The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 2171

Tidal Wave of Glory – Episode 217 (217/237)

[Side Story] 19. The Appearance of an SSS-Class Hero

“Hey, Na PD, I think I’ll get a good slot this time.”

Na Hye-ju PD closed her laptop and wearily swept her hair behind her ear. Turning around, she saw her senior grinning at her.

“Come on, what’s with the ‘senior’ stuff? Here, this is for you. Keep up the good work.”

Senior Kyung patted her on the shoulder and handed her a canned coffee.

Na Hye-ju PD chuckled at the canned coffee.

It was the kind of canned coffee sold as a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal at the convenience store downstairs from the broadcasting station.

He was trying to act generous with something like that, teasing her.

As if stealing her idea wasn’t enough.

She could feel eyes on her from all directions.

Thanks to him blabbing everywhere, there wasn’t anyone in the broadcasting station who didn’t know. In fact, you could say the rumors had spread beyond the station as well.

Hwang PD, who was in the same department and sat next to Na Hye-ju PD, glared at Kyung PD.

“Hey, what did you do so well to be bullying your junior like that?”

“Bullying? When? Is giving coffee considered bullying? Na PD, the world is such a tough place, isn’t it? Even this is included in workplace harassment. Why don’t you report me?”

Hwang PD clicked his tongue in amazement.

Hwang PD, who was Kyung PD’s classmate, remembered his rookie days.

He wasn’t like this at first, so when did he change?

“Stealing your junior’s program and what? You should be ashamed.”

He hadn’t lived such a morally upright life, but he had never committed the petty act of stealing someone else’s idea, especially a close junior’s idea.

Silence filled the office at those words.

No one tried to stop him, just stared at Kyung PD.

Wondering how he would react.

When an ordinary person does something wrong, they usually fall into two categories.

Either they get scared and hide, avoiding the person.

Or-.

“Ha.”

Kyung PD let out a hollow laugh.

He tilted his head back, ran his hand over his forehead, then spread his arms and looked at Hwang PD and Na Hye-ju PD.

“I stole it? When? Did Na PD’s program ever have a production presentation or something?”

“Hey.”

“Oh, are you talking about one insignificant idea?”

Kyung PD burst out laughing.

“Come on, who owns an idea? Does it have a name tag on it? Huh? Did you put a label on the idea? Na Hye-ju. With your pretty name written on it. Tell me, Na PD. Is that really it? Then I’ll admit it. But it’s not, is it? I was originally thinking about it too. I just didn’t say it, but I have so many ideas. Should I show you my idea notebook?”

Kyung PD pulled a notebook out of his pocket.

And showed it off as if he were showing off.

‘Young Talent Mentor-Mentee Program.’ Those three words were written there.

Underneath, ‘Mentor – someone with experience as a current singer or lecturer.’

‘…, review needed among Kim Sun-cheol’ too.

“…”

“See, nothing to say, right? It’s my idea, okay? Look at the date too. October 26, 2022. I’ve had this idea for ten years.”

Kyung PD’s notebook was a 2033 Starducks [a fictionalized version of Starbucks] frequency item. She remembered desperately drinking mission beverages last winter to fill 17 cups…

However, Na Hye-ju PD didn’t want to waste any more time arguing. She had a lot to focus on for her new program.

Especially, she was putting the most effort into the list of potential cast members for Winter to mentor.

She heard that Halo was going to read the proposal, but the chances of him accepting were low. Na Hye-ju PD was just grateful for making the connection and didn’t expect any luck. She wasn’t a lucky person.

From small prizes to the mentor she met at the broadcasting station, they all ended up like that.

“And Na PD is doing a new program, right? What’s the problem?”

When they didn’t say anything, Kyung PD continued, as if to say, ‘See?’

Na PD was about to say something after holding it in for so long.

If the phone hadn’t rung.

And a text message arrived at the same time.

[Writer Do Min-hee: Urgent, discussing SSS-level casting, to Conference Room 1]

‘SSS-level, huh.’

“Hey, I’m talking to you-.”

“No way!”

Regardless of what her senior was saying, Na PD jumped up and ran out of the office.

#

A large van parked in the parking lot of the Sangam headquarters.

Reporters who were there to capture the arrival of other celebrities looked at the license plate, trying to guess who it belonged to.

No, it seemed familiar, yet very unfamiliar.

The reporters raised their cameras, waiting for someone to come out.

And inside the van.

“Are you really going in person?”

“Yes.”

The boy noticed a deep question mark etched on his manager’s face.

