The Road to Glory – Chapter 118 – A Perfect Festival

Author: Dawn

Roh Haeil’s fan cafe, ‘Do We Look Like Jaws to You?’ (TLN: Changing “Are We Jaws?” To “Do We Look Like Jaws to You?”)

The cafe manager had no intention of changing back to the original name ‘Riding the Wave’, and neither the staff nor the members bothered to suggest otherwise.

They all acknowledged it. They didn’t know when Roh Haeil would hold another concert, but if it were to happen again, that day would become the second Bloody Party.

Everyone would turn around in a flash to get tickets.

This is all Roh Haeil’s fault.

Roh Haeil, who made every concert concept and outfit different, and even changed the setlist and composition, made them like this.

How many people expressed their anguish, pounding the ground? They tried hard to say that the concert they saw was the best, but the best and greatest concert was only the all-concert.

They had become bodies that couldn’t be satisfied with anything less than an all-concert.

Anyway, the ‘Do We Look Like Jaws to You?’ cafe showed an unusual appearance ahead of the Korea University festival.

[It’s a shame. A Korea University festival…]

└ Korea University festivals are famous for being boring

└ It even overlaps with Konkuk University’s festival this time

└ The performance is awkwardly on Thursday, this is a bit…

[The lineup for Konkuk University this time is insane]

└ Konkuk University always has amazing guests every year

└ I wanted to see Sai’s concert, that’s great!

[Originally, university festivals are about Yonko Games~]

The fact that they all talk as if they’re not interested in the Korea University festival, as if they’re going to another school’s festival, is also a scene created by Roh Haeil in a way.

They pretend not to be interested and act like they won’t go, just to lower people’s interest somehow.

The cafe manager pondered how the once-pure cafe members had changed like this. They weren’t people who lived wearing masks hiding their dark intentions. They used to purely discuss Roh Haeil’s music and joke around saying things like ‘Did our Moon perhaps get boycotted by the broadcasting station?’

But even she posted nonsense on the free board.

[There are a lot of Moon’s fancams on NuTube now, isn’t it enough to watch on NuTube?]

└ There’s been too much content lately, maybe we don’t need to go this time?

└ The wind has been strong lately, let’s watch together under the blanket^^

No one believes this will have any effect, but they do it anyway because they can’t feel at ease otherwise.

It’s Roh Haeil’s concert that everyone desperately wanted.

The legendary 830 mini-concert where no one had an all-concert.

People crazy with the desire to conquer were already steeped in venom, and even those who weren’t interested got caught up in the Scorpion concert guest rumors.

If you’ve invested quite a bit of time on the internet, you’re likely to have read the Roh Haeil=HALO theory. Although it’s against cafe rules to mention it, they are indeed whispering about it.

On top of that.

The cafe manager’s face clearly showed a ‘bittersweet’ emotion.

There’s a reason why they absolutely can’t give up on this festival.

Just as there are quite a few people who say they’ll stay up all night on Korea University’s lawn the day before, what keeps them from giving up is,

It’s because Roh Haeil’s birthday is right after the Korea University festival.

Roh Haeil’s birthday posted on the green window.

November 14th.

How long had the cafe been waiting for this day? They were worried that given Roh Haeil’s personality, he might not celebrate his own birthday and let it pass without any event, but fortunately, it fell on the university festival.

[Phew… if it wasn’t for the festival, it might have passed quietly without any schedule]

[100% with Moon’s personality…]

[Now we just need to create an unforgettable stage for Moon]

[If we can just go?]

[Ah…]

If it wasn’t for the festival, it was chilling to think they wouldn’t have known what he was doing.

Meanwhile, people with less patience in the cafe started to take off their masks.

[How many people can the Korea University outdoor performance venue hold?]

It was the prelude to the festival.

As if to prove it’s winter, a cool gale shakes the campus. Professors who usually tried to fill their lecture times as much as possible so that students could get as much as they could, occasionally startled at the wind violently hitting the windows.

This week, roaming around outside didn’t seem like a good choice no matter how you looked at it. To exaggerate, it wouldn’t be strange if a signboard suddenly fell.

Despite this.

As a professor from the College of Education was about to leave early, he felt it was unusually crowded. There seemed to be more unfamiliar students, that is, outsiders.

Is there a campus tour today?

When the professor caught a familiar student and asked, he heard an unexpected answer.

“It’s the festival week.”

“Festival? Ah, this week is the festival?”

“Yes.”

“But why are there so many people?”

Korea University has three fools.

Those who walk from the Korea University entrance to the main gate

Those who brag about being first in their high school

And those who participate in the festival.

This was a saying that existed even when the professor was a college student.

It was only when they had online classes due to COVID or when freshmen with dreams of university came, otherwise it was always the same.

So the professor was surprised anew that students had started caring about the festival. However, the student asked back as if the professor was the strange one.

