The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1251

< Catch Me If You Can - Episode 125 >

“What’s all this? Are we going camping?”

“Ramen and kimchi are essential when going abroad, you know? What about you? Going to Caribbean Bay or something?”

“Europe is all about the sea. And the highlight is the nude beaches…”

“Nude or whatever, it sounds freezing. Even the Mediterranean is cold in winter. But what’s Jin-young oppa [older brother or male friend] got there?”

“Oh? He said we need locks to avoid pickpockets.”

The suitcase, laden with locks, looked more like it was sealing away dangerous goods than travel items.

“It’s not that no one else is bringing them; it’s that we probably can’t even carry them…”

Seo-yeon Moon, muttering to herself, also had quite a bit of luggage. Even though they were told to pack lightly, the label’s baggage allowance was going to be a problem with all the luggage the members brought.

That’s when a salaryman visited the label.

“Hello. Uh, it’s been a while.”

The members looked at each other, puzzled by the unfamiliar office worker.

‘It’s been a while?’

‘Who is it? Someone we know?’

‘I don’t know.’

Only Halo, who had allowed him to come to the label, knew who he was.

“I promised a long time ago, but it really took a while, didn’t it?”

“Not long? A little?” The salaryman scratched the back of his head, embarrassed by Halo’s response. He had nothing to say, considering how late he was despite his bold promises.

“Let’s take a look at the item first.”

To ease the awkward atmosphere, the man unpacked what he had brought. A huge bag. People’s eyes focused, and the salaryman proudly opened the bag.

“It turned out better than I expected.”

“!”

“What do you think? Do you like it?”

Halo stroked it silently before finally nodding.

It was December 28th.

A preview of the original musical ‘Rock’ was being held in Jamsil. L Theater was busy inside and out. Inside, the audience kept calling for an encore, the musical ticket staff were constantly receiving calls, and the on-site ticket staff were surrounded by people who had seen the preview.

The glistening eyes, revealing the excitement of the musical, were fixed on him, making him feel like he was in a horror movie.

But this also meant that the musical was on the road to success.

The musical’s outcome didn’t matter to the part-timer, but as a musical enthusiast – that’s why he was working at L Theater – it was different.

He fidgeted, thinking of the ticket he had hidden in the safest place. He was dying to know the reviews. If he wasn’t working, he would have grabbed his phone right away.

Time passed, and December 31st approached. The first official performance date of ‘Rock’ was coming.

L Theater was crowded from the afternoon with people who had won the ticket lottery and those looking for same-day cancellations. There were also people looking for merchandise in advance.

“Don’t you have a music box here?”

“Huh? What?”

“No, never mind…”

Looking at the pamphlet, some people were trying to find out which numbers Shin Joo-hyuk and Noh Hae-il had participated in.

“It’s not written here?”

“It’s not written? Really. How unfriendly.”

“Still, wouldn’t you roughly know when you hear the song? Noh Hae-il and Shin Joo-hyuk both have distinct styles.”

Critics who hadn’t come to the preview also appeared one by one as the performance time approached.

As the audience began to enter, a man sitting in the second row of the VIP seats, with a pounding heart, looked at the stage without thinking and was startled.

It wasn’t that someone had come on stage; it was because the family sitting in the first row caught his eye.

In fact, he didn’t know who the middle-aged couple was.

He just thought, like a musical enthusiast, that the middle-aged man was tall and wouldn’t be good to sit behind, and the woman with a beautiful appearance was talking to her son sitting next to her.

The middle-aged couple were just a friendly couple and nothing strange. Except that the person sitting next to them wasn’t ordinary.

“Are you really not going to tell me what song it is?”

“No. It wouldn’t be fun if I told you in advance.”

“Okay, look forward to it. Mom can tell who’s song it is just by listening to the accompaniment.”

‘Mom? Ah, she was his mom! No wonder they looked alike.’

The boy and the woman, wearing masks, had quite similar faces that you could tell just by looking at their eyes.

‘Wow, Noh Hae-il came with his parents. I wonder if I can ask for an autograph.’

It looked like private time, so he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

And it was the same for others.

The woman sitting next to him was staring intently at Noh Hae-il’s profile with burning eyes.

She was mouthing words as if she wanted to talk to him. Her last bit of conscience held her back. Then, when their eyes met, the woman looked embarrassed.

‘Maybe?’

‘Yes.’

‘It wouldn’t be okay to talk to him now, would it?’

‘Probably.’

‘Um, but did you come alone?’

And he wasn’t the only one thinking this. The whispers of ‘It’s Noh Hae-il!’ caused the eyes of the people sitting in the audience to focus.

