Chapter 67: The Three Musical Ghosts

– Even if they take off their makeup, people don’t recognize them on the subway? (Shy) (Laugh) (Full makeup)

Occasionally, celebrities say things like this in interviews.

It is possible.

Because the impression seen on TV and the impression seen passing by on the street can be quite different.

So, while it might be different for a top idol, recognizing Pantheon, who are still rookies, should be difficult—

—or so it should have been.

“Isn’t that Pantheon? Demon God Sun-woo?”

“Huh? You’re right? He looks exactly like he does on YouTube!”

“He’s handsome….”

Pantheon had public recognition thanks to unintentionally comical videos.

And the one who shone the most in those videos was undoubtedly the Demon God.

The net cast by the YouTube algorithm was this dense.

Moreover, even though it was a weekday, there were many students in front of Hongdae.

It only took a moment for one or two people to recognize him.

Then, everyone’s attention was drawn just as quickly.

“It’s Pantheon!”

“Wow, it’s my first time seeing them in real life!”

People started gathering around Pantheon bit by bit.

“Is this your first time? Join the fan club.”

“Kyah! He really talks like that!”

The Demon God considered drawing worship from the gathering crowd.

“Sun-woo, no. It’ll cause a commotion.”

Tae-young jumped out of the van and stopped him immediately.

“That is true.”

That was exactly what the Demon God wanted.

Blocking the path between himself and the other members inside the van with the crowd.

However, if too many people gathered, someone could get hurt. Since he declined such an occurrence, he decided to cut it off here.

“Right, Sun-woo. Just get back in the van for now—, huh?”

While Tae-young retreated to the van, the Demon God leaped onto the roof of the building at the alley entrance in an instant, reaching the second-floor roof.

“Is, is that—, possible with a human body?”

“Is, is he Spiderman?”

Disregarding the members’ astonishment, the Demon God gave a vague excuse from the roof.

“If I enter the van now, we must wait until the people disperse. It does not suit my temperament. I shall go ahead first, so follow when the commotion settles.”

“Sun-woo!”

The Demon God turned his body.

The buildings here aren’t high. Jumping from roof to roof, the destination, the practice room, is close.

On the other hand, quite a few people had already gathered near Pantheon’s van.

“Good, perfect.”

There was no need to show the members the scene of conversing with spirits.

Unless there was a specific purpose, it was much more convenient to go alone.

Having finished assessing the situation, the Demon God turned his body without hesitation.

“Now, let us see what kind of magnificent masterpiece awaits.”

With song acquisition difficult due to Izm’s interference.

It would be good if it was a song usable as an idol song.

If it could become the title track of the next album, it would be even better.

“That way.”

A dark and ominous shadow gleefully leaped over the buildings.

***

Thud!

Creeeeeaaak—

It looked like a firmly locked door, but with one strike and a push, it opened with a metallic screech.

The metallic sound echoed for a long time in the empty, dark underground practice room.

“……”

Once the last echo faded, there was only silence.

That place Zion told him about, the abandoned practice room in Hongdae.

It was said that someone’s song could be heard even though no one was there.

A masterpiece that cannot be remembered, a melody that cannot be captured….

Such rumors circulated.

So, the Demon God had no choice but to visit.

Crunch, crunch, with the sound of stepping on the floor, the Demon God advanced to the center of the practice room. Standing there without turning on the lights, it was just quiet.

Only the musty smell typical of a neglected basement wafted heavily.

Unlike the rumors, this space was devoid of any sound.

“Come out, all of you.”

The Demon God commanded briefly.

Then, voices that shouldn’t be heard in this empty place rang out.

– Tsk.

– Were we caught?

– Shh, just stay still for a moment.

Of course, the Demon God wasn’t one to let that slide.

“I can hear everything. Do not make me drag you out, come out at once.”

– Damn, caught!

– Ah, yes!

– Oh dear! It’s because he said to stay still!

Spirits who had been holding their breath since the moment the Demon God appeared hurriedly manifested in front of him.

A male spirit with long hair wearing a studded black leather jacket.

A female spirit wearing a long cardigan with geometric patterns.

A male spirit wearing a flashy suit heavily encrusted with sequins.

Anyone could see that three spirits of different genres were here.

“I was not told there were three?”

He came here to obtain a masterpiece.

There wouldn’t be multiple masterpieces in one place, yet there are multiple spirits?

Was this a false rumor?

As the Demon God frowned slightly, the three spirits held onto each other and trembled.

– Eek! Don’t kill us! Yo!

– Scary! I’m sorry!

– Aigoo, please spare us!

“Spare you?”

The last remark was a bit absurd.

“Are you not already dead and become spirits?”

– Uh, right…?

The sequin suit who said that didn’t seem very bright.

“So, what are you?”

– Yes?

The spirits looked at each other, and the leather jacket hesitantly opened his mouth.

– My name is Kim Su-ho, 25 years old at the time of death, resided near Hongdae and—

“Stop! That is not what I wish to know!”

The leather jacket didn’t seem very bright either.

“I heard a ghost story that a haunted masterpiece can be heard in this practice room. So I came to acquire the masterpiece, yet there are three spirits. What are you?”

The Demon God asked just in case.

Seeing three of them gathered, they seemed unrelated to a masterpiece, but perhaps one of them was the one.

However, hearing the Demon God’s business, the three souls spoke to each other.

