The Road to Glory – Chapter 216 – [Side Story] Chapter 18. Welcome to My Class

Author: Dawn

Today was the day Welcome to my world Episode 3 “Welcome to my class” would be aired.

This content, streaming after work hours, like the Little Prince taming the fox, made many viewers wait from an hour before.

Of course, waiting didn’t necessarily mean enduring time.

An hour was enough time to review previous episodes, discuss, and argue.

[Is Halo (Roh Haeil) really in a slump?(+253)]

└ When will this debate ever end

└ Probably until Welcome to my world ends

└ Now I don’t know who the real fans are – those saying Halo is in a slump or those saying he isn’t

└ Everyone who’s overly invested is a real fan lol

[Am I the only one who noticed Haeil gets babied by the members?]

When others were like “Why are you in a slump? You’re just full”

The members seriously tried to comfort and help solve it

└ Feels like older brothers and sisters doting on their youngest

└ Well, there’s probably about a ten-year age gap in reality

└ Could’ve developed feelings like inferiority but they’re like a real family, nice to see

└ Hard to feel inferior when everyone’s skills are insane

From the pianist who graduated from Korea National University of Arts’ Piano Department, to the bassist who was as famous as Sin Joohyeok during his band days, and the percussionist famous in the industry (so famous that famous singers tried to recruit them but joined Roh Haeil’s band and became Halo’s band)

[If Welcome to my world aired on public TV instead of NuTube, what would the ratings be?]

└ (Clip) The reason broadcast stations are kicking themselves

└ Never thought about it but if it did…

└ Top star + Self-made chaebol + Modern Mozart + Composition + Healing + Youth + Daily reality <<< Isn’t this combo just cheating?

└ These keywords LOL This combination would drive Koreans crazy

└ Even if people say they don’t watch TV anymore, they’d look this up out of curiosity

[It’s become a rule that communities flip upside down on Welcome to my world days]

[Welcome to my world) Let’s watch Episode 3 together!!!!]

While Welcome to my world could be watched together on NuTube before being uploaded, many people didn’t prefer that.

After all, NuTube had no entry barriers, so there were all sorts of people there.

Thus, posts like this would open in communities sharing similar sentiments.

[It’s starting it’s starting]

While the last episode ended with Halo standing in front of Hongdae street, this episode

started in a classroom.

[Academy?]

[Obviously an academy]

[Why does it look familiar]

In the dark classroom, only a white board and clock were faintly visible.

Time passed quickly in timelapse.

The lights suddenly turned on, and someone entered.

A middle-aged man in his 50s or 60s entered carrying a heavy bass.

Just as he sat down, the door opened again.

This time a young man and middle-aged woman entered, and while the young man handed over the bass, the middle-aged man and woman chatted.

Then one by one, people filled the classroom.

“Did you practice a lot?”

“Not at all. Was busy cooking for my son.”

“I practiced a little.”

“Oh, can we look forward to the performance?”

The age range varied, but not practicing while talking big seemed similar across all classes.

[Says they’re worried about performing LOL but no one practiced]

[Feels like looking at myself]

[The time before class starts is always the most fun]

And one by one, people started realizing why the academy classroom appeared at the beginning of Welcome to my world. No wonder Episode 3’s title was ‘Welcome to my class’.

[So class meant an actual class, like Class 1, Class 2?]

[Wait this looks like our academy, could Halo be… a student?]

[No one would teach a Grammy winner so is he an instructor?]

[There’s an academy where Halo is either a classmate or instructor?! I want to attend too!!!!]

[Seriously how much would tuition be for an instructor like Halo]

└ Don’t university professors charge hundreds per lecture? Even if Halo charged hundreds people would definitely agree

└ Just watching him make music in person would be worth my life savings

As much as viewers were anticipating, the students were also excited and started talking about the filming.

“What kind of filming is this anyway?”

“I heard it’s NuTube content. Does Teacher Jinyeong do NuTube?”

“Maybe a celebrity is coming? Teacher Jinyeong knows a lot of celebrities.”

“Could it be…”

Someone raised their finger and spoke, making even the viewers tense at this moment.

“Sin Joohyeok?”

“Or maybe an idol?”

“Which idol plays well?”

“An actor… probably not?”

[LOL no one even thinks of Halo]

[Halo was supposed to be abroad at this time]

[Thought I found the wrong video at first but now I understand why they included this LOL this is gonna be fun]

[Wonder what’ll happen when Haeil comes in]

At that moment, the camera angle changed to show the hallway outside the classroom.

Someone was approaching from afar.

The instructor Han Jinyeong was shown first, with a caption-like introduction:

Han Jinyeong

– Halo, Roh Haeil band bassist

– ## Applied Music Academy instructor

And following behind him, a dark figure.

[!]

Though wearing a hat and mask, it was obviously Halo.

The boy following behind Han Jinyeong looked around curiously, peeked into a classroom, and his eyes softly crinkled.

Though his mouth was hidden by the mask, viewers were curious about what he was seeing with that gentle gaze.

