Chapter 159: It's Okay to Go Slowly part 7

 Japan was on high alert.

The video released featured the appearance of Akita and Shizuka, who appeared to be Japanese. Moreover, the video showcased Kay's participation, and at the end of the video, Tim Curtain was credited as the director, and it was produced by Fantagio, spurring a flurry of articles. Especially, Asahi Shimbun's office was bustling as reporters scrambled to secure the exclusive story first.

Bursting through the door, Asahi Shimbun's chief editor, Inui Takashi, raised his voice but spoke in a slightly calmer tone.

"Momoko, contact Fantagio right away, and check the release schedule for the teaser's music video. Also, call Yoshida, who's stationed in the U.S., to see if he can identify the woman in the video at Juilliard."

Wiping the sweat off her glasses despite the winter weather, Momoko hesitantly stood up and asked, "Juilliard? You mean to approach Kay? You know that's not possible, Chief."

"No, I'm not saying to approach Kay. The unknown Japanese woman in the video seems likely to be associated with Kay and Juilliard, judging by her age. Since Fantagio is a Chinese company and suddenly debuted a Japanese woman, it seems the only connection. Make the call right away."

Convinced, Momoko hastily picked up the phone to connect with the staff dispatched to the U.S. This information was something that seasoned executive editors could infer, leading to a frenzy of world media reporters around Juilliard. Fortunately, Geon was forewarned about this incident and hired additional security guards to ensure the students' commute was unaffected.

Reporters searching for the unknown Japanese female student camped out in front of Juilliard until late into the night. A male reporter, huddled in his coat in the cold winter weather, sat down on the curb and said to a VJ holding a camera, "Phew, it's one thing to flock every time a black-haired female student passes by. This is Juilliard! It's a gathering place for students from all over the world, including many Asians. How are we supposed to find someone we only know by face here?"

The VJ chuckled while checking his camera and replied, "What can we do? Us lowly ones must follow orders from above. If we don't even pretend to try, imagine how much the chief will scold us. Haha."

The reporter sighed deeply, looked down in thought, then suddenly looked up and asked, "Do you think she's really a student from Japan? Her name hasn't been disclosed, right?"

"Right, nothing at all. Just that the music video director is Tim Curtain and that Kay is appearing. Oh, and the teaser's background is said to be Akita Prefecture in Japan."

"Are you sure about that?"

"It's been widely reported by the Japanese press, so it must be."

"Man, I wish I could grab Kay and ask him directly."

"Haha, unless you ask Fantagio in advance, Kay won't answer anything."

"That's true. I understand, considering Kay is a star of such magnitude that he wouldn't be able to live a normal life otherwise."

"And he's still a student. Oh? There's Kay!"

At the VJ's exclamation, the reporter sprang up, spotting Geon exiting the school with Kiska's hand in his and getting into a car. Although the reporters swarmed in, over thirty security guards had already formed a line and blocked them, preventing any from getting close to Geon. The reporters, pushing against the guards, shouted, "Kay! We won't take much of your time, please, just one word!"

"Can you at least tell us the name of the woman in the music video? Please, we beg you!"

"Kay! We're from Japan! Please, just one word! We've been here for two nights straight, please!"

Glancing at the shouting reporters, Geon opened the car door, helped Kiska inside, then leaned into the car to talk to Byungjun, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

"Bro, wouldn't it be okay to just reveal Shizuka's name? It seems like the reporters need something to go on so they can rest."

Byungjun, looking back at Geon who was still outside the car, smirked and said, "You're always too kind. There's going to be an official announcement tomorrow morning anyway, so revealing her name should be fine."

"Hehe, got it, Bro."

Though the reporters were blocked by the security guards, they waited quietly, seeing Geon talking inside the car. As Geon stepped out of the car to approach the reporters who had resigned themselves to just looking on, they suddenly crowded around him, thrusting microphones his way.

"Kay! Will you tell us something?"

"Please, give us a hint."

"It's so cold

! We need something to take back so we can at least warm up in the office with that excuse.."

Seeing the reporters resort to begging and even acting pitiful, Geon smiled and moved closer, causing flashes to go off from various directions. A VJ held up his camera to take photos, and there was even a camera on a ladder truck trying to capture Geon from above. After waiting for the flashes to subside, Geon grinned and said, "Shizuka, Shizuka Miyawaki."

The reporters, left dumbfounded by Geon's abrupt mention of a name, watched as he turned to walk back to the car without losing his smile. They clamored, "Shizuka? What, what is that?"

