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."
"Wow, that's interesting. What position did he play in the band?"
"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?"
Upon hearing that Geon was looking for them, the musicians ran over, instruments in hand and without even putting on their shoes. Geon had been looking for Simba to speak with them, but thanks to Timo, who quickly followed, finding Simba proved unnecessary. Timo bowed slightly to Herald. When Herald smiled back, Timo then bowed deeply to Geon with hands clasped together.
A little distance away, the chief secretary raised an eyebrow at this scene, but Timo showed no hesitation in offering Geon the highest respect. While Timo was bringing the musicians, Geon, along with Herald, had confirmed that the instruments brought by the musicians were no different from before and started drafting the music scores. Herald, curious about something, was glued to Geon's side, not taking his eyes off the music score being written.
Geon quickly wrote down a simple song and handed the music score to Timo, saying,
"I'm sorry for calling you out of the blue, Village Chief. Here's the music score."
Timo graciously accepted the music score with both hands and handed it to the musicians, saying,
"Memorize this score."
The musicians from the Sudra caste bowed deeply, received the music score with both hands, and knelt, memorizing the score. Although it was a short piece, the musicians grimaced as they read and reread the score to accurately express Geon's intention, struggling for over 20 minutes before they finally picked up their instruments and immersed themselves in muted practice.
Herald, who had been watching silently, commented, seeing Geon's side profile,
"I thought it was a simple piece since you wrote it down so quickly, but it seems more complex than I thought?"
Geon smiled slightly and replied,
"It's not that complex, but it's about doing our best. Please, just a little understanding."
Herald raised his hands as if to say no need for understanding,
"Understanding? It was me who made the sudden request. I'm just grateful that you obliged. Please, convey my thanks to them later."
Geon nodded and smiled. The musicians had finished practicing and bowed deeply to Timo. Timo then said to Geon,
"The practice is over. Let's begin."
Geon pointed out a part of the score to Herald, saying,
"The President's guitar part comes in from measure 16. I included only arpeggios in the chord progression style, so it shouldn't be too hard."
Herald's eyes widened as he nodded, looking at the score. Geon then signaled the start of the performance to a Dampu player with a nod. The Dampu player hurriedly bowed his head, not daring to meet Geon's gaze, and started the performance with precise timing.
The sound of the Dampu, a traditional Nepali drum, resonated between the base camp built towards the cliff direction of the Himalayas and the hundred or so journalists gathered for the visit of the American President.
"Dong! Dong!"
After the Dampu marked the beat twice, it began playing at a very slow pace, and the sorrowful tone of the Sarangi, resembling that of a violin, merged in an instant, painting a beautiful melody in the Himalayan sky. Herald, feeling pressured to perform well due to the cameras on him, had been focusing on the score until the sound of the Sarangi made him lift his head in surprise.
He saw Geon, naturally spreading his arms and closing his eyes, swaying and moving to the beat as if dancing. Geon's movement, reminiscent of a traditional Korean dance, was deeply mystical. As the Bansuri flute joined in, the atmosphere changed. While the Sarangi provided a sorrowful and regret-filled melody, the Bansuri flute joined with vigor, like bellows breathing hope into a forge's flame.
Startled, Herald realized it was his turn to play and quickly came to his senses,
"I can't mess this up!"
Before even starting to play, thick sweat formed on Herald's forehead. Counting the beat with his foot, Herald began playing the guitar. He played an arpeggio in Dm chord, looking around at the other musicians in disbelief as their combined performance created a melody. The musicians all closed their eyes, showing maximum concentration. Herald, due to the relatively simple chord progression, had the leisure to look around at the musicians.
As it was time for Geon's song, Herald fixed his gaze on Geon. Covered by a bushy beard, Geon's eyes and sharply raised nose bridge couldn't hide his beauty. Despite his mouth being obscured by the beard, the eye-smile hanging on his face was the happiest smile in the world, and Herald couldn't take his eyes off Geon dancing merrily as his voice began to sing.
Herald, having co-written the lyrics, had some idea about the mood of the song, but since Geon had not drawn the vocal melody line when drafting the score, Herald
was surprised to hear his song. Geon's voice was like that of a female soprano. Amidst the grand Himalayan mountains, a beautiful man danced merrily, singing a high-pitched aria that seemed out of place with the dance.
