The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1181

< The Perfect Festival - 118 >

Nohaeil’s fan cafe, ‘Do We Look Like a Joke to You’.

The cafe manager had no intention of reverting to the original name, ‘Wave Riding,’ and the staff and members didn’t bother suggesting it.

They acknowledged it too. They didn’t know when Nohaeil would hold another concert, but if he did, that day would be the second Bloody Party [a chaotic scramble for tickets, referencing the intensity of the first concert ticket sales].

Because everyone would go crazy trying to get tickets.

It’s all Nohaeil’s fault.

Nohaeil, who made all the concert concepts and outfits different, and even the setlist and composition different, made them like this.

How many people beat the ground and expressed their sorrow? They insisted that the concert they saw was the best, but the best and ultimate concert was only the all-concert.

They had become bodies that couldn’t be satisfied without attending all concerts.

Anyway, the ‘Do We Look Like a Joke to You’ cafe showed a unique appearance ahead of the Korea University festival.

[Too bad. Korea University festival···]

└ Korea University festival is famous for being no fun

└ Even worse, it overlaps with Gankuk University’s festival this time

└ The performance is awkwardly on Thursday, which is a bit;;;

[This time, Gankuk University’s lineup is amazing]

└ Gankuk University has gorgeous guests every year

└ I wanted to see Sai’s concert, so this is great!

[Originally, university festivals are for the Yonsei-Korea games~] [The Yonsei-Korea games are a major inter-university rivalry, implying the festival is usually secondary to the sporting event].

Saying they weren’t interested in the Korea University festival and pretending to go to other school festivals was also a scene created by Nohaeil.

To reduce people’s interest, everyone pretended to be uninterested and said they wouldn’t go.

The cafe manager wondered how the pure cafe members had changed like this. They weren’t people who hid their dark intentions and lived with masks on. They used to purely discuss Nohaeil’s music and jokingly say, ‘Did our Dal [Nohaeil’s nickname, meaning ‘moon’] get boycotted by the broadcasting station?’

But she also posted nonsense on the free bulletin board.

[There are a lot of Dal fancams on YouTube these days, so isn’t it enough to watch them on YouTube?]

└ There are so many goodies these days, so isn’t it okay not to go?

└ It’s windy these days, so let’s watch together in our blankets ^^.

No one believed this would have an impact, but they couldn’t relax unless they did this.

It was Nohaeil’s concert that everyone desperately wanted.

The legendary 830 mini-concert that no one attended.

People driven mad by conquest were so poisoned that they were foaming at the mouth, and even people who weren’t interested were drawn in by the Scorpion concert guest rumors.

Anyone who has spent a lot of time on the internet has likely read the Nohaeil=HALO theory. It’s not mentioned in the cafe rules, but they are gossiping about it.

On top of that.

The cafe manager’s face clearly showed the emotion ‘bittersweet’.

There’s a reason why they absolutely can’t give up this festival.

Just like how there were more than a few people who said they would stay up all night on the Korea University lawn the day before, what made them unable to give up was,

Immediately after the Korea University festival was Nohaeil’s birthday.

Nohaeil’s birthday posted on the green window [referring to a popular Korean search engine, likely Naver].

November 14th.

How long had the cafe been waiting for this day? They were nervous that Nohaeil’s personality wouldn’t celebrate his birthday and would just pass it by without anything happening, but fortunately, the university festival was scheduled.

[Phew··· If it wasn’t for the festival, it would have passed quietly without any schedule]

[That’s totally Dal’s personality···]

[Now, Dal just needs to create an unforgettable stage]

[If we can just go?]

[Ah···.]

If it wasn’t for the festival, it was obvious they wouldn’t know what to do, which was dizzying.

Meanwhile, in the cafe, people with little patience began to take off their masks.

[How many people does the Korea University outdoor theater hold?]

The prelude to the festival had begun.

#

As if to prove it was winter, a chilly gale shook the campus. Professors, who didn’t leave any lecture time empty so that students could get even one more thing, were occasionally startled by the wind hitting the windows fiercely.

It seemed like wandering around outside this week wasn’t a good choice no matter how you looked at it. To exaggerate, it wouldn’t be strange if a sign suddenly fell.

That being the case.

The education professor felt that it was particularly crowded as he was about to leave work early. There seemed to be more students he hadn’t seen, that is, outsiders.

Is there a campus tour today?

When the professor grabbed a student he knew and asked, he heard an unexpected answer.

“This week is the festival.”

“Festival? Ah, this week is the festival?”

“Yes.”

“But why are there so many people?”

There are three fools at Korea University.

People who walk from the entrance of Korea University to the main gate

People who brag about being the top student in their high school

And people who participate in the festival.

It was a saying that existed even when the professor was a college student.

New students with a longing for college came during the internet classes due to Corona, but after that, it was always the same.

