Devil’s Music

After the season of biting cold winds had passed, and the mountains where buds had blossomed turned lush, and as the temperature differences grew more pronounced, two men sat on the terrace of a grand mansion in New York.

The man sitting cross-legged on the sofa with his feet up, hood over his head, asked the tall man wearing sunglasses.

"Hey Snap, you know I don't like whiskey, right?"

Holding a whiskey glass, Snap lifted his sunglasses with the back of his hand and grinned, showing his gold teeth.

"There's nothing but booze in my house."

Snap, sitting down next to the disgruntled man, asked,

"Neminen, how's Ailee doing?"

Neminen, pulling down his hood and taking the glass, frowned at the strong scent of the whiskey.

"That was years ago, why do you still ask? She's been out of the hospital for a long time, now in Spain."

"Spain? Why all of a sudden?"

"She went traveling with friends. Now in her mid-twenties, she keeps nagging for freedom."

Snap sipped his whiskey with a slight smile.

"You didn't just let her go, did you?"

Neminen chuckled as he sat on the sofa.

"Keke, unbeknownst to Ailee, I sent five long-distance bodyguards with her, she probably doesn't even realize she's being protected."

Snap laughed heartily.

"And every step Ailee takes is reported back to you."

As Neminen continued to giggle, Snap remarked,

"Hey, that's not love. That's obsession. You lost your wife and now you do the same to your daughter?"

"Well, what can I do? I'm worried."

"If Ailee finds out, you won't even be able to pick up your bones, she's got quite the temper."

"Keke, I've made sure she won't find out."

As Neminen chuckled, Snap glanced at the flashy accessories and rings dangling from his wrist.

"Aren't those heavy?"

Snap, looking perplexed by Neminen's question, followed his gaze to his own hand and shook it, causing the bracelet and the somewhat loose watch to jangle.

"Keke, a rapper without bling is like a corpse. Sometimes it does get heavy."

Neminen, looking at Snap's gold watch, said,

"I'm a rapper too, but I don't get the gold watches. I prefer something light, like a G-shock."

"Keke, the watch has to be a Rolex! It's an eternal truth passed down since our great-grandfather's days."

"That damn Rolex. It really lasts a long time."

"Luxury is supposed to last! That's what makes it timeless. Not getting bored of it over time, that's what luxury is."

"Forget it, turn on the TV."

Snap pressed the remote control for the enormous TV installed even on the terrace.

"Does Ailee still not look for Kay?"

Neminen, looking at the drama playing on the TV, nodded slightly.

"Yeah, she's okay now. You know how much she cried after speaking harshly to Kay initially. After crying for over three months, she barely speaks now. Fortunately, Kay being still a student and not appearing much on TV helps too."

Snap pursed his lips and nodded.

"Yeah, that makes sense. When is that guy going to hit the major leagues?"

Neminen, twirling the remote control, said,

"Who knows? He's in his fourth year now, right? He'll be out soon."

Snap bit his lip.

"Damn, the mainstream genre will change when he debuts, wonder what kind of music he'll do? Would be nice if he did hip-hop."

"Keke, haven't you seen that guy's guitar skills? With that level, do you think he'd do hip-hop?"

"Well, that's true. Man, I hope my album is finished before he comes out."

"You're releasing an album?"

"Yeah, if that guy debuts, other musicians will look pathetic, so better sell a lot before he comes out."

"Keke, I actually thought the same when I released my album two months ago. Keke."

"See? Fire Cube is also releasing an album next month."

"What's Dr. Bres saying?"

"That guy seems to have become a complete Buddha lately. Maybe it's because he poured his heart out about his son? Just laughs and grins all day."

"Do you stay in touch with Kay?"

Upon hearing Neminen's last remark, Snap ground his teeth.

"No, you?"

"Me neither. With Ailee, it would be awkward to reach out."

"Next time we meet, I'll fill a whiskey barrel and shove it in your mouth. How dare you not contact?"

"Keke, you should do it first."

"Handling that woman is enough for me; can't do more, it hurts my pride."

"Keke, damn that pride of yours."

"What's that drama

, by the way?"

Snap pointed to a drama on TV featuring Asian men and women.

"Don't you know that? It's a Korean drama, called 'Goblin' in the US, but Ailee says the Korean 'goblin' is different from what we know. Curious, I watched it and got so hooked I finished it in two days."

"That interesting? Maybe I'll watch it."

"Yeah, go ahead. You won't regret it."

Just as Snap tried to focus on the screen, the drama paused and commercials began. Snap frowned and pointed at the TV screen, shouting,

"Damn! TV in the US has too many ads! I'd pay more for an ad-free TV!"

