The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1841

< 184. Conman or What >

“Looking at your face, I think we could have added a few more concert dates.”

“It’s not too late to add them, you know.”

When Halo spoke as if asking for more dates, August Veil chuckled.

However, he didn’t agree.

“Are schedules that easy to arrange? It’s not like I can just set them as I please. And are you sure you’re not overdoing it?”

“I only perform once a week, what’s the big deal.”

*Would* a five-year-old’s concert be like this?

It’s a very relaxed schedule for a teenager who could chew iron [an expression meaning someone with immense energy and resilience].

Despite Halo’s words, August Veil calmly checked on the boy’s health.

The boy, perhaps because he was back in his hometown, looked much better, with no signs of illness.

He was surprised to hear that he had caught a cold before.

If the cold had lasted a little longer or been a little more severe, they would have delayed the tour, even if it meant incurring huge losses.

August Veil, who had been worried about the boy’s health and tried to squeeze into the tour schedule, was finally able to visit after finishing all his work during Halo’s final concert rehearsal.

Thanks to Halo, the market value of Veil (VEIL), which had been his hobby, expanded.

Having signed contracts with many singers, his responsibilities naturally increased.

He wanted to drop everything and go, but how could he turn away the singers who had requested meetings with him?

It remains unchanged that his most cherished and beloved singer is Halo.

But at the same time, he liked the singers who worked hard while doing their own music.

That’s how his relationship with Halo started.

As he had done in the past, he would help them maintain their lives.

Now, and in the future, without change.

“Oh, and I have some good news. About your album.”

The contract with the CD pressing company had been made a long time ago.

The news he was delivering was that they were producing a physical album.

The time was January 2033. Halo thought the timing was perfect.

Just as the 83rd Halo [referring to a previous iteration or version of Halo, possibly a rival or earlier persona] had provoked him, he was planning to release an album on the same day,

and his relationship with the physical album production company was good.

“Perhaps, we might need to add more orders.”

*I’m* sorry that the production of the physical album was delayed.

Veil stopped thinking, about to say that.

His mouth slowly closed, and his eyes slowly widened.

“Does that mean…?”

Instead of repeating the answer, Halo smiled.

That seemed to be enough.

August Veil, before being the CEO of Veil, was excited as Halo’s first fan.

“I haven’t finished composing yet, but I want to release it in March. I didn’t suddenly increase your workload, did I?”

The boy asked, even though he knew August Veil’s answer.

As expected, August Veil’s answer was predetermined.

“Originally, a busy company is a blessed company! Even if you give me the music a day before, it won’t be a problem, so do as you wish. How can Veil block the sun [an idiom meaning to obstruct or overshadow something powerful]?”

“You blocked it well for a year, though.”

“I blocked it?”

“I wanted to be hidden.”

Even Halo knew that was impossible.

But he was grateful just for the words. Halo exchanged meaningless banter and checked the microphone again.

“Mr. Halo, please prepare for the rehearsal!”

The Seoul Arena rehearsal would begin soon.

Veil, who had cleared all his schedules, said he would attend both the rehearsal and the concert.

During that time, he was wearing Halo’s watch.

Not as blatant as with Scorpion Reel, but half-hidden and half-exposed under his suit sleeve. Enough to be caught by paparazzi.

*I* don’t know how he managed to suppress the urge to show it off until now.

“Fighting today, too!” [a Korean expression of encouragement, like “Good luck!”]

Halo thought as he bumped fists with the members.

A record label president who cleared his busy schedule to see his concert – even though it wasn’t an exclusive contract. Before that, they traveled together and even threw a birthday party for him.

When they first signed the contract, it was just a distributor president and a singer.

What would you call it now?

A manager and a singer? No, something more intimate than that.

A mentor or a sponsor? Or a friend?

Halo, after pondering, simply decided they were good business partners. A good CEO.

He smiled back at Veil, who was watching his rehearsal with a pleased expression, and vaguely imagined.

What if this person had been the first record label president he had met.

#

“Hmm.”

He came again today.

‘The Boy’ spotted the pomade-haired man who had been visiting him every day for the past few days again.

He appeared around the same time every day and watched him for a long time.

It didn’t bother him much.

He wasn’t interfering with his music, and it wasn’t like he would wear out from being seen a few times.

As long as he didn’t meddle with unnecessary nosiness, like finding his parents or calling the police.

“Hello.”

Even greetings were fine.

It wasn’t like no one had ever spoken to him while watching his busking.

The boy nodded and played the guitar.

As time passed, his guitar started to have more strings or make more creaking noises.

It was time for tuning.

But the boy had no money to tune it, nor anyone to do it for him.

He just wondered how he could make these strange sounds beautiful, and he played the guitar in ways his brothers hadn’t taught him.

Lately, he felt like even that was ruining the guitar, so he was touching it gently.

While playing his song, which he hadn’t yet titled.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

He was wearing a suit, but seeing him come when the sun was high in the sky, he must be unemployed.

The businessman bought a sandwich and handed it to him, as if he had no intention of getting a job again.

The boy, who didn’t usually eat what others gave him, only took it and put it next to him.

His wariness was evident, but the businessman didn’t seem to care.

“How long have you been playing music?”

“Aren’t you going to fix the guitar?”

“Do you have a place to stay?”

He just maintained a proper distance and spoke.

He mostly ignored him, but the businessman was persistent.

Eventually, the businessman, who came again on a weekday, suddenly sat down in front of the boy this time.

Not caring that dirt was getting on his luxurious suit.

And finally revealed his true colors.

