The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 831

< Episode 83 To the Lost Fisherman >

Halo walked out of the mastering room.

It was early dawn, the first light just breaking. The studio was quietly immersed in the stillness.

His slippers softly padded against the floor.

He collapsed onto the sofa in the休息室 [resting room].

The warm scent of fabric softener wafted from the aroma warmer his mother had placed there.

Blinding sunlight streamed through the 隙間 [gaps] in the curtains.

He shielded his eyes with his hand and murmured softly.

“···It’s over.”

He announced the completion of HALO’s 6th album, a project he’d worked on relentlessly.

Truthfully, it would have been finished sooner if he hadn’t gone to LA.

But he didn’t regret it.

The cheeseburger he’d had after so long, the Los Angeles weather, and the scenery that was just as he remembered it, were all satisfying.

Halo closed his eyes, about to drift off to sleep, then picked up his phone. It had been turned off for a while, and messages had piled up.

From his mother, worried that he was just like his father, never coming home, to acquaintances.

Some asked if he had really appeared on an American talk show, but most talked about his music.

In short, they said they listened well, the song was good, and congratulations.

Except for one guy-.

[Is that thing not coming out this time?]

[Are you releasing an album?]

[No, no, I’m not a magazine]

He wondered why he was asking then.

Halo then opened the Watermelon app [Korean music streaming app, similar to Spotify or Apple Music].

And he found out why his acquaintances had congratulated him.

The chart entry of the song released at midnight the night before.

[46. Lighthouse of the Night │ Nohaeil – Lighthouse of the Night (1st Single Album)]

Halo fell asleep while reading fans’ reactions to the song.

And when he came to his senses, he found the three people who had come to work (?) in the studio sitting at the table next to the refrigerator, chatting.

They saw the awakened boy and waved, asking if he was up.

#

Nohaeil’s MINI album [Another Life], released on February 28th, achieved the highest chart ranking of 2nd place but had relatively few reviews or evaluations.

Until then, he was just a newly debuted rookie. There were some who reviewed rookies’ songs, but reviews from ‘critics’ called ‘experts’ could not be found.

The boy caught the public’s eye at the Rendezvous Song Festival.

Numerous reviews were written about ‘Hero’s Song,’ which he sang with Hwang Ryongpil.

Nohaeil’s fans waited for reviews of the pure song—100% pure with only ‘Nohaeil’ in the lyrics, composition, and arrangement.

Of course, they knew too.

That critics’ reviews were sometimes not popular and that there were strange guys.

Nevertheless, fans wanted their singer to be well-received by professionals.

Also, even if they weren’t fans, critical articles served as the best references for evaluating and criticizing a singer’s song.

The reviews they had been waiting for did not inflate the fans’ hearts… but ignited them.

@Critic Kim Junseok: 3.5 /5.0

This is a song that had a lot of talk even before it was released.

There were many rumors that he was suffering from HALO disease (a disease of imitating the overseas singer HALO by releasing a song once a month), but he stubbornly released a single album.

Wouldn’t it have been better to take a little more time and make a regular or mini album like a professional….

Of course, the composition and atmosphere of the song clearly show ‘Nohaeil’s’ unique musical world. The dreamy atmosphere brings the atmosphere of overseas music to life with his own color.

└ So why 3.5??

└ Are you saying you’re disappointed that it’s a single after seeing a song that was released less than a day ago and has already broken into the top 10?

└ Don’t you know Kim Junseok is famous? He gives Korean singers a maximum of 3.5 points, but he praises HALO or Lady Justin and gives them 5 points, lol.

└ How do you become a critic? I think I can do better than this bastard.

└ Are there any other reviews?

Of course, there were many positive reviews as well.

@Pop Music Critic Lee Jiae: Despite the familiar acoustic-based introduction, the composition of synthesizers, the sound enriched by real sessions rather than MIDI sounds, the storytelling of rising, falling, turning, and concluding, and the fantastic atmosphere are all impressive.

@Music Critic Park Hyeonsu: The clear vocals and dreamy and fantastic music are perfectly matched. He brings out his charm with a feeling completely opposite to that of overseas singer H, who is famous for his boyish voice.

However, as the saying goes, one bad word is more memorable than a hundred good words. Fans were more worried about the singer being upset by seeing this article than they were about themselves being upset.

In the meantime, an article came out.

[Nohaeil Confirmed to Appear on First Terrestrial Music Show]

One member excerpted the article and posted it on the cafe bulletin board, and the office worker who had been stressed out by Nohaeil impersonators spread his arms.

[Wave Riding] Next week’s Show Music World schedule confirmed!!! It’s Saturday, May 31st!

└ I came! I saw! I conquered!

└ Wow, if it’s Show Music World, will he get 1st place on his first appearance?

└ Isn’t it ambiguous? It’s a single, and it’s even released as a digital album.

└ The Indian rain dance is finally successful, lol [a sarcastic expression implying their efforts finally paid off].

