The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 321

# 32 They Never Meet Again

When I was young, the world felt like a car speeding towards me.

Halo hummed.

Perhaps because he had been diligently running and practicing his voice, his voice was much cooler and more resonant than before.

He was roughly approximating a pubescent voice.

It was completely different from his original voice, but the method was the same.

Halo didn’t care about the slight sense of detachment. He was a professional, able to perform and sing perfectly under any circumstances. Compared to when he insisted on holding a concert despite having cold symptoms, he now felt like he was in paradise.

The studio was booked for tomorrow. Mr. Kang Young-min of HY Studio was initially horrified that he had another song ready so soon, but he seemed to be slowly getting used to it.

There was no reply after sending the MR [music recorded without vocals] of his second album, ‘Spring Again,’ in advance.

‘It’s about time he adapted.’

The completed MR played through the headphones. If he had completed ‘When We Meet Again’ with only electronic music before, this time he had even completed it with an orchestra.

The violin layered on top of the electric guitar wrapped the melody like a spring breeze, and woodwind instruments such as flutes and oboes, and harps, richly filled the sound.

Even though it was the same song, it felt completely different. It was only natural, considering the number of session musicians used.

Halo closed his eyes and leaned back on the bed.

All the practice was over, and he wouldn’t sing any more at home.

As always, he heard a song.

A song that was already complete.

#

At some point, it became noisy outside.

Halo, who had been listening to the music with satisfaction, slowly got up. It seemed the chicken had finally arrived.

And the arrival of the chicken meant it was ‘that time’ that his mother had been waiting for.

“!”

Halo opened the door, and a chicken, glistening with oil, greeted him.

However, the person holding it—.

“Why are you here?”

“Your mother invited me to eat chicken together, you know?”

“The filming…”

“I came because there wasn’t any filming today.”

Jang Jin-soo replied curtly.

There was no way Jang Jin-soo would know the password to the front door, so it was clear that someone in the house had opened it.

And that would be his mother.

‘Wasn’t Father home?’

Halo suddenly recalled his mother messaging someone during the day.

‘Was that Jang Jin-soo? Since when have they been in contact?’

As Halo stared with questions, Jang Jin-soo, who was holding the chicken, said as if he was wronged.

“This, I didn’t bring it. I met the delivery guy in the elevator…”

He hadn’t asked for an excuse about the chicken.

Still, he seemed to know roughly what Halo was thinking.

Ever since hearing about it on ‘Show Your Show.’

Ever since hearing the news about her son, to be exact, his mother had felt a great sense of familiarity with Jang Jin-soo.

Occasionally, she would even ask, ‘Is Jin-soo eating well?’

She might have received his contact information when he came to visit before.

Jang Jin-soo was talkative and told her exactly what she wanted to hear.

For example, stories about her son, or stories about the entertainment industry that her son might enter in the future. It was understandable enough.

“Jin-soo, how have you been?”

“Hello! Mother!”

Jang Jin-soo, who used to freeze up whenever he saw his mother, now approached her first as if he had become her second son. His mother also welcomed Jang Jin-soo.

“Are you eating well? Oh my, look how thin you’ve become.”

“Yes, I eat well except during filming.”

“Do they starve you at the filming site?”

“No, it’s not that they starve me, it’s just that I don’t eat well when they give me food. It’s just more comfortable to go home and eat after filming.”

“It must be hard.”

“It was hard, but I’m energized again because Mother bought me chicken!”

“Eat a lot before you leave.”

His mother looked at Jang Jin-soo affectionately and stroked his hair. Jang Jin-soo smiled, his eyes crinkling. There was a strangely weary look left, making her feel sorry for him.

The filming, which had been going on for three or four takes, still seemed difficult. His mother poured cola into a mug and led Jang Jin-soo to the sofa.

“Halo’s father, I kicked him out, so let’s have a comfortable time, just the three of us.”

“That… !”

Jang Jin-soo was startled by the word ‘kicked out.’

‘Did they fight?’ He poked Halo, looking around.

His mother laughed at the reaction.

