The Road to Glory Chapter 144 - Heading to One Place

A song fitting for spring flows from an old radio.

The grandmother knitting closes her eyes and listens to the old Britpop. Although the music from the radio had very good sound quality for something that evoked nostalgia from the 60s and 70s, she couldn’t have imagined it was a song released last year.

Suddenly, she thought she had heard that clear voice somewhere before. However, she forgot about it due to the crying sound coming from outside.

“Roh, I hate you!”

The crying sound that could be heard every two or three days didn’t miss today either.

Looking out the window, she saw the out-of-town boy who came last month standing with his arms crossed and a sullen face, while the kids were clinging to his waist, crying loudly.

What could it be this time?

Did someone get hit by the ball while playing soccer? Or did they fall off the swing? Or perhaps the boy once again refused to lose in an argument today?

Still, seeing them clinging like that, she thought they would soon be running around cheerfully again.

If it were something really serious, they wouldn’t be clinging to him like that.

But for some reason, today the children’s cries didn’t stop quickly.

“Roh, don’t go.”

Tom, the child who particularly liked the boy, pleaded.

“Can’t you stay here?”

“No, I can’t.”

Roh’s answer was as firm as always.

Roh doesn’t comfort them well like other kind adults. He doesn’t immediately give them what they want, and he never changes his words even if they whine.

Tom thought he was a stubborn and very un-adult-like adult.

Still, they liked Roh.

They always fought and cried, but they liked that they always won when on the same team,

He didn’t comfort them when they fell, but they liked that he still waited for them.

Although he found them annoying, they liked his gentleness in not pushing them away and absentmindedly patting their heads.

Above all, Roh singing seemed more special than anyone they had ever seen.

When he sang with his beautiful voice, wearing a smile he rarely showed, their usual resentment scattered like sand, leaving only affection.

They wished Roh would stay with them forever.

That’s why they might have felt an even stronger sense of crisis.

Nothing had changed.

The lake was still calm, smoke still flowed from the chimneys, and Roh’s attitude was still nonchalant,

Yet they had a strong feeling that Roh was preparing to leave.

“Are you leaving by any chance?”

Amy asked, and Roh nodded.

And then, all the children in the village clung to him, begging him not to go.

However, as always, the stubborn Roh absolutely refused to listen to their pleas.

Even the villagers only became aware of the change when unfamiliar cars entered the village. Unusually large cars came in, and outsiders visited.

“You’re joking, right?”

Tom asked once again.

“It’s April Fool’s Day today. So you’re lying, right?”

“Do you want me not to go?”

“Yes.”

“Then I won’t go.”

“Really?”

Roh raised one corner of his mouth as if asking if Tom really believed him.

It was exactly the face he made when he was about to play a mean prank.

“Don’t lie! You’re going to go!”

Tom got heated.

Roh had been a bad older brother figure from the moment they first met.

But what’s worse are the village adults.

Even though they were crying, Tom looked resentfully at the grandmother giving Roh a gift, as if she had been waiting for him to leave.

If the adults told him not to go, maybe Roh wouldn’t leave.

He couldn’t understand why no one was trying to stop Roh.

“Kid.”

Roh called him.

Tom didn’t want to answer, but thinking this might be the last time, he reluctantly opened his mouth.

“What.”

“If you miss me, come see me anytime.”

“…”

“Well, I’m not someone you can just see whenever you want. But I’ll try to make time once.”

“What are you saying? You’re just an unemployed bum who doesn’t do anything.”

“…”

Roh, who had never lost an argument, closed his mouth for the first time.

“You always went out to the fields to play and did nothing. My mom says people with no will to get a job are called discouraged workers.”

“Kids these days know such words?”

Halo clicked his tongue.

Well, he did play around for about a month.

It could certainly look that way to the children’s eyes.

The discouraged worker Halo tapped the cheeky kid’s head.

“So now I’m going to try to find a job.”

“Getting a job isn’t that easy.”

“But there will be many places that want me, right?”

Tom didn’t remind Roh that reality is colder than he thinks. Yeah, just live positively.

