The Road to Glory Chapter 141 - Oh Joyous Life

“Alright, I’ll show you once more.”

“We, we really don’t know.”

“Watch carefully.”

“Yes, yes sir.”

In a dark room, where you might expect to find people tied to chairs, crying and wailing, there is actually a very bright cafe. There were many eyes watching around them, and they weren’t restrained.

In front of them were comforting tea, drinks, and cake.

However, their hearts were not at all at ease. Even if they were kidnapped somewhere, it wouldn’t be more uncomfortable than this.

Peter and his friends, who had become celebrities for allegedly meeting Halo in Venice—almost everyone was certain of this—felt like dying from the pressure of people staring at their mouths.

A video of a boy busking in the rain.

“Thank you for listening.” The video ends with this quiet greeting, but they had heard this single phrase more than a dozen times.

“It… seems similar.”

“Similar, you say?”

“Ah, maybe not.”

“Would you like to listen again?”

They understood what the reporters who came to interview them wanted, but they couldn’t carelessly confirm it themselves.

“Well, in Venice, it was noisy because of the festival…”

As they tried to make excuses somehow, the reporters wouldn’t allow it.

“Come on, The Sun’s voice isn’t that common, and we’re not asking you to solve one of the world’s seven great problems. Is it so hard to say yes or no?”

“…”

There were reasons why they couldn’t give a definitive answer.

Peter, who was cursed at for setting up a toilet guard for Halo, and those who were doubly cursed for hitting his back—especially the shock of receiving calls from parents they didn’t usually contact often, asking how dare you hit The Sun—were mentally exhausted.

“Okay, let’s compromise.”

“Can we go now?”

“No, if yes or no is difficult, try expressing how similar it is in numbers. Between 0 and 100.”

“Um… 73 points?”

“Are you kidding me?”

Well, what else could they do?

Feeling wronged but unable to utter a single curse, Peter and his friends shook their heads.

They were really afraid of those wearing The Sun necklaces. They said they were reporters, but surely some of the notorious Hellys were among them.

Over the past year, these people had gained notoriety by visiting celebrities who had sought attention by claiming to be Halo, leaving threatening messages like:

[Fucking liar]

[Watch out on dark streets]

They spray-painted these threats in blood-red color, destroyed their cars and property, and gained all kinds of infamy.

How could they be certain when one wrong word could make that their future?

“We’re not bad people. Look at my puppy at home, isn’t it cute?”

“Yes, yes.”

These men who looked like they might strangle you if you said it wasn’t cute-.

“So this is the hand that touched him, right?”

“Please, spare us.”

“Hand.”

After grasping each of their hands once, they trembled in fear. Everyone in the world knows these guys are only gentle to their pets and The Sun.

Even now, two weeks after the boy’s disappearance, this confusion continued.

The world was drooling over the long-awaited clue, chasing traces of the boy who may or may not be the real Halo.

It was when the moon of February was slowly waning.

At a moment no one expected, HALO’s 12th album was suddenly released.

[Is it The Sun…?]

[A new song already?]

[At a time like this?]

[Well, it was about time, but…]

In Korea, it was the beginning of the year. HALO’s 11th album was released on December 31st by UK standards, so at this point—considering HALO’s work pace—it was actually late.

However, no one thought a Halo album would come out.

Given the current situation.

If the boy most strongly suspected of being Halo these days was really Halo, it wasn’t actually a situation to release an album.

Everyone was trying to find him somehow, his personal information had been leaked, and his surroundings were turned upside down.

The release of HALO’s 12th album was like throwing a stone into a pond full of fish.

[So, it’s not Roh after all?]

[No, given Halo’s work speed, he might have already finished it]

└ He could have been working on the 12th album since Venice

[There were rumors that Halo’s songs were made a long time ago anyway]

[It makes even less sense if he worked on it after Venice. From what I heard from Koreans, Roh was sightseeing in the Vatican, shopping in Paris, and just having fun. How could he be working?]

[I vote for ‘not him’ too. Looking at this song’s title, it seems like The Sun doesn’t even know what’s going on right now]

[He doesn’t know about this situation? LOL That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard]

[I actually think the album title is quite meaningful]

It wasn’t just the release that was the issue.

At first, people were arguing about whether work was possible or not, but then they focused on the album title.

HALO 12th Album: Life is delight

Even the album cover illustration expressed joy through modern art, and the title track ‘Life is delight’ was a disco pop comeback after a long time.

If the title track of HALO’s 6th album, ‘Dancing in the rain’, released on May 31st, showed paradoxical sadness and joy, the 12th album released on February 27, 2032, was joy and cheerfulness itself.

Upbeat disco pop and music singing about a joyful life. While HALO’s 3rd, 4th, and 7th albums divided opinions with their dark atmosphere and experimental attempts, the title track of the 12th album was one that anyone could enjoy.

[Ladies and gentlemen]

[I keep a promise]

[The music should get on tonight]

The drums and guitar bass create an exciting rhythm, falling perfectly on the beat.

[Let your body surrender to the rhythm a bit more

Throw off what you’re wearing

Even if you use the street as your bed

No one will say anything (Haha)

That feels like falling on a roller coaster,

Feel this thrilling beat

You’ve worked hard to get here so far]

From the moment of its release, the song shot to #1 on the music charts at an incredible speed. In fact, this had always been the case, and the terrestrial broadcasters, unable to give any opinion on the current situation, reported on Halo’s music release to ride the current topic, and even people who didn’t usually listen to Halo’s songs suddenly gave his music a try.

Looking at just the music charts and streaming numbers, it was a festival.

However, the cheerful music that came out regardless of the state of chaos in the multiverse confused people even more.