So the professor was surprised that the students were suddenly interested in the festival. But the student asked back as if it was strange.

“Haven’t you heard, professor?”

“What’s going on? What’s different about this festival?”

“This time, the student council invited Nohaeil. It’s been noisy since last week.”

“Nohaeil who··· Nohaeil?”

Even if he was ignorant of school affairs, it was hard to be ignorant of outside affairs. Especially if it’s a star who appears frequently in the entertainment scene these days.

“So all these people came to see the celebrity?”

The student nodded.

Otherwise, there’s no way the Korea University festival would be so crowded.

The professor clicked his tongue, saying he had nothing to do.

When I was a student, I studied in the library whether a celebrity came or the president came.

Originally, he was famous as an old-fashioned professor who valued authority and etiquette in the education department, so the student ignored him.

As the professor went to find his car, he hesitated for a moment.

Soon, he turned his body in a different direction than the car.

That is, towards Beodeulgol, where the outdoor theater is located, the student opened his mouth in case.

“Um, professor. I’m just saying in case.”

“?”

“···Nohaeil isn’t performing today.”

“!”

The professor paused at the unexpected answer.

Soon, his awkward expression became stern.

“What does that have to do with me?”

The student nodded awkwardly.

“Just in case.”

“Okay, go in quickly.”

“Yes, professor, please go in carefully too.”

The student bowed politely and turned around.

That’s when the professor cleared his throat.

The student turned around with a mechanical smile.

“It’s Thursday.”

“What is?”

“Just in case.”

“···Is that so?”

Today is November 11th, the first day of the Korea University festival.

Nohaeil is coming on Thursday the 13th.

The student stared at the professor’s back as he headed back to the parking lot, and then discovered the influx of outsiders pouring into the school.

“They’re not planning to wait for two days from today, are they?”

He was a member of the student council and a member of the festival organizing team.

The executive who shouted, ‘Yes!’ when they finally said they had invited Nohaeil. He wasn’t chosen as one of the elite 830, but as a Korea University student, he was finally able to satisfy his personal desire to watch him live, and he felt uneasy.

And that ominous feeling hit the mark.

The day before Nohaeil’s performance. Wednesday.

Korea University was more crowded with more people than yesterday.

I really don’t usually express it as crowded, but the crowd was enormous.

“It seems like there are more outsiders than Korea University students.”

There have always been outsiders coming to see celebrities from other schools.

But not to this extent···

Well, there’s an exception for top male idols, but Nohaeil isn’t a male idol.

Of course, the student council and faculty also expected a certain number of people to gather. They also referred to the statistics of those gathered at Yonsei University and Korea University. But this was too much.

I don’t think RIV would have come this much even when performing at Yonsei University.

The festival was progressing successfully.

Since the pubs and shops have been booming since Tuesday, when the Korea University festival started. But if this continues, there is a high possibility of an accident at the steep outdoor theater, so the faculty and student council shared complicated feelings. It seemed like they needed more people.

There were even lines at the pubs on Wednesday than on Tuesday, and the lights didn’t go out until dawn. That’s how the sun rises.

“When are those people leaving?” The people who were watching each other didn’t think about leaving near the outdoor theater.

There were many complaints about this on Korea Everytime [an online forum popular among Korean university students].

[Haryosu-gil lunch wait, is this all our school kids?] [Haryosu-gil is a popular street near Korea University]
[Cafe Ha··· There are more people than during the exam period lol]
[Wow, it’s crazy. I’ve never seen so many people at school]
[Isn’t the university festival a festival for the students to enjoy? Why are there more outsiders?] └I honestly think we should limit outsiders └Let’s suggest checking student IDs

In particular, the most disadvantaged were the students who had afternoon classes. The always consistent people didn’t make exceptions for the festival. After filling up the lecture time, the students had to rush to Beodeulgol, where the outdoor theater was located.

“Crazy.”

“I think I saw half of these people yesterday too.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen so many people at our school festival.”

The place where the green grass should have been spread out was even more densely packed with people. The outdoor theater, which looks like a DDP [Dongdaemun Design Plaza, a futuristic landmark in Seoul], was already full, and the students didn’t expect this.

But it didn’t seem easy to see from behind either.

A friend tapped him on the shoulder.

“Look at that. The professors came too.”

“No, I thought the professors had schedules.”

“Music professors also listen to pop music.”

“Music professors came too?”

Even in the moment of being embarrassed by the unexpected presences, a dance club performance was in full swing at the outdoor theater.

A strong wind blew, causing those watching to frown, but the dance club members skillfully showed off their dance moves.

“Why is the wind blowing so much.”

“It’s blowing a bit scary.”

The outdoor theater, which is a relatively modern building, won’t collapse or have its glass broken, but the strong wind was a strong wind. It was fortunate that it wasn’t accompanied by heavy rain.

