Devil’s Music

This year, at the age of 19 and in his senior year of high school, Ethan Jones was the guitarist for his school band, Breakers. Their band, which primarily covered songs by the band X and had been formed for only a year, had not yet been officially recognized as a band within their school.

Knowing that dedicated practice was their only path to improvement, they met in the practice room in Seongsu-dong more than three times a week to rehearse diligently.

Today, as Ethan arrived at the practice room and connected his guitar to the amplifier, he noticed a severe howling noise and unplugged the jack to inspect it.

"Ah, the jack's acting up again. It's the only one we have."

Jinwook, who was connecting his bass guitar, suggested, "Why don't you borrow one from Mr. Intae?"

"But I still haven't returned the one I borrowed last time. I feel bad."

"Mr. Intae isn't the type to mind such things. He's always bragging about discovering Kay and always treats student bands like ours well, thinking there might be a second Kay among us."

"Kay? That's obviously a lie."

"Maybe not. A friend of mine goes to Gwangnam High School and said that Kay actually did come here once."

"That's probably an exaggeration. To say that he nurtured Kay, of all people? A Juilliard-going guitar genius practicing here? It's laughable, man."

"Ha, but it's true that he was here. So maybe what Mr. Intae said isn't entirely made up. And man, you're in no position to argue. Go bow down and borrow it. If we can't practice because of a jack, you're dead."

"Alright, fine."

As Ethan opened the door to the practice room, he saw Mr. Intae sitting on a sofa, smoking a cigarette, and repairing the neck of a guitar.

"Uh... Mr. Intae, heh. Could I possibly borrow a jack? Mine just broke."

After glancing at Ethan, Mr. Intae took a drag from his cigarette, stubbed it out in the ashtray, stood up, and pulled out a neatly rolled-up jack from a desk drawer, handing it over.

"Here, use this. Just make sure to return it when you're done. You didn't last time. Make sure you do today."

Ethan scratched his head and bowed slightly.

"Uh, you remembered. Sorry, I'll definitely buy you a new one. I just haven't had a reason to go to Nakwon Arcade recently."

"Alright, off you go."

As Ethan was backing out of the room, the door to the practice room counter opened, and a tall man walked in. He smiled broadly at Mr. Intae as soon as he saw him.

"Mr. Intae!"

Mr. Intae squinted at the man's face.

"Who might you be..."

The man took off his sunglasses and grinned.

"Mr. Intae! I've come to repay my debt!"

Startled by the man's appearance, Ethan stumbled and fell backward. Mr. Intae sprang up and hugged the man, exclaiming.

"You rascal! Gun! You're here!"

"Ha, I've come to treat you to the meat I owe you."

"Is that so? Ha, let's feast then. But it's rather thoughtless of you, disappearing without a word for years."

"Ah, come on, you know I was in the military."

"Right, right. Ha! Ethan, I told you I wasn't lying!"

Mr. Intae said this to Ethan, who had fallen to the floor, eyes wide and trembling.

"Could it be... Kay? The real Kay?"

Gun smiled broadly and took off his hat, revealing his hair that had grown considerably while he was in Nepal. He then smiled and said,

"Hello? I'm Kay."

The door to the practice room burst open, and three kids poured out. They had been looking out the window of the practice room and ran out in surprise when they saw Gun appear.

"Does this mean Mr. Intae really discovered you?"

Gun glanced at Mr. Intae, who seemed embarrassed by his boasting. Gun put his hand on his hip and said,

"Of course. If it weren't for Mr. Intae here, I might not have started music at all. I owe my current self to him."

Mr. In-tae proudly accepted the acknowledgment, and Ethan and Jinwook gaped at him in awe. Mr. In-tae then told them,

"See, guys. Did I ever lie? You guys go have dinner. I'm closing up since there are no reservations today. Let's go, Gun."

As Mr. Intae and Gun left arm in arm, the kids left behind stared after them, dumbfounded.

"Can you believe it... Kay actually practiced in this run-down basement practice room?"

"Yeah... Mr. Intae's stories were actually true."

After a moment of shock, Ethan turned to Jinwook and said, "Hey, who says we can't make it to Juilliard if we practice here? Kay did it! Let's practice!"

"Yeah! I'll definitely take the Juilliard audition! Ahhh!"

With renewed enthusiasm, the kids rushed back into the practice room to continue their rehearsal.

*

Back in high school, it was pork belly that Intae had treated them to, but today, Gun took Intae to a nearby high-end Korean beef restaurant. Even from the outside, the luxurious interior of the restaurant was intimidating to Intae.

