The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 841

< Dancing in the Rain - Episode 84 >

Noh Hae-il’s music seems simple on the surface.

Acoustic-based melodies with a sound that you can comfortably listen to anytime, anywhere.

While taking a walk or showering. Listening to it on the way to and from work, you’ll find the melody stuck in your head before you know it.

People often mistake the easy-to-remember melodies.

That they can sing like Noh Hae-il.

But when they actually go to a karaoke and press the number one song on the popular chart, they get flustered by the offbeat. Still, it’s a song they’ve heard a lot, so it’s not hard to adapt.

While singing like that, they find themselves breathing at the beat they should be singing.

‘I didn’t think the breathing would be this long…’

The biggest problem is the highlight.

Noh Hae-il sings it very easily, but Noh Hae-il’s range was originally high—or rather, wide—and the technique of freely playing with the beat and pitch was not something anyone could do.

If you properly analyze Noh Hae-il’s music, you’ll realize how much technique and calculation are hidden within it as if breathing.

One vocal trainer once sang Noh Hae-il’s song and said this.

‘Kids, don’t sing it at auditions.’

The seemingly simple outer shell is a trick to deceive this splendor.

Or should I call it ‘restraint’?

‘Restrained splendor’ is evident in Noh Hae-il’s music.

This restraint and splendor could not be expressed with mediocre skills.

Of course, this is the evaluation of experts.

Noh Hae-il’s song was still in the top ranks of the karaoke popular chart.

However, people who have affection for the singer to the extent of participating in Noh Hae-il’s music show public broadcasts have already felt it or already know it.

And they thought.

That Noh Hae-il, the person, is the same as his music.

Hae-il recognized that the people he encountered as soon as he came out were his fans.

There was no way he couldn’t know. From the slogans to the cheering sticks.

It would be strange if he didn’t know when they were making it so obvious.

“How was the stage?”

Hae-il asked them first, looking at them.

He already knew the answer, but he always asked when he met fans.

It’s familiar, but praise is something you can never get tired of.

People of various ages, from office workers to young students, soon fulfilled his wish.

“It was so good!”

“’Lighthouse of the Night’ is so good!”

“I always listen to your songs.”

“Please accept this!”

The shopping bag they rummaged out contained snacks and merchandise.

They were made by the unofficial fan cafe, and Hae-il looked at the cheering stick with interest.

‘So this was that light.’

Considering it was made by an unofficial cafe, the quality of the cheering stick was as good as that of a large agency.

Noh Hae-il’s fans included quite a few people in their 20s and 30s, and they were talented people with economic power, planning skills, and execution skills.

A crescent moon is embedded in the glass ball of the cheering stick.

When you press the button, a faint yellow light comes on. It’s a subtle light like the moon, but it will shine brightly in the dark.

Like his song and the stage everyone made.

Hae-il thought of the unexpected stage and the lighthouse they had made.

“Thank you.”

“?”

He just wanted to say it.

The impression he felt at that time.

It’s nothing special.

“It was really good today.”

Just… it was fun.

#

Saturday afternoon was bustling all day long.

Since the airing of ‘Show! Music World’ around 1:15 PM.

Various audience reviews that were posted heated up the internet.

There were really a lot of crumbs [small pieces of information or hints].

A fan who desperately wanted Noh Hae-il to dye his hair achieved enlightenment after seeing his blonde hair – there were many rumors that Noh Hae-il had silver hair, but there are almost no photos -.

The Big Dipper, which was not edited out and appeared as it was on ‘Show! Music World,’ created the saying that one well-raised fan is worth more than ten fandoms.

[How the hell did they get those seats ㅁㅊㄴㄴ들]

└Please beam them to switch seats

└Is that possible?

└If my seat is better ㅎ

[The cheering stick is really well made]

More than anything, Noh Hae-il’s music show was hot.

Of course, he had already shown live stages such as the ‘Rendezvous’ song festival and Hongdae guerrilla busking, but the music show stage was another thing.

[It’s so creepy that only Noh Hae-il’s voice is coming out through the microphoneㄷㄷ Was the sound quality of Show Music World this good;;;]

[He’s using a stage for six people alone, but it doesn’t look empty at all]

[When you compare the stages before and after, you can see the difference clearly. I’m not trying to put down other teams, but I just watched other teams like, ‘Oh, they’re handsome~ Pretty~’ But Noh Hae-il was like, ‘Wow, seriously!’ and I watched with my mouth open until the end of the stage. I ended up drooling twice]

[I don’t know about anything else, but he’s definitely made for the stage ㅇㅈㅇㅈ [ 인정 인정, slang for ‘I acknowledge, I acknowledge’ or ‘I agree, I agree’]]

On the one hand, they criticized the fact that the popularity award trophy, the ‘Infinity Gauntlet,’ was given to the idol group Thanos, but since it was a single and a digital album, they gritted their teeth and moved on.

