The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1341

< The Gentleman Next Door >

[Black Death Doctor Appears in Venice]

It was like a typhoon sweeping across the continent.

It overturned the New Year, which had been flowing smoothly or as usual. All media outlets were plastered with photos of the Black Death doctor cutting through the sunset.

It had only been about a month since HALO’s 11th album, *Catch Me If You Can*, was released. Therefore, HALO’s new song was still firmly at the top of the charts.

[Is he the real HALO?]

As always, suspicion fell on HALO.

There had been too many people claiming to be HALO for the past year. Most of the claims didn’t last long. They presented some circumstantial evidence, but in the end, they couldn’t overcome numerous refutations and, above all, the hurdle of voiceprint analysis.

So, normally, one or two rebuttals should have surfaced. Calm people would wait for the voiceprint analysis to come out.

However, no one was calm this time. Anyone who saw the video jumped up from their seats, just like the people who were on the streets, in restaurants, or on other gondolas in Venice that day couldn’t stay still.

There was a big difference between the self-proclaimed HALOs that had existed until now and the Black Death doctor who appeared this time.

The fact that he didn’t claim to be HALO himself wasn’t a significant difference. There had been cases of people being suspected of being HALO unintentionally and receiving sudden attention, becoming stars for nearly a year.

The biggest difference was the method of ‘proof’.

When someone asked the self-proclaimed HALOs to sing a song, they eventually chose to avoid it.

They made various excuses – they were saving their voices to make the next album – or they hurt their throats, or they made excuses such as drinking the night before, and avoided proving it.

The Black Death doctor was different.

He appeared with the live performance everyone wanted, without any words or excuses, as if one live performance was enough.

And the proof didn’t only reach the eyes and ears of the people who were watching the gondola parade on the first day of the carnival.

-Can you see it? The gondola parade is in progress, finishing the first day of the carnival.

On a local Venetian broadcasting station, while reporting live to commemorate the first day of the festival –

-The sun on the horizon….

HALO’s music was heard from somewhere.

It got closer and closer, and the anchor, who was known to be a big fan of HALO, tilted his head towards the music.

-The sun….

The fleet of gondolas emerges, passing under the bridge.

And a strong voice is heard from there.

The sound of trying to continue the comment was scattered.

-…

The *Medico della Peste* [Plague Doctor] is captured on camera above the anchor’s head. He was singing freely, with his arms wide open. The sound of the session had stopped a long time ago.

HALO’s voice was entirely captured by the reporting equipment without any accompaniment.

The anchor’s head followed the Black Death doctor as he was.

-He… Halo?

More than 3 seconds of silence, and comments other than the news report.

It was a broadcasting accident.

The realistic broadcasting accident was broadcast live and spread to the mainland and the continent.

To exaggerate, everyone in the world knows HALO’s voice as it is. It’s enough to be a hot topic because it’s a broadcasting accident, but when the name value of HALO is added to it, the accident video spread its wings without being taken down.

The proof was enough with just one live performance. There was no need to wait for someone to do a voiceprint analysis.

[All people! Worship the king who has descended on this land! Hail the sun VVVV]

[Oh sun! Oh sun! Oh sun!]

[How can you cover the sun with your hands]

[The sun has arrived in Venice! Loyal knights of the sun! Gather!]

The back of the Black Death doctor cutting through the red horizon appeared on billboards all over the world, including Times Square in New York, Shibuya in Tokyo, and Piccadilly Circus in London.

Passing travelers, office workers commuting to work, and people at crosswalks stopped and looked up at him.

In addition, photos taken from the front, side, and various angles were published in newspapers, and even HALO’s 3D modeling was created on the Internet.

The Black Death doctor on the Venice waterway. Or the Raven doctor. Instead of a cane symbolizing him, a beautiful man holding a guitar with a graceful H engraved on it.

The modeling alone gave many clues.

[1. Estimated height 70-73 inches (178-185cm)]

First of all, HALO’s height was estimated through the distance difference between the gondola and the building, camera distortion, and angle calculation. In addition, the size of the mask, posture, and finger length were enlarged and analyzed in nano units.

In addition, many luxury goods experts appeared, and the brand of the suit HALO was wearing came out with the wrinkles and buttons of the clothes,

[11. Brownie Mance Heritage Tech Coat This season’s European product]

The shoe brand was known only by the shape of the boot laces.

