The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 57

< Verse 9. Twisted World >

Was it because the song was too good? No.

Then because the song was bad? That wasn’t it either.

It was because Cha In-hyun couldn’t sing this song. Also, it was because he absolutely shouldn’t sing this song.

“……!”

Sang-hyun doubted his ears.

Why was this song coming from Cha In-hyun’s mouth?

‘What? What’s going on?’

At first, he thought he had misheard or that it was a coincidence. But the more he listened to the lyrics, the more he realized he hadn’t misheard.

This song is……

just one life, everyone has only one life,

Why only excuses while possessing a jewel?

The gap between freedom and subjugation, the end of life and

The deep sense of despair that becomes commonplace.

The song Cha In-hyun was singing was ‘Only One Life,’ which Caliph would release in 2007!

My appearance gradually disappears over time

What am I weighing on the scales of time?

Change the gaze of the person looking at me

Into a smile, I want to smile before I die

Not a single word was wrong. Even the parts where he checked the rhymes were the same. Only a smooth melody was added, transforming the rap into an R&B tempo song.

How could this happen?

This song hasn’t been released yet…….

At that moment, Sang-hyun couldn’t help but think of the hospital rooftop, the place where he had vowed to live his life with rap. There was only one possible explanation for the leak of a song that hadn’t been released yet.

Cha In-hyun was on the rooftop at that time.

At the moment when he was singing ‘Only One Life.’

‘You’re losing to music for the first time, right? You’ve won everything until now, haven’t you? But I’ve been losing for years. There were small victories, but I lost more often.’

Sang-hyun belatedly understood what Cha In-hyun wanted to say. He realized the message that the seemingly disjointed sentences were trying to convey.

He wasn’t comforting or rebuking him. He wasn’t giving advice as a senior in music either.

He was just making excuses to himself.

‘Of course, I don’t want to lose. I can’t lose anymore. There’s no turning back.’

‘So I can do anything because I want to win now. But you’re losing for the first time, right?’

I’m desperate. So,

‘Instead of getting angry, understand the other person and look back at yourself. You still have many opportunities.’

Forgive me.

Sang-hyun could now understand all the situations. Cha In-hyun’s actions and attitude.

He remembered when he first met Cha In-hyun. He couldn’t hide his embarrassment when he saw him.

That was why he was so uncomfortable and 신경쓰던 [concerned] about him. He felt guilty. He was embarrassed because the owner of the stolen song suddenly appeared. Cha In-hyun thought that ‘Only One Life’ was Sang-hyun’s song.

‘No. That’s not my song.’

Sang-hyun could have cursed at Cha In-hyun and then forgiven him if he had stolen his song.

But not this song.

This song is a song that Cha In-hyun should not sing.

In 2007, Caliph was going to quit music after releasing his 3rd album. This was because Caliph’s mother, who was responsible for his livelihood, had fallen ill.

The unexpected luck that came at that time was the popular success of ‘Only One Life.’ Thanks to this song, Caliph was able to chart, appear on TV, and earn money.

And with that as a driving force, he grew his own label, Soul Makerz. He was able to help friends who were struggling with financial difficulties and focus on music.

The success of Soul Makerz is an indicator.

An indicator that underground hip-hop can succeed in Korea as well. And that indicator changed more than he thought.

Sang-hyun couldn’t fathom how much his carelessly sung future song would twist the world.

‘No, that’s not what’s important. The world isn’t important.’

What’s really important is Caliph, who had his inspiration stolen.

This song is a song that changed the life of a person named Caliph. It changed not only Caliph’s life but also the lives of the Soul Makerz members who made music together.

It was a song that Sang-hyun listened to while comforting himself whenever he felt lonely, poor, and burdened with responsibility when he went to college in Seoul.

It was the first album he bought, saving money on food, and it was a song he listened to whenever he had a hard time while graduating from college and working in society.

Yes. ‘Only One Life’ was a song that should never have been stolen by Cha In-hyun.

Sang-hyun stood there blankly, not knowing what to do.

Anger, guilt, and embarrassment filled his head, and the ringing in his ears obscured Cha In-hyun’s song.

The judges’ praise that followed ‘One’s’ performance was not heard.

The words that he would avenge Golden Finger and advance to the semi-finals were not heard.

The cheers of the L&S members who came down from the stage and high-fived were not heard.

He stared blankly at Cha In-hyun, and Cha In-hyun never looked at Lee Sang-hyun.

***

In June 2005, L&S performed a ‘Hope Concert for Hospitalized Patients’ at Ilgok Hospital.

After finishing their performance, which was the opening act, the L&S members left, and Cha In-hyun remained at the hospital. This was because his father was hospitalized at Ilgok Hospital.

“So, is your music doing well?”

His father’s voice, which seemed to be on the verge of dying out, threw a stone into Cha In-hyun’s heart with a thud.

Cha In-hyun couldn’t answer. He went up to the hospital rooftop out of frustration. He desperately rummaged through his pockets, thinking of the cigarettes he had already quit, but all that came out were a few hundred won coins, his cell phone, and a recorder.

-Buzz

When he played the recorder, the melodies he had sketched were played along with dirty noise.

‘Will this really help?’

He thought he had worked harder than anyone else. He did his best every moment. But nothing improved.

