Devil’s Music

Eric was a 28-year-old office worker. He took a day off on Thursday and was enjoying a relatively quiet day in New York with his girlfriend, Lila, as they headed to the Bronx Zoo on the subway.

"Lila, have you been to the Bronx Zoo before? How is it?"

Sitting next to Eric on the subway, Lila leaned her head on his shoulder and replied.

"Um.. I haven't been since I was a kid. Maybe when I was four?"

Eric, slightly surprised, asked.

"Has the zoo been around that long? That's over 20 years ago if you were a kid."

"Yeah, I think it's over a hundred years old? It's the second largest zoo in the world. I loved it when I was little."

"Second largest in the world? Wow, but I guess the facilities might be a bit outdated?"

"I don't think so? It gets government support, so they're always renovating and maintaining it well."

"Yeah ~ Ah! Here we are! We need to get off at this stop."

The couple disembarked at West Farms Square station and walked down the tranquil path to the zoo. Lila bounced along, smiling.

"Ah~ How long has it been since I've experienced a weekday afternoon like this! It's so crowded on weekends that it's hard to find a place to eat or enjoy a date, but it's so peaceful and nice on a weekday, isn't it, Eric?"

Eric smiled back at her.

"Yeah! It's been a while since I've felt this relaxed after joining the company last year."

Lila puffed her cheeks and said.

"Exactly, who told you to go into finance? Always working late into the night, barely sleeping. What kind of life is that, Eric? Where did the Eric who wanted to pursue music in college go?"

Eric clicked his tongue.

"When was that? That's a story from when I was naive. Music isn't something just anyone can do."

"But you were really cool back then."

"Haha, yeah. You fell for me after coming to my show, right?"

"Stop it, that's not funny. You're the one who fell for me after the show at the party."

"Ha! Let's just say that was the case."

"What do you mean 'let's just say'? Oh? But what's that?"

"Huh? What?"

Lila pointed upwards, and Eric followed her finger to see flags hanging between the trees along the path to the zoo. Eric stopped in front of a metal pole to look up at the flags.

"A zoo orchestra? They're having a concert here? It's this weekend, huh? Ah, too bad we can't see it today."

Lila read the small print on the flags and exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Eric! Look at the list of performers below!"

Eric squinted, reading the list of performers, and his eyes widened.

"Dr. Dre? Damian Marley, Sean Lennon? Wow, Kay is performing too?"

Lila spoke with a hint of excitement.

"Eric, shouldn't Kay be resting because of the incident reported in the newspaper yesterday? He went through a lot."

Eric nodded, staring blankly at the flags.

"Yeah, it was the stalker case. It turned out to be a Juilliard student. Over a hundred cameras found in his house, dozens of listening devices, and he even took hostages when the cops came to arrest him. Is his mental state okay? Normally, people would be out of it for a while after something like that."

"Exactly. I would need at least a month off to be socially functional again. He must have a strong mentality."

Mumbling to herself, Lila grabbed Eric's hand and exclaimed.

"Eric! Let's date somewhere else today and come back to the zoo this weekend! Okay? It'll be great to see the concert then."

Eric looked slightly conflicted.

"Um.. I do want to see the concert... and the lineup is impressive."

Lila shook Eric's arm, pleading.

"Please~~ Let's come back on the weekend~~ Eric~~ It's a free concert, and you know how much tickets would cost to see those musicians, right? Right?"

Eric looked up at the flags for a moment and then grinned.

"Okay, let's come back on the weekend. But no complaining if I haven't made dinner reservations, deal?"

"Yay!!! Deal, deal!"

Holding hands, they ran back to the station.

**

Three days before the zoo entrance and various other locations were adorned with flags, Professor Alan Gilbert gathered the Juilliard Orchestra to explain the purpose of the concert and invited all orchestra members to participate in the zoo music festival. Most musicians, having practiced for a long time and understanding the purpose of the free concert, willingly agreed to perform regardless of the venue.

Upon receiving confirmation from Kay that the performance was possible, Zoo Director Emma immediately ordered the production of large

banners and flags for the structures. Despite the rush, resulting in less elaborate banners, the impact of the musicians' names listed in text was beyond imagination.

Following the installation of the flags, reporters who received tips called and camped outside the zoo even after closing hours, seeking interviews with Director Emma or gathering in front of Alice Tully Hall where the Juilliard Orchestra was practicing. Due to the stalker case, Kay stayed inside the zoo accommodations and left the orchestra practice under Professor Gilbert's direction, not making any public appearances.

