Devil’s Music

Geon looked flustered as he dodged Byungjun's hand.

"Who's crying? I just washed my face."

Byungjun continued to reach out, trying to catch Geon's face as he dodged.

"Don't lie, when a man says he's not hurt, it means he is. Tell me, if you're hurt we need to go to the hospital, you foolish man. Even if the concert is just around the corner, you should rest if you're unwell. You can't just look at the short term, right?"

Geon, holding Kiska, kept dodging Byungjun's hand as he ran away.

"Ah, really! No, I'm really not hurt!"

"Really? Then why do you keep running away? Come here, will you?"

"Ah, don't touch me!"

As Geon jumped over the sofa while running, Kiska, who was in Geon's arms, chuckled amusedly. Byungjun, who had been chasing Geon, laughed and plopped down on the sofa after seeing Kiska's laughter. Geon, still wary, stood awkwardly and glared at him, ready to run away at any moment.

Geon grimaced, twitching his eyebrows.

"You said that last time and then you applied a cobra twist."

Byungjun picked up a cushion from the sofa and threw it.

"I won't do it! Come here!"

Geon swatted away the cushion with his hand and glared at Byungjun.

"But why do you keep telling me to come? We can talk from here."

Byungjun pointed to the distance between him and Geon.

"Like this, you want to talk?"

Geon relaxed his posture and hesitantly moved closer to the sofa, sitting on the edge and placing Kiska between himself and Byungjun. Seeing Geon's posture, ready to flee at any moment, Byungjun chuckled.

"When are you going to start the arrangements? Don't push yourself too hard."

Feeling a bit relieved by the change of topic, Geon leaned back against the sofa backrest.

"I won't push it, but there's no time. We only have 12 days until the concert. It'll take two days just to travel and book hotels, so I need to finish practicing in about ten days."

"Montana's level, one day of practice should be enough, right?"

Geon pouted.

"The original recording of 'Fury' took four days of practice alone. It's the second version and an arrangement, but it will take three days to completely adapt. Of course, if it were Carlos alone, it would be done in half a day."

"Hmm, Kevin and the drummer... what's the drummer's name again?"

"Jose."

"Yeah, Jose. So, those two are the problem?"

"Not a problem, just that they need more time."

"What do you think of Kevin?"

"What about him?"

"His skills, his skills."

"Why would I introduce someone without skills to Montana? And even if I did, Carlos wouldn’t use someone without skills just because of a personal connection."

"Hmm, true, Carlos is quite exacting musically. Normally he's like a kind-hearted grandfather, but his eyes change when it comes to music. There’s a reason why he's a world-class musician."

"Right, you don’t have to doubt Kevin's skills. Actually, his potential for improvement is even greater."

Byungjun wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh? His potential is greater?"

"Yes, have you heard the term 'groovy'?"

"Um, like rhythmical?"

"Similar. Originally, 'groove' refers to the grooves on an LP that the needle hits to produce sound. So, it’s the principle in audio where the cartridge of a turntable amplifies the sound as it passes over an LP."

Byungjun frowned.

"Damn, I thought it was just about keeping rhythm, but it’s damn complicated."

Geon smiled and shook his head.

"It's about keeping rhythm. An LP has five types of grooves. The first, called the Lead-In, is where the cartridge enters at the start of the record."

Byungjun, unable to comprehend, teased Kiska by poking her lips with his finger, but Geon continued.

"The second is Modulated, where the actual recorded sound is played. The third is Lead-Over, marking the end of a track. The fourth is Lead-Out, marking the end of one side of an LP record. The last is called the Finishing groove, marking the end of the record."

Byungjun listened, poking Kiska’s lips as Geon explained.

"For an LP to make sound, the five grooves must align well with the rhythm of the cartridge. That’s why we say it's 'riding the groove' or 'being groovy.'"

Byungjun dug his ear, frowning

.

"Anyway, the conclusion is it's rhythmical, right? End of story! Enough with the explanations!"

"Ha ha, want more explanation?"

Byungjun covered his ears and collapsed on the sofa.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH~~~ I'm not listening, not listening!"

Geon climbed on top of Byungjun and yelled into his ear.

"The origin of the word 'groove' is!!"

"AAAAHHHH~~ AHAAAAAA~~ I can't hear anything~~"

Byungjun, digging his ears wildly and yelling, made Geon burst out laughing.

"Ha ha, now I have a new weapon too."

Seeing their foolish appearance, Kiska clutched her stomach laughing. Kiska's laughter caused Geon's eyes to flutter momentarily, but he quickly turned his head towards Byungjun. Byungjun, who had been covering his ears, got up and asked.