"Is that the name of the woman, Kay?"

"Kay!! Kay!! You have to tell us properly before you go! Please!"

Geon stopped, looked back, and smiled, nodding his head.

"Shizuka Miyawaki. She's Fantagio's new angel."

After those words, as Geon climbed into the car and left, the reporters who had rushed to their vehicles began shouting into their phones.

"Suzuka Miyawaki! It's Suzuka Miyawaki!"

"I just found out in front of Juilliard from Kay! Hurry, get the news online first! The name is Suzuka Miyawaki! She's definitely Japanese!"

"Ha! You did it, Chief! You got the name? Yes? Right now? Ah, got it! I'm on my way!"

Like a swarm of cockroaches vanishing from the kitchen at the slightest hint of human presence, the reporters dispersed, leaving the front of Juilliard deserted. A Juilliard security guard, feeling the absence, cracked the door open slightly and sighed as he stepped outside for some fresh air.

Kiska climbed onto Geon's lap in the car and looked out the window. As Geon fixed Kiska's hair tousled by the wind, he asked Byung-jun in the passenger seat.

"When is the music video being released?"

Byung-jun opened the car's console box, pulled out a schedule notebook, and flipped through it before answering.

"Tomorrow night. It will be released around eight in the evening."

Geon nodded and then, looking out at the Brooklyn cityscape, he asked.

"What is Suzuka doing now?"

"She can't come out of her house. She was scared stiff when she went out to throw away trash yesterday and saw two teenagers staring at her face."

"Ha, she must be a bit scared since it's her first time."

"You were the same at first, kid."

"Ha, that's true. What are we going to do about Suzuka's lodging?"

Byung-jun sighed and said.

"Phew, I've been looking into that while you were in class. She's currently renting the second floor of a house on East 96th Street. But that's a densely populated area, so we can't let her stay there forever. It's dangerous for a woman to live alone. If something happens, what then? So, we're looking into studio apartments. If we make some profit, we'll move her to a detached house."

"Hmm.. What about asking her to move into Red Castle? Gregory would allow it."

Byung-jun turned around with a look of disbelief.

"Man, Suzuka is a regular woman. And a very frightened Japanese woman at that. She'd faint at the sight of Miroslav."

"Ha, maybe."

Seeing Kiska pointing out of the window and mumbling, Geon took out his wallet and said.

"Bro, stop the car, please. Let's drop by the Ice Cream Factory. Kiska's out of ice cream."

"Ah, stop the car. Yeah, that's right."

As the car stopped in front of the ice cream store, Byung-jun, seeing Kiska excitedly jump out, hurried after her shouting.

"Kiska! Be careful not to fall!"

Byung-jun managed to catch Kiska's hand, who was struggling to open the door of the ice cream shop, and opened the door for her instead. Geon, about to follow them into the shop, saw through the window that it was crowded and put his wallet back before climbing back into the car.

The next morning at 11 am.

Fantagio's website announced that the music video would be released at eight o'clock tonight, heating up the internet once again. Especially, Japanese media reported on Suzuka's debut every hour, and the internet gave her the nickname "Second Angel". However, in a few hours, her nickname had changed to "Kay's Woman".

By six o'clock, the number of people connected to Fantagio's website had exploded, but, thanks to the addition of physical servers during an opera performance, the website ran smoothly. Especially, anticipating high interest from Japan, Fantagio had expanded the AWS (Amazon Web Services) Tokyo region to ensure smooth access from Japan. Finally, at eight o'clock, the fans who had been hitting the refresh button saw a popup window appear on the website, urging them to press the play button.

The journalists from Asahi Shimbun, despite the late hour, hadn't gone home but were all gathered at their desks, monitoring the video on their laptops. Momoko, who hadn't even had dinner because she was preparing the draft of the article, pushed her unagi donburi aside when she saw the video was ready to play.

"It's up! Right on time!"

At Momoko's shout, the journalists at their laptops simultaneously pressed ALT + Tab to check the Fantagio website they had opened in advance. The quiet newsroom was filled only with the sound of journalists quietly pressing the play button with their headphones or earphones on. The first to press play, Momoko's eyes widened in anticipation, and she saw the snowy hills of Akita Prefecture on the screen, with

 "Suzuka Miyawaki" written in elegant script on the top right corner. Unconsciously holding her breath, Momoko's eyes grew larger.

