Devil’s Music

Sambo barged into the club's kitchen, his bulky body swaying. The chefs, who had been frantically cooking due to the influx of orders, stopped their movements and gasped at the sight of Sambo panting. A large African-American man, who appeared to be the head chef, put down his frying pan and approached, shaking the moisture off his hands, and asked,

"Boss? Did you need something in the kitchen?"

Sambo, sweating profusely, waved his hand at the chef.

"No, nothing! Just, move aside!"

As the chef stepped aside along the narrow kitchen path, Sambo squeezed through the narrow path between the metal shelves, bumping into them with his belly and back as he hurried past. The chef, who barely managed to prevent the dishes on the shelves from tumbling down due to Sambo's rushing, shook his head as he watched Sambo run off.

Standing in front of the side door that led to the next building, Sambo paced back and forth restlessly, waiting for the band. Soon, a knock sounded at the door, and Sambo, brightening up, unlocked the door and swung it open.

"Samuel! Why didn't you come earlier?"

As soon as he opened the door, calling out for Samuel, Sambo saw Kay standing there, looking at him bewilderedly. Sambo wiped the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief and said,

"Kay, you're here."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Sambo. We're not too late, are we?"

After checking his wristwatch, Sambo gestured for them to hurry inside, indicating that they should check their instruments promptly.

"Not too late, but we should start checking the instruments now. Come in! Samuel, Blake, Carson! Hurry up and get in."

As Kay and the band members hurried out of the bustling kitchen with their instruments, the chef, wielding a ladle, exclaimed,

"Hey! Who keeps coming in and out of the kitchen? It's driving me crazy!"

As Sambo was the last to pass in front of the chef, he apologized,

"Sorry! Get back to work!"

Sambo, arriving last at the hall and not seeing the band, called over Lillian, who was serving.

"Lillian, where's Kay?"

Lillian pointed towards the band's dressing room and said,

"They just went that way."

Sambo sighed in relief, wiping off his sweat. Onstage, Tease and William were still leading 'A Decade of Soul,' and while the audience was enjoying the lively blues rhythm, they kept glancing around, eagerly awaiting the next performance. Sambo, with his hands on his hips, watched the stage then slumped onto the sofa in his office.

"Phew, I'm going to lose weight at this rate."

Sambo took out a cigar from the sofa, lit it, and drew in a long breath.

"Hopefully, there won't be any problems. But I didn't even ask what song they're playing. Surely they won't play something other than blues with Kay here? Anyone with common sense wouldn't play anything other than blues in a blues club."

Sambo's office filled with the thick smoke of his cigar and his worried sighs. After cooling down a bit in the office, he went back out to inform the security guards outside to let the waiting girls know that Kay had already entered and to disperse them. Then he returned to the hall to check on the guests' comfort and continued to give instructions to the staff. Amid this rare boom, he ended up taking off his suit and helping with serving.

Returning to serving after a long time brought back old memories and made him nostalgic. Lillian, seeing Sambo's happy smile as he served, also smiled at the rare sight. Shortly after, as 'A Decade of Soul' finished their set and descended the stage to applause, the murmur among the audience grew.

Sambo instructed the counter to play B.B King's music during the break time as usual. Soon, the hall filled with his bluesy music, regaining its liveliness. After about ten minutes, as people were engaging in cheerful conversations, they started looking around, knowing the performance time was nearing.

As the band members began to check their instruments, the audience's anticipation grew.

"Honey, when is Kay coming out?"

"I came here to see Kay, why isn't he appearing?"

"Let's start already!!"

Sambo, seeing the audience's reaction, fretted over Lillian because Kay hadn't appeared from the dressing room yet.

"Lillian! Where's Kay? Why are only they coming out and not Kay?"

"Why are you rushing? There are still a few minutes left until the performance. That's not like you, boss."

Sambo, having shown his impatience to Lillian, shook his head as she scolded him. While he was busy taking orders, Carson sat at the

drums, crossed his drumsticks to count in, and then, together with Samuel's bass guitar, they began to play. As the audience, still searching for Kay, was buzzing, a scream erupted from a corner of the hall.

