The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 771

< 77. Until the Day We Find Halo >

Who is Halo?

Beneath a silhouette of a man marked with a question mark, ‘Tonight Show’ is written in large letters. The date and Eastern Time are displayed, along with the guest introduction. A woman, seeing the broadcast program’s poster, pushes open the glass door.

This is a broadcasting station in Los Angeles, USA. A man in a suit follows behind the woman in jeans.

“Are you really going to go through with this?”

“The viewers want it, don’t they?”

“Well, they do, but… I’m worried if we can fill parts 1 and 2 since other shows have already covered this topic. Wouldn’t it be a bit dull if it’s just analysis and identity deduction?”

“Don’t worry. I have something in mind.”

“Lucy, what are you planning? Hey, Lucy!”

The platinum-blonde woman hurried to catch the elevator. As always, a content meeting was scheduled for her, who hosts the talk show ‘Midday Show’ on TDS.

Right now. ‘Midday Show’ conference room.

Lucy, holding an iced Americano, placed the takeout cup on the table. Everyone was already seated.

In fact, the framework was mostly prepared, so the meeting proceeded smoothly, until they started discussing the most important aspect of this content: ‘casting.’

“How is the casting going?”

“It’s progressing smoothly. We’ve secured most of the people from English-speaking countries and are coordinating schedules.”

“What about that kid?”

“That kid, you mean…”

Lucy looked at the casting manager, crunching on ice. It was ice to suppress her impatience and annoyance.

The casting manager missed the most important casting. Lucy crunched the ice and spoke clearly.

“Okay, Kelvin, look. What are we doing?”

“We are preparing a special segment.”

“Yes, we are preparing a ‘HALO Special.’ As a latecomer.”

The most famous shows in the United States are running ‘Halo Identity Deduction’ specials, and this special is spreading to broadcasting stations nationwide.

You can think of it as a special where they invite artists suspected of being Halo and deduce [their identity] like Sherlock Holmes. It’s very hot content, and the response is great.

From content that involves in-depth interviews with one person to secretly filming suspected artists with hidden cameras. As a result, quite a lot of content related to Halo has been consumed so far.

“I think our content is also progressing well.”

“That’s right. There hasn’t been any content inviting influencers yet.”

“…”

“Invite a cover-specializing influencer to show a HALO cover performance. It’s innovative and new. The first. It’s a very attractive word. However,”

Lucy’s red lips curved.

“Let’s be a little greedy here. Let’s consume all of this content so that no other show can copy our content. So, what should we do?”

“I will make sure to cast properly.”

Lucy raised her lips at the casting manager’s words.

“What was the most talked-about video recently with a Halo cover?”

Only then did the casting manager realize the intention of the long sermon.

“The one tagged by Belle Morrison-.”

“With influencers of more diverse nationalities.”

Lucy quickly corrected her words, but the casting manager seemed to have grasped her inner thoughts and repeated.

“I will cast them no matter what.”

Well, Lucy decided to do the exhausted content after watching the recently trending ‘HALO’s Son’ video.

She nodded satisfactorily.

#

Meanwhile, Halo, still unaware of what was happening across the sea, was facing two people.

“Hello, it’s an honor to meet you. My name is Moon Seo-yeon, and I’ve been hoping to be Noh Hae-il’s keyboardist since I was born. To meet you this close is truly moving, and I feel like I’m going to cry-.”

“Since before I was born?”

Halo examined the short-haired woman’s personal details.

Moon Seo-yeon, 28 years old. There was an 11-year age difference with Noh Hae-il.

She said with a nonchalant face as if it were obvious.

“Yes, God appeared in my dream and revealed, ‘Listen, Seo-yeon, you will become Noh Hae-il’s keyboardist’…”

“That’s too much.”

“Really? Then, my ancestors appeared in my dream and told me to write down three letters on a note. What could be the reason for calling Noh Hae-il’s name instead of a lottery number? That’s because Noh Hae-il is my lottery…”

“Just get the lottery number-.”

“Anyway, the important thing is that my lifelong dream has come true. At this moment.”

Cutting off the man sitting next to her, the woman said hastily. Her eyes sparkled, begging to be chosen. Seeing her reel off obvious lies without a care, she seemed to have quite the personality.

“She doesn’t seem to be in her right mind.”

Han Jin-young muttered quietly and examined the portfolio the woman had brought.

A portfolio filled with a lot of writing.