Love where there is hatred
contention where there is forgiveness
split where there is Coincide
despair where there is Hope
Herald's eyes widened as much as they could. As a human rights lawyer, he felt the song carried a genuine power that could move many people. Geon stepped forward towards the cliff, spread his arms, and sang towards the snowy mountains.
Understanding rather than understanding
Give comfort to others rather than comforting others
To love others rather than to love others
The short performance ended with Geon's last lyrics. Although many were watching, no one cheered as Geon continued to dance. It seemed as though he danced to music that continued playing only for him. Watching silently, Herald quietly placed his guitar beside him.
Resting his chin on his hand, Herald stood up and approached Geon. Geon, unaware of Herald's approach, continued to dance with his eyes closed. Herald awkwardly began to dance along with Geon. For the first few seconds, their dance seemed discordant, but soon Herald's eyes closed, and his dance filled with smiles melted into harmony with Geon's.
One of the journalists, shocked, quickly raised their camera and flashed. The other journalists, awakened by the flash, shoved their cameras forward, capturing the rare scene of the American President dancing. As the camera flashes went off incessantly, Geon opened his eyes. He quietly bowed his head, caught his breath, and then lifted his head to stop dancing, smiling at Herald, who was looking at him.
Herald, with a face full of smiles, opened his arms wide and hugged Geon, shouting,
"The angel of the poor! The musical genius of Juilliard! The savior of Nepal! None of those titles were false! Hahaha! It's not false, I'm truly happy! Hahaha"
Geon, hugged by Herald, simply smiled. Herald held Geon in his arms for a while, patting his back, then took Geon's hand and sat on a rock at the edge of the cliff. Herald, smiling at Geon sitting next to him, gestured to the chief secretary watching from afar. The chief secretary approached Yeongseok, saying,
"Let's stop filming here. The President has something important to discuss with Kay."
Yeongseok stepped back without a word, seeing the presidential security pushing the journalists away. After the filming team put all cameras back in the camp and moved behind the line designated by the security guards, Herald whispered to Geon,
"It was worth coming all the way from America, your voice has power. Your voice doesn't have direct physical force, but it has the power to move people."
"Really?"
"Yes, Kay wasn't an activist student, so you probably never sang protest songs. Protest songs are sung during demonstrations, and they carry messages to incite and open eyes to the truth. Singing this song during a demonstration unites everyone. Similarly, your song has some kind of power."
Geon tilted his head, asking,
"It's true I wasn't an activist student, but how did you know? How did you know what kind of student I was?"
Herald, apologetically, said,
"Not just anyone can meet the president of a country. Moreover, I am the president of the United States. When meeting someone, we conduct all kinds of research on them. I'm sorry, but we received reports on how Kay grew up in Korea, what kind of past you had, even your childhood photos."
Geon's expression hardened slightly, seeing this, Herald hurriedly said,
"It wasn't intentional. It's just a customary procedure of the White House, so please don't take it badly. My laughter, singing, and empathy with you here were all sincere."
Geon looked at Herald's face for a moment, assessing the truth, then nodded in agreement,
"If you're the president of the United States, you'd need such procedures."
"Haha, thank you, Kay. I'm glad you understand."
"No need to talk about understanding."
"Ah, the chief secretary who conducted the investigation on Kay found something interesting and brought it as a gift for you. I was also surprised, but since it seemed unworthy of investigation, I just brought it as a gift."
Herald took an envelope from his pocket and handed it over.
"Take a look. You'll find it interesting."
Geon tilted his head, accepting the envelope, and pulled out its contents. A photo emerged. Herald continued,
"Surprising, isn't it? Even the chief secretary was shocked. It's a photo from 1957, haha"
Geon's hands trembled as he held the photo. Herald smiled at him,
"I knew you'd be surprised
, haha. It's a photo of an unknown child, but it closely resembled your childhood."
In the photo, Elvis Presley was smiling brightly with a guitar. Below on the left side of the photo, 'Since 1957. Florida Tampa. William V. Robertson' was written as a signature,
And above that signature, a laughing, singing young Geon was depicted.