The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 371

“Alright, it might be good to go there in person.”

His father had been staring at the contract for quite a while.

Just as Halo was about to reply with a bright, ‘I’ll be back,’ he heard another voice.

“All of us.”

“Excuse me?”

“There aren’t any major plans from the end of the year to the beginning. How about we make it a trip while we’re at it, dear?”

“Sounds great!”

Mom jumped up at Dad’s words.

She excitedly went into the master bedroom and brought out two 28-inch suitcases.

He, who had naturally been planning to go alone, smacked his lips. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything to his mother, who was looking forward to the trip.

#

August’s day goes as follows:

Wakes up at five in the morning listening to classical music.

Exactly one hour later, he starts his morning with a salad and scones filled with various nutrients.

He doesn’t do anything else while eating. He focuses solely on the meal.

After finishing his meal, August puts on a suit and leisurely goes for a walk. Time flies by as he strolls along the River Thames, watching people.

When he starts to get tired, August takes a seat at his regular cafeteria before it even opens.

As always, the cafeteria owner hands him an espresso and bows.

“Good morning, sir. Please take care of me today as well.”

“Haha, what would I do? Aren’t I just a bad old man who comes here to get free coffee?”

“Bad? This place is all yours, sir. I’ll serve you coffee for the rest of my life, so please keep coming for a long, long time.”

“People always nag me to live a long life. I’ll live long even if you don’t tell me to.”

The cafeteria owner raised the corners of his mouth and bowed once again. He hoped to repay the old man who had kept him alive for a long time.

The owner greeted the peaceful morning and went into the cafeteria. Originally, he would have turned on the television at this hour, but today he played a sound source he had happened to hear.

He had stolen his son’s account to listen to this sound source. This sound source was nowhere to be found except on YouTube.

Soon, the music begins.

The owner sees the old man, who is quite picky about music, taking off his hat and listening, so he confidently changes the sign on the cafeteria door from ‘closed’ to ‘open’.

Spring is coming.

In the winter busy with Christmas.

Occasionally, people on the busy commute would listen to the music from the cafe. Because an unsuited music was heard between the carols that filled the streets so terribly.

“Well, people’s ears are all the same.”

August muttered while watching people.

It wasn’t released in any music stores other than YouTube, so he thought it would take quite a long time.

If ‘Tae Yang’s’ first album, which had mixed reviews, created fanatics, the second album, consisting of easy listening (music that’s good to play as background music) tracks, was quickly spreading to the public.

The ambiance of the early rock and roll era and the sound of a sophisticated orchestra. Above all, the electric guitar that cheerfully leads the music seemed to blend modern pop and the pop of that era appropriately.

He can never be a rookie.

There are many opinions about Tae Yang’s voice, but no one thought he was a rookie or an amateur.

He is someone who has been making music for a very long time. The fact that he is throwing such songs on YouTube, not even on a music store, clearly meant that he was a musician who didn’t want more money.

The old man agreed with this part.

“However.”

But the problem is that he can’t think of anyone.

When was the early rock and roll era?

There aren’t many people who were popular singers in the 50s and 60s who are still alive.

So, if he assumes that they are from the 7080 generation [people in their 40s and 50s] who remember the ambiance of the 50s and 60s.

“…”

Still, one thing bothers him.

The voice.

Just as there is a saying that a person’s eyes reflect their soul, the voice is the age ring of that person.

The voice reflects the years and flow of life. You can tell how they have lived just by listening to their voice. You can tell how they usually vocalize, how much they usually drink, and how much they have taken care of themselves.

“I don’t know.”

In the end, August failed to deduce ‘Tae Yang’ this time as well. He smiles brightly, satisfied that he can deduce it tomorrow as well.

It’s a pleasant failure.

What makes his boring old age enjoyable is deducing ‘Tae Yang’.

And how fun it is to contact people he suspects and test them. He feels like James Bond in a movie. It’s the joy of his life.

“Boss!”

As he was spending a leisurely morning, a familiar woman ran from afar. She flapped her trench coat and ran up breathlessly.

Did something happen at the company?

The old man quietly waited for the woman to speak.

