The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1201

< The Reason for the Trip -120 >

Cheers!

Crystal glasses clink together with a delicate sound.

In a sky lounge with a panoramic view of Seoul, the voices of friendly people mingled with soft music, the clinking of glasses, and laughter.

The entire restaurant had been reserved exclusively for his acquaintances.

From his band members to people he’d met in the industry, stars who rarely had the chance to gather all showed up to celebrate his birthday.

His mother, starstruck, acted like a teenage fan in front of Hwang Ryong-pil, asking for an autograph, while his father shared drinks with Nam Gyu-hwan and Han Jin-young.

HALO lamented that he was the only one who couldn’t drink at his own birthday party.

“When are you going to become an adult?”

Shin Joo-hyuk sauntered over with a glass of white wine, teasing him as usual.

“Don’t you have a schedule today?”

HALO retorted, implying, ‘Are you free today?’ Shin Joo-hyuk scoffed, saying he was hopeless.

“I’m not staying long. I just dropped by on my way to the radio station. If I didn’t have a schedule, I would have been drinking already.”

HALO nodded. Shin Joo-hyuk swirled his wine before asking something that had just occurred to him.

“By the way, aren’t you going on any broadcasts? Radio or anything? Han La-yeon was wondering.”

“Um, no. Not yet.”

“Really? I’ll make sure to tell the PD [Production Director] to keep you in mind.”

Shin Joo-hyuk replied, then felt wronged. Did he really have to convey rejection opinions on behalf of other singers at his level?

However, if he didn’t, the PD would likely bother him endlessly.

Recently, a PD had even suggested a reality show where he could have fun with his friends. Shin Joo-hyuk could bet his wrist that No Hae-il would be on that ‘friends’ list.

Of course, Shin Joo-hyuk was also a target for PDs, but no one could beat this boy this year.

Every broadcasting station in Korea, not just in entertainment but in all fields, and even the whole world, wanted the boy.

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to do one or two.”

“Pardon?”

HALO thought he sounded like an old geezer, but he couldn’t stop meddling. The kid would make his own decisions anyway, so he was just offering an opinion as a top singer in Korea, or rather, as a friend.

“If you have a reason, it’s fine, but if not, it’s better to film a few. This is a world where interest can turn into hatred at any time. What good will it do to make enemies of broadcasting stations?”

Even if that hatred turned back into love with the name HALO, the problem was that the boy was too young.

“And your fans, though they don’t say it, probably want a lot. I shouldn’t be saying this, but they’re curious about you as much as they are about your music. What you do, how arrogant you are usually, things like that.”

Only after saying everything he wanted to say did he think he had said too much.

“Just ignore it.”

Before he knew it, Shin Joo-hyuk put down the glass he had been twirling in his hand.

He had wished him a happy birthday, attended the birthday party, and taken a commemorative photo – which would later circulate among fans as ‘HALO’s golden social circle at his birthday party’ – so it was time to go to work.

“Happy birthday again, kid.”

While some people like Shin Joo-hyuk made a brief appearance, many more sent long letters and gifts due to scheduling issues.

It was a sudden birthday party, and everyone had schedules booked for the next six months, so it was only natural.

Nevertheless, they didn’t forget to send him birthday wishes.

From 00:00 onwards, the constant texts and calls drained his phone battery.

Looking at his phone with only 10% battery left, HALO felt a strange sensation. It felt odd to receive birthday wishes on November 14th when he usually received them in April.

“Shall we get some fresh air?”

Finally, as the night deepened and hinted at the coming day, August Veil, who had been talking to others, approached him.

After sending Hwang Ryong-pil away, the party was slowly winding down, so no one paid much attention to August Veil and the boy’s departure.

“Now I can properly wish you a happy birthday.”

“Weren’t you already doing that?”

This restaurant.

His mother and father couldn’t have reserved it. They were well-off, but not the type to waste money on unnecessary things, so they might book a room at the restaurant, but not the entire place.

Besides, such a restaurant wouldn’t be reserved for just anyone. He didn’t know when it was booked, but a restaurant with a sky lounge overlooking Seoul would have reservations booked for months in advance.

Therefore, HALO came to a simple conclusion.

The only person with the wealth, scale, and interest to reserve the restaurant for his birthday was August Veil.

“No, it hasn’t even started yet.”

“A reservation can’t be the gift.”

