The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 301

Sanghyun, still half-asleep, grumbled while rubbing his aching back.

“Sangmi, even so, isn’t slapping your own brother’s back a bit much after five years?”

“Well, is telling your sister to shut up okay after five years?”

“Did I? When did I tell you to shut up?”

“Are you looking down on me because I don’t speak English well? I know ‘shut the fuck up’ at least.”

At Sangmi’s words, Sanghyun glanced at Woominho and Kimhwan.

They nodded.

Only then did Sanghyun realize he had cursed in English while still drowsy. It seemed that being around gang members or friends who wore Compton hoodies had a contagious effect on his language.

“Ugh, whatever. I don’t remember. Do you even know how much life insurance is on your brother’s body before you hit me?”

“Wow, is this going to turn into a lawsuit or something?”

“Is this how you guys greet each other after five years?”

Bang Minsik asked Sanghyun and Sangmi with a smile.

Sanghyun was someone who had achieved a level of success that went beyond just being called successful.

Media outlets, always interested in other people’s financial situations, speculated about Sanghyun’s net worth every day. Whether their estimates were right or wrong, the amounts mentioned were in the hundreds of millions [of US dollars, likely].

Despite all that, Sanghyun didn’t seem to have changed.

He seemed a bit taller, and the youthful look from his high school days had completely disappeared with the passage of time, but the guy in front of him was definitely the same guy who sang “Run to Stardom” at Sejong Music.

He was the same guy who confidently shouted “Fuck Tha Showbiz.”

As he said in “Get That Money, Welcome to School,” money was just a means. It didn’t seem to have changed Sanghyun’s core.

Then Inhyuk chimed in.

“But why did you come so early? I thought you were taking a three o’clock flight?”

“I wanted to make a surprise appearance while avoiding the reporters. I arrived early this morning. I think I arrived around 5 a.m.?”

“If you’re going to have a surprise party, you need to prepare something. Why are you just sleeping?”

“I was originally going to do something, but my schedule in Japan was so busy that I barely slept for the past two days. I laid down on the sofa for a bit and slept for over eight hours. Korea’s energy is the best.”

After saying that, Sanghyun suddenly smiled at Inhyuk.

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], you didn’t want to clean, did you?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“It’s obvious. That’s why I prepared this.”

Only then did Inhyuk look around.

The house was very clean. It was thanks to the cleaning company that Hadel had arranged.

In fact, no matter how tired he was, he wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep on a sofa that hadn’t been used for a long time and was covered in dust.

“Wow, fucking surprise! A gift from America! Cleaning baby!”

Everyone chuckled at Inhyuk’s strange English banter, and Sanghyun burst out laughing as well.

Even after five years, Inhyuk hyung didn’t seem to have changed.

And neither had anyone else.

Of course, their appearances had changed a bit.

Sangmi was now a complete young lady, and Inhyuk hyung, Minho hyung, and Hwan hyung, whose ages now started with a 3 [meaning they are in their thirties], looked definitely like adults. Minsik hyung had become an uncle.

And…….

“But who is this person?”

Sanghyun asked, looking at the man who was standing awkwardly behind the sofa. He didn’t know who it was, but his face seemed familiar.

The shaved head suited his features, and his posture seemed familiar as well.

But he couldn’t figure out who it was.

The buzz-cut man had very handsome features, and it seemed hard to forget someone who looked like that.

‘Is he someone I met at the broadcasting station? Is he a celebrity?’

At Sanghyun’s genuinely puzzled expression, Park Inhyuk and Woo Minho burst out laughing.

“Kyungjae, you don’t know who he is?”

“Cheers to your unrequited love!”

“Ah, hyungs!”

The buzz-cut man, who hadn’t said a word, grumbled as if embarrassed.

Sanghyun thought that voice sounded familiar again.

Then the buzz-cut man looked at Sanghyun and asked.

“You really don’t know…….”

“Huh?! Dread?!”

“Yeah, you little shit. Didn’t you call me hyung when you left?”

‘He’s a bit clumsy and foolish, but he’s still a good hyung. But well, he’s going to the army soon, so we won’t be that close.’

