✰ Rap Star ⤑ Changlix

3

Rapping is a lot harder than you'd think. Especially in a language you didn't grow up learning from a young age. If I don't rap in Korean though, it won't be as impressive. I stare at the ceiling with an exasperated sigh. I've been sighing a lot more these days. It's not exactly a bad thing. It just means I'm tired and lost on what to do to achieve this guys attention. Why am I doing this again? Oh, right, cause I finally found something that interests me.
"You look exhausted. Are you really going to be rapping in the talent show?" The voice of Hyunjin sounds out. He's got a somewhat familiar face beside him carrying drinks into the practice room. Hyunjin rented it for modeling practice, but he's been letting me use it when he goes out.
"Yeah, I will be. Though, I'll probably make a fool of myself and lose all social credit," I joke, offering a tired smile to the guy next to the fashion major. "Hi Seungmin."
"Hello Felix. I for one am excited to see you perform," he hands me a cold drink with a gentle smile of his own.
"Thanks," I tell him while taking the drink from him. Seungmin is a music major like the 3racha majors. I don't know much else about him other than that. "Rapping is exhausting," I laugh out.
"Tell me about it," Seungmin agrees.
"Seungmin can always help you, he's good at rapping. Maybe not 3racha good but, good enough to get your little crush to notice you," Hyunjin speaks up.
I share a glance with Seungmin. He doesn't seem confident in his skills. It's worth a shot. That's how Seungmin and I end up becoming practice buddies. He shows me the basics on how to correctly project my voice and all while doing so, we get pretty close. Before I know it, it's the day of the talent show. I'm panicking. I've actually never been in front of a stage before. This is extremely new for me. To go out and do something I've never done before.
"Can I quit?" I ask Seungmin and Minho, who are shaking their heads at me.
"You started this mess on your own, now you have to finish it."
"He is here, right?"
"Yes, SpearB is in the crowd with CB97 and J.one. I'd never lie about that. I'm performing too, you know? J.one is here to support me."
Right, Minho's the dance major in our small friend group. I look in the mirror, my heart beating far too fast. My hair is dyed black and it's slicked down with gel. I have a baseball cap on and a white tank. There's a flannel tied around my waist and under that are some black jeans I got from a thrift store nearby. I'm scared. Is all of this really worth it?
"What if I do really bad and make a fool of myself? Did you mention me at all?"
"No, I didn't tell SpearB about you. I only told J.one. He dragged his ass to this performance, so I really hope you don't mess it up."
Minho doesn't make any of this better. I hear the performance before mine end and my heartbeat sky rockets. I'm singing a pretty controversial song. Black Skinhead by Kanye west. Of course I won't be saying any of the bad words. Some may still have mixed emotions about it either way. I'm a foreigner so my view is a bit different.
"It'll be alright. English is your first language so this won't be as difficult as rapping in Korean," Seungmin claps his hands onto my shoulders. He suggested I stick with something I'm more familiar with because then it will be more natural. I feel Seungmin shove me toward the stage. Thankfully the curtains are closed and there's just a single mic waiting for me. I gulp, my hands wrapping around the stand in front of me. Is this what SpearB feels when he's on stage? It's such a rush. I can't decide if I like it or not. The curtains start to pull themselves open. I look toward Minho and Seungmin who are smiling sweetly at me. I practiced so damn hard. Even if I mess up a little, just keep going. Seungmin took a lot of time out of his busy schedule to help me. He didn't even need too.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes, the beat of my chosen song filtering into my ears. I focus in on the drums and let myself forget that I'm on stage. If I just pretend I'm in the practice room, I'll be fine. Remember what it was like to sing as a child in the car with my mom. That's what this is. My moms watching. My head nods, fingers tapping on the metal to count down the start.
The only thing I can hear is the music and my voice. It's a lot deeper than I intend it to be. I guess it's because I'm nervous. I'm pretty stiff for the first minute. As I continue to rap out the lyrics, my shoulders relax and I find myself smiling. This is actually pretty fun. I remember SpearB dancing around the stage having the time of his life. My voice gets louder and I finally look at the crowd. They're enjoying it, I think. As soon as I say the final cuss word before a short pause, I take the microphone and head closer to the edge of the stage. Some girls are screaming, jumping up and down.
I squat down and fix my cap so my eyes are more visible. I stick out my hand and brush it against the few that are stuck out to me. I then start to rap again, but the pace is slowed and more aggressive. After a few seconds of that, I shoot up and start dancing around the stage. One of my arms out like an airplane as I rap and rap. I tilt my head away from the mic when the offensive parts come up. I avoid them. When it ends, I hear a bunch of cheers. I'm panting, but weirdly enough, I don't hate it. It was worth while. I think maybe, just maybe, I might actually like rapping. Not because SpearB has a nice voice, but because it's fun. I bow and head off of the stage, my body practically collapsing into Seungmin's.
"That was amazing, Felix," he says, but I can barely hear anything. I'm so tired. All that tension and anxiety that I'd tried to disguise was releasing itself in exhaustion.
"Good news Felix, you impressed Mr. Voice. J.one said they want to meet you whenever you're free," Minho's news is great, but I can't enjoy it as I pass out all too quickly.