The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 19

* I accidentally uploaded the same content as the previous episode. It was corrected around 9:43 PM. I apologize.

Since it’s the band survival portion of the festival, ranking high would mean gaining both prize money and recognition.

Even if I get eliminated, I can still gain connections with L&S, stage experience, and collaboration experience.

‘Is this the end?’

Let’s not get cocky. I’m still a newbie.

The byproducts of experience and connections are by no means small. Besides, if I become close with the band, wouldn’t I have a support system to rely on when I need composing or playing?

Sanghyun thought positively.

“When is the date?”

“It’s in mid-August. It starts with a pre-party on Friday the 12th and ends on Monday the 15th, which is Liberation Day. The main event is on Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th. This should be during the high school vacation, right?”

It was August 13th to 15th.

“Then is the 15th the closing ceremony?”

“That’s right. We’ll go on the evening of the 12th, and if we keep surviving and are included in the final 4 teams, we’ll participate in the closing ceremony on the 15th.”

“What if we get eliminated early?”

“We’ll come back on the 14th. We won’t even ask for room and board, so don’t worry. The band’s accommodations will be provided there. And if we win prize money, it’ll be divided by the number of people, including you.”

Sanghyun was touched by L&S’s consideration.

Even if Sanghyun does a great job featuring with his rap, he wouldn’t contribute enough to divide the prize money equally, but they mention dividing it by the number of people without hesitation.

“Is it not possible to commute from Gwangju?”

“It’ll be difficult because of the instruments. Especially drums; it’s a bit difficult to keep installing and disassembling them… And we can’t just leave expensive equipment in the accommodation. But why? It’s the high school vacation anyway, so it doesn’t matter, right?”

Then Miju chimed in.

“Sanghyun, let’s do it. If you do it, I’ll talk to the boss and get you a recording equipment set for rap recording. Since you have a slightly high tone, I’ll ask them to pick a good combination that stably captures high hertz [Hz, a unit of frequency]. How about it? Sounds good, right?”

“Does Nuna [an affectionate Korean term for older sister or female friend] participate with the keyboard?”

“Guest keyboardist.”

Miju smiled and made a V sign with her hand. Sanghyun chuckled but eventually shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do it.”

“What? Why…?”

“You don’t have to decide right away. Think about it slowly.”

“No. I think it’ll be difficult. I’m really sorry that you thought so highly of me.”

Sanghyun bowed his head with an apologetic expression.

Sanghyun was thinking about Sangmi. He knows that Sangmi is gradually finding peace of mind, but she still felt anxious without him and was experiencing agoraphobia [fear of places and situations that might cause panic, helplessness, or embarrassment]. He didn’t want to leave Sangmi alone at home.

‘It’s okay when I’m there, but…’

He himself had a hard time for almost a year when he was 18, so how much harder would it be for a 16-year-old?

In this situation, he couldn’t leave Sangmi alone for at least 3 days, or 4 days at most. Of course, she could come with him, but while preparing for the stage and performing, Sangmi would have to be alone in the middle of a crowded and large festival.

‘Should I invite Sangmi’s friends to go together? Or should Sangmi and I just commute from Gwangju?’

Sanghyun thought about various alternatives with a sense of regret but eventually shook his head.

He couldn’t take care of Sangmi forever, but it had only been a month since their parents passed away. He didn’t want to unnecessarily disrupt the psychological stability of her peaceful daily life.

Sanghyun felt a great sense of debt to his one and only sister.

“I’m really sorry.”

“What’s the reason?”

Miju asked at Sanghyun’s apology. Sanghyun made up an excuse.

“I’m not that confident in my music…”

“Don’t lie. You may not be certain, but you are confident. A guy who isn’t confident can’t do that on stage.”

“I’m not lying.”

“What you’re saying now is ignoring L&S, who are trying to bet on the band’s rise and fall with your musicality. You know that, right?”

Miju raised her voice.

Miju actually liked Golden Finger’s songs more than L&S’s when it came to just the songs. Golden Finger’s personality wasn’t great, but their self-composed songs were of a high standard.

However, she really liked the people of L&S.

You could see them working hard, and you could see the pain of the vocalist who couldn’t ride the trend. She liked their seriousness, which didn’t see music as just celebrity play or making money.

But Sanghyun refused right away without much thought, so she got angry.

