Star Livehouse, 2nd-floor lobby.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Hong Dae-sung was staring intently at his smartphone. Thanks to the speakerphone setting, the ringing could be heard all around.
- Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Ring, ring.
But the call inevitably went to voicemail.
No matter how many times he tried, the result was the same.
"Hey, still not answering?"
Park Deuk-soo, the drummer of the band Dae-sunghaja, scratched his long hair as he asked Hong Dae-sung.
Hong Dae-sung glanced at him briefly before turning his eyes back to the phone.
"Yeah. This is the 12th time he hasn't picked up. And with the live just around the corner, this happens."
"Did he maybe have a drink last night?"
"No way. Min-jae can't even handle a single drink. You saw it yourself at the party. He was practically dying after one sip of beer."
"Ugh. Then why isn't he picking up?"
"I have no idea. That's why I keep calling."
The person they were desperately trying to reach was Kim Min-jae, the guest keyboardist for Dae-sunghaja.
They had first used a keyboard part while working on their 5th album.
It was an attempt to bring some change to the band’s increasingly rigid sound.
So, for the duration of their 5th album activities, they brought in a new member, and that was Kim Min-jae.
‘I didn’t think he was the type to do this...’
In Hong Dae-sung’s eyes, Kim Min-jae had seemed like a diligent guy. He’d taken a leave of absence from university earlier this year and was working part-time jobs to save up for his tuition. Even in the midst of that, he had stepped up, saying he wanted to join the band and chase his dream.
His skills were decent, but it was his diligence that really stood out, making him likable.
‘Did I misjudge him?’
A slightly negative thought crossed his mind.
And it seemed he wasn’t the only one having these thoughts.
“Do you think Min-jae might be a spy sent by the owner of the live club next door? They planted him early and now, boom! They’re blowing things up. It could also be a scheme by those indie band guys.”
A guy spouting nonsense.
It was Il-sung, who had somehow emerged from the waiting room without anyone noticing.
“No matter how messed up the Hongdae scene has become, there’s still some decency left. No one would stoop to that level.”
“Can you be sure? These days, everyone’s on edge because business is bad. Sending in a competitor seems like the most plausible way. One big hit to our image, bam! If that’s really the case, we’re screwed this time.”
“Il-sung.”
“Yes?”
“Even if we might get into fights face-to-face, we don’t pull cheap tricks like that. Band members have pride. You know that. Would you have done something like that?”
“...”
Il-sung took a step back after hearing Hong Dae-sung’s words.
“Yeah, if you say so, that must be it. Should I give Min-jae a call?”
“No, it’s fine. Deuk-soo and I are already handling it. Besides, you’ve got something else to do.”
“Something else? What mission?”
“Go back to the waiting room right now and take care of Seojin. I’ve been so distracted that I haven’t done anything for him. All I did was show him the stage. And the kid’s still young, if he gets lost, we’ll end up on the news.”
“What news?”
"Dae-sunghaja has been identified as the prime suspect in the recent child disappearance case. They are active in Hongdae… Would you like to appear on the 9 o’clock news like that?”
“Oh, come on~ Seojin looked so smart. There’s no way that could happen, right?”
“Stop talking and go take care of the kid. Aren’t you the representative of the MZ generation? If you’re the representative, act like one and do your job.”
“Being part of the MZ generation doesn’t mean I’m good at babysitting... But what should I play with Seojin?”
“The kid likes music, so play our album or something. Time will fly by.”
Il-sung said, “Well, in that case, I’ll test out the CD player I bought from Dongmyo this time. I’m off~” and then disappeared in a flash.
After Il-sung vanished, this time Park Deuk-soo asked Hong Dae-sung.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I’ll try to handle it as best as I can.”
“What do you mean by ‘as best as you can’?”
“How would I know? I’m thinking about it right now.”
“If not, you should go get Min-jae right now. There’s not much time.”
“Do you even know where he is? How am I supposed to catch him?”
“Start by going to his house, at least...”
But then.
As if heaven was lending a hand, the sound of a ringing phone echoed from Hong Dae-sung’s smartphone.
In 0.3 seconds, Hong Dae-sung checked the screen. It was an unknown number. And in 0.5 seconds, he hit the call button. He had a feeling it could be important.
And his hunch was somewhat right.
- Hello? Um... Dae-sung hyung.
It was Kim Min-jae.
“You bastard! Why haven’t you been answering your phone? Did you drop it in a toilet or something? Huh?”
- It’s not that...
Min-jae’s explanation continued.
Hong Dae-sung's face gradually stiffened.
First, not like Il-sung had said, Min-jae wasn’t some kind of spy.