“…Finally, it’s finally here!”

“What is?”

The old man asked back, unable to hear the subject.

Looking at her flushed cheeks and excited face, he wondered what could make a mother of two children like that.

Lottery?

The lottery she prays to every day, holding it to the ceiling, hoping that the goddess of luck will descend?

Eh. If she had won, she would have run to the bank manager, not to the boss.

Then what could it be?

Stars sequentially came to his mind.

If they visited the company, her reaction would be understandable. Among them, the person she would like the most would be,

“Did DiCaprio come?”

“Boss, are you friends with DiCaprio too?”

“He’s a good friend. Then Robert Downey Jr.?”

“Wow, is Robert Downey Jr. releasing another album?”

Yeah, that’s not it.

She tucked her dry blonde hair behind her ear and smiled brightly.

“‘He’ replied!”

“He…?”

How many HEs are there in the world? The old man grumbled at the unfriendly designation and then suddenly raised his head.

A sudden figure flashed through his mind.

“Mr. Halo.”

The old man stood up from his seat without realizing it.

He said that deducing was the joy of his life, but he couldn’t help but get excited. What does it matter if he can’t deduce it? He’s seeing the person he wants to see the most.

Besides, watching other people’s deductions go wrong and cackling like a mastermind will be another joy of his life.

“What’s the meeting schedule?”

The old man always went to the meetings himself.

He could go this time too.

Anywhere. Even if it was the Bermuda Triangle, he would happily go.

“Mr. Halo responded that he would come in person. He refused to arrange flights and accommodations, saying he would take care of it himself.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

It’s just a meeting, not a confirmed contract, so he won’t accept your services. Is that it?

The old man burst into laughter.

“This method looks familiar, hahaha.”

He is looking forward to seeing what kind of face the star he will see soon has. The old man left the espresso and left the place with the woman.

#

[2nd place. Show by Show (Show your show 3. Supported song)]

It was war from the moment it entered the top ten.

Coldbrew’s fans, conscious of ‘Show by Show’, united and became stronger as they went higher.

Especially

[1st place. Waiting for Christmas (Single)]

The sound source queen’s song didn’t even think about falling. Of course, Liv isn’t called the sound source queen for nothing. Whenever she releases a sound source, her albums are listed from 1st to 10th place, and it usually lasts for 3 or 4 weeks.

The public knew all the songs on Liv’s album, even if they didn’t know the release dates of other singers’ albums.

Besides, with the Christmas carol effect, people were disappointed. It was a song that would have been number one if it had been any other time, but they had to be satisfied with second place.

‘Show by Show’ fought with other songs, going back and forth between 2nd and 4th place. In fact, all the songs in the top ten continued a fierce battle in unseen places.

And battles were also taking place in other places.

‘Halo’s mother, it’s been a while.’

Just a moment ago.

Park Seung-ah slumped down on the bed with a tired body. It’s not that her body is tired, but her mind is exhausted.

“But why did you go?”

“She told me to come. I was just going to say hello for the last time.”

Noh Yoon-hyun looked at Park Seung-ah, who was exhausted.

“What did she say?”

“The announcement of the special purpose high school [a high school for gifted students] acceptance has been made. It’s always the same.”

“Isn’t it just a document screening anyway?”

“That’s right.”

“She’s still the same.”

Park Seung-ah nodded.

That place is still the same.

Then she suddenly realizes.

If Halo hadn’t changed his career path, she would have belonged there too. She would have been elated and frustrated by Halo’s grades and wouldn’t have been able to rest until the day he went to college.

Looking back now, it’s all useless.

Whether it’s a good high school or a good university, isn’t it all about going to a place to live a better life?

Halo is now smiling and doing what he wants to do, staying up all night, and living a life that people recognize and love, so her wish has already been fulfilled.

The mothers she met at the parents’ association subtly ignore her, saying that Halo ruined his final exams or didn’t apply to a special purpose high school, because they don’t know how good a life Halo is living.

How loved Halo is, how talented he is.

‘Well, will they know soon?’

