Devil’s Music

At the Bronx Zoo.

Geon was happily laughing as he pointed out Shihwa and her young ones, who had recognized him after a long absence, playfully showing off in front of their enclosure.

"Look at that. That's Shihwa! Did I name her? Isn't she pretty?"

Despite just being a gorilla, Geon couldn't take his eyes off what he saw as beautiful in Shihwa.

Through Geon, greetings were exchanged with the zoo staff, and he even received some snacks to feed to the animals, tossing pieces of bread into the gorilla enclosure.

Geon noticed Pyemon and Kushiyeon standing apart from the rest and asked with curious eyes.

"Don't you like animals? Why are you standing so far away?"

Pyemon just smiled and gestured with his head.

"Ah, we'll just watch from here. It's not boring, so go and spend some time with those guys."

"Really? Hmm... It feels a bit awkward being the only one excited here."

"Haha, it's okay, it's okay."

As Pyemon waved his hand as if to say go and enjoy, the gorillas watching from a distance were startled and hid in a corner.

Animals recognize those stronger than themselves unlike humans. Knowing that no one in the ecosystem could dare look up to the likes of Pyemon and Kushiyeon, who would only tremble in corners, they stayed a bit away to not disturb Geon's time.

Laughing innocently while spending time with the animals, Geon occasionally turned back to explain something about them to Kushiyeon, who just watched him for a long while.

After passing by Ricky and Phil, they reached a large bird cage, where Geon, excitedly close to the cage, was joined by the two who sat on a bench.

Handing a bottle of water to Kushiyeon, Pyemon sat next to him, watching Geon who seemed fond of the child.

"He seems like a good kid, right? Pure for his age like no other."

Still not taking his eyes off Geon, Kushiyeon silently opened the water bottle and drank.

Kushiyeon's observation of Geon was a sign that his feelings were changing, Pyemon noted.

"He's excited about having dinner later with some other friends."

Kushiyeon twitched his eyebrows.

"Other friends?"

"You know, the ones he makes music with and people from the company, the only people he's close with are those guys and some professors."

"Hmm, Kevin and Shizuka?"

"Yeah, they said they'd have dinner at the BBQ club."

"I see."

Pyemon clapped Kushiyeon on the back loudly and laughed.

"Cheer up, man!"

Kushiyeon, unperturbed by the slap, turned back to Geon, who was still attached to the bird cage, laughing. After a while, he murmured softly.

"I still don't know."

Knowing what Kushiyeon meant, Pyemon shifted his weight back and sat comfortably on the bench.

"What's the rush? You've got eternity to live, think it over slowly."

Kushiyeon looked at his own hands and then clenched them into fists.

"Right, we have eternity. But he's human and will die soon. If I don't drag him to hell with me, I'll never see him again."

Kushiyeon turned to Pyemon.

"Are you okay with that?"

Pyemon watched Geon and smiled faintly.

"I haven't thought about it."

Kushiyeon frowned.

"Weren't you friends? Won't you be sad when his last day comes?"

"Ha, so? Are you afraid to make friends because of that?"

Kushiyeon bowed his head. After a moment of silence, he looked back at Geon.

"It's the first time someone has asked me to be friends. And it had to be a human. Even if we become friends, it will only be for a fleeting moment."

"So what?"

"What?"

Pyemon touched the frown between Kushiyeon's brows with his index finger.

"Then remember him in your heart for a lifetime. If he remains a friend in your memories, that's all that matters."

Kushiyeon stared silently at Pyemon tapping his brow, then cast his gaze to the ground, hesitating.

"Will you... be my friend too?"

"Heh, if he can be friends with Geon, then I guess Gamagin, Amducias, and I could be your friends too."

"Phew... I see."

Pyemon playfully raised his finger.

"Oh, there's one more."

Kushiyeon nodded indifferently, prompting Pyemon to laugh and say,

"You missed Shiva."

Kushiyeon exclaimed in surprise.

"What?"

"Heh, Shiva."

"That, then, means that the Hindus and the lamas that

 attacked back then..."

"Heh, I don't know about the lamas, but the Hindu side was definitely Shiva's doing."

Kushiyeon, now aware that Shiva was also watching Geon's back, watched Geon reaching out to the birds. He looked surprised for a while and then asked,

"Gamagin, you, Amducias, and Shiva too. Ah, Brahma and Vishnu must be included, right? Ha, I touched the wrong person."

