Devil’s Music

Jennifer, Kayla, and Cloren were deeply immersed in watching YouTube videos. Even though they hadn't uploaded their own videos, watching four or five new ones every day reminded them of the scenes they had witnessed, painting their faces with a blush of reminiscence.

Pointing at a section of her tablet PC, Cloren exclaimed, "Guys, there's a new one! Let's watch it together!"

Kayla and Jennifer, who were exchanging newly bought clothes, immediately leaped onto the bed upon hearing Cloren's words.

"Who's in this one? More high school kids?" asked Kayla.

Cloren nodded. "Yeah, but the comments are a bit weird. Take a look."

As Kayla touched the tablet screen to read the comments, she chuckled, "Music? Guitar sounds? What's this about?"

Shrugging, Cloren admitted, "I don't know; I haven't seen it yet. Let's watch together."

Cloren pressed play, and the three huddled together to focus on the video.

The backdrop remained Dante Park.

A girl, chatting happily with friends behind the camera, was shown. Soon, her gaze fixated on something, and like the other girls, she paused, clasped her hands on her chest, holding her breath, then snapped back to reality. Up until this point, the content was similar to previous videos, but this time, there was over 10 minutes remaining.

While the girl continued gazing at something, guitar music suddenly started playing. Kayla, straining to hear the faint guitar sounds from a distance, commented, "Huh? Isn't this the music Jennifer likes? That 'Once' song from a movie."

Jennifer leaned in towards the tablet's speaker and nodded. "Yeah, it seems so. 'Falling Slowly.' But is someone playing the guitar here? It doesn't sound like a recording."

The three focused on the guitar prelude, and soon, someone's singing was heard:

"I don't know you,

But I want you all the more for that."

Their eyes widened, exchanging surprised glances. The voice in the video sounded incredibly melancholic. Jennifer, in disbelief, moved closer to the speaker.

"Unbelievable! Is that a person's voice? How can they sing these low notes so sorrowfully?"

Cloren and Kayla nodded in agreement, their eyes wide. Shocked or moved, the video's song was heading towards a climax.

"Take this sinking boat and point it home,

We've still got time..."

Jennifer, unwittingly, shed a tear. The emotions conveyed in this song, where a male actor meets a girl by chance, falls in love, and has a heartbreaking moment, felt vivid due to a heartfelt performance.

After noticing goosebumps on her arms, Jennifer saw Kayla wiping teary eyes, while Cloren seemed to be biting her lip, holding back tears. As the song ended with the final guitar arpeggio, the video paused briefly.

There was a moment of silence in the video.

The girl seen in the video started mouthing the words mid-song, and after it ended, she was gaping in awe. Clapping and whistling, seemingly less than ten people in the background joined, and the girl enthusiastically joined in the applause. Then, she addressed the camera with excitement: "It's amazing!!!!"

The video froze with the ecstatic expression on the girl's face. The trio gazed at the paused screen, speechless. Cloren was the first to regain composure.

"Could this possibly be sung by the Vampire Prince?"

Jennifer shook her head vigorously in response. "Oh my, I thought I'd faint. Vampire Prince, that sounds right. If you watch the video, he turns his head slowly when that person appears and stops somewhere in the middle. It's like he sang from someplace."

Kayla agreed, nodding. "Yeah, it seems that way to me too. But this person, could they be a singer? Well, the question itself seems odd. With this level of singing, they might already be a professional, right?"

Jennifer pounded the bed in frustration. "Ugh, why! They didn't sing when we went there! Why! Why!"

Cloren tried to calm Jennifer down. "Hey, calm down. It's not just when we went; there's no singing in other videos either. This seems unique. Maybe they sang for the first time or just did it once."

Jennifer, after a moment, asked, "Should we go today too? What time is it now?"

Checking the clock on the wall, they saw it was 7:40 PM.

Soon, the girls' room turned chaotic as they changed clothes and prepared.

Across from the Lincoln Center, in a practice room, Geon pulled out Jack from the guitar, placing it in the front pocket of his hard case after checking the time.

"It's already 8:10."

With a smile, Geon stored the guitar in the case: Gibson Acoustic J-200 Standard Vintage Sunburst.

This guitar, an acoustic with an incredibly large jumbo body, was featured in different colors in the movie 'August Rush,' just like the one Geon had. With its jumbo body, its resonance chamber was larger, creating a sound louder and more far-reaching than other acoustic guitars.