“I don’t think I’ll get to see them if it’s not today.”

“Who? You’ll see the PDs [Producer Directors] and production staff all the time once you start filming.”

“That’s true.”

“?”

The boy smiled meaningfully.

The manager felt uneasy but couldn’t stop the boy.

He could be blamed for not fulfilling his role as a manager.

But the manager realized that Halo was someone above him in the hierarchy from the first time they met, and he was still being swayed by him.

The good thing was that Halo wasn’t an arrogant or morally problematic boss, unlike other stars. He was sometimes capricious, but he was troubled by his own capriciousness, not by trying to control others. It was just that he was being swayed…

‘Wait, isn’t that the same thing?’

Before the manager, who still couldn’t decide whether Halo was a good boss or not, could do anything, Halo opened the van door.

A black-haired boy in a coat stepped out of the van.

From mid-March, an unusual cold snap hit, and the wind was like a blade. Sniffling, the reporters with cameras briefly stopped, their hands pausing at the sight that entered their frame.

The sunlight, which had been hidden by the clouds, fell between them.

The boy walked into the sunlight, turned to them, and.

“Good morning.”

He greeted them as warmly as if they were old friends.

“H-Halo…Halo is here!”

Someone shouted, finally snapping out of it.

“Why is Halo here?”

“Just take the picture. Oh my god, Halo is here.”

“Halo, what brings you to the broadcasting station?”

“Halo, I’m enjoying your music.”

“Do you think this is a fan meeting?! …Halo, good morning. Have you had breakfast?”

Click, click, click.

The cameras and flashes went off like crazy.

In a place that was somewhere between a fan signing and a press conference, Halo calmly opened his mouth.

“I’d say I’ve come to fulfill a childhood dream.”

“?”

And also to sign a contract.

Halo swallowed the rest of the words and rolled his eyes.

“And to meet someone who’s in trouble?”

“Excuse me?”

What does that mean?

Just write it down for now.

Are geniuses just different?

Click.

It was a typical morning in Sangam [a district in Seoul known for its media and IT companies].

#

Broadcasting station employees are generally indifferent to celebrities.

They see them often, and after seeing all sorts of things, the interest and affection they had when they were new recruits often hit rock bottom.

So, even if a celebrity came to the broadcasting station, they usually ignored it. The reason they showed up at the broadcasting station was probably for a program, so there was no reason to whisper about who came.

Of course, there might be people who were snooping around for casting purposes. But who does casting face-to-face these days? They do it through the company.

Face-to-face with a celebrity.

‘Apocalypse is trending these days. How about filming ‘Escape from a Zombie Deserted Island’? Haha.’ ‘Hehe, then will PD-nim [PD- a Korean title] be the zombie?’

‘Why, are you interested?’ ‘I’m going to kill you well~.’ There weren’t many cases where they brought up casting.

However, there are always special celebrities for broadcasting station people.

For example, if a Hollywood actor came to Korea, some exceptional things happened. Even someone with an extreme view that all celebrities should disappear from the earth could become a shy fan, or they could whisper in group chat rooms about who came.

And now.

“Oh, Halo?”

“Halo?”

“He’s really like the sun.”

“The Halo I know?”

“Oh my god, really…”

People stopped on their way and quickly picked up their phones.

People looked down from the second floor.

Those who were chatting in the lobby turned around.

The boy crossing the lobby.

He wasn’t a Hollywood actor, but he was a star as rare as a Hollywood actor.

He was so hard to see in the broadcasting world that people were divided into those who had met Halo while working at the broadcasting station and those who hadn’t, and the current Halo was also special.

The first Korean, no, the first Asian Grammy winner.

A musical genius whose albums at that young age were even more unbelievable than the Grammy.

There were many Halo fans inside the broadcasting station, and in fact, there was probably no one here who hadn’t heard Halo’s music. Even people who didn’t listen to pop songs or K-pop would have heard it as background music for broadcasts.

And above all, the broadcasting station would never turn away the most popular star right now. They were probably rushing down from above right now.

The young star, receiving so many eyes, looked around. At that moment, a broadcasting station employee quickly approached Halo.

“Halo?!”

“Hello.”

People watched to see who was talking to Halo.

Some might be embarrassed by the attention, but writer Do Min-hee wasn’t.

Rather, she wanted to brag.

About who they had caught.

She still couldn’t believe that this person, whom no one had been able to catch, was coming to their program. But seeing him come all the way here, it must be real.

Writer Do Min-hee suppressed her trembling feelings and led him to the conference room.

