Devil’s Music

After his meeting with Herald Winston, Geon returned to Manhattan and arrived at Red Castle. Byung-jun, who had been in Japan and then Seattle before returning to Red Castle, came home a day earlier than Geon to catch up on backlog work, only then able to return home. Geon, who had been reading in the annex, saw Byung-jun, rubbing his freezing hands as he opened the door, and put down his book with a smile.

"You're back, bro? You must be exhausted."

Byung-jun threw off his jacket carelessly and flopped down on the sofa.

"Man, it's tough, so tough. I've flown over 40 hours in just a few days."

Geon patted his shoulder as if to say 'well done'.

"How's Shizuka?"

"She came straight to Manhattan from Japan. I just stopped by Seattle to finalize a deal with Kevin because of your message."

"I see. Where have you been now?"

"Ah, Carlos rented a studio for me in the basement of Lincoln Center. I just checked it out."

"Oh, already? Isn't it quite expensive there?"

"It is. But it seems Carlos is quite concerned since it's his music. He's rented it for the next week, so make sure to produce something good. That way, it'll sell for a good price."

"Haha, are you trying to make some money?"

"Isn't it obvious? Fantagio isn't a charity."

"Carlos was saying he's going to give you R/S instead of paying a fee for the songs."

"Really? That's even better. Your songs are bound to be a hit, so it's much better to earn in royalties. Looks like I'll have to draft another contract in that direction. How's the composition going? Any ideas yet?"

Geon crossed his arms and slightly shook his head, which Byung-jun noticed and he licked his lips.

"The studio rental starts tomorrow. Let's just create something within this week; we're not actually recording, just making a guide track."

Geon looked troubled, prompting Byung-jun to ask.

"What's wrong? It's not like you to struggle with creating music."

Geon scoffed and lightly hit Byung-jun's arm.

"Bro, what musician doesn't struggle with creating music? I do think hard and go through a lot of trials to produce music."

Byung-jun flicked Geon's forehead with his finger.

"That's what you think. Some musicians take over a year to make a single song. For someone like you, it should just flow out easily. But you seem troubled, hence I asked. Is there a problem?"

Geon explained to Byung-jun about Kevin's past that he had learned from Herald Winston. Byung-jun listened with a serious expression and nodded.

"That's certainly a scenario that could hurt a teenager. Everyone has their critical moments."

Geon nodded solemnly.

"There's a saying about adolescence being 'the period when souls are crafted.' It's also a period that determines human personality. It's even the starting point for psychopathic killers."

Byung-jun raised his eyebrows.

"Psychopath? Why such a frightening talk all of a sudden?"

Geon spoke earnestly.

"It's particularly noticeable in birds. They recognize the first living being they see as their mother, and this belief doesn't change until they die. For them, the most crucial period is the moment they open their eyes. The information they get at that moment is what they believe to be the truth."

Byung-jun nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I think I've heard about that. Like how ducklings think the first thing they see when they open their eyes is their mother and they follow it around."

"Exactly, bro. Each species has its own critical period of growth or formation. For birds, it's the moment they open their eyes, and for humans, adolescence is crucial. We often refer to psychopaths as monsters. These individuals typically go through some decisive events during their adolescence, although there are exceptions."

"Sounds like something out of a drama."

"Yes, psychopaths either become monsters themselves or are seen as monsters by others. Anyway, people during this period often can't discern right from wrong and simply imprint the information in their brains. In Kevin's case, it was his thoughts about his father."

Byung-jun pursed his lips.

"But how does that relate to you making music?"

Geon pulled out a piece of staff paper tucked inside a book. The paper was plain except for the five musical staff lines.

"When I heard the music Shizuka made, I realized it contained her life and her thoughts at the time. That's why so many people were moved by her performance. It's because her sincerity was conveyed through the music. Kevin will also shine when he plays with true emotion."

Byung-jun shrugged his shoulders.

"So it

's either a song that expresses hatred for his father or politics, or a song about forgiving and loving his father again. Given your nature, the latter seems more likely."

Geon grimaced at Byung-jun's words and showed two fingers.

"There are two problems with the latter option you mentioned."

"What are they?"

Geon sighed and lowered his fingers.

