The Road to Glory – Chapter 229 – [Side Story] Chapter 31. The Meaning of the Mural (2)

Author: Dawn

Halo was happy.

Like a dam bursting open, his inspiration flowed again.

The Roh Haeil-like music he wanted to create welled up every time he saw the villagers.

When that happened, he would sing as his heart desired, and the villagers would enjoy listening to it.

“Haeil, are you going to broadcast this morning?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Do well today too.”

If at first the residents called Halo a musical genius or young man whenever they saw him, now they began calling him by name. Also, when they saw him from afar, they would wave and greet him, and they would fill up a basket with even more snacks than they usually gave as gifts.

The villagers had grown accustomed to the boy walking around with a large guitar,

Kwon Jaeik wandering around in shabby clothes with a bird’s nest hairstyle,

Lee Sora, a beauty never before seen in the village but as easygoing as any middle-aged man,

And Lee Jeongmin, who received unrivaled love from the village women.

Along with that, the cameras installed here and there and the passing production crew had seeped into Baegun Island’s daily life.

“Where did Gyeowool go that you’re alone?”

“Hmm, well…”

“Why is the child gone?”

Like a cicada that always clung close.

People wondered when they didn’t see Gyeowool, who always went around as a set with Halo.

Halo walked to Baegun Elementary’s broadcasting room with just a faint smile instead of answering.

Today was a special day.

Because last night, the mural was finally completed.

They finished it two days before the end of filming. Everyone agreed to view the mural they had all worked hard to create together during the day.

However, that wasn’t why it was special.

Unlike usual when he would leisurely sit somewhere making music while watching people, today Halo moved busily. He had no time to be distracted by other things.

There was a reason for that.

“Ah, hello everyone.”

The usual greeting.

But today, he planned to do a slightly different broadcast.

“Everyone must be waiting for something, but today I plan to do a more special broadcast. Everyone, have you heard? That our village’s mural has been completed.”

The mural wasn’t made alone.

From the cast to the production crew, and the village residents and children, everyone made it together.

“There were so many things that happened while making the mural. There’s quite a lot to say about that too. However, today I want to talk about one person instead of the mural.

Hmm, how should I start.

Recently, I had the chance to meet an admirable person. They told me this.”

That day from before, when they went sea fishing.

After crying with a red face, the captain held his hand and told him that.

-My wife used to say something. That everyone has their own story they can tell, and thus it’s beautiful in itself. However, it’s very difficult to convey that while maintaining its beauty. So… thank you very much.

“Everyone has their own story they can tell, and thus it’s beautiful in itself.”

The boy’s voice echoed in front of Gyeowool’s house too.

Usually, she would watch the broadcast beside the boy or do something together, but today she stood in front of her mother’s door.

When her mother came out ready to go to work, Gyeowool blocked her way.

“Mom.”

“Yes?”

“You know. Today instead of work.”

A desperate face.

Deer-like eyes looked up at her mother.

“Won’t you go somewhere with me?”

Afraid her mother might leave, Gyeowool held her hand tight and led her somewhere.

[One day, a boy came to me]

Her mother glanced at the speaker broadcasting the morning show, then followed Gyeowool.

[He was a child with a special talent. I asked this boy who said he wanted to make music]

Why do you want to make music?

To that, the child answered:

I want to connect sounds.

What sounds do you want to connect?

After hesitating for a while, the child answered:

[I want to connect the song my mother sings.]

Everyone has their own story.

It could be a nostalgic story, or it could be a happy story.

And for someone, it could be a painful story too.

Halo heard about Gyeowool from the captain.

More precisely, it was about Gyeowool’s parents.

A man who worked at sea and a woman who lived in the city.

Leaving behind families who opposed, the woman came down to an unfamiliar island without any connections and started a family with the man.

Indeed, it was a romantic love story, and people naturally imagined a happy ending.

However, this story ended when the man went out to sea and never returned.

The woman was left behind with three children who carried the man’s blood.

What must that woman’s feelings have been like?

No one could imagine or understand.

So the woman went to the harbor every day waiting for her husband who wouldn’t return.

To the point where people thought she was crazy.

She couldn’t take care of herself, and the same went for her children.

People pitied the woman’s children, but no one thought she would return to normal.

But surprisingly, one day the woman regained her senses.

Many people had pitied her, and the woman began to find her role as a mother again.

She loved her children again, and everything returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

-However, that child can remember. The other children wouldn’t remember because they were too young, but not that one. It was when that child was about five or six years old. So things are still a bit awkward now. Can’t even whine once to their mother.

There’s a day that all the villagers remember.

A child’s screaming cries coming from somewhere.

People belatedly discovered a woman trying to throw herself into the sea and a five or six-year-old child clinging to her waist, crying and holding on while begging her not to go.

That day when everyone belatedly realized what was happening and stopped the woman.

The memory that remained strongly with everyone, surely that child would remember it too.

