Chapter 6 Part 2: Paradise

“Su-yeon, please… can you keep this a secret?”

“What?”

“Well…”

Yi-seo froze, her thoughts momentarily halting. Did Su-yeon not understand? That she didn’t want anyone to know? But then again, if she explicitly asked her not to tell anyone, wouldn’t that make it more likely for the secret to spread? Or was Su-yeon being cunning, pretending not to understand so she could spread the rumor later at school?

“What do you want me to keep secret?”

“…That, uh, that I play music.”

After a whirlwind of complex thoughts, Yi-seo finally confessed. Watching her, Myeong-jeon thought, What is she talking about…?

“You don’t want me to tell anyone that you play music?”

“Yeah.”

Su-yeon looked away for a moment, then nodded. Yi-seo sighed in relief.

“But why don’t you want anyone to know?”

“Well… it’s just… kind of… embarrassing, you know? If people find out, and I’m not even that good…”

Myeong-jeon thought he understood.

He didn’t agree, but some of his students had said similar things. Something like, ‘I’m here for lessons because I was teased for playing guitar when I’m not even good at it.’

‘But for someone saying that, her outfit is… something else.’

Wearing a school uniform, especially one that showed off her figure, in a place like this undermined her argument. His students were the same. They’d practically scream, ‘I play guitar, notice me!’ but then get hurt when people noticed and dismissed them.

Teenagers. Myeong-jeon sighed inwardly and spoke.

“Kids will always find something to tease you about. You shouldn’t worry about it.”

Yi-seo was taken aback. What is she talking about? she wondered. Aren’t you the same age as them? Why are you talking like you’re different?

“But I care. Because I’m not good.”

“No one’s good from the start.”

“…Anyway!”

Sensing the conversation getting weirder, Yi-seo quickly changed the subject.

“Forget about me. Why are you here, Su-yeon?”

“To buy an amp.”

“An amp? You play music too?”

“…Something like that.”

Yi-seo finally understood why Su-yeon had so readily agreed to keep her secret.

As far as she knew, Su-yeon’s relationship with music was limited to karaoke. But she was suddenly playing music? Enough to buy an amp at Nakwon?

“What! You’re in the same boat as me, Su-yeon! I was so worried for nothing! I was freaking out, thinking everyone would find out.”

Relieved, Yi-seo suddenly slapped Su-yeon’s shoulder. Myeong-jeon, who’d been hit despite promising to keep her secret, felt quite wronged.

“So, what do you play, Su-yeon?”

“Guitar.”

“Guitar? What kind? PRS? John Suhr? Cort? Or Gopherwood? Squier? I heard Hex guitars are good and affordable these days. Did you get one of those?”

So many good, cheap guitars these days~ This one’s good, and this one’s good… Yi-seo chattered excitedly, and Myeong-jeon’s head began to ache. Why was she so talkative? Were all high school girls like this?

“Fender.”

“…Fender?! You don’t mean a Squier, do you?”

“Fender.”

Yi-seo was stunned. Judging by the lack of an amp, she must have just started. But a Fender?! She’d heard Su-yeon’s family was well-off, but buying a Fender as a beginner guitar…

“MIM? MIJ? Or is it MIA?”

It was none of those, a Custom Shop model, but Myeong-jeon didn’t feel like explaining, so he just glanced at Yi-seo and remained silent.

But Yi-seo interpreted his silence differently.

‘Well, it can’t be helped~ beginners don’t know these things.’

Yi-seo had wanted to become friends with Su-yeon. She’d met her once through a mutual acquaintance, but Su-yeon had been in a bad mood that day and acted differently, so they hadn’t really connected.

Since then, there hadn’t been an opportunity to get closer.

‘She must have started learning music recently. Maybe I can become friends with her if I teach her stuff? I should start with the basics.’

“You probably bought it without knowing much. MIM is Made in Mexico, MIJ is Made in Japan, and MIA is Made in America. Originally, there were only American Fenders, but now there are Japanese and Mexican ones. The difference between MIA, MIJ, and MIM is…”

On and on Yi-seo went, spewing unsolicited information. Myeong-jeon wanted to cover his ears, but he refrained.

“So, basically, guitars are divided into Gibson and Fender. And Fender has Telecasters and Stratocasters, while Gibson has Les Pauls and SGs. Those four are the main ones, and then Gibson also has Flying Vs and Explorers, and Fender has Jazzmasters and Jaguars…”

The unsolicited information continued, much of it inaccurate, and Myeong-jeon’s ears ached. Even if she didn’t know much about the history of musical instruments, how could she say the first electric guitar was a Telecaster?

