The Road to Glory

The week-long small theater concert of Roh Haeil left a lingering impression on many people, but not many would cherish the mood for long.They tucked away the lingering feelings in a corner of their drawer, ready to be taken out anytime, and focused on their immediate tasks.Students prepared for exams while longing to drop out, and office workers concentrated on their work while holding resignation letters close to their hearts.As the intense heat gradually subsided, October arrived with widening daily temperature fluctuations.Inexplicable tropical heat and cool autumn alternated. However, those stuck in the most comfortable and soundproof recording studio at the label were unaware of the unusual climate.Another apocalypse had already unfolded.“…”As someone stretched, the sound of bones cracking echoed through the room.Normally, the members would have joked, “Aren’t you going to dislocate something?” But they weren’t here now. The situation wasn’t relaxed enough for jokes.They knew from the moment they received the score, but HALO’s 9th album was quite… how should they put it? Not exactly complicated, butShould this be called the composer’s greed, or the extent of malice?HALO 9th Album Speed of EarthAs can be inferred from the title, the characteristic of HALO’s 9th album is speed. Not just for the singers, but a fast tempo that puts pressure even on the session musicians. Frantic rapid playing.If HALO’s music up until now had swept up emotions, this not only swept up waves of emotion but also required their hands and breath to rush without rest.Surely they wouldn’t have written such a song deliberately to make it difficult. Moon Seoyeon thought positively.Putting it nicely, it was music that would highlight the abilities of each session musician.It would take a long time to perfect, butOnce perfected, it would be music with greater satisfaction than anything else.Practice resumed.Halo, after drinking some water, finally opened his mouth.[When I find Two hundred ninety nineOn the dashboard of mine(When I see the number 299 on the dashboard) (TLN: The one on () is in Korean)tempted to be mean(I’m tempted to be naughty)to drive off without end(To drive endlessly)Don’t bother about labels(Don’t worry about labels)All or Nothing(All or nothing)]The life he had lived was like a sports car driving on a straight road. A sports car racing without needing brakes.Whether the end would be engine overheating or the finish line was unknown, but rather than talking about that end, he sang about the pleasure and thrill that came from that speed.The number 299 also comes from that speed.The speed of light, 299 (million) m/s.And the ‘speed’ characteristic of this album is not just in the lyrics and tempo.There’s a song with the longest duration among all the music he has created so far. That’s when each session’s solo begins. It’s properly tricky, so it’s not strange that his members feel like dying.‘Still, they don’t give up.’Halo recalled the past.Around this time, after disbanding due to conflicts with the session musicians, it took a while for new session musicians to settle in. They made mistakes several times during performances, and people even said that Halo had created such music deliberately to part ways with the session musicians.He also alternately heard comments about feeling the composer’s malice.Halo thought it wasn’t particularly new.He had always created music for himself. Not once had he compromised his music for others or intended to.He looks around at the members gritting their teeth. At this rate, the recording will go smoothly.The illustrations for HALO’s 9th album are also in progress. It will be released around mid-October. It seems he doesn’t need to worry much about the 9th album anymore.Rather, what he should be concerned about is-.MurmuringIn front of the label. The number of reporters was increasing day by day. It was fortunate that they had hired a building manager first. If they hadn’t contracted with a security company, these people would have pushed their way in.There’s no need for interviews right away, wouldn’t it be better to contact them from the office?Halo thought with a bland expression.Of course, it’s not like they came to the label because they disliked the office. If Roh Haeil’s label had even one PR person to respond to contacts, half of them wouldn’t be here.However, that wasn’t the reason so many had gathered. Even if there had been a PR team, someone would have come here. It’s natural.There are quite a few stories guaranteed to get views.First, they had many questions about future plans.What are the plans for the next concert? Also, are there any schedules besides concerts?No, they wanted to ask why he wasn’t coming out when other broadcasting stations were begging him to appear, where he could gain popularity and wealth if he just wanted to, what kind of honey he had hidden in his studio that kept him from coming out.