The Road to Glory Chapter 126 - Ignition

The night in Jamsil was as hot as Lotte World.

A man wearing a suit over a red turtleneck pushed through the crowded lobby towards the “Authorized Personnel Only” area.

His eyes scanned the people like a snake spotting prey.

There was a mother and daughter heading home, a student leaning against the wall using their phone, and a group exuding an aura of “We’re critics” and “Don’t bother us, we’re writing articles.”

One critic who had previously shown a neutral attitude towards the casting of Roh Haeil and Sin Joohyeok had an excited look on their face.

Entering the waiting room area, there were actors still in makeup and staff members. Also visible were officials who had come to congratulate the main performance. They had come to give their regards after watching the show.

Some might think it’s premature to celebrate as if the show is over when it’s only day one. But is it wrong to be a little excited? Everyone here to congratulate came after watching the performance. They must have thought it was worth coming, or wanted to come.

“Director!”

The actors, sweating and talking with colleagues, greeted him with bright faces when they saw him. The success of a musical performance could also be gauged through the reactions of the actors and staff.

General Director Nok Jidam responded to their greetings and headed straight for the waiting room where the lead actors were.

There were already people crowded in front of it who had arrived earlier.

Music Director Park Jeongho was the first to spot him.

“Our director has arrived!”

“Is Haeil-ssi here too?”

At Director Nok’s question, the composer talking with Music Director Park burst out laughing. Park Jeongho added, sounding aggrieved.

“See? It’s not just me looking for Haeil-ssi.”

“Both the Music Director and you, Director, are only looking for Roh Haeil.”

It seemed they had been talking about Roh Haeil.

Amidst the noise everywhere, Park Hyuk’s waiting room was oddly quiet.

Of course, who would dare to enter and make noise when the lead actor was sitting quietly? Park Hyuk was removing his makeup while reviewing his performance. As he noticed the director entering through the mirror, his eyes glanced towards the corridor.

‘Well, well.’

It was a glance that most people wouldn’t have noticed, given his excellent poker face. However, the director caught his gaze and followed it to look at the corridor.

“Are you looking for someone?”

“No, I’m not.”

Although Park Hyuk pretended otherwise, Director Nok was persistent.

“Should I call Roh Haeil-ssi? I saw him chatting with Director Park outside.”

“Is Roh Haeil-ssi here?”

“He was about to leave because he was late.”

“!”

“I’m joking.”

Park Hyuk belatedly realized that the director had bluffed him and shook his head. If someone else had done it, he might have been displeased, but Park Hyuk knew that Director Nok Jidam was quite an eccentric person, as he had learned during the musical preparation period.

The director chuckled, but inwardly he found it a bit curious.

Park Hyuk got along well with people but tended to keep his distance.

Still, it wasn’t strange.

Roh Haeil was not only popular with the public, but even without that, he was intriguing enough to spark curiosity.

Roh Haeil was the composer of the final number that Park Hyuk had put the most effort into, and quite a lot of dialogue had passed between them. Park Hyuk would be curious about Roh Haeil’s opinion on his performance, both as the composer and as a respected vocalist.

Even if he was satisfied, Roh Haeil might think differently.

Moreover, Park Hyuk had probably spotted Roh Haeil. Having given him a center seat in the first row, he couldn’t have missed him. He probably expected him to come and give his greetings after the performance. Well, everyone except Roh Haeil had come.

‘So he’s really not coming?’

Director Nok Jidam came out after saying his final words of continued support.

Although he had teased Park Hyuk, he too was looking for Roh Haeil.

He wasn’t curious about his feedback, but wanted to offer the director position to Roh Haeil again… no, to express his gratitude for completing his stage.

“I heard he’s at the airport now.” 

At that moment, Sin Joohyeok’s voice could be heard, talking with the music director.

“The airport? Suddenly?”

“I didn’t know he was going today, but he said he was leaving today.”

“That’s so like Haeil-ssi.”

Director Nok Jidam joined their conversation without hesitation.

“What did he think of the performance?”

“Well-“

As Sin Joohyeok hesitated, not having asked that far, Director Nok shrugged.

“Never mind. I’ll ask him directly. It’s not like he’s going abroad forever, he’ll come back someday, right?”

“That’s true.”

Although it was disappointing that he wasn’t here, there was no time to dwell on it.

While celebrating the first performance, they had to prepare for tomorrow’s show, and above all, Director Nok was busy convincing the production team these days.

Unlike foreign licensed musicals, the copyright for the musical ‘Rock‘ was simple, so the dream of releasing a soundtrack wasn’t far off.

“A soundtrack?”

Sin Joohyeok was surprised to hear about the soundtrack, as it’s not common for musical soundtracks to be released.

“I’d like to release it today if I could, but that seems impossible. Wouldn’t it be good to drop it when the excitement from the performance is still going strong?”

It seemed clear what Director Nok was looking at.

Additional performances. If the current performance maintained its successful trajectory, they might extend the run when conditions were right, and that’s clearly what he was hoping for.

There was nothing wrong with that.

If anything, it would be good.

As they continued talking about the soundtrack, the murmuring suddenly increased as if someone had turned up the volume.

The change was noticeable enough for the three of them to turn around.

It seemed as if a top star had arrived.

Then, catching the word ‘album’, Sin Joohyeok opened the music charts. Soon his eyes widened and-

“…That crazy bastard.”

“What, what happened?”

Park Jeongho was startled when he cursed while staring at his phone.

But he too soon found out.

What at first sounded like noise soon became intelligible as people’s words.

“Heck, did Halo release an album?”

“The Sun released an album?”

