Episode 8
Inside the waiting room.
Noah let out a small sigh as he listened to the MC’s playful voice and read the captions on the monitor.
“We can’t even choose our own stage concept?”
The mission was based on fan votes. If fans voted something like, “I want to see a ballad with this person and that person,” then that would be the song they had to perform.
“And those fans haven’t even seen our performances—they’ve only heard us.”
Noah thought a band’s image during a performance could really influence how people saw them.
He wasn’t too worried himself since he believed bands should speak through music anyway.
But…
“Looks like this one is pretty anxious.”
He glanced at Eunha, who looked worried.
“Is there a genre you really don’t want to do?” he asked.
“Of course,” she replied.
“Which one?”
“Anything that doesn’t use drums much.”
“!”
“If it’s an acoustic song, I’ll have nothing to do. I’d just stand behind you like part of the background.”
Oh, so that’s what she was worried about?
Noah smirked a little. She wasn’t nervous about a genre she couldn’t handle—she was just worried about being invisible.
That was actually kind of… rock star–like.
“Hey,” Eunha said.
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been wondering… How is this different from a normal rock band competition? It feels the same.”
“…What were you expecting?” she asked with an annoyed face.
“Well… I thought it would be more sparkly… like, you know… flashy.”
“….”
Eunha sighed deeply and pulled up a YouTube video on her phone.
“Watch this.”
The video showed a band performing on stage. All the members were in their early 20s, and even Noah could tell they were talented.
“…It’s a bit soft, but still good.”
There are all kinds of rock, so nothing is really set in stone.
“Wait, this band is… idols?”
“Yep. Idol band. They said so themselves. And they were launched by Loft Entertainment—the same company doing this show.”
“!”
Ah… Now it made more sense.
A single video couldn’t show everything about a band’s music, but he got what Eunha was trying to say.
She wanted him to stop judging and be more open-minded.
“There’s one main difference between idol bands and regular bands,” she added.
“What is it?”
“They care about the looks of every member.”
“….”
That’s not a small difference.
It’s huge.
Normal rock bands maybe focus on the frontman’s charisma, but not all the members’ looks.
Music and direction matter more than appearance. Sure, looking cool is nice, but it shouldn’t come first.
“I get it now.”
Since idols are meant to be admired, appearance matters too.
Noah scratched his cheek awkwardly. Eunha gave him a weird look.
“…Wait. Don’t tell me you’re worried about your face?”
“Huh?”
Of course he was worried.
Not that he hated his current face, but…
“Even though I changed faces, I’m still the old Noah from Acris inside. My sharp eyes and intense vibe might not suit the idol image…”
What if they kick me out…?
He suddenly tried forcing a smile.
“…Why are you smiling like a crazy person?” Eunha asked.
“….”
“Don’t do that again. It’s scary. Just act normal.”
So Noah scowled and looked at her the usual way.
“Yes, that’s better. That creepy smile was worse.”
“….”
One day, I’ll get revenge on her.
Noah quietly sharpened his imaginary knife of revenge.
Mission 1: Request Mission
[MC: Now we’ll reveal each band’s mission song!]
[MC: First up, RainRabbit Band. Come forward! Seo-yi, the leader and frontwoman!]
[MC: RainRabbit’s mission song is… Moonshine – Between Pages!]
[MC: Congratulations! You’ll be covering the legendary 3rd-gen girl group Moonshine’s song Between Pages! A sweet, cute, emotional song with a girly vibe!]
[MC: This song is famous for its soft melody, dreamy chorus, and fairy-tale feeling!]
It sounded like a charming song.
[MC: But… RainRabbit’s vocalists have husky voices, so I’m curious how they’ll pull it off!]
It wasn’t the kind of song a band usually did.
“If they sing it without cute dancing, won’t it seem awkward?” Noah frowned.
“This song is made for one main vocalist—it doesn’t fit the rest of the members well.”
[MC: Rearranging this one won’t be easy. Good luck, RainRabbit!]
After hearing their song, RainRabbit’s leader also frowned. They seemed to know it wouldn’t be easy.
Surprisingly, Doyeon—who seemed like the least suited for a girly song—looked calm and unbothered.
With her short red bob, thick lips, glasses, and Y2K outfit, she had a bold aura even among her unique team.
“Even their name sounds intense.”
Then came the next announcements:
Spark Band, with Yoon Yeosan, got Kill the Silence by boy group Boltz.
As the song played, the room gasped. It was a dramatic, fast-tempo track with strong electronic beats and a powerful climax.
And the bass stood out the most.
Noah immediately turned to look at Yoon Yeosan.
“Perfect for him.”
It was annoying how well it suited him.
He could tell from the small smile on Yeosan’s face that he liked the pick.
Luna Band got Satellite Bloom by girl group Nine Hearts Bloom, a powerful high-energy song.
Hallasan Dulregil Band was assigned Zoomed In by Risky, a male idol group.
And finally…
[MC: Now it’s time for the final band! Archive Band, please step forward.]
[MC: The smallest team on the show—just two members! Archive Band’s mission song is…]
[MC: Even If We Don’t Shine by Silverdune!]
The other contestants whispered among themselves. No one seemed to know the song—except Noah, who stayed calm.
“Wait… did we get a weird one by mistake?”
Then it played.
🎶 You don’t have to glow, just stay
Even that fading light
Is endless comfort to me
It’s okay even if you don’t shine… 🎶
As Silverdune’s Even If We Don’t Shine played from the speakers, Noah smiled slightly.
“This one will work.”
