The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1091

“Hello, everyone.”

Today’s stage was different from usual.

Normally, the stage lights would dim, and the session’s melody would begin first, but today the lights came on first.

And a boy in a white tee, oversized short-sleeved shirt, and black jeans stood in front of the stage and greeted the audience.

Since it was the last day of the concert, everyone understood that the format was a bit different.

And some people were hoping for the singer’s talk. Usually, people go to concerts to listen to the singer’s music, but listening to the singer’s views on music, current thoughts, and concerns is another charm, isn’t it?

Of course, there are people who sometimes regret or are disappointed that the comments are not very interesting.

But Noh Hae-il’s comments were not uninteresting; rather, the comments in between songs were quite memorable.

For example, he generated quite a few fancam clips, such as “Only Look at Me,” which was chosen as the first concert legend, and his *tiki-taka* [a playful, back-and-forth exchange] with other guests.

Rather than being funny like a comedian, it was more like discovering other charms that they hadn’t recognized well, such as their relationships with each other and Noh Hae-il’s real personality.

So people reacted enthusiastically to the boy’s greeting.

Rather than just screams or cheers, they responded with actual sentences.

“It feels like the concert just started, but it’s already the last day. I realized once again that a week is too short.”

Then, pleas to extend the concert came back. The boy laughed coolly at the desperate pleas.

People felt wronged that the boy seemed to be taking their pleas as a joke, but they all laughed together because it was nice to see him laughing like someone his age.

“But is there anyone who has come to my concert multiple times?”

Suddenly, he thought of the people who used to follow him everywhere, including every concert.

*Is it because I’m not familiar with people’s faces yet? I haven’t seen a single overlapping face here.*

To the boy’s question, the 830 elite people who had struggled to get tickets felt wronged again. Anyone would think they only wanted to come once.

They wanted to come all seven times if they could. They felt even more wronged when they thought of the other fans who teased them for saying that 830 people were a myth.

“Humanly speaking, please hold the concert in a bigger stadium next time!” someone shouted.

“I will prepare a bigger performance next time.”

Hae-il looked around the theater and the audience and smiled faintly.

“But I think this place where I can see you all well is also good.”

How can they complain when he says that with a smile?

People’s hearts softened again.

Even the people who had asked to do it in a big place told him that it was good. *Yeah, if they pull off a full concert for about a year, even with 830 people, it might be okay.*

“Then today’s performance—”

Usually, humble singers would say, ‘I hope you enjoy today’s performance,’ at times like this. But the boy always said this.

“—You will enjoy it.”

There was no humility felt at all, but the audience liked this confidence. They liked their singer, who was confident and relaxed in front of the many 830 people who are usually hard to gather…

That ‘Lighthouse of the Night,’ which was in charge of the ending of the first concert, became the opening song in a similar way.

The full sound of the session, too.

And the boy’s song that was about to be heard was also good.

It was natural for the boy to confidently say that it would be enjoyable because they were already enjoying it.

There were no fancy collaborations or special guests that had heated up the internet from the second day to the sixth day, but no one was disappointed. Every day was legendary and the most special performance, with no overlap even on the seventh day.

Shin Joo-hyuk, Leeb, and Lee Seong-rim were all absent, but…

*Has Noh Hae-il ever had a concert with this much talk?*

I can already see what kind of reviews will be posted.

*Well, there will be a better concert than this someday. You can brag about it then, and today you can brag about today.*

The first part of the opening was occupied by Lighthouse of the Night, Another Day, and Wellmaworld, and as soon as the second part started, a small box was placed in front of Noh Hae-il.

It was a box containing people’s stories.

He was thinking of picking and singing requested songs in between the setlist. He was planning to sing them if possible, but he asked for understanding in advance because he couldn’t sing songs he didn’t know.

A strange tension filled the audience when the boy reached out to the box.

He stirred the balls in the transparent box as if he was about to grab them, and took out one of the balls at the bottom. It was an ominous pink ball.

He opens the ball and unfolds the note.

A not-so-long story came into view.

“Hello, my name is Jin, and I’m a senior in high school preparing for the *College Scholastic Ability Test* [South Korea’s standardized college entrance exam].”

People buzzed for a moment at the phrase the boy read.

The date of Noh Hae-il’s small theater concert on the last day is September 27th. It meant that a student preparing for the college entrance exam, with less than two months left until the exam, came to the concert.