“Actually, he went to an alumni meeting. Was it a university alumni meeting, or a graduate school alumni meeting?”

“Ah, ah.”

“He likes alcohol more than the song his son made.”

Seeing his mother grumbling, Jang Jin-soo was relieved. Every time he came to Noh Halo’s house, he became a shrimp caught in a whale fight [power struggle], so he couldn’t help but develop PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder].

“Oh, it’s starting.”

His mother, who had thrown away the chicken radish broth, sat next to him. On the television, the opening of the first episode of ‘Show Your Show’ was playing.

Halo brought a fried chicken drumstick to his mouth.

Crunch.

The sound of the crispy batter breaking apart along with the savory smell of oil pierced his eardrums.

#

“It’s starting now.”

Song Oh-jung, a reporter for Daily Today, pressed Alt+Tab.

[Line 1) When a Villain Meets a Villain. (More)]

The community post he had been looking at for a while was converted to Word. Materials received from the ENS public relations department were listed.

An embargo was placed until 11:30. After the 135-minute-long first episode of ‘Show Your Show’ ended, they would simultaneously upload it everywhere.

“What kind of first episode is 135 minutes long?”

He didn’t know what kind of editing it was to spend two hours on the first episode, not even the second half. Of course, it would be good news for him because there would be more to write about in the article. As long as it wasn’t boring.

“When is he coming out?”

And reporter Song thought that at least the first episode wouldn’t be bad. Wasn’t the second preliminary round, which had drawn aggro [aggressive behavior] in the trailer, included in the first episode?

He didn’t know what the ‘show’ would be like, but this contestant was as flashy as ever, so it was fun to watch.

Indie musicians whose names you would have heard at least once if you were interested in indie music, and famous influencers with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

The competition rate this time must have been fierce. If you were an amateur, it was a lineup that you couldn’t come up with unless you had really good skills.

Oh, the middle school student who came out this time was good too.

Reporter Song recalled Gil Ra-on, who belonged to P-R Label.

An emotion and singing ability that didn’t seem like a child.

Even his appearance, like a child actor, made him the number one promising prospect for the future.

In particular, the skills he showed in the trailer were not lacking compared to most adult singers.

If you looked at Gil Ra-on, the ‘special admission’ controversy that arose every year would not surface.

“But the guy I’m most curious about is someone else. Is he coming out last?”

If he were the PD [production director], that’s what he would have done.

Since all the attention had been focused on the child after the trailer, he would place him in the second half to continue the interest for a long time.

The first episode of ‘Show Your Show’ began.

The opening began with the main background music that hadn’t been used in the trailer. The video started right away without commercials. As always, starting with the introduction of the five judges who would be ‘mentors’ and do the producing.

“Oh.”

Reporter Song was newly impressed.

The cast was flashy even when he saw them again.

The positions didn’t overlap, and they were all successful stars in their respective fields.

Star composer Kim Myung-jin, who made his name known on quite a few music programs.

Rapper Kaiser, who was active overseas.

Sound queen Leave, who dominated the charts whenever she released an album with music that made people cry, and Wonder, a member of the famous idol group Coldbrew.

Finally, producer Hwang Je-il, who was good at making popular songs.

After a brief interview about which mentees they wanted to receive. Then, the contestants’ performances were shown.

He thought that the editing, which repeatedly showed the contestants’ shows for reaction, would be criticized as always. Seeing that they never fixed it even after Season 3, he was amazed by the stubbornness of the old PD.

As expected, criticism of the PD immediately appeared in the community. Seeing that there was more criticism than in the previous season, it was a flashy start.

Even criticism is ultimately interest, so it could be seen as receiving more attention than the previous season.

Of course, the reason for that seemed to be the trailer.

The protagonist of the trailer hadn’t come out yet, but it wasn’t bad.

The influencer had quite a good sense of entertainment, and indie musician Jojo lived up to his name.

The judges’ reactions were also good to see.

They gave harsh criticism and advice to some shows, and feedback, applause, and praise to good shows.

The dramatic reaction might have been a tragedy on the set, but it was fun from the viewer’s perspective.