Kushiyeon chuckled ruefully and suddenly asked,

"What would have happened if I had tormented him more cruelly?"

Pyemon whistled to the sky.

"Who knows? It would have been as you are imagining."

"Huh... I see."

Kushiyeon smirked bitterly, shaking his head, which Geon noticed as he approached the bench.

"What are you talking about so seriously? Leaving me out."

Kushiyeon looked at Geon and smirked lightly.

"You were quite something, weren't you?"

Geon widened his eyes in confusion.

"Huh? What's sudden?"

"No, let's get up now. Where were we going next?"

"Uh... I was going to have dinner with other friends... but it's still a bit early."

"Is that so? Are we staying here then?"

Geon glanced at his wristwatch and pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Pay, Sion. There's someone else who's just as important to me as my friends, and since there's time, let's go see them for a while."

Pyemon silently dusted off his hands and stood up.

"Sure, let's go anywhere."

* * *

A short while later.

Standing in front of a 5-story building under construction near Manhattan, Kushiyeon asked,

"Why are we at a construction site?"

Looking up at the red brick building under construction, Geon smiled sheepishly.

"This is our company's U.S. branch. We didn't originally plan to expand to the U.S., but with Montana and Shizuka signing contracts, we decided to set up a branch."

Whistling at the 5-story building located in downtown Manhattan, Pyemon remarked,

"Whew, you must be making a lot of money."

Geon, with an arm around the shoulders of both, laughed.

"I'd like to go in, but it's too dangerous. Ah! There she comes."

Following Geon's gaze, Kushiyeon's eyes widened as he saw Lynn, dressed in a sky-blue blouse and black skirt, walking towards them with the sound of her high heels. Seeing her, Geon playfully laughed.

"Hehe, isn't our director pretty? Can't help but step back, can you?"

Misunderstanding something, Geon laughed and ran forward to greet Lynn, while Kushiyeon couldn't take his eyes off her.

"That... she's not human?"

Pyemon, hands clasped behind his neck, laughed.

"Yeah, she's not."

Kushiyeon looked at Pyemon in surprise.

"Did you know?"

Pyemon chuckled and looked up at the sky.

"Weren't you curious why the angels weren't intervening?"

"Well, that's... Huh? Don't tell me?"

"Yes, the angels like her too. That's why they didn't intervene. Oh, of course, thanks to Lord Gamagin's efforts."

"Such... a child protected by both demons and angels?"

"Heh, right."

Kushiyeon's shocked heart seemed not to settle as he stared wide-eyed at Lynn. Geon, chatting with her, occasionally glanced at him. Kushiyeon muttered to himself,

"She's not just a Crusader; she's an angel of the Ophanim rank or higher."

Pyemon nodded with his hands still behind his neck.

"Lord Gamagin said she might be Uriel."

Kushiyeon gasped in shock.

"What!! One of the four archangels, Uriel!!?"

As Kushiyeon raised his voice, Lynn and Geon turned to look. Pyemon waved his hand as if to say it's nothing and whispered to Kushiyeon,

"Lower your voice, friend."

Kushiyeon, despite Pyemon's warning, continued to scrutinize Lynn and said,

"Does that make sense? The power I feel is weak; she can't be Uriel."

"She's incarnated in a human body, so she's not showing all her angelic power. It's what Lord Gamagin said, so it must be right. Plus, there's another angel around her that we don't know yet. They're hiding really well."

"Another... there is?"

"Not just that, Caliel and Nanael are always watching over the child too."

"Huh!! Caliel, you mean Michael's right hand? And... the angel of dreams, Nanael?"

"Heh, yeah."

"What's so special about this child that not

 just Crusaders or Dominions but even higher-ranking angels like Uriel and Caliel are watching over a mere human child?"

"Heh, you'll have to find out yourself."

As they talked, Kushiyeon turned his head towards someone approaching. Geon, holding Lynn's hand, came over with a bright smile.

"Director! These two are my new friends. This blonde handsome guy is Pay, and this brown-haired European handsome is Sion. Sion is a student studying painting, and Pay is... uh, what was Pay doing again?"

Pausing in his introduction, Geon looked confused. Pyemon laughed and said,

"I'm a student too, studying marketing."

"Ah, I didn't even ask, haha. Anyway, that's it, Director."

Lynn nodded in greeting.

"Nice to meet you, Pay. And..."

