The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 1951

< The Last Interview - Episode 195 >

Though the sessions changed frequently, the manager had been the same person for a long time. One of the few who knew the young man’s circumstances well, and the one who helped corner the president the most.

A rare moral character in this industry. A bit of a stickler, but the young man liked James in his own way. He was definitely someone within his close circle.

James, who worked hard under an unpleasant boss to send his fox-like children to good universities, might not believe it much.

The reason he didn’t grab James by the collar right then and there was because he trusted him.

But that didn’t mean he was going to do it.

The young man was about to refuse.

If James hadn’t spoken first.

“Your parents contacted you. They said they miss you.”

“…”

“And they’re sorry.”

The young man scoffed.

It was the first contact in exactly ten years and a few more.

“I know you’re upset, and you might think it’s very late, but the former president might have blocked the contact.”

“…”

“And Halo, they’re family. Are you going to keep living like this?”

James, who hadn’t been married long, knelt in front of him and took his hand. James, who was only a few years older, looked very mature at that moment. On the other hand, he looked like a sixteen-year-old boy in his eyes.

“‘Eddie’ would want you to come home too.”

The young man flinched.

After Eddie’s death, ‘Eddie’ and his brothers’ names became taboo. No one mentioned them to him. James, who knew all the circumstances, was the same.

So this was the first time.

That he brought up ‘Eddie’.

“Let’s go home, Halo.”

It was a very appropriate method.

The moment he was about to refuse, he heard ‘them’ voices.

-Still, go home, kid.

-Aren’t you running away from home already?

-You’ll be working for the rest of your life, now is the time to get pocket money from your parents one more time. You look like a young master from a well-off family, you have to endure for the future.

-Then how can we meet?

-….

The memories worn down by time ended with the voice of a ‘boy’.

The young man stood in front of the mansion in his old memories.

When he was young, it was a huge mansion like a monster trying to eat him.

But now that he came, it was an ordinary English mansion.

A bit cramped for a family of five to live in-.

The manager knocked on the door, and the door slowly opened.

His heart pounded as he followed.

The middle-aged woman who came out to open the door was old and thin, but he could recognize who she was.

“Halo? Oh my god, Halo!”

Because she ran out to see him.

He thought there would be a shouting match if he went back.

But it was more peaceful and gentle than he thought.

He sat in the seat of honor where his father used to sit, his mother and father on the left sofa, his brother and sister and their families on the right sofa. His brother’s son was running around with a toy, and his sister’s daughter was nestled in her mother’s arms.

It was like a picture-perfect family.

However, it was also awkward due to the lack of conversation over the years.

“Have you been well?”

“Mother, why are you asking such a thing? He’s in the newspaper every day.”

“That’s right, the world is buzzing about who he resembles every day.”

They asked and answered themselves.

The young man quietly watched the scene and opened his mouth.

“Nothing’s changed from the old days.”

It wasn’t a particularly meaningful thing to say, but his mother suddenly started to shed tears.

One drop, two drops. Soon tears poured like a monsoon.

Then she gasped and uttered a word.

“Halo, Mom is sorry.”

“I regretted it so much. Watching your articles, I worried every day about whether I should go find you, whether I was qualified to find you. I was worried about whether you, who don’t eat much, were eating well. You didn’t eat rice without meat.”

Before he knew it, she was sobbing, hitting the knee of his father, who was sitting silently next to her.

“What are you doing? Are you going to keep your mouth shut?”

At that moment, his father jumped up and slowly knelt down.

In front of him.

“!”

Even as his brother and sister got up in shock, his father opened his mouth with his head bowed.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have treated you like that.”

“…”

“I wasn’t really trying to hit you back then, I was just trying to scold you. Back then, I didn’t know you had such talent… I have nothing to say. I’m sorry.”

When the young man didn’t answer, his father poured out all his apologies as if confessing.

“It wasn’t sincere when I said, ‘He’s not my child, so take care of him yourself.’ I was so angry back then….”

What should I say.

He didn’t feel anything special.

Watching his sobbing parents and siblings who seemed to be sincerely apologizing, he couldn’t think of anything.

He wasn’t angry, he wasn’t sad. It just felt like watching a silent movie.

At that time, the young man tilted his head at a word he heard.

“You said, ‘He’s not my child, so take care of him yourself’?”

It was the first time he had heard that.

His father raised his head sharply.