“Roh, since you’re good at singing, you’ll manage somehow. If Roh releases an album, I’ll save my allowance hard and buy one for you.”

“Oh? Just one?”

“…Okay. Specially, two. And I’ll pray that you can appear on TV too.”

Halo answered with a pleased laugh.

“Alright. Watch TV carefully from tomorrow. I’ll try hard to appear soon.”

“…”

Tom thought it was nonsense, but he didn’t argue back so Roh could be happy. Instead, he noticed the car and the old man – August Veil – whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, and took on a gloomy expression.

“Well, take care.”

Tom couldn’t answer anymore.

It was hard to hold back as tears were about to pour out again.

Roh was bad until the very end.

He got in the car without even looking back.

The grandmother came behind Tom and patted his shoulder.

The children looked at the car while sobbing, and the villagers also stopped their work to send off the boy they had grown fond of.

At that moment, the sound of a guitar melody came from somewhere.

It was the familiar melody of the guitar with an H engraved on it, which the village children knew well.

The children start singing along while crying. The Swiss yodel song. The song the boy had played for them.

As the song gradually came to an end, a girl’s hand appeared through the window. The boy who had never once praised them gave a thumbs up instead of a compliment.

“Roh! No!”

“Don’t go, Roh!”

The children’s cries calling for Roh blend with the sound of the car engine. The car slowly starts to move.

Halo quickly removed his hand from the window.

Instead, he leaned his chin on the windowsill. His ears follow the voices calling him.

Only when they could no longer be heard did Halo fully close the window.

“Can I turn on the radio?”

“Yes, please do.”

The driver turned on the radio with a tense face at the sight of the boy who had appeared after about a month since the Paris incident.

News flows from it.

[Breaking news]

As Halo seemed to be listening intently, the driver stopped his attempt to change to music.

[HALO’s 13th album has been released and simultaneously-]

“Could you play some music?”

“Yes, certainly.”

The driver was curious about the rest of the story, but changed to music at the boy’s request.

Soon, classic pop songs flowed from the radio.

Halo leaned back comfortably in his seat.

Full spring.

It was when there were barely 9 days left until Coachella.

#

April 1st.

[It’s out!]

Like its other name, April Fool’s Day, a singer’s song is released like a lie.

He was a man who had been active as a faceless singer for about a year, with no information known about his nationality, race, or age.

However, he was a star who received more attention and affection than anyone else for about a year, and a genius who showed unbelievable music activities.

As people call it Monthly Halo, he really released a song once a month.

Starting with his 1st album “Struggle” in December two years ago – the song release was actually in the following year –

To the 11th album “Catch me if you can” on December 31st of last year

And releasing “I AM HALO”, a historic masterpiece and single album, this singer who released a total of 12 albums in a year, showed the aspect of Monthly Halo this year as well.

[Finally, the 13th album!]

Of course, all 12 albums he released were EP albums – or MINI albums by foreign standards – and there wasn’t actually a single full album.

Yet no one disregarded him.

Rather, they felt sorry for him that he couldn’t reach Billboard No. 1 and couldn’t win a Grammy because all his previous albums were digital albums and he didn’t do any activities other than releasing music.

While it was believed that he must be a retired singer from the past, or one of the currently active legendary singers, his identity remained unrevealed.

Amidst the continuing confusion that instead of the pop stars so far, he might be a new singer from the East.

As soon as HALO’s 13th album “End of the war” was released, which people had been waiting for, they stopped what they were doing and immediately pressed their phones.

[…It’s not there]

[It’s not here?]

[Roh’s unreleased song? Something about dawn? That song isn’t here]

[As expected, it wasn’t. 13th album? Come on.]

[Of course he couldn’t be Asian. 16 years old? Even a passing dog would laugh]

A total of six songs.

The title that was said to be “Until dawn comes” was nowhere to be seen. Those who thought it wasn’t Roh Haeil came out and mocked.

[Or maybe it just didn’t fit the concept of this album so it wasn’t included?]

