Devil’s Music

Chapter 167: Song of the Himalayas

Yeongseok directed the drone camera operator to start filming from above the temple. The entire majestic and beautiful Himalayan mountain range was illuminated, and the tranquil bamboo village was zoomed in on. A huge temple with white and red colors harmonizing in the center of the village came into view, and the drone quickly captured footage from the main entrance, up the stairs, to the large hall where the head monk was located, then focused on the head monk and Geon sitting on cushions facing each other. Chae-eun was sitting awkwardly on a cushion one step behind Geon.

The head monk slightly lifted his robe, joined his palms, and said, "Welcome to the Lama's temple."

Overwhelmed by his aura, Geon bowed deeply and said, "I'm Kay. This is Chae-eun."

After taking a brief look at Chae-eun and smiling, the head monk said, "Welcome to the temple of the Lama. It must have been difficult for you as a Deva of Hinduism."

Geon waved his hands dismissively and replied, "Not at all. Thank you for inviting me. But, I'm not a Deva of Hinduism. I don't even know what a Deva is."

The head monk, Haileke, smiled kindly and said, "Even the Dalai Lama does not have self-awareness until rebirth. Just as Buddha granted awakening to the Dalai Lama, you too will eventually become aware."

Geon sighed and said, "So, I'm not a Deva."

Haileke nodded slightly and said, "Let's leave it at that for now. Timo invited you here, and he would be furious if he knew. I'll keep it brief."

As Geon straightened up and listened attentively, Haileke stood up, spread his hands, and said, "A great crisis will soon come upon this land. Can you help?"

"I cannot say for certain. Buddha's teachings often come in the form of koans."

Geon turned to look at Yeongseok filming outside the hall. Seeing Yeongseok nod slowly, Geon said to Haileke, "I don't know what the crisis is, but I'll help wherever I can."

Haileke looked down at Geon and pointed with one hand towards a statue of Buddha, "You may not be Buddhist, but can you swear in front of Buddha?"

Geon turned to look at the gold statue of Buddha Haileke was pointing at. Unlike the Korean Buddha statues he saw as a child at temples, this one had four of its eight hands spread in a mudra, while the other four held a baby girl. After a moment of contemplation, Geon said, "I have no religion, but I can swear to myself. If there is anything I can do, I will do my best within those bounds."

Haileke smiled kindly and joined his palms, "That will suffice. I apologize for not being able to meet you in person and bringing you to such a humble place. Now, feel free to look around the temple before you depart."

Despite his kind smile, Haileke issued a dismissal and turned his cushion towards the Buddha statue to start chanting scriptures. Chae-eun quietly got up and signaled Geon to leave. Finally, they left the hall, where Pravin was waiting outside to show them around the temple. After finishing the tour and sweeping the yard with a broom handed to them by a monk, Pravin said to the departing group, "Thank you for visiting today. May peace be with you on your journey."

Geon and Chae-eun returned to Mochi, with Chae-eun sitting on a bench in front of Mochi, puffing her cheeks in displeasure.

"What was that all about? That big monk called us for such a short conversation? He could have come himself, tsk."

Yeongseok put down the camera and told the assistant director, "Edit out what Chae-eun just said when you transfer the tape. Religion is a sensitive issue for Chae-eun, so try not to make such comments. There are still many Buddhists in Korea."

Chae-eun said with a dissatisfied expression, "I don't have a religion either, though my mom is Christian. It's not about religion; it's about why people are summoned and sent away. It wasn't even that important of a story."

Geon sat next to Chae-eun, laughing, "It was an important story, sister. They asked if we would help if a crisis hits Nepal."

"I know, I heard it on the way out. But what kind of vague nonsense is that? He's not an octopus predicting World Cup winners, is he prophesying or what?"

"Haha, it's a bit different but..."

"What crisis

? We're going back to Korea in a few days anyway."

Eventually, Yeongseok intervened, "Let's end this discussion. We need to film, so let's move on to the next village."

As the camera operators started filming again, Yeongseok said, "We'll start recording. You two have been through a lot in the song of the Himalayas. Today's mission will take us to Jhinu danda. It's a village at an altitude of 1,780 meters, so we've already descended more than halfway. 'Jhinu' means 'small' in Nepali, and 'danda' means 'hill.' It's a small village, but it has the highest quality rochi in the Himalayas. There's also an outdoor hot spring."

Chae-eun exclaimed with delight, "A hot spring? Wow, that's great!"

Yeongseok looked awkward as he spoke.

"As per the original plan, you all should be appearing dirty and unwashed by now... but here you are, looking healthier than you did back in Korea, thanks to staying well-fed and rested in a hotel room."

Chae-eun tugged at her clothes as if questioning what was said.

"What do you mean by that? Do you know how many days I've been wearing these clothes? They smell!"

Suddenly, Geon asked as if he just remembered.