He didn’t know he wouldn’t know, he moved his lips and lowered his head again because he had nothing to say.

He said such a thing.

Did he say it to the president?

At that time, what the young man felt was not upset.

It was an old thing, so there was nothing to be hurt about.

However, he just thought it was unexpected.

The president never said such a thing to him, and he didn’t even tell him that such a thing had happened until the end.

-You were my son, and I was your father. It was all for you.

He just thought it was nonsense back then.

Did he really think of him as his father?

Laughter leaked out.

At some point, the young man was laughing ha ha ha.

“Halo, do you know how much my friends like you?”

“I’m so proud of you. How could someone like you be born into our family? Because Mom and Dad have no musical talent at all, and we don’t have such talent either.”

“And appearance too.”

After a long time of apology, his brother and sister blushed and listed what they wanted to say. The young man just nodded, but that seemed to be enough for them.

“We’re going to be good brothers again, right?”

“Come visit often, Halo.”

It was friendly even when they parted.

The manager, who was watching the young man’s expression, asked how it was on the way back to the mansion.

What should he answer?

He didn’t think anything, and he didn’t feel anything, so the young man just stared out the window.

The manager thought the young man felt a lot and closed his mouth.

After that, he occasionally received calls from his family.

How much has my nephew grown, what are you doing these days, when are you going to have a meal, etc.

He didn’t reply to most of them, but they didn’t seem to care.

April 1st. They celebrated the young man’s birthday, welcoming spring, and sent him a gift.

Other than reconciling with his family, the young man’s life was the same.

The young man still lived a glamorous life.

BB listened to the long story and raised his hand.

“Have you ever visited home separately?”

“Do I look like that?”

“Honestly, yes. I don’t even know if you’ve reconciled. Is it right to reconcile?”

Halo raised the corners of his mouth.

“Since there was nothing left for each other, wouldn’t it be a reconciliation?”

And it’s not that he never visited.

He visited home just once.

That time, it was another winter.

Instead of a party for the first time in a while, he just walked down the street and arrived in front of his house.

He didn’t give them a call to go, so they wouldn’t know he came in front of this.

The young man didn’t go inside and looked out the window.

The scenery of the house unfolded through the window.

There were balloons hanging above the fireplace, and it said ‘Happy Birthday’.

He remembered the old days.

They put this on back then too.

The laughter of the baby and the voice of the sister are heard.

It seemed like everyone gathered because it was his birthday.

“Halo?”

At that time, a familiar voice was heard.

The brother, who seemed to have come home from work, waved his hand happily in a suit.

“Why don’t you go inside?”

The young man hesitated because he had no intention of going in.

The brother grabs his shoulder and leads him inside.

“Isn’t it the first time? You came like this. I’m really glad.”

He stepped into the yard and arrived in front of the door.

“But how did you know?”

“What?”

“I didn’t tell you because I thought it would bother you. Did you know that Sophia’s birthday party is today?”

“…Sophia?”

“I mean your niece. Her birthday is in two days, but we decided to have a birthday party on the weekend.”

“…Ah.”

The young man recalled ‘Happy Birthday’ attached to the fireplace.

“Sophia, is it your birthday?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you know that?”

The door opened.

“Mother, Father. Do you know who’s here now?”

The brother put down his briefcase and took off his shoes.

“Mother, Father’s proud son, Halo, came to celebrate his niece’s birthday! Sophia, you know you’re really blessed.”

The sister was happy and showed her niece in her arms.

The young man moved his lips and said happy birthday.

The niece laughed, and the appearance of a happy family unfolded.

The young man knew.

That he was the most out of place there.

As soon as he left, the awkwardness disappeared, and the laughter was full.

“Happy second birthday, Sophia.”

“What are you all going to do on the 16th?”

“We gathered like this because we couldn’t make time on the 16th.”

“Still, you have to take care of your niece’s real birthday. What if Sophia later thinks her birthday is November 14th?”

That seems to have been the last visit.

After releasing 10th album Cannot be cut,

“Halo, congratulations. But aren’t you a little curious too?”

“What.”

“I don’t know if I’m the only one who thinks this sometimes. Even if we release an album under a different name, will people love our music?”

“Honestly, if Halo covers his face, it’s over. Think about it. Who would endure Halo who isn’t handsome?”

The young man hits a home run with his 11th album Catch me if you can, which doesn’t bear his name.

