The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1261

< Episode 126 Ignition >

The night in Jamsil was as hot as Lotte World [a large amusement park in Seoul, South Korea, known for its indoor and outdoor attractions].

A man in a suit, wearing a red turtleneck underneath, pushed through the crowded lobby towards the ‘Authorized Personnel Only’ area.

His eyes scanned the crowd with the focused intensity of a predator.

A mother and daughter were heading home, a student leaned against the wall absorbed in their phone, and a group clearly radiated an aura of self-importance, signaling, ‘Don’t bother me, I’m writing an article’.

One critic, who had previously been neutral about the appointment of Noh Hae-il and Shin Ju-hyuk, looked particularly animated.

Inside the waiting room area, actors and staff, some still in their makeup, mingled with people connected to the show who had come to celebrate the opening performance. They were there to offer their congratulations after watching the show.

Some might think it presumptuous to celebrate as if the show was already a guaranteed success after only the first day. But was it so wrong to be a little excited? Everyone celebrating had seen the performance. They must have come because they genuinely enjoyed it, or because they wanted to show their support.

“General Director!”

The actors, flushed with sweat and chatting with their colleagues, greeted him with bright smiles. The success of a musical performance could often be gauged by the positive reactions of the actors and staff.

General Director Noh Ji-dam responded warmly and headed straight for the waiting room where the lead actors were.

It was already crowded with well-wishers who had arrived earlier.

Music Director Park Jung-ho was the first to spot him.

“Our General Director has arrived!”

“Is Hae-il here too?”

The composer, who had been talking to Music Director Park Jung-ho, burst out laughing at Director Noh Ji-dam’s question. Music Director Park Jung-ho added, feigning offense.

“See? It’s not just me that Hae-il is looking for.”

“Both the music director and the director are only looking for Noh Hae-il.”

It seemed they had been discussing Noh Hae-il.

Amidst all the noise and celebration, Park Hyuk’s waiting room remained quiet, almost isolated.

Of course, with the lead actor sitting quietly, who would dare to enter and disrupt the peace? Park Hyuk was removing his makeup while mentally reviewing his performance. Noticing the general director entering through the mirror’s reflection, his eyes subtly scanned the hallway beyond.

‘Look at this.’

He maintained such a perfect poker face that most people wouldn’t have noticed his fleeting gaze. However, the general director caught his glance and followed it, looking down the hallway.

“Are you looking for someone?”

“No, I’m not.”

Park Hyuk tried to appear nonchalant, but General Director Noh Ji-dam was persistent.

“Shall I call Noh Hae-il? He was outside chatting with Director Park.”

“Noh Hae-il came?”

“He was about to leave, saying it was late.”

“!”

“Just kidding.”

Park Hyuk belatedly realized that the general director had baited him and shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. Anyone else might have taken offense, but Park Hyuk had learned during the musical’s preparation period that General Director Noh Ji-dam wasn’t exactly known for her conventional behavior.

The general director chuckled, also a little intrigued by Park Hyuk’s reaction.

Park Hyuk got along well with people but generally kept a professional distance.

Still, his interest in Noh Hae-il wasn’t entirely surprising.

Noh Hae-il was currently enjoying considerable public attention, but even without that, he possessed a unique charisma that piqued curiosity.

Noh Hae-il was the composer of the final number, the one Park Hyuk had poured the most effort into, and they had engaged in several meaningful conversations during the production. It was natural for Park Hyuk to be curious about Noh Hae-il’s opinion of his performance, both as a composer and as a respected vocalist.

Even if Park Hyuk was personally satisfied, Noh Hae-il might have a different perspective.

Moreover, Park Hyuk had likely spotted Noh Hae-il in the audience. He had provided him with a ticket in the center of the first row, so there was no way he hadn’t seen him. He must have expected him to come and say hello after the show. Well, everyone except Noh Hae-il had come.

‘So, is he really not coming?’

General Director Noh Ji-dam delivered his final words of encouragement and left.

He had teased Park Hyuk, but he was also genuinely looking for Noh Hae-il.

