Episode #77. partner.
Limon slightly raised his head in the stillness where even the sound of an ant crawling could be heard.
And then he asked out of nowhere.
“How are you?”
“yes?”
“Did you just hear that song as noise?”
“…”
Then, as if he remembered the bet he made with Limon.
A threesome who made the most stupid face in front of the crowd and then made a sorry expression.
They exchanged glances with each other with indescribable expressions.
They thought that a bet like this was nothing until a while ago.
The method is also simple.
Just say that the performance was terrible and it was noise pollution.
After all, perception is subjective. No matter what other people say, it’s only if you say that you don’t like it.
But…
“This is against the rules.”
“What is a foul?”
“You said you would do a performance without using skills, but you used skills.”
“uh? Was that just a skill?”
“Of course not man! How can I sing a song like this without using skills!”
If you didn’t use the skill, the normal song from a while ago couldn’t be this different.
So even when the threesome insisted that they had no reason to abide by the terms of the bet, Limon did not protest or get angry.
Rather, it was just a strange smile.
“I guess that just means that our performance was just as good as using our skills?”
“…it doesn’t matter, does it? The key is whether you just used a skill or not.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem to matter to me.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you’ve used your music skills, you’re qualified to perform here, and even if you haven’t, you’ve proven that you can perform as well as a player with those skills, right?”
“…!”
A threesome with a nasty expression.
“If you want to think it’s a regular foul, then so be it. I will gladly apologize and step down from here.”
Seeing such a threesome, Limon laughed.
Then he slightly turned his head and glanced behind them, smiling meaningfully.
“If you have the confidence to play here after us.”
The threesome, who inadvertently looked back, were at a loss for words again.
Crowds of people are filling the otherwise quiet streets like bean sprouts.
I wanted to clap and shout encore quickly, but I couldn’t because of you guys, so their eyes full of dissatisfaction blocked the breath of the threesome.
‘Shall I play instead?’
‘In front of this large audience?’
‘I just let you hear that song?’
The threesome broke into a cold sweat.
It was only then that they realized that they had been tricked by Limon’s trick.
‘I was completely attacked…!’
‘This bastard didn’t propose a bet with the intention of winning in the first place. It was just a matter of getting a chance to perform.’
They understood Limon’s intentions.
That’s why I was lost.
It’s a trick, because it was something that could only be done with the conviction that it could attract an audience of this size with just one performance.
Including that the trio would not be able to perform a replacement for this song.
It was an absurd confidence.
‘If you’re a high-level player with music-related skills, you deserve this kind of confidence, but…’
When you think about it with common sense, it was natural.
I don’t know if it’s a famous celebrity.
It was close to impossible without the power of skill for an unknown musician whom I had never seen before to instantly attract an audience of this size with just a guitar and a song.
‘…was that performance really a skill?’
Still, they were suspicious.
The boastful words of trying to play without using skills and the attitude of Limon who is still confident.
Above all, a strange aftertaste that they couldn’t feel in the performances they had seen and heard so far asked him, ‘Is it possible?’ It was reminding me of the idea.
“So what is the answer?”
On one side, the pressure of numerous gazes transmitted from the back of the head and the suspicion rising from within.
On one side, I want to weigh my pride as a musician and the burden of starting a performance instead.
Eventually they sighed.
Then he asked with a resigned face.
“Do you also take song requests?”
As a person before being a musician.
They couldn’t resist the strong temptation to see a little more of the show they had just seen.
That was the beginning of endless requests and encore relays from hundreds of spectators.
* * *
“What a mess.”
[…I don’t think that’s what the team leader would say.]
“Why me?”
[That’s right, it’s because the team leader is the one who made this mess happen.]
“Why is this my responsibility? I just played a few songs for them as they wanted.”
[There is a certain level of accepting an encore. Who in the world keeps accepting requests for more than five or six hours?]
Yuna-kyung stuck out her tongue.
It is also true that it has already been over 9 hours since Limon started playing here.
If you’re a tolerable performer, beyond your stamina and passion, even if your fingers swell first or muscle spasms occur, it would have happened a long time ago.
But the sword master’s body was great.
Even though I had been playing all this time, my hands weren’t swollen, and I couldn’t even see a single drop of sweat.
[Thanks to that, the crowd spread all over the place!]
The problem was that not everyone was a superhuman like the sword master.
If the performance was in the middle of the day, I would have listened to it in moderation.
After hesitating, thinking just a little more, a little more, to the strangely enjoyable chords, most of the spectators eventually kept their seats until the end.
And 9 hours was enough time to make all the spectators spread out.
“It’s not like it’s spread, is it? At best, I’ll have something to sit down on to rest a bit.”
[That’s because it spread?]
Sitting down to take a break? I can understand.
Did you just rent a chair and table from a restaurant or cafe on the street corner? Suppose there is an improvisation.
It’s no use just renting a chair and a table, so you can skip over the fact that you ordered and drank alcohol as a bonus.
…If it hadn’t been that more and more people followed it, and the whole street hadn’t turned into a game board.
The result is this.
Even though it was long past midnight, the scenery seemed to have changed to a drinking street rather than a street full of crowds and music.
[No, what kind of festival is this? Is it a concert? It’s not like having a party with people you know, why are you having a drinking party out of nowhere?]
