Chapter 95: Acting Familiar

—Don’t forget!

“Mm, the sound’s good.”

The sound at this level was satisfying.

It echoed from all directions in a way that felt just right.

Though it had been turned down since the initial test, the quality was much cleaner.

It felt like everything would come through even more perfectly during the actual concert.

“I think this is good enough. Not sure it can get better than this.”

—Ah, really? That’s a relief. I was a bit nervous thinking we’d have to keep adjusting it.

There really wasn’t any need to tweak it further.

It already sounded perfect.

Any more and it might start to feel overdone.

“Okay, let’s wrap up the sound check and go over the stage setup. That’s really important too.”

It was important for the sound to reach the audience, but checking the stage setup was just as crucial.

Good sound alone wasn’t enough to satisfy the crowd.

—Got it.

After hanging up, I headed down to the stage to talk about how it would all be arranged.

“I think you should start off by coming on stage first and singing some of your older songs. Sure, more fans probably love your latest album, but there’ll be fans who liked your first album too.”

“…That’s true.”

It was thanks to her most recent album that Seolhwa had reached the level where she could even hold a concert.

The album boosted her recognition to the point that her songs were playing everywhere.

Still, that didn’t mean she could skip out on her first album.

If there hadn’t been a first album, there wouldn’t have been a second.

And without the second, she wouldn’t be standing on a stage like this now.

It was a matter of respect.

“Alright, I’ll pick a few songs from the first album then. I need to let the band know, too.”

“Okay.”

With that, Seolhwa quickly headed over to where the band was.

There were about eight hours left until the concert began.

That might seem like a lot, but we couldn’t spend all of it on rehearsing, so we had to move fast.

“I’ll go practice on my own a bit. Let me know once the stage setup is finalized.”

“Okay, see you soon, oppa.”

After letting Seolhwa know, I found an empty room nearby to test my voice.

Ahem.

My voice was in good condition.

There wasn’t anyone else around either.

Now was the perfect time to really test it.

“Ah, ah—”

I checked around one more time and then started singing.

“Never again—!”

All the practice I’d done with Seolhwa seemed to be paying off.

My voice felt much more stable than before.

‘…This should be good enough.’

For a concert, this level seemed more than fine.

Since I’d never sung at a concert before, I couldn’t be completely sure, but with this level of vocal projection, it should be enough.

Thinking that, I made my way back to the stage.

As I returned, a sharp, echoing sound rang out from one side of the rehearsal area.

The drums followed a heavy bassline in sync with the guitar, and Seolhwa stood in the center, holding a microphone and gently swaying to the beat as she warmed up her body.

“Again, let’s try that part one more time. It’d be better if the guitar came in just a little later.”

“Ah, okay.”

Seolhwa’s voice was firm yet relaxed.

Standing at the center of the stage, she held one hand to her earpiece, carefully checking the sound.

“Let’s begin.”

The guitarist nodded and strummed the strings.

Bzzzt.

A short burst of noise passed through the speakers, and right after that, the accompaniment started again.

This time, the rhythm flowed much more smoothly, everything fitting together like puzzle pieces.

“This one’s way better.”

Seolhwa began lightly moving her hands to the rhythm.

Then, lifting the mic, she gently sang the opening line.

I didn’t know every single song of hers, but I knew this one well.

“Don’t forget my heart…”

It was a track from the first album—the one I’d illustrated the album jacket for.

A song I still listened to from time to time.

‘She’s singing this one.’

I had wanted to ask her to sing it just for me, but I hadn’t, thinking that would be selfish.

Hearing it now, I felt genuinely happy and focused on the rehearsal.

From the tips of her toes to her shoulders, Seolhwa’s whole body radiated a calm tension.

A tension that reflected her resolve for the stage.

The band, responding to her energy, raised their tempo instinctively.

The bass laid down a heavy rhythm that became the foundation of the song, while the other instruments filled the space, layering emotions on top.

