Devil’s Music

As the nurse stepped out of the hospital room, she checked the chart in response to Geon's inquiry.

"Name: Kim Mijin, obtained U.S. citizenship eight years ago, age 36. She is a patient suffering from aphasia and severe depression following the trauma of losing her daughter in a mafia shootout in Chicago seven years ago."

Hearing this, Geon looked at her through the small window on the closed hospital room door with a look of sympathy. The nurse, noticing Geon's gaze, smiled slightly and said,

"You know we're not really supposed to share patient information like this, right? You're Korean like Kay, and it seems like you really want to help, so I told you specially. Just keep it a secret, okay? Otherwise, I might get fired, haha."

"Ah... thank you, Lisa. But where is Ms. Kim Mijin's family?"

"They don’t come."

"Excuse me?"

"They don't visit. It seems the family moved to the U.S., and after her daughter died, they got divorced. She has had no family visit her in the four months she's been hospitalized."

"Ah... Still, she must have parents or siblings..."

"I don’t know the details. Aphasia means she doesn’t talk. Even if you ask, she won't answer, so there's little we can know about the patient, and her primary physician is also concerned since there are no signs of improvement."

"I see... Um, Lisa, is there any specific qualification needed to visit the patient? Like, is it only direct family members who can visit?"

"Is this a prison? Haha, no, there's nothing like that."

"Ah... so, I can come to visit often?"

"Haha, it would be really nice if Kay came often."

"Thank you."

"Well, I have to get back to work now, make sure you're not late to the radiology department."

After Lisa left, Geon stood outside the hospital room door for a while looking at Mijin, then checked the time and headed to the radiology department.

He had spent over an hour there to hear the typical, unremarkable findings, and by the time Geon returned to the psychiatric ward, it was past 5 PM, and visiting hours were over.

Having no choice, Geon returned to Red Castle. As he entered the annex, Byung-jun, who was lounging on the sofa in just his underwear, abruptly sat up and said,

"Hey! Did you go to the hospital today?"

Geon shook the envelope containing the CT prints he had received from the hospital and said,

"I went."

Byung-jun, upon hearing Geon's calm report of his hospital visit, reached out his hand.

"Let me see."

As Byung-jun looked at the CT film, Geon sat down beside him and laughed.

"Can you tell by looking?"

"Just thought it might look cool to do this."

"Pffft."

Geon chuckled, and Byung-jun, setting down the film, asked,

"What did the hospital say?"

"They said there's nothing unusual, but I have to go to the hospital every day for a while now."

"What?! What do you mean 'nothing unusual'! Come on, spill it, what’s wrong with you?"

Byung-jun, grabbing Geon's collar, caused his head to shake. Geon, holding his head with one hand, said,

"I'm dizzy, let go and talk."

Thinking there was something wrong with Geon's head, Byung-jun hurriedly released his collar and grasped Geon's cheeks,

"Sorry! Quick, tell me, what's so wrong you need to go every day? Wouldn't it be better to be hospitalized?"

"Haha, it’s not that I'm sick, I'm going to see someone."

"Huh? Who?"

A somewhat relieved Byung-jun listened as Geon told him about Mijin, whom he had met during the Lollapalooza festival.

"...that’s how it is. That's also why I'm currently creating 'The Song of Water.'"

Byung-jun, with a serious expression and arms crossed, nodded his head,

"That's an odd connection. Anyway, I'm glad you're not sick. Ah... I probably shouldn't say this."

"It's just the two of us here, haha. Thanks for worrying."

"What about dinner?"

"I just had something simple."

"Alright, get some rest."

As soon as Geon lay down on the bed, his old-style cell phone vibrated. Kiska, knowing he had gone to the hospital today, had waited until she couldn't stay awake any longer and had called. Geon chuckled and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Brother, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just got home."

"You should have called me, I waited all day."

"Sorry

, I was busy."

"What happened?"

"Um..."

"Is it something you can’t tell me? I’d feel left out..."

"Haha, what could there be that I can't tell you? Actually..."

Kiska, after hearing about Mijin from Geon, said in a sympathetic voice,

"So, that happened, it’s the opposite of me?"

"Huh? What is?"

"I survived after losing my mom. That lady lost her daughter and she survived."

Casually speaking of the past, Kiska continued as Geon hesitated,

"I'm okay now. So don’t be so cautious."

"Ah... okay."

"So, you’re going to see that lady every day?"

"Yeah, I have to punch in at school every day, so I plan to see her in the morning and then head to school in the afternoon."

"Okay, then I'll try not to call you in the morning."

"Haha, thanks. How’s grandma doing?"

"Not good. She can't even get out of bed anymore."

"Uh... really. Has the doctor been there?"