“Haven’t you heard, professor?”

“What’s going on? What’s different about this festival?”

“The student council has invited Roh Haeil this time. It’s been noisy since last week.”

“Who’s No Ha… Roh Haeil?”

No matter how unfamiliar one might be with school affairs, it’s hard to be unfamiliar with outside affairs. Especially if it’s a star that’s been frequently seen in the entertainment section recently.

“So all these people came to see a celebrity?”

The student nodded.

If not for that, there’s no way Korea University’s festival would be this crowded.

The professor clicked his tongue, saying there was nothing to do.

Back in my day, we studied in the library whether a celebrity came or even the president came.

The student let it go in one ear and out the other, as the professor was famous for being an old-fashioned professor who emphasized authority and etiquette in the College of Education.

Meanwhile, as the professor who was heading to find his car hesitated for a moment.

Eventually, when he turned his body towards a different direction than his car.

That is, towards the direction of the outdoor performance venue in Beodeulgol, the student opened his mouth just in case. (TLN: You can search “Beodeulgol” on Google. It’s basically a some sort of field that usually used for some events.)

“Um, professor. I’m telling you this just in case.”

“?”

“…Today is not Roh Haeil’s performance.”

“!”

The professor stopped at the unexpected answer.

Soon his awkward expression turns stern.

“What, what does that have to do with me?”

The student awkwardly nodded.

“Just in case.”

“Right, hurry and go in.”

“Yes, you be careful going home too, professor.”

The student bowed politely and turned around.

That’s when the professor cleared his throat.

The student turned around with a mechanical smile.

“It’s Thursday.”

“What is?”

“Just in case.”

“…Is that so?”

Today is November 11th, the first day of the Korea University festival.

Roh Haeil is coming on Thursday, November 13th.

The student watched the professor’s back as he headed towards the parking lot again, then noticed the influx of outsiders entering the school.

“Surely they’re not planning to wait for two days from today?”

He was an executive of the student council and a member of the festival management team.

When they said they finally managed to invite Roh Haeil, he was the executive who shouted, “Yes!” Although he wasn’t chosen as one of the elite 830, as a Korea University student, he filled his personal desire to finally see him in person.

He had an ominous feeling.

And that ominous feeling hit right on the mark.

The day before Roh Haeil’s performance. Wednesday.

Korea University was bustling with even more people than yesterday.

It really was bustling, which is not something you’d say lightly, the crowd was enormous.

“I think there are more outsiders than Korea University students.”

There were always outsiders coming to see celebrities from other schools.

But not to this extent…

Well, there might be an exception for top-tier male idols, but Roh Haeil isn’t a male idol, is he?

Of course, the student council and faculty had expected some crowding. They even referred to statistics from when crowds gathered at Yeonkuk University or Konkuk University. But this was excessive.

I don’t think this many people would come even if Liv performed at Yeonkuk University.

The festival was progressing successfully.

From Tuesday when the Korea University festival started, the bars and stalls were booming. However, at this rate, the possibility of an accident occurring at the steep outdoor performance venue increased, causing the faculty and student council to share complex feelings. It seemed like more people would be needed.

There were waiting lines for the bars on Wednesday, more than on Tuesday, and the lights didn’t go out until dawn. As the day breaks.

“When will those people leave?” People who were eyeing each other had no intention of leaving the area near the outdoor performance venue.

There were loud complaints about this on Korea Everytime.

[The waiting time for lunch at Hyehwa-ro is insane. These aren’t all our school students, right?]

[Hah… the cafe is busier than during exam period]

[Wow, it’s chaos. I’ve never seen so many people at school before]

[Isn’t a university festival supposed to be for the students to enjoy? Why are there more outsiders?]

└ Honestly, I think we should put restrictions on outsiders

└ Let’s suggest checking student IDs

The most disadvantaged were the students who had afternoon classes. The ever-consistent professors didn’t make exceptions even for the festival. After fully filling their lecture time, students had to rush to Beodeulgol where the outdoor performance venue was located.

“Crazy.”

“I think I saw half of these people yesterday too.”

“I’ve never seen our school festival this crowded before.”

Where there should have been lush grass spread out, it was even more densely packed with people. The outdoor performance venue, shaped like DDP, was already full, and students didn’t expect much from it either. However, it seemed it wouldn’t be easy to see even from the back. (TLN: DDP or Dongdaemun Design Plaza)

A friend patted his shoulder.

“Look at that. Even the professors came.”

“No way, the professor said he had a schedule.”

“So even music professors listen to pop music.”

“The music professors came too?”

While they were surprised by the unexpected presence, a dance club performance was in full swing at the outdoor performance venue.

Strong winds blew in, causing viewers to frown, but the dance club members skillfully showed their dance moves.

“Why is the wind blowing like this?”

“It is blowing quite scarily.”

