Chapter 181 : I’ll Do the DJing
Chapter 181: I’ll Do the DJing!
At my muttering, my older brother made a flounder-eyed expression and looked disgusted.
“If not that, what? Are you going to go perform instead?”
Hmm. Well… not exactly.
Since I couldn’t agree with that, I couldn’t refute it either.
Anyway, that DJ must have prepared hard too.
All I could do was hope the next track would go properly.
But a bad premonition was never wrong.
The next track was also a rather disappointing performance.
It was an easy track, so it wasn’t a complete mess, but…
Dad used to say this: music isn’t made by melody, but by the spaces in between.
This DJ seemed like the type who couldn’t feel satisfied unless he stuffed everything in—never mind leaving any space.
My older brother tapped my back and spoke worriedly.
“Hey, look at yourself in the mirror.”
“Huh? Why.”
“Your eyes are totally… crazy.”
“Hey! What’s wrong with my eyes!”
I fiddled with the mask in my pocket.
Honestly, I kind of wanted to jump up into that booth right now.
Everyone! This isn’t how you do DJing!
I wanted to shout that, yell “Hold the beat!”, and then show them the Lunatic Beat.
I looked around at the audience.
Whether they were people waiting for trot music, or people dragged here by their friends without even knowing what was going on, everyone gathered here deserved to enjoy music.
I just hoped that messy mixing wouldn’t ruin their mood.
They shouldn’t develop a dislike for EDM as a genre.
While anxiously observing the atmosphere with that concern in mind…
My worry turned out to be unnecessary.
“Eeeek!”
“Are you recording? He does look cool though, right?”
“I don’t know about the music, but he’s handsome, so he’s fun to watch.”
“Is he good?”
“Who knows. As long as it’s exciting.”
For them, whether the DJing was good or bad wasn’t the issue.
The atmosphere that had briefly sunk was once again swept up into a flashy party.
People were simply enjoying the exciting beats, the dazzling laser show, and the DJ’s visuals in their own ways.
“……”
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
After all, a performance exists so people can enjoy it. If it’s like this, then it’s a success.
Just like how a food columnist can no longer enjoy food simply as food.
Just like how a film critic can’t fully immerse themselves in watching a movie.
Maybe I was listening to DJing like that too.
I was simply someone currently active in the field.
The planners must have had their own thoughts.
I had no right to interfere. Nor should I.
At that moment, the DJ shouted in an excited voice.
“Everybody, hands up! Say hooo!”
“Hooo—!”
The audience responded more passionately than expected.
Amid that cheer, I quietly observed them.
They were smiling.
Happily following along with the call-and-response.
One audience member waved their LED bracelet excitedly while jumping up and down.
Wasn’t that enough?
I ended up clapping along too.
Even if it was clumsy, it was fine. As long as it was sincere.
And right now, that stage definitely had that kind of feeling.
My older brother stared at me, then chuckled.
“Now you look better.”
“Yeah.”
I nodded and continued.
“Everyone has their own way. Some people enjoy things like this, some people express themselves like that. Even if it’s messy, so what? As long as people enjoy it.”
“Oh, Seo Taeyoon. You’ve gotten a bit mature.”
“How childish did you think I was? I’m not that bad.”
“Sure, sure. So when you perform, don’t put too much pressure on yourself either.”
“Wha— what are you talking about!”
His sudden words made me stutter like my brain had lagged.
I filmed the Orbit Advertisement.
The audience at Sierra kept increasing.
On YouTube, videos of people copying the Blackhole Beat were being uploaded every day.
I’d been suffering under the pressure that I had to be more perfect.
Did my older brother notice how I felt?
Sometimes he really does act like an older brother…
“And you know.”
“And what?”
“Your beat. Even if it’s a little sloppy, don’t get too mad.”
Huh? My beat wasn’t even on the setlist.
Puzzled, I looked up.
“…Huh? That’s my beat?”
I suddenly realized what I had missed.
That DJ was currently using the Lunatic Beat.
Hmm, it was definitely sloppy though.
But the feeling my older brother worried about wasn’t there.
“I’m not mad.”
If I were going to get angry, I’d have already been leaving hateful comments on YouTube DJing cover videos.
If anything, this was nice.
“I like this—watching the festival with Dad and you.”
It would’ve been nice if Mom were here too.
But I didn’t say that out loud.
A summer night.
A sky that looked like it might spill over with stars.
Cool night air.
The beat mixed with the sound of waves began echoing again.
I just liked this moment.
Just this much music.
