Devil’s Music

In Carrington, North Dakota, an elderly man in his late sixties, dressed in slightly dirty overalls, stood smoking outside a factory. Although the factory was quite large, it had fewer than thirty employees, and there were more machines standing idle than in operation. As the elderly man deeply inhaled from his cigarette, he gazed through the open factory doors at the workers inside.

"It's a business started by my father, but it seems we can't keep it up anymore," he muttered to himself, looking disheartened at the factory. One of the two large factory buildings was completely dark, and the other was only half-lit. Shaking his head in dismay, a woman in her sixties approached, carrying a bundle wrapped in cloth.

"Adolf, how's work going?"

After stubbing out his cigarette and standing up, Adolf took the cloth bundle from the woman.

"Rebecca, why did you come? You should just rest at home."

Adolf carried the bundle to a nearby bench, and Rebecca, looking tired, sat down and laughed.

"How can I rest when you're working so hard? Besides, eating out costs money. It's much cheaper to eat at home."

Adolf unwrapped the bundle with a remorseful expression, revealing sandwiches and fruits in a Lock&Lock container.

"Thanks for today, and sorry."

Rebecca covered her mouth with a graceful smile.

"Ho ho, don't be sorry. We're a couple; we should share the hardships. By the way, I heard some work came in after a long time. How much did you get?"

Adolf took a big bite of the sandwich and replied.

"Yeah, it's nothing big. But we got an order for about 20,000 units for Montana's album."

Rebecca brightened at the news.

"Oh my, 20,000 units?"

Adolf glanced at the pleased Rebecca and frowned.

"Why are you happy about 20,000 units? Back when my father was alive, we used to print up to eight million a month."

Rebecca laughed and embraced Adolf's shoulder.

"You're living in the past. These days, 20,000 units is enough to pay the factory workers' overdue salaries and still have some left over."

Adolf bowed his head and scratched his head in frustration.

"That's just it. The more we do this, the more losses we incur. Even if this job puts out the urgent fire, it seems too risky to continue, Rebecca."

Hearing Adolf's despondent words, Rebecca smiled softly and patted his back.

"It's okay. You've worked hard until now. If we sell the factory site, that should be enough for us to live on for the rest of our lives."

"Sigh.. I'm sorry. I wish I could have done better for you."

"Ho ho, don't say that. As long as you love me, that's enough."

Adolf looked at Rebecca with warm eyes and firmly held her hand.

"You've had a hard time raising the kids mostly on your own."

Rebecca bowed her head slightly and then smiled with small tears in her eyes.

"You've worked hard too."

As the elderly couple sat on the bench reminiscing, a black man poked his head out from the large open factory door and shouted.

"Boss! You have a call!"

Adolf let go of Rebecca's hand and stood up, smiling.

"Just a moment, I'll take the call. It's probably the bank. Next month is the loan repayment day."

Rebecca looked worried, but Adolf smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry. The money from this job should cover the interest. We've never been late on an interest payment before, so extending the loan period should be possible."

"Really, Adolf?"

"Yes, just trust me. Ha ha. I'll be right back."

Adolf entered the factory and climbed the stairs to the second floor where he opened the office door. His face tensed as he picked up the ringing phone.

"Hello?"

"Is this Adolf Ortiz of Record Store Day?"

"Yes.. I am Adolf, but.."

"I see. I'm calling to discuss a prior notification."

"Oh, yes... I was preparing to apply for an extension of the period... Is it possible?"

"Extension? What kind of extension are you talking about?"

"The one about my loan repayment period..."

"Oh, sorry for the confusion. I didn't introduce myself properly. This is Nephalim Records."

Realizing that the caller represented the Montana company that had placed an order for 20,000 albums, Adolf exclaimed in shock.

"Huh! You're not calling to cancel the order, are you? We're already operating the factory, so you can't cancel now!"

"Ha ha, Mr. Ortiz. Calm down."

Adolf gripped the handset with both hands, speaking desperately.

"How can I calm down? If this order is canceled, I'll literally be on the streets!"

After a pause

, during which the sound of papers flipping could be heard, a calm voice came back on the line.

