The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1241

< 124. From Today On>

“Maknae [youngest], can you drive?”

After a long drive, the maknae director [youngest director], who had been nervous, finally had the chance to ask Park PD [Production Director], who was sitting in the passenger seat, what she was curious about when they got onto a less crowded road.

“What happened with contacting Director Jang?”

When someone suggested asking Director Jang for tips on ‘How to Woo Roh Hae-il,’ she was also curious.

“Ah, that.”

Park PD remembered the night he shared drinks with Director Jang.

Director Jang had stubbornly insisted for a while that he didn’t know either. He added that even he was finding it difficult to cast Roh Hae-il these days. He couldn’t understand it.

-Didn’t you make Roh Hae-il a star, senior?

-Hey, Roh Hae-il would have made it even without me. Rather, I benefited more.

-Still.

-Still what? Look at what he’s doing now, making his own music number one without appearing on TV. How much power do I have when everyone’s begging him to appear?

-You’re a star PD, senior.

-I’m a star PD, and he’s become a star that even star PDs can’t touch.

It seemed like they had been drinking and ranting all night.

The maknae director, who had heard the male directors’ drunken ramblings that she wasn’t curious about at all, sighed.

“Ugh… so it wasn’t helpful at all.”

“…It’s not that it wasn’t helpful at all?”

“Did you get something?”

The maknae director unconsciously stepped on the brakes.

“That’s why we’re going to use it now.”

“! Now?”

The maknae director’s eyes widened as she checked the GPS. No wonder the address was Seongsu-dong.

“So, are we going to Roh Hae-il’s label now?”

“No, a nearby cafe.”

“Wow, did you get him?”

“If I had, I would have brought the camera.”

“Huh? Then-”

“We’re going to persuade him. I begged him to meet me after the third, no, fifth attempt. I just want to talk, even if he doesn’t agree to be cast this season, just to meet me.”

“Roh Hae-il is meeting you?”

“That’s why we’re going now, isn’t it.”

She wondered where they were going. He was going to meet him in person.

The maknae director thought that Park PD didn’t just want Roh Hae-il. Of course, all the broadcasting companies were looking for Roh Hae-il these days, but usually, a PD wouldn’t go directly to persuade him like this.

“Actually, it doesn’t have to be Roh Hae-il, does it?”

It’s not like there’s no one to cast. The PD seemed to understand the meaning of why he had to go this far.

“How well do you think a Korean song will do overseas?”

“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”

Regardless of the bewildered director, the PD looked out the window and pondered.

How many barriers are there, such as the Korean language and the emotions of that country? Even if it works to some extent, he always thought there was a limit.

But Roh Hae-il was different.

How impressive was Roh Hae-il’s live performance on the LA talk show? What was the audience’s reaction to that live performance?

At that moment, it really felt like there were no barriers.

Even though it was a cover song, the song with Roh Hae-il’s emotions, which had different languages and quite a bit of arrangement, worked, so he thought that Roh Hae-il’s album might cause a stir.

“More than anything, what I want to hear the most is…”

More than Roh Hae-il’s album.

What would happen if Roh Hae-il sang music on the streets of a foreign country, with emotions, language, and voice that completely matched that side?

‘Roh Hae-il, you haven’t sung a pop song yet, have you?’

“We’ve arrived.”

Park PD raised his head at the director’s voice.

:

“Our program is only for ‘music’ and ‘performance,’ and there’s no hardship at all. Starving because you lost a game? No, Koreans need rice to survive!”

The maknae director glanced at Park PD.

Before taking on the main role of ‘Spring Again,’ Park PD had been an assistant director for a famous reality variety show. Even special guests had to sleep in tents outdoors if they lost the game, not to mention meals.

“Absolutely! There are never any difficult schedules, and we’ve drawn the budget to the maximum. We stay in hotels, and there are practice rooms, and the restaurants are good.”

“Hmm.”

“5-star-! -like 3-star! A Michelin-worthy artistic restaurant! What do you think?”

The maknae director thought.

Is this the tip you got from Director Jang?

Roh Hae-il’s expression is indifferent. It was clear that it wasn’t working at all.

Well, if he’s going to give music boxes to fans at fan meetings, wouldn’t he stay in a 5-star hotel when he travels?

Park PD also realized that his words were not working at all. So he recalled the tip that Director Jang had given him.

The reason Roh Hae-il responded to the rendezvous. At that time, he said he received it under the pretext of collaborating with Hwang Ryong-pil.

Hwang Ryong-pil doesn’t appear on his program, but singers who have swept the era since then do.

A tip that would appeal to a boy who doesn’t seem to care much about casting fees, luxurious details, travel format, and viewers’ eyes.

Park PD carefully took out the pad.

“This is something that shouldn’t be revealed yet-.”

The maknae director was startled by the list of ‘Spring Again’ casting members.

“-The ultimate goal of our program is to show our songs, not my songs, with the members.”