And finally, a promising prospect appeared.

[Hello, I’m number 27, Gil Ra-on.]

It was impressive to see him come on stage and fix his number tag without any nervousness. Looking at his gentle smile, he was the type to be loved wherever he went.

Look, the judges were already smiling with fatherly smiles as a group. Along with a short interview, Gil Ra-on’s performance began.

The stage darkened, and a highlight light fell on Gil Ra-on’s head.

[The wind is cold today
The road to you feels far away]

A sweet voice stimulated his heart.

[The reason you are always by my side
Is because you loved me more
I’ve only just realized it now
It’s cold here]

Before he knew it, the judges were immersed in the stage,

Soon, a desperate singing burst out.

[I wish I could meet you again
Even if you don’t recognize me
If I could approach you]

He didn’t remember that he was a middle school student.

When the song ended, ballad singer Leave and idol Wonder jumped up and clapped.

[Thank you for listening!]

As soon as the song ended, Gil Ra-on came out of his emotions and smiled brightly again.

Reporter Song watched Gil Ra-on’s performance calmly and glanced at his watch. Soon it would be 10:30.

There were commercials in the middle, but it was a performance that left a lasting impression. It was too much to come out in the middle.

A desperate stage that didn’t suit his young age as a middle school student. Viewers would already have decided on the winner and would look at the applicants with stricter standards.

Even so, the fact that they deliberately placed celebrities in the beginning and Gil Ra-on in the middle meant that there was someone who would show as much or more impact than Gil Ra-on.

‘But can they do better than that?’

He, who had been watching ‘Show Your Show’ with the cold eyes of a reporter, was unknowingly immersed in the program.

The second part soon began.

#

“It’s not bad.”

Halo exclaimed while tearing apart a seasoned chicken drumstick. The two people next to him were silent. They seemed to have forgotten about the existence of the chicken. They would probably be surprised later when they saw that only the drumsticks had disappeared.

“Oh my, he’s young but he’s good.”

“Really, he was good back then, but he’s really good now.”

The two seriously praised number 27, Gil Ra-on.

Even Halo thought he wasn’t an ordinary child with emotions. He heard that he was the same age as Jang Jin-soo.

Halo thought that Jang Jin-soo would have to work harder in the future.

“What do you think of him?”

Jang Jin-soo turned to him and asked.

What did he think? Was there anything else to say?

Halo swallowed what was in his mouth.

“He sings well.”

“Right?”

“Not as good as me, though.”

“…”

Jang Jin-soo’s expression turned cold.

He pretended not to hear and turned his head to the television.

Gil Ra-on’s song lingered in his ears like an afterimage.

A desperate love song.

Someone came to mind.

He didn’t know why kids these days liked these desperate love songs. He couldn’t understand it because he had never sung a love song in his life, let alone at that age.

“Still.”

Jang Jin-soo looked back as Halo opened his mouth.

“He’s not my type.”

“Huh?”

“I’d rather listen to rap.”

He spat out what he wanted to say in a cool way, expressed his feelings honestly, shouted, and sometimes even smashed instruments.

Emotions like ‘Love me’ and ‘I miss you’ were hard to understand.

“Right?”

He didn’t mean to praise Jang Jin-soo, but Jang Jin-soo smiled pervertedly.

He was about to point out the misunderstanding, but instead, he lifted his wings.

He wanted to eat more drumsticks, but there weren’t any.

He didn’t know why chickens only had two drumsticks.

As the second part began, the stories of each cast member came out.

Just when it was about to get boring, there were strange kids like the Line 1 villain, and there was always a story to tell.

It was a common but always effective cliché.

Time slowly passed.

As it approached 11 o’clock, Jang Jin-soo’s face turned white.

“Was I edited out? There’s no way I wouldn’t come out by now.”

Since he was in the trailer, he wouldn’t have been edited out.

Well, he might not appear in the first episode.

Jang Jin-soo, who hadn’t thought of that possibility at all, only muttered ‘edited.’ He regretted ‘I should have listened to him,’ and his face turned white, then gray, then even blue.