“*Oppa* [term used by females to address older males]—Hae-il tilted his head here to see if he was called *Oppa*—When was your first love? I think it’s right now. Of course, I know that this is an important time. I have a university and a major I want to go to, and I know I have to study hard to get there… So I was going to sort out my feelings, but recently that person confessed to me. I haven’t answered yet, but I’m worried. What should I do?”

The boy lowered his eyes.

“The song I want to hear is.”

And the boy’s eyebrows twitched as he looked down.

“I told you to write down only one.”

The audience burst into laughter at the serious words.

However, Hae-il had no time to pay attention to the laughter.

-Is it love

-Cherry Blossom Love Us

-Do you want to eat chicken and go?

-Shape of Heart

-(Omission)

You can tell what song it is just by looking at the title.

She sent a story saying she was worried, but the list of requested songs didn’t seem to be worrying much.

Hae-il moved his lips while looking at the list.

*So you’re telling me to sing this?*

When he was silently reading the list with a sullen look, people told him to let them know.

“Because I don’t know most of the songs…”

Boo-. It’s true, but no one believed him.

The boy slowly read the list. The more he read, the more people cheered. If you look closely, they seemed to like it more than when he sang his songs.

“And.”

Hae-il read the title written at the very bottom.

“Confession.”

The loudest cheer was heard.

That’s because it had been rumored on the internet that the running joke was that he had never sung it until the sixth day.

The melody was heard first as the boy looked at the note with a serious face, as if he was seriously worried.

In a nuance that the members full of laughter would choose for him instead because he couldn’t choose a song.

As soon as the accompaniment started, people clapped, and Hae-il had no choice but to sing.

[There’s something I want to say all night]

He also had a lot to say to the audience who liked him more as he hated it.

People didn’t follow his intentions at all even after that. It means that everyone wrote the story properly, but no one wrote only one song.

Well, it’s not that I don’t understand.

It could be interpreted as consideration to give them a chance to choose one because their singer might not know the song.

“Hmm, there are several songs this time too.”

However, I couldn’t help but doubt whether it was consideration, looking at them laughing at every one of his calm comments.

It was a time to realize once again that there were always more songs he didn’t know than songs he had heard in the world, but the concert went smoothly.

It seemed like he had sung all the songs on the regular album along with the requested songs.

Near the end, Hae-il picked two balls, and when he opened one, he saw an unexpected language.

“…Bonsoir.”

To the French greeting, Hae-il read a short text in French to the buzzing audience and briefly translated it into Korean.

It was a simple message that he had come to Korea for a trip and was looking forward to the concert. And he said that he didn’t know many Korean songs well, so he wrote down French songs instead.

Hae-il looked around the audience.

Then he opened his mouth.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know the song well. Instead…”

And suddenly, he makes eye contact with foreigners with dirty blonde hair. One adult man with blonde long hair and a woman sitting next to him.

“Can I sing a *chanson* [French song] that I know for you? Madame. Aspera.”

To be exact, a girl who didn’t even look ten years old was looking at him with sparkling eyes.

The owner of this article.

A child’s or someone with severe bad handwriting’s crooked handwriting. And clumsy spelling.

And the reason why he asked a Korean singer to sing a French song in French is not because that person lacks manners, but because he is a child.

When the girl wearing a trench coat like a Parisian nodded, Hae-il raised the corners of his lips.

And he strummed the guitar, recalling a song he had heard on YouTube someday.

[The lovers’ dreams are like wine]

People who realized what song it was smiled at that one word. It was the OST of a famous animation.

Following the boy’s voice, the familiar night view of Paris unfolds. Even the cute picture of a small rat pouring ingredients into a pot.

Unlike the realistic lyrics, the melody is somehow bright.

There is no such thing as a free lunch in life, and the song has the unique sadness of a *chanson*.

However, what this song wants to convey is not despair.

[We’ll be able to enjoy it in the end]

Singing for us, the life ahead. He talked about its beauty.

[There’s a festival on my way]

Hae-il thought of himself standing in the middle of the festival.

He imagined himself starting the festival, happily shooting champagne, and then stepping back when it was over and watching it being cleaned up.

People who had been holding their breath applauded when the song stopped.

Some people knew what song it was and some didn’t. Most people didn’t know the meaning of the lyrics.

Nevertheless, they strangely felt like they knew what it meant. It was because they felt like they were unknowingly drawn into the song. That was definitely…

“But was Noh Hae-il originally good at French?”

“Since he sings *chansons*, I think he’ll be good at singing pop songs too. I should have requested a pop song.”

