The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1081

< Special Guest - Episode 108 >

[Buying tickets for Nohaeil’s concert. Pleaseㅠㅠ]

This was a title commonly seen in various online communities or on Carrot Market [a South Korean online marketplace similar to Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace].

However, unlike other posts, this one garnered significant attention, not because it was posted on Nohaeil’s fan cafe. If it had simply been posted on the free bulletin board or inquiry board, it would have been buried.

But the reason this post received hundreds of comments was, firstly, because the word ‘(+Review)’ attached to the title grabbed everyone’s attention. More than anything, it was because it was the first review of the small theater concert ‘My World,’ uploaded by the vanguard among the 830 attendees, just hours after the first day of Nohaeil’s first concert ended.

[Buying tickets for Dal’s [Nohaeil’s nickname] concert. Pleaseㅠㅠ (+Review)]

I saw Dal’s performance for the first time this time…

I’m a local, so I couldn’t see the busking or the guerrilla concerts, so I gritted my teeth and went for the ticketing this time.

But I understood why people said I had to see Dal’s performance.

Were you the only ones living while seeing things like this? You bad guys ㅜㅜ

Dal-se-gwon [Dal’s sphere of influence, implying a desirable area to live in because of access to his performances] is more enviable than Mc-se-gwon [McDonald’s area] and Starbucks-se-gwon [Starbucks area] ㅜㅜ

Honestly, if you live in Seoul, shouldn’t you give up concert seats to locals? Agree?

Anyway, the performance started at 6:20, so I went to Yeon-guk University [likely a typo for Yonsei University, a prestigious university in Seoul] two hours early! Actually, I was going to look around the campus, but when I got to the concert hall…

Seriously, I’m not lying, there were already a lot of people.

But half of them were people looking for tickets, lol.

Would they sell them? lol

Yeon-guk University students also came and peeked around, which made me shrug my shoulders.

Me, a Nohaeil concert ticket holder.

Anyway, there was already a line, so I just stood in line.

The two hours passed quickly because I was so excited.

And the gift I received upon entry (Gift…jpg).

I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal because ‘Liv’s Love Letter’ came out, but the quality is crazy. Is it better than most merchandise?

Do you see the packaging? The gift box also had the same pattern as the album and was so white that I couldn’t even touch it. What if it gets dirty?

Looking at the quality alone, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a special edition of the album.

And the cookies, financiers, and juice they gave us to eat while singing… (jpg) I was definitely going to eat them, but when I came to my senses, I was home.

Soon after, the stage lights went out.

At that time, I was more excited than during a movie commercial, so I was 200% expectant.

Haeil’s voice pierced my ears…

Wow… I understood why people said Dal’s initiation starts from the performance. It was really different.

The sound source couldn’t capture it all.

While listening to ‘Repeating Life’ (OST of ‘From Today, We’) and ‘Another Day’…, they’re still masterpieces even after listening to them again.

But what’s even better is Haeil in a school uniform that I saw when the stage lights came on!!!!!!

He was wearing school uniform pants, a white shirt, and a tie, and everyone screamed.

People say why are you screaming at this, but it was a shocking twist because I didn’t know Dal would wear a school uniform.

He loosened his tie because it was uncomfortable, and waved his hand while smiling while singing, it was like watching a teen drama.

And then he sang ‘Welcome to My World’…. Is this the title track? I immediately understood why ‘Welcome to My World’ caused such a stir during the guerrilla concert.

The opening comments he made after singing three songs were also crazy.

Isn’t this Dal’s first concert? Haeil looked around so leisurely and introduced today’s stage like a singer of ten years.

At that time, Nohaeil really…

Said no guests are coming today, and to only look at him.

When he said, “Only look at me,”

I only saw Haeil from then on.

At first, I thought Dal was good at singing, and his appearance was cute and warm, but now…

Wow… now Haeil is just so handsome. I like him so much. I want to see him for the rest of my life. I’m surfing the internet like crazy right now, but why are there so few pictures of Dal?

Following that, he covered songs from Dal Hero’s Song to old songs… The composition was so good, and there were songs I was hearing for the first time, but I just listened with my mouth open, saying wow.

Every moment was good.

I just wanted to listen to Dal’s songs forever.

Around the time he played my original favorite songs, ‘Zigzag’ and ’17sec,’ in acoustic versions, Haeil seemed frustrated and completely loosened his tie and threw it away…

And Haeil’s songs gradually decreased, and finally, he sang ‘Lighthouse of the Night,’ which he hadn’t sung yet??

Personally, that was the real deal.

Everyone was sad and shook their cheering sticks with all their might.

