The Road to Glory – Chapter 62 – Our Music Will Not Die

Author: Dawn

Thirty minutes ago.

They were seated or standing in a row in the smoking booth led by Hwang Ryongpil. When Hwang Ryongpil smoked, he chain-smoked on the spot, so there was no point in waiting. Those who had finished smoking left their seats familiarly.

Hwang Ryongpil put the end of his second cigarette in the ashtray and turned his head. The PD Jang, wearing a gray shirt, was still keeping his seat even as most others had almost cleared out.

“So what’s the reason PD Jang followed me all the way here?”

Hwang Ryongpil realized that unless he spoke first, he couldn’t escape this persistent gaze.

“Is there a special reason for coming to the smoking booth?”

As expected, PD Jang responded wittily.

Hwang Ryongpil chuckled.

At the same time, it was absurd that he didn’t even take out a cigarette in the smoking booth.

“It must be pretty harsh for non-smokers.”

Their eyes met.

PD Jang rolled his eyes and looked around cautiously. He seemed to be testing the waters.

Realizing that if he didn’t say it now, there would be no other chance, PD Jang slowly opened his mouth.

“…By the way, teacher, were you serious about that earlier?”

“What?”

“Earlier. The collaboration talk.”

When Hwang Ryongpil pretended not to know until he clearly stated the subject, PD Jang bluntly mentioned ‘collab’.

He remembered the teacher clearly saying that.

“Doesn’t PD Jang know me yet?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you say something like that, teacher.”

“Why? Isn’t it not unrelated to you?”

“The way you’re saying it makes it seem like you’re serious.”

He had just come to see the fun situation with the digital music, but ended up gaining an unexpected harvest.

PD Jang suppressed his excitement.

He wasn’t a skilled actor, so it showed.

Well, it didn’t matter if it showed a bit.

Those who needed to know probably already knew.

What reason would a variety show PD have to follow Hwang Ryongpil around?

Also, it was a well-known fact that PD Jang had tried and failed to cast Hwang Ryongpil several times before.

“Teacher, you still don’t plan to appear on TV?”

“Why, are you preparing a new program?”

“You know, right?”

“I’m busy making my own music. And your style doesn’t really match mine either.”

PD Jang nodded as if he knew it all.

PD Jang had produced quite a few survival audition programs, and Hwang Ryongpil didn’t like survival shows with clear passes and fails.

He recognized digital music performance, but didn’t think there should be passes and fails in music. So he had consistently rejected participating, even as a judge.

PD Jang, who had somehow been trying to cast Hwang Ryongpil, realized this was finally his chance.

“What if it’s not a survival show, teacher?”

“You’re going to give up your style?”

“It’s not about giving it up, but I really want to cast you, teacher. And I thought of an interesting format even without the survival element.”

He had just thought of it.

It wasn’t fully fleshed out yet, but this was the chance to take.

Of course, the teacher’s response to PD Jang was still ambiguous. However, PD Jang trusted the burning passion in Hwang Ryongpil’s eyes as he watched the ‘fun young friend’.

“Teacher, are you going to collab with that friend?”

“That topic again?”

“What if I set that stage for you?”

“……”

“A stage befitting the return of a national legend.”

PD Jang spread his arms like a salesman.

Hwang Ryongpil let out a hollow laugh.

“Do I look like someone who would care about that kind of thing, PD Jang?”

“Our music will not die.”

“……”

“How about a program with that kind of aim?”

It worked.

PD Jang realized the phrase he had carefully crafted worked. Hwang Ryongpil, who had always been firm with him, didn’t immediately refuse.

Of course, Hwang Ryongpil stood up saying “Eh” from his seat.

“I don’t know, it’s not something I can decide alone.”

PD Jang smiled brightly.

It was practically a permission.

If it went like this, he would appear.

The station chief couldn’t possibly reject having Hwang Ryongpil on.

That made PD Jang’s notes on rebooting auditions, trot auditions, idol auditions, arranging showdowns, etc. not at all regrettable. To PD Jang, this was far more interesting.

“I’ll get your wife’s permission too!”

