"There doesn't seem to be a decent music store nearby. What should we do? Should we go to Jongno first or eat first and then go?"

His Mother was disappointed that there weren't any good music stores nearby. She said that the search only showed results for Jongno in the vast city of Seoul. She lamented that there must be decent places nearby, but she just didn't know about them.

However, in Halo's opinion, going to Nakwon Music Mall wasn't a bad choice. Originally, when purchasing instruments, one should visit the store in person and carefully inspect their condition before buying. No matter how mass-produced at the factory, the sound and touch can differ.

If custom orders weren't possible, it was better to try them out directly and choose.

Originally a marketplace for street vendors, Nakwon Music Mall became famous as a music instrument mall around 70 years ago when music stores started moving in one by one. So it could be considered a department store dedicated to musical instruments.

He honestly couldn't quite picture it.

He had been to streets with music stores before, but never a department store consisting solely of music stores. He had high expectations.

Of course, a piece of bread is better than the birds singing.

"Let's eat first and then go."

"Okay. There's a burger place that just opened nearby, shall we go there? It's from a famous overseas chef and they let you choose how well you want the steak cooked."

"Sure."

It was usually crowded, but they lucked out and got in quickly. The burger set costing around 30,000 won tasted decent.

Fresh lettuce, and handmade patties instead of the usual kind. Taking a big bite, Halo's eyes widened.

The food he had eaten here had never been bad. It made him wonder if the food from his hometown that he had eaten his whole life was actually wrong.

'Well, maybe tasty food has emerged over time.'

After finishing their meal, they were about to head straight to Jongno when...

"Excuse me, your little brother looks great in those coats."

"Little brother? Haha."

"Aren't you siblings? I just assumed you were close siblings since you look so young..."

Somehow they ended up shopping on the upper floors of the department store.

Actually, shopping itself wasn't so bad.

Since he didn't want to just wear his school uniform, buying his own clothes was interesting and fun.

But only for the first couple times.

Having always worn clothes brought from others, Halo quickly lost interest in shopping.

He was starting to want to just go to Jongno already.

He felt like his stomach would be grumbling again before they even got to Jongno.

But his mother was in no state to be dissuaded.

Graciously accepting the employee's excellent flattery, she picked out clothes for No Haeil.

His mother and the employee chatted amiably.

Leaving them to their enjoyable time, Halo turned to look at himself in the department store mirror.

No Haeil was outfitted in a whole new set of clothes from the undershirt to the coat and shoes.

Halo brushed up his bangs. They were starting to get long enough to poke his eyes annoyingly.

It seemed about time to get this shaggy fringe trimmed.

Holding up his bangs, Halo briefly admired No Haeil's skin.

As expected of a child, his skin was nice.

No worries about wrinkles or freckles, and instead just a light peach fuzz.

No drinking, no smoking - a true young child.

Come to think of it, this might be the first time he's looked so closely at No Haeil's face.

After staring for a while, Halo turned away.

#

They arrived at Nakwon Music Mall just before sunset.

It was after 4 PM, so the mall interior with the backlighting was quiet and serene. Aside from the distant sounds of instruments, it was mostly silent.

That is, until two people who looked like thugs walked in.

Having imagined a department store, Halo was surprised to see the store owners coming out and trying to lure them in when they entered, like a street market.

"Come in and browse our instruments, miss!"

"Are you looking for any particular instrument? We have everything from wind instruments to pianos, and even drums upstairs."

As they entered, people who had been idly watching their phones or TVs suddenly perked up. People calling out to them, people staring intently.

With no other customers around at this hour, all the attention was focused on them.

"Which store should we go into?"

Halo looked around the mall.

Gazing at the displayed guitars in the windows.

A few of the store owners whose guitars he was examining called for him to come over, but he paid them no mind and just kept walking while looking at the guitars in the windows.

Watching him just breeze by had Park Seungah wondering if this was the right approach.

Maybe it would be better to just go inside and look?

By then, Halo had stopped in front of one particular store.

It was an old store at the very back of Nakwon Music Mall.

With its musical instruments, weathered sign, and antique wall clock, it gave off an old-fashioned vibe.

The display cases had everything from sleek red electric guitars to acoustic guitars. While the displays weren't too different from other stores, the unique streamlined electric folk guitar tucked away in the corner stood out.

'A bit similar?'

Halo tilted his head.

It wasn't exactly the same, but for some reason the white-bodied streamlined guitar that Gibson had custom-made for Halo came to mind.

"You've got a good eye, kid."

Spotting a customer, an elderly man came out of the store.

The bespectacled elder looked like a true craftsman at first glance.

Nakwon Music Mall didn't just sell instruments wholesale, but also did repairs, so there were surely some true artisans here.

"That guy is the best one we got here."

"It does seem that way."

While every store had guitars on display, looking at the string condition, it was clearly just for show purposes.

Of course, the strings could just be replaced, but judging by the body, Halo didn't think they would produce the right sound for his music.

There were a few similar to the one No Haeil had.

Ah right, Halo realized No Haeil must have bought his guitar here.

"Does this one appeal to you, Haeil?"

His mother, who had been browsing the violins and other string instruments, came over to ask.

"It does catch my eye, but I don't need a folk guitar right now."

"Then?"

"Could I take a look at the electric guitars?"

At Halo's question, the elderly man gestured toward the interior.

Indicating there were more instruments inside.

Halo obediently went inside.

"Over here are the archtops, and over there the solid bodies. We only deal in those two types of electric guitars at our store. What are you looking for?"

