The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 581

# 58 Another Day

American bullfrogs are widely known as a prime example of an invasive species, threatening local ecosystems with their rapid breeding and large size after being introduced from overseas. The media and academia often use the ‘American bullfrog’ metaphor to critique large entities like conglomerates.

And now, that metaphor is being applied here.

-Wow, this old man is churning out songs non-stop. Doesn’t he think about other singers?

└ Did anyone hold a knife to his throat and force him to release songs? You guys can release them too, lol.

└How are rookies supposed to debut if he’s hogging all 100 spots on the charts? Shouldn’t he be considerate?

└ Yeah, I love it. I really love it. Please keep releasing music. It’s thrilling every day. Oh, Sun God.

└Are these guys crazy?

Before the public could even tire of his music, ‘he’ released a new album.

Record labels, which had been waiting for the end of February, thinking his songs were finally losing steam, stared blankly at the black and white cover in dismay. Listeners enjoyed it, but from the perspective of the production companies, it was seen as the tyranny of a large corporation.

“Wouldn’t a chart monopoly regulation work?”

“Would it, really?”

What law in the world could stop a singer’s album releases?

Whether he releases a song once a month or once a day, it’s the singer’s prerogative. If they want to compete with ‘him’ based on public opinion, other singers are free to do the same.

But the reason they didn’t was because it was practically impossible. Releasing an album once a month?

The process of selecting songs takes anywhere from several months to years. And then comes arranging, recording, and album production… It’s not something that can be finished in a month.

Even if they released a song as quickly as possible, the public would grow tired of the existing music before that, and it would naturally disappear from the music charts.

This wasn’t a market where chart domination should be happening.

But this ridiculous situation was clearly unfolding.

“What should we do? Should we keep postponing like this?”

“So, you’re saying we should join this war?”

“Everyone is slowly releasing music.”

“Who?”

As soon as the employee showed the name [Shin Joo-hyuk], the head of a small to medium-sized agency got an even bigger headache.

“Shin Joo-hyuk made a comeback this time, right? Well, Shin Joo-hyuk isn’t someone who would be mindful of others.”

“His music is good this time too. He lives up to his reputation as Korea’s representative rocker.”

“Of course, Shin Joo-hyuk’s music would be good. But our kids aren’t Shin Joo-hyuk.”

“Boss, ‘that barrier’ was broken by a rookie, though. Let’s stop postponing now.”

“Rookie? Ah, that’s because of the OST [original soundtrack].”

The employee tilted his head at the president’s firm words.

“The song is just good, though.”

“Did you watch the drama?”

“Yes.”

“That’s why it’s good. If it wasn’t a popular drama, he wouldn’t have beaten ‘him’.”

“I don’t think it’s just that.”

The employee, who had even watched Lee Hwan-hee’s Sketchbook [a popular Korean music talk show], wanted to disagree.

That rookie’s song… what to say? Even he, who didn’t know much about music, thought it was special.

And the new song he sang just one verse of sounded good too.

“Ah.”

The employee picked up his phone to check.

Come to think of it, the rookie he had been looking forward to recently released an album. That one-verse song must have been released too.

But.

“!”

He was startled when he saw the latest album chart, which he had been about to listen to.

[Watermelon – Latest Album (Domestic) 2024-02-28]

Shin Joo-hyuk

Noh Hae-il

:

HALO

“Wow. It became a sandwich like this.”

What kind of joke is this again?

On February 28, the rookie who boldly released his music was sandwiched between music powerhouses.

In a way, it was a glamorous debut.

Considering that he was just starting out, the employee clicked his tongue in pity.

Since it was the same day, it was obvious that he wouldn’t survive unless the quality was exceptional.

“Still… the song is good.”

After coming out of the president’s office and listening to the new song, the employee thought that it might be difficult to expect good results because Shin Joo-hyuk and HALO’s music were so strong.

Because the previous songs had captivated and shaken people’s minds, giving them a shock.

On the other hand, the rookie’s song had a light acoustic melody, wasn’t stimulating, and was just good. The calm voice tickled his heart.

As he listened, he felt like he was living a special life at this moment.

“Hmm.”

The employee unconsciously hummed the song he had heard once and started working. The terribly piled-up work seemed lighter than usual today.

