Chapter 210 : Got You
Chapter 210: Got You
There was someone I'd always wanted to meet again someday.
DJ Guldan.
Aside from the DJ hyungs who came to perform at Club Sierra, I didn't really have any connections in the industry that I met in person.
I didn't perform at outside events, and since I was a bit shy, I wasn't active in any communities either.
So, how should I put it?
He was someone special to me.
A respected senior in the industry.
Someone I was genuinely curious about.
Not just musically.
I even wanted to get to know him personally.
To be honest, I was a little worried too.
What should I say?
I wasn't good at English.
Should I welcome him to Korea and offer to buy him a meal?
Would that be rude?
Could someone as shy as me really get along with... not exactly a foreign friend who'd flown all the way from LA, but a colleague? A senior?
What should I even say as my first greeting?
Lost in thoughts like that, I finally arrived at our meeting place with a nervous heart.
“Would you like to get off here?”
“Yes, thank you.”
The moment I stepped out at our meeting place—
“Huh......?”
I realized every single one of those worries had been completely unnecessary.
Was this what they called cognitive dissonance?
The DJ Guldan I'd seen in the LA studio...
The man who'd seemed so intimidating...
Now stood quietly beneath the moonlight.
Beside him was an unfamiliar man with a friendly face.
One look at his slightly tilted cap and hoodie was enough for me to know.
Ah.
He's someone who makes music.
The moment they saw me, the two exchanged a few words.
Then the unfamiliar man came hurrying over and held out his hand.
“Hello. You're Blackhole, right? Wow... It's an honor.”
“Uh... Hello.”
I was caught slightly off guard, but greeted him warmly anyway.
His hand was thin, yet surprisingly warm.
The man introduced himself as DJ R.O.K.
Rock?
As in ROCK?
DJ and Rock...
It somehow sounded fitting, yet not fitting at all.
While I was thinking that—
“Not that kind of Rock. It's R.O.K.—short for Republic of Korea.”
As if he'd seen this reaction countless times before, he scratched the back of his neck with a grin.
“Ah, you're Korean?”
“Ethnically, yes. But I'm American.”
“My name's Luka Kim.”
What was that supposed to mean?
If he was Korean, he was Korean.
If he was American, he was American.
“Ah...?”
Perhaps my confusion was obvious.
Luka broke into a bright smile and introduced himself properly.
He explained that he was Korean-American.
He wasn't particularly famous, but he worked as a DJ in the United States.
He'd flown to Korea together with Guldan to serve as his interpreter.
And he was the same age as me.
He modestly described himself as “still just a baby chick.”
But that was probably just humility.
Considering he belonged to DJ Koda's studio, he was surely quite talented.
“Namsan Tower is incredible. The cable car was fun too.”
“When did you arrive?”
“Yesterday.”
Even though I'd been talking with Luka for quite a while...
DJ Guldan remained standing beneath the moonlight like a wooden guardian statue.
The moment I shifted my gaze toward him, Luka finally began his interpreting duties.
Guldan slowly walked over and stopped in front of me.
“Hello.”
After a brief greeting, he spoke to me in awkward Korean.
“Nice meet you. Blackhole-ya.”
“Huh?”
Hahaha!
Luka burst into laughter.
“No, not Blackhole-ya. It's Blackhole-ah. That's how you say it.”
“Ah? I see. Blackhole-ah.”
So...
He'd gotten the vocative particle wrong?
That aside...
Why was he calling me with an intimate form of address instead of using 'ssi' or 'nim'?
Was it just that uniquely American vibe?
Maybe he was trying to sound friendly.
Feeling grateful, I was about to change the subject when Guldan unexpectedly said,
“They called each other that in the movie.”
“You like Korean movies?”
“I watched one recently. They kept saying, 'Coco-ah. Maru-ah.' So I thought I'd say, 'Blackhole-ya.' Apparently it's different.”
Right.
Korean really is difficult.
Wait a second.
'Coco-ah. Maru-ah...'
Why did that sound so familiar?
Huh?
No way...
I asked carefully.
“Was that movie <Footprints That Became a Star>? I mean... did you watch <Stardust>?”
I'd heard that <Footprints That Became a Star> had been released in America under the title <Stardust>.
Luka answered before Guldan could.
“Ah, yes. That's exactly why we came.”
“...You came all the way to Korea just to watch a movie you've already seen?”
Even if he couldn't understand every word, Guldan must have sensed we were talking about the movie.