Haeil stopped singing and was just looking at us at some point.

At that moment, it felt like

Haeil was as sad as we were, and

I felt happiness, and at the same time, I felt like Haeil was going to disappear somewhere, so I shook my cheering stick even harder.

Haeil smiled while uttering the last lyrics.

At that time, tears welled up in my eyes for some reason.

Why did I cry when I wasn’t sad at all?

+) The encore was also really good.

Haeil received song requests from people and sang them.

At this time, everyone sang along, and the atmosphere was no joke, lol.

++) Oh, there are special guests from the second day to the sixth day of the concert, but I seriously want someone to sell me the last concert ticket because I liked the stage without guests today.

+++) I just remembered, Dal didn’t sing ‘Confession.’ I should have asked him to sing it during the encore.

It was no wonder that hundreds of comments were attached to the lengthy review and boasting.

└ Would they sell them? lol

└ …Dal in a school uniform?…Dal said to only look at him?…Dal’s letter?…Ah, lol.

└ Wow, the quality of the gift is crazy…

└ Agree that if you live in Seoul, you should give up concert tickets (Likes 916 Dislikes 1629)

└ Seoul is not a Dal-se-gwon eitherㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I live in Seoul, but I haven’t seen a single guerrilla concert.

└ I have money and time, but why can’t I see it, lol.

└ Concert live broadcast라도··· [Even a concert live broadcast…]

In fact, as soon as the certified photos of Nohaeil wearing a school uniform were uploaded, those who failed to get tickets or those who would see the concert in the future had no choice but to be shocked.

However, the possibility of picking up tickets on the day of the performance was not high. Before scalpers could even put tickets up, the second day of Nohaeil’s small theater concert began.

Yes, most people predicted Nohaeil’s glamorous connections. No, the special guest list. The first thing checked off that list was.

“Hello, this is Shin Juhyuk.”

In the end, it was Shin Juhyuk who was invited.

After having a meal with Liv at the Korean restaurant, Shin Juhyuk, who asked, ‘What about me?’, was eventually invited as the first special guest, and he came like this.

The atmosphere of the people heated up with the appearance of Shin Juhyuk.

What added more impact was-.

Unlike the first day, Nohaeil chose ’17sec’ as the song for this concert, and Shin Juhyuk, who appeared as a guest, was wearing a rider outfit suitable for a rock star(?).

People who were expecting Nohaeil in a school uniform screamed at the chic leather jacket and rock atmosphere.

If the first day of the concert was mainly acoustic and waving cheering sticks, the second day took over the baton with cheers, screams, and applause.

The talk time, which can be said to be the reason why people looked forward to special guests, was also enjoyable.

“I am grateful to Nohaeil for inviting me to his concert ‘My World,’ and I am very happy to meet you all.”

Shin Juhyuk was more polite than when meeting privately, but-.

“Actually, it was really hard for me to become a guest at Nohaeil’s concert.”

“….”

“Right?”

He was still playful and cheerful.

“Still, Nohaeil is a junior I usually cherish, a colleague I want to work with, and a friend from whom I have many things to learn, so I was happy to take this step.”

What left a deep impression on the fans more than anything was Nohaeil’s relationships.

Fans who wanted to get a glimpse of who Nohaeil was close to and how he joked around, due to his less exposure than other celebrities, were satisfied.

“I’m going to play a song and say goodbye. This song is my debut song, ‘to the grave.’ Nohaeil, do you happen to know it?”

“….”

“Don’t know it?”

“I know it.”

I heard it during rehearsal, so I know it.

Shin Juhyuk looked at the boy suspiciously at his slow answer, and laughter erupted from the audience.

People accepted it pleasantly with the politeness and the intimacy seen in between.

Still, the best thing is, of course, the performance.

As Shin Juhyuk was a guest, Nohaeil covered Shin Juhyuk’s songs several times, especially the complete cover of ‘session 33,’ which he had briefly played on the radio in the past, gave people chills.

And on the third day of the concert.

Liv, who came as the second guest, showed the excellent and gentle side of a guest, as if she had been selected as the number one celebrity people wanted to invite as a guest in Korea.

“Everyone, you probably thought I got to know Haeil at Rendezvous. But that’s not true. The first time I heard Haeil’s music was from Hee-tae’s theme song, ‘Repeating Life,’ and after listening to the songs on ‘Another Life (Nohaeil 1st Mini Album),’ I thought, ‘This friend’s music is my taste.’ I wanted to collaborate with him.”

She conveyed pride and empathy to the fans with polite and honest comments.

