Chapter 8

Spotlight on the Genius Vocalist Chapter 8

Chapter 8. Holick

I ignored the gazes and picked up a tteokbokki to eat.

"What do you think about 'Holick' for the band name?"

The atmosphere was tense as everyone hesitated to answer, sizing each other up.

Just when I thought this name would also be rejected, Song Dasom asked with a serious expression, devoid of any smile.

"Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with it."

"First, let's hear your opinion, Oppa..."

She sighed deeply.

Then she chugged the remaining beer.

"Perfect! The first mate's approval is secured, what about the captain?"

Song Dasom looked at Park Piljun as she said this.

"Though I'm not exactly the captain, I like it too. It's much cleaner than names like Black Devil or Jammin' Brothers."

"Names like those..."

"If you guys are okay, I'm okay."

Ignoring the slightly dejected Kim Hahoon, Park Piljun and Lee Sungjin each responded.

"Then, deckhand! What about Hahoon?"

"Bro, if the girls are okay, I'm fine too. But is this some kind of pirate game?"

Kim Hahoon chuckled.

"Then it's decided! Our name is Holick!"

Song Dasom ignored Kim Hahoon's joke and loudly declared in a husky voice.

"How about we set a band motto now?"

I brought up the idea I had thought about beforehand.

Without discipline, any group is bound to fall apart.

"Huh? We're a free band. We're different from those who are raised by agencies!"

Her words made her look even more like a pirate.

But discipline is inevitable.

Especially if we want to rise higher.

Without clear boundaries, humans will continuously fall into corruption.

The reason idols grow rapidly with agency support is because of this.

Strict diet management, weight, smoking, mental health, and more are evaluated monthly.

In a way, it's like a military.

Of course, I don't plan to implement such strictness.

However, there are things I've heard about this scene.

"First, let's promise never to take drugs."

I looked at the members, now part of Holick, with a cold gaze.

"Drugs? I would never."

Song Dasom was surprised and responded.

Of course, I didn't think they would.

But there are no absolutes, so it's a warning.

"Okay~"

Everyone agreed easily.

"Second, don't be late or skip practice without a valid reason."

Practice is as important as talent.

I realized this during my time as an idol trainee.

There are people with talent who can't bloom.

Such people usually give up too quickly and often go out to play.

The younger they are, the harder it is for them to control themselves.

Every opportunity that comes our way is precious.

For me, and for them.

"Third..."

"But a question! If someone skips practice often, do they get kicked out?"

I shook my head calmly.

There will be no leaving.

If we're doing this, I want to rise with the band.

"100,000 won. Didn't we just set up a band account?"

"100,000 won?!"

Song Dasom exclaimed in surprise.

The other members' eyes widened slightly.

They are in a position where they need to worry about money, not just the band.

Because I was in the same situation.

My 20s were extremely hungry and tough.

Being an idol trainee didn't provide me with any meals.

I pushed this point.

"Right. Honestly, from your perspective, leaving the band is one thing, but 100,000 won in front of you is a big deal, right?"

The other members nodded in agreement, but Song Dasom's expression darkened.

She probably often arrives late.

"10,000 won for being even one minute late, and 100,000 won for skipping."

I firmly set the rules.

"Lastly, when we need opinions like earlier, we should get everyone's agreement and decide. That's it. How about it?"

I raised my voice a bit.

The idea of a majority rule among five people was ridiculous.

We can rise higher when everyone's opinions align.

"Sounds good! Then let's toast like a training camp!"

Kim Hahoon, excited, raised a cola glass.

Everyone joined in the toast.

"Ah, right! Oppa, I'll invite you to our chat group first."

Song Dasom fiddled with her phone.

We continued drinking even after being invited to the chat group.

"But Hahoon, aren't you going home?"

It was close to midnight.

If he had no money, I planned to take a taxi to send him home.

It was too late for a minor to be out.

"I live around here."

"What, you live alone?"

"I don't go to school. I came to Seoul to make music."

So that's why his hands were calloused.

"Why don't you go to school? Money? Parents?"

It might be a sensitive issue, but now that we're a family, we need to know.

"I passed the GED. I earn money through part-time jobs. And my parents allowed it. They said I could do what I want until my early 20s. Hehe."

He smiled sheepishly.

At least he didn't run away in rebellion, which was a relief.

Parents who support their children's dreams.

This makes me feel a heavy burden.

It feels like I'm holding onto Hahoon's dreams.

"Can you not work if you want, Oppa?"

"I quit. To make music."

In fact, I was just tired and wanted to rest after my divorce.

I don't need to support anyone, and I feel lighter.

I can make music more freely.

If I run out of money, I'll do part-time jobs.

I'm a hopeless adult, even to myself.

That's why I want to succeed.

As Song Dasom said, every singer's dream is to go to Billboard.

"Is that so..."

Kim Hahoon's face darkened.

He probably thinks this is his last chance.

I liked that look and patted his head.

