The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1031

< Shall We Go Again? >

“Right, he was a celebrity…”

The live house owner’s realization came after seeing the ‘Closed’ sign on the glass door.

A multitude of handprints plastered against the glass door looked like something out of a horror movie. Startled, the owner opened the door, only to be taken aback by the intense gazes that met him.

Why had he forgotten?

He remembered Shin Ju-hyuk’s fans, who flocked like a tide at the mere mention of his name.

There was a question of whether Noh Hae-il was on par with Shin, Na, and Park—his career achievements were smaller in scale—but he was definitely the hottest rising singer at the moment.

The live house owner called his staff, who weren’t working that day because it was their day off. He figured he would need event staff for the safety of both the artist and the audience.

[The line at the live house is insane right now! I live in Yeonhui-dong, where did all these people come from?]

[How many seats are there? Can everyone get in?]

└ Maybe around a hundred?

[No… Busan fans are crying…]

[If I take the KTX (Korea Train eXpress, a high-speed rail system) now, can I see the show?]

└ Please don’t come

└ It’s crazy here. Seems like everyone from Seoul is here

└ This is hell, save me

└ I’m 100% sure I won’t get in, but no one’s leaving

[Guys, honestly, isn’t Noh Hae-il’s live performance kind of bad? lol]

└ For real, Noh Hae-il is famous for being bad at live performances

└ They say it’s better to just listen to the recordings lol

└ I’ve experienced it live, and it’s true ㅇㅇ (Korean slang for ‘yes, yes’)

└ I heard his fan service isn’t good either?

└ He tries lol

Unaware of what was happening online and offline, Hae-il casually rolled up the sleeves of his orange tracksuit and checked his watch.

The performance was at 6:20 PM.

The current time was 5:30 PM.

“When will the admission start?”

“More people gathered than expected, so we called event staff. We’ll proceed after they arrive.”

“Did a lot of people come?”

It had only been promoted a few hours ago, so he wondered how many would actually show up.

The owner approached the window and pulled back the blackout curtains. Opening the window, which had a light-blocking film, he felt the stifling air, the harsh sunlight, and beyond that, the massive crowd.

“More than I thought…”

A lot. It seemed like the number of people far exceeded the live house’s capacity.

“If we increase the capacity-”

“We’ll accommodate as many as we can to make it feasible, but it’s impossible to accommodate everyone.”

He said he would let in as many as possible, but the owner thought he wouldn’t even be able to let in half of half.

“Or, there is one way.”

Other bands sometimes do it-. Hae-il’s face brightened as he listened to the owner. But the problem was who would do it…

“I’ll sacrifice myself to create a satisfying stage.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Even though I look like this, I can move my upper body a bit.”

The owner smiled brightly and gave a thumbs up, signaling that it was okay.

But inside, he was crying out.

*If Ju-hyuk were here, I would have told you to do this.*

After the event staff arrived, admission began.

The event staff seemed flustered by the unexpectedly large crowd but soon began to let people in skillfully. After all, the job was always the same.

Noh Hae-il, who had been chatting with the band members, waved his hand. Despite the sudden performance and being left out in the scorching August sun, their resentment seemed to vanish with a single greeting.

Only about eighty lucky people could enter the live house. Eighty was the maximum capacity they could squeeze in,

and many people said they would wait until seats became available after the capacity was exceeded. There was almost no chance of anyone leaving, but they wanted to be ready just in case.

Still, their wait wasn’t entirely meaningless.

“Who is that guy?”

“They say he’s the owner here.”

In the very front row, a middle-aged man was standing with a selfie stick in a venue where filming was prohibited. People behind him, whose view was blocked, frowned, but they understood after hearing what followed.

“I guess he’s going to stream it on YouTube.”

“But why isn’t he using a tripod? That must be hard.”

“I don’t know. Anyway, if he streams it, we can watch it again at home.”

There was a great reason for that.

The owner, who had neglected the broken tripod because he had no use for it, was tearfully encouraging his aching arm.

*Let’s just get through today.*

The ensuing dissonance stopped, and the boy approached the microphone.

“Ah, ah. Hello. This is Noh Hae-il.”

The boy smiled faintly.

“Thank you for coming to this sudden performance.”

He hadn’t expected so many people to come.

