The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 86

< Verse 14. Be the Underground >

***

By 1 PM, spectators lined up to enter the Wild Card Series. Of the 12,500 total seats, over 8,000 were reserved, reflecting the intense interest in the Gwangju Tigers versus Incheon Sky game.

Cameras with OMB [Overseas Media Bureau] labels were already filming the entering spectators. Even though the footage would only amount to a few seconds on air, the OMB staff were already putting their heart and soul into it, as Baseball Story’s slogan was, ‘From pre-show performances to behind-the-scenes stories after the game, everything about baseball.’

-Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Distant drumbeats echoed from inside the stadium, the sound of the Gwangju Tigers’ cheer team starting their support as soon as the gates opened. Spectators waiting to enter bobbed their heads to the rhythm of the drums, engaging in lively conversation.

“How much did you bet this time?”

“I went with three to one, Gwangju Tigers. Win-win-loss-win.”

“The odds were lower for Incheon Sky, though, right?”

“When have we ever followed the experts’ opinions?”

The topics of conversation among the spectators were diverse. Of course, there were many stories about the game, but there were also personal stories about work, love, and more. It was a common sight at the baseball stadium.

And quite a few people were talking about the pre-show performance.

“What’s the name of the performance team today? It was some number, wasn’t it?”

“Team 888? Ah, no. 888 Crew.”

“Ah, right. But what’s a ‘crew’?”

“It’s like a group, maybe? Isn’t a crew what underground musicians call their group?”

“Don’t know? But are they celebrities too? Code Name is coming today; are they on a similar level?”

“Didn’t you see the article? It said the 888 Crew made a cheer song for Han Gwang-soo for free. They’re even performing ‘Gwang-soo Up’ today, right?”

“Ah, so the front office is giving them a chance to perform as thanks for making the cheer song? Han Gwang-soo’s cheer song is really popular.”

“I think the team is just trying to get on Han Gwang-soo’s good side… Han Gwang-soo’s contract is for five years, and he’ll only be thirty-three after those five years. If they sign him again then, Han Gwang-soo will just retire with the Tigers. As a franchise star.”

“Ah, is that so? Well, Han Gwang-soo is totally on fire these days. He was solid when he was with the Ulsan Pyros, but these days, it feels like he’s doing well in a surprisingly good way.”

“What does ‘doing well in a surprisingly good way’ even mean?”

Fans who casually enjoyed baseball accepted the pre-show performance as a pure performance. Or they thought of it as support for Han Gwang-soo, who was showing amazing stats after his transfer.

But the reactions of the baseball fanatics who were deeply immersed in baseball were slightly different. Fans who actively participated in baseball communities, checked internet articles, and were loyal enough to watch weekday away games in person. To them, 888 Crew was the Gwangju Tigers’ ‘muse,’ and Code Name was an evil ‘siren.’

-Did you guys see the article?

-Aren’t Code Name those losers who sell their faces? They’re famous for being terrible.

-My girlfriend was a fan of theirs, so I went to a concert with her, and then I broke up with her the next day. They just lip-synced the whole concert, and they only did like two live songs, but it made my ears rot.

-Isn’t the concept of a girlfriend only something that exists in imagination? Like a unicorn.

-Code Name being terrible is true, but honestly, I don’t even know who 888 Crew is. Are they any good? Or are they just amateurs?

-Absolutely not. I’m a baseball maniac and a hip-hop enthusiast, and 888 Crew is seriously, seriously, seriously, seriously! good. They haven’t been around for long, but they’re real monster rookies.

To put it in baseball terms, it’s like Han Ki-joo, who just broke the record for the highest high school draft bonus, receiving 1 billion won and joining the team? No. The evaluation that Han Ki-joo will receive if he gets about 15 wins next year is about the same as how the hip-hop scene is evaluating 888 Crew right now.

-That good…?

-Crazy, a rookie pitcher with 15 wins would just dominate the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] that year, right?

-It’s true. 888 Crew’s stats are exactly like that right now.

-If you know so much, compare 888 Crew and Code Name with baseball stats. I don’t really understand even after hearing the explanation.

-I wrote this for you guys who only know baseball. Take a good look.

