Devil’s Music

Alone in the practice room, Geon couldn't hide his bewildered expression.

"Did that money ghost sponsor them? All three of them? No, including the kid Samuel mentioned went to Harvard, makes it four?"

Geon recalled the face of the chubby Sambo, hidden behind sunglasses in arrogance.

"With that face?"

Geon shook his head vigorously, thinking.

"What's going on here? There's no reason for Samuel, Blake, or Carson to lie. It's a fact, then could it be that the reason they're so desperately trying to make money is to sponsor the kids?"

Geon remembered the conversation he had in Sambo's office the day before.

"Then, BB King's will... was to operate the club to sponsor underprivileged kids?"

Geon sat there, clutching his head.

As Geon sat on the floor, clutching his head, three young men returned to the practice room. Samuel quietly opened the door and chuckled upon seeing Geon with his head down on the floor.

"Kay. Came back after calming the kids down. What are you doing on the floor?"

Geon looked up at the three of them, quickly stood up, and said,

"Sorry! I think I judged Mr. Sambo based on what I saw without really knowing him."

Blake and Carson relaxed their expressions upon hearing Geon's sincere apology and sat down. Blake said to Geon,

"Don't sit on the floor. Let's sit on chairs and talk, Kay."

After arranging chairs for the four of them, Geon sat down and said,

"Can you tell me more in detail? If you know anything else, that is."

Samuel crossed his legs and said,

"Apparently, when BB King passed away, he left the club to Mr. Sambo, with a will to continue sponsoring poor black kids, which he had been doing all his life. But as the club's revenue started dropping without BB King, it became hard to sponsor, so Mr. Sambo is trying to make money with all his might, to earn sponsorship funds."

Geon sighed heavily and covered his eyes with his hands, saying,

"Ah, I didn't know that... What should I do? I said harsh words to Mr. Sambo."

Carson spoke up,

"You can't take back words once said, but you can apologize. Take the chance and do apologize. He's a good man."

As Geon nodded silently with his eyes covered, Samuel gave him some time before pulling out a bass guitar, saying,

"Come on, we don't have much time. Let's practice quickly. Get your instruments ready."

Geon, with his eyes still covered, rested his chin on his hands for a while, thinking. Upon seeing Blake connecting his electric guitar, Geon asked,

"Hey... have you guys eaten lunch?"

Blake shook his head, saying,

"No, not yet. Why? Do you want to eat first?"

Geon rolled his eyes while resting his chin on his hands, saying,

"Then, how about we go out for a meal? I think we might need to change the song."

Samuel looked surprised,

"What? This song is perfect as it is. Why the sudden change? If we switch songs now, we won't have enough time to practice."

Geon stroked his chin, saying,

"Artists convey their hearts through paintings, and musicians through music... right?"

Samuel looked at Blake and Carson, puzzled, but they both shrugged. After thinking for a while in a hunched position with his chin rested on his hands, Geon said,

"Let's go eat. I'll have it sorted by then. Sorry for being fickle."

After Samuel sighed, he, along with Blake and Carson, left the practice room. Geon didn't watch them leave; instead, he continued to ponder with his chin rested on his hands.

'I don't want to convey a one-dimensional thought through a song filled with apologies.'

Geon messed with his hair, now tangled like a bird's nest, thinking,

'Mr. Sambo must always be missing BB King, right? Let's do two of BB King's songs and one of Eric's.'

Having organized his thoughts, Geon plugged in his earphones and started listening to BB King's music. He was intoxicated by the bluesy and sticky sound for a while with his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes, he saw the three young men sitting in front of him. Surprised, Geon removed his earphones and asked,

"Huh? When did you get back? Have you already finished eating?"

Blake chuckled,

"You've been like this for two hours."

"Two hours?"

"Yeah, that's after we ate and came back. What were you listening to that got you so absorbed?"

Geon looked at the clock on the wall with a bewildered expression. It was just past 5:30 PM. He looked at the ear

phones in his hand and said,

"I thought only about twenty minutes had passed..."

Samuel, who had been sitting for a while, stretched his back and said,

"So, have you decided on the song? We have to leave for a part-time job this afternoon. Let's just decide on the song and part ways for today. But, make sure to memorize the scores by heart even if it means staying up all night."

Geon, unknowingly stiff from staying in the same position for a long time, stretched his joints and laughed,

"The good news is I'm only changing two songs, leaving one of Eric Clapton's as it is."

Blake and Samuel's faces brightened. Geon smiled at their expressions,

"Let's do the rest with BB King's songs. We'll perform the songs of the person Mr. Sambo misses the most."

Samuel asked with a worried look,

"Which songs are you thinking of? Playing BB King's music is tough. If we can't do it right, we might just end up being ridiculed."

