Episode 28
The practice room at Seoun Arts High.
It wasn't closed just because it was vacation, so quite a few students still came by.
Park Yunseok was one of them.
He recalled the recent filming.
'He's improved again since then.'
He compared the rap he'd heard from Park Jahun on set with his own.
A stage more immersive than ever.
And that soon led to results.
1st place, Park Jahun – 190 points.
2nd place, Park Yunseok – 178 points.
The scoreboard he'd looked up at after his own turn came to mind.
2nd place.
That unfamiliar rank kept swirling around in his head.
…What was I lacking?
He couldn't accept it.
He thought he'd practiced enough, and he felt he'd executed as much as he'd prepared.
But once again, the result was, without fail, Park Jahun's victory.
—Thud, thud.
Without realizing it, he rapped his knuckles against the hallway wall.
The whole time he walked, some uneasy feeling kept prodding at him.
'Am I anxious right now?'
An emotion he was experiencing for the first time.
He'd never been obsessed with rankings in his life. No, he'd never felt anything about them at all.
Because ever since he was born, he had been number one.
To Park Yunseok, rank had been nothing more than a simple number.
"Park Yunseok, you're the top scorer again this time. Everyone, applause."
"The winner of the concert preliminary round is… second-year Park Yunseok!"
Even after enrolling at Seoun Arts High, his standing remained the same.
Everyone acknowledged him and envied his skill.
Park Yunseok didn't think much of it either. Because it had always been that way.
But that notion shattered into pieces.
Because of a single person's appearance.
"The first place in the concert preliminary round goes to Team Seonji & Jahun!"
Park Jahun, who had seized the upper hand less than a year after transferring in.
Thanks to him, for the first time, he found himself looking up at someone.
But at the time, it hadn't bothered him.
Catching up to someone who was ahead of him.
He'd thought it wouldn't be difficult.
'…But in the end, I lost again. And not at school, but on a program evaluated by established rappers.'
If the score gap had been small, he might not have minded.
This time, the scores between Park Jahun and himself?
The difference was so large that it was impressive he'd even held onto second place.
How could he narrow this gap?
It was while he was pondering this.
"Huh? Park Yunseok?"
A man approached him, feigning delight.
It was definitely a face he'd seen somewhere.
"…That drummer from back then?"
"Haha, you calling me Drummer too?"
Seeing his smiling face, the memory became clear. It was Kim Hyeoncheol, who had performed on the concert stage with Park Jahun.
He struck up a conversation awkwardly.
"By the way, didn't you have filming? I think Park Jahun mentioned it."
"Filming ended yesterday, so I thought I'd practice some more."
"Wow, you're going straight back to practice without resting for a few days?"
"…I have to."
He couldn't stand the thought of resting after what happened yesterday.
"You've been practicing this whole time too?"
"Huh? Yeah. My entrance exams are right around the corner now too."
Kim Hyeoncheol scratched his head and smiled.
"I told the kids I was taking it easy, but truth is, I don't have much time right now either."
Looking closely, Kim Hyeoncheol's clothes were all soaked in sweat.
He'd pretended to be surprised to see me, but he'd been practicing all this time too?
"…Are you a hard worker too?"
"A hard worker?"
"Yeah, Park Jahun said he's the hardworking type. I was wondering if you're the same breed as him."
The word "hard worker" he'd heard when he went to find Park Jahun.
Strangely, it hadn't left his mind.
Perhaps it was because he felt they walked different paths.
'If there's a difference between Park Jahun and me, it might lie there.'
If so, could Kim Hyeoncheol's answer be a hint?
"Pfft, I'm far too lacking to be compared to Park Jahun. That guy's a real practice freak."
"…I see, so that's how it is?"
"But you're no slouch either."
"What?"
"Since I came to this school, I've never seen anyone practice as much as you. The kids just keep calling it talent. Aren't you a hard worker too?"
"Hmm… I haven't really thought about it separately."
That he practiced more than others?
He'd never counted the hours, so he didn't know.
Music just ran through his head nonstop, without rest.
It was simply to let that out that he sought the practice room.
"Then do you mind if I ask one more question?"
"Ask away. My wrist was hurting anyway, so I was taking a break."
"Me and Park Jahun. If there's a difference, what do you think it is?"
He decided to ask directly.
He was the student who'd played drums behind Park Jahun.
He thought maybe he'd noticed some difference.
"A difference? Hmm…"
The answer didn't come as quickly as he'd expected.
Was he choosing what to say?
Unlike the lighthearted demeanor he'd shown until now, Kim Hyeoncheol was quite careful.
"Well, I'm not a rap major, so I can't really say for sure, but…"
Kim Hyeoncheol continued, rolling his throbbing wrist.
"If we look at just the lyrics, I think Park Jahun seemed to have more experience. I heard he's tried a lot of different things because he wanted to learn rap."
"I'm speaking from a listener's perspective," Kim Hyeoncheol said.
Since both were already skilled rappers, he couldn't give advice on technical aspects or details.
Certainly.
He hadn't thought to compare the two from a listener's perspective.
At the unexpected idea, Park Yunseok nodded.
"Right? He does have something about him that doesn't match his age."
Kim Hyeoncheol said he too had been curious about Park Jahun's strange maturity.
