Interlude: "What the Hell Is This?"
"What the hell is this?"
Ayoon muttered to herself without realizing it. The fan cafe membership had skyrocketed overnight. She had no idea what had happened, but her Twitter followers had definitely increased too.
"Student, is something wrong?"
"Eek... No! Sorry!"
The professor's question caught Ayoon off guard while she was distracted. Come to think of it, they were in the middle of class. With everyone staring, she quickly bowed her head and pretended to pay attention again. The gazes shifted away from her.
But seriously, what is this?
The numbers were baffling. To get a rough sense of the situation, Ayoon quickly scrolled through the posts.
What concert? Did they do a concert I don't know about? Ayoon wondered. The only concert-like thing was their shows at Paradox.
In the video... Juhyeon was singing, with the Group Sound girls playing instruments around him. She couldn't hear the audio because of the lecture, but the energy from the concert was palpable.
Backup band? Support act? Something like that. Nice one, girls.
Juhyeon was a singer even she knew well. If they'd landed a support slot at his concert, the kids had definitely leveled up... Ayoon scrolled down, thinking that.
And nearly dropped her phone.
Huh?!
It was clearly a shot with one of those "cannon" lenses idol fans used—a super high-res photo of Ha Suyeon's face. Poreless skin even at that magnification. Her head slightly bowed, eyes solemn. A single bead of sweat trickling down, lips pressed tight—it all showed how focused she was on her playing.
Beneath it, more member photos. Suyeon, Suyeon, Suyeon, Iseo, Hyeona, Seoha. All total beauties, Ayoon thought—eye candy.
Wait a sec.
As she mindlessly devoured the fan content while browsing, it hit her. These guys... aren't they my rivals now? They'll all swarm Paradox.}
And in a panic, Ayoon rushed to the Paradox homepage... only to find it crashed from traffic overload.
"Hello~ Long time no see. Come on in."
"Thank you."
Myeongjeon entered the shop with her guitar on her back. Dry air hit her nose, laced with a metallic tang. The atmosphere felt faintly damp, but the space was perfectly climate-controlled.
"Your skill seems beyond needing specific effects. Any reason you're hunting for such a rare one?"
"It's my master's keepsake."
"Ah..."
Now used to calling herself her own master, Myeongjeon lied without batting an eye. The shopkeeper's expression sobered a bit.
"Mind if I ask who your master was?"
"Guitarist Seo Myeongjeon."
Myeongjeon said it casually, then glanced around the shop. Effector collectors would lose their minds here. Rare items like the Peterson Strobe Tuner sat on display... and some pedals were locked in glass cases with mysterious labels.
"What's that one?"
"Oh, that's the Colorsound Overdrive Jeff Beck used during the Blow by Blow sessions. Original, confirmed by Jeff himself."
Myeongjeon's eyes widened. Seriously? That exists?
"And this?"
"The Arbiter Fuzz Face Jimi Hendrix 'supposedly' used on Band of Gypsys. Couldn't confirm since he passed away back then, and it's not 100% sure, but... definitely from that era's production."
"This side?"
"Colorsound Power Boost David Gilmour used on The Dark Side of the Moon—the one dubbed the Mysterious Orange. Not a reissue; 1970s original, 18V model."
Everywhere she looked, mind-blowing gear. Myeongjeon felt dazed for a moment. Especially that Colorsound Power Boost—she'd only heard rumors in her past life, never seen one.
Buy it?
She had her own tone, of course. But its roots were David Gilmour's. Her Binson Echorec, Big Muff, the Dynacomp and Chandler Tube Driver she was hunting now—all Gilmour gear.
Adding one more wouldn't hurt, right? Especially an original path to Gilmour's tone.
But Myeongjeon shook it off. Gilmour was the world's best guitarist (in her opinion), and his tone was magnetic. But how long could she keep imitating others?
To forge her own sound, she had to stop copying. Maybe that's why the old "Seo Myeongjeon" failed—fear of failure kept her on proven paths, rigid and safe.
But now? Not a massive success, but a better start than before. Partly thanks to Ha Suyeon's body and talent... but mostly because enjoying music meant no more imitation.
That was her take. Time to build her own sound beyond copying.
Still, gotta find my original gear.
Seated at the table, coffee arrived—bland Cano aroma. Myeongjeon spoke up.
"Looking for a Chandler Tube Driver."
"We have a few, but..."
"It's the one my master used. Since he passed, if any Tube Drivers hit the market from his estate, could you check them out for me...?"
"Thank you!!"
Cheers echoed behind them as Myeongjeon and the girls headed to the waiting room. Way more audience than usual—the kids were buzzing.
"Must be a ton from the concert. Not normally this packed."
"Talked to the owner earlier—homepage nearly crashed."
"For real?"
Iseo and Hyeona gaped in shock. Seoha chattered excitedly, but Myeongjeon drifted into thought.
The concert effect is huge—bigger than expected.
She'd done the session to steady the girls and promote to active music fans—core fans who attend concerts. But she'd figured a modest bump in attendance.
Instead, sold-out live club tickets—a rare feat.
And my YouTube views spiked too.
Her subscribers, growing steadily, had jumped post-concert. Not near 100k yet, but definite growth. Views were up too—not just covers, but vlogs and performances the school trio pushed her to post.
Without an event, she'd blame the "mysterious algorithm." But post-concert? Clear spillover effect.
"Means huge interest in you guys."
When she'd asked Dain about it, that's what she'd said. If it was just mild curiosity about Group Sound, it'd fizzle after a search or buzz. But now? Subs up, unofficial fan cafe memberships surging, Twitter followers too.
"Means you've caught a real wave... that's my take. New fans will spread the word—'This band's killer, songs slap.' Creates 'noise.' Then..."
"Then?"
"That noise pulls in more people. Rinse and repeat."
Then and now, Myeongjeon found Dain's read spot-on.
She's weirdly savvy about the internet.
Heavy online presence? Shaking it off, back to the point: Surging interest in Group Sound, incoming noise. But it wouldn't last. They had slim content.
Paradox shows (lately covers and jams to fill time). Her unreleased tracks, drama OST. Thinking it over...
"We need to make an EP."
To keep the fire on Group Sound burning, they needed fuel. For a band, nothing beat good songs.
Myeongjeon was convinced.