The Road to Glory Chapter 166 - We Need to Talk

8 PM.

As the sun set and darkness descended upon The Forum, save for the lights and phone screens, an intricate pattern emerged on the floor of the protruding stage and three large displays.

A design of circles and triangles formed by elegant golden lines.

The signature logo of Halo was unmistakable—a sun leaning on a crescent moon, or perhaps a sun floating on a crescent moon-shaped shadow.

As people stared blankly at this unfamiliar yet sufficiently expressive symbol, a countdown began. Starting from 16 instead of 10, white numbers fell downward.

People naturally understood that these numbers would herald the start of the concert.

Soon, they began to count down as if waiting for the New Year.

The elegant numbers quickly dropped from 10 to 9, and as they fell from 6 to 5, then 5 to 4, golden fireworks burst in the sky.

The light, large enough to captivate everyone’s eyes, illuminated The Forum that had been shrouded in darkness for a moment, then fell back into the shadows.

But darkness didn’t return completely.

Though the fireworks had already burned away, their traces remained in people’s eyes.

Along with it came the sound of a session.

The boy’s voice was heard as the countdown reached zero.

At that moment, people couldn’t help but shout.

It instantly reminded them of the Coachella stage.

13th Album “Until dawn comes”

The dawn that dispels confusion and darkness begins to arrive.

Although the sun had already set and it was now 8 PM, it felt as if another sun was rising.

With that, Halo snapped his fingers, and all the lights in the stadium lit up.

People could spot the boy where all the lights converged.

Small to some, large to others, the boy greeted them with his usual calm face.

However, it wasn’t until after he sang five songs in a row that he personally greeted them.

#

The words ‘calm’ or ‘composed’ didn’t suit the boy.

At least not for today’s stage.

Having rested for so long, and having only performed ten times, he wanted to have some proper fun.

So, this could be seen as a game.

A game of who gets tired first, you or me.

After giving them cushions to sit on, Halo didn’t give them any time to sit at all.

Starting with HALO’s 13th album, he showed why he was called the Sun or the King for the past year.

Unlike when they were swept away mindlessly back then, people now willingly gave their attention.

They had already been tamed. They threw themselves in and enjoyed it.

Starting with the 13th album, then the 12th and 7th, after running wildly, Halo greeted them with a satisfied face.

“Hello? Have you all been well?”

Olivia blankly listened to the boy’s opening remarks from backstage.

“It’s only just begun, but you seem quite tired.”

No! People shouted at that one word.

Seeing those who shouted that they weren’t tired at all and to keep going, the boy smiled contentedly.

That smile resembled the face she had met at Ever Since.

Unlike then, his build had grown and his hair color was different, but the aura of someone who wasn’t swept away by the world but rather stood above it flowed strongly.

Just like how he was now swaying 20,000 people, it was the same back then. Though the number was much smaller, he left a strong impression on those who visited Ever Since that day, the staff of Ever Since, and her world.

It wasn’t just a memory.

She had gained a great opportunity because of that Ever Since performance.

A famous producer who was impressed by the Ever Since performance uploaded on NuTube directly produced her. That became her first album, put her on the Billboard, and allowed her to become a singer.

Olivia, who met a famous producer and suddenly became a star, received quite a lot of contact from people around her. Most were from people she didn’t know or wasn’t close to, so it was hard to block them, but she couldn’t bring herself to change her contact information.

The note she had given to the boy.

Because someday, the boy might not forget and contact her.

People pointed to the producer as her benefactor, but Olivia’s benefactor remained constant.

Towards the one person who had breathed life into a woman left shabby

On a shabby stage,

Wearing a shabby dress,

Under the gaze of friends and professors who had come to see her.

To be honest, she wasn’t completely unaware of the boy’s identity.

In the 21st century, with numerous eyes watching popular videos uploaded to NuTube, those eyes existed in many places simultaneously. This meant that people who knew about K-pop well, or Koreans, were there.

Yes, they kindly informed her who the boy in the video was, and Olivia was able to learn everything from the boy’s name to his music afterward.

The boy truly had beautiful music.

Although it was in a language she didn’t understand, he created music that seemed to convey its meaning.

It wasn’t just her thought; there were many people who acknowledged the boy’s talent and charm.

In that country, that is.

However, that country was too small.

She thought the boy should receive attention and love from more people.

Because he was a much more wonderful person than her, and deserved a bigger world.

So, she wanted to call the boy into this vast world.

She couldn’t wait and eventually contacted the boy.

But the boy didn’t need her.

He didn’t contact her, and when she reached out, there was no reply.

Then, one cold winter, she saw the boy in the middle of Paris.

Clearly, he didn’t need her.

Because he was someone who could come on his own without her calling or helping him.

Perhaps what was a miracle-like day for her was just a passing day for him, as he was living such a special life.

In February, she stopped contacting him.