In Korea, music shows broadly mean all broadcasts that deal with music, but narrowly, they are commonly referred to as ‘music shows,’ which are K-pop show programs.

In Korea, there were about seven such show programs, including three terrestrial [free-to-air] and three cable channels, and each music broadcast had its own characteristics.

Among them, Show Music World, which Nohaeil was confirmed to appear on, is the oldest existing music broadcast and is known for its relatively decent stage sound quality and live environment.

Of course, there were issues with editing for unpopular singers and criteria for popularity rankings, but the former was actually the standard for most music broadcasts, and the latter was improved by reflecting YouTube views.

Therefore, although the possibility was low, it was not impossible for Nohaeil to win 1st place.

Nohaeil had the highest ranking on the charts of all Korean digital streaming platforms, including Watermelon.

Still, what fans were looking forward to was something else.

The time had come to finally unveil the cheering sticks and slogans they had made. If they could safely overcome one hurdle, they would be able to bite into the sweet fruit.

‘That hurdle is a bit big, though.’

The public broadcast, which is comparable to ticketing. [Attending public broadcasts is often as competitive as getting tickets to a popular concert.]

If you could buy a ticket or make a reservation, it would be one thing. Unlike other terrestrial programs, ‘Show Music World’ is first-come, first-served.

‘Experience is the answer!’

While the fans were grinding their bones and gnashing their teeth [working extremely hard], May 31st arrived.

This day was special to everyone.

For the fans, it would be Nohaeil’s first music show and first public broadcast, and also, although no one knew yet, it was the day HALO’s 6th album was scheduled to be released.

“Oh, President, your hair is dyed well.”

Haeil looked in the mirror with the same expression as usual.

He had bleached and dyed his hair at a place someone had introduced him to—a hair salon that celebrities often went to.

He hadn’t been able to properly manage his first bleached hair while traveling back and forth to England, so this time he decided to enjoy all the colors of the rainbow.

So, the color he dyed was blonde to match .

Haeil, who didn’t examine his appearance properly and only roughly checked it, headed straight to Yeouido [location of many broadcasting stations in Seoul].

He didn’t know if most of the people appearing on music shows were idol groups, but the people who arrived around the same time as him were also rookie idol groups.

As the nine members were captured on camera, their manager and staff moved.

Haeil made eye contact with one of them and greeted them.

They also greeted him awkwardly. It was an awkward silence because they were waiting for the elevator in the broadcasting station lobby, not meeting in the waiting room.

Then, someone approached with a loud voice.

“Who is this? Could it be our Haeil?”

“···Ah, PD Jang [PD stands for Program Director].”

PD Jang smiled brightly at the boy, who greeted him with the same 여상한 [composed] attitude, not being overly happy.

Of course, he was the protagonist who had successfully created the Rendezvous he had planned.

And the nine figures were startled when they heard the name PD.

“Hello, PD!”

“Oh, 깜짝이야 [Oh, you startled me]. Yes. Oh, hello.”

“We are—one, two, three, on the asteroid, Little Prince!”

The idol group bowed to the name PD and soon shouted their group slogan.

Haeil knew Wonder was an idol, but it was his first time seeing them as a complete group, so he thought their greeting method was amazing.

And on the other hand, he thought they were suffering a lot even though they were young.

If someone ordered him to do that, he wouldn’t let them get away with it.

PD Jang nodded and gave a formal smile.

“Nice to meet you, I think I’ve heard the name, which company are you with?”

If he had heard the name, he would have known which company it was, but the one who seemed to be the leader of the idol group explained with a bright face. PD Jang only asked what he wanted to ask with an ambiguous attitude.

“Ah, I see. But where did the manager go?”

“He said he had something to do for a while….”

“Hmm. I see. Take care of your business.”

PD Jang nodded once again and soon completely lost interest.

It’s not that they did something wrong. There are dozens of new idol groups being created and disbanded, a company he’s never heard of, and even the absence of a manager who should have added another word.

It was natural for PD Jang to become indifferent.

Even if it wasn’t right, that’s how the world was turning.

PD Jang poured his attention into the boy, who had a more certain future than them.

“I almost didn’t recognize you because of your hair. It suits you so well. Did you dye it because of the music show?”

As the elevator doors opened, PD Jang got on with the boy. It seemed like he had some purpose.

“Do you have any schedules other than the music show?”

Yes, that’s right.

Haeil smiled faintly and answered ambiguously, “I don’t know.” PD Jang smiled back as if he knew everything.

“Don’t worry, I’m not talking about that. The casting is all done.”

“Ah.”

‘That’ referred to Rendezvous Season 2, which had not yet been revealed to the public.

“Of course, I’d be happy if you came out.”

Haeil smiled and expressed his intention to refuse.

Well, the collaboration was fun, but what he wanted was his solo performance. PD Jang nodded as if he understood.

This human. If that’s not the point, why is he following me?