"Yeah, he comes every night to check on her condition, but he’s pessimistic."

"That’s too many sick people..."

After ending their routine call, Geon lay back down, but his mind was so cluttered that he got up again and went to the living room. Byung-jun, who was playing a game on his phone, asked,

"Did you have a good talk with Kiska?"

"Yes, brother."

Byung-jun turned off the game and flicked his feet as he asked,

"Have you told your family about Kiska?"

Geon, opening the refrigerator to take out some milk, shook his head,

"No, why?"

Byung-jun raised his head from the sofa and said,

"You know all about Kiska's family, maybe she wants to know yours too."

Geon pouted his lips as he hadn't thought about that part,

"I'll introduce her when I have time."

"Kiska is young but she’s a woman, delicate, so take good care of her. You’re really weak in that area."

"Pfft, what are you talking about, she’s just a kid."

"What do you mean, kid? How tall is she?"

Byung-jun kicked Geon’s leg as he said,

"What about height, are you bragging about being tall? I’m still 172 cm, you know?"

Geon, pushing away Byung-jun's foot, laughed,

"I asked yesterday, Kiska is 168 cm. She’s only 4 cm shorter than you."

Byung-jun stiffened as he joked, then abruptly sat up with a shocked expression,

"What?! That kid is 168 cm tall?!"

"Yeah, she’s been growing fast lately."

"How can she grow so much in less than a year? Does that even make sense?"

"Kids from Russia are usually tall, Kiska was unusually short for her age. Maybe she’s a late bloomer."

Byung-jun, accepting the fact quite easily, was in disbelief,

"Still... does that even make sense?"

"Haha, it’s true."

"Damn, 168 cm!! What if that kid ends up looking down on me?"

"Haha, maybe?"

"Argh!!! Damn it, if I were Russian, I’d be much taller now!"

As Byung-jun screamed and pulled his hair, Lucy, the cat, approached him and patted his head with her paws as if to comfort him, which made Byung-jun even more irate. He grabbed Lucy’s mochi-like cheeks and stretched them out as he exclaimed,

"What, I’m still taller than you!"

Geon watched Byung-jun, who was having a height contest with a cat, with an incredulous smile.

* * *

The next day.

Geon, who had gotten ready early to go to school, greeted the doctors returning from their rounds with a nod and then opened the door to Room 403.

Seeing that it was one of Barbara's lucid moments, she waved her hand happily at him.

"You came today too?"

"Haha, hello Barbara."

Geon glanced at Mijin, who was sitting with a sad expression, and then approached Barbara, who asked,

"Your name is Kay, right? Are you also sick? You look young but come to the hospital every day, you should be healthy. Tsk tsk."

"Haha, it's not that I'm sick, I just used to be sick and come for check-ups."

"Egads, what was so serious that you need such frequent check-ups, sit down."

Barbara offered a seat on a portable bed, and Geon sat down, taking her wrinkled hand,

"Did you have a good breakfast?"

"Hoho, thanks to your concern, I did. But what do you do, Kay, that you can come to the hospital at this time? Aren’t you a working adult?"

"I'm still a student

, at Juilliard."

"Juilliard? The school attended by musical geniuses? My, I didn't recognize a genius."

"Haha, it's not like that."

"What kind of music do you do? Play? Or compose?"

"Both."

"Hoho, can I hear some music then?"

Barbara, unaware of Geon’s fame, casually requested to hear his music, while three nurses gathered at the door whispered,

"Oh my, Barbara doesn’t know Kay?"

"Shh! Quiet, or we won't get to see anything."

"They wouldn’t play Fury in the hospital room, would they?"

"Come on, do you think Kay is that thoughtless?"

Unaware of the many eyes watching him, Geon glanced at Mijin, who was sitting with her head bowed, and then smiled at Barbara as he took out his phone,

"It's still an unfinished piece, but I'll play it for Barbara first."

"Oh my, what an honor. Hoho."

The nurses at the door widened their eyes and whispered,

"An unfinished piece? Is he talking about a new song?"

"That must be it! If it’s unfinished, what else could it be? Kyaa, a new song by Kay!"

"Since he’s playing it for Barbara first, we're among the first to hear it, right? Kyaa, exciting!"

Geon took a small Bluetooth speaker from his bag and played the file for 'The Song of Water.' He turned down the volume to avoid disturbing other patients. As the beautiful piano intro played, followed by a bass guitar that carried the melody without drums, Barbara lay back on the bed, closed her eyes, and smiled.

"Such a beautiful song. Is it an instrumental piece?"

Geon, smiling, nodded,

"Yes, Barbara."

Barbara, with a warm smile, focused her ears intently, while Geon watched Mijin’s expression begin to change as life returned to her dim eyes.

>

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