Chapter 211 : Like a Truck with Broken Brakes
Chapter 211: Like a Truck with Broken Brakes
My trip around Seoul with my foreign friend was incredibly enjoyable.
It also made me realize all over again how little I actually knew about Seoul.
As expected, travelers always knew the best places and the best food.
We met in the morning and wandered all over Seoul until late at night.
We ended up eating five meals in twelve hours.
Which meant this was already the sixth restaurant we'd visited today.
“Hey, Taeyoon. You've got to eat well before the performance, right?”
“Stop, stop……!”
With makgeolli and green onion pancakes sitting in front of us,
I clutched my stomach and practically collapsed onto the table.
It felt like gamjatang broth was flowing through my veins instead of blood.
For someone who could barely manage two meals a day, this was pure torture.
DJ Guldan asked,
“You really are Korean?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I did a little research before coming.”
“Research?”
I wondered where this was going.
“They said when Koreans say they're full, that's just the beginning.”
I couldn't even deny it.
After stuffing yourself with meat, it's practically mandatory to fry rice in the leftover pork belly grease.
After finishing an entire pot of shabu-shabu, you absolutely have to throw in kalguksu noodles.
And after filling yourself with snacks and drinks, finishing it all off with hangover ramen cooked right there?
Today had been exactly like that.
Before coming here, we'd eaten dakgalbi and even fried three portions of rice afterward.
The staff even finished it off with a heart shape, and Guldan asked if it was some kind of love confession.
“Seoul is honestly a terrifying place.”
“What makes you say that?”
“There are way too many delicious things.”
True enough.
Korean food really had perfect balance.
Even the green onion pancake and seasoned whelks sitting in front of us now were like that.
One bite of the rich, savory pancake followed by the refreshing, spicy seasoned whelks instantly reset your palate.
“We still have a little time left…….”
As soon as the dishes were empty, Guldan opened the map again.
“There's another restaurant I really want to try. They said I absolutely have to eat chicken kalguksu. It's close to Sierra too. What do you think?”
“Nope!”
What did I think?
Absolutely not.
If I ate any more, I'd actually die.
When I put on an utterly serious expression, everyone burst into laughter.
Praying this would be today's final meal, I stood up from my seat.
Late at night, in the alleys of Bukchon.
A chilly breeze drifted through as fallen leaves rustled across the ground...
And beside me was my very first colleague in this industry.
A friend whose appearance looked rough and intimidating, yet whose heart was incredibly kind.
A friend whose thin frame hid a steadfast, dependable heart.
Ah, this was nice.
Comforting.
“Beautiful. Both the food and the night view.”
After smiling quietly for a while, I casually spoke.
“That's just how Seoul is. It surprises you the first time, grows on you the second, and by the third, you can't leave.”
“That's not true.”
“Huh?”
“I felt all three emotions from the very beginning. I really came to love it. So much that I don't want to leave.”
“Come on, you're joking.”
“This atmosphere... this scenery. It'd be wonderful if I could see it every day.”
At the end of Guldan's gaze were the tiled rooftops of the hanok houses.
Strange.
Walking through these narrow alleys made it feel as though time itself had slowed down.
“It's beautiful.”
“I think your performance will be even more beautiful, Mr. Guldan.”
Even while walking through this beautiful alley,
my mind was completely occupied with tonight's performance.
The day of DJ Guldan's special guest performance happened to be Sierra's final night.
Since I'd moved to Lunatic Beat, Sierra would also be undergoing renovations.
The club itself would remain, but it would transform into a venue focused on discovering and showcasing rookie DJs.
That decision had been based on my suggestion.
Surprisingly, rookie DJs didn't really have many places to perform.
“I've already finalized the set list.”
“Already? If you need somewhere to practice, just let me know. My studio's nicer than you'd expect.”
“I don't need practice. Nobody practices before eating a meal, right?”
Ah.
That was true.
The same went for me.
Even if I suddenly had to perform anywhere at any time, I never needed preparation.
I already had countless set lists organized in my head for every venue and atmosphere imaginable.
“I had a wonderful time today.”
“So did I.”
“You haven't forgotten your promise to take me to the park where you filmed <Stardust>, have you?”
“Of course not.”
Since he'd come all the way to Korea,
he absolutely had to visit the holy site.
“My taxi's here.”
Leaving the moonlight resting above the hanok rooftops behind us,
I watched as Guldan got into the taxi and headed back to his hotel.
This was exactly why you never truly knew someone until you spent time with them.
Who would've thought someone who looked so intimidating would turn out to be such a friendly older brother?
Chuckling to myself, I headed toward the bus stop when a DM arrived.