[Code Name vs 888 Crew]

1. Debut: 2003 / 2005

2. High School Record: Looks / Skill

3. Contract Bonus: 80 million won / Over 1 billion won

4. Batting Average: 0.05 / 1.0

*Code Name has released a total of 20 songs, but only one of them has been considered decent. So, a batting average of .050.

*888 Crew has hit every song they’ve released so far. A perfect 1.000. Seriously awesome.

5. Slugging Percentage: 0.1 / 4.0

*888 Crew has only hit home runs since their debut. Hitting a home run in every at-bat results in a slugging percentage of 4.0.

-If I only listen to you, 888 Crew sounds like they’re amazing, but why don’t we know them? I think you’re just exaggerating.

-You guys only watch the first-string games when you watch baseball, right? Do you watch the Blue Dragon Flag [National High School Baseball Championship] or the Phoenix Flag [another national high school baseball tournament]? Honestly, you didn’t know about Han Ki-joo before he received 1 billion won and joined the team, did you? Are you interested in Triple-A leagues instead of the Major League? You’re not, right?

So, 888 Crew is like a player who started in the rookie league in American baseball and moved up to Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A in the shortest amount of time. They’re still in Triple-A because they lack experience, but each Major League manager is keeping a close eye on them, trying to call them up no matter what. Do you understand now?

-This guy is a total tutor. I completely understand.

-Anyway, so Code Name dissing 888 Crew as their hip-hop seniors is like a backup player with a .050 batting average who only warms the bench in the KBO dissing the ace of a minor league Triple-A team, who is also receiving crazy love calls from the Major League.

-The analogy is appropriate. So, in terms of the 2005 MLB [Major League Baseball], it’s like Ryan Zimmerman, who had over 100 RBIs [Runs Batted In] in his debut season.

-That’s about right if you’re talking about a hitter.

-Wow, so they were that famous. Their song ‘Gwangju Up’ is good, right?

-‘Gwangju Up’ is the original song for ‘Gwangsoo Up,’ right? Where can I listen to the song?

-It’s on the Tigers’ website.

-Are there lyrics too?

-You can see the lyrics by going to ‘Cheer Songs’ in the ‘FAN Service’ section. If you click next to ‘Gwangsoo UP,’ it will come out.

-Let’s memorize our ‘Gwangju Up’ song. The pre-show performance will also be broadcast on OMB Sport. It would be awesome to boo Code Name when they perform and sing along when ‘Gwangju Up’ is performed.

-Ugh, you guys have nothing better to do. No matter how much you guys act up in the community, you don’t even make up 10% of the people watching that day, so why are you wasting your energy on useless things?

-Why are you so negative about everything? If you just tell the people in front, behind, and to the sides of you when you’re waiting to enter the baseball stadium and when you’ve taken your seats, it’ll spread quickly.

-Do you really want to go through that much trouble just to boo Code Name?

-Do you boo the opposing team’s players because you really hate them? You’re just doing it to support our team, right?

-The way that guy talks is annoying, but there’s no need to boo Code Name. Can’t we just memorize the lyrics to ‘Gwangju Up’ and sing along enthusiastically when they perform? 888 Crew is really good, right? They’ll do better than Code Name on their own.

-But this is all just marketing. In reality, 888 Crew and Code Name will probably be laughing and having fun together in the waiting room, right?

-That’s true.

However, the waiting room where 888 Crew and Code Name were together was by no means a friendly atmosphere.

***

888 Crew and L&S members finished their final rehearsal and ate lunch boxes in the waiting room. Perhaps because the complete 888 and complete L&S had gathered for the first time in a while, there was a lot to say and a lot of laughter.

That atmosphere was broken when Code Name entered the waiting room.

“Ah, damn it. I really don’t want to perform. What’s so great that the audience is gathering like a swarm of insects?”

“Ugh, my head hurts.”

The Code Name members, who burst through the door without warning, plopped down on the sofa in one corner of the waiting room. Since there was no dedicated waiting room for performers at the Mudeung Stadium, they had to wait in the ‘Media Control Room.’ However, Kim Soo-hee, a veteran singer, was using the manager’s office due to her status.

-Tick, tick.

Sang-hyun, who had been eating lunch for a while, turned his gaze at the sudden sound. He saw the Code Name members lighting cigarettes.

‘Are these guys crazy?’