Min-jae, who worked the night shift at a convenience store from late night until morning, said he sprained his finger while receiving delivery boxes in the morning.
At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal, so he continued working at the convenience store.
But as time passed, his finger started to swell up, and eventually, he had no choice but to leave the store in the care of the manager and rush to the hospital.
In all the commotion, he thinks he must have dropped his phone somewhere.
“So, what’s your condition right now?”
- Uh... it's gotten a little better. If I leave right now, I won’t be too late.
“No, I mean, what exactly is your condition? I’m not scolding you, but when something like this happens, you need to explain things more clearly... Ah, never mind. So, how is it? Just tell me as you see it. What did the doctor say?”
- Well... I got a plastic cast on, but I think I’ll still be able to play. I’ll head over right away! I don’t want to be a burden to the band…
“...”
Hong Dae-sung pressed his temples firmly.
‘Did I hire someone too young?’
No, considering him, it seemed he’d done his best. From what he said, it sounded like he went straight to the hospital, got treated, and called immediately after. He even used a public phone in a rush to call me.
“But how did you get my phone number? Did you memorize it?”
- I borrowed a computer at the hospital for a moment, searched for Star Instrument Shop, and found your number.
“And this smart kid didn’t think to call me from the convenience store when something happened? Shouldn’t you have told me?”
- ... I’m sorry.
“Sigh, fine. I thought something serious had happened. So, with your finger in a cast, you can’t play, right?”
- No! I can still play! Even if I’m a bit clumsy, I can at least press the keys...
"So, are you saying you’ll perform today and then quit music for the rest of your life? Is that what you’re getting at?"
- ......
Irregular breathing could be heard through the phone. He seemed a bit frustrated. It was as if the time spent practicing hard together, recording an album, and giving their best felt unfair to him.
"Listen carefully. Even if you come here today, you’ll just add to the chaos. Rest up today, and let’s meet tomorrow. Go home, have something to eat, and don’t do anything—just rest. Got it?"
- But still...
"Just listen to me. Life is long. It’s no big deal if a band member misses one gig. So take care of yourself. You’re an adult now, aren’t you?"
- ......
"Order yourself something nice to eat. I’ll give you money for it later."
- ......
Min-jae hung up only after repeating 'sorry' and 'thank you' several times.
Park Deuk-soo, who had been silently observing the conversation in front of Hong Dae-sung, was fiddling with his phone again, as he had been for a while.
It seemed he was already looking for a keyboard session player.
"Any luck?"
"Nope. I’ve already received two rejections."
"What did they say?"
"They’ve got their own schedule for the Hongdae Rock Festival today."
"Jeez... What a pain."
"Yeah, it really is."
Hong Dae-sung checked the time. Two hours left until the show. Even if they nailed the rehearsal, there wasn’t enough time.
"Got it. So what?"
"Today’s the day we’re unveiling the 5th album for the first time, and you're just going to skip those four songs during the performance? Does that make sense?"
"And what about the audience that came? Didn’t we sell over 200 tickets? Are we just going to make them waste their time?"
"It’s not about making them waste their time, it’s about asking for their understanding. We’ll offer a full refund, give them a 50% discount on the next ticket, something like that."
The performance was planned to consist of 12 songs from the 5th album and 3 encore songs.
As part of the “End of Summer Rock in Hongdae” event, the setlist had already been released.
In fact, some fans had even traveled from out of town to Hongdae specifically to hear the 5th album.
Just like Park Deuk-soo said, canceling the performance wasn’t an easy option.
"So what’s the plan? Go on without those four songs? Even dropping the title track?"
"We have to. Let’s make a few more calls and pick some replacement songs. The songs from the 3rd album got a good response. We should choose something relatively easier from that."
"Sigh... Replacement songs... It really hurts my pride."
"But what choice do we have? Given the situation, this is probably the best option."
Hong Dae-sung decided to make a few more calls with the time they had left. Meanwhile, Park Deuk-soo headed back to the waiting room, saying he’d ask Il-sung and Lee Yeon about the new setlist.
Hong Dae-sung went downstairs to clear his head. Even then, he kept trying to make phone calls. Nothing was going smoothly.
He saw the large crowd gathering in Hongdae.
But among all of them, it seemed like there wasn’t a single person who could help the band.
He also noticed the lines already forming for entry into the Star Live House.
There were even temporary staff hired specifically for the event. Some were staff members from Rock Festival. They greeted Hong Dae-sung with a casual nod.
A few fans recognized Hong Dae-sung as well.
Amidst the mingling crowd, they waved at him. He gave a slight nod in return and headed back upstairs to the second floor.
He felt a bit bitter.
