The Road to Glory

When Roh Haeil came to Korea University, it initially only stirred up Everytime, a relatively small community. But when someone posted an authentication photo – a student wearing a Korea University department jacket with Roh Haeil – it spread like a meteor to other communities.[I was drinking near Korea University and rushed out when I heard Roh Haeil came to school, but damn, I missed him][Did Roh Haeil already go home??][It’s my first time at Korea University, why is it so big? Are they using all this narrow Korean land by themselves??][So did nobody actually see Roh Haeil?]For news about Roh Haeil coming to Korea University, there were few autograph authentications and almost no one who saw him, so it seemed like a rumor that would soon die down.However, the flames were ignited in one community.The first post was a seemingly common autograph authentication post:[Real] I’m a Korea University student who got Roh Haeil’s autograph(autograph_authentication.jpg)I asked for an autograph saying it was for my girlfriendIs this right?└ To my beloved Eunji LMAO└ You got gay NTRed lol└ No, this is so funny LMAO. Roh Haeil Golden Sun story lol└ But Roh Haeil doesn’t add “beloved” for male fans└ How does he sign for male fans?└ Just “To [name]”└ LOL If it was someone else it’d be discrimination, but since it’s the high schooler it’s just funny lol. Honest kid└ Roh Haeil is such a likeable bastard lmao[I want to get “beloved” too…]└ Are you female?└ No, I’m male└ ;;;└ …gay gayAnd above all, the fact that made it to the news ignited the community:[So he woke up a guy who was sleeping during Korea University’s summer astronomy course, and that guy was Roh Haeil and the professor was Roh Haeil’s dad???][Roh Haeil’s dad is a Korea University professor?? And in astronomy??? Wow. That’s crazy]└ Wow what genes, dad’s a science genius and son’s a music genius??└ There were famous rumors that Roh Haeil’s dad was a professor, but Korea University is, yeah…└ Rich family too, fuck. Living life on easy mode└ Is Roh Haeil from a wealthy family?└ Yeah, seems like the Roh Haeil Label building in Seongsu Station was bought by his family└ I guess it’d be hard to buy a building just from music royalties, hahaha.└ ? Are you ignoring his #1 rankings on music charts?[So if we want to see Roh Haeil now, we just need to go to Korea University’s Physics and Astronomy department? Oh, lol, that’s not a big deal lol]└ For real lmao[Then is the university festival lineup confirmed now?]If his dad is a Korea University professor, he’ll go to Korea University, right?└ Oh? That’s true└ But Korea University might not invite Roh Haeil└ ?? Is the student council crazy? They have to get Roh Haeil└ I heard the Korea University student council met Roh Haeil’s dad└ Wait, isn’t this cheating? Damn blood ties and school connections, our school was trying to invite Roh Haeil└ Weren’t you saying you weren’t interested before lol, saying ballads would kill the mood lol. All the student council bastards were bluffing lol└ Well if you’re upset about that… you know?[So where is Roh Haeil now? This bastard stirs up all kinds of attention and then disappears again, it’s so annoying]If it was another celebrity, we’d just call him an attention seeker and be done with itBut his songs are so good and what he does is so interesting, I’m really curious what he’s doing nowSeems like Roh Haeil’s fandom is on fire, is Roh Haeil enjoying this by now?└ Idk, you ask the professor└ What are you gonna ask? Lmao.”Professor, excuse me, but is your son perhaps an attention seeker?”└ Ahem, I’m not sure if my son is an attention seeker… But are you perhaps interested in graduate school?└ !A rare celebrity in this era who doesn’t use social media, has no agency website, and seems to have no intention of informing fans about his schedule. His fandom had already been set ablaze by him before.When he went on an American talk show, that is.In fact, if it was another celebrity, this no-communication, no-interest policy(?) might have earned them nothing but curses from fans.However, Roh Haeil’s case was a bit different.First of all, every song he released kept topping the music charts, and with his brilliant live performance skills, there was nothing to criticize about his main job.Even when he disappeared, it wasn’t to go out drinking and cause trouble, but to work on music in a wholesome way. His image as a music genius with a unique personality had already been established through the media and his usual behavior.The characteristics of an independent label also served as a minimally understandable reason for fans.With his consistent lack of communication, fans even came to accept that indifference as part of Roh Haeil’s charm.So when they say the fandom was on fire, it meant:[Was Moon at Korea University today???? He was right next door???]└ Calm down└ Do I look like I can calm down right now????[Is Moon confirmed for Korea University festival? When’s the ticket sale for Korea University festival?]└ It’s not a concert, calm down└ When is Korea University’s festival? Should I start camping out for a week from now?