[So is Roh Halo or not?]

[I’m going crazy, someone please tell me. Is Roh Halo?]

[We need to know where he is.]

[Even if it’s not necessarily Roh, wouldn’t people around him know?]

[Who are the people around him anyway?]

Unable to find Roh Haeil, people’s attention began to shift from Roh Haeil, whose whereabouts were unknown, to the people around him.

Beyond just his parents, school, and band members-.

“Liv-ssi, what do you think about the current theory that Roh Haeil-ssi is Halo?”

“Sin Joohyeok-ssi!”

“Lee Seongrim-ssi-.”

In Korea, they sought out acquaintances known to be friends with Roh Haeil and Spring Again singers.

Liv and Lee Seongrim answered that they weren’t sure, Hwang Ryongpil was originally hard to meet, and Sin Joohyeok calmly replied, “Ask the person himself. I don’t know where he is either. He might be in Paris? He’s not the type to reply quickly.”

On the other hand, the Spring Again team acknowledged that the voices were similar, but like the PD, they were cautious, saying nothing was certain.

Meanwhile, overseas, the talk was undoubtedly about Scorpion.

Scorpion, known as a world-renowned metal band, was recently known to be closest to the Korean singer Roh.

Scorpion’s leader, Rill, had suddenly named Roh as the guest for his Korean concert, showed a respectful attitude on stage until the end, and even gave an expensive birthday gift!

Above all, the concert clip where they talked about Roh’s unreleased song rose to real-time search rankings.

[Did everyone see this? It seems Scorpion thinks he’s Halo]

-I heard it well, Roh. Thanks for granting my request. But when can I hear that song again?

What did the boy answer to that question?

-When the thirteenth album comes out?

-Thirteen? That’s not far off then.

At the time, the boy was a rookie who had just released his first full-length album. You might wonder if you can call a singer who released twenty songs in a year a rookie, but anyway, he was a newcomer who hadn’t even debuted for a year.

Even if he released one full-length album a year, it would take 13 years.

About a period that no one could call short, Scorpion said it wasn’t far off.

Someone who had written a serious essay about this added at the end:

[But what if Roh is Halo? (Halo had released up to his 9th album at the time.)]

[Korean kids say it was different from Roh’s usual song style and atmosphere. (Link) You can hear the unreleased song if you go here]

[Then it’s settled. We’ll know when Halo’s 13th album is released]

[Do we have to wait until the 13th album? Can’t we just ask Scorpion what it means now?]

It was the obvious conclusion.

Of course, there were people who said not to give meaning to the conversation between Scorpion and Roh because Scorpion was known to be crazy, but Scorpion seemed to know something.

Then someone doubted:

[We probably won’t see Rill for a while]

└ Why? Did he happen to go missing too?

└ …That would be fortunate

[Scorpion being “Scorpion”]

[Scorpion’s leader Rill, after drinking, reportedly swung his guitar at reporters saying “Don’t buzz around like mosquitoes and get lost,” “Fuck you,” “You stupid bastards”…]

└ Just a typical Helly

└ What? It’s just Rill being Rill, why the fuss?

└ But isn’t that reaction positive? He only calls people stupid bastards when they’re right

└ If it’s positive twice, we’re dead

└ That guy just acts like that in every situation

└ He calls others stupid when he’s the stupidest

└ But he sometimes says the right things

└ What kind of things?

└ Well…

They couldn’t question the one who had caused trouble and was now confined to his home.

[By the way, what’s Roh Haeil’s fandom doing?]

└ They’ve collectively lost their minds

└ For real, I went to check out of curiosity and all their posts were just filled with ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ It’s the president’s order there, since no one knows what’s what, don’t act up and just type ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Did they really not know?

└ Seems like they didn’t. But they were praying that he’s not Halo

└ Why?

└ Rather than hoping he’s completely not, they probably don’t want to imagine what comes after

[Haeil and Halo have similar names and voices… What on earth is going on?]

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ We don’t know either, so just type ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ (+) ^[1] TLN: ㅋㅋ, by the way, is “haha” or “lol” or “lmao”

It was when Roh Haeil’s fandom was turning from Jaws into the Joker.

Around that time, Halo was asleep, leaning back in his recording studio chair. It wasn’t because of an all-nighter for the 12th album release, but because he had discovered music he liked while watching a movie and stayed up late playing it.

As the sun began to rise in the sky, he fell asleep leaning on the chair, and beside him, the tracks from HALO’s 12th album that Veil had put on were playing on shuffle.

Just then, the title track came around again.

As the sound of the door opening was heard, Halo slowly opened his eyes.

“Awake?”

“Yes.”

“Oh dear. I didn’t know you were sleeping.”

“It’s okay, I was about to wake up anyway.”

He stretched leisurely and got up from his seat.

“Shall we go now then?”

“Sure. The preparations are all done, now we just need to decide one thing. Our destination, that is.”

“Have you decided?”

When Veil asked, Halo nodded.

“Yes, I’m thinking of going to Switzerland.”

“Switzerland is a good country too.”

There were two reasons for choosing Switzerland.

He once said he wanted to make watches as merchandise. Since Switzerland is famous for watches, he thought he should visit.

But that wasn’t the first reason for choosing Switzerland.

“There’s something I want to try.”

August Veil, tilting his head at Halo’s words, soon doubted his ears.

“Yodeling? You’re going to yodel?”

Halo and yodeling.

Despite August Veil’s bewilderment, Halo shrugged and grinned.

Behind him, the title track continued.

[Oh, joyous life]

• 1. TLN: ㅋㅋ, by the way, is “haha” or “lol” or “lmao”