The group that landed at the airport joined Son Lin, who was waiting in front of the gate. Having heard about Kiska from Byung-jun in advance, Lin checked Geon's expression and said,
"You've had quite the journey coming all the way to England, Mr. Geon…"
Geon smiled faintly and replied,
"Is there more work than what you've done by coming here first?"
Lin paused her gaze on Geon for a moment before greeting an elder, Carlos, with her eyes.
"Good work, Carlos."
Carlos grinned widely and extended his hand.
"It's been tough. I heard you're planning to release the live performance as a recording? That's a great idea."
After shaking his hand, Lin smiled and glanced at Kevin.
"Kevin, you must be tired too from the trip."
Kevin flashed a good-natured smile and said,
"What hard work have I done, anyway? But how's the promotion going?"
As Lin turned around and walked away, she said,
"You'll see for yourself."
Apparently, the news of Montana's arrival had already spread, as the airport was crowded with journalists. Aware that Fantagio's artists don't grant interviews unless scheduled in advance, the journalists simply took photos of their arrival without shouting or requesting interviews, allowing the group to leave the airport easily. They loaded their instruments into a white van marked with the Fantagio logo. Jose, having the most luggage as the drummer, was the last to get on the van. Lin instructed the Asian driver.
"Let's head to the Hilton Liverpool."
As the car started, Kevin, who was in England for the first time, stared out of the window at the British landscape with wide eyes and suddenly gasped. Unable to continue his sentence, Kevin elbowed Carlos sitting next to him.
"Ouch! What are you doing?"
Kevin pointed out the window with his finger and said,
"Look over there."
Carlos leaned out the window and chuckled.
"I'm used to it. You should take it all in."
Kevin was pointing at a large billboard above a building advertising Liverpool Sound City. The event name was flanked by photos of Carlos and Geon facing each other. Kevin, overwhelmed by the size of the billboard as big as the building, then turned to Geon to say something but remained silent, realizing that Geon might be accustomed to such spectacles.
"Is this just fascinating to me?"
Lin, sitting in the passenger seat, turned back and said,
"Not just in Liverpool, but news of Montana's participation has been announced all over the UK, and you two have been chosen as the main models for this Liverpool Sound City. It's a natural outcome."
Kevin looked at Lin with a troubled expression and said,
"Is it okay to advertise like this when I'm only performing one song?"
"That's right, just one song. But Montana is the only one performing on all three days of Liverpool City. Many people have been inquiring with the management committee about Montana's performance times and locations. The committee has been overwhelmed with inquiries."
Carlos chuckled lightly as Kevin looked tense.
"Ah, it's your first performance, isn't it? It would be good for you to realize you're part of the band Montana. You'll see this kind of scene wherever you go in the world."
Seeing Kevin sweat nervously, Lin looked out the window with a sympathetic gaze towards Geon, wanting to somehow lift his spirits. After a moment of thought, Lin said,
"Mr. Geon."
Geon turned to Lin with wide eyes.
"Yes?"
"There's a Korean Day showcase at Liverpool Sound City. I heard that Koreans participating in the event are staying at our hotel, would you like to meet them?"
Geon leaned forward slightly, showing some interest.
"Korean musicians? Who are they?"
Lin opened the glove compartment in the passenger seat and pulled out a folded paper to read.
"There's a band called Kate Flower and another called Broken Heart participating. There's also an idol group called ATS and a female musician named Rai."
Geon, uninterested in the idol group and unfamiliar with the bands, leaned back again and shook his head.
"I don't really want to meet anyone in particular."
Lin folded the paper back up and tossed it into the glove box, saying,
"I thought so, but I just mentioned it."
Geon chuckled.
"Haha, even the manager can make uninteresting remarks sometimes."
"I don't do it with anyone else."
"Ha ha, I'm honored."
As the car arrived in front of the Hilton Liverpool hotel, Lin looked outside with a puzzled expression and exclaimed.
"What's going on in front of the hotel?"
The driver also looked alarmed and quickly picked up his phone. Kevin, hearing the employee finish a call, saw thousands of people apparently sitting in front of the hotel. Dumbfounded, he heard Lin shout.
"Who on earth is the resident employee who let it come to this without reporting it?"
"That, that's because there are popular idols
staying in the same hotel, we thought it was their fans."
"Whose fans they are doesn't matter! What do you think will happen if we get off here! Tell the resident employee to submit a report right away!"