"Mr. Ortiz, I think there was a misunderstanding because I didn't explain myself. I'm Lopez, the album order manager at Nephalim Records. As you mentioned, Record Store Day is indeed facing financial difficulties."

"That's right! Please consider our situation! I might have to think about retirement because it's so bad!"

"Ha ha, Mr. Ortiz, I didn't call to cancel the order. I called because of an additional order."

Adolf's expression instantly brightened as he shouted.

"What!? An additional order? Ha, really?"

"Ha ha, please lower your voice a bit. My ears hurt."

"Oh, sor, sorry. But what musician's album is it this time? When can you send us the sample CD? We'll be able to start right after finishing the current album production tomorrow."

"It's additional production for the Montana album you've previously ordered."

A slight disappointment appeared on Adolf's face. Given the general recession in the music industry, any additional order would likely be smaller than the initial production quantity. However, something was better than nothing, and soon his face lit up again.

"I see. How many units are you planning to order?"

After more paper-flipping sounds from the other side, Adolf waited anxiously.

"Right now... Record Store Day has 28 employees... How many machines can operate?"

Adolf quickly reviewed the list of factory operating machines and replied.

"If we assign two people per machine, we can operate up to 16 machines."

"Hmm... 16 machines. Can you produce more?"

"Yes? Oh... as long as the machines are working fine, the number of employees doesn't really matter..."

"How many machines that haven't been used for a long time are immediately operational?"

"Ah... just a moment, if we operate all the machines in both factory buildings, we have about a hundred, but since the maintenance staff can only manage up to three machines each, 84 machines would be the maximum."

"Hmm... I see. Is it possible to temporarily rehire employees who have quit?"

"Ah... well, they're all retired and relaxing, but I guess they'd come if called. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I apologize. It's just that the additional production order is quite large. Our company didn't expect this either, so we're calling several factories to check the possible production quantities."

"Oh, I see. Is Montana's album selling well? Did you get additional orders from the stores?"

"Ha ha, yes. That's right. Since we only released the offline album, the CD orders are quite high."

"That's good news. How many units are you planning to produce additionally?"

"Hmm... that's still confidential, but since we're in a business relationship, I'll let you know if you keep it a secret."

"Of course, my reputation has kept me going this far. Trust me."

"Ha ha, I know. You were the first company I called because we've been doing business together for over 20 years."

"Ha ha, thank you."

"Yes, Mr. Ortiz. It's been two days since Montana's album was released. We've been receiving official requests for additional purchases from around the world. The initial production of 100,000 units sold out on the first day, and currently, the albums are out of stock everywhere. The planned second production was for 50,000 units, and we requested 20,000 of those from Record Store Day."

"Yes, that's correct. They're scheduled for delivery tomorrow."

"Yes, but... we've received additional orders for 3 million units."

"Wh... what? Th... three million units?"

"Yes, from the internet response, it seems it will sell even more."

"Huh... th... three million units..."

"That's why I was inquiring about Record Store Day's production capacity. The stores are eager to get more albums quickly."

Adolf jumped up from his seat and shouted.

"It's possible! Give us a week! Even if we have to work through the night, we can cover a million units!"

"Hmm... a week...?"

"Oh, no!! Five days! Five days will do!"

"Ha ha, all right. Five days for a million units. I'll place the order immediately. I'll send you the official fax."

"Are you serious!! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Ha ha, you don't need to thank me. Thank Montana for making such a popular album."

"Oh! Right, of course!"

"Yes, I'll send the fax within 30 minutes. I'll call you again in five days."

"Yes, yes!!"

After hanging up, Adolf trembled with nerves and anticipation for 30 minutes, staring at the fax machine. Rebecca, having waited on the bench outside the factory, grew worried and came to the office when Adolf didn't return.

"Adolf? Honey, what's going on

?"

As Adolf saw a blue light flicker on the fax machine, he put his index finger to his lips. Rebecca followed Adolf's gaze to the incoming fax. Adolf rushed to the fax, grabbed the printed paper, and held it high, his face full of laughter.

"A million units!! It's a million units!!"

