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chapter 47
Qrious and Demian were currently the two most popular bands in the indie scene of Hongdae.
Each had a distinct identity.
Qrious walked a line between metal and punk, delivering impressive music—but lacked mass appeal, a gap somewhat covered by Seolhee’s handsome appearance.
On the other hand, Demian was a team that produced music far more appealing to the general public.
The owner of the Crossline venue had expressed a desire to host a concert featuring the two most popular bands in Hongdae.
As a result, these two rival bands ended up performing together.
The person who answered my question was Seolhee.
“They’re a band we have a rivalry with.”
“Oh? A rivalry?”
“On the surface, yes, but honestly, Demian is much better than us.”
“Oh, really? Are you close?”
“No, we just greet each other when we meet. We’re not particularly close.”
“I see.”
Since I knew nothing about the amateur scene, all the figures were new to me.
Although the band Demian was said to be very popular in Hongdae, it was the first I’d ever heard of them.
[Demian… Where did I hear that name…?]
“Are you confusing it with a Hermann Hesse novel?”
[Hey, I definitely remember that kid’s writing. I’ve seen it somewhere, but I can’t recall exactly.]
Calling Hermann Hesse “that kid” was something I could never quite get used to.
“You have things you can’t remember too?”
[Of course. My memory and perception surpass humans, but I still have limits.]
Even though we had spent quite some time together, I still had little sense of the demon’s precise abilities.
[Hey, ask if they’ve ever been on TV.]
Following the demon’s suggestion, I asked again.
“Have the Demian people ever appeared on TV?”
“Oh! Yes. Their pianist is quite skilled, so he sometimes appears as a guest performer on competition or audition shows.”
“Really?”
[Ah! I remember now. I saw them on a competition show last year.]
“Wow, your memory really is amazing.”
Even if they appeared on TV, as guest performers, they would only have been briefly introduced via subtitles. I was impressed by the demon’s ability to recall this.
“But have you seen them yourself? How did you know?”
“Ah, no, I just asked because I’d heard they were famous. I don’t really know much.”
[Hey, and now that I think about it, you’ve probably seen them too, right?]
“Huh? What do you mean?”
[I remember. The guitarist from Demian once came to JH Entertainment as a guitar performer for a song you created.]
“What? I don’t remember that… Are you sure?”
[No, there were a lot of performers at that time, so maybe that’s why you don’t remember.]
“I see… What song was it?”
[You know that boy group? One Stroke or something like that.]
“Ah, I remember now.”
The boy group usually had songs produced internally by Big Star Entertainment. However, due to personal circumstances, their exclusive composer requested the song from JH Entertainment. So it was hard not to remember.
“It’s amazing.”
Just like Lee Jong-in, a friend of Kim Jong-pil, and the guitarist from Demian, people kept crossing paths in this vast city of Seoul.
[Korea is large, but the art world is very small. Especially in Korea.]
“It really is small, huh.”
In any case, I was more excited knowing that the band I would be performing with, Qrious, included famous members.
“Anyway, this concert must be really important, then.”
“Exactly. It’s our first time performing with Demian.”
“But I don’t like them.”
Kim Dohwa, sitting in the corner, suddenly interjected.
“Why? You don’t get along?”
“That keyboardist is annoying. He looks down on non-majors.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
“Yeah. I tried greeting him once, but he ignored me.”
“What? Right in front of you?”
“Yes… He didn’t seem like a very nice person.”
“Hmm…”
I thought there might be some minor discomfort.
[What? That’s not all there is…]
“Shh.”
In an instant, a thought flashed in my mind, and the demon read it.
“Well, now that we’ve chatted enough, shall we start practice?”
“Okay! Let’s go!”
Breaking the serious mood, drummer Yoon Jong-cheol spoke up, and Mun Hee-cheol jumped up with his guitar in hand. Qrious began practicing first.
I watched their practice while waiting for Qrious’ rehearsal to finish.
Qrious’ music was the same as before—somewhere between punk and metal.
Their musicality and Seolhee’s stage manner were outstanding.
Drummer Yoon Jong-cheol looked like a quiet bookworm, but Mun Hee-cheol, Kim Dohwa, and Seolhee were strikingly handsome.
Their visual appeal added another layer of enjoyment to the performance. Perhaps having watched many idols before, I naturally noticed this.
[But their music isn’t very accessible to the public. They just keep playing their own stuff.]
“Yeah, true. I like this music, but the public…”
The problem was the lack of mass appeal.
The demon and I both appreciated Qrious’ musical skill, but as with all art, one had to consider the tastes of the audience.
I couldn’t arbitrarily change their musical color. If their music ever became popular in the future, they would be pioneers. So I quietly observed.
