Chapter 864: Answer (17)

K-net Next Mission: Infinite Competition Hip Hop Survival, Episode 4

As Wooju and Cold Brown appeared, the contestants’ jaws dropped.

Interviews were inserted in between.

[Heo Idam (17)]

"Wow. Seriously, at that moment, I got chills. Even thinking about it now... it still gives me goosebumps. When Wooju showed up, and then Cold Brown appeared right after."

"I was like—wait? Why is Cold Brown here?"

[Jo Hwijin (23)]

"A real legend of the hip hop scene just showed up...."

"We had no idea. We’d been in a training camp for two weeks."

[Irae (21)]

"Ah. So that’s why Wooju sunbae came as a judge."

As the contestants’ interviews flashed by quickly, the stage by Wooju and Cold Brown began.

First, Cold Brown lifted the microphone.

Marcus said,

Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be.

Then Wooju raised his mic.

Be one.

And just as the cheers of the crowd surged and the stage was about to begin—

The screen froze, and text appeared.

[Starting in 60 seconds.]

The stage of Cold Brown and Wooju.

As a completely unimaginable performance began, the contestants stood there in a daze.

‘Fuck.’

‘Is this real?’

‘This is insane....’

For those who had expected an ordinary stage, it was an indescribable shock.

After all, wasn’t Cold Brown currently the supreme authority in hip hop?

While they were still reeling from the shock of someone like him appearing as a judge on a survival show—

Another question surfaced.

‘Why is he performing with Wooju...?’

They didn’t know why, but the audience was cheering as if they were already familiar with it.

Even the judges were shouting “yeah!” and reacting to the performance of Answer, yet the contestants couldn’t make sense of it.

They had been cut off from outside news for nearly two weeks due to the training camp.

Even then, there had been no news. But in just two weeks...?

‘What is this?’

But the confusion didn’t last long.

As soon as Cold Brown’s rap began, everyone’s faces turned mesmerized.

The impeccable rhymes that sounded like poetry, the chorus cutting in at just the right moments, the effortless play with rhythm—

It was the kind of rap every rapper would dream of as their ideal.

After finishing the first verse, Cold Brown stepped back, drawing out the crowd’s response.

"Your turn, Sunny!"

As if answering his baton pass, Wooju’s rap followed.

The contestants blinked.

‘He’s insanely good.’

‘Well. It’s not exactly rap—it’s singing rap. Makes sense he’d be good.’

Each had their own thoughts, but they all arrived at something similar.

‘He’s cool as hell.’

With his face half-shadowed by the lights, he delivered a smooth stream of singing rap.

He shone from afar—yet at this moment, he looked like someone unreachable even if you stretched out your hand.

Like a star in the night sky.

True to the word idol, Wooju displayed an almost mystical performance, like a deity on stage.

He was simply standing there holding a microphone, yet even the smallest expressions and movements etched themselves vividly into the eyes.

"Watch closely."

Rapper Haitian whispered to the contestants seated in front of him.

"You can’t see a stage like this even if you paid for it."

"......."

"And remember this."

His low voice echoed in the ears of the contestants under his mentorship.

"If anyone in Team Haitian acts cocky or can’t keep their face straight just because an idol showed up—after filming ends, you’re dead in my hands."

"......."

"Don’t get ahead of yourselves. Stay sharp."

At the words of the figure known as the godfather of hip hop, the Team Haitian contestants nodded.

To be honest, it wasn’t like they hadn’t looked down on him a bit.

Of course, they couldn’t deny that NewBlack was popular.

But they had thought that popularity didn’t come from skill... at least, not entirely.

That was—until they saw the stage with their own eyes.

‘...Good thing I kept my expression in check earlier.’

Truthfully, not everyone had welcomed Wooju in their hearts.

An idol becoming a judge just because he’s popular—and evaluating them in rap?

They might be amateurs, but they had beaten odds of thousands to one to be here.

They were confident they could easily outperform most idol rappers.

But...

‘That’s not on the level of thousands to one.’

As they watched the star shining on stage, sweat scattering lightly, they couldn’t help but stare blankly.

They realized just how small their world had been.

Currently, the undisputed number one idol group—NewBlack.

Hundreds of thousands audition, becoming trainees. Thousands of trainees compete fiercely to debut.

And among the hundreds of groups that debut, only five rise to the very top.

One of those five stood before them now.

A small gesture becomes dance. A casual voice becomes song. Every expression captures the audience.

"......."

"......."

Watching those who were realizing the vast wall between professionals and amateurs, Haitian scratched his cheek.

‘Not all idols are like that, though....’

Seeing his students shocked by their first encounter with a K-pop idol left him slightly flustered.