Hwang Ryongpil left the smoking booth without even seeming to listen. PD Jang followed behind him with a smile, despite the intense smell of smoke.

“Do you have a moment?”

Halo noticed someone approaching her, then stopping. The one who had tried to approach and winked at him was a man. However, when Hwang Ryongpil asked, he cleanly gave up.

“Want to go out for a walk?”

“Yes, sounds good.”

Halo agreed to Hwang Ryongpil’s suggestion, as she also had a lot to say.

Sin Joohyeok tried to approach them but looked back and forth between them, then started talking to Lee Seongrim again.

A man in a shirt approaches them slyly.

The place Halo and Hwang Ryongpil headed to was behind the house.

In the garden arranged like an outdoor garden, there were a few small trees and plants planted. There were also benches to sit on and a decorative swing, but no people. They all seemed conscious of any potential prying eyes, being celebrities.

“When did you start with music?”

That was Hwang Ryongpil’s opening line.

Halo, who thought he would talk about what happened inside or the collaboration, pondered for a moment before speaking.

“I’m not sure exactly. At some point, I was playing guitar and making music.”

“Who taught you guitar?”

Halo closed his eyes.

It’s a question he’s heard quite a few times.

Many scenes flash through his mind.

A vagabond’s performance, performers on the old TV screens.

“The world.”

His answer was always the same.

“The world taught me.”

Hwang Ryongpil chuckled at those words.

As if he had heard an answer he liked.

Along with him, the sound of birds came from the garden.

The sound announcing the start of spring.

From there, Hwang Ryongpil had various conversations.

There were questions related to music, and he also heard about the process of persuading his parents.

Halo answered honestly.

And suddenly.

He thought the conversation with Hwang Ryongpil was leading somewhere.

Finally, his question reached the present.

“I’ve heard your music before. Just-“

He squinted and estimated before saying.

“Twice.”

“……”

“I heard it once in a drama, and once on the radio while moving for a schedule.”

Halo wondered what Hwang Ryongpil would say about his music. He pricked up his ears and waited for the answer, but unfortunately, Hwang Ryongpil did not give an evaluation of his music.

However.

“Though it’s my first time seeing you, there were familiar traces there.”

Halo stopped walking.

And slowly turned to the side.

“Isn’t music quite amazing?”

The old man’s transparent eyes seemed to peer into deep places.

“With just a few bars of melody, you can tell what someone was thinking at the time, what emotions they played with. You can also glimpse the life they’ve lived. Like footprints left on fresh snow, as long as the snow doesn’t melt, you can see them forever.”

Their eyes meet.

Halo found an inscrutable expression.

Perhaps.

Maybe the reason this person singled him out, suggesting HALO, was because…

“So I found it strange. That your traces didn’t match the life you described.”

“What kind of traces did you see in my music?”

“It seemed like someone walking a similar path to me.”

Was it because he already knew?

Halo licked his lips.

Maybe this person had already figured out what he had been trying to say, to some extent.

Halo wished he would quickly give the answer.

So he could hear the words he wanted.

And.

So he could then speak.

Right, I am-.

Yes, I am-. (+) ^[1]

However, instead of addressing him, Hwang Ryongpil changed the subject.

“You said you’re trying something new?”

“…Yes? Yes.”

About his current music.

“Trying something new must mean you tried different things before.”

Something flickered across Hwang Ryongpil’s expression.

Halo felt the ‘maybe’ becoming a ‘reality’.

Halo opened his mouth.

When someone challenged him to a duel, he wanted to be the one throwing the gauntlet, not catching it.

Like in The Tragedy of Shakespeare. Boldly duel while uttering his family name.

“I am-.”

“Wait.”

Then, Hwang Ryongpil cut him off.

“I want to find the answer myself. It won’t be too late to hear your answer then.”

Halo tilted his head.

He didn’t quite understand.

To him, it seemed Hwang Ryongpil had already figured out half the answer.

“It won’t take a long time.”

Quite a complicated person.

Of course, the traces he left in his music told everything, but.

“We still have a lot of time left, so it’ll be fine. Enough time to collaborate too. By then, I’ll be able to confirm it.”

