Devil’s Music - Chapter 120: Break the Wall

At 7:30 PM, Geon Kim ascended the hill path amidst the graves of the Lincoln Memorial Park as the sun dipped low. Geon had received Dre’s call around 5:20 PM. He immediately took a taxi to the location Dre mentioned and found Dre sitting alone on the grassy patch beyond the hill path.

Approaching Dre, Geon noticed empty bottles scattered around him. Dre looked at Geon with bleary eyes as he approached. Attempting to gesture towards Geon, Dre’s arm fell limp each time he tried to raise it.

“Hey… K, you’re here?” Dre’s speech, although slurred due to intoxication, seemed coherent enough. Geon placed a hand on his waist and sighed.

“Dre, how much have you been drinking?”

Dre chuckled before raising the bottle to his lips again, taking a large gulp of alcohol. Wiping the spilled liquor with his sleeve, Dre spoke, “Was just having a drink with my son.”

Pointing to his side, Dre continued, “Hey, Curtis! Say hi! This guy is K. You remember, right?”

Glancing at Dre’s side, Geon noticed Curtis Young’s tombstone. Dre turned to Geon and gestured, “K, say hi. Here’s my son, poor soul. Endured all the hardships under a lousy father, suffered the disgraceful death of drug addiction in the end. Say hi!”

Geon sat silently across Curtis’s tombstone. Geon’s gaze shifted between the grave and Dre. Dre chuckled, “Why? Do you also pity this guy? Or maybe you want to ridicule him like the others? Haha.”

Geon stared at Dre solemnly as Dre, raising the bottle high, toasted, “To my son! No matter what anyone says, this guy is my son, you bastards!”

Dropping the bottle to the ground after a hearty laugh, Dre’s eyes met Geon’s, his sadness evident. Dre gazed down at the town below, his eyes filled with turmoil. After a while of silence, Dre spoke up, “Why do you try to drag me down again?”

Geon, kneeling with his arms around his knees, replied, “You’re a musician…”

“And a businessman. A single word from me could make thousands lose their jobs.”

Interrupting Geon, Dre stared intently at him. Geon, meeting his gaze, continued softly, “You’re also a father.”

Dre remained silent, his gaze piercing into Geon. Geon continued, with a distant look in his eyes, “Our mother once said, true parents are those who embrace their children despite the world pointing fingers at them.”

Dre’s eyes twitched at Geon’s words. Geon, not meeting Dre’s gaze, continued, “I was beaten a lot by my father when I was young.”

Dre chuckled, looking at Geon with a smirk, “You don’t seem like someone who got into trouble. Did you ever get into any mischief?”

Geon smiled faintly, “I’ve never been in any trouble. I was just the target of my father’s anger.”

As Geon’s words shocked Dre, Geon continued, “Mother was even worse than you. Despite knowing I would be beaten, I resented her for venting her anger on me. Our mother, who used to come to my room at around 11 PM, sobbing and hitting me wherever she could reach, was more detestable. It felt so insincere, just a facade.”

Dre gently placed his hand on Geon’s shoulder as he looked at him with pity. Geon, his face wet with tears, continued speaking without meeting Dre’s eyes.

“Mother started to change when I entered high school. She was just a person, immature and imperfect. Like everyone else, she was growing into her role as a mother. At some point, to ensure her hatred towards father didn’t transfer to me, she started finding her own path.”

“One day, mother came to my room, knelt before me, and cried. She apologized, said she was sorry, that it was all her fault. But forgiveness didn’t come easy. Outwardly, I smiled and pretended everything was okay with mother, but my heart didn’t open easily. I spent the most crucial ten years of adolescence like that, so it’s understandable. I’ve only called mother once in the past year I’ve been in the States, while my sister calls her every day.”

“Dad also apologized to me. He said he was sorry, that it was a mistake.”

Here’s the revised passage:

“So, you expect me to forgive? No, I can’t forgive. You call it a mistake? Could I have forgiven with just that word? I’d rather not be such immature parents than get married. But still, even so, Dre…”

“I guess I can’t help but love Mom and Dad. Most of my memories are correct, but it still catches me off guard when Dad, who sent tuition fees to me before anyone else, calls. He has a lot of money, Dre. Yet he still sends tuition fees. Funny, right? My property is worth several times more than Dad’s.”

Tears began to stream down Geon’s cheeks like chicken droppings.

“My mother… seeing her chest sink when she hears my sister tell her that Mom is sick with a cold… Am I a fool to love Mom even after being treated like that, Dre?”

As Dre leaned closer to Geon, wrapping his arm around Geon’s shoulder, Geon shed even more tears as he spoke.

“My father never once thought of loving me beyond puberty. He bragged to his friends as if it were his own accomplishment. It’s not funny, is it?”

Geon turned to Dre with a face soaked in tears. Dre looked back at Geon with sympathetic eyes.

“What kind of father were you to Curtis? I heard you weren’t a good father. What kind of father were you in Curtis’s memories?”

When Dre struggled to find words, Geon continued.

“To Curtis, you weren’t the father who abandoned him until he was twenty-one. He understood your situation through long conversations with you, and the image of you depicted in his songs was a proud father himself.”

Geon grabbed Dre’s shoulders, turning him towards himself.

“Dre, is it okay like this? Will you just remain a mediocre father? Will you be remembered as someone like our father in Curtis’s memories?”

Dre let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.

“No. That can’t be it, I’m sorry to you.”

After Geon slowly nodded, wiping away tears and looking down the hill, Dre spoke.

“Curtis also resented you a lot after realizing your existence at the age of fifteen. Maybe when you grow older and realize you’re an immature human yourself, you’ll understand Dad. Or maybe not.”

After wiping his stained face with his sleeve, Geon spoke.

“I hope so. The day I understand Dad will be the day I experience the most growth in my life.”

Dre smiled softly, looking down at Curtis’s grave, and sighed lightly.

“Can I talk about Curtis’s story?”

Geon chuckled softly.

“Don’t you feel the atmosphere, Dre? All the rappers are hoping for your comeback. That means the public who listens to your music is also hoping. If the public didn’t care, they wouldn’t move either.”

Dre caressed Curtis’s grave, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Curtis. Can I tell your story, son?”

Tears filled Dre’s eyes.

“Curtis, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m too late, aren’t I?”

Tears streamed down Dre’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry for being such an inadequate father, too cowardly to face even the people who point fingers at me. Please forgive me now, even though it’s too late.”

Geon placed his hand on Curtis’s grave.

“Curtis. Your proud father will return to you as the same person you saw. Watch over us.”

Dre looked up, quietly meeting Geon’s gaze. Geon smiled at Dre. After a moment of silence, both of them turned their gaze to the landscape below the hill. Without a word, Dre broke the silence.

“If we’re going to do this, we’ll do it right. You’ll need to help.”

Geon raised his thumb, revealing determination.

“Just say the word. I’ll support you as much as possible.”

Dre turned to Geon, shaking his head.

“It’s been a long time since I made music myself.”

Geon chuckled, receiving Dre’s words.

“Who are you again?”

Dre looked at Geon incredulously before chuckling softly.

“Dr. Dre, man.”

As if to say no more needed to be said, Dre looked straight ahead, towards the scenery in front of him.

“We’re going to devour it all.”

>

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