The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 271

# 27 A Quiet Stream Runs Deep

The trailer for *Show You* Season 3 was released on Friday, December 6th, at 9 PM, and along with the trailer, articles were uploaded online all at once.

Reactions started to pour in a few hours later, in the early morning of the next day.

Fans of the previous seasons of *Show You* began connecting to online communities one by one.

[Did you see the *Show You* trailer?]

[Look at the star-studded *Show You* lineup]

At first, it was all about the lineup. Someone had already revealed it on social media, but there were still some unexpected faces.

[Finally, the era of ‘Jo’ has arrived]

From famous underground musicians to…

[Congrats! YouTuber Woongdam passed after three attempts!]

…to influencers.

[ENS’s variety shows are all hits, so they must have been desperate]

[Wasn’t it originally scheduled for the new year? They moved it up a month]

[I can see it, I can see the future of rushing and failing miserably]

└ Can’t you see your own future?

[What if ENS fails with this too?]

From the beginning of the trailer, they were throwing in famous faces, showing their determination to protect the main show at all costs.

[But the Season 3 teaser is pretty well-made, right?]

[There’s something about it]

[I watched it with my younger sibling, and we were both speechless after the opening. It’s really well-made]

Soon, the discussion turned to the trailer itself. Some people were already heating up the discussion board even though there was still a week left, while others analyzed the screen time per contestant.

[Show You definitely has a quota for elementary schoolers lol, and this time there are two of them]

└ One of them is worth picking, ignoring the elementary schooler quota, right?

└ ㄱㄹㅇ? [Abbreviation for “Is that so?”]

└ Wasn’t it worth picking this time? Not as bad as Season 2

└ This conversation seems to come up every year

[Who’s the kid at the end?]

└ The one who looks like a bully, not ㄱㄹㅇ

└ Seems like the PD’s [Producer Director] son

If the role of a teaser is to generate interest in the main show, then it was a success.

Whether it was critical comments or conspiracy theories, the traffic index proved its success. Posts were refreshed every second, and pages turned in an instant.

However, among them, there was a recurring post.

[URGENT X1000]

What’s the title of the song in the *Show You 3* trailer?

The one the kid was singing about spotlight something something

I’m humming it like a crazy person

I have to go to work tomorrow ㅅㅂㅅㅂㅅㅂ [Abbreviation for “damn, damn, damn”]

└ Spotlight is where I need to be~~.

└ ㅅㅂ I said it’s urgent

└ The revolving circle is

└ The reason for life

└ Will tell you~

└ ㅅㅂ Just tell me the title

└ The guys above are all burned out from searching for the title lol

[Looking for the song that was singing about spotlight]

└ The song hasn’t been released yet

└ There are so many people looking for Spotlight in the community. Go die, you lazy bastards

└ It’s probably because it hasn’t been released yet?

└ When will it be released?

[First time I’ve been blown away by a song, what’s the title?]

[Give me the song]

[I’m definitely watching episode 1 no matter what. Spotlight is definitely coming out, right?]

[I just cut out the ending song from the trailer ···mp4]

The kid is a legend

I want to hear the original song

This was just a small part.

The real beginning came with the sunrise.

KA Talk +999

– Jin-soo, are you on *Show You*?

– Jin-soo, I’m Min-young from the same elementary school as you. Do you remember me? We were in 6th grade together

Jang Jin-soo woke up to a noisy vibration for the first time. It was truly a new morning, unlike any he had experienced before.

Everyone who knew him was looking for him, and unknown calls were missed to the point where his phone ran out of battery.

Jang Jin-soo, who just thought he looked pretty cool in the trailer and wasn’t edited out, was beginning to understand what it meant to be on TV.

It was exciting and terrifying at the same time.

Fortunately, Noh Hae-il and the *hyung*s [older brothers/male friends] at the hideout were the same as usual. The *hyung*s left short messages like, “Saw the trailer,” and that bastard Noh Hae-il…

“Just as I expected.”

He still hadn’t checked the KakaoTalk message he sent last time.

He’s so consistent. Maybe he didn’t even watch the trailer.

Jang Jin-soo lived in the online communities all weekend.

He saw how people were talking about him. And he also realized that many people were more interested in the song than in him.

Jang Jin-soo’s lips never went down as he clicked through all the stories about ‘*Show by Show*’.

After truly seeing all the posts, Jang Jin-soo called Noh Hae-il.

He had to brag no matter what.

The phone rang six times and then hung up.

“…Huh?”

