The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 81

# 8 Just Let It Be

Beeeeep—

The phone rang.

The word [Mom] appeared on the screen. When he pressed the red button, a list of rejection messages popped up. He pressed one at random, and the message [I’m in class. I’ll call you later] at the top was sent.

As the vibration stopped, Halo picked up his chopsticks.

“You eat so well.”

Jang Jin-soo said, stuffing a wrap into his mouth ravenously. His appearance was so unrefined that Halo frowned. He politely moved pieces of pork belly onto his plate.

“Hey, Halo, don’t take it all.”

“Guys, don’t fight. I’ll skip a meal to order more for you.”

“Hyung [older brother/male friend] can skip up to three days without eating, they say.”

“Jin-soo, can you come out for a second?”

“I’m sorry.”

While they were having a friendly conversation, Halo, worried that the meat would burn, moved it all.

He was surprised to hear that they were barbecuing a chunk of fat instead of a steak cut, but the chunk of fat was delicious in a different way than steak.

And the side dishes heated in that oil too.

Is he following his body’s tastes? Or is this food just delicious? As he smacked his lips, savoring the oil and chili powder, he thought it would be delicious even with his original body.

“You’re really greedy. Hey, give me one.”

“Cook it yourself.”

“Damn it, you took it all.”

Han Jin-young smiled like a dad, watching the bickering children. Next to him, Bae Gong-hak picked up his jacket, ready to leave. He looked busy because of work.

“Text me when you pay.”

“It’s okay, I’ll just pay.”

“Oh! I won’t refuse.”

“Bye, Hyung!”

As Jang Jin-soo greeted Bae Gong-hak, Halo also nodded roughly. Bae Gong-hak, with his stern expression, nodded once and left.

“Is that person the drummer?”

Han Jin-young smiled faintly at Halo’s question.

“Everyone asks that. Surprisingly, no. Gong-hak is a keyboardist.”

“?”

Keyboard meant a synthesizer or an electric organ. So, that big guy plays delicate music? It was hard to believe, but Han Jin-young had no reason to deceive him.

“Gong-hak hyung plays really well.”

Jang Jin-soo added.

It was still hard to imagine.

“Then, Hyung is—”

“I’m the drummer.”

Han Jin-young on bass, Bae Gong-hak on keyboard, Kim Deok-soo on drums.

So that’s the lineup. Halo nodded roughly and picked up the meat. It cooked quickly in the blue flames.

This restaurant had a great course composition.

Fried rice on the grill where the meat was cooked.

Above all, mozzarella cheese on steamed eggs.

Why couldn’t a first-class chef come up with this idea? It felt like he had wasted 32 years of his life.

The fullness was unpleasant yet warmed his body in the early winter. There were many people walking around on the streets where it hadn’t snowed yet.

“It’s noisy here no matter what time it is.”

“It’s the busiest time.”

Seven in the evening.

The sun sets, but the lights come on.

Couples or friends. More people were walking around together than alone. They talked to each other, stopped to look at products, or settled near a busking performance they liked.

Like those many ordinary people, Halo occasionally stopped to watch busking performances.

Some were ear-splitting, but some were not bad. If he had it in his wallet, he would have thrown it already, but he only saw plastic cards. No romance.

“Hyungs, don’t you guys busk?”

The further he got away from the busking, the closer he got to the hyungs’ studio. He asked because it didn’t seem like they played often.

The answer came after a while.

“We’re not at the age to busk.”

“Do you need an age to busk?”

“No, it’s not that. We’re too old and lack energy.”

That was a very unsatisfactory answer.

He could sense a hint of reluctance in their excuses.

He wondered what he was trying to do, seriously trying to perform out of pride.

“We don’t have a vocalist either.”

The excuse was terrible.

Halo pointed to someone across the street.

“That person isn’t singing either.”

“…”

He didn’t answer, as if he had nothing to say.

It was natural because they had arrived at the underground studio.

Han Jin-young smiled awkwardly and looked back at them.

“Okay, guys, let’s go in now. We’ve had dinner. Your parents must be worried.”