After checking it with the automatic translation feature—
[DJ Guldan: I wasn't joking when I said I came to like Korea lol]
I couldn't help smiling.
[Me: I could make it so you get to see this scenery every day.]
Since we'd come this far...
Should I try recruiting him?
If it were CEO Kim Minsoo, he'd probably sort out a work visa in no time.
A few days later.
The final night of Sierra.
Two men stood together on stage.
Sierra's main DJ, Blackhole.
And the dark wizard of the DJ scene, DJ Guldan.
They now stood side by side behind the same equipment on the same stage.
The audience's reaction was hotter than ever.
“No way... Guldan hates leaving recordings of his performances....”
“Blackhole! Seriously, how did you pull this off?!”
DJ Guldan's live performance was being broadcast live on YouTube.
The fact that he was performing in Korea—at Sierra, tucked away in a corner of Ilsan—had already sent shockwaves through the DJ scene.
Meeting at Aether Sound?
Sure, that could happen.
But Guldan personally coming to Korea was an entirely different matter.
He rarely even appeared at major DJ festivals.
[Club Sierra Special Live Performance, Blackhole with Guldan]
[Live Streaming]
↳ The rumors were actually true ㄷㄷㄷ
↳↳ Seriously, why is this actually happening? LOL
↳ What kind of connections does Blackhole even have? Guldan at Sierra?
↳ ㅜㅜㅜ Anyone going tonight seriously hit the jackpot. My god, it's Guldan.
↳ It's a shame Sierra's closing after tonight.
↳↳ At least Blackhole said he'll still come by sometimes hahaha.
↳ That set list is insane.
↳ Are Blackhole and Guldan doing another dual set today?
↳↳ Probably?
↳ At this point, Guldan probably came all the way to Korea just because he wanted to perform with Blackhole LOL.
↳↳ Honestly, after the way Aether Sound ended, I'd want a rematch too.
↳ Everyone, shhh!! It's starting!!!
Silence filled Sierra for a moment.
Then, as the spotlight illuminated the turntables—
“WAAAAAAAAAH!!”
The cheers were louder than usual.
Taeyoon himself seemed excited.
His deep, rich voice announced the beginning of the stage.
“Hold the Beat!”
The chat immediately exploded.
↳ LOL Guldan shows up and now he's using his deep voice? Seriously?
↳↳ For real LOL. Why's he acting so intimidating?
↳ Even a puppy gets a 50% home-field advantage in its own yard LOL. Totally different from LA.
↳↳ Seriously LOL. He's so relaxed.
↳ I think he's trying to establish dominance LOL. Guldan actually flinched. Why's that so scary?
↳ Damn, Latinos really do have intimidating faces.
↳↳ But he's kind of cute too, isn't he?
↳↳↳ You might want to get your eyes checked.... If that's cute... ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Perhaps Guldan had been stirred by Taeyoon's Signature Sound.
Not to be outdone, he answered in an even deeper voice.
“Break the Seal!”
The contrasting catchphrases only made the chat erupt even more.
Taeyoon's signature phrase, "Hold the Beat."
It perfectly represented Blackhole's DJing style.
That was who Taeyoon was.
A DJ who held onto rhythm, controlled it, and presented a restrained style of performance.
But Guldan stood at the complete opposite end.
Not someone who restrained music—
Someone who unleashed it.
"Break the Seal."
Literally, it meant releasing the seal.
That was Guldan.
Dark.
Intense.
DJing so immersive it bordered on possession.
One held the beat.
The other tore it apart.
Just those two opposing Signature Sounds were enough to make the atmosphere grow hotter and hotter.
↳ Now that you mention it, even their Signature Sounds are complete opposites ㄷㄷㄷㄷ
↳ Seriously. Opposites really do attract;;
↳ If they were the same, it'd be boring LOL.
↳ Ah... this is probably why those two work so well together....
The first track belonged to Guldan.
One of his original tracks.
A sound he had personally created and designed.
Its signature rough texture remained completely intact.
His hands were rugged.
Yet unbelievably delicate.
As if handling a musical instrument, he carefully rested them on the equipment.
Boom.
The first note dropped.
It wasn't merely deep bass.
The sheer force of the sound shook the entire club, making it feel as though the floor itself might collapse.
The audience couldn't hide their excitement.
“...I thought it was an earthquake.”
“A drum can make a sound like that?”
“I've got goosebumps. Holy... I go clubbing all the time, but I've never heard anything like this.”
Eyes filled with anticipation locked onto the stage.
Yet Guldan never rushed.
Instead, he pushed forward heavily.
Slowly.
Gradually.
The tempo wasn't fast.
The rhythm was simple.