[It’s too early to be sure about this. The voice is exactly the same after all]

Someone immediately refuted.

[The Hellys will probably terrorize that kid’s house soon]

[Hard to prove so he went into hiding. It was innovative though]

[It was right that Korea conspired to create a fake Halo]

A foreign journalist who had been quite suspicious about Roh Haeil’s disappearance excitedly wrote an article about ‘national lies’ and such.

At that time, someone discovered something strange about the album.

[But something’s weird about this album? Why isn’t there a title track?]

[…You’re right?]

The word ‘(title)’ that was always in the first row was not visible. That question spread like a wave.

[It’s true. Why is there no title? This has never happened before]

[Who releases an album missing a song. Didn’t they intentionally remove the title?]

HALO’s 13th album, released on April Fool’s Day, was thought to end all confusion, but on the contrary, it remained in a lie-like form.

Whether the title track was originally not there, or if it was accidentally left out, or if it was intentional. Veil Corporation was flooded with inquiries, but no proper answer came back.

And on the same day.

The performance schedule for Coachella, which runs for 6 days from the 9th to the 18th, was announced, causing another shock.

Coachella is usually controversial for its main stage and substage arrangements, but fans who know Coachella well knew that the stage location wasn’t really the most important thing.

The most important thing at Coachella was the stage order. In other words, the stage time.

They considered the artist who got the hottest time to be more highly regarded at Coachella, and the hottest time was naturally when the night was in full swing.

So, what was even more unbelievable than the singer named Roh Haeil getting the main stage was the time he received.

Coachella Stage:

:

Roh, Hae-Il 20:30-21:20

HALO 22:30-

It wasn’t strange that Halo, the headliner, got the hottest time, but it was very odd that the boy suspected to be Halo was given the stage right before Halo.

Some questioned the boy’s qualifications for receiving a better time than pop stars, while others seriously debated the reasons why the boy could have received that time.

[Roughly, we can divide it into two cases]

[Either Roh is really Halo so they put the stages together, or even if he’s not, he’s the hottest right now so Coachella intentionally wants to get attention]

[Maybe he got the stage because Roh isn’t The Sun?]

Anyway, one thing was certain.

That the truth would come out at Coachella.

Whether Roh Haeil was Halo or not, Coachella would be the most successful ever, and all broadcasts and cameras would flock there.

[Damn… I’ll have to take a full two weeks off]

[75,000… There are clearly many seats, but why does it look like there’s no seat for me?]

└ No way

└ 830 VS 75,000

└ My singer became a superstar and I’m happy and glad… Ha… T_T

└ I told you Haeil isn’t Halo lol. Stop saying nonsense that makes me mad lol

[But wouldn’t it be legendary if both Roh Haeil and Halo don’t show up at Coachella after all this?]

It was rumored that all broadcasting stations in Korea were also preparing, which was actually obvious so no one questioned it.

The attention that had been focused on Roh Haeil’s acquaintances started to shift back to Roh Haeil and Halo.

At that time, in contrast to the chaotic atmosphere, this extremely quiet place is-.

“Have you been well?”

“Well, yeah. You?”

“Me, well.”

“…”

“…”

Amidst the bustling bar, four men sit quietly around a room.

“Thanks for letting me know back then.”

“What? Oh.”

“If you hadn’t told me to evacuate in advance, I would have still been surrounded by reporters.”

“It’s nothing.”

As the conversation was about to stop again, Bae Gonghak raised his glass.

“It’s been a while since we met, shall we toast?”

“Yeah, let’s toast. Joohyeok, it’s been a long time.”

Friends who met after more than a decade seemed to need a lot more time to fill the gap of over ten years.

Just as they were about to drink a glass of beer to fill the awkwardness, a phone rang with a zing.

“Oh.”

Han Jinyeong’s eyes lit up as he looked at his phone.

As he slowly put down his glass, the three men looked at him.

“Sorry, guys.”

“What is it?”

“Something came up, so I’ll have to drink later.”

“Is it important?”

“Yeah.”