“…This is good.”

To me, it felt like a perfect rehearsal.

Of course, I’d never actually been to a concert before, but even with that in mind, the sound was just so polished.

Thump—

As the drums marked a sharp beat.

The stage suddenly felt like a real concert.

Even though this was just a rehearsal.

The depth of the sound and the emotion it carried made it feel real.

There weren’t even any stage lights on, but in that moment, it felt as if an audience was truly there, watching.

“Hoo…”

After finishing the song, Seolhwa turned her head and spoke.

“Do you think I could push this part a bit more later on? I feel like I could bring out the emotion better.”

“Yeah, go ahead. I mean, it’s your concert—you should do it the way you want.”

“Aw, thank you, unnie.”

“For what.”

It was clear how much she’d changed compared to before.

Seolhwa hadn’t always been like this.

She seemed much more mature now, even emotionally.

‘But now I’m not sure when I’m supposed to jump in.’

It felt a little awkward.

I was only going to sing maybe one or two songs anyway, but I wasn’t quite sure when to join in.

From how things were going, it didn’t seem like they had a set plan for exactly which songs I’d be singing, or when.

“Hmm…”

I was thinking about that when.

“Ah, oppa. Since you’re already here, let’s do a rehearsal run. I’ve been waiting to practice the duet with you later.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

It was perfect timing.

Seolhwa had asked, and I agreed to rehearse.

Of course, we’d practiced a lot in her studio, but this was the first time I’d be practicing in such a big venue, so I sat down a bit stiffly, feeling slightly nervous.

“Okay, let’s get started!”

As Seolhwa gave the cue, the accompaniment began to flow naturally.

Watching the band play so seamlessly, it was clear they remembered all of Seolhwa’s songs.

‘Well, they’ve known her for a while, so that makes sense.’

As I thought about how good the song was, I focused on her part.

“No, it will not be destroyed~”

Seolhwa’s voice was gentle yet striking, hitting all the emotional beats.

Her part ended, and mine was coming up.

I started to feel the tension rise.

It was the first time I was singing in front of this many people.

But.

“No, I’m not sorry for the way that I am~”

I began singing naturally.

Just like we discussed back at the studio, I added a few vocal flourishes here and there.

The band must’ve recognized the style—they didn’t say a word, and even added more instrumentals to enrich the sound.

Doom!

And with that final note, we perfectly wrapped up the song.

And a little while later.

“Oh, this is pretty much perfect.”

“Really?”

“This is my first time hearing it, but I think you could totally pull off the performance without any issues.”

Praise poured in.

It did feel pretty good.

I guess all that practice paid off.

‘I’m glad I gave it my all.’

If I’d slacked off, this could’ve turned into an embarrassing mess.

Relieved, I stepped back for a bit and watched as the others practiced the rest of the setlist.

After a full two hours of rehearsal, it finally wrapped up.

“I should post a photo.”

I snapped some pictures of the concert venue and uploaded them to the fan café.

The reason was simple.

To help promote the event.

Of course, I had no intention of revealing that I’d be appearing as a special guest.

There was no real reason to.

With that thought, I uploaded the post.

[Title: Got early access to Rage’s concert with VIP privileges ^^]

[Content: (photo) (photo) Here’s how the rehearsal looks right now, it already seems like it’s going to be a lot of fun! Hope everyone enjoys the show!!! Oh, and I heard they paid special attention to the sound system, so keep an ear out for that!]

A little while after posting.

Ding!

Comments started rolling in.

L: This concert’s gonna be insane lol

L: Seriously

L: You’re that close with Rage? Damn

L: One album cover and now you’re tight like that?

ᄂ: Maybe they just click well

ᄂ: Yeah tbh, they do seem to vibe well

And just as I was scrolling through the comments.

N: If I walk up and act like I know them, will they respond?

A comment I totally didn’t expect.

I hadn’t even imagined something like that would show up.

It threw me off a little.