FRWD Ch 1

The sharp, ripping sound of a guitar string being torn apart repeatedly sliced through the air. It was accompanied by the vocalist’s voice, which felt like a vicious scream, and the sound of the drums, which seemed determined to shatter the eardrums of everyone around.

Every time the noise reverberated through the venue, red and blue lights scattered dizzyingly, stabbing at the eyes. Yehan glanced at his cousin sitting next to him. Hyeongseok, the owner of this live club, had his head hung low, as if he was the more embarrassed one.

Usually, he would have been bustling with excitement, showering the band with praise, saying things like, “This is the rookie I discovered,” “He’s the real deal,” “Look at that shredding, he’s practically Yngwie Malmsteen reincarnated.” Strangely, he was quiet today. Rolling his eyes back and forth, he scratched his head and opened his mouth sheepishly.

“Hey, I’m sorry… You could have come a little later.”

“I was going to stop by after my schedule and go straight home.”

“Sorry…”

Saturday evening, 7 p.m. It was early for the main performance, but it was the time when customers started trickling in one by one. Having put those guys on stage at that time, Hyeongseok seemed to have no face to show his customers.

Indeed, some of the customers who opened the door and entered turned back after hearing the chaotic stage and the even more messed-up song. There were, of course, no audience members standing right in front of the stage cheering.

Yehan wanted to jump out of his seat, too. He came because he was curious to see how humbly his cousin would act this time, after begging him to show his face this evening because he had something he wanted to discuss with his investor, and this was what he was presented with.

However, he didn’t bother to say things to his cousin like, “You made me come all the way here to see this trash?” or “It looks like you should give up your lofty dreams of discovering new indie bands and focus on your business.” Instead, he rested his chin on the table and quietly watched the stage. Tapping his skin with his fingers along his rising lips, he spoke.

“…Not bad.”

Startled by the unconsciously uttered observation, Hyeongseok flinched and shrugged his shoulders.

“What? Really?”

Ignoring Hyeongseok’s question, Yehan pointed towards the stage. His fingertip landed on the bassist who had been quietly standing by, not joining in the dinosaur-like wails and quietly doing his part. Unlike the other band members, who were dressed shabbily as if they had come from the Stone Age, this bassist’s makeup wasn’t heavy, and his attire was relatively neat.

He had a white short-sleeved t-shirt and light-colored jeans, artificially torn in places to reveal his skin, but compared to the others, he was respectable. In that attire, he wouldn’t even get a glance on the streets of Hongdae, crowded with live clubs on a Saturday night.

‘Is that makeup?’

He couldn’t tell if the bassist’s skin was naturally that pale or if it was makeup. However, the strong shoulders that effortlessly carried the heavy bass and the long, white fingers busy keeping up with the runaway drumbeat couldn’t be makeup.

He seemed quite tall, too. He lightly tapped his right toe to the beat throughout the performance, and it took quite a while to scan from the tip of his toe to the top of his head.

At least 180 centimeters. Judging by his physique, his secondary gender is Beta or Alpha. Looking at the bassist’s stoic expression, Yehan made a guess. With that face, he should be going to idol auditions instead of playing bass in an unknown indie band, he thought inwardly, feeling a sense of regret.

That’s how handsome and youthful the bassist that captured Yehan’s attention was.

Moreover, he was the only one among those misfits whose instrumental skills were top-notch. He had been focusing on the bass sound since earlier, and there wasn’t a single moment where the notes sounded off or the rhythm felt out of sync. It was clear that he was silently doing his part while struggling to somehow lead the other members, each playing their own solo.

“…Him? The guys playing right now? …Is the song good?”

Hyeongseok asked Yehan tentatively, his gaze fixed on the stage. Yehan let out a chuckle at the timid question added at the end.

“Do I look like I have terrible hearing?”

“No, I mean, I wonder why I even asked.”

“Not them. The bass. That stoic-looking guy.”

Yehan jerked his chin to pinpoint the subject of his question. Only then did Hyeongseok seem to understand, letting out a vague, “Ahh” sound.

“Ah, him? Right, Haseong is good. He’s young, but he’s skilled. He looks a bit intimidating, but he’s really gentle. He joined the wrong band, that’s all.”

He didn’t need to hear the added explanation about joining the wrong band. The difference in skill wasn’t just night and day; it was like comparing an earthworm to a dragon. Moreover, the bassist called Haseong’s appearance didn’t fit in with the band at a glance.

Yehan folded his arms, once again slowly following Haseong’s busy fingers and his sweat-slicked nape.

“Can he make a living doing this?”

“As if he could make a living playing bass in an indie band like that without a single full-length album. I only called him today because I felt bad for him. He’s been begging me to let him play whenever there’s a spot open…”

Hyeongseok clicked his tongue, saying that the other members were busy holding their heads high without doing any work, and only Haseong was always begging and pleading for a stage. Whether it was because he wanted to nurture talented juniors or because he liked Haseong that much, Hyeongseok’s voice was laced with deep regret.

But whether this man’s situation was pitiful or not, whether he was struggling alone in that trashy band or not, such things weren’t important to Yehan at all. Because currently, there was only one thing that interested him about Haseong, and it was a very simple, primal interest. He muttered indifferently,

“Not bad.”

“Right, he’s got potential… Wait, what do you mean ‘not bad’? It’s the first time I’ve ever heard you praise anyone here.”

“His looks.”

“…Hey, just in case you’re wondering, he’s only twenty-two. And he’s a Beta. As far as I know, he has a girlfriend.”

The information Hyeongseok added in a rush, unfortunately, didn’t diminish Yehan’s interest in the slightest.

Twenty-two years old, no wonder he looked young. But it wasn’t surprising, as he looked exactly his age. Beta, this was also as he had expected. He didn’t usually have relationships with Omegas, so it was even better. As for the existence of a girlfriend, well, with looks like that, it would be stranger if he didn’t have one. And whether he had one or not didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to ask him out anyway.

Yehan stared intently at the man on stage without even glancing at his fidgety cousin, and smiled faintly.

“Yeah… Makes him even hotter.”