Devil’s Music

Byeong-jun stepped out of the practice room into the chilly winter alley, hunched against the cold, and lit a cigarette before calling Geon. After about six rings, Geon's somewhat lively voice came through the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Geon. Did you get some sleep?"

"Yeah, bro. I woke up about an hour ago."

"Good, good. I'm in Mexico right now, just handed over the sheet music to Professor Carlos."

"Oh really? What did he say?"

"He agreed to do it. But, he said a bunch of complicated stuff, something about BPM, Metallica, and tuning, but I didn't catch all of it, can't even remember."

"Haha, I see. Well, at least he agreed."

"But, it looks like there was a mistake in the guide recording you did."

"What?"

"He said the sheet music and the guide CD are a bit different?"

"That can't be."

"Professor Carlos said so himself. He said the sheet music is better, that it's the correct one."

"Um... if that's wrong, it could completely change the feel of the music... Ah, I didn't make a copy, so I can't check it. Bro, can you tell Carlos to record the vocal line as soon as I get there tomorrow? I'll check the sheet music and record it right away."

"Are you going to do that? Hmm... then I should be heading back. I was supposed to return on tonight's flight because of Suzuka's schedule."

"Ah, then I'll go by myself. Just text me the address of the practice room."

"Um... I'm a bit worried..."

"Haha, don't worry about me. Please take good care of Kiska. It might take a few days."

"Ah! No, I'm not going home until you come! I'll stay at a hotel!"

"Haha, don't do that. Kiska will miss you."

"Do you know how it feels to be stepped on in the stomach every morning!! If you're not there, she comes up on the bed and steps on me, saying you should be there, it seems more painful when stepped on in sleep."

"Puahaha, what? Our Kiska is so cute and nice."

"... Only to you, you jerk. To Suzuka, she's..."

"Suzuka?"

"Ah, no, I misspoke. Ahem. Anyway, you're coming tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, bro. But about Suzuka..."

"Just pass that along! I'm hanging up now!"

"Bro? Hello? Bro??"

As the call ended, Geon frowned and tossed his phone aside on the sofa in the annex.

"What is he talking about?"

The next day.

Before Kiska woke up, Geon left the Red Castle and flew to Mexico City. There was a bit of a commotion at the airport, but Geon calmed it down by giving autographs and taking photos. He then took a taxi to the Montana practice room. As he was about to knock on the door of the practice room, it burst open and Kevin appeared with a welcoming smile, spreading his arms.

"Kay! You made it!"

Smiling at Kevin's embrace, Geon asked,

"How did you know I was here?"

Kevin, arm in arm with Geon, chuckled.

"Haha, the manager said you were coming today. I've been waiting. I came out as soon as I heard the taxi."

"Hehe, I see. How about Carlos?"

"Oh, he's waiting inside. The drum session is here too."

"The session too? We just need to record the vocal line, why go to all this trouble?"

Kevin laughed and patted Geon's shoulder.

"Carlos wants to take lessons from the original artist. So, he brought the drummer too. Let's go in!"

Guided by Kevin, Geon entered the practice room and saw Carlos in the recording booth, instructing the drummer.

"That's not right, José. The BPM needs to change here, how many times do I have to tell you?"

Carlos, seemingly frustrated, saw Kevin peeking through the door of the booth.

"Hey... Kay's here."

Carlos's expression instantly brightened, pushing Kevin aside with a laugh.

"Oh! Kay! You're here!"

"Haha, Carlos. How's it going?"

"Phew, it's been a mess without you. Come on in."

Led by Carlos into the recording booth, Geon greeted the middle-aged Mexican drummer with a nod. The drummer, upon seeing Geon, beamed, removed his headphones, and offered a handshake.

"Ah, it's an honor to meet you, Kay. I'm José Alanis."

"Nice to meet you, José. I'm Kay."

"Haha, I've been dying from Carlos's nagging. Maybe I'll get yelled at less after I learn from you. Haha."

"Hehe, we'll see."

Geon turned to

 Carlos and asked,

"But you said the sheet music is different from the guide CD. What do you mean?"

Carlos, as if remembering something, handed over the sheet music and offered headphones.

"Here, take a listen. But it's nothing major. Anyone can see that the sheet music is correct. Heard you worked through the night? Typical mistakes. Just follow the sheet music."

