VHope Fluffshots

Rockstar

The underground music scene consisted of a connection of hole-in-the-wall bars and venues with just enough space to squeeze small trap kits and stacked amplifiers in the slightly elevated corners of their dining areas or rickety, wooden stages. These places were dirty and covered from wall to wall in graffiti, as if they were halls of fame of the past bands, soloists, and patrons who frequented those joints. The stench of alcohol permeated the places, often clinging to one's clothes several hours after the fact. 

While the modern pop scene dominated the surface, hip-hop, rock, jazz and alternative genres of music ran rampant through the Underground. Rap battles, battle of the bands, and the odd spoken word poetry night ruled. These events (minus the spoken word, unless one was a poetry nerd) were talked about for months before and after they took place, bets on who won and lost were fought over, and the entertainers themselves were swooned over and congratulated on their blatant stupidity or ingenious performances and lyrical masterpieces. 

Life was fast in the Underground, full of fleeting moments and once in a lifetime opportunities, as well as a small ring of scams that only the dumbest musicians fell for. 

No one knew this better than Kim Taehyung, the lead guitarist for the band The Black Swans. Everyone in the band sang, but when Taehyung was given the opportunity, their minor-key, alternative-rock style drastically changed into haunting rhythm and blues -- not the R&B that was popular in the mainstream, but original rhythm and blues. The slow, powerful rhythm accentuated the blues that Taehyung belted out. 

The Black Swans, when first starting out, were solely competing in battle of the bands shows, but the more battles they won, the more popularity they gained, and soon enough they were too booked in the Underground to continue on with the battles. 

Not that any of the band minded. 

Jihoon, the drummer, was happy that they no longer underwent the stress of the battles. The bassist, Giuk, enjoyed the night life of playing in the Underground. The rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist, Seokjin, felt more confident in a more relaxed setting than in the battles. Taehyung just liked making everyone forget their woes for a while. 

Tonight, they would be playing at Taehyung's best friend's bar, Gyopo Cellar. It was established for those who, while the term means "Koreans outside of Korea," seemed not to fit into Korean society, whether they were born in another country and were having trouble adjusting to their roots or made fun of for living life outside of the societal norms of the country. Hence why it was located in the Underground. 

It was going to be a full house and a night to remember for Kim Taehyung.

-------

"You promised you'd go with me this time," Namjoon whined, on the verge of stomping his foot like a toddler if his best friend took back his promise. 

Jung Hoseok was one of the last people anyone would expect someone like Namjoon to have as a best friend. While Namjoon had one foot in the Underground rap scene and the other in philosophy, Hoseok had one foot in photography and the other in astronomy. He dabbled in street dance in his teenage years, but a metro accident during his first year of university killed that dream. He hid behind a mask of positivity in order to keep himself from becoming bitter. 

"Joon, I'm really sorry, but tonight is --"

"You said that the last time!"

"Tonight's the anniversary of the accident!" Hoseok yelled, silencing his best friend. 

Namjoon's frown softened into a concerned pout, arms falling limply to his sides as he watched Hoseok fix the leg on his telescope's tripod.

He wasn't there that day, nor did he ever ask Hoseok about it; all the information was revealed on the news for months. A metro car full of schoolchildren and Hoseok had been blown up. Despite his best efforts, Hoseok was the only one who lived. He underwent reconstructive surgery of the left side of his body, leaving him with a slight limp and nasty scarring on his face due to shrapnel. A piece of shrapnel pierced his left eye, rendering him blind in that eye. Namjoon loved to point out that the cloudiness in his eye looked like a galaxy.