"What were we talking about that led to this? Ah, so Kevin has a groove?"

Geon held back tears and fixed his gaze on Byungjun.

"Yes, groove is inherently a difficult sense to develop later. Kevin excels in this area. If he develops even higher technique in the future, becoming the second Billy Sheehan wouldn’t be a dream."

Byungjun stood up seriously.

"Billy Sheehan? Who’s that?"

Geon sighed and pulled Byungjun's ear close to his mouth.

"Billy Sheehan. The living legend of rock bass history. He was the bassist for the legendary band Mr. Big, and now he’s with The Winery Dogs. He’s also been a session musician for Steve Vai, one of the most outstanding..."

"AAAAAAACK!!! This explanation freak has gone mad again! Get away!!!"

Byungjun pushed Geon's face away as Geon grabbed his ear again and shouted.

"Born in 1953!!! Older than my father but still active as a legendary bassist!!"

Byungjun, his ears hurting, yelled loudly.

"Hey you bastard! My eardrums are gonna burst!!!"

"EEEHEHEHE!! Will you try that move on me, or not?"

"I won’t! I won’t do it! Let go!"

"EEEHEHEHE, I don’t want to."

As Byungjun flailed his arms and yelled, Kiska rolled around the sofa, laughing louder. Finally freeing himself from Geon’s grip, Byungjun rubbed his red, swollen ears and frowned as he looked at the clock.

"Damn, it hurts more from the explanations than from pulling my ears. Let’s sleep, I was discharged today so I need to sleep early. What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"About ten."

"Alright, are you going to put Kiska to sleep?"

"Yes, I should."

"Okay then, sleep well. I'm going to smoke a cigarette and then sleep."

"Alright, let's go, Kiska."

Kiska, sitting on the sofa with her arms out as if asking to be held, was picked up by Geon, who took her to the room and read her a fairy tale until she fell asleep. Geon stayed by Kiska's side for a very long time that night.

Late at night. Everyone was asleep when Kiska's eyes opened in bed. Glancing at the dark ceiling, blinking her eyes, perhaps because of an unsettling nervousness that had been bothering her, the girl quietly slid out of bed and tiptoed to Geon's room. Seeing the light from a lamp spilling through the slightly open door, Kiska, with a mischievous expression, tiptoed and peeked through the gap.

Seeing Geon sitting hunched over on the bed with his face buried in his knees, Kiska's playfulness lingered on her face. She swung the door wide open to surprise Geon, but paused when she heard sobbing. Seeing Geon's hunched back shaking, Kiska's eyes shook and her heart began to race. Unconsciously placing a hand over her left chest, Kiska swung the door wide open and Geon, startled, looked up.

"Ki, Kiska. You haven't slept?"

Kiska, with a worried expression, crawled onto the bed. Sitting on Geon's stomach, she stared into his face. Geon touched the girl's forehead, smiling.

"Shall we sleep together tonight?"

Without responding, the girl Geon held in his arms moved under the blankets. Geon, holding back his tears in silence, and Kiska, with her ear against his chest, struggled to fall asleep late into the night.

The next day.

Geon, who always left Kiska alone at home when going to the studio, asked the nanny to wash her from morning since he planned to spend the entire day at the studio with her. Excited by Geon's suggestion, Kiska brushed her teeth diligently and dressed in pretty clothes before following Geon to school. Geon

, who usually needed to concentrate alone in the recording booth during arrangement work, stayed by Kiska's side throughout the day. Even when Shizuka came with a packed lunch, Geon constantly sat next to her, putting side dishes into her mouth, which delighted Kiska.

Seeing the girl's happy laughter, Geon smiled painfully.

‘Until the day we part, I'll do my best without regrets.’

Watching over Geon and Kiska, Shizuka gave an awkward smile and left, and Carlos and Kevin arrived at the studio. Not in the recording booth but in the office where the control box was located, Kevin saw Geon sitting next to Kiska, editing the music scores.

"Hey, Kay. We're here."

Geon looked up and stood up, greeting Carlos first.

"Carlos, you’ve come? Kevin too. There’s nothing to do yet since the arrangements aren’t finished. What brings you here so early?"

Kevin, always wary of Kiska’s stern gaze, noticed her unusually good mood today; even when she looked him in the eyes, she just smiled brightly. Kevin, more intimidated by her smile than her glare, stepped back in alarm.

"Uh!? Uh, uh. Just, just curious how the work’s going."

Carlos leaned over to look at the score Geon was working on and widened his eyes.

"What? You’re also changing the lyrics?"

>

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