He thought he might have pressed the wrong button, so he called again.

This time, it rang exactly six times and hung up.

“No, wait a minute, this bastard.”

Jang Jin-soo wiped the smile off his face.

Ringing six times and hanging up, he had never experienced it before, but everyone knew it meant…

“Did he block me?”

Ha, ha. He was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even laugh.

How much would he have bragged? He didn’t even want to listen to that. Or did he block him a long time ago?

He was grateful, but he couldn’t be grateful.

He’s so consistently annoying.

Jang Jin-soo put on his padding jacket.

He could brag to the *hyung*s.

As soon as he went out, he smelled a strong scent of alcohol from the living room.

Jang Jin-soo casually kicked the rolling bottles and left the house. Fortunately, no one was home.

#

“Hmm hmm-”

His mother seemed to be in a good mood.

She had been in a good mood recently, but she was even more so today. It probably started when she saw Jang Jin-soo in the *Show You* trailer.

She must have been urging him, asking when Jin-soo would appear, until a certain point.

Hae-il recognized the beat in the trailer but didn’t bother to mention it.

He simply appreciated that it wasn’t bad since he had made it.

Then he saw Jang Jin-soo at the end.

His impression at this point was simple.

‘In the end, he wasn’t edited out.’

He figured Jang Jin-soo would appear since they used his beat. As expected, the production team decided not to abandon Jang Jin-soo.

Well, he didn’t know what would happen in the future.

The trailer ended there.

After that, an interesting documentary followed. The story of an old fisherman. He wondered what it was, but when he blinked, the ending song of the documentary was playing.

It was a touching and romantic story.

How the shabby and lonely old man lived his life leisurely and wonderfully.

Especially when the old man recited poetry while drinking *soju* [Korean distilled rice liquor] on his boat at night, his fingers twitched.

He wanted to play the guitar next to him and have a drink. Sea breeze, hot ramen, alcohol, and music.

Wasn’t that the romance he dreamed of?

‘캬 [expresses satisfaction].’

Unfortunately, his mother didn’t feel this romance.

She went into her room as soon as the trailer ended.

Even quite abruptly.

When Jang Jin-soo took the highlight of the trailer’s ending, his mother jumped up.

Holding both hands, she watched the trailer and paced around the living room, unable to stay still. Then she took her phone and went into her room.

‘Is she tired?’

It was quite early at 10 o’clock.

Judging by the fact that she didn’t say a word about his song, it seemed like it wasn’t her taste.

However, the next day.

Hae-il turned his head when he heard a familiar melody.

His mother was there. His mother was humming the melody as always.

Then he realized something.

The melody his mother hummed whenever she cooked had changed.

She was definitely humming the melody of [Confession], but the melody’s chords and rhythm had changed.

It typically followed the chords of [*Show by Show*].

The trailer only showed about 7 seconds of the hook.

His mother was endlessly repeating that part.

Hae-il, who had been listening to his mother’s humming for a while, opened his mouth.

“Shall I sing the whole song for you?”

“Huh?”

“It’s not the same as him-.”

What do you mean it’s not the same? He’s much better.

He was confident even though he had never rapped before.

“If you want to hear it.”

His mother seemed to be thinking for a long time.

But in the end, she shook her head.

“It’s okay. Mom wants to listen with other people.”

“?”

Other people? Does she not want spoilers?

He couldn’t fully understand the answer, but Hae-il nodded. His mother turned her head again and focused on cooking.

Five seconds later.

“Hae-il, but!”

His mother called his name urgently.

“Let me hear it after it airs.”

“Okay.”

As Hae-il readily nodded, his mother’s face brightened again.

She started humming.

Spotlight is where I need to be~

She must have liked it if she was humming it like that after hearing it once.

Hae-il lay down on the sofa again.

His body couldn’t stay still, and he was about to die of boredom, but he had no choice but to rest. He had been playing the electric guitar so much that the pain in his fingers had worsened. It would be nice if calluses formed well so it wouldn’t hurt.

Once it gets better, he plans to start recording his second album.

‘When will my body become stronger?’

Hae-il complained about his weak body. In fact, it wasn’t just his fingers that were the problem, he also had pain in his joints. Especially his knees.

It wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t move, but it was tingling and sometimes throbbing. It was a bit different from the muscle pain caused by exercise.

But it wasn’t pain that prevented him from moving.

It was just moderately annoying.

Ziiing-

Hae-il turned his head.

It wasn’t his phone that was ringing, but the intercom that he had set to vibrate.