Rebecca looked puzzled at Adolf, then put the fax on the table and ran to the factory after him. She picked up the fax, read it, and covered her mouth, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"My goodness!!"

Adolf flung open the office door, grabbed the metal safety bar on the second floor, and looked down at the factory workers with a joyous expression.

"A million units!! A million units!!! Contact the employees who quit and ask them to work part-time!! Hey! We'll pay a generous bonus, so let's work through the night for five days, everyone!!"

This event was occurring simultaneously in several struggling record production factories across rural America. Amidst the difficult recession, miracles were slowly emerging, like oases for these factories.

Montana's new album had a greater impact than anticipated. Starting with album sales surges in the US and Europe, the excitement quickly spread to CD player manufacturers and repair shops. Teenagers, who were not part of the CD player generation, began scouring warehouses to dust off old CD players used by their parents and sought repair shops. Those without one resorted to using their father's car CD player to listen to Montana's album.

In contrast, streaming service companies, dominating the music market, were thrown into a frenzy. Major global companies raced to inquire about digital album releases from Montana's label, Nepalem Records, keeping the staff busy on the phone all day.

Meanwhile, Ethan, the team leader of Nepalem Records' BD (Business Deal) team, having arrived in Mexico City, rang the bell at Carlos' downtown penthouse apartment.

When the bell rang, a Mexican woman in her fifties opened the door.

"¿Quién es usted?" (Who are you?)

Unfazed by the sudden Spanish, Ethan replied naturally.

"Vine a ver a Carlos. Ethan from Nepalem Records." (I came to see Carlos. Ethan from Nepalem Records.)

After checking Ethan's business card, the lady stepped aside and said,

"Carlos está en la sala de estar." (Come in. Carlos is in the living room.)

Guided by the lady, Ethan entered a large living room adorned with white marble walls and floors and found Carlos sitting on a white leather sofa, reading a newspaper. Ethan approached with a smile.

"Carlos, long time no see."

Carlos folded the newspaper, set it aside, and stood up to shake hands.

"Ethan? What brings you to Mexico without notice?"

Holding Carlos' hand, Ethan replied with a grimace,

"The new release has been quite something, you must have heard?"

"Hmm, I heard it's doing quite well."

"Quite well? We've already moved over five million copies to stores, and three million have already been sold."

"Heh, is that so? Have a seat."

Despite the remarkable sales figures, Carlos, who had once hit the global album sales milestone of 100 million, wasn't particularly surprised and gestured for Ethan to sit. Ethan quickly took a seat.

"Carlos, it's rare these days to sell over three million albums. It's incredible!"

Carlos glanced at Ethan and then called out to the lady standing by the sofa,

"Puedo tomar dos tazas de café?" (Can I have two cups of coffee?)

As the lady headed to the kitchen, Carlos crossed his legs and inquired,

"So, what's the matter?"

Leaning forward, Ethan explained,

"Streaming companies are in a frenzy. With album sales so high, they're losing visibility because we haven't released a digital single album. They're incessantly requesting a digital release, Carlos."

Carlos, looking intently at Ethan, then asked,

"So?"

Ethan, with an urgent look, responded,

"So, Carlos! We need to release a digital album."

Carlos showed him a page from the newspaper,

"Can't you see this?"

Ethan saw a black-and-white photo in the Mexican newspaper of cheerful workers in a record manufacturing plant. The paper attributed this revival to the 'Montana Effect', praising Montana for significantly boosting the economy.

"That's... That's not the point, Carlos! Streaming companies are about to give us a final notice. If we don't give our other artists prominent banner placement or if they tamper with the rankings when we release a digital single, can you imagine what will happen?"

Carlos, tossing the newspaper aside, countered,

"So? Are you saying we have to release a digital album because you're afraid of their bullying?"

"It's not about fear, Carlos. It's about maintaining good relations."

As Ethan continued to persuade, Carlos pondered for a moment.

"Look, if it affects our artists... Wait here."

Carlos began searching his pockets for his phone, prompting a curious look from Ethan.

"Who are you calling?"

Carlos manipulated the touchscreen to dial a number, then smiled.

"The authority to make that decision isn't mine. It's not my song."

Ethan, looking confused, asked,

"Montana's album? Who decides then?"