“But are you going to keep living like this?”

When wandering the streets, you’re bound to encounter strange people.

Beyond drug addicts and alcoholics, even criminals. Especially among them, there were many con men who only looked decent.

“If you want, you can live in a better environment.”

“Get lost.”

As if he knew he looked like a con man, the businessman hurriedly took out a business card.

Cambridge University graduate. And a list of impressive credentials.

Last written was, First Records.

“You can check it yourself if you doubt it.”

Remembering that his brothers had been scammed by a record label, the boy put the business card in his pocket, promising to check it later. Even then, the businessman was smiling suspiciously.

He decided to check later.

The boy recalled the man’s credentials.

Record.

If that was real, there was something he wanted to ask.

“How has it been so far?”

“Huh?”

“My music, I mean.”

When the man was puzzled by the abrupt question, the boy thought he was clearly pretending not to know.

“You’re a businessman, right? Do you think my music will make money in your opinion?”

That must be the purpose of giving him the business card.

The boy wasn’t going to sign with the man, but he wanted to hear that it would make money.

He also liked the flattering words that people would like it and be loved.

But the man didn’t give him the answer he wanted.

“I don’t know.”

“!”

“How would I know if an album hasn’t even come out yet, unless I’m a god.”

“Can’t a businessman still predict it?”

“Businessmen speak through results.”

The boy’s expression gradually turned sour.

“And you know what? I really don’t know anything about music. I don’t even like listening to music. Even if I listen, I don’t know what’s good. But I know that what sells well is good music.”

A record label president who doesn’t like music.

The boy was shocked, and the man scoffed.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen a record label president who hates music? How many people do you think become record label presidents because they like music? How many people in the world do you think do what they like?”

As if he thought of him as a naive kid.

“Originally, business is done because it makes money.”

The boy had never seen a record label president before, so he couldn’t argue.

Was his father like that too? He didn’t know because he had never talked about business.

Still, rebuttals welled up inside.

You can do business even if you don’t like it?

You do what you don’t want to do because it makes money?

The boy didn’t like it, no matter how much they gave him.

But on the other hand, he admitted it.

Maybe he thought like this because he wasn’t an adult.

“Then why did you talk to me? You con man.”

“No, I’m not a con man, I’m telling you?”

The businessman, who had seen ‘the boy’ as a child, was genuinely wronged.

He clearly hated being called a con man, if nothing else.

“And the reason I talked to you is obviously because it’ll make money.”

“···You just said it wasn’t.”

“Not your music. It doesn’t matter what happens to that. I’m not interested. What I’m talking about is, ‘you’. Now that it’s come to this, why don’t you get rid of that shaggy bangs?”

The boy didn’t grant the man’s request.

The businessman shrugged as if he didn’t expect the boy to do it.

“Don’t you want to be famous? It’s not just me who comes to see you, but countless people come to see you. You just have to wear fancy clothes in front of them and wave your hand a little. Then a rain of money will fall in front of you, and you’ll live in a huge mansion every day, wearing new clothes and doing only what you want to do. How about it?”

The businessman’s eyes gleamed greedily.

As if he thought the boy would be tempted.

When there was nothing the boy wanted in it.

“···I don’t need it. I’m just going to make music.”

The businessman scoffed at those words.

“Kid, you can do that anytime. But not just anyone can become a star. Just do as I tell you. I’ll make you a star. Then you can make music. Even if you sing like trash, people will like it. There’s a saying that you should become famous first.”

‘Trash’.

The boy, who had never thought of his music that way, glared at the businessman.

But that entered the businessman’s aesthetic eye.

The businessman really liked the boy’s appearance.

A child actor in a sitcom or drama.

No, even if you brought the childhood of an actor who is currently called the most handsome man in the world, it wouldn’t be as good as this boy.

He had never seen such an appearance in his life.

Was Romeo, who made Juliet fall in love at first sight and even play with fire, like this?

Or was Adonis, whom three goddesses fell in love with in mythology, like this?

The shaggy and grimy appearance was not a flaw.

Rather, it was an atmosphere that would appeal to women in their teens and twenties.

A rebellious person with a story. Where would you find such a perfect classic?

Anyone could see that the boy was destined to be a star.

The businessman who discovered the uncut gem felt like he would go crazy in case someone stole the jewel.

But the more he did, the more patient the businessman became.

The businessman gradually unfolded his plans to the boy.

The businessman had no intention of being satisfied with a slightly known record label or a slightly known singer. He wanted the best in the world, and there was something more certain than incomprehensible music right in front of him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He wasn’t even pretending to listen.

Yeah, he’s a kid wandering around on the street.

It’s natural for him to be stupid and arrogant.

This can be gradually corrected later.

Thinking that he was just living up to his face, the businessman smiled like a con man.

“You just need to know that I’m an adult who knows much more about business than you. I mean, we’ll be good partners.”

“You just seem like a con man.”

He heard the word con man a whopping three times in one day.

From this little brat. Just when the angered businessman was about to finally show his temper, the boy’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“And you’re wrong about one thing.”

Brighter than anything.

It was as if all the lights in the world were shining on the boy.

The businessman forgot his anger and blankly looked at the boy.

“I’m not going to make music because I’m famous, I’m going to become famous *with* my music.”

His confident appearance, even though he had nothing, didn’t seem arrogant.

It just seemed natural.

Anyone who heard these words would nod loyally and praise everything about the boy.

Clang, clang.

The boy’s value increased in the businessman’s mind.

The businessman wanted to make the boy a star no matter what.