* * *

Life was full of surprises. Anything could happen if you lived long enough. Limon had lived longer than most and knew that better than anyone, so he could usually take the unexpected in stride. But right now, he couldn't contain his curiosity.

"How did things end up like this...?"

[How else? Because our wonderful Team Leader came to visit his friend.]

"No, I mean, what did I do?"

[Do you really have to ask?] Yu Na-gyeong sounded incredulous.

"Would I ask if I knew?" Limon scowled. All he'd done was open the café door and walk in.

The only problem was that the moment he entered, Mr. Jeong, Eugene, and a crowd of dozens of people had practically dragged him onto the stage. They'd even thoughtfully put a guitar in his hands.

"Eugene's got music on the brain, fine. But why is everyone else so desperate to make me play?"

[Because you haven't been here for a week, Team Leader.]

"So what?"

[So all these people have gone half-crazy after a whole week without hearing you play.]

"What, is my playing a drug? They're making all this fuss because they couldn't hear it for one lousy week?"

[At least they could pay for a drug. The problem is, they can't hear you play even if they're willing to pay.] Na-gyeong grumbled.

It hadn't been this bad at first. Excellent as Limon's playing was, it still fell short of top-tier musicians like Julia. And in an age when music skills had produced a wealth of elite musicians, it wasn't enough to make him stand out.

[Especially when your friend's singing was even further behind.]

"Hmm. I'll give you that."

The issue was Eugene. Unlike Limon, whose technique was already polished, she was still an inexperienced singer. Her technique couldn't quite do justice to her natural instincts and feeling.

Then Mr. Jeong had started giving her basic vocal training during her free time and days off from the live café. Of course, it was only the basics—simple exercises anyone could do. But the result was explosive growth.

[Birds of a feather really do flock together... How does someone change that much after just a few days of training?]

"They say three days is enough to see a man in a whole new light."

[There's still a limit!]

In truth, Na-gyeong had a point. Eugene was much like Limon. With the physical abilities of a Sword Master and the sensitivity he'd gained from the Violin of Deepest Black, Limon had absorbed Julia's lessons in no time. Eugene, gifted from birth and seasoned by years as a street musician, needed only a little training to awaken her potential.

Her progress had been so steep that anyone comparing her singing now to a month ago would struggle to believe it was the same person. Plenty of people came to the live café just to hear Eugene sing. Of course, what the customers looked forward to most was still a live performance with Limon playing alongside her.

[And why did your playing have to get even better on top of that?!]

"My playing hasn't improved."

[Then why does it sound so different?!]

"I haven't gotten better. Now that she sings better, I've stopped holding back."

[To the audience, that's the same thing.]

Limon sounded unimpressed. When Eugene's singing was still rough, he'd focused on filling its gaps. Now that she'd mastered the basics and those gaps had narrowed, he could finally concentrate on bringing out the best in her voice. That was the only difference, but it had transformed his playing.

It was like going from pushing someone's wheelchair to riding a tandem bicycle together. His technique couldn't help but change. And the result of Eugene's newly evolved singing combined with Limon's unrestrained playing was right before them: a live café packed so full that people were lined up outside, taking numbered tickets to wait their turn.

[Did you know people even scalp tickets for days when you visit the café as a customer?]

"... What kind of crazy talk is that?"

[It's not crazy. It's true.] Na-gyeong's reply was sharp. Even now, plenty of people were bustling around outside the café offering to sell their tickets.

Unlike Eugene, who performed every day, Limon only dropped by when he had time, so chances to hear him play were rare. He was practically a rare monster.

Limon refused to accept any responsibility for that. Instead, he cursed the person he blamed for the whole thing.

"Damn it. Some idiot uploaded a video of us without asking..."

[It was a student. They weren't using it commercially, either. They said they only meant to share it with friends.]

"And it leaked, causing all this, didn't it?"

[They came to the café to apologize, remember? They deleted everything they shared, too.]

"What good does that do? It's already spread everywhere. Everyone's seen it."

It had been an accident, but in a way, it had also been inevitable. Their performances had grown so popular that one café customer had filmed a show and shared the recording, which then leaked.

The video itself was a mess. Shot on a smartphone, it shook all over the place, and the echoing audio sounded terrible compared to being there in person. But it was enough. A video titled 'Just Your Average Café Gig in Korea.avi' spread far and wide until it reached the real-time trending searches.

"Don't kids these days have anything better to do? What's there to see in that video that they'd watch it all the way up to number ten on the trending list?"

[How old is your information? That video hit number one ages ago.]

"... It's already reached number one?"

[A long time ago.]

"But why?"

[Why do you think? Your live performances are that addictive, Team Leader.] Na-gyeong pointed out bluntly.