They were upset that they didn’t receive the popularity award, but they were satisfied that Noh Hae-il’s stage was objectively better.

Following that, a public broadcast review was posted around the evening.

[I won’t say much. Go to the public broadcast no matter what +56]

[Who said the moon is ugly? It’s different when you see it in person. Really different +139]

[I’m a fan of another artist +72]

Noh Hae-il’s live performance is really different. I understood why they said Noh Hae-il Noh Hae-il.

And more than anything, I was secretly among Noh Hae-il’s fans after the public broadcast?

I’ve been a fan of many celebrities, but he’s the first singer to look me in the face and say thank you and it was fun today.

Especially the expression at that time…

Ah, I thought, he’s the real deal.

I don’t think he’ll cause any accidents in the future,

Even if he does cause an accident, I feel like I’ll forgive him because of this memory today if it’s not really bad.

But is he really 17 years old?

└What was his expression like? Pure? Fresh?

└(Writer) ㄴㄴㄴ [NoNoNo] I can’t express it in words

└What kind of expression did the moon make that all the reviews are going crazy ㅅㅂ [swear word] Why didn’t I go to the public broadcast ㅅㅂㅅㅂ [swear word repeated]

└How come there aren’t any people who took pictures?

└When is the moon’s next music show? No, anything. Is there an event where I can see him in person?

└The moon’s schedule… no one knows

And at five o’clock in the afternoon, when the internet was hot.

Nine o’clock in the morning, London time. HALO’s 6th album was released on all digital music sites.

[HALO 6th Album Dancing In the Rain]

The Sun Corps [HALO’s fanbase], who believed that it would be released on May 31st, like the words Monthly HALO, shouted ‘Oh Sun!’, and those who maintained more reason focused on the uniqueness.

Until now, HALO’s albums had black and white background photos as the jacket.

But the 6th album was an art photo that was different from the past.

An illustration of four feet dancing in the rain.

Such illustrations were commonly used album art overseas, but the fact that it was HALO’s album, of all people, led to a reaction.

Why the hell is he doing things he didn’t use to do?

People soon realize when they play the album.

It’s still an EP album consisting of 7 songs, but there was something different.

The technology of 21st-century digital instruments and virtual instruments is constantly developing. Experts are making various efforts to realize the sound of real instruments.

Nevertheless, the sound of virtual instruments and real instruments cannot be exactly the same.

It’s like the difference between analog and digital.

Real analog instruments create rich sounds with frequencies generated by vibrating air. In addition, noise and subtle overtones generated from resonance, overtones, and pedals cannot be expressed with virtual instruments.

Whether they had sensitive ears or not, people realized the change.

That this 6th album was recorded with real instruments.

Perhaps the legs in the illustration represent those people.

[There are at least three, and they’re not ordinary skilled people. Won’t we know this soon?]

[He worked alone, so the rumors didn’t spread. If he hired session musicians, it’ll be soon]

[Disco! It’s definitely Michael Jackson! You fools, I told you!]

└ This bastard probably doesn’t have any friends

And back to Korea.

If nine o’clock in the morning is the time when people except the unemployed are awake, then five o’clock in the afternoon was definitely the time when even the unemployed were awake.

The Sun Corps, which had spread to Korea, cheered at the appearance of the sun, and those who enjoyed pop songs and those who were interested in the activities of faceless singers downloaded the music or streamed it.

Nam Gyu-hwan was at a pub with a group of percussionists he knew.

They knew that he had joined Noh Hae-il’s band and gathered to celebrate.

In fact, curiosity seemed to be greater than celebration.

After all, the singer Noh Hae-il had become quite famous, but not much was known about the person himself, and there was no choice but to be curious.

For example,

“Do you get paid a lot? I heard you’re on music shows these days and doing well.”

“All the stars who rose to fame since they were young are rude, but is Noh Hae-il okay?”

“Is Seo-yeon doing well?”

What is this.

Nam Gyu-hwan drank his beer and crunched on the sweet and sour chicken.

What a level of questions.

Well, it’s not like they’re asking with bad intentions.

Isn’t it a question you ask when someone gets a job?

Is the salary at that company okay?

What are your coworkers and boss like?

Is there mandatory company dinners and overtime there too?

It’s just that they’re rough because they’re rough guys.