"A solid body."

"Then you'll want to head that way."

Tapping the body with the back of his hand, Halo followed the elderly man's guidance.

"Here we have the Fender style. Famous for being used by the well-known Jimi Hendrix."

"And over here are-"

"Gibsons."

"Indeed."

The same name as his world. Feeling an internal sense of familiarity, Halo gazed intently at the Gibson guitars. The elderly man, sensing his interest, began listing off famous players one by one.

Actually, Halo didn't recognize most of the names. Just a few were familiar - he still lacked that general knowledge.

But the characteristics of the electric guitars were familiar.

As if it wasn't a completely different world, perhaps even the same Gibson. The existing string instruments - like violins - tended to share characteristics after all.

Halo gently stroked the body.

Watching the engrossed No Haeil, Park Seungah approached.

"How much do these usually cost?"

"With your son's discerning eye, I expect it'll be quite pricey."

"Pardon?"

The elderly man chuckled.

"The Stratocaster your son is eyeing would be around 200,000, and the Les Paul Special about 150,000."

“What if it’s just a regular piece?”

"Obviously 100,000 won."

"I see."

Expensive.

Of course, instruments would be pricey, but to Park Seungah's eyes they just looked light and shoddy at first glance, so she expected the prices to max out below 100,000 won.

But with Halo so engrossed in examining them, she couldn't just leave.

Steeling herself, Park Seungah decided to buy him one.

"Hmm."

The elderly man and Park Seungah both waited, whether a short or long time, neither caring to sway the young middle schooler's choice.

Park Seungah because she didn't know enough about guitars to judge, and the elderly man from years of experience realizing this boy had a strong sense of self and wouldn't listen to anything they said.

He could just tell at a glance.

That the boy played music.

He suddenly wondered what kind of music this fervently guitar-gazing child would play. There was a jazz club on the first floor of the mall where he used to go listen to jazz concerts, but it had been a long time since he had visited a place mostly frequented by youngsters.

"Want to give it a play?"

At the elderly man's suggestion, Halo looked up.

He seemed to filter out everything else but pick up on these kinds of suggestions, revealing a bit of mischievousness at odds with his model student appearance.

"Play it?"

"You won't know if an instrument is really your match until you try it. Why don't you give it a whirl?"

There wasn't a big change in expression, but there was a reaction.

The elderly man prodded further.

"Who knows, if you give an impressive performance, I could even cut the price for you. And if you don't like how it plays after trying it, you can just leave it and walk away."

So it seemed this elderly man was getting a bit bored.

While the guitar had already caught his eye, with the expectant look from his mother and the elderly man's inviting gaze, Halo picked up the guitar.

"Okay."

There didn't seem to be a separate headset amp to connect the electric guitar to. The elderly man just hooked it up to an amp, not caring what kind of performance Halo would give.

Halo took the white Gibson guitar and plucked the strings. The louder-than-expected sound made his mother flinch slightly.

It wasn't strange to hear instrument sounds at a music store. The other stores outside paid them little mind, as if thinking 'of course'.

Halo plucked the strings again.

But this time he properly got into position.

Back straight, posture upright.

And his changed gaze commanded attention.

He had already picked the song.

A song he hadn't played in a long time.

Halo grinned.

From my second album that hasn't been released to this world yet,

[Spring Again]

#

If his first album 'Struggle' released in his teens reflected those turbulent years, his second album was released at age 20.

A time when he was already topping the charts and everything was going well.

Perhaps those feelings were directly reflected in the songs.

When he first left home, music was his one and only but also a source of torment. Music was the catalyst for his hardships, the object of his trials.

But as his songs became known to the world, the world surrounding him shifted 180 degrees.

That change must have definitely influenced his music.

While his first album 'Struggle' was quite divisive in its reception, his second album was the most mainstream and held the top spot the longest.

At that time, everything was good for him.

The new friends and lover he had made.

The people who recognized him, his music, the world - it was all good.

It quickly became familiar, but even so, this period was probably the closest to rose-tinted bliss in his life. The most vibrant and when he genuinely expressed feeling happy with his whole being.

Without gentle violin melodies, elegant harps, or a lush supporting orchestra, an electric guitar would be enough to convey that sense of triumph.

Like this.

His tapping foot came to a stop.

The music stopped too, and Halo opened his eyes.

He had noticed people gradually gathering, drawn by the electric guitar's music ringing through Nakwon Music Mall, but he didn't realize just how many had crowded in.

The narrow entrance was completely packed, to the point of being unable to exit.

If that pipe-playing elderly man had been leading a trail of children, Halo had drawn a trail of middle-aged uncles who were the true masters of this place.

They had wiped away their previously gruff, bored expressions and were now gaping dumbly at him.

The spell had been broken by the sound of...clapping?

Clap...clap clap!

Whistle!

Like a dam bursting, everyone joined in with thunderous applause.

Even the elderly man who should have been minding the entrance was clapping heavily with an impassioned look.

Customer service and business sense had been completely forgotten.

"This is..."

How long had it been since he last felt his heart pounding so fiercely?

They seemed to have reverted back to their youthful selves.

In the Nakwon Music Mall that had somehow turned into an impromptu mini-concert, Halo flashed a grin.

This was it, indeed.

It was incomparable to playing someone else's music.

Performing his own music was so much more enjoyable and fulfilling.

Even as his energy drained away and he slumped down, panting heavily, Halo couldn't wipe the smile from his face.

The name of this song was,

When We Meet Again