Revival Targets
The original track's boisterous disco pop melody and vocals played on without a hint of humor. But layered beneath was an industrial metal sound. As people listened to what you'd call a "dizzying" song, they puzzled over how to score it. Fans burst out laughing, while haters recoiled in disgust at whatever this was. But that vibe didn't last throughout.
Toward the end of the second verse, as it built to a climax, the guitar solo kicked in.
"Whoaaa!"
A super-high-pitched, whammy-pedaled pitch-shifting solo poured out, drawing cheers from a few bands before they could stop themselves. It was as if the chaotic song up to now had just been buildup for this twist. Suyeon played the solo like that, still in her helmet and flare skirt, unleashing a ferocious guitar performance utterly devoid of levity from her fingertips.
As the solo progressed, the dissatisfaction from skeptical audience members began to fade. They could feel it wasn't some half-assed joke from the weird intro—she'd poured everything into making this song work somehow.
"Thank you."
Applause poured in after the performance ended—more encouraging than praising. Reactions like, "They're good, so why'd they get stuck with this song?" started bubbling up.
Dong-wook let out a sigh of relief. At least it gave them something solid to edit around.
"And finally... out of the 24 bands, Group Sound scores 68 from the audience, 73 from the bands, 82 from the mentors! A total of 74.2!"
This round weighted audience scores at 30%, band scores at 20%, and mentors at 50%. 74.2 out of 100 wasn't high.
"Which means Group Sound takes 16th place... so the remaining bands are automatically eliminated. Echo Stones, NOTK, 2MAJOR... unfortunately."
The MC bowed politely. The eliminated bands hung their heads. But the leader of Echo Stones stared at Myeongjeon with eyes burning like fire, leaving her puzzled.
Did they leave something with me?
Myeongjeon glanced at her phone. Sure, grudges happened... but why direct it at them? What a joke.
Meanwhile, the MC wrapped up with some closing remarks and stepped down. A staffer came up to relay next steps.
"As announced before, next week's shoot will feature the 12 eliminated teams from Rounds 1 and 2 in a losers' bracket revival. The week after, the revived bands will pick existing teams for a showdown."
"So we're off for two weeks?"
"Pretty much."
Iseo grinned as she chimed in after hearing the staff. One week was definite; the next wasn't set in stone.
"No sane person would pick us."
Myeongjeon muttered. They'd placed 16th this round, but surviving that song was a win. Factoring in their prior performances, no one would dare target them.
"Two weeks off...?"
"Let's travel! Japan—perfect season. Or Jeju at least!"
"Even off, we need footage. And school's not out yet."
Seoha reined in the excited Hyeona and Iseo. Myeongjeon chuckled lowly at their quick pout. They were trying hard, but still kids who loved fun.
"What for dinner?"
"Gukbap."
Suyeon's nonchalant reply instantly pissed off Iseo.
"Gukbap? You old geezer? Or what, rocking tattoos and Under Armour? It's always 'gukbap' with you."
"It's mala or tteokbokki anyway—no big difference."
"What? We're not..."
Iseo snapped back, but thinking it over, it kinda rang true. They'd mostly grabbed mala tang, tteokbokki, tanghulu, that sort of stuff.
"Still hate gukbap. Too old-man vibes."
"What's old-man about gukbap?"
"Fancy spot, maybe. But you always drag us to sketchy market dives, claiming they're the real deal. You weren't like this before..."
Iseo vented at Suyeon, whose mouth had slipped out. A year ago, she'd been super neat (though not this close back then). Post-accident, it was like a grandpa possessed her, craving gukbap.
"...I was always like this."
"No you weren't."
"I was."
"Weren't. Not at all."
"Hey, if she says she was, why keep denying? You jealous or what?"
"You don't even remember the old days, yet insist you were. Dain said your tastes got weird too."
Bickering pointlessly, Iseo and Suyeon arrived at the meetup spot: Photo Signature in front of Myeongdong Station.
