The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 170

< Verse 25. Star – [12.03 Edited] >

Sanghyun could fully understand Hong Kyungsoo’s intentions at that moment.

‘He used Deputy Manager Oh Yeonjoo.’

Deputy Manager Oh Yeonjoo had eliminated all evidence that he hadn’t auditioned. But now, this was tightening the noose around his neck. The evidence that he hadn’t auditioned, that there was no reason to receive the contract fee, had completely disappeared.

At that moment, Sanghyun had a strange thought.

“Wasn’t the attack from Hong Kyungsoo’s line aimed at Deputy Manager Oh Yeonjoo? Looking at the current situation, it feels like they set this up from the beginning, targeting me….”

“We can’t know for sure either. Perhaps they’re trying to catch two birds with one stone.”

Sanghyun realized he was in a checkmate.

Of course, it wasn’t a perfect trap. As manipulated evidence, there had to be some loopholes, and if he gritted his teeth and fought a messy legal battle, he would have a high chance of winning.

But the fact that he had signed a contract with Ohkyung Entertainment became undeniable, and the fact that he had received money was recorded. Circumstantial evidence was created, giving the conglomerate a reason to persistently cling on.

The motto of Korean companies since the 80s was ‘Make it happen, even if it doesn’t work,’ and powerful groups, including those in the judiciary, were the ones who made the impossible possible.

Sanghyun tried to remain calm and said,

“What do you think will happen if we go to court, Attorney Lim?”

“If a normal legal battle takes place, we can win. However, I’m not sure if a dispute between an individual and a company, especially with the current contract details, can proceed normally. Even if it does, it will take a very long time. The opponent is Ohkyung, which effectively controls Korea.”

“Isn’t there a problem with the underage contract? My parents’ consent form was included at the time of the contract….”

“I’m really sorry. I have renewed the consent form as Lee Sanghyun’s legal representative.”

Sanghyun smiled bitterly. He thought Oh Yeonjoo had solidified the false contract to prevent it from being challenged, but rather, they were now asserting its validity.

“……”

Silence followed.

After a long silence, Sanghyun finally opened his mouth.

“I will fight. But rather than going to court, I want to handle it cleanly.”

“What do you mean?”

“I will pay the penalty. The amount of the contract fee claimed by Ohkyung Media is, in any case, lower than the accident compensation excluding lost profits, right? I mean I’ll pay that.”

“Lee Sanghyun, if that happens, you will incur huge losses, including the penalty. This is because it is a unilateral breach of contract, not an agreement. You will need most of your assets.”

Ohkyung Media would clearly inflate the contract fee to a level that Sanghyun couldn’t handle, so that he wouldn’t even consider paying the penalty.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Sanghyun made up his mind.

Ohkyung Media was touching the fundamental value of the musician Lee Sanghyun: doing what he wants to do.

This was a value that Sanghyun couldn’t dare to compare with money.

However, Attorney Lim was not someone who understood Sanghyun’s musical principles.

“Lee Sanghyun, the remaining contract period is only three and a half years. The trainee contract is a sub-contract, and the contract renewal begins when you debut as a singer. Conversely, if you don’t debut, they can’t force you to make music, and a debut against your will is impossible.”

“……”

“Just endure for three years. I don’t know much about music, but I don’t think there’s nothing to learn from Ohkyung Media.”

“Should I join the army?”

“As I said before, you can be exempted. Among your relatives within the eighth degree [a distant relative], excluding Lee Sanghyun, there are no dependents, and you have a female dependent under the age of 19. The cases are slightly different, but there have been similar precedents.”

Sanghyun sighed. In fact, he didn’t want to leave Sangmi, who was a high school student, and go to the army.

“Attorney Lim, please find out how much the contract fee is that Ohkyung Media is claiming. If they find out that I’m going to pay the penalty, they’ll inflate it even more, so keep it a secret.”

“……I understand.”

Attorney Lim realized that he couldn’t stop this young client.

Would ordinary musicians give up that much money for the sake of free music?

Having lived his whole life by reason and logic, he couldn’t understand Sanghyun’s beliefs and stubbornness, but he felt respect. He even felt a sense of duty to resolve this matter well.

However, in the end, Attorney Lim’s respect did not help Sanghyun.

The next day, Ohkyung Media’s overall pressure began to mount.

“Yes, I understand.”

Sanghyun hung up the phone and clenched his fist tightly. He was so angry that he couldn’t stand it.

It was already the third call.

The first was from the company that had leased the Seoul venue for the 888 Show, the second was from the Busan company, and the last was from Dream Entertainment, which was in charge of the stage production and performance of the 888 Show.

Their words were the same.

‘I’m really sorry. Ohkyung Media is pushing so hard that I had no choice but to call you.’

It wasn’t that they were canceling the lease or the contract right away. This was like Ohkyung Media’s unspoken pressure.

If he didn’t choose Ohkyung Media quickly, problems would arise in the activities of the 888 Crew.

Deputy Manager Oh Yeonjoo seemed to be struggling alone, but there were no significant results. In fact, Deputy Manager Oh Yeonjoo’s line had no reason to help Sanghyun. Unless it was a direct attack on Oh Yeonjoo or their line, Sanghyun was a pawn whose role was over after knocking down Chief Go.

