The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 881

< Episode 88: Maybe Something Amazing Will Come Out >

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

The leg propped up on the sofa swung back and forth.

It was Rill, the leader of Scorpion, who had come to Veil early in the morning.

He suddenly barged into August’s office and started smoking a cigarette as soon as he sat down.

It was August Veil’s job to send back anyone who came to point out a mistake.

“What are you talking about?”

August Veil asked back with a gentle smile.

He gestured to Caroline and Jason, who were watching from outside, to get to work, and then acknowledged Rill’s glare.

“If you have nothing to say, make yourself comfortable and then leave.”

“Does it look like I have nothing to say?”

“Say it anytime if you do.”

A calm classical piece played softly from the audio system.

Rill, who had been focusing on the sound, suddenly crossed his arms.

“Don’t you listen to his music anymore?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Am I making you not listen, perhaps?”

Rill asked, carefully watching the old man’s expression.

Like a slippery snake, the experienced old man didn’t show any reaction.

‘Okay, he won.’

If he didn’t speak first, that old man would never say anything. He would shamelessly lie even in front of a lie detector.

“You can speak now, CEO. I know everything. That you deceived me, CEO.”

“I deceived you?”

Rill scoffed and retorted.

“You said you never met him.”

Only then did the old man’s pupils slowly turn towards him.

“At that time, it was a bit strange. The company being empty on a weekday, not a weekend. So, I asked if you were holding an event or something.”

“Hmm, was that so? My memory is failing as I get older.”

“You said there was nothing going on. And not long after, ‘Sun’s Song’ was distributed through Veil, right? Even though no one has actually seen him.”

Rill laid out his reasoning while still watching the old man.

The old man was listening to his story with interest, as if to say, ‘Is that so?’

‘So, that’s how you’re approaching this.’

He sensed something. He was originally a sly old man, but he was acting even stranger, so nonchalant. A strong intuition came to him.

“But it doesn’t make sense. There’s no way you didn’t go to meet him. You definitely met him, CEO.”

“I did?”

“Yes, ‘we’ met together.”

Rill threw a big card and continued speaking before the old man could say anything.

“Back then, you told me, CEO. ‘Rill, unfortunately, it seems impossible to recruit him. He’s going to sign a contract with me today.'”

“Rill.”

“I’m sure of it.”

The moment his name was called, Rill was convinced that his guess was correct and 벌떡 [벌떡 is a Korean onomatopoeia for suddenly standing up] stood up from his seat.

There was no reason to stay here any longer.

It was enough to confirm that his hunch was right.

Rill was about to leave but suddenly smiled mischievously and looked back at the old man, who was sure to be embarrassed.

“Ah, I’m planning to go to Korea in October. I added it to the world tour. Between the China and Japan schedules.”

“What are you going to do there?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious? I’m going to tell him that I’m not an idiot who can’t recognize the sun when it’s right in front of me.”

October was still a long way off, but his heart was already pounding.

Oh, maybe it was fate that he met the genius boy in Trafalgar Square back then. A fate that he would stand side by side with the sun.

“Then, goodbye.”

After coming out of the office,

“The Sun’s Son?”

Rill chuckled as he recalled Bell Morrison’s SNS [Social Networking Service].

Numerous comments praising him for capturing the HALO atmosphere well.

‘These stupid bastards.’

They were praising him so much, yet they couldn’t see the sun who was saying, ‘It’s me.’

Rill shook his head. These guys can’t be called real fans. Blinded by appearances, unable to discover the real thing-.

“Fools.”

Rill scoffed and started whistling.

The whistle followed the melody of HALO’s only single track.

The whistling sound faded away.

Left alone, August Veil watched Rill leaving Veil from the window and muttered quietly.

“October, huh….”

Far from autumn, it was early June, just as summer was beginning.

“Mr. Haeil, how have you been?”

Music Director Park Jeong-ho greeted him warmly.

The place they met was not a studio or filming set like in the past but a meeting room in a franchise cafe in Chungmuro [a district in Seoul known for its film industry].

“I’m listening to your music well. I really like Mr. Haeil’s songs. Can you sign one for me? My daughter is a fan of yours.”

Haeil lightly smiled and nodded.

Simple greetings and small talk.

