The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1701

< Episode 170: Second Birthday >

“Ha, seriously…”

It was the day of Halo’s concert at Nanji Park in Seoul.

A worker, who had once been a fan of Nohaeil and then became a fan of Halo, looked up at the sky.

The ominous feeling since waking up probably stemmed from the unusually damp blanket and humid air.

Also, the rhythmic sound hitting the roof.

The sound was so loud that she immediately knew it was raining.

Quickly, she checked her messages.

She breathed a sigh of relief, confirming that there were no messages about the 5 PM concert being delayed or canceled.

Since it was an outdoor performance, she thought anything could happen, but thankfully, there were no such messages.

“Right, it can rain a bit.”

She steeled her resolve and sent ‘ㄱㄱ’ [an abbreviation for ‘go go,’ indicating enthusiasm to proceed] in the group chat.

Then, people started to cheer each other on and proceed with their plans.

As the previous birthday event at Korea University was a bit disappointing, they wanted to put on an event this time without any mistakes or accidents. The only thing she was worried about was the concert being canceled.

Whether it was a blizzard, heavy rain, thunder, or even the end of the world(?), the event would proceed without any problems.

And what was essential for such an event was, of course, candles.

Having prepared LED candles in advance, she wore a satisfied smile.

Although it lacked the romance of real candles, the light of LED candles would not go out in any situation.

As soon as she woke up, she headed to Nanji Park, thirty minutes away, and even at this early hour, a crowd had gathered. Whether it was thousands or tens of thousands, it was quite a spectacle to see families, lovers, and friends gathered regardless of race, gender, or religion.

Of course, this was because she was looking forward to Halo’s concert; a third party might have thought it was a protest. There were many people there who seemed ominous just by their presence, and people who were so sensitive that they would explode if you touched them.

Already, harsh words were being exchanged in one corner.

“How dare you throw trash at his concert venue?!”

“Wh-who are you?”

“Love earth, OK?”

“Ye, yes, sorry.”

When foreigners, who looked like they wouldn’t love the earth the most, pointed at the trash, a Korean family who had just come to visit quickly picked up the trash.

The foreigners, satisfied with their changed appearance, scattered on their own.

She thought the day when world peace would come was not far away.

She nonchalantly looked at them and hurried to the tent she had secured.

Next to the entrance booth, there was a tent that had been requested in advance: [Do We Look Like Suckers to You?].

“Everyone, fighting!”

The members of the fan cafe who had succeeded in ticketing nodded with determined faces and began handing out LED candles to those who were lining up with permission.

People who knew what day it was took them on their own.

While handing them out, she ran into the foreigners from before.

Although they were so fierce before, when she handed them LED candles, they widened their eyes and stroked the LED candles with the expression of looking at a lost kitten.

“Oh, so cute.”

“Thank you.”

“Kamsahamnida [Thank you in Korean].”

They sang in unison with both hands or bent over 90 degrees in a Korean-style greeting.

If she hadn’t seen that scene earlier, she might have thought they were very polite.

Soon, admission began.

There were no metal detectors like in foreign countries, but there was luggage inspection, and if you obediently received the inspection, you were given goods as a ‘You did a good job’ award.

She already knew the list of goods.

Even though she knew, she couldn’t help but tremble.

She was startled to find that the distribution of goods was not over yet, checking each of the goods to make sure nothing was missing.

“And please take this too.”

“! There’s more goods?”

“It’s not goods.”

The staff calmly gave out items wrapped in plastic.

It wasn’t actually goods.

Because what the staff gave in handfuls were hot packs and raincoats.

She looked at it for a moment, then looked at the rainy weather and realized.

That this was something her singer had prepared himself for the rainy day.

“Ah, Haeil, seriously… How am I supposed to wear this?”

Her heart ached.

Nohaeil was usually not like this, but he was sometimes so sweet.

She entered the concert hall and carefully unwrapped the package.

She would never have unwrapped it if it were goods, but the raincoat he had urgently bought would have been bought at a convenience store or supermarket.

In reality, the quality was like that.

However, there was one thing she missed.

“Wait a minute, there’s printing?”

That is, the power of money.

Even if you can’t print tens of thousands of new raincoats within a week, you can make printing possible.