After receiving the sheet music from Carlos, Geon examined it and his expression hardened. Without saying a word, he flipped through the pages, his expression growing increasingly serious. Noticing this, Kevin cautiously asked,

"What's wrong? Any problem?"

Geon ran his fingers over the notes outlined in purple.

"What is this?"

Carlos approached and looked at the sheet music together.

"Is there something on the sheet music? I handled it carefully."

"It's not that... Give me a moment. I need to examine this more closely."

Geon stepped out of the booth as the others looked at each other and shrugged before resuming their practice. Outside the booth, Geon laid the sheet music on the office table and propped his chin on his hand.

"What's this? A purple outline? I've never seen this before..."

Geon took out Haku from his guitar case and played the note indicated on the sheet music. After playing half of the song, he sighed.

"It's better than the original composition! What's the reason? What did I do?"

Geon ruffled his hair, lost in thought.

"I drew the notes filled with red. But in this sheet music, every eighth bar or so has a note with a purple outline. What's going on? More importantly, how do you create this outline? Did I really make this in my sleep?"

With a troubled look, Geon propped his chin and stared at the sheet music.

"I need to find out. How to draw this outline. Whether in sleep or whatever, this is my music. I must find out how to create this music again."

Geon rushed back to the recording booth and asked Kevin.

"Kevin, can we make copies here?"

Kevin, strapping a bass guitar, pointed to the office computer.

"Yeah, you can use the copier next to that PC. Why?"

"Never mind!"

Geon quickly placed the sheet music in the copier and pressed the copy button. After making about ten copies of the sheet music, he put the original in his bag and took the copies back to the recording booth, his eyes shining.

"Let's start recording first. I need to take the original sheet music back and study it."

The band members stopped practicing and looked at Geon expectantly as he distributed the copies.

"There seems to be a problem with the original, so I need to take it with me. Here are the copies, let's start practicing. Carlos, you go first?"

Disappointed by Geon's decision to take the original, Carlos started playing the pre-rehearsed piece. The fast-paced solo started with BPM and became rhythmic as it moved past Verse 1. Without a drum or metronome, Carlos accurately kept the beat, pleasing Geon who nodded in approval.

"That's Carlos for you."

As Geon acknowledged him, Carlos smiled but then grimaced and kicked the distortion pedal at his feet.

"But this darned distortion control is driving me crazy!"

Geon picked up the rolling distortion, laughing.

"Haha, you enjoyed playing with a clean sound, so that's expected."

Geon adjusted the distortion settings: Drive to 7.6, Lo to 8, and Hi to 3, and set the Level to 6.

"Here, this is the sound I had in mind. The distortion is an SM7, so I raised the Lo a bit. If it were a Boss product, 7 would have been enough."

Carlos took the distortion pedal from Geon, checked it, and took out a notebook to record the settings.

"Whew, with the D drop tuning, Drive at 7.6 will sound really heavy."

After Carlos connected the distortion input jack and plugged it into his guitar, Kevin offered his guitar.

"What about me?"

Geon smiled quietly and shook his head.

"You find it yourself."

"Why!? Why am I the only one discriminated against?"

Geon's expression turned serious as he spoke softly.

"That's how you improve. I want to see Kevin become a proper bassist."

"Ugh... that pressure in your eyes! I'm doomed!"

Though he was being melodramatic, Kevin's face brightened with a smile, knowing Geon's warm intentions. The members tuned their instruments again and prepared as Geon rolled up the sheet music and clapped his hands.

"Let's start with the bass and guitar together this time. Kevin, start with the bass solo in the first part. Carlos? Take a break and help Kevin find the right sound, it might take a while."

Carlos sat down on a folding chair without a word, putting his guitar down, and Ge

on turned to Kevin with a mischievous smile.

"So, my friend Kevin? Shall we go?"

"Ugh! Okay!! Damn it!"

"Let's start."

As Kevin focused on his guitar strings, bowed his head, and lowered his body to start the groovy bass solo, Geon's stern voice burst out.

"No!!! Kevin, the sound doesn't match, raise the tone!"

After adjusting the tone and plucking a few strings, Kevin started playing again, only for Geon's voice to erupt again.