‘Ah, you’re going to the army? Have a good service, oppa [term used by females to address older brothers or male friends].’

‘Uh, yeah.’

Sanghyun held out his hand to Dread, who was blinking at Sangmi’s greeting.

‘Hyung, have a good service.’

‘Uh… you too.’

As Dread said, Sanghyun had called Dread hyung at the farewell party before leaving for America.

This was because Sanghyun had become quite close to Dread while learning composition under Chae Daehan when he was affiliated with Ohkyung Media.

Dread had secretly taken care of Sanghyun, who was being ostracized at Ohkyung Media.

Furthermore, he had sided with Sanghyun, knowing that he would be labeled as a whistleblower, even though he still had a contract with Ohkyung Media.

‘Hey, what are you doing? You still have a contract with Ohkyung Media.’

‘This bastard is still complaining even when I do something good for him. And when are you going to start using honorifics with me?’

‘No, I mean, what are you going to do? Are you really going to quit being a celebrity?’

Dread chuckled at Sanghyun’s question.

‘I’m going to the army. I have about 30 months left on my contract, so I’ll have about 6 months left when I get back.’

‘What about after that?’

‘I’m going to rap in the underground. Why? You got a problem with that?’

The Dread that Sanghyun remembered was a handsome man with long hair and fair skin who could pull off various styles. Moreover, he rarely appeared without makeup since he was affiliated with a large agency.

But now, he had a buzz cut, dark skin, and no makeup at all.

It was a change that was hard to recognize at once.

“What? So you’re really rapping in the underground?”

“Hey, use honorifics!”

“I never used honorifics anyway. I’ll call you hyung, hyung.”

“Ah, well, even if that’s the case. What do you mean by ‘really rapping in the underground’?”

“I thought you’d come to your senses and study after you got out of the army.”

“This little punk?”

Dread grumbled, and Sanghyun smiled and held out his hand.

He was just joking because he was happy to see him.

If someone had told him when he first met Dread at the Mudeung Stadium, ‘You’re going to become friends with him later? You’ll be really happy to see him when you come back from America?’ he would have thought they were crazy.

That’s how terrible their first impression was.

But Dread had changed.

After accepting his shortcomings through Hip Hop the Vibe, he soon began to work hard. He apologized to Chae Daehan, whom he had avoided due to their bad relationship, and asked for his guidance. He also expressed respect to Sanghyun musically.

This was not an easy thing to do.

Sanghyun had changed many things about himself since his regression, but Dread had purely changed his life through his own efforts without the miracle of regression.

And the 888 Crew and Sanghyun’s music had become the motivation and standard for that.

In America, Sanghyun was often praised as a product of Eminem’s efforts.

He was evaluated as a rap star who appeared through the racial discrimination barrier that Eminem had made a small hole in.

And in this respect, Dread was like a product of Sanghyun’s efforts. Dread was someone who had run with Sanghyun as his role model, working hard for his one and only life.

That’s why he was so happy to see him.

“Minho hyung. Is this hyung good? I listened to a lot of Korean albums even in America, but I don’t think I saw the name Dread?”

“Ohkyung Media claimed ownership of the Dread stage name. It was too complicated to go to court, so he just created a new name.”

“What is it?”

“Economy.”

“Economy? What does it mean?”

“That’s his real name, Kyungjae.”

“……”

At Minho’s words, Sanghyun looked at Dread, speechless. He was sure that Dread would look embarrassed.

But Dread looked proud.

He was confidently sticking out his chest and had a proud expression on his face.

Sanghyun looked at him with a dumbfounded expression and suddenly remembered something and asked.

“But Dread hyung being here means he’s trying to join the 888 Crew?”

Today’s gathering was only for the 888 Crew and the band L&S. Colleagues who were close to Sanghyun, such as Stars Records and Caliph’s Soul Makers, were scheduled to meet separately next time.

Of course, the gathering wasn’t created with the intention of ‘You guys aren’t as close to us, so we’ll meet later!’

It was just a consideration from his colleagues to let him catch up with those he had shared hardships with since his underground days, since he had come to Korea after five years.