To try and stem the flow of information, Myeong-jeon asked,

“What do you play?”

“Me? I play bass! Jazz bass!”

“Then what are you here to buy?”

“An EQ. I’m thinking of trying one out.”

Silence returned.

And then, the gates of hell reopened.

“Oh! You might not know this, but an EQ is…”

“Welcome!”

“Hello~”

The shop owner greeted them. Yi-seo responded brightly, but Myeong-jeon just nodded curtly and looked towards the amps. He needed an amp for practicing at home.

“What are you looking for?”

“An amp for home use.”

“Then a Marshall or a Vox would be good.”

The owner pointed to some practice amps in the 100,000 won range.

“Those are good~ beginners should start with affordable ones.”

“That’s right. No need to buy something expensive when you’re starting out.”

He shook his head.

The recommended amps were, as they said, good for beginners practicing at home. Just for making sound and experimenting with effects pedals, not for recording or performing.

Myeong-jeon didn’t need something like that. Practice was important, but so were live performances, and those amps wouldn’t produce a satisfying sound on stage.

“Do you have any dual-channel amp heads? Something decent. With a tube sound. I’ll also buy a cabinet, and you can deliver that.”

“Hmm… you’re looking for something specific. Yamaha had one, I’ll check if it’s in stock.”

As the owner scratched his head and searched, Yi-seo approached Myeong-jeon.

“Who told you to buy an amp like that?”

“No one, I just need it.”

Yi-seo was momentarily speechless.

‘She needs a real amp, not just a practice amp? Does that mean she knows something about guitars?’

She suddenly recalled all the things she’d said about MIM, MIJ, MIA, EQs, and effects pedals, trying to sound knowledgeable. If Su-yeon was looking for something like this, she must have some basic knowledge about guitars…

As Yi-seo felt her face flush with embarrassment, Myeong-jeon received the Yamaha amp from the owner. It was a dual-channel amp that simulated a tube sound using digital modeling, exactly what he wanted.

With only the price negotiation left, Myeong-jeon glanced at Yi-seo. Her red face suggested she’d realized what she’d done.

“You could’ve told me.”

Yi-seo said this after they left the shop, having arranged for delivery. Myeong-jeon just chuckled.

“Well, I’ll be going…”

“What are you talking about? You waited for me, so now you have to wait for me.”

Saying this with a flushed face, Yi-seo walked ahead and started browsing the other shops. Myeong-jeon couldn’t just leave her like that, so he followed.

Yi-seo confidently entered each shop, asking, “Can I try this?” and started testing almost every EQ she could find.

‘They don’t usually allow that…’

She clearly looked like someone who would just try things out and then buy them online later. But strangely, the shop owners kept encouraging her to try things.

Myeong-jeon watched her idly, then suddenly understood why. Her short, tight skirt and exposed thighs. The shop owners’ lingering gazes.

‘Shameless, absolutely shameless…’

These old men, ogling a girl young enough to be their granddaughter. Or perhaps it was intentional? Young people these days were more open-minded, apparently. Maybe she dressed like this knowing it would give her an advantage. Myeong-jeon thought.

A truly age-appropriate thought for him.

After visiting about eight shops, with Yi-seo constantly playing bass and the shop owners subtly eyeing her thighs, something caught Myeong-jeon’s attention.

It was the exact same model he used to own. A Sovtek Big Muff Pi fuzz pedal. The Civil War model, no less. Moreover, it was in pristine condition, just like his old one…

‘Wait, that’s mine.’

That was the fuzz pedal on his pedalboard the day he died, his main fuzz. It looked exactly the same. A deep scratch under the button and faded marker writing under the knobs, indicating his preferred settings.

“Oh! This young lady knows her effects pedals. A Big Muff! A classic. Especially this one…”

The shop owner, hearing his exclamation, came over and picked up the pedal.

“…Came in recently. This is a Sovtek Big Muff. The original Big Muff was made by Electro-Harmonix, and the president of Electro-Harmonix actually founded Sovtek, so they were able to produce it. This version, called the Civil War, has the same circuitry as the first Sovtek Big Muff, but with a unique design…”

The owner rambled on about the history of the pedal. But Myeong-jeon didn’t hear a word.

Only one phrase registered in his mind:

“…came in recently.”

“Excuse me, sir.”

“Yes?”

“Did anything else come in with this?”

“Uh… no. Are you looking for something specific?”

Myeong-jeon shook his head and fell into thought.

‘Does that mean my pedalboard is still out there? Not thrown away? Could I rebuild my old setup?’