Devil’s Music

It has been over a fortnight since Geon stayed at the Red Castle. Every morning, Kiska visited, and they spent the whole day playing and bonding. Gregory, seeing the changes in his daughter, who began to express her emotions starting with laughter, also wore a smile.

One quiet afternoon, after having a simple sandwich lunch with Kiska, Miroslav came to visit Geon. Seeing Miroslav, a large man dressed in a suit, Geon greeted him.

“Miroslav. Hello?”

“Hello, Geon.”

Geon glanced behind Miroslav, who was standing by the door, and asked.

“Is there something wrong? Please, come in.”

“No, it’s not that. I’ve come to deliver a message.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Today, there’s a meeting between the mafia bosses, including the boss and the security personnel, many will be absent. Just in case you were planning to go out.”

“I don’t think I have any particular reason to go out today.”

“Ah, then that’s good. It would be best if you could refrain from going out today.”

“Understood. I’ll do that. Take care.”

As Miroslav left with unfailing politeness, Byung-jun, who had been lounging on the sofa, asked.

“What did he say?”

Sitting next to Byung-jun, Geon said.

“Gregory is going out today. He said since many of the security personnel will be absent, we should refrain from going out.”

“Oh, is that so? When have we ever gone out, except for that time you went to shoot a music video? We hardly ever leave.”

“Haha, well, it’s not like we feel suffocated here anyway.”

“Of course, we don’t feel suffocated! The house is as big as San Francisco Park, what’s there to feel suffocated about? They give us food, drinks, snacks, TV, and don’t even ask for rent. Where else would you find such a place? Plus, the security is tight. I’d love to just stay here forever if it wasn’t for it being the mafia boss’s house…”

“Brother!!”

As Byung-jun raised his voice, he glanced at Kiska, who was lying on the floor, drawing.

Kiska didn’t seem to pay much attention, busily drawing something. Byung-jun, noticing Geon’s annoyed expression, whispered apologetically.

“Sorry…”

“Please don’t speak recklessly in front of Kiska. Even a child understands more than you think.”

“Got it.”

While Geon was glaring at Byung-jun, the outside became noisy. Curious, Geon opened the annex door to see black cars entering the house with smoke trailing behind them.

Before the car had completely stopped, Miroslav jumped out and opened the rear door of the smoking car. Geon noticed scratches on the side of the car. Byung-jun, following out, exclaimed in shock.

“What, what’s that! Aren’t those bullet holes?”

“What? Bullet holes?”

“Gasp! The person Miroslav is helping out!! It’s Gregory!”

As Byung-jun said, Miroslav quickly entered the back door, supporting someone from the car. Seeing Gregory, pale-faced and dragging his feet, Geon urgently spoke.

“Brother! Please take care of Kiska!”

Without waiting for a reply, Geon rushed to Miroslav and gasped.

“Miroslav! What happened! Gregory!! Gregory!!”

Gregory, pale with sweat beading on his face, placed a finger to his lips. Watching Gregory gesture towards the annex, Geon lowered his voice.

“Kiska is with Byung-jun. What happened?”

Gregory, showing a weak smile, spoke in a raspy voice.

“Let’s talk inside. Miroslav, let’s go up.”

Instead of heading to Gregory’s usual study, Miroslav supported Gregory to a bedroom on the third floor and laid him on the bed. Geon, looking worried, asked.

“What happened, Miroslav?”

Miroslav, wiping the sweat from his forehead from moving Gregory, said.

“It seems there was a leak about the bosses' meeting. Right after leaving the Red Castle, we were attacked.”

Geon, shocked, raised his voice.

“What? Attacked! What’s Gregory’s condition, then?”

Looking at Gregory, who was gasping for breath, Miroslav shook his head.

“You don’t need to worry. He was shot in the left abdomen, but the bullet went through near the side, so it shouldn’t be life-threatening. A doctor will be here soon.”

“Shot? He was shot?”

Gregory let out a sigh and said,

"Opening the window while smoking was a mistake, even though the vehicle was armored."

Geon, alarmed, noticed blood on Miroslav's arm and exclaimed,

"Miroslav! Are you injured too? I can see blood on your arm!"

Miroslav glanced at his arm and chuckled lightly,

"It's just a graze. Don't worry."

"Still, you need to get it treated properly!"

"Yes, I will. Please, keep your voice down. It disturbs the boss."

Realizing his mistake, Geon closed his mouth as Gregory, lying on the bed, weakly said,

"Geon, come here for a moment."

Rushing to Gregory's side, Geon saw him prop a pillow behind his neck, grab Geon's hand, and say,

"I have a favor to ask."