“Yes, see you tomorrow, Hyung!”

“Yeah, Halo, come hang out often too.”

“…Okay.”

There was nothing more to say to the dismissal.

Anyway, this studio belonged to them.

Halo obediently picked up his jacket and came out. After saying goodbye to the hyungs again, he walked up the stairs. Jang Jin-soo, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and turned his head as he got further away from the studio.

“Hey, Halo, are you even aware of the atmosphere?”

What is this kid saying to me right now?

“The hyungs clearly seemed like they didn’t like it, so why did you keep asking? Did you not notice or what?”

“I know.”

“You know and you still do that? Hey, be considerate. The hyungs are nice, so they let it slide, but let’s keep some manners.”

Did he really not know that they were subtly avoiding him?

He wanted to let him know who really lacked awareness.

“That’s why I pushed them more. I wanted them to stop being ambiguous and just commit to something.”

“What do you mean by ambiguous? You even refused when Jin-young hyung said he would teach you earlier.”

“Were you eavesdropping?”

“I just overheard it.”

He was stubborn and didn’t want to miss a single word.

Thinking that he, as an adult, should be patient, Halo didn’t argue further. He was thinking of ignoring him and going to the subway.

However, Halo couldn’t keep that promise for even a few minutes.

“Oh, who is that person?”

A new performer was busking, and quite a few people were gathered.

It wasn’t a band, but the guitarist and vocalist had drawn all those people in with their skills.

The high notes and shouts that went up quite high made people cheer along, and Halo and Jang Jin-soo also stopped.

“There’s still a long time before the last train. Should we watch for a bit?”

“Sure.”

Objectively, the man wearing the cap wasn’t at a level to be called excellent. However, the song selection wasn’t bad, and the passionate singing was good. It suited busking well. The audience sang along with the singer, matching their rhythm.

A fun and exciting atmosphere.

Halo also joined in.

Gradually moving further forward between the people leaving and the people coming in, he eventually sat in the front row.

Halo liked his performance. Whether it was clumsy or awkward, the passion was fully conveyed. That was all that mattered.

Huff huff.

How much time had passed?

Before he knew it, Jang Jin-soo next to him was drenched in sweat, and the girls sitting on the other side of him had faces that were flushed red.

And the man with good sense announced that it was the last song.

A hoarse voice and lack of energy.

The man recognized the moment to leave when people were clapping.

The busking ended with forty minutes left of the two-hour reservation.

“Thank you for listening.”

He greeted cleanly without regret, and Halo applauded the wonderful performance. For the singer who made the short time special.

With the end of the performance, the crowd scattered.

The only ones left in that spot were Jang Jin-soo, who was struggling to put on his jacket, and Halo, who was standing there with a blank look.

“Hey, you guys.”

Then the busking man approached, stopping while organizing his audio equipment.

“Yes? Us?”

“Yeah, you guys. You were the ones who were here from the beginning, right? Thanks for listening. I came to say that.”

The busking singer, who took off his hat, had a pretty kind impression.

“No, we enjoyed the songs. You sang really well. The guitar was really good too.”

“Really?”

The man smiled casually.

“I made a lot of mistakes. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks to you singing along so enthusiastically, I was able to hide them well.”

“Oh, really? I should have sung less enthusiastically. I was too focused on my singing.”

“Heh heh, I like that you’re honest.”

The man then looked back at Halo, who was standing there blankly.

“But is this friend usually quiet? He didn’t sing along from beginning to end. I still sang really hard because I’m usually good at getting the audience to respond. But he really didn’t do it until the end. Was it not good?”

“You didn’t sing along?”

Jang Jin-soo asked, as if he didn’t know.

Halo denied it.

“No, I enjoyed it. The response was good, and the stage presence was good too. The reason I didn’t sing is just—”

“Just?”

With a really curious face, Halo said calmly.

“Because I don’t know the songs.”

“!”

The man’s eyes widened at Halo’s answer.

It was an answer he had never thought of.

“No, I only sang really famous songs. Don’t you know Fai [likely a popular Korean song/artist]? Don’t you listen to idol songs? Then what kind of songs do you listen to?”

