The Road to Glory Chapter 182 - How Does It Begin?

“I still don’t understand.”

Tomas refused to ‘agree’ until the end.

But he didn’t completely oppose it either.

“Take good videos. We might use them later. It’s ‘that’ video after all, we’ll use it somehow.”

BB chuckled while checking the camera around his neck.

Battery fully charged.

The condition-.

When he zoomed in on Tomas’s pores, he could see dead skin cells that had accumulated for weeks.

Skin condition: poor, camera condition: not bad. BB lowered the angle.

Unaware of the extreme privacy invasion that just occurred, Tomas waved his hand.

“Get the contract signed when you come back.”

The other equipment had already been sent to Korea long ago.

After completing all preparations, BB entered Korea once again with just one camera.

Having entered the country using a private jet borrowed from a close actor, BB made eye contact with the person who came to pick him up.

He was an employee of Veil Corporation, and was August Veil (Veil)’s person who knew about this ‘movie’ matter.

Of course, Veil didn’t know everything.

Veil, who had heard that they were positive about the movie production, didn’t know about the ‘interview’ that BB and Halo were conducting. They only said they were meeting about the movie contract, so he just sent someone to the airport.

Riding in the car prepared by Veil, BB headed to the hotel where Halo was staying.

For a smooth interview, BB had also booked a room at the same hotel, and the interview would be conducted either in Halo’s suite or somewhere inside the hotel.

“Mr. Halo visited the new building and said he’ll be a bit late.”

“I heard they were building a new building, but is it already completed?”

“The exterior is complete, and they’re working on the interior.”

“Can I see it later too?”

“You can see the exterior anytime, and if you want to see the interior, just ask Mr. Halo.”

BB nodded.

He really wanted to see Halo’s new label that supposedly had a world-renowned architect involved.

Of course he should go if he could see it before others.

Then BB took out his equipment from his hotel room and started setting up the tripod in Halo’s suite reception room. He didn’t care about the employee who was looking at him oddly, wondering why a famous director was doing staff work.

What mattered was that Halo had agreed to record the interview on video.

He thought Halo disliked being filmed since he rarely appeared on broadcasts, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

Only after finishing the setup did BB have time to look around the suite where Halo was staying.

‘Where Halo stays.’ That’s quite an intriguing modifier.

Currently, tens of thousands of people visit Van Gogh’s house or Mozart’s birthplace.

In the future, many visitors might come to ‘Halo’s birthplace’ or ‘accommodations where Halo stayed.’

BB, who came in one step ahead of those future people, looked around. Of course, he had no intention of entering private spaces not permitted by the owner. And even without going there, there was plenty to see. Starting from the reception room, many traces remained.

It wasn’t that it was dirty.

Rather, the room’s appearance that clearly showed an individual’s personality was extremely attractive to both a director and an interviewer.

This kind of information can’t be known from others, and it implies many things.

From small habits to mannerisms, preferences.

And also.

BB reached for a paper ball rolling on the floor.

Since no employee specifically stopped him, he could unfold the paper ball without any interference.

And.

“!”

BB’s eyes widened.

The crumpled paper had sheet music on it.

The same was true when he hurriedly opened other paper balls.

From just a few measures.

To several lines.

The paper trash, clearly Halo’s practice pieces, was full of Halo’s music.

Even to someone who could barely read sheet music, works that weren’t mere practice pieces were rolling around like stones on the street.

Of course, he had no intention of stealing them.

BB isn’t a singer, nor a composer.

His self-esteem wasn’t low enough to covet others’ work.

As a successful Hollywood director, the reason this fascinated him was simply because it represented historical materials that represented Halo’s life.

The ‘trash balls’ rolling around the reception room floor revealed that Halo’s world was full of music. A life that endlessly creates and pours out music. Like the great figures in history books. Like Mozart and Beethoven, as was the world of countless musicians.

Oh, isn’t this truly the appearance of a genius?

BB, thinking he had touched one side of the room, jumped up from his seat.

He greedily captured the room’s appearance with his camera.

It was good that he came.

If Tomas saw this place, he would have gone crazy.

No, who wouldn’t go crazy?

None of his time in Korea was wasted.

He wouldn’t regret it even if he went back like this.

But there’s something more important left.

What kind of story would this ‘genius’ living in such a world tell him?

#

Meanwhile, Halo was meeting with the manager of the new building.

“May I make one request?”

“What is it?”

The manager, who had rushed out upon hearing Halo was coming and even received signatures for his whole family, finally came to his senses.

“Could you cover my eyes?”

“I heard it’s not completed yet…”

The exterior was roughly built like a building, but I heard there was still much to do like the interior, paint, glass construction, etc. Surprises should be saved for when everything is complete.

Although Halo showed a lukewarm reaction, the manager smiled more.

At that, the members took the initiative first.

“Boss! Let’s try covering them?”

“Wow! I’m excited.”

“Here, I’ll cover them for you.”

“We could just go see-“

At Halo’s words, Han Jinyeong smiled and covered his eyes, while Nam Gyuhwan and Moon Seoyeon held him to prevent him from falling.

“Let’s go!”

Walking with covered eyes and getting on the elevator.

With eyes covered, other senses became heightened.

The unique smell of construction became intense, and above all, it was full of noise.

The sound of shoes hitting the floor and construction equipment.

And even the sound of members’ conversations.

After getting off the elevator and walking across a long asphalt floor, Halo suddenly stopped.

He heard something opening, but couldn’t hear the members’ voices.

Is it really nothing special?

“I’ll uncover them when I count to three.”

He thought it wouldn’t be anything special.

Even until then, he was confident he wouldn’t be surprised.

However

One… Two.

Three.

When the cloth covering his eyes came down with the countdown.

