1968 Conqueror of American Rock - Chapter 162



Only Noblemtl

162. Share Your Heart (12)

“You······Yoonseul Band?”

It was a long-awaited word I heard after such a long time.

“Siyoon, what on earth is going on······.”

“Dad, I met you at the street festival today. My brother James wanted to eat ramen, so we came to the store together, but the door was locked, so we came here.”

“Oh, I see.”

He jumped up from his seat and offered me a handshake.

“I am Si-yoon’s father, Park Cheon-deuk. That guy over there is Sangga Prosperity Association Chairman Lee Deok-ho.”

“Hello, Siyoon’s father, President Byeongseong. I am James Choi from Yunseul Band. Please speak comfortably, both of you.”

Elderly people who are accustomed to Korean culture may find honorifics uncomfortable.

“Then······is that so?”

Annie and Angela also greeted the two of them.

Shiyoon’s father ran down to the store and brought out ramen, and Shiyoon poured water into the pot.

How long has it been since I smelled this ramen?

Inside the Prosperity Association office, there was a lot of Korean writing and Korean items, just like in Korea. It was only a 10-minute drive from Sunset Strip, but there was a little Korea in America.

Koreatown at that time started out as a single commercial building.

“Okay, here goes Park Si-yoon’s ramen, haha.”

Siyoon put the steaming pot of ramen down on the table. Mr. Lee Deokho took out bachelor kimchi from the refrigerator and put a generous amount on a plate and placed it on the table.

“Wow! It’s bachelor kimchi!”

Annie was more excited than when ramen came out.

It had been a long time since the kimchi sent from the members’ hometowns had run out, and the pickles did not satisfy the Korean palate at all. Stella was the only one who knew how to make kimchi, but she said she was too busy these days and that it was hard to get salted seafood here.

Ajak.

“Wow, this is really so delicious! It’s been a while since I’ve had bachelor kimchi like this.”

Annie grabbed the bachelor kimchi with her hands and chewed it, not caring at all about the red seasoning on her lips.

“Haha, that pretty girl is eating very well, contrary to her appearance.”

“That’s right. I thought you wouldn’t be able to eat things like kimchi.”

The adults seemed to really like the way Annie was eating. It was as if they were looking at their own children.

Although he looks mixed-race on the outside, he is Korean to the core.

“Hehe, I hear that a lot.”

As soon as he said that, he started slurping and slurping.

“Ugh, it’s spicy······.”

For American Angela, it was her first time eating ramen. She also ate bachelor kimchi with a lot of red pepper powder, and her white face turned red like a mailbox and she even shed tears.

“Here, water. It must be too spicy for Angela.”

I filled an empty bowl with water and washed the noodles and kimchi.

Mr. Lee Deok-ho brought some cool shikhye for Angela.

* * *

Annie and Angela went out to see Koreatown with Siyoon’s guide, and I talked with my father at a store. It was just a small hole-in-the-wall store with only the sign saying ‘Arirang Supermarket.’

“Our Siyoon?”

“Yes, I think he is talented enough.”

“I want to do whatever my daughter wants to do. But my piano teacher said that she should study classical music in order to get a scholarship. My son is a very good student, so he got a scholarship and went to college. But Siyoon doesn’t seem to have the talent to study, and as you can see, we can’t afford to send him to college······.”

Even though they immigrated to the United States, they were typical Korean parents.

In the United States, which would later be called the nation of the rich, most people, except for a very small number of people at the top, live their entire lives paying off loans until they die. Therefore, ordinary college students go to college with student loans.

The future Korea I experienced was like that, but in the US, long before that, loans were not an option but a basic necessity in life.

Shiyoon’s parents probably didn’t want to leave that heavy burden on their children.

“The lesson fee must be quite expensive.”

“A piano major at a Korean church recognized Siyoon’s talent when she was young, and has been teaching her for free ever since. She even lets Siyoon play the piano at home, and she loves Siyoon so much. I’m so grateful that I almost drop dead when I hear the teacher’s words.”

Even if Siyoon gets a scholarship to study classical piano and goes to college and graduates, it can be a really tough job unless he becomes a world-class pianist. However, the popular music market is a completely different world.

Deep Purple’s Jon Lord also majored in classical music, but became successful in a rock band. Van Halen also started out in classical music at a young age, but became very successful in the pop and rock markets.

I can see that Siyoon has talent for authentic classical music, but I honestly don’t know if she’ll be successful. The most important thing is that she doesn’t find it fun.

“Then, Father, would you mind leaving Siyoon in my care just for the winter break?”

* * *

“Wow, this is ramen! Where did you get it?”

Hyun Sang cheered when he saw ramen for the first time in a long time.

“I went to Koreatown today. I bought some at the supermarket there. From now on, whenever I want to eat Korean food, I’ll go there.”

“Do you also sell things like kimchi stew and soybean paste stew?”

It was Jungseop’s favorite food.

“Yeah, they sell most Korean food. You can think of it as a little Korea.”

I was a little surprised because the location was a little different from the Koreatown I had been to in the past and it was so small. I saw an interview with a Korean family on TV the other day and I knew that Koreatown still exists today. I was thinking about going there after the festival and that’s when I found out about Siyoon.

“I wanted to buy a few boxes, but since it was a small store, there wasn’t much in stock. Instead, the head of the shopping district prosperity association gave me a whole container of bachelor kimchi. I think you guys will drool as soon as you see this.”

“Haa, this won’t work. Jungseop, I’ll have to pour out the soju I saved today.”

“Okay, hehe.”

“I’m going to have a drink today too! James, stop nagging me!”

Come to think of it, Annie liked to drink. But when the band started in earnest, she only had a little champagne or beer once or twice a year.