He seemed to have forgotten her, so she didn’t want to interfere.

-Want to perform with me? This time at my concert.

So, she didn’t expect to receive such a contact.

When they met again, she couldn’t give any answer.

She just kept nodding, afraid the boy might misunderstand.

That she would definitely do it.

“This time, I’ll show you a slightly different stage. It will be a more special stage.”

Olivia returned to reality and waited for Halo’s announcement.

In her eyes, the stage she had wanted to see unfolds.

The boy’s stage that countless people came to see.

Again, this is what she wanted, for the boy to come out into a bigger world like this.

The stage lights go out.

Now it’s her turn to go out.

Olivia lifted her dress with both hands and stepped onto the stage.

“But.”

Olivia muttered unconsciously.

This should have been the scene she wanted most.

She must have been stupid.

“-This stage is small too. For you.”

Even this stage, where numerous artists and groups have left their mark, seemed too small to contain the boy.

Perhaps it was her who was trapped in a small world.

Eventually, she stepped onto the stage that was big for her but small for him.

A accompaniment is heard from the darkness.

It was a familiar sound, but not from a familiar session.

Even people with less sensitive ears knew.

The thing covered with black cloth in one corner was clearly a piano. Moon Seoyeon, who had moved her position, started playing the piano, followed by Nam Gyuhwan’s conga and Han Jinyeong’s contrabass.

Some people might have noticed here, and some might not… well, there might be.

When it was revealed in April at Coachella that Roh Haeil was Halo, all his past actions were reviewed, including the anecdote from a small cafe in California.

Moreover, this anecdote was even more famous because the Coachella personnel directly said, “I saw Roh there and decided to recruit him – in reality, he was put as candidate D or so -“.

The video someone left on their phone also became a holy site.

After all, wasn’t it Olivia’s pre-debut stage that put her first album on the Billboard? The already famous video saw its views increase dozens of times over in April.

Anyway, what they were playing was “No one was there” from HALO’s 8th album, but when the soft lighting illuminated a female singer and a boy with a hollow body guitar, people couldn’t help but realize that they were reenacting that time.

And with the female singer’s first words, this place changed from a rock concert hall to an elegant ballroom.

Because they had been swaying emotions and running all this time, people could heal, and they provided the chorus to the jazz-arranged music.

The female singer in a recital dress and Halo in casual attire seemed to be in different places, but their voices blended well.

What people especially liked was when Olivia elaborated on that anecdote.

“Actually, I didn’t think Halo would remember me. It was a short time, less than half a day, and a lot has happened since then, right? If I mention the Paris Revolution, everyone would know, right?”

Since Halo wasn’t the type to talk much about his private life, people listened with smiles, and their banter was quite enjoyable.

“If it had been someone else at that time, would you have helped them too?”

“Well. I probably would have.”

Halo readily agreed.

If he had been bored at the time, he probably would have done it if he could perform on stage together.

“But I don’t think they would have shown as impressive a performance as Olivia.”

“Oh my.”

So that’s why you still remember it, right?

Oh, I’m truly honored.

Olivia playfully responded to the jokingly added words.

“Olivia, can you show us that stage one more time?”

“Of course.”

Eventually, Halo once again held the full hollow body guitar.

If he had played then by roughly memorizing the score, this time there would be no problem as he had properly practiced and even gone through rehearsals.

[Do you know the form of love?]

Olivia had never forgotten the memory of that time.

Therefore, it might be natural that at some point she held the microphone up to Halo.

Halo looked at her for this action that hadn’t been done during rehearsal, then grinned.

And the jazz coming from his mouth.

If the people there could only hear it for a few seconds,

Here, they could listen for much longer.

[HALO, successful LA concert, everyone expected yodeling, but this time it’s jazz]

[Isn’t his logo so beautiful? But what’s with the jazz? He sang jazz??? Jazz that he never sang even once before? Is next month’s Halo jazz?]

[Beautiful night, beautiful music, and beautiful duet]

[@Daily_starrrr I wish he would become an adult soon]

[@TopOf_Tabloid Honestly, I agree, I think we’ll be a bit busier when he becomes an adult]

[After letting us rest with jazz, he makes us jump until the encore]

[I even saw someone being taken away in an ambulance]

[NEW Unidentified body found in California desert]

[I heard there are people who haven’t returned home]

[Look at the gift he gave. Although I’ve never used it even once, isn’t it really sweet that it’s a cushion? The way home is so enjoyable]

Numerous articles and comments were mixed and uploaded.

This time, there was a lot to listen to as many B-side tracks were selected instead of just the title track.

[Ah jazz… I really like jazz… He won’t sing it next time, right?]

[Given Roh Haeil’s style, he definitely won’t sing it again. He never repeated concepts even during small theater performances]

[Please, even if it’s just a cover song…]

However, as the moon rose, people belatedly remembered the existence of the golden ticket.

