Just a few seconds had passed.
And yet, Hong Dae-sung felt like this moment was dragging on.
Each second ticked by slowly.
In contrast, his mind was racing faster and faster.
There was just about an hour left until the performance began.
At this point, it was impossible to rehearse all 15 songs.
‘I wasted too much time on false hopes.’
That didn’t mean they hadn’t practiced enough.
Late last night, Daesunghaja had practiced right here. They had fully taken advantage of the perk of having the owner of Star Live House on their side.
‘So, should I really take a chance on Seojin for about 20 minutes? No, is it right to trust a kid in elementary school whom I only met? Does he even know how to play the keyboard? Is this really worth the gamble?’
Just as Hong Dae-sung’s thoughts reached this point, Lee Yeon and Il-sung were having an intense conversation with Seojin.
“Seojin, you said you’ve only played an electric piano before. The keyboard we’re talking about is a synthesizer. It’s an electronic keyboard that can play a variety of instrument sounds. There’s a big difference between the two.”
“I know. That’s why I was a bit confused and was looking at the sheet music. In Daesunghaja’s 5th album, the keyboard has to play not only the acoustic piano but also electric piano and brass sounds, right? If you help me with the keyboard presets, I think I can do it.”
“…So, you can play the piano properly?”
“I’ve been playing seriously since I was young. I’m even preparing for an arts middle school entrance exams right now.”
“Arts middle school?”
“Yes.”
“….”
Once Lee Yeon’s conversation ended, it was Il-sung’s turn to ask questions.
"By the way, what about the sheet music? Did you memorize all of it in such a short time? Band music is fundamentally about playing together. If the timing is off even once, it's common for everything to fall apart. You can't just glance at the score and memorize all the timing."
"In the song 'Illusion,' the intro on the electric piano goes La, Do, Re, Mi, Sol. You add a flat Mi to create a blues scale, right? That's the part that contrasts with the syncopation on the hi-hat, right? Right after that, the rhythm guitar takes over for the piano. If you give me some basic instructions, I can match the timing."
"Uh..."
Il-sung hesitated for a moment before suddenly giving Seojin a thumbs-up.
"You're pretty amazing, aren't you? Were you a genius all along? You should’ve told me sooner!"
Seojin didn't respond and instead asked Hong Dae-sung again.
"We've been talking for over three minutes now. I still need at least 20 minutes. I need to go through it once to get the feel for it. So, what do you say?"
"..."
As Hong Dae-sung remained deep in thought and didn’t answer, Park Deuk-soo jumped into the conversation.
"Hey, you cowards! The kid wants to give it a shot, so why are you talking so much? With that kind of confidence, even an impossible song could become doable. Hey, Seojin, I'll take responsibility for this performance, so do whatever you want. We've only got one life, right? Why get scared?"
And then...
The band leader finally made a decision.
"I’ll take responsibility, not you, Deuk-soo. What are you going to take responsibility for, anyway? Let's get moving. Il-sung, go call the sound engineer and ask them to help set up Seojin's keyboard. And you, Seojin..."
"Yes."
Hong Dae-sung chuckled.
"Where did a kid like you get all this confidence? Anyone watching would think you’re a pro."
* * *
It took eight minutes from the end of the conversation to get all the instruments set up on stage.
I listened for quite a while to the explanation given by the live house’s sound engineer.
It was about where the instrument presets for the song Let’s Succeed were stored on the keyboard, and which buttons needed to be pressed to change the instrument sounds.
You can't think of the position of the band's keyboardist as simply playing the ‘piano.’
As an electronic instrument, the keyboard can produce various sounds such as strings, wind instruments, and electronic tones (synth), depending on the settings.
Of course, most of the songs in the 5th album of Let’s Succeed used the keyboard as a ‘piano.’ However, there were definitely parts where other instruments were used.
‘That’s why it was a bit confusing.’
This was the reason I had spent so much time looking at the sheet music.
I was trying out the keyboard, playing little by little based on the different instrument settings.
The touch felt similar to the electric piano I played at home.
If I had to point out a clear difference, it would be the numerous buttons above the keys.
If I were an experienced keyboardist who had been playing for a long time, I might have known how to use them all at a glance, but...
‘For now, I should focus on memorizing just the few buttons I need to use immediately.’
There were six buttons I would be using during the performance.
I repeatedly tested them, quickly learning how to use them.
