Devil’s Music

Geon looked at Amdusias with a shocked expression.

"You loved your sister?"

Amdusias nodded with a smirk.

"It was when he was twenty-six years old. Van Gogh, who originally had a rugged appearance, always got rejected by the women he loved. He even got turned down by the daughter of the gallery owner he worked for. At one point, he confessed his feelings to his female cousin, who was eight years older and a widow."

Geon watched Amdusias with interest as he continued with a smile.

"Since it was incest, he naturally faced opposition from his family, and his cousin flatly refused him, but he kept going to her house to woo her. Eventually, unable to stand it any longer, his cousin's father refused to let him into the house, so he put his hand into a burning candle and said, 'Allow me to see her for as long as my hand can withstand this heat.'"

Geon asked with a sympathetic look, "So, did he get to meet her for that long?"

"No, he held on until his fingers were about to melt together, but her father never allowed them to meet. And this self-portrait was painted shortly after that."

"Ah, what a sad story."

"Whoa, whoa, instead of empathizing with others, you should focus on solving your own problems first."

Amdusias walked up to Geon and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Here's a quiz for you. What emotion do you think was on Van Gogh's face at that time?"

Geon thought for a moment and then stared intently at a mural.

"Probably anger, lethargy, irritability?"

Amdusias snapped his fingers and said, "Right! As I said, Van Gogh was turned down by many women because of his harsh appearance. He had to save the boarding money his brother Theo sent him to afford cheap prostitutes. So, anger, lethargy, and irritability are infused in his paintings. Do you know the color that often appears in his paintings?"

Geon thought for a while and then said, "The first thing that comes to mind is yellow."

Amdusias nodded vigorously.

"Good, you understand well. But the yellow he often used wasn't just any yellow; it was a mix of orange and red."

Geon visualized it in his mind and then nodded.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I remember it being a yellowish-brown rather than just yellow."

Amdusias chuckled and raised his index finger.

"Now, the next question. Anger, lethargy, irritability. What are the colors of these emotions?"

"Um... red, yellow, orange."

Amdusias laughed and looked at Geon. Geon, realizing there was something off with his answer, suddenly opened his mouth wide.

"Ah, red, yellow, orange mixed into a yellow... That's the emotion of Van Gogh..."

Amdusias snapped his fingers again and clapped.

"Yes! Ha-ha, you're smarter than I thought; it's fun to teach you."

Amdusias then sat on an empty canvas and picked up a brush.

"Do you know how to mix colors?"

Geon nodded and said, "There are several ways. You can mix the paint directly, or you can brush it out on the canvas after applying the colors."

"Oh? You know quite a bit for someone who can't paint."

Geon frowned and said, "Just because I can't paint doesn't mean I hate looking at paintings."

Amdusias laughed as if amused.

"Ha-ha-ha, to make such a face in front of me. How amusing."

Geon glared at him as Amdusias laughed again and then picked up a brush and dabbed it in red paint.

"Look, the sheet music for 'Fury' has this red color with a purple border, right?"

As Amdusias drew a long red line on the canvas, Geon nodded, and Amdusias then dipped the brush in purple paint and drew another line under the red one.

"These two emotions are anger and love. Combined, they create 'ambivalence,' a complex emotion of loving yet hating. Understand?"

Geon was about to nod but then rested his chin on his hand and asked, "But red represents not only anger but also passion, temptation, vitality, revolution, assertiveness, courage, strength."

Amdusias whistled with his mouth round.

"Whew~ You've done quite a bit of research on your own. Good, very good!"

Amdusias pointed at the purple line and said, "Just like you said, red carries all these emotions. So, what about purple?"

"Love, affection, glamor, beauty, sadness, excitement."

"That's right! Very good!"

Amdusias clapped, watching Geon thoughtfully.

"So... how should I

 mix these many colors of emotion to express what I want?"

Amdusias was about to clap again but turned to look at Geon.

"Pfft, even if you're smart, a human is still a human."

"What? Aren't you human?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then what are you?"

"Heh, you don't need to know."

"Ah, what is that?"

"Ha-ha-ha, anyway, let me ask you something."

"Yes, what is it?"

