Devil’s Music

Until late at night, Geon stayed at Jimmy's and Mack and Jill, strumming the guitar and chatting away.

As the clock passed midnight, Geon, aware that it was all a dream, found it relatively easy to stave off sleepiness, especially with the amusing banter from Scott, who was sitting next to him at the bar, intermittently plucking the guitar strings.

Scott, glancing at the clock after silently enduring Jimmy's jokes, remarked, "Hey, Jimmy. It's not closing time yet, but have a look at the time. Isn't someone about to show up soon?"

With a toothy grin, Jimmy, tongue a bit thick from the drinks, replied, "Ha-ha-ha! Scott, since when did I start worrying about others while drinking? It might be Jeffrey coming, but he'll probably come with Eric to crash at the hotel anyway."

Just then, the door of Mack and Jill rattled noisily and swung open.

Two robust men barged into the bar, scanning around until they spotted Jimmy at the counter, striding over and placing their hands on Jimmy's shoulders.

"Ah... Jimmy, are you in trouble again?" The man holding Jimmy's shoulder sighed. He was a handsome man with dark brown hair, appearing to be around 170 cm tall and somewhat lean.

Glancing at Scott, the man asked, "How much has this guy had to drink today?"

Scott chuckled and replied, "Hmm? Since Eric wasn't here until now, I'd say about four hours' worth. Looks like about six bottles of Red Hook."

"Damn, I should have checked in earlier. I have to leave for England tomorrow morning. Why did you drink so much?" Eric, still holding onto Jimmy's shoulder, reproached him.

"Isn't it getting old to nag every time I see you? Hehe. Oh, by the way, this is my new friend I made today. His name's Geon. Take care," Jimmy said, looking pleased as if he was receiving compliments himself.

"Right? Hehe, I've never seen such a handsome guy in my 27 years. Earlier, I saw him playing guitar outside alone. I thought an angel of music had descended from the sky," Jimmy remarked.

Listening to Jimmy's words, Scott extended his hand to Geon. "Anyway, nice to meet you. I'm Eric Burden, the leader of a band called Animals."

Geon stood up slightly and shook Eric's hand. "Nice to meet you, hyung. I'm Geon Kim."

Seeing Geon's courteous demeanor, Scott smiled faintly. "Wow, quite stern-sounding name. But... is this guy a model or an actor? He's really good-looking."

With a grin, Jimmy replied as if he himself was being praised, "Right? Hehe, in my 27 years, I've never seen such a handsome guy. I saw him playing the guitar outside earlier. I thought an angel of music had descended from the sky."

Upon hearing Jimmy's words, Eric reached out his hand to Geon. "Hey, even if you're a pretty boy, remember you're a guy. If you get caught going into a hotel room together, your image is ruined. You understand, right?"

"No! No! I have a lot of unfinished business to discuss! Geon, come quickly!" Jimmy, in a frenzy, pulled at Geon, but Eric, holding him tightly, sighed and glanced at Geon.

"Phew... What should we do? Do you want to go together? No, let me ask you for a favor. He's a star, but he often feels lonely. I don't have any friends to take care of him while I'm on tour, and meeting a friend whose heart matches his, he tends to act like this."

Seeing everyone looking at him, Geon put the guitar he was holding into his bag, carried it on his back, and followed the trio.

As Geon got up, Scott cleared the glass from Geon's table and said, "Jeffrey, I heard you're leaving for England tomorrow. Just to let you know, the drinks Jimmy had today are all on credit."

As if expecting that, Jeffrey took out his wallet from his pocket with his left hand and handed a hundred-dollar bill to Scott. "Here you go, Scott. There might be change left, but take the change."

Scott chuckled and took the bill. "Is there even any change left? He's been coming in every day and drinking until dawn. This should cover most of it; the rest I'll take care of. Come on, everyone, let's go."