The sound engineer asked if I had any more questions. I said I was fine. For more detailed instructions, I could just refer to the sheet music.
The sheet music had pretty detailed directions written on it.
The music I had just listened to on the CD player overlapped with the sheet music.
Simply looking at the sheet music made it feel like I was hearing the Let’s Succeed band’s music playing in my head on repeat.
“We’re starting the final rehearsal. The first song is...”
It seemed the tuning was already done.
Dae-sung hyung told the members which song to rehearse first.
And then, that song...
It was particularly difficult for the keyboard, more than any other instrument.
In a way, it was the most logical order.
If I feel like my keyboard performance is lacking here, I can always rehearse with the others using a different song to improve.
But if I feel like my keyboard performance is solid here, I can reasonably infer that my performance on the other songs will be at a decent level too.
I looked around.
To my far right was the drum set.
In the center of the stage were two guitars and a bass.
Blinding lights were shining above my head.
And then.
‘That area will be filled with the audience, won’t it?’
The now empty square standing area caught my eye.
As I took in all of these things, my heart started to race.
It felt completely different from when I played the piano at the Korea University Concert Hall.
This feeling, I could actually put into words if I tried.
"A bit thrilling, huh."
At the very least, it didn’t seem like what I was feeling was nervousness.
Almost as soon as I finished speaking, Deuk-soo hyung started tapping out a rhythm with his drumsticks—tap, tap, tap.
An 8-beat rhythm.
A time signature completely different from classical music.
Then, the powerful drumming began right away.
I started playing the intro of the first song, right on cue.
The sound of the electric piano flowing out of the massive speakers reverberated through my body, something I had never felt with an acoustic piano.
.
.
.
Time was truly fascinating.
Sometimes, it drags on unbearably.
Other times, it disappears in the blink of an eye.
Like Einstein’s theory of relativity, could time always be relative to people?
If that’s the case...
I thought it was just a moment, but now, 30 minutes have flown by.
I wonder how these guys felt about this time compared to me.
I looked at the people on stage.
They were looking at me too.
The first person on stage to break the silence was...
Dae-sung hyung.
“Wow... So, it actually worked...?”
His words were like a signal flare.
The other members quickly chimed in.
“Whoa... Damn! Are you really a genius? A guy who can play the guitar can also play the keyboard? You must really be an art school candidate!”
“This should be enough. As long as the drums stay on beat, we’re good.”
“Hah! You were so confident in the waiting room, and now I see why! Huh? You’re something else!”
However, at that moment, time was truly of the essence.
Because of that, there was no more time to waste talking.
Dae-sung hyung hurriedly wrapped up the rehearsal.
“There were a few minor missteps, but this is enough to pass. No, honestly, it was excellent. No other keyboardist could have done better in your position. You pretty much played it on sight... I still can't believe it.”
“It would’ve been nice if we had just a little more time. It’s a bit unfortunate because the ensemble still feels really awkward.”
“Come to think of it, this is your first time playing in this kind of ensemble, right?”
“If you want to be technical, yes. In that setting, there was only one instrument, so I couldn’t really do much.” (T/N: He's talking about his time on the island.)
“What? Where was that?”
‘...Oh no!’
“Ahem! Just something I said in passing. As long as you all cue me at the important moments, like Dae-sung hyung and Deuk-soo hyung did during the rehearsal, I think we’ll be fine.”
“That’s how we usually do it, so don’t worry. Alright, let’s get going. It’s time for Daesunghaja to truly shine.”
With only a short time left until the performance started.
Dae-sung hyung gave us a few final instructions.
He assured us that he would take 'responsibility' for everything that would happen from this point forward, and all we had to do was fully enjoy ourselves on stage.
Dae-sung hyung proposed a way for both Daesunghaja and the audience to have a win-win experience.
Five minutes and thirty seconds before the show started.
Finally, everything was ready.
* * *
At the entrance of the Star Live House.
“We’re starting to let people in! Please proceed slowly and stay in line!”
Following the staff's instructions, people began heading up to the second floor, one by one.
Among them, fans who visited the venue for every regular performance of Daesunghaja were chatting away at the front.
"I wonder how today’s performance will be. I heard they’re releasing their fifth album too. Will it be similar to the fourth one?"
"I saw on Instagram that they brought in a new member this time. The lineup won’t be exactly the same."
"A new member? Really? Who?"