The Korea University cheering squad also looked at the weather anxiously.

Because they were afraid that the performance or the events they had prepared would be ruined.

But they forgot their worries and concerns.

The sky with the sunset as the sun set.

As the boy and boy’s band appeared, thunderous cheers poured out. You could tell from the cheers in the back even though you couldn’t see them. I thought the voice calling the boy’s name overwhelmed the boy’s voice.

But, in that uproar, the boy’s voice was clearly heard.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Nohaeil.”

Halo spoke to the people while doing a mic test. The outdoor theater was packed. In fact, because of the location, it felt like busking.

Halo left the members to tune for a moment and opened his mouth again.

“Did you all have a good day today?”

In fact, if you count the boy, the college students are all older brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts, but the boy was not intimidated at all. He looked comfortable beyond being skilled.

Without the tension or excitement that the name ‘Korea University’ gives, unlike a high school student. If someone saw him, it wouldn’t be strange if he was a Korea University student.

The session’s sound decreased.

At the signal that everyone was ready, the boy smiled and said that people who couldn’t go to the concert said they wanted to hear it while watching the reviews.

“Then today, you will have fun too.”

Soon, a familiar melody was heard.

People cheered at the rhythm of ‘Another Day’.

The debut song flows from the boy’s mouth.

It’s definitely a song I know, but it sounded different.

It’s natural that it sounds different.

Music is affected by minor factors such as time, place, and equipment. It can also sound different depending on the mood of the audience in this place.

But what they are saying is not just that it is different.

The boy’s voice gently passes through people’s hearts like a spring breeze. He doesn’t grab and shake it. But it naturally remains like BGM [background music] and creates change.

But it leaves a deeper mark.

That feeling that cannot be described or weighed

That was the reason why people thought it was different.

Meanwhile, Halo thought the same thing.

‘Is it a bit different today?’

Strangely, the audience’s reaction was different.

He didn’t think he was lacking.

The audience’s response was not lacking either.

He liked that people sang along to his songs. That’s why he might be particularly obsessed with Korean as Nohaeil. Because Korean would be the most comfortable language for these people.

But strangely, I feel like they’re not concentrating well.

As if waiting for something.

That’s the feeling I got from the members too.

The members have been strangely strange all week.

Not to the point where I can say anything.

Or, maybe he just felt that way because he was feeling restless.

Halo enjoyed the stage and blew away that feeling. And rather, he decided to look forward to what they were waiting for.

‘I probably won’t be surprised.’

Making people surprised and shocked is not their specialty, but his specialty.

How surprising will it be? How much can it make me happy? He smiled, telling them to try it.

The night gets darker.

The heat of the stage became more intense.

Brightly lit lights.

People waving cheering sticks and cell phones.

Even in the strong wind, the heat didn’t seem to subside easily. Rather, we should be careful not to spread it elsewhere.

It was then.

Halo noticed that the staff next to the stage were moving somewhat busily.

‘Is it now.’

Halo pretended not to know and enjoyed the stage of ’17sec’.

For the best finale!

The moment everyone shouted, the drums rang out, and the lights flashed on the stage like lightning.

Gyaaaaak! People’s cheers and applause! The sound was heard in the darkness. Now they were waiting for the lights to turn on again, but strangely, no matter how long they waited, the lights didn’t turn on.

The audience’s cheers and applause also subsided, and the outdoor theater was completely silent.

If it were someone else, they would have thought it was a stage accident and given instructions or said something.

Halo waited in the darkness for what everyone had been waiting for.

One, two, three.

As he counted the seconds, a light came on from the side.

The wind blew and it went out right away, but with busy movements, they made the flickering fire again.

‘Candle? Are you trying to propose to me now?’

He remembers a scene from an old drama his mother watched where they decorated the floor with candles in the shape of a heart and proposed. Halo, who has no romantic feelings at all, thought that people in this world do all sorts of things, and his mother didn’t seem to like it very much either.

A candle event.

I’d rather turn off the lights, and I hate everything from lighting the candles one by one.

Still, it’s a fan event, so Halo tried to accept it with an open mind. It was decorated like a stage accident, but he wasn’t surprised at all, so he wondered if he should pretend to be surprised.

Halo paused when he saw what the staff brought in.

“…”

It was fortunate that it was dark.

Otherwise – the fans would have liked it – a stupid expression

Because it would have been shown on the screen as it is.

But Halo blankly watched the staff approaching him. Among the staff, the Korea University mascot doll was approaching with a cake.

It was definitely a birthday cake.

“How can you···.”

The boy’s voice was heard in the microphone.

It seemed like they never imagined that they would do a birthday event for him. A voice that seemed very surprised. People cheered knowing that their surprise had succeeded.

Soon, the lights on the stage flashed on. The screens on both sides of the stage captured the surprised boy’s face and the sly gazes of the members.