"She's even more beautiful than in the teaser. Who exactly is Suzuka Miyawaki?"

Softly murmuring to herself, she saw beautiful bare feet crunching in the snow.

 The music video began with the teaser footage that had already been revealed. Shizuka was walking through the snow-covered mountains of Akita before entering a cave, where she encountered a piano that transformed into Geon, who smiled brightly. Clad in a black suit, Geon held Shizuka's hand, and as a warm breeze blew, she gently closed and then opened her eyes. In front of her, a black grand piano glistened under the light descending from the cave's ceiling. Seated at the piano, Shizuka opened her eyes wide, smiling brightly as she placed her slender, beautiful fingers on the piano's white and black keys.

The camera zoomed out, showing her playing the piano in the middle of the cave and then the entirety of the cave. Moss covered the walls here and there, and the grand piano among the rocks began to produce sound. As the soft piano music started to play, Momoko, who had been listening intently, was slightly startled.

"What? It's beautiful! This mysterious and beautiful atmosphere is just like the music from a Studio Ghibli animation!"

The New Age-style piano performance was both beautiful and mysterious. Though slow, the piece was filled with hope and joy. Shizuka, who had been playing the piano with a bright expression, paused her performance and quietly looked down at the keys. The camera then transitioned to a close-up of her beautiful profile as she smiled slightly, then switched to Shizuka standing alone amidst the smog-filled city. She looked around at the busy passersby with a puzzled expression and then moved on.

As the piano music resumed, the mood of the piece changed. Unlike the previous beautiful and mysterious piece, this was a lonely and sad melody that made Momoko's eyes tremble as she watched.

"Can a piano alone evoke such emotional shifts?"

The scene with Shizuka walking through the city streets, with everyone else in black and white except for her, highlighted how she tried to interact with passersby who showed no interest and simply glanced at her before moving on. As people moved faster around her, she stopped, lowering her hand and bowing her head as numerous people passed by her swiftly. Geon, still in his stylish black suit, crossed his arms and watched her from a distance, the only person in color in the frame.

The scene then shifted to Shizuka, now accustomed to city life, carrying a basket while shopping at a crowded market. She managed to grab a radish among the throng and sighed softly before placing it in her basket and hurrying off. Geon, leaning against a wall, watched her leave with a smile.

The screen changed again, showing Shizuka heading to the library with her backpack. Again, Geon followed a bit behind, arms crossed, smiling as he walked.

Then, the scene shifted to Shizuka sitting alone on a swing at a playground, her head bowed. As she slowly swung, digging her toes into the sand, the swing next to her began to move. Without noticing someone else was swinging next to her, the camera panned out to reveal Geon, smiling brightly as he swung high. Seeing Shizuka walking home alone with a lonely expression, he stopped swinging and stepped down, a look of pity crossing his face as he watched her back.

The scene changed to Shizuka in what appeared to be her rooftop room. Sitting on a platform on the rooftop, she looked out at the cold night city with a lonely expression before shedding a tear. Geon, sitting cross-legged and arms crossed behind her, watched her back with deep eyes. Momoko watching the video tilted her head in confusion.

"Was Kay the role of the piano? Why is he always behind?"

The scene changed again, with the background shifting from Japan to the United States. Still, the streets of Manhattan were filled with people busily walking about. Shizuka, standing among them with sad eyes, looked down before slowly raising her eyes to see a pair of black shoes standing in front of her. Though the background and people sped past, Shizuka moved slowly, lifting her head to see Geon smiling brightly and extending his hand to her.

Shizuka, with wide eyes, looked down at Geon's hand, signaling her to take it. As she placed her white hand in his, black wings explosively unfurled from Geon's back. Startled, Shizuka looked at Geon's back, and he, smiling slyly, took her hand and flew up into the sky. Reaching above the clouds, Geon pointed down at the sprawling city of Manhattan and the tiny figures of people below, which made Shizuka's face, initially scared, relax into a smile. Seeing her smile, Geon joyfully grabbed her hand and they began to fly faster, the cityscape rushing by below them. Soon, they were flying near the dark night clouds, under a sky filled only with stars and the moon.

The piano music

 returned, focusing on Shizuka's face as she looked at the fast-moving sea and stars. The music transitioned back to the beautiful and mysterious tune from the beginning, and Geon, flying with Shizuka in his arms, spread his wings wide. Geon, with a beautiful smile, began to sing.

