If we were together, we would be the perfect collabo - Monday to Sunday

Jung Ilhoon was practicing his rap at the back of the club near the rubbish bin. He was squeezing in one more run of his rap before his performance at midnight.

He had worked hard on his flow, pronunciation and beat of this rap for over a month now. Ever since the hyung he had worked with at the convenience store brought him to this club, he was enchanted. There was no other word for it. He dreamt of the day he could stand on the stage and show the other underground rappers that, despite his mushroom hair and slight frame, he could spit out a nasty rap like each and his own.

The chance came quickly. Seyong hyung from the convenience store had shown Ilhoon’s mix tape to the owner of the club, and he was placed on the set list for the third Saturday of February. Ilhoon was determined not to ruin this chance. An opportunity like this was one in a lifetime, and he would grasp it would both hands, tightly.

All the times he practiced and composed late into the night flashed through his mind as his tongue flowed smoother than honey as he practiced for the final time.

A noise behind him made him pause, mid-rap.

A girl around his age was standing there, phone pressed to her ear, staring at him. It was obvious she had stumbled upon him while trying to take a phone call. And although it was dark, Ilhoon could feel his heartbeat begin to accelerate. She had her hair tied in a messy bun. On her feet were the shiniest black-leathered Vans, paired with three quarter Harlem pants and a baggy yet fitted short-sleeved hoodie. She was dressed like a tom-boy, but was still dangerously pretty.

Both girl and boy gaped at each other. Ilhoon felt slightly embarrassed, because she had just stumbled upon him practicing. To a rubbish bin.

And was it the light, or did her cheeks flame bright red at the sight of him, too?

Before Ilhoon could utter a word, she turned around and ran back out the door she came from, leaving him to wonder if she was real or a figment of his imagination.

He could not concentrate any longer. She kept running through his mind, although he was unsure why. Her messy hair? The way it looked like it defied gravity, but without the help of an ounce of hairspray? Or was it her choice of shoes? Those shiny yet matte shoes that reflected the beam of the street light above them?

Ilhoon made his way back inside to find his hyung. There was no time for hesitation. His performance would be third from this one, and he needed to go backstage and prepare.

“Hyung!” Ilhoon spotted Seyong through the crowd and made his way toward him. He was standing with a group of older males around his age.

“Guys, this is Ilhoon. That mix tape I showed you guys! He’s performing tonight.” Seyong introduced the boy to the rest of his friends.

Ilhoon’s heart thumped along with the beat of the boom box. He was about to hear the first feedback of his first mix tape – ever.

“Are you sure it’s him?” A guy standing next to Seyong teased, reaching over to pinch Ilhoon’s cheek. “He looks so cute, he could make counting 1,2,3 look cute!”

Ilhoon smiled and bowed. “Thank you for listening to my tape, hyung-nim. I really appreciate your time.”

“Aish, Hoon, you’re so formal. It’s fine – these guys are cool. Are you ready to go backstage?” Seyong roared with laughter and sipped his beer.

Ilhoon nodded, cracking up to hide his embarrassment. “After this performance I’ll go, hyung.”

The group moved closer to the front of the stage to see the next performance. The crowd cheered loudly when they walked onto stage, and even louder when they saw it was a girl.

Ilhoon stared. She also stared. It was the girl from the rubbish bin, and his heart hammered faster. She was a performer?

He was entranced throughout the whole performance. She was the featuring artist for the rapper. Her soulful voice poured through the speakers and did nothing but help Ilhoon fall more and more for this girl whom he had never spoken to. Her voice did things to Ilhoon that he could not put into words. Like a magnet, it rooted him to the spot, making things around her seem blurry.

It ended faster than he would have liked. He gave a light shake of his head to clear it. He didn’t need distractions because he was about to kill it centimetres from where she was standing.

Seyong clapped him on the back. “Someone enjoyed that performance, eh?” He teased, causing his friends to laugh and clap him on the back too. “Time to go, Ilhoon. You’ll kill it – don’t worry.”

Ilhoon gave them all handshakes and made my way backstage. He was secretly hoping to bump into her, but it didn’t happen. He was ushered quickly onto stage, and before I knew it, my beat was blasting through the speakers.

The crowd was cheering Ilhoon on. Adrenalin was coursing through his veins. The alcohol was egging him on. He opened my mouth and rapped everything he had prepared, and more, into the microphone. The feeling when he heard them cheering made his heart soar and his mind go lightheaded like the healthiest of highs. 

Ilhoon hoped the girl was watching. He also hoped that she was impressed.

It ended too quickly. The final bang sounded and the crowd erupted in cheers and hoots for Jung Ilhoon. He could not stop smiling and grinning like an idiot from ear to ear.

He hopped off the stage and went to find Seyong. Walking through the crowd, people were patting him on the back. A permanent grin was set on Ilhoon's face, one that would not disappear for a while.

Finally, the boy found the older male. He was praising him with his friends but Ilhoon was still in a daze to register what he was saying.

Performing was the best feeling in the world. Ilhoon decided then and there that performing was what he wanted to do for the rest of my life. The feeling could not be put into words – it was pure joy and happiness and passion.

At the back of his mind was the girl. How did she manage to capture Ilhoon's attention without ever saying a word? He could only imagine how infatuated he would be if he did speak to her.

Ilhoon's eyes scraped the club like a bulldozer. He was determined to find her. He was on a high buzz from performing and felt  confident from the liquid courage.

No such luck. The club was too darkly lit with too many flashing lights and drifting smoke to make out any faces at all.

Someone tapped Ilhoon on the shoulder and he turned. Ilhoon's heart did another funny flip-flop. It was Seyong. Ha ha, it wasn’t him that made Ilhoon's heart flop – it was the girl standing next to him. Her.

“Ilhoon, I want you to meet Hyojin,” he said, giving Ilhoon a knowing look. “She sang earlier today. You guys should collab!” With that, he turned away.

“Sweet performance,” he leaned in and told her. “I remember you from earlier! If we were together, we would be the perfect collabo.”