"Hey... Gun, why bother with such an expensive place when we could just eat pork belly?"

Gun laughed and linked arms with Intae, "They have private rooms here. I looked it up in advance. It's so we can talk comfortably without being recognized. Let's go inside, hyung."

Intae, convinced by Gun's reasoning, entered the restaurant. The restaurant had a hall capable of accommodating 50 people and 8 separate private rooms.

After being seated in one of the rooms and ordering the highest quality ribeye, Gun locked the sliding door, took off his hat and sunglasses, and began grilling the meat.

"You've become a real man after serving in the military. Not the timid kid you used to be," Intae observed with a smile.

"I was never timid," Gun replied with a grin, offering Intae a perfectly grilled piece of ribeye.

After tasting the meat, Intae exclaimed, "Ah, beef truly is the king of meats. Welcome, oh king, to my humble stomach!"

Laughing, Gun put his hat and sunglasses back on and called out for more ribeye. After securing the door again, he asked, "How's the studio doing these days?"

Intae, without pausing his meat consumption, replied, "Well, it's been tough for about a year, but thanks to you, we've seen an increase in kids wanting to learn guitar. It's a bit better now."

"That's good to hear. How about Yong-tae hyung and Eunpyo hyung?"

"They're doing the same old. Lately, they've been outsourcing sound for game companies."

"Game companies? Like, game music?"

"Yeah, though they used to make a decent amount working on soundtracks for big PC RPGs, the rise of mobile games means they're spending less on development. So even outsourcing doesn't pay much anymore. Plus, Yong-tae's niece keeps pestering him to let her practice singing. He's struggling to find time for his own work because of her constant nagging."

"I see. I should visit Yong-tae hyung sometime."

"Want me to call him?"

"Yeah, hyung."

"Alright, just a sec."

Intae continued to eat as he dialed the phone.

"Hey, Yong-tae? Where are you?"

"At the studio? How long will you be there? Why stay up all night? We're too old for all-nighters."

"Alright, can't help it. Have you eaten? Ramen? Sigh. I'll stop by the studio later. Just dropping in. See you then."

After hanging up, Gun looked puzzled.

"Why didn't you mention me, hyung?"

Intae grinned, "It's a surprise. Let's hurry up and eat."

They finished their meal and caught a taxi to Cheongdam-dong, heading to "Studio Experience." As they arrived, they found the studio's door unlocked, presumably left open for them. They made their way up to the second-floor studio.

As they ascended the stairs, faint music could be heard. A youthful female voice sang over the music track, making Intae pause and wonder,

"Is that his niece again?"

Opening the door, they saw Yong-tae with his arms crossed, looking at a PC screen, and Eunpyo was momentarily absent.

A high school girl was singing passionately in the recording booth.

As Gun glanced at the girl, Eunpyo re-entered the studio, fixing his pants. Their eyes met, and Eunpyo shouted in surprise,

"Gun? Mr. Gun?"

Eunpyo's outburst startled Yong-tae, who then noticed Gun and stood up excitedly.

"Gun! It's been so long!"

Laughing, Yong-tae embraced Gun, "I've been cheering for your success. Thanks for not forgetting us and coming to visit. It's an honor."

Eunpyo, phone in hand, asked, "Mr. Gun, can we take a photo together? I want to show my friends."

Yong-tae playfully scolded Eunpyo, "When we have a guest, offer them a seat first! We can take photos later. Come on, Gun, have a seat here."

Gun and Intae settled down as Eunpyo rushed to the kitchen to make coffee. Intae, nodding towards the recording booth where the high school girl was completely absorbed in her song, asked Yong-tae, "Is that the niece you mentioned?"

Yong-tae sighed deeply before answering, "Yeah, that's her. She wants to be a singer but goes about it all wrong. Instead of auditioning to be a trainee or taking vocal lessons, she's here practicing. My sister-in-law opposes her pursuing music, so she can't attend any music schools. She sneaks here to practice and then leaves."

As Gun observed the girl singing inside the studio, he lowered his sunglasses, his eyes widening in recognition, "Jieun? Han Jieun? Is Yong-tae hyung's niece Jieun?"

The surprise visit turned into an unexpected reunion, sparking conversations filled with nostalgia and updates on everyone's lives since they last met. The atmosphere was warm, and the joy of reconnection palpable. Gun's return not only brought back memories but also reignited a sense of community and support among old friends, reminding them of their shared history and the journeys they had embarked on since.

>

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