Devil’s Music

Late afternoon. The endless cliff road was only filled with the sound of the hooves of a leisurely walking black buffalo, its tail swatting its hindquarters. Geon, sitting on the back of the buffalo, looked up at the sky to see a single eagle soaring alone far in the distance. With the sun hanging low on the mountains, only the shadow of the eagle was visible. Geon shaded his eyes with his hand, squinting to get a better look.

"Wow, that's a huge bird, Mr. Birasi. Look over there."

Hearing Geon's remark, Birasi, without even looking where Geon was pointing, casually nodded and said in a gentle voice,

"That's called Garuda."

"Sorry? Garuda? Is that the bird's name, Garuda?"

"There was a sage named Kashyapa long ago. He had two beautiful wives, named Kadru and Vinata. Kadru wished to have a thousand splendid serpents, while Vinata wanted her sons to be mightier than Kadru's children."

"A myth related to that bird?"

"Yes, listen. Eventually, Kadru laid a thousand eggs, and Vinata laid only two. After 500 years, a thousand serpents emerged from Kadru's eggs, but Vinata's remained unhatched. Unable to bear it any longer, Vinata broke one egg, only to find a half-formed embryo, which became Maruna, embodying the redness spreading across the dawn sky. Maruna, cursing his mother, flew into the sky and is said to still dwell there."

"Wow, that's fascinating. The redness in the dawn sky was Vinata's first son, then what about Garuda?"

"After Maruna cursed himself and left, Vinata patiently waited another 500 years, and from her second egg, Garuda was born. Garuda is the greatest of birds, the mount of the guardian of the universe, and also a sun deity, carrying the sun westward on its wings when it does not move by itself."

Geon looked at the eagle with newfound admiration and said,

"That's incredible. But the mount of the universe's guardian? Who's that?"

"Just as he was about to continue..."

Suddenly, Birasi's body shook, and he turned his head sharply to the left, his voice now rough and coarse,

"Likes to boast about being the guardian of the universe, wrapping cowardice in words of peace."

Birasi, with his head still turned to the left, glanced at Geon and grumbled,

"That bird-brain is just some coward that was tamed by someone who wandered into heaven. Forget about the guardian of the universe; consider my words nonsense."

Suddenly, Birasi began hitting his own face with the tobacco pipe he was holding.

"Ouch! Hey, stop that!!"

Geon laughed awkwardly,

"Is he having another episode? Haha."

After a while of hitting his own head with the tobacco pipe, Birasi asked Geon,

"By the way, Mr. Birasi, aren't you getting hungry? I hear thunder and lightning in my stomach."

Holding his hand that held the tobacco pipe, Birasi replied,

"We'll come across a place to rest before the sun sets. Just bear with it a little longer."

"Ah...yes.. You seem to know the area well."

"Of course, I've lived here for tens of thousands of years."

"Sorry? Tens of thousands of years?"

Birasi shook his head briskly, straightening his posture and turned back to Geon,

"Ahem, no, I was speaking nonsense again. A place for us to eat and sleep will appear soon, just hold on a bit longer."

"Ah...okay, I understand. Haha..."

Birasi's words were precise. After riding the buffalo for about 30 more minutes, a lodge for trekkers appeared. The one-story lodge had a large terrace and was built midway up the mountain, blurring the distinction between the first floor and the basement. When the buffalo stopped in front of the lodge, Birasi got off and said,

"Let's go in. I don't have any money, so you'll have to take care of it."

"Ah, sure! I got it, Mr. Birasi."

As Geon jumped down from the buffalo to book a room, Birasi, left alone, tapped the buffalo's head with his tobacco pipe and said,

"Go graze somewhere and come back tomorrow."

The black buffalo, rolling its red eyes, slowly walked back into the forest. Birasi flicked the tobacco ashes from his pipe onto the ground and entered the lodge. As Geon was pre-paying at the counter, he said to Birasi,

"There's only one room left. Is it okay if we share, Mr. Birasi?"

"Of course, who am I to be choosy in a situation where I owe a favor? Let nature take its course

."

"Alright, then we'll share the room tonight, haha."

After completing the payment, Geon came out to the terrace to have a snack. The terrace had several tables set up, but it seemed no other guests who had booked rooms had arrived yet, as it was empty. When Geon came out, he saw Birasi already sitting in the best spot, gazing at the mountains. Geon pulled out a chair across from Birasi and said,

"The owner said the best food here is chow mein and momos, so I ordered that. Is that okay with you?"