In addition, the brand was revealed with the leather used for the bird’s beak and the metal embedded there, and the time when the mask was made was estimated through Google Maps Street View.

[It seems to appear in the 2025 map street view]

└ I can’t see it?

└ If you zoom in, you can see raven feathers

└ ???

People didn’t stop there.

They dissected the broadcast frame by frame, as if to satisfy the desire for HALO that had accumulated for a year.

[By the way, I don’t know about the folk guitar, but there is no such product on the market]

It was natural that the guitar, which did not look ordinary, attracted attention as the products known to have been worn by HALO were enjoying unexpected booms and sold-outs.

If guitar experts were interested in the sound echoing in the canals of Venice and the elegant appearance, the general public focused on the H that seemed to symbolize HALO.

[Is it handmade? There is no such model in Gibson or Fender]

[Isn’t that G? As far as I know, G is the only one that pulls the bridge like that]

└ G doesn’t have a bright guitar model at all

└ Looking at the nonlinear or bridge shape, it’s closest to G

└ You stupid guys, if it was G, they would have engraved G instead of H, it’s a signature

└ But what if the owner of that guitar is the sun?

“I know that the signature model is undecided, even if it’s sponsored-.”

“Logically, if our company had a contract with HALO, we would have promoted it long ago, wouldn’t we?”

“We don’t know anything about it.”

One brand says that to the outside, but inside-.

“No matter how I look at it, I’m sure it’s our company’s guitar, but what happened?”

“Bright wood guitars are not yet planned…”

“I only went out once. It was sent out as a sponsorship to an artist in Asia. Don’t you remember? The branch office sent a long email, and I was about to refuse, but the master said it would be fun and allowed it-.”

“Bring the related data right now! That artist’s agency… and contact Veil.”

Around the time when people who had been working from home and on vacation urgently held a meeting, reporters and anchors excitedly posted breaking news.

[Venice-bound train sold out, the railway authority says, “No new trains for safety.”]

[Italian national roads full of red lights]

[Additional flights to Venice Marco Polo Airport! Airlines excited and the sky full of planes]

Despite the major accident on the first day of the carnival, in which gondolas collided in a chain, the market could not contain its joy at the fact that no one was injured and tourists flocked to the city, and interviewed.

Of course, they said they would do their best to ensure the safety of tourists and maintain the urban environment, but it was clear that they were enjoying it, judging by the fact that they were posing like HALO – the Black Death doctor – in front of the camera.

And it wasn’t just the mayor who was excited.

The streets of Venice were now crowded with people, and voices calling for him were heard here and there.

[Crazy guy lol]

[Living life to the fullest]

[Real]

[Korea is also a mess, but I don’t know if it’s only abroad]

[I’m telling you because you might be curious, but the musical was also a hit]

HALO smiled as soon as he opened his eyes and saw the text message that had arrived.

“It’s a mess.”

“Wow, what’s going on in one night.”

“Keuk, I wasn’t there.”

When I went to the living room, the members were huddled together on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

“Haeil.”

“Boss! I’ve been waiting.”

“Good morning.”

Whether he knew about the chaos outside or not, HALO greeted him calmly and looked for his guitar.

The guitar case with the butterfly engraved on it was neatly placed on the armchair.

I could feel people’s eyes on me.

Everyone was staring at him as if they had something to say or wanted him to say something.

“What’s wrong?”

When HALO asked so naturally, Moon Seo-yeon opened her mouth. Nam Gyu-hwan was still regretting his past mistakes, and Han Jin-young was still dazed.

In fact, Moon Seo-yeon and Nam Gyu-hwan heard about it later through a video, but Han Jin-young witnessed it directly, so he seemed to be dreaming more than them.

“Now.”

Han Jin-young recalled HALO freely singing on the boat like a raven spreading its wings. HALO, who is now beaming, overlaps on top of it. Han Jin-young thought there was no need to think so seriously. Just enjoy it, as HALO does.

“What are you going to do?”

HALO looked at his watch once and shrugged his shoulders.

“Let’s go eat.”

As the saying goes, you must eat before visiting Geumgang Mountain [a famous scenic mountain in Korea, implying the importance of preparation].