"Kekeke, don't just think about yourself, think of other people too. Hahaha."

Searching for another broadcast, Snap reached out his hand.

"Give me the remote."

"No, I'm watching."

"You said you've seen the ending!"

"I'll watch it again."

"Jeez, weird guy."

"Huh? That's Kay."

"What?"

As Snap turned his head towards the TV screen, the image of Geon holding a white falcon appeared in black and white. Leaning against the wall with a playful expression, Geon slung the white falcon over his shoulder and turned around.

It turned out the wall behind wasn't a wall, as Geon bent down to lift what appeared to be a door, revealing a room resembling a garage with an old wagon and a Marshall amp inside.

Grinning broadly and whistling, Geon climbed onto the hood of the wagon with the white falcon on his thigh, playing a short tune as if tuning the sound. Watching this, Neminen muttered,

"Is this a commercial?"

Snap nodded, commenting,

"But that kid, isn't his guitar skill even more incredible? It's not even a proper song, but what's with this sound?"

The guitar tune flowing from the TV had a clear sound without distortion, a moderately lively track from the blues genre that made the body swing along.

With no intention to play initially, Geon stopped after warming up his hands and plucked a hammer from the tools hanging beside the wagon, smirking before tossing it aside. The hammer, shown in slow-motion video, spun through the air and bounced off a distortion pedal on the floor.

As a slight noise from the distortion pedal rang out, Geon, sitting cross-legged, began playing the guitar.

The impressive play felt somewhat discordant, causing Snap to point at the screen and comment,

"Is he doing that on purpose? The rhythm seems off."

"Yeah, you think that guy would make such a mistake? There must be something behind it."

As they speculated, Geon rummaged through his pockets. After searching his pants pockets, he smiled and took something out from his shirt pocket and placed it in front of the bonnet.

"What's that?"

"Looks like a wristwatch?"

As the camera that had been facing the front of the wagon lifted, it appeared to be filmed by a drone. The drone shot from above Geon's head to the bonnet, where a wristwatch beautifully decorated with a gold emblem on a white body was visible. Briefly glimpsing the Rolex on his own wrist, Snap smacked his lips.

"The urge to buy is coming on. That's a really pretty watch."

Even Neminen, usually indifferent to watches, leaned forward from the sofa, intrigued by the TV.

The watch in front of Geon matched the design of the white falcon on his thigh as if they were a set. Touching his chin, Neminen pointed and said,

"This... is it a collaboration model with the guitar?"

"Yeah, seems like it, really similar."

The camera, capturing both the watch and Geon, zoomed in closely on the watch. The ticking sound of the watch's second hand grew louder.

Tick-tock tick-tock.

As the beautiful watch filled the screen with its precise ticking, suddenly Geon's guitar erupted with heavy distortion, and the black-and-white screen burst into color, transforming into a dynamic visual. Startled by the sudden loud sound, Neminen exclaimed,

"Fury?"

Snap shook his head and shouted,

"Not just Fury, you bought the album too. It's the Liverpool Sound City version."

The enormous sound of the guitar played to the rhythm of the watch's second hand as a drum.

Playing even the vocal melody line on his guitar, Geon's hands moved so fast they seemed to multiply. The image split on the screen showed Geon playing furiously and the watch's second hand moving.

"Doesn't he kill it more than Carlos Montana?"

Neminen, mesmerized, watched the screen and nodded. After about a minute of playing, the watch slowly rose from the bonnet.

Watching the rising watch, Geon's face lit up with a smile. The watch, spinning around him as if winged, quickly snapped onto his wrist, which was grabbing a chord.

Continuing

 to play, Geon's left wrist, adorned with the beautiful watch matching the world-renowned guitar, White Falcon, was highlighted on the screen, trailing sparks of light as the watch stopped.

Simultaneously with the end of the play, Geon draped his arm over the White Falcon. The guitar's body and the watch were both visible at once, and Geon, still smiling, playfully formed a 'V' sign before the screen turned white.

On the white background, the White Falcon was embedded on one side, and the watch on the other. Elegant script flowed from left to right at the bottom of the screen.

The Lake Limited Edition X White Falcon.

Limited to 200 pieces, hurry up.

The screen shifted to another commercial, but Snap, still unable to take his eyes off the TV, lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. A bodyguard waiting behind approached.

"Order that."

"Yes."

Neminen turned his head and said,

"Order one for me too."

Snap pushed Neminen away with his foot and said,

"Order your own! Didn't you see it's limited to 200 pieces?"

