Chapter 3
Something felt strange.
Noah wasn’t waking up from the dream.
She left Eunha and went to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. But no matter how many times she washed her face, she was still in the same dream.
After pinching her cheek five times, Noah finally accepted it.
She was no longer Noah, the lead singer of the famous band Acris who had fallen asleep in her Malibu mansion.
She was now a young girl named Seol Noah living in South Korea.
“What the heck is going on? Why am I in this body? Why am I in Korea?”
Noah was born in Korea but adopted to the U.S. as a baby. She had no idea what happened to her birth parents and never tried to find out.
Her adoptive parents were nice, but they died in a car accident when she was 10.
After that, she was sent to live with her adoptive mom’s older sister. But they didn’t care for her at all. Noah grew up mostly alone.
So when she turned 16, Noah ran away from home. That’s when she met Anya in the backstreets.
Anya was one of the few Asian girls in the area. Her parents were Korean too, but both were too busy cheating on each other to raise her.
Anya was the one who taught Noah Korean and suggested starting a band together.
“You’re good at singing. I’m good at drums. Let’s start a band. We can work and live together forever.”
“That’s a dumb idea. If that worked, everyone in the world would be in a band.”
“Don’t say that, Noah. You’re talented. I’d bet my entire life on it.”
No one could say no to Anya’s eyes when she said that. So Noah agreed— even though she had never sung before.
To Noah, Anya became more than just family.
At first, they named the band Ark, based on Noah’s name.
But when Mia joined, she said:
“I don’t like the name.”
“Why? It’s related to Noah’s name. Ark sounds cool, right?”
“…Someone like me wouldn’t even be allowed on an ark. Not even by God.”
That made Anya and Noah stop and think.
Mia came from a poor but kind family. But because she was quiet and shy, she got bullied at school. Some kids poured paint on her family’s trailer or locked her in a locker.
One day, after being choked by a boy at school, Mia dropped out.
She stayed locked inside her trailer every day until one day she heard music nearby and found Anya and Noah.
“But Mia, it’s not just you. None of us would be allowed on an ark.”
“Yeah. If anyone deserves to be loved by God, it’s probably you.”
“Because you’re the kindest one.”
“What are you guys saying?”
The three girls laughed together.
“Then let’s flip it. Instead of Ark, let’s go with Ark-less. Like we were kicked off the ark.”
That’s how their band got the name Acris (Arkless).
One day, someone from a music company saw them playing on the street and gave them a business card. That’s how they debuted.
While Noah was lost in thought, Eunha called out from behind.
“Hey, Seol Noah. You’ve always been weird, but today you’re acting super weird.”
“…Eunha.”
“Why are you calling me like that? That’s kinda creepy.”
“This is all real, right?”
Eunha blinked, then burst out laughing.
“Wait… Are you spacing out because you think we passed the audition? Haha, that’s kinda cute.”
She put her arm around Noah’s neck.
“Yes, it’s all real. And you were amazing. You sang like a pro, like someone who already debuted.”
(…Well, I have already debuted.)
“And this is Korea, right?”
“Are you okay? Where else would we be if not Korea?”
“What year is it?”
“What?”
Eunha tilted her head, totally confused.
“It’s 20XX. Are you sick or something? Should we get you medicine?”
20XX?
So the year is the same?
“Do you know a band called Acris?”
“Acris? What’s that?”
Noah’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wait, do you not know them, or… do they not even exist?”
“I don’t know what you’re saying. Were they famous?”
“They won 15 Grammy awards! If you like rock music, there’s no way you haven’t heard of—”
“Whoa, whoa. Slow down.”
Eunha held up her hand.
“First, I’ve memorized all the Grammy winners from the 2000s to now. But I’ve never heard of any band called Acris.”
“!”
What?!
Acris definitely won major Grammys like Album of the Year and Record of the Year!
And now she’s saying they don’t even exist?
“Second, what do you mean we do rock music? What are you talking about?”
“?!”
“Then what are we doing? Our band… isn’t it rock?”
“It’s still a band—”
Eunha gave her a weird look.
“But we’re an idol band, not a rock band!”
“….”
An idol band… isn’t the same as a rock band?
That question spun around and around in Noah’s head.
Still shocked, Noah was dragged out by Eunha.
Eunha took her to a small studio apartment not far from the entertainment company building.
“This is… my house?”
“Yeah, it’s yours. Seriously, are you okay? You’re acting like you have amnesia or something.”
(…If this is real, and I’m really Seol Noah…)
“I guess so.”
She had no choice. She had to accept this and figure out what to do next.
“Anyway, where’s your songwriting notebook?”
Eunha flopped on the bed like she was annoyed.
“My… notebook?”
“Yeah. You always carry it around. Sure, we passed the first round of the audition, but the next round is the real deal.”
“There’s a second round?”
“There are three rounds. Didn’t I already explain this?”
Right… Loft Entertainment.
She’d never heard of it, but it must be a big company in this world.
“The first round had 25 solo contestants and 20 teams. Only 5 teams move on to round 2. And round 2 is filmed like a survival show. Seriously, do I have to remember everything for you?”
I miss Anya…
Anya would never have scolded me like this.
Noah sighed. It was kind of sad to be scolded like this at almost 40 years old.
Anyway, the notebook.
If it were her usual self, she probably just threw it somewhere…
“Here it is.”
Of course. Just tossed under the bed.
Some things don’t change, huh?
Noah took the notebook from Eunha’s hand with a displeased look.
She opened it, and suddenly—
[‘Seol Noah’s’ memories are transferring to ‘Noah’… (1/100)]
[Collect all the fragments of Seol Noah’s memories.]
[Then you will be given a choice—]
[To live as ‘Seol Noah’ or ‘Noah’.]
“!”
And just like that, Seol Noah’s memories started flowing into her mind.