“Well, our boss takes good care of us.”

“What is he saying? Our boss?”

After seeing the slightly mocking reaction, he recognized the title.

Seo Moon-seo-yeon kept calling him boss, so he started calling him boss at some point, and it became a habit.

Well, if he pays well and books a business class ticket to a five-star hotel when he goes on a business trip, he’s the boss.

He never asked for instrument transportation costs for live performances – he often has to pay for transportation himself to perform – and he pays a lot for each performance or recording.

He’s free to do whatever he wants outside of work, and he’s free to use the studio, so now he’s more comfortable in the studio in Seongsu-dong than at home.

Even though he’s a rising star, his boss has never been stingy with spending and expenses, to the point where he’s worried about whether he can spend so much money.

It was then. One of the group members buzzed and picked up his phone.

“Hey, Gyu-hwan, it’s finally out!”

“What?”

Nam Gyu-hwan reacted indifferently.

They’re the type to exaggerate even the smallest things. I’m not falling for it anymore.

But he spat out his beer at the words that followed.

“HALO’s 6th album!”

Come to think of it, today is May 31st.

It was Monthly HALO’s day.

“I’m going.”

“No, where are you going?”

“I have to take a bath.”

“Suddenly a bath?”

“Hey, don’t you know him? He listens to HALO’s music after some kind of mental training. If he lived in Gangwon-do, he would have listened to it while getting hit by a waterfall.”

“Really? Is he crazy?”

The others grabbed Nam Gyu-hwan.

Nam Gyu-hwan had hardly answered properly, and there were still many things he hadn’t asked.

“Just play the song.”

“Gyu-hwan, you have to finish your beer before you go.”

At those words, Nam Gyu-hwan picked up the newly ordered 500cc draft beer and started drinking it in one gulp.

“Crazy bastard, he’s chugging beer.”

He didn’t even hurt his throat, gulp gulp.

In the meantime, Nam Gyu-hwan snatched his friend’s phone to avoid being spoiled.

“Hey, tell me more about your boss.”

“Did you swear allegiance to Noh Hae-il? You don’t say anything bad. Are you going to be in Noh Hae-il’s band for the rest of your life?”

“No.”

Nam Gyu-hwan emptied his beer glass on his head and answered as if it were natural.

He was really grateful to his boss, and the studio was really nice, but he still had a dream.

“I’m going to join HALO’s band.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Will HALO even accept you? They don’t even know who you are.”

That’s true, but won’t they know someday?

Suddenly, Noh Hae-il’s face flashed through his mind.

It’s the alcohol.

Nam Gyu-hwan turned his head and tried to wake up from the alcohol.

If his boss would just sing pop songs, he would get rid of this strange suspicion.

Why does he use British English pronunciation so well, not even American English?

In fact, pronunciation wasn’t the only problem.

Nam Gyu-hwan briefly recalled Noh Hae-il’s HALO cover that he had heard in front of him.

He shook his head again.

This is because of the alcohol.

At that time, a melody suddenly came to his ears.

Music flowed from the quiet pub speakers.

At the sudden sound, people reduced their conversations and listened to the music.

A fast tempo with an intense and enjoyable sound.

Soon, a familiar voice was heard on the syncopated bass.

[I can hear a song from somewhere]

“It’s HALO.”

“It’s HALO.”

“Is this album concept punk? No, is it disco?”

It’s a typical disco, but various sessions were used like the music HALO had shown. From Latin percussion to organ and brass sections.

The image of a man dancing with a woman, drawn by the singing, is drawn before his eyes.

He is intensely captivated by the woman’s seduction and dances with her in the rain.

I don’t know if the music is a disco song that someone turned on, or if the woman is comparing the song she’s singing to disco.

But the man danced with the woman in the rain, and when he came to his senses, he realized that he was the only one dancing madly in the rain.

Emptiness and loneliness trying to sublimate into pleasure and joy.

He realizes he’s alone, but the man who doesn’t stop and dances in the rain shows his unique madness.

They were drawn to HALO’s music.

The moment they were sucked into a swamp they couldn’t escape from

Clang-!

A loud noise broke the concentration.

All eyes were on one person.

It was Nam Gyu-hwan.

“Hey, why did you suddenly break the glass?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, boss. This friend is weak to alcohol. We’ll clean it up.”

His friends were in a hurry to clean up, but he couldn’t say anything.

The Latin percussion repeating in 4/4 time was ringing in his head.

Tens of thousands of memories flashed through his mind.

‘Boss, don’t you sing pop songs?’

‘Is the song you’re working on now the regular album you’re going to release next?’