HALO chuckled, thinking it was just like August Veil, who had offered to give him a plane or a ship.

As he welcomed the cool November breeze, August Veil, who had sobered up a bit, opened his mouth after a long pause.

“You know why I’ve been busy lately, don’t you? Aren’t you curious?”

Veil, who had been busy since the paparazzi incident, hadn’t been able to stay by HALO’s side as much as he wanted.

It couldn’t have taken that long to deal with the paparazzi, so it must have been a business matter.

The nuance suggested it had something to do with him.

“Haven’t you heard yet?”

“Heard what?”

“I heard you made a musical.”

To be exact, he didn’t make a musical, but he did create two songs for one. However, that didn’t matter to August Veil.

What mattered was that HALO had made the songs.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know how it would turn out. I bought it.”

“Pardon?”

“The license, I mean.”

“!”

“I wanted to buy the whole thing, but they didn’t need any more investors. It’s a shame. If I had known you were involved, I would have gotten involved sooner.”

Listening to Veil grumble, HALO recalled that August Veil had become busy right around the time he visited the musical practice room.

He must have heard that he had made the songs and started a business deal.

“Is this the gift?”

“Of course not! I’m just saying that I haven’t lost interest in you. I’m always passionate about your music.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

HALO replied as if it were obvious, brushing off news that would have been hailed as a boon by any Yeouido [Seoul’s main financial district] businessman.

“After the Korean premiere, we’ll proceed directly in London.”

“What if it flops?”

Even though it was a musical he was involved in, HALO spoke casually.

He didn’t think his music would flop, but he wasn’t involved in the entire musical, so it could fail. There was also the risk of it being an original musical.

However, August Veil confidently declared.

“That won’t happen.”

It felt like he was about to say, ‘It’s your song.’

The Korean premiere was scheduled from the end of December to the beginning of March. The beginning of March.

HALO smirked.

Right, a businessman wouldn’t do a business that would lose money.

It was natural for August Veil to be confident.

Around that time, HALO would be revealed to the world.

With the interest in HALO having grown larger than he had expected, it was obvious that the musical numbers created by HALO would be spotlighted.

Frankly speaking, HALO found the current HALO phenomenon quite unexpected.

When he postponed revealing his identity, he thought the interest in him would be less than before.

His album couldn’t benefit from his appearance, which had been hailed as the ‘incarnation of Apollo,’ and his anonymity could cause resistance.

A truly pure music album with no concerts, no live performances, and not even radio appearances.

But people were even more enthusiastic. Even the critics who always used to bash him praised him with all sorts of artistic terms. HALO didn’t understand why he was more loved when he hid his face.

“We should probably talk soon.”

HALO was brought back to reality by Veil’s voice.

“Have you thought about it? How you’re going to reveal your identity.”

Just as HALO had told Scorpion that ‘it wouldn’t be long,’ Veil had also been keeping it in mind.

“It’ll probably be revealed somehow.”

With so many hints thrown into the world, someone might gather them and reveal it, or suddenly many people might come and call his name in front of his house.

Even if not, it would be confirmed when his 13th album came out.

So, HALO spoke honestly.

“I haven’t thought about it deeply.”

HALO left everything to the flow of the world and didn’t set up any specific plans. He was always spontaneous and fickle. He put off what he had to do, thinking he could figure it out when the time came.

“I did tell Scorpion that I would reveal it on my stage.”

“That’s like you.”

August Veil nodded.

“You mean you haven’t thought about exactly which stage or how you’ll reveal it?”

“That’s right.”

“Then-”

“How about Coachella?”

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Since the end of Coachella in 2031, the directors had been persistently sending HALO love calls [expressions of strong interest].

They were truly persistent people.

They sent emails so creatively that it was almost a pity to refuse. One email contained words of praise, and another contained detailed reasons why HALO should come to Coachella.

However, August Veil didn’t have Coachella in mind because of their love calls.

The first reason was that it was the world’s largest music festival with various music performances, attracting attention from all over the world.

And the second was,

“I also considered Donauinselfest or Summerfest, but summer is too far away. Coachella is just right.”

It was a matter of timing.

Donauinselfest, a festival held in Vienna, Austria, and Summerfest, held in Wisconsin, USA, were held in June, which was too far away.