Around that time, a familiar face appeared on the ‘Show Your Show’ stage.

At the same time, Jang Jin-soo had the expression of someone who had relieved a week-long constipation.

“Thank goodness.”

Before starting the stage, an interview came out.

Jang Jin-soo was frozen with tension.

It was so awkward that it made the viewers feel awkward.

[Hel.lo. I’m JJ]

“!”

Jang Jin-soo, who didn’t know that his appearance in the camera was so ridiculous, froze like a stone, and Halo spat out the cola into the air while drinking it. Pfft!

“Cough, cough. Jay Jay?”

“…”

“Jay, cough, Jay?”

He had a coughing fit and felt a stinging pain in his throat, but he couldn’t help but laugh.

In fact, if someone else had said it, it might have sounded like an ordinary stage name.

But Jang Jin-soo, who seriously said that stage name, seemed too much like a middle school student, so he laughed. He probably made that stage name and was proud of how well he made it, right?

Besides, Jang Jin-soo in the camera wasn’t breathing and his pupils were also stiff. It was like he was stating a product name, not a stage name.

“No, it’s just initials.”

Jang Jin-soo’s face turned bright red.

At the same time, he hid that he originally wanted to name himself ‘Jade Jang.’

“It’s cool, why are you like that, Halo? Jin-soo must be embarrassed.”

“Hahaha!”

“Stop laughing.”

Jang Jin-soo was embarrassed and grabbed a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth. Unfortunately, it was chicken breast, so it was dry.

In the meantime, the interview was going well.

Self-introduction, reasons for applying, and determination. As if showing at once that he was the PD’s pick, it was much longer than other people’s.

The screen switched to the stage.

“Oh!”

Jang Jin-soo was startled.

It was an acapella [singing without instrumental accompaniment] stage.

A stage where he made more mistakes than usual because he was nervous, a stage that was so terrible that it was embarrassing.

On that stage, Jang Jin-soo rapped hard, but he was worse than anyone else among the applicants. It was to the point where he wondered how he got through the first round.

Jang Jin-soo’s pupils shook as if there was an earthquake because he didn’t know they would show a bad stage, not a good stage.

Naturally, the judges’ expressions were more miserable than ever. A sneering participant who scoffed and sneered flashed by, and an interview also flowed out.

There were also participants who directly mentioned the ‘special admission.’

The screen switched back to the judges.

They were talking about what to say, received a signal from the writer, and said, ‘We’ll judge after listening to the second song.’ While saying that, the judges’ lip movements were reflected as if they didn’t understand why they had to watch the second stage. ‘Why bother?’

In particular, producer Hwang Je-il, who had praised Gil Ra-on so much, failed to manage his expression. Rapper Kaiser also looked like he was about to spit out harsh words.

Leave and Wonder, who had asked Gil Ra-on to be their mentee, looked at him pitifully.

No one expected Jang Jin-soo to do well.

They just felt sorry for the child who was being dug up to the point where they wondered if they had to go this far.

It was then.

The MR turned on and the beat was heard.

Rapper Kaiser, who had been crossing his arms, tilted his head. Then, idol Wonder’s eyes gradually widened, and the expression of the serious Hwang Je-il producer gradually relaxed.

Composer Kim Myung-jin shook his head and closed his eyes.

Along with that, Jang Jin-soo started rapping.

Nothing had changed much.

The only thing that had changed was that accompaniment had been added to the acapella.

However, as the rap matched to the beat became easier to listen to, everything changed.

Idol Wonder nodded, making eye contact as if to give him courage. Jang Jin-soo’s rap also gradually became more skillful. It was a clearly visible change.

Wow.

Leave opened her mouth.

Her eyes did not leave Jang Jin-soo.

And finally, the hook that had heated up the community for a week was heard.

[The spotlight
Is in the place I should be]

That part from the trailer.

[Will the revolving circle
Tell me the reason for life?]

Leave raised both arms up and screamed ‘Kyaa.’

