Devil’s Music - Chapter 81: The Best Movie Music

It’s been four days since Geon started living separately to create music. He was still fixated on the movie, pausing only during meal times and sleep. He pressed the space bar, freezing the scene where the townspeople reported to the police, thinking they were threatened by the scissors in Edward’s hand while trying to save Kim’s sister, whom Edward’s brother loved.

Geon briefly pressed his eyes with his hand, feeling a strain. He thought about his puffy eyes as he shook his head.

“Let’s organize this again. Firstly, the story starts with Kim, the female lead, telling her granddaughter about the legend of the castle visible from the window on a snowy day. Then the perspective shifts to Pac, Kim’s mother, who used to be a cosmetic salesperson in the past.”

“Pac, whose cosmetic sales weren’t doing well, went to sell cosmetics even to the owner of the distant, uninhabited castle. She met Edward, living alone, out of pity, and brought him home.”

“The scene where Edward, home alone while Kim went camping, falls for a photo of Pac’s daughter, ‘Kim,’ must be highlighted.”

“Trimming a pet’s fur or skillfully trimming trees in the garden to gain favor with the townspeople is a means to heighten the dramatic change in how easily people’s perceptions change later.”

“Due to Kim’s boyfriend, who plans crimes using Edward’s affection for Kim, Edward becomes a criminal. Consequently, the townspeople start seeing Edward as a villain.”

“Misunderstandings lead to the rescue of Kim’s younger brother by Edward being perceived as torment rather than a rescue. As a result, he’s chased out of the town.”

“When Kim, showing affectionate empathy towards Edward, confronts her jealous boyfriend, who returns to the castle and fights, ultimately leading to the boyfriend’s death. Kim, to protect Edward, tells the townspeople that Edward died.”

“Even to this day when Kim becomes a grandmother, Edward continues drawing Kim and making an ice sculpture resembling her.”

As Geon switched the PC screen with the ALT and TAP buttons, a poster of a scissor hand appeared. He supported his chin with his fingers.

“The hint the director gave me was, ‘The answer is written on the poster.’ But the poster has two phrases. One is ‘The man who can’t touch love,’ and the other is ‘Meeting you made my heart start beating.’ ”

Geon picked up a music sheet placed beside the desk. It was printed music for the songs written for the scissor hand.

“But why? Why does both phrases signify not the longing or painful love, but confusion? Why? What am I missing? Director Danny Elfman wouldn’t be wrong. I must be overlooking something.”

Geon grew more frustrated. Time passed swiftly, but the answer remained elusive. The promised time arrived, marking Geon’s fifth sleepless morning due to stress.

As Geon got up from the bedroom and entered his workspace, the paused scene of the scissor hand on the still-lit PC greeted him. Letting out a sigh, he sat on the chair, staring blankly at the screen.

“What are you doing?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Geon turned around to see Tim Burton in pajamas holding two cups of coffee. Geon weakly smiled and gestured him to sit as Tim offered a cup.

“Have this. What’s up with your face? The face of a handsome lad is all messed up.”

Taking the coffee, Geon sipped it hotly as Tim asked, concerned, “Is it not good?”

Seeing Geon’s puzzled expression, Tim asked again, “But why aren’t you doing anything? It’s not like you to have issues starting or continuing work. Tell me. What’s wrong?”

Placing the coffee cup on the PC table, Geon spoke with a thoughtful expression, “Actually, I’ve been pondering what the director wants to convey to the audience.”

A bit surprised, Tim remarked, “You haven’t figured that out yet? That would imply I made the movie wrong.”

Geon weakly smiled, lifting the music sheet, “Not at all, Director. The movie is brilliant enough. I’m just struggling because the interpreted Scissorhands movie and the composed music seem vastly different.”

Tim stiffened slightly, a hint of surprise on his face. Leaning forward, he asked with serious eyes, “Different in what way?”

Studying Tim’s face closely, Geon answered thoughtfully, “I believe you wanted to depict ‘Edward’s sorrow of never becoming a complete human,’ causing him to lose the person he loved. He was an incredibly pure soul, in words.”