Han Jinyeong slowly got up from his seat.

Bae Gonghak and Kim Deoksoo asked if he really had to go, but Han Jinyeong was firm.

Then, Sin Joohyeok casually said.

“Then, see you next time.”

Sin Joohyeok looked like he had noticed something.

Han Jinyeong nodded and hurriedly got up from his seat. He ran out with joy and excitement, just like when he quit the club.

The remaining three men awkwardly paused their conversation, then forced it.

“Have you been well?”

“We just said that earlier.”

“Oh, right.”

“Hey, cheers.”

“Cheers.”

Three glasses clinked together.

Meanwhile, Moon Seoyeon was at a tea house near Anguk Station.

“I hear you’re doing well these days.”

“Pardon?”

“Sua told me. Said you joined as a session musician.”

The middle-aged person facing her was a professor from Hanyang University of the Arts and her mentor.

“Yes, I’m living happily and having fun.”

“Is that so? I was worried, but I’m glad then.”

“What did Sua say?”

“Well, she was worried that you seemed to be wandering.”

“…”

‘Really…’

Moon Seoyeon gritted her teeth and clenched her fist under the table. It seems like it’s time to use the self-defense skills she learned from Nam Gyuhwan.

“But you don’t seem to be wandering at all.”

“!”

“Rather, you look more stable. Sua, that child should worry about herself.”

Moon Seoyeon’s face slowly brightened.

She nodded her head vigorously.

Moon Seoyeon, pondering what story to tell her mentor whom she met after a long time, thought of the best news.

“Oh, professor, I tried composing this time, could you perhaps listen to it?”

“Seoyeon, you composed? You said you wanted to, well, let me hear it.”

Moon Seoyeon was about to play the music saved in the cloud, anticipating her mentor’s evaluation. At that moment, her phone rang with a zing. She tried not to look, but the banner caught her eye, and she realized it was a message from the boss she had been waiting for.

Moon Seoyeon forgot about the music she was going to show her mentor and looked at the message. Then she slowly raised her head.

“Professor.”

“Yes?”

“I’m really, really sorry, but could I let you listen to the music later?”

The professor, known for his serious personality, looked at her and nodded. He had taken time out of his busy schedule to meet her, busier than her. She was really sorry, but she had somewhere she needed to go.

“It was really nice to see you today, professor. I’ll see you again soon.”

The professor always understood her. When she was in a slump, when she dropped out of school, and now when she’s suddenly rushing out like this. Moon Seoyeon’s world was made up of grateful people like her boss, the band, and her mentor.

“Oh.”

Moon Seoyeon stopped as she was about to leave, opening the traditional Korean door.

“Could you pass on a message to Sua?”

“Sure.”

“Please tell her this.”

The professor, who had his eyes wide open, eventually smiled gently.

“Thank you!”

Moon Seoyeon began to run with a bright face, holding her suit jacket in her arms. Without looking back, straight ahead.

Lastly, Nam Gyuhwan-.

Thump thump-! Feeling guilty for not being able to block the Scorpion Rill’s attack, he punched the sandbag upwards. He’d make anyone who comes in next like this.

Ignoring the coach’s suggestion to try entering an amateur competition, Nam Gyuhwan briefly checked his phone. Soon, a message came into his view.

“Finally…!”

“Nam Gyuhwan-ssi, could you talk with me for a moment… Oh, where are you going!”

“My king is calling me.”

“Nam Gyuhwan-ssi, no, wait a moment! Nam Gyuhwan-ssi! You should at least change your clothes before going!”

Despite desperately calling out to Nam Gyuhwan, who rushed out without even changing out of his uniform, it seemed his voice didn’t reach Nam Gyuhwan.

“Shall we go, Mother, Father?”

“Could we perhaps bring one more person?”

“Of course. But may I ask who the person you’re bringing is?”

At the employee’s question, Park Seungah and Jang Jinsoo exchanged glances and smiled gently.

“Family, should we say?”

Thus, the scattered beads of the dead soul spread across the world were gathering in one place.