“Usually… foreign songs?”

He hadn’t heard many songs since coming here, so it was hard to say that he knew any of them properly. Still, the ones he had heard the most were masterpieces in his native language.

The man kept muttering, ‘Still, how could you not know?’ before giving in.

“So that’s why you didn’t sing. I was wondering. I’m glad I asked. I was really curious if my songs weren’t good. I’m glad that’s not the case. Now I can sleep soundly.”

He kept looking at him, so that must have been why.

“But what kind of songs do you usually listen to when you listen to pop songs? Since you’re young, is it hip hop? Or do you just listen to Billboard songs?”

Halo recalled the songs he had listened to last night.

He had listened to many songs, but the one that came to mind first was, of course.

“These days, The Beatles?”

“The Beatles?! Oh! Do kids these days know The Beatles?”

The man got excited, thinking he wouldn’t know because it was an old song.

“Kyaa, The Beatles are good. Since you said The Beatles, I want to sing a Beatles song.”

The man hummed briefly.

A refreshing tone was heard.

“It’s a waste of the remaining time, but should I sing some pop songs for the first time in a while?”

“Oh, are you going to sing more? I like it!”

“Ehem ehem—”

The man hummed a few more times before frowning.

His voice was gone because he sang too excitedly.

Drinking the day before was also a cause.

It was a shame to leave like this. The man smacked his lips and then noticed the two kids in front of him.

One kid with sparkling eyes and the other sitting there nonchalantly.

Looking at how enthusiastically he followed along earlier, he seemed to have some talent.

“I can’t do it anymore, so do you guys want to do it?”

“Yes? Us?”

Jang Jin-soo pointed at himself, startled.

“There’s still thirty minutes left. How about it? You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m not forcing you. Feel free to say it.”

“I…”

Jang Jin-soo looked around.

It seemed like he was going to say he couldn’t and refuse.

The man was going to accept that he couldn’t help it.

At that time,

“How many chords do you know?”

Jang Jin-soo’s eyes widened as he looked at Halo.

What is this kid saying right now?

The man also seemed surprised and said.

“Are you going to sing? I know all the famous songs.”

“All the title songs?”

“Only the famous ones?”

He had no idea how much he knew.

Well, if he couldn’t sing while singing, he could just take the guitar.

Halo put down his bag and stepped forward.

Jang Jin-soo and the man were both bewildered as they looked at him.

“What are you going to do for the first song?”

“Please do something you know.”

“Then, Let It Be?”

That’s the first thing that came to mind.

Halo took the microphone from the man and sat down next to him.

The man was flustered but eventually picked up the guitar.

#

Here is a person

He is an ordinary person.

Graduating from school normally,

Coming out into society normally

Getting a job normally

Living a normal life.

He is the kind of person you can see anywhere.

Like any other person, he didn’t go home after work and wandered around the most familiar street.

He admires that the stores he knows are still there and laments that stores he doesn’t know have appeared.

He knows that it’s a meaningless act, but he can’t go home. Despite his tiredness, he couldn’t go home.

Why did he come back to this street where he had been with his friends in his younger days? He didn’t know his own intentions.

It seems like he’s trying to find something he’s lost

It seems like he’s waiting for something.

He was frustrated with himself because he didn’t know what it was.

Then, a very familiar song was heard.

A very familiar accompaniment and

A very familiar melody.

And even the most familiar lyrics.

He unknowingly headed towards the familiar.

There were already many people gathered there.

They were instinctively singing along to the song they knew. Shaking their heads and singing, they expressed that they were there.

He wanted to know what they were looking at.

He carefully goes into the gap.

Surprisingly, what’s inside isn’t a beautiful beauty, an old man with a pitifully bent body, or a priest who will give a warm hug.

There was just an ordinary kid.

A male student in a school uniform is sitting on the floor and singing. That was all. There was nothing special.

However.

I wake up to the sound of music

A really beautiful sound was heard.

Mother Mary comes to me

Mother Mary comes to me

speaking words of wisdom

speaking words of wisdom

He said without realizing it.

Let it be