Devil’s Music

Chapter 268: An Incident in Japan

The studio panels tilted their heads in wonder at Geon's singing, then screamed when they saw a silhouette appear behind the curtain at the circular door behind the host.

"Could it be? Aaahhh!!"

"No, no way? Could it, could it really?"

"How? Is this for real?"

The panels stared dumbfounded at the silhouette behind the curtain, while the slightly smiling producer, having already discussed this with Byungjun and Lee, simply crossed his arms and nodded. Unaware of this plan, the other staff looked on with eager eyes. Impatient, Taichi peeked behind the curtain and screamed out loud.

"Wowwwwwwwww!!!"

Excited by Taichi's actions, the panels bounced in their seats. Lena, maintaining her composure, stood up and moved closer to get a better look at the silhouette. The figure, with long and slightly slim legs, seemed tall, hands possibly in pocket as they were not visible. A red-faced Lena, upon being teased by Tadayoshi for losing her composure, hastily returned to her seat amidst laughter. As Geon's song filled the studio and the lights dimmed, a spotlight shone towards the curtain. Just as B1's members, with hands over their hearts, widened their eyes, the curtain tore open and fell.

"It's real! It's really Kay!"

"Ah! Kay! I love you!"

A smiling Geon, hands in pockets, scanned the room then approached and stood behind Shizuka, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kanna from B1, shivering uncontrollably, screamed as she offered her shoulder.

"Kay, please, put your hand on my shoulder too, yes? Yes?"

Geon, with a chuckle, placed his hand on the left shoulder Kanna offered, causing her to scream ecstatically.

"Ah! Kay touched my shoulder!"

The rest of B1's members pushed through, shouting for their turn.

"Move over! Kay, me too! Me too!"

"Please, hold my hand!"

After indulging his idol fans, Geon politely bowed to the music critic Yuma, who, flattered by Geon's greeting, stood up to return the gesture. Lena stared blankly at Geon until Taichi waved his hand in front of her, snapping her out of it.

"Hey, wake up. Look at Lena, she's out of it."

Lena, dodging Taichi's hand and still fixated on Geon, was then zoomed in on by the cameras, her eyes turning into hearts. As the panels continued their commotion, Tadayoshi, unable to calm them, exchanged glances with the producer and said.

"Everyone, please, calm down and take your seats. We need to record."

The studio settled down after Taichi managed to pry Kokomi's hands from Geon. A still exhilarated Tadayoshi managed to gather himself before saying.

"Uh... it was so sudden, I'm not sure what to say. It seems like none of the staff except the producer knew about this. Did you know, Taichi?"

With his arms crossed and an incredulous look, Taichi responded.

"Do I look like I knew? I was shocked too!"

"Ha-ha, I see. Well, then... Ah! Kay, could you please greet the viewers?"

Without a microphone, Geon looked at the staff, prompting one to quickly hand him one, still staring at him in awe. Taichi, noticing the staff's lingering gaze, joked.

"Hey! Move along, you'll bore a hole in Kay's face!"

Laughter erupted again as the red-faced staff hurriedly exited. Smiling, Geon said,

"Hello, I'm Kay. Nice to meet you all."

As the panels erupted into applause, Taichi took the lead.

"Thank you for making a surprise appearance. Did you come with Shizuka?"

"Yes, not exactly together to Tokyo, but I came to support Shizuka's activities in Japan."

Tadayoshi, blushing but smiling at Shizuka, inquired.

"You two must be close?"

Geon, placing a hand on Shizuka's shoulder, responded.

"Yes, we are. There aren't many I can call friends at school, but I can say Shizuka is a close one."

As the panels screamed in envy and a blushing Shizuka looked at Geon's hand on her shoulder, Tadayoshi teased.

"Lena, any questions?"

Startled, Lena stammered,

"Um, Kay, do you have a girlfriend?"

The panels burst into laughter at her question and expression, prompting Taichi to chide,

"Hey, Lena, get a grip. What kind of question is that on a first meeting?"

A flustered Lena apologized,

"Oh, ah! Sorry!"