Roh Hae-il’s eyes finally lit up.

It was the only tempting thing at the moment when he was about to waste his time.

He liked hanging out with singers from all over the world and talking about their music. It would be really fun to perform on the streets with them.

However, his answer was the same.

“Unfortunately-.”

He will not be named as a ‘Spring Again’ member. There were definitely attractive points, but he decided to travel with the members and it would be fun enough.

“I understand, it’s difficult to have a completely enjoyable trip on TV after all.”

Park PD, who had failed to persuade Roh Hae-il, became sullen. He was so firm that he couldn’t persuade him any further.

It’s good to meet him in person. Other PDs consistently criticize the boy, who doesn’t even answer calls, saying that he’s got a top star disease and is trying to play over their heads, but Roh Hae-il, whom Park PD saw, was not like that.

He was just so sure of himself that it was hard to believe he was so young, but he definitely didn’t have a top star disease.

He wasn’t arrogant, but he ended up meeting him. He doesn’t like casting through contact, but when he sees him giving a serious answer in person, he just seemed like a different person.

Park PD then recalled the reason why the boy came here while exchanging messages with the boy.

“But I think you said you had something you were curious about in our program, was it resolved?”

“Ah, that.”

“Ask me anything!”

Park PD wanted anything if it could get the boy interested.

“It’s nothing special. I was wondering if there was a reason why the program was titled ‘Spring Again’?”

“Uh…”

He thought he would ask about the cast singers, casting fees, or PPL [Product Placement], but it was a bit of an unexpected question. Still, Park PD decided to answer the boy’s kindness seriously.

“That’s the first question I’ve ever heard. Usually, they know it’s HALO’s album name and don’t ask.”

“…”

“Actually, it’s not wrong. But it’s also because of the scene I’m going to put in at the end. Do you know what the title song of HALO’s 2nd album ‘Spring Again’ is?”

Most people don’t know which song is on which album. But the boy smiled as if he had heard a funny joke.

“‘When We Meet Again.'”

“That’s right. I wanted to put that song as the last busking [street performing] song on our program.”

“Who’s singing it?”

“I’m just planning it myself, but I’m thinking of a chorus.”

The boy thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

“…Not bad.”

“Right?”

Park PD was momentarily strange why he was even talking to a singer he failed to cast, but he felt good when his idea was recognized.

He was becoming more and more interested in Roh Hae-il as a person before he was a singer, but the boy said goodbye firmly. It was time to part ways.

“What if.”

The boy stopped at Park PD’s voice that suddenly came to his ears.

“What if our team and Roh Hae-il happen to run into each other somewhere.”

In fact, it was impossible.

He didn’t tell the boy where the Spring Again team was going, and the boy didn’t say it either. The vast land of Europe. No matter how many tourist attractions overlap, the chances of these people who don’t stay in one place meeting are slim.

“Then how about performing together? Even for a moment.”

Hae-il also knew it was almost impossible. First of all, he didn’t even have a plan for where to go right now. He’s just going to follow where his feet take him.

But if he happens to run into these people playing on the street somewhere.

The boy, who was listening intently while looking back diagonally, suddenly raised the corners of his lips.

“Then I’ll participate for a moment.”

Park PD’s mouth widened at the boy’s words.

After the boy left, the maknae director chewed on the ice and urged the PD to go back.

Park PD, who was somewhere dazed, finally came to his senses and said,

“Thank you, God, for giving us our daily bread today.”

He prayed, looking at the cake he had eaten.

He’s usually someone who hates seeing street religious promotion teams.

“PD, weren’t you an atheist?”

“Uh.”

“No? No, I thought you were an atheist. Since when did you have a religion?”

The maknae director asked, so amazed, and Park PD replied.

“From today on.”

#

Hae-il informed the members and thought of the last people to tell. In fact, they may have been the people who should have been told first.

After his birthday, Hae-il returned home after a long time.

The reporters knew that he didn’t go to his parents’ house often, so the neighborhood was deserted.

“Uh…”

Of course, that doesn’t mean the residents are deserted.

“Aren’t you getting off?”

“Yes, yes? Yes! It’s okay.”

The person who glanced at him was living on a lower floor than him, but he didn’t get off and continued to ride the elevator with him.

And when he arrived home, he found someone there.

In fact, he seemed to know who it was without seeing his face, but he stretched his neck toward the front door and it became clear.

“You’re here?”

Hae-il walked to the kitchen nonchalantly.

Jang Jin-soo took out a workbook from the kitchen table and was solving it. There was also a self-study book in front of him that was obviously Roh Hae-il’s.

“The professor said he would help me solve the problems.”

“Really? Was it helpful?”

“Of course! The professor explains everything so well!”

He knew that his father had taught him math, but Jang Jin-soo was now solving English problems. There were quite a few stars marked, and he was still groaning while looking at the passage.

