artist 9, us 1 as agents."
"Sounds pretty solid," Seoha said.
Myeongjeon agreed. No counting pay alone put Paradox top-tier. 7:3 plus merch? Sweet deal.
No other terms? Myeongjeon shook head.
"Send contract to this address. Need review."
"Uh... y-yeah, got it."
Owner sweating bullets. Leaving him, Myeongjeon and the girls exited.
"Now we've got a real practice spot. And a money route."
Suyeon slurped her iced Americano fiercely through the straw.
Not cold? Iseo wondered.
"Ugh, wiped."
"But skills leveled up tons..."
"I'm out a week—no practice. Backlog's insane."
Suyeon's declaration sprawled the girls across the table. Iseo same as Seoha. Cover switch meant shoving everything aside for practice... no more delays.
"So breather time? Actual rest?"
"What're you on about?"
Iseo's hopeful question got an arched brow from Suyeon.
"Gotta prep for government grants now. Rest? When?"