Amdusias approached Geon with a playful expression and asked, "Do you use colorful pencils to draw the notes when you write music scores?"

Geon slightly leaned back and frowned, "I'm not a child who scribbles. Why would I do that?"

Amdusias laughed, giggling, "Just with a black pen, right? But how come the notes in the score have colors? Why is that?"

"That's…," Geon stammered, unable to think of an answer.

"It's different from drawing. This is just an example to help understand. The 'paint' you use when drawing a music score isn't real paint. It's the emotions you imagine in your mind when you draw the notes," Amdusias explained.

Geon's eyes fluttered as he bowed his head in thought. Seeing this, Amdusias nodded and smiled, then stood up and opened the door. Outside, two men standing with their arms crossed saw Amdusias. He nodded at them quietly and closed the door softly.

"I've roughly explained it, Lord Gamagin," Amdusias said.

Leaning against the wall beside the door, Gamagin crossed his arms and replied, "Hmm, I heard. One must imagine emotions as paint and draw the notes with them?"

Amdusias nodded and looked at the closed door. "The key is to focus and imagine dozens of emotions even while drawing a single note. It might be difficult to mix just two emotions at first, but with a lifetime of effort, expressing several emotions in one note could become possible."

A shorter blonde boy next to them asked, "So? How long will it take for the child to realize that?"

"I suppose not too long, considering the child's mind is better than expected, but at least a few days, right, Lord Pyemon?" Amdusias responded.

Pyemon pouted his lips and looked back at Gamagin. "Even if we adjust the time, one hour in the human world can be equivalent to a day here. As much time as it would not seem odd to others, about 8 days at most."

Gamagin nodded and straightened up against the wall. "Good. We'll stay here for 8 days. Take care of it, Amdusias."

"Yes, Lord Gamagin. It's an honor," Amdusias replied, patting him on the shoulder before walking ahead. He glanced at Niccolò Paganini playing the violin outside the window and commented, "Your tastes are quite cruel too. To have someone whose eyes are gouged out and weeping blood tears perform in the garden, I worry the child might see."

Amdusias glanced out the window and bared his teeth, "It was part of the contract."

Pyemon kicked Amdusias's buttock lightly, saying, "Why would you make such a perverted contract?"

Brushing off dust from his pants, Amdusias explained, "That fellow was desperately sought after, but he had nothing I wanted. I thought it would be nice to always have music in the garden, so I made that contract."

"So that guy has to live like that forever?"

"Hehe, until I release him, yes. But as per the contract, he must stand there forever."

"Tch, perverted demon."

"Ha, show me a demon that isn't perverted. Shall we have some tea?"

As Amdusias led them towards the kitchen, he saw Natalie bowing deeply and patted her head, "Do you want to talk to the child?"

Natalie bowed a bit more silently. Seeing Gamagin nod slowly, Amdusias spoke with a slightly brighter expression, "The child will stay here for about 8 days. Natalie, please take care of the child."

Natalie lifted her head, her face blooming with a bright smile. As Amdusias nodded and they disappeared into the dark hallway, an excited Natalie hurried to the kitchen to grab cookies and coffee, then rushed to the room where Geon was.

Catching her breath outside the room with the paintings, Natalie peeked inside. Geon was still sitting in front of the canvas, deep in thought. She quietly approached and placed the coffee and cookies beside him, waiting without disturbing his intense focus. It was three hours later when Geon finally opened his eyes. After sitting for so long, he stretched and exclaimed.

"Ugh, oh? Miss Natalie?"

Noticing Natalie standing beside him, Geon froze mid-stretch as Natalie covered her mouth and laughed, offering the still steaming coffee and cookies.

"Please have some."

"Ah, thank you! I was getting hungry, just in time. Ha-ha."

"Since you buy ice cream for me every day, this is nothing."

"Ha-ha, every day ice cre... huh?"

"Hehe, please enjoy."

As Geon tilted his head and s

ipped the coffee, Natalie pulled up a chair and sat down, asking in a soft tone, "Is Kiska doing well?"

"Yes.. um.. huh? Do you know Kiska?"

Natalie's beautiful face beamed with a bright smile.