The back of the opaque raincoat had a crescent moon pattern printed on it.

That was Nohaeil’s mark on the fan club cheering stick.

“No, wait a minute. I really can’t wear this?”

She hurriedly put the raincoat back in.

With this one mark, the ordinary raincoat became a limited edition item.

The staff said it wasn’t goods, but it was goods.

Just the fact that Nohaeil gave it to her made it too precious to use, so how could she wear it with the crescent moon mark on it?

She carefully put the raincoat back in the package so it wouldn’t get wet, and then put it in her bag.

It was putting the cart before the horse.

The office worker, who decided to be satisfied with just using it as a windbreaker, stood in front of the stage.

The Nanji concert hall and the protruding stage connected to the main stage.

Although the Nanji concert hall was made of steel, if the structure had a ceiling, the protruding stage without a ceiling was exposed as it was. Therefore, it was wet from the rain that had been falling since dawn.

It was a relief that water didn’t collect, but Halo probably wouldn’t be able to come out to this point.

She was disappointed that she was right in front of the protruding stage, but she still liked it.

“Then, we’ll have fun today too.”

Because their boy on stage always shone as always.

She and the audience thought.

We’ll do all the hard work getting wet, and a pretty event is prepared, so.

Please stand there and sing warmly and safely.

Until then, they never thought that Halo would jump out from under the ceiling.

#

For some reason, he greeted them first today, and after a short opening greeting, he went straight to the stage.

As it was the day, the place he chose was the 12th album Life is delight.

People screamed at the exciting disco pop melody that didn’t care about the weather.

Halo smiled faintly and opened his mouth.

“Ladies and gentleman.”

Unlike the lyrics that would suit a suit, it’s funny that he’s wearing casual clothes, a raincoat, and a cap backwards.

“I keep a promise. The music should get on tonight.”

The drums and bass fell in time with the beat, creating a rhythm.

Many people were wearing the same raincoat as him.

It felt like everyone was wearing matching clothes.

Seeing them wearing that, the hot packs must have been delivered safely.

Still, it must be cold.

It’s not cold for November, but it’s late autumn rain.

Even if you’re wearing a raincoat, you’re still exposed to the rain, so your body temperature will inevitably drop.

‘I wish the rain would stop now.’

While the sun was slowly setting, the autumn rain showed no sign of stopping.

‘I can’t help it. I can’t make the rain stop.’

He no longer expected the weather.

He is not the type to obsess over the impossible.

That doesn’t mean he gave up.

He is the type to find what he can do and do what he wants.

Therefore, what he wants to do now is.

Being with these people.

Halo, who sang three songs in a row, slowly moved forward as the melody of the fourth song was heard.

They were startled behind him, but couldn’t stop him.

The people in the audience were agitated, but they couldn’t stop him either.

Even the members wouldn’t be sure whether this was an intended route or a sudden action.

Because-.

A fast tempo and intense sound.

The bass with prominent syncopation [a rhythmic effect that emphasizes off-beat notes].

The following accompaniment was from the 6th album Dancing in the rain.

The music that goes best with rain.

“I can hear a song from somewhere”

Raindrops fall on the cap and raincoat.

Also, the hands exposed to the air recognized the coldness.

He got wet quickly, but his steps walking out onto the protruding stage became more and more cheerful.

So much so that you wouldn’t think this was an unplanned route.

Halo walked out and slowly turned around while getting rained on.

Like the main character of this song who was led by the song.

And he reached out to the side of the stage and touched the hands that were extended to him.

It was cold.

It was obvious, but it felt new.

Halo looked straight ahead.

He gave them raincoats and hot packs so they wouldn’t be cold, but under the stage, a student was singing along to his song while being rained on.

He impulsively moved forward, and then-.

“Uh…!”

“No…”

It happened in an instant.

Halo, who came forward, took off his cap, shook it once, and put it on the student in front of him.

And Halo looked around at the audience while being rained on.

The song continued as if nothing had happened, still with his unique languid face.

Tonight

Dancing into the rain

Halo smiled brightly at the student who was frozen in surprise.

By the time the song was over, he was completely soaked like the audience.

He wasn’t as fluffy as before.

The rain-soaked hair stuck to his forehead and was annoying, but he was more satisfied with this.

Meanwhile, the gazes looking at him are sharp.

