The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1351

< 135. All Roads Lead to Rome >

It felt like the dawn of the cathedral age.

Refugees poured into Venice, and Venetian merchants displayed their finest goods. Prayers and hymns echoed through the streets, calling to God.

The streetlights seemed to burn perpetually, and the city throbbed with activity from morning processions to late-night gatherings.

“Where will the sun rise?”

“Considering the last sighting, wouldn’t it be in the west?”

Such scientifically unsound statements were common.

“It’s the sun…!”

People flocked to anyone wearing a plague doctor’s mask and showed keen interest in anyone resembling Halo.

Around that time, Halo and his companions were admiring a vast vineyard.

“Shall we stop for a break here?”

Han Jin-young slowed the car.

Han Jin-young had obtained an international driver’s license before the trip, making it easy to rent a car. While train travel is often romanticized in Europe, traveling by car had its own charm.

They could drive along quiet country roads, stop wherever they pleased, and enjoy impromptu picnics.

They spread a mat in a field bordering the vineyard and unpacked lunch boxes filled with salmon bagels, brown cheese salad, and olives.

As they chatted, laughed, and emptied their lunch boxes, the car radio, which they had forgotten to turn off, played on.

-So, you put Halo on toilet duty?

-That’s… it was unintentional.

-…If it was urgent, it could happen.

The anchor, who had been serious, burst into laughter, as if it were a joke. Peter and his friends joined in.

-I mistook him for Peter and grabbed him to go. Ah, at first, he didn’t want to go, so I thought he was joking and playfully hit him on the back…

-Wait, you hit him?

-I didn’t know it was Halo…

-How dare you hit him?

-I’m… I’m sorry…

Unfortunately, everyone in the car except Halo didn’t understand Italian.

So, Han Jin-young switched to a radio channel that played pop music instead of the incomprehensible talk show.

“By the way, what about Florence? Are we still going?”

Han Jin-young, stopped at a fork in the road, asked.

Just as Nam Gyu-hwan was about to enthusiastically agree, Moon Seo-yeon, in the passenger seat, spoke up.

“Why don’t we just go straight to Rome?”

“Didn’t you want to see Florence the most?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I changed my mind. Let’s go to Rome instead.”

Moon Seo-yeon’s sudden change of heart and the others, indifferent to the destination, awaited Halo’s decision.

“Then let’s go to Rome.”

“Okay.”

The car continued straight, bypassing the turnoff.

A cold wind blew in through the window. Nam Gyu-hwan drifted back to sleep, and Moon Seo-yeon tapped her lap like a keyboard.

Han Jin-young casually rested his arm out the window and pressed the accelerator. The road ahead was clear.

Like the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome.

The black Porsche soon arrived in Rome, the capital of Italy.

#

News reports covered the current situation in Venice.

The anchor was visibly excited, as if the unexpected boom had infected him. He interviewed citizens about the atmosphere.

The broadcast showed footage from a masquerade ball held a few days prior.

In St. Mark’s Square, people in elaborate costumes waltzed to orchestral music. They danced with strangers, their identities hidden behind masks, sharing the warmth of the night.

Han In-young walked into the camera’s view while the anchor was looking for interviewees. A tall, slender Asian youth wearing a white wig and a half-mask, reminiscent of 17th-century Europe, was dressed in a crimson pelisse [a fur-lined cloak] and a tricorn hat [a three-cornered hat] trimmed with gold lace.

-Wolfgang Amadeus, isn’t it?

The anchor approached him, tentatively uttering the name.

The young man, thus addressed, carried a unique and beautiful guitar case instead of a violin or baton.

-Amadeus, born in the 21st century, holding a guitar. Still, Mozart was known to enjoy waltzing.

The anchor, referencing historical accounts of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s love for socializing and balls, asked for an interview.

-Excuse me, where are you from?

-Seoul, Korea.

-Oh.

The anchor, slightly taken aback by the posh accent instead of the expected Konglish [Korean-English] or American pronunciation, smiled politely, aware of the camera.

– May I ask when you arrived in Venice?

-Before the festival started.

So, you didn’t come to find Halo.

The anchor was disappointed that the interview wasn’t going as planned, but he continued, drawn to the pleasant voice and clear intonation.

He asked if he had seen Halo’s live performance and what he thought of the festival.

-Thank you so much for the interview. Do you have any final thoughts?

After a moment of consideration, Mozart spoke.

-I think I’m having a good experience here. I did the performance I wanted to do, I met new people by chance, and I made a decision that I had been 고민해왔던 [agonizing over] for a long time.

The 21st-century Mozart looked directly at the camera.

-I would like to express my gratitude to Peter and his friends.

“Oh, my.”

“Oh my god.”

The two people watching the BBC rerun exclaimed.

Soon, the news report on Venice cut to a different segment.

Having seen enough, they turned off the television and reached for the black tea in front of them.

The tea was already cold, but they didn’t complain.

“To leave even an interview like that. And there are still crowds looking for him in Venice.”

The man who set down his teacup first continued.

“Now that I know, I don’t know why I didn’t realize it sooner. He’s practically begging us to recognize him.”

