Facing the Judges
"Group Sound, come on in!"
When their turn came, the stagehand shouted out Group Sound's name. Iseo shot to her feet, brimming with tension, glancing around briefly. The eyes watching them like it was finally their moment, Hyeona and Seoha looking nervous. Only Suyeon seemed faintly sleepy, staring blankly ahead.
"Group Sound, right?"
They stepped into the judging room she'd been eyeing for a while. Right in front of the judges' seats, a projector screen displayed the band's footage. Speakers were stacked on either side, and instruments piled in one corner. As the Group Sound members took their seats, the judge in the center tossed out the opener.
Suyeon's laid-back "Yes, that's us."
"Mind sharing the origin of your band name? It feels kinda familiar."
Tell me about it. Iseo was curious too. Why was their band called Group Sound? It sounded oddly unfamiliar.
"You might not know this, but..." Suyeon began, tilting her head slightly. "Back in the '70s and '80s, they sometimes called bands 'Group Sound.' We took it from there."
"I see. Given your retro-style music, the band name fits that vintage vibe perfectly."
The judge said that, then played the footage on the projector screen. Clips from their preliminary live at Gangnam Station. Plenty from their EP, but also stuff Suyeon had them practice on the fly, like "Let's try this one."
A prime example was Private Girl.
"Let's jump straight to the feedback. There's a lot of disharmony in various parts."
Iseo felt like she'd heard a dramatic duuun! sound effect. Wasn't that how TV edits worked? Hit 'em with impact first.
"The other parts can't keep up with the guitar. Not that the rest lack skill. But the guitar's already blasting off on its own. Sure, you can see the player holding back, but a nail sticks out even in a pocket, right? That's the issue."
"Sticking mostly to covers is a bit of a letdown too. What if you'd performed your originals? And tying into that, the other parts fall short in interpreting the covers."
The critiques poured in. Iseo felt herself shrinking a little. Sure, they lagged behind Suyeon, but hearing it straight-up stung.
"That's enough on the flaws. Let's talk strengths."
"We had to dig for weaknesses here, but it's tough finding any, heh heh... Feels a bit forced, right?"
Sounds of agreement rippled among the judges. Forced flaws? Iseo perked up at the hopeful turn.
"Starting with originals. Great composing and lyric sense. Melody's solid, but the atmosphere—the arrangement—is even better. A bit overdone at times, but it works... Lyrics fit the track perfectly. Rhymes are tight, vibe's on point."
"Playing's rock-solid too. If I were producing this band, I'd do it just like that. Every member's got fundamentals down pat. Young kids often chase flash over basics."
Praise kept coming. Composition and arrangement skills, sticking to basics over showy techniques—it all hit home. And at the end, as expected:
"We have to hear this. Ha Suyeon! Couldn't stop thinking about it during judging. Mind playing one?"
"Uh, which one?"
"Anything. Whatever moves you."
Suyeon pondered, then headed to the guitars in the corner. She reached for the Les Paul but paused, grabbing the weird one beside it instead. A red Gibson with two necks.
"Uh... you can play that?"
"Yeah."
She wobbled under the weight, strummed the pick a few times on the monstrous shape. But the sound was off. As Suyeon tilted her head, a staffer whispered something.
"They say it's out of tune. Just for display... too bad."
Laughter erupted.
"Should've heard Stairway to Heaven!" the long-haired judge lamented. Suyeon smiled faintly, picked up the Les Paul, and started playing.
The Les Paul's thick, intense tone blasted from the speakers.
"Money for Nothing!"
No flashy, complex audition shredding. Just Suyeon's casual foot-tapping rhythm and matching play. But judges, bandmates, even staff—clapping lightly, nodding along, totally immersed.
"Fun, right?"
"Totally. The 4DX tech is insane. Felt that tank shell vibration? Boom, crash."
A day off. Hyeona dragged them to some anime called Girls und Panzer or whatever. The two seemed to know it well, chattering excitedly, while Seoha scrolled online.
Tech's come so far... Myeongjeon hadn't followed the plot, but the effects were impressive. Seats moving with the tanks, vibrations kicking in—like a synced ride.
"I wanna visit Oarai for real."
"Should we? Should we?"
"Why Oarai? Tied to the anime?"
"That's the setting."
The chat rolled on without her. Summer trip to Oarai, fund it with band cash—sounds great. But could minors travel solo? Myeongjeon wondered.
"You going too, Suyeon?"
"Dunno."
Myeongjeon checked her phone schedule. Packed with sessions, but gaps in summer break. She rattled it off, then, since the web was open, browsed communities.
Overall hype vibe. Shame it wasn't about the music, but Myeongjeon shrugged it off. Attention meant ears on the tunes eventually.
"Huh?"
Myeongjeon clicked the post like it mesmerized her. The teaser showed band performances, judge scoldings, apparent sneers (probably not intended), and snippet arguments. Then the [Invasion from Seoul] logo slammed in.
"When did that happen?"
"No idea. Other bands?"
Myeongjeon shrugged. Unfamiliar scenes. But TV editing was TV editing—whatever.
Next shoot was a full-on studio. Elaborate stage setup.
"One more take~"
Did their walks have angles or something? One of every four or five bands got reshoots. Couldn't they just film walking? Apparently not. With all 60 prelim bands gathered, today was elimination reveals, it seemed.
"Brutal."
"Huh?"
Iseo reacted to Myeongjeon's mutter. Her wide eyes said she didn't get why.
"Only 30 bands advance to mains. But 60 show up. Even if they perform, time-wise they can't fit everyone. Half these folks are just here to film their dropout faces."
"True."
Showbiz was cold, but this cold? Myeongjeon pondered briefly, then shook it off. Their choice, after all.
Shooting wrapped. 60 bands seated in vertical circles like the Colosseum—spectacular. Myeongjeon figured that's why the set existed.
"Cool. Like an anime composition."
With Hyeona's take, staff emerged. Schedule: elimination and advancement scenes, next round rules, then 10-min performances per 30 advancing bands. 16-hour shoot.
"Questions?"
Myeongjeon shot her hand up. Eyes on her, staff beckoned.
"We're minors. Can we clock out at 10 PM?"
Unexpected—laughter. Staff grinned awkwardly. "Gotta check, but probably."
"Thus, [Moscow Social Club] is... eliminated. Sorry."
MC's words, screen before the band went dark again. [Moscow Social Club] slumped.
No more calls. Name by name, review clips played. Hyeona spotted the pattern: early praise = dropout. Early roast = advance. For tension, probably.
This band too—praise first. [Eliante], right? They lit up, but roasts and dropout line followed.
"That's all 30 advancements. They'll continue. But for now! For these 30 departing for new starts! Applause!"
Losers' consolation claps. But victors' relaxed ones differed in sound and style from the self-soothers.
Hyeona clapped casually, glancing aside. Iseo's eyes reddening as she clapped hard, Seoha and Suyeon blank.
"Now! Mains begin! Before that... ad break!"
Groans from the bands. Losers filed out per instructions. Some advancers tried leaving too, but staff herded them back. Fake ad cue?
"Now, the explanation. Check the screen!"
Complex PPT. Hyeona craned forward instinctively. 30 band logos/names below, 6 mentors above. Each mentors 4 teams...
"Competition restarts! Perform, perform! Your signature song! Win a mentor pick!"
MC paused, then boomed:
"But! Round 1... must be a completely new, unreleased song!!"