“That’s not it. We wouldn’t accept a new member without your consent. He’s just working with us, so he came along. This guy’s nickname is ‘Pa-ppa’.”

“Ah, hyung. Stop it.”

Dread tried to stop Kimhwan, and Sanghyun asked.

“Pa-ppa? Like dad?”

“No, FiveSix fanboy. I went to this guy’s house the other day and he had your poster on his bedside. Ugh, it was creepy.”

“No, that came with the CD I bought!”

Sanghyun smiled as he watched Kimhwan bickering with Dread. He seemed to know what they wanted to say.

“I’d welcome Dread hyung if he joined.”

Sanghyun had often talked to the 888 Crew members even in America. Except for when he was really busy, he talked to them two or three times a week.

But he couldn’t know everything over the phone.

In the five years that he was gone, Dread seemed to have become an existence that shared the same circle as the 888 Crew.

‘He’s been out of the army for three years, right?’

Sanghyun belatedly remembered a few things.

In the past, Sanghyun had talked to Junhyung and asked if Ohkyung Media was pushing the 888 Crew.

Junhyung’s answer was that there was pressure at first, but it disappeared over time, and there wasn’t any now.

This was the behavior that Sanghyun had expected.

The 888 Crew had a small number of members, but it was by no means a small group. Rather, it could be called a very large group, and no one would argue with that.

In order to keep such a large group in check, even Ohkyung Media would have to put in a lot of effort. And the word ‘effort’ could be called ‘opportunity cost’ when interpreted in terms of corporate economics.

Sanghyun thought that since he, who could be called their main enemy, was gone, Ohkyung Media would not actively try to keep the 888 Crew in check by investing human, material, and time resources.

That’s why Sanghyun had exposed the copyright, or rather, the illegal copying issue, and left for America.

But Junhyung had said something else at that time.

‘But Dread hyung is completely marked by Ohkyung Media, so it’s hard for him to do underground activities.’

‘Ah, that hyung should be getting out of the army soon, right? I should call him sometime.’

‘Don’t. He won’t even answer until he’s achieved some kind of success.’

‘Anyway, so? Is it hard for him to be active?’

‘Because he’s a whistleblower. They say big companies never forgive whistleblowers. So we’re helping him out in our own way. Dread hyung became a whistleblower to help the 888 Crew.’

This was a story from about two and a half years ago that came to mind when he saw Dread.

While Sanghyun was reminiscing about the past, Dread opened his mouth.

“I’m not joining, you idiot.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not joining the 888 Crew.”

“It’s your choice, so I’m not going to force you, but why?”

“If I join the 888 Crew, I won’t be evaluated for myself, but I’ll be Economy of the 888 Crew. I’m not a complete rapper yet, so I want to make my own distinct color, but the 888 Crew is too big of an entity for that.”

“Hmm…….”

“And if Dread from Ohkyung Media joins the 888 Crew, it’ll look like I’m running away, right?”

Just as Sanghyun was about to say something to Dread’s words, a commotion began to be heard from outside the door.

It was a noisy but familiar sound to Sanghyun.

“Oh, Junhyung oppa and the unnies [term used by younger people to address older sisters or female friends] must be here.”

Sangmi said that and told Sanghyun to hide.

Sanghyun understood Sangmi’s intention and hid behind the curtains in the living room.

Soon, Junhyung, Miju, and Minji arrived with the sound of the door opening. Not only them, but also the remaining members of L&S and Hayeon, who happened to arrive together, were there.

Everyone had gathered.

His precious colleagues who had been with him from the beginning of his music career.

However, L&S’s bassist, Yongjun, was absent from today’s gathering because he had gone down to Gwangju for his mother’s birthday.

“Oh? What, it’s cleaner than I thought?”

Miju said as she came in, and Bang Minsik replied.

“Ah, I just called a cleaning company.”

“Really? That was really fast.”

“The cleaning company employee hasn’t left yet. They said they just need to disinfect the window frames.”

“Really?”

At Minsik’s words, Miju and the newcomers found feet behind the curtain. And they wondered why they were hiding so strangely.

