Chapter 130: If I could change the world

At Charlie Brion Newspaper in Paris, France, François was walking around the office, offering donuts from a large box to his colleagues.

"Here, take one. It's on Manager Bangsang."

As François handed out donuts with a smile, he approached Bruno, who was intensely staring at his laptop behind horn-rimmed glasses, and offered him a donut.

"Eat up, Bruno. What are you looking at so intently? There's hardly any news these days. Even the Nepal incident has wrapped up."

Bruno, resting his chin on his hands, repeatedly pressed F5 and responded.

"Is it good that there's no news? We're journalists, if there's no news, we starve."

Despite François tempting him with the donut, Bruno kept his focus on the laptop. François then took a tissue, placed it on the desk next to Bruno, and set the donut on it.

"Eat it later then. We bought plenty, there's enough to spare. Olivier, you should have some too."

Olivier, with his long hair pulled back with a spring headband, held up his takeaway coffee cup and said,

"Donuts go with coffee. Got any plain ones left?"

After rummaging through the donut box, François grinned and pulled out a plain donut.

"Got one left. Here."

Taking the donut from François, Olivier bit into it and sat down, asking Bruno,

"Still no news? The evening edition's deadline is coming up, what do we do?"

Bruno glanced at the clock on his desk and said,

"There's still 30 minutes till the deadline, I'll keep looking. Have you finished your piece?"

As Olivier chewed on the donut he held in one hand, he said,

"I'm done. I'm on the society section this month. There's never a shortage of big and small news in society. But isn't the entertainment section easier? If there's no news on celebrities, just dig through their social media for private photos or something."

Bruno waved his hand dismissively and replied,

"Do we even need articles for that? Just post a photo and mention what they're doing. If nothing comes up by the deadline, that's what we'll do, but those titles take a minute to write."

Olivier, propping his chin with his hand, clicked on the laptop's touchpad, which was in screensaver mode, and asked,

"Any news on Kay? It's been quiet for about a month. What's he been up to?"

"I don't know, it's weird."

"Weird how?"

"It feels like something's preventing anything from getting to Kay. Isn't it strange? With Kay's level of fame, you'd expect paparazzi to be on him, but there's no news or photos from Nepal. Seems like he's already left for Korea or the US, but not a single article or photo? That's odd."

"Hmm... Yeah, that is strange. But he's just a celebrity. Who would prevent access to him? He's not a high-profile national figure or anything."

"I heard from a senior journalist who retired when I joined, about Marley from Jamaica, you know? The pioneer of reggae music."

"Who wouldn't know that?"

"Well, he was classified as a dangerous individual by the government, and journalists were blocked from approaching him. They said it was because he incited the public."

"Haha, he had reasons for that. But Kay isn't involved in activism or making political statements through his music."

"Right? Maybe I'm just being sensitive."

"Haha, you should have a coffee like me then. Clears the head."

Resigned, Bruno entered the Fantagio website's URL and pressed enter, then turned to Olivier without looking at the screen.

"Do you want this donut? My stomach's a bit off."

As Olivier leaned in to grab the donut from Bruno's desk, he glanced at Bruno's screen and tilted his head.

"Huh? What's that?"

"What?"

Bruno saw a black loading icon on the banner ad that appeared on the screen and looked puzzled.

"What the? I thought I entered Fantagio's website, but did I type it wrong? No, it's correct..."

As the banner finished loading, it turned to a black-and-white screen. A drum set in what seemed to be a recording studio appeared in the slightly shaky, amateur-shot video. Olivier scooted his chair closer and said,

"Turn up the volume."

When Olivier increased the volume, the sound of tuning a guitar could be heard. François, who had been folding the empty donut box, came over after seeing the two of them glued to the laptop screen.

"What's up? Found a story?"

Bruno, without taking his eyes off the screen, gestured for silence with his index finger over his mouth, indicating they might be onto something. François, sensing something was up, hurried over.

"What is it? What is it?"

On the black-and-white screen, the legs of someone standing in front of the drums appeared. The long, slender legs seemed to be wearing black skinny jeans, though the black-and-white screen made it hard to determine the exact color.

Someone approached the figure in front of the drums and handed over an object. The person in the black skinny jeans lifted whatever was handed to them and then lowered it.

"Looks like he's strapping on a guitar?"

"Shh! Quiet! Let's focus."

As the figure lowered their hands, a guitar appeared from above their waist. Olivier stood up abruptly, pointing at the screen.

