The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 17

< Verse 2. Gotta Move >

Sanghyun used to think of Unsan High as a decent school for studying. But after returning to high school after 20 years, he had to revise his opinion. It wasn’t just a good school; it was a school where you *had* to study.

The reason? The dreaded ‘Monthly Exam’ system.

Unsan High held monthly exams at the end of every month, except for those with midterms and finals. The worst part was that the Language, Foreign Language, and Math sections counted towards your internal grades [grades used for university applications].

‘It’s so frustratingly petty!’

Each monthly exam accounted for about 2-3% of the total internal grade, a small but significant percentage. Too important to ignore, but too annoying to study hard for.

‘At least it ends early today.’

And today was monthly exam day.

Originally, Sanghyun had planned to maintain his grades with moderate studying during midterms and finals, focusing primarily on music. If he needed to go to college, he’d rely on a lucky score on the national college entrance exam [the *Suneung*]. That was the extent of his ambition.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“No, just whether I should go to college or not.”

Junhyung nodded, agreeing with Sanghyun’s sentiment. Even Junhyung, usually full of jokes, was concerned about college.

“Junhyung, have you told your parents you’re doing music?”

“I don’t know. Ah, my dad’s going to kill me. Anyway, thanks to my amazing brain, I’m actually pretty good at studying…”

“Isn’t being in the top 50% not really considered ‘good’?”

“Studying only the day before and getting that result is a sign of immense genius.”

Sanghyun laughed at Junhyung’s exaggeration. It was true that Junhyung was smart.

“Let’s hang out, Sanghyun. Should we go to a PC bang [internet cafe]?”

“Hmm, I don’t like the smell of cigarettes.”

“Is Sangmi going to say something?”

No, smelling it just reminds me of cigarettes, my old habit.

It had been over three weeks since he’d returned to 2005, but many of his old habits lingered.

“By the way, when are we meeting the people who said they’d join the crew?”

“I know, it’s not even that many people, but it’s so hard to coordinate schedules.”

Without smartphone group chats, Junhyung had to contact each person individually to gather information, then contact them again to inform them of the meeting time.

This tedious process had left Junhyung exhausted.

“You’re working hard. I’m not going to the PC bang. You go alone.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

“Don’t play too many games.”

“Alright.”

Sanghyun sent Junhyung off to the PC bang and headed home.

As June neared its end, the weather was getting hotter.

‘Still, spring felt long. In 20 years, there will only be summer and winter.’

Even mangoes and coffee are growing in Jeju Island [a subtropical island in South Korea].

Wait, was the mango thing just a joke?

Just as Sanghyun was shaking off his pointless thoughts, his phone rang.

“Yes, Manager Oh.”

It was Manager Oh Yeonjoo.

-You answered quickly? Isn’t it lunchtime for high school students?

“It’s a test day, so I’m on my way home. What’s up so suddenly?”

Sanghyun and Oh Yeonjoo had promised to contact each other regularly to build a record of phone calls, but they hadn’t spoken since their conversation at the hospital.

They’d only exchanged a few texts about the lawyer’s appointment.

-I was wondering if I should even interfere with this, but I decided to call. Are you free to talk?

Interfere?

“Go ahead.”

-I’ve temporarily stopped the fund and stock trading that was being handled through Lawyer Lim.

“Yes? Why?”

-Well, Lawyer Lim was worried because you decided on the stocks and investment amount. So, I had an expert look into it, and the risk is too high.”

Sanghyun tilted his head. He didn’t remember much about stocks, funds, interest rates, or exchange rates from the 2000s. He only remembered that the stock market was generally good until the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008, so he’d invested in a fund that tracked the KOSPI [Korea Composite Stock Price Index].

It might dip in the short term, but wouldn’t it eventually rise?

-Are you listening?

“Ah, yes. But isn’t it not that risky of an investment?”

-Well, it depends on your perspective, but I think it’s risky. Especially stocks.

Sanghyun thought for a moment and then agreed. He didn’t have stock price indicators memorized, and Manager Oh might be right.

“I see. Anyway, please proceed with the fund. I’ve structured the asset portfolio of funds and deposits in a 1:9 ratio. It’s not a big deal if I lose that much money.”