Seeing him put his name on the watermelon chart [a popular music chart in Korea] without doing anything and going out to sign a contract with a foreign company, it seems that it won’t be long before he becomes known to the public.

So Park Seung-ah didn’t care at all about the mothers’ neglect.

She hasn’t told the mothers about Show by Show or YouTube yet. She kept letting them ignore and criticize him.

It might be a bit sinister.

How embarrassed would they be when they find out that the kid they ignored is doing better than their own child? I just want to see that expression at that time.

Then Park Seung-ah lay down looking at the ceiling.

She was surprised that she wasn’t worried at all even though the mothers came out like that. Well, even if she doesn’t do anything, her son is doing well. Sometimes she feels like she’s dreaming.

It’s her daily routine to watch her son’s channel and smile.

However, there is something to worry about.

There are many bad people in the world, and the better her child does, the more they will try to tear him down. They will try to find fault with even one thing, and they will laugh and curse if he makes even one mistake.

Halo. She was worried that the fragile and tender child would get hurt.

That’s why she told him to go to high school like others, and that’s why she opposed Halo and her husband’s opinions.

These days, it’s not enough for celebrities to be good at music or acting. They had to be versatile in all aspects, including historical knowledge, language, and one or two instruments.

The most worrying thing is language.

If he belonged to an agency, they would teach him languages, but Halo wasn’t like that. He was always good at Korean, but he was always worried because he was always on the verge of failing English.

Park Seung-ah seriously considered it.

“Should I teach him a language?”

#

“Bonjour. Excuse me, where do I have to go to take the subway?”

“Where are you going?”

“My accommodation is the Shilla Hotel, but I’m going to have a meal first. Maybe-”

Park Seung-ah stared blankly at Halo.

So, her son…

“But I recommend you leave your luggage at the accommodation. It’s okay now, but there are many hills in Korea, so you’ll get tired quickly. There’s a bus limousine that goes to the Shilla Hotel, so use that. Take the Namsan route.”

“Oh! Merci, Ange [Thank you, Angel].”

He was speaking French, not English.

“Halo, since when have you been so good at French?”

Halo discovered his embarrassed parents and realized it.

Fortunately, he has something to think of.

“At school.”

There was a separate French class at school.

Of course, he didn’t consider that the French taught at school was at the elementary school level.

“I know you learned French at school, but…”

It was okay to tell him the way. But it seemed impossible to do even small talk with average skills.

“I don’t have to worry about language.”

Mother soon understood and moved on. She looked somewhat relieved and refreshed.

Halo grabbed his mother’s arm and led her forward, changing the subject.

“Where should we go now?”

“There’s still a long way to go before departure, so, um, shall we take a look at the duty-free shop?”

“I’ll pick out a scarf that suits you well.”

“Oh my, is my son already giving me gifts because he’s making money now?”

Halo had a friendly conversation with his mother and decided that he should use language moderately from now on.

It’s not that he can’t do it, but it’s a problem because he’s too good.

It’s not strange that he speaks French. Previously, his parents were Dutch and French-British, so he had many opportunities to come into contact with foreign languages from home.

Besides, his family was middle class who longed for the upper class, so they had a strong enthusiasm for education. How strong was it that Shakespeare and Goethe became tiresome. He could do nearby languages roughly, whether he was good at them or not.

He hadn’t used it, so he had almost forgotten everything, but the body remembers even if you don’t ride a bicycle for 10 years.

[Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard our airline, a member of SkyTeam. ]

[-Please fasten your seatbelts and switch your smartphones and other electronic devices to airplane mode.]

Beep-.

When he boarded the plane and buried himself in his seat, his cell phone rang. When he tried to check it, the flight attendants asked him to turn off his cell phone for a moment from behind.

Halo roughly checked the text banner.

[1st place. Show by Show (Show your show 3. Supported song)]

“Hmm.”

In the end, he became number one.

Halo smiled and turned off his cell phone. He’s going to sleep well until he arrives. His mother told him to eat ramen.

The vast sky was visible through the window of the plane.

It really hit him that he was going there.

His heart was pounding with a feeling that he didn’t know whether it was anticipation or nostalgia.

He’ll be there when he opens his eyes.