Natalie led Geon Kim by the hand to the topmost floor of the castle. As they reached a long staircase that seemed endless from below, Geon looked quite surprised when they entered a black vortex on each floor and suddenly reached the top. His eyes wide, he looked around amusedly, and Natalie, smiling at his expression, emerged from the top floor's black vortex and said,

"You shouldn't go in here alone. Only those who bear the mark of Lord Amdusias can pass through. If you go alone, you might fall into a dimensional gap and end up somewhere unknown, so never go in alone."

Geon nodded slightly as he looked back at the black vortex from which he had emerged.

"It's fascinating, but I don't feel like entering alone, haha, and it's a dream anyway, so even if I fall into another dimension, I'll just wake up."

Natalie's smile vanished. She stopped walking and looked straight at Geon.

"Listen carefully, this is your dream. But the moment you enter there, you'll never wake up from this dream."

Geon, seeing the serious look on Natalie's face, nodded unwittingly.

"Yes... ah, I understand."

As Geon seemed to understand, Natalie's expression softened and she smiled, opening a dark brown door close to black. The room inside was very spacious. To Geon's concept of area, it easily seemed to surpass a hundred pyeong. The room, with both ceiling and floor made of black marble, had a solitary bed in the desolate center. Feeling a sense of incongruity at the sight of just one bed in an empty room, Geon followed Natalie inside. Standing in front of the bed, Natalie pointed to a thick pink rope hanging from the ceiling.

"If you need something, just pull this rope. It will call me."

Geon touched the pink rope and asked,

"Ah... so this is the room I'll be staying in. Uh... where is the bathroom?"

"Ho ho, as I said, this is your dream. You won't need a bathroom."

"Ah... right, of course. I understand."

The room had no windows but didn't feel cramped due to its size. The air was fresh, and the room maintained an optimal temperature for living. Geon sat on the bed and Natalie asked,

"Is there anything you need before you sleep?"

After feeling the soft bed, Geon shook his head then seemed to remember something.

"Could you give me some manuscript paper and a pen? I'd like to practice before sleeping."

"Sure, I'll also prepare some coffee and snacks, just in case."

After Natalie left the room, Geon, now alone, sat on the bed recalling the day's events and then swung his legs onto the bed.

'Kiska knows me, so is it because it's a dream? It seemed like Amdusias knew about my life too.'

As Geon looked up at the high ceiling, a giant eye carved there seemed to stare back at him. Chills ran down his spine, and he shuddered, turning his gaze away.

'This dream is so bizarre! It's scary, damn it.'

Shortly after, Natalie returned with the requested items and placed them beside the bed.

"Then, have a good night. There's no fixed waking or mealtime here; just pull the rope whenever you wish."

"Ah.. I see, thank you."

"Then."

After Natalie left the room, Geon tried to sleep but sat up abruptly upon seeing the giant eye on the ceiling again. He got off the bed, scratched his head, and then picked up the manuscript paper and pen.

'I don't need to sleep even in a dream? Better do some more research.'

As Geon focused on writing the score, only the sound of the pen moving and his soft breathing filled the room, while the giant eye from the ceiling shifted slightly. Geon felt its gaze and looked up again, only to shrink back and focus more on his writing.

In the living room of Amdusias's castle.

The first time Geon met him, in the drawing-room, three men sat watching Geon's actions on a large multi-vision screen, chatting. Pyemon sipped the coffee he had prepared and inspected the multi-vision.

"Is this a new model? It looks better than the one in my castle?"

Amdusias, with a self-satisfied laugh, responded,

"After seeing this at Lord Gamagin's castle, I immediately got one. Humans make such fascinating things. We don't bother making these in our realm because there's no need, but I suppose human technology would surpass ours even if we competed."

While Pyemon continued to examine the multi-vision, Gamagin, only interested in Geon's focused demeanor, asked in a relaxed pose,

"What do you think? Can that boy merge the two emotions in eight days? If not, we'll have to bring him here

 again, which could be burdensome. Other lords might notice."

Amdusias, watching Geon crouching on the bed and practicing writing music, said,

"Well, this boy is different from the others. It's natural he'd be different, given he has the wisdom of Lord Gamagin. He has terrifying comprehension and focus. Haven't you seen? He didn't move for three hours, deep in thought, after I left the room."