Geon showed them his smartphone screen,

"Well, I'm thinking of 'The Thrill is Gone' and 'Ghetto Woman.' For Eric Clapton's music, 'Change The World.'"

Blake recalled the tune of 'The Thrill is Gone' and nodded,

"It's a tough song, but I'm a blues maniac, so I've practiced it. But are you okay, Kay? I'm not sure about your skills, but BB King's music needs to have that bluesy stickiness to it, or it'll just be mediocre."

Carson also nodded,

"The drums will be fine. Like Blake said, Kay, you might be the toughest."

As all three looked at Geon, he grinned,

"Don't worry. This mission is approved by Professor Sharon, so I don't have to go to school. I don't work part-time, so I'll have time to practice, assuming it's just these three songs."

Samuel clapped his hands and stood up,

"Great! Then, let's wrap up for today, and everyone memorize the scores by tomorrow! The one who doesn't memorize buys dinner!"

"What if everyone memorizes?"

"Then, why are you asking? Let's go! Kay, practice well!"

Samuel waved his hand and left the practice room with the two young men. Geon, holding his smartphone, glared at BB King's album jacket displayed on the screen with fiery eyes.

"I'll catch up to you somehow, BB King."

**

Sambo was already on edge on the fifth day, not because of the club but because of the band that hadn't shown a single hair. He had changed the rolling banner of the signboard and the schedule on the homepage two days ago, fearing any issues. Sitting alone in his office, Sambo puffed on a cigar and looked at the club's homepage on his laptop screen.

The homepage featured a banner with "B.B King's Club" written in glittering gold letters, below which was an image of Geon playing the White Falcon. Unlike the musician introduction page at the bottom of the homepage, this banner popped up in full screen as soon as one entered the homepage. Geon's image was cut where the White Falcon was visible, and below it, in yellow letters, flashed "Saturday night 08:00."

Sambo, puffing on his cigar with a worried expression, yelled towards the outside,

"Lillian! Come in for a moment!"

A few seconds later, the waitress who first greeted Geon at the club peeked in through the door.

"Yes, boss?"

"Lillian, any news from Kay's band?"

Lillian smiled slightly and said,

"I'm not sure? I haven't heard anything."

"Samuel, Blake, Carson aren't answering their phones. Nothing's wrong, is it?"

"They're probably busy practicing. Wouldn't the practice room manager have reported if something happened?"

"Ugh... It's the day after tomorrow, and they're nowhere to be seen. I'm going insane with worry. Alright, sorry to bother you when you're busy."

"No problem, boss!"

Lillian gave a fresh smile and winked before leaving. Sambo turned his gaze between a photo of BB King on the wall and the wall clock, showing a tense expression. Taking a deep puff of his cigar, Sambo exhaled a thick, heavy smoke, saying,

"I'm not expecting a stellar performance, just no problems. Please, kids."

Sunday night, 7 PM.

'A Decade of Soul,' on stage since 6:30 PM, danced and sang merrily but were surprised by the endless influx of guests.

'What's with all these guests? It wasn't this packed when Kay played with our band. Is it because Kay is singing? It's really overflowing.'

Tease, too, was surprised while singing,

'My goodness! There's not even space to stand, let alone sit. Won't the

second-floor railing collapse with so many people clinging to it?'

Tease swallowed hard, seeing the hall packed with people standing, holding beers, making it difficult even to go to the bathroom. Sambo, checking the situation from the counter where the stage was visible, repeatedly looked at his wristwatch, sweating coldly.

'It's two hours before the show, and they're still not in touch! What's happening, guys!'

As Sambo checked his watch every three minutes, one of the security guards waiting on the first floor ran down and whispered to Sambo,

"Boss, there are too many teenage girls outside. It looks like at least a thousand. What should we do? Even if Kay comes, it'll be hard to get through."

"What? Oh no... Let's go up."

Sambo waddled up to the first floor to look outside, where he saw an enormous number of teenage girls sitting on the ground or walls, looking around. Sambo took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat off his head, pacing back and forth in agitation.

'Ugh~'

As his phone rang, Sambo stuffed his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, seeing the name "Samuel Chandler" on the screen.

After looking around, Sambo went to a corner to answer the call, speaking in a small but high-pitched voice,

"Samuel! What's going on? Why haven't you answered until now?"

"Ah, sorry, Mr. Sambo. We've been practicing for two nights straight. We're on our way now."

"Don't come this way! If you come through the main entrance, you won't be able to get in! Do you know the basement restaurant next door? Come there. It's connected to our kitchen through a side door. Got it? I'll go there."

"Uh? Oh... okay. See you there."

After hanging up, Sambo glanced around to make sure no one had overheard, sighing in relief.

>

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