The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1801

< This is Christmas >

Languages from various countries filled the screen.

English, French, and Korean.

Most of the Korean comments were filled with shock and disbelief, like, “Wait a minute,” “No, this can’t be, why am I in Korea?” but they were quickly drowned out by other languages.

The notifications on Byeolgram [a fictional social media platform] didn’t stop.

Meanwhile, the number of people on the Champs-Élysées and at the Noel Market was increasing in real-time.

People who were quietly enjoying their vacations were puzzled.

Around that time, Halo had become Santa Claus.

He didn’t have a separate costume prepared, so he was wearing his usual clothes, but this time he took off his sunglasses and hat and put on a Santa Claus mask.

The Santa mask, with holes only for the eyes, was somewhat bizarre with its red cheeks and nose, but it was something commonly sold in the market and easily obtainable.

He couldn’t fully dress up like he did last time.

He only wore the Santa Claus mask; the knit he had posted on Byeolgram and the coat he wore over it were all he had. The knit might be slightly hidden by the muffler and coat, but those who knew him would recognize him.

Halo wandered around the market, contemplating what gifts to give to the good children who recognized him.

You could think of it as a role-playing game.

He was Santa Claus.

The fans who found him were good children.

In reality, it would be creepy for a strange old man to find a good child’s house and climb down the chimney. Therefore, Halo didn’t particularly like Santa himself, but he was currently absorbed in the role-playing.

And so, December 8th arrived.

A day that the good children would never forget had begun.

Self-proclaimed, Bloody Christmas.

No, Early Christmas, that is.

“Halo is over there!”

“Really?! Hey, run!”

The number of people at the Noel Market increased in an instant.

It was so instantaneous that the roads were packed as if there was a sudden mass migration, and there was no room to set foot in the market; people were coming in, but no one was leaving.

Halo saw people rushing past him and,

“It’s Santa Claus!”

He waved to the girl who gestured towards him.

He was sure that his fans would recognize him, but only the babies were paying attention to him.

The parents asked for photos with apologetic faces, and

“Excuse me, would it be possible to take a picture?”

“Of course. I’ll do it for free. Merry Christmas.”

“Oh my goodness. Merry Christmas.”

Halo took pictures for his future fans in a gentle manner.

Giggles!

The hands that grabbed Santa’s beard weren’t pretty at all.

In Halo’s eyes, who didn’t like children, there was nothing pretty about them.

But Halo gave them special fan service.

It was a little cute when they bowed their heads to thank him when he gave them candy as a gift.

[Please come to my house, Baby Sun]

[I offer you the top of my head]

There were people on the street holding papers with strange phrases written on them, and there were chases happening elsewhere.

Still, unlike in Venice, there were people who recognized Halo.

When someone blocked his way, Halo tried to go to the side, but when that person blocked his way again, he looked up.

The man was so big that even Halo, who was over 180 cm [approximately 5’11”], had to look up. Contrary to his fierce face, he had a very round expression and pointed to his clothes.

[If you’re Halo, punch me]

Those clothes-.

Just as he thought it was similar to what he had seen in Venice, Halo chuckled and threw a punch.

The man’s face slowly brightened, and he raised a fist as big as Halo’s head.

The trembling fist looked like it would hit someone’s head, but it safely collided with Halo’s fist.

“Oh, Jesus.”

He looked like he was about to cry, so Halo smiled and rummaged through his gift bag.

Then, a gift mixed with candy fell to him.

“Merry Christmas.”

As he whispered, the man held the gift tightly in both hands with a truly touched expression. He seemed like he would keep whatever he gave him for the rest of his life.

He thought he had said goodbye and parted ways.

Halo noticed that people were growing behind him from some point on.

The man who had received the snow globe earlier raised his thumb when their eyes met.

The girl with the Rudolph headband was fidgeting, not knowing what to do.

They didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving.

Halo didn’t particularly think of sending them away and looked ahead again.

He knew that the more good children chased after him, the sooner people would recognize him, but he also enjoyed this.

It felt like the title of this role-playing game had changed from Santa Claus to the Pied Piper.

That’s when it happened.

A man sprinting from afar bumped into his shoulder.

“Ah!”

He didn’t fall, but he was pushed back, and more than anything, it was intentional. It was strange to run like that in a place with so many people in the first place.

Halo, who grabbed his shoulder as he stepped back, looked at the man with momentum.

And it happened in an instant.

The moment Halo let out a groan, flames ignited in people’s eyes.

“Hey, that bastard…”

The Rudolph girl, who was shyly drawing hearts when Halo turned around, tripped him with tremendous reflexes, and the man who kept showing Halo his thumb grabbed the falling man by the scruff of the neck and slammed him to the ground. Thud!

And one of those who had stepped back regained consciousness and picked up the phone that had fallen to the ground.

It was his phone.

“…!”

Halo realized belatedly.

That bumping into his shoulder just now was for the purpose of pickpocketing.

Otherwise, there was no way his phone, which he had put in his coat pocket, would be lying in front of him. If it hadn’t been for them, he would have lost his phone.

The office worker, who wiped the dirt off the phone with his expensive-looking muffler, came forward as a representative and returned the phone to him. With both hands.

“Thank you.”

“N-no, thank you, I’m the one who’s grateful.”

“?”

“But, that shoulder.”

“It’s okay.”

“You bumped into him really hard. That crazy bastard…”

By some miracle, the position the office worker was standing in was blocking the pickpocket’s location, so Halo couldn’t see what was happening. He was too busy telling the office worker, who was acting like his shoulder had ruptured, that he was okay.

“We should have protected you from the front…”

“Yes?”

“How, how could this happen.”

He seemed more surprised than Halo, the victim of the pickpocketing, so Halo had to soothe him.

