The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 551

# 55 The Song That Heals Someone

[Hee-tae’s song is stuck in my head ㅠㅠㅠ]

The viewer 게시판 [bulletin board] was restored the next day at dawn.

Among the posts that were uploaded since then, the one with the highest views and comments had the following title:

Below that, stories about the drama’s content unfolded.

It was mostly about Hee-tae, and there was also some about the main character.

However, everyone talked about the OST [original soundtrack] without missing a single beat. Even when they talked about the main character, they eventually brought up Hee-tae’s theme. Character, event, and background are all indispensable in creating a scene, but everyone saw the OST as the biggest contributor to that masterpiece.

[Wow, is this the main OST? Is it better than Shin Ju-hyuk’s Guardian?]

[Who the heck sings this?? Is it at the level of Shin Na-bak?]

[The singer sings so calmly, but the emotional expression is crazy]

[Why is this so hard to sing along to? It seemed easy when I listened to it, but I can’t even finish the first verse without panting. Is this normal? And what’s with the high notes?]

There were also posts analyzing the song’s role, stemming from admiration for the song.

[Looking back, Hee-tae’s theme was a divine move]

I thought they were crazy when I first heard the theme because it was too strong.

The more I sympathized with Hee-tae, the more uncomfortable the original ending became.

But…

Hee-tae has changed.

It doesn’t make sense, but why does it make sense?

When I think about Hee-tae’s growth, wow… I can only admire it.

I don’t understand all of Hee-tae’s actions, but I understand them.

The song is crazy; it justifies everything.

In fact, Hee-tae, who had never shown any signs of change in the webtoon, changing could be seen as a destruction of plausibility and a collapse of the character.

However, there was a reason why no one pointed out the plausibility.

[Hee-tae’s theme is finally up on Watermelon [a fictional music streaming platform]]

[Finallyㅠㅠ]

[One person who held their breath and waited since episode 2 has ascended [expressing extreme satisfaction]]

The existing character theme songs had already been released as singles.

In that situation, the production team, who hadn’t uploaded Hee-tae’s theme until the end, uploaded it to the music site only after the reprise decorated the ending of episode 13.

Unlike other characters’ theme songs, in two versions.

The 음원 [music track], along with the currents of the 명장면 [famous scene],

[89. Repeating Life (‘From Today On, We’ – Hee-tae theme (Reprise))│ Noh Hae-il]

[100. Repeating Life (‘From Today On, We’ – Hee-tae theme) │ Noh Hae-il]

It was reflected in the chart as it was.

This wasn’t the end.

The very next day, the last episode of ‘From Today On, We’ hit a 연타 [home run].

Ten years later.

A man returns to his alma mater as a teacher.

Hee-tae, now an adult, looks at the 운동장 [schoolyard] as if reminiscing, and then finds a child who has fallen on the 운동장 [schoolyard].

No one helped the child.

Then, Hee-tae reached out to the fallen child.

The child took his hand and got up, and Hee-tae’s face was caught on camera.

“It’s okay to be late.”

The same warm expression as the teacher who had waited for him in the past.

“You can go at your own pace. I’ll wait as long as it takes. I have plenty of time.”

Hee-tae’s reprise is heard along with it.

“Now, let’s go.”

The camera zoomed in on the shadows of the adult and the child holding hands. The words [From Today On, We] were engraved on the shadow, and Hee-tae’s reprise rang out loudly.

Even though ‘From Today On, We’ had a separate main OST, the OST that decorated the last episode was Hee-tae’s theme variation.

This soon showed that Hee-tae was the new protagonist who received the protagonist’s will. A completely different branching point from the original.

However, viewers didn’t feel any strangeness at all.

Hee-tae’s variation occupied the ending, which may be the most important in the drama, making them think that Hee-tae had become the protagonist.

It was instantaneous to catch up with the existing 음원 [music tracks] that had been uploaded.

The theme songs of the main characters, which had been occupying the 차트100 [Top 100 chart], were quickly caught up, and briefly occupied the same ranking as the main OST sung by Shin Ju-hyuk.

It was an explosive growth in the midst of the top ten, where movement had disappeared.

[Wow, Hee-tae’s song has already risen to 21st. Well, it’s a 명곡 [masterpiece]]

[Hee-tae’s theme is such a 씹명곡 [extremely good song] that I can’t think of any other songs]

[It’s been ten years since I’ve felt chills listening to a drama OST]

[Wasn’t Hee-tae’s theme the main OST?]

It recorded a huge number of YouTube views, which boosted the viewership of the last episode. The rise in the ranking of Hee-tae’s theme song was inevitable.