Taichi dramatically gestured,

"Women, I tell you!"

Tadayoshi, laughing,

turned to Yuma.

"Now, let's ask Yuma. Have you had any questions for Kay or Shizuka?"

Standing with the microphone, Yuma began,

"First, it's an honor to meet you, Kay, Shizuka."

Seated, Shizuka stood up to greet, and Geon, standing behind her, also bowed his head as Yuma continued the conversation.

"I've listened to your recent release, 'Moonlight Butterfly'. As a fellow musician, I want to express my gratitude to both of you for such music."

Geon didn't respond but gestured for Shizuka to answer, and she took the microphone.

"Ah.. Thank you, Mr. Yuma."

"There's no need for modesty, it's not lip service. The piano in 'Moonlight Butterfly' reminded me of a Studio Ghibli animation OST, it was so mystical and beautiful. Do you have any pianists who influenced you?"

"Well, rather than influence, I admire Yuki Kuramoto and Ryuichi Sakamoto."

"Hmm, I see. Yuki Kuramoto makes sense as an influence, but Ryuichi Sakamoto is a surprise. He's more of an electronic musician than classical."

"Yes, that's right. That's why I said admire rather than influenced."

"I heard that Shizuka composed this song, is that correct?"

"Ah... That is..."

As Shizuka hesitated, Geon took the microphone.

"Shizuka did compose it. Of course, the two friends in our band helped, but the basic structure and overall flow were all Shizuka's composition."

Yuma nodded in approval.

"The performance was excellent, but the lyrics were also very good. Did Kay write them? Since he sang the song, I assume so?"

Geon shook his head.

"No, Shizuka wrote the lyrics too, and I just sang."

Yuma's eyes widened in surprise.

"Does that mean you didn't contribute at all?"

Shizuka intervened, waving her hands.

"No, Kay made sure the melody was right."

"Oh, so did you two write it together?"

Geon shook his head again.

"No, what I corrected wouldn't even amount to four or five words. This song contains Shizuka's life; it's her song. I just sang it."

Yuma smiled warmly at Geon's humility, lifting Shizuka and lowering himself.

"Such humble musicians, truly angelic. So, Shizuka, you presented a New Age style performance. Do you plan to release albums with such instrumental music in the future?"

After pondering for a moment, Shizuka shook her head.

"I haven't made any specific plans yet, so I can't say."

Yuma alternated his gaze between Shizuka and Geon.

"Does that mean the two of you might continue to work together?"

Tension filled the studio as everyone's attention turned to Shizuka and Geon. An embarrassed Shizuka looked up at Geon, who smiled and nodded slightly. Shizuka then exclaimed with energy,

"Yes! That might be possible!"

"Wow!!! Really? A Japanese artist working with Kay? That's incredible!"

"Screams, so you'll come to Japan often, Kay! Please visit often!"

"Right, every time you're in Korea, make sure to visit Japan too, Kay! We'll be waiting!"

As the studio erupted into chaos, Tadayoshi clapped his hands to draw attention and calm everyone down.

"Let's settle down and continue with the questions."

The PD, observing the smooth progress of the filming next to the main camera, asked the interpreter,

"Could you ask the manager what the next show is?"

When the interpreter asked Byung-jun, he checked the schedule and said,

"The next show is Asahi TV's Music Station. It's tomorrow."

After the interpreter relayed this to the PD, he called over the assistant director with instructions.

"Push the footage scheduled for tomorrow to next week. Stay up tonight to edit and broadcast it immediately. Our show airs before Music Station, so make sure we go on air first, immediately!"

The assistant director nodded and hurriedly gathered the writers for a meeting. The PD nodded at the interpreter, who informed Byung-jun. Byung-jun crossed his arms and looked at the recording studio, nodding as if there was no issue.

Byung-jun, watching Shizuka blushing and smiling non-stop in the studio, and Geon laughing behind her, checked his wristwatch and muttered,

"At this rate, we'll be late for the radio broadcast."

Byung-jun, holding a phone, made a call and rushed out of the studio.

>

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