"Damn, that's why I'm asking you! I don't have an assistant to handle my errands!"

"Never mind, never mind! Just order one!"

"No, order two! Please!"

The two continued to shove each other with their feet while bickering. And that day, the website of The Lake, set up by Arsenal Holdings, went down within 10 minutes of the first TV commercial and did not stabilize for two days.

 For days, people kept refreshing The Lake's website, waiting for it to normalize. Once it did, they couldn't hide their disappointment.

Because all 200 pieces had sold out within 10 minutes of the advertisement, the efforts of those who had waited two days were in vain from the start. Many inquired about additional production on the website and social media, but The Lake announced that there would be no more productions of the White Falcon collaboration.

A watch priced at USD 10,650 (12 million KRW) was merely a tool for the wealthy to flaunt their superiority.

Given that some of these watches the wealthy wore were worth over $100,000, it was hard to call them mere luxuries, so their executive assistants moved quickly to secure these watches.

This time, only men's models of the White Falcon were produced, leading to numerous inquiries from female customers charmed by its beautiful design about the production of women's watches.

Arthur had made just one women's watch, which was meant as a unique gift for Kiska at Geon's request.

An associate who regularly traveled between Russia and Georgia delivered the White Falcon model to Kiska, making her the only woman in the world to own one, which delighted her.

Arthur, having made about ten more watches at Geon's request, pleaded with Arthur not to post about it on social media for the time being, due to potential customer complaints. The watches that Alisher Usmanov had even paid for were now stacked in the annex where Geon was staying.

On the day the watches were transferred to Red Castle, Byungjun, after finishing his schedule late at night, opened the door to the annex and saw a white box and a letter on the sofa.

"Huh? Is this Geon's stuff?"

Byungjun, taking off his coat, picked up the letter placed next to the box after spotting his name at the top of the first line.

Dear beloved Byungjun,

It's been four years since we met, and now we're entering the fifth year.

I've never given you a proper gift despite your constant care and love, so I prepared one this time.

I am always grateful for your efforts.

From Geon.

Not knowing what the gift was, Byungjun was moved just by the contents of the letter. Wiping his nose, he lifted the elegantly white and gold-embossed expensive-looking box, and his eyes lit up.

"Wow! The White Falcon model!"

Hesitant to touch the beautiful watch inside, Byungjun's eyes welled up slightly as he saw the gold engraving inside the movement.

The world's best manager, Byungjun.

With a small laugh, Byungjun wiped his eyes and took great care of the watch. He glanced at Geon's closed door before entering his own room.

He turned off the light and left the door slightly ajar as he watched Byungjun, Geon's eyes curving into a crescent moon.

"Hehe, he likes it. That's good."

Thinking that giving a handwritten letter along with the gift made it more touching, Geon was satisfied with the effect of this little event and sat on the bed, about to call Kiska, when his old model phone, not his new one, rang. Seeing the time was just past midnight as he looked at the wall clock, Geon tilted his head.

"Who could it be at this hour? Oh!!!"

His eyes widened as he read the blue lettering on the black background of the screen. Taking a deep breath to steady his trembling hand, Geon swallowed dryly and answered the phone.

"Ah, ah, S, Snoop. Ha, hahaha, how have you been?"

"You want to die?"

"No, no that's not what I—"

"You make me wait three years? You dare?"

"No, no, I was going to call, but then—"

Gun cocking noises came from the other side of the phone, causing Geon to sweat and stammer out an excuse.

"That, that was since the Nepal thing, things got a bit busy, Snoop."

"Is it so hard to make a call?"

"Ah, ahahaha... sorry."

"Sorry isn't enough, give me the watch."

"What?"

"The watch."

"What... oh! The White Falcon model?"

"Yes, I saw the ad and tried to order it right away, but I was a bit late. I hear you're not just the ad model, but the major shareholder of that company, so you could send one, right?"

"That, of course! I'll send it to you."

"Good, then I forgive the three years of waiting. But come visit within a month; the Doctor wants to see you too."

"Yes, yes. It's not far; I'll definitely come by."

Suddenly, some scuffling noise came from the other side of the phone. It seemed like Snoop was arguing with someone before he shouted.

"I'm hanging up!"

"Hey!!

 Give it here!"

Just before the call disconnected, Geon heard Eminem's voice and smiled as he grabbed two boxes of the White Falcon model. Thinking he needed to send them out early the next morning via express post, Geon was about to call Kiska again when his phone rang once more. Recognizing the caller, Geon answered the phone with a delighted expression.

"Oh, Arthur?"

"Haha, Kay. Did you get the watch?"

