The Road to Glory – Chapter 185 – A Good Boss

Author: Dawn

“Alright, so you want to become a singer that badly? Fine.”

The businessman decided to take a step back.

“I’ll take responsibility for your first album and get it under contract. I’ll find you a good producer. If there’s anything you need to learn, I’ll call in a coach too. But only for the first album. What comes after depends on your performance. Got it?”

After giving the carrot, it was time to show reality.

“Think about it. How many people would do this much for a runaway teen with nothing? I even revealed my identity to you. It’s good to be careful about contracts, but there are times when you need to grab an opportunity when it presents itself.”

And then another carrot.

“But since this is sudden, I’ll give you time. You can check whether I’m a fraud or not. No, I’ll tell you how to check if someone’s a fraud. Look up criminal records, check who owns my buildings, verify if the company is really registered. Consider the revenue and net profit too, check bank loan status and debt ratios. Ah, and industry recognition is important too. Check which singers are signed with my company and what albums have been released.”

The businessman took the initiative to help with the verification himself.

After visiting banks and government offices, the boy had no choice but to understand that he wasn’t a fraud.

Even if everything else could be faked, government institutions and banks wouldn’t lie.

And the same would go for broadcasting stations and singers.

The boy still didn’t like him, but he knew this was a good opportunity.

The man’s business wasn’t bad, and he guaranteed the first album unconditionally.

He made a decision while signing the contract.

He would become an outstanding singer, mingle with many people, and meet his bros again.

When he becomes famous, his bros would surely find him.

“Right, then what should I call you now?”

Name.

The boy had left everything behind at home.

The allowance and clothes he brought from home were long gone or discarded.

The boy decided to completely abandon his name too, which he hadn’t heard for a long time.

And then he recalled.

The stage name he had pondered with his bros.

When his bros kept teasing him with names like ‘tiny tot,’ ‘shorty,’ ‘little tomato,’ the boy gritted his teeth and set out to find something cool himself, going through all the books he had.

And in his crumpled science textbook, he found one.

“I am.”

His bros laughed saying it was funny. But the boy didn’t find it funny at all.

He would live up to that name

The boy spoke the name he would carry for life.

“HALO.”

I’m Halo.

The boss nodded at the boy’s answer.

Since the boy was a minor, the contract needed guardian consent.

When the boy didn’t seem too pleased about this, the sharp businessman, no, the boss said he would handle it.

After getting the address, he went there and said the family agreed without much discussion.

The boy didn’t ask what was discussed with the boss.

And, not asking was the right choice.

“What? They said ‘he’s not our child anymore, do whatever you want’? That’s a lie! Really? Are they really his parents? Wait, how are you going to tell him that?”

“Why would I tell him?”

“What?”

“What if he runs away in shock? Or suddenly says he won’t do it? He can’t do that. His future is so bright. Let’s just keep things pleasant. He, Halo is mine now. Just make sure this doesn’t reach his ears.”

Many years later.

When the ‘young man’ finally reunited with his parents, he heard their apology directly from their mouths. That saying he wasn’t their child was just said in the heat of the moment. That it wasn’t sincere. About 15 years later.

By then he was old enough to no longer need parents, so he just accepted it calmly and moved on.

The boss wasn’t well-versed in music, but he was an excellent businessman.

He decided to make HALO’s appearance his selling point as a new singer, and -against the boy’s objections- put the boy’s face on the cover of HALO’s first album “Struggle” which was released without any special producing.

It was a photo of the boy with wet hair, resting his pale cheek on one hand while quietly gazing at the camera.

And the response was explosive.

Even without the common practice of chart manipulation through bulk buying at the time -the boss had no intention of nurturing the boy as a singer then- the album with the boy’s photo sold in tremendous numbers.

It wasn’t because the boy’s music was excellent.

People weren’t buying it after hearing the music in the first place.

Most women who stopped by bookstores or record shops couldn’t take their eyes off the boy’s photo, and after lingering around it, they eventually made the purchase. Without any special promotion, the boy’s album sold out through word of mouth and display alone.

“Hm. How ironic.”

“Why?”

A day later, BB, meeting with Halo again, suddenly sighed.

There was a certain emotion in his voice.

Was it mourning for ‘a man’ who didn’t exist in the world? Or-.

“Currently your fandom has a high male ratio, but you know. Especially your first album ‘Struggle’ was the kind of music that made men’s blood boil.”

Halo giggled.

“That’s how it spread.”

“Oh ho. So it wasn’t the end, but the beginning.”

The boss was certainly right at first.

The boy’s appearance was the best promotion, and everyone who passed by stopped to look at his photo.

Some said he couldn’t be a real person, must be an imaginary drawing, but regardless, it sold like hotcakes. Tabloids dubbed this unique phenomenon ‘Adonis.’