"No!!! The first beat is off. Again!"

Thud-thud~

"No!!! Kevin, raise the middle more!"

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud~

"No!!! Kevin, lower the treble by 2 tones!"

Thud-thud-thud~

"No!!! Kevin, the pickup balance is off. Adjust it again!"

"Aaaaargh!! This guy's worse than Carlos!!"

Carlos, who had been chuckling at the sight of Kevin screaming, stood up and gestured to José.

"We're going to be up all night. Let's go out for a snack."

Knowing his turn was next, José quickly followed Carlos out of the recording booth, sweating profusely.

Carlos and José returned to the rehearsal room after more than three hours. They had not wanted to disturb Geon's hard training with Kevin, hoping for a call from him while they enjoyed a leisurely afternoon at an open café following a pleasant meal. However, with no contact from him, they decided to head back. Carlos, careful not to disturb, cracked open the door to the practice room and smiled broadly at the explosive bass solo coming from inside.

"Ha, it's a completely different performance after just three hours, isn't it, José?"

José, with a look of surprise, was watching Kevin's play and then grimaced, covering his face.

"Is it, is it my turn now?"

Carlos patted José's back with a laugh.

"Look at this! Ha, you could play like that too after three hours, aren't you excited?"

José swallowed dryly and peered inside the rehearsal room.

"That's true... but I saw Kevin's training earlier. I'd be lucky to keep up, but if I can't, it might just blow up."

"Haha, don't worry. He's not the kind to quit just because you can't keep up. Let's go in," chuckled Carlos.

Carlos and José entered and saw Kevin passionately playing in the recording booth across the window. Despite over three hours of training, Kevin looked more exhilarated than tired. Geon, sitting in front of him on a makeshift chair with his legs crossed, rhythmically shook a rolled-up sheet of music in his hand, looking significantly improved from the beginning.

"It's much better now," nodded Carlos.

José agreed, standing beside Carlos. "Yeah, definitely. The bass line melody is really groovy."

José, tense, glanced at the booth and caught Geon's eye. Geon waved them in, and a crestfallen José was reassured by Carlos's encouraging nod.

"Looks like it's your turn now. Go on in. Ha!"

"Okay, I'll be right back."

José entered the recording booth, and as he did, Geon's voice halted Kevin's playing.

"Carlos! You two practice enough today. How about coming back tomorrow morning?"

Seeing José's about-to-cry face turn to Carlos, Carlos laughed, unwrapping his arms.

"Haha, okay. Push hard! You both need lots of practice! See you tomorrow."

"Okay! Come on in!"

Carlos casually grabbed his guitar and left, while a hesitant José entered the booth. José glanced at a sweaty, sauna-like Kevin and sat at the drums.

"So, is it a baton pass now?"

Kevin, seeing Geon's sinister smile, stiffened up.

"No, the bass and drums are like a married couple. It's only natural for the bass to adjust during drum practice. Kevin will join you for your session."

Though Kevin's expression soured, it quickly returned to a smile.

"I'm still okay. Let's do this."

Geon smiled and stood up.

"Practice is practice, but let's take a 10-minute break. You haven't rested during the three hours either."

As Geon left the booth, José, looking dumbfounded, asked Kevin.

"Did you really not take a break for three hours?"

Kevin wiped his face with his shirt, smiling.

"Yes, I did."

"Wow... Aren't you tired? Will you push me that hard too?"

Kevin grinned widely.

"Probably? The practice with Carlos is nothing compared to this. Ha, but you've heard my playing, right? It's definitely improved, so just try to keep up."

José twirled his sticks and nodded.

"Right. But isn't it hard?"

Kevin, walking out of the booth, replied.

"It's tough. But you'll understand soon. The power of this song."

"The power of the song?"

"The more you play, the more liberating it feels. Sort of like a mental catharsis. Like shouting at the top of a mountain after cursing loudly? Something like that. And the feeling becomes clearer as the performance nears completion. That's why I end up wanting to practice more. I only got that feeling about 30 minutes ago, but you, having played drums longer, will feel it sooner. Ha, I'm gonna catch some cool air and dry off this sweat."

Confused, José stayed in the booth with a serious look.

"Mental catharsis? Makes you want to practice more?"