Sang-hyun frowned. Aside from the fact that there was a no-smoking sign, what kind of situation was it to smoke without saying a word while strangers were eating?

“Ah……”

Sang-mi turned her head at the puff of smoke. Seeing that, sparks flew from Sang-hyun’s eyes.

Of course, there are smokers in 888 Crew. Min-ho and In-hyuk smoke. But because the other six members are non-smokers, they always tried to be careful.

They didn’t even bring cigarettes when they came to the studio, and they were especially careful when Sang-mi, Ha-yeon, and Min-ji were there. On days when there was a crew gathering, they didn’t smoke all day in case they smelled.

Of course, it’s not like they expected that level of consideration from strangers. But at least if they were eating, if it was a non-smoking area, shouldn’t they ask at least once? Especially if they were on the same lineup to perform together.

Sang-hyun, who was furious, jumped up from his seat. He was about to snatch the cigarettes from the mouths of the Code Name members, who were spewing curse-filled complaints about what they were so unhappy about.

At that moment, Shin Ha-yeon, Oh Min-ji, and Shin Mi-joo, who had eaten their meals in advance and went to the bathroom together, entered the waiting room. The three women, who had entered with bright smiles, suddenly frowned.

“Ugh, cigarette smell.”

Mi-joo covered her nose, and Ha-yeon also frowned.

“What? This is a non-smoking area, isn’t it?”

Mi-joo initially thought that the Gwangju Tigers’ staff were smoking. Because there was no way that 888 Crew or L&S would do something like this.

However, the people smoking in the waiting room were not the Gwangju Tigers’ staff. It was Code Name, who Mi-joo had seen on TV once or twice.

“Hello. Are you guys 888 Crew?”

Rookie, who was sitting on the sofa smoking arrogantly, spoke to Mi-joo. The three women who had suddenly entered were quite attractive. They were attractive enough that if they dressed up properly, they would be more attractive than most people in the industry, even though they were wearing simple clothes and not trying to be flashy.

Rookie wasn’t the only one who thought this. The other Code Name members, who had been slumped over, also subtly examined the three women.

“No. I’m not 888 Crew, but L&S, who’s in charge of the backing band today? That doesn’t matter, please put out your cigarettes. Can’t you see it’s a non-smoking area?”

Mi-joo pointed to the no-smoking sign, and Rookie smiled and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

“Ah, I’m sorry. We couldn’t smoke the whole time because we were in the car for a long time. What’s your name?”

“Mind your own business? And aren’t the others going to put out their cigarettes?”

“Hey, hey, they’re telling you to put out your cigarettes.”

At Rookie’s words, the other members shrugged their shoulders, took a couple of puffs of their cigarettes, and stubbed them out in the ashtray. Rookie got up from his seat and approached Mi-joo.

“What position are you in the band? Vocal? Guitar?”

“Vocal and keyboard.”

“Oh, I’m thinking of adding a keyboard session to my solo digital single that I’m preparing now……”

Rookie subtly trailed off. For women who do music in the indie scene, just saying this much is enough to make the atmosphere better.

But Mi-joo’s gaze was on Sang-mi’s lunch box. When the lunch boxes were delivered to the waiting room, Sang-mi had shouted, ‘It’s my favorite chicken mayo!’ Mi-joo, who wasn’t very hungry, had taken some of her chicken and given it to Sang-mi. Sang-mi had said that she would mix the rice and sauce first and then eat the chicken all at once.

But now, Sang-mi’s lunch box, which was full of the chicken she had saved, was covered in cigarette ash. It had flown over when Rookie stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and got up. She was so angry.

Mi-joo looked straight at Rookie and said.

“Solo song, keyboard session, whatever, your breath stinks, so shut your mouth.”

“What?”

“Did you throw away your ability to understand when you bleached your hair? Shut your mouth.”

Rookie’s expression hardened.

“You little……!”

Rookie suddenly snatched Mi-joo’s clutch and threw it against the wall. With the sound of something breaking, the contents of the clutch scattered on the floor.

“You fucking bitch, you wanna die!”

Rookie strode over and roughly shoved Mi-joo’s shoulder. Mi-joo screamed and crashed into the wall.

At that moment, Sang-hyun, Jun-hyung, and In-hyuk’s fists flew towards Rookie’s face.

< Verse 14. Be the Underground > End

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