"But, Director, didn't we not receive our reward for completing the bamboo mission yesterday?"

Yeongseok sighed and bowed his head.

"Do you really need to collect your rewards when you already have plenty of money?"

Geon laughed and said.

"The money we have is rightfully earned from our work, and the mission reward is a different matter. Do you want to make an apology broadcast to the viewers? Hehe."

As if he had no choice, Yeongseok said.

"The original mission reward was supposed to be a kettle and ramen... which you clearly don't need."

Chae-eun rushed in excitedly.

"Is that supposed to be a survival kit? Give me clothes, my clothes!"

Yeongseok sighed and said.

"Since the helicopter already took the luggage, I can't give you clothes, but how about the production team buys each of you a set of traditional Nepalese clothing?"

Chae-eun raised her hand, smiling.

"That sounds great! But one more thing! Buy us underwear too!"

After contemplating, Yeongseok nodded, understanding that not being able to change underwear could be distressing for a woman. An excited Chae-eun grabbed Geon's hand, urging him to go shopping for clothes. The two quickly picked out clothes from one of the few clothing stores in the village, filming fun scenes such as a fashion show and parodying movie entrance scenes with the bamboo village as the backdrop, ensuring ample footage for the episode as they headed towards Jhinu Danda.

The journey to a lower elevation made the road less rough than the first bus ride. Despite a few big bumps, Chae-eun could tolerate it and disembarked at Jhinu Danda with a bright expression. The production team had covered the accommodation costs at Jhinu Danda's Mochi, a pre-booked consolation day gift for the crew at the end of their no-money journey, leaving them with no choice but to use it.

The open-air hot spring in Jhinu Danda was not like Japan's, being a vast valley instead. There were areas made to resemble baths around the valley, with bathing in the valley free and entering the baths for a fee. However, in the valley, only scooping water with a ladle for washing was allowed; immersing oneself was prohibited. Geon and Chae-eun, wearing clothes for the open-air hot spring, filmed scenes enjoying a bath, relaxing their tired bodies, including a scene where Geon's upper body was exposed.

Yeongseok paid extra attention to Geon's first upper body undressing scene. Contrary to worries, Geon, who exercised quite a bit in the military, had a lean but well-defined body. Chae-eun praised it as the type of muscles women love, making Geon blush as she playfully poked his body.

After an interview on the beautiful terrace of Jhinu Danda's Mochi at night, everyone gathered in the lobby to discuss the next day's schedule as the camera was being set up. Yeongseok announced.

"Tomorrow, we'll go to Syauli Bazar. After reaching there, we'll proceed to Naya Pul the next day, concluding our expedition. Naya Pul is a big city, so we'll stay there for about 3 days before moving to Pokhara and flying back to Korea from Pokhara Airport."

Geon asked with a playful expression.

"What's the reward for tomorrow's mission?"

Chae-eun added playfully.

"Yeah, what is it for tomorrow? I hope it's not something we don't need again?"

Yeongseok shook his head as if in pain.

"From tomorrow, we're thinking of changing the survival kit. You still have some money left, right? I've calculated, and there seems no other way to make you suffer more. The production team will have a meeting about this. Oh!?"

While Yeongseok was speaking, the building of Mochi started to shake. The initially slight vibration gradually increased, prompting Yeongseok to grab the table and shout.

"Everyone, get under the furniture! Quick!"

Geon grabbed Chae-eun's hand and quickly dove under the table. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the ground shook slightly. The camera directors hid under furniture but continued filming. Only Yeongseok checked the surroundings outside until the vibration slowly subsided and then ran outside. Chae-eun, lying under the table in Geon's arms,

asked with anxious eyes.

"What's happening suddenly... Is this an earthquake?"

Geon protected Chae-eun with his body and looked around.

"Yeah, it seems like it, but it doesn't seem to be a big one. Fortunately."

Geon and Chae-eun hid under the table for over 30 minutes. The AD shouted from outside.

"Stay in your positions until we get the all-clear signal!"

While telling others to wait, the AD himself rushed outside following Yeongseok. After another 30 minutes, Yeongseok and the AD returned to the lobby and said.

"It's safe to come out now."

As Geon and Chae-eun came out, Geon asked.

"Bro, what's going on? Is it okay now?"

Yeongseok, holding a satellite phone, waved his hand.

"Yeah, it seems the epicenter isn't nearby. Just a moment, let me make a call."

Everyone watched Yeongseok making a call on the satellite phone. After waiting for the signal for a while, Yeongseok said.

"Hey, it's me. There's no electricity here, but how's it in Kathmandu?"

"What?? A major earthquake? Where? 80km west of Kathmandu? Isn't that Gorkha?"

"Yes! Alright, call back every hour!"

After hanging up, Yeongseok said with a serious expression.

"There's been a major earthquake in Gorkha. Considering the effects reached this far, it seems like a big one."

Geon and Chae-eun looked at Yeongseok in shock.

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