The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 181

The completed beat featured a classical-style performance on a grand piano, with drums, bass, and oboe subtly woven in as supporting sounds. Although piano and oboe were prominent, the overall sound was less rich and more… lonely.

Then, Hayeon slowly stepped forward.

Her voice, trembling slightly more than usual, sought to capture a riverside that existed only in memory.

Hayeon’s ‘Let’s Live by the River’ was a song born from her memories of her mother, who succumbed to cancer, and her father, a broadcasting station correspondent who died in an accident.

She shared her family history with the crew members for the first time. They had vaguely suspected that Hayeon’s mother was gone, but they were heartbroken to learn that her father wasn’t her biological parent.

Sangmi, in particular, cried so much after hearing Hayeon’s story that Hayeon felt almost embarrassed by the outpouring of emotion.

Hayeon found the strength to complete the unfinished lyrics in the comforting embrace of Minji and Sangmi, who held her tightly.

Mom, Dad, let’s live by the river.

Our house fence, a hazy memory,

The dandelions that bloomed beneath it are now alone,
Dandelion seeds, scattered by the wind.

Originally, the riverside in Kim Sowol’s poem [a famous Korean poet] symbolizes a peaceful haven, but for Hayeon, the riverside with her mom and dad was an unattainable paradise. Because they were no longer there.

When she was very young, her house had a large yard and a sturdy fence. Beneath that fence, yellow dandelions bloomed profusely, their origin a mystery.

But now the dandelion has become a seed, adrift and alone.

Carried away by the wind.

Two dandelion seeds that flew to the sky,
Will they look down at the seed left beneath the ground, perhaps?
When you come, deep in my heart,
The tears I’ve hidden will light the way.

Like that, her two parents departed for the sky, and Hayeon in the past was like the last trembling seed, on the verge of being scattered. She was so overwhelmed with sadness that she lost her motivation in life.

But even so, the reason she lived on, the reason she had no choice but to bury her sadness deep within, was the belief that her parents were watching from above.

Hayeon’s voice grew passionate.

She had vowed to remain composed during rehearsals, but she couldn’t help but be swept away by her emotions. Before she knew it, Hayeon’s eyes welled up with tears, and her voice became choked.

But her rap didn’t falter, her precision didn’t waver. The reporters momentarily forgot to take pictures, captivated by Hayeon’s performance. Even those who didn’t understand the language could feel the depth of her sorrow.

Mom, Dad, let’s live by the river.

A mountain cabin where two seeds have taken root,
A pine tree catches the clouds,
A squirrel runs into the room.

Where did the two dandelion seeds that flew up to the sky go?

Hayeon sincerely hoped they had found their riverside.

A mountain cabin nestled where water can be seen. Clouds clinging to the tips of a picturesque pine tree, and a squirrel, drawn by the scent of rice, darting into the room.

The first utterance, ‘Mom, Dad, let’s live by the river,’ was a yearning to live together. But now, the repeated phrase ‘Mom, Dad, let’s live by the river’ was a wish for them to live happily by the river in heaven.

Within that wish, there was a sense of resignation, the acceptance that she could not join them.

But,

Mom, Dad, let’s live by the river,
The person where my seed’s loneliness has taken root,
Even though spring hasn’t come, you sprouted my seed,
A love bigger than that place where water flows.

The repeated phrase ‘Mom, Dad, let’s live by the river’ now became words of comfort to her parents in heaven, assuring them that she was alright. It was a way of saying that they could be happy by the river.

Because she had found someone who could nurture the loneliness of her seed. Someone who made her bloom even before spring arrived. Her current dad, not related by blood, but a true father in every sense of the word.

Now, that person was no longer alone. She had her new family, the 888 Crew.

They couldn’t possibly know how much the seven members had helped her. And among them, Sanghyun stood out the most.

Sanghyun’s scent, expression, tone, voice… There was nothing about him she didn’t adore.

‘Yes. Hayeon, you’re pretty, so you’ll definitely be able to appear on TV.’

Those were the words Sanghyun had spoken to her when he first saw her at the initial gathering of the 888 Crew.

In fact, Hayeon initially thought Sanghyun was a bit odd when she heard those words.

In some ways, it felt like a clumsy attempt to flirt, which could have been off-putting. But she only found it strange because she didn’t detect any ulterior motives in Sanghyun’s eyes.

But in the end, Sanghyun had made her dream a reality.

Following him with trust, she had found herself on TV before she knew it, allowing her parents in heaven to see her.

And recently, on the evening when she revealed her story about her parents, Hayeon had a conversation with Sanghyun. She discovered that their first meeting hadn’t been at the cafe where the crew members gathered.

‘Remission,’ she sang at the hospital.

Sanghyun had been there.

Only then could Hayeon truly understand Sanghyun’s words. At that time, Sanghyun had felt a deep connection with her.

‘But why didn’t you tell me you saw me at the hospital?’

‘I thought you might be bothered if I told you. Because of the fact that I knew about that part of your life.’

‘……Let’s make Channel Heaven [a reference to a song she sang].’

Mom, Sister, let’s live by the river.

There is sparkling golden sand in the yard,
Outside the back door, there is a song of reeds,
Mom, Sister, let’s live by the river.

Hayeon’s resolute voice began to deliver the chorus with all her might.

The chorus was a direct borrowing from Kim Sowol’s poem ‘Mom, Sister, Let’s Live by the River,’ the original inspiration.