But no one thought Hee-tae’s song would be number one.

[It would have been number one already if it were any other time]

[No one can get in right now]

[It’s just crazy]

That’s because there was a huge iron fortress from 1st to 17th place. The British pop that had occupied the chart at some point had driven out all other 음원 [music tracks] like a bullfrog.

The cheerful dance song of the comeback of a popular idol group,

The heartfelt ballad of a veteran singer,

Even the zombie songs that slyly appear at certain times should have been playing in the top ten, but they were only hovering around the twenties.

[1. I am HALO │ HALO]

[2. When we meet again (title)│ HALO]

[3. Struggle (title) │ HALO]

[4. Even so we do (title) │ HALO]

In some ways, it’s unbelievable.

That overseas pop, and even all the songs on the album, are occupying the Korean music charts. Moreover, that song isn’t even number one on Billboard.

But no one could criticize the iron fortress.

Even if 호불호 [likes and dislikes] is divided, once you taste that intense emotion, you can’t say you hate it. Moreover, when criticism came up or another song tried to invade, fanatics would rush in and bite.

Everyone was sure that no one would be able to penetrate this concrete until some time had passed.

A total of seventeen songs, and Hee-tae’s OST was next in line.

[18. Repeating Life (‘From Today On, We’ – Hee-tae theme (Reprise))│ Noh Hae-il]

It was clearly a great result that surpassed other established singers, but they were disappointed because the song would have definitely been number one at any other time. But no one denied that 18th place would be the song’s result.

That was the same for HALO.

HALO also expected the song to be around 18th place.

However, HALO wasn’t as disappointed as other people.

After all, the OST wasn’t entirely his song, and the variation he co-composed and arranged was only made due to his 변덕 [whim] at the time.

He wasn’t disappointed because he knew that the disappointing result was due to his album. Rather, he thought it was natural. He thought the important thing was the 음원 [music track] he would release in the future.

But.

[16. Repeating Life (‘From Today On, We’ – Hee-tae theme (Reprise))│ Noh Hae-il]

“?”

HALO tilted his head.

That was the same for other people.

Hee-tae’s OST had squeezed into the wall that other established singers couldn’t penetrate. It was a very slight rise, and it didn’t beat the powerful title track, but it definitely went in.

HALO received messages of congratulations and consolation that day.

It was a song that wouldn’t have been strange at all if it had been number one, and it was just bad luck.

It’s a result that’s more valuable than number one.

‘He’ is also a person, so he will get better results during his break. That was the content.

Also, the eyes of the world were focused.

After all, a rookie had penetrated the music of a Billboard singer that even established singers were blocked from. And they watched to see how much higher the song would go.

Hee-tae’s reprise finally rose to 10th place.

It was a result that no one had expected.

No one, including HALO, had thought of it.

“Why?”

HALO wondered.

Everyone else was congratulating him, but HALO blankly stared at the song’s results.

He wasn’t angry.

He just didn’t understand.

Hee-tae’s reprise was made in a way he had never tried before. A variation made for the character ‘Hee-tae’, not him.

Yes, it was a song made solely out of his 변덕 [whim].

That song was being loved by people as much as HALO’s 음원 [music track].

While his mother was crying, he calmly handed her a towel. He looked up the clip video of Hee-tae’s reprise for the first time.

It was content he already knew, and his song was still playing.

It wasn’t bad to listen to.

It was always good to listen to, like his songs.

But he really couldn’t understand if this song, which he had changed impulsively, was competing as equally as his original 음원 [music track].

Below the video clip, ‘likes’ and comments were displayed.

Quite a lot of numbers were 찍혀있었다 [recorded] as any video of HALO_OFFICIAL.

HALO instinctively scrolled down.

As always, popular comments were 올라와 있었다 [posted] at the top in order of likes.

[My tears won’t stop ㅠㅠㅠ At first, I cried because I was moved by Hee-tae’s growth, but now I keep tearing up because of the song. I used to hate Hee-tae, but now that I see it, I wonder if what I hated was just my clumsy and frustrating self. But the song keeps telling me that it’s okay to be lacking, that I can become an adult like Hee-tae, that it’s okay to be slow, so I feel relieved. It’s Hee-tae’s song, but I’m comforted. It’s really strange.]

Unlike his channel, there were many long comments.

HALO slowly lowered the 글 [post].

[It’s the first time in years that I’ve cried. I’ve been suffering from depression for a long time, but in a drama I happened to see-.]

There were many similar contents.

[This song doesn’t sing about Hee-tae’s growth, but it seems to be a song that comforts us who are similar to Hee-tae.]