Sanghyun believed that the fund, while not guaranteeing the principal, could earn more if it did well. By the mid-2010s, the inflation rate was higher than the interest rate. He believed that now was the time to trust the stability of bank interest and make aggressive investments.

-But even if the ratio is low, the amount of insurance money and settlement money is quite large, so it’s still a significant amount.

“Just proceed with it.”

-……You’re stubborn. Fine. Then definitely give up on the stock. That company is really going to go bankrupt soon.”

“Is there no news of a merger with a public enterprise?”

Sanghyun was planning to invest in the stock of a pharmaceutical company. It was the predecessor of a company that would later become a promising public enterprise, and he remembered the name. Then, he happened to find the pharmaceutical company in the newspaper. The stock price was dirt cheap.

He didn’t remember when this company would be merged and become a public enterprise, but he believed it would happen eventually and planned to put some money in it like a bank deposit.

-A public enterprise? I don’t know what you heard, but that will never happen.

“I understand. Then I’ll give up on the stock trading, so please proceed with the fund.”

-Hmm, okay.

“Thank you for your concern. Have you had lunch?”

-No, I’m about to eat. Have you eaten, Sanghyun?

“Yes, I’m going home to eat too. Then have a good meal.”

-Okay. Let’s talk often.”

The call ended. The words ‘Let’s talk often’ felt like ‘Let’s have a meal sometime.’

Sanghyun had been worried about whether it was okay not to talk to Manager Oh, but he was relieved that it didn’t seem to matter much.

‘A merger that even a chaebol [large family-owned conglomerate] connection doesn’t know about… but the merger is definitely going to happen, right? Is the timing far off? Okay, let’s just give up on stock investments.’

He was confident that the pharmaceutical company would not go bankrupt and would merge with a public enterprise, but once he started paying attention to stocks, it seemed like it would consume too much time and energy.

He had to focus on music. Music.

Sanghyun recalled the performance at Sejong Instruments. It had been several days, but it felt as vivid as if it were just yesterday.

At the same time, it felt as hazy as a dream whether he had really done such a stage. There were just over 20 audience members, but the seats seemed full.

The moment when the expressions of the audience, who had looked doubtful when he first started rapping, finally changed to cheers.

When the bassist of Golden Finger, who had been ignoring him, got angry and disappeared.

When he added improvisation to an Aerosmith song and created a new sound.

He wanted to get better. He wanted to rap better.

He wanted to perform in front of more people and receive applause.

Desire stirred in Sanghyun’s heart. He wanted to create his own songs, not just other artists’ songs.

Then a text message came.

It was Shin Miju, the part-timer at Sejong Instruments.

-High schooler, you took the monthly exam today, right? Is it over?

-How did you know?

-I’m at the L&S practice room right now. Our Unsan High senior said he’ll kill you if you don’t come.

-Where is the practice room?

-Come to Yangdong Market. Call me two bus stops before you get off.

Sanghyun hesitated for a moment and then headed to Yangdong Market.

It was already 12 PM anyway. There were still 6 hours left before Sangmi’s school ended, and all the L&S people had made a good first impression. He had only seen the vocalist from afar, though.

The roads were quiet during lunchtime, and Sanghyun arrived quickly.

“Oh, you came quickly?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, this kid has no sociability. What’s with just saying ‘Yes’? You should say something like, ‘Hello, *noona* [term used by males to address older females they are close to]. How have you been?'”

She asks for a lot.

“The practice room isn’t far from here. About a five-minute walk? I like the L&S practice room the best. It’s close to the market, so there’s a lot of good food.”

“Are all the members there?”

“Yeah. Ah, no. The vocalist went to Daegu. That’s where his hometown is. Have you been to Daegu? It’s a basin, so it’s incredibly hot. Gwangju will be getting hot soon too when summer comes.”

She’s a talkative and noisy woman.

“Aren’t you working today?”

“The boss went to Seoul for a very, very, very important project, so the store is closed today.”

“Ah, I see.”

“No, if this *noona* emphasizes ‘very, very,’ shouldn’t you ask, ‘Oh, what kind of important project is it?'”

She’s a tiring woman.

“What kind of important project is it?”

“Shh! It’s a secret.”

She’s a crazy woman.

She must be a crazy woman.

“You were cursing me in your head, weren’t you.”

“It’s called force majeure [unforeseeable circumstances].”