"White Falcon! It's Kay!"

"Whoa! Really! It is the White Falcon!!"

The colleagues, who had been seated at their desks, rushed over to Bruno's desk. After seeing the video, they hurried back to their stations to access Fantagio's website. Bruno pressed the space bar to pause the video, then stood up and shouted,

"Where's Manager Bangsang! Tell him to push back the evening edition deadline!"

A female colleague quickly stood up and entered the manager's office, and soon, loud noises followed as Manager Bangsang rushed out.

"Did news about Kay break?"

"Yes, Manager!"

"Alright! Christina! Call the publishing company and tell them to extend the deadline by 30 minutes! Bruno, you write the article!"

"Yes! Understood!"

Manager Bangsang, satisfied, gave a thumbs-up.

"Well done! I expect you to keep hunting for articles till the last minute in the future."

Bruno grinned, and Manager Bangsang smiled back before returning to his office. Bruno, feeling pleased, looked at Olivier, who was looking at him enviously, and shrugged.

"Jealous? You could join the entertainment section."

Olivier chuckled and pointed at the screen.

"Just play it already."

Bruno smiled, sat down, and resumed the video. The man holding the White Falcon began a guitar solo. It seemed like a practice session as he freely played before taking off the guitar and reaching out for someone to hand him another. This time, a blue-necked guitar, apparently a bass guitar, appeared, and Olivier pointed out,

"A bass guitar? He plays the bass too?"

"People who play guitar often learn the bass too. The techniques are different, but the understanding of chords and playing is similar."

The figure, only visible from the waist down, began to play the bass guitar. It seemed like a practice session, but the skill level was evidently high. Olivier remarked,

"Do guitarists usually handle the bass guitar at that level?"

Bruno, mouth agape and looking stunned, watched the screen silently. Olivier licked his lips and looked at the screen again, then said,

"Uh? He's moving towards the drums?"

As the man in the black skinny jeans sat at the drums, his face became visible. Bruno stood up, shouting,

"It's Kay! Definitely Kay!"

Geon smiled, picking up a drumstick and spinning it around to loosen his wrists before starting a drum solo.

The short performance was impressive, utilizing double bass for a groovy beat that amazed both watchers. As the solo ended, they looked at each other and simultaneously exclaimed,

"Did you see that?"

"Was that Kay playing? Really??"

While they were astonished, the scene shifted to what seemed like vocal track recording with a microphone visible behind a windscreen. Nobody was in the recording studio until someone entered and put on headphones.

Although it was a black-and-white screen, the man's strikingly handsome features were enhanced, captivating the screen with Geon's beauty.

Bruno, with his jaw practically on the floor, heard the sound of a guitar played in a blues style. The beautiful guitar melody was hauntingly beautiful, conveying a deep sense of longing. The young man with headphones began to sing with a sweet voice, transitioning between falsetto and full voice.

"I would be the sunlight in your universe."

"Sweetheart, if I could change the world."

"And I Know there'll be no more tears in heaven."

After singing the short piece, Geon looked into the camera, smiled beautifully while lifting his thumb.

The screen then turned black, and in elegant, flowing script, words slowly appeared from left to right.

'The angel is back.'

As the words faded, new text emerged.

'He will go to see you soon.'

The screen turned black again, and a notice that the playback had stopped appeared. Bruno and Olivier, with their mouths wide open and a dazed expression, watched the screen. Olivier was the first to regain his composure and spoke,

"Does this mean an album is coming out?"

Bruno, snapping back to reality, shook his head vigorously.

"Ah, I lost my mind there for a second. Damn. There's no clear indication if it's an album or not. No mention of when it might be released."

Olivier, looking frustrated, said,

"Why do they make it so complicated? They don't even tell us when it's going to open."

Bruno, still with a stunned look on his face, pointed at the paused screen and said to Olivier,

"Are you missing the point here?"

"What do you mean?"

"It means that until the day it's released, Fantagio's website will be the focus of fans and journalists waiting for any bit of news."

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion.

"Wow! It's exploded!"

François, who had knocked over his chair in his excitement, exclaimed. Olivier turned to him, asking,

"What exploded?"

"The Fantagio website is down! It's a server crash! It must be flooded with journalists and fans!"

The door to the manager's office burst open, and Manager Bangsang, looking exhilarated, yelled,

"Get that article on the evening edition now! We can't be beat by anyone else!"

Korea's Watermelon Entertainment.