He wondered how effective the promotion would be, given it was only a few hours ago. He underestimated the passion of these people.

“I hope to see you in a bigger place next time, and now, let’s start the show.”

No one noticed the advance notice he had given.

Well, they would soon find out.

Hae-il grabbed the electric guitar and glanced back. The members who met his eyes nodded. Soon, the accompaniment of the title track [Welcome to my world] began.

Not the [Welcome to my world] consisting of electric and acoustic guitars, but the arranged version of [Welcome to my world] with drums, bass, keyboard, and electric guitar.

Some were wondering why the start wasn’t [17sec] or [Zigzag]. Those two songs were currently ranked number one on Melon Chart (a popular Korean music streaming service), and they thought those two songs would be the most suitable for the start of the performance.

However, the first performance was decided unanimously.

It was the band’s answer to the song he made,

and *our* world to show to the fans.

As it was the first performance of the regular album, everyone agreed that the first start should be [Welcome to my world].

[Is this that title track?]

Someone asked, and a warm and ticklish keyboard sound was heard.

[Oh]

The booming bass and solid drums.

The smooth movement of the keyboard and the more relaxed electric guitar, what could it be described as?

[It’s completely different]

[What is this, Welmawol (short for Welcome to my world)? Is it good?]

[Who said it wasn’t good?]

The plain version of [Welcome to my world] that connects from electric to acoustic is good, but this version full of sound seemed like a more complete form.

Even if the ticklish taste of the acoustic is gone, the keyboard replaces it, and the bass and drums support each other, making it feel like true band music.

*So that’s why it’s the title track.*

At least everyone in this place was sufficiently convinced.

Every time the audience jumped with Noh Hae-il, the vibration was transmitted through the shaking of the camera. Also, the hot energy of the live performance was captured along with the boy’s expression.

[Damn, that looks really fun]

[If only I had gone a little earlier]

The more it was like that, the more regret there was.

And the desire for the performance.

[Where else would they stream it?]

[Surely the server won’t crash, right?]

[…Surely]

Before someone could recall the fragility of the YouTube server, the boy’s voice continued with a medley.

“Now, shall we start the countdown?”

From 17sec to Ever end, voice to voice, the new songs continued. Everyone had been waiting for his concert, so the fans sang along.

*It’s fun.*

Hae-il smiled contentedly, breathing heavily.

Numerous gazes were directed at him.

He wanted to make sure that no one regretted coming here. He wanted them to pour all their energy into him so that they couldn’t go home.

As he was about to continue the stage, his knees began to tremble.

It seemed like he had been jumping and moving too excitedly on stage.

The performance stopped for a moment, and worried voices were heard, noticing that.

“What should we do…”

In fact, it wasn’t strange to be tired.

He had been running around all day, had an unscheduled performance, and the heat of the stage sapped people’s energy twice as much.

Still, if it had been him before, he wouldn’t have heard such sounds.

Hae-il bit his lip, feeling prideful.

He turned back for a moment and glanced at the band members.

When their eyes met, the members, who were sweating like him, clenched their fists in turn.

*It’s not over yet.*

Hae-il smiled mischievously at that sign and looked forward again.

While sweeping back his sweat-soaked hair, he subtly asked the audience.

“Are you guys not having a hard time, right?”

At the boy’s provocation, the audience couldn’t hold back their hot energy and shouted. No! Not at all! He was waiting for that answer.

Hae-il raised the corners of his lips.

“Then shall we go again?”

#

[HOT] Noh Hae-il Guerrilla Concert Review (+617)

Tore

It

Up

[I can die happy ㅜㅜ (Korean emoticon for crying) But I want to see it one more time before I die]

[This is what a live performance is ㅅㅂ (Korean profanity, similar to ‘f***’) crazy crazy I still have goosebumps]

[I’m afraid I’ll get arrested, so I can’t say anything, but how is this a minor?]

[A passion test in the middle of summer, this devilish bastard, but the live performance was so good that I can’t say anything more + the provocation is real, this bastard must play League of Legends]

[When is Noh Hae-il having another concert?]

The reaction a day after Noh Hae-il’s sudden concert (?) can be summarized as follows. Of course, there was no need to mention the fans who waited in the scorching August sun but couldn’t see the live performance.