-There’s a lot they feel sorry about. But the child doesn’t say anything, and the mother doesn’t want to bring it up either. How can it not be awkward when the pus keeps building up?

Gyeowool said.

That they wanted to connect their mother’s song.

They said their mother would hum a song, but never got past a few lines each time.

Since it seemed they couldn’t remember, they wanted to connect the sound that came after.

The song sung together with their deceased father.

Halo didn’t think it was because they forgot that they couldn’t sing it, but he didn’t say anything about that.

-Would this be better?

-What do you want to do?

-I, um.

-Do whatever you want.

-Then-.

He just let their do as they wanted and only talked about music together.

He didn’t talk about Gyeowool’s personal circumstances in the broadcast either.

There was no need to say what everyone already knew.

And there was something else that was important.

[We finally completed it yesterday.]

On the day the mural was completed, the song was completed too.

Halo and Gyeowool snuck out of the house and engraved the musical score into the mural.

Gyeowool took a deep breath.

The teacher’s voice coming from the morning broadcast suppressed her tension.

[I want to tell everyone about one person.]

In front of the mural, Gyeowool tightly held her mother’s hand.

And when the music started playing, they began walking the mural path one step at a time.

The village’s mural wasn’t just random pictures drawn on it.

It depicted the villagers’ stories.

Among them, Gyeowool walked the path to school.

Her mother was startled to hear the familiar melody.

When she tried to stop, Gyeowool pointed at the mural.

“Mom, we’re going to follow this.”

Her mom’s gaze reached the clouds.

Children’s drawings depicting Baegun Island’s scenery.

Musical notes were drawn following cloud-shaped lines in the clouds.

The cloud-shaped musical score connected to the mountains at the end and

Flew to the village riding on swirling leaves.

In the mural, a woman and a young child held hands walking toward the village.

Music played following them.

It was music with only melody, without lyrics.

-You’re not going to sing?

When Halo asked, Gyeowool answered.

-I’m going to make it with mom

The lyrical music followed along the mural,

When the mural broke off, the score broke off.

But looking closely, it wasn’t really broken.

Gyeowool pointed to the mirror she had placed afterward.

The score continued on the mural reflected in the opposite side of the mirror, and after passing the mirror, it continued back to the mural.

In the mural, the child walking while holding mother’s hand slowly grows up.

The child goes to elementary school, crosses the sea to go to middle school and high school. And there, they must choose whether to return to the island or go to the city.

What choice did the child make?

The melody faded.

Before they knew it, mother was crying tears.

The music Gyeowool made was brighter and more hopeful than the music she knew.

She couldn’t forget the song she used to sing, but this was enough to cover that song with new colors.

The end of the mural.

The grown child stood in front of a woman with a bent back.

Like that. Gyeowool stood in front of her mother at the school entrance.

“Mom, let’s sing together now.”

It took courage to say that.

“I’ll be dad for you.”

Gyeowool squeezed her eyes shut wondering what her mom would say.

In Gyeowool’s mind was the memory of her mom pushing her away.

She thought she might get angry.

But in the blink of an eye, Gyeowool was in her mother’s arms.

Gyeowool carefully opened her eyes.

Her mother’s body was trembling.

While carefully stroking her head as if it might break,

She held her tight as if preventing a sand castle from scattering in the wind.

“Gyeowool… Mom, mom is sorry…”

Gyeowool’s eyes widened.

“Mom was wrong…”

She didn’t mean to make her cry, but her mom started crying.

Then strangely, tears came.

“Mom won’t do that again, I’m sorry.”

Waaah.

Gyeowool cried like that in mom’s arms.

The crying covered up the carefully made music, but she wasn’t disappointed.

“So this is what they were doing…”

“I wondered what they were doing at night.”

The villagers gathered in front of the mural talking amongst themselves, and Lee Sora looked closely at the added drawings.

Some patted Gyeowool’s mother’s back, and put cold spoons on Gyeowool’s puffy eyes.

“The child became a steamed bun.”

“But Gyeowool did well. I thought the child was unusual, but making a song for her mother. My brat just lies around scratching their belly. Who knows when they’ll mature.”

Gyeowool’s ears perked up and she smiled brightly when they talked about the mural, and beamed when they said the music was good.

Above all, Gyeowool remembered Halo’s invitation to come to Seoul when the lyrics were completed. He said he would make an album for her.

Gyeowool was just happy.

She was so happy that in her dreams, she dreamed of going on a trip with her mom and dad.

When Gyeowool threw a tantrum saying she wanted cotton candy, her dad bought her cotton candy.

It was a sweet dream.

“Oh no, I’m late!”

Was it because she was too happy both in reality and in her dreams?

She ended up oversleeping, and Halo, who had stayed up all night working on the mural with her, overslept too.

“Did everyone leave without waking us?”

“What are you doing, not going? Would it be okay if teacher is late?”

To Halo who looked around the empty house, the island chief lent a bicycle.