Soon Han Jinyeong opened the door and entered, and as he received the students’ greetings

Halo revealed himself. And the reaction was, well-.

Just as everyone expected.

“Who is that?”

“Wait-.”

“Isn’t that Halo?”

“Halo?”

“Why is Halo here?”

But here he was.

Halo took off his sunglasses and mask, and the students’ expressions were shown in real-time.

[ㅇㅂㅇ]

[Ah I want to be there too]

[Wait I went on that filming day was that when Haeil came???]

Someone dropped their pen, and the peak moment was when Halo picked it up.

“Can, can I accept this?”

“?”

The contrast between their absolutely delighted expression and confused expression was the highlight.

[LOLOLOLOL it’s not merchandise]

[But I’d probably have heart flutters too]

[The most expensive MonAmi pen in the world ㄷㄷ]

“Hello, I’m Roh Haeil and I’ll be your one-day instructor. Nice to meet you.”

After Han Jinyeong gathered everyone’s attention, Halo greeted them.

His soft smile made him look like a fresh graduate, but his specs were far from that of a fresh graduate.

The students welcomed the top star with goofy grins.

Then, Halo gave a playful smile and said:

“I’m looking forward to today.”

The students’ seemingly lifeless expressions suddenly tensed.

[;;;;ah that’s a bit]

[Maybe we shouldn’t look forward to…]

[So they have to play Haeil’s song in front of Haeil…?]

[Wow…. how do you handle that nervousness;;;;]

[Well after performing in front of the original creator they probably won’t get nervous at performances LOL]

[I still want to be there though]

“Then who should we start with?”

This was just the end of the opening.

Welcome to my world Episode 3 was divided into Part 1 and 2, showing the academy episodes and interviews. Since it wasn’t public TV, they didn’t need to consider scheduling, and the video length was determined solely by editing.

It might be difficult for a web variety show that’s neither a movie nor drama to keep viewers seated for over an hour.

Especially since Welcome to my world flowed gently without any special broadcast exaggeration or controversy.

But why?

The feeling of being continuously drawn into the video.

“How was it?”

“It was good.”

“Really? You can be honest.”

“It was really good. Though it doesn’t feel like my song-.”

“!”

The office worker had to chuckle at their well-meaning honesty, and

“And you didn’t make mistakes in sections I made to trick people.”

“! You made it that way on purpose?!”

“Yes, for those who didn’t practice to make mistakes.”

So mean! Viewers sympathized with the text that momentarily crossed the student’s face.

[No wonder it felt difficult…]

[Our teacher was talking about artistic interpretation but it was just meant to make us fail?]

[Well it worked as intended, sections where lack of practice shows immediately]

[More than that;;; they said they’re a beginner but they chose a difficult song and they’re really good what’s this academy’s name?]

It was just enjoyable watching Halo slowly tune the guitar and play the bass. Enough to make one think about learning bass.

How strange.

Unlike some variety shows, there were no games for meals or lodging,

No thrilling chases, no mysteries, no comedy, yet why did everyone want to be in that video?

Above all, what made viewers put down their beer and rest their chin while staring at the screen was-. When discussing what made everyone start music, one student confessed their fear of attention. The way Halo seriously listened and talked about it was a side viewers rarely got to see.

“First, I’ve never thought people aren’t interested in others.”

“What?”

“Rather, there’s a lot. Especially if you’re on stage. Whether they came to see you or not, they end up watching.”

Until here it was just interesting, but gradually-.

Comments decreased.

“If a performance fails, it’s not because of mistakes. It’s because I couldn’t show everything I prepared.”

“Isn’t that really disappointing? You practiced bass so hard. Even if I’m not good, I know how to complete it. People will think I didn’t prepare at all, but I really tried.”

That one line made their insides churn.

Was it because of the warm gaze looking at the college student who was afraid of making mistakes?

It felt healing to hear those words from someone they didn’t expect would understand.

It felt like getting something unexpected from a program they just planned to watch for fun.

Then Halo started matching the performance with that college student.

The dissonance and intermittent sounds finally connected.

Though it might be inferior to the original, it was one complete song.

How did you feel about today’s class?

Brief interviews with the students followed that question.

Some were happy to meet their favorite singer, and someone who asked for their face to be mosaiced ended up asking for it to be shown, bragging to friends about meeting Halo.

Though they only appeared for one episode, it seemed viewers had already grown attached to them. The office worker wondered if their performance would be shown in the next episode.

Just when they thought Episode 3 was over.

Static noise appeared on the black screen, then camera lights came on.

A desolate field, and behind it, a mountain with few people.

Looking bewildered at it, Halo said:

“We’re going there?”

Then, a middle-aged man carrying heavy equipment turned and asked:

“You’re not coming?”

[?]

[??]

[Haeil goes hiking??]

[LMAO Halo’s expression=my expression]

[Mountains are meant to be viewed from afar…]

Then the camera started shaking violently.

The world was surely facing a disaster.