└ It’s in November, you’ll get arrested if you camp out now during summer breakIt meant that the desire to meet Roh Haeil somehow was growing stronger and solidifying.In a way, it resembled the fandom in Europe going crazy wanting to see HALO, wanting to meet him, wanting to receive his touch.After being banned from the fandom, Halo could no longer know what was happening in the fandom.Of course, even if he hadn’t been blocked, he wouldn’t have known now.Halo was cooped up in the recording studio, strumming an electric guitar.Though he had been stuck in the recording studio for a full day just playing guitar, he wasn’t hungry,and though his white fingers were red and swollen from playing guitar all day, they didn’t hurt.After pondering for days, the difficult problem was cleanly resolved, and what he thought was Jeongwoo’s best song was completed. From then on, his mood was elated.“Boss, is it okay to leave him like that?”Moon Seoyeon had a worried look on her face at his unintended fasting.The members gathered in the control room were quietly observing the boy.It’s an unspoken rule here not to disturb the boy in the recording studio unless absolutely necessary, but they couldn’t help but worry.If Roh Haeil had been an adult, they wouldn’t have worried.Everyone present was conscious of the fact that he was 17 years old and still a growing adolescent.“Looks like the song is finished, I think he should start singing soon.”Han Jinyeong calmly replied.“You think so too, oppa? Should I go tell him to eat?”“Yeah.”“No.”As Nam Gyuhwan blocked Moon Seoyeon’s path, Moon Seoyeon raised an eyebrow.“Get out of the way.”“No…!”Nam Gyuhwan solemnly blocked the way.He meant not to interfere.Nam Gyuhwan had a tendency to regard the boy as a king or divine being since learning his identity.Of course, Moon Seoyeon understood since she knew Nam Gyuhwan was what’s commonly called a ‘Helly’.Still-.Just as she was about to say something,The boy in the recording studio suddenly lowered his head and then lifted it.As he wiped his nose, red liquid appeared.At that moment, Nam Gyuhwan ran out of the control room faster than anyone else.Moon Seoyeon was about to shake her head at his behavior, but realizing her boss had a nosebleed, she hurriedly followed.“Boss!!!”Halo wiped his nose.He thought he suddenly had a runny nose, but it was a nosebleed.‘Ah, I’m weak.’He suddenly realized that Roh Haeil’s body was that of a minor and incomplete.‘Time to rest.’Halo calmly put down the guitar.If it had been his original body, he would never have rested.Of course, it wasn’t a body that would get a nosebleed from staying up for a day or two either.Still, he could get a nosebleed if someone hit him.But he still probably wouldn’t have rested.However, this wasn’t his body.It was Roh Haeil’s body, for which he had to take minimal responsibility.‘Let’s rest.’Halo blinked once.‘The song turned out pretty good too.’When he came to his senses, he was eating porridge with tissue stuffed in his nose.Moon Seoyeon, startled by his nosebleed, had rushed out to buy porridge.Han Jinyeong confiscated the guitar, saying he’d return it after he slept and woke up.And Nam Gyuhwan, well. He brought water and asked what else he could do, his hands trembling.It seemed Nam Gyuhwan was more shocked than Halo, who had actually bled.The porridge Moon Seoyeon bought was a bit bland, but everyone sitting around ate the same porridge.“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen a beef porridge place that doesn’t taste good. Usually if you eat shabu-shabu and then porridge, it tastes good.”“Isn’t tuna porridge usually made with canned tuna? If you use tuna oil, it can’t not taste good. Have your tastes become fancy after eating only ramen lately?”“What ramen did I eat?”“Jin-soon.”“? Is Jin-soon ramen?”Everyone grumbled that it didn’t taste good – even Moon Seoyeon who bought the porridge chimed in – but they didn’t order or buy other food.Halo kept moving his spoon too.He thought he wasn’t hungry, but the porridge kept going down.The voices of the members blended together, sounding like pleasant music.The taste, well. It was bland, but.‘Resting like this isn’t so bad.’It wasn’t bad at all.#A few days later, Halo contacted Music Director Park Jeongho.Seemingly surprised that he set up a meeting so early, Music Director Park Jeongho was a bit flustered before giving him the address.“Haeil-ssi, did you already make it?”Halo looked around.The place Music Director Park Jeongho called him to wasn’t the Chungmuro meeting room or the office they had met in before, but a studio where musical stage backgrounds were being made.He said that as soon as the scheduled theater was vacated, they would move these props and stage as is.Seeing that the boy looked obviously interested, Music Director Park Jeongho, who was favorable towards him, introduced the stage under production during the vacant time.“This is a Korea University classroom from the late 1960s, interesting, right?”“Yes. It is.”Rather than being interesting because it was a 60s classroom, it was interesting because it wasn’t much different from the Korea University he had visited a few days ago. Well, unless it was a newly constructed building or had been remodeled, there were still many old buildings in need of remodeling in the Humanities and Natural Sciences colleges.