[What the hell is provocation… Ah, why did the server crash from there?]

[YouTube 개1 (Korean slang, similar to ‘dog’) bastards, you raise the premium price but what do you do without spending money on the server]

[So how did he provoke us, please give me a review]

└ He spoke informally

└ That’s it?

The thirst of the fans who had been waiting for Noh Hae-il’s concert had not been quenched at all. It felt like giving a drop of water in the desert and then taking it away. Someone put forward a conspiracy theory that Noh Hae-il was doing this on purpose, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t go to Noh Hae-il’s future concerts.

The problem is that no one knows when the next concert will be.

And one fan who watched this situation predicted.

[If Noh Hae-il has a concert, there’s a high possibility of a bloodbath for tickets…]

└ With this reaction, it’s 100% certain

└ Still, he wouldn’t have the next concert in a live cafe, so wouldn’t it be easier?

[Whether it’s a bloodbath or whatever, please just do it]

They didn’t even imagine that Noh Hae-il would be preparing for a concert with hundreds of seats, not thousands, and just hoped for a concert.

[(Question) By the way, where is the outfit Noh Hae-il wore at the guerrilla concert from?]

└ It’s Custom Stella, a new designer brand

└ I only saw it on YouTube, but the fit was pretty. Is it expensive?

└ It’s a designer brand, so it’s not cheap, but it seems worth the money

The request for Noh Hae-il’s concert was always there. Therefore, the benefits of this guerrilla concert fell to an unexpected place.

That is, the group outfits worn by Noh Hae-il and his band.

The review of ‘Nondalnanbyul’ of [Wave Riding], who immediately closed the store and entered the elite of eighty people to see the live performance up close, initially caused envy, but then attention was focused.

Specifically, on the tracksuit that Noh Hae-il wore.

It was seen in the review that it was sponsored, but even ordinary people thought the color and brand mark were pretty, and above all, the fit of the orange jersey that Noh Hae-il wore over a white short-sleeved T-shirt was good.

Noh Hae-il on stage suited the tracksuit so well that clothing brands that had wanted to sponsor Noh Hae-il were disappointed.

In the end, the result…

[ㅅㅂ (Korean profanity, similar to ‘f***’) Sold out, which bastard is hoarding them?]

└ Custom Stella website server crashed ㄷㄷ (Korean emoticon for surprise)

└ Was Noh Hae-il’s influence this great?

└ The tracksuit is okay for now, and above all, Noh Hae-il pulls off the fit so well. Noh Hae-il isn’t a very handsome type, so everyone thinks, ‘Me too?’

└ There are so many guys in the world who think they’re on Noh Hae-il’s level

└ So did that fit come out?

└ I saw a review somewhere, and they said the clothes are definitely well-made ㅇㅇ (Korean slang for ‘yes, yes’) But it’s also true that Noh Hae-il pulled off the clothes well. Looking at his profile, he has good proportions

[My mom’s son thinks he’s Noh Hae-il and wears orange. I want to kill him]

└ He said he’s better than Noh Hae-il

└ Why is Dal being criticized for his looks?

└ I know, he’s getting more handsome the more I see him

└ I think I saw a post somewhere that said you’re brainwashed from the moment Dal looks handsome ㅇㅇ (Korean slang for ‘yes, yes’) I’m laughing so hard with my brain fluid flowing out

└ He’s not objectively handsome, but he’s the type who has a lot of female friends

This unexpectedness was not only a hot topic among the public.

Entrepreneurs who thought, ‘He’s losing out if he doesn’t advertise,’ opened their eyes wide. In particular, various fashion brands were interested enough.

#

Several days later.

Just before the heat of Noh Hae-il’s guerrilla concert subsided. Suddenly, a short video was uploaded to YouTube.

A video announcing Noh Hae-il’s concert, which everyone had been waiting for.

It wasn’t a guerrilla busking on the day that would stimulate fans’ PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). It was a formal concert with ticket sales.

Of course, the ticketing itself was on a tight schedule, but many people thought it was fortunate that they had given notice.

Then, someone said.

[But the Yonsei University Centennial Hall Concert Hall… As far as I know, it has 830 seats]

└830?? Not 8300 but 830???

[Guys lol (laughing out loud) shall we promise to only see it once?]

It was a really crazy cute video.