The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 43

< Verse 5. A Certain Tuesday >

At first, Miju didn’t understand what he meant, but when she saw Sanghyun still holding the mop, she chuckled.

“Sanghyun said he didn’t want this older sister to suffer and took it from me. I absolutely! Didn’t want to neglect my role in the part-time job!”

“If only you could keep your mouth shut… And who told you to drink black tea without permission!”

“The madam told me to drink it… Just a moment. I’ll send her a text.”

“Miju-ya.”

“Yes?”

“The black tea is delicious, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Feel free to drink it anytime.”

Sanghyun and Miju laughed at the boss’s playful remark. They felt every day how good Hong Sajangnim [Boss Hong] was.

“Hello, Sajangnim.”

“Yes. Doesn’t Unsan High School have supplementary classes? My son goes to Yeonje High School, and he’s complaining all morning about having to go to school for supplementary classes.”

“We’re supposed to, but I skipped school today. I told my homeroom teacher that I’ve decided on a career in music.”

“Good, you did well.”

After seeing Sanghyun’s performance with L&S, Hong Sajang always told Sanghyun to dedicate himself to music.

Sanghyun didn’t dislike Hong Sajang, who highly valued him.

“But what brings you here?”

“Ah, a friend of mine wanted to see you.”

“A friend of yours? Is he in music?”

“Oh, a featuring offer, perhaps?”

Hong Sajang shook his head at Miju’s excited guess.

“He’s a professor at Jeonnam National University.”

“Yes? Why would a professor want to see me…?”

“That talkative professor will probably drone on and on, and I’m tired of listening to it. He’s at the Sugang Dabang [Korean-style coffee shop] right over there, so go see him.”

“I understand. I’ll wash my hands and go.”

Miju, curious about what was going on, asked the boss, but the boss told her to hear it from Sanghyun later and went up to the second floor.

Sanghyun promised Miju that he would let her know what was going on and headed to Sugang Dabang.

Sugang Dabang was the largest dabang in downtown Gwangju, playing 70s and 80s songs on LP records. The ratio of dabangs to coffee shops was still about half and half, so Sanghyun was now quite familiar with dabangs.

-Ting-a-ling

Opening the door with the sound of the bell, he heard Kim Kwang-seok’s “Letter from a Training Soldier” playing on an LP.

Sanghyun suddenly remembered a problem he had completely forgotten.

‘Come to think of it, what about the military service?’

His head became complicated with the sudden difficult question.

Originally, Sanghyun was exempt from military service. Sangmi and Sanghyun were the only ones on the family register, and Sangmi was a dependent under the age of 19. Of course, there was no fixed monthly income either.

However, Sanghyun almost had to enlist as an active-duty soldier, leaving Sangmi alone. The reason was his parents’ inheritance.

Fortunately, thanks to not managing it properly and being scammed several times, he had squandered a lot of his assets, and with a bit of a loophole, he was barely able to receive a military exemption as a ‘reduction in military service due to livelihood difficulties’ and was classified as a Class 2 Citizen.

But that’s not the case now.

Sanghyun had too much property under his name to receive a military service reduction due to livelihood difficulties.

‘But I can’t leave Sangmi alone at home and go to the military…’

Sanghyun, who had experienced social life as a military service exemption recipient, had felt the prejudice and discrimination, so he wanted to enlist as an active-duty soldier if possible. But if he did, Sangmi would have to live alone. That must never happen.

‘Can I get into public service or a defense industry company?’

Suddenly worried, Sanghyun decided to contact Attorney Lim, who was helping him through the introduction of Manager Oh Yeon-ju.

Just then, someone tapped Sanghyun on the shoulder.

“Lee Sanghyun-gun [Mr. Lee Sanghyun]?”

“Uh… yes?”

“You’re Sanghyun-gun, right? What are you thinking about in front of the door?”

“Ah… hello.”

Sanghyun belatedly greeted the elder politely.

He had forgotten why he had come to the dabang because he was worried about the military and Sangmi. Sanghyun smiled awkwardly.

After greeting him, he looked much older than Hong Sajang’s friend. However, the neatly dressed suit, befitting his profession as a professor, showed a certain dignity.

He was standing at the intersection of an old gentleman and a middle-aged gentleman, and he had a very kind impression.

“Nice to meet you. You look a bit different from your image at the concert.”

“Oh? Are you talking about my performance?”