-Reporters even actually asked broadcasting stations if Roh Haeil was blacklisted. The PR staff answered, half crying, that it wasn’t true and they had heard that question so many times this year that their ears were developing calluses –Moreover, this wasn’t all.There were many questions about Roh Haeil’s concert itself. For example, whether there would be a concert DVD or even common still cuts. Others would select and provide photos even before being asked, so why wasn’t this side giving them even when they said they would write about it?Above all, what they were most curious about was the ‘unreleased song’ that Roh Haeil showed at the last concert.The title of the unreleased song that Roh Haeil revealed was ‘Until dawn comes’. This song, which no one except 830 people and the staff had heard, was currently at the center of all attention.Although they referred to the post-performance reviews, they lacked objectivity as they were individual impressions, and the important issue was ‘when exactly will this song be released’. The reporters felt their wishes would be fulfilled if Roh Haeil would just say ‘no comment, no plans’.Amidst all this, in early October.Another article hit hard.It wasn’t from Roh Haeil’s label, but an official article released by a British luxury brand not well-known in Korea.[British luxury brand Arbor names singer Roh Haeil as brand ambassador][Auditions held for lead and supporting roles in original musical ‘Rock’]Well, there was another impressive article too, but it wasn’t important to the reporters gathered in front of Roh Haeil’s label.[What’s Arbor?][Isn’t that the bag grandmothers carry around?]Even though it wasn’t a brand well-known to Koreans like Louis Vuitton or Chanel – especially in Korea – a brand with almost no recognition, its awareness skyrocketed with just one ambassador article.There were surprisingly few malicious writings that typically appear when a minor becomes a luxury brand ambassador. Perhaps there was a tendency to view it more generously since Roh Haeil hadn’t filmed any advertisements at all this year.Anyway, while the reporters were waiting blankly like dogs chasing chickens.“Congratulations on your first advertisement, boss!”A fanfare sounded from the rooftop.Moon Seoyeon pours champagne.After spilling it on Halo’s face once, Moon Seoyeon became a champagne expert and no longer spilled it. Pink sparkling non-alcoholic champagne was poured into thin glass flutes.Everyone grabbed a glass and shared their thoughts.“I honestly thought you didn’t like doing advertisements, Haeil.”“Me too.”The marketing team from Arbor who had visited the label.The members seemed a bit surprised by the unexpectedly soft and lively atmosphere.“I don’t dislike it.”Everyone reacted to Halo’s answer as if to say, “Is that so?” They didn’t seem to believe it.But Halo was sincere. Why would he dislike advertisements?As he always says, he enjoyed a life steeped in luxury and pleasure rather than a monk-like life. In other words, he preferred the life of a full-bellied grasshopper to that of a hungry Socrates.He liked the attention and wealth that came to him, he never disliked it even once.Halo briefly recalled all the brands that had been associated with him.“I just didn’t do it.”Busy, bothersome, and…Well, there are various reasons, but in the end, he didn’t do it because he could do it anytime.Some might call it arrogance.That even if there are many opportunities now, there might not be someday. Actually, I think I heard that sound from somewhere.Someone who desperately wanted the opportunities that came easily to him.What did I answer then?Did I just ignore it? Or maybe I laughed at it. ‘I’m not really sorry about it.’It doesn’t seem like opportunities will disappear, but even if they do, I don’t think I’ll regret it.It’s not like he’s making music to become a spokesperson for other brands, and he’s always lived for the present. So there were no regrets.“What I want to do right now is important.”He just answered because they were curious, but suddenly the three members looking at him stood still with their champagne glasses in the air.A moment of silence.“I, I will work hard on composing too!”Suddenly, Moon Seoyeon shouted with a determined face.“I will play percussion for eighteen hours, only breathing.”Nam Gyuhwan, who had just downed his champagne in one shot, said next,“…I will reflect.”Han Jinyeong raised one hand as if taking an oath.What’s this? Halo looked at them strangely at their sudden reactions, then nodded.The day they all sat around listening to ‘Welcome to my world’ and shared their sincere stories.Halo told them. Just because they were his members, they didn’t need to give up everything and devote themselves solely to his session.He told them to do what they wanted, whether it was composing, entering competitions, or taking on other session requests to experience new music.As a person who makes music, he knew how intense the desire to make one’s own music can be, and also how much joy it can bring to life.Just as he doesn’t sacrifice for them, they don’t need to sacrifice for him.He still felt the same way.The non-alcoholic champagne glasses clinked, and everyone exclaimed “Ah!” as if it contained alcohol.