Qrious’ set would run for 40 minutes. After 20 minutes of practice, they decided to take a short break.
They sat beside me.
“By the way, Jaehee hyung, do you always use only the MR?”
Drummer Yoon Jong-cheol fiddled with his drumsticks as he asked.
“Yes, I don’t plan to play myself.”
“Aw, why not? Your playing is amazing.”
“How can I play among so many other players? It’s better not to.”
[Right, you’re not ready for that yet.]
I could display delicacy and detail through piano, but my technique was still lacking. I didn’t intend to use the piano as a weapon this time. I wanted to focus on moving and utilizing the stage fully.
“It’s a shame. You look cool when you play piano.”
“But not for this performance.”
Kim Dohwa echoed Yoon Jong-cheol’s words, but I didn’t change my mind.
“Ah, hyung, by the way, how was our rehearsal from your perspective?”
Seolhee asked this time. I observed and began giving feedback.
“Hmm, mostly good. But Jong-cheol’s drumming sometimes gets fast.”
“Oh, really?”
“I’m not sure if it’s intentional, but sometimes the kick comes in a bit early.”
“Okay, we’ll keep that in mind.”
After feedback on the drums, I addressed other sections.
“Also, the second song, the part where Hee-cheol and Dohwa play together.”
“Ah, the part where Seolhee steps back, and the two of us go forward?”
“Yes. There was some buzzing, probably the bass.”
“Ah, yes, that must be it.”
Kim Dohwa admitted it was his mistake.
“My hands are short, so there’s some buzzing there. I need more practice for that part.”
“Alright, noted. And…”
I continued to point out a few more issues, briefly considering suggesting changes to highlight Seolhee’s appearance, but decided she would manage that herself.
“Wow, hyung, we didn’t even ask for feedback before practice, and you caught all that?”
“Yes, I just mentioned the parts I heard.”
“Wow, pros really are different…”
“Oh? Really? I just heard it.”
The Qrious members seemed surprised at the detailed feedback.
“Well, it’s not surprising, but still impressive.”
“Jaehee has perfect pitch, after all.”
“Ah, true…”
Thanks to the demon’s gifted talent, I felt good receiving the compliment.
I wanted to suggest trying a more popular song, but seeing that they didn’t use the one I gave them previously, I held back. Perhaps the mainstream song I offered wasn’t in line with their own style.
“Alright, I’ll start practicing now. Can you watch me too?”
“Yes, sure.”
After finishing the rehearsal with Qrious, I headed home.
Since the start of the vacation, I had much more time. I got up early every morning to go to Qrious’ rehearsal room or the club practice room, and at night, returned home.
Although JH Entertainment had no idol trainees, other company trainees often came to pick up songs. I recalled their description of “practicing all day.”
Practicing all day. I felt good thinking I was living a life following the same pattern. It meant that both those trainees and I were running toward our dreams.
As the car sped along, the orange streetlights repeatedly illuminated and faded on me.
“Can I ask you something?”
[Sure, go ahead.]
“How’s my live performance these days?”
[Not bad.]
That was practically high praise.
“And my growth?”
[Hmm, you haven’t stopped growing.]
Another round of praise.
“Then the tempos I practiced so hard on must be okay too.”
[You can stop asking. I know what you mean.]
The demon already understood what I was thinking, which I had been pondering since the rehearsal room earlier.
[Why are you so weak, human?]
“What? Hey, why are you saying that?”
[Kekekek… am I wrong?]
I was about to ask the demon about my next ability. First, I had perfect pitch. Then came vocal ability. I had been thinking about what my third ability should be. I had recently learned that I could choose my next ability with the demon’s consent.
The demon scolded me because of my purpose in selecting the next ability.
“Fine, I’ll admit I’m weak. So my next ability will be…”
“Hello, boss!”
At the small venue Crossline, where Jaehee Yu and Qrious’ performance was scheduled for late August, Demian’s members visited to discuss some matters with the owner.
“Ah, sure. Bring a chair and sit anywhere.”
The owner, a man in his forties with streaks of gray hair, had been running Crossline for over ten years. Located on B1 not far from Sangsangmadang, the venue had a damp, heavy air, like any underground concert hall.
Since there was no performance that day, the room echoed only with their conversation about event scale, other guest performers, and other details.
After about an hour, the meeting wrapped up.
“Alright, leave it there. You guys find good performers; I’ll handle the venue.”
“Understood.”
Demian’s members got up, and the owner just watched them while smoking.
“Excuse me, boss.”
“Yes?”
“Who will be the guest for our late August show?”
“Ah, that friend?”