‘The performance is less than a week away…….’

The Gwangju Kim Daejung Convention Center, a local public corporation, didn’t seem to be under pressure from Ohkyung Media, but there were many problems.

If Dream Entertainment withdrew, they would have to find a new company to take charge of stage production and progress. However, it would be difficult to find a major company.

In the end, they would have to find a minor company that Ohkyung Media couldn’t touch, but such minor companies were not trustworthy.

‘What if I use most of my assets for the penalty and then the activities of the 888 Crew are attacked? Aside from everything else, what about Sangmi’s education expenses?’

Of course, it would be difficult for Ohkyung Media to interfere with the sale of Official Bootlegs or Triple Eight. They couldn’t care about small local festivals either.

However, if rumors spread that Ohkyung Group was hostile to the 888 Crew, the show business industry would naturally be reluctant to scout the 888 Crew.

What if he wanted to release a new album, but there was no company to film it and distribute it?

Sanghyun sat down at his studio computer with a frustrated heart and fiddled with the mouse.

‘Should I go to Ohkyung Media after all? But that’s…….’

At that moment, a beat with an attractive light percussion began to flow through the speakers. He accidentally played the song while fiddling with the mouse.

The song was ‘Circle,’ the second group song after Eight, Eight, Eight.

If so, raise your hand-

Circle, circle,

Draw a lot of circles.

Circle, circle,

Draw a lot of circles.

Perhaps because it was a track before mixing, the voices of the eight members overlapped and flowed out at once.

Sanghyun, Junhyung, Sangmi, Minji, Hayeon, Minho, Inhyuk, Hwan.

The voices of the eight members were not volume-controlled, EQ-controlled [equalization-controlled], or sound pressure-controlled, but they filled Sanghyun’s heart and resonated.

Sanghyun felt the lump in his frustrated heart dissolve at that moment, and he felt his stuffy head lighten.

By clearly setting the boundaries of what he had to protect, he saw the answer to the seemingly complex problem.

After starting anew through a miraculous event, everything was too easy.

There were troubles, but they were emotional problems, not unsolvable problems. As a result, he tried hard not to lose everything he had, and his vision had narrowed.

The reason why Sanghyun was struggling so much with Ohkyung Media’s recruitment was because it was not what he wanted to do.

‘Then what is it that I want to do?’

As he stated in an interview with Hiphop LE [a Korean hip-hop online magazine], the 888 Crew is forever.

Forever 888 Crew.

When he first created the 888 Crew, it was just a team for musical growth. A team is a group of people united towards a single goal, and it scatters due to joining and leaving.

But not anymore.

The 888 Crew was a true family that transcended the categories of label, crew, and team.

When Sanghyun first thought of the song Circle, he thought that the 888 Crew was within the circle he was drawing.

But not anymore. He belongs to a very large circle called the 888 Crew. The music of the musician 56 is completed only within the 888 Crew.

What he had to protect was very simple.

Making music within the circle called the 888 Crew. Arguing, harmonizing, laughing, and enjoying music with the members inside.

There’s nothing we did wrong,

There’s nothing we did right,

We can just step back first,

We don’t have the courage.

We just have different thoughts,

We’re a great team now,

But we also fight sometimes,

If so, raise your hand-

His head cleared, and he began to see the surrounding situation properly.

Ohkyung Media’s attack was unavoidable if he tried to hold on to everything and not let go.

But as show business was, Ohkyung Media could also be overcome through the music of the 888 Crew.

‘But I’m not such an easy person either.’

With a much lighter expression, Sanghyun began to think of the knife he would put to Ohkyung Media’s chin.

***

Sanghyun went up to Seoul and met with Team Leader Hong Kyungsoo with Attorney Lim.

The place was a very luxurious Japanese restaurant.

“It’s been a while.”

“It hasn’t been long. We met at Kwangsoo hyung’s engagement party last time.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Sanghyun and Hong Kyungsoo shook hands. But the two didn’t say a word after the handshake.

After a long time, Sanghyun spoke first.

“Team Leader Hong Kyungsoo, you like sashimi, right?”

“Yes? Yes, I like it.”

“So are you trying to eat me raw?”

At Sanghyun’s unexpected words, Team Leader Hong Kyungsoo thought for a moment and replied.

“I don’t know how demanding contractual obligations equates to eating someone raw.”

“Stop talking nonsense and let’s negotiate since we’re sitting at the negotiation table.”

“A negotiation table…… What do you want?”

“I’m going to change some of the clauses in the contract.”

“Can I understand that to mean that Lee Sanghyun will belong to Ohkyung Media?”

“If the contract is properly adjusted.”

Team Leader Hong Kyungsoo took a sip of water and thought.

“What do you want?”

“Remove the restrictions on for-profit activities outside the company.”

“Huh, do you think that makes sense? You’re just an Ohkyung Media trainee and you’re going to focus on 888 Crew activities?”

“That’s exactly it.”

Team Leader Hong Kyungsoo made an absurd expression at Sanghyun’s words.

“Then what does Ohkyung Media get?”

“You won’t get anything.”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“Ohkyung Media doesn’t get anything, but Team Leader Hong Kyungsoo gets something, right? An opportunity to cover up the disgrace of incompetence.”

“……!”

< Verse 25. Star – [12.03 Edited] > End

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