Chapter 152: The Money Ghost and the Blues Club_Devil鈥檚 Music

Chapter 152: The Money Ghost and the Blues Club

 Geon found the basement rehearsal room across from the club, following Sambo''s directions. It appeared that the space, originally not designed as a rehearsal room, was situated in the basement of a regrmercial building, divided into several rooms. Having shown his face to the caretaker, Geon was led to a rather spacious rehearsal room and sat down on an empty chair, browsing information about ''a decade of soul'' on his phone.

 ''Nine members, quite arge band, ''a decade of soul'' is.''

 Geon was recalling his conversation with Sambo while browsing through the search results about them.

 "A performance, me? I''m just a student learning; I don''t think I have the skills to perform on stage."

 "Ha, your reputation alone is enough. The moment your name hits our rolling banner, our guests will surely increase."

 "But won''t that be a nuisance to the band?"

 "Who do you think you are? You''re someone introduced by Eric pton, not just any student. Your presence might even intimidate the band members with the image you''ve shown to the public so far."

 "It''s great that you''re offering me the opportunity to perform... but why are you going to such lengths for me?"

 "Ha, as I''ve said, I''m a businessman. I have a keen nose for profitable ventures. That''s why I''m sitting here. To you, music might be an art, but to me, it''s business. Music business, that''s the reason for my current existence."Geon shook his head as he recalled his conversation with Sambo.

 ''Didn''t seem like someone consumed by money, but I guess you really can''t judge a person until you''ve dealt with them.''

 Geon checked his watch.

 ''It''s three o''clock. The band''s rehearsal starts at four thirty, I came too early. Maybe I should practice a bit in the meantime?''

 Geon connected his guitar, Haku, to the amplifier. The rehearsal room of a premier club featured a renowned amp, ''Marshall JCM 2000''. After connecting the jack and trying out a few notes, Geon smiled in satisfaction.

 ''The sound is killer!''

 Geon yed the riff section of ''A Decade of Soul''s ''Knock on Wood''. His body moving to the lively rhythm, Geon then connected his smartphone to the amp and started ying along to the music, adding his own guitar ad-libs. Although it was his first attempt at improvisation and felt awkward, he soon immersed in the joy and fun it brought, taking out a notebook to write down the music score as it flowed through the amp. The score under Geon''s pen started to turn a deep red color. Smiling at the color-changing score, Geon''s expression turned curious.

 ''ck?''

 Between the red notes, ck notes began to find their color. The changing colors turned into notes mixed with both red and ck, creating a chaotic blend. Geon pondered, ''Red represents passion and love, and ck signifies emptiness and despair? What does it mean?''

 Geon tried ying the riff as an ad-lib, following the emotions suggested by the score. The music that poured out was a direct reflection of the emotions the score intended to convey. After ying through one song, Geon stroked his chin thoughtfully.

 ''It feels right... but if I can''t interpret the song correctly, then it''s just skill.''

 Suddenly, the rehearsal room door burst open, and two white men with guitar cases entered, looking at Geon in surprise. Both wore horn-rimmed sses; one donned a beanie, and the other had his short blonde hair slicked back.

 Geon stood up to greet them.

 "Hello?"

 The short blonde-haired man scanned Geon from head to toe.

 "Ah, hello, Geon. We''ve been informed about you. But was that your ying just now?"

 Geon smiled shyly.

 "Oh, yes, just practicing for a bit."

 The man in the beanie set down his guitar.

 "Not just any famous person, then. Just a practice session and it''s already at that level. I''m truly impressed. My name is Reece."

 The short blonde-haired man followed, "Call me Lettie. Nice to meet you."

 Geon smiled back and forth at them.

 "Thank you for the opportunity, I''m Geon."

 Lettie, momentarily dumbfounded, then said, "At first, I thought you were just a well-known student among the public, offering help at a student level... But hearing your y, my mind has changed. Looks like we might be the ones getting help."

 Geon waved his hands dismissively.

 "Oh, no. I really need a lot of help. My understanding of blues is still very shallow."

 Reece took out his guitar and sat down.

 "If Geon''s understanding is shallow, what does that make us? We''ve been ying blues for over ten years butck that level of skill."

 Geon scratched

 the back of his head.

 "No, I still have a lot to learn. ying isn''t just about skill; it''s about soul, right?"

 Lettieughed heartily.

 "Well said! You already grasp the most important part of ying. So, what don''t you understand?"

 Geonposed himself before answering.

 "I''ve listened to ''A Decade of Soul''s music, which is mostly bright and passionate. Yet, strangely, I feel despair and emptiness in their music."