Lynn stared intently at Kushiyeon, who was still scrutinizing her, and gave him a cold smile.

"Nice to meet you, Sion."

Since the woman didn't offer her hand first, Pyemon simply nodded in greeting and spoke.

"I've heard a lot about you, please take good care of my friend. Director Lynn."

Lynn smiled warmly at Pyemon.

"That's good to hear, it seems Kay has found some nice friends."

Lynn turned to Kushiyeon, sizing him up briefly, then asked,

"And... Sion, you'll be a good friend to Kay too, right?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Kushiyeon. Watching Lynn smile at him, Kushiyeon looked back at Pyemon, who was urging him with his eyes to answer, and at Geon, who was grinning.

"Yes, let's just say that for now."

Geon laughed at Shion's chic reply, causing Rin to smile.

"Shion seems to be a bit shy, but he was a friend who helped me a lot when we first met, so I hope you'll treat him well too, haha."

Rin said with a low chuckle.

"I see, a shy friend. That's interesting. Ah, we are building a space exclusively for Mr. Geon over there, would you like to take a look?"

"Really? Where is it?"

"It's on the third floor, I'll assign someone to you so you can go and see."

"Okay! Kids, I'll be right back!"

After calling over an employee with a gesture to safely usher Geon in, Rin watched Geon enter the construction site.

"Have you changed your mind, Shion?"

Shion looked coldly at Rin, who immediately changed his demeanor as Geon left. It was clear the relationship between demons and angels was not friendly, and Shion, known for his cunning, was also shunned by the angels.

"Not yet."

Rin smiled slightly and looked at Pyemon.

"Thank you, Lord Pyemon."

"Ha ha, I should be the one saying that to you."

"Then enjoy your visit, I have a lot to take care of."

After a brief greeting, Rin glanced at Shion, who was still glaring at him, and then bowed beautifully before leaving. Shion watched her leave, saying:

"Uriel..."

Pyemon chuckled as he watched her with Shion.

"Yes, Uriel is protecting that child."

Shion watched Rin disappear in silence and then asked:

"Was it the angels who started this?"

"No, it was Lord Gamagin who started it."

"A demon helped by an angel at a demon's event?"

"Hehe, yes."

"That's incomprehensible."

"You'll understand soon enough."

"Hmm?"

"Lord Gamagin will eventually tell you why it started."

"By becoming... friends?"

"Yes, because a friend is someone you can trust."

"I... see."

Pleased with his new space, Geon came out, removed his helmet, and smiled brightly.

After introducing Geon to Shizuka and Kevin at the Viviking Club, Shion and Pyemon supported a very drunk Geon back to the Red Castle. The two sat on the couch in the detached house's living room, where no one else was.

Peeking at Geon, who had fallen asleep in his room, through a slightly open door, Pyemon asked:

"So, how was it? Spending a day as a human friend?"

Shion, sitting in the dark room, responded in a low voice:

"Just another ordinary day, going to familiar places, meeting the usual people."

"That's humans for you, finding joy and sorrow in the mundane, suffering over minor hurts in the grand scheme of their short lives."

After a pause, Shion bowed his head.

"And... it was enjoyable."

Pyemon laughed softly.

"I see."

Shion glanced at Geon, who was mumbling in his sleep.

"Did you hear what his next song will be about?"

"At the bar, he mentioned songs of fire, wind, and earth, didn't he?"

"Do you know what they mean?"

"Hehe, I do."

"Unlike the song of water, the song of the earth can make the land fertile for plants to thrive, or it can dry and twist it, changing the Earth's environment like Mars. The song of the wind can bring rain to drought-stricken areas but can also alter the climate to call forth storms. The song of fire can inspire people to passion in all things, yet it can also incite them to war. Will you just let it be?"

Pyemon grinned, pointing at Geon with his thumb.

"Do you think that boy looks like someone who would carry negative emotions?"

Shion watched Geon silently all day; he was innocent and hated to cause even minor injuries to his friends.

As they discussed the song of water, the gradually improving stories of psychiatric patients seemed as if they were talking about their own stories or helping their families, which excited them. After a moment of reflection, Shion shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. It's a pity, if it were me, I would have moved the child to harness greater power."

Pyemon flicked Shion's forehead lightly.

"Don't hide yourself; I know you no longer think that way."

Shion rubbed his uninjured forehead and sighed.

"Is this really okay? I am a demon, and so are you."

Pyemon leaned deeply back into the sofa and looked up at the ceiling.

