Devil’s Music

Osan Air Base, South Korea.

The military base was very quiet at 4 AM, with everyone but a few on guard duty seemingly asleep. However, today was slightly different.

Soldiers unable to sleep were nervously waiting inside the barracks, not daring to step outside, while officers who would normally have left for home were gathered near the control tower chatting.

A young officer with a lieutenant's insignia stared fixedly at the runway outside the control tower, when suddenly a radio transmission was received, and he hurriedly sat at the control box.

“Chiek, Osan Air Base terminal, this is Nova Fantagio 815. Descending through 13,000 feet, request runway assignment.”

The officers who heard the transmission all looked up, and the officer who received the call replied promptly.

“Chiek, Nova Fantagio 815. Approach to Runway 14R within 8 miles, landing permission granted. Decelerate to 130 knots.”

“Chiek, roger that.”

With a tense expression, the officer watched the radar and crouched down as he saw a small red light from an airplane circling in the dark dawn sky, then making its descent toward the runway. The officers hurriedly ran to the landing area.

The radio operator also threw his headphones to a soldier managing the control tower and went down to the landing field.

At the landing field, a colonel and two lieutenant colonels were waiting. The officers saluted them crisply.

An older-looking colonel saluted back and then watched a large aircraft approaching from a distance.

“Hmm, the security has been tightened, right?”

A somewhat younger-looking but still quite old lieutenant colonel stepped forward and said.

“Since last evening, we’ve blocked outgoing calls to prevent any leaks, but since the regular soldiers know, I'm not sure how long the security can be maintained.”

“What? Is that all the security awareness our Air Force has?”

“Not all here are officers, are they?”

“Hmm… It’s the ordinary soldiers’ mouths that are the problem, well, as long as it’s secure until tomorrow.”

As the airplane came closer, the engine noise caused the soldiers to stop their conversation and quickly position themselves on either side of the runway.

The lieutenant colonels, who had been briefed only about Kay and his band's highly confidential arrival at the base at 3 AM, did not know about the visit of the U.S. President's son—a security detail that had not been shared with them because of its sensitivity.

Now standing at attention more rigidly than before, the lieutenant colonels cast a glance at the colonel as the portable stairs were placed and the hatch opened.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The first to descend the stairs was not Kay or Kevin, but Byung-jun. After surveying the surroundings, Byung-jun called back into the plane.

“We’ve arrived, let's get off.”

In the colonel's view appeared the familiar figures of Yun-jung and Jin-yeon, whom he had seen through numerous articles.

Despite the long flight, the two women descended the stairs in full makeup and stylishly dressed. The soldiers, standing in line, couldn’t help but roll their eyes at the sight of their stunning beauty. 𝖗ᴀNỔʙÊş

Trying hard to contain their smiles, they stole glances at Yun-jung and Jin-yeon as they walked past.

However, soon after, they caught sight of Shizuka, and couldn’t help but turn their heads, drawing sharp looks from the lieutenant colonels behind the colonel.

Shizuka was dressed in a white wool coat and a skirt that reached her knees, smiling warmly.

After all the women had disembarked, Arthur, followed by Kevin and Geon, descended. As the group’s leader was not Geon but Byung-jun, the colonel extended his hand to Byung-jun.

“Welcome to Osan Base.”

Byung-jun shook the colonel's hand with a genial smile.

“Thank you for granting us permission to land. It has been a great help.”

“Ha, I’m just following orders from above, so thank your gratitude to the Blue House. Let’s go.”

The group split into several military jeeps and left the airfield. As they boarded in the order they disembarked, the jeep driver carrying Yun-jung, Jin-yeon, and Shizuka kept glancing at them as if he was dreaming.

Unaware of this, Yun-jung exclaimed as she looked around the dawn-lit airbase.

“Wow, Jin-yeon, I thought an air force base would be bleak and frightening, but it’s actually beautiful here, isn’t it?”

Jin-yeon also nodded, looking outside.

“Yeah, wow, it seems we are really working with Kay oppa. I never thought the Korean Air Force would cooperate like this. I haven’t heard that even the top celebrities who work in Korea received such treatment, but it seems Kay oppa is really something.”

Shizuka, having already experienced using a military base during a visit to Japan, simply smiled at the two girls.

As they naturally conversed in English, the driver, noticing the surroundings, cautiously pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

“Um… could I please have an autograph?”

The driver, a regular soldier, had been threatened by his seniors to collect autographs or face a tough remaining military life, so his request was quite desperate.