It wasn’t just about seeking his feedback; he wanted to thank Noh Hae-il for his contribution to the stage and reiterate his offer for the director’s position… or rather, express his sincere gratitude.

“I heard he’s at the airport right now.”

At that moment, Shin Ju-hyuk’s voice was heard as he spoke to the music director.

“The airport? Suddenly?”

“I didn’t know he was leaving today, but he said he was.”

“Well, that’s just like Hae-il.”

General Director Noh Ji-dam joined the conversation without hesitation.

“How was the performance?”

“Well-.”

Shin Ju-hyuk hesitated, admitting he hadn’t asked for a detailed critique, and General Director Noh Ji-dam shrugged.

“It’s okay. I can just ask him directly when he gets back. He’s not going to be abroad forever. He’ll come back someday, won’t he?”

“That’s right.”

It was a shame he wasn’t there, but there was no time to dwell on it.

While celebrating the first performance, they had to prepare for tomorrow’s show, and above all, Director Noh Ji-dam was busy persuading the production company about a new project these days.

Unlike overseas licensed musicals, the copyright for the musical ‘Rock’ was straightforward, so the dream of releasing the soundtrack wasn’t far off.

“The soundtrack?”

It was relatively rare for a musical soundtrack to be released, so Shin Ju-hyuk was surprised to hear about the possibility.

“I wish we could release it today, but that seems impossible. It would be great to release it just when the excitement from the performance is still high, wouldn’t it?”

It seemed like General Director Noh Ji-dam knew exactly what she was doing.

Additional performances. If the current performance continued to be successful, they sometimes extended the show when the conditions were right, so she was clearly hoping for that.

It wouldn’t be bad for him either.

It would be even better.

While they were discussing the soundtrack, the commotion in the room suddenly grew louder, as if someone had turned up the volume.

The change was noticeable enough that all three of them turned around to see what was happening.

It seemed like a major celebrity had arrived.

Then, Shin Ju-hyuk caught the word ‘album’ and quickly checked the music charts on his phone. Soon, his eyes widened in disbelief.

“…This crazy bastard.”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

Director Park Jung-ho was startled by the curse while staring at his phone.

But he quickly understood.

The commotion that had initially seemed like random noise was now resolving into coherent speech.

“Oh, HALO released an album?”

“Tae-yang released an album?”

“Wow, HALO did it again.”

“Oh, Sun!”

Musical actors and staff were naturally inclined to listen to HALO’s music. Among them were dedicated fans, and many were in awe of his latest move.

The excitement generated by the musical was more than enough to be overshadowed by [HALO’s 11th Album], which had just been released on all digital streaming platforms.

“I’m glad we didn’t release the soundtrack today.”

By the time the full impact of [HALO’s 11th Album] would be felt the next day (due to its midnight release), countries where the sun was already high in the sky were already in an uproar within just one hour.

Every time HALO’s album was released, the world erupted in speculation, wondering what kind of music it would be this time, how long Monthly HALO would continue, and, of course, who HALO really was. HALO’s 11th album was now thrown into that mix.

Its very existence was enough to cause a stir. The title of HALO’s 11th album was more provocative than ever.

HALO 11th Album – Catch me if you can

Didn’t it seem like a direct challenge to those trying to uncover HALO’s identity? The reaction was immediate, like throwing meat into a cage of hungry animals.

[What is the meaning of Catch me if you can?]

[HALO speaks again after a year!]

[Why haven’t we been able to find HALO so far?]

[What is the story of the movie ‘Catch me if you can’?]

The movie ‘Catch me if you can’, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, also experienced a surge in attention.

Could there be a hidden clue about HALO’s identity within the movie? The plot of the film was re-examined by people revisiting the 2002 classic.

Of course, there was no definitive answer, but the characters in the movie—’Frank, who constantly changes jobs and residences and commits fraud, and Carl, an agent who is determined to catch him’—were enough to draw parallels to HALO and the public’s relentless pursuit of his identity.

In fact, this was merely a coincidence.

Originally, HALO’s 11th album, Catch me if you can, was conceived long before the 2002 film was even released.