"Oppa, but what about the broadcast?"

"Of course, we have to do it!"

"Hmm... That's true. We should probably contact them tomorrow, right?"

"Sure. Let's all call tomorrow!"

I just nodded.

The problem is that we don't have our own song yet.

It might be a bit difficult to perform on stage before then.

"Calling is all good, but we need to make our own song first, right?"

I wiped the beer foam from my mouth and said.

"Right, right!"

Song Dasom was still excited.

Her voice was deeper, perhaps due to the alcohol.

"Usually, how long does a band perform?"

"About 30 minutes, I think."

"We can ask when we call."

I thought about how many songs we need.

"Cover songs are fine! It would take months to fill a performance with original songs."

That was true.

Songs don't just pop out.

We need to release a full album.

"Then, we'll use cover songs for the audition and adjust the schedule."

"Okay!"

Everyone agreed at that point.

"Let's end the complicated talk and get back to it!"

Contacting was a given.

Indie bands always need to find performances.

It would be even better to do live practice there.

In the warm atmosphere, we quickly drank.

We talked about what kind of music we would make.

Looking out the window while laughing, I saw a full moon.

It seemed bigger tonight.

As I looked outside, Song Dasom got drunk and said,

"Let's go... to Billboard!"

We can go.

If our voices can reach, we can go anywhere.

It was a continuous cycle of pouring and drinking until the sun came up.

Kim Hahoon, who doesn't drink, fell asleep early, and the rest of us kept going.

Around 8 AM, Song Dasom looked at her phone and exclaimed,

"What is this?"

She quickly showed us her phone.

I saw myself singing last night in detail.

"Where did this go up?"

I felt my face turn red at the sight of myself looking around with a slightly sad expression.

"Oh, this is Ilsonoro!"

"Even yesterday, I heard about it, but what is it?"

People kept saying Ilsonoro, but I didn't really know.

Song Dasom looked at me with a disappointed expression.

"Isn't it the most popular channel among today's 10s and 20s?"

"I don't know."

"Ah, Oppa isn't in his 10s or 20s..."

"..."

Well, I'm in my 30s.

It's understandable that I don't know.

"It's a channel that discovers amateur musicians and is very popular. They only post the best."

She smiled at me.

"So, my song is the best?"

Song Dasom nodded.

"Of course! Look at the views and comments."

On her phone screen, the views had reached 100,000 overnight.

I scrolled down the comments with trembling hands, and many people had left comments.

There were a few negative comments, but it was okay.

A natural smile appeared on my face.

Seeing this, the members laughed heartily.

"Feeling good?"

Song Dasom looked at me with a pleased expression.

I nodded at her words.

It was a surreal feeling.

"Should we try YouTube too?"

When I suggested it in a drunken state, the members nodded.

Park Piljun spoke with confidence.

"Let's do it! Let's aim for 1 million subscribers."

Ilsonoro had about 1.4 million subscribers.

While 1 million subscribers isn't a small number, it's good to aim high.

"Since we're talking about it, let's start now."

"Okay!"

Everyone agreed, and I quickly created an account.

"What do you think?"

"It's not bad."

Everyone nodded.

"Let's do this for the beginning. Later, we'll exclude Until Sunset."

We had to use Until Sunset to draw attention at the beginning.

Everyone agreed on this point.

We quickly set up YouTube and asked,

"Should we upload a song first?"

Everyone nodded at this.

"Let's practice first!"

"Let's start with cover songs. Can you do it?"

Everyone except the sleeping Kim Hahoon said they could.

We planned to start with cover songs.

We wanted to create a different point from the original.

* * *

As soon as Sunday came, we gathered at the practice room.

The meeting place was Park Cheolho's studio in front of Hongdae.

While talking with him at the counter, Song Dasom arrived first.

"Hello, sir."

Song Dasom, who knew him beforehand, greeted him politely.

"Thank you for giving me my brother's number last time. This is a token of appreciation."

It was coffee.

Park Cheolho's face turned red.

"Cheolho, don't misunderstand, where can we practice?"

"What do you mean by misunderstanding!"

Park Cheolho, flaring up, led us.

"Do your best. You can use it all day today."

It was a fairly large room.

Inside the recording studio, microphones, drums, and keyboards were set up, and we could watch from outside.

We didn't have the luxury of creating our own songs and harmonizing.

It was better to use other songs.

We kept practicing the cover song 'Nane' by My Key (My Key) Band.

It was a song that first appeared on a public TV music competition.

The reaction at the time was热烈.

这是一首充满自信的歌曲，展示了独立乐队能够达到的高度。

虽然我们还没有完全达到那个高度，但我想展示一些东西。

我们所有人聚在一起不断练习，但……

“再来一次。”

“又来？”

背后传来了抱怨声。

“开头部分不够干净。我们再试一次。”

“好吧。”

尽管松达 Somerset 叹了口气，她还是再次拿起吉他。

虽然我是后来加入的，但乐队成员们认可了我的实力