Devil’s Music

Chapter 171: The Flower that Bloomed in the Earthquake

In the screen, Geon was not the Geon that Shihwa knew. His face, smeared with tears and his eyes filled with urgency as he moved an injured person to an ambulance, resembled that of someone who had lost their family. The scene shifted, revealing a man wailing as he rummaged through the rubble. The man, who had been digging through a particular spot, suddenly sat down with a thump and cried out. Among the debris that looked like a house, a hand with a ring on it was visible. The man sat there, crying sorrowfully.

The screen faded to black, and the distant sound of a guitar began to play, overlaid with the melancholic cry of the guitar and a flute sound that Shihwa and Yeongha had never heard before. The flute's music, evoking the serene clouds of the Himalayas, merged with the sad guitar, transforming into a profoundly sorrowful melody.

The scene changed again to a cute girl with large, tear-stained cheeks and big eyes looking into the camera. The girl stared at the camera with sad eyes without blinking, and a soft voice resonated behind her appearance.

The name of staying deep in happiness is despair

Our dyed poison of despair

The voice, presumed to be a man's, was hoarse and cracked, as if he had been singing after crying all day. It stirred Shihwa's heart because it felt like the voice of the man who had found his wife in the rubble.

The scene switched to a woman, cradling a deceased baby wrapped in a swaddle, shaking its hand as if trying to wake it, and looking around with a tear-stained face for someone to help.

Hello? Goodbye...

A small word that I do not want to say falls on my feet without power

Yeongha started sobbing. The heartbreaking plight of the people and the music that spoke of them plunged Yeongha into an abyss of unbearable emotions. Shihwa, too, was glaring at the TV, pressing her reddened eyes with both hands.

The scene switched again, showing nurses and doctors with blood on their faces, moving the injured against the backdrop of a school. Doctors, devoid of time to wipe away the sweat, performed surgery outdoors without hospitals or medical equipment, their faces weary.

When your last is rising from the night you are in

Despair ties endless sighs to this land

The scene changed again to Geon's face, covered in dust, with a vacant look in his eyes as he sat in front of the base camp, staring at the distant mountains. The dust mingled with the tracks of his tears, adding a mystical atmosphere as his gaze met the snowy mountains afar.

clear spring sprang up in the land that was destroyed by the quake

The camera panned away from Geon sitting on the cliff to reveal the village of Gorkha behind him, devastated by the earthquake. The screen gradually zoomed out until the clouds concealed the view, fading to white before black text appeared.

clear spring sprang up in the land that was destroyed by the quake

The screen turned black again, switching to an interview where Geon, looking exhausted and resting his head powerlessly against the wall, spoke without looking up.

"God said that giving us despair is not to kill us but to bring forth new life among us. Please let the children know that the only refuge from despair is not giving up on the world."

Geon left these words before his head drooped as if he had fallen asleep. The screen faded out to a black background with UNICEF's logo in white letters.

"For donations. UNICEF homepage"

After lingering on UNICEF's logo, the screen returned to the emergency disaster news broadcast. Yeongha turned to Shihwa with tears, and Shihwa began to cry as if the sky had fallen.

"Waaaaah!!! Brother~~~"

Shihwa ran into the room crying. Yeongha, wiping her tears with a tissue, saw Shihwa putting on her shoes as she came back out crying. Yeongha asked her.

"Where are you going?"

Shihwa, holding her bankbook, said while swinging it.

"I'm going to send all the money Brother sent me, Waaaaah"

Yeongha slapped the floor with her hand and shouted.

"It's Sunday today, get a hold of yourself!"

Shihwa stopped crying, looked at the calendar, then ran back into her room, crying again.

"Waaaaah!! I'm going to check the website~~"

The aftermath of Geon's broadcast was enormous. The first to move were ordinary people who had seen the advertisement. Regardless of the amount, the number of people sending their spare money gradually increased. As individuals began to move, so did corporations, and then nations. The United States, Russia, and China were the first to move, offering full support at the national level. Especially, the President of the United States burst into tears while watching Ge

on's advertisement with reporters at a press conference.

Many celebrities moved to ride the trend, but many also came with sincere hearts to volunteer. Although there were celebrities who complained of hardship and lost their initial intentions, most people sincerely hoped to help. A month later, over 100,000 volunteers had gathered at the reconstruction site of the Gorkha village in Nepal.