Pyemon, still looking at the multi-vision, remarked,

"He's always like that. Even in the practice room, he suddenly zones out and thinks for hours."

Amdusias chuckled at Pyemon's comment.

"Lord Gamagin, the first ability you bestowed upon that child wasn't merely beauty, right?"

Gamagin nodded.

"Indeed, it was a gift of beauty and wisdom. That's why the child excelled in studies effortlessly, and his linguistic skills were exceptional. Hmm... So, you mean to say that with my wisdom, along with your eyes and Pyemon's voice, the music he creates gains a deeper understanding?"

"Yes, that's correct, sir. After sharing a conversation, I feel that he is different from the fool playing the violin outside."

Amdusias chuckled, tapping his forehead with his index finger.

"He is intelligent, very intelligent."

"Good, give it your best."

"Yes, leave it to me, sir."

Geon did not leave his room for two days. Occasionally, Natalie, who was concerned that he wasn't calling out to her, visited, but Geon, sitting on the bed focused on the music scores, was so engrossed that he didn't even notice Natalie coming and going. On the second night, as he sat on the bed, he fell asleep. Amdusias appeared in Geon's room. He looked down at Geon, who had been concentrating without distraction for two days, and shook his head as if fed up.

"Such concentration is hard to find in a human child."

Amdusias picked up the music scorebook on Geon's bed and flipped through it. The scorebook was filled with notes of various colors haphazardly written. Seeing over a hundred pages densely packed with notes, Amdusias's eyes widened as he reached the last page.

"Two days? He accomplished this in just two days?"

The last page held a note bordered in black on red.

"Love and Sorrow. A sad love..."

Amdusias's expression changed. He crossed his arms and looked down at Geon, pacing beside him for a while in deep thought. It took about an hour before he left the room. Standing in the dark corridor, he spoke softly.

"Natalie."

From the darkness of the corridor, Natalie's pale face appeared beside Amdusias, and he said,

"Bring him to the room of paintings as soon as he wakes up."

Natalie slightly bowed her knee, and Amdusias vanished from the spot.

How many hours had passed? Geon, unaware that he had fallen asleep, slowly opened his eyes. Rubbing his eyes as he saw a giant eyeball still watching him from the ceiling, he startled at the sight of someone standing beside his bed.

"Did I startle you? I'm sorry."

Hearing Natalie's gentle voice, Geon shook his head with a smile.

"No, it's okay."

Natalie, carrying a big tray with washing water, draped a towel over her arm and said,

"Amdusias is calling for you. You should wash up quickly and come down."

"Ah, yes."

After washing his face quickly with the toiletries Natalie offered, he followed her down to the castle. Arriving in front of the room of paintings, Natalie turned to look up at Geon and said,

"Go in."

Leaving only those words, Natalie disappeared. Staring at the spot where Natalie had vanished, Geon opened the door, and inside the room of paintings, unlike the day before, a large dining table was set. Amdusias, sitting alone at a table that could easily seat ten, looked up at Geon as he approached.

"Ah, you're awake?"

As Geon hesitated, not knowing where to sit, the chair opposite Amdusias slid out by itself. Surprised, Geon saw the chair and Amdusias laughed.

"Sit down."

Geon, initially scared, reminded himself it was just a dream and sat down. The table was laden with more food than two could eat. Looking at the table set before him, Geon saw other places were also set and asked,

"Are there more people coming?"

Amdusias smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yes, they will be here soon. We'll have breakfast together in a bit."

"Who are they? The only people I've seen here are you and Natalie."

"Um... how should I put it? They know you better than I do."

"Me? Who are they..."

As Geon looked at Amdusias, who just smiled and closed his mouth, the sound of the door opening was heard. Turning his head, Geon saw two men entering. Amdusias stood up and bowed politely.

"Have you awoken?"

In Geon's view, an expressionless dark-haired handsome man and a smiling blonde boy entered. As Geon awkwardly stood up, the blonde boy raised his hand with a laugh.

"Hi? Stay seated. To think the day we'd share a meal has come, haha."