“Just give me one drink.”

“Oh, what brings you here, old James? Yeah, let’s all have some ramen and soju together today!”

Annie hummed as she poured the ramen water, Hyunsang chopped the green onions, I put some bachelor kimchi on a plate, and Jungseop set the spoons.

I boiled one serving of water in a separate pot.

“What are you going to do with that?”

“Oh, Angela couldn’t eat much earlier because it was spicy. Make it like a banquet noodle. Sister Stella taught me how to make anchovy broth.”

“Oh, that’s so detailed. James Choi~”

Annie said teasingly.

“Thank you, James.”

Angela smiled shyly.

“Angela, can you crack one egg and fry it thinly for me?”

“Yeah, I’m confident about that.”

After a while, a simple but delicious dinner was ready. Hyun-sang Hyung brought some soju that he had personally imported from Korea.

“I never thought I’d end up pouring all that soju I’ve been saving and saving into ramen, haha.”

Hyun Sang-hyung, who was a heavy drinker, hardly drank alcohol except on special days to maintain his stamina. Even on days when he did drink, he drank just enough to feel good.

“After all, the most delicious drink in the world is the one you drink after holding it for a long time. Angela, have you ever tried drinking alcohol?”

“I have tasted the Eucharistic wine in the cathedral.”

“This is the soju of South Korea.”

Annie was so excited that she poured us all some soju.

“Now, cheers!”

Chae-Ang.

“Ugh. This is it, this is it. The drink I held back from drinking. How is it, Angela?”

“Run.”

“Our Angela can’t eat kimchi, but she drinks soju well, hahaha!”

We started eating the ramen one by one. Angela also enjoyed the ramen made with the noodles.

“But I haven’t seen Stella much lately. It would have been nice if we could eat together.”

“Kevin, it’s hard to see your face. James, didn’t you say that American companies are a bit quiet in December?”

Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Kevin much lately.

“My brother is busy with stocks and real estate in addition to work.”

The lynx narrowed its eyes.

* * *

Angela! Angela!

Christine! Christine!

In just a few days, Angela and Siyoon’s piano battle against each other became a hot topic, comparable to a major performance. Just the street performance drew a large number of people to cheer on Christine and Angela.

When Jack was introduced in the popular busking corner of the special program ‘Share Your Heart’ that he runs for a month, more audiences gathered in the square.

The two performers took turns playing the same song in their own styles, competing and collaborating. Among them, the ‘quick play competition’ was so exciting that it made the audience’s hearts race.

Angela glanced at the other side, clearly trying not to hit faster than Siyoon.

Siyoon’s face looked happy the whole time she sang pop songs while delicately mixing in classical elements. It’s not that Siyoon didn’t like classical music. She just didn’t like playing classical music.

“Annie, you teach me how to sing.”

“Yeah, Siyoon is a kid who plays an instrument, so she has precise pitch and rhythm. If you just fix her vocalization, she’ll get better in no time. But the piano is no match for our Angela. Right?”

“Still, your sense of combining it with pop is amazing. It’s great to see so many people like it.”

The festival went smoothly. There were occasional commotions with police cars coming and going across the street, but fortunately, it was nothing major. Still, thanks to Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Kiss, many people came to the South Line.

“It felt like a really long month, but next week is already the last. I’m really looking forward to Christmas. That’s because we have to film the helicopter.”

“Director Robert Smith is working on it right now, so I think it will yield good results.”

Hollywood is the largest film industry center in the United States, and filming takes place 365 days a year. Although it is a large city, it is not difficult to obtain permission for aerial filming for filming purposes.

* * *

December 25, 1970.

In the last week of the December holiday season, even larger crowds gathered for street festivals. Not only ordinary people, but also various human rights groups and anti-war protesters took to the streets holding pickets that said “Share Your Heart.”

Various media outlets and broadcasting stations also began to cover the story.

Among the mixed crowd of people of all ages and genders, there were a few Asians holding picket signs.

“Honey, Eugene, hold my hand tightly and don’t let go. Deokho, be careful not to break your expensive camera.”

“Don’t worry, hyung. I’ll take some really cool pictures of our Siyoon.”

Park Cheon-deuk asked Lee Deok-ho to take a photo of his daughter in the parade. He held onto his wife and son’s hands tightly, fearing that he might get separated from his family in the crowd.

“Honey, I can’t believe that our Siyoon is singing with famous celebrities.”

“You saw our daughter on TV, haha.”

“That’s right, Mom. These days, all the kids my age watch KMTV. Since I appeared on there, my friends only talk about Siyoon. Actually, I didn’t tell Mom, but Siyoon doesn’t really like traditional classical music. I think it would be okay for me to join a company called CW early.”

“Sister-in-law, CW is a company founded by Koreans, and I found out that the CEO is a very upstanding young man. I have a friend who works in the 8th US Army, and he has been known for his hard work and sincerity ever since. He is so popular that other entertainment agencies want to hire him.”

Shiyoon’s mother, Han Geumja, knew nothing about music. She had faith only in the teacher who taught her daughter piano for free, whom she met at church.

I never dreamed of becoming a famous pianist. I just thought that if I graduated from a music school and ran a small school, I could live well without getting my hands dirty like I did.

However, following her husband and son, even the president of the prosperity association, Lee Deok-ho, is trying to convince her that it is right to accept James Choi’s proposal.

She didn’t believe it at first either. But when she saw her daughter appear on TV, playing the piano and singing freely, she seemed happier than ever.

“Mom, Dad, Mister. I think it’s starting over there.”

A huge trailer decorated in Christmas spirit approached slowly from a distance, protected by police motorcycles. A military band with flags marched in formation at the front.

A helicopter flew over the huge procession.