English was more urgent to go to Hanyejong [Korea National University of Arts], but he didn’t know more words because he had never studied in his life.

“It’s number 3.”

Then, Hae-il spoiled it.

Jang Jin-soo raised his head and looked at the passage.

He seemed to be able to solve a grammar problem at once because he studied hard in elementary and middle school.

“Why is it number 3?”

Jang Jin-soo stared at it for a long time and asked.

In that case, Professor Noh Yoon-hyun would calmly explain the formula first.

“Everything else is weird.”

“…”

Yeah, he wasn’t Professor Noh Yoon-hyun.

Jang Jin-soo became sullen at the deja vu he seemed to have experienced in the past.

“Is studying worth it?”

Jang Jin-soo seemed to be thinking about it and then nodded.

“English is still difficult, but math is worth it. I think it’s kind of fun.”

“That’s fun?”

“Don’t you think I have some talent?”

Professor Noh Yoon-hyun also praised him for being talented in math. Jang Jin-soo liked math more because it was the first compliment he had ever heard.

“Hey, and do you know that people who are good at math are usually talented in music too?”

“Really?”

“The fact that I’m good at math means I’m also talented in music, right?”

Hae-il, who shuddered at math, didn’t understand what connection there was between math and music, but it wasn’t actually wrong.

A significant number of the most famous mathematicians in history were well-versed in music and acoustics, and there were studies that the brain that controls sound is similar to the brain of mathematics.

“Well, the results are more important right now.”

Still, he felt a little better.

Results are more important than talent right now, but his goal was not to end at Hanyejong.

He wanted to enter Hanyejong, learn music, and become a great musician. Even if he couldn’t make music as quickly as Roh Hae-il, he wanted to make his song even if it took a very long time.

Some may laugh, but his goal continued endlessly. He doesn’t think he’ll ever burn out just because he’s achieved one goal. It will take a lifetime for all of his goals to be achieved.

“But, what are you going to do later?”

Jang Jin-soo suddenly became curious about Roh Hae-il’s goal.

He’s already doing what he wants with the number one song in Korea, and it didn’t seem like the boy had a dream of becoming a millionaire.

“Me? I’ve never thought about it.”

“Billboard number 1? You haven’t done that yet.”

“That’s coming soon.”

Hae-il said naturally.

His album – everything except streaming scores was low – never reached number one on the Billboard. What was the highest rank? He didn’t think it was impossible.

“Then what after Billboard number 1?”

“I don’t know.”

Goal. I think I used to set things like that.

From contract termination to the establishment of his label, he had ambitions to receive awards as a musician and dominate the world (?). And he eventually did it all.

Then what is the goal now-.

It was the moment when Hae-il was about to think carefully.

“Oh my, Hae-il is here? Let’s eat.”

His mother and father, who had gone to the mart for a while, returned.

They bought a Korean beef set.

It seemed like today’s dinner menu was beef.

Jang Jin-soo and Hae-il forgot what they were going to say in front of the colorful marbling. It was a relief that he remembered why he came home while filling his stomach.

“Oh, right. I’m going on a trip. At the end of December.”

“A trip? With who?”

It was natural for his mother and father to be surprised by the sudden notice.

Even the date of the trip was soon.

“I think I’ll be traveling with the members. And probably-.”

Hae-il recalled August Veil, who had suggested he travel with him. He didn’t directly say let’s travel together.

Hae-il smiled faintly and added.

“Veil too.”

His mother and father seemed a little relieved by the presence of an adult.

“When are you coming back?”

Hae-il vaguely mumbled about an indefinite trip without deciding when to return, and took out the envelope he had brought.

‘Rock’ was written on the envelope.

“More than that, are you available at the end of December? It’s a musical I participated in.”

“Oh my god…!”

Park Seung-ah nodded repeatedly even though she saw the familiar date.

It’s the day of the apartment women’s association.

At that time, she was going to reunite with Chan-soo’s mother.

Nothing was more important than her son’s musical.

“When exactly are you going on a trip?”

“I’m going to watch the musical.”

“Then, Mom will make you rice cake soup on the 1st, so eat it and go.”

Park Seung-ah and Professor Noh Yoon-hyun didn’t even think about an indefinite trip and started grilling meat again.

“Honey, shall we go on a trip too?”

“Okay. Where shall we go? But don’t you have class?”

“Yeah, I decided not to do it this time. The students come to me so much that I have to take a sabbatical. Let’s go to a resort or Jeju Island and rest until Hae-il comes.”

A friendly conversation continued.

Warm rice and fragrant Korean beef. His mother whispered to Jang Jin-soo, who was eating soybean paste stew, to eat carefully because it was hot.

“By the way, son. Did you buy a plane ticket?”

“No.”

“…?”

It’s less than two weeks until January 1st now.

While his parents were horrified at the fact that he hadn’t bought a plane ticket, time passed and it was the day of the creative musical ‘Rock’ performance.