Cha In-hyun cried. He cried leaning against the corner of the hospital rooftop. He stopped crying when he heard someone coming up to the rooftop, but his heart continued to cry.

‘If I jump from here, I’ll die, right?’

As he was looking down at the bottom of the rooftop railing, he heard a song somewhere. No, it wasn’t a song, it was a rap.

The rap, which echoed on the quiet hospital rooftop, was attractive even without accompaniment. The lyrical lyrics and subtle melody immediately caught his ear.

‘What is this?’

It was a type of music that Cha In-hyun had never heard before. It seemed like rap, but it contained a melody that stuck in people’s ears. He pressed the record button without realizing it.

When he peeked out, a male student in a patient gown was singing.

The student soon left. But the song remained in Cha In-hyun’s recorder.

Cha In-hyun became convinced, although there was no basis for it.

This song will be a hit!

‘Is this an opportunity given by God?’

Cha In-hyun headed to Daegu as if possessed by something.

In Daegu, there was a composer 형 [hyung – older brother or close male friend] who had made music with him in high school. Cha In-hyun earned living expenses by working as a 노가다 [nogada – manual labor/construction work] in Daegu. And with the remaining money, he rented a studio and produced songs. He was tired, but he worked hard while cutting back on sleep.

It was a song that didn’t match his music style or L&S’s music style at all, but what did it matter? As long as he could succeed.

‘Why am I so sure that this song will be a success?’

He didn’t even know. But he couldn’t stop making the song as if he was possessed by something. After searching the copyright association, the 음원 [eumwon – music/sound source] association, and the internet, it turned out that this song was not yet registered.

He felt guilty for stealing the song. But after suffering for nearly a month, ridiculously, the perception that this song was ‘my song’ became strong.

And when Cha In-hyun returned to Gwangju, he once again realized that the world was not that easy.

In an absurd turn of events, the owner of the song was practicing with L&S.

“형, hello.”

“Uh…….”

After that, Cha In-hyun’s mind wavered whenever he saw Lee Sang-hyun.

Some days he thought he should return the song to Lee Sang-hyun, and other days he felt stubborn and thought he would release this song first.

Cha In-hyun had no choice but to passively wait for the situation.

During the L&S8 performance with L&S and 888, Cha In-hyun hoped that Sang-hyun would sing that song because then he could let go of his lingering feelings.

But Lee Sang-hyun didn’t mention that song at all. Even when he tentatively asked if he had any other songs, it was never mentioned.

‘Was it just a song he was throwing away?’

Was it not important to him? Should he just give Lee Sang-hyun money and buy it?

Around that time, the composer 형 [hyung – older brother or close male friend] in Daegu happened to pass his song to a large agency. Although it was a guide version, the agency, recognizing the potential of the song, tried to buy the song from Cha In-hyun.

When Cha In-hyun refused, the agency offered a very generous exclusive contract on the condition that the song be included in a famous singer’s album. Of course, they said that royalties would be paid normally.

The agency was in a hurry due to the issue of releasing a famous singer’s album.

It was an album issue for a singer that the whole nation knew. They had been producing the album for over a year, but they were postponing the release because they didn’t like the title track. Of course, his fans were angry.

Cha In-hyun told the agency to have a meeting after the Jeonju World DJ Festival. And then he bet the situation on God’s dice.

If he gets to sing this song in the World DJ Festival finals, then this song is mine. If he doesn’t, he will return it to Lee Sang-hyun.

And then he participated in the World DJ Festival.

Cha In-hyun was always envious and jealous of Lee Sang-hyun.

Lee Sang-hyun looked rich and seemed to have a lot of money. He was close to his younger sibling, and it was clear that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Also, although he had never shown it because his family situation was complicated, Miju, whom Cha In-hyun secretly liked, seemed to like Sang-hyun.

At the same time, Sang-hyun had some ‘talent’ that was hard to express: the power to captivate people, the power to focus on the song, the power to convey the lyrics, even the talent to make songs.

‘Yes, if I win, this song is mine.’

However, L&S was eliminated in the round of 14. He felt like the back of his head was tingling, but after a while, he felt relieved.

He thought it was better that way.

But,

“형, that’s the song you were going to use in the finals.”

“If we fall in the quarterfinals, there are no finals.”

“Still……!”

“What are you going to do with the song? That’s the best song you’ve ever made. Let’s do our best.”

“Ah…….”

Cha In-hyun eventually nodded. Maybe he was waiting for Bang Min-shik to set the stage.

That’s how the quarterfinals began.

Cha In-hyun looked down at Lee Sang-hyun from the stage.

Yes, Lee Sang-hyun was a good guy. No matter how much he pushed him away, he greeted him kindly and sincerely liked L&S.

‘Okay, then I’ll be the bad guy.’

Lee Sang-hyun can’t be a bad guy, so he has no choice but to become bad.

Cha In-hyun’s song, with gritted teeth, began, and L&S advanced to the semi-finals with tremendous praise.

As soon as he came down from the stage, he received a call from the agency, as if they knew. The agency was completely impatient. They offered even more generous terms than before.

“Can I add a condition that you will release my album within two years?”

The agency accepted Cha In-hyun’s request.

That’s how Caliph’s ‘Only One Life’ became Cha In-hyun’s song.

< Verse 9. Twisted World > End

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