Devil’s Music

The next morning, in front of the Himalayas' "Song of the Himalayas" filming team's base camp, Caucasian and African American security guards in suits swarmed in. Maintaining their politeness, they began checking the camp and its surroundings for any potential hazards, climbing up hills and even trees that had views of the camp. After scrutinizing all the mountains within sniping range through their binoculars, the security team leader radioed in, and the guards positioned themselves two meters apart.

Sensing that it was time for President Herald Winston to arrive, Geon guarded the front of the camp with a tense expression. The camera team had stored all their cameras inside the camp and were sitting on chairs outside with Geon, waiting. Geon, looking nervously at the guards, said, "Yeongseok hyung, what kind of person is President Herald? I don't know much about him since I've just been discharged."

Yeongseok, equally tense, repeatedly clenched and unclenched his hands as he replied, "According to what's known, he's among the most good-natured presidents in American history. It's rare for such a president to emerge in America, which tends to favor strong presidents. However, there's a lot of talk that he quickly assumed the presidency due to a rapid re-election after the previous president was impeached over corruption scandals. But experts say he would have become president eventually anyway."

"Why is that?"

"He wasn't a famous figure in the business world. He was a civil rights lawyer, actually. And not just any lawyer, but the head of an organization that defended the rights of African Americans. He was also popular among Hispanic and Asian communities. It's a well-known anecdote that President Herald, during his time as a lawyer, appeared on a news channel and said that every American citizen deserves to be treated fairly."

"Hmm.. I see."

"Anyway, coming from a background as a lawyer, he's bound to be good at speaking. And as far as I know, he was in a band during his college days."

"A band, the president?"

"Yeah, he wasn't always president, right? Everyone has their younger days."

"I don't know that much. Ask him if you get the chance. But speaking of which, we must get our shooting permission as soon as the president arrives. Did he promise?"

"Hehe, what will he give us?"

"He promised to treat us to Korean beef and sashimi when we go to Seoul!"

"Eh.. That's nothing new. He already promised that."

"What do you want then? To uproot the broadcasting station's foundation?"

"Hehe, you should donate too."

"What? Hey, do you have to go after me, who earns a pittance?"

"No, not something big. Just the regular donation of 30,000 won a month."

Yeongseok looked at Geon anew. After sharing a bright smile with Geon, who was also smiling, Yeongseok said, "Do you prefer seeing something done for others more than for yourself?"

Geon shook his head as if to disagree, "Not at all. I also like things being done for me. But it's different now. I've seen the suffering of the people here. Please do something for me after we leave Nepal. Haha"

"Well, alright. 30,000 won a month is nothing, especially with the tax benefits. I was planning to do it anyway. Seeing the people here made me wonder why I hadn't done it before. It's a deal, then?"

"Haha, yes, hyung."

As Geon relaxed and smiled, he spotted a luxury sedan approaching in the distance. Seeing the American flag fluttering on the car's bonnet, Geon stood up and said, "It looks like he's coming, hyung."

As Yeongseok swallowed hard and looked around, the security guards' alert level visibly increased. President Herald Winston, with his neatly combed blond hair and gold-rimmed glasses, wearing a red outdoor jacket instead of a suit and looking in his early fifties, was waving at the reporters while stepping out of the car.

President Herald quickened his steps towards Geon, seeing him in front of the base camp, and the close-protection officers' pace quickened as well. From about ten meters away, President Herald spread his arms wide with a smile, "Oh! Kay! It's great to meet you!"

Geon reached out for a handshake, but the president hugged him tightly instead. Geon, slightly flustered at first, smiled as he saw how friendly Herald was being.

"It's great to meet you, Mr. President. I'm Kay."

Holding Geon's hand, President Herald said, "Yes, I know. Come here, I wanted to meet you."

Instead of the prepared chairs, President Herald led Geon to

a rock on the cliff where he always sang. Sitting down on the rock nonchalantly, Herald touched the rock next to him and said, "Sit here."

As Geon sat down, Yeongseok gave him a look. Carefully, Geon said, "Mr. President, actually, I'm filming a Korean variety show here... It's a show that films me 24/7, could we possibly film our conversation too?"

President Herald laughed heartily and nodded, "Of course! Hahaha, why not? We're not here to have secret talks, haha."

Geon happily announced, "Thanks! Yeongseok hyung! We can film!"

