In the silence of the night, when everyone else was asleep, the faint sound of Byungjoon's snoring from another room could be heard. Unable to sleep, Geon got up to drink some cold water from the fridge.
Suddenly, after drinking the cold water, Geon felt a pain in the back of his throat, shivering as he held the water bottle in one hand and his throat with the other, grimacing in discomfort before closing the fridge.
Even without the lights on, Gregory's house, always vigilant, was sufficiently illuminated by the garden lights filtering through the window. Sitting on the sofa, Geon absentmindedly stared at a sketchbook lying there.
"But now I understand, it was all just a fantasy... Kiska probably kept thinking her mother would come back. But now she knows... that her mother won't return," Geon reflected as he looked down at the sketchbook.
"Lyrics for the bridge section should be enough. But the verse needs more. Eight lines can't fully express Kiska's feelings. It would have been better if Kiska had written more," Geon mused, slapping his cheeks with his palms in thought.
"Lyrics written in haste can't be truthful. Let's wait until Kiska writes something. I'll do what I can in the meantime. Once Kiska writes the lyrics, we can immediately turn them into a song. Let's start with the guitar interlude first, and work on the bass and guitar sheets later," Geon decided as he spent the night creating an interlude on his guitar connected to an amp with headphones.
"This song is different from the others. It suits having no riff. Let's make it with the idea of an interlude from start to finish. Then, let the emotions explode in the real solo part," Geon thought, finally falling asleep on the sofa with the guitar in his arms as dawn approached.
The next morning, Byungjoon, yawning in his underwear, didn't wake Geon as he carried him from the sofa to the bed after seeing him sleep deeply due to focusing for a long time.
Early in the morning, Byungjoon called Lynn in China, stepping out quietly to avoid waking Geon, and spoke in a low voice in the garden.
"Director Lynn, this is Manager Byungjoon."
"Ah, Manager. Have you arrived safely in the US?"
"Ha, I was quite surprised yesterday. Did you know Geon is staying at the house of a Red Mafia boss?"
"What? What are you talking about? Red Mafia, as in the Russian Mafia?"
"Ah... You didn't know. Geon is staying at Gregory Miočić's, the Red Mafia boss's house. Because of that, I also stayed here last night. Looks like we'll be staying here for a while."
"I had no idea. Is it a dangerous situation?"
"Ha, not at all. It's safer here than most private security companies could ever manage."
"Well, that's a relief, but I'm still worried. Please, keep in touch daily."
"Sure, Director. The reason I called is that the song Geon created here is extraordinary."
"Extraordinary? Do you mean it shows signs of being a hit? I trust your judgment, Manager."
"Ha, thank you for your trust. It's not just good; it shows signs of being platinum-level."
"Is that so? If it's Geon's music, it'll be popular even if it's just average... Do you have a demo?"
"Not yet. He said it was a song he made yesterday."
"Ah... I see. Well, send me the demo once it's finished."
"Will do, Director."
After hanging up, Byungjoon, exhausted from the long flight and early morning call due to the time difference, thought to himself, "Ah, I need more sleep... Oh?"
Stepping outside in his underwear, Byungjoon saw Kiska running towards him, dressed prettily in a light pink dress, white shoes, and holding onto her straw hat to prevent it from flying away in the wind.
Remembering he was in his underwear, Byungjoon hurried back into his room, feeling awkward since Kiska was still a girl, and he was a guest in the house.
Kiska, noticing the open door, ran into Byungjoon's room with a flushed face, catching Byungjoon by surprise as he was putting on his pants, causing him to fall.
"Ouch, my goodness!"
Seeing Byungjoon rolling on the floor, Kiska ran to another room, opening the door wide. Finding Geon asleep, she bounced onto the sofa and began drawing in the sketchbook.
Struggling with his pants, Byungjoon eventually tore them and had to put on a new pair before coming out to see Kiska with a baffled look, wondering why she was playing alone after checking on Geon's sleep, not realizing that it was her daily routine to ensure Geon was still in the guesthouse.
Heading to the kitchen, Byungjoon decided to cook spicy Korean ramen he had brought for Geon, asking Kiska if she wanted breakfast.