Although the outdoor performance venue, being a relatively new building, wouldn’t collapse or have its glass shatter, the strong wind was indeed strong. It was fortunate that it wasn’t accompanied by rain.

Even the Korea University cheerleading squad anxiously looked at the weather.

Worried that their performance or the events they had prepared might be ruined.

However, they forgot those concerns and worries.

The sky tinged with sunset as the sun went down.

As the boy and the boy’s band appeared, thunderous cheers erupted. It was loud enough to know even from the back where they couldn’t see. The voices calling the boy’s name seemed to overwhelm the boy’s own voice.

But, amidst that clamor, the boy’s voice was distinctly heard.

“Hello, everyone. This is Roh Haeil.”

Halo spoke to the people while doing a mic check. The packed outdoor performance venue. In fact, given the location, it also felt like busking.

Halo left the members to tune for a moment, and opened his mouth again.

“Did you have a good day today?”

Actually, to the boy, all the college students would be older brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts, but the boy didn’t seem pressured at all. He looked beyond comfortable, surpassing mere skillfulness.

Without the tension or excitement that the name ‘Korea University’ might bring, unlike his high school age. If someone saw him, they might not think it strange if he were said to be a Korea University student.

The session’s sound decreased.

At the signal that everyone was ready, the boy smiled and said the words that people who couldn’t go to the concert wanted to hear as they read the reviews.

“Then today too, you’ll have fun.”

Soon, a familiar melody is heard.

People cheered at the rhythm of ‘Another Day’.

The debut song flows from the boy’s mouth.

It’s definitely a familiar song, but it sounded different.

Of course it sounds different.

Music is affected by subtle factors like time, place, equipment, etc. It can even sound different depending on the mood of the audience present.

But what they’re saying isn’t just that it’s different.

The boy’s voice passes through people’s inner selves like a spring breeze. He doesn’t grab and shake. However, it naturally remains like background music, creating change.

But what can they say, it leaves a deeper trace.

That indescribable, unweighable feeling

That was the reason people thought it was different.

Meanwhile, Halo thought the same.

‘It feels a bit different today?’

Strangely, the audience’s reaction was different.

He doesn’t think he’s lacking.

The audience’s response wasn’t lacking either.

He liked that people sang along to his songs. Maybe that’s why he’s particularly obsessed with Korean as Roh Haeil. Because Korean would be the most comfortable language for these people.

But strangely, he feels like he can’t concentrate well.

As if waiting for something.

That’s the feeling he got from the members too.

The members have been strangely off since this week.

Not enough to say anything about it.

Or maybe he felt that way because his own mood was unsettled.

Halo enjoyed the stage and blew away such feelings. And instead, he decided to look forward to what they were waiting for.

‘I won’t be surprised by much.’

Surprising others and shocking them isn’t their specialty, it’s his.

How surprising will it be? How much can they please me? He grinned as if to say, go ahead and try.

The night deepens.

The heat of the stage intensified as it did.

The brightly lit lights.

People waving light sticks and phones.

It seemed the heat wouldn’t easily subside even in the strong wind. Rather, care should be taken not to let it spread elsewhere.

That’s when it happened.

Halo noticed the staff moving somewhat busily at the side of the stage.

‘Is it now?’

Halo pretended not to notice and enjoyed the ’17sec’ stage.

For the best finale!

At the moment everyone shouted, the drum boomed, and the stage lights flickered like lightning.

Kyaaak! People’s cheers and applause! Sounds were heard from the darkness. Now they were waiting for the lights to come on again, but strangely, no matter how long they waited, the lights didn’t come on.

As the audience’s cheers and applause died down, the outdoor performance venue settled into complete silence.

If it were someone else, they would have thought it was a stage accident and given some instructions or said something.

Halo waited in the darkness for what everyone had been waiting for.

One, two, three.

As he counted the seconds, eventually a light came on from the side.

Although the wind blew it out immediately, busy movements created a flickering light again.

‘Candles? Are they trying to propose to me now?’

He was reminded of a scene from an old drama his mother had watched, where someone proposed by arranging candles in a heart shape on the floor. Halo, who had no such romantic sensibility at all, thought people in this world did strange things, and his mother didn’t seem to like it much either.

A candle event.

Rather than liking to turn off lights, he absolutely hated the process of lighting candles one by one.

Still, Halo was going to accept it generously since it was a fan event. While it was disguised as a stage accident, he wasn’t surprised at all, so he was wondering if he should pretend to be surprised when.

Halo paused when he saw what the staff had brought in.

“…”

Fortunately, it was in the dark.

Otherwise, the stupid expression – which fans would have loved – would have been captured on screen as it was.

However, Halo blankly watched as the staff approached him. Among the staff, the Korea University mascot character was approaching with a cake.

It was clearly a birthday cake.

“How…”

The boy’s voice was heard through the microphone.