At that time, the long elevator doors opened, and he met the man standing in front of the door.

“Oh, PD Jang?”

“Where are you going, PD Han, at this hour?”

“I’m just going out for a while. But what brings you here, PD Jang?”

“Me? Ah, I came to meet and greet our Haeil. I’ve said hello, so I’ll be going now.”

“Oh? Let’s go together, senior! Ah, and Nohaeil, nice to meet you, I’ll be back in a bit, so let’s say hello later.”

The ‘Show Music World’ PD, who had followed PD Jang, a star PD, into the elevator, greeted the boy with friendly eyes and closed the door.

PD Jang, who was standing behind, winked and mouthed.

‘I helped you.’

The elevator doors closed tightly.

While Haeil was thinking that he was a very cunning human, the staff approached him more favorably.

#

Haeil rehearsed while looking at the darkened audience seats. The staff had already seen him perform on stage, but they were newly impressed. Of course, it was their first time seeing it in person.

“Wow, Nohaeil does well even in rehearsals. I thought he didn’t know much about K-pop stages because he was only going with MR [Music Recorded, pre-recorded instrumental track] instead of LMR [Live Music Recorded, live band accompaniment], but he’s just good at singing live.”

“What’s the situation outside?”

“What do you expect? Thanos is back, and it’s a mess.”

“As expected, the firepower is idols.”

One 4-year-old idol group made a comeback a day earlier than Nohaeil last week. The song they brought was well-received by the public and quickly charted.

The results aren’t bad either.

However, Nohaeil’s single, a rookie, is ranked higher than them.

Well, because the song is better.

But I don’t know how their fans will take it.

They’re quite exclusive.

Actually, it might not be a big deal.

If it was an idol group of the same year, they might have been more conscious, but Nohaeil was classified as a singer-songwriter, and it was difficult to see him as an idol.

Besides, even if Thanos’s fans are conscious of the song’s performance, they won’t hurl insults or throw water bottles at other singers.

They’ll just… ignore it and not react.

It’s a childish but effective way to break a singer’s will.

“Hey, come on. And even if they don’t react, Nohaeil’s fans will react.”

“How many fans do you think came to the public broadcast to see Nohaeil?”

“Um-. Still, wouldn’t there be some?”

“More than Thanos?”

“…. Hey, still, Nohaeil isn’t an idol, so what’s there to be conscious of?”

“Hey, don’t you know how angry you get when your song is compared to a rookie’s? And Thanos has been 논-attacked [criticized] a lot for not being able to sing live, so the fans can’t help but be conscious of it. And the order is, Nohaeil is right before Thanos.”

“Hey, still.”

The staff thought the order was really in a position where it was easy to be compared.

Still, Nohaeil is solo, and they’re a group, so aren’t they completely different? The FD’s [Floor Director’s] words must be somewhat exaggerated.

However, he soon realized.

That the FD’s words were somewhat realized.

So, only half.

Haeil felt a cold atmosphere on the darkened stage. It felt especially so because a lot of people had responded to the rookie idol in the first part.

He silently raised the corners of his lips.

Originally, there was always a cold side before he heated things up, but what was different from usual was that it didn’t seem to be just because of the audience’s tension.

‘Interesting, good.’

It seems similar to the atmosphere when the dating rumors broke out and he held a concert the following month. Ah, is it not that much?

Still, whatever.

He was always ready to walk alone on the frozen lake.

Enough alone.

It was definitely like that.

When the acoustic prelude was heard,

“Haeil-ah!”

A pterodactyl-like sound pierced his ears.

“I love you!”

“!”

A person he didn’t know at all.

But that loud voice flew to him.

Since leaving home, he had always been called by the stage name HALO—even his lover didn’t know his real name.

So, being called by the name Haeil was very strange.

Without even knowing that the corners of his lips were raised and captured on camera, Haeil opened his mouth as if nothing was wrong.

[Advancing in the dark night]

Soon the stage lights turned on,

Haeil found several slogans for him.

Not many, but people who were shaking their whole bodies, letting him know their existence as if telling him to look at them.

That was enough.

He decided to sing for them.

His song doesn’t grab someone by the collar and force them to empathize with his emotions.

But they saw the rippling waves.

There was no special cheering method.

But the fans shook their heads together as if they had colluded and sang along to the important parts.

They became very skilled singers,

And returned to being great fans during the accompaniment.

And finally,

[Following the voyage of the stars]

When the most important keyword was heard, a bright light appeared somewhere in the audience.

Soon another light flashed.

The light gradually spread out.

Soon the golden light formed a shape.

‘Ah.’

He couldn’t help but know the efforts of the fans who had worked hard to create that light.

The light swayed along with his song,

And finally, when it reached its peak, the world brightly 번졌다 [flared].

[I’ll be a lighthouse and shine on you]

Just as the Big Dipper guided the lost fisherman,

The Big Dipper made of cheering sticks guided him to the fans.