The Road to Glory Chapter 179 - Christmas Present

[I don’t want a lot for Christmas]

I don’t want a lot for Christmas

A famous Christmas carol was heard from the market.

Halo, wearing a hat and sunglasses, wrapped in a muffler, tapped his foot.

[There is just one thing I need]

There’s just one thing I need

His feet hit the ground to the rhythm.

People briefly turned around at the small humming voice, but couldn’t find its owner in the crowd.

The members had long gone to enjoy the Christmas market on their own.

When Halo said he had someone to meet, they gave him the okay sign and disappeared.

Their expressions were strange – they must have thought it was a woman.

While dating rumors weren’t good for celebrities, as band members, they had no intention of interfering with their boss’s love life. Not only were they not the PR team who would have headaches over dating rumors, but they just wanted their boss to be happy. They believed that dating wouldn’t stop him from making music, and that experiencing many things was important at age 17. So they probably left with mischievous expressions at the word “appointment.”

Unfortunately, their expectations couldn’t be fulfilled.

Halo waved at the girl who approached him with her arms crossed.

“Hi, have you recovered from your cold?”

“Yes.”

A blonde girl half his size appeared with rosy cheeks.

Behind Rose Aspera, who was fully armed with mittens and a scarf, no one else was visible.

“Where’s Mr. Aspera?”

“Over there.”

“Ah.”

Seemed like he was in a bad mood.

At where Rose Aspera pointed, Arbor’s beloved head designer Per Aspera was deeply engaged in a phone call. Judging by his serious face, it was clearly business.

After talking on the phone for a while, Per Aspera noticed Halo and hurriedly ended the call to approach them.

“Hey, Mr. Roh. It’s been a while.”

Since there were many people around, Per Aspera called him by his surname instead of his name, looking embarrassed.

After all, he had promised to bring her but left her without even saying hello.

“How do you like Arbor’s new model? Is everything comfortable?”

After a brief greeting, Per Aspera started talking about work again.

As if he hadn’t noticed his daughter’s expression gradually crumpling.

While understandable that not just anyone could become Arbor’s creative designer but still.

Rose’s grip on his coat was getting tighter.

Halo shrugged and glanced aside.

Only then did Per Aspera notice his daughter who was clutching Halo’s coat without making eye contact.

“Uh, Rose. Sorry. Did you say hello to Mr. Roh?”

Rose didn’t answer.

“Are you not going to talk to daddy?”

Per Aspera looked troubled but continued speaking as a guardian.

“Mr. Roh, thank you so much for spending time with Rose despite your busy schedule. She really wanted to go to the Christmas market. Plus, she was disappointed about not being able to go to the concert because of her cold.”

“Dad.”

“Yes?”

“Go away quickly.”

“!”

Per Aspera stopped talking at Rose’s words.

He seemed to have received quite a shock.

If Rose had been older, or if Halo had been Rose’s age, he might have been wary of Halo. But in the end, the busy Per Aspera had to go back to work, only saying when he’d come pick her up.

Halo, who had been smiling faintly until then, asked when they were left alone.

“Were you very disappointed that you couldn’t come to my concert?”

“Let’s go.”

The girl with reddened ears pulled him into ‘Les Villages de NOEL PARIS’ Christmas market.

Halo followed obediently while letting out a small laugh.

Turning time back a bit, meeting Rose Aspera again happened when he was inviting guests. Before inviting the gondola group from Venice, Halo wanted to invite his biggest connection from France.

However, her guardian Per Aspera sent back that it would be difficult.

Not only was visibility poor, but while Rose really wanted to go, one worry was that she was showing signs of catching a cold. He said she gets sick around winter like an annual event and suffers for quite a while.

So instead of a guest invitation, Halo sent concert tickets.

Saying she didn’t have to come as a guest, but could come watch if she wanted.

While they were called concert tickets, it wasn’t the sold-out audience seats, but staff seats where she could watch his performance from the stage side.

Unfortunately, Rose really caught a bad cold and couldn’t even visit the concert, let alone come as a guest.

Along with the message that she couldn’t come, he received a call from Rose.

At that time, who knows how much Rose cried. He heard later from Per Aspera that Rose had bought new clothes and bragged to her friends while waiting only to go to the concert.

But when she ended up not being able to go because of her cold, the tears she had been holding back burst out as soon as she heard her favorite singer’s voice, and she cried so much that it seemed like she might collapse, saying “Halo, I’m sorry.”

“It’s really okay? If you’re disappointed, you can come next time.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Why are you crying when you can come next time? Rose, or should we meet somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else?”

While comforting and talking like that, they promised to go to the Christmas market together.

Though she had cried so much like a child then, Rose who had become a lady again would change the subject whenever that story came up,

“Roh, look over there!”

She enjoyed the market here and there without stopping.

Running like a bull, she didn’t look at all like the girl who had been suffering from a cold.

The market owner, seeing the young girl and the boy following well behind her, must have thought they were siblings as they watched fondly. At 4 PM. They didn’t seem to think the boy walking around alone with a young girl at the market was Halo.

In a way, it was fortunate they didn’t think the tall boy wearing sunglasses was a kidnapper.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Yes. This looks delicious and that looks delicious too.”

As she seriously contemplated menus that looked exactly the same no matter how you looked at them, Halo gave a Solomon-like answer.

