Top Idol Band - Would you like to subscribe? - Chapter 10

A four-member idol band made up of leader and vocalist Shin Jiwon (21), bassist Han Sunwoo (20), drummer Kim Daehyun (20), and guitarist Elliot (19)—Nine Years.

With the debut of this charm-bomb idol band, the world is shaken to its core!
Now, the curtain rises on Nine—!

“…Who came up with this lame line?”

“And the band name the CEO made is bad too… Ahem, it’s kind of disappointing. The intro text is old-fashioned as well.”

“Hey, hey, don’t dwell on it too much. Just eat this. It’s basically medicine if you take it in the morning.”

“What is that… Oh, no thanks. Jiwon hyung, you eat it.”

“Yeah, hyung, you eat it.”

“Both of you are going to be like that? It’s really good for you….”

Shin Jiwon looked disappointed, holding a red liquid stick in one hand.

A red stick. Something that’s good in spring.
Even without reading the product name, I knew what it was. Red ginseng.

I had already been caught by Shin Jiwon earlier and ended up eating one.

The members seemed completely uninterested in red ginseng. As if this had happened many times before, they thoroughly turned their heads away from Shin Jiwon.

Han Sunwoo and Elliot started reading the Nine introduction text on Crown Entertainment’s website again, debating over who could have written such a line.

Before long, Shin Jiwon—who had eaten the red ginseng—joined the discussion as well, passionately accusing various people of being internal spies.

With the members so busy, what was I doing in the noisy waiting room?

I was sitting blankly on the sofa, having a frank discussion about life.
With myself.

Kim Daehyun (20 years old / actually 29), finally debuts as an idol band member!

Congratulations! How long do you plan to promote?

Haha, thank you. I’ll keep promoting until I die.

So you’re planning to be active for life! That’s amazing!

Then I’ll retire now.

Pardon?

Because it’s time to die.

Kim Daehyun (20 / actually 29), who debuted today, dies here!

“…What an out-of-nowhere escalation….”

I calmly shook my head. The interview running wild in my head wasn’t reality yet.
As long as I didn’t make it real, it wouldn’t be.

“An idol who debuted today dies today!”
It would be a fascinating headline—if it weren’t about me.

By the time today ends, I must make at least one fan.

Impossible? That’s not an option.

I’ll do it. No matter what.

That’s all.

“Let’s go.”

The words slipped out of my mouth before I realized it.

“Oh, Daehyun hyung looks serious.”

“Should we use that?”

“Daehyun’s idea is pretty good.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“We were deciding on a chant.”

It seemed the discussion about who wrote the awful Nine intro text had already ended. The members were now huddled together.

I must have been too absorbed in my thoughts to notice them whispering beside me. Judging by the situation, they were deciding on a chant to shout before going on stage.

“‘Let’s go’ is pretty good.”

“Kim Daehyun actually has good ideas sometimes.”

“I’m in favor too. It’s simple.”

“Then let’s go with that. ‘Let’s go. Nine!’”

“Sounds good.”

It was a word I’d blurted out without thinking, but the members seemed to like it quite a bit.

Seeing how much they liked it, the person who said “let’s go” nodded along.
That person—me—was flustered, but I kept my expression as calm as possible.

“Nine, are you ready? We’re going up on stage—”

“Nine… Ah, that’s us, right? I’m still not used to it.”

Elliot hesitated for a moment at the staff member’s words, then nodded.

“It’s already time to go up. Then shall we start the chant?”

“Yes, hyung. Go ahead.”

Leader Shin Jiwon grinned widely.

“Let’s go.”

And then, Han Sunwoo, Elliot, and I shouted together—

“Nine!”

Our debut stage was about to begin.

“Wow, it’s our debut stage! It’s more… really….”

It was minimal.

Calling it minimal was being generous. There was nothing.

All that was visible were various audio equipment and the words ‘Nine hot debut!’ displayed on the big screen behind the stage.

For popular singers, fans would often gather in front of the stage—but we had none of that. Just one lonely stage.

“Maybe I should’ve dyed my hair too… The only thing that stands out is hair color.”

Han Sunwoo muttered while looking at the stage. Only Elliot and I had dyed our hair. He seemed a little regretful, but the decision had already been made.

It was shabby—no, minimal—but a debut was still a debut.
And this was a music show debut stage, no less.

I had watched videos like <Scared Once You’re on Stage? This Is All You Need!>, slammed my chest, and even taken Cheongsimhwan, but nerves were unavoidable.

Feeling tense, I sat down at the drum set.

The drums were placed at the very back of the stage. The vocalist was in front, with bass and guitar on either side—just like the practice room setup.

Even though the drums were in the back, the front was wide open.
Plenty of chances to be caught on camera.

“Alright, we’ll start—”

At the staff member’s shout, I saw the members—each in their position—nod nervously.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

A metronome sound began to ring in my in-ear monitor.
It was the BPM of “Sky Blue”, our debut song and the song we’d be performing today. A familiar sound I’d always heard during band practice.

Two more measures, and then the drums would come in.
That’s when the music would begin.

This stage was important. I had to show something impressive here and make a fan—no matter what. There were no other options. I had to pull it off.

I raised my drumsticks.