Noticing her indifferent reaction, Byungjoon shook the ramen seasoning packet, saying, "This is ramen. It's really spicy! You might not be able to eat it, so I'll put only half of the seasoning. How does that sound?"
Kiska, curious, looked at the bubbling noodles inside the ramen package. Byungjoon, amused by her fascination, took out the noodles and shook them, saying, "Geon, or Kay, loves these."
Kiska reacted at the mention of Geon's name. Seeing her expression change, Byungjoon teased, "Kay."
Kiska's reaction made Byungjoon chuckle as he began dancing oddly, singing about Kay's favorite ramen, making her look even more puzzled but slightly amused.
Remembering that Kiska was actually the daughter of the Red Mafia boss, Gregory, Byungjoon coughed awkwardly, saying, "Ahem, I got carried away... So, you're eating this, right? I'm making two servings, no complaints."
Kiska remained silent but stayed beside Byungjoon as he prepared the ramen, eventually adding eggs to the boiling water.
Once the ramen was ready, Byungjoon, wearing oven gloves, placed the pot on the table. Kiska, still standing there awkwardly, was seated across from him as he handed her a fork with a grin, urging her to try it.
Unfamiliar with how to eat it, Kiska tried to wrap the noodles around her fork like spaghetti, prompting Byungjoon to exclaim, "No! It's really hot, blow on it like this."
Following Byungjoon's example, Kiska cautiously blew on the noodles before taking a bite. Her expression suddenly changed as her face turned red and sweat formed on her nose from the spiciness. Byungjoon couldn't help but laugh at her reaction.
"Ha! I told you it's spicy. Here, drink some water," he said, offering her a cup. Kiska grabbed it with both hands, drinking hastily as if reviving herself, then slammed the fork down, indicating she couldn't eat any more.
Feeling a bit guilty, Byungjoon tried to console her, "I wasn't teasing. It's just initially spicy. See, I can eat it just fine."
Despite Byungjoon's enthusiastic eating display, Kiska watched him with a neutral face, unsure about the spicy ramen.
The aroma of the ramen or perhaps Byungjoon's voice awakened Geon, who emerged from his room, intrigued by the smell.
"Hey, is that the smell of ramen?" Geon asked, smiling as he saw Byungjoon and Kiska with the noodles.
"Yeah, Korean ramen. Bought it for you," Byungjoon responded with a grin.
Geon, joining them at the table, patted Kiska on the head, asking if she slept well and acknowledging her attempt at breakfast.
Preferring chopsticks, Geon fetched them from the kitchen, and they all began eating together. Kiska, encouraged by Geon's presence, cautiously resumed eating the ramen.
Byungjoon watched, amused and a bit perplexed by Kiska's behavior, wondering if there was more to her actions than met the eye but dismissing the thought as silly.
The cozy guesthouse was filled with warmth and laughter that morning, an unexpected but pleasant start to the day, bringing a gentle warmth to Kiska's heart amidst the spicy challenge of Korean ramen.
Several days had passed, but Kiska hadn't left any writing in her sketchbook. Instead, she continued to draw scribble-like pictures and crooked images that seemed to depict Geon, which prompted Geon to sigh as he watched her.
"Um... Maybe it's because Kiska is practically confined at home every day? How about I find something to cheer her up?"
With this thought, Geon went to see Gregory, who, as usual, was sitting in his study, puffing away at his cigar.
Surprised by the unexpected suggestion from Geon, Gregory, cigar in hand, widened his eyes.
"A zoo? You want to take Kiska to the zoo?"
"Yes, Gregory. Kiska has been cooped up too much. No matter how important safety is, it can't be good for a girl her age to be stuck at home all the time in terms of emotional recovery."
After a moment of consideration, Gregory, thinking of Kiska's well-being, agreed and asked,
"Which zoo?"
"The Bronx Zoo. It's located at West Farms Square station in New York."
"Ah, that place. I know it. Hmm... How about I make a call in advance, and we go after it closes?"
"How would we enter after it closes, Gregory?"
"Ha, have you forgotten who I am? There's nothing I can't do. I'll make a call in advance so we can go after closing time."
"Ah... Right, of course. Got it."
"At least a minimal security team must accompany us."
"Of course."