"A new keyboardist. And apparently, they’re pretty young."
"A young one, huh... Maybe it’s about time they brought in some young blood. The Daesunghaja guys are getting a bit old. I mean, they’re not exactly young anymore."
"Right? Didn’t Dae-sung himself throw his back out during the last performance and have to visit an acupuncturist? I heard the fans chipped in to buy him some patches."
"No way."
"One just can’t hide their age."
The audience quickly made their way into the concert hall. The air conditioning was blasting, making the space feel almost chilling.
An electronic clock on the side of the dark stage blinked, updating the time with every second.
The audience filled the standing section from the front. Those at the very front, gripping the barrier, kept looking around eagerly.
Then, suddenly, the lights illuminating the venue went completely out.
The audience, knowing exactly what that meant, erupted in cheers.
Some were calling out the band’s name.
Some were just shouting.
Others were urging them to come out quickly.
A spotlight hit the center of the stage.
A man stood there, gripping the microphone, gazing stoically at the audience.
Hong Dae-sung spoke calmly.
"Hello. I’m Hong Dae-sung, the leader of Daesunghaja. It’s good to see you. Before we start today’s performance... I have something to explain. So, I’m doing something I don’t usually do."
Ha! Bursting laughter.
Normally, Hong Dae-sung would have started the performance right away without so much as a greeting, so the fans who knew this couldn't help but burst out laughing.
It was a slightly amusing situation.
However, among the fans, there were some who weren't looking at Hong Dae-sung but somewhere else.
“Hey, take a look over there.”
“What?”
“The keyboardist. Isn't he a bit too small?”
“Huh?”
A young man who had been scanning the stage at his friend’s comment.
For a moment, he doubted his own eyes.
“...A kid?”
“It's hard to see the face properly because of the disposable mask, but doesn’t he look way too young?”
“The new keyboardist they mentioned... Were they talking about a minor?”
“That’s strange. On Instagram, they definitely said he was in his early twenties...”
“No way... He’s not an elementary school kid, is he?”
“Come on, no way.”
But...
“No way” caught them off guard.
“First, our band’s original keyboardist, Kim Min-jae, couldn’t perform today due to an injury. So...”
Hong Dae-sung looked over at the keyboardist on stage.
“We had to quickly find another keyboard session player. As far as I can tell, he definitely got the skills. But just in case, I thought there might be some of you in the audience who aren’t satisfied with today’s performance. So...”
Hong Dae-sung said three things.
"First, if you don’t like the performance, go to the ticket booth and tell them. Even if you watched the whole show, they’ll give you a full refund.
"Second, that keyboardist is a minor. A growing bud. Of course, he could make mistakes. Please be understanding. But if you really don’t like it, feel free to request a refund right away. However, if anyone insults him, I won’t let it slide. I’ll come find you at your home.
"Third, so today, let’s go wild and enjoy the show together. If there’s anyone still full of energy when it’s over, I’ll come find you at your home. If you don’t want that, then have fun like your life depends on it. To the point where you can’t breathe. Get excited!"
At Hong Dae-sung’s final words, the audience all screamed in unison.
“Woooo!”
“Let’s go!!!”
“Hong Dae-sung! Hong Dae-sung! Hong Dae-sung!”
“Woooooo!”
“Woooooo!!!”
The drummer taps his drumsticks. Tap. Tap. Tap. Setting the tempo.
An 8-beat rhythm.
A beat commonly used in band music.
Boom. Boom. Boom. The bass drum reverberates through the body, and the lively snare drum signals the start of the song.
And then, at that moment.
A dazzling keyboard melody, completely unexpected, captivated the audience’s attention.
The rich tones that only a keyboard can produce.
A multitude of notes.
Yet, he played it effortlessly, as if it was nothing.
Whether it was because of his small stature or Hong Dae-sung’s introduction, the crowd murmured for a moment.
“Wow… what is this?”
"Didn’t they say that keyboardist is a minor?"
"Are you kidding me... just a stand-in?"
"Is that kid really the substitute? That little guy?"
"Hey!!! That’s awesome!!!"
However, the voices of the audience were soon drowned out.
The drums and bass descended.
The electric guitar began to lock into the rhythm.
The keyboard chords resonated in a steady tempo.
And layered on top, the heavy, deep vocals.
The title track of the 5th album Destined for Greatness.
The song Coincidence quickly filled the concert hall.