"Yes, yes…"
Seeing Lin fuming, Kevin felt really unprepared for the situation and started fidgeting, but Geon remained calm and said,
"Let's just go into the hotel."
Byung-jun, crumpled in the back seat, lifted his head and said,
"What? Are you crazy?"
"It's fine."
Lin looked puzzled, but Geon grinned and said,
"This is England. Eastern fans might scream and rush towards musicians when they sing or show up, but British fans are different. They have a haughty look as if to say, 'Let's hear you sing. If your song is good, I'll pay.' They probably won't rush us if we get off."
Carlos pursed his lips and nodded.
"Well, now that you mention it, nothing happened at our last concert in England. But... I'm fine, the problem is with you, Kay."
Geon chuckled and suddenly opened the car door. Startled, Byung-jun reached out from the back to grab Geon's collar, but Geon had already stepped out of the car and was walking into the hotel. Byung-jun kicked the front seat as he shouted.
"Damn it! Kevin! Clear this up! Get out quickly!"
The flustered group quickly got out of the car, and Byung-jun, the last to jump out, looked in shock at the thousands of fans. As Geon waved to the fans sitting on the ground, holding banners with Kay's name or greeting him, the fans sat still, shaking their banners or greeting him.
"Wow~!! Kay, thanks for coming to the UK!"
"We'll definitely go to the concert too! It's at Liverpool One Shopping Center, right?"
As Geon nodded naturally or responded, the excited fans continued to talk.
"I love this song! If Kay ever releases an album, I'll definitely buy it! I've even bought a CD player!"
"You're with Montana, so you'll be playing Fury, right?"
Geon smiled and nodded as he moved among the fans. Fans further away stood up and approached, but those nearby remained seated, only calling out to him loudly. Kevin, relieved, managed a weak smile.
"What were we worried about, really."
Seeing the situation turn around, Lin quickly said,
"While Kay is holding them off, let's go in quickly, Director Byung-jun? Come in with Kay. Get the instruments down."
Following Lin's swift instructions, the group safely entered the hotel lobby, still looking worried as they waited for Geon. A moment later, Geon entered the hotel nonchalantly, leaving the cheering fans behind.
"See? Nothing to worry about."
Byung-jun slapped Geon on the back hard as he came in last.
"You! Even if that's the case, what if something dangerous had happened! Don't ever do that again!"
"Ow! Why, it ended up fine!"
"Anyway! If you do something like that again, I'm really going to get angry."
"Geez! Okay."
Lin, having all their passports, checked them in and handed out the keys.
"Rest today. There's a performance tomorrow evening, so please don't go out of the hotel before then. We've urgently requested security personnel, but it's dangerous if you act individually."
The group took the elevator to their rooms, and the members entered the rooms they were assigned. Last to remain, Geon was about to enter his room when Lin approached him with a worried look.
"Mr. Geon."
Geon, key in the door, turned his head as if asking what was the matter.
"Yes? Go ahead."
Lin looked serious and said,
"Are you okay?"
Geon chuckled lightly.
"Haha, yes, I'm fine, don't worry."
"Mr. Geon."
"Yes?"
Lin looked straight into Geon's eyes and said,
"That behavior just now wasn't like you."
Geon looked into Lin's eyes and forced a smile. Seeing Geon give no definitive answer, Lin continued,
"It could have been a dangerous situation, even if you had prior knowledge about England. It wasn't something the usual Mr. Geon would do."
Geon quietly looked down at the room key in his hand as Lin's expression grew worried.
"Is it because of Kiska?"
At the mention of Kiska's name, Geon flinched and lowered his head. Lin watched his profile for a while and gently stroked his back.
"Does it hurt... your heart?"
Still holding the key in the lock, a tear dropped onto Geon's hand. After a moment of silence between them, Geon quickly wiped the tear with his hand and smiled.
"Haha, no. I'm fine now
, Manager. You must be tired, please rest."
As Geon opened the door and entered his room, offering a nod, Lin watched the closed door and murmured to herself.
"He's hurting, a lot."
With a sympathetic look, Lin said,
"When a man says he's not hurting, that's when he really is in pain. You are really hurting right now."
Geon stood in front of his room door looking at the empty guest room. Behind him, the sensation of Lin's presence through the closed door remained, but he just blankly stared at the bed in the vacant room and sighed. Pulling out his phone from his pocket, he tossed it onto the bed and muttered quietly.