The most noticeable among them were the contest records and ‘Korea National University of Arts, Instrumental Music Department (Piano) Dropout.’

It wasn’t strange for a piano major to handle keyboards, but it bothered him that she was someone who had been on a smooth elite course. Was she not suited for that path because she was such a weirdo?

“Ahem.”

And the drummer who came with her, Nam Gyu-hwan.

The man with long hair and an equally long beard was precisely a percussionist [someone who plays various percussion instruments].

What was unique about this one was that he wasn’t from Korea National University of Arts. Not even from an arts high school, but someone who jumped into a band from a young age. They were such opposite duos that it was surprising they were together.

Unlike the keyboardist who had been showering praises since they arrived, he started by stating the main point.

“I would like to clarify that I want to participate as a session musician rather than a band member.”

“Hey!”

Moon Seo-yeon shouted in surprise, as if it were an unagreed-upon statement.

Session musician rather than band member.

In other words, he meant that he would focus on individual activities rather than group activities.

Moon Seo-yeon looked at the boy’s face.

However, since they met, the boy had never lost his faint smile.

“I applied because I want to learn about Noh Hae-il’s music, composition, and harmony while working as Noh Hae-il’s session musician. It is clear that I wanted to perform together and play Noh Hae-il’s music. However, there is someone to whom I must give my first and last.”

It was a level of honesty that could be offensive to someone.

To talk about another singer in front of a certain singer.

However, Noh Hae-il didn’t seem to care much.

So much so that Moon Seo-yeon, who was watching, thought it was a bit strange.

“Can I ask who it is?”

“It is someone who always looks at me from one place. Glorious and dazzling like the name… my sun.”

Han Jin-young canceled his judgment that Nam Gyu-hwan was normal, unlike Moon Seo-yeon.

Even though their tensions were different, they were of the same kind. Well, they say birds of a feather flock together.

“It is my greatest wish to become his band.”

Unnecessarily solemn.

“I will go to him and ask him to put me in the band. Like in the song, I will call him glory first.”

“How about he comes to you first and asks you to join his band?”

“Oh!”

At the boy’s question, the man’s eyes lit up at the mere thought of glory.

Then, at some point, the man shook his head.

“Of course, it would be an honor, but still, I want to go to him first. If possible, before he reveals his identity. No, I definitely will. I believe that a fan should be able to find their singer even if they are wearing rags!”

The boy’s expression became a bit strange.

“I’ve even prepared what to say.”

“Hey, stop it…”

This isn’t a Halo band interview, and it’s clearly in front of another singer.

Moon Seo-yeon gritted her teeth and gave him a look, but neither Nam Gyu-hwan nor Noh Hae-il cared.

“What did you prepare?”

Nam Gyu-hwan rummaged through his pocket and took out an old note.

“I’m not very good at English… Ahem.”

Then he read.

A structure made up of awkward pronunciation and strange grammar with strong Konglish [Korean-English hybrid language].

But-.

[Hello, Halo. Nice to meet you. I am your big fan. And I want. You. band. Please.]

The boy chuckled.

“Okay.”

“?”

Moon Seo-yeon and Nam Gyu-hwan looked up.

What could it mean to say okay at this timing?

It didn’t seem like a good meaning.

They had a history of ruining several interviews like this, so they felt bad signals like ghosts.

At that time, an unexpected word was heard.

“Join my band.”

Their faces gradually changed from surprise to disbelief, and then to suspicion.

Looking at them, Halo leaned back on the sofa, smiled faintly, and said.

“Until the day we find Halo.”

:

“What are you going to do?”

Right after Moon Seo-yeon and Nam Gyu-hwan went back to get their luggage. Han Jin-young asked Halo, who was looking out the window.

Through the window, Moon Seo-yeon was seen delivering a knee kick to Nam Gyu-hwan. It seemed that the video showed only a small part.

They were truly unique friends.

So were their performances.

“I was just going to show them originally.”

Halo said, looking at them.

“They said they wanted to find me themselves.”

I don’t know why there are so many people like this around him.

Hwang Ryong-pil also saw some traces in his music and said he would find out what those traces meant.

What drummer Nam Gyu-hwan was saying was similar.

The difference in their views is clear. Hwang Ryong-pil had a more exploratory feel, while Nam Gyu-hwan was closer to the feeling of fulfilling his singer’s wishes as a fan.

Yes, he did sing such a song.

That you will call me glory first.

“Well, they’ll find out soon anyway. There are many ways to find out.”