"Ahhh!! It's Kay!"

"Ahhh!! Kay!!"

Heads turned towards the source of the screams as if on a swivel. Sambo, still holding two beers for a customer, stopped and looked towards where the screams came from.

Kay emerged from between the seats, connecting his wireless jack to the White Falcon. As the drum and bass continued, Kay scanned the audience with a smile. As people cheered at the sight of him, he lightly waved and suddenly jumped onto a table.

"Screams filled the air!!"

Kay hopped from table to table towards the center of the hall. The seated patrons made space on the tables to facilitate his jumping, and Kay passed by, giving high-fives and smiling. This gesture, starting close to Kay, spread to all tables in his path, with everyone moving their food and drinks aside in anticipation. Seeing the empty tables, Kay jumped on them, engaging with the audience with high-fives.

Then, Blake's guitar riff started, and Kay, having reached the center table, stood up. As soon as he stood on the table, his bluesy ad-libs began. Though it was a B.B King song, Kay's improvisation sounded fresh, as if it were his own original work. However, the blues feeling was very much alive, causing the audience to start clapping overhead.

Even the staff, busy taking orders, paused to watch Kay, who stood on the table, eyes slightly closed, playing the guitar. Lillian, witnessing Kay's performance, was unwittingly mesmerized.

"He's truly amazing..."

Sambo watched Kay, utterly stunned.

"How... even if he's a genius, to play blues to this level in just a few days? Was this what Eric boasted about?"

Kay's ad-lib performance lasted for about 2 minutes. After playing the guitar on the table, he jumped down towards the stage. Blake was the first to stop playing and watched Kay. They shared a smile as the guitar stopped, but the drum and bass continued. Kay, moving to the beat of the drums and the melodic line of the bass, grabbed the microphone stand and said,

"Hello, everyone. I'm Kay from Juilliard."

Cheers erupted from the audience. Over the continuous drum and bass, Kay's voice joined in.

"We are a blues band made up of Juilliard students, called 'MBK.' It means 'Missing B.B King.'"

Again, the blues fans in the audience cheered.

"Yeah! B.B King is what blues is all about! Kay knows his stuff!"

"MBK is a cool name! Let's hear a song!"

As Kay smiled at the audience's comments, several female fans clutched their chests and feigned fainting.

"Our first song is based on an original B.B King track, but with our band's lyrics. The song is called 'The Age is Gone.' Please listen."

As the female fans led the cheers, Blake's guitar riff smoothly climbed over the drum and bass. Kay layered a short blues ad-lib over Blake's riff and approached the microphone.

(The era has ended)

(The era is over, Baby)

As he sang with a deep voice, scraping his throat, the audience showed each other the goosebumps on their arms in awe. Kay's voice was alive, reminiscent of Robert Johnson.

As Kay spoke, Sambo finally snapped back to reality and delivered the beers he had been holding to the customers, tilting his head in confusion at Kay's performance.

"What's this? An original song? It's so different from the original."

Kay closed his eyes and delivered a rich ad-lib as he sang.

(I'm not doing anything wrong, but people point fingers at me)

(And one day, I will apologize)

When Sambo's eyes met Kay's as he sang the lyrics, he froze. In Kay's gaze, Sambo could see determination and belief in his own convictions. Kay then resumed his passionate performance, gripping the microphone.

(The era has ended)

(B.B King has already departed from us)

(The era is over, Baby)

(I've already gone far from us)

(Though I will continue to live,)

(I walk this road so lonely)

The audience cheered for the song filled with bluesy vibes, but Sambo couldn't share their enthusiasm. It felt as if Kay was using his voice to express the words Sambo wanted to say to the world. Behind the band performing with Kay, a large screen displayed pictures of B.B King during his lifetime. As Kay's song echoed, the images showed B.B King's bright smile.

(As you know, I'm not free)

(No, I'm free, Baby)

(He wishes for my well-being,)

(He'll be watching over me with a smile)

Thick tears streamed down Sambo's face, fixed on the image of B.B King.

>

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