Strong emotion surged through Hayeon’s voice, once filled with loneliness and regret, now brimming with hope.

The ‘Mom’ and ‘Sister’ she called out to were Minji, Inhyuk, and Hwan. It could have been Junhyung, Sangmi, or Minho. And it could have been Sanghyun.

Mom, Sister, let’s live by the river.

There is sparkling golden sand in the yard,
Outside the back door, there is a song of reeds,
Mom, Sister, let’s live by the river.

At that moment, a ‘woo’ sound, exquisitely mixed, filled the space between the speakers. A sound that was pitch-shifted down and heavily compressed, resembling a deep bass or the sound of wind rushing through a narrow passage.

As the sound subtly intertwined with the piano and oboe, it amplified the sense of loneliness.

Mom, Sister, let’s live by the river.

There is sparkling golden sand in the yard,
Outside the back door, there is a song of reeds,
Mom, Sister, let’s live by the river.

But soon, a high-pitched ‘ah’ sound replaced the existing lonely sound. In an instant, the beat seemed to transform into something still tinged with loneliness, but ultimately hopeful. It was Minho’s masterful sound manipulation.

At that moment, the audience realized that the two sound samples were strangely familiar.

‘Where have I heard it…….’

It was the cheers and jeers they had made just before the performance started. Their participation, which they had considered a mere pastime to lighten the mood, had become the most crucial element, and a shared emotion resonated within everyone’s hearts.

‘I want to have it.’

A possessiveness, a desire to claim this moment as their own.

The 888 Crew’s performance, being captured as a video art piece today, would be exclusively awarded to the auction winner, along with a poem engraved on a plaque. A clause stipulated that the same work would never be recreated or exhibited again.

It was one of a kind in the world.

Furthermore, the entire auction amount would be donated, a method designed to increase the willingness to purchase. It wasn’t a system where money was paid to the gallery and then donated by the gallery, but one where the buyer directly made a donation to a Korean charity and presented the donation receipt to the gallery.

In countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, donation tax deductions ranged from 75% to 100%. Donation was a common practice for those accustomed to paying substantial taxes.

It was a moment when a subtle sense of competition began to bloom among the gallerists, separate from the appreciation of the performance itself.

After Hayeon and Minji’s ‘Let’s Live by the River,’ Junhyung and Kim Hwan’s ‘Mirror’ followed.

The song ‘Mirror’ was inspired by the observation that when you raise your right hand while looking in a mirror, the person in the reflection raises their left hand, and vice versa.

I raised my right hand, but for those who see me reflected in the mirror, the fact that I raised my left hand remains an undeniable truth.

Junhyung and Hwan explored the theme that distortion can occur in all outcomes, but the fundamental action of raising a hand remains unchanged. The lyrics were open to interpretation, prompting intriguing expressions from the listeners.

After those two songs concluded, it was Sanghyun’s turn to conclude the second act of Haenggan.

“Hello. I’m Lee Sanghyun from 888 Crew.”

A smattering of applause greeted Sanghyun’s introduction.

“The song I’m going to perform today is called ‘Noble Impulse.'”

Sanghyun provided a brief introduction to the song in English. Not to flaunt his English skills, but because English was the most widely understood language among the audience.

‘Noble Impulse,’ as the title suggested, celebrated the vitality and dignity inherent in the emotion of impulse.

“I don’t think fire would have been discovered if there hadn’t been an impulse to seek warmth. Edison wouldn’t have invented the light bulb if there hadn’t been an impulse to desire light even in the darkness of night. The impulse to connect with loved ones across distances led to the creation of the telephone.”

As Sanghyun’s explanation continued at a measured pace, Woominho’s MPC [Music Production Controller] began to weave a beat.

Sanghyun’s words felt like the intro to a song. It was an intentional arrangement from the start.

The beat of ‘Noble Impulse’ was based on orchestral harmony, similar to ‘Lonely Road.’ But the format of the beat was not ‘performance’ but ‘collision.’

The moment the sounds of timpani and cymbals clashed, the moment the clarinet and flute collided, the moment the violin and cello intertwined. The sound of that moment was meticulously dissected and utilized as a single instrument.

This created an intriguing effect, where the sounds of stringed and brass instruments took on the characteristics of percussion instruments (instruments that produce sound through striking and hitting).

Of course, subtle ghost notes of drums and bass gently connected the sounds from within.

While Woominho’s MPC live performance continued, Sanghyun, as was his habit, scanned the gallery. He could see quite a few gallerists, and their expressions were clearly visible.

What impulses are they experiencing now?

Some might feel the urge to dance to the beat, while others might be so bored with the setting that they want to escape immediately. And some might have a pressing need to use the restroom.

And Sanghyun was eager to rap.

But not yet. Even a sports car yearning to unleash its full potential cannot perform without a suitable road. Attempting to drive on a poorly constructed road will only result in the car’s undercarriage being scraped by the speed bumps.

‘It’s a real experience.’

So he patiently waited for the perfect road that Minho was meticulously constructing.

And finally, Minho’s beat was complete.

The beat of ‘Noble Impulse’ possessed a completely different energy compared to the previous two songs. While the previous songs emphasized restraint, the current song conveyed a powerful sense of an exploding emotional vortex.

Sanghyun’s rap began to erupt roughly into the space where the cymbals and timpani collided with fierce intensity.

End

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