Chapter 166: The Youngest Son of the President part 1

As the evening grew dim, Kevin, who had been playing guitar on the street whether people watched or not, hurriedly packed his instrument into his bag and slung it over his shoulder, glancing at a bench far away.

"Still there? Don't they have anything better to do? Thanks for watching, but if you're going to watch, at least pay a dollar!"

Kevin, after giving Geon and Kiska a sharp look, trudged off with his heavy bag, seemingly exhausted. Without bus fare, he walked for a while before turning right into an alley past Northeast 50th Street in Seattle. Geon, who had handed over Kiska, who had fallen asleep while waiting, to a distant bodyguard, followed Kevin from a distance. Enjoying the thrill of secretly following someone, like a scene from a spy movie, Geon stealthily moved from behind trees to behind trash cans, until he saw Kevin entering the basement of a building.

Geon looked around briefly before standing in front of the basement, reading the sign.

"Star... Karaoke?"

With a look of disbelief, Geon stared at the stairs leading down.

"The president's son works here?"

Geon, lost in thought with his arms crossed, gestured to the bodyguards who were following him. Three organization members, who had been hiding and participating in Geon's game of tailing, hurried over.

"I'll go in alone, please stay outside."

The organization members, who had been ordered by Miroslav to obey Geon's words without question, stood on both sides of the staircase without any objection, and Geon looked around briefly before heading down the stairs. Halfway down the brightly lit staircase, a dazzling neon sign that read 'Star Karaoke' appeared. As Geon stood in front of the sign, an automatic door to his left opened, and a waiter, who appeared to be Asian, shouted.

"Welcome! This is Star Karaoke!"

Geon, not used to being greeted this way in American stores, adjusted his sunglasses and hat and covered the lower half of his face with a scarf.

"Ah, yes. Just me."

The Japanese staff member, with his hair slicked back and giving off a slick vibe, cheerfully responded in fluent English.

"Yes, welcome, even if you're alone. Would you like a room, or would you prefer the hall?"

Geon listened carefully before asking.

"Is the hall where they are tuning instruments right now?"

The staff member, looking towards the noisy hall where the tuning wasn't quite right, said,

"Yes, that's the hall. The musicians have just started their shifts, so it might take a while before you can sing if you go to the hall now. The rooms have karaoke machines, so you can sing right away."

"Ah, that's alright. I'll wait in the hall."

"Understood! Then I'll take you to the hall, right this way!"

Following the staff member past a large counter to the hall, Geon saw a small band of pot-bellied men standing against the wall with a mic stand on a small stage. Kevin, tuning his bass guitar with a displeased expression, was in the corner of the small band.

Geon, seated by the staff member, asked,

"That young man playing the bass guitar, he's quite young, isn't he?"

The staff member glanced at the stage and nodded.

"Yes, he's a new friend who agreed to work starting today. He auditioned with us and his skills were outstanding. Since there are no customers right now, we'll let him play the first song once he's done tuning."

Geon laughed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Haha, that's alright. I'll let you know if I want to. Here's a tip for you. Thank you."

The staff member, surprised by the generous tip Geon casually offered, bent at a ninety-degree angle and shouted,

"Please let me know if you need anything! Shall I bring you the standard order? It's $40 and includes six bottles of beer and some fruit snacks, sir. Since you've come before eight, it's a discounted price."

Although drinking six bottles of beer alone was a bit much, Geon nodded vaguely, and the staff member, perhaps encouraged by the tip, ran off like the wind to bring the beer. Before the snacks arrived, he quickly opened a bottle and poured it into Geon's glass, to which Geon smiled in gratitude and focused his attention on Kevin tuning his guitar.

Meanwhile, Kevin, who had just met the elderly gentlemen in the band, frowned after exchanging simple greetings.

"Damn, if this is what they call sound. The amp produces a torn sound, and the back wall is circular! Even a rectangular wall might not spread the sound properly, who designed this place?"

Despite his dissatisfaction and puffing out his cheeks, Kevin managed his expression while glancing at the

 Japanese owner watching from the counter.

"But it's a job I managed to get, and I feel bad asking mom for money. I'll try to earn my living expenses. Maybe I can manage with one or two part-time jobs like this."

Soon, the early evening guests, thoroughly drunk, started filling the seats. Contrary to expectations that the karaoke would primarily attract Asian customers, there were quite a few Westerners. A large, white grandfather, holding a beer bottle and swaying, stepped onto the stage and tapped the guitar stand.

"Hey, band. Play a song for me, will you?"

The white-haired grandfather holding the guitar asked with a smile,

"Yes, sir. What would you like us to play?"

