1968 Conqueror of American Rock - Chapter 169



Only Noblemtl

169. I’d Do Anything For You (1)

Kevin and Stella came back with good news. As expected, my worries were unfounded.

Not only did they get permission to marry, but they were treated very warmly throughout their stay. The older brother was already saying “mother-in-law” naturally. Unlike his older sister Stella, the five younger siblings were said to have been very affectionate and liked to call her “brother-in-law” and “brother-in-law”.

I was happy as if it was my own business. My brother was left alone in the world because of the war. Thankfully, he accepted me as his younger brother, but it was always just my brother and I. If I could become a family with my sister Stella’s noisy family, it would be the happiest thing for my brother.

“Gona. Did you have a good time at Namsho?”

“Kevin, both of our instruments were voted best!”

Annie, who was the most popular star on the show, answered in his stead, feeling excited.

“I heard Annie’s performance was great, haha.”

“Thank you, hehe. But I can’t believe you two are actually getting married. When will it happen? In the US or in Korea?”

Stella smiled shyly at Annie’s barrage of questions.

“Of course it should be done in Korea. No matter how much we have advanced into the US and are active, it would have been difficult to get to this point if it weren’t for the people in Korea.”

Many faces came to mind. My colleagues from Hansung Heungup Helper, the Shodan family, Mr. Shin Jeong-seok, Director Lee Yeong-chun, Luna Club, officers from the 8th US Army, and even the commander…

“I will never forget the people who came to my father’s funeral. Of course, there are many people in the US to thank, but I think it is right to do it in Korea.”

Sister Stella’s eyes turned red and her voice trembled.

“Sister, are you going to do it wearing a hanbok?”

“If I had relatives, I would do it in a Korean style, but since most of the people coming to the wedding are members of the 8th US Army, I would like to do it in a Western style.”

Annie, who said she had no interest in things like marriage even if she died, stuck right next to Stella and kept nagging her.

I wanted to give them both a meaningful wedding gift.

* * *

Jake finished his show and went to his big brother’s residence in Watertown, New York. I told him the good news as soon as I saw him.

“It turned out really well. I knew it would work out well. The wedding will be held in Korea, of course.”

“Yeah, as you know, we started in the 8th Army.”

“When the date is set, be sure to tell me first.”

“Why is that?”

“If you tell your father, you can have the ceremony at the Yongsan Garrison Military Community Center of the 8th US Army. I’ve been there once and it’s a really great place.”

“Really? As expected, the son of the commander of the US Forces in Korea has good connections, hahaha!”

There are many people who have helped us, but Jake was by far the best.

“Jake, what did you give your older brother for his wedding?”

“Ah… … That’s because the age gap between us is so big, I was only in elementary school when my older brother got married. I was still in middle school when my younger brother got married, haha.”

Oh, Jake was the youngest son.

“I want to give him a meaningful gift since he is my only brother. Not just an object, but something that only I can give him, something that will be remembered for a lifetime… .”

“Then why are you worrying? The answer is already out there.”

“Huh? What… … .”

“James, that’s what you do best. It’s music. You can write a song for Kevin and Stella as a wedding present. It’s something only you can do. It’ll be a memory they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”

“I’ve thought about that too, but can I really write a love song?”

Before I came to the past, I was a member of the 5-po generation who had given up on dating, marriage, children, interpersonal relationships, and owning a home. It’s not that I’ve never been in love. I’ve loved someone too. But love has always been infinitely weak in front of money.

What can I, someone like me, say about love?

“Um… … It doesn’t have to be a sweet love story. The songs you make are probably more rock-oriented, so it wouldn’t suit you. How about making good use of classical music instead?”

“It’s a classic… … .”

I thought back to the fairy tales I read as a child. First of all, there were some stories with princes and princesses.

“Thumbli the Little Mermaid, Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince, Beauty and the Beast······.”

I just blurted out whatever came to mind.

“Huh? That’s good. Beauty and the Beast.”

Actually, I only knew the title of Beauty and the Beast, but I never read it properly.

* * *

“Beauty and the Beast? Of course I know. I read the storybook to my younger siblings every day at church. I read it so many times that I have it all memorized.”

As expected, Angela was the best at fairy tales.

“James, what books have you been reading? I’m curious to know how you make songs.”

It’s a bit hurtful, but unlike what she looks like, Annie read quite a bit of books when she was young. I read Hot Music so much that I know it by heart…

“Annie, James must have had a lot of different experiences than we do. That’s why he writes unique songs. Who else could write lyrics like ‘21st Century Hippie Girl’?”

“That’s right. The Black Festival too. Anyway, he’s a strange guy, hehe.”

Wait, Lynx. From now on, I’m going to pack a bundle of books and take it with me on every tour.

“First of all, Beauty and the Beast is a story based on a folktale. That is, it is a story that has been handed down, so there are various versions. The first written version is a fairy tale book written by Madame Gabrielle Suzanne de Villeneuve in France in 1756.”

Angela recited Beauty and the Beast to Annie and me as if she were reading it to her sisters in church.