His mother was wondering because she hadn’t ordered any deliveries.

She muttered, “Could it be him already?” and checked the intercom.

“Oh my! Hae-il.”

His mother pointed to the intercom with a brightened face.

Then she opened the front door without even asking who it was.

Jang Jin-soo, wearing a thin padding jacket and shivering, said.

“Hello, huff, hello. Huff huff.”

While catching his breath.

#

“Aren’t you hungry? Eat a lot.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

It was similar to when he was invited to dinner.

However, if he hardly ate anything back then -because he wasn’t hungry-, today he was gobbling it up as soon as he picked up the spoon. Like a ghost who starved to death.

When his mother inadvertently gave him another bowl, Jang Jin-soo accepted it gratefully without refusing. The conversation took place long after Jang Jin-soo’s meal had progressed.

“I heard people swarmed you and you ran away. Are you okay?”

“Yes? Yes, yes. I’m okay.”

“What happened?”

At his mother’s question, Jang Jin-soo recalled what happened a few minutes ago. Jang Jin-soo, who came out wearing a thin padding jacket to go to the Hongdae hideout, met someone who recognized him in front of the subway entrance.

– Aren’t you the person who appeared on *Show You*?

– You’re the kid from the trailer, no, the one who sang Spotlight, right?

“They asked me to take a picture with them, so I said okay, and then-.”

“People swarmed you.”

“Yes. I was so flustered because more people gathered than I thought, but this was the only place I could think of. I’m really sorry for coming so suddenly.”

“No, you did well, Jin-soo. I’m glad you weren’t hurt. Come anytime next time.”

He knew it was just a polite thing to say, but he was so grateful to his mother for saying that.

Jang Jin-soo smiled brightly and nodded his head greatly.

“Oh, and your aunt also watched the trailer yesterday.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, with Hae-il. You looked really cool, Jin-soo.”

“!”

Jang Jin-soo’s face brightened.

He opened his mouth as if he had a lot to say, but then he realized he had food in his mouth and closed it.

Gulp. He could have chewed it all, but he swallowed it all.

“Did you hear Hae-il’s song? The song I sang was made by Hae-il.”

“Yes, I heard it. You sing really well, Jin-soo.”

“Re, really? Heu… Heu heu.”

One wouldn’t know who the real mother was.

It was a friendly atmosphere like a mother and son.

Jang Jin-soo started to tell stories about how the song was, how the stage was, and what the filming atmosphere was like, even though they weren’t curious. When his mother smiled like a girl and affirmed him, he seemed to get even more excited.

It would be fine if they were just talking, but he occasionally looked at him with a subtly arrogant expression.

There is a saying that a quiet stream runs deep.

Jang Jin-soo needed to be a little more humble.

“Your parents must be really proud of you, Jin-soo.”

His mother said with a smile.

“I would be really proud if I were them.”

She looked at Hae-il with proud eyes.

“What.”

Jang Jin-soo answered vaguely.

“My parents probably don’t care much.”

Jang Jin-soo thought of the house with bottles rolling around.

He didn’t even know how long his mother hadn’t come home. Would his father be looking at coins or something again?

They might have forgotten about the existence of their own child.

Still, Jang Jin-soo thought positively.

Some parents sell their children’s names to create debt, but his parents weren’t that bad.

Complete strangers. This word would suit them best.

Jang Jin-soo smiled and brushed it off before the atmosphere became awkward.

#

At the time when the three were having a late lunch.

Lake Palace, parking lot on the 2nd basement floor.

Near the elevator, the car headlights flickered.

The shoes that came out of the car first.

Dressed shoes, black socks with protruding anklebones above, followed by striped suit pants.

Soon, a tall middle-aged man came out of the SUV car.

Ttok, ttock.

The shoes kicked the asphalt floor.

The man took out a large carrier from the trunk and headed to the elevator with it.

The elevator heads to the upper floors.

The elevator is made of front glass.

The man looked at the scenery of Seokchon Lake with his arms crossed.

The elevator stopped on the 2nd floor, and an apartment resident entered. He got off the elevator that stopped on the 7th floor. The elevator soared back into the sky.

The light refracted in the double window, and the man’s face was reflected in Seokchon Lake. The man was deep in thought.

He is thinking of his beloved son.

He was not just hoping for a reunion, but he was more curious about what his indecisive son would say.

‘That indecisive kid isn’t the type to step forward.’

Isn’t it a strange thing?

When the elevator door opened, he walked out and pressed a familiar number.