And now that the company is stabilizing and accepting newcomers.

The young man releases his 12th album Life is delight.

It was a really happy life.

“And finally, ‘HALO’ will be called at the Grammys.”

Halo looked at BB and recalled his last memory.

Was it from then that it started?

He answered James’ question about what he wanted to do in the future.

-Shall we retire?

The sound disappears.

James’ calm eyes gradually widened and shouted.

-What? Retirement?! Are you saying retirement now? Retirement on this good day?

-No, where is the crazy bastard who is going to retire at the awards ceremony!

-What is it like this

The young man with white hair laughed.

The night of the California desert passes by him.

-Let me ask you one thing. Do you want to throw everything away?

-That’s not it.

-Then why are you suddenly retiring.

I was too hasty after all.

The young man thinks.

Looking at the dark darkness of the desert.

‘Isn’t there anything else to do now.’

He finished the numerous goals he had made as a child at the age of thirty-two. There was nothing he could do now.

If his life was a movie, it was time for the ending credits to go up.

The coolest music he made will be played as background music,

And the names of everyone who helped with the actors, directors, and production will be listed.

And at the end, this phrase comes out

‘This movie is based on a true story.’

Wow. Isn’t it a great story?

However, the young man eventually reverses his words after seeing the manager’s sobbing. Yes, it might be too sudden to send his fox-like children to college.

He will release his 13th album, spend some time appropriately, and then leave after organizing everything perfectly.

-And if one of us retires, let’s write a retirement song.

I’ll have to find someone to write a retirement song for about a year.

The young man smiled and hugged Marianne.

He sang, drawing the dawn that would come beyond the darkness.

“And?”

At BB’s question, Halo bumped his right fist and left fist together as they were.

“Sorry?”

BB asked if he didn’t understand.

In his mind, he understood, but it seemed like he didn’t believe it and asked again.

“He died.”

“What?”

“Bang-.”

The urgent keyboard sound stopped.

BB, who was writing a long narrative on a laptop after taking notes, asked again as if he couldn’t believe it.

So, this is the ending….

“Is that all?”

Halo laughed.

“Isn’t that all?”

It’s not all.

However, he has no intention of telling the ridiculous story that he became Noh Hae-il.

So, the story of ‘Halo in another world’ ends like this.

“No, Mr. Halo.”

BB has never caught a narrative before. But this time, he had no choice but to say something.

How can anyone accept that the ending of such a great narrative is a bad ending beyond a sad ending?

It’s as absurd as an ending that it was all a dream when I woke up.

“As Mr. Halo knows, no audience will accept this ending.”

BB held back what he wanted to say and tried to speak calmly. If it’s a boy who created such a great narrative – in fact, I doubt if he can create this – he will be able to create a better ending than this.

“Is that so?”

“It’s not just saying it, but how should the audience who has sympathized with one person’s life for about two hours accept his death? Even an ending without emotion or narrative.”

He said calmly, but BB didn’t want to imagine what would happen when he actually released this ending. Wouldn’t a war break out beyond the chaos?

Abandoning the ego of the director, as an audience who has heard the story of ‘Halo in another world’ so far, I don’t want to accept it anymore.

Honestly, I’ll admit it.

BB liked this story.

As much as I don’t want to touch it at all.

Like the people in that story, he liked ‘Another Halo’. He liked his splendor, and he loved his misery.

BB, who came to love ‘Another Halo’, ‘his’ life, didn’t want to send ‘him’ away so miserably.

Also, the trend these days is happy endings.

The time when sad endings and bad endings were popular is long gone.

Halo, who was listening to BB’s enthusiasm, tilted his head as if he was lost in thought. BB hoped that the boy would change the ending. He waited for a long time.

At that time, the boy who raised his head opened his mouth.

“Then how about this?”

“What?”

Anything was fine as long as he didn’t die suddenly.

BB was delighted and listened to the boy’s voice.

“BB is writing the ending he wants.”

“Yes?”

“I still think ‘he’ died there, but BB doesn’t want it.”

“That’s right?”

“So BB is making the ending. I don’t care what ending it is.”

BB’s eyes slowly widened.

The boy’s smile grew thicker as he did.

He just seemed to enjoy this situation.

The last interview ended like that.

Before moving to the dinner, the boy muttered, looking out the window.

“I wonder what kind of ending will come out.”