[You say I’m not perfect
Whatever
The dreams I draw
Are different from you who cheat]

Rapper Kaiser leaned forward,

[On the eternal cliff spread out in front of me
You walking on the promenade is simply fastidious]

[Run towards the end
You won’t know]

More than anything, what was impressive was—.

[They never meet again]

Jang Jin-soo smiled with a more confident face than ever before.

The sight of the child, who had only seemed lacking from the interview to the acapella stage, adapting to the stage caused a strange sense of pleasure.

#

[If you close your eyes—]

“!”

Verse 2 was heard again.

But reporter Song couldn’t suppress his excitement and put his hand on his chest. He could hear his heartbeat.

Ten minutes past eleven at night.

It was time to drink a lot of caffeinated drinks, but his heart was pounding.

As if dominated by the song, he could hear the 56th song from both ears.

When he heard it in the trailer, he thought it was good.

But he didn’t know it would be this good.

The melody, which he wondered how it would flow, was perfectly connected. He realized that the beat, which had sounded monotonous, was intricately designed just for the hook.

“Haa.”

A sigh belatedly popped out.

The judges’ reviews didn’t even reach his ears.

He just had the desire to see the stage again.

Gil Ra-on, who seemed to be the protagonist of the first part, didn’t even come to mind. The protagonist of the first episode was here, so would a supporting actor catch his eye?

The narrative was perfect from the start.

The interview that made even the viewers awkward.

The ruined stage.

The expectations that seemed impossible to turn back returned, completing the introduction, development, turn, and conclusion.

It wasn’t for nothing that PD Gu made the trailer that way.

The phrases given by the PR team were no longer left in his head. He would upload them, but only thoughts about number 56 filled his head.

Then, reporter Song recalled the number of an acquaintance he knew. When he urgently called, they answered right away as if they had expected it.

“No, why did you hide something like this until now? I’m a little disappointed.”

“How is it? Did our first episode come out okay?”

“No, is ‘okay’ the problem? That’s not important right now, it’s number 56! Please release more information about number 56.”

“Hmm… Information about the applicants is top secret.”

“Hey, is that so? Don’t you really have anything to release? There must be something.”

Reporter Song acted slyly and hid his anxious expression.

Of course, the other person would have already noticed.

They were just pretending not to know each other.

Besides, someone else might have already called.

While reporter Song was mesmerized by number 56’s stage.

“Well, there is one more thing.”

“What is it?”

Reporter Song urgently looked for his notebook.

He had a laptop right in front of him, but he foolishly searched for his notebook.

“It’s an idea that came from the PR team, and it was passed with the unanimous approval of the PD, the writer, and all the production staff.”

“What is it!”

The other person’s words didn’t continue.

The more that happened, the more anxious reporter Song became.

Reporter Song waited for an answer.

The other person didn’t tell him easily, to the point where he checked several times to see if the call had been disconnected.

“What time is it now?”

“Is it half past eleven? But why are you suddenly asking for the time—.”

The first episode of ‘Show Your Show,’ which started at 9 o’clock, contained the applicants’ second preliminary round in 135 minutes. Two hours had already passed, and the minute hand of the clock was about to approach 12.

Reporter Song grumbled for no reason, then closed his mouth.

Something suddenly flashed through his mind.

“Maybe? Is there something later?”

He didn’t hear an answer from the other person.

It was certain that there was something.

“What time is it, what’s there?”

“That’s all I can say!”

Click.

The call was disconnected.

Reporter Song looked at his cell phone with a hollow face.

#

Kim Mi-young, a third-year member of the ENS PR team, hung up the phone. And looked at the clock again. The minute hand pointing to 6 seemed to be passing quickly today.

The time she was waiting for was a magical time that could come out of a fairy tale.

Just like Cinderella opened the door to the ballroom and ran out with a bang! A bomb with a timer set to the magic time would explode with a bang.

It was something that hadn’t happened in the previous season, so no one would have expected it.

Still, the wind would eventually blow on the calm surface.

When it finally arrived on the ground, she didn’t know whether it would be a wave or a tsunami.

Ticking.

It was 12 o’clock.