Then a voice was heard from behind the curtain.

“It’s all done. Who’s going to pay?”

“Miju, you have your wallet, right? I left my wallet, so you do it for now.”

“Oh? Okay. How much is it?”

“Five million six hundred thousand won [approximately $4,200 USD].”

“Pardon?”

Miju was shocked at the amount she heard from behind the curtain.

She thought five hundred and sixty thousand won was expensive, but five million six hundred thousand won?

“How much did you say?”

“Five million six hundred thousand won.”

Miju thought that the cleaning company was overcharging celebrities. She had heard that this often happened to public figures who couldn’t easily publicize negative events, but this was the first time she had experienced it.

Miju pulled back the curtain with a stiff expression.

“First, come out and tell me why it’s so expensive…….”

And then she found a familiar face smiling in the curtain.

“It’s been a while, nuna [term used by younger males to address older sisters or female friends].”

Those who knew of Sanghyun’s presence burst into laughter. Miju didn’t know what to do in the sudden situation, so she raised her hand and slapped Sanghyun’s back.

“What kind of prank is this after seeing you in five years!”

While Sanghyun was holding his burning back, Junhyung came over and held out his hand. Their hands met without a word.

Thus, countless stories began.

There were so many stories to tell.

The miraculous things that Sanghyun had experienced in America, and the years that the 888 Crew and the band L&S had spent in Korea.

They seemed to have spent completely different times, but there were so many similarities.

That was that they had been running with all their might every moment.

“Sanghyun, are you really done with your life in America? Even if you hate the Grammy Awards, isn’t it a waste of what you’ve accomplished?”

“Huh? What about the Grammy Awards?”

“I heard you stopped your activities in America because you hated the Grammy Awards?”

Only then did Sanghyun remember Hadel’s ‘slap and ignore’ tactic.

But that wasn’t true.

To Sanghyun, the Grammy Awards were now nothing.

Stopping his activities in America because of the Grammy Awards was a statement that Hadel had made to dramatically show his future course of action, and he wasn’t actually completely stopping his activities in America.

No, if you think about it, it was true.

It was true that he was stopping his activities based in America. But the act of releasing albums in English and performing was not stopped.

It was just that the promotional activities were minimized.

That’s why H&R INC Korea was created.

A company that established a close business cooperation system with H&R INC based in the United States, and was created for appropriate activities that would go back and forth between Korea and the United States as needed.

There was also the intention to target the Korean music market, but in fact, Korea was not a market that a company like H&R INC would target. It’s not that Korea is small, but that there are definitely more lucrative places than Korea. Like Japan or England.

So H&R INC Korea was a company that was created for Sanghyun while also serving other purposes.

“Let’s talk about the Grammy Awards later…….”

Sanghyun looked around at each person and opened his mouth.

“Minsik hyung. L&S doesn’t have an agency right now, right?”

“No. But since we work with the 888 Crew a lot, people often group us together as L&S8.”

“Junhyung. The 888 Crew doesn’t have an agency either, right?”

“Why are you asking? You know.”

“It’s just a formality, so shut up and tell me.”

“No.”

“Dread hyung, no, Economy? Ah, this is really weird.”

“What, you little punk.”

“Anyway, hyung, you don’t have an agency either, right?”

“I told you I don’t.”

Sanghyun said.

“I think the reason why we haven’t consciously or unconsciously joined a label until now is because the label would inevitably infringe on our musicality due to the characteristics of the Korean music market.”

“And?”

“So let’s create one. The 888 Label. Whether it becomes a subsidiary label of H&R INC is something everyone needs to discuss and decide, but let’s create one anyway.”

“Wow, the 888 Crew and the band L&S would be no joke?”

“I want to contact Soul Makers and Stars Records too.”

“Oh, that’s good too.”

“Hyung, why are you leaving me out?”

“Economy is too lame of a name.”

“If hyung joins the 888 Label, you might be able to get your name back? No, you can get it back.”

“I’ll join. Economy is cool too, but I like Dread better.”

“……Economy is cool?”

Thus, Korea’s super label, which would be with Sanghyun’s Act 3, was launched.

***

End