Just this much night felt enough.
At least tonight, I wasn’t Blackhole or Stay.
Just an ordinary son traveling through time with his family…
Or so I thought.
But somehow, things began turning strangely.
---
Meanwhile.
Cha Ihyun repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists.
“…Ha. This is awkward.”
As a planner, he couldn’t show it outwardly.
But it wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight.
As expected, appearance and skill didn’t always go together.
Even so, the reason he had invited that DJ was—
“PD, please trust me just once. I really practiced hard.”
“I’ll take a smaller appearance fee. Actually, it’s fine even if I don’t get paid.”
“…I really want to stand on stage.”
It was a flimsy kind of faith.
He admitted it. More than anyone, he knew a stage had to be filled with skill.
But back then… those eyes had looked pitiful.
Even without technique, there had been a pure yearning for the stage.
A sincerity that simply wanted to do DJing—not for money or fame.
He had been deceived by that earnestness.
No—maybe he had knowingly let himself be deceived.
Because he had once been the same.
Those days when he stood before shabby club turntables, chopping beats all night long even though no one recognized him.
For some reason, he saw his past self in that DJ.
But what was happening on stage now was beyond what passion alone could cover.
Cha Ihyun checked the reactions being posted on communities and social media.
[ (Ulsan Live) The EDM festival is super fun lol why are the DJs all so clumsy lol it’s kinda cute though? ]
↳ Shirtless DJ is something else lol
↳ What did I just watch… what’s with that beat. But why do I keep watching it ㄷㄷㄷ
↳ The audience is insanely hyped though. Isn’t that enough?
↳ Honestly what do you expect from a local festival lol
↳↳ For real lol that DJ is actually kinda famous though. His performance skills are good.
↳ That’s a shame. He should’ve just fake DJedㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
↳↳ I’ll give him points for passion; the atmosphere’s good.
“Haa…”
A faint sigh escaped him.
The reactions were mixed.
[ (Ulsan Festival Proof) I’m disappointed. Even so, you shouldn’t make beat mistakes lol this is ridiculous. Is it too much to expect proper DJing here? ]
↳ Yeah it is.
↳ What, were you expecting Blackhole to show up?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
↳↳ Why would Blackhole go thereㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
↳ Blackhole’s gotten big. Even being mentioned here.
↳↳ If you don’t know then shut up;; Blackhole is the hottest DJ in the scene right now.
↳ I’m here in person and honestly it’s a bit disappointing.
↳ It’s about what I expected. The setlist isn’t bad though…
Up to this point, it was fine.
The real problem began when he started mixing Blackhole’s beat—something not even on the setlist.
“Crazy bastard!”
Blackhole’s tracks weren’t something just anyone could replicate.
Meticulous structure, delicate effects.
Even the spacing of the groove had been precisely designed.
That was why Cha Ihyun deliberately hadn’t given it to him.
Angrily, Cha Ihyun was about to shout into his radio—
“…Ah.”
The audience came into view.
Regardless of the messy beat.
Everyone was jumping, shouting, waving their hands.
If he stepped in now, it would only ruin the atmosphere.
He was just frustrated that the song he had hoped would be perfectly delivered as a planner had been ruined.
His lips twitched in disbelief.
“Waaaaaah!”
And just like that, the third and fourth DJing performances ended without incident.
Technically they were mediocre, but at least nothing disastrous happened. That was the only consolation.
Cha Ihyun let out a bitter smile as he admitted the stage he had planned had ended up being only half-complete.
Still, he had managed to lift the atmosphere.
He comforted himself.
Well, it would probably be forgotten once the upcoming trot stage started anyway.
Boom—! Boom—!
Before the lingering echo of the last song even faded, fireworks exploded in the sky.
It was like a celebratory signal announcing the trot performance.
“Everything completed without issues. Final check done.”
Cha Ihyun nodded at the staff report.
Something still felt off, but not every performance could be perfect.
Thinking that, he prepared to wrap things up.
“PD! Something big just happened!”
“Hm?”
“The trot singer still hasn’t arrived.”
“Oh, really.”
So what?
They’d deal with it.
“They’re asking what to do with the DJing equipment. They’re planning to stall time with an audience talent show.”
“Just leave it there for now.”
Who knows?
Maybe someone would suddenly appear like a superhero and destroy the stage.
“They’re going crazy trying to calm the audience. The prizes are insane too.”
“…What? Prizes?”
“Yes. A department store gift certificate, a premium red sea bream set, squid…”
“Wow. Sounds good. Should I go out there?”