Halo slowly looked at the interior space and-.

“!”

His eyes slowly widened.

A massive auditorium.

No, a massive theater spread out before his eyes.

Although the stage equipment and seats hadn’t been installed yet, the stepped auditorium was clearly the small theater he had wanted.

The manager started explaining something.

About construction for soundproofing and whatnot.

About the safety of the seats and such.

However, such explanations scattered before reaching his ears.

Too many sounds were already reaching his ears.

It was too full of various sounds to accept other noises.

A splendid stage unfolds before his eyes.

Him standing before numerous highlights and the audience who came to see him.

The light of cheering sticks filling the dark theater.

And the music that will be heard there will be truly beautiful music.

For instance, his new music.

Halo, who got a preview of future concerts from the entrance to the seats, honestly admitted.

That the manager who suggested covering his eyes was right, and.

“How is it?”

“It’s good.”

That the stage implemented for him was excellent.

“More than perfect.”

The manager smiled as if it was natural.

After entering and looking around the small theater, they properly toured the upper floors.

Broadly dividing the building’s structure, the basement had the small theater.

The first and second floors were duplex-style lobbies, and from the third floor up was where the label’s main functions were implemented. Above that were recording studios, mastering rooms, conference rooms and practice rooms, followed by the penthouse floor and at the very top was a rooftop and – for emergencies – a helipad.

In other words, although the interior wasn’t complete yet, the members’ reactions were complete.

“Over here, as requested-“

“Wow! Wow!”

The members shouted while looking at empty walls as if everything was already implemented. It was so impressive that even the manager felt embarrassed. Still, it seemed no one disliked the new building.

“It’s so cool!”

“Can’t we just move in from tomorrow?”

“When can we move in?”

“Haha, thank you.” “No, you can’t.” After kindly answering each person, the manager responded to Han Jinyeong, who was relatively normal.

“Unless there are special problems. At earliest spring. Latest by summer, you should expect.”

Today was January. That meant construction would be finished within the first half of the year. A period that’s close yet far.

Everyone left the new building looking like they really didn’t want to leave.

Rehearsal was from the next day.

They didn’t pack the schedule tight saying they were going to see the building, and thus today’s remaining time was free time.

The evil boss Halo who gave the members a half-day vacation immediately returned to the hotel.

He was in a hurry.

He wanted to create songs to sing in the completed small theater.

What kind of music would suit that place?

What kind of music should he make for the stage that would unfold before his eyes?

People would like anything, but he wanted to create even better music. Without deciding what genre to make it in or what theme to use, he just blindly wanted to eat that fruit.

“Mr. Halo.”

And, Halo belatedly noticed the person waiting in the hotel room. Brian Berry waved in greeting.

He, who told the famous director to wait, forgot about the invitation itself, blinded by another fruit.

However, since Halo wasn’t an amateur, he greeted calmly without showing any sign.

“It’s been a while, BB.”

“It seemed like you forgot about me for a moment.”

“How could that be?”

BB was good at reading people and quick-witted, but not persistent.

He entered the reception room with the shrugging youth.

Halo didn’t say anything particular about the camera and sat in front of it.

The recording hadn’t started yet.

BB wasn’t an impatient teenager, so he didn’t suddenly press the record button. Whether they did many interviews or had no experience, he always helped interviewees relax with small talk.

Well, however, the youth in front of him was also very skilled at ‘small talk.’ BB, who briefly talked with him at the Korea University festival, was confident he wouldn’t be surprised even if the youth said he had lived in America.

“Did you wait long?”

After requesting afternoon tea service at the hotel counter, Halo spoke first.

“A bit. But it wasn’t boring.”

“Hmm. I must be the only one who’s ever kept BB waiting?”

“Oh, that’s one interesting point, but I’ve already heard many stories.”

“From whom?”

“From the things scattered around you.”

From air, clothes, chair… BB spoke as if giving examples.

“Even weak beer. Should I say more?”

Weak beer (beer with low alcohol content) is an idiom meaning “insignificant things.”

Although these days they mostly use “small beer” (British) or “small potato”, that was the original form Shakespeare used.

This expression couldn’t be unfamiliar to Halo, who once memorized Shakespeare’s sentences. And even those unfamiliar with such expressions would soon understand.

Because BB placed heavily wrinkled paper in front of him. They were practice pieces he had thrown away as unnecessary.

“Was it perhaps rude?”

“It’s fine since I was going to throw them away anyway.”

“You’re throwing these away?”

Although they were rolling on the floor, BB was horrified at the words that he was really throwing them away.

“Some seemed almost complete.”

Halo shrugged.

To his eyes, they were all incomplete, and he had no intention of using them.

Throwing away these treasures? BB, who had a habit of collecting every practice piece, was about to emphasize how important such historical materials were to the youth in front of him, but remembered that wasn’t important right now.

They had many things to do.

They hadn’t even signed the movie production contract yet,

And the screenplay hadn’t come out.

You could say it was just 0, but since the director BB and the original music creator HALO were positive, you could consider it more than half done.

“Well then, shall we start the interview?”

A red light came on the camera in front of Halo.

BB put on his glasses and opened his notebook.

The reason he didn’t use a laptop wasn’t because he preferred analog, but because of the interview.

He couldn’t stand the interviewee’s voice being buried under keyboard sounds.

The youth and BB faced each other.

Ordinary people would ask about character names or the year and background of the work. However, BB wasn’t an ordinary person. Years or background weren’t that important.

What’s important-.

BB asked the same question when listening to stories from his disciples, college students dreaming of becoming directors, or other directors’ new works.

“How does that person’s life begin?”

Halo closed his eyes.

If talking about the ‘beginning’, he had only one answer.

“From music.”