"First, Kevin already knows that his father sent me. If I give him a song that suggests forgiving his father or loving his family, he'll think I'm trying to force a reconciliation through the music."

Geon paused to catch his breath before continuing.

"Secondly, if he just performs because it's my song, it won't truly carry his sincerity. A professional musician like Carlos would notice that. If so, Carlos would find no use for Kevin if he's just a technician since there are plenty of those around."

Byung-jun nodded seriously.

"Makes sense. And the second problem?"

Geon smiled awkwardly and looked out the window momentarily.

"Singing about love and forgiveness for his father. Do you think I can do that right now, bro?"

Byung-jun looked slightly shocked and then apologetic, gauging Geon's mood.

"Ah, hmm, I see."

Geon's expression turned slightly sad, and Byung-jun stretched and changed the subject.

"Ah, it's nice out! Should we go out?"

Geon looked baffled.

"It's cold, where would we go?"

Byung-jun, flustered, couldn't find where to look and stood up heading to the shower room.

"Ah, right, it's a bit chilly. I guess I need a hot shower."

Geon, smiling, said as Byung-jun headed to the shower room.

"Heh, bro. Then I'll go check out the studio."

Turning back, Byung-jun said,

"Huh? The studio rental starts tomorrow. You can't use it now."

"Just going to take a look and get some fresh air. Haven't been out today."

"Should I come with?"

"No, take care of Kiska when she arrives later."

"Alright, will do. Call if anything. Oh! Shizuka said she had school stuff today. Maybe see her?"

"Really? Got it."

As Byung-jun entered the shower room, Geon, dressed, left the annex. Miroslav, who was checking the security personnel, saw Geon dressed and hurried over.

"Are you going out?"

Geon straightened his collar and smiled.

"Yes, heading to Lincoln Center."

"I'll get the car ready."

"Thank you."

Miroslav offered the car, and as Geon left Red Castle, two more cars with security personnel followed. Inside the car, Geon looked out and made a call. After one ring, a cheerful voice came through.

"Hello! Kay!!"

"Yes, Shizuka. I'm back. Where are you?"

"At Lincoln Center for work. You went to school?"

"Yeah! Just met with the professor to make up for the last few days of the semester."

"Done with everything?"

"Yes!"

"Then let's have lunch. I'll call you after."

"Um! Is this 'work' meeting someone else?"

"No, why?"

"Then I'll come too. I'm free anyway."

"Haha, alright. See you in 10 minutes on basement level one at Lincoln Center."

"Hehe!! Okay!"

Geon waited for Shizuka to hang up first, but thinking the call had already ended, he heard her exclamation.

"Yes!! It's a date!!"

Hearing Shizuka's voice through the handset, Geon chuckled. After waiting a bit longer, only rustling sounds came through, indicating she might have put the phone in her pocket. Geon ended the call and leaned comfortably against the car seat. About ten minutes later, they arrived at Lincoln Center. The team members got out quickly and opened the rear door for Geon.

"Thank you. Lincoln Center is a public cultural space, so if you all come in, it'll disrupt business. Sorry, but could you please wait nearby?"

The team members nodded slightly before getting back into their cars and moving away. Geon knew they would still protect him from a distance. He covered his face with a scarf up to his eyes before entering Lincoln Center. Despite it being a weekday, the lobby was crowded with visitors. As soon as he opened the door, he walked straight to the stairs leading downstairs. The security guard at the studio entrance raised his hand to stop him.

"Sorry, this area is restricted to general visitors as it houses music studios."

Geon, checking that Shizuka hadn't arrived yet, smiled with his eyes and said,

"Ah, I have a reservation to rent this place starting tomorrow and wanted to look around in advance."

"Is that so? I need to verify, so could you show your ID card...?!"

As

 Geon lowered his scarf and smiled warmly, the security guard covered his mouth in shock. Geon reassured him with a smile.

"Can I go in now?"

The flustered guard stepped aside quickly.

"Of course! Go right in."

"Thank you. Shizuka will be here soon too; she has an appointment with me, so please let her in."

The surprised guard responded,

"Shizuka Miyawaki? Of course! I'll take care of her admission myself!"

"Thank you."

Geon passed the security guard and walked alone down the quiet studio corridor.