Second day of the Venice Festival.

HALO didn’t dress up from head to toe like on the first day. There was no particular reason, it was just cumbersome. It was fun to dress up to match the concept of the mask, but it took quite a long time to prepare. Once was enough.

Instead, HALO wore a half-animal mask like a hat and came out wearing a hoodie. Like those of other Koreans, the name of an American university was written on the hoodie.

The members who only brought the minimum festival supplies, like HALO who put the guitar case back on his back,

“Wow….”

They were speechless at the crowded streets that couldn’t be compared to yesterday.

As the carnival was held for ten days, many people participated on the second and third days, but everyone knew that it wasn’t just because of that.

No matter how humble they were, they couldn’t be seen as simple tourists, with banners saying ‘I will find you and kiss you’ ‘My sweet pumpkin pie, Where are u?’

Besides

“Excuse me, honey, could you take off your mask for me?”

“Sniff, sniff, I smell familiar pumpkin pie from you. Ah, I’m sorry. I ate it yesterday.”

I couldn’t figure out why there were so many polite perverts on the street. HALO looked strangely at those who kept blocking the road and asking him to take off his clothes or mask.

“Who are these people?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are they openly ripping people off? Venice is scary.”

They gave way to young Korean-speaking tourists without threatening them.

Those who made eye contact with HALO glanced at the guitar case the boy was carrying.

“Wait a minute.”

A threatening voice stops the boy from walking.

When I turned around, a large man with scars on his face was looking at HALO with a fierce expression.

“You.”

The members were startled when they belatedly realized that it was HALO who had stopped.

“Be careful.”

What is it? Is he telling me to lower my eyes? The moment Moon Seo-yeon’s pupils shook,

“What?”

HALO asked nonchalantly.

“That case. The pickpockets in this neighborhood don’t discriminate between big and small.”

“Ah.”

HALO glanced at his case and crossed it over his shoulder.

“Thank you.”

Looking closely, the man’s short-sleeved shirt had a sentence engraved on it. ‘If you are the sun, raise your fist.’

I don’t know if it’s clothes he ordered himself, but I think I’ve seen similar phrases a lot. HALO clenched his right fist.

“You’re welcome.”

The man bumps his fist, knowing it’s a sign of gratitude. Clack. That was enough conversation for the man.

“Four people? Just a moment, I’ll guide you soon.”

It wasn’t just the streets that were crowded.

The restaurants were enjoying an unexpected boom, and it was difficult to find a seat. After going around three places, they were lucky enough to find an empty seat next to a group who had ordered a lot of alcohol.

HALO leaned his guitar case against the inside wall and chose a menu.

Ravioli and pasta, salad and pizza. Steak. They ordered one of each of the main dishes here, and everyone except HALO decided to drink house wine.

HALO glared at the wine and rested his chin on the table.

Then, the conversation of the people sitting next to him was heard.

“Peter said this to me, who was anxious because he wasn’t coming. ‘Trust me.’”

“He said that? Really?”

“Shh, be quiet and keep listening. And I said, there’s no way you don’t know the song. It’s a song that people all over the world love. And as soon as I said the title, he said it was the song he was most confident in. Something, at that moment! I felt the force. Completely blazing, like the sun.”

“Hmm.”

HALO, who turned his head at the familiar name, found a normal face. They weren’t wearing masks and revealed their bare faces. It was a face I had never seen before, but the voice was familiar.

“And then we played really cool from then on.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“Do you know what he said when he broke up?”

“I like you guys, will you be my session?”

“I really, really wanted to, but at that moment, I thought of Peter. If we become his session, you won’t be accepted anywhere.”

“So we said this. It is a great honor to meet you and play together, but we have a friend we cannot abandon.”

“So, you son of a bitch who fell into this toilet, be grateful to us.”

HALO smiled as he listened to their conversation.

They turn their heads when they hear the laughter.

They didn’t recognize HALO, just as HALO didn’t recognize them at first.

They just thought they had made eye contact with a foreign boy, greeted him with their eyes, and then focused on their conversation again.

“Anyway. I won’t drink before the performance next time. I’m sorry about that.”

“You bastard! I told you not to be sorry, I’m really grateful…. No. Do well…. No, yeah.”