"Isn't it fun to have an exception to everything? Life as a demon would be boring if we always followed the same patterns."

"An exception..."

"Yes, an exception."

Shion crossed his arms and sank into thought again, which Py

emon watched with a small smile before leaving him alone.

As dawn's light shone into the dimly lit detached house living room and the day progressed with the sun high in the sky, Shion, lost in thought, did not rise from his seat.

In the late afternoon, although he had no hangover, Geon got out of bed thirsty. He saw Shion sitting on the sofa with his head bowed.

Aware that Geon had awakened, Shion continued to sit with his eyes closed. Geon, who was peering around, approached him again.

"Sleeping here might give you a cold... You seem too deeply asleep to wake. This should at least keep you from getting sick, Shion."

After leaving those warm words, Geon went to drink some water. His throat was so dry that even after drinking two glasses of water, he poured another and took it back to his room, with the blanket draped over his shoulders. Seeing Shion rising from the sofa, he stopped.

"Oh, are you awake? Ah, did I wake you? Sorry. I was worried you might catch a cold."

Geon adjusted the blanket slipping from his shoulders.

"Are you cold? Let's go to my room, what's wrong with men sharing a bed?"

Holding a glass of water and grabbing Shion's arm to lead him to his room, Geon put strength into his body to resist being pulled along.

Shion looked seriously at him and snapped his fingers in front of him.

"Shion? Do you have something like sleepwalking? Are you still not awake? Snap out of it."

Geon, who had been waving his hand in front of Shion, watched him silently as he had been deep in thought all night.

"Let me ask you again."

His hoarse voice made Geon even more worried.

"Yeah, tell me."

"Am I your friend?"

Geon frowned.

"Why do you keep asking... I told you yesterday. You and Pyemon, you're both my friends."

Shion closed his eyes. After a moment to gather his breath, he opened them and glared at Geon.

Instead of being puzzled by his glaring friend, Geon looked at him with concern. Feeling his warmth and kindness, Shion struggled to speak.

"Shion..."

"Huh?"

"My name is Shion."

"Oh? So Shion was like a nickname from when you were young?"

Shion dropped the blanket on the floor.

"I, Shion, acknowledge you as my friend for eternity."

At Shion's words, a purple flash of light momentarily lit up the detached house living room like a camera's flash.

"What was that just now? Shion, no, Shion. Did you see it too?"

Shion smiled slightly and shook his head.

"No, I didn't see it."

Geon rubbed his eyes and looked around again, but seeing everything unchanged, he scrunched up his face.

"Ah, I've been drinking too much lately, seeing things. Ah, sorry. Acknowledging as a friend, what does that mean?"

Shion pulled Geon into an arm-in-arm embrace and dragged him to the room.

"No, that's a thing. Let's go to sleep. We can share a bed since we're friends."

"Oh, of course. But, you don't have any other... hobbies, do you?"

"Why, worried now?"

"Ah... ahaha, no, not really, just let's sleep!"

"Hehe, let's go."

Geon pulled out an extra blanket for Shion and gave him one of the two pillows before curling up and falling asleep first.

Although Shion had no need or reason to sleep, he quietly closed his eyes and lay still until Geon's breathing stabilized. Once Geon was fully asleep, Shion rose from his place.

He smiled faintly as he walked to the closed door of the room and opened it.

In the detached house living room sofa, three men were sitting, looking at him and laughing. A handsome man with brown hair, wearing a neatly pressed gray suit vest with a red tie, came forward to greet him.

"Good evening, Lord Shion. I am Amdusias."

With the same smile as the night before, Pyemon greeted him with one hand raised.

"Hey, you slept, despite being a demon?"

Inside, yet still wearing sunglasses and black leather gloves despite it being summer, was Gamagin.

"Come and sit down."

Although the only change was becoming friends with Geon, Shion now had three other demon friends as well.

Although they were always intimidating to him, Gamagin, who he should kneel and bow to, and Amdusias, who wasn't very helpful but had many useful abilities, were now his friends.

Shion approached the sofa and smiled broadly at the three. Pyemon forcibly pushed him down onto the sofa by his knees and put him in a headlock, giving him a noogie.

"Welcome, friend

."

While being choked and noogied by Pyemon, Shion waved his hands in resistance, but his bright smile couldn't be hidden.

It was the first time Shion had shown such a bright smile in front of someone, and he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat liberated.