Hyeona and Seoha waved from outside the shop.
"Too crowded... hate places like this..."
"Right? Why always photos?"
Suyeon and Hyeona grumbled. Seoha and Iseo, used to it, dragged them inside. Holiday crowds packed the place—mostly girls, a few guys dragged by girlfriends.
"Curling iron time."
"Such a hassle..."
"Be grateful you're pretty. Ugly and like this? Disaster."
Suyeon stared silently at Iseo's mutter. The loaded gaze made Iseo yell, "You bitch!" and smack her back.
Suyeon yelped. Meanwhile, Hyeona, resigned in Seoha's grip for her turn, spoke up.
"We did photos last time—why again? Could do something else now..."
"Like what?"
"Heard there's a fun maid cafe in Hongdae lately."
Hyeona answered Seoha's question.
"Maid cafe? Sounds fun. Don't they speak Japanese and dote on you?"
Iseo muttered, eyeing Suyeon. She seemed uninterested but would tag along fine, so Iseo ignored it.
"Yeah, Unnie. Maids are more otaku than customers now. Guests show up clueless, maids hit 'em with anime talk."
"Wanna check it..."
Iseo mused while brushing Suyeon's hair. Suyeon's face soured, but Iseo missed it.
"Huh? W-wait, aren't you..."
A stranger's voice from the side. Iseo turned casually. Three women stared at their group.
"Yes? What's up?"
"Uh... um... aren't you in a band? Or... sorry..."
The hesitant women started slinking away. Iseo glanced aside. Suyeon's blank face screamed "What the fuck, bitches?" to outsiders.
"Oh, yeah! We are. From the show?"
"Group Sound, right?"
Iseo smacked Suyeon's nape—ignoring her "Kek!"—and beamed back.
"Yep, Group Sound."
"Loved the zero episode! You killed it. Heard about a killer band at Paradox but never made it... blew my mind."
The enthusiastic reply hit once confirmed. Whispers of "Celebrities?" buzzed, but Iseo didn't care. First fans outside Paradox.
"Thanks for watching. Hey, say hi."
Hyeona hid behind her, Seoha kept distance, Suyeon scowled blankly. Iseo sighed, prodding the kids.
"N-no, you look busy..."
"Nah! They're shy. At Paradox, they're wild, hehe... Never had outsiders recognize us before."
The kids stumbled up for awkward bows amid stares. Embarrassed, but Iseo loved it. This was why do the show—recognition, fame vibes. Pride swelled.
Recording day.
Boring.
Myeongjeon closed her eyes briefly. Reacting to 12 irrelevant bands was grueling. Past ones tied to Group Sound's ranking, but now?
Doesn't matter who wins. No one's crazy enough to pick us anyway.
Mechanical reactions: claps, nods. It truly didn't concern her.
"Who ya think wins?"
"Dunno."
Iseo's question. Myeongjeon nearly said "all the same," but that'd kill edits. Swallowing it, "Too close to call."
Finally, the losers' bracket wrapped after ages.
"Revival winners: 2MAJOR and Echo Stones! These two teams each pick one for a showdown."
MC pointed to the screen. Revival rules in type: Each picks one; winner joins that mentor's team, loser out. Below: Specific song randomly picked by producers; interpret same song your way, battle it out.
"Picking time! 2MAJOR—you picking...?"
"We'll choose COTRA."
Oohs and murmurs. COTRA—no big impact. One mentor pick, 18th in Round 2. Smart, picking weak to advance. Pride be damned; survival first.
"2MAJOR picks COTRA! Now Echo Stones—which band?"
"We pick Group Sound."
Major uproar, unlike before. Myeongjeon thought she misheard.
Who?
"Might've misheard! Confirm—which team?"
"Group Sound."
The Echo Stones leader's clear voice boomed via mic. Undeniable.
...What? They're targeting us?