He had hoped they’d be shaken just enough to push themselves further.

But judging by their expressions, it was more like they had hit an overwhelming wall.

They looked like they had already lost confidence before their upcoming stages.

‘Well... better than them acting arrogant.’

The broadcasting staff would praise and encourage sharp expressions or cocky reactions because it helped ratings.

But Haitian wanted his students to succeed in the hip hop world—and eventually become his juniors.

‘At least our team’s better off.’

He looked at Kim Jihyeok, considered the ace of the program, with a satisfied expression.

Ambitious, quick-witted.

At first, his skills had seemed lacking, but he improved rapidly by absorbing feedback.

With decent looks too, he was the perfect candidate for a “growth narrative.”

On the other hand...

‘Yochan, that guy... seriously.’

He looked at the red-haired contestant standing at a distance, still shocked.

A face that would probably rank first in the world in a “looks like he never listens to his mom” contest.

‘His skills are good.’

He had initially impressed the judges with outstanding ability.

But his excessive confidence was the problem.

His ego was so strong that he treated judges’ feedback like nagging.

In another survival show, he would’ve already been edited into oblivion.

‘CP backing, huh....’

Even producer backing was enough to coast through a program—but this was CP-level backing.

Rumors said he might be related to the CP or the son of an acquaintance, but like all such rumors, nothing was confirmed.

Still, he benefited from editing.

Even judges who needed to stay on good terms with K-net kept quiet.

‘If he gets caught slipping once, it’ll be a disaster.’

That kind of backing only worked within this program or network.

Watching someone who hadn’t yet tasted the harshness of real society, Haitian smiled bitterly.

He had already heard about the nonsense Yochan had spouted earlier when meeting Wooju.

‘Seems like he doesn’t even know how fast rumors spread around here... whatever. If it weren’t for his talent....’

He looked at the budding talent with regret.

Meanwhile, behind Bang Yochan, biting his lip, sat mentor Cash Cow.

‘Money Cow’s going to have a hard time.’

The once cheerful Cash Cow was now biting his nails.

He lowered his gaze as he looked at the back of his stubborn student’s head.

‘Yochan. Listen to your hyung. What are you doing with your life? You’re not the only one doing hip hop. No rice, no hip hop, you bastard. Listen to me, get your head straight... and for god’s sake, pick your fights carefully... It’s only because Wooju’s nice. Otherwise this whole set would’ve blown up already....’

Recalling what had happened earlier, Cash Cow took a deep breath.

If he were younger, he might have understood.

But the student in front of him was the same age as Wooju—twenty-six.

‘...I really want to smack the back of his head once.’

He raised his hand and placed it on his student’s head.

"......?"

The student turned around with a displeased look.

Cash Cow bit his lip.

‘If only I weren’t so timid...!’

With a forced smile, he gently patted his student’s head.

After the special judges’ stage ended.

Cold Brown and I drank some water and picked up the microphones.

"Hello, Next Mission!"

As I greeted them with a raised hand, the audience erupted in cheers.

The contestants and judges were still standing in respect for Cold Brown.

"I’m Wooju, one of today’s special judges. I look forward to working with you!"

Since most of the audience were hip hop enthusiasts, I kept my greeting short and passed the mic to Cold Brown.

Today’s main character was him.

"What’s up, Next Mission!"

The crowd exploded at his greeting.

Every time he spoke, they went “oooh,” and when the interpreter translated, they burst into laughter.

"That reminds me of a Reagan anecdote. In Mexico, people didn’t react to his speech, but they reacted a lot when a Mexican official spoke—and it turned out that was just the translation. Watching Cold feels like that. Haha."

Get out of my head, Ri Hyuk.

After Cold Brown finished his introduction and took a breath—

The MC, the handsome rapper Rito, read from the cue card.

"So the contestants must be pretty surprised right now, right?"

"Yes!"

"Two days ago, on Friday, a special track by Cold Brown and Wooju was released. The melody from Answer, which was used at the Pyeongchang Olympics opening ceremony—"

After a short explanation of the backstory behind Answer,

A brief interview segment with the special judges followed.

Haitian took the lead.

"So, Cold. Do you know about Next Mission?"

"Of course."

"I stayed up all night watching it. Each episode is incredibly long."

Laughter erupted.

"Since I was already watching, I also checked out Drop the Beat. There are so many seasons. My interpreter helped me a lot. Please give a round of applause to the interpreter who helped me so much during my activities in Korea."

The audience applauded.

Then Cold Brown began speaking eloquently.

"What I felt was that the level of Korean hip hop is very high. It shows similarities to American hip hop while developing its own identity. Especially in how it reflects Korean social realities..."