Han Jin-young’s expression at that time was pieced together like a sculpture,

Memories from the United States were connected like a puzzle.

‘Why do you like HALO’s music?’

‘Because it’s perfect.’

‘Okay, honest and good. Then do you have a favorite song among HALO’s music?’

‘…The 6th album that will be released in the future.’

‘You don’t know when it will be released?’

‘Okay, let’s say it’s the 6th album that will be released in May.’

The conversation between the host and the boy on the talk show was clearly remembered.

The reason why the boy, who didn’t seem like a big fan of HALO, could answer so naturally.

And

‘Oh Lord’

The ability to rearrange and recreate HALO’s music, which no one can sing, like his own song.

“Fuck.”

There’s no other way to explain it other than it doesn’t make sense.

The image of HALO that he had drawn in his head collides and confuses him.

But when he realized that all the images were HALO created by the media, he separated the truth from the lies. Yes, all of HALO’s images were fake created by the world, and nothing was proven.

The image of a 50-60 year old British white man changes to ‘?’. When he erased that image, Nam Gyu-hwan came to admit it.

In fact, there had been clues for quite some time.

The boy’s voice, which was faintly heard at the ‘Eversince’ cafe performance – while he was playing the congo – was the same as HALO’s.

“Hey, where are you going!”

Five thirty.

The time when the sun, which had been at its highest, began to set.

Nam Gyu-hwan ran out of the bar.

He gets out of Hongdae and gets on the subway.

I don’t know why the subway to Seongsu Station is so slow.

Before he knew it, the sun began to set, and the sunset spread out.

Nam Gyu-hwan hurriedly swiped his transportation card and ran at the fastest speed.

He belatedly thought that his boss might not be at the studio.

But he couldn’t stop. If he wasn’t at the studio, he would stand in front of the door and wait until the boy came.

“Hah hah!”

Evening with the sunset.

Nam Gyu-hwan ran up the stairs.

His back was wet, and his legs were shaking.

The hand holding the stairs was also wet, but he wiped it on his clothes and ran to the studio.

When Nam Gyu-hwan pulled the door of the studio and found the boy sitting by the window, he stopped.

He wanted to face him, but he didn’t know he would face him this quickly. No, it’s natural to face him… I don’t know.

The boy hears the sound and turns his head.

The shadow fell on the boy’s face due to the backlight.

He was originally a mature person, but if you only looked at his face, he was just like any other 17-year-old.

The face with the shadow was like a completely different person.

“Hello.”

Nam Gyu-hwan awkwardly greeted him.

The boy greeted him back as usual.

And silence.

“Huh? Did someone come?”

Han Jin-young’s voice was heard from the side.

He quietly looked at Nam Gyu-hwan and the boy, and then went out of the studio.

Han Jin-young already knew. Yes, it seemed that he and Moon Seo-yeon were the only ones who didn’t know. Maybe, maybe she knows too.

“Why….”

When he was about to ask why he hid it and didn’t tell him, Nam Gyu-hwan suddenly recalled the interview day.

‘I’m going to go find him and ask him to put me in the band.’

‘How about he comes to me first and asks me to join his band?’

What did he answer to that question?

‘Still, I want to go find him first. I think that if you’re a fan, you should be able to find your singer even if they’re wearing rags-‘

Ah, it’s all his karma.

Still, couldn’t he have said it?

He granted his wish, but if he had said it directly-.

“…”

Nam Gyu-hwan looked at the boy.

The boy wasn’t saying anything.

As if he wanted him to speak first.

Nam Gyu-hwan closed his eyes.

The dark history of what he had recited as what he wanted to say to HALO covered him.

At that time, the boy-.

‘Okay.’

-He said with a smile.

‘Come into my band, until the day you find HALO.’

There was no reason to resent the boy.

The boy was just waiting for him to find him.

His mouth was dry.

His lips were parched even when he swallowed.

The boy was waiting as if he wanted something from him.

“Hello, HALO.”

Nam Gyu-hwan finally spat out the words.

It wasn’t English. He couldn’t say it in English because it was embarrassing, and there was no reason to say it in English.

“I’m your fan and….”

I don’t know why he’s so nervous even though it’s Korean.

“I really like your music.”

I don’t know what he’s saying now.

It’s the moment he wanted the most.

It was strange because the moment he thought was far in the future was right in front of him.

“So if possible…”

Nam Gyu-hwan’s voice trembled with tension.

“…Can I be in your band?”

Soon the boy.

No, HALO smiled faintly and answered.

“Welcome to my band, Mr. Nam Gyu-hwan.”