He seemed to have never imagined they would do a birthday event for him. A voice that seemed very surprised. People cheered, realizing their surprise had been successful.

Soon the stage lights flashed on. The surprised face of the boy and the mischievous gazes of the members were captured on screens on both sides of the stage.

However, he couldn’t pay attention to it at all.

How did these people know his birthday?

No one had ever celebrated his birthday.

Even he himself was a person who didn’t celebrate it.

Then the cake comes into Halo’s view.

The cake was decorated with velvet that seemed to express the moon, stars, lighthouse, and Milky Way, and the cake topper read

[Happy 16th Birthday 11.14]

‘Roh Haeil’s birthday?’

Tomorrow is Roh Haeil’s birthday?

Suddenly, the faces of the members and his parents came to mind. Ah, was it because of Roh Haeil’s birthday that they kept asking about his schedule?

Come to think of it, on the day he became Roh Haeil, he saw Roh Haeil’s student ID. His birthday was written there too. It’s just that he forgot because of the name.

Aside from the fact that their names were similar, their birthdays were the same too.

“Ah…”

His voice falters when he should be giving a comment.

His lips were quivering.

If these people intended to surprise him, they succeeded. Of course, they were celebrating Roh Haeil’s birthday, but they were also celebrating his birthday. The birthday that no one celebrated on the day HALO was born.

He certainly hadn’t imagined this.

People quietly look at him.

After receiving the cake, more and more gifts kept coming – a flower bouquet and a shopping bag with unknown contents. He had no more hands to receive them.

He thought he should continue the stage now.

However, before he could start any song, the sound of the session was heard. When Halo turned around, the members winked at him and played the session at their own will.

It wasn’t his music, but it was a song everyone knew.

The Korea University mascot character, the staff, the members, and everyone watching his stage began to sing one song for him.

A chorus for him.

At the ordinary yet extraordinary birthday song, Halo finally smiled and sang along.

As the boy opened his mouth after the song ended, the fan cafe president and the Korea University cheerleading squad rejoiced together. The surprise event was unfolding successfully, just as they had hoped and worked for.

Banners and events for the boy.

At this rate, they might miss the stage again and hold a concert anytime soon.

‘I was worried because of the wind, but this is great. Everything is perfect. There’s not much time left for the stage, what could go wrong?’

The president, who had unknowingly planted a flag, was happy. I’m praising myself for staying up all night at Korea University for two days!

At that moment, one of the things they were worried about happened.

As there had already been many complaints about the performance equipment at Korea University, and it had been unstable during the dance club performance, it was a problem caused by the strong wind.

A strong gust of wind swept the stage again.

It didn’t overturn the cake, but the flowers from the bouquet scattered, and the confetti being sprinkled above the boy’s head all blew away in the wind. The bigger problem was the banner.

It was an utter mess.

‘Shit… Why now of all times…’

The fan cafe president’s face darkened.

It had been so good up until the birthday event for Haeil.

To make matters worse, an even bigger problem occurred.

The boy’s microphone amplifier malfunctioned, regardless of the strong wind as he was chatting with the audience.

As there had already been many complaints about the equipment – it was evaluated as inferior to Yeonkuk University or Konkuk University – it was unclear whether it was an equipment management issue or a strong wind problem at Korea University.

While he was speaking to the audience, his microphone completely went out.

“Ah, ah…”

The boy calmly taps the microphone.

However, it showed no signs of coming back to life.

The staff who unplugged and plugged in the microphone amplifier cable about five times turned their heads, and the technician also touched it a few times before making a troubled face.

The atmosphere sank dismally and someone let out a sigh. Even those who hadn’t prepared for the boy’s birthday event felt sorry.

However, Halo, who had been quietly watching them, suddenly laughed “Pft”.

Although he seemed to understand people’s feelings, their expressions were so cute and funny that laughter burst out from inside. The loud laughter was enough to be conveyed to the people.

People’s gazes focused on him.

It was because they had seen him smile faintly before, but it was the first time seeing him laugh so freely.

They didn’t know why he was laughing, but it seemed like he was laughing because he was truly enjoying himself rather than laughing out of madness. The atmosphere started to soften as the boy laughed.

At that moment, Roh Haeil’s members started to continue the accompaniment. Since the boy had given the signal, the members started playing without any doubt.

The melody of ‘Ever end’, a track from Roh Haeil’s first full album, was heard again.

‘What is he going to do?’

The microphone is broken.

The session sound has become so loud that it will completely drown him out. Is he going to dance instead?

Despite the worried gazes of people, the boy nods his head to the rhythm, paying no attention.

Eventually, he opened his mouth.

[Someday]

A deep resonance that wasn’t drowned out by the session spread widely.

It spreads far enough for everyone to hear.

[An end will come]

[As all stories have an ending]

[I know what you’re afraid of]