Soon, the doors of the elevator they were on closed with a click, and the whispering in the lobby erupted.

“Did you see just now? Who is that?”

“I think she’s a writer I saw in the Culture Department.”

“Why is the Culture Department meeting with Halo? Isn’t it the Entertainment Department?”

“Is that so?”

“Is Halo going to be on a program?”

“Why else would he come here?”

“Wow. What kind of program is it that the sun is coming all the way here?”

“Crazy, our director has been singing Halo’s praises. He’ll go crazy if he finds out.”

“Breaking news. Breaking news. Halo. Appears. On. Entertainment. Show.”

On the other hand, the hallway leading to the Culture Department conference room that writer Do Min-hee led him to was quiet.

“I didn’t expect you to come all the way here. Thank you for coming.”

A special cast member.

One who would determine the fate of their program.

No, not just the fate. They could also screw over that annoying person, and with this level of guest, the slot and viewership were guaranteed.

It was her first time with such a special cast member, and her hands and feet were trembling.

What if she said something wrong and upset the artist?

What if he changed his mind?

“Is the conference room a bit far?”

How did this broadcasting station design this?

Writer Do Min-hee worried that his legs might hurt.

But they were almost there, just around the corner.

“Is Na PD doing well with guest casting?”

The annoying person’s voice was heard.

Writer Do Min-hee stopped, and Halo stopped as well.

When she peeked her head around the corner, the annoying person was standing with his back to them, and Na Hye-ju PD was in front of the conference room.

“But Na PD, this proposal is good, but it seems difficult to cast guests. I mean, it’s a bit out of touch with current trends. Stars are so picky these days. Actually, I was a little surprised when I saw it.”

Halo could tell who that person was right away.

From writer Do Min-hee’s reaction and the mention of Na PD.

“To give you some feedback, our broadcasting station isn’t a public institution. What’s with the welfare company, Sesco, and the idea of renovating old rural areas? And what’s with the music? Are you trying to teach those country bumpkins?”

That guy looked up our proposal again.

When writer Do Min-hee tried to step forward, Halo stopped her.

“…Think about it, what celebrity would go there? Well, those who are scraping the bottom of the barrel might beg to be put on the program, but do you think viewers will watch that?”

And he took a step forward.

With a smile on his face.

The annoying person, Kyung PD, was so busy lecturing that he didn’t notice anyone approaching from behind.

“I didn’t want to say this, but the director’s expression didn’t look too good… Oh, Director! Did you have a good lunch?”

Instead, he greeted the Current Affairs Director, who was coming from afar, towards them. The Deputy Director of Entertainment was next to him. They must have had lunch together. Kyung PD also knew why they had lunch together.

On the other hand, Na Hye-ju PD’s eyes widened when she found Halo. The bad mood crumbled like a sandcastle, and light poured into the world at that moment.

When Kyung PD heard the greeting, the Current Affairs Director raised his hand to greet him, but then discovered the person behind him. The Entertainment Director beamed and spread his arms.

Kyung PD was slightly flustered when the two directors were so happy, but he didn’t doubt that they were coming to him. In fact, he was close to the Current Affairs Director, and he had also heard that he might get a slot after the popular Saturday entertainment show.

“Director, I was telling Na PD-.”

“Halo?”

“Halo, it’s been a while.”

The two directors brushed past Kyung PD and called out to Halo.

The Entertainment Director was happy to talk about the connection they had when they passed each other in the old hallway, and the Current Affairs Director chided him for talking about old times. First of all, the two were directors, but they were especially happy as they had programs they were in charge of as PDs.

“What brings you here?”

“I didn’t expect to see you at the headquarters, Halo.”

“What are you up to these days?”

“…Halo? Halo?”

Kyung PD belatedly recognized the person behind him.

“Halo, are there any programs you’re interested in? It looks like you’ve come to meet someone.”

“Ah.”

Halo smiled faintly.

“I’ve come to beg to be put on a program.”

“Huh? Beg to be put on?”

“No, who would make Halo beg? Which program do you want to be on?”

The two directors looked bewildered.

With Halo’s name value right now, they would tell him to come anywhere, but beg? What did that mean?

Only Kyung PD looked back and forth between Na Hye-ju PD and Halo, wondering if that was possible.

-Think about it, what celebrity would go there? Well, those who are scraping the bottom of the barrel might beg to be put on the program, but do you think viewers will watch that?

Because those were the words he had said.

Did he hear that? Is he mocking it? No way.

There was no reason for him to mock it.

There shouldn’t be.

“I’ve become interested in Na Hye-ju PD’s program.”