Birasi, who had been looking at the mountains, simply nodded without saying a word. Geon turned his chair to sit beside Birasi, both enjoying the cool mountain breeze and the scenery in silence. Birasi, who had been quietly observing the mountains, looked towards the sun setting behind them and asked,

"Do you make music?"

"Yes, oh? How did you know?"

"You're carrying a guitar."

"Ah, I forgot I had my guitar with me, haha."

Birasi glanced at Geon and asked,

"What kind of music do you play?"

Geon pondered for a moment, resting his chin on his hand, and then said,

"I'm still a student, so I can't really say I play a specific type of music."

"So, you don't have your music yet?"

"I do have a few pieces, but it's hard to define them by a specific genre, haha."

"Do you plan to make a living from music in the future?"

"I suppose so? I made some money recently, and it seems enough to live on, haha."

Birasi stared intently at Geon. Feeling as if he was standing naked in the middle of a market under Birasi's gaze, Geon made an embarrassed face, and Birasi tapped the table with his tobacco pipe and said,

"Money is a fine servant but a terrible master. It's like fertilizer; it's meaningless unless it's spread."

Geon gazed blankly at Birasi, who suddenly sounded like a wise sage. After a moment of silence, Birasi continued,

"Since you're still learning, let me give you some advice. Read a lot of books, especially the old ones. The wisdom from our ancestors may contain folly, but it also holds the truths of the world. It's foolish to take the lessons from such books at face value. Embed your thoughts in them and express yourself. And if that becomes music, it will likely result in better music."

Geon straightened up and said,

"Thank you for the advice, Mr. Birasi. But not all books are necessarily good. Some books make me frown because they don't align with my thoughts."

Birasi nodded and said,

"Some books just need to be skimmed. Others should be understood, and some need to be savored deeply. The fact that they differ from your worldview might just mean they challenge your preconceptions. That doesn't mean they're wrong. Don't read books just to find fault or to blindly accept everything. Read to think deeply and reflect."

Geon, absorbing Birasi's words, fell into deep thought. He slowly considered how he had approached reading and how he had categorized books into worthwhile and not based on his own criteria. As Geon lost himself in thought, Birasi tilted his head to the left, his demeanor changing from gentle to fierce as he spoke to the contemplative Geon,

"I love music and dance. I listen to a lot of it and sing along. But some people's music, their melodies or lyrics, are just terrible."

Geon quietly closed his eyes and asked,

"What about them was so bad?"

Birasi tapped the table with his tobacco pipe a few times, showing three fingers, and said,

"People make three crucial mistakes. Not everyone does, but artists who move others with their art must eradicate these three mistakes before creating their work."

"What are the three mistakes?"

Birasi raised one finger and explained,

"The first mistake is anthropocentrism. Saying birds cry sadly or calling turtles slow are examples. Why are bird cries sad? Do we know their emotions? Slow compared to what? Humans?"

Raising two fingers, Birasi continued,

"The second mistake comes from personal experience or prejudice. Acting as if one's experience is the truth of the world. An individual's world is narrow, and the lives of others one can encounter are limited. That's why reading about and learning from the lives of others is essential, recognizing that difference doesn't mean wrong."

With three fingers raised, Birasi concluded,

"The third mistake is blindly following the wrong norms. Errors occur when people blindly trust traditions, books, or authority figures. For example, thinking anything different from a famous author's setting is wrong. Or, living according to flawed human laws without attempting to change them."

Geon, still with his eyes closed, listening intently to Birasi, sank deeper into thought. Birasi shook his head, tilted it to the right, smiled gently, and said in a soft voice,

"And sing about forgiveness. Forgiveness is the role of a king, but revenge is the act of a lowly person. And love. It might be impossible to become wiser while loving someone, but try loving the world instead of just a person. Loving oneself alone makes society harsh and barren."

Geon, smiling gently at Birasi's words, listened as Birasi spoke again,

"Value a dignified attitude over physical beauty. Beauty is like summer fruit and doesn't last long. Ah! That might not apply to you. Anyway... cherish those around you. Seeking advice from a wise friend is an even wiser action. The spectator always analyzes the situation better than the player."

As the food arrived and Birasi finished his meal, Geon's contemplation continued. Birasi, not wanting to disturb Geon's thoughts, silently finished his meal, placed the leftovers in front of Geon, and quietly retreated to their room.

Above Geon, lost in thought with his eyes closed, the massive shadow of Garuda watched over him.

>

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