He suddenly joined the conversation.
“The music was truly wonderful. The atmosphere of the film too. And the fact that both music and dogs were the main characters. The two things I love most in this world are music and dogs. A movie that brings both together... Isn't that wonderful?”
At this point, it really felt like the entire world had conspired to fool me again.
Guldan had no idea I was Stay.
Yet he'd decided to travel to Korea because he loved the movie.
Because he loved the music.
“Seriously... Huh?”
There wasn't even any need to verify whether he meant it.
Guldan shyly held out his Orbit Earphones.
The screen was filled with nothing but photos of dogs.
As each picture slid by, Guldan's expression gradually changed.
He'd looked a little awkward before.
Now his face bloomed into a smile.
He really loved looking at them.
Only then did I realize.
I'd misunderstood him because he looked intimidating.
He wasn't cold or unfriendly.
He was simply shy!
See?
People who love animals can't be bad people.
“They're adorable, aren't they?”
At this moment...
He wasn't the mystical DJ who wielded spell-like performances.
He was simply an ordinary dog dad.
Photos of him rolling around with three Golden Retrievers.
Swimming together.
Traveling together.
Looking at Guldan standing beside those enormous dogs in every picture...
“They're really cute.”
“They're wonderful dogs. I already miss them.”
He no longer felt like some orcish dark wizard.
He simply felt like an older brother from the neighborhood.
Luka, who'd been listening to our conversation, tilted his head.
“How are dogs that huge still puppies?”
Size didn't determine whether they were dogs or puppies.
If they were cute...
They were puppies.
Who decided that?
I did.
“I watch every movie that features dogs. But this one was especially meaningful to me. Two of mine have already become stars.”
“Ah......”
When someone shared something like that...
I never knew what to say.
The sadness was simply beyond anything I could imagine.
Seeing my expression, Guldan comforted me instead.
“Oh, don't make such a sad face. Watching the movie helped me a lot.”
As his voice trailed off, he looked up at the sky.
Perhaps he was searching for the footprints of the dogs who'd left him.
...
Unfortunately...
No stars could be seen from Namsan.
The lights from Namsan Tower were simply too bright.
I quickly changed the subject.
“But you came all the way to Korea just to watch a movie you've already seen... Wasn't there another reason?”
“As expected. You're sharp. Actually...”
This was what had happened.
Guldan had heard that <Stardust>'s OST had been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
He'd already seen the movie several times.
But he wanted to watch it in its home country at least once.
And while he was here...
He also wanted to meet me.
He really lived life in style.
“I've already seen it three times, but I still wanted to watch it again. I even bought the OST. I also wanted to buy the album released in Korea.”
The more he spoke...
The softer his once-intimidating image became.
Perhaps he assumed I hadn't seen the movie.
Through Luka, he passionately continued explaining everything wonderful about it.
Even someone working for the film's distributor wouldn't have promoted it this enthusiastically.
“It really is a wonderful movie.”
I tried to wrap up the conversation.
But Guldan's sales pitch...
No, his appreciation...
Continued for quite a while.
“The truly amazing person is the one who created the music.”
Eventually...
He brought up Stay.
Naturally, my ears perked up.
“Haha. Is that so?”
“As you know, I love aggressive music. I'm someone who believes music should be so loud and extravagant that you can't think about anything else. But those songs... they're unbelievably gentle. Yet...”
He explained slowly.
“While watching the movie, the music didn't enter through my ears.”
His large hand rested against his chest.
“It entered here.”
“I don't even know what I'm trying to say.”
Luka, who'd been translating beside us, nodded.
“When the movie ended, he just sat there in silence for a long time. I thought he'd fallen asleep, but he was simply staring blankly at the screen. Thankfully, I couldn't get up either. I didn't want anyone seeing what a mess my face looked like.”
Guldan looked straight at me.
There was an earnest longing in his eyes.
“The composer... Stay, was it? Do you happen to know him? He's Korean, right?”
That question came completely out of nowhere.
I simply took another sip of my coffee.
This was awkward.
I couldn't exactly say I knew him.
But I couldn't say I didn't either.
Perhaps he interpreted my reaction as not knowing.
Looking up at the sky, Guldan murmured,
“I really want to meet Composer Stay someday. I just want to thank him.”
Those words struck me right in the heart.
The Guldan I knew wasn't someone who talked much.
He still wasn't.
He only spoke when necessary.
That made those words feel even heavier.