While the colonels and other officers in the following vehicles might have sent him to the brig if they knew, to an ordinary soldier, the fearsome seniors sharing his barracks were a more immediate concern.

Smiling, Shizuka, Yun-jung, and Jin-yeon graciously signed autographs, watched by the star-struck soldier through the rearview mirror.

The atmosphere in their jeep was light and cheerful, unlike the vehicle behind them, where the lieutenant colonels themselves were driving, with Geon, Byung-jun, and Kevin in the back seats, and the colonel in the passenger seat.

Looking out the window at the airbase, Geon and Kevin were too distracted to notice much until the colonel turned to Byung-jun and asked.

“Are you heading straight to Seoul?”

“Yes, a car is waiting outside.”

“That’s good. I regret that we can't offer you a cup of tea for coming all this way.”

“Ha, we are the ones imposing, no need for such words.”

“About the Blue House…”

“Ah, don’t worry, I’ll say we received full cooperation.”

“Ha, thank you.”

“Ha, not at all.”

Soon, the jeeps exited the base and stopped in front of a large bus that looked like an express coach.

Yun-jung and Jin-yeon had been forewarned by Byung-jun not to disembark first despite arriving earlier. Byung-jun alighted from the car and called out loudly.

“Come on, get down and move to the bus, kids!”

At Byung-jun’s command, everyone exited the vehicles and boarded the bus.

Byung-jun, holding back Geon as he was about to board the bus, pointed at the soldiers they were leaving behind.

“We should at least say goodbye after all their help.”

“Oh, right.”

Geon approached the colonel at the front of the line. Having been a regular soldier himself, Geon found it awkward to face a colonel who, in his army days, he wouldn’t have dared to look directly at.

Geon bowed slightly and extended both hands, to which the colonel responded with a crisp salute.

“It's an honor, Kay!”

“Oh, honor is nothing, thank you so much for helping us today.”

“It was my privilege to be of help. Take care on your way up.”

“Thank you. Thank you all.”

As Geon waved his hand smiling, the lined-up soldiers crisply saluted.

Smiling, Geon climbed aboard the bus and headed to the back row where the group was seated. Yun-jung and Jin-yeon, as if on a school trip, chattered in the back with Shizuka, while Kevin and Arthur sat together in the row ahead.

Geon settled in the seat across from Kevin and Arthur. As the bus started moving, Kevin asked.

“Is it just Yun-jung and Jin-yeon going on the first show?”

Geon, about to listen to music with his earphones, turned his head.

“Yes, just me, Yun-jung, and Jin-yeon.”

“What about us?”

“I’d like to say rest in the hotel, but there’s a schedule right after, so you’ll probably have to stay in the car for a while.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, since our arrival in Korea is a secret, checking into the hotel might leak information.”

Arthur nodded in understanding.

“That makes sense, seems we’ll have to stay in the car until evening.”

“Sorry, Arthur.”

“Not at all, it’s part of marketing, naturally, we should cooperate.”

As they were talking, the bus lights went out. The noisy group fell silent, and Byung-jun turned his head and called out loudly.

“We have about three hours to go, try to get some sleep. Save your energy, and if you have any left, use it during the show. Now, let’s all sleep!”

In the dark bus, whispers of laughter from Yun-jung and Jin-yeon echoed, but they too soon fell asleep.

Listening to music through his earphones and looking out the window, Geon also drifted off as dawn broke over Seoul, which was still quiet with few cars on the streets.

The first to wake, Geon rubbed his eyes and gazed nostalgically at Seoul’s scenery.

Even when he had lived in Korea, Geon was a star, not as big as he was now, but still recognized by many on

the streets.

Maybe it was because of the same black hair, the same skin color, but the people walking the streets seemed warmly familiar to Geon, who couldn’t take his eyes off the window.

As the rest of the group was deep in sleep, the bus stopped, and Byung-jun stood up.

The driver turned on the interior lights, and the sudden brightness made the group squint as they woke.

“Come on, we’ve arrived. Right in front of the TV station entrance, let’s go inside quickly. Just to be sure, cover your faces.”

The group all pulled their scarves up over their noses and disembarked from the bus. It was still early dawn with few people around, but Byung-jun hurried them.

“Quick, quick, let’s go inside, run.”

Geon, the last to leave the bus, looked up at the large sign on the top of the TV station building and grinned.

“MVN. Yeong-seok hyung! Hehe.”

Geon smiled as he entered the bustling world of broadcasting, ready for the challenges and excitement that awaited him.

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