Afterward, Music Director Park Jeong-ho put the file on the table when he brought up the ‘musical’ topic.

He turned the documents in his direction as if to tell him to look at them comfortably.

“Would you like to look at this first?”

At the top of the pile of files was written ‘Republic of Korea 1960s, 70s’. It was filled with data on the political, economic, and social issues of that time and the history of rock music intertwined with it.

“First of all, our musical is about the beginning of rock in Korea, as I said. Well, I guess it’s the same in every country, but rock in Korea has a rather complicated past. Mr. Haeil, you would have learned about Korean history in the 60s and 70s at school, right? That was a bit of a chaotic time.”

Haeil didn’t know, but he didn’t answer for now.

It was a problem that could be looked up later, and Director Park Jeong-ho kindly explained it.

“Rock, which was introduced through US military clubs in the 1960s, became a symbol of rebellion and deviation for the younger generation challenging the older generation.”

It was the same in his world.

His biological father was a prime example.

“Rock blossomed as youth culture like this, but it began to be suppressed by the ‘Performance and Song Purification Measures’ implemented in 1975. After that, it remained stagnant.

Of course, the lineage wasn’t completely cut off. It continued in some form or another.”

“….”

“Anyway, we’re going to talk about this period. Rock in the 60s and 70s. A rock band made up of college students from Korea University. The spirit of young people who didn’t care about oppression and censorship. Isn’t it a bit interesting?”

“It’s interesting.”

It was a concise answer, but it wasn’t a lie.

As a generation that shared the youth of that era, although in different countries, it was interesting enough.

He needed to look up the history a bit more, but the melody placed on top of the youth movement began to circulate in his head.

“Then, are we working together?”

Director Park Jeong-ho asked with a delighted expression, and Haeil smiled faintly.

“There’s something I want to hear before that.”

“Ask me anything.”

It was interesting, but there were still questions left.

“Why did you ask me?”

He had never made a musical song before.

Moreover, the music of Noh Haeil that he had shown so far was a genre far from rock. A musical, and a rock-themed musical at that, so he wanted to hear why he was asked to do it.

At his question, Director Park Jeong-ho laughed as if it was obvious.

“I told you I wanted to work with you before.”

“You did.”

“I was serious about that. I like Mr. Haeil’s music, and I can’t forget his brilliant genius. That talent that created Hee-tae’s Reprise in an instant.”

Haeil nodded calmly at the word ‘genius’. Director Park Jeong-ho took it for granted and continued.

“I always wanted to see Mr. Haeil’s brilliant genius. However, this time it’s for a slightly different reason. Well, it’s not wrong to want to see his genius, but it’s not the main reason.”

His ears perked up at the unexpected words.

“I looked up the broadcasts that Mr. Haeil appeared on. From the drawing book to the radio, and even Rendezvous. I stubbornly listened to everything from Shin Joo-hyuk’s ‘Session 33’ arrangement to ‘Hero’s Song’.”

Music Director Park Jeong-ho smiled mischievously. Like the modifier ‘stubborn’, he looked up all the data.

Rendezvous, which showed his brilliant genius again,

The drawing book that stole the camera’s attention. He was satisfied with everything.

Ah, but Shin Joo-hyuk’s arranged version on the radio was very short, which was a shame.

Just like there were still people waiting for the arranged version to be released, Music Director Park Jeong-ho also wanted to hear the full version. Well, he wasn’t asking him to release it now.

What he really wanted to say was-.

“I saw something strange there. I don’t know if Mr. Haeil knows it or not.”

Director Park Jeong-ho cautiously continued, as if he was unsure.

“People say that Mr. Haeil’s songs are easy to listen to and like a calm Pacific Ocean, but on the contrary, I see a storm coming soon. Well, it’s ambiguous whether it’s a storm, a wave, or if I should express it as a flame, but I felt a heat that Mr. Haeil seemed to have hidden deep in his music. That… I thought it resembled the main character of our play.”

That was the most important reason.

The main character in the early part of the play does not outwardly reveal the passion inherent in him. Just like the current music of Noh Haeil.

“Is that so?”

The boy’s reaction was ambiguous.

It is impossible to know whether he is affirming or denying it.

However, just as the main character in the play learns about the genre of rock and reveals his passion, he thought that the music of the boy in front of him would follow a similar path.