“Sure. If you’ve been drinking, you should recommend me too. I don’t have a conscience these days.”
[Is that important?!]
“It’s important. It would be sad if you couldn’t get a drink at the party that took place thanks to me, even though you gave me a free performance while wasting your precious time.”
[After all, you’re admitting that it’s all because of the team leader, right?!]
While Limon was banging with Yuna-kyung while watching people play, pour and drink like that.
A can of beer was suddenly pushed out in front of Limon’s eyes.
“How about a drink, Mr. Lone Wolf?”
“…why am I a lone wolf?”
“Well then, do you like the King of Beasts? Or a lofty tiger?”
“It’s not a matter of species, I’m just asking why it’s such a mess because you can’t compare me to an animal like that.”
“That’s what the friend atmosphere is like. Isn’t that why other people just watch from a distance without being able to approach?”
Unlike Limon, who was at a loss for words at that natural answer, Yuna-kyung nodded and understood.
[Honestly, having a team leader is quite bloody.]
‘Do I look that bloody? Did he even change his appearance on purpose to avoid being seen?’
[Hey, it’s funny. Do you think a dragon will look friendly to rabbits just because it wears a wolf mask?]
‘….’
I even thought about plucking all the feathers of this arrogant former subordinate and current blue chicken.
Limon let out a small sigh.
Then, accepting the cold can of beer, he casually said to the person who handed it to him, the hoodie-wearing player with whom he had performed all along.
“Call me Lee.”
“I am Eugene. If possible, call me a friend with affection.”
After performing together for more than a few hours, they are finally making a statement. They were great in many ways.
Including the most energetic ones even after performing to the extent that even the audience spread.
But neither Limon nor Eugene cared about it.
They just sat side by side, bumped beer cans, and continued their conversation casually.
“I borrowed the guitar well.”
“Yeah, it was really good. It was the first time I knew I could play like that with my guitar.”
“That’s because your performance is so messed up. Why do you play the guitar like that? I’d rather leave the accompaniment to the gramophone and just sing.”
“gramophone…?”
“You know what? Machines that play songs through records or CDs.”
“Ah, like an amp? i don’t write that If it’s not a lively performance, the song won’t contain soul.”
“Soul is a wonderful word.”
Limon involuntarily let out a laugh.
In this era, even the standard of good music is determined by skill level.
Eugene’s attitude of saying the word ‘soul’, which even he himself feels old-fashioned, as if it were taken for granted, strangely aroused him in a pleasant way.
To Limon, Eugene said happily.
“I guess today is a lucky day.”
“Are you not kicked out?”
“Including that, it’s been a long time since I was able to sing really fun. I got a partner who can play the guitar really well.”
“What kind of partner do you mean?”
“huh? That’s right, he’s a partner who will be making music with me in the future.”
“who?”
“Of course a friend.”
“…Since when did that happen?”
“Perhaps from when my friend played that amazing guitar he borrowed from me?”
Eugene smiled brightly.
It was just intriguing until Limon asked to borrow his guitar for the first time.
However, the thrilling sensation and ecstatic pleasure that soared the moment I sang along with the performance completely blew away such lax thoughts.
“I’ve become a body that can’t be satisfied without friends. So you have to take responsibility.”
“Couldn’t you refrain from saying things that could be misunderstood?”
“But is that true?”
Contrary to his light tone, Limon scratched his cheek after seeing Eugene’s serious eyes.
“Even if I say that, my playing is more like a hobby. I have no intention of making a debut, even later.”
“Oh, that’s even better. I’m not interested in debuting either.”
“If work gets busy, it will be difficult to keep up with the schedule.”
“It’s okay, I’m a freelancer, so I can match it.”
“…”
It’s like talking to a wall.
No matter how much I hate it, it seems like I’m possessed by a trainer who stubbornly rushes at me and says, “It’s okay, be my partner!” and locks me in a white and red marble.
Eugene, who only nodded with a smile on his face, stared blankly at Limon.
‘I was going to finish the training soon.’
Because he realized what was lacking in his playing.
And knowing how hard it can be to fill it.
It was Limon who was going to stop looking around and take control of the Seven Dragons in earnest.
If that happens, you’ll be incomparably busier than before, and you won’t have time to do things like this in the meantime.
Even though he was clearly aware of this fact, Limon did not reject Eugene’s offer.
‘I never thought I’d find clues to replace training in this performance.’
When I played with Eugene.
Fragments of starlight melt away.
Feeling that he was able to control the power of another constellation, Limon put on a strange expression.
The fact that the power of the Constellation, which until now only melted when the Dark Violin was used, responded to ordinary performances was a big step forward.
‘Whether it’s a song or a person. I don’t know exactly what the Constellation’s power reacted to…’
Limon crossed his arms.
Of course, there is no guarantee that you will always get results just because you hang out with Eugene.
However, he could not ignore even the slightest possibility as he tried to face the mighty enemy of the Constellation.
So, Limon asked after a short thought.
“I’m asking just to confirm, do you mind playing other instruments besides the guitar?”
Limon Aspelder.
It was a historic moment when the last sword master, who had been wielding only a sword for hundreds of years, decided to take it as a hobby.