Music Secrets at Nakwon
"Suyeon, please... could you keep it a secret? Pretty please?"
"Keep what?"
"That..."
At the question, Iseo's mind blanked for a second. Doesn't she know? That I don't want anyone finding out? If she was playing dumb like that, maybe saying "Don't tell anyone!" would just make it spread even faster? Or was she calculating it all, pretending not to know so she could gossip about it at school later?
"Don't tell anyone about what?"
"...Uh, y'know, that I do music."
After all that convoluted overthinking, Iseo finally spilled it. Watching her, Myeongjeon thought, What the hell is this about...?
"Don't tell anyone you do music?"
"Yeah."
Suyeon glanced away for a moment before nodding. Iseo let out a huge sigh of relief.
"But why do you want me to keep it quiet?"
"Well... y'know, it's kinda embarrassing, right? If word gets out like 'She's into music!' and I'm not even that good at it."
Myeongjeon had a pretty good idea what she meant. He couldn't relate at all, but he'd heard similar stories from his lesson students. Something like, 'I got teased for playing guitar when I suck, so now I'm here to actually learn.'
But for someone saying that, her outfit sure doesn't sell it... Coming to a place like this in a school uniform that shows off her figure? Kinda kills the credibility. Then again, his students were the same. To him, they screamed 'Notice me, I play guitar!' but got hurt when ignored. Teenagers are all like that, huh...
With that thought, Myeongjeon spoke up. "Kids that age love picking on anything. No need to sweat it."
His words hit Iseo like, What the hell is she talking about?You're the same age as them. Why's she talking like she's above it all?
"No, I'm the one who's bothered. 'Cause I actually suck."
"Nobody starts out good."
"...Anyway!"
The more they talked, the weirder it felt, so Iseo cut it off quick. "Never mind me. Why're you here, Suyeon?"
"Buying an amp."
"An amp? You do music too?"
"...Something like that."
Only then did it click for Iseo why Suyeon had agreed to keep her secret so easily. As far as she knew, Suyeon's connection to music was about the same as any high school girl's to karaoke rooms. And now suddenly she's into it? Enough to buy an amp at Nakwon Arcade?
"No way! You're in the same boat as me, Suyeon. Ah! I worried for nothing. Thought everyone knew and I was freaking out."
Maybe from the tension release, Iseo suddenly slapped Suyeon's shoulder. Myeongjeon felt pretty wronged even though she'd promised to keep quiet.
"So, what do you play, Suyeon?"
"Guitar."
"Guitar? What kind? PRS? John Seymor? Colt? Or Goofwood? Squier? Hex is cheap and good these days, right? Did you get one of those?"
These days, there were so many solid budget guitars~ this one's great, that one's awesome. Iseo chattered on excitedly, giving Myeongjeon a headache. Why is she so damn talkative? Are all high school girls like this?
"Fender."
"...Fen-der?! You don't mean Strat, do you?"
"Fender. Yeah."
Iseo was dumbfounded. No amp meant she was probably a total beginner. But a Fender?! She'd heard Suyeon's family was loaded, but buying a Fender for a starter guitar...?
"Mexi-Fender? J-Fender? Or maybe USA?"
None of those—it was a Custom Shop—but does she really need to go there? Myeongjeon gave Iseo a side-eye and didn't answer.
But Iseo thought the opposite. Well, can't be helped~ Beginners don't know this stuff.
Iseo had always wanted to get close to Suyeon. She'd met her once through a mutual friend, but Suyeon had been in a bad mood that day, acting way colder than now, so it hadn't worked out. No chances since, so they'd stayed distant.
She seems like she's just starting music lately. If I teach her, maybe we can bond? Gotta start with the basics.
"Looks like you bought without knowing. Mexi-Fender's Mexico-made, J-Fender's Japan, USA's America. Originally it was just USA, but now they have J and Mexi. The differences between USA, J-Fender, and Mexi are..."
Blah blah blah. Iseo launched into unasked-for explanations nonstop. Myeongjeon wanted to plug his ears but couldn't.