Even if people bought the album without listening to the music, those who bought it would have eventually listened to it.

They probably played it at home, school, work, and it would have reached their older brothers, younger brothers, and even fathers.

Burning youth. Teenagers and twenty-somethings who were passionate about new things and rebelled against the old.

And the name HALO became known to women of various ages.

He became such a trend that Halo, a rookie singer, ranked first in women’s magazines for “Most Wanted Boyfriend” above the most popular male actor at the time.

Along with his popularity and growing fandom, his album rankings rose until he reached first place in both radio listeners and album sales.

From then on, the boy was a popular star.

Everyone wanted him, and offers for advertisements, photoshoots, and broadcasts poured in.

The boss accepted all offers that didn’t deviate from the boy’s image he had planned.

Even if it wasn’t what the boy wanted.

The boy, who had to stand like a doll at parties for important people, finally burst into the boss’s office.

“What are you doing? Have some dignity. Don’t act like a mad cow.”

“Try making me stand like a doll one more time, and I’ll show you what a real mad cow is like.”

The boss sneered at the boy’s words, who had already kicked a table at the party before coming.

“Don’t want to do the second album, I see?”

“Looks like you’ve made all the money you wanted from me?”

The boss gritted his teeth.

Just as the boy knew what the boss wanted, the boy knew what the boss wanted.

Even to the point that the boss wouldn’t be satisfied with just this much.

“…”

Sharp gazes were exchanged.

The boss put down his cigarette and picked up a paper.

“It’s an offer.”

“Not doing it.”

“Don’t do it if you don’t want to.”

The boss snorted.

“It’s an offer from someone who finally wants to hear your music.”

“!”

The boy’s pride was hurt, but he wanted to do it.

The boy was hungry for the stage and wanted people to listen to his music.

Critics said he sold albums with his face, but he didn’t think his popularity was just because of his looks. Whenever he met fans, they told him they liked his music.

The boy wanted to do music, not be a star.

“But have you thought about appearing in movies?”

“You do it.”

“You’re really pushing it.”

The boss thought he needed to break the boy’s spirit, but couldn’t insist due to tomorrow’s schedule.

Either way, the boy’s name became more well-known day by day.

If “Struggle” had reached those rankings solely based on looks, it wouldn’t have stayed there long.

But “Struggle” climbed music charts worldwide beyond England, and though criticized by reviewers, it was rediscovered through the words of famous singers.

The boss came to acknowledge that at least the boy was a singer and made decent music.

-I’m not doing music to become famous, I’ll become famous through my music.

He had to admit that the runaway teen with nothing was half right.

The more this happened, the boy’s value increased.

The boss created an image of the boy not just for his looks, but as a singer with incredible talent, and got him many performances.

He didn’t exploit him like was common at the time.

The boss saw that the boy’s value wouldn’t end in just a few years.

The boss wasn’t foolish enough to cut open the goose that laid golden eggs.

He thought of himself as a good boss, and that was certainly true.

Although he constantly butted heads with the boss, the boy was satisfied with his current life.

A different world had opened up for him. He had gained wealth that some couldn’t achieve in a lifetime, and he could sing in front of people who loved his music.

Countless people loved him.

The life of a runaway teen with nothing had turned 180 degrees.

New friends and lovers.

Among people who acknowledged him and in such a rosy world, the boy sang of joy and delight.

That became his second album, the masterpiece “Spring Again.”

Through soft violin melodies, elegant harps, and orchestra, ‘spring’ was realized.

Even the boss, who said he didn’t like music, highly praised it saying this had to be released, and the results turned out as everyone knows.

Critics even reassessed the rookie singer’s value,

The world recognized him not just as a handsome singer, but as an excellent artist.

While his first album “Struggle” had divided opinions, his second album claimed the crown as the most mainstream album for the longest time.

“But that joy didn’t last long either.”

“Why?”

“Let’s end here for today.”

“What?”

The interview ended with the story of how ‘he’ rose to become an artist beloved by the public. BB looked at him pleadingly, asking if they were really ending here.

Still, Halo didn’t resume the interview.

Today would end here.

They had plenty of time, and well…

He didn’t want to rush through this interview where he was narrating his own past.

He felt like Scheherazade from Arabian Nights.

He secretly enjoyed BB’s reaction, who was dying to know the next story.

Meanwhile, remembering his past after so long seemed to create an echo in his heart too.

“So what kind of album are you thinking of releasing this time?”

Despite meeting with BB for several days, today was skipped.

It was because of tomorrow’s Seoul concert.

Halo, who decided to rest for the concert, had dinner with August Veil at a hotel restaurant.

“I want to cover a theme I’ve never done before.”