[I thought there would be a drawing or an invitation to the stage, but I guess not]

[I was so caught up in the fun that I only thought about it after getting home. So what was the golden ticket about?]

This is the community at 1 AM.

And at 4 AM.

A single article overshadows all the follow-up reviews.

[So what was the golden ticket?]

The article didn’t need to use many words.

The watch Halo wore to the concert,

And the verification of a golden ticket holder were enough.

[??????]

[Wait]

[What the…]

At first, people who didn’t understand what it meant just typed question marks.

But the meaning of the article was clear.

They could understand why there was something called ‘Roh Haeil’s true colors’ in Korea.

And the Korean fandom, which had already experienced this, exploded.

[FML Ah PTSD]

[Wait, the golden ticket is that?]

[No, it was fucking ridiculous even with the music box, but is it really a watch?]

[I broke my savings account to buy the Halo edition when it comes out…]

[What kind of watch is it LOL What kind of crazy person gives a luxury watch as concert merchandise]

[Oh please no no no no no]

[It really is a golden ticket, gold comes out of the ticket hahaha]

The identity of the golden ticket quickly spread around the world.

It didn’t take long.

[Looking to buy a golden ticket…]

[Oh No]

The golden tickets that were already being traded for tens of thousands of dollars disappeared completely.

:

Meanwhile, this is the story from a few hours before the article was uploaded.

Right before the concert. That is, around 7:30 PM.

‘This is…’

John Doe exhaled a rough breath.

His hands were trembling.

He felt like he was holding the Powerball jackpot in cash. At the same time, the people sitting around him looked like robbers. As if they might hit him on the back of the head at any moment and steal his shopping bag.

The man in the seat next to him seemed especially threatening.

Ignoring the concert staff’s words, John Doe thoughtlessly opened the gift and the moment he opened the box, he made eye contact with the man next to him.

Until then, he had been indifferent, but John Doe knew that the moment this was revealed, the man’s eyes would change.

Why wouldn’t they? Even his own eyes were rolling now.

‘Is this the golden ticket?’

His heart was pounding.

His quick reflexes, which had closed the box as soon as he opened it, paid off.

The man next to him hadn’t seen what was inside, and was just puzzled by the unfamiliar box.

After all, he didn’t have this box.

It definitely seemed to have come from that shopping bag.

As the man’s expression gradually sharpened, John Doe hurriedly turned his head.

“Wow, it’s a gift for my wife, ha, ha, ha. Today, it’s our wedding anniversary,”

John Doe regretted it as soon as he said it.

It was completely nonsensical.

Who on earth would come alone to a Halo concert on their wedding anniversary, even bringing a gift for their wife?

But surprisingly, the man next to him nodded once with a sympathetic look, then indifferently turned his gaze away.

Of course, the man next to him also knew it didn’t make much sense.

But he hadn’t properly seen what was inside, and since it was said to be a gift, it would be strange to show interest.

It definitely seemed to have come from a sealed shopping bag. He just tilted his head once and left it at that.

John Doe couldn’t even look at it properly, and engaged in a psychological warfare alone, watching the man with the whites of his eyes.

‘How am I supposed to watch the concert after receiving this…’

The golden ticket wasn’t just for one person, so someone might suddenly reveal it. John Doe was torn between wanting to go home right away and wanting to see Halo’s concert.

Anyway, he thought he wouldn’t be able to concentrate properly on the concert due to the existence of this unbelievable golden object…

Surprisingly, that wasn’t the case. Before he knew it, he was jumping in place until his joints hurt, and for some reason, he was arm in arm with the man next to him.

“Want to go for a drink together?”

After the concert ended, the man who had developed an internal sense of closeness offered a drink, but John Doe, who had once again become aware of the watch’s existence, felt a weight that seemed like his arm might fall off.

“Oh, sorry. It’s, uh, my younger sibling’s birthday, so…”

John Doe, who didn’t notice that he had made a slip of the tongue, hurriedly left, and when he got home, he could see the dazzling watch. One thing was certain. He would never wear it out in the future.

John Doe stared at the watch all night, with its perfect luxury watch appearance, complete with a certificate and watch strap, and even a limited edition.

As the night deepened, his excitement gradually rose.

But fear came with it.

Should he just keep quiet, or what if some guy verifies the golden ticket in the community?

John Doe trembled, wondering if anyone from that concert would remember his face.

He was so scared that for a week, he stayed cooped up at home, having nightmares about someone stealing his sacred object.

And after a week of nothing happening, John Doe could slowly start to feel at ease.

To protect the watch, he thought he needed to build muscle, so it was natural for him to go to the gym.

At that time, he didn’t know.

That he would run into the man who sat next to him at the concert in the gym.

“Hi.”

An arm as big as an adult man’s torso grabbed his shoulder.

“We need to talk, don’t we?”