In a sense, she might have been the greatest victim of their performances. Her first reaction had been pure admiration. But after following Limon around and hearing every performance, she could now hear their music in her head whenever she closed her eyes. No skill was involved, yet once you heard them, you never forgot. Their music had a strange magic: the more you heard, the more you wanted.

[That's why people are going crazy trying to meet you and your friend.] Na-gyeong spread one wing wide. It pointed out the window, toward the crowd gathered in front of the café.

"I said I'll pay! How much do you want? Five hundred? A thousand? Name your price, just come over!"

"How vulgar! You think you can hire artists with money? Let's talk this over with some class. Talk, I said!"

"Mr. Jeong! How about a joint coupon promotion with my shop?"

"Come on, that's cheating!"

"Hey, forget about recruiting them and get in line! We've been waiting an hour. You can't just cut in!"

"Ahem. I'm not cutting in. I'm from an entertainment guild..."

"I don't care. Get in line!"

There were neighborhood business owners from every trade, customers who'd come solely for the show, and even representatives from entertainment guilds. Countless people jostled together, all shouting over one another. It was an absolute madhouse.

But the loudest voice belonged to someone else. "Today's show is over, so please go home! We're not taking encore requests! Mr. Hwang, Mr. Kim, that means you too! Please, just go home!" It was the live café's owner, Mr. Jeong. Until recently he'd been delighted by sales that were going through the roof. Now dealing with every kind of person had left him looking gaunt.

If there was a problem, it was that Eugene and Limon had become too famous. More customers were welcome. The flood of entertainment people? That had been inevitable ever since Chief Moon of the WIM Guild noticed them. The real problem was the neighborhood shop owners, who'd flocked over after hearing the café's sales had grown dozens of times over. If Jeong turned them away coldly, he'd be treated like an asshole around the neighborhood. If he let them stay, they looked ready to stage a protest demanding that the whole shopping district share Limon and Eugene.

It felt like only yesterday they'd whispered that his empty café would soon go under. Now they were going on about how everyone in the same shopping district should benefit together. It made Jeong's blood boil.

"Will you just leave already?!" His patience finally gone, Jeong shouted at them. The neighborhood owners mobbed him, invoking his age and lecturing him about decency, while onlookers gleefully filmed it all. Limon clicked his tongue.

"That's the end of today's show."

[Is it just me, or does it look like it won't stop at today?]

"Why don't you curse us while you're at it?"

[The truth is always hard to hear.]

Na-gyeong puffed out her plump belly with a smug air, and Limon clicked his tongue again. Just then, Eugene returned from her mission to plunder a sandwich after their first set, claiming she was hungry.

"Partner, what are you doing? Aren't we getting ready for the encore?"

"I don't know. I don't think we'll be able to do it."

"Huh? Why?"

"Can't you see?" Limon glanced toward the window. Eugene followed his gaze, saw Jeong outside, nearly grabbing someone by the collar as he argued, and tilted her head.

"What's that got to do with our show?"

"What's the point of performing with all this going on? At this rate, he'll have to close the place altogether."

"So? Why does that matter?"

"Huh?"

"Whether the boss gets arrested for fighting or the café closes, a performance is still a performance. Why should we care about any of that?"

It didn't matter whether anyone was listening. If they could sing, that was enough. What else was there to worry about? Limon gazed at Eugene for a moment, then chuckled and nodded.

"You've got me there."

"Got you where?"

"You've reminded me why I can't enjoy music the way you do."

"Huh? You don't enjoy music, partner?"

"Enjoyment isn't really why I play."

"...???" Eugene blinked at him blankly, plainly unable to understand. Limon chuckled and added one more thing.

"Besides, I didn't actually come to play today. I came to tell you something."

"Tell me what?"

"I probably won't be able to come here at all for at least a month."

"Then what about our shows?!"

"We can't do them."

"Oh my God!" Eugene's face fell at once, like a child told Christmas had been postponed until next year. Limon gave a small laugh.

"Don't look so disappointed. We can perform together another time."

"Partner, that would be another show. We can only do today's show today."

"What's that supposed to be, carpe diem?"

"Experience. Whenever I put off making music, I always ended up unable to do it."

"That's because if you didn't sing today, you'd starve tomorrow." Limon's reply to her earnest words was deliberately mean.

"If it matters that much, want me to promise I'll play with you all night next time I come?"

"Really?"

"I don't go back on my word."

"Okay! I'll let you off for today, then!" Eugene agreed with a beaming smile.

Then, as if the thought had just occurred to her, she asked, "But partner, why can't you come for a month?"

"Hmm. Nothing much. Looks like I'll be busy doing some righteous wrongdoing for a while."

"...???" He was saying he'd be busy doing bad things. As Limon's mouth curled into a mischievous grin, Eugene could only stare at him with question marks practically floating over her head.