Halo hoped that day would come soon.

And perhaps, that day wouldn’t be too far off.

After returning to the gathering, not long after, he received an email.

KDS Variety Department. At first, seeing just ‘variety show casting’, he was about to decline, but then he stopped at the postscript.

It had the phone number of the person who introduced himself as PD Jang from the gathering.

Hwang Ryongpil had contacted him regarding the collaboration.

[Roh Haeil-ssi?]

And as soon as he called, he heard a vaguely familiar voice.

[Hello, this is the first time we’ve spoken so directly, isn’t it?]

“Nice to meet you.”

Halo gave a general affirmative and waited for the person to get to the main point.

Sounding busy, PD Jang’s voice calling out to him could be heard several times on the other end of the call before PD Jang brought up the main topic about a program.

“A program?”

[On one side, a master of South Korea. And on the other, a rising newcomer star. It would be a shame to just show this rare collaboration through digital music alone, even for me as a non-musician. So how about properly setting the stage for it?]

“How so?”

The sound of paper being flipped came from the other end of the call.

Soon after, PD Jang explained the program format.

The title of the program wasn’t decided yet.

So he tentatively called it ‘Returns’.

A meeting of legends and rookies.

Or the collaborations of ‘legends’ that fans had dreamed of.

He said he was thinking around seven teams, with two artists paired to create a duet song each.

The program would be a combination of a reality variety show and a music show.

[We’ll show the viewers the process of them making music together,

And ultimately have them perform the completed songs all together.]

It was impossible not to understand the meaning behind that.

[It’s not a survival show. There’s no competition in this program. No passes or fails, no one gets eliminated. The whole point is for everyone to perform together.]

“Perform?”

Halo looked down at his own limbs.

He had been training hard, but his body had grown exhausted from just one broadcast and one radio show.

He had thought he couldn’t even dream of a live performance for a while.

But if it was like this, it might be possible.

[To show people that our music isn’t dead yet.]

From the PD’s words, he was reminded of Hwang Ryongpil’s burning eyes as he suggested catching a bullfrog together.

[What do you think?]

Halo didn’t give a definite answer, but PD Jang already seemed to think he would do it.

[I contacted you early because there’s preparation needed before filming. The two artists agreed to sing a duet song together, right?]

“Yes, that’s right.”

[Then first, we need to make the pairings, right?]

When Halo didn’t respond, PD Jang quickly continued.

[Of course! You and Teacher Hwang Ryongpil agreed to collaborate. But! The other artists haven’t been paired yet. We can’t draw lots to make the pairs, so there needs to be a decision process, right?]

It just seemed like an excuse, but Halo’s lips quirked up at the following suggestion.

[As an introduction, I want to have everyone perform a stage, and give all the artists a choice.]

Along with the thought that it sounded fun, he was reminded of Hwang Ryongpil telling him to wait until he found the answer himself.

From then on, PD Jang’s words didn’t really register.

[So viewers who don’t know you well yet can see what kind of music you do, Roh Haeil-ssi. And who knows? You might want to collaborate with another artist instead.]

His heart pounded.

While he respects Hwang Ryongpil’s opinion,

He’s not the kind of person to just keep waiting indefinitely.

Rather, he wants to draw his sword first. Etch his existence so the other party can’t help but acknowledge him.

A good opportunity to properly introduce himself to Hwang Ryongpil.

[Instead of your new song, Roh Haeil-ssi, I’d like you to do a cover stage first where your identity is unknown. It would be even more impactful to get love calls and be chosen without knowing who you are, don’t you think?]

[So please, definitely a cover stage.]

Over PD Jang’s voice overlapped Hwang Ryongpil’s voice from their previous conversation:

“Trying something new must mean you tried different things before.”

He wanted to give the answer he couldn’t give then.

Halo sprang up from his seat and paced around.

Giving vague responses to PD Jang, he pondered how to answer.

An elaborate discussion took place in his mind.

Boring ideas were discarded.

Stamped ‘boring’ and crushed, fed into a shredder.

And in the end, the last thing remaining was-

‘At my first stage…’

Halo stopped walking.