Lee Sangmin was right, the club was packed with people. When I climbed on the platform to take over the console, some of the regulars began whistling. I grinned and out of curiosity looked up on the ceiling. In crowded places like clubs, monsters used to hang out on the ceiling. They would gurgle and wheeze, I believed they were exchanging information about people. But I wasn´t sure of course. There were so many tonight that it looked like a disastrous oil spill. Black stuff moving in waves, I decided to not look up for the rest of the night.

“Great welcome as always!” I said into the mike. “Your DJ Meolchi is here to pump up the party!”

Playing with the mix, I let the music play loud again. The crowd began dancing and jumping as I waved my arm in the air to the rhythm. Today I wasn´t in the best mood but the music couldn´t fail to cheer me up. I loved music more than anything else in the world and I was sure I couldn´t find anything more important in the future either. Maybe that´s why all my girlfriends left me after some time. I didn´t even miss them, because I had my music.

“Jewel DJ, Show me the money!” The girls at the front, right under the mixing console were yelling at me. I looked at them and shook my head. I didn´t want to do this when we had VIPs.

“Please!” They cried. “Show me the money, show me the money, show me the money!” They chanted and even people that didn´t know what the chant was about screamed together. I glanced at Lee Sangmin and he nodded his head, gesturing me to make it short. I nodded and quieted the music a little.

“So you want to hear the jewel rapper, huh?” I said into the mike and with the other hand searched the playlist for something fitting.

“Yeah!” The girls were in the lead with screaming. I chuckled, this is what I get for playing around. Sometimes when I´m bored, I unexpectedly rap into the music I´m playing. It´s a joke I do for the regulars who know me. Who would have thought I would end up doing this other time than at five in the morning for the afterparty people?

“You dare me?!” I laughed.

“Yeah!” They said and I dropped the beat. The crowd screamed, I grabbed the mike and pressed it against my lips. Everything had to be done in style and it couldn´t interrupt the party or we would be in troubles. Here we go. I mixed my beat into the trendy song as a bridge.

“The place behind the keyboard is your last,

behind me are friends that put in me trust.

Forever living like that you try.

Desperate excuses nobody will ever encrust.

You look at me so hard like that, why?

Pitiful! Watch and see whether out of here I overfly.

Keep hiding there and continue your crazy outcry!

I will walk my path; you my tail only follow!

See clearly with your two eyes how far do I go.”

Spitting bars as if they were nothing but air. I was looking up at the ceiling the whole time and my fingers were clutching the microphone for dear life. My lungs were almost empty when I pronounced the last rhyme and then hit the mixing console with my fingers, heavy beats roaring through the club like an animal. The crowd was ecstatic, everyone screamed. The girls in the frontline were jumping, barely hanging on their high heels. I only slowly put down the mike and took a sip from the glass of juice I had on the table.

The hard party went for an hour but then I needed a short break so I put there a prepared mix for ten minutes. I stretched and jumped down from the stage, walking behind the bar freely to refill my glass. When I turned around again, a man was standing behind the counter and grinning at me.

“A beer, please!” He yelled over the music. I rolled my eyes and he laughed. It wasn´t anyone else but Lee Donghae. He was dressed much better than in the studio, with dark shirt and tight pants. I took my glass and walked around the counter, he stopped me from going back on the stage.

“What was that?” He leaned close to me so he wouldn´t have to scream. He was holding my shirt by the sleeve and pulling me close to him. That´s how you talk in a club if you don´t want to use sign language.

“What do you mean?” I frowned.

“That rap,” he pointed at the stage, “was kinda hardcore.”

“It was just a fan service,” I told him, trying to get away from his hold. It became uncomfortable as Donghae was trying to pry into my things. And my monster was surely watching.

“I mean the lyrics,” he pointed the obvious, “I´m sorry.” He whispered into my ear and from his hot breath I could feel that he was a little tipsy already.

“Why are you apologizing?” I turned my head to ask.

“It´s because of me, right?” He looked into my eyes with a strange glint. “Because of my fans, they cursed you.” I chuckled. I won´t deny that one of the inspirations for my lyrics were those SNS happenings, but in the end all my anger always goes toward something else. Something, Donghae has no idea about.

“No,” I smiled at him, “It has nothing to do with you.” I found myself saying to those glimmering eyes. I don´t know if it was the alcohol or the atmosphere but Donghae seemed to be in a strange mood. I decided to run and got out of his hold.

“Have fun!” I said and slipped away from his grasp and up on the stage again. “Let the party roar!”

Heavy beats and catchy drumming, party animals were swirling on the dance floor. I was hidden in the darkness of the DJ platform and holding my headphones when my head began nodding to the music too excitedly. Once again I reminded myself how much I loved music. People said that this kind of music was trash, it had no depth but for me it was still very important genre. My music could make your heart beat faster, it could make you jump and maybe the next day it would be my melody you would be humming in the morning shower. No, every kind of music was amazing. Nobody could talk me out of that.

The night went by and soon it was five in the morning. New wave of people came two hours ago for an afterparty but even those were by now about to leave. I was very tired too but I couldn´t finish for tonight until Lee Sangmin gives me the signal. I eagerly searched for the man with my eyes. But instead of my boss, my eyes caught another familiar figure. Lee Donghae was sitting at the bar and talking to somebody. After a while the person bid him goodbye and almost tripped on his way out. Donghae seemed to be falling asleep at the table, I wondered if I shouldn´t do something but at that moment Lee Sangmin appeared next to me. The party was finally over.

I turned off the music and took my stuff from the table. Going to the locker, I changed out of my wet shirt and put on warm layers of clothing. Gathering my necessities into the backpack, I was ready for a shower and sleep. I greeted the barman and was about to climb the stairs when I noticed Donghae still napping on the table. I realised that I shouldn´t let him get kicked out by the security. I sighed and walked to him.

“Donghae?” I tapped his shoulder. “Donghae, it´s time to go.”

“Who?” He asked, his words were slurring away.

“Hyukjae,” I snorted, “come on drunkard, let´s go home.” But then he sniffed and I suddenly knew that things will only get harder from now on. Donghae sobbed a little louder which forced me to do the charity. I made him stand up on his wobbly legs. Now I needed to get him his coat and sit him into a taxi.

“Hyukjae,” he whined into my ear all of a sudden. What?! I grumbled in my head. “Why your lyrics have nothing to do with me?” And again, what?!

Hello! So first! As you have probably noticed, Hyukjae´s rap is his heartbreaking solo from SS6 "Dear Two". I used NKsubs´ transcript and added rhymes in the exact same places as Hyuk in the original (I tried a little bit for the accent and syllabysm too but I didn´t have enough time). I hope you enjoy the rap. You can check out my mermaid story too! :D Thank you for reading and have a nice day! - PandaHero