"Thank you, Teacher Chunho."

Geon remembered Chunho, who gifted him the guitar upon hearing about Geon's study abroad news. As a warm teacher, Chunho gave Geon one of his guitar collections as a farewell gift.

Carefully placing the guitar in its hard case, Geon slung his bag over his shoulder, waved at the African American at the counter with a smile, and stepped out of the practice room.

"See you later, Jonathan! See you tomorrow."

Jonathan, who was tuning a bass guitar with a detached neck, chuckled upon hearing Geon's farewell and waved back.

"Sure, see you tomorrow. The bread you gave me for lunch was great. Appreciated it."

Geon chuckled and waved as he disappeared out the door, leaving Jonathan speaking to himself.

"I've seen plenty of prospective Juilliard students, but someone who practices over ten hours a day even before enrolling? That's a first. Whatever he becomes, he's one dedicated kid."

Geon, as usual, redirected his steps towards Logan's bakery. Despite it being a bit less crowded due to the evening hour, Lincoln Center was still bustling with people, just as always.

Navigating through the crowd, Geon reached the entrance of Dante Park and finally felt a bit of tranquility. Surveying the area, he thought, 'Hwi-yu, it feels like home now. It's nice that urban areas in the U.S. have parks like this. You can sit anywhere on the grass and play music without anyone bothering you.'

Recalling yesterday's memory, he thought, 'I sang suddenly at Dante Park on my way home yesterday, but surprisingly, I got applause, right? Maybe it's different here because it's a land of freedom?'

Looking towards Dante Park, Geon noticed more people sitting on the grass today compared to yesterday. Passing by, he observed them.

'But for the past few days, it seemed like those girls were filming something. What could they be shooting? Any spot here would look pretty in the footage because of the scenic view. It's weird; it feels like the kids are looking at me...'

Scratching his head, Geon chuckled briefly, not expecting they might be filming a reaction video after seeing him. Soon, he settled on a bench beside the fountain in the center of Dante Park, placing his guitar beside him. Glancing at his watch, he thought, 'Logan's shop closes at 9... I'll just take a five-minute breather and head there. Being cooped up in the underground practice room all day is making me dizzy.'

Closing his eyes, rubbing his temples with both hands, he felt a slight sting in his eyes. After rubbing his eyes and reopening them, his vision was momentarily blurry. As he blinked to regain focus, he could see the people around him becoming clearer.

"Hmm?"

Three figures stood up from their spot and approached him, settling down in front of him on the ground. Finding it odd that they were directly facing him, Geon furrowed his brow slightly due to his not yet fully restored vision. All three were late teenagers, sitting on the ground with sparkling eyes, looking up at Geon.

Not understanding their language, Geon stared blankly at them before asking, "Is there something on my face?"

The brown-haired girl among the three replied, "Did you sing here yesterday by any chance?"

Geon, with a slightly embarrassed expression, nodded, "Uh, yes, that was me."

"Kayla, don't just ask like that!"

"Yeah, it's too direct!"

The three girls giggled among themselves for a while, then turned to Geon again.

"Didn't you sing here today?"

Feeling a bit awkward, Geon scratched his cheek and said, "Oh, I didn't plan to sing today... You were here yesterday? Sorry, I didn't recognize you."

Even though they weren't present yesterday, the three girls didn't bother to correct him. Instead, they happily urged, "Could you sing just one song today? It won't take much time, just one song, please."

Feeling a bit flustered by the sudden mini-concert request, Geon, who had experience performing in front of crowds in China, started playing the guitar effortlessly.

Unlike the previous day, a rapid melodic stroke using the pick echoed throughout Dante Park.

In the original song, the melody starts right after a single guitar stroke, but after playing the first eight bars twice and scanning the audience, Geon began singing.

"Dear, stay strong,

Show me what that person did to you.

Dear, gather your strength,

The wounds in your heart might not be that bad.

It's already over, it's already ended,

Fate twisted you apart.

So, dear, gather your strength now.

There's something I want to show you.

I am the person who wants to be by your side,

Hoping that my heart's desire is also yours.

I've waited for those gloomy and jealousy-filled days,

Just to be by your side.

Closing his eyes while singing, Geon smiled at the harmonizing voices of the girls singing along with the chorus, but his heart was elsewhere, confessing to her internally, even though she seemed unhappy.

Hoping the song in his heart reaches her.

When he opened his eyes again, over thirty people around the bench were cheering for him.

>

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