Viewers who thought it would only last about 5 seconds gradually complained of motion sickness and were purified by direct sunlight.

[When did Korea have an earthquake??]

[Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh]

Then the screen clicked and cleared, showing Halo standing on a large rock. After standing there for a while, when Halo placed his hands on the guitar,

Click. The screen went dark, and a poster appeared.

‘You are invited to [The sound of world]’

-Exhibition Location: Cheongsang (### Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul)

-Exhibition Period: 34.03.15 ~ 34.03.31

-Exhibition Hours: 11:00 ~ 18:30

-Admission: Free

Was about to skip it thinking it was just promotion for a unique exhibition when told to search ‘sound exhibition’.

But found a familiar name in the exhibition contents.

‘The []’ -Roh Haeil (HALO), Special Gallery

At that time.

Halo, who returned to Seoul, was at the label.

Sitting across from him at the round conference table was Jang Jinsoo, who was dying from starting school.

“When does your assignment end?”

“Don’t know, it never ends. You really shouldn’t go to university.”

“Why?”

Though he had no plans to go anyway, Halo asked without much thought, and Jang Jinsoo spoke while doing his assignment.

“The professors are weird. They think we only take one class. How have they already given all these assignments when school just started?”

Already acting like a proper university student despite being a freshman.

Employees who briefly came to the lobby for a break giggled seeing them.

“So this is what they do at school.”

Though he had no plans to go to university, he was curious about what they learned.

Halo nodded while looking at the assignment.

Rather than difficult, it seemed like his fingers would hurt from typing.

“This isn’t even all. Soon there’ll be team projects and individual classes and seniors say those are the real deal.”

“Isn’t it more fun doing it together?”

Jang Jinsoo was lost for words at Halo’s comment.

But he couldn’t argue because Roh Haeil had done team projects before. Not school team projects, but featuring, duets, collaborations.

Countless singers who had created songs with Roh Haeil flashed by.

Those singers wouldn’t be freeloaders, and conversely, Roh Haeil wasn’t the type to feel intimidated, so it must have been fun.

“You’d probably enjoy it.”

And if Roh Haeil entered university and did team projects, what would happen? It was obvious without seeing. Who would freeload? It wouldn’t just become news at school but worldwide. Even if they met someone really strange, Roh Haeil didn’t have the mentality to be shaken or hurt.

Jang Jinsoo decided to focus on his assignment.

Not knowing this, Roh Haeil asked again when it would end.

He seemed free.

‘Is he really… free?’

Saying he’s preparing an album and all.

Jang Jinsoo belatedly recalled the meeting contents and looked at Roh Haeil.

“But is it okay for you to play around like this?”

“?”

Since they’re saying it’s a slump, can’t easily bring up the album.

What if he gets stressed?

Jang Jinsoo just opened and closed his mouth.

Then, fortunately, an employee came looking for Halo.

“Halo-ssi.”

“Yes.”

“The proposal you mentioned has arrived. We sent it to your personal email but-.”

“Proposal?”

“Yes, the proposal from PD Na Hyejoo at MNC. The project plan is attached.”

When Halo returned from Baegun Island, as PD Na Hyejoo requested, he agreed to read the casting proposal, but the proposal hadn’t arrived for a week.

Meanwhile, the label brought rumors about PD Na Hyejoo, specifically that a senior stole their junior’s program.

Though it was kept quiet as internal broadcasting station business, the senior who stole their junior’s program was subtly boasting so rumors spread.

‘PD Na really has good ideas’

‘I heard from singer Kim Sunchul that the prodigy you found is just ordinary. Hey, I taught you so much but you still can’t spot talent.’

It was a gossip that exists everywhere.

“Are you going to do it?”

Jang Jinsoo, who heard all sorts of rumors while interning at the company, showed curiosity.

“Well.”

“Why, they say that kid has talent. That’s what Jinyeong-hyung said.”

Still not sure about teaching someone.

When he heard PD Na Hyejoo’s program proposal at Baegun Island, he was closer to disliking it.

A prodigy education program, how should he says, felt stifling.

Doesn’t it remind him of attending public school back then.

He neither particularly liked children, and teaching someone was also questionable.

If he hadn’t promised then, he wouldn’t have had to read the project plan.

Halo opened the proposal without much expectation, and his slowly skimming eyes gradually slowed down.

At some point, Halo let out a small laugh.

“Why?”

“Nothing.”

“What nothing?”

“Just thinking she used her head well.”

Even from Halo’s perspective, the program seemed hopeless with the senior. If planning meetings were already held, it meant higher-ups had approved it, and there wasn’t much a PD without even a debut work could do.

So, inevitably, they had to create a new program.

[(Working Title) Smart Island Life]

‘Baegun Island, where white clouds are beautiful.

In this quiet place with few visitors

Spring unfolds completely.

Replacing the old with new

Filling what’s lacking

Gifting abundant time

Friends’ romantic island life

Filling leisurely daily life with happiness and music’

Halo realized this was what they meant by ‘same same but different.’

If it’s like this, it might be fun.