“Yes. I went there too, don’t you remember?”

Sanghyun belatedly realized that the elderly gentleman he had seen at the concert was the professor in front of him. He looked so different in a suit that he didn’t recognize him.

“Ah, I remember. You were an acquaintance of Hong Sajangnim?”

“Well, a friend is a friend, but I’m four years older, so he’s a bit of an unfair friend.”

Sanghyun smiled and greeted him politely once again.

Professor Kim Woon-cheol. He was a professor with a gentle smile and a generous tone. He majored in ‘Korean Phonology’ in the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Jeonnam National University and was the leading authority in the field of phonology in Korea.

“Were you surprised that a professor suddenly wanted to see you?”

“No. Rather, please speak comfortably.”

“I’m used to speaking formally because I teach to the public… Then, shall I?”

After ordering two cups of dabang coffee, Professor Kim Woon-cheol told a story that was a bit absurd from Sanghyun’s point of view.

“So, you’re saying you’re going to investigate the voiceprint (voice fingerprint) of my voice?”

“To be precise, not only the voiceprint but also Sanghyun-gun’s oral structure, pronunciation structure, the shape of the larynx, the spacing of the vocal cords, the shape when pronouncing voiced and unvoiced consonants, etc., everything related to the voice.”

“Um… did you like my music so much that you chose me as a subject of investigation?”

Sanghyun carefully brought up the story because it could sound like he was showing off, but Professor Kim Woon-cheol smiled.

“In fact, the field of rap is too difficult for someone my age. It’s hard to get into it musically. Of course, it’s not entirely wrong that Sanghyun-gun’s rap is attractive.”

“Then, for what exact reason did you choose me?”

“Do you happen to know about the word ‘言靈’ (Kotodama) [soul of words]?”

While Sanghyun was bewildered by the sudden word, the coffee he had ordered came out. Professor Kim Woon-cheol, who smelled the coffee and took a few sips, began a long story.

“Kotodama is the spiritual power contained in the voice. It is often found in shamanistic beliefs such as those held by shamans.”

Originally, in ancient Japan, words (言: koto) and events that occurred in reality (事: koto) were the same concept without distinction. Even when Chinese characters were introduced, words and reality were used without distinction.

“I hope you don’t take my words too lightly. The study of this Kotodama has a surprisingly long history in the United States, Japan, and European countries.”

Professor Kim Woon-cheol began to tell his story in earnest.

“Do you know the best con man in the world?”

Frank William Abagnale.

The real model for the movie ‘Catch Me If You Can’ starring DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.

He was a world-renowned authority on crimes such as counterfeiting, document forgery, and embezzlement, and he had been working with the FBI for over 35 years.

The reason Frank came to work with the FBI was that he was originally a great con man who had fooled the FBI. From the ages of 16 to 21, he traveled to 50 states in 26 countries and forged $4 million worth of checks.

Also, although he dropped out of school at the age of 16, he had a history of disguising himself as an airline pilot for Pan Am, a pediatrician, and a lawyer.

“Can you imagine? A high school dropout became a pilot, then a pediatrician, then a lawyer?”

“Weren’t you suspected by the people around you?”

“Not at all!”

“In the context of what you’re saying, you’re saying that the con man named Frank has a voice that disarms others.”

Professor Kim Woon-cheol smiled at Sanghyun’s question.

“The expression ‘disarm’ is interesting. But that’s only in the sense of relieving vigilance, right? Rather than disarming, let’s say it’s a voice that seduces others a little more.”

Sanghyun was drawn into Professor Kim Woon-cheol’s story, which at first sounded absurd.

“What are the characteristics of such a voice?”

“Interestingly, when the voiceprint (voice fingerprint) recorded as a spiritual voice is analyzed with Micro, a certain wavelength pattern appears.”

“Then, are there any people I know who have such a voice?”

“Since you’re a musician, shall we take the Beatles as an example?”

“The Beatles?”

When the Beatles first arrived in the United States on February 7, 1964, more than 10,000 teenagers gathered at the airport.

And two days later, the ‘Ed Sullivan Show’ featuring the Beatles aired. The broadcast was watched by 73 million people, the highest record of all time.

Even more surprising was that not a single car wheel cap theft occurred in New York during the airing of the ‘Ed Sullivan Show’.

There was not a single major crime committed by teenagers across the United States because of the Beatles.