– A masterpiece, he says? Hey, did you guys hear?

– Sounds like our story?

– Oho, but haunted…, ah, are we the ghosts?

“?”

Seeing these guys chattering about whether the haunted masterpiece story was about them, they didn’t seem unrelated to the song.

“Confess in detail.”

At the Demon God’s command, the cardigan introduced them.

– Then, for now, you can call us Rock, Indie, and Trot.

Seeing them introduce themselves with nicknames for convenience, the cardigan seemed the brightest among them.

Be that as it may, the genre classification was exactly as their fashion suggested….

Black jacket was Rock, long cardigan was Indie, sequin suit was Trot.

“It is convenient to address you, at least.”

The Demon God conversed while observing the three spirits.

“So? Does this mean the three of you composed it jointly?”

Since they asked if the haunted masterpiece wasn’t ‘our’ story earlier, he naturally thought along those lines.

Composing as a team wasn’t uncommon.

However, the three spirits looked at each other’s faces.

– Ugh! With these guys? Yo? No way! Yo!

– These people…, we don’t really see eye to eye….

– Aigoo? These things don’t know anything.

They were each looking down on the other two immensely.

“Then? If not joint composition?”

At the Demon God’s question, the three spirits raised a hand simultaneously.

– Me! It’s me!

– It’s me.

– It is I!

“What?”

The masterpiece belongs to all three?

– Hey, you punks. He said masterpiece. Isn’t that my story? Intense rock that strikes the brain!

– Well, you could see it that way. But couldn’t it also be seen as noise pollution?

– Eh hey, no way. Our people are fundamentally full of excitement, I tell you. Bbong-jjak bbong-jjak bbong-jja-ja-jjak-jjak.

The spirits squawked at each other, claiming to be the owner of the masterpiece.

Suddenly, the Demon God felt a sense of incongruity.

“Surely not.”

He observed the spirits throughout the conversation.

Those three were petty spirits, no matter how he looked at it.

In other words, they lacked the ability to materialize their songs enough for people to hear.

At best, it would be noise.

Even if people came to the abandoned practice room, they couldn’t properly let them hear the song.

Then the masterpiece—

“It was a false rumor.”

Sigh.

Urban legends were like this.

Most turned out to be nothing when verified.

Perhaps the music insider who entered here was just bluffing to others. No, it’s not even certain if anyone entered in the first place.

The Demon God asked for confirmation.

“They say that even if people enter here and hear the song, they don’t remember it when they go outside. Who did that?”

– Huh???

All three looked as if they were hearing it for the first time.

– Uh? Was it me?

– Well, would an idiot have such an ability?

– Puhuhuhuhuh!

As expected.

They were just petty spirits living in the abandoned practice room….

“Understood.”

– Yes?

“Sing diligently. We shall not meet again, so farewell.”

The Demon God turned his body without hesitation.

– You aren’t killing us?

“I told you, you are already dead. Ascend slowly while singing. Or disappear.”

Petty spirits with no malice towards humans.

It would be fine to let them disappear after singing a bit more.

Just as the Demon God was about to leave the practice room, admiring his own generosity.

– Just a moment.

“?”

Audaciously, one spirit called the Demon God to a halt.

– Please wait just a moment!

– Indie?

Beside Indie, Rock and Trot whispered in surprise.

– What are you doing? He says he’s leaving.

– What are you saying, now? Not just letting him go!

However, Indie shook off Rock and Trot’s hands and said what she had to say.

– Please! Please listen to our songs!

The Demon God paused for a moment.

“Hm?”

Listen to the song?

Is there actually something?

Hearing Indie’s plea, Rock and Trot also suddenly changed their attitudes.

– Right! Yo! Listen before you go! Yo!

– Indie is right! Please listen!

The Demon God asked.

“You, do you actually possess a song?”

– Of course! Yo! Just listen once and go! Please!

– We’re tired of playing it for ourselves. Please.

– Aiyu, there’s no excitement without an audience!

It seemed they were just songs they scribbled by themselves.

‘Lingering attachment, is it.’

Are these guys unable to leave because they want to let an audience hear the songs they made?

The Demon God is perfect as their audience.

Because the Demon God can hear their songs, which ordinary humans cannot, very well.

“……”

The Demon God remained silent.

The three spirits also shut their mouths.

Rock, Indie, and Trot instinctively realized that simply making a request to a being of such high stature was incredibly rude.

However, for a moment, music overtook fear. For the spirits, this one song was everything.

That was why they couldn’t hold back and blurted it out.

Even if he said he would annihilate them right now, they had no way to stop him.

– Ugh—

– Please—

– Just once—

They could only plead.

In the meantime, the Demon God made a decision.

‘Is it because I am undergoing the idol punishment? I seem to be becoming somewhat lenient towards such lingering attachments.’

He decided to listen to the song.

Though it was a request from trivial petty spirits, the Demon God somehow found himself granting it.

“Sing.”

– Yes???

“Quickly, before I change my mind.”

– !!!

The three spirits jumped for joy.

No, they actually jumped. Being in spirit form, their heads even touched the ceiling.

Facing the moment when their long-standing regret would finally be resolved.

– Then! I will start first!

Rock changed into the coolest rocker expression the Demon God had seen so far.

Thus.

The first song flowed out.

“……”

A moment later, the Demon God was inwardly quite flustered.

‘It’s a real masterpiece?’