“Then let’s eat both.”

After buying two hot dogs and trying each one, Rose started eating the one she liked, and Halo ate the other one like a father would.

The hot dog topped with sauerkraut wasn’t bad, but he suddenly wanted Korean food.

As they walked, they soon arrived at a large tree.

Near the tree were benches and chairs for sitting, but at a glance there didn’t seem to be any empty seats.

From families to couples, elderly couples, or teenage friends. All sorts of people were sitting around the tree spending their daily lives together. Since it didn’t look like a seat would open up easily, Halo gave up looking for one.

Rose didn’t have much time anyway.

Per Aspera would come pick her up soon.

Knowing this, Rose who had been happily darting around the market, hugged the doll Halo bought her and said goodbye.

“Thank you for coming with me today.”

“Was it fun?”

“Yes. It feels like I got a present from Santa for being good all year.”

Am I becoming Santa?

Halo was about to make a joke, but closed his mouth at the sudden words that followed.

“Roh did well too.”

“…”

“You sang for us.”

Halo suddenly recalled Rose’s wish to him in January.

-What can I do for you?

At that time, Rose answered like this.

-Sing for me.

-A song for you?

-No.

-Sing for them, Halo.

-My Sun

“Like The Sun.”

Rose’s voice painted over the faded memory vividly.

Wondering what to say in the ticklish atmosphere, Halo chose to joke as always.

“Even though you couldn’t hear it this time because you were sick.”

“No.”

Rose puffed her cheeks.

“I listened hard to everything. From the 1st to 13th album.”

There was a song that was rated 19+ in Korea but since this wasn’t Korea, they’ll let that slide.

“Well done.”

At Halo’s praise, Rose nodded with a proud face.

“I listened really really a lot. Now I can even sing along well.”

This seemed to be because of when he scolded Rose for not being able to sing along to the 13th album when they met in the hotel lobby after the small theater concert.

Just as Halo was about to reply ‘Then try it’,

“I’ll listen well to the next album too.”

Their eyes met.

Halo remained silent, and Rose had an unreadable expression.

It looked like the expression of a child who knew nothing, and also like the face of an older adult.

No, this is just giving unnecessary meaning.

It must be because Rose precisely pointed out what he had been vaguely thinking about.

“So-“

Halo felt like he knew what Rose was going to say.

But before her words could continue, a familiar voice was heard from afar.

“Rose!”

“Dad?”

It was Per Aspera’s voice, and both Rose and Halo turned their heads.

Though he had been busy talking about work when dropping her off, at least he wasn’t on the phone when coming to pick her up.

Rose was about to run to her dad when she stopped with a “huk.”

And pulled on Halo’s coat.

Halo, confused at first, crouched down.

Like that time, Rose whispered in his ear.

“I don’t mind if Christmas comes a bit later.”

At first he wondered what she meant.

But soon he recalled how Rose had thought of him like Santa Claus.

“Didn’t you say you already got your present?”

“…Not yet.”

Rose pouted as she whispered that, then ran dododo to her father who was calling her again.

And hugs her father. It seems the anger has long been resolved. They just look like an affectionate father and daughter.

Just like other people who came to enjoy the Christmas market.

Whatever Per Aspera said, she turned back and waved to Halo.

“See you next time!”

Though it couldn’t be heard over people’s voices, that seemed to be what she said as goodbye.

Since there was still plenty of time until the market ended today but no one to pick him up like Rose, Halo just found an empty seat and sat down.

“An album, huh.”

It was about time to release one.

Was it March when he released the 13th album?

To be precise, it would be fair to say it was several decades ago.

Up to the 13th album were already made albums, and he had just re-released them.

So it would be fair to say that he hadn’t released any new songs since Roh Haeil’s first full album.

Looking at it that way, he had taken quite a long break.

“I guess I should release one soon.”

And didn’t the 83rd Halo, no, Jason provoke him too?

Saying he would release an album in March.

Halo has his pride. He absolutely can’t let that slide.

Halo laughed mischievously, then tilted his head back.

The market’s music, people’s voices, and busking performances mixed together entered his ears, and in his mind it created another result.

As he always says, he had never been blocked when it comes to composing.

All sorts of melodies always existed in his head, new melodies were created, and some left or sank.

Rock, electric, pop. Ballad. Halo, drifting in a sea where many genres pushed in, contemplated what story to tell through music.

A story about new connections met here would be good.

A story for fake Halos existing in the world like Jason would be good too.

Also,

-You know those songs you say you’ll never sing. Love songs.

Sin Joohyeok’s casual joke came to mind, but he shook his head.

What love songs. Halo snorted.

‘Words I want to say.’

While there were no stories that pulled at him most or words he wanted to say.

But he thought of someone he wanted to say something to.

However, it was someone who could never hear no matter what he shouted.

Halo looked around at the people while humming, wondering what kind of song to make.

People who look happy are captured at a glance.

As he watched quietly, a smile appeared on his lips.

Something came to mind.

It wasn’t a song that came to mind.

He didn’t know about the song, but he thought of a way to make these people happier.

Something he likes, and fans like too.

It’ll be fun.

[Something we used to do often?]

That’s how the unexpectedly posted message on Stargram was born.

Coinciding with fans’ pleas to please communicate more.