The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 16

Finally, the audience erupted, leaping to their feet and shouting. While the nuances of Sanghyun’s English rap might have been lost on some, the raw emotion he conveyed was universally understood.

Just Do!

All you had to do was have fun.

I shook it off like it didn’t matter

This is a very good opportunity

With a lady who is already ready

We danced and shook

Walk this way!

Talk this way.

Walk this way!

Talk this way.

Beneath Sanghyun’s somewhat unpolished high notes, the L&S bassist laid down an impromptu harmony in a deep, resonant tone.

The audience enthusiastically joined in on the simple, repetitive lyrics, chanting “Walk this way!”

The fusion of rap and rock, a boundary famously blurred by Run-DMC in 1986, was being redefined here tonight.

Classic is forever.

Because masterpieces never change.

Walk this way!

Talk this way.

Walk this way!

Talk this way.

As Sanghyun’s frenzied singing came to an end, a wave of regret washed over him.

Run-DMC’s “Walk This Way” was a cover, built upon a sample of Aerosmith’s original. Consequently, the lyrical content followed a similar vein, revolving around a boy’s pursuit of a female student, much like Aerosmith’s version.

This was the source of Sanghyun’s unease.

He deeply respected Run-DMC and enjoyed performing the song, but his ambition was to be an original MC, not a copycat, a pretender riding on the coattails of others.

The guitarist of L&S, sensing the song’s conclusion, began to fade out the sound, signaling the planned instrumental drop-out sequence: drums, keyboard, then bass.

However, Sanghyun’s rap wasn’t finished.

This time, the words that poured from Sanghyun’s lips were Korean.

Run this town. Gwangju City is all mine

Just bring one rhyme, I’m a rapper

Curse me as you please, my own Origin

Already the stage and lighting go well together

Sanghyun’s gaze locked onto Lee Kyungmin, whether intentionally or not, and the message was clear to everyone.

This high schooler possessed a fiery temper, and the rap he was unleashing was a direct challenge to Lee Kyungmin.

Why do kids who do music have so much to say?

They only catch girls with honey-smelling comments

Trying to rap without a background only wears out my mouth

I need a sponsor, who?

Gwangju city in my first home.

Bugs, get out of the way, Cesco [a pest control company] is coming

Sanghyun’s sharp, staccato rap concluded abruptly.

The drums echoed the final line briefly before the drummer ended the performance with a crisp hit on the hi-hat.

The audience was fickle, as always.

Even those who were ostensibly there to support Golden Finger couldn’t help but erupt in cheers, swept up in the infectious energy of the performance.

“Kaaaa!”

The screams of the middle school girls were particularly deafening, driven wild by the combination of the already rare rap music and the insanely exciting funky electronic backdrop.

But it wasn’t just the middle school girls who were captivated.

Other listeners, drawn to the venue for a jam session rather than a polished performance, made a mental note of Sanghyun’s face.

“Ah……”

Miju, her face flushed with excitement, looked at Sanghyun while absently rubbing her wrist.

Miju, a piano major at a prestigious music university, had been inspired to pick up the keyboard in a rock band after witnessing the electrifying performances of John Lord, the keyboardist for the hard rock band Deep Purple.

She had fallen in love with Lord’s unique keyboard style, which brought a distinctive flavor to the intense, percussion and string-heavy rock music.

However, her experiences with various bands in Hongdae [a district in Seoul known for its indie music scene] had left her deeply disappointed. Perhaps she had just been unlucky, but she had never found a band that truly understood and properly utilized the keyboard.

Most of the metal bands she encountered were fixated on traditional heavy metal and eschewed the keyboard altogether.

After two years of searching, Miju had returned to her hometown two months prior, finally finding an opportunity to play the music she had always dreamed of. Ironically, it was with rap music, a genre she had never considered before.

“Thank you. It was my first stage today, and I had a lot of fun thanks to the people in this band. What’s the band’s name……?”