Seeing Tim’s unchanged expression, Geon continued, presenting the music sheet, “However, the songs composed for this movie don’t reflect those emotions. Especially the part where it hints at Edward, left alone, making an ice sculpture, suggesting he’ll live forever. It’s not about beauty, longing, or eternal love.”

Slightly surprised, Tim inquired, “So?”

Geon sighed once more, deeply contemplating.

“I can’t quite grasp Director Danny Elfman’s intentions. I still feel inadequate.”

Tim Burton stared intently at Geon. Geon, having grown somewhat accustomed to Tim Burton’s actions over the past five days, remained focused on the musical score, unperturbed by Burton’s piercing gaze. Suddenly, Tim Burton grabbed Geon’s hand.

“Kay.”

Geon responded to Tim Burton’s sudden grasp of his hand.

“Yes?”

Tim Burton spoke with an oddly serious expression.

“Are you a genius too?”

Geon, taken aback by the question, furrowed his eyebrows. Tim Burton rose, chuckling.

“Haha, I was a genius. Seems like the second Hans Zimmer was right here.”

Tim Burton chuckled, nodding his head as if finding something amusing.

“Hahaha! Movies and music being so different, huh? Hahaha.”

As Geon observed Tim Burton’s curious expression, his reaction seemed somewhat off. It wasn’t a cheerful laughter but rather a laughter tinged with irony. Despite audibly laughing, his eyes didn’t reflect the mirth. Sensing this, as Geon quietly observed him, Tim Burton abruptly ceased laughing. His laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by a serious expression without a trace of the previous amusement.

Tim Burton looked at Geon with slightly bloodshot eyes.

“Exactly. Kay, you saw it accurately.”

“Yes?”

Tim Burton sat in front of Kay at the desk, playing a paused film on the PC.

“The film ‘Scissorhands’ was the first project I wrote, produced, and directed after my directorial debut with ‘Vincent’ in 1982. At that time, I was under immense external pressure.”

As Geon listened intently, Tim Burton glanced at him briefly and continued.

“The movie ‘Vincent’ failed at the box office, and I didn’t write any scripts afterward. No, I didn’t even have the chance to. After the consecutive failures of my next film, ‘Frankenweenie,’ I was only hired as a director. But I wanted to make a movie based on my script and wanted it to succeed.”

“Before ‘Scissorhands,’ in films like ‘Beetlejuice’ or ‘The Adventures of Piwi,’ the point that earned me praise was its ‘eccentricity.’ All critics praised the peculiarities I portrayed. So, even in ‘Scissorhands,’ I had to incorporate that formula, and this was the result.”

Geon asked, surprised, “This was the result?”

Tim Burton tapped the musical score on the desk with his index finger.

“This. Danny, the music director at the time, strongly opposed it, saying the music didn’t match. I pushed for this music in the film because I needed a success to have another chance at making a movie based on my script. Eventually, as the movie succeeded, Danny’s discontent subsided.”

“Wait? So, you’re saying you forcibly added music relying on eccentricity against the music director’s opposition?”

Tim Burton nodded with a grim expression.

“Yeah, that’s why I’m remastering the music for this film. As a form of apology to the deceived audience. It’s to rectify the one regret I’ll carry for life.”

Patting Geon’s surprised shoulders, Tim Burton stood up.

“Kay, you weren’t wrong. It was me, Tim Burton, in 1991, who was mistaken.”

Geon, eyes alternating between the musical score and the PC screen, suddenly glinted with determination.

“I wasn’t wrong!”

The dumbfounded Geon, previously lost in thought, transformed. The vacant look was replaced by a sharpness brimming with clarity as he ripped the musical score placed on the desk.

“Two days left. No time for multiple songs. Just one song. I’ll bet it all on the song for ‘Clay Max.'”

Alone in the studio, the sound of Geon sketching musical notes with a pencil echoed. Despite lacking instruments, he swiftly composed music on the sheets. Six pages filled effortlessly without a single block.

Geon glanced at the clock on the wall.

“Can I record and remaster within two days? Even if it’s impossible, I have no choice now. My thoughts were not wrong. I’ll create a new ‘Scissorhands’ with the music I interpreted.”

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