The scent of magnolias

Tickles my nose

The playful grasshopper

Led you to that day

As the music and the scene captivated Momoko, she gasped.

"Was, was Kay singing?"

In the video, Geon, smiling broadly, flew towards the full moon with Shizuka in his arms, looking back at her.

The dark, sparkling you

The big, scary you

The sounds you made

The big, beautiful sounds

The small, sweet sounds

The small, scared me

Listened to your voice

As the beautiful voice of Geon and the lovely lyrics blended with the video of them flying to the full moon, Momoko was mesmerized. The screen turned black and white, showing Shizuka, who had always been alone, with Geon always standing by her side, watching over her with a smile. These images, like a panorama film, moved across the screen over the beautiful piano music and Geon's beautiful voice, creating an even more mysterious atmosphere.

As long as the communication between us through the years

As much as we've endured today

Despite many frustrations, the strength to endure

I hope that strength can be mine

To be a little happier, a little stronger

As we have been, always

As Geon gently stroked Shizuka's back while she flew, clasping his hand, a warm yellow light burst forth from his palm. Startled by the light emerging from her back, Shizuka turned around to see the light transform into a pair of golden, shimmering butterfly wings. Seeing Geon smiling with wide eyes, she laughed playfully. Suddenly, Geon let go of Shizuka's hand, causing her to flail in the air and start falling towards the sea. Terrified, she struggled as she fell, but then Geon, who had been falling with his wings folded, unfurled his wings next to her with a smile. As Shizuka clenched her fists and gathered strength, her golden butterfly wings spread wide, halting her fall. Looking around at her own body and wings in midair, Shizuka saw Geon looking down at her with a bright expression. From below, Geon smiled and sang as he watched Shizuka with her wings spread.

"The cocoon of a butterfly, 

In the moonlight that faces the dawn, 

Between gypsum and jasmine, 

Lies a long sleep for a great wingbeat. 

You, who were dark and shining, 

You, who were large and frightening, 

The sounds you made, 

Large and beautiful, 

Small and sweet, 

I, who was small and scared, 

Listened to your voice."

Pointing towards the full moon, Geon moved his hand, and Shizuka flew towards it with powerful wing beats. Soon, Geon caught up with her, and they both smiled at each other. The two flew through the endless sky until they landed on a star-filled mountain at night. After a few flaps of Geon's large, black wings, he folded them and extended his hand, and Shizuka, folding her golden butterfly wings neatly, took it with a laugh.

As Geon walked through the snow-covered mountain holding her hand, their figures gradually faded away. A drone-like view from above showed only their footprints on the untouched snow. Briefly clearing the path of overhanging branches, Geon laughed brightly and gestured towards a cave, causing Shizuka to look surprised at the entrance. With a smile, Geon entered first, followed by a hesitant Shizuka.

Inside the cave was a vast space with a ceiling hole that let in moonlight, just like in a teaser video. As Shizuka searched for Geon, her eyes landed on a grand piano, sparkling as it stood exactly where she remembered. With a wide smile, Shizuka spread her wings, flew up, and sat at the piano, laughing as she played along with the music.

After playing an interlude on the piano, Shizuka raised her hands high and laughed brightly as she looked at the full moon through the open ceiling. The piano disappeared, and there stood Shizuka, gazing at the full moon with a smile. Geon, looking at her, recited with a beautiful smile,

"O garden of my torment, 

My sound that is so hard to hold, 

On your voice, wings flap, 

Moonlit butterflies and cold stars, 

A little more happiness, a little more solidity, 

As always, now and forever, 

Be with me."

The view through the open ceiling ascended to the sky, moving away from the two people inside the basin, surrounding the beautiful full moon with twinkling stars. In the top left corner of the black screen, beautiful cursive writing appeared,

'First Edition. Shizuka Miyawaki'

Below it, smaller text appeared,

Vocal by Kay 

Piano by Shizuka Miyawaki 

Direct by Tim Kutton

The screen turned black as if the video had ended, but then it lit up again with a photo of Shizuka smiling brightly and Geon standing behind her, blurry and out of focus, in black and white. At the bottom center, white text floated up,

'The Second Angel of Fantagio'

The screen went black again with a reload symbol, but Momoko, with her mouth agape and staring at the screen, was unable to do anything. After a while, enjoying the addictive and beautiful sound of the piano, Momoko took off her earphones and sighed,

"This is amazing..."

Lifting her head, Momoko saw Yuuna, replaying the video several times, oblivious to the drool on her lips.