“There are countless Peters in the world. There’s Peter Jackson, Peter Parker, and… oh, Peter Pan.”

“I’m not just talking about Peter… I mean, the clues are everywhere. The rare posh accent, the guitar, the voice, the posture, even his physique!”

“If it wasn’t for the guitar, Mr. Gordon wouldn’t have been sure either.”

He wouldn’t have come all this way.

The man didn’t argue with the old man.

He simply 평이하게 [plainly] asked, “Well, isn’t it enough if the maker’s representative recognizes my product? Besides, that’s how I was able to speak with the elusive Mr. Veil.”

They exchanged glances.

“Thank you for visiting, especially when you must be so busy.”

“I came as the CEO to address the root of the problem.”

“I’m not sure if you’ve solved it.”

“Not yet… The situation is a bit confusing.

It’s definitely G’s guitar, but the employees are puzzled because the light wood guitar wasn’t part of G’s original plan. The sponsorship was a combination of coincidence and 변덕 [whim], so many employees don’t know much about it.”

“Coincidence and 변덕 [whim]?”

“That’s right. The East Asian branch proposed a guitar signature sponsorship, but our company rejected it because we didn’t anticipate anyone making a new light wood guitar. But one of our craftsmen happened to see the proposal and brought in a practice guitar. We don’t usually sell practice guitars, so instead of a signature model, we just sponsored it.”

“Were there any issues with the craftsman at the time?”

“Issues? We always maintain a smooth relationship with our craftsmen.”

August Veil didn’t press further, but he doubted the relationship was truly smooth.

The term “practice guitar” and the fact that Halo’s guitar was stamped with an ‘H’ instead of ‘G’ spoke volumes.

Gordon wouldn’t reveal more, so August Veil could only speculate. G, being a handmade guitar company, employed many craftsmen and apprentices.

Some apprentices possessed skills comparable to the craftsmen.

The difference lay in the brand. Perhaps a craftsman or apprentice had insisted on a light wood guitar, a departure from G’s style, and was rejected. There must have been a communication breakdown. Then, a sponsorship request arrived by chance – a promising Asian star. Perhaps he saw more than just potential; maybe he was aiming for the sponsorship’s impact. If the star rose, he would have his own brand, regardless of G’s approval.

Of course, this was just speculation. Reality might be different.

Gordon, having confirmed Halo’s identity with August Veil and decided on a course of action, prepared to conclude the conversation.

“So, I should keep quiet until then?”

The only reason he 순순히 [obediently] agreed was one thing.

Whether the relationship was 얻어걸린 [fortuitous] or not, they wanted to maintain a smooth and long-lasting connection with HALO. Gordon suddenly understood why HALO’s identity had remained a secret for so long.

According to August Veil, Halo was planning to reveal his identity soon. Keeping quiet for a few days or months was easy, and if it meant preserving the relationship, he could keep it a secret for years.

Consider the potential. The sixteen-year-old prodigy wielding G’s guitar. His tour, his performances… even just showcasing G’s guitar in Venice had boosted G’s stock price.

“Well, does it have to be?”

Then came an unexpected remark.

“Don’t we have a responsibility to enhance corporate value? If there’s a way to further 증진 [promote] this value, we should 당연히 [naturally] step forward.”

“···”

“For example.”

August Veil smiled, and Gordon’s eyes widened. Soon after, G, who had been silent, made an announcement.

[미 [US] handmade guitar brand G: “This guitar was 제작한 [made] for only one artist in the world.”]

Without special effort or cost, dozens of related articles 붙었다 [were attached] to that casually dropped statement.

[Who is the one artist in the world?]

[Guitar brand G, the new owner of the signature following Taylor Swift and Jason Voorhees is, HALO?!]

Pop stars also stepped forward, unprompted.

[Taylor Swift: “Welcome to G’s world!”]

[Jason Voorhees: “My favorite date is the 13th, my favorite day is Friday, my favorite guitar brand is G, and my favorite music genre is HALO.”]

Since then, G maintained a 고고한 [lofty] stance. Internally, however, they were 세상 [incredibly] busy, managing 입막음 [gag orders], sudden changes in strategy, and personnel shifts.

And in early February,

When the festival ended and the tourists who had failed to find the sun in Venice gave up and returned home,

The lineup for the highly anticipated festival was 확정 [confirmed].

The official lineup for the Coachella Music and Arts Festival is usually 확정 [confirmed] in early to mid-January. Unless there’s a special event, it remains unchanged until April.

Coachella in 2032 had already announced the first and second lineups. However, the announcement was delayed, particularly the 확정 [confirmation] of the final headliner.

As the public grew 조금씩 [slightly] dissatisfied with the delayed announcement, Coachella 확정 [confirmed] the final lineup with a fifth announcement.

No one could criticize Coachella’s late announcement.

One of the three artists representing Coachella, along with several new names,

Was the unexpected headliner for the final day.

COACHELLA

Sunday, April 18

[HALO]

It was the moment when Coachella was 정해지는 [designated] as the new pilgrimage site for the wandering 신도들 [devotees].