“…?”

It felt strange, yet oddly familiar.
That ominous, desperate feeling I’d had while taking the civil service exam—fear and desperation all mixed together into something unsettling, yet recognizable.

No way.

Feeling my heartbeat begin to speed up, I cautiously lowered my gaze.

The hand gripping the drumstick was shaking.

Why now, of all times?

I felt a bead of sweat run down my spine.

So the W-Tube headbutting and the Cheongsimhwan didn’t help after all?
No—they did. I wasn’t that nervous. This wasn’t nerves.

This was desperation.

There was nowhere to run.

The song was already starting.

With trembling hands, I began striking the hi-hat and snare. Thankfully, there were no major problems with the playing so far.

The moment the drums came in, the bass and guitar joined as well.

Under the blue sky, you smile
You make me smile
That bright smile always makes me smile

As the music started, Shin Jiwon began to sing.

His vocals, like a clear and lofty blue sky, were joined by the sound of the bass.

The heavy bass sounded like massive clouds floating in the sky.
White clouds drifting across a deep blue sky. Thanks to the sporty blue oversized outfits, the visuals matched the mood perfectly.

Look up to the sky
The sky is full of you
So clear and refreshing

It felt like a cool breeze blowing through a clear sky—the cold tone created by the strong sound of the electric guitar.

As the drummer, I was creating the flow of time beneath that deep blue, refreshing sky. Keeping the beat, letting time move forward.

Scene transitions in the song were also my job. I struck the crash cymbal for the transition. The song was now entering the chorus.

Fixing my gaze on the camera with the red light on, I smiled brightly. I didn’t need to look to know—my hands were still shaking as I played.

A sky filled with your color
There’s only one thing I can say

This stage was my last chance.
If I didn’t seize it, my life was effectively over.

I wanted to live. I wanted to live on as a drummer—not just today, but far into the future.

Please, even if it’s just one person, let someone watch this stage and think it’s amazing.

The song reached the key moment of the chorus.

Hey, listen carefully

The mood of Shin Jiwon’s vocals shifted. Until now, he’d been singing as if gazing up at the sky with a cool, refreshing voice.

Now, it felt like he was speaking carefully to someone.
As if he’d been smiling together with someone while looking at the sky, then turned his head and spoke softly while looking at their profile.

I like you, You

In the section, the drums, bass, and guitar played short, synchronized phrases together.

Then, right after “You,” the instruments stopped.

It was a brief yet long-feeling moment—a solo vocal part, like holding one’s breath and waiting for the next words.

The camera was focused on Shin Jiwon.

He grinned, the corners of his mouth lifting.

Sky blue.

The moment the solo vocal ended, the drums, bass (Han Sunwoo), and electric guitar (Elliot) all came in at once.

It was the fullest sound since the song began. A refreshingly direct sound that hit the ears as the instrumental section continued. I kept striking the hi-hat and snare with trembling hands.

Yes, that’s right. I was desperate right now.
Just like when I had no money and no future and was desperately taking the civil service exam—I was desperately wishing for a future now.

Because I was happy, living as the drummer I’d always dreamed of becoming.

There had been conflicts with the members, a bump on my head that wouldn’t go away from headbutting, and it hadn’t all been smooth sailing—but still, I was happy. Even in this very moment, hitting the drums with shaking hands.

For a drummer, trembling hands are fatal. One wrong finger movement and you can hit the wrong note.

But whether by misfortune or luck, despite the shaking, there were no mistakes in my playing. Maybe this was the ability I’d gained from all that W-Tube headbutting.

Yeah. I was desperate because I was happy.
Back then, I’d been desperate out of anxiety. Now, I was desperate out of happiness.

Realizing that made a smile slip out.

The song was heading into the bridge.

For the transition into the bridge, a drum fill was needed. I moved my sticks from the hi-hat and snare to the toms.

Unlike the sharp bang of the snare, the toms made a low dugu-dugu-dung sound.

I was desperate. But if a person could be this happy, then maybe just experiencing a life like this—even briefly—meant my life was a success.

The surface area of a drumhead was wide. Of course, you had to hit the center, but it was still a much larger margin than the numbered circles on a civil service exam OMR card.

My hands were shaking, but each time I struck the drums with force, I could feel the trembling gradually subside. Right—hand tremors weren’t such a big deal anyway. If I brushed something by accident, I could just call it a ghost note.

Whether it was because I was hitting the drums, or because I was happy—or both—

The hands that had started shaking from desperation were steadily calming down as time passed.

I rapidly ran the sticks down the toms. A tricky fill right before entering the bridge. No mistakes. Thanks to the sudden drum fill, the atmosphere of the song shifted.

Even if it gets dark sometimes, it’s okay
There are days when the sky cries too

Even if it falls as raindrops
Even if it melts away as snowflakes
Always with you

The vocals were refreshing, yet slightly subdued. As soon as the drum fill ended, the slightly slower pace of the guitar and bass seemed to express the calmer mood of the bridge.

Right—if even the sky has days when it cries, why wouldn’t I?

I was desperate, but I was happy, so that was enough.
I’d done my best. The rest, I’d leave to the sky.

Because the sky is blue.

At that moment, the trembling in my hands stopped.