What he wanted to give the boy was the early number in which the main character did not reveal his passion.

And-.

“Mr. Haeil, how about adding to the music you’re doing now and taking that out? If you don’t know, I’ll help you. Well, I’m sure you’ll do well. Maybe something amazing will come out?”

If possible, the last number that would explode like Hee-tae’s Reprise.

“Hmm….”

Haeil crossed his arms.

He was at home now, and in front of him was the pile of data created by Director Park Jeong-ho.

He skimmed through it roughly.

He said he would try it, but it felt more difficult than before.

A creative musical containing Korean history.

‘Korea’, ‘history’, and ‘creative musical’ were not familiar to him.

‘Oh my, why is he watching a documentary?’

In the end, he felt that the data alone would not be enough, so he looked for the documentary recommended by Director Park Jeong-ho.

Haeil sat on the living room floor, leaned against the sofa with his arms crossed, and stared at the television. A documentary about Korean society in the 1970s was playing.

The narration slowly explained the wounds and military regime after the Korean War, which occurred in the 1950s, and the suppression.

‘That’s also Korean history.’

Without even knowing that his mother was watching him strangely, Haeil focused on the documentary. There was a lot of video material on modern and contemporary Korean history. If he watched all the documentaries, he was thinking of referring to related movies or dramas, but it might be physically impossible.

The musical song request period was not short, but he couldn’t just do that for a few months. After the session practice, he was planning to record HALO’s 7th album, and – not right now – he was also thinking about Noh Haeil’s regular album.

Haeil didn’t move until the sun fell from its highest point. Even when his mother gave him fruit, he didn’t even recognize the existence of the fruit.

Park Seung-ah was worried about whether it was okay to leave him like that, when Professor Noh Yoon-hyun returned home early.

“What is that guy doing?”

“He came home early today and was watching a documentary.”

Noh Yoon-hyun, who thought that his son would not be home today, was slightly surprised to see his son sitting on the floor and found the modern and contemporary Korean history book and documentary in front of him.

Professor Noh Yoon-hyun quietly looked at his son.

Haeil didn’t seem to know he was there.

He liked the way he was focused rather than being distracted. However, on the one hand, it was a bit unexpected and surprising.

His son, who had declared that he would not go to high school, was studying history, which he thought he had completely given up on.

‘Maybe… is he interested in studying?’

The fact that he was studying Korean history, not other subjects, instilled a small expectation in Professor Noh Yoon-hyun.

The conversation of his old colleagues slowly passed through his head.

-Are you really not going to send your son to college?

-Korea University College of Music! What a wonderful name.

He was satisfied with his son’s current path, but he also knew that there was no harm in going to college.

He wanted his son’s world to be deep and wide. Clearly, college could be a means to that ‘wide’.

Also, college is a place that provides a good fence for someone.

He knew very well that there were guys on the internet who were criticizing Haeil for being a middle school graduate. It didn’t seem like his son cared, but he didn’t know what would happen in the future. Originally, wounds are created when you don’t know.

Professor Noh Yoon-hyun realized that the one year he had promised his son was not far away.

Of course, his son had proven himself enough. His talent and passion for music. The numbers 찍힌 [찍힌 is a Korean word meaning ‘stamped’ or ‘recorded,’ referring to the amount] on his son’s bank account were enough to last him a lifetime of playing.

When it came to music, there was nothing he could do to help his son.

However, if that guy was secretly interested in college, things would be different.

‘Am I an inevitable father?’

He secretly wanted him to enter college more stably.

He didn’t want to say it outright because that guy might feel repulsed again. But if that guy wanted it even a little bit, he wanted to help him somehow.

However, this is certain.

‘Korea is too small to embrace my son-.’

Korea University College of Music? K-Arts [Korea National University of Arts]? What.

If he goes, he has to learn abroad.

In a place where true geniuses gather.

Professor Noh Yoon-hyun suddenly thought of one face.

A better way came to mind than directly digging into his son’s inner thoughts.

“Come to think of it, I saw Haeil’s friend last time… Jin-soo, I mean.”

“Jin-soo?”

“I don’t think I’ve seen that kid much lately.”

“Ah. Jin-soo said he’s studying these days. He’s going to college.”

Professor Noh Yoon-hyun’s mouth drew a soft arc at the answer.