“Ah, haha…”
Leaving the awkwardly laughing staff behind with a “Just kidding,” he looked up at the stage again and thought.
Even for a local festival…
How could things be running this poorly?
---
I hadn’t expected much from a local festival.
But I was actually enjoying it.
Watching as an audience member instead of performing on stage felt refreshing.
I even began to understand why audiences cheered for DJing.
Seeing how excited I was, my older brother asked,
“Seo Taeyoon, you’re more tolerant than I thought?”
“Huh? Why?”
“The Lunatic Beat. It was really sloppy. Doesn’t it bother you?”
I let out a small laugh.
No matter how long my older brother had worked in the industry, it seemed he still couldn’t fully understand the heart of a creator.
“Nope. Not at all.”
“Why?”
“Either way, I’m happy just knowing someone performed using my track. That means people care.”
“Oho?”
I meant it.
Even if it’s sung ridiculously on a variety show, that’s fine.
Even if a comedian comes out and imitates DJing with it, that’s fine too.
Everything about it is good.
Excited, I told Dad,
“Let’s stay and watch the trot performance too.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“We came all the way here. We should watch it. Hero Park is performing, right? People your age all like Hero Park these days.”
Boom—! Boom boom—!
The fireworks between performances were spectacular.
It was my first time seeing a trot performance. Would it be fun?
Just as I was thinking that—
The host came up on stage, wiping cold sweat.
“Due to unexpected circumstances, the order has been temporarily changed! Shortly! We’ll have a special audience talent show where you can reveal your hidden talents!”
The good atmosphere from earlier vanished.
Complaints erupted among the audience.
“What! When is Hero Park coming out!”
“Just keep playing EDM!”
“Ugh… if this goes on I’ll miss the last train.”
“I came to see a singer, not some audience talent show!”
The murmuring soon turned into irritated shouting.
The crowd waiting for the trot performance began erupting like a volcano.
As the protests intensified, the host delivered a final move.
“The prizes are very generous! First place gets a department store gift certificate worth one million won! Second place gets a premium red sea bream set, and…”
But…
“Booooooo!”
“What the hell are you doing after calling people here!”
“I listened to this crazy music for hours waiting for Hero Park! Are you kidding me?”
“Apologize! Apologize!”
It backfired.
Instead, it only fueled their anger further.
At this point, I grew curious.
Why suddenly a talent show?
They weren’t giving away prizes for no reason.
When I asked what happened, Dad replied,
“Pretty obvious. The singer scheduled to perform probably hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Oh?”
“The organizers must be in a tough spot.”
“Did something like this ever happen to you before, Dad?”
“I wasn’t the organizer. I was the handler. The hair I lost back then still hasn’t grown back.”
“Ah… ah.”
Even the experienced host trying to lighten the situation with jokes couldn’t calm the audience’s anger.
Out of habit, I fiddled with the mask in my pocket.
That space Dad talked about.
The space that should have focused the audience had instead turned into cold boos filling the chilly beach.
The host spoke again.
“Become the star of this hot summer night! The microphone is open!”
The complaints from the crowd in the back kept bothering me.
Ah, whatever.
I still wanted to see Hero Park perform.
I nudged my older brother.
“Hyung.”
“Hm?”
“Tell the host something.”
“…What?”
“Ask if DJing is allowed for the talent show.”
Why was he looking at me like I was insane?
Still, it was a relief. Dad looked straight at my face and gave me a thumbs-up.
“Wait a second. You’re going to do a talent show in front of all these people, but you can’t even talk to the host yourself?”
“Ah, that’s different from this. Hurry. Before the atmosphere gets even worse.”
My older brother sighed, stood up, and raised his hand high.
“Over here! We have a participant! He’ll do DJing!”
“What? DJ… DJing?”
The audience stirred instantly.
I quickly pulled my mask out of my pocket and put it on.
Seeing this enormous crowd, I simply couldn’t hold back anymore.
Am I… an attention seeker?
Not because I wanted the red sea bream prize. Ahem.
---
A little later—
[ Ulsan Festival Live — Blackhole Appears ]
↳ ???????????????????????
↳ What are you talking about???????
↳ Why would Blackhole go there lol wasn’t his performance already over???
↳ Someone start a livestreamㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
↳↳ Wait.
↳ What the hell, they work fast lol how did they book Blackhole?
↳↳ It’s not booking… ah, I don’t know. Just search it. Anyway this place is going crazy right now.
Over the once-cold night sea—
The music started again.