 As Geon spoke, the door opened and a portly 70-year-old ck man entered. Without looking at Geon, he said,

 "That''s blues for you. Because it''s blues, you feel that despair and emptiness."

 Geon stood up and greeted him.

 "Hello, I''m Geon, looking forward to practicing together starting today."

 The kindly-looking elderly man adjusted his light-colored sunsses and smiled.

 "Nice to meet you. I''m William. I''ve heard about you in advance."

 William unfolded a portable chair next to Geon and sat down, breathing heavily as if the movement was strenuous for him.

 "Have you ever yed the blues?"

 "Yes, I was fortunate enough to meet a great teacher and learned all the scales."

 "Ever performed?"

 "No, I haven''t had the opportunity yet."

 "But you were able to interpret the emotions conveyed by the blues? Not just from books but by ying a song? Which song was it?"

 "''Knock on Wood.''"

 "I see. A good song. Full of upbeat lyrics. But you sensed despair and emptiness in it? You''re quite something. Who''s your teacher?"

 "Uh... Eric pton."

 Reece and Lettie stood up in shock.

 "Eric pton is your teacher?"

 Geon smiled awkwardly.

 "Well, I only studied with him for a few weeks, so it feels strange to call him my teacher, but yes, he taught me the blues scales.

 Reece and Lettie were speechless, and Williammented, "Hmm... So the rumors about you being a genius are true? If Eric pton taught you, it must be."

 "Tease? Who''s that?"

 "Our band''s female vocalist. The only woman in the band."

 "Oh, she knows me?"

 "Of course. You performed at the zoo orchestra recently, right? Tease went there. She''s been talking about you ever since. When Sambo asked if he could fit you into the band''s practice, it was Tease who weed you with open arms."

 "Ah, I''m grateful to her then, haha. I''ll have to repay her kindness."

 "Married, so be careful, haha."

 "Oh, I didn''t mean it like that, haha."

 William took off his sunsses, pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, and began cleaning the lenses before returning to the conversation.

 "Let''s get back to what we were talking about. You were asking why a song full of passion could contain despair and emptiness?"

 "Yes, William. It''s a bit confusing because the emotions are so contrasting."

 "Have you ever seen the movie ''12 Years a ve''?"

 "Uh... I haven''t seen it yet."

 "You should watch it when you can. It might help you understand."

 "I will, William."

 William offered Geon a cigar from his case, but Geon declined.

 "I don''t smoke."

 William, seeming a bit disappointed, lit one for himself.

 "It''s a top-quality Cuban cigar. I don''t offer these to many. You''re missing out on a great opportunity."

 Geon just smiled, and William continued after exhaling a cloud of smoke.

 "During the Civil War, the white ntation owners, outnumbered by the ck ves, often resorted to systematic violence to maintain efficient control. Despite this, they always felt tense because of the physically superior ves, leading them to exercise even higher levels of violence and eventually banning conversations among the ck ves."

 William took another deep puff of his cigar, blowing smoke from his mouth and nose.

 "cks, who had lived freely in Africa, found themselves in a suffocating predicament, living worse than animals in front of the barbaric whites'' guns. Can you imagine the frustration? Africans, who once roamed the vast savannas and hunted, needed a way to express anything to survive the hardbor and to stay alive. So, they started pouring out their grievances to the heavens, which became known as ''field hollers,'' the work songs of the ves."

 Geon asked, puzzled, "Field hollers? That''s the first I''ve heard of it."

 "It''s an old term, young friend might not know it. Anyway, it was a spiritual song where the cks, almost unable to converse with their fellow men, had to engage in unwantedbor, expressing their pain, frustration, and sorrow to God. The white ntation owners didn''t particrly stop them since it wasn''t a conversation but a song to endure painful work."

 "Field hollers evolved through the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution into two genres: the religious ''gospel'' and the secr ''blues.'' Gospel, as you know, became a genre adding soul to hymns, while blues sang about secr, everyday life."

 After unloading his exnation in one breath, William took another deep inhale from his cigar.

 "Some say blues lyrics are crude. They fail to realize how much the field hollers reflected the cruel reality. You know, regional folk songs also have many secr lyrics?"

 "Yes, the folk songs from my homnd, Korea, often have quite bold lyrics."

 "That''s right. Blues started with direct lyrics for that reason. Most blues music incorporates despair and emptiness because it''s rooted in the pain of ck ves."

 Geon looked thoughtful for a moment. William watched him silently smoking his cigar, giving him time to ponder. After a while, Geon spoke,

 "Can people who are not ck understand and express that sentiment through music?"

 William chuckled and pointed at Reece and Lettie.

 "Do they look ck to you?"

 >

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Chapter 152: The Money Ghost and the Blues Club