Devil’s Music - Chapter 133: Stalker, Orchestra, and Zoo

“In the evening, Geon received a visit from the police, who searched his house. He had spent the night at a nearby hotel, feeling uneasy but relieved to have reported the incident and seen the police. He had fallen asleep at his desk while working on orchestral scores until late. The next day, he headed to the police station upon receiving a call.

It was quiet in the morning, but as soon as Geon stepped into the police station, he attracted the attention of many people. They murmured as they looked at him, giving him a somewhat uneasy feeling, like he had become a criminal. Geon sought out the officer in charge, moving through the crowd. He approached a burly African-American officer nearby.

“Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me where I can find Detective Jeffrey?”

The African-American officer recognized Geon and chuckled before replying, “Oh, K.C.! Nice to see you. Follow me.”

Contrary to his appearance, the friendly African-American officer escorted Geon to the desk of the responsible detective. Seated there was a chubby white officer in his late forties, with his legs propped up on the desk as he went through documents.

“Detective Jeffrey, K.C. is here,” the African-American officer announced.

Jeffrey, upon seeing Geon, quickly stood up apologetically. “Oh, sorry about that. Please have a seat here. You’ve been through a lot.”

As the African-American officer left with a smile, Geon asked, “Detective, have you got the results of the investigation?”

Jeffrey frowned as he shuffled through papers. “Ah, well… There’s something odd about our search of your place.”

Geon’s eyes widened as he inquired, “Something odd? What do you mean?”

“Thanks to you, our forensic team had to bring in specialized equipment and search your house until dawn. It’s the first time in my twenty years as a detective that I’ve encountered something like this in such a modest home.”

“Really? That many cameras?”

“Yes, over a hundred miniature cameras were found. And, you might not know, but many of your clothes had miniature cameras attached to them, even on the front buttons of your coats.”

“My clothes too? That’s… unsettling.”

“It’s beyond the behavior of a typical stalker. This level of surveillance suggests a security setup for protecting a high-profile individual. We’re investigating specialists in this field, starting with those with a history of stalking.”

“I see… Then I can’t go home for a while.”

“Yes, it’s unsafe. I recommend staying elsewhere, K.C.”

“Alright, Detective. Thank you for your hard work.”

“No problem. It’s all in a day’s work.”

“By the way… Was there any connection between me and the girl who gave me flowers?”

“No, none. We found out she’s just a fan. We even searched her place, but there was nothing noteworthy.”

“That’s a relief. Alright, Detective. Feel free to contact me anytime.”

“Haha, getting K.C.’s contact feels like a dream. Could I ask for a photo once this case is solved?”

“Sure, anytime. Well, I should get going.”

Feeling uneasy, Geon left the police station and headed to school.”

In the evening, Geon received a visit from the police, who searched his house. He had spent the night at a nearby hotel, feeling uneasy but relieved to have reported the incident and seen the police. He had fallen asleep at his desk while working on orchestral scores until late. The next day, he headed to the police station upon receiving a call.

It was quiet in the morning, but as soon as Geon stepped into the police station, he attracted the attention of many people. They murmured as they looked at him, giving him a somewhat uneasy feeling, like he had become a criminal. Geon sought out the officer in charge, moving through the crowd. He approached a burly African-American officer nearby.

“Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me where I can find Detective Jeffrey?”

The African-American officer recognized Geon and chuckled before replying, “Oh, K.C.! Nice to see you. Follow me.”

Contrary to his appearance, the friendly African-American officer escorted Geon to the desk of the responsible detective. Seated there was a chubby white officer in his late forties, with his legs propped up on the desk as he went through documents.

“Detective Jeffrey, K.C. is here,” the African-American officer announced.

Jeffrey, upon seeing Geon, quickly stood up apologetically. “Oh, sorry about that. Please have a seat here. You’ve been through a lot.”

As the African-American officer left with a smile, Geon asked, “Detective, have you got the results of the investigation?”

Jeffrey frowned as he shuffled through papers. “Ah, well… There’s something odd about our search of your place.”

Geon’s eyes widened as he inquired, “Something odd? What do you mean?”

“Thanks to you, our forensic team had to bring in specialized equipment and search your house until dawn. It’s the first time in my twenty years as a detective that I’ve encountered something like this in such a modest home.”

“Really? That many cameras?”

“Yes, over a hundred miniature cameras were found. And, you might not know, but many of your clothes had miniature cameras attached to them, even on the front buttons of your coats.”

“My clothes too? That’s… unsettling.”

