Episode 24
Summer vacation had started, but we didn't head to the beach or a campsite.
The place where instruments were being set up was none other than the streets of Hongdae.
'I guess everyone's gotten used to it by now.'
Seeing the team members skillfully checking the equipment, a smile crept onto my face before I knew it.
We had been busking for two weeks straight.
Since our schedules differed, we couldn't meet every day, but we had been playing together fairly consistently.
Thanks to that, Kim Drum, who had been a bit nervous at first, had even grown comfortable enough to show a certain composure.
'Now we even bring our practical exam pieces and play them for each other.'
These guys were making good use of their busking experience in their own way.
My worries that I might be wasting their time had also begun to disappear.
"We'll be starting soon."
"Yeah, we'll go with the set from two days ago for today's songs, right?"
"Yeah, if anyone wants to try their practical exam piece, go ahead."
It was right when we were going over the set list one last time.
"Semi Steps! We came to see you again today!"
"My boyfriend kept asking me to come, so I followed along!"
Before I knew it, I heard people lining up and shouting our team name.
At first, it had been a name no one knew on these Hongdae streets, but over the past few days, we had even gained regulars.
"You have to come see us tomorrow too!"
"Tomorrow? I'm coming to see you for a whole month!"
"Haha, I'm grateful for the sentiment, but…."
'We only plan to busk until this week.'
Not wanting to kill the mood for no reason, I moved straight into my introduction.
"Right then, without further ado, we'll start the first song."
After I counted the beat, the team members laid down the backing track.
"Everyone who knows the song, scream!"
The songs we had prepared were originals like Rebound and First Martini, but it was fine.
"Rebound!"
Thanks to our consistent performances, there were no regulars who didn't know our songs.
'This is what it's all about.'
The music continued for a long time.
Mixing chaotically with the music flowing from various spots, it deepened the Hongdae night.
"We'll stop here for today! Great work, everyone!"
"Hey! Encore! Just one more song!"
"...You know this is already the second encore, right?"
"Ah, really the last one!"
Thanks to that man's persistent encore request, we had to add a whopping three more songs before we could finish.
"The songs are good, huh?"
Right as we finished the stage, a group of rappers walked toward us.
It was the rapper we had freestyled with before and his crew members.
"How have you been?"
"Yeah, I heard Rapper Bard is tearing up the Hongdae streets these days, so how could I not come?"
"Haha... Are you heading in after busking?"
"Hmm?"
When I spoke while looking at the men carrying equipment behind the rapper, the rapper shrugged and answered.
"What are you talking about? We're just getting started."
"Ah...."
Right, they weren't students—they were adults.
"Pfft, we sleep at dawn and wake up at night, friend. Our schedule lines up perfectly with Hongdae."
"I'm jealous of that."
I remembered the things I had to put on hold because I had gotten younger.
'I wouldn't need to match the kids' curfew, and above all... alcohol!'
The sight of those rappers trying to grab a drink today too made me envious for no reason.
"So you're going to keep busking during vacation?"
"Ah, actually we're only doing it until next week."
"Huh? But vacation lasts until next month."
"We have to prepare for an audition."
"School Rapper?"
Honestly, I had only chosen to busk to test and utilize the effects.
I hadn't known there would be people who'd be this disappointed.
"They even offered to cast this friend. But he said he wouldn't appear on the show and is taking the audition instead."
Unlike the excited Kim Drum, the rapper's expression turned a bit strange.
"Hmm, it's a shame, but you've got your own convictions."
"You're saying it's a shame I didn't accept the casting offer?"
"No, appearing on the program."
Hearing that, a familiar name flashed through my mind.
'No way...'
I stared at the rapper's face once more.
He was a bit chubbier than his future self, but he was definitely the same person.
"...Lil Pex?"
The rapper's eyes went wide.
"What the, how do you know my rap name? I don't think I told you last time."
I had blurted it out and hurriedly covered my tracks.
"Ah, I heard your freestyle last time and wondered if it was you. I listened to you often on Soundcladius."
I smiled awkwardly, chewing on the name Lil Pex.
He was one of the rappers who took a negative stance toward hip-hop programs...
'The person who will become the winner of Show Me the Rapping in two years.'
The person who would accept the changing times and ultimately become a rapper loved by everyone was standing before me.
"Wow, meeting all my fans here. No wonder you rap so well!"
"That has nothing to do with it...."
"Ah, forget it! Keh, call me Hyung from now on!"
"...I'll call you Hyung."
Lil Pex's expression turned a bit more animated.
It would be a bit troublesome if he got too moved, but it was the perfect opportunity to ask a favor.
I took out my phone and handed it to Lil Pex.
"I want to make music with you later, Hyung."
"Sure, this is fate too, and you rap well. Don't forget to contact me."
It was an unexpected gain.
Actually, in the future, I had asked Lil Pex for a featuring.
Although the music had never been completed.
"Do well on that School Rapper filming! It might be an opportunity for you!"
"Of course. See you later."
Lil Pex waved, promising to meet again next time.
Seeing his healthy-looking figure, I smiled brightly before I knew it.
'This time, I'll be able to complete it.'
I gazed at the retreating figure of the first featured artist to appear on my remix for a long time.
* * *
Time passed quickly.
Because vacation time is wont to flow away helplessly.
'Finally, today is the day.'
I didn't feel it was regrettable or a shame. Rather, my heart was pounding with anticipation.
[School Rapper Filming Notice]
[Notice regarding today's filming of the Sewoon City regional preliminaries...]
The day of the School Rapper filming was today.
I skimmed through the text message and got ready to go out.
Thanks to my memories of having watched School Rapper 2 in the past, it was enough to just check the location and time.