This company, which offers real-time rankings and streaming services not just in Korea but also for pop music, was a major corporation maintaining an overwhelming first place among the two major music sites in South Korea.

The Customer Service (CS) department, primarily responsible for handling customer complaints, errors, and app service bugs via phone calls, was very noisy due to the sound of approximately 70 employees taking calls.

After lunch and reapplying her lipstick in the bathroom, Hong Yu-jung, the head of the CS department, was stroking her swollen belly with a satisfied look on her face as she headed to her office with a takeaway coffee in one hand.

The director's office, located at the end of a meeting room on one side of the office where employees were consulting, could only be reached by walking past the working consultants.

As usual, seeing the employees busily taking calls, a spark of interest appeared on Director Hong Yu-jung's face.

After noticing the large screen displaying the number of calls waiting, Director Hong shouted, looking around.

"Team Leader Kim? Where are you, Team Leader Kim?"

A woman in her early thirties wearing a headset by the window partition stood up and gestured to her headset, indicating she was currently on a call. Seeing this, Director Hong crossed her arms and fixed her gaze on the large screen.

'What? 487 calls waiting? The CS team's KPI is supposed to be less than 20 calls waiting. And even Team Leader Kim is taking calls, what's happening?'

Standing there waiting, she inadvertently overheard a female employee next to her continuously apologizing through her headset while wiping sweat off her face with a handkerchief.

"Yes, I'm sorry, sir. Yes, we're looking into it, but there are no reservations available at the moment. Yes, I'm very sorry. We will look into it and notify you as soon as possible. Yes."

After the call, the employee immediately took another call and repeated the same message. Just as Director Hong was about to call for Team Leader Kim again, Kim, having thrown off her headset, ran over.

"Director! Where have you been? I've called you five times, but you didn't answer!"

Director Hong shrugged her shoulders, showing the coffee in her hand.

"I left my phone on my desk when I went out for lunch. What's happening?"

Team Leader Kim, wiping the sweat beading on her forehead with her sleeve, said.

"The news about Kay has exploded! It seems like an album announcement is imminent, but there's been no official statement yet, so we're swamped with calls inquiring about the digital single release date! Some of these callers are being extremely difficult, complaining about how we handle things, and it's overwhelming our staff!"

Yu-jung almost dropped her coffee. She narrowly avoided spilling it on the head of an employee sitting next to her and, with wide eyes, said.

"Kay? Hasn't it been about a month since we lost contact with him in Nepal? There's no way an album was produced in that time!"

Team Leader Kim, fanning her face as if to cool down, said with an excited face.

"I checked this morning after hearing from the staff, but nothing's certain yet. There's just a video on Fantagio's website hinting that Kay is coming soon, showing him playing an instrument. Putting everything together, such a video typically indicates an album release, Director."

Yu-jung, as if drained, precariously placed her coffee cup on the partition.

"Was there no directive from above?"

"We got an email from the head office earlier. It instructed us to tell customers we're inquiring with Fantagio and to wait since we know nothing yet."

"Sigh, you all haven't had lunch yet, have you? I'll give you the corporate card; order some pizza or something."

After exchanging a few words with Kim, Yu-jung stormed into her office, banging on her PC.

'I thought it was too quiet at lunch! I'm going to get an earful from the director, damn it!'

* * *

The afternoon at Red Castle was peaceful. Unaware of the chaos in the outside world, Geon, carrying two guitars, and Byung-jun stepped out of the annex, with Geon looking back.

"Kiska! I'll be back. Play with the nanny, okay?"

Kiska, struggling in the nanny's grasp, seemed to want to follow Geon out of the house, wriggling her fingers in the nanny's hand and stamping her feet.

The nanny, holding Kiska's hand more firmly, said.

"No, miss. The boss has gone out, so security is tight today. He specifically ordered that Kay must not follow him out. Spend some time with me today, hehe."

Hearing about Gregory's order, Kiska still tried to wriggle her hand free, but the nanny firmly held on to her and hurriedly said.

"Kay! Hurry up!"

Kiska turned back to Geon with a look that seemed on the verge of tears and continued to struggle.

Seeing this, the nanny sent a desperate look to Byung-jun, who then put an arm around Geon's shoulder, guiding him with force.

Despite Byung-jun's urging, Geon found it hard to leave, constantly looking back at Kiska, who was reaching out to him, but eventually, Geon was led to the waiting car and soon disappeared from sight.