Someone decided to go get an autograph after the musical.

Soon, the lights in the audience went out along with the broadcast.

Until then, their brains were filled with anticipation and anxiety about the musical’s premiere, and interest in Noh Hae-il.

It didn’t take long for Jung-woo and his song, his life, to erase their 잡념 [japnyum – idle thoughts] and replace all their thoughts.

The musical ‘Rock’ is the story of college student Jung-woo and his friends who lived in the 1960s and 70s, and the ‘Red Dragonfly’ band born in the infancy of rock.

Jung-woo, a student at Korea University, is not poor, but as the only son of a tight-knit family, he values the peace and security of him and his family the most, no matter how his classmates live.

Of course, he also has a flame.

A desire to create a better world with friends.

But Jung-woo’s life is more important to him, and he doesn’t do anything that would endanger his life, and he doesn’t take his friends’ hands.

Then one day, Jung-woo, after drinking with his friends, goes to a club and encounters a rock band for the first time. In fact, the band’s music was just an imitation of a famous band across the sea, but the passion of rock was clearly conveyed to him.

He tries not to think about it, but he can’t help but think about it.

He sings in an empty classroom and meets his first love, Hye-rim.

Hye-rim, who lives her life passionately, forms a rock band with him, his childhood friend Min-seop, and her uncle Soo-il.

“The Beatles mean beetles. Let’s make a name like that too.”

“What, cockroach?”

“Do you want to die?”

While thinking about what Korean and everyday name would be good, a dragonfly sits on the window.

“How about Red Dragonfly?”

“!”

It was definitely a welcome reaction. Of course, Min-seop, who likes Hye-rim, grumbled.

“Long-lived dragonfly is better than red dragonfly. It lives longer and is stronger.”

“Um, I still think red dragonfly is more Korean and sticks to the tongue. Uncle?”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Uncle also agrees. Min-seop, what about you?”

“Whatever you like.”

That’s how the name ‘Red Dragonfly’ was created.

The band, consisting of three college students and one unemployed person, is full of fights and laughter. They quickly reconcile even after fighting and become so close that they openly admit to liking Hye-rim. And when they really become like a band, they show their first performance.

The first and last performance of the ‘Red Dragonfly’ band, which was full of mistakes but really fun.

‘Happily ever after’ The ending of living happily ever after does not seem to exist in reality. Soo-il – Hye-rim’s uncle and drummer – is arrested for social activism, and Hye-rim’s family is also not safe. Min-seop tells him to abandon Soo-il to save Hye-rim.

In the end, the ‘Red Dragonfly’ band crashes like a dragonfly hit by tear gas.

Hye-rim’s family is missing, and Min-seop is confined to his home.

In this rapidly changing situation.

Jung-woo, who valued his and his family’s safety the most, realized what he had to do only after losing everything.

And that day came.

The people move forward.

In it was Jung-woo with a guitar.

He encouraged and participated in the people by singing the song of the people.

A shield like a huge wall pushes in.

The people are helplessly pushed against the wall.

Dry ice spreads on the stage like tear gas, and red velvet cloth scatters like blood.

Everyone knew it was a terrible situation.

[Our song calls for wind and rain]

But even in that situation, Jung-woo continued to sing.

[The blood and tears that wet this land]

[Will bloom into flowers of hope]

Above the flowers of groans and despair

The song of youth that will soon come.

Eventually, they will overcome it.

[The flag we planted will welcome a new day]

Someone covered his mouth and was sucked into Jung-woo’s passionate performance.

He can’t take his eyes off it.

The last of youth risking death and jumping into the flames.

The song reaches its climax.

[Look, that dazzling dawn]

Jung-woo sang an aria of joy, cowering as if he was being beaten.

Our life

Our home

Our name

Jung-woo remembered the friends he had lost and smiled brightly, shedding tears.

All of these-!

[Will come back-!]

The last flame is completed,

Jung-woo finally falls to the ground, and the stage closes.

The moment the stage lights went out, huge applause, screams, sobs, and joy rushed in like a wave.

Someone held back tears and groans that he had been holding back for fear of ruining the stage, and someone seemed to want to express the emotion somehow.

“It turned out well.”

Halo, who saw the stage from the audience for the first time in a long time, not waiting on the stage or behind the stage, admired it 담백하게 [dambaekhage – plainly/simply] as one of the audience. He expressed the greatest respect he could, saying that he could now go on a trip.

Park Hyuk finally completed his song.

The song, completed with ‘Park Hyuk’s interpretation and the composer’s feedback, was more satisfying than he had imagined.