Super Bowl hadn’t offered him a performance because they weren’t willing to entrust it to someone who hadn’t revealed their identity, and August Veil, as a pure Englishman to the bone, didn’t understand why people were so enthusiastic about American football.

“That’s where they sent me the email.”

Veil’s eyes lit up at HALO’s answer.

If they didn’t know HALO’s identity when they sent it, it meant one thing.

No Hae-il had also received an invitation.

“Whether we should call it a coincidence.”

It wasn’t strange that they sent an invitation to a boy who was a rookie but showed moves that weren’t like a rookie.

He had become a hot topic overseas with Scorpion’s concert and HALO cover songs, and No Hae-il’s name was already being mentioned among Asian fans who listened to K-pop.

“What do you want to do? I’ll do whatever you want.”

Would he participate as No Hae-il?

Would he participate as HALO?

HALO moved his lips at the question.

Strangely, he was conflicted.

“It’s okay to think about it a little more. It’s an important issue, so you can’t make a hasty decision.”

“I-”

It felt like his thoughts were clouded by fog.

HALO suddenly realized what this was.

He was hesitating.

He, who had always lived spontaneously and had clear choices, suddenly felt like an idiot.

The old man waited for his answer, and the silence grew longer. The boy finally spoke honestly.

“I know the answer is already decided. But-”

“It’s hard to choose?”

“I don’t know why I’m hesitating.”

“Well, sometimes those moments come.”

The old man seemed to read his mind.

“Then how about this? Let’s try to find the reason why you’re hesitating. Within a short amount of time, you’re smart, so you’ll be able to find it.”

“…”

“If you can’t find the answer by looking in a nearby place, it might be the answer to go to a farther place. It’s not for nothing that people take trips to refresh themselves. Problems that you’ve been worrying about for a long time can be solved in an instant.”

“You’re telling me to go on a trip.”

“Do you not want to?” When the old man asked, the boy shook his head.

Trips were familiar to him.

He had suddenly left somewhere before, and he had disappeared to spend time alone. And he seemed to have thought about going on a trip one summer day.

“Maybe it’ll be the last trip as ‘Roh’.”

HALO was silent for a moment before answering.

“I’ll think about it.”

The old man nodded with a faint smile.

This was what happened on Friday, November 14th. The boy, who had spent time at his label until the weekend, returned to England on Sunday afternoon with HALO’s 10th album in his hand.

Soon, at 8 PM on Sunday, November 16th, UK time.

HALO’s 10th album, ‘Cannot be cut,’ was uploaded at the time when British families were sharing dinner together.

The album, which had an illustration cover depicting a cozy dinner of a family of three, had a completely opposite atmosphere.

Music swirling with hatred and affection.

People began to stir as they realized what the album’s title and the title track’s name meant.

However, the controversy didn’t grow any bigger because, as the music flowed, the remnants of that hatred dissipated, leaving only gentle and warm affection on top of it.

That gap had a corner that touched the heart somewhere.

People thought.

HALO might not be a burly man of 2 meters, a health nut who lifts 1500 in the three major lifts [bench press, squat, and deadlift], or a macho man in his 40s or 50s with beams coming out between his legs.

Some were disappointed by this change, but some came to see HALO as a human being as well. The worship and praise for him hadn’t disappeared.

However, if they had only wanted HALO as a star until now, they were now beginning to see HALO as a human being.

They were curious.

What time does HALO usually wake up, what kind of day does he spend, what kind of food does he like, and who does he spend time with? How does he laugh when he laughs, and what kind of expression does he make when he’s sad?

And that was similar in some ways to No Hae-il’s fandom, who were curious about No Hae-il’s life.

#

The long birthday of No Hae-il ended, and a weekday returned.

He didn’t know if there were many salary thieves [people who slack off at work] or many unemployed people in the world, but the community was as active as ever, as always.

[People who congratulated No Hae-il on his birthday + Attendees of his birthday party]

└ 2031 Hae-il Chart Awards, lol

└ But the people who came are top-tier, seeing how many came, he must have a good personality

└ Why does personality matter? With No Hae-il’s popularity right now, they have to go even if they hate him

└ Liv, Shin Joo-hyuk, and people like that, what do they lack that they would go to someone they hate’s birthday party? Get real;;

└ A rookie holding a birthday party like that, lol

└ If you’re jealous, just say you’re jealous. He’s throwing a birthday party with his own money, why are you interfering with everything

The group shots and commemorative photos uploaded on Instagram, and the people who couldn’t go to the party leaving posts like ‘It’s our Hae-il’s birthday’ on SNS [Social Networking Service], heated up the No Hae-il birthday topic over the weekend.