"My name's not 'sir,' it's Danny. What's your name?"

The guitarist, not offended by the direct address from a customer of similar age, politely joined his hands and smiled.

"Yes, my name is Tyler."

"Alright, Tyler. I'm counting on you. If the performance is good, I'll give you a generous tip. On a day like today, I need to drink a bit."

"Oh, thank you, Danny. What song would you like?"

Tyler, holding the guitar stand and striking a pose, said,

"The Beatles! 'Come Together', please!"

Tyler looked momentarily troubled and glanced at the drummer and Kevin.

"Um.. sir, that song might be easy to play but difficult to sing..."

Danny, annoyed, tapped the guitar stand sharply.

"What? Are you mocking me?"

Tyler hurriedly waved his hands.

"No! No, sir. Of course not. Then, we'll play it."

"Start when I give the signal!"

"Yes, yes, sir."

Danny, holding the mic stand, counted off like a rock star.

"One! Two! One two three four!"

As the drum, guitar, and bass entered the groovy intro of "Come Together," Danny bobbed his legs to the rhythm. The sight of his protruding belly bouncing made the drunken audience laugh, prompting Danny to overdo it with strange dance moves, attracting everyone's attention. However, Geon, sitting in a corner and watching the stage, focused on Kevin's playing.

"Hmm... His groove is exceptional. His playing may even surpass Paul McCartney's in groove, but... the bass shouldn't stand out like that in this song. Kevin needs to consider the abilities of the other musicians."

Sure enough, as the audience's attention turned to Kevin due to the overpowering bass volume, Danny shouted into the mic,

"Stop!! Hold it!"

The musicians abruptly stopped playing, and Danny, after kicking the mic stand over and swaying from the alcohol, approached the bass amp and turned down the volume. Kevin looked up at Danny, who pointed angrily and said with a threatening face,

"The star here is me, not you. Got it? Play at this volume. Who do you think you are, disrupting my vocals with your inconsequential bass? How dare you."

Kevin frowned and started to put away his guitar when Tyler quickly approached, shielding Kevin, and said,

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. We'll do it that way."

Tyler, shielding Kevin's expression with his body, calmed Danny down and straightened the fallen mic stand. He signaled Kevin to be patient with a look, then waited for Danny to give the signal again. After a moment, Danny signaled, and the music restarted, but the reduced volume of the bass guitar was hardly audible. Danny, looking satisfied, finished the song with a vocal performance that, unlike John Lennon's precise rhythm, consisted mostly of shouting, and then pulled a few crumpled bills from his pocket and handed them to Tyler.

"Here, this is for the tip. But don't give any to that bass guitarist kid. This is only for you and that drummer guy over there."

Danny turned to look at Kevin sitting down, spat on the stage, and then staggered off. Kevin, grimacing, started to rise from his seat when Tyler rushed over, hugged him, and whispered urgently,

"Hold back! If you get angry now, you'll be kicked out. In a place like this, you'll see dozens of guys like him every day. If you can't endure this, you can't work here!"

Tyler's words made Kevin grit his teeth and slump back into his seat, covering his eyes with his hands and sighing.

"Phew.. How did I end up here.."

Tyler shook his head disapprovingly at Kevin.

"You seem skilled, but I can't understand why you ended up here. If you want to keep working here, you need to control your temper. Look, see? That wealthy Japanese owner is glaring at you. He's monitoring you because he thinks you might cause trouble."

Kevin lowered his hands to his nose and looked at the counter, where the Japanese owner was squinting at him with two fingers pointing at his eyes. Sighing again, Kevin grabbed his guitar and began

 accompanying the loud songs of the many drunken guests. As time passed, Kevin's expression became more mechanical, and it seemed he had given up on musical quality, reducing the amp volume and repeating only simple accompaniments.

As midnight approached and more than half of the packed guests had left, the number of singing guests decreased, and Kevin, taking a break, looked down at the floor blankly before lifting his head to drink water. That's when he saw another guest climbing onto the stage, making his eyes widen.

"A Mickey Mouse T-shirt? What, you followed me here? Are you a stalker?"

Tyler, seeing Geon climb onto the stage, immediately rose from his waiting chair and asked with a friendly smile,

"Oh, are you here to sing, sir? What song would you like us to play?"

Geon smiled and pulled out a $100 bill from his wallet, offering it to Tyler, whose eyes widened. Geon waved the bill and said,

"I'll give you this if you let me play the guitar. I won't sing."

Tyler blinked as he looked at the bill Geon was holding out to him. Hesitating for a moment, Geon shook the bill again and said, "Would it be possible?"