"Should have gifted a phone at least…"
After sitting on the bed and blankly letting time pass, a knock on the door startled Geon. Opening the door, he saw Carlos holding a can of beer and smiling.
"Shall we have a drink?"
Carlos and Geon clinked their beer glasses together, enjoying the cold drinks as they sat side by side on a sofa placed by the window of the hotel room. Unlike Carlos, who gulped down his beer, Geon sipped his slowly while staring out the window. Silence lingered between them for a while.
Finally, Carlos spoke up, breaking the quiet, "Heard any news about Kiska?"
Geon responded with a self-mocking laugh, his eyes sad as he continued to gaze outside. Carlos took another sip from his beer can and said, "Everyone has their blue days, and it seems like you're having yours right now. But here's the thing—everything born into this world must prepare for an inevitable goodbye. Meeting, knowing, loving, and parting are the sad stories common to all humanity."
Quietly, Geon turned to meet Carlos's gaze and asked, "Have you ever experienced such things?"
Carlos downed the rest of his beer and reached for a new can, sending a distant look out the window before replying, "How could I not have? I've loved and parted ways countless times. Not with someone young like a little brother, of course, but the sorrow of parting is much the same."
Geon looked down and then back up at Carlos, "What did you do when you faced such unbearable sadness?"
Carlos paused his drinking and looked seriously at Geon, "You really had feelings for that kid? Calling it unbearable is a bit much, isn't it?"
Geon managed a bitter smile, "No, it's just that we lived together for so long, they felt like family. Actually, the only person I can truly say I loved in my family was my sister Shihwa. I guess I thought of Kiska more as a younger sibling than even her."
Carlos, smirking slightly and nodding, held up his beer can, "The pain of parting from family, that's close enough."
He continued, "And there's a way out of this severe grief... Musicians, naturally, resolve everything through music."
Geon chuckled at Carlos's words, and Carlos added, "Not trying to sound cool or anything. I've lived it. When I loved, I sang about love; when I parted, I sang about parting. When I was happy, my songs were joyful, and when I was sad, my music cried tears. That's how I've lived, and that's how I believe a true musician should live on this earth. Of course, that's just my personal belief."
Geon looked at him thoughtfully and then asked, "Do you think I could do the same?"
Carlos looked at him intently and replied, "I suppose I should say, 'Of course you can!' But to be honest, from what I've seen of you so far, I'm not sure."
"Are you referring to how I cared for Kiska?" Geon asked.
"No," Carlos turned his gaze back outside, falling silent for a moment before continuing, "You don't enjoy music."
Geon's eyebrows twitched, "What do you mean?"
Carlos's expression deepened, "From the moment I first saw you, I felt it. You're definitely a genius, but whether you're channeling that genius in the right direction, I'm not sure."
Geon leaned forward, detaching himself from the sofa, "Could you explain?"
Setting down his beer can on the table, Carlos met Geon's gaze. After a moment, he slowly began, "Think back to the Lollapalooza festival. I was amazed by your singing on stage and even saw visions over the heads of the audience listening to your music. That's how much your performance struck me."
Though the words felt embarrassing, Carlos, seeing Geon listening intently, continued, "I've kept an eye on you since then. I was curious to see how far you'd soar. And soar you did, but it hasn't seemed to bring you happiness. I have two questions for you, if you don't mind?"
Geon nodded, and Carlos held up a finger, "Do you enjoy making music, singing, playing?"
"Of course," Geon nodded vigorously, "that's why I do it."
Carlos held up a second finger with a serious expression, "And what do you think about when you're playing, singing, making music?"
Geon pondered for a while before answering, "How can I perfectly convey the emotions I want to express through my music? How can I amplify the feelings and deliver a perfect performance and song to my audience? And I always strive for that."
Carlos slowly folded his fingers, "Back to the first question then. Are you having fun when you make your music, perform, sing?"
"What? What do you mean?" Geon was perplexed.
"Not the joy you see in your audience's faces. Did you enjoy performing 'Fury', playing it, singing it?"
Geon, taken aback by the unexpected question, replied, "'Fury' isn't a song about joy, Carlos. It's about unleashing anger. How could I enjoy making such a song?"