They didn’t say anything because it was a performance, but the members were staring at him hotly.

And that was the same with the audience.

Before the audience focused on his health rather than the stage, Halo opened his mouth first.

“Did everyone have fun?”

He quite liked questions with predetermined answers.

An obvious answer is heard.

Halo smiled and put on his raincoat hood before people started to worry.

He was already all wet, but what does it matter when everyone is wet?

“Let’s go to the next song right away.”

Tada.

People screamed before the piano prelude continued for 2 seconds.

The following song was so famous that everyone knew it.

It was a song that was barely sung at the encore at the previous concert.

“I am HALO.”

However, it was a song that Halo put some thought into.

What should I say? A sense of debt.

Or should I say it was the order he had left out?

Halo, who had been loved as Nohaeil in Korea for a year, felt guilty that he had not revealed to them first that he was Halo.

It’s too late now.

It’s a greeting I wanted to give to Korea, a greeting I had to give.

Hello, my name is Halo.

He chose the song with that meaning.

It wasn’t that this song had no meaning to Korean fans.

Rather, it contained more meaning.

Sorry for not recognizing him sooner, even though they said they were fans and liked his songs.

This song, mixed with affection and excitement, was a song that his fans had been waiting for, and it was enough to be a ‘signal’.

I don’t know what song he will sing, so there are many songs prepared.

Everyone knew what to do without preparing this song in advance.

‘Now is the time!’

Halo discovered that light was being created in the audience, which had been dyed in darkness, at the same time as he brought the microphone to his mouth.

It was a very weak light.

But the lights bloomed one by one and began to spread.

Halo unknowingly missed the lyrics.

However, people did not know that he had missed the lyrics.

Because their voices became his voice and spread out.

Like at Coachella back then.

It was calmer than then, but there was a slightly deeper undulation.

Soon, lights became a tide and rushed into the dark darkness.

“No matter who I am.”

The lyrics that have now become the cheering method for ‘I AM HALO’ followed.

“No matter who you are.”

“No matter what you look like.”

“We will call you glory.”

Halo discovered a park full of light.

The lights scattering in the light were like fireflies or the Milky Way.

It was also the scenery he wanted to see the most.

When the song was over, Halo smiled helplessly as he watched the candles prepared by the fans create 17.

‘It’s okay if you don’t congratulate me like this.’

He thought it was okay, but he was congratulated again.

He was surprised again like last time. He continued to be surprised and happy like this, so he unknowingly looked forward to his next birthday.

“Really-.”

Thank you. It was when he was trying to calm his mind and say his comments.

Halo thought this event was over, but this was just the beginning.

“Haeil-ah!”

“Halo!”

“!”

People called his name.

“It’s over there!”

“Look over there! Haeil-ah!”

Then they pointed somewhere.

He slowly turned his head and soon saw it.

“Ah…”

The Han River could be seen at a glance from the center of the protruding stage.

And-.

There was a cruise full of beautiful lights on it.

It was a large cruise, and it was full of people.

They waved their hands and shook something.

They couldn’t be seen, but they could see the large letters HAPPY BIRTHDAY attached to the cruise.

If he hadn’t walked out onto the protruding stage,

If he hadn’t tried to be with the people, the emotion that he wouldn’t have been able to see because it was covered by steel was there.

“…”

His throat was blocked by something, and his voice didn’t come out.

Fortunately, it wasn’t noticeable.

Because it was soon buried in a loud noise.

Fireworks exploded brightly over the Han River.

These were fireworks led by Veil and the organizers, and fireworks were also set off sequentially from the cruise prepared by the fans.

The fireworks scattered in the faint rain were more dazzling today.

In addition, the birthday song continued.

Even if the lyrics were different, the foreigners sang in their own language and the Koreans sang in Korean with the same melody.

The lyrics were mixed up and jumbled up, but it didn’t matter.

Because the name that would be called at the end was the same.

The stage lights brighten, illuminating the boy.

The boy, who was blankly watching the cruise and the event prepared by the fans,

He really thought he was happy.

The raindrops that had formed on the ends of his hair ran down his cheeks and fell to the floor.

Halo smiled brightly and turned to the audience.

He hoped people wouldn’t be cold,

But it was he who was no longer cold.