Caught off guard, Tyler reached out his hand, and Geon placed the bill on his palm with a smile, saying, "I just want to give it a try."

Geon reached out his hand again, and after a moment's glance at Geon's hand, Tyler hurriedly handed over his guitar. Geon smiled as he stroked Tyler's guitar, commenting, "It's not a branded product, but it seems to be a well-loved guitar, well-maintained too."

Tyler, looking dazed, glanced at the guests who were still filling about half of the hall and drinking, then asked softly, "Um... sir, since there are still many other guests... how good are you at playing the guitar?"

Geon chuckled and then played a fast guitar solo on Tyler's guitar. Although the amp was turned off and no sound was produced, Tyler, amazed by Geon's technique, exclaimed, "You're quite skilled! Have you been playing for long? That's a relief. What piece do you plan to play?"

Geon's expression hardened as he glanced at Kevin, who was watching him, and then asked, "That bass guitarist over there, could you play 'Cliffs of Dover' by Eric Johnson?"

Kevin's eyes widened as he stuttered, "Yes...? That's a quiet piece, but it's a rock performance, are you sure you want to play it here?"

Geon nodded with a smile as Kevin, looking bewildered, soon nodded back, "Yes, it's possible."

"Hehe, is the drum set available too?"

The drummer, as if to reassure him, twirled his sticks, which Geon noticed as he sat in the chair Tyler had been using, adjusting the multitrack and tuning the guitar. Even though he had turned down the amp, the brief play-through was enough to show that Geon's skills were impressive, and Kevin watched him with anticipation.

After tuning his equipment, Geon stood up and approached Kevin's amp, made eye contact with Kevin who was still seated, and raised the volume of his amp while smiling, "I'll turn up the volume a bit."

As the bass amp's volume rose to a similar level as the guitar's, Kevin smiled. Geon then sat back down, closed his eyes to focus on his emotions, and placed his hands on the guitar strings. A mystical piece began to resonate in the hall, turning the heads of the tipsy patrons toward the stage. On stage, a man wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a scarf up to his nose, with a Mickey Mouse T-shirt peeking out from under his coat, played the guitar alone, eyes closed. Though there was no vocalist, the guests looked puzzled at first but soon quieted down and focused as the slow, mystical start of the performance gradually picked up speed.

Meanwhile, from the moment Geon had raised the volume of the bass amp, Kevin, who had taken a liking to Geon, had closed his eyes to the performance. He imagined himself as a guitarist standing on a cliff in the desolate Death Valley, playing to nature as drums and bass joined him at a lively tempo. As the music sped up, Kevin continued his precise solo playing with a relaxed expression, sinking deeper into the music alongside Geon, his face gradually breaking into a smile.

"It feels like I'm being sucked in! I might lose focus for a moment, but it's an amazing performance!"

Throughout the more than six-minute-long performance, Kevin thoroughly enjoyed himself. Although the genre was different, he was reminded of the night he had first heard Dream Theater's "Another Day" and had become so engrossed that he had bought the CD and listened to it countless times. As the end of the performance neared, his expression grew regretful.

"I don't want to stop playing. Just a bit longer, please!"

No matter how long a piece was, everything had an end. Kevin, who had kept his eyes closed throughout the performance, felt the thick vibrations of the last bass note with an ecstatic expression as Geon stopped playing. Slowly opening his eyes and looking down from the stage, Kevin's eyes grew immensely wide. Whether they were loudly chatting or just guzzling down bottles of liquor, all the patrons had stood up, whistling and applauding.

"Whew!!! Amazing!"

"To hear such a performance at a karaoke bar! It was fantastic!"

"That was great! Truly the best!"

As the people stood up, waving their hands and clapping above their heads, Geon put down his guitar and rose from his seat, bowing slightly. As the crowd sent even louder applause his way, Geon extended his hand to point at Kevin and the drummer. Realizing Geon's intent, the crowd cheered even louder.

"The bass was awesome too

!"

"Yeah, the groovy play gave me goosebumps all along! How can such a musician be in a place like this?"

"Must be a music school student, not someone who should be playing here!"

"The drums were good too, sir!"

"Haha, it was funny watching him hit the snare drum with his belly sticking out, but it was good!"

Tyler, standing by the stage, also clapped vigorously, his face flushed with excitement.

"That was truly impressive! Are you a professional musician?"

Geon handed the guitar back to Tyler and shook his head.

"I'm still a student. Thank you."

"Really? I've met a future star then! You were really impressive, you'll be a star in no time. I'll keep an eye out. What's your name?"

"Haha, I'm not someone worth mentioning by name. Then."