#

Clearly, that was the public’s assessment.

It’s nice to listen to, but the difference in scale is too big.

HALO didn’t pay much attention to other people’s opinions, but he was curious about how well his new attempt would work.

It was awkward because it was completely different from the way he had always done things.

He was always used to pouring out his emotions, so controlling them was a bit difficult.

Still, he liked the song itself.

HALO looked at the album made in Korean.

[Another Life (1st Mini Album) │ Noh Hae-il]

The album that his mother bought had a photo that felt similar to his profile. Noh Hae-il was staring at him. With a familiar expression.

‘…’

Clearly, they have different appearances, but as time goes by, he thinks that Noh Hae-il is becoming similar to him. Is it simply because he’s getting used to it? Or is it the influence of the soul?

HALO shook his head after thinking for a moment.

Religion or philosophical contemplation is not his thing.

He wouldn’t understand unless someone summarized it in one line. It’s not important either.

‘What’s important is something else.’

HALO set aside the overseas digital streaming statistics sent by Veil and turned on Watermelon.

It hadn’t been long since its release, but HALO’s fourth album tracks were charting as if they were riding a wave.

Also, Shin Joo-hyuk’s regular album, which he thought was good from the first time he heard it, also entered the charts.

HALO liked his music, and that’s the same for people. His career couldn’t be ignored either.

Shin Joo-hyuk’s past albums, which he looked up after becoming interested, showed his musical views well, especially about rock and bands. If HALO sang about his emotions every year, Shin Joo-hyuk talked about people’s lives, especially his own, and expanded his musical views.

Similar but different.

HALO sublimates emotions into music, and Shin Joo-hyuk sublimates his life or pain into music.

He doesn’t want to sing in his way, but he liked the abundant music he encountered here.

Maybe Shin Joo-hyuk’s fans will like the same thing.

HALO then searched for [Another Life (1st Mini Album) │ Noh Hae-il] on the chart.

“Oh. It’s going up.”

It was definitely slow. Unlike his songs so far, there is no explosive growth.

It may not be noticeable to other people.

But

[99. (title) Another Day │ Noh Hae-il – Another Life (1st Mini Album)]

Although slow, he was definitely walking.

And there was another person who was aware of this speed.

“Wow, Joo-hyuk, did you see the album that came out this time? Wow, I can only say it’s crazy. Even if it’s an EP [extended play, or mini album], is it possible to release a song once a month? Even the Beatles did it once a year.”

“He was crazy from the start.”

When Shin Joo-hyuk shrugged his shoulders, his band’s drummer poured out his opinion again, which he had been saying for months. Then, the keyboardist protested.

“No, the sun is always one.”

“Damn it. Maybe it’s an artificial sun. How is it possible for one person? Well, if he made it a long time ago, it’s possible. Then it’s right to release it as a regular album, right?”

“How can humans know the will of the sun.”

“That damn aglio olio [referring to something nonsensical or out of place].”

They had a long argument, and after thirty minutes, they came to their senses and talked about reality.

“This album is good, but how can we not win? How come that barrier doesn’t think about collapsing?”

“It hasn’t even been two months yet.”

“Wow. I thought it had been two years. Then how many more months do we have to wait?”

“The 5th album will be released this month, right?”

“!”

The bassist thought positively.

Still, there are no good albums other than ‘his’.

The only thing that could stop them was ‘him’.

Of course, that’s a bit much. In fact, the bassist wasn’t very wary of ‘him’. ‘He’ can just be said to be an out-of-category figure. What kind of influence will it have on many singers? Traces of influence are already beginning to appear in the indie scene. Maybe their next album will be heavily influenced by ‘him’.

Then the bassist discovered that their vocalist was listening not to their album or HALO’s music, but to another song.

“Uh… him.”

The name is familiar.

A newly emerging powerhouse (?) who recently beat Shin Joo-hyuk.

Of course, there’s no such thing as beating or winning a song, but he got used to it because he teased him so much.

It’s not common for the main OST to overtake the theme song.

“He released a new song this time.”

He doesn’t show it, but Shin Joo-hyuk is also aware of the new singer. Naturally, the bassist couldn’t help but be interested. He wouldn’t let that personality listen to headphones, so the bassist found it and listened to it himself.