Long, long ago, a shabby old woman came to the prince’s castle, offered him a rose, and asked to stay for a night. The prince ignored her and refused her offer. In an instant, the old woman turned into a witch and put a curse on the prince.

“You don’t know love! I curse you!”

The prince transformed into the form of a beast.

“This magical rose will completely wither and lose all its leaves on your twenty-first birthday. If you find true love before then, the curse will be broken. If not, you will be condemned to live the rest of your life as a beast.”

Living with such a vicious face, he allowed a lost merchant to stay overnight in his castle. However, the merchant picked a rose from the garden without the castle lord’s permission. The castle lord was furious when he saw this. The merchant fell down and begged.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I thought you’d be happy if I gave it to my beautiful youngest daughter… … I have committed a mortal sin. Please forgive me.”

“Then give me your youngest daughter and I will spare your life. If you lie to me and run away, your entire family will never be safe!”

Angela imitated the Beast’s voice as if telling a story.

Belle, the youngest daughter of a merchant, willingly went to the Beast’s castle to save her father. The only way to break the witch’s curse was through ‘true love’. However, the Beast did not know how to love truly.

The Beast proposed to Belle every night to marry him in order to return her to her original form. However, Belle was afraid of the Beast’s terrifying appearance and refused his proposal.

One day, as those days were repeating themselves.

Belle feels sorry for the Beast. She realizes that behind his scary appearance and rough behavior, there is a warm human heart, and she begins to feel drawn to him.

“So in the end, the two of them felt true love for each other, and the beast’s curse was lifted. He returned to his original handsome face.”

“So Belle married the prince and they lived happily ever after, that’s how it’ll end.”

“that’s right.”

“Anyway, all children’s fairy tales have the same ending. Why are they all about marriage?”

This negative guy.

“Thank you, Angela. You really helped me out.”

“I’m glad it helped. But I think it would be a really cinematic song to write about Beauty and the Beast.”

Angela folded her hands together and smiled with crescent eyes.

“Then, the song will be sung by Kevin and Stella?”

Annie asked absentmindedly.

“No, of course you should sing the song.”

“Really? Well, then I can do it······.”

The guy had a good look on his face, but he pretended to be calm.

I had planned the song from the beginning with Annie singing it. It would be a rock opera of quite a large scale, and Annie is the only vocalist who can handle it.

“But shouldn’t Kevin and Stella be the ones calling you as a wedding present?”

“No, the two of them will appear as main characters in the music video.”

A wedding gift should be of this scale.

* * *

I stopped by the hotel to say hello to Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore, who were told they would be returning to England soon.

“It’s a shame. I’m going to really miss the California sunshine when I go back to England.”

John spread his arms wide and enjoyed the sunshine.

“Still, I have to go and work on the song quickly while the idea is still fresh, haha.”

Richie was so impressed by the collaboration of the three keyboard players at Namsho that he borrowed paper and pen on the spot, drew out the staff, and started notating. Siyoon drew the score for him for the parts he couldn’t remember, and Angela added a few more ideas and gave him a picture score.

“James, wouldn’t you envy an orchestra with just those two girls?”

“But it’s still very different from a real orchestra. In fact, I think it would be nice if a real orchestra appeared in the song I’m working on right now.”

I let them both know about the song I was planning as a wedding present for my brother.

“We’ll have to wait and see when the song comes out, but if it’s a wedding gift, wouldn’t it be spectacular if a real orchestra not only plays the song but also appears in the music video?”

“Yes, I think so too. But neither we nor Kings have any connections with the Real Orchestra.”

In fact, if you give them money, you can get it somehow. But the key is whether a regular orchestra can get along well with a rock band. Deep Purple had a successful collaboration with an orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl last August.

I was aiming for that.

“James, you may not know, but our band performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra last year. The response was pretty good. That performance made you think positively about performing with a rock band. Should I ask you to do it?”

As expected, Ritchie Blackmore was a man of loyalty.

“If you could do that, I would be so grateful!”

“You must have seen the Christmas parade last year. I think you might want to spend more time with James. Haha.”

Ritchie Blackmore’s face, seen on live footage and in magazines, always had a serious and profound expression. Who knew he could smile so much?

“I bet you’re so happy that your little brother is preparing such a wonderful event.”

“Kevin is my everything. If I hadn’t met him, I would still be living on the streets like a beggar.”

Yes, that’s right.

God gave me a second chance.

And He sent me another person who was exactly like my beloved Hanseong.

‘I know how to read people. I like you. If you don’t have anything else to do, would you like to work with me?’

‘Gona, do you really want to be my little brother?’

I still vividly remember the first time I met Kevin and became his younger brother.

In my past life, I always received from my brother Han Sung. When he married his wife, I was broke and couldn’t even give him a decent gift. When my nephews were born, I was in debt and went from nightclub to nightclub.

And on the day the typhoon struck.

I couldn’t save my brother until the end.

I think God sent my brother back to me to give me a chance to repay the favor I received from him.

I can do anything for my brother.