“It’s beyond the behavior of a typical stalker. This level of surveillance suggests a security setup for protecting a high-profile individual. We’re investigating specialists in this field, starting with those with a history of stalking.”

“I see… Then I can’t go home for a while.”

“Yes, it’s unsafe. I recommend staying elsewhere, K.C.”

“Alright, Detective. Thank you for your hard work.”

“No problem. It’s all in a day’s work.”

“By the way… Was there any connection between me and the girl who gave me flowers?”

“No, none. We found out she’s just a fan. We even searched her place, but there was nothing noteworthy.”

“That’s a relief. Alright, Detective. Feel free to contact me anytime.”

“Haha, getting K.C.’s contact feels like a dream. Could I ask for a photo once this case is solved?”

“Sure, anytime. Well, I should get going.”

Feeling uneasy, Geon left the police station and headed to school.”

Geon unknowingly veered onto the path leading to the zoo. The entrance to the Bronx Zoo wasn’t too far away. Resembling the entrance to a jungle in a park from the movie “Jurassic Park,” Geon bought a ticket for $13 and entered.

Perhaps because it was a weekday, the zoo was quite deserted. As Geon wandered through, observing various animals, his expression seemed to relax as if his mind was clearing.

“It was nice to cool off at Dante Park. I should come here on weekdays more often.”

A polar bear, lazily lying with stretched paws, caught Geon’s eye. Despite their lazy appearance, he recalled hearing they could dash at an incredible speed when they spotted prey. Geon couldn’t believe such ferocious predators could look so cute.

The Bronx Zoo was quite extensive. After seeing all the animals, more than three hours had passed. Glancing at his wristwatch, Geon sighed, realizing he’d lost track of time.

“Can’t seem to focus with all these animals around. And I’m running out of time. Ugh.”

Realizing he hadn’t eaten anything all day, Geon headed to the snack bar inside the zoo. Ordering some food, he took out his guitar, a J-200, and softly started playing the tune of Shaun’s “Parachute.” A few people around turned their heads at the sudden guitar sound, but seeing it was just an instrumental, they soon lost interest and went about their business.

Feeling the cool breeze, smelling the grass, and basking in the warm sunlight, Geon felt a moment of peace. Closing his eyes, he played his guitar, smiling to himself.

“So peaceful. Haha, from now on, this is my spot!”

Looking around, he noticed everyone had dispersed except for the female staff managing the snack bar. He closed his eyes and began singing the chorus of “Parachute” in his beautiful voice. His rendition of “Parachute,” infused with Shaun’s melancholic vibe, resonated through the zoo.

Geon’s voice, initially soft and hesitant, gradually grew louder as he immersed himself in the song. Finishing the song, he kept his eyes closed, savoring the lingering feeling it brought. Suddenly, he felt someone tugging at his pants.

Opening his eyes, he saw a cute baby bear holding onto the hem of his pants. The bear, covered in black fur, about the size of Geon’s forearm, looked up at him with an adorable expression, shaking his pants with its two feet.

“Aww, how cute!”

Reaching out to the bear, Geon held out his hand, and the bear grabbed it with both paws. Mimicking a handshake with his fingers, Geon bent down, meeting the bear’s gaze.

“Hello? I’m Geon. Who are you?”

As the bear seemed to struggle to understand Geon’s words, it tilted its head cutely. Seeing this, Geon burst into laughter, which caught the attention of a woman nearby.

“I’m Rikki. I’m one of the baby friends at our zoo.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Geon hastily raised his head and bumped it into the table.

“Ouch! Ahh, sorry.”

Rubbing the back of his head, Geon apologized, while the woman, wearing a zookeeper’s uniform, covered her mouth and chuckled.

“Ohoho, it’s okay. Rikki seems to like you.”

Geon glanced at the woman for a moment before turning his attention back to Rikki, who was now climbing up his leg. About to reach his lap, Rikki climbed onto Geon’s arms, then proceeded to climb up to his face. Laughing as he felt ticklish, Geon said,

“Hehe, tickles, Rikki!”

As Rikki finally reached Geon’s face and began licking it, the female zookeeper picked Rikki up, smiling.

“Faces are dangerous. Baby bears tend to suck rather than lick, and they can leave bruises.”

Disappointed to be separated from Rikki, Geon looked at him with longing eyes. The zookeeper, with a surprised look, gestured towards Geon’s face.

“Are you… Kei?”

Geon chuckled.

“Yes, I’m the Kei you know. Haha.”

>

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