As Yeongseok and the camera team approached with joy, they were stopped by a security guard who allowed them only up to a certain distance. The production team quickly set up their camera tripod in haste. Watching them, President Herald laughed and held Geon's hand. Seeing his warm smile, Geon felt comforted.

"I wanted to express my gratitude on behalf of the world for your hard work and the truth you've shown."

Geon felt embarrassed, but President Herald continued, "I cried a lot watching the UNICEF advertisement you shot. I watched it several times and still cried. I even shed tears during the official press conference about aid to Nepal, forgetting I was the president."

"Thank you, Mr. President. Your support for the advertisement was a great help."

"It's the least I could do. Given my position, I couldn't stay here long and help directly like you, Kay, but I wanted to be with you in spirit."

"Just hearing that means a lot, Mr. President."

After a moment, President Herald looked at Geon with a kind expression, "It's like you're being treated by your own country. Kay is Korean, not Nepalese."

Geon smiled, "Why do we need borders to help those in need? I just want to help the people I see suffering in front of me, those who've lost limbs or children who've lost their parents."

President Herald nodded deeply, "That's a wonderful thing to say. You're as impressive a person as your music."

Geon's eyes widened, "My music? Have you listened to my music?"

Pulling out a photo from his pocket, President Herald said, "I sneaked in to watch, haha."

The photo showed a man with a hat, sunglasses, and a mask, making a 'V' sign in front of a Bronx Zoo concert. Pointing at the photo, Geon asked, "Is this you, Mr. President? You came to the concert at the Bronx Zoo?"

"Haha, yes. I got quite scolded by my Chief of Staff for going without security."

"Ah... haha, I had no idea. You like music, huh? Oh! You were in a band, right?"

"Correct. I played guitar in a band during my youth."

"Guitar? What kind of band was it?"

"We were a cover band that mainly played rock ballads. We weren't skilled enough to compose our own songs, haha. It's quite embarrassing to mention my band days in front of Kay."

"Not at all, Mr. President. It's amazing to hear that the President of the United States played guitar in a band."

"You have no idea how surprised I was when I heard Kay's song at the Bronx Zoo. If Kay had been in our band back then, I might not have been the president but a guitarist in the band, haha."

"Haha, I doubt that."

After glancing around, President Herald noticed a J 200 guitar parked in front of the camp and asked, "Is that guitar Kay's? It's not a White Falcon?"

"Ah, that's an acoustic guitar. I mainly use electric guitars for performances, but that guitar is also precious to me."

"I see... could you show me Kay's guitar?"

"Ah, sure! It's not difficult. Just a moment."

Geon stood up, took the J 200 out of its case, and handed it to President Herald.

"Wow! A Gibson product! A real luxury."

Carefully taking the guitar, President Herald caressed its body. Watching him, Geon noticed President Herald chuckling before placing the guitar on his thigh and starting to play. President Herald had impressive skills, despite a few mistakes from not having played in a while. After about a minute of playing, Geon exclaimed, "Wow, you play well?"

President Herald stopped playing and laughed sheepishly, "It's embarrassing to show this in front of a Juilliard genius guitarist, haha."

Yeongseok, filming the scene, looked stunned, 'The President of the United States is playing guitar? And so cheerfully in front of the camera?'

Foreign journalists watching from afar were also amazed, as flashes went off continuously. President Herald, accustomed to the flashes, suggested, "Shall we sing a song together?"

Surprised

, Geon asked, "Sing? With you, Mr. President?"

"Yes, it would be an honor to sing with Kay."

"Well, that's not difficult, but... what song would you like to do?"

After a moment of thought, President Herald grinned, "Shall we create one right here? I heard you improvised a song with the Nepalese musicians on the way here, let's try that."

Geon joked, "The village chief of Deweuliri and the musicians are here, how about calling them over to join us?"

"Ah!! Yes, that would be fantastic! A jam, right? Improvised playing and singing. I've always wanted to try that."

Geon stiffened and asked again, "Not... a jam in that sense... but, really? I was joking."

President Herald spread his arms wide, looking around the Himalayan mountains, "With this scenery and instruments available, how could we not sing? I'm serious, Kay."

After a moment of hesitation, Geon looked at Yeongseok, who nodded emphatically. Geon then said, "Then... I'll call over the musicians."

Yeongseok raised his hand and said, "I'll do it! I'll call them! Just keep talking!"

Yeongseok dashed off towards the school building. Watching his back, President Herald's smile deepened. Setting the guitar aside, he suggested, "Let's think about the lyrics for our song, shall we?"

>

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