“That movie was very special to me. It felt like the music expressed everything I couldn't put into words.”
“I suppose that was probably the intention.”
“I actually liked that there was no dialogue. I think everyone felt the same. If there had been dialogue, it would've felt like the movie was explaining the emotions to me. Without dialogue, I got to fill in those empty spaces myself. In my own way. With my own feelings.”
Guldan quietly fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.
An awkward silence settled between us.
I was about to fill it...
Then stopped.
I wanted him to enjoy the lingering feeling.
Among the people walking past us...
The dogs out on walks stood out more than anything else.
That hadn't been the case before.
Lately...
They naturally caught my eye.
This was why I loved gaining new experiences.
Things I'd never paid attention to.
Things I'd never noticed before.
Suddenly...
I could hear them.
Feel them.
Just like music.
“Ah, sorry. Thinking about my dogs for a moment distracted me. I hope I didn't take up too much of your time.”
“Not at all. I enjoyed it too.”
We were about to wrap things up.
But somehow...
It felt incomplete.
Guldan hadn't come to Korea only because of the movie.
When he said he'd wanted to meet me...
Didn't that also mean he wanted to experience Korea's DJ and club culture?
So I casually brought it up.
“You said you wanted to meet Stay, right?”
“Huh? You know him?”
Weren't you just acting like you didn't?
His face practically said that.
I simply gave an awkward grin.
“If you come perform at our club, I'll arrange for you to meet him.”
“Huh?”
Whoa.
I almost thought laser beams were about to shoot out of his eyes.
The trick to dealing with an enthusiast was simple.
Appeal to their passion.
If there was one thing Club Sierra undeniably excelled at...
It was equipment.
I dangled irresistible bait in front of him.
“We've got a complete Function-One sound system.”
“Oh......”
“We can even do full vinyl sets.”
“You know how to DJ with analog?”
“A little?”
Guldan's eyes changed.
The friendly neighborhood older brother disappeared.
The sinister dark wizard returned.
The friendly version had been nice.
But somehow...
Guldan just felt more like Guldan when he looked intimidating.
“And this is a secret, but our CEO is ridiculously rich. He'll pay you very generously too.”
Guldan burst into hearty laughter.
Perfect.
Got you.
The next morning.
News that Guldan would be performing at Club Sierra threw the DJ community into chaos.
[Breaking News. Apparently Guldan is coming to Sierra.]
↳ Bullshit LOLLLLLLLLLLL
↳ Why would Guldan come to Sierra???
↳ Nope. Keep your fanfiction to yourself.
↳ Seriously, I need to quit this community. I can't stand these delusional people anymore.
↳↳ Exactly. He's Guldan. Not some festival DJ. Why would he perform at Sierra? LOL.
↳ Please stop.
Communities were always like that.
People made up fake rumors.
Wild speculation spread everywhere.
But after one photograph surfaced...
Doubt slowly turned into anticipation.
[Wait a second. I think Guldan coming to Sierra might actually be real?]
Guldan is definitely in Seoul right now. (Photo)
Source: Guldan's SNS.
↳ Huh? Isn't that Blackhole wearing the mask?
↳↳ Just because someone's wearing a mask doesn't make them Blackhole LOL.
↳↳ Why is the picture so blurryㅠㅠㅠ
↳ Looks like it's true that he's in Korea? Someone said they saw him wearing a hanbok at Gyeongbokgung Palace.
↳↳ Guldan in a hanbok? That's rare LOL.
↳ Wait a second. Isn't Blackhole's final Sierra performance that day?
↳↳ Guess Blackhole invited him. They're close, right? Yeah.
↳ Anyone going, PLEASE stream it...
After hearing the news, Kim Minsoo immediately called Taeyoon.
...Because this was the first he'd heard of it.
“Taeyoon, is what everyone's saying in the community true? Guldan's performing at Sierra? How can something happen at my own club without me knowing?”
I was actually just about to call you. Ha... Haha. I'm sorry.
“So you acted first and reported afterward?”
Ugh... I'm sorry. It just kind of happened.
“You little... Of all people, it's Guldan. What about negotiating his appearance fee? The contract? If you'd told me sooner, I could've prepared everything in advance.”
We don't need a contract.
“Huh?”
He said it's just a friendly performance, so he doesn't want any money. I'll explain everything later! We're standing in line at a famous restaurant right now, so it's a little difficult to talk. Sorryyyyy!
Beep... Beep... Beep...
This kid...
He's way too impressive!