"Anything, Gregory. What is it?"

"I've been a poor father to Kiska. Just the nature of my job brings harm to her. But there's one thing this unworthy father has always done for his daughter."

Listening quietly, Geon saw Gregory smile weakly and continue,

"My daughter has had nightmares for a long time, every night. I couldn't do anything about her dreams, but I wanted to take care of her until she falls asleep. So, I've read her a fairy tale every night before sleep. I might not be able to do it now, could you do it for a few days? It's okay if Kiska sleeps in the annex."

"Of course. It's not a hard task at all. I'll do it, Gregory. Just focus on getting better."

"Heh, thank you. I'm relying on you."

Knock, knock

Hearing a knock, Miroslav opened the door and briefly spoke in Russian. Geon, quietly watching the door, heard Miroslav say,

"Boss. The doctor is here."

"Let them in. Geon, you should also go rest."

"Okay, take care of yourself. I'll come to see you often."

"Thank you."

After holding Gregory's hand for a moment, Geon left as the doctor entered.

The doctor, surprised to see Geon, widened his eyes, but Miroslav glared at the doctor and silently placed a finger on his lips. The nervous doctor quickly nodded and hurriedly began treating Gregory.

Returning to the annex with a worried look, Geon approached Byung-jun, who was anxiously waiting outside.

"What happened? Is anyone hurt?"

"Yes, Gregory has a through-and-through wound in his abdomen, and Miroslav has a graze on his arm. Both are not life-threatening."

"Phew, that's a relief at least."

"Brother, Kiska mustn't know. Let's have her stay with us for a few days."

"Hmm… that might… actually make Kiska happier."

"What?"

"Ah, nothing. Just saying. Let's go inside."

---

Washington, White House, Oval Office.

Bang!

President Harold Winston slammed his fist on the desk, shouting at the Chief of Staff,

"A shootout! What about Geon! How is Geon?"

The Chief of Staff, with a calm expression, responded,

"The attack was on the vehicle Gregory Miocic was in. At the time, Geon was at the Red Castle."

Relieved to hear that Geon was safe, Harold sighed in relief. After pondering for a while, he asked,

"Is there no way to get Geon out of there?"

"Geon entered voluntarily. It does not seem like he was forced or is being held against his will."

"Isn't it too dangerous? Even if Gregory Miocic isn't just an ordinary mafia harassing civilians, the environment around him is too dangerous. Don't you think? Who was behind the shooting?"

The Chief of Staff presented a dossier,

"Aurel Mavraj, 47, the new boss of the Albanian mafia. It's assumed the attack was carried out under his orders after he entered the country secretly three days ago."

Looking at Aurel Mavraj's photo in the dossier handed by the Chief of Staff, Harold asked,

"Is this a new face? He looks different from the Albanian mafia boss shown in previous reports, or am I mistaken?"

"You've observed correctly. The person reported earlier was Lindro Berisha, who is presumed to have been killed by Gregory Miocic about a year ago."

"Killed? Then why hasn't he been arrested?"

"We couldn't find evidence that he did it personally. The killing is also assumed, and officially, he's listed as missing since the body wasn't found."

"Hmm… Wasn't the conflict between the Albanian and Red Mafia already concluded?"

"We had reported as much, but Aurel's entry might change the situation anew."

Harold, fixating on Aurel's photo, then placed the dossier on the table and said,

"Upgrade the surveillance level on Aurel Mavraj immediately and monitor his whereabouts. If we can't find a legitimate reason to confront Gregory Miocic, let's put pressure on Aurel's side to prevent any conflict. Arrest him immediately if any illegal activity is discovered."

The Chief of Staff, looking seriously at President Harold, replied,

"He's just a musician, not even an American citizen. Why are you so concerned? If it's merely as a fan, accusations of wasting national resources can't be avoided."

Harold's eyebrows twitched as he looked up at the Chief of Staff, then sighed,

"Do you really see Geon as just another musician? That's your mistake. He is a treasure to the world. If he, while on American soil, gets hurt or worse, involved in a mafia war, it would be an international embarrassment.

Furthermore, it could create issues with diplomatic relations with countries in the Hindu world that hold him in high regard. Please treat this matter as a national issue and handle it accordingly. I'm asking you."

After looking deeply at Harold for a moment, the Chief of Staff tucked the dossier under his arm and nodded,

"Understood. I'll get in touch with the Director of the CIA, Mitchell."

As the Chief of Staff left, Harold was left alone, staring down at the photo of Aurel Mavraj on his desk. It almost seemed as if Aurel was staring back at him, challenging him from within the photograph.

>

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