"Yes, if Arthur hadn't prepared it in advance, I might have been shot somewhere or found vomiting in an alley after a night out. I really appreciate it."

"What? What do you mean—"

"Haha, no, but what's up so late?"

"Oh, sorry, it's quite late. Just wanted to tell you I've just sent the two women's watches you asked for. They should arrive in two days; just wanted to let you know."

"Ah, thank you, Arthur."

"But won't the original recipient be disappointed if there's more than one of these women's watches?"

"Hehe, it's okay. I'll ask them to keep it a secret."

"Are you giving them to family?"

"Haha, no, they're for Director Son Lin and Professor Sharon."

"Ah, I see. I don't know Professor Sharon, but I'm also grateful to Director Son Lin. Anyway, if the shipment doesn't arrive in two days, please contact me."

"Yes, Arthur. By the way, how's your drum practice going?"

"Yes, I practice every day."

"Confident enough to play rhythms?"

"Uh... quarter notes, 4/4 time, I guess."

Hearing Arthur's response, Geon smiled. His confident play meant he was not just capable but could perform with precise timing.

"I hope you can play all the music I've composed within five months, Arthur."

"I'll do my best, but why did you tell me to learn the drums? It's a nice hobby now, and I'm grateful, but the feeling of not being able to keep time is almost unbearable."

"Haha, that's exactly why, Arthur. You have a precise sense of rhythm, which is essential for a drummer."

"What do you mean—"

"You are the final piece I've been looking for, Arthur."

"Me? Then—"

"Yes, my drummer. You have to be my drummer."

Stammering in surprise, Arthur was at a loss for words.

"Then, take care in your practice. I'll be releasing an official album in five months. You'll have to take care of the drums in my music, Arthur."

"That, that's—"

"Haha, I'm hanging up. Thank you, bye."

"Wait! K, Kay!"

"Bye~"

Geon hung up, smiling as he recalled his conversation with Sharon. Sharon had negotiated with the dean, and under the condition that Geon could use the school's practice and recording studios, he was excused from all classes.

If he could release a regular album instead of a single within his senior year, the school would credit his courses. This was communicated just yesterday.

After hanging up, Geon finally called Kiska. Before the ringtone even finished once, Kiska answered.

"I've been waiting, why did you call so late?"

"Sorry, I've been getting calls from everywhere."

"It's about the watch, isn't it!"

"Yeah, many people are asking for it."

"Um, me too."

"Huh? But I gave you one."

"Dad looked so envious, can you send just one more for him?"

"Haha, I've already taken care of one for Gregory, and Miroslav got one too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I was going to give it when I returned, but I'll send it tomorrow."

"Okay! Thank you."

"And, I'm going to release an album."

"Huh? Aren't you still in school, do you have the time?"

"Yeah, I've got permission from the school to focus solely on the album."

"An official album? How many tracks?"

"At least eight to make it official."

"Tell me the concept when you decide, I must write the lyrics for Kay's first album."

"Haha, sure."

"Got any ideas already?"

"Um... not detailed yet, but the first live I had in Chicago was with Carlos, and I want to keep a promise I made with a lady I met there."

"A lady?"

"Yeah, she seemed to be in a lot of pain after losing her child, and I made a promise with her, though she doesn't know I made it."

"Um... what kind of song?"

"It'll be a healing song. I haven't thought beyond that, but I want to create a song that eases mental pain, though it can't alleviate physical pain."

"That will fill all eight tracks?"

"No, just the direction for the first track. I'll have to think about the rest."

"Okay, but do you know the

 promised two hundred nights are almost up?"

"Ah... has it been that long already?"

"Not many days left. You have to keep your promise with me."

"Haha, okay. I'll go give Gregory his watch and visit."

"When?"

"I need to check the flights."

"When?"

"Haha, I'll look now."

"Tell me tomorrow."

"Okay, Kiska."

"Then, a fairy tale."

"Alright, haha."

Geon, who had promised to read a fairy tale to Kiska, booked a flight to Georgia. Thinking about meeting Kiska after a few months, he couldn't sleep and tossed and turned in bed for 30 minutes before getting up again and pulling out a blank sheet of music.

Sitting at the desk, resting his chin on his hand and staring at the blank staff paper, the memory of the woman sobbing in a park in Chicago deepened his gaze.

"I'll definitely keep the promise, ma'am."

Geon scribbled something in the title space at the top of the staff paper. He tried to write music, but without a plan, no music could possibly come out, so after much thought, he fell asleep on the desk as dawn approached. The title written on the staff paper glowed a pale blue.

Song of Water.