But he couldn’t care less.

How did these people know his birthday?

No one celebrated his birthday.

He himself is a person who doesn’t even take care of it.

Then Halo’s eyes fell on the cake.

The velvet that seemed to express the moon, stars, lighthouse, and Milky Way decorated the cake, and the cake topper said

[Happy 16th Birthday 11.14]

‘Nohaeil’s birthday?’

Is tomorrow Nohaeil’s birthday?

Suddenly, the faces of the members and his parents came to mind. Ah, was the reason they kept asking about his schedule because of Nohaeil’s birthday?

Come to think of it, on the day he became Nohaeil, he saw Nohaeil’s student ID. His birthday was written there too. I forgot because of the name.

Aside from the fact that the names are similar, the birthdays were the same.

“Ah···.”

I have to say something, but my voice is empty.

He was moving his lips.

If these people wanted to surprise him, they succeeded. Of course, they are celebrating Nohaeil’s birthday, but they also celebrated his birthday. The day HALO was born, his birthday that no one celebrated.

Of course, I couldn’t imagine it.

People quietly look at him.

He received the cake, a bouquet of flowers, and a shopping bag with I don’t know what’s in it, and on top of that, gifts kept coming out. There are no more hands to receive.

I thought I had to continue the stage again now.

But before he started any song, the session’s sound was heard. When Halo turned around, the members winked and played the session as they pleased.

It wasn’t his music, but it was a song everyone knew.

The Korea University mascot doll, the staff, the members, and everyone watching his stage began to sing one song.

A congratulatory song for him.

In the end, Halo smiled and sang along to the song in the ordinary but extraordinary congratulatory song.

When the song ended and the boy opened his mouth, the fan cafe president and the Korea University cheering squad cheered together. The surprise event was being created as successfully as they wanted and as much as they worked hard.

Banners and events for the boy.

If this continues, he will miss the stage again and hold a concert soon.

‘I was worried about the wind, but it’s very good. Everything is perfect. There’s not much stage time left, so what could happen?’

The president, who unknowingly planted a flag, was happy. I’m proud of myself for staying up all night at Korea University for two days!

At that moment, one of the things they were worried about happened.

Korea University has always had a lot of complaints about the performance equipment, and like when the dance club performed, which was uneasy, it was a problem caused by the strong wind.

The strong wind swept the stage again.

He didn’t spill the cake, but the flowers from the bouquet scattered, and the confetti that was being sprinkled over the boy’s head was blown away by the wind. The bigger problem was the banner

It was a mess.

‘Damn it···. Why now···.’

The fan cafe president’s face darkened.

Everything was very good until Haeil’s birthday event.

To make matters worse, an even bigger problem broke out.

The boy’s microphone amp, which was talking to the audience without paying attention to the strong wind, went out.

Korea University has always had a lot of complaints about the equipment – it was rated as inferior to Yonsei University and Korea University – so it was impossible to know whether it was a problem with the equipment management or a problem with the strong wind.

While talking to the audience, his microphone completely went out.

“Ah ah···”

The boy calmly taps the microphone.

But it didn’t think about coming back at all.

The staff who pulled out and plugged in the microphone amp line about five times turned their heads, and the technician also touched it a few times before making a difficult face.

The atmosphere calmed down and someone sighed. Even those who didn’t prepare the boy’s birthday event were sorry.

But, Halo, who was quietly watching them, suddenly laughed “Pfft”.

I knew what people’s hearts were, but their expressions were so cute and funny that laughter burst out from inside. The big laughter was enough to be conveyed to people.

People’s attention was focused.

Because they had seen him smile faintly, but this was the first time they had seen him laugh so coolly.

I don’t know why he’s laughing, but he seemed to be laughing because he was really happy rather than laughing because he was crazy. The atmosphere began to soften because the boy laughed.

At that time, Nohaeil’s members started playing the accompaniment again. Because the boy gave the signal, the members started playing without any doubt.

The melody of Nohaeil’s first full-length album song Ever end was heard again.

‘What are you going to do.’

The microphone is broken.

The session’s sound is so loud that it will be completely buried. Are you going to dance?

Despite the worried gazes of the people, the boy nodded to the rhythm without paying attention.

Soon, he opened his mouth.

[Someday]

The resonance that was not buried in the session resonated deeply.

It spreads far enough to be heard by everyone.

[The end will come]

[Like every story has an ending]

[I know what you’re afraid of]

Following his voice, people’s voices followed one by one.

[It’s nothing]

The boy put down the hand holding the microphone and went to the front of the stage.

[That time, that time]

[We were walking around that place]

Their voices became a chorus and an accompaniment.

At some point, the boy threw away the microphone.

[I’m at the end of this road]

His voice has already reached everyone

Because it was no longer needed.