With a mesmerized look, Kevin watched Geon blankly as he couldn't even lower his hand from the bass guitar strings. Geon glanced at Kevin and then walked down from the stage to his seat as the still applauding patrons extended their hands for handshakes as Geon passed by. After shaking hands with the guests, Geon returned to his seat, whereupon the Japanese owner quickly came over and said.

"That was a fantastic performance, sir! Please come to our store often. We won't charge you for the drinks today."

Geon nodded with a smile.

"That's fine, but since you're offering, I'll gratefully accept."

"Oh, please do come often. I ask you."

"Haha, yes, I understand."

After the owner left, Geon sipped his beer alone and checked his watch, noting it was past 1 AM. He stood up from his seat as many guests were paying at the counter. As Geon emerged, cheers erupted once again. Waving his hand, Geon stepped outside where a gang member was waiting and asked him.

"Shall we return to the hotel?"

Geon glanced down the stairs and shook his head.

"No, I'll stay a bit longer. Can you wait in the car while people come out?"

"Yes, sure. Kay."

As the gang member disappeared, guests began to emerge from the stairs. Leaning against the wall next to the stairs, Geon watched the departing guests then quickly rushed out at the sight of Kevin frantically looking around. Kevin ran up the stairs and immediately turned his head, spotting Geon leaning against the wall and hurriedly approached him.

"Um, excuse me!! Over there!"

Geon unfolded his arms as he saw Kevin.

"Yes, go ahead."

Kevin hesitated, scratching his head.

"I... you said you were a student earlier, so I was wondering if you have a band."

Geon smiled awkwardly, watching Kevin who was checking his reaction.

"No, I don't have a band."

Kevin's face brightened as he said.

"I, I may not be good enough for you, but I'm confident in my playing! Would you consider forming a band with me?"

As Geon scanned Kevin from head to toe, the nervous Kevin waited for Geon's mouth to open, and a barrage of words began.

"I, I majored in double bass at music college, ah! I, I also play the bass guitar quite well, not as a major though.. and.. uh.. I'm twenty-one years old. My name is Kevin. I don't have a girlfriend, and I currently live alone in Seattle while looking for band members!"

Geon stared intently at the rambling Kevin and then laughed, but his response was a denial.

"I'm sorry. I'm not thinking of forming a band."

Kevin's face filled with disappointment so rapidly that he couldn't even continue talking. Geon approached him and patted his shoulder, saying.

"However, I acknowledge your skills. That's why I want to give you an opportunity."

Kevin, taken aback by Geon's unexpected words, lifted his head, his face still not fully recovering from the disappointment, but with a glimmer of hope.

"Really? What kind of opportunity?"

Geon looked him in the eye and said.

"I'll introduce you to a skilled band. They should meet your standards."

"Ah... who are they? Which club do they perform at?"

"Hehe, they're not club performers. Are you free tomorrow morning?"

"Ah.. tomorrow... yes, yes! I am!"

Kevin, who had previously agreed to perform at a neighborhood association event tomorrow morning, decided to skip his part-time job in favor of meeting Geon, asking.

"Where and what time should we meet?"

Geon glanced at his wristwatch and suggested.

"About 11 o'clock would be good. Do you know the Sheraton Seattle Hotel?"

Kevin nodded vigorously.

"Of course, should I go there?"

"Yes, come to the Sky Lounge on the 10th floor."

"Ah, got it! Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yes, that

'll be good."

Kevin watched Geon disappear, thinking to himself.

'There's still a chance! Even if I don't like the band he introduces, I need to maintain a good relationship with him, then maybe someday I'll get my opportunity!'

Kevin returned to his apartment and spent the night wide awake. At 8 AM, he left his house and wandered around the hotel vicinity. At 10:30 AM, he ascended to the 10th floor of the hotel, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, he dashed out, scanning the Sky Lounge, which was empty at that hour, only to spot Geon sitting alone by the window, reading a book.

"Ah, hello!"

Geon closed his book, checked his wristwatch, and smiled.

"You're early. Please, have a seat."

After Kevin sat down, a staff member brought the menu, and Kevin's expression hardened. Seeing his hesitation, Geon extended an arm and said.

"I invited you, so I'll pay. Don't feel burdened, please."

Relieved, Kevin pushed the menu away with an apologetic expression.

"Then, I'll just have a coffee."

After calling the staff and ordering coffee, Geon briefly looked out the window until he heard the elevator arrive and turned his head.

"They're coming. Here are the band members I wanted to introduce you to."

Kevin stared at Geon, surprised, then turned his head and his eyes widened.

"Ca, Ca, Ca!!! Carlos Montana!!??"