Only Damian and Sean participated in the orchestra practice, and on the eve of the concert, Snoop and Dr. Dre joined, but Kay was nowhere to be seen at Alice Tully Hall. It wasn't until the final rehearsal at the zoo's concert venue that Kay appeared, greeted by Snoop, who had been watching the musicians set up.

"Hey, Kay. Been hard to catch a glimpse of you?"

Kay approached with his J-200, smiling.

"Snoop! How's the practice going?"

Snoop adjusted his sunglasses and replied.

"Our part's fine. But the main arranger hasn't shown up, making everyone a bit nervous."

Kay put down his guitar and asked.

"Why? Was there a problem?"

"Rather than a problem... the musicians have been waiting for you. Without the arranger to verify if the emotions were properly conveyed, there was no way to be sure. Your professor seemed to be waiting too, oh, here he comes."

As Geon looked in the direction Snoop was nodding towards, he saw Professor Alan Gilbert running towards them. Geon stepped forward to greet him.

"Hello, Professor."

Panting, Professor Alan said,

"Kay, are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, Professor. I've rested for a few days and feel better. There wasn't much of an issue with me in the first place. Haha."

"That's good to hear. I was quite worried after hearing the news. But it's fortunate that we can still go ahead with the performance."

"Right? I think so too, Professor."

"You're planning to participate in the final rehearsal, right, Kay?"

"Of course, I have to be on stage tomorrow."

"Good, then give us about 30 minutes to finish setting up and Mr. Dre to test the amps, then we can try syncing up."

"Sorry for making you worry, Professor."

"Not at all, I'm just glad to see you've recovered quickly. I'll go prepare then."

As Alan turned and ran back, Damian and Sean, who were approaching, passed by him. Sean waved at Geon.

"Kay, you're here?"

"Yeah, Sean! Did you bring my guitar?"

"Yeah, it's set up on stage there."

Damian asked, puzzled,

"What guitar? You have the guitar right beside you, don't you?"

Sean shook his head,

"Nah, Kay's famous for his White Falcon. He had to rush to the zoo and forgot to bring the White Falcon, so he asked me to bring it today."

Damian nodded in understanding as Snoop, with his arms crossed, inquired,

"But Kay, are we doing the final rehearsal just once?"

Geon looked towards the musicians getting ready and said,

"Well, I'm going to ask Professor Alan to schedule our piece last. If it doesn't feel right, we might need to practice a bit longer. Why, do you have plans?"

"Ah, thinking of visiting Hailey in the hospital."

"Oh... Should I not go?"

"Yeah, I'll check on her condition and let you know. I'll only be seeing her from a distance. Eminem said she still gets startled easily by anyone approaching."

"Alright... Since your part involves rap, it's unrelated to the instrumentals, so join the practice once or twice and then you can leave early."

"Hmm, I'll see how it goes."

After nodding, Geon went to Professor Alan, busy directing the musicians, and requested that they practice the other musical pieces first and save 'Parachute' for last. Understanding that multiple rehearsals might be necessary since the main arranger, Kay, hadn't seen the overall practice, Alan agreed. Geon then returned to his companions and sat down.

Soon, the majestic orchestra rehearsal began. Dre, adjusting the sound levels at the amp controller next to the stage, frowned and busily manipulated the equipment. His expressions alternated between a frown at the start of each piece and a slight smile by the end, adjusting the volume and levels differently for each piece to achieve a satisfactory sound.

After over an hour of final rehearsals for the concert pieces, Professor Alan, having given the musicians a ten-minute break, approached Geon.

"Kay, please prepare for the final rehearsal of 'Parachute' in ten minutes."

"Thank you for your hard work, Professor."

Waving off as he walked towards the restroom, Alan saw Geon smile at Damian and Sean.

"Shall we go then?"

Following Damian, the percussionists sitting in a corner of the audience joined them. As Geon climbed onto the stage, Damian checked the microphone in front of the percussion set. Sean sat at the main grand piano, testing the keys and microphone. Geon, with his guitar, moved to the center of the stage, plucked the strings connected to the multi-effects pedal, and played a simple tune.

The musicians, either drinking or returning from the restroom, were captivated by the short but skillful performance of the beautiful boy at the center of the stage.

After checking the guitar, Geon, seeing many musicians staring at him from below the stage, paused momentarily, then smiled and approached the microphone.

"Shall we start the final rehearsal, everyone?"

>

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