The Road to Glory Chapter 67 - It Can't Go On Like This

[Are you crazy?]

As anyone would have expected, that was the first reaction.

The idea of Halo appearing on the Korean KDS broadcast didn’t make sense. No, if Halo were to appear on a broadcast, he would have already been on global broadcasts in the United States and the United Kingdom.

If that were the case, his identity and personal information would have already been revealed.

As negative comments piled up below, the original poster protested.

[Isn’t it more likely for there to be one genius than two geniuses appearing?]

This was certainly an easily refutable statement.

Of course, everyone acknowledged that the cover performance was very impressive and the arrangement version sounded great, but the definition of a ‘genius’ was relative, and moreover-.

[How many people in the world have been called a musical genius?]

The criteria for genius in the arts were even more so.

[TMI) Great musicians like Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn lived in the same era]

└ Where is this going in 2031;;;

Then, someone agreed.

[The voices do sound similar]

It was the same reaction as when the teaser was released, but unlike then, there were now many sources for comparison. Especially as edited versions of the stage performance were uploaded to NuTube, it became possible to compare the cover and the original.

[Can someone do a voice analysis ‘for us’?]

└ I have perfect pitch and it does sound a bit similar?

└ Instead of analyzing your brainwaves, please analyze the frequency

└ The chest voice is a bit similar but the head voice is different

└ The chest voice is different and the head voice is similar?

└ Why is everyone saying different things

Everyone agreed that the voices certainly sounded similar.

However, there was a fundamental misconception among the public.

[I don’t even know why we’re having this debate]

Suddenly talking about a cover, why is Halo being brought up?

Just because Halo’s nationality is unknown, are you suddenly making him an Asian, specifically a Korean? Stop with the excessive national pride lol.

Halo’s official account information is private, but the first countries they were exposed to were the UK and US. The language is also English. Halo’s music distributor is Veil in the UK and the copyright registration is with a UK association.

Anyone can see he’s British.

Of course, since NuTube account information can be set arbitrarily, they couldn’t be certain, but the fact that Halo’s music distributor was Veil carried significant meaning.

For one, Veil wasn’t a particularly influential company in the Asian market, and therefore, wasn’t well-known in that region either.

Additionally, among the artists contracted with Veil, there were hardly any Koreans, let alone Asians, which was enough to shape the image of the artist ‘Halo.’

Veil was undoubtedly a distributor focused on the European market, and the artists they targeted were also of EU nationality. The only exceptions were perhaps Australians or those of British/American nationality who wanted to enter the European market.

[If he was Korean, he would have signed with a Korean, or at best a Japanese or American company, not a British one, right?]

There was no reason for a Korean to enter the British or European market first before the American market. If one had to make a reason, it would be that Halo’s music strongly exuded the sentiment of mid-1900s British pop.

However, this was not a valid reason for Halo to sign with Veil instead of a major label like August Records.

[Didn’t The Sun say he’s not white?]

└He asked if they didn’t like him not being white, when did he say he wasn’t white? He just told them not to discriminate based on race

└This makes me remember The Sun’s first and last reply that made fans go crazy for hurting their master

└Seriously, those guys tore them apart like they hurt their master, so it’s not for nothing they’re called Haligan (HALO + Hooligan)

└But Halo isn’t white, right? Someone analyzed his accent on NuTube and it sounded like a typical British upper class

└He used other accents well too

└It’s certain he’s a British person residing in the UK

He knew too many things that one couldn’t know unless he lived in the UK. Even some of the British jokes in ‘I Am Halo’ were apparently old jokes

└Yup, old jokes that were popular when British grandpas were young

While Halo was undoubtedly a faceless singer who hadn’t revealed his identity, there were too many things revealed through his songs.

[But couldn’t he be a Korean living in the UK?]

Someone murmured tentatively, and the small war that had broken out on the internet came to an end.

No, to be precise, the debate ended when the second episode of ‘Rendezvous’ aired.

While the first episode introduced the artists’ performances,

The second episode’s main content was the artists’ pair selections and identity reveals.

From Hwang Ryongpil, Sin Joohyeok, Lee Seongrim, Liv to practically Cold Brew’s Wonder, a total of eleven artists were already quite well-known singers in Korea, so except for a few, their identities had already been revealed. (+) ^[1] TLN: I think I need to clarify lol. In previous chapters, I translated “Cold Brew Wonder” as it is even though it should be “Cold Brew’s Wonder.” Cold Brew is the name of the idol group that Wonder a part of. I think.

But the last artist was not revealed until the second episode aired.

So when an unfamiliar young boy took off his mask and showed his face, most were taken aback.

[???]

[Who is he? An idol?]

[No, it’s Roh Haeil, the one who sang the Heetae theme]

└Ah, him?? I did think he sang well

└He’s famous on Sin Joohyeok’s fan cafe

As the cover singer and arranger’s name appeared on the subtitles

Please, lead me not into temptation │ Roh Haeil

Original: HALO

Arrangement: Roh Haeil

[So he’s Halo? Hahahahahahahahaha I’m dying]

A few comments expressing shame were deleted in real-time.

The singer was much younger than what people had thought from the first episode.