“Tell me properly. What’s the reason? Don’t you want to do it with L&S? Is there no marketability?”

“That’s definitely not it.”

“Then what is it?”

“I have some circumstances.”

Even after Miju asked several times, Sanghyun only replied that he had circumstances. Sanghyun was also in a difficult position. He had good feelings for L&S, but he couldn’t speak his mind.

Of course, Sanghyun could have bluntly said that his parents had passed away and he couldn’t leave his sister alone. His parents passing away was a familiar thing to him for 20 years.

‘But…’

He didn’t want Sangmi to be called an orphan.

Sangmi’s middle school friends might already know, but it’s different from Sanghyun himself telling people from other circles. Regardless of whether people’s mouths are cheap or heavy, this kind of story spreads quickly.

“So what’s the reason!”

Miju finally got angry.

Sanghyun was in a difficult position, and Miju was angry.

Miju’s personality is to speak without thinking, so she couldn’t help but get angry when Sanghyun refused without any excuses or reasons.

The members of L&S smiled awkwardly and tried to stop them.

Bassist Yongjun tried to calm Miju down, saying why are you guys fighting over our business, but it was no use. As Miju’s complaints and grumbling grew longer, Sanghyun gradually got annoyed.

He wants to go too. It’s not that he absolutely doesn’t want to go.

“Please stop. You’re being loud.”

From Sanghyun’s point of view, he was being as polite as possible while getting angry at a woman much younger than him, but Miju didn’t see it that way. In the end, Miju cursed at Sanghyun and ran out of L&S’s practice room.

Silence fell for a moment after Miju left. What broke the silence was Yongjun’s bass sound.

-Bbambabbam, bbambbam bbam bbambabbam

The bass fanfare rang out, and the drummer also played the drums, making a dugudugudugu sound.

“Ugh, that noisy girl finally left. Sanghyun, you haven’t eaten, have you? Wait, I bought some pork belly earlier.”

“I’m really sorry. But it’s definitely not because I hate L&S that I can’t perform.”

“I know you have circumstances, you idiot. Miju will realize it in about an hour. She originally speaks without thinking, so she often regrets it, so please accept her apology later.”

“Yeah. I’ll talk to Miju. And if you ever resolve whatever circumstances you have, let me know. Oh, I’m not putting pressure on you. You don’t have to force yourself.”

“Yes. I can help anytime if you perform in Gwangju. Please contact me anytime if you need anything.”

“Let’s eat first. I’m hungry. But do you know our name?”

“I know. L&S.”

“Then what’s my name?”

To receive a question like a preliminary soldier flirting with a female college freshman.

“…I don’t know.”

Sanghyun grilled pork belly on the rooftop of the practice room and deepened his friendship with the L&S members. They were really good people.

Leader and lead guitarist Bang Minsik.

Drummer Hwang Insu, who is very interested in rap.

Bassist Yongjun, who keeps forcing respect as a school senior.

‘So there’s a Yong surname too.’

And vocalist Cha Inhyun, who is not here.

The vocalist had gone to Daegu, and the second guitarist was a graduate student, so it was hard to see his face, and he said that he was treated like someone who had left from some point on.

Sanghyun hadn’t talked much, but he started to like L&S. It was the first relationship they had as musicians to musicians. They ate meat and talked a lot.

“I didn’t know well, but Run-DMC are really great people, right?”

“They were the first rappers to enter the Billboard major, so. They are also praised for breaking down the boundaries between black and white, rap and rock.”

“What’s the rap you sang in Walk This Way back then? Is it your own lyrics?”

Yongjun, who was grilling the meat, asked.

“Yes.”

“It seemed like you were rapping to target Lee Kyungmin? Both the lyrics and. Was it impromptu? Freestyle? Yoyo?”

“No.”

Sanghyun smiled and shook his head.

After the performance at Sejong Instrument Store, Sanghyun found a notebook hidden in his desk drawer, which was his lyric notebook.

His memory was hazy, but he remembered that he had written it while nurturing his dream of becoming a rapper before his parents passed away. Most of it was childish, but there were some good lyrics.

The Run this town he sang in Run-DMC’s Walk this way was a relatively recently written lyric.

‘Does my body remember the lyrics?’

Suddenly, he felt uneasy about why the lyrics stuck to his mouth, but since he had experienced a mysterious event that could not be explained by reason anyway, he decided not to worry about it deeply and move on.

End

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