“Wow, Halo did it again.”

“Oh, The Sun…!”

Just because they were musical actors or staff didn’t mean they didn’t listen to HALO’s music. Among them were HALO fans, and not a few people who felt awe at his moves.

The heat that had been blazing with the musical was sufficiently cooled by [HALO’s 11th Album] that had been uploaded to all digital streaming platforms.

“Good thing we didn’t release today.”

By the time the influence of [HALO’s 11th Album] would be delayed to the next day due to it being released in the middle of the night or during drinking hours, countries where the sun was high in the sky had enough time to cause an uproar in just one hour.

Every time a HALO album came out, the world became noisy with questions like what kind of music it would be this time, how long the monthly Halo would continue, and so who is Halo anyway. HALO’s 11th album thrown into this world was enough to cause a stir just by its existence. But the title of HALO’s 11th album was more intense than ever before.

HALO 11th Album – Catch me if you can

Doesn’t it seem like a message sent to those trying to find HALO? The reaction occurred immediately, like throwing food into a cage of hungry beasts.

[What’s the meaning of ‘Catch me if you can’?]

[HALO speaks again after a year!]

[Why haven’t we been able to find HALO yet?]

[What’s the story of the movie ‘Catch me if you can’?]

The movie ‘Catch me if you can’ starring DiCaprio also gained attention.

Could there be hints about HALO’s identity hidden in this movie? The story of this 2002 classic film was dug up again by people who reopened it.

Of course, there were no hints, but the movie’s characters ‘Frank, who constantly changes jobs and residences and commits fraud, and Agent Carl who rushes around trying to catch him’ were enough to remind people of HALO and the public chasing his identity.

In fact, this was just a coincidence.

Originally, HALO’s 11th album ‘Catch me if you can’ was released before this 2002 film came out.

At that time, Halo, who was at the peak of his popularity, created it with the provocative meaning of ‘try to catch me if you want me’ in a situation where the whole world wanted him. It was a song that directly reflected Halo’s personality of not liking business-related contacts but enjoying people coming to him directly.

However, in the current situation, it could only be interpreted differently.

In a situation where there had been no progress in deducing HALO’s identity since ‘I AM HALO’.

If ‘I AM HALO’ was more indirect,

‘Catch me if you can’ was enough to be interpreted as a direct message to come find me.

[Oh Sun! Punish this foolish one!]

The ‘Who is HALO’ phenomenon, which had continued for about a year, reignited the atmosphere that had cooled down.

It even drew in people who had worried, ‘What if The Sun doesn’t want his identity revealed?’

It was bubbling, about to overflow at any moment.

Their king commands.

Come find me.

Those trained like Pavlov’s dogs to HALO’s music knelt down and received the king’s command.

#

Meanwhile, the person responsible for throwing the whole world into a storm had just gotten off the plane. Along with the tired-looking members.

Europe, which they reached after a long flight, was night.

‘It was night when we left too… how will we adjust to the time difference.’

He could only worry about such trivial things.

After getting off the chartered plane, a van was waiting for them.

They didn’t need to do anything.

The luggage was taken care of automatically, and the van departed without needing to be told the destination.

If they were in their right minds, they might have trembled in fear again, wondering if they were being kidnapped, but the members hadn’t woken up from their sleep, or rather, from their alcohol-induced stupor.

This must be the power of capitalism. They just thought idly.

The van that drove through the night road after leaving the airport stopped in front of a hotel that looked like a splendid palace. Staff members rushed out to greet them.

The hotel staff bowed politely to them, wished them a good night, and immediately ushered them into the elevator.

It was only later that they realized this hotel was an ultra-luxury hotel that didn’t take reservations from just anyone.

For now, they were busy exploring the suite room that was probably larger than all their homes combined.

“Wait, there’s a room inside a room inside a room?”

“What is this, Interstellar?”

“More like Inception.”

The members then went into their respective rooms to adjust to the time difference for tomorrow morning. No matter how comfortable the chartered flight was, fatigue inevitably built up from the long flight, and they fell into a deep sleep.

Halo also felt tired and was about to enter his room, but he was drawn out to the terrace as if enchanted. The golden night view of the Vltava River and Charles Bridge greeted him.

And the castle beyond.

“I wasn’t originally planning to come here first.”

Anyone would think this was a suggestion to travel together rather than going first, right?

Halo thought with a smirk.

It was the most comfortable hijacking in the world.

He then sat down in a chair and took out his guitar.

The salaryman who had visited his label was Park Daehyung, the Korean branch marketing manager of instrument manufacturer G, whom he had encountered one day in Nagwon Musical Instrument Arcade.

Park, who had asked him to wait a little, finally brought a guitar exactly the same as the one that had been broken, as he had boasted.

-Do you like it?

Park Daehyung asked him, and he touched the guitar frantically, at a loss for words.

Roh Haeil’s guitar was one thing, but it reminded him of the guitar he used to have.

A sophisticated streamlined folk guitar with an H emblem.

It was very similar to Marianne, the one-of-a-kind guitar that Gibson had made for Halo in the past.

Even down to the H emblem.

When asked why H, Manager Park said as if it was obvious that it was H for Haeil. Hae-il Roh in English. He timidly added that in Korean too, he would probably be called Haeil more often than Roh Haeil, so after deliberating between H and R, he had engraved H.

-Did I make a mistake?

-I… I love it.

-Oh! I’m glad you like it.

Whether H meant Halo or Haeil.

He liked that it could symbolize him either way.

Halo hugged the guitar that symbolized him and started plucking the strings.

On a night with Prague’s moonlight settling down, the melody gently seeped into the world.