Carlos crossed his arms and chuckled lightly, "Alright, but what about other songs? Or when you play with other musicians? Even when you performed at the zoo orchestra or shared the opera stage with Professor Leontine Price, you always gave a perfect performance, a perfect play, a perfect song. I'm not denying that. But did you enjoy those stages? Did you enjoy the process of making music?"
Geon's mouth hung open, a blank expression on his face as silence fell. Carlos continued, "Again, I have no doubts about your genius. You always create amazing music and deliver matching performances. I believe you will continue to do so. But you have never enjoyed the music you make, the songs you sing, the performances you give."
Carlos rose from the sofa and walked over to the window, looking down at Geon, "I hope you become a musician who can enjoy his own music. Even if it's not perfect, even if it doesn't please everyone, you need to make music that comforts you, that you enjoy. That's the energy you'll need to keep going as a musician for a lifetime. That's the advice I want to give you."
Carlos leaned against the window sill, wrapping his arms and looking down at Geon. After a long silence, as the fizz in Geon's beer can died down, his eyes refocused. Looking up at Carlos, he said, "You're right. I've never really enjoyed being on stage. I've only thought about creating perfect music, performing perfectly, singing perfectly."
Carlos stepped away from the window, "That's where it all starts, realizing it. It might be tough, but what you realize, you have to put into practice. Enjoy your music, be sadder with sad music, and happier with joyful music."
"But Carlos, my current situation and 'Fury' don't really match. I'm feeling sad, not angry."
Carlos looked down at Geon with a serious smile, "That's a common human mistake. But only those who can contemplate themselves correctly can live a proper life. How can someone who can't even accurately judge their own feelings manage to move others with their music?"
Geon looked puzzled, and Carlos sat back down on the sofa, "Listen. Every human sorrow involves some anger. Why? Let's consider a few examples. If someone is sad about a breakup, they will soon become angry about the circumstances that led to it, their own wrong actions, decisions, or those of the other person."
Geon nodded slightly as he listened attentively. Carlos added, "If a child regrets not being able to send their parents on a trip before they pass away, they're also angry with themselves for not doing better when they had the chance. Humans feel sorrow and anger together, or at least intertwined."
As Geon seemed lost in thought, Carlos concluded, "It's the same for you now. The impotence you feel watching Kiska leave, whether you think of them as family or a lover, the powerlessness to stop someone you care about from leaving—it's definitely there inside you. It just takes the brain some time to recognize it. But soon, you'll find yourself exploding in anger."
Carlos got up, knelt in front of Geon's sofa, and met his eyes, "Let it out before it bursts. It should happen on stage, and you'll find yourself more at ease by venting your anger. You can trust me on that, I've been there."
Without another word, Geon just looked into Carlos's eyes. Carlos picked up a beer can and headed towards the door, "Enjoy the rest of your beer. See you in the morning."
Carlos left, and Geon remained alone on the sofa, looking out the window for a long time.
The next morning.
As Kevin was about to go out for breakfast, he saw Byungjun scratching his disheveled hair in front of Geon's room. Kevin approached him and asked, "What's up?"
Byungjun jumped with a start and then glared at Kevin before looking back at Geon's door with a troubled expression, "Ah, I should wake him up... but I feel bad, he might have been up late feeling sad."
Kevin pointed at the closed door of Geon's room with a blank expression, "Is something wrong with Kay? The mood seemed a bit off."
Byungjun sighed deeply and shook his head, "It's just a personal matter, you don't need to know. Oh, but there's not much time, what to do…"
Kevin glanced at his watch and then said, "There's still some time to eat, why not let him sleep a bit more?"
"A guy who needs to sing can't perform well on an empty stomach. We need to get him
to eat and then move on, but it's a big problem…"
"Let's go eat."
"Yeah, okay. What? Oh?"
Hearing Geon's voice from behind, Byungjun reflexively responded before turning around in surprise. Geon, already dressed, was standing by his open room door, smiling and patting Byungjun on the shoulder.
"Let's go eat. We're late for the show."
"Uh, yes, right. Let's go!"
While Byungjun smiled happily, Kevin, still with a dumbfounded expression, found his arm wrapped by Geon, who grinned and then set his face seriously again. Dragged by Geon's strength, Kevin yelled, "Hey, let go, it's hurting my back!"
Geon tightened his grip around Kevin's neck and laughed, "Hurry up and eat, and let's go have some fun!"