“But I was lucky enough to meet him at Rendezvous. And I was invited here. Next time, let’s definitely do a collaboration together.”

When Liv held out her pinky as if to promise, the boy nodded.

“And it’s my personal wish, but I hope you’ll just call me ‘nuna’ [older sister or female friend] comfortably.”

Although the fans told him to call her ‘nuna,’ the boy only nodded and answered ‘yes’ but didn’t call her ‘nuna.’ That was just one point, the real point was the tone of the two singers.

Just as people thought they would go well together, and the two singers also expected to get along well, ‘Zigzag (Nohaeil’s 1st Album My World)’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice (2030 SONG FESTIVAL-Rendezvous)￨ Liv, Shin Juhyuk)’ created synergy.

Each concert with guests with their own personalities had different charms.

The first day was a solo concert with a school uniform look and acoustic.

The second day was with Shin Juhyuk in a rider look with rock.

The third day was with Liv in a party look with duets and jazz.

The fourth day was….

“Hello, everyone. I’m Lee Seongrim, in charge of ‘Lee’ in Shinnabaki [a popular Korean ballad group].”

Even Lee Seongrim, who is considered a soulful ballad singer.

It was nothing short of a super luxurious guest lineup.

The lineup was what everyone expected when looking at Nohaeil’s connections, but as the saying goes, the taste you know is scarier [familiarity breeds fondness], so no one was disappointed because it was the combination they wanted.

Rather, reviews saying today was legendary increased, and the demand for Nohaeil concert tickets only increased.

[If every day is legendary, which one is the most legendary?]

└ You have to see the concert twice to compare it, lol. No one is attending all the concerts this time, so it’s impossible to compare.

[Wow, Coldbrew came on the last day. He must be on hiatus.]

└ Everyone even wants to be friends with him.

└ Is Nohaeil like a celebrity’s celebrity?

└ I don’t know about a celebrity’s celebrity, but he seems to be a singer’s singer.

[I wish Haeil would show us a performance song too.]

└ Does Nohaeil dance well?

└ I’ve never seen him dance.

I don’t know about dancing, but he arranged and sang a performance song. The former members of Coldbrew were really touched when he arranged and sang their lesser-known songs, including ‘Today at Starbuck,’ which made Coldbrew famous at once.

That’s right. It was a pity that it wasn’t recorded on video.

[Wow, Coldbrew’s song was this good?]

└ I just listened to it on Melon [a Korean music streaming service], and it’s just a different song, but the lyrics are the same.

└ It’s a song that Coldbrew doesn’t even sing at their own concerts, but he arranges it like this.

└ Please upload it as a sound source, Haeilㅠㅠ

[Info: Nohaeil has never repeated a cover song, even if he doesn’t know the existing setlist.]

└ ㅅㅂ··· [a Korean slang expression of frustration] I’m already sick of it even if it overlaps.

└ But he really sings all the songs well. He sings idol songs so well. Everyone has experienced it at least once, but there are no sections to breathe in group songs, so it’s hard to breathe when you sing it alone.

└ A Coldbrew fan who went there cried and posted it on their fan cafe.

[Why is the concert only for a week? Please extend it.]

└ Do you think you’ll be in that group of 830 people?

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ [laughter]

[Seriously, shouldn’t we hack Korea’s internet network and paralyze it for a day?]

└ What about you?

└ I don’t care because I live abroad anyway.

└ What about Inner Park [likely referring to someone’s personal information or location]?

└ Oops.

The moment a terrorist was created and disbanded somewhere, the last day of Nohaeil’s small theater concert ‘My World’ arrived.

“Today is the last day.”

“It feels like it was yesterday that we had our first concert, but it’s already the last day.”

Overall, the mood was bittersweet.

The last stage, which was difficult but more satisfying.

Well, this may not be the last time, but the catharsis that the stage delivers is so great that I didn’t want to say goodbye.

And that’s probably what the boy, the main character of the concert, feels the most.

“Are we going to do it as planned today?”

“I don’t know if ‘as planned’ is the right word, but as we were originally going to do.”

“What if a song I don’t know comes out?”

“Shouldn’t we change it?”

The setlist will remain the same, but today’s cover songs will be a little special. As it is the last concert, today’s concert will receive stories from viewers in advance and sing the songs they want.

So. I didn’t invite a guest today, but it’s not like I didn’t invite one. Today’s special guest will be everyone who came to his concert.

Of course, we won’t sing all the requested songs. We will draw small balls from a box on the stage.

“Please prepare the stage.”

The members go ahead.

Haeil raised the corners of his mouth, thinking of the people who would be waiting for him on stage.

Let’s have fun today too.