[Semi Steps Group Chat]
[Seonji: Do well on the filming and come back!]
[Kim Drum: Hey, doing well is a given; you gotta tear it apart and come back.]
[Kim Drum: Turn all the other rappers into minced meat and show them who Semi Steps' rapper is!]
[Ahn Bass: He'll do fine on his own. Are you Jahoon or something?]
[Kim Drum: You stay out of this.]
Standing in front of the door, I looked at the messages from my team members flying in.
I'm the one who's filming, so why is Kim Drum more excited?
Smirking, I sent a reply saying I got it, when another message popped up.
[Park Yunseok: Are you going to the filming today?]
Wondering about Park Yunseok's out-of-the-blue message, I contacted him, and an unexpected reply followed.
[Park Yunseok: Let's meet at the bus stop in front of Sewoon Arts High School.]
Wondering what he meant, I suddenly remembered what he had said before vacation.
'Don't tell me that "see you in a month" meant...?'
When I hurried to the bus stop, I saw Park Yunseok waiting for me.
"...Are you going to the School Rapper 2 filming too?"
"Yeah, didn't I tell you?"
He looked at me for a moment before continuing.
"On the day of the concert. A writer named Yeon Jimin came to see me."
"What, so you got casted?"
"No, there was no talk of casting. She just said that you would be participating in School Rapper... and then left."
"Don't tell me you applied after hearing that?"
He didn't answer, but judging by his eyes, it seemed I was right.
"And aren't casting offers meaningless from the start?"
"What do you mean, meaningless? They skip the preliminaries, and I too was originally going to be casted..."
"Today we're doing the preliminaries and the first round together. Doesn't that mean the main filming starts today?"
...What?
My head got a bit complicated.
I hurriedly took out my phone and checked the message I had received earlier.
It seemed the preliminary round would really continue together with the Episode 1 filming.
"...It's real."
And that absurdity became even more certain upon entering the filming set.
A studio decorated similarly to a school auditorium.
Instead of just a few cameras that should have been there, several clusters of cameras were filming the inside of the studio.
I turned my gaze and searched for Yeon Jimin among them.
Finally, when my eyes met hers...
'I thought this side would be more interesting.'
Yeon Jimin looked at me with an expression that said as much.
'...She's a crazy writer.'
A drive that made my tongue click on its own.
What writer in the world changes the plot just because some participants are different?
'Where? Right here.'
Thanks to that, today became the filming of Episode 1 rather than a simple preliminary round.
All the applicants from Sewoon City gathered here, waiting for filming instructions.
"So in the end, preliminaries and the first round are happening together now? Then even if we get eliminated today, we might appear on TV."
"Ah, that's right. But won't this take too long?"
I heard the chatter of participants who had gathered first.
Since this shouldn't have been the main filming, it should have proceeded a bit more simply.
Not with opening remarks like that.
"Shout me out to the world! School Rapper Season 2! I'm the MC, Rapper Haetsal!"
MC Haetsal, standing in the center of the auditorium, grabbed the mic and announced the start of filming.
"Today is the Sewoon City regional preliminaries! Now then, show us your rap!"
"Waaah!"
In the center of the auditorium, the judges Lil Jason and Baycode could be seen.
This was good news.
If I received good evaluations from them, it would be advantageous in leading the season forward.
But there was also bad news.
'If it happens like this, the filming's flow becomes too long.'
That was the problem. As time passed, the producers would get tired.
Just like this.
"My rap that started since middle school...."
"I heard you well. Please return to your seat."
"Yo. Shout-out to mama, shout-out to papa...."
"Let's hear the next applicant's rap."
The harsh evaluations that continued along with the students' raps.
It was because they had to judge many students today, so the standards had risen.
"Ah... In my opinion, I think you still need a bit more understanding of hip-hop."
"Your fundamentals are very lacking. I can barely feel any rhyme either."
On top of that, kids whose level hadn't been filtered out beforehand because they didn't go through preliminaries.
As their raps continued, the producers' expressions grew darker.
"Haha... As expected, active rappers' standards are strict!"
MC Haetsal tried to wrap things up nicely, but the atmosphere kept dropping.
[Sewoon City Rapper Scores]
1st place Im Gyuseong - 92 points.
2nd place Shin Haebeom - 73 points.
3rd place Park Yuseong - 62 points.
You could tell just by looking at the scores recorded on the electronic display.
Out of a total of 200 points, students who couldn't even score 100 points were appearing one after another.
'She must be getting anxious.'
I subtly scanned the filming team where Yeon Jimin was sitting.
Seeing them busy, it seemed they were trying to take a break.
But I had no intention of letting them resume filming after a break.
[No. 65 - Park Jahoon]
I checked the next participant's name up on the electronic display.
'A situation where everyone's concentration has dropped due to successive below-standard performances.'
I checked the system window floating before my eyes once more and stood up from my seat.
Then I pushed through the distracted atmosphere, went down to the auditorium, and grabbed the mic.
"Can I start right away?"
"Uh...."
MC Haetsal looked toward the production staff to check if filming should proceed.
The answer came from an unexpected person.
"Yes. Let's hear it."
Lil Jason, who had leaned forward at some point, stared at me and spoke.
I took a deep breath and looked straight ahead.
Baycode was sitting there, his expression still not good.
Normally, it would be right to take a breather and then judge.
But not for me.
Turning this situation into a dramatic opportunity instead...
'Finally, I'll put it to proper use.'
Because I had a card I could play.
The effect whose usage I had steadily learned while busking.
[The effect of Bridge (1) has been activated!]
Seeing that it had activated for the last time, I opened my mouth.
"DJ. Drop the beat."
It was the moment to perfectly play the bridge to advance to the next stage.
The Regressor on the Beat