As the indifferent car drove away, Kiska, having given up, shook off the nanny's hand with a slump. The nanny, who had been holding onto Kiska's hand firmly until the car left, let go when Kiska shook her off, looking down at her with a pitiful gaze.

"Miss, we're going to shoot a music video today. If you go, it'll be a distraction. Kay has his own work to do, doesn't he?"

Kiska turned her head away sharply to the other side from the nanny. Anger seemed to flash in her eyes as she spotted the swing in the mansion's garden, standing stark against the Cyclamen flowers.

After a moment of hesitation, Kiska grabbed her always-carried sketchbook and walked towards the swing. The nanny followed her slowly, a few steps behind.

Standing in front of the swing, Kiska climbed up, sat down with her legs straightened, opened her sketchbook, and started drawing with crayons.

The scene was peaceful: a beautiful and cute girl drawing on a swing amidst a garden full of blooming Cyclamen flowers at Red Castle, seemingly more captivating than the surrounding landscape.

Meanwhile, upon arriving at the music video shooting location, which appeared to be a parking lot, Geon was greeted by the stern security of mafia members.

The last desperate look from Kiska continued to weigh on Geon's mind, making him anxious. However, he couldn't afford to change the already scheduled shoot without causing inconvenience to the numerous staff members, so he greeted the staff with a smile. Byung-jun, standing next to him, whispered gently.

"Don't worry. Today's shoot is just about naturally capturing your performance. We only need a few takes for each instrument, so it'll be over quickly, and we can head back. Let's buy some ice cream on the way back."

Geon's face lit up at Byung-jun's words. As he sat in the waiting area of the shoot, a familiar face approached him. Geon stood up and opened his arms wide with a smile.

"Director!"

Despite the years, Lynn, who still maintained her beautiful figure and face, approached with the sound of her high heels. Seeing Geon's open arms, she smiled softly and gave him a hug.

"Have you been well? It's been a few years since we've seen each other face-to-face, though we've talked on the phone often. You've become more manly, Mr. Geon."

"Haha, is that so? I've missed you, Director."

"Ho ho, if you missed me that much, you should have called me. I would have come running if we had just talked over the phone."

"Ah, but you're busy. I didn't want to bother you."

"Ho ho, how could it be a bother if Mr. Geon wants to see me? Call me anytime, and I'll come running."

"Haha, thank you, Director."

"Alright, then I'll go check on the shooting site. Mr. Byung-jun, could you come with me for a moment?"

As Byung-jun followed Lynn away from Geon's side, the female staff members who had been watching from a distance began to gather around him.

"Excuse me, Kay! Could you give me an autograph?"

"Ah, yes. Of course. Hand it over."

"I want a photo!"

"Move, I want one too! Me too!"

"Ah, why are guys so inconsiderate? Wait your turn!"

"Hey! My wife made me promise to get one! If I don't bring it back, I'm in for three days of nagging, move!"

As about a dozen staff members crowded around him, Geon, smiling, spoke a bit louder.

"I'll do it for everyone who came from China because of me, so please don't fight and just wait your turn."

Hearing his voice, staff members who were working far away came running over. Soon, Geon was surrounded by about forty staff members, smiling but then began sweating when he noticed Miroslav approaching with his hands in his pockets.

'Don't come over! Please, don't!'

Miroslav, noticing Geon's gaze and the staff turning their heads towards him, glared menacingly at them before slowly withdrawing his hands and stepping back. Seeing him retreat, Geon tried to hide his discomfort and shouted with a laugh.

"Ahaha... I'll take care of everyone. Please form a line and wait, everyone."

In a secluded area of the parking lot, Lynn turned to Byung-jun, who was following her, and asked.

"Red Mafia's Gregory Miočić. Is it true that his daughter wrote the lyrics?"

Byung-jun nodded gravely.

"Yes, it's true. The problem is, given Geon's character, he's bound to credit Kiska as the lyricist, and if the media gets wind of it, we can't predict the fallout."

"That's concerning. It's not just anyone but the mafia. Luckily, from what we've gathered, he doesn't seem to be involved in drugs or prostitution. He's into the Russian natural gas business, so he doesn't seem to harm the general public. However, the mere name of the mafia can be off-putting to people."

"Indeed, that's why it's worrying."

"For now, no one knows Geon is at Red Castle, and Kiska Miočić's existence is almost unknown since she hardly has any contact with the outside world. Let's keep this under wraps and proceed carefully."

"Understood, Director. We'll take special care."