"So basically, guitars split into Gibson and Fender. Fender's got Telecaster, Stratocaster; Gibson's Les Paul, SG. Those four are the big ones. Then Gibson has Flying V, Explorer; Fender has Jazzmaster, Jaguar..."
The unsolicited lecture dragged on. And full of inaccuracies, it was torture for Myeongjeon's ears. Even if you didn't know instrument history, calling the Tele the first electric guitar? Come on.
To shut her up a bit, Myeongjeon asked, "What do you play?"
"Me? Bass. Jazz Bass!"
"So what're you here for?"
"EQ. Wanna try one out."
And then silence again. Until the gates of hell reopened.
"Ah! You might not know. EQ is like..."
"Welcome."
"Hi~"
The shop owner's greeting. Iseo chirped brightly, while Myeongjeon just nodded vaguely and eyed the amps.
He needed a home practice amp first off.
"Looking for something?"
"Amp for home use."
"Then something like these Marshalls or Voxes would work."
The owner pointed to practice amps around 100,000 won.
"Those are fine~ Beginners always start cheap anyway."
"Exactly. No need for pricey stuff at first."
Myeongjeon shook his head. They were perfect for total newbies practicing at home—no recording or gigs in mind, just basic sound and testing effects.
But not for him. Practice was one thing, but live sound mattered too. Those amps would never satisfy on stage.
"Got any dual-channel amp heads? Good ones. Tube sound. I'll take a cabinet too—deliver that."
"Hmm... picky, huh? Yamaha made some a while back. Let me check stock."
As the owner scratched his head and searched, Iseo sidled up to Myeongjeon.
"Who told you to get an amp like that?"
"Nobody. I just need it."
Iseo was speechless for a sec. Not a home practice amp—a real one? So she knows her guitars after all?
Remembering her earlier bragging about Mexi-Fenders, J-Fenders, EQs, effects... If she's shopping for this, she must know the basics.
Her face burned as Myeongjeon took the Yamaha amp—a dual-channel with virtual modeling for tube tones. Just haggling left. He glanced at Iseo—face red, probably realizing what she'd done...
"You could've said something."
Iseo's words after they arranged delivery and stepped out. Myeongjeon just chuckled.
"Well, I'm gonna head out now—"
"What? You made me wait, so you wait for me."
Face still flushed, she strode off first, scanning shops. Couldn't just ditch her, so Myeongjeon followed.
Iseo barged into stores asking, "Can I try this?" and tested most EQs in reach.
They usually don't let you... She didn't look like a buyer—just demoing to buy online later. But somehow the vibe was "Go ahead, try it!"
Myeongjeon watched blankly, then got it. That short, tight skirt hinting at everything. Bare thighs. The owners' sneaky glances.
Pathetic old pervs... Granddaughter-age girl and they're ogling? Or maybe she knows and does it on purpose? Kids these days are open about that stuff. Dressing like this for perks...
Classic old-man thinking from Myeongjeon.
After about eight shops—Iseo jamming bass, owners peeking at thighs—Myeongjeon, idly browsing, spotted something.
"Huh."
His old model. Sovtek Big Muff fuzz. Civil War edition, too. Pristine condition, just like his used to be...
No way—that's mine.
The one on his pedalboard the day he died. Exact match. Heavy metal scratch under the button, half-faded Sharpie settings under the knobs.
"Oh! This young lady knows her pedals. Big Muff! A classic. Especially this one..."
The owner nearby grabbed it at the noise.
"Just came in. Sovtek Big Muff—Electro-Harmonix's owner founded Sovtek, so they could make it. This Civil War version matches the first Sovtek Big Muff circuit but with a unique design..."
Blah blah on pedal history. But Myeongjeon heard none of it.
Only one thing: "Just came in."
"Uh, boss."
"Yeah?"
"Anything else come in with this?"
"Nah... Looking for something specific?"
Myeongjeon shook his head instead of answering, lost in thought.
So my pedalboard's out there circulating? Not tossed? Does that mean I can get my old setup back?