[A Day No Different From Anyone Else]

A calm acoustic.

The melody that started with a whisper.

Oh, it’s good. The bassist closed his eyes and listened.

There was no stimulating taste, but it was comfortable to listen to.

There’s also an exciting taste like he’s just turned twenty.

“It’s a rookie-like song.”

It’s music they can’t try.

A thrilling song that you can only do when you’re a rookie.

“Still, we don’t have to worry about it this time.”

“What?”

Shin Joo-hyuk, who had been closing his eyes, turned around as if he had heard his words.

“No, I said we don’t have to worry about it.”

“Why?”

“Well, the scale is different. Once you listen to our album, you won’t even think about it, right?”

The bassist casually nudged him as if to say, isn’t that right? Then Shin Joo-hyuk answered indifferently.

“…Well. I don’t know.”

“Are you even saying that?”

“Because the song is good.”

“It’s good, but isn’t it a bit bland compared to the songs that charted?”

Shin Joo-hyuk doesn’t answer.

Well, it’s not the first time this has happened, so the bassist thought nothing of it.

Shin Joo-hyuk recalled the ambitious junior he had met backstage. The boy who wasn’t intimidated at all even though he saw a senior.

He thought he made music that was a bit different from what he looked like, but he couldn’t agree with the word rookie.

A soft and ticklish melody.

The junior who smiled brightly on it is drawn.

He felt that it was unusual.

Shin Joo-hyuk was right.

Noh Hae-il’s song, which everyone said wasn’t enough to beat HALO or Shin Joo-hyuk, slowly began to cruise.

Before anyone noticed, it permeated people, and even while erasing other songs, people continued to listen to Noh Hae-il’s song.

That was really strange.

Someone said it was the influence of ‘Lee Hwan-hee’s Sketchbook’. But anyone with normal thinking would shake their head right away.

‘Lee Hwan-hee’s Sketchbook’ had good ratings and good reactions at the time, but if that influence was so great, all the singers who appeared would have achieved good results.

In fact, there was no need to ask for a reason.

The scores that were clearly visible in numbers said everything.

The boy’s song is also as good as the music gangsters like HALO or Shin Joo-hyuk. The scores proved that it was clearly working for the public.

[25. (title) session 33 │ Shin Joo-hyuk]

[26. (title) Another Day │ Noh Hae-il]

They finally met again.

It’s not just about the music.

A radio station, conscious of the ratings of ‘Lee Hwan-hee’s Sketchbook’, cast them at the same time.

#

KDS Radio, Han Ra-yeon’s Music Classroom, which airs from 1 PM to 3 PM, had just started, but the outside of the recording studio was already bustling.

Han Ra-yeon, who glanced at it, gave a comment like a skilled DJ.

“Hello, this is Han Ra-yeon’s Music Classroom. Is everyone having a good day today? Yes, finally March. Spring has come. It seems like it’s time to take out the pretty clothes that you put in your closet. You can go shopping for a new feeling. Also, it’s time to decorate your playlist with new flowers. The people I invited today are very special people. They are the ones who sang the songs I really like. Who is it? Doo-goo-doo-goo! The answer is-! I’ll listen to Busker Busker’s ‘Cherry Blossom Zombie’.”

Han Ra-yeon listened to the familiar melody and looked outside the recording studio. What’s unlucky is a familiar face.

And a cute face she saw for the first time was standing beyond the recording studio.

It looked like they were having a conversation, but she smiled brightly and gestured for them to come in after waiting for a while.

“Shin Joo-hyuk and Noh Hae-il, please come in after 1 minute.”

Hae-il nodded at the writer’s words and looked at the man he had met backstage.

He only said hello and broke up at that time, but he didn’t know he would meet so early.

“Hello, senior. Nice to meet you again.”

Hae-il greeted as promised. Then, Shin Joo-hyuk raised the corners of his mouth.

“I’m meeting you here again. Nice to meet you, junior.”

Their eyes met.

He thought that they might be making the same expression. Shin Joo-hyuk was also brightening his eyes as if it was interesting.

Hae-il thought.

Today’s radio is going to be fun.