Devil’s Music

Chapter 253: It's Okay to Go Slowly

Contrary to Anna's expectations, Shizuka was sitting demurely across from Geon. Anna sat next to Geon with an excited expression, and Anthony sat next to Shizuka. Geon, after removing his hat and sunglasses which concealed his face, ordered beer and some snacks. Shizuka's eyes glazed over, likely because she had chosen a seat where she could get a good look at Geon's face. Anna, too, couldn't stop staring at Geon's handsome profile, so Anthony broke the silence to ventilate the room.

"Hey, Kay. You're with us, right? Haha, it feels surreal."

Geon smiled slightly and nodded.

"I guess everyone feels the same about group assignments; you can't choose your partners. I didn't even get your names, just the time and studio number."

"Ah, right. Anyway, we're lucky. Haha."

Seeing that Anna and Shizuka were still lost in Geon's face, Anthony continued the conversation.

"What song are we doing?"

Geon looked around at his group, tilting his head.

"We should decide that together?"

"Ah... but it's kinda... hard to suggest something in front of Kay..."

"Haha, don't be like that. We're all students here, Anthony."

Snapping back to reality, Anna hastily added.

"Right, right! We're all students from the same school! So, we can speak informally with each other?"

Geon nodded as if it were obvious, then spoke first.

"Of course! Anna, Shizuka, Anthony. I'm counting on you all."

Anna raised her arms excitedly.

"Yes! Friends with Kay! Yay!!!"

Anthony tried not to show his excitement too much, but couldn't hide his smile, and Shizuka was still too captivated by Geon's face. Just then, as Anna was waving her hands around, the door opened, and a server came in with beer and snacks on a tray, nearly dropping it upon seeing Geon's face.

"Whoa, Kay?"

Geon greeted the server with a bright smile and a wave.

"Hello? Sorry, but we're having a meeting for a group assignment, so please keep it down."

The server quickly closed the door, saying,

"Of course! Thank you for choosing our place!"

After placing the food and beer on the table, the server approached Geon to whisper.

"Um... Sorry, but could I get a photo?"

"Ah, sure."

After taking a friendly photo with the server, who repeatedly thanked him, Geon raised his beer.

"Let's drink! To our group assignment! Cheers!"

After clinking glasses and drinking their beer, Anthony was surprised to see Geon's glass empty.

"Wow, Kay, you finished it in one go? You must be good at drinking."

Geon laughed awkwardly, remembering someone who used to pour bottles directly into their mouth.

"Ah... I spent a lot of time with someone who would finish their first drink in one gulp... Haha, just thinking about it makes me sweat."

Recalling the figure who used to look down at him with sunglasses, Geon straightened up as Anthony opened the VIP room door and called out,

"Another round here!"

After another beer was brought in, they finally started discussing the class in earnest. Anthony cautiously began,

"So, this mission is fundamentally a competition, not graded on an absolute but on a relative scale. If someone performs better than our group, we can't get an A+. You all know that, right?"

Everyone nodded, and Anthony glanced at Shizuka before speaking,

"Just hear me out. Hearing Shizuka is from the classical department, I thought maybe we should choose a piece with a bit of difficulty. With Kay here, we're set for guitar and piano, right?"

Anna nodded, looking at Shizuka,

"I think so too. Shizuka, you can play most classical pieces, right?"

Shizuka hesitated before nodding with a slightly gloomy expression,

"Yes, I can play most of them."

"How about we transform a classical performance into a band score?"

"I agree. Let's cover technical difficulties with our skills!"

"Wow!!"

While Anna and Anthony were excited, Geon quietly observed Shizuka's gloomy demeanor. Anna, quickly noticing Geon's gaze, discreetly checked on Shizuka. As Anthony also turned his attention to Shizuka, she looked around nervously, eyes wide and panicked. Geon spoke up,

"Shizuka, we're a team. If there's something you're not happy with, I wish you'd tell us."

Shizuka hurriedly denied any issues,

"No, no, it's not that. I'll do my best with whatever the team decides."

Geon exhaled, crossed his arms, and leaned back against the chair. Noticing the mood dipping, Anna stood up and took out

a cigarette from her guitar case,

"Ah... I need a smoke."

