The Road To Glory [EN]: Chapter 921

< Episode 92 I Don't Understand >

“Hey, aren’t you worried about walking around like this?”

“Well, it’s not like I’m a wanted criminal.”

“Wanted… I guess you are, in a way?”

Jang Jin-soo was reminded of the bounty on Halo, though in a different sense.

——

WANTED

ONLY ALIVE

HALO

$-

——

Of course, it wasn’t a bounty to bring him dead or alive, but a request to identify him.

“They’re even offering market price. The minimum is a billion won [approximately $750,000 USD].”

Halo’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“They really do everything.”

He clearly didn’t like it, and Jang Jin-soo chuckled.

They were now in front of Jang Jin-soo’s apartment.

His mother, worried that Jang Jin-soo was too thin, had brought food by car, and Halo had come along.

He seemed to be having a serious conversation with his father earlier, so he came along to ask about it.

Of course, Jang Jin-soo didn’t seem so serious when he returned. Both of them told him to visit often, packing him food and nutritional supplements—many of which they had received as gifts—creating a generally amicable atmosphere.

Still, Halo waited for Jang Jin-soo to enter the apartment number before speaking.

“Your father was saying earlier…”

Just as he was about to ask.

Jang Jin-soo, who had seemed unusually cheerful, opened the door, and his expression hardened.

Before Halo could turn his head, he could smell the strong scent of alcohol and stale cigarette smoke.

His expression slowly solidified.

Peeking inside, the first thing he saw in the living room was a man sitting there. He was watching television, oblivious to their arrival, with a bottle of soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] in his hand.

Since he lived with his father in a divorced family, this must be Jang Jin-soo’s father.

However, there seemed to be no time for greetings.

He was staring intently at the news, muttering to himself.

Mostly, it was highly offensive language, with ‘fuck’ making up 90% of it.

Jang Jin-soo’s face grew paler.

‘Fuck, I thought he’d be asleep at this hour.’

It was past eleven, after a late dinner. He had naturally assumed he would be holed up in his room, asleep.

Jang Jin-soo was conscious of his friend beside him.

That is, a friend with good parents.

Noh Hae-il, who lived in Lake Palace overlooking Seokchon Lake and had a cool father who was a professor at Korea University, would never have seen someone like this.

“Elon Musk, you son of a bitch. Are you playing with me? Fuck, fuck.”

That man couldn’t utter a single sentence without swearing.

He was the one speaking, but he was the one who felt ashamed.

His feet felt heavier and heavier, and his ears felt vulgar.

Noh Hae-il’s dad never swore.

Instead, he spoke kindly.

The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he felt.

This was different from the inferiority he felt towards Noh Hae-il.

While inferiority was neutralized by envy and pride,

this couldn’t be neutralized at all.

Whether the two kids were standing in front of the door or not, the man watched the news and muttered for a long time before dragging his feet like a bum into his room.

Noh Hae-il, who had been silent until the storm passed, opened his mouth.

“So…”

He tensed at each syllable.

His mind was filled with black scribbles.

He even wanted to knock Noh Hae-il over the head to erase his memory.

“Your father’s lover’s name is Elon Musk?”

“!”

Jang Jin-soo’s eyes widened, wondering if he had misheard.

Noh Hae-il was asking with an indifferent expression.

“What, what are you talking about, crazy.”

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed, and he started to laugh.

The moment the laughter burst out, the tension also exploded.

The laughter, mixed with curses, grew louder and louder.

Noh Hae-il, with a nonchalant expression, looked around, kicked away the soju bottle, and put down the fruit basket that his mother had packed.

It was obvious.

That he didn’t care at all.

Yes, Noh Hae-il was originally this kind of guy.

A type who didn’t care about what others said and lived his life as he pleased.

The usually annoying attitude was fortunate, for once, today.

‘Ah. Thank goodness.’

Jang Jin-soo laughed, clutching his stomach for a long time.

It was like that time.

-Hey, Jang Jin-soo is a bully.

-The teachers and parents say not to hang out with him if possible.

-Hey, Noh Hae-il. But your mom won’t like you playing with Jang Jin-soo the most.

A snort mixed with laughter, which Jang Jin-soo, who couldn’t enter the classroom because of their conversation, had heard.

-Whatever.

It was the same as now.

Like then, the friend casually looked around as usual, as if it were nothing, and lost interest.

“Come over to my house often.”

“Suddenly?”

Jang Jin-soo chuckled and asked back.

“My parents told you to come often. They’re not the type to say empty words; they really mean for you to come often.”

“And you?”

To the question of whether he was uncomfortable, Halo replied nonchalantly.

“That’s not my house; it’s my parents’ house.”

His house was his studio in Seongsu-dong, and the Jamsil Lake Palace was strictly his parents’ house.

And since he didn’t go home often, he didn’t care if his mother and father liked it; he could even live there.