His mouth tasted bitter.
‘It would have been better if things had been a bit more perfect.’
A sense of regret lingered.
Hong Dae-sung quickly racked his brain, trying to find a way to resolve the situation somehow. Was there really no way? Really? Before he knew it, he had already arrived at the waiting room.
Lee Yeon and Park Deuk-soo were still stuck on their phones.
Il-sung was playing with Seojin. He could be seen putting earphones on the kid and talking to him about various things. Still, he was handling his responsibilities properly. Just that alone made Hong Dae-sung feel somewhat grateful.
Hong Dae-sung called Lee Yeon and Park Deuk-soo over and discussed a few things. How long they would continue making phone calls and when they would head over for the rehearsal. Those were the decisions they made.
"Dae-sung hyung."
Then, at that moment.
Han Seojin called out to Hong Dae-sung.
Pointing at something with his finger, he continued speaking.
"Could I take a look at that sheet music over there? I’m listening to your 5th album, and there’s a part I’m a bit confused about."
‘...Confused?’
Hong Dae-sung couldn’t quite understand what Seojin meant. His mind wasn’t working well today, likely due to all the things that had happened. Han Seojin... he had come all the way here to see him, yet Hong hadn’t paid much attention to him.
Feeling a bit sorry, Hong responded as kindly as he could.
"Sorry, I’ve been a bit out of it. But that’s the band score, the full sheet music. Do you know how to read it? It’s for the entire 5th album, so it’s pretty thick."
"I’d like to take a look."
"Sure. We have plenty of copies anyway, so feel free to check it out. If you like it, you can even take it with you."
"Yes, thank you."
The child walked over quietly and grabbed a few sheets of music in hand.
Sitting on the sofa, the child swayed slightly while intently reading the sheet music.
‘What a curious kid,’ thought Hong Dae-sung.
In the meantime, Hong Dae-sung started a meeting with the other members. They needed to discuss how to explain this situation to the audience, and how to handle any refund requests that might come in.
Though not perfect, things were roughly falling into place. This information was also passed on to the staff.
When he opened the window and glanced at the first floor, the line of people waiting to enter had grown longer. Roughly 50 people now. These were the die-hard fans who had arrived early just to see the *Daesunghaja* band up close.
Time flew by.
Now, only an hour remained until the concert.
In the end, they couldn’t find a replacement keyboardist, and there was only one option left.
“So, the revised setlist for tonight is…”
Crisis like this happens once in a while when you’re in a band. At times like these, members may have different opinions, but there’s no need to fight unnecessarily. Even if things take a turn for the worst, you just have to make the best possible choice. That was the role of the band leader—to mediate that.
“…So, this time, we’ll go without a keyboard. Don’t think about anything else for now. We don’t have much time left before the show, so let’s give it our best. No other objections, right?”
Il-sung.
Yeon.
Deuk-soo.
Everyone was about to agree without any objections when…
The quiet kid in the corner suddenly spoke up.
“I’ve memorized it all now. Dae-sung hyung, how about using me?”
“…What?”
All eyes turned to Seojin.
Hong Dae-sung felt doubtful about what Seojin had just said.
1. I memorized everything.
2. Use me.
These two statements just didn’t match up.
However, Seojin, as if reading Hong Dae-sung's mind, continued speaking.
“I know how to play the keyboard. After looking at the sheet music, I thought I could do it. And since things have come to this, I want to at least pay off part of the debt I owe you. What do you think?”
“...”
The word "keyboard" came out of Seojin’s mouth. Just from that alone, Hong Dae-sung got the sense that Seojin fully understood the band’s current situation.
So he asked.
“You know how to play the keyboard too?”
“Technically, I’ve only played the electric piano, but I don’t think there’s much of a difference.”
However, nothing can be accomplished with enthusiasm alone.
Thinking about it rationally, Seojin’s words were just childish recklessness.
“... I really appreciate the thought, but we don’t have time right now. We’re already cutting it close with rehearsal time. I don’t know how much you’ve played the piano, but it’s almost impossible. Right now…”
Without hesitation, Seojin laid out the facts.
“You said there’s less than an hour left until the main performance. You also said you couldn’t find a keyboard session player in the end. And you said you’re quite familiar with the replacement song since you’ve performed it a lot before, right? So, you could say you already have a backup plan in place. In that case…”
Seojin handed a thick stack of sheet music, as thick as an encyclopedia, to Hong Dae-sung and continued.
“Why not take a gamble on me? Just invest 20 minutes of the remaining rehearsal time in me. If we’re already in a situation where we have nothing to lose, there’s no reason to be scared in advance, right? Don’t you think so, Dae-sung hyung?”