“!”

“Na PD’s program?”

The director seemed confused about what kind of program Na PD was doing.

At that time, Kyung PD opened his mouth first.

“That program where she goes to the countryside to teach kids and improve the countryside. The one the director said he couldn’t tell if it was a broadcast or welfare-.”

Halo laughed at those words and replied.

“I think that would be fun. That proposal that you can’t tell if it’s a broadcast or welfare. The last proposal wasn’t bad either, but I want to do this one more…”

Kyung PD was about to say that the proposal hadn’t even been approved yet, but someone nudged his elbow. No, they pushed him away and took his place.

“Ah, the proposal I thought was a good idea!”

It was the Director of Current Affairs and Culture.

“I like that kind of thing. Something that you can’t tell if it’s a broadcast or reality. That’s the kind of program that suits our department! Viewers don’t really like things that are too broadcast-like anymore.”

Kyung PD glared.

Ignoring him, the director gently patted Na Hye-ju PD on the shoulder.

“Do you know how much I care about our Na PD? She’s like a ghost when it comes to matching the needs of people these days. I’m going to support our Na PD’s program really hard, I even had dinner with this friend.”

The Entertainment Director’s eyes widened at those words.

“The one you wanted to put on after ‘Running Man’ [a popular Korean variety show], so the junior you cared about was Na PD?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Wait a minute, Director, you were originally going to put my program on-.”

The slot that goes after the popular entertainment show ‘Running Man’.

The spot that the Entertainment Department had brought in perfectly after eating together was originally reserved for Kyung PD’s program.

When that was in danger of being taken away in an instant, Kyung PD hurriedly tried to intervene. The director’s eyebrows twitched, but he was blinded by the slot he thought was his.

Eventually, the director excused himself to Halo for a moment and opened his mouth coldly.

“No, Kyung PD. There’s no such thing as your spot or my spot in the slot. Did you put a name tag on the slot?”

“Di, Director.”

“My spot, huh.”

The director laughed.

“But what are you doing here, Kyung PD?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re not preparing for the new program that you wanted to do so badly. You should work hard instead of goofing off. What did you do so well to be playing around?”

“!”

Kyung PD’s face turned white.

It was the first time the director, who had never mentioned his actions until now, had mocked him.

“We need to talk about our Na PD’s program, so Kyung PD, you can go.”

It was instantaneous for ‘our’ Kyung PD to become just Kyung PD.

“But Director-.”

“But, Halo. There’s one thing that’s bothering me, but did someone tell you to ‘beg to be put on’?”

“No, who would say that to Halo.”

The Entertainment Director added, saying it didn’t make sense, but no one failed to notice Kyung PD’s reaction, who kept his mouth shut.

Everyone has survived in the broadcasting station for a long time.

They wouldn’t have made it this far if they didn’t have a sense of what was going on.

Halo didn’t answer and smiled faintly.

In a place where everyone was smiling, Kyung PD slowly left.

“So, did you come here today to talk about Na Hye-ju PD’s proposal directly?”

How much did he like it?

The Entertainment Director showed curiosity.

“Can you tell me again what the proposal is? It seems like it’s confirmed. I heard you’re going to the countryside to improve it and teach kids? Wait, that’s entertainment program material. Na PD, are you thinking of coming to the Entertainment Department?”

“Are you taking my precious junior in front of my eyes right now?”

At first, he thought it was ambiguous, but it was different if Halo was involved. Not the Entertainment Department, but coming to our department.

He couldn’t help but see Na Hye-ju PD, who had caught Halo, and her proposal as so beautiful.

“I can’t do this, I’m going to lose our Na PD. Let’s go quickly.”

“No, shouldn’t we talk together too?”

“Why would we talk?”

“Halo, see you next time.”

The Director of Culture and Current Affairs bickered with the Director of Entertainment and started walking the way they were going, sensing the atmosphere. He stopped in the middle and gave Na PD a thumbs up.

That left three people there.

Two broadcasters with awkward expressions and one star.

“Wow, it’s really instantaneous. The broadcasting station is brutal. Congratulations, Na PD. On becoming the director’s ‘our PD’.”

From the director’s attitude to the slot, everything changed with the existence of one star. Is this what reality is like?

Writer Do Min-hee patted Na Hye-ju PD on the shoulder.

On the other hand, Na Hye-ju PD was embarrassed and couldn’t say anything. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but she felt like she had shown them something they shouldn’t have seen.

At that time, Halo said.

“Now that we’ve defeated the villain, shall we get back to business?”