The audience shouted “L&S!” in response to Sanghyun’s question. As Sanghyun expressed his gratitude to L&S, a middle school girl made a somewhat startling remark.

“It’s not your first stage, oppa [term used by younger women to address older brothers or male friends]! The person who fell!”

It was no wonder they were reacting so strongly; they were students who had witnessed his stage mishap a whopping ’20 years ago’. Sanghyun lightly brushed off the comment, said his goodbyes, and stepped down from the stage.

Despite the calls for an encore, he didn’t have any other songs prepared, and it was almost time for Sangmi’s school to let out.

“I don’t have any songs for an encore. I’m sorry.”

Lee Kyungmin of Golden Finger had vanished, and L&S had already launched into an ending jam session with another band.

Miju approached Sanghyun as he watched.

“Is it Lee Sanghyun?”

“Why are you asking when you already know?”

“Do you know my name?”

Ugh, that ‘nuna [term used by younger men to address older sisters or female friends]’ sound again.

“You said it was Miju.”

“Shin Miju. Do you belong to any band?”

“Why would I belong to a band? I’m not really a band music kind of guy.”

Miju’s expression was ambiguous.

“Aren’t you rapping with a band sound?”

“No. I tried it for the first time today.”

“What’s the title of this song?”

“I told you. Run-DMC’s ‘Walk This Way’. The original track is Aerosmith’s ‘Walk This Way’.”

Miju shook her finger.

“No, I mean what’s the title of *your* song that you sang last, not the original song.”

“My song?”

Sanghyun hesitated.

“……Run this town.”

Run this town. Gwangju City is all mine

Sanghyun couldn’t quite explain the origin of the rap that had spontaneously erupted from him. But one thing was certain: he hadn’t stolen it from any professional rapper.

These were definitely lyrics he had written himself.

“Run This Town, huh.”

Sanghyun’s face flushed slightly.

In retrospect, it was a bold declaration to make in front of such accomplished bands. But he also felt a surge of pride.

2Pac and Biggie represented East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop in the United States, and were killed in shootings after a diss battle.

Eminem and other Detroit rappers released a song called ‘Detroit vs Everybody’.

For rappers, pride in their hometown is a pride that I completed my music in this city! It’s also a kind of declaration of war.

“My keyboard skills are okay, right? If you need a keyboard later, contact me.”

“Anytime?”

“Anytime if you’re going to do music like today.”

Sanghyun chuckled and exchanged phone numbers with Miju.

“And you’re going to give this number to the bands if they ask for it? They’re staring with their eyes on fire?”

The members of the L&S band, still jamming, were indeed staring at Sanghyun, who was attempting to leave with his bag, with longing in their eyes. The bassist, a senior at Unsan High School, was particularly menacing. *You’re dead if you go down*, his eyes seemed to say.

Sanghyun was about to offer a quick greeting, but when Sangmi’s name flashed on his phone, he simply nodded to the L&S band and headed down to the first floor with Miju.

And Miju was immediately met with the scary eyes of the boss who was greeting customers on the first floor.

“Ah! Boss! That’s not it!”

“Do you want to die? How long have you left the store empty? Are you crazy?”

Sanghyun chuckled and exited Sejong Music Store. Sangmi’s school wasn’t far, so he could meet her outside and grab dinner before heading in. He answered the phone.

-Oppa, where are you?

“Gwangju.”

-Ah… Are you crazy? Are you home?

“I’m not home. I’m waiting in front of the school. I’ll be at your school in five minutes.”

-Huh? Are you coming to our school? Don’t come. My friends are here, it’s embarrassing.

“Just wait.”

-Ah, where are you!

“Wait.”

Sanghyun hung up the phone. He had to run because Sangmi was waiting.

Literally Run this town.

Sanghyun, chuckling to himself, started running. It was Sanghyun’s first performance day in his new life, and it was a day that made his name known little by little.

End

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