From individuals coming with the simple desire to help, to corporations prominently displaying their brand advertisements, everyone's assistance was undoubtedly reaching the locals. Many people visited Geon, who was staying at the base camp, just to thank him. A grandmother who held Geon's hand for a long time and looked at him tenderly before leaving, and a man who brought Korean food, claiming to be a Korean tourist, were among them. Geon gratefully accepted everyone's help.

Yeongseok captured these people on camera with a warm smile, but his expression soured at the whispered words of an AD.

"What? Why is that guy here?"

"It's almost election time for the National Assembly, he must have come to make an impression."

"Ah, he should have just made a charitable donation to a homeless person near his house, why did he have to come all the way here, ah"

Stressed, Yeongseok lit a cigarette. Watching him puff away, the AD whispered softly.

"He's coming."

Yeongseok hurriedly snuffed out his cigarette at the sight of a middle-aged man with half his hair gone, wearing a bright fluorescent vest with "New Freedom Country Party" written in large letters, smiling broadly with a group of young men in suits and sunglasses surrounding him as if to escort him. The man extended his hand to Yeongseok with a big laugh.

"Hahaha, you're going through a lot of trouble in a foreign land. I am Jo Byung-guk of the New Freedom Country Party."

Yeongseok shook his hand awkwardly, smiling.

"Yes, what brings you all the way here, Congressman?"

"Haha, what do you mean! Our country's young people are suffering like this, and we, who live off the nation's taxes, must naturally come and see! Hehe, where's Kay?"

"He's Korean, so you should call him Mr. Geon Kim, Congressman. Kay is what foreigners call him."

"Heheh, calling him Kay makes it easier for foreigners to recognize him, and it'll help with the fundraising, right?"

"Ah... Yes... He's inside the tent."

"Haha, then I'll go see Kay, ahem."

As Jo Byung-guk waited at the entrance of the tent, Yeongseok watched him go inside, then turned to Jo Byung-guk when he looked back at him. Jo Byung-guk asked with a questioning look.

"Aren't you filming?"

"Excuse me? What do you mean?"

"Aren't you here to film for the broadcast, Mr. PD?"

"Oh, yes, but I'm filming a variety show, not news."

"Hehe, even better, isn't it? A congressman appearing on a variety show. Young voters will love it, haha. Let's go in."

Yeongseok rubbed his face with his hand and quietly instructed the AD.

"Just... bring a camera and pretend to film..."

The AD nodded and picked up the camera himself. Jo Byung-guk, who had no idea that an AD, not a cameraman, had entered, opened the tent door and called for Kay with a big smile. After talking with Geon for more than 10 minutes, Jo Byung-guk left the tent with a pleased expression. He looked around for Yeongseok, but Yeongseok was hiding behind the tent, puffing on a cigarette. Slightly upset that Yeongseok did not wait for him, Jo Byung-guk coughed and disappeared, allowing Yeongseok to emerge.

"Rotten pig."

Yeongseok cursed as he extinguished his cigarette, and Geon and the AD came out of the tent. Yeongseok saw Geon smiling and asked.

"Why are you out? You haven't rested much, have you?"

"I'm fine now. It was hard because of the blisters on my feet, but after I burst the last one moving rocks, it doesn't hurt anymore after applying medicine and bandaging it."

Yeongseok looked Geon up and down, then pointed in the direction where Jo Byung-guk had disappeared.

"Did you just talk to that congressman and come out? Why are you smiling? Weren't you upset?"

The AD chimed in from the side.

"Yeah, even though we were filming, his secretaries were taking so many photos... I saw them posting on SNS even before they left the tent."

Geon looked at Yeongseok and the AD alternately, smiling.

"Whatever the reason, it's not important to me. What's important to me is how

much they brought. I'm not a keyboard warrior sitting in front of a PC in Korea. Judging their intentions doesn't help me at all. As long as they lend a hand, even a small one, and contribute even a little to the fundraising, I'm just grateful. Because it's turning into food for the children starving right in front of my eyes."

Yeongseok clicked his tongue and said.

"This guy is becoming a saint, not just an adult, as he gets older, huh?"

>

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