Carlos placed the phone to his ear as the call connected.

"Hey, it's me. I'll switch to speakerphone, hold on."

He placed the phone on the table and switched to speakerphone mode.

"Yeah, can you hear me?"

A youthful voice emerged from the phone,

"Yes, Carlos, I can hear you."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in North Dakota."

"Why are you there?"

"There was a message in the newspaper yesterday. The owner of Record Store Daze factory wanted to meet me personally to express his gratitude. I went to pay a visit and check how the album production is going."

"Ha, what did the factory owner say?"

"Well, I didn't know the record manufacturing market was in such a dire state. Adolf and his wife,

 Rebecca, came running out, bowing and continuously thanking me. It was quite embarrassing, ha ha."

"Heh, makes sense. But why did you go there? You usually aren't interested in showing off."

"Ah, Byung-joon asked me to go for some promotional material for the company."

"I see. Alright."

As Carlos listened to the call, Ethan's expression grew increasingly stern.

"You have that track, right? They want it released as a digital album. What do you want to do?"

"Uh... We had decided not to do it, right?"

"Yeah, but it seems like the company is under pressure."

"Ah, streaming companies make good money yet they want to snatch even the opportunities from the few remaining factories? Let's just leave it as is."

"Right? Okay."

Unable to hold back, Ethan shouted into the phone,

"Excuse me! I'm Ethan from Nepalem Records!"

After a moment of startled silence, the person on the other end spoke,

"Oh, hi... Hello?"

"Hello, pleased to meet you! This is somewhat impolite of me to interrupt, but releasing a digital album is essential for our company. If you aren't already signed with a company, we'd consider offering you a contract. Could you perhaps yield this time?"

Carlos, looking incredulous, stared at Ethan, and silence followed from the other side of the phone. After a brief dumbfounded expression, Carlos pointed at the phone,

"Ethan... Do you even know who you're talking to?"

"Uh? Well, does he already have a company?"

Carlos, rubbing his temples, spoke into the phone,

"It's me. Sorry, I thought he was a competent employee, but thanks to him, I've realized just how clueless some folks I work with can be. I'll call you back later."

"Uh... Yes, Carlos. Talk later."

After hanging up, Carlos glared at Ethan. Ethan, unaware of his mistake, fidgeted nervously until Carlos stiffened and said,

"That's Kay."

"Uh? Kay?"

Carlos stood up, sighing,

"Such a person is in charge? Not even knowing who sang the hit track from an album that's already sold three million copies a week after release? I'll contact Nepalem Records to terminate the contract immediately. Be aware of that."

Ethan stood up abruptly, grabbing Carlos' pant leg,

"Ah! Carlos, Carlos!"

Carlos irritably stomped his foot, glaring at Ethan,

"To embarrass me in front of Kay like that. Head back to the headquarters and get ready for the contract termination!"

A pale Ethan called out as Carlos walked away, but soon security escorted him out of the house. Carlos' shouts of apology faded completely as he entered his room and picked up the phone.

"Ah, it's me. Carlos."

"Ah! Professor! Hello!"

"Heh, yeah. Got a spot at Fantagio?"

"A spot? What kind of spot do you mean?"

"A musician's spot. Planning to sign."

"Ah! Really?"

"Yes, let's discuss the contract terms soon. I'll be in the US tomorrow to terminate the contract with Nepalem."

"Ah, I understand! I'll report to the director immediately and handle it!"

"Thank you."

After hanging up, Carlos' eyes fell on an album poster on the wall. After staring at the poster for a moment, he lay back on the bed, interlocking his fingers behind his head.

"Decades of following a musical path only to find a new direction suggested by a young genius. Ha, to benefit from a genius, one must be close. Huhu."

The next day.

Carlos went straight to Nepalem Records, brushed aside a tearful Ethan and the chairman of Nepalem Records, and terminated the contract that day. The rights to the album were still with Nepalem Records, but the crucial copyright to "Fury" belonged to Geon, thus losing Carlos meant they could no longer proceed with the streaming services. Carlos then left his home in Mexico and moved with Kevin to an apartment in downtown Manhattan.