CHAPTER TEN

Living in Seoul was easier than I anticipated. I could say that living in the city next door made my experience easier. By the way, my mother did not know that I was already in the capital; despite telling her what happened between the band and me. I was already used to the rhythm of the city. As I had already been here a few times a year, already knew some bus and train lines. I also knew which neighborhoods I should go to to look for a temporary job that didn't require experience in the area.

I ended up getting a job in the kitchen at a Chimaek restaurant where the only thing sold was fried chicken and soju. The irony of life is that I can't eat chicken, even to save my life. So, what leftovers I could take home ended up in one of the boys' stomachs. The restaurant was in Gwansu-dong, not far from our home in Huam-dong, and it was close to Myeong-dong where Sooyoung worked serving Tteokbokki at a stall in the street market.

Our schedules were similar, starting at two in the afternoon and going until ten at night. I walked to a bus stop in Myeong-dong, where Sooyoung was waiting for me to leave together. It was perfect, especially as we went back to the small talk as before. She wasn't mad at me and I wasn't mad at her, at them. It was also perfect because rehearsals for the competition would be two times a week, from nine in the morning until noon.

Taeyong got a job at a themed cafe on Hongdae Street in the Mapo-gu district, it was relatively close to the TV studio and he would barely have enough time to get out of rehearsals and arrive at the cafe. The same goes for Sehun, who got a job on the same street at a Waffle House. The good part is that they only worked for six hours and could take away desserts that would be discarded.

Taemin had the worst schedule, but he only had to walk five minutes from our house to a pub in Yongsan-dong. His shift started at ten at night and went until seven in the morning, where he served drinks, cleaned tables, and kicked customers' asses who got into trouble. With the house empty in the afternoon, he would be able to sleep peacefully when he got back from the TV studio.

With all of us working, it would be enough to keep up with the rent on the house and our food expenses. I wasn't very confident about how they were going to be able to pay me the money for the new instruments. It would probably take longer than the two-month deadline I gave them. Even so, I would still return to Incheon in time for the start of the new college semester. Taemin had been faithful in not telling them about my decision to leave.

What was difficult, however, was getting a concert in Seoul. Most places rejected my proposal in the blink of an eye. It was no use saying that the band would appear on television in a few weeks, or showing a video of them playing, I still got a no. There was one occasion when a nightclub in Hannam-dong accepted it, but it was at a time when Taemin couldn't make it. What were we going to do, an acoustic version for a bunch of drunk people? A good way to kill the mood.

At least we had only been in the capital for two weeks, we still had time before we got desperate with this amount of rejection. My hopes were directed towards the episode in which we would appear from Band Against Band. Being on television would help a lot, now I was sure we wouldn't be cut from the episode. The drama with Wendy, she was the former singer of Kepton4, was a big boost to hold the audience. I highly doubt they won't show what happened when the episode airs in a few weeks, and we'll probably show up in the first episode.

I heard that the first stage of the competition when the coaches assembled the teams, lasted a week. We were lucky to go on the first day. I can't imagine the number of bands playing, being vetted and most going home. The more time passed, the smaller the chances of entering one of the 16 vacancies of one of the three teams.

During that time, the coaches needed to organize how the battles between the bands of their respective teams. The coaches needed to form pairs with similar styles and eliminate a band according to its performance, this happened until there was one band left in each team for the grand final. Only in the final did the coaches face each other directly, and it was also the only episode broadcast live.

When we were signing the contract to continue in the competition, the production informed us that Park Jinyoung's team would only practice in the mornings. That was the reason why we looked for jobs from the afternoon onwards. Ten days later, I got a phone call with Kepton's schedule for the following week. As we filled out forms and the contract, the band listed me as their manager. Which made me responsible for any kind of communication with the producers, as well as granting me access to the television studio.

They informed me that our band would rehearse Monday and Tuesday from 9 am until noon. Friday would be the day they should record the chosen song in the studio, which would be released on music platforms in good quality. This would leave the other two days between these dates for the band to rehearse on their own. Saturday could potentially be a troublesome day. It would be the day they would record the competition episodes and it could take all day. We would have to find ways with our jobs, switch shifts with a co-worker or swap our day off.

From now on, the rehearsal location would be in the television station building, on the seventh floor. It looked like they'd improvised several mini music studios on that entire floor, replacing whatever was inside with rooms with instruments, equipment, and a few chairs. It was possible to hear the muffled sound of other bands through the walls, proving that the soundproofing was not of the quality of a true music studio.

Lucky for me, the rooms had large glass windows that opened onto the hallway leading to the rooms. I preferred to stay outside peering through the glass rather than stay inside with my ears bleeding. Hearing the band in a small space was different from hearing them play in a pub. It reminded me of rehearsals in Aunt Yoojung's garage, something they were already used to doing. Also, I didn't want to be in there with the camera on. It didn't make sense for me to appear on television with them, so it was best not to get in the way.

Park Jinyoung showed up at 9 am sharp, ready to brief the band on what he had planned. He chose a lively song, which would be a cover of a band from the 90s, and handed the sheet music for them to follow without errors. The coach stayed with them for twenty minutes before leaving to help other bands, but a small woman took his place to follow the progress of the rehearsal.

She looked embarrassed in the first few minutes but changed her attitude completely when she interrupted the band to point out a mistake. From a distance, I could see that Sooyoung and the boys were a bit tense, worried about their performance. Fortunately, the trainer seemed to notice the surroundings and started to interact with them in a more relaxed way, not that she was being strict with them. When I saw Sooyoung and her laughing together, I decided it was time to walk down the hall and spy on the other bands.

It was when I returned from the bathroom downstairs, oddly enough there wasn't one on this floor, that I saw that the hallway was no longer empty. A person dressed in black pants and a sweatshirt was standing staring at our room window. The platinum hair under the cap was a hint to know who it was. It was shorter, now the length was above the shoulder, but it was definitely Wendy a few feet away from me.

Did I stand still for a few seconds staring at m