Geon entered Studio C after checking through the window on the door. The studio's office had a window overlooking the recording room, equipped with various computer hardware. Inside the recording room, there were drums, a keyboard, and an amplifier, set against a backdrop of luxurious light brown decor, reminiscent of an expensive rental studio at Lincoln Center. Geon, looking around the spacious control box table, eventually sat down at the PC, crossed his legs, and folded his arms, sinking into thought.

"Could I ever create beautiful music about my family, or my father? Even if I did manage to produce it, would that music be genuine? If I compose a song with false emotions, would people appreciate it? What if someone else, like Carlos, played it, would people even realize?"

Plagued by various thoughts, Geon suffered a headache and grabbed his head, bending forward. As he leaned over in the quiet studio, he faintly heard the door opening. Startled by Geon suddenly looking up, Shizuka, who had opened the door very carefully, froze in place.

"Ah, you're here?"

"Sorry, it seemed like you were deep in thought. I didn't want to disturb you."

"No, it's fine, sit down. What's that in your hand?"

Pointing at the paper bag in Shizuka's hand, she gently smiled and placed it on the table.

"I heard from the manager on the plane that Kay likes the avocado salad from Logan's bakery. I stopped by on my way here."

Geon was delighted and dug into the paper bag to pull out a sandwich.

"Thanks, I was actually a bit hungry. Let's eat together."

After handing Shizuka an avocado sandwich, Geon took a bite and asked,

"Wait, weren't you coming from school to the Lincoln Center? Logan's shop is quite a walk past Lincoln Center; don't tell me you walked all that way just because of me?"

Shizuka, flustered, rambled in reply.

"No, no! I just happened to pass by. Ah, no, a friend asked me to deliver something around there, I didn't go out of my way."

"Hmm? Which friend? I thought you didn't have any friends other than Anna and Anthony."

"Well, well, I do have other friends that Kay doesn't know about."

"Oh, is that so? This is really good, by the way."

Seemingly not too concerned, Geon quickly agreed and continued eating. Shizuka, relieved inside, watched as he quickly finished his sandwich.

"The manager was right; you really like these."

Geon blushed and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Yeah, I like it. There are over fifty kinds of bread in Logan's shop, but I always eat this one. I've been doing so since before I enrolled at Juilliard when I first came to America, haha."

Shizuka laughed beautifully and added,

"If you like something, you stick with it forever, huh? Kay, do you also rewatch movies you've seen, or reread books you've read?"

Surprised, Geon's eyes widened.

"How did you know?"

"Ha, people like you usually do that. What movies or books do you revisit often?"

Thinking for a moment, Geon responded,

"Uh, there are quite a few... There's a Korean movie called 'Memories of Murder' that I've probably seen around... a hundred times? I know the dialogue for the first 20 minutes by heart. As for American movies, I like 'Leaving Las Vegas' and 'Constantine.' I've seen each of them at least fifty times. Oh, and there's a Japanese movie, 'Be with You'."

Shizuka nodded with a smile, and Geon continued,

"Yeah, I've seen that movie about thirty times. I used to like Yuko Takeuchi a lot. I was devastated when I heard she got married, haha."

"Really? But did you know that the male lead in that movie is her real-life husband?"

Startled, Geon exclaimed,

"What? Really?"

"Yes, they got married after meeting in that movie. And they've divorced now."

"What, divorced?"

"Yes, haha. You're a bit slow on the news. But don't get your hopes up. She has a son, and she's quite old; not really a match for you."

"Hmm... so she's divorced, huh."

Geon looked serious, then suddenly Shizuka's face came close, startling him as he leaned back while sitting.

"What's up?"

Shizuka flicked her index finger with a serious look.

"Don't even think about it. She's an old lady."

"Uh... okay, got it."

Shizuka, appearing somewhat stern, caught Geon off guard, causing him to playfully lean forward just as her face got closer. When their faces nearly touched, Shizuka's face

 stiffened and turned red as she gazed at Geon's lips, now turning a deeper shade of red. Geon, noticing her eyes focusing intensely, laughed and leaned back,

"Ahahahaha!!! Look at your face, Shizuka! Ahahahaha"

Leaning back and laughing, Shizuka, her face still red, puffed up her cheeks.

"What's so funny! Don't laugh!"

"Ahahaha, ahahaha!"