Past five in the afternoon.
Geon, holding Kiska's hand all dolled up, sweated as he saw the car parked in front of the mansion's fountain.
"What... What kind of minimal security team is this!"
In Geon's view, over two hundred organization members were getting ready to depart, and more than fifty black vehicles were lined up in the garden.
Fortunately, to avoid attracting attention during the outing, they were hiding pistols instead of carrying machine guns.
"All these cars fit in the garden and it still looks empty! How big is this house?"
As Geon and Kiska boarded a Bentley GT, only mafia members armed in the driver and passenger seats joined them, but the other cars were packed with bulky men, squeezing tightly together as they moved.
Geon had arrived at the Bronx Zoo in no time, but he couldn't get out of the car until the security personnel had finished securing the surroundings. After a while, upon receiving a signal, Geon sighed as he got out of the car.
"What kind of outing is this, huh."
Seeing the security personnel stationed every 2 meters around the zoo, Geon sighed again but took Kiska's hand and climbed the hill path of the zoo.
Thanks to the security personnel staying away inside the zoo, Geon and Kiska enjoyed a private time together. Geon introduced Ricky, Pye, and Shihwa, the animals, one after another.
Kiska, meeting the animals that always welcomed them warmly, was so engrossed in looking at them with her eyes wide open that Geon, while introducing various animals, did not notice it was Kiska's first visit to the zoo.
Geon, with a guitar strapped on his shoulder, noticed a birdcage in the distance, took Kiska's hand, and climbed the hill path to the birdcage.
Kiska's eyes widened, and she looked up as she saw several birds vigorously flapping their wings in the large birdcage. Geon smiled and offered her a sketchbook.
"Want to draw? I have to sing to the birds."
Turning her head, Kiska fixed her gaze on the sketchbook Geon offered for a moment before turning back to the birdcage, taking the sketchbook, and climbing onto a nearby bench to sit down with her legs stretched out.
Geon, who had brought crayons in his guitar bag, handed them to Kiska and focused on playing for the birds while also paying attention to Kiska's sketching.
Kiska drew several birds with a black crayon and then colored them with various vibrant colors.
Though the drawings were crooked, Kiska, looking seriously at the birds before drawing again, seemed like a renowned painter. Geon, smiling at the adorable sight of Kiska, thought as he watched the setting sun.
"It's okay if Kiska doesn't say anything. I don't want to use the child; I want to convey her words to the world. Let's not rush."
Closing his eyes, Geon started singing a song he and Kiska had created together. As Kiska heard the beautiful sound of Geon's voice, she stopped drawing and just stared at him.
Geon, absorbed in singing, had almost forgotten he was with Kiska, but she was intently looking at him with a small smile.
Suddenly, Kiska picked up a pink crayon and began to write something on the sketchbook.
On the white sketch book, among the drawings of birds, a sentence was written in pink letters at the top right corner:
"But I'm different.
Everything is different. Me and you, and now the person next to me.
I will not miss you anymore.
Because now everything is precious."
After being lost in the song for a while and delivering a sweet vocal, Geon finished playing the incomplete piece, feeling its afterglow. When he opened his eyes quietly, he saw Kiska standing in front of the birdcage, her hands raised to the sky.
As Kiska approached and suddenly raised her hands, the birds were startled and flew up, but to Geon, it seemed as if the birds were dancing to Kiska's hand movements.
Noticing that Kiska's raised hands did not hold the sketchbook, Geon turned his head and saw the sketchbook left on the bench, and he couldn't help but smile brightly.
"'But I'm different now, everything has changed. Me and you, and now the person next to me... I won't miss you anymore, because everything now is precious.' Kiska! Haha."
Geon's face lit up as he watched Kiska from behind, but his eyes deepened with emotion.
"The song is complete."
Kiska, who had spent a long time exploring the zoo that night, seemed to walk home with much lighter steps.
The fresh air she breathed in after a long time seemed to please her as she happily hopped around, though her expression remained blank, which was a bit disappointing. When Geon asked if she wanted to visit the zoo again, Kiska unusually twiddled her fingers, signaling her interest, which made Geon's face brighten.