Moreover, his plain face was closer to that of a model student.

None of the characteristics that people had analyzed as being Halo’s matched.

Even the voice that had sounded similar when his face was hidden now sounded different after showing his face.

[Damn I was trying to analyze the voice amplitude and frequency but nevermind]

A graduate student who had belatedly tried to run the program to seriously analyze it closed it with a dejected laugh.

└Why? Continue analyzing it, just in case

A casually posted comment completely failed to empathize with his disappointment.

└It’s just a waste of time trying to analyze it

The recent overseas craze of finding HALO even has a reward money

Just in case, the graduate student turned on the program to analyze, but

What? 17 years old? A high school student?

Unless he was forcibly made to take a pill by those whose identities could not be revealed, making his mind stay the same but his body become younger,

It seemed impossible.

It’s not like he’s the reincarnation of a past superstar like Michael Jackson either. No, isn’t this going too far?

No matter how musically ignorant the graduate student was, the idea of a 17-year-old Korean high schooler being HALO was hard to believe.

HALO’s music, up to his first song “Struggle”, could perhaps be done by a teenager, but the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th albums that came after were absolutely not something a teenager could create. Not only hardship, but a student who may not have even gotten their hands wet, how could they write songs about withstanding the storms of life as a man?

Even if they could express that sentiment, when could they have possibly written all those songs?

If it was a collection of practice works made in advance, when on earth did they make them? Did they write songs from the age of five like Mozart?

But the idea of them writing the songs over the course of a few months was also unbelievable.

The graduate student even knew that Roh Haeil had released music around the same time as HALO.

It would be more efficient to analyze the people who got on the HALO suspect list(?) and receive the reward instead of wasting time on this.

[The vocal technique is similar, so the voice just sounded similar, Roh Haeil seems to be just a HALO fan]

└ These days, what singer isn’t a HALO fan though

└ This seems to be it lol

└ So in Hell Peninsula, an ordinary high school student is actually a legendary worldwide SSS-class musical genius? Where did those loudmouths who were shouting earlier go, say it again LOL (+) ^[2] TLN: Why Hell Peninsula mentioned here? Well, from what I found there’s a word that’s also kind of related to the word Hell Peninsula. The word is “헬조선” which I found out that it’s a word that got viral in around 2015. The word literally a combination of “hell” and “Joseon”. It is usually used for self-deprecating of Korea. Please do correct me if I’m wrong since I used Google Translate for reading this information on here.

└ Recommend a light novel with that premise hahaha

The graduate student felt like they had been trolled for the first time in a while and pitied themselves.

[There’s The Sun class]

How can you compare a newbie?

At least be world-class before doubting

You got that Roh Haeil fans? There’s a limit to reaching too high lol

The first debate, which could hardly even be called a controversy, passed by like that. The internet is wider than the ocean. Since it occurred in just one part, more people just brushed it off or passed by.

However, interest in ‘Rendezvous’ itself was still hot.

The lineup itself was rare to see on any entertainment show, and the ‘collaboration’ concept that everyone had wished for at some point was innovative.

Ironically, the one who captured the public’s attention was the boy ‘Roh Haeil’. It wasn’t because of the Halo suspicion. There were more people who didn’t even know about that suspicion.

The reasons people became interested in the singer ‘Roh Haeil’ were,

First, that Roh Haeil was a relatively unknown rookie artist.

Second, that despite being a rookie artist, he was included in that lineup.

In fact, if he were an ordinary singer, suspicions would have been raised about how he got into that lineup.

However, no one doubted his qualifications.

That’s because the boy had vocal skills good enough to be suspected as HALO, even if only for a short time.

Moreover, his age of 17.

His naturally genius-level arrangement skills, and so on.

Regardless of the size of his fandom or influence, his skills made it not out of place for him to be included in that lineup.

For the first time, the name ‘Roh Haeil’ was engraved in the public’s mind.

This was quite a different meaning.

Until now, he was known as ‘Heetae’s theme’ through

Lee Hwanhee’s sketchbook and Han Rayeon’s music stage as a decent indie musician,

And as a name occasionally exposed on the Watermelon charts,

But from now on, the singer ‘Roh Haeil’ would start to be properly spotlighted.

This had quite an impact in many places.

First, the measure of interest was directly reflected in the music charts.

[3. (title) Another Day | Roh Haeil]

It had broken through Sin Joohyeok’s new song and the solid concrete to fit in one’s hand.

And next, the true starting point of a star.

“Roh Haeil’s mother, from when did you start teaching your son music-!”

Park Seungah closed the door.

Something she had imagined in the past had become a reality.

Of course, reporters didn’t surround her apartment like in her imagination, but even one or two persistent ones were excessive enough.

Park Seungah worried that her son’s work might be disturbed. It didn’t seem like they had visited his office yet, but still.

[Haeil]

[Son♡: Yes]

[Want to stay at the studio for a while? Something came up]

[Son♡: Something?]

Park Seungah didn’t directly mention the reporters so her son wouldn’t worry.

[Nothing big, just feels like I need to do some major cleaning^^]

It wasn’t a perfectly logical reason, but her son tended to be a bit indifferent in nature, so he would usually just go along with things unless it was too much.