“By the way, when is the photoshoot?”#Meanwhile, on the same day. Manila, Philippines.At a 5-star hotel sky lounge.“You’re coming here in person?”There was a man attracting everyone’s attention. However, no one approached him.Not only was the man wearing sunglasses on the phone, but he was also the leader of the world-renowned metal band Scorpion.[Yes, didn’t you threaten me that you might transfer to August Records? I need to show that much sincerity to not lose a cherished singer.]“What sincerity.”Rill snorted.If he wanted to show sincerity, he would have come to North America, not Asia.“You’re not coming because there’s not much time left, are you?”[Oh my. What are you saying?]His tour connects the Philippines, China, Taiwan, and Korea. About two weeks left.“Let’s not make unfunny jokes when we both know. You need a pretext, right? A pretext that makes it not strange for you to suddenly visit Korea.”[Well, it is quite a unique country. They’ve been grumbling about album sales not doing well for ages, but aren’t the concerts sold out?]“You seem to have forgotten who I am.”[Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t know who you are? The world-famous band Scorpion!]This glib old man.Rill looked up at the sky, letting August Veil’s nonsense go in one ear and out the other.Whatever he says, it doesn’t matter. It’s just funny that the date of accompaniment this old man notified in advance is during the Taiwan tour schedule.“If you wanted to see him that badly, why didn’t you go earlier? Unlike me, you already knew.”This old man who shamelessly hid The Sun’s identity from him. Seeing him trying to come with such ridiculous excuses, it’s clear he wanted to be near The Sun from before.Well, who wouldn’t want to be near The Sun?“An old man who even has his own plane.”Excuses about being busy come from the other end of the phone, but Rill knew. That it was just an excuse.“Weren’t you just scared?”He cut off August Veil’s words and asked.“Afraid of being hated for interfering with The Sun’s freedom.”Accompanying a singer on tour to make it look plausible to others’ eyes. It’s because August Veil was conscious that if he went to Korea recklessly to see The Sun, he might interfere with the life The Sun wants.Since the name HALO spread widely across the United States, as much as interest in HALO spread, August Veil’s movements have been severely scrutinized.With the speculation that August Veil, the representative of HALO’s record distributor, must know who HALO is, the old man who had retired and was enjoying his hobbies received attention again.It wasn’t just media attention. Starting with paparazzi, wrecking cars followed.Well, it’s the difference between holding a camera or a video camera, so it can be seen as an evolved form of paparazzi.If Veil had suddenly gone to Korea and met a boy, his vacation would have been completely over.There’s no voice from the other end of the phone.Rill finally felt a bit relieved.Of course, it’s not like all the resentment is gone.Damn old man. Making me look like a fool who missed The Sun right in front of me.But it’s not like he wants to interrogate like a wrecker, so Rill continued.“It must be nice to be able to use me as an excuse. No one else would even think of it.”[And you’re not like that?]At the sudden question, Rill paused for a moment.Looking ahead, he saw the enormous sun hanging in the sky.A complete light that even sunglasses couldn’t fully block.“I…”Eventually, Rill’s call ended.People who had been watching approached to get autographs, and Rill, despite his fierce appearance, dealt with them politely.And he gauges the time.October 21st.The day the tour starts in Seoul, Korea.He planned to meet The Sun the day before and make the guest proposal again.Because he had received the boy’s response – “I’ll think about it.”Since it wasn’t a perfect rejection. Rill took it as him being interested.“Only ten days left now.”Hi everyone, I've completely translated this novel! For those who love this novel and wanted to binge read until the last chapter, you can go to my Patreon "Shop" page. There, I have a product in which you can read them with discounted price instead of buying them here with normal price. Thank you for the attention! P.S: If you want to buy the chapters in bulk and wanted a custom price, do hit me up on my discord account @_dawn24