The Beatles’ legendary manager Brian Epstein once recalled the moment he first saw the Beatles:

‘And the Beatles came on stage. It was the first time in my life that I saw the Beatles. They weren’t neat or clean. They smoked, ate, talked, and acted like they were going to hit each other while playing. They turned their backs to the audience, shouted at people, joked with each other, and giggled. But the audience was very excited. It seemed like they were emitting some kind of human magnetism. I was drawn to them too.’

“Professor, do you think I have that spiritual voice?”

“Half and half. You might, or you might not.”

“Professor. This story can’t help but sound absurd. Frankly, I wasn’t that impressed by the Beatles’ music.”

“What did you listen to the Beatles’ songs with?”

“I listened to it online.”

Professor Kim Woon-cheol smiled once again.

However, research on spiritual voices has moved away from the interest of scholars as the Cold War, when the power of ideology was important, ended and society became highly developed.

For this reason, scholars usually talk about the development of communication media.

“Does Sanghyun-gun think that the voice in a phone call is the real voice of that person? What about the voice coming out of the television? What about the voice transformed by a machine? It’s worth thinking about why people who are fascinated by the charm of LPs don’t listen to CD albums.”

“Then, do you think that LPs contain the spiritual part of the voice as it is?”

“I think it’s possible to some extent. Do you know that CDs acknowledge the damage to sound quality and only contain the human audible frequency (sound that can be heard)?”

Professor Kim Woon-cheol believed that spiritual voices certainly existed. He had both a scholarly belief and a direct experience.

“Let me be honest. Sanghyun-gun, I don’t think you have a spiritual voice. But I had a very special experience listening to your rap during the performance.”

Professor Kim Woon-cheol heard Sanghyun’s voice at a performance he attended because of Hong Sajang. At first, he was listening without much thought because of the unfamiliar genre of rap, but from some point on, he felt that each and every lyric was flying towards him.

“I didn’t feel any particular charm in the opening song, ‘Gotta Move,’ because it felt too contrived and structured, and I didn’t think it was a special voice when you were joking on stage.”

However, when he listened to the songs after that, Professor Kim Woon-cheol had a different experience.

It was as if each and every lyric, each and every word, was floating in the air and then piercing him.

Even though the song wasn’t really his taste.

‘Could this friend be?’

Professor Kim Woon-cheol had great expectations for the feeling that language was being conveyed in an abnormal way.

Jack Welch, the youngest CEO of General Electric (GE), who grew GE into the world’s best company and was the best speaker.

When Jack Welch explained the company’s vision, employees said they felt the words popping out of his mouth and piercing their minds.

“Then, how do you evaluate me?”

“In some cases, there have been cases of women who only have a special voice when seducing men. I believe that you make a special sound when you rap. So I want to compare and record the voice when you rap and when you speak. Even if it’s far from Kotodama.”

Sanghyun suddenly remembered the old days.

‘Your PPT [PowerPoint presentation] is not good, but your PT [presentation] is so good. That’s why you get scolded so much.’

That’s what his supervisor used to tell him when he was working at the company.

He was so good at PT (presentation) that he gave the listener expectations, but the PPT (presentation material) to support the presentation was so ordinary that the more he reviewed it, the more disappointed he became.

“Professor. You said that if you Micro analyze a spiritual voice, a common wavelength is recorded?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, if I can make a sound according to that wavelength, will my voice become attractive?”

“Well? Maybe not. It’s not like you can throw the same ball just by copying the pitching form of a major league pitcher.”

“But if you follow the pitching form and practice, won’t the ball get better?”

Professor Kim Woon-cheol understood Sanghyun’s greed.

The desire as a musician to have a good voice.

It’s a relief. If he has a goal, he’ll participate in the research diligently.

Professor Kim Woon-cheol handed over his business card.

“Come to my lab sometime next week. You need to fill out documents for data recording, and you need various documents to receive support from the association as compensation for participating in the research. Don’t forget to bring a copy of your bankbook and a seal to receive the support money.”

“Is it a part-time job fee?”

Professor Kim Woon-cheol smiled.

“It won’t be enough.”

Sanghyun and Professor Kim Woon-cheol talked for a while longer. Sanghyun wanted to know more about the actual examples of the concept of ‘spiritual voice,’ and Professor Kim Woon-cheol wanted to understand the mechanism of rap.

< Verse 5. A Certain Tuesday > End

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