After returning home and taking Kiska to her room, Geon headed to the annex where he found Byungjun lying on the sofa in his underwear, scratching his belly, and raising a hand in greeting.
"Hey, violator of the youth protection law! Did you enjoy your date?"
Geon put down his guitar, sat down on the sofa, and rolled his eyes.
"Wear some pants, brother. And what youth protection law? Don't say such dirty things to Kiska."
Byungjun chuckled as he scratched his butt and grinned.
"Really? Did everything go well?"
Geon frowned at Byungjun but nodded. Byungjun sprang up, grabbing Geon's shoulder and shaking it.
"Really? It's complete?"
Geon, annoyed, glared at Byungjun's hand that had touched his butt and said,
"Ah, stop! Where are you grabbing with that hand that touched your butt! Let go!"
Byungjun, undeterred by Geon's reaction, shouted,
"Tell me! Did you really complete it?"
Geon shrugged off Byungjun's hand and stood up.
"Ah, I'm going to shower. It's almost finished, so please tell Director Rin."
"Oh~ Haha, got it! I'll contact her! Wait, Geon! Geon! Just a moment!"
As Geon turned towards the shower, Byungjun asked,
"You're not just going to use the guitar for the recording, right? How many instruments are going to be included?"
After standing still to gather his thoughts, Geon replied,
"Three guitars, plus bass and drums, so five in total."
Byungjun stood up, holding onto the sofa's backrest.
"So, excluding you, we need four session musicians? Two for guitars, one for bass, and one for drums."
Geon, feeling uncomfortable on his shoulder, frowned and walked into the shower room, saying,
"You don't need to prepare anything. I can do it all by myself."
Byungjun shouted towards the shower room where Geon had already disappeared,
"What? You're going to record all the instruments by yourself? Hey! Answer before you go!"
Byungjun, with a dumbfounded expression, hastily picked up his phone to make a call.
"Ah! Director Rin! Sorry, it's still morning there, right?"
"It's fine, I'm already at work, Manager. What's the matter?"
"Ah, that! Geon has completed a song!"
"Oho, that's good news. We'll need to prepare for recording. I'll book a studio near New York soon. I'll contact you once the studio schedule is confirmed. How many session musicians should we prepare?"
"Ah... Well, I just had a conversation with Geon, and he plans to record everything by himself."
"Hmm... Well, since Geon has learned to play the bass and drums back in Korea, it's possible..."
Byungjun slapped his forehead, having forgotten that Geon had learned various instruments from distinguished masters in Korea.
"Oh, right, I had forgotten about that."
"If the quality of the recorded music drops, it would be problematic, but knowing Geon's character, that's unlikely. I'll check the studio schedule then."
"Thank you, I should have been the one to handle it. I'm sorry, considering you're in China."
"No worries. Just focus on Geon's safety since you're in a risky place."
"Understood, Director."
"Is there anything else you need to report?"
"Ah... Actually, someone else wrote the lyrics for Geon's music."
"Oh? Who might that be?"
"It's... it's written by the kid in this house, on a sketchbook."
"That joke isn't funny. But you do occasionally make a good joke, so don't lose heart. I'll hang up now."
"Wait, Director! Director!"
Click.
The call ended, and Byungjun looked at the phone screen, scratching his head, then noticed the sketchbook peeking out from the guitar bag Geon had left behind.
"It's true..."
At the Fantagio Square 12th floor director's office in China.
After hanging up the phone, Director Rin didn't put down the receiver. Instead, she switched to the intercom and instructed her secretary.
"It's me. Please arrange to book a studio in New York for our staff there. We need a place capable of recording A-list musicians, just for about three days. Thank you."
After the call, Director Rin held a pen, tapping it thoughtfully on the table.
"He intends to record by himself..."
Her marketing genius brain began to whirl. Her gaze, lost in thought, darted around ceaselessly.
"Recording all instruments by himself means live performances are out of the question... So, then..."
Director Rin suddenly stood up and grabbed the intercom again.
"It's me. Arrange for a music video director. Assemble a team, no more than 40 people, and prepare to head to New York as quickly as possible. I'll be joining, so make it fast."
This quick decision reflected her ability to adapt and plan strategically, leveraging Geon's unique approach to potentially create a groundbreaking music project.