“My mom said you should always drink before a performance!”

“Cheers! For Peter’s supernova explosion!”

“Boom boom boom!”

They clinked their glasses loudly, took a shot, and slammed the glasses down. Judging by the pronunciation, Italian citizens and people from LA were gathered, but they were acting like Scott middle-aged men [likely a reference to a specific type of behavior or stereotype, but without more context, it’s hard to adapt further].

“By the way, where is he?”

“I don’t know, isn’t he somewhere here?”

“I really want to say hello if I see him again.”

“If we meet again next time, he’ll forget our existence itself.”

“Why didn’t you just accept the session offer?”

“Well, should I have?”

“Shall we do an interview? The news is receiving reports.”

“How much do they give you if you do that?”

“Are those people those people?”

When Moon Seo-yeon, who noticed, asked, HALO nodded.

At that moment, Nam Gyu-hwan glared at him, but returned to his original state when he saw the big guys.

“We’re only going to see the masquerade, so it’s okay if we don’t say hello?”

The members were okay with joining them right away, but HALO refused. He had already said hello, and it seemed fun as it was now. HALO, who had thought of playing with them, looked at the members.

That’s enough fooling around.

HALO took a glass of water and opened his mouth.

“I have something to talk about regarding our schedule in the future.”

“Yes.”

“Please tell me.”

While the members were sparkling their eyes, they looked around.

It was a corner of the first floor restaurant, so no one was paying close attention to them.

The conversation will only be heard by the foreigner sitting next to them.

“We are planning to attend Coachella in April.”

“Oh!”

“Wow.”

As everyone was a musician, there was no one who didn’t know Coachella.

Coachella Music and Arts Festival.

It was the most meaningful festival for musicians and the largest festival in North America.

It is not surprising that he is attending Coachella.

He was already qualified to attend Coachella and thought he would go to the festival someday.

“So I hope you guys will prepare too.”

It was when Nam Gyu-hwan was about to say that he was already ready. When HALO smiled meaningfully, Moon Seo-yeon and Han Jin-young thought, could it be?

“My music. So from the 1st album-.”

HALO’s finger swept across the table in a straight line.

“Everything up to the 13th album that will be released in the future.”

“!”

That answer was enough.

There was no need to ask who he would go out as.

The order to prepare all the songs from the 1st album to the 13th album meant only one thing.

“I haven’t decided which songs to sing yet.”

“Don’t worry, boss.”

“I can go to America right now.”

“There’s not much time left.”

It may have been sudden, but everyone didn’t seem too worried.

-Sing for them, HALO.

Ah, I’m looking forward to it.

HALO recalled the promise he had made with a young fan.

-My sun.

“Then, boss. You know.”

A young blonde girl disappears, and Moon Seo-yeon is in her place.

“Then, you refused as Noh Hae-il?”

Moon Seo-yeon was honestly disappointed.

They also knew that Noh Hae-il had received an invitation to Coachella.

She liked both HALO and Noh Hae-il’s music, but if she had to choose, she liked Noh Hae-il’s music more. She also liked the achievements Noh Hae-il had built up and his fandom.

Moon Seo-yeon was therefore disappointed that she had to refuse the invitation that had come to Noh Hae-il, a young star in Korea.

“It’s okay if everything is revealed as it is, but what if it isn’t?”

If everything is not revealed in Italy.

“There’s no need to refuse the other one, is there?”

“!”

And this is the story that follows.

The Pierrot and the clown, the Joker and the Black Death doctor, drank heavily and waited for the waiter. How long had they been staring? The waiter approached.

“Yes, is there anything you need?”

“I’m going to leave now. Please bring me the receipt.”

When he showed the receipt sign with his hand, the waiter nodded and headed to the counter. But when he came back, the waiter was empty-handed.

“?”

“This table is paid for, so you can just leave.”

“Yes? We haven’t paid yet?”

“Peter paid for it? No, you don’t have to be sorry, please just do it one more time.”

“No. I was here the whole time.”

“Then is it you?”

“No way. Have you ever seen me step up to pay first?”

“No.”

The Pierrot, the clown, the Joker, and Peter stared at each other stupidly. Then, the waiter smiled and said.

“The gentleman next door paid for it.”