“…Okay.”

Jang Jin-soo thought.

This guy,

“Jin-soo, come visit often.”

“Come visit sometimes, if you’re okay with it… I can keep an eye on you.”

Really warm mother, uncle.

Warm food and warm greetings. And warm gazes.

He was so thankful and grateful for everything…

Even if everyone in the world turned their backs and threw stones at him, he felt like he would be by their side for the rest of his life.

“Hey, but you said earlier that you didn’t really know what ‘Han’ [a Korean concept of deep-seated sorrow and resentment] was.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s obviously something related to music. So why don’t you find the most related class?”

“Class?”

And he vaguely hoped.

That he could be helpful to these grateful people.

#

“I drove around for ages because there was no parking.”

Halo leaned against the passenger window, staring blankly at the road.

“What’s wrong? Did something bad happen?”

“No. Just.”

Halo recalled the man he had seen at Jang Jin-soo’s house.

A human who not only ruins himself but also destroys other people’s lives.

It had been a while since he had seen the type he hated the most.

If his father had been that kind of person, he would have left home immediately without even considering compromise.

“I don’t understand.”

That’s why Halo didn’t understand.

It was beyond him why Jang Jin-soo hadn’t run away from home until now,

but what he couldn’t understand even more was that Jang Jin-soo was the one who had most dissuaded him when he had decided to leave home in the past.

Well, he had never been that empathetic. He hadn’t really thought about understanding anyone in the first place.

It was only after coming here that he had started to do so.

Making an OST [original soundtrack] that he had never done before, and collaborating with others.

Thinking about ‘understanding’ reminded him again of his task of composing a creative musical.

A song containing Han.

-Hey, but you said earlier that you didn’t really know what ‘Han’ was.

-It’s obviously something related to music. So why don’t you find the most related class?

When he asked back at that suggestion, Jang Jin-soo timidly added.

-Like Pansori [Korean narrative song]. Traditional Korean music. Wouldn’t the Korean music department have lectures on that kind of topic? Even if you don’t plan on going to college, isn’t it worth auditing?

“Mother.”

“Yes, why?”

“Which schools in Korea teach Korean traditional music?”

Despite the sudden question, Park Seung-ah answered as if it were obvious.

“Doesn’t your father’s school have a Korean music department?”

“But why Korean traditional music?”

“Because of the composition. How do I audit there?”

“Well, wouldn’t your father know? But I don’t know since it’s vacation now.”

Ah, that’s right.

It was summer vacation now.

Halo nodded.

Well, he didn’t necessarily plan to audit.

He was just going to listen if there was one.

There were plenty of Korean traditional music-related performances on YouTube and the internet. Well, it would be different if he saw it in person.

Halo, who had looked up a few Pansori performances, crossed his arms and stared at the internet.

[Korea University Korean Music Department Summer Special Lecture]

Among them, the lecture guide had ‘What is Han?’ written on it.

He didn’t want to listen to everything; he was just curious about that lecture week.

It was then.

That his father had left the materials he had prepared for his summer semester class at home and asked his mother to bring them to him.

Halo, who was at home, grabbed the document file from his father’s study, and before his mother, who had made a hair salon appointment, canceled it, he said.

“I’ll bring it to you.”

“Huh? You?”

“Yes.”

Halo smiled brightly.

He thought it was a good opportunity to get new stimuli and new pleasures every day.

He wondered if he should visit his father’s university in Gwanak-gu to inquire about auditing.

“Hey, but are you sure you can walk around like that?”

“What about it? It’s not like I’m wanted.”

“That’s true, but…”

Halo got into the taxi, having the same conversation as he had with Jang Jin-soo. Fortunately, his mother didn’t know that Halo was wanted overseas.

In the sweltering summer, he got into the taxi wearing a cap and mask, and the taxi driver clicked his tongue, telling him to take care of his health when he was young. It was around the time when summer colds were prevalent, and he didn’t have his guitar with him, so there were no suspicious glances.

“Thank you.”

Halo got out of the taxi, looked up, and stared at the huge campus with ‘Korea University’ written on it.

And he thought.

‘So, where do I go now?’

#

He was careless.

Looking at it on a globe, it was a country the size of a fingernail, so he never imagined that the university would have such a vast territory.

While others boarded the shuttle bus, Halo walked alone, and only after wandering around in the scorching sun and his back was soaked with sweat was he able to reach the College of Natural Sciences.

As he approached the university building, he saw quite a few students taking summer classes. In fact, even if it wasn’t summer semester, there were many people who had no choice but to come to school because of the civil service exam, certifications, or resumes.

They didn’t pay any attention to the student wearing a long shirt over a white short-sleeved t-shirt, wearing a cap, and panting.

They just thought it was a pity that he was wearing a mask in the middle of summer, but they were too busy with their own affairs to take a close look.