Halo nodded at Han Jin-young’s words.

“Won’t they ask soon? If you are that person.”

“Then I will. I will answer that I am.”

However….

Halo recalled Nam Gyu-hwan, who was awkwardly spitting out English while preparing the comments himself.

I’m just thinking about it because that was impressive.

Instead of asking if you are Halo,

I wish he would say it like he wrote on the note.

-Hello, Halo. Nice to meet you.

I’m your fan, and I want to be your band.

That clumsy word would be enough

to be satisfying.

#

“Okay, what do we do now?”

Since hiring the session musicians, album work has begun in earnest.

They gathered in one place to work on Noh Hae-il’s single album .

The recording will proceed in one take, and everyone had memorized the sheet music.

When they tentatively proceeded with overdubbing.

The solid bass sound.

The combination of the synthesizers, which were elegant as befitting a former pianist, and the percussion, which knew how to handle more percussion instruments than expected, was quite good.

So, ‘quite.’

It seems that the phrase ‘happily ever after’ is only used in fairy tales.

Smooth work, what a joke.

A used rookie who had stopped playing in a band for a long time and recently started band life again. A synthesizer player that seems to compromise but gets caught up in his performance at some point, and a percussionist with firm tastes.

When they proceeded with one-take (ensemble) recording instead of overdubbing, their individuality was revealed as it was.

“Should we take a little break?”

“It’s just getting fun now.”

The boy crookedly raised the corner of his mouth.

Yes, there is one more person in this place.

A pseudo-high school student whose life has always been a continuous struggle, even if he can’t act his age.

The recording and practice started again.

It starts off smoothly, but they bare their teeth to devour each other. Fortunately, there are no herbivores in this place. Instead of being intimidated by sharp teeth, they rushed at each other, saying they were better.

Fortunately, the battle was only fought on the battlefield of music.

It seemed that today’s recording had gone down the drain.

He wouldn’t give up on one-take recording, and he didn’t expect to have a fantastic ensemble today.

However, he is thinking of trying something else.

Something more fun.

“Let’s change the song for a moment.”

Let’s save for a while.

It seemed like he had to fight them properly once.

They fought too timidly.

“H-How?”

Moon Seo-yeon, who knows that she gets caught up in her performance, pretends to read the room.

“With another song.”

“What song?”

“Anything is fine. Let’s take turns doing our favorite songs.”

At that time, Nam Gyu-hwan raises his hand.

“Addiction.”

He was a man with consistent taste.

Halo raised the corner of his mouth and nodded.

He immediately picked up the electric guitar.

I didn’t know I would play this with a band.

There was no starting signal.

When Halo rushed in first, the percussion hurriedly followed, and the bass and synth came in at the same time.

Unlike , is already a completed song. In other words, the sample is clear.

There will be no one who tries to forcibly distort this perfect sample. So, usually.

Halo deliberately took the tempo one beat faster. The dissonance that occurs at that moment. began to collapse.

The bass hurriedly responds to the tempo of the electric guitar.

The percussion, which was trying to maintain the perfect sample, stubbornly insists, but he is destined to pursue harmony with the bass.

As the bass and drums, which are the backbone of the song, follow the tempo, the synth no longer gets caught up in its performance and matches the tempo.

In that way, completeness was completed in the midst of destruction, and the performance ended.

Halo raised the corner of his mouth.

Everyone realizes the completed harmony and feels catharsis.

“Gasp!”

When the performance ended, everyone exhaled the breath they had been holding in.

I don’t know who made the exclamation, but everyone was smiling while exhausted.

“Any other songs you want to do?”

Han Jin-young shrugged his shoulders.

It seemed that his favorite Let It Be wouldn’t fit this atmosphere.

Moon Seo-yeon, who was glancing at Han Jin-young, twitched her lips and smiled as if she couldn’t help it.

“I’m… okay too.”

“Mr. Nam Gyu-hwan?”

Halo looked at Nam Gyu-hwan for the last time.

He seemed sad that his favorite song, ‘Addiction,’ had collapsed with dissonance in the beginning.

“Are you going to ruin the song again?”

“Well, if necessary.”

Nam Gyu-hwan’s expression wasn’t bad though.

He even seemed refreshed as if he had realized how to match each other.

Then, does no one else want to play another song?

Halo looked back at them and said.

“Then now. Let’s try that once.”

People looked at him as if asking what it was.

“Performance.”