So he'd asked what he'd done before transferring.
"I did part-time jobs to earn one semester's tuition for Seoun Arts High, and looked around here and there because I wanted to learn rap."
It wasn't an explanation that was entirely convincing.
Still, it was clear Park Jahun had more experience than others.
First Martini. And Second Bound.
His depth wasn't shallow compared to other rappers, so it was hard to see him as just a student.
Park Yunseok recalled what Park Jahun had said in the school practice room.
"I'm the hardworking type. Not the type who just watches… but the type who fights with experience."
Experience.
It felt like his mind was opening up.
If there was a difference between Park Jahun and himself, couldn't it be experience?
His thoughts were gradually organizing themselves.
"Thanks, Drummer."
"Haha, I have a proper name too, you know…"
Finishing the conversation, Park Yunseok turned around and exited the building.
"You're not going to the practice room?"
To Kim Hyeoncheol's puzzled question, Park Yunseok nodded.
The practice room he had gone to every single day for three years without fail.
Today, he planned to go somewhere else instead.
Life experience was surely difficult to accumulate quickly.
But he knew a place where people had such experiences and expressed them musically.
'I'm going to Hongdae too.'
He moved his steps diligently.
Park Jahun, who pulled further ahead of him every day.
He wanted to narrow that gap, even if only a little.
* * *
"Yo, Lil Pex."
A bar near the streets of Hongdae.
A man approached Lil Pex, waving his hand.
"You're here?"
"Yeah, but is it okay at this hour? What about your wife?"
"She's asleep right now. Well, it's not like we'll be drinking long."
"Heh. You've gone completely soft after getting married."
Don Mile, Lil Pex's longtime friend and rap rival.
He tipped his glass with a chuckle.
"But I heard you've been rapping with some student these days?"
"Huh? Word travels fast?"
"It's not really a rumor. I just asked the kids what you've been up to lately, and they said so. They even say he's good? That kid."
"He's good."
Saying it'd be quicker to see for himself, Lil Pex showed him his phone.
Inside, a cypher video filmed with Park Jahun was playing.
And when the video ended, Don Mile's expression was colored with shock.
"…He's really a student? Why is his rap so stable?"
"Heh, I had exactly that expression when I first saw him."
"Hmm…"
Don Mile's gaze fixed on Park Jahun in the phone.
He opened his mouth as if contemplating something.
"He's really good. Does he have an agency?"
"Probably not? But give up if you're thinking of recruiting him."
Lil Pex snatched the phone back.
"What the hell, I was listening."
"For starters, he's apparently going on a program. School Rapper."
"Hmm… so what?"
"He'll get offers from there."
"Still, you never know. His musical taste might align with ours."
Lil Pex stared at his friend.
Dreadlocks and a large frame.
He was used to it since they'd known each other a long time, but wouldn't a kid get scared if someone like this approached him?
"No way. He's too good for you."
"Come on. I'm Don Mile, you know?"
At that confidence, Lil Pex smirked.
It wasn't baseless bravado.
In the indie scene, there was no one who didn't know his label 'MICKING'.
"And it's a bit unexpected. I thought you'd talk a kid this talented out of going on broadcast, but I figured you'd try to send him my way instead."
"Well, it's not like I'm the one appearing. And I've got a feeling about this kid."
"What kind of feeling?"
"A feeling he's going to make it big."
"Oh… you're that confident?"
"Well, it's just a gut feeling."
Park Jahun, fearless from the very first meeting.
And the skill to back up that bravado.
'More than anything, his depth is something else.'
Technically, he was fresher and more trendy than anyone… yet his lyrics were deep.
A rap that was young but mature at the same time.
Wasn't he truly a rapper who could lead hip-hop…?
"Hmm… anyway, that's a relief. I thought you were going around rapping with the type I ran into earlier."
"What type?"
"Yeah, before I came, I met some acquaintances out front. We were trading a couple lines in a cypher, and some student kept staring."
"Oho… was he any good?"
"Nah? He looked interested, but when I tried to hand him the mic, he disappeared."
Don Mile recalled the student he'd briefly encountered.
"He looked pretty decent, but I don't know why he was so timid. All he had to do was say, 'I want to rap too.'"
"…You do have an intimidating look. You, I mean."
"What? Damn. A guy who couldn't have gotten married without a matchmaker is saying this?"
"Pft, you know my wife fell for my looks?"
"…I know a pretty good eye doctor. You should go soon."
Lil Pex and Don Mile looked at each other and chuckled.
The mood settled again when Lil Pex got to the main point.
"Anyway. So are you going to live off broadcast appearances now?"
"Well… what choice do I have? I need to build up the company for the crew's sake."
The reason the two had met here today.
Don Mile was preparing to leave the underground and step into a larger market.
"Anyway, I wasn't joking about what I said earlier."
"What, recruiting Park Jahun?"
"Yeah. We both know it's about time we had some young rappers on our roster… I know that too."
After a brief pause, he continued.
"I can't tell for sure just from the video. But if you get the chance, put in a word for me. If you're praising him that much, I can trust it and make a move."
Following Lil Jason, who had encountered Park Jahun at the concert…
…and now Don Mile, who was starting a new beginning.
The eyes of all the established rappers were turning toward Park Jahun.
The Regressor on the Beat