If K-hip hop insiders heard this, they’d probably be moved to tears.

It sounded like something straight out of a history textbook.

Influenced by others, yet developed independently—great K-culture...!

Every time he made a point, murmurs of admiration filled the room.

Machine Gun picked up the mic.

"I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it that deeply."

Laughter followed.

When Cold Brown finished, everyone in the venue was smiling brightly.

Like Buddha himself descending and telling monks, “You’re doing well.”

‘Success.’

He winked at me, and I smiled back.

Then it was my turn.

I wasn’t a legend yet. Nor strictly a hip hop artist.

So I thought briefly about my positioning—

Then decided.

"What will you be focusing on as a special judge today, Wooju?"

"Honestly, judging a different genre isn’t easy, and it’s a bit burdensome."

I kept a humble tone.

"But as a senior singer, I think I can at least offer some advice. Being on camera still feels unfamiliar, right? Seeing yourself on TV too."

The contestants nodded.

Their eyes seemed brighter than before.

"Today, I’ll share some valuable stage know-how with you."

A calm, helpful senior singer positioning.

Then, together with Cold Brown, we delivered the line requested by production.

"Shall we see what kind of performances await us?"

As I clapped my hands, Cold Brown followed.

"Starting in 60 seconds!"

The staff below the stage applauded in satisfaction.

"...Hoo."

Backstage, Group 1 trembled.

Outside, the audience roared, and Rito’s voice echoed.

"The first team for the cypher battle—Team Cash Cow!"

Their practice footage played on screen.

Hearing fans shout “Yochan!”, Bang Yochan bit his lip.

Normally he would’ve been thrilled.

But today, his mood was off.

"Damn it...."

He couldn’t stop thinking about the stage he had just seen.

‘Don’t get intimidated.’

He just had to do what he always did.

Whether Wooju collaborated with Cold Brown or not didn’t change anything.

If anything, he just felt disappointed in Cold Brown for releasing a track chasing NewBlack’s popularity.

‘So what.’

He shook his head.

Just imagining that guy sitting in the judges’ seat, looking down at him—

It irritated him.

Someone his age judging him from above. ℯℯ𝑙.

It felt like a young parachute hire acting superior in a company.

For a moment, the world felt unfair.

‘I’ll use that energy on stage.’

Team Cash Cow stepped onto the stage.

And then—

"Before we begin, one unique aspect of today’s judging—special judges’ scores will also be included."

Their mentors couldn’t score their own teams.

Three teams’ scores would count as 25 points each.

And the two special judges would make up the final 25 points.

There sat Wooju and Cold Brown, smiling.

Their eyes briefly met, but Wooju’s gaze passed over him like he was just another extra.

"OK."

"DJ, drop the beat."

The DJ started the track.

The cypher began.

In front of a hundred audience members—

Though slightly shaky at times, Team Cash Cow finished successfully.

"Nice."

Scores were given—high teens to low twenties.

"That was really good."

"Yochan’s rap is seriously sharp."

"Idam made a small mistake... ah, that’s a shame."

Then—

"Wooju, what did you think?"

"First of all, I really enjoyed the stage. It’s a team full of strong individual talents."

"First—Heo Idam."

"Yes!"

"There was a small mistake in the middle, right?"

"...Yes."

"It wasn’t the mistake itself. It was how you handled it afterward."

"...?"

"Mistakes happen anytime. Even I make them on stage sometimes. Lyrics blank out. Sound goes off."

The contestants listened closely.

"When you make a mistake, what mindset should you have?"

"...Feeling sorry?"

Laughter erupted.

"No. You need to be shameless. ‘What mistake? There was no mistake.’ That’s the difference between amateurs and professionals."

"If the audience notices—amateur. If they don’t—professional."

He smiled.

"And if you handle it so well no one notices?"

"...What happens?"

"Fans will upload a video titled ‘How my bias handles mistakes’ on MyTube. And your fanbase will grow."

Laughter filled the room.

Then—

"Yochan, your stage was great. Your rap skills are impressive."

"Yeah."

A curt reply.

"One thing that was a bit lacking—"

While Wooju gave feedback, Bang Yochan barely listened, scratching his sideburn.

Then—

"Yochan."

He looked up.

Their eyes met.

The smile on Wooju’s face had disappeared.

His heart dropped.

After a few seconds—

"When people talk, you should face them. Please show basic respect."

The atmosphere froze.

Then—

Wooju smiled again.

"Unless you’re shy because you like me. Do you like me?"

"...Yes?"

Laughter exploded.

Just like that, Bang Yochan became the punchline.

The judges burst out laughing at the perfectly captured moment.