TV Tokyo's [Asayan] was a flagship program that premiered in 1995. It was a survival audition show with various concepts, including dance, fashion, and acting.
The segment that truly solidified [ASAYAN]'s status as a legendary program was the 'Female Vocalist Audition.' After a group formed from that audition's finalists became a massive hit, ASAYAN transformed into a fierce battlefield where top agencies like Amuse, Horipro, and Johnny's staked their pride on launching their own idol groups.
In my previous life, I remember the show falling into a slump and ending around 2002. However, in this world, it has become Japan's representative audition program—a stage where major agencies clash in high-stakes rivalries, churning out countless stars and maintaining its status as the nation's premier talent hunt.
And why do I know all this? Because the 2001 winner of this show visited Korea for the 2002 World Cup opening ceremony.
'That's right, in my previous life, I was an old geezer well over thirty.'
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"Wait, man... you're saying we should go on [Asayan]?"
Yokishi spoke with a bewildered, flustered expression. The dark-skinned drummer came from a biracial family and had endured countless hardships because of the color of his skin.
He had built his physique to ensure no one could look down on him. He had taken up music because the drums were the only hobby his father had taught him—a father who had left his mother to serve and eventually die in the 1990 Gulf War. While the world praised the Gulf War for its low casualty count of only 292 soldiers, to Yokishi, it was nothing more than a deep scar that taught him the agonizing reality of conflict.
"I'm telling you from experience. With my skin color, I'll be disqualified at the preliminary rounds."
"Look, I was the one who found you. In the world of musicians, you prove who you are through how you handle your instrument."
Yokishi gripped his drumsticks so hard it looked like they might snap in his calloused hands, the veins bulging along his forearms.
"In a band, the drums are the core. You saw it when we rehearsed just now—without the drums, we can't play a single note. On that stage, the leader is you. Muscle Man."
"Hey, I'm not that old yet. I'm still a fresh-faced college student."
"With that face and those muscles? Fresh...? Man, you've got quite a sense of humor..."
The bald bassist let out a mocking laugh. But hey, keep it up and your head might turn as red as a ripe tomato. Or worse, it'll be stained red with your own blood if you're not careful.
Watching this, the muscular drummer finally let a grin slip. It felt as though the darkness lingering on his face—the weight of childhood trauma and constant anxiety—had lightened slightly.
"Don't blame me if we fail because of my look."
"Then we'll just keep trying until we make it. If it comes down to it, we'll just seize the broadcast station and play our songs for the whole country."
As I threw out the absurd joke, the muscular drummer let out a hearty laugh, his broad shoulders shaking.
"Now that's what I call a refreshing answer, man!"
The reason he had played the drums for all these years was that it was the only lingering connection he had to his father. To someone who had spent his college years as an outsider, the drums left behind by the only person who truly understood him were his sole sanctuary.
He wanted to make music freely. However, he had always believed his appearance would be an eternal barrier. But this blonde-haired boy, who didn't care about outward appearances and only saw his sincerity toward music, had finally unchained him.
"Hyung-nim, you know it's actually pretty terrifying when you laugh like that, right...?"
Now, he felt like he finally understood a little bit of what a 'band' actually meant.
A band was the fusion of human sincerity with human sincerity, bonded through the medium of music.
What should we name the band?
Ah, Enfants Terribles sounds perfect.
Individually, we're all a mess, but when we come together, we become the 'terrible children' that the world should fear.
"Hey, how does 'Enfants Terribles' sound for a band name?"
"Oh... what does it mean?"
That day, what was decided in that rehearsal room wasn't just whether they would participate in an audition. It was the fate of three men who were each, in their own way, a total mess.
After all, Rock is the story of messed-up people coming together to seize everything. And so, in a small rehearsal studio, the first true band in this world was born.
"But... from Ai's perspective, I think the reason people are scared of the Black mister is just because of his muscles, don't you?"
These were the words Ai left as she sat eating Haagen-Dazs on the way home.
'Wait... that actually sounds quite plausible?'