[Son♡: When should I head over then?]

[Hmm for a few days? It won’t take too long]

[Ah let me know if you need anything, I’ll have it delivered by rocket]

[Son♡: It’s not that]

After briefly pausing, Haeil obediently replied.

[Son♡: Then I’ll stay there for a bit longer]

[Okay, let me know if anything comes up]

[Son♡: Yes]

Park Seungah thought it was a good idea to have set up the studio as a living space. So it could be used as a shelter like this.

Haeil also seemed comfortable there, as he would sometimes stay overnight for a day or two, so his staying out wasn’t unfamiliar anymore.

After lovingly gazing at her son’s KakaoTalk, Park Seungah’s expression hardened as she dialed a number. She would take care of those punks before her son returned and had to deal with them.

#

Unfortunately, Halo was already being troubled.

By some guests who had come to the office.

Not reporters or paparazzi, but still bothersome guests.

Halo watched with an indifferent expression as the man and woman comfortably took out and drank beverages.

“The little brat has become a bit famous these days.”

“Hello teacher. Hello Haeil-ssi. We saw each other last time, right?”

“Oh, Chaewon, you’re here.”

“Teacher, why don’t you greet me?”

“Hey, punk. You should greet first.”

Perhaps the VJ who hadn’t come since the first day would have felt regretful. Too many people had gathered for a single reality camera to capture them all.

They had gathered, but Halo couldn’t understand why they had barged into his studio.

“Are you all done with your work?”

At Halo’s question, Sin Joohyeok smiled confidently. His pair partner Liv also smiled with an indecipherable expression. It wasn’t clear if they were done or just starting.

“That’s not important.”

“?”

If that’s not important, then what is?

Just as Halo thought they might be preparing different music, Sin Joohyeok brought up their purpose.

“Well, think about it. We agreed to do a concert together, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So while the songs are important, shouldn’t we unify the concept for the stage first?”

“Our stage, after all.”

Liv nodded her head with a smile from the side.

“…”

The reason seemed plausible, but the grinning man and woman seemed suspicious. It felt like they were just making small talk while trying to spy on what songs they were preparing.

“Hey, spying! It’s not a survival show, there are no rankings for this stage, so what would we gain from trying to undermine each other.”

“That’s-“

“Hey, no mentioning rankings.”

Halo was dumbfounded when he was cut off before he could even speak.

The claim that there were no ranks was just talk.

There is no such thing as music without rankings in this world, and even if they say everyone is the star of the stage, a true star always emerges in the end.

“Anyway, it would be good if you match your steps with the teacher early on. If you’ve already prepared songs, we can match ours, so how about letting us hear them?”

Since pleading didn’t work, they shamelessly asked. It did seem like they had some prior knowledge from the looks of it.

“Well, I can let you hear them.”

Hwang Ryongpil said lightly.

In fact, there would be an interim inspection and filming in a few days.

At that time, they would announce the songs they had made, so it wasn’t a top secret. It didn’t matter if he let them hear it early.

“As expected of the teacher!”

“But you’ll need to get permission from my partner too. It’s not a song I made alone.”

Liv gazed at Halo imploringly.

In South Korea, if someone was innocent, then it was Liv, so her expression was one that most men couldn’t ignore. But her intentions were already visible, and more importantly, Sin Joohyeok was next to her, grinning as he mimicked Liv’s expression.

‘And these are my peers.’

Halo looked at the man and woman with a disdainful expression.

It seemed like a waste of time just looking at them. It would likely be more beneficial for his time to just play the song and send them off.

He wanted to go home, but his mother had said she would do a big cleaning today.

“I’m fine with it too. Yes.”

Let’s play it quickly and get them out of here.

Hwang Ryongpil chuckled as he watched the young man and woman and the disdainful teenager.

:

And a few minutes later.

Sin Joohyeok and Liv came out of the studio.

As Halo had expected, they had come to disturb him as well as meet people they liked, but unlike when they had entered smiling, their faces were now completely stiff.

They had said they worked on it for an hour.

Hwang Ryongpil and the boy were a duo, so Joohyeok and Liv didn’t expect an ordinary song, but still.

Sin Joohyeok and Liv looked at each other.

They didn’t complete the song as a team, but they hadn’t done nothing either. They had roughly outlined the main melody and concept.

However, at this rate…

It had been a good choice to come listen first, but the truly important thing was separate. A dizzying sense of crisis loomed.

One of them muttered unconsciously,

“We can’t go on like this…”

• 1. TLN: I think I need to clarify lol. In previous chapters, I translated “Cold Brew Wonder” as it is even though it should be “Cold Brew’s Wonder.” Cold Brew is the name of the idol group that Wonder a part of. I think.
• 2. TLN: Why Hell Peninsula mentioned here? Well, from what I found there’s a word that’s also kind of related to the word Hell Peninsula. The word is “헬조선” which I found out that it’s a word that got viral in around 2015. The word literally a combination of “hell” and “Joseon”. It is usually used for self-deprecating of Korea. Please do correct me if I’m wrong since I used Google Translate for reading this information on here.