At the time, HALO, at the peak of his popularity, created it with the intention of daring people to catch him if they could, in a situation where everyone in the world seemed to want a piece of him. It was a song that directly expressed HALO’s preference for genuine personal connections over formal business arrangements.

However, it couldn’t help but be interpreted differently in the current context.

In a situation where there had been no significant progress in the HALO identity deduction since ‘I AM HALO’.

If ‘I AM HALO’ was relatively indirect,

‘Catch me if you can’ was easily interpreted as a direct invitation to find him.

[Oh Sun! Please forgive this foolish one!]

The ‘Who is HALO’ phenomenon, which had been gradually fading, was suddenly reignited.

Even people who had previously worried, ‘What if the Sun doesn’t want his identity to be revealed?’ were now fully engaged.

The excitement was bubbling as if it would overflow at any moment.

Their king commands.

Come and find me.

Those who were Pavlovianly conditioned to HALO’s music immediately knelt down and accepted their king’s command.

#

Meanwhile, the person who had unleashed this global frenzy was simply disembarking from a plane, along with his band members who looked utterly exhausted.

Europe, which they were revisiting after a long absence, was shrouded in night.

‘It was night when I left… How am I going to adjust to the time difference?’

That was the only trivial concern on his mind.

After getting off the private plane, a luxurious van was waiting for them.

They didn’t have to do anything.

The luggage was taken care of, and the van departed without even requiring them to state their destination.

If they were in their right minds, they might have been terrified of being kidnapped, but the members were still drowsy from their long flight and the effects of alcohol.

He simply attributed it to the power of capitalism.

The van, having left the airport and driven through the night, stopped in front of a magnificent, palace-like hotel. The staff rushed out to greet them.

The hotel staff politely bowed and immediately escorted them to the elevator, wishing them a pleasant night.

It was only later that they realized that this hotel was an exclusive establishment that didn’t accept reservations from just anyone.

At the moment, they were too busy exploring the suite, which was larger than all of their houses combined.

“No, there’s a room inside a room inside a room?”

“What is this, Interstellar [a reference to the complex, multi-layered spaces in the science fiction film]?”

“It’s Inception [another reference to a film known for its dream-within-a-dream structure].”

The members then retreated to their respective rooms, declaring their intention to adjust to the time difference before morning. No matter how comfortable the private plane was, they were bound to be tired from the long flight and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Hae-il also felt the fatigue and was about to head to his room, but he found himself drawn to the terrace as if by an invisible force. The golden night view of the Vltava River and the Charles Bridge greeted him.

And the imposing castle beyond.

“I wasn’t originally planning to come here first.”

Wasn’t this clearly a message saying, ‘Don’t go alone; let’s travel together?’

Hae-il chuckled to himself.

It was the most comfortable hijacking in the world.

He then sat on a chair and took out his guitar.

The salaryman who had visited his label was Park Dae-hyung, the marketing manager of the Korean branch of the instrument manufacturer G, whom he had met at Nakwon Arcade [a famous musical instrument market in Seoul] one day.

He had asked him to wait a little longer, and as he had promised, he eventually brought the exact same guitar that had been broken.

-Do you like it?

Park Dae-hyung asked him, and he was momentarily speechless, touching the guitar with a sense of reverence.

It wasn’t just Noh Hae-il’s guitar; it evoked memories of the guitar he had owned in the past.

A stylish, streamlined folk guitar with the distinctive H pattern.

It was remarkably similar to Marianne, the unique guitar that Gibson had custom-made for HALO in the past.

Even the H pattern was replicated.

When he inquired about the significance of the H, Manager Park Dae-hyung explained that it was obvious: H stood for Hae-il. In English, it’s Hae-il Roh. In Korean, he’s usually called Hae-il more often than Noh Hae-il, so he hesitated between H and R before deciding on H, he added timidly.

-Did I make a mistake?

-I like it… I really like it.

-Oh! I’m glad you like it.

Whether H meant HALO or Hae-il.

He appreciated that it could symbolize him in either context.

Hae-il embraced the guitar that represented him and began to strum the strings.

The moonlight of Prague bathed the night, and the melody subtly permeated the world.