And what received as much attention as who congratulated No Hae-il on his birthday was what he received as birthday gifts.

No Hae-il doesn’t use SNS, but people put a price on the gifts that were vaguely visible in the commemorative photos and here and there. The most talked about was-.

[Scorpion, “Just picked it up on the way” as No Hae-il’s birthday gift]

└No, looking at Reel’s Instagram, he wrote politely that it was a gift for you, but the reporter is shortening it and now just making things up

└ It’s even an outdated slang, even my dad doesn’t use it

└ Haa, the Ducati’s posture is just,,, the one he bought secretly from his wife and sold again after getting hit on the back was just a toy,,,

└ Is he really a fan? He’s just giving away something worth thousands, lol

└ No, everything’s good, but what if Hae-il gets hurt? Why are you giving him something like this;;;

└ Can he even ride that?

└ Can’t No Hae-il get a license now?

└ You can’t ride just any motorcycle, right? If it exceeds the displacement standard, you have to get a Class 2 license

└ Can’t he ride it until he becomes an adult? lololol, as expected, the world is fair.

└ ;;He’ll be able to get a license in a few years, is that fair?

It was Scorpion Reel’s racing bike gift. He openly posted it on SNS, so everyone knew the price.

Another place was the luxury brand ‘Arbor’.

The Arbor Instagram also celebrated the birthday of their ambassador and released their December issue pictorial.

They didn’t know what gifts they sent to No Hae-il, but after the fan meeting, No Hae-il’s label opened an SNS, and it was later revealed.

Creative designer, Per Aspera, gifted him a guitar case and a jumper embroidered with a white tiger for him.

On the other hand, there were also things that would never be known to them. For example, what August Veil, the representative of the music distribution company who eventually failed to sign a contract with No Hae-il and returned to England, gifted.

What he gifted was simple in some ways.

A new label [record company].

For HALO, who was gradually surrounded by more and more people, August Veil gifted him the real estate he owned.

He gave him London first, said that interior work was in progress in LA, and said that he would give him one in Seoul if he wanted.

Originally, the interior work was all finished, but he ordered additional work after seeing No Hae-il’s label, and said that it would be completed this winter. He then told him to look forward to his birthday next year.

Since he gave him real estate, is he thinking of giving him something to ride next year? HALO thought calmly.

Anyway, while people were noisily talking about No Hae-il’s birthday gifts, one article buried the other things.

[No Hae-il Donates 1 Billion Won on His Birthday │Daily Star in Reporter Baek Won-man]

Singer No Hae-il practiced sharing on his birthday.

On the 16th, H Label, aka No Hae-il, donated a total of 1 billion won [approximately $750,000 USD] to various social welfare organizations on Sunday, two days after his birthday. This donation will be used to support children’s care facilities, disability protection facilities, and surgeries for children and adolescents with disabilities.

└? Wait, not 100 million, but 1 billion?

└ It’s a group donated by No Hae-il’s fan cafe···. But the unit of money is not

└ This is beyond flexing, he’s just crazy?

└ No Hae-il hasn’t even filmed any commercials, is this possible?

└ Isn’t this a bit too much?

└ I know you shouldn’t worry about celebrities, but I’m a bit worried···. What will he do when he can’t make money later?

The amount donated by a rookie was excessive, so the fandom couldn’t just accept it positively. Thanks to that, the reactions that come out whenever celebrities donate, such as ‘tax cut,’ ‘they make so much money, it’s natural,’ ‘pretending to be nice,’ etc., didn’t come out.

[HALO’s 10th album Cannot be cut released at 4 AM on November 17th (8 PM on November 16th UK time) Simultaneously Sweeps Major Music Charts]

HALO’s music release was overshadowed by No Hae-il’s actions, it was that shocking.

Around that time, HALO met with the president and staff of the fan cafe. The president came to discuss the existence of the fan cafe and issues such as goods revenue, but HALO met with him to convey his schedule.

The first news he conveyed as communication with the fan cafe became possible after the fan cafe ban was lifted was-.

“Wait, a fan meeting?”