Shizuka pinched Geon's thigh, causing him to whine,

"Ouch! It hurts! Ahahaha!"

"Stop laughing!"

"Okay, okay. Hehe! Don't pinch!"

Laughing and ruffling his hair with his hands, Geon said,

"Phew, I was so worried, but I feel a bit relieved thanks to you, Shizuka."

Shizuka pouted and asked,

"What were you worried about?"

Geon sighed deeply and explained,

"I've made a new friend recently, a guy named Kevin. I'll introduce him to you soon. He's in Mexico right now, so you can't meet him yet. I need to give him a song, but I can't decide what to make."

The conversation turned serious as Shizuka asked,

"You're giving him a song? What kind of musician is he?"

"He's going to be the bassist for Montana. The song will be one of Montana's."

Shocked, Shizuka covered her mouth,

"My goodness! Montana? Your friend is going to be the bassist for that famous band?"

Geon nodded with a slight smile,

"Yeah, he just joined. You wouldn't know."

"That's amazing. Please introduce me later. But what do you mean you don't know what song to give him?"

As Geon shared more about Kevin, including that he was the president's son, Shizuka was taken aback and fell silent for a moment after listening to the whole story. Both lost in their thoughts for a while, Shizuka finally spoke up,

"I think the topic of your worry is a bit off."

Emerging from his thoughts, Geon asked,

"The topic of my worry? What do you mean?"

Shizuka smiled faintly and explained,

"I think you're not just unsure about what song to make. It's more about what kind of song can truly capture his essence. Isn't that right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"But what you're actually worried about seems different."

Leaning forward with a serious look, Geon urged her to continue.

"So what is it? What do you think my worry is?"

After a moment's pause, Shizuka spoke gravely,

"It's not about that. I think you're wondering how to beautifully express his heart and make him happy."

"What does that mean..."

Shizuka held Geon's hand and looked him in the eyes for a long while. As his eyes began to show confusion, she smiled gently and said,

"Kay, the emotions you thread into your music don't have to be just beautiful and happy. There's also confusion, despair, sadness, and longing. Being called the angel of this world, Kay, maybe you've been trapped in the idea of only making touching and beautiful music."

Geon's eyes widened in realization. He stared with trembling eyelids as Shizuka continued with a softer tone,

"It's just my opinion, but if you stay trapped within the nickname of an angel of this world, you might never escape that cage."

Feeling Geon's hand trembling, Shizuka hesitated before adding,

"Was that too harsh? I'm sorry, Kay. I just wanted to help you this time since you've always been helping me... Sorry."

Although Shizuka apologized, Geon was shaking, unable to focus, which worried her. She continued,

"I've been a fan since your debut, Kay. I felt that insisting on only beautiful music might be a fixation. Don't be too upset. Just ignore it."

As Geon remained unresponsive, Shizuka's eyes trembled, and tears welled up. With anxious eyes, she examined him as tears were about to fall when Geon suddenly stood up.

"That's it! My worry was wrong from the start! It's not about Kevin's issue, but mine! Hahahaha!!"

Surprised, Shizuka lifted her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. Geon, with a joyful expression, raised his arms and looked down at her,

"Shizuka! Thank you, it's all thanks to you! I can see the way now!! Uh...? Why are you crying?"

Geon, seeing her tears, unknowingly wiped them from her cheek with his hand.

"Why, Shizuka? Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?"

Shizuka, unable to control her tears, yet smiled through them,

"It's nothing, really. It's okay, nothing at all."

Though she said it was nothing, her tears

 continued to flow as she kept wiping them with her hand. Geon pulled out a tissue and handed it to her,

"Here... use this."

"Thank you, Kay."

With an awkward expression, Shizuka still couldn't stop her tears. Geon approached and gently hugged her.

"I don't know what it is, but I'm sorry for making you cry. I was just grateful."

Hugged by Geon, Shizuka cried even more.

"No, it's really okay. I'm happy I could help."

Geon patted her back as she tried to hold back her tears,

"Let's stop crying now. We're both happy, so why cry?"

"Yes, sniffle."

While hugging Shizuka, Geon's eyes glanced at the calendar on the wall.

"Just one week left. Alright, Kevin. This music might not be for you, but for me. Sorry. Hehe."