He made the audience impatient.
Push.
Pull.
It looked like nothing more than an ordinary buildup.
The audience didn't realize it.
Within that simple rhythm, the effect processors were quietly conditioning their hearing.
Wooooooooong—
Only now...
The real performance began.
A mid-range drone spread across the room, followed by violent tearing bursts of sound.
Unbalanced hi-hats.
Intentionally off-beat claps.
Chaotic loops with no consistency.
Creaking noise.
It wasn't music so much as an act of defiance.
A process of numbing the senses, then rebuilding them entirely through sound.
The most astonished person was Taeyoon.
Simply sharing the stage with a DJ like this moved him deeply.
Witnessing Guldan's true self—something Aether Sound had never revealed—made the corner of Taeyoon's mouth slowly curl upward.
This...
This was the real Guldan.
It wasn't a challenge.
Nor was it provocation.
It was simply who he truly was.
The mesmerizing performance he'd only ever seen through videos was unfolding right beside him.
Before he realized it,
Taeyoon had become just another member of the audience, watching Guldan's DJing in admiration.
The hidden fanboy inside him slowly resurfaced.
'When the drop hits, our audience's going to lose their minds.'
This was exactly why he loved DJing.
Without a single word.
Without even changing your expression.
You could build an entire world using nothing but sound.
At this very moment,
Guldan paid no attention whatsoever to the audience's reactions.
He was simply presenting the hell he had designed.
Taeyoon understood immediately.
This wasn't DJing.
It was liberation.
Not music—
Magic.
After staring blankly for a long while, his inner thoughts nearly slipped out.
'So... so cool!'
He'd acted cool this whole time,
but maybe the one who had truly hit the jackpot was himself.
Before ever standing on Sierra's stage,
he'd watched Guldan's videos every single night, dreaming of performing beside him.
That feeling had just returned.
'...Thank goodness I'm wearing a mask.'
Standing on stage together with Guldan wasn't just another collaboration.
It meant doing what he truly loved—
With someone he genuinely admired.
And...
Having an audience cheering while watching him live that dream.
Could there possibly be anything more enjoyable in life?
While hiding his expression behind the mask and thinking exactly that—
BOOOOOOOM!
The drop exploded into existence.
Every sound burst forward at once.
Synths snapping as though electrical wires were breaking.
Kick drums that landed not in the ears—
But through the soles of your feet.
“KYAAAAAAAH!!”
Screams mixed with thunderous cheers.
The chat, which had briefly calmed down, exploded once more.
↳ WOOOOOO!!!!!
↳ I seriously want to see Blackhole's face right now.
↳ How can sounds like this even exist?
↳ My dog woke up barking after getting startled LOL.
↳ Seriously, I thought there was an earthquake. I thought my house was collapsing LOL.
↳ Damn, this is the real Guldan. Holy... He's insane....
↳ Anyone who went to Sierra tonight should honestly pay a million won each. I'm so freaking jealous ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Yet even amid the overwhelming frenzy,
Guldan never changed his expression as he controlled every sound.
He wasn't creating sound.
He was releasing it.
Eventually,
Guldan's sound came to a brief stop.
“I wonder how Blackhole's going to come in here.”
“He'll probably calm things down?”
“Yeah. Blackhole's DJing is relaxing. If he goes wild too, it might get exhausting.”
The audience at Sierra each offered their own predictions.
Up to this point, it had already surpassed every expectation.
The listeners watching live felt exactly the same.
↳ If Blackhole comes in with emotional DJing here, it'd be perfect!
↳↳ Oh, someone who knows music LOL. Even at clubs, when a ballad comes after dance tracks, people focus even more.
↳ My expectations are through the roof ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
It was a fairly predictable flow.
Guldan exploded.
Taeyoon stabilized things.
Guldan ignited the crowd.
Taeyoon soothed them.
Just like they had at Aether Sound.
But—
'This is insane... Maybe this was the kind of DJing I'd always wanted to show.'
Watching Guldan's performance at Sierra awakened a wild instinct Taeyoon had never known existed.
Ziiiiiiiiing—
Taeyoon placed his hand on the turntable.
This was Sierra's final performance.
Wouldn't it be boring if it ended like this?
A smile slowly appeared beneath his mask.
The chilling smile of someone who had been walking a tightrope—
And willingly cut the rope himself.
He wasn't going to shout his Signature Sound anymore.
Tonight,
he wasn't going to hold the rhythm.
He was going to let it loose completely.
The audience sensed it immediately.
“...Is that really Blackhole?”
“Why did his sound suddenly become so sinister?”
Taeyoon began rampaging—
Like a truck with broken brakes.