The people who left comments said that they were healed by listening to Hee-tae’s song.

HALO suddenly thought.

‘Have I ever heard these words?’

HALO had never heard that someone was healed by his song.

That’s because his music was always focused on him.

It was created solely to express his emotions and was played to people. People were always swept away by his music, overwhelmed by his intense emotions, and soon poured out words of praise.

On the other hand, in Hee-tae’s song, people don’t focus on his emotions.

Rather, they apply it to their own stories, sympathize with it, and say that they have been healed and grown.

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

In some ways, it was amazing.

It felt like he had discovered a new path in front of him.

It was a path he would never have discovered if he hadn’t done the OST, or rather, if he hadn’t become Noh Hae-il.

Yes, it was like Hee-tae, who met a good adult and started walking a new path.

His mother hummed Hee-tae’s song as a 콧노래 [hum].

She was humming with a warm face, and he wondered what she was thinking.

Is his mother also thinking about her own story and sympathizing with it?

When their eyes met, his mother smiled brightly.

“The OST did so well, so if your music comes out well, everyone will definitely like it.”

She believed without a shred of doubt that his 음원 [music track] would do well.

HALO played the music he had made with 미디 [MIDI software].

The music that will be released under the name of Noh Hae-il has now finished recording and only needs to be promoted and released.

But. When he listened to the music, he felt this impulse.

He wanted to evoke people’s emotions once again.

Not in his original way, but in the new way he saw this time.

Maybe it’s arrogance.

He doesn’t even know how to handle his own emotions,

Trying to touch other people’s emotions is.

It’s arrogance, and maybe it’s even more difficult, but.

HALO picked up a pen.

[It’s a very happy song]

[I feel like I can move forward now]

He wanted to hear the same sound again.

Not as a scene in a drama, as one element, but solely with his power.

Ji-jik!

His mother was startled by the loud noise and turned around.

HALO was drawing lines on his notebook with a magic marker.

That was the score he had originally made.

The score he had made to try a new attempt.

After seeing a newer path, these things felt boring.

“What are you doing?”

“A new attempt.”

HALO smiled and answered.

It’s a pretty good melody, but it’s not a waste to throw it away.

Because he’ll make better music.

HALO did something that others would have trembled at without any hesitation.

The 오선지 [musical staff] is divided into two.

HALO, who erased it neatly, 새겨놓았다 [engraved] the song on the next page.

#

At that time. KDS Broadcasting Station in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu.

“PD-nim [PD = Producer], what should we do since we’ve postponed all the comebacks this time and there’s one 칸 [slot] empty?”

“Who was coming that day?”

“It’s Shin Ju-hyuk. The time slot before is empty.”

The PD [Producer] sighed as he roughly 훑어보다 [glanced over] the Watermelon chart.

He sighed at the fact that they were postponing their comeback because they were 신경 쓴다고 [being conscious] about their results.

Of course, he understood that the bullfrog that had occupied the chart up to 18th place was scary.

“It would be difficult to 섭외 [scout] this person, right?”

“I heard that they can’t 섭외 [scout] him even if NDC tries to 섭외 [scout] him, not just KDS.”

“Did they already 움직였어 [make a move]?”

“No, it’s not just anyone, it’s the person who built the Great Wall on Billboard, so it’s natural. PD-nim [PD = Producer], the US is the one that reacts immediately to this, not anything else.”

The PD [Producer] nodded as he saw the gesture of his thumb and index finger touching [a gesture implying money or influence].

Yes, that neighborhood is the true country of capitalism.

Anyway, the important thing was separate.

“PD-nim [PD = Producer], so how about this artist?”

“Huh?”

“Teacher Lee Hwan-hee also asked me today, ‘Aren’t you 섭외ing [scouting] him?'”

“That-. He’s also a rookie who hasn’t properly revealed his face yet…”

As he said that, he thought about whether they had ever cared about that. The PD [Producer] checked the 음원 [music track] that had uniquely penetrated the barrier of the bullfrog.

The main OST of that hot drama these days.

No, in fact, it was said to be the theme song of a supporting character.

The PD [Producer] also enjoyed watching it. It definitely had a different impact.

He wasn’t just talking about the results.

He, who listens to music quite a lot due to the nature of the program, got 소름 돋았다 [goosebumps] after watching the drama after a long time.

“You said the teacher also asked.”

“Yes, yes. She said she wanted to see his face once.”

The PD [Producer] put down the ‘Lee Hwan-hee’s Sketchbook’ schedule and said.

“Let’s 섭외 [scout] him.”