Anthony quickly joined her, saying,

"Me too. Wow, a smoking buddy? That's great!"

As Anna and Anthony left the room, Shizuka looked down, feeling the awkward silence. Geon, observing her quietly, smiled warmly,

"Shizuka? You're in the classical department? I didn't catch the conversation earlier."

Shizuka, trembling slightly, nodded without looking up,

"Yes, yes. Right."

Geon interlocked his fingers and asked,

"Enjoying it?"

Shizuka froze. Seeing her eyes tremble, Geon sighed and leaned back,

"Not enjoying classical music, huh?"

Without waiting for her response, Geon spoke seriously,

"If you're not enjoying it, there are only two options: quit or make it enjoyable."

Shizuka looked at him with wide eyes, and Geon smiled slyly,

"Considering you've come all the way from Japan to study in the U.S., quitting should be your last resort. So, shall we start with making it enjoyable?"

"How... how do we do that?"

"Let's figure it out together."

When Anna and Anthony returned, Geon raised his beer glass,

"Let's have a drink and talk."

After another sip, everyone looked at Geon. He smiled and suggested,

"How about we start with music other than classical to see each other's skills?"

Anna nodded in agreement,

"What kind of music? Band music, right?"

Anthony rested his chin on his hand,

"Let's consider band music that includes keyboard. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Beatles come to mind. Anna, any ideas?"

Anna thought for a moment,

"But those all have vocal lines. Of course, with Kay, vocals are no problem, but if we're showing our skills, maybe an instrumental piece would be better?"

"Good point. What do you think, Shizuka?"

Shizuka, having been quietly listening, was taken aback when called upon,

"I, I don't mind anything..."

"Why don't you have an opinion?"

"Come on, share your thoughts. You're a team member, Shizuka."

"I'm sorry. I haven't thought deeply about it."

Anna shook her head and asked Geon,

"What do you think, Kay?"

Geon, smiling softly, looked at Shizuka, then turned to Anna,

"Do you guys know Yukie Kouramoto?"

Anna looked puzzled, then smacked the table,

"Yeah, I've heard of him. Isn't he a pianist?"

"Right, a pianist from Japan, Shizuka's country."

"Was he a classical musician?"

"He started with classical but debuted as a New Age pianist."

"New Age? Like nature-worship music?"

"Yeah. There's a piece by Yukie Kouramoto from his 1986 album 'Lake Misty Blue' called 'Lake Louise'. Wanna listen?"

As Anna played the music on her phone, a beautiful melody that made you imagine playing a grand piano in the midst of nature flowed out. Anthony nodded, recognizing the violin and cello, suggesting,

"It's a beautiful piece, and the difficulty seems fine. The cello line could be played by the bass, and the violin by the guitar, right?"

Anna, amazed, looked at the phone playing the music,

"Wow... why am I hearing this for the first time? It's so beautiful. Shizuka, you knew this already, right?"

Shizuka nodded proudly,

"Of course. He's really famous in Japan."

"Sounds like it could be used in a beautiful anime."

"It has been used in games and anime."

"Ha! My ears are accurate."

As Shizuka seemed a bit more cheerful, Geon leaned forward and asked,

"Want to try playing it?"

Shizuka hesitated, then nodded slightly,

"Yes, sure. It's not too difficult."

Geon suggested, flicking his finger,

"Not on the piano."

"Pardon? Not on the piano?"

"Right. Not on the piano."

"What do you mean by that?"

As Anna and Anthony looked curiously at Geon, he smiled, holding his half-finished beer,

"Shizuka, try the drums."

"What??"

"Kay, what do you mean?"

"Drums? Where?"

As the three looked puzzled, Geon gave a sexy smile, captivating the two women despite their curiosity. Only Anthony seemed to keep his wits about him as Geon showed a teasing smile,

"Why not practice? Let's try different instruments from what we specialize in, but practice together and help each other. How about it?"

The room fell silent as the three looked at each other, surprised. Geon flicked his finger again,

"It's just a practice piece. Let's take it easy, and we'll discuss and decide on the piece for the competition later."

>

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