In the meantime, he didn’t know if the pickpocket had been caught well, but when the office worker stepped aside, he was half-kneeling in front of him, begging.

“I’m sorry. Ah, I will never touch anything again. I won’t do it again. P-please…”

As the strength of the hands that bound him grew stronger, the pickpocket uttered all the words of apology he knew.

“If I had known you had a bodyguard, I would never have touched you…”

“What is this bastard saying? Apologize properly!”

“They used to say that people who steal should have their hands cut off.”

“!”

The good adults each said a word about how much of a social evil theft was, and the more they did, the more the pickpocket’s face turned black. It continued until someone called the police.

“Respected police officer, please throw him in jail.”

“Three hundred and fifty years is not enough.”

“Just hold a national participation trial.”

It was clear that the fact that the singer they cherished and loved had groaned was a great shock, not just to the pickpocket. Fortunately, it wasn’t uncommon for there to be one or two pickpockets at the Christmas market, so they were well guided to a nearby police officer.

Instead, there was a need to clean up the mess.

The attention was focused on the pickpocket, and Halo decided to end the hide-and-seek game he had started himself.

By raising his mask above his head himself.

Even though it was winter, sweat was dripping down his cheeks because of the mask.

“It’s Halo!”

“Halo?”

People who didn’t recognize him.

And people who didn’t know he was there gathered.

With surprised faces.

The center of the market.

In other words, it was more visible near the Christmas tree.

Halo, who had completely taken off his mask there, turned around and checked the audience.

“Hello, everyone.”

The boy, who greeted them casually, swept back his sweaty hair and bowed deeply like a conductor.

“Merry Christmas.”

It was still far away, but it wasn’t wrong since the Christmas market was still in progress.

Also, there were plenty of people in this place who would believe that Halo was raining spaghetti instead of snow from the sky.

Merry Christmas!

Numerous greetings returned with his greeting.

Along with numerous happy faces.

“Did you enjoy the little Christmas game?”

Some people answered ‘It was fun’ to his words, while tens of thousands of irrelevant answers were heard.

Some people just called Halo’s name, while others poured out what they wanted to say to him.

In particular, when someone sobbed and brought up the ticketing story, everyone laughed ha ha ha.

“I had a lot of fun too. Thank you all for coming to see me, but unfortunately, I think the game has to end here.”

People who hadn’t recognized Halo yet sighed.

Whether they did or not, Halo had a smiling face.

The game is over here.

That’s something that won’t be reversed.

However.

“Instead.”

People closed their mouths at his words.

It was fun because it felt like the front of the Christmas tree had become another stage.

“Since so many people came to see me, I want to give them a gift.”

Halo, who was still absorbed in the Santa Claus role-playing game even though the catch-me game was over, looked around at the good adults.

“How about it?”

The game was over, but he hadn’t said that Christmas was over yet.

People screamed at his words.

No one here said they didn’t like it.

“If you don’t like it, I can’t help it.”

Halo O baby!

When a man shouted, Halo frowned and then unfurled his face.

People giggled because they could see that he hated it.

If you keep doing that, I’m going to call you Jagi [term of endearment]! It was a really great threat.

“Ha, I can’t help it.”

Halo turned his head as if he couldn’t help it.

At the meaning of affirmation, people created the stage themselves.

“I. I have a guitar. Please…”

The buskers who came to busk took out their guitars one after another.

As six guitars were taken out in front of him as if to choose, Halo laughed ha ha ha and chose one of them.

It goes without saying that only one of the busking performers laughed, and the rest cried.

“Then what should we start with?”

“Everything.”

“Just stay here forever!”

“Isn’t Paris better than London?”

In the meantime, a person who was running a mini-pub waved his hand.

When Halo pointed him out, people’s eyes focused on him all at once.

The man, who was startled by the numerous eyes, soon opened his mouth.

“I’ll give out free beer until Halo’s concert is over!”

“Oh, then I’ll give out pretzels!”

“Everyone, take popcorn.”

“Aish! I don’t know, I’ll get hit on the back by my wife later. I’ll provide beer too! Take it.”

“Then I’ll help you.”

In an instant, the Christmas market became a festival.

People cheered and shared beer with each other with happy faces. They asked strangers for their names, clinked glasses, and put their arms around each other’s shoulders.

Drinks also came to Halo.

Water, sparkling water, and juice.

Halo exclaimed, “Wow.”

“I thought at least one person would give me beer.”

The people who shouted to stay until his birthday next year if he wanted to drink beer were good citizens who complied with morals and norms.

Halo clinked juice glasses and picked up the microphone someone had given him.

What should I sing first?

I’m worried.

Then, about two years ago.

I remembered the Christmas carol I sang in the Seoul subway.

The carol I sang with the accordion man.

Okay, I decided. I’ll start with carols.

“Would you like to play together?”

The person who couldn’t give Halo the guitar was startled.

And nodded repeatedly.

“The chords won’t be difficult. It’s a repeating chord.”

When Halo said that, the guitarist nodded with a determined face.

Soon, when the guitarist, who had practiced a few times, nodded, Halo also picked up the borrowed guitar.

While they were matching the chords together, the people who had been noisy while receiving beer were focusing on them without making a single sound.

[Do you know that?]

In front of the Christmas tree, a boy wearing a Christmas hat that a fan had given him opened his mouth.

[Look at those lights

The lights shining with you]

Halo winked and pointed to the lights surrounding the people’s backs.

[And white snow is falling]

People looked up at the sky.

When someone sprayed snow spray, snow fell from the sky.

Faint laughter was laid on the stage like a chorus.

[There’s a feeling of love in the world]

Halo closed his eyes.

[This is Christmas]