It seemed like Jung-woo, who lived in that era, really existed.

And he wouldn’t be able to accept it if it wasn’t Jung-woo like that.

Of course, what he heard was ‘Rock’ starring Park Hyuk, so he doesn’t know what the other double lead version will be like.

But he didn’t plan to see it twice. He practiced together, so wouldn’t it be similar?

If there are performances even after returning from the trip, he might see it again, but he knows that the planned performance period is until March. He didn’t even know if he would be in Korea at that time.

His mother, who had been holding a handkerchief and tearing up since the intermission of the musical, was burying her face in the handkerchief. She wasn’t sobbing, but tears kept flowing. She didn’t know if she was crying because of mourning for Jung-woo, respect for Jung-woo’s courage, or the joy and emotion in Jung-woo’s song, but one thing was certain.

The lingering feeling was intense, and she wanted to see this musical alone several times.

“It’s really good.”

Continuous curtain calls.

The fact that the curtain call is continuing, not just once or twice, means that the audience’s response is good. Also, it may be because the actors have not been able to escape the lingering feeling of the stage.

They both don’t want to end it. This stage.

When the curtain call ended, his mother asked quietly.

“The last number, is that your song?”

“That’s right.”

“I thought so. It was too confusing with Jung-woo’s number.”

“That’s mine too.”

“!”

His mother’s eyes widened.

She wasn’t confused. She had accurately guessed her son’s song.

His mother, who had been enjoying the lingering feeling for a while, suddenly looked back at her son, who had gotten up from his seat.

Halo had a satisfied expression after having a delicious meal. It was also the face of someone who was leaving after solving all the tasks.

“Where are you going? …Are you leaving now?”

Halo smiled at his parents.

#

The members remembered when they returned from LA.

How many reporters were 깔렸던 [kkallyeotdeon – swarming] at the airport.

They were trying to proceed with discreet and quick procedures at the premium check-in counter, but the employee who received Noh Hae-il’s passport’s eyes lit up, and he contacted someone.

“Please come this way.”

And people who looked like they were in high positions came running and started grabbing their carriers and moving somewhere instead of them.

The members, who were embarrassed by the different process from when they went to LA, thought it could be because the flights were different, but they were terrified as they went deeper and deeper into the airport.

“Where are we going now?”

“It’s not a kidnapping, is it?”

“Kidnapping at Incheon Airport? Aren’t they guiding us to the lounge?”

Han Jin-young’s guess was also wrong.

Because the place they were guided to was not the premium lounge, but the boarding gate. The members 설마설마 [seolmaseolma – thinking ‘no way, no way’] when they got into a car at the boarding gate, which they would hardly ever come out of because it was connected to the plane by a tube.

And what they were guided to was a small plane.

No, to be exact, it was a private plane.

“President, did you also buy a private plane?”

Seo Moon-yeon was horrified, knowing that Halo spends money like water, but buying a private plane was too much.

“Unfortunately, not yet.”

He doesn’t remember buying a private plane yet.

But Halo seemed to know who would do this. Someone who could prepare a plane with his passport without even telling him when he was leaving.

“I hope you have a comfortable trip.”

A private plane with airport staff guiding them directly.

The members, who were ordinary people, were very nervous when a foreign pilot and crew came out and greeted them in the luxurious interior.

Halo leaned back in his seat and put down the guitar case he had been carrying until now. ‘Per Aspera’s guitar case, which he gave as a birthday present, had elegant curves, and above all, the gold-framed butterfly embroidered on the black background was impressive.

However, the real thing is inside this.

Halo put the guitar case on the remaining seat and leaned back on the cushion. There was no long boarding process.

It took less than thirty minutes from check-in to take-off.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Do you have soju [Korean distilled spirit]?”

“…We have wine and champagne prepared.”

Halo turned around.

The flight attendant, whose eyes met his, smiled kindly.

“Would you like a glass?”

The owner of this private plane is British.

The plane is already crossing the continent.

Under British regulations, those over the age of 16 can have alcohol when accompanied by an adult. Even if it is not possible to purchase alcohol, what is on this private plane is already a purchased product.

Halo, who had just turned 16, said.

“Give me a glass.”

“Oh, President!” Before the member could stop him, he was already savoring the flavor of the wine.

The sky is quiet and peaceful at the time of take-off.

The earth was not.

It’s like only the eye of the storm is calm.

Like a gift to those who expected HALO in December. HALO’s 11th album is uploaded to the digital streaming platform.

[New Releases]

HALO 11th Album – Catch me if you can