José's eyes sparkled as he reconsidered, then he put on headphones and began re-reading the music from the start.

**

The next day.

Prompted by Geon's request to come in the morning, Carlos, waking up early for a change, headed to the rehearsal room. Considering they all practiced late into the night, he brought tasty sandwiches and coffee. The first thing he saw upon opening the door was José and Kevin sprawled asleep on the sofa and makeshift bed. Carlos chuckled at how hard their practice had

 been, unnoticed by a snoring Kevin and a grinding José.

Carlos quietly set the food and coffee on the table and looked toward the recording booth. Inside, he saw Geon alone, looking at some music. He fetched two cups of coffee and opened the booth door. Geon, absorbed, looked up.

"Ah, Carlos, you're here?"

Carlos, offering a cup, smiled.

"You've been working hard."

Geon, accepting the coffee with a smile, responded.

"Thanks, Carlos. I'll enjoy it."

Carlos, coffee in hand, sat down and glanced at the music Geon was viewing.

"Is there something you need to fix? What are you looking at so intently?"

Geon, after a sip of his steaming coffee, smiled and pushed the music aside.

"Oh, just some personal research. Nothing to fix."

"Really? With all this daily research, you're improving day by day. Honestly, I was surprised. Even at the Lollapalooza Festival, you weren't at this level. You were great then, too."

"Ha, don't exaggerate."

"Heh, it's not just flattery."

Carlos flipped through the set-aside music.

"But what about the lyrics? There's no lyrics or title written in the music."

Geon, about to speak, playfully asked.

"Want to guess the title?"

Carlos, incredulous, replied.

"Am I a fortune teller? How would I know the title of a song you made?"

"Hehe, you've played it, right? Just express the emotion you felt while playing in words."

Carlos, after a hard look at Geon, cautiously began.

"The emotion I felt was anger, rage, hatred, and also love-hate."

Geon twitched his eyebrows.

"Love-hate?"

"Yes, like hating but also loving the other at the same time? Though anger and rage were stronger emotions. Did I get close to any of the words you have for the title?"

Geon pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Fury."

Carlos, pleased, laughed.

"Exactly, it was a song filled with real emotions!"

Geon, watching a happy Carlos, wore a complex expression.

'Love-hate? It's a complex human emotion where affection and hatred are intertwined. The emotions symbolized by red notes with a purple border mean love-hate... It's possible to encapsulate such complex emotions in a single note without changing the bars.'

As Geon sank into thought, Carlos, realizing that he was deepening his process like a true professional musician, quietly stood up with his coffee and exited the booth. Unaware of his departure, Geon stared at the floor seriously, which Carlos observed through the window. After sipping his coffee, Carlos sat on the sofa. He heard José, still asleep, grinding his teeth in his sleep.

"Uh... sorry, I'll start over..."

Beside him, Kevin, as if knocked out, turned over in his sleep.

"Uh, worse than Carlos... are you trying to kill me..."

Listening to their muttering, Carlos struggled to stifle his laughter but eventually giggled. Watching carefully lest he wake the exhausted pair, Carlos finally calmed down and leaned back on the sofa, sipping his coffee.

About an hour later, the two woke up. Kevin, not even washing his face, slapped his cheeks several times and brightly said.

"Carlos! Let me show you the effects of last night's practice! Come on in!"

As Kevin, confident, looked on, José handed a drumstick toward Carlos.

"Starting today, it's your turn to put in the most effort!"

Carlos, chuckling, joined the two in the recording booth. As Kevin, without adjusting the guitar from yesterday's settings, slung it over his shoulder and flicked his fingers, Carlos grinned.

"Looks like you've practiced enough. Confident, huh? Alright, shall we start?"

Carlos checked the distortion before strapping on his guitar. Geon stood up and brought a microphone stand to the center. Kevin, slightly hopeful, asked.

"Are you going to sing?"

Geon stopped and looked around at Carlos and José, then smiled.

"Yes, now that the playing's up to par, I need to practice too."

Kevin, excited, clenched his fists.

"Oh!!! Are we finally going to hear the lyrics!!"

Carlos, serious, looked at Geon, then nodded slightly. Geon, after staring silently ahead, deeply inhaled and placed his left hand on the microphone.

"Let's go. Fury!"