Two people sitting in the back were talking.

“Please put your phone down. Filming is prohibited. You will be removed if you are caught again.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll turn it off.”

While the person who was caught filming secretly was putting down his phone, the boy started singing his song again.

The very last song he hadn’t sung until now.

*It’s over here*, people thought. Of course, there was an encore left, but it was a pity.

At that time, the boy who finished his song held the microphone and showed the ball he was holding in his hand.

“!”

Yes, when he picked the last requested song, the boy picked two instead of one. People who thought it was the last one shouted his name.

Hae-il smiled and said,

“Then I’ll open the last ball. My personal wish is that there are no love songs, because I don’t know them well.”

Whether he doesn’t know it well or just doesn’t want to sing it.

It was only a moment to smile happily at the cute grumbling.

“Uh…”

When the boy stopped talking without precedent, attention was focused.

He didn’t read the story.

That’s because there was no story, only a request was written.

“This time, at least only one song is written.”

Hae-il, who said that, thought it was the most unexpected request.

*At least I thought they would ask me to sing a HALO song or another pop song.*

Hae-il slowly opened his mouth for the curious audience.

“‘Please sing a song that hasn’t been released to the world yet.'”

“!”

A concert that gets better every day.

When they say that what they saw was the best because they can’t compare, one fan who used his head properly requested it to make today the best.

To be honest, it might be a bit of an excessive request, but Noh Hae-il, who has made three comebacks in a year, didn’t seem to have any drafts or unreleased songs.

“Anything.”

Hae-il, who added the last words, moved his lips.

*Could it be that there isn’t one?* Someone thought so.

Some thought that their singer was in trouble, and some thought that there was no way there wouldn’t be one.

Silence flows through the noisy concert.

Everyone was waiting for the boy’s answer.

They could accept it even if he said no.

Because it’s been the best so far.

At that time, the boy suddenly raised the corners of his lips.

“Do you all want to hear it?”

Someone shouted loudly, “Yes!” through the silence.

At that moment, the quiet concert was shaken.

*Yes, there’s no way there wouldn’t be one.*

“A song that has never been released to the world.”

There’s something that just came to mind.

Something I thought of while singing the *chanson* ‘Le festin’.

Like thinking about the end of the festival,

Someday. There is a song he made while thinking about his end.

Also, this song satisfied the condition that it had never been released to the world.

Because he couldn’t release it in the end.

“The title is—”

Hae-il hesitated for a moment.

*Whether to say it in the original language or—.*

Suddenly, I remembered that people were buzzing because they didn’t know French well.

*Yeah, Korean would be better, right?*

“‘Until dawn comes.'”

It’s different from the music he’s been doing so far.

If he used to sing rock stained with emotions, this is a song that focuses on a calm acoustic sound.

When I think about it, it might be similar to Noh Hae-il’s music.

A song that goes well with the night, with literary lyrics.

One thing I regret is that Marianne, who was with him, is not there. I’m talking about the streamlined folk guitar that Gibson made for him.

Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.

The boy hugged the red guitar in his arms and hummed briefly.

#

People were leaving like a tide.

Hae-il quietly watched them leave and thought that he felt somewhat empty.

It’s not new for him to feel burned out or empty after the concert.

While he was resting in the waiting room, one of the staff knocked.

“Hello. Someone is waiting for Noh Hae-il in the lobby.”

“?”

When Han Jin-young expressed his doubts, the staff continued to speak.

“That person said that he had scheduled a meeting. Oh, there was also a message to deliver.”

Hae-il raised his eyebrows.

He had no memory of scheduling a meeting after the concert.

Everyone’s expressions were not positive, so the staff who noticed that he had done something wrong! bowed his head.

“I’m sorry if it’s not. I really thought it was a meeting.”

Hae-il called the staff who was about to leave.

“What’s the message you were supposed to deliver?”

The staff looked around and opened his mouth.

“‘I was surprised that you suddenly requested a French song, but thank you for singing a *chanson* for my daughter. Ratatouille is my daughter’s favorite animation, so she liked it very much. Thanks to you, we had a good time.'”

Hae-il thought of the foreign father and daughter sitting in the back. It was a Frenchman with dirty blonde hair.

“And… ‘As a creative designer of Arbor, I have something to talk to Noh Hae-il about the ambassador,’ he said to tell you this.”

The staff even handed over a business card.

A business card with a tree without leaves drawn on it.

There, along with the contact information,

It was written ‘Per Aspera’, Arbor Creative Designer.