The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 23

< Verse 2. Gotta Move >

President Hong seemed to be thinking about something before he threw out a seemingly random question.

“So, you stopped by the store that day to get a quote for equipment?”

“Yes.”

“Did you look into it beforehand?”

“I didn’t.”

“Not at all?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I was just a bit busy…….”

Sanghyun scratched his head. He was indeed busy, but it might also be a holdover from his old habits – the mindset of a boss.

“Busy? How busy were you?”

Sanghyun suddenly felt President Hong’s question was subtly aggressive. The tone of the man who had been so friendly just a moment ago had shifted.

However, Sanghyun laughed it off rather than getting upset. After all, Hong was older and a respected figure, practically the godfather of Gwangju’s indie music scene. There was no need to make an enemy.

“I just had some things going on.”

“How long have you been doing music?”

“I just started this year.”

“What’s your goal?”

“To succeed with music.”

“Success? What kind of success?”

Sanghyun paused for a moment at President Hong’s question before answering honestly.

“What is success in a capitalist market? Isn’t it when my supply has endless demand? If there’s a lot of demand, the value will go up too.”

“Hmm…….”

President Hong stroked his chin.

In fact, the reason he wanted to meet Lee Sanghyun wasn’t for any particular reason. It was just that the AIMMF [Asia-Pacific Independent Music Market Forum] steering committee chairman had shown great interest, and President Hong himself had become curious about Sanghyun’s music.

But as they talked, there were too many things that bothered him. Wasn’t Sanghyun just a fledgling who hadn’t even sprouted yet? Yet he seemed to be aiming for ‘stability’ rather than ‘growth’.

‘A guy like that can’t grow…….’

President Hong asked again.

“Do you like music? Or do you like the image of yourself doing music?”

“Of course…….”

I want to get better. I want to rap better.

I want to perform in front of more people and be applauded.

Sanghyun wanted to say the former, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer.

“Sanghyun. No, I’ll just call you comfortably. Is that okay?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Sanghyun, even people who really love music get tired and wander when they make it their profession. But from what I see, you seem to value the image you’re projecting more than the music itself.”

“Excuse me for interrupting, but I haven’t been doing music for very long. I think it’s a bit early to be talking about my attitude already.”

“No. That’s why I can say it even more. What are you preparing now, when you’ve only been doing music for a few months? Nothing at all. I don’t really know much about rap, but I know you have to do something.”

President Hong stared straight at Sanghyun and continued.

“You’re not looking into equipment, you’re not studying instruments, and you’re not working on songs. How can you say you’re someone who just started doing music?”

‘Don’t you have anything to do? You said you’re doing music? It just looks like you’re lazing around at home all day?’

‘But what you’re trying to do is art, right? Not math?’

Sanghyun heard President Hong’s words and Sangmi’s words overlapping.

“Should I be honest with you? You’re not a musician yet.”

“Didn’t you say my performance was good before?”

Sanghyun felt a little frustrated.

“Your performance was terrible in terms of musical perfection. It just looked good because the combination of rap and metal was so fresh. How much can you understand about music when you can’t even read chords or sheet music?”

Miju was watching both of them, noticing President Hong’s increasingly harsh language.

‘Ugh, why does it always get so tense when I get involved?’

Sanghyun didn’t respond to President Hong’s words.

“Can you make a rap as good as the one you performed last time?”

“Yes, I can.”

“I don’t think you can. That last song was just a fluke.”

“That’s a bit much.”

“You know better than I do whether it’s too much or not.”

Sanghyun thought President Hong didn’t know anything about hip hop.

You don’t have to know chords or read sheet music to rap.

Quincy Jones, the legendary producer who produced Michael Jackson’s music, said that rap is a new form of sound art that cannot be completely contained in the traditional music category.

Sanghyun couldn’t stand the bubbling anger inside him and got up from his seat first.

“I’m sorry, but my sister is home alone, so I have to go. I enjoyed the meal, and thank you for the good advice. I’ll keep it in mind.”

Sanghyun bowed and left the restaurant.

For a while, the only sound at the table was President Hong and Miju eating.

“President, why were you so aggressive?”

“What did I do?”

“You’re not usually like that.”

President Hong rinsed his mouth with water and smiled.

“What do you think about that guy’s music?”

“What do I know about rap? It just had charm.”

“He’s overflowing with charm. But there are three things that bother me a lot.”

“Three things? Are you going to say it’s four and call it ‘ssagaji’ [a Korean slang term for someone rude or disrespectful]?”

President Hong tapped Miju on the back of the head, saying it wasn’t funny.

“First, that guy is arrogant. That’s for sure. If he did that well in his first performance, he must be talented, but arrogance is the most powerful herbicide that kills talent.”

There are definitely geniuses. But there are no arrogant geniuses.

“Second, he doesn’t get angry.”

“Huh? Angry?”

“He’s only eighteen years old. But no matter how much you put him down and criticize his music, he doesn’t get mad. How can a guy like that make music that touches people’s hearts? He’s much more rational than emotional.”

“Maybe he’s just gritting his teeth and holding back?”

“No, that guy is calculating with his head.”

“Then what’s the last thing?”

At Miju’s question, President Hong hesitated.

“The AIMMF chairman’s interest in that guy wasn’t normal.”

“Huh? Isn’t that a good thing then?”

“If Golden Finger or L&S [likely references to large entertainment agencies] were contacted, it would definitely be a good thing. But not for Sanghyun.”

“Why?”

“He doesn’t have his own musical philosophy yet, he hasn’t had any experience with failure, and he doesn’t have any knowledge. He doesn’t know what to accept and what to ignore. If he gets in touch with a big company’s entertainment division now, he’ll just be made into a product to be used for a few years.”

That was what President Hong was most worried about.

Miju grinned.

“What, you’re such a busybody as always, President. Did you volunteer to be the villain? You’re such a godfather!”

Miju hummed the theme song from The Godfather. President Hong hit Miju on the back of the head. Miju screamed.

“Villain my foot…….”

“Why didn’t you just tell him kindly?”

“What do I know about rap? Anyway, that guy has talent, so he just needs to get his direction right.”

President Hong stroked his chin for a moment.

“It would be good for him to see some plays.”

“Sanghyun? Why plays?”

“Plays in small theaters are a medium that emphasizes delivery (conveying power) in a way that can’t even be compared to dramas or movies. It’s similar to the genre of rap in some ways.”

President Hong thought that the AIMMF chairman’s ambition could be much more poisonous to Sanghyun than he had told Miju.

The ambition to re-enter the entertainment affiliate no matter what.

The AIMMF chairman laughed at President Hong for being naive, but in fact, President Hong had also investigated the chairman’s background.

< Verse 2. Gotta Move > End

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