Thus, the student entered the College of Natural Sciences without any suspicion and looked for his father’s office.

Click.

“…”

His father’s office was locked with an ‘In Class’ sign.

‘Of all times.’

He wouldn’t answer his phone if he was in class.

Halo looked at the document folder once and then looked back at the tightly closed door. Of course, looking at it wouldn’t make the door open.

“Oh? Are you here to see Professor Noh Yoon-hyun, student?”

Around that time, someone who came from the side called him.

He didn’t know if he was a professor’s teaching assistant, but he was talking to him.

“Yes.”

“The professor must have gone into class. He just went in, so it will take some time.”

“…”

When the student stood there blankly, TA [Teaching Assistant] Kang hesitated for a while before continuing.

“The professor is teaching in room 207, so why don’t you wait on the second floor? If it’s a class you’re interested in, the professor won’t say anything if you wait in the classroom.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Halo bowed his head, and the teaching assistant also bowed.

And as he passed him, he slowly tilted his head.

It was hard to see because he was wearing a mask, but he thought he looked familiar.

If he was an undergraduate, he might have seen him coming and going.

Professor Noh Yoon-hyun’s teaching assistant slowly turned around.

Blonde hair stuck out sharply from between the cap.

If there was a person who dyed his hair blonde in the College of Natural Sciences, he wouldn’t be easy to forget. Moreover, again, the eyes that were visible through the mask looked familiar.

Like he saw them every day.

That couldn’t be.

TA Kang walked forward again and suddenly stopped.

A family photo in Professor Noh Yoon-hyun’s office came to her mind.

Could it be… that person in the photo in the frame…!

She turned around again and ran out, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The elevator didn’t move either, and he disappeared like a mirage.

TA Kang thought.

Yeah, that couldn’t be.

If Noh Hae-il came to school, would he be this quiet?

And returning again,

Halo came down the stairs and found room 207.

About twenty people were visible through the back door.

A dark classroom.

While everyone was focused on the beam projector, Halo slowly opened the door.

The students sitting in the back turned around at the sound of the door opening, but soon lost interest and focused on the class.

English-only class.

Moreover, Professor Noh Yoon-hyun spoke quickly, so it would be their loss if they missed it.

Thus, he came in amidst indifference and sat in the very back.

And he tried to cool down by fanning his hand.

Fortunately, the air conditioner was working well, so it seemed like it would be cool soon.

An astronomy class conducted in fluent English.

It was his first time seeing a university class, and it was an astronomy class that he had never thought about in his life, so it was somewhat amazing.

Moreover, it wasn’t just an astronomy class, it was his father’s class, so even more so. He was even conducting it in English.

“So, that’s why-”

Of course, he could understand it.

But understanding and comprehending were two different things.

At some point, Halo stared blankly at the beam projector.

A cool, dark, and even cozy back seat.

Also, the consistently low voice of his father and

one star on the screen…

two…

…three.

The student leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed lowered his neck. The student sitting next to him knew very well that Professor Noh Yoon-hyun hated students sleeping in class, but he didn’t bother to wake up the stranger next to him.

Thus, time passed.

The class conducted with the beam projector flowed slowly, and before long, Professor Noh Yoon-hyun turned on the lights in the classroom.

Along with that, some of the students stretched and took eye drops out of their pencil cases and put them in their eyes.

His eyes slowly moved behind them.

And in the very back.

A student wearing a cap was sleeping with his arms crossed.

“…”

Does that kind of guy still exist?

As Professor Noh Yoon-hyun glared at the back without saying anything, other students slowly turned their heads.

And they, too, found a student sleeping in ‘that’ Professor Noh’s class.

Jackpot.

Sleeping in Professor Noh’s class?

If you’re sleepy, you should just go out and sleep.

It was natural for the students to whisper.

Although there are many geniuses in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Professor Noh Yoon-hyun was famous for his good memory.

He not only remembered the names of all the students in the department but also remembered the names of students from other departments who took his class for a long time.

To the extent that he asked a senior he ran into at the student cafeteria after being discharged from the military if he wasn’t the one who slept in his class three years ago.

As the whispers grew louder, one of the students sitting in the back tapped the sleeping student on the back.

“Hey, wake up…”

Perhaps he had slept soundly, the person who woke up with a start stretched. His face was clearly revealed as the mask that had slipped down in his sleep.

Blonde hair.

And a snow-white face.

“!”

Professor Noh Yoon-hyun’s eyes widened.

Why is he here?

Not just anyone,

“Why are you here…”

As the classroom, which recognized him one by one, fell into silence, Halo didn’t even realize that his mask had slipped down and made eye contact with his father.

“Hello, Professor.”

Saying hello with a brazen face.

After confirming that attention was focused on him, he mentioned one more thing.

“I wasn’t sleeping.”

“…Wipe your drool and then talk.”

Halo slowly raised his hand and wiped his mouth.