“This is the live club where Jeongwoo’s band performs. Haeil, you’re still not allowed in clubs yet, right?”Another stage appears behind the wall. Halo quietly observed the club implemented as a musical stage, as he already knew well what clubs looked like.Finding his reaction uninteresting, Director Park showed the stage behind it, and.Layer upon layer of stages passed by like that.The very last wall was-.“This is it.”“Yes, the bus will be set up on this side, and smoke will burst here.”Jeongwoo’s final stage unfolds before Halo’s eyes.The last stage filled with his desperate longing.“…Then shall we go listen to our Haeil-ssi’s song now?”Halo nodded at the music director’s words, snapping out of his reverie.Since he had already sent it via cloud, there was nothing more for him to do.That’s when.“Can I listen to that too?”Another voice was heard behind them.Halo was startled by the voice without any presence, and Music Director Park was even more startled.The man standing behind them with a sly face was the general director of the original musical ‘Rock’.“Are you Roh Haeil-ssi? Nice to meet you. I heard you accepted our musical composition request, but this is the first time we’re meeting.”Sunglasses and a beard.The stylishly dressed general director said with a grin.Originally, it should have been time for a handshake, but the general director was more curious about the music Music Director Park was about to listen to than the boy’s hand temperature.“Director, please listen during the blind test.”Director Park cut in firmly, but the general director didn’t give up.“Come on, it’s not like I have any special connection with Roh Haeil-ssi, nor do I have any bad blood with him, so why do we need to be so strict?”“Still…”“And that blind test you mentioned. It’s lost its meaning.”“Huh? What do you mean by that?”The general director shrugged with an inscrutable, ambiguous face.Then he flicked his finger over his shoulder.Music Director Park shifts his gaze.And at the end of that gaze was.“Isn’t that Professor Kim…?”“Yes, Professor Kim already sent me the music he made, asking how it was.”Music Director Park’s brow furrowed.Showing the song to the director first was clearly an overreach of authority and a solicitation.“So did you listen to it?”“I did listen. But I didn’t okay it. With our music director right here, how could I decide on my own?”“Yes, I’m not asking you to accept it. We should choose the best song.”“That’s what he’s saying.”Professor Kim, who approached after receiving the music director’s gaze, answered shamelessly.Then he turned his head to look at the boy.-How is it? The music of kids these daysHe remembered the arrogant comment from back then too.Honestly, he couldn’t deny that music.He had to acknowledge the dazzling talent.However, as an adult who had lived life a bit longer, he really didn’t like the boy.Originally, the more rice ripens, the more it should bow its head.The boy, who had not yet experienced failure, was arrogant, relying only on his talent.Well, kids these days don’t grow up getting hit, so they have no potential.Professor Kim had no doubt that those wings would be broken someday.And then, that boy’s arrogant attitude would come back like a boomerang and tear the boy apart without mercy.“I swear in God’s name, I didn’t receive anything. That’s why I’m honestly telling the music director, and I’ll make the song selection together. But since the blind test has already lost its meaning, let’s reveal all the names. You know I’m not the type to have prejudices, right?”Whether or not he was a person with prejudices, the bright yellow SpongeBob suit certainly made him look like a person with unique tastes.“Well, I guess so.”Music Director Park was already upset by Professor Kim’s overreach of authority, but he didn’t pass on his irritation to the general director or the boy. It had already happened anyway. Of course, Professor Kim would have to take responsibility for his overreach and solicitation.The song that would have been listened to on headphones is now played on a high-quality audio system in an indoor office.Music Director Park believed without a doubt that the boy’s song would be better than Professor Kim’s.But.“?”There was no sad melody that he had roughly imagined.No wailing, no despair, no sense of a devastated heart from losing people around him could be felt.A lively beat and a cheerful melody.The sound of upbeat rock music came through.‘What is this?’Music Director Park was bewildered.And so was Professor Kim.‘Hmph, he must have confused it with the second number.’Professor Kim snorted and looked at the general director.The song he had played for the general director was the final number.He didn’t want to give up on the number that would be the highlight of the musical, and had taken the risk of being rude to play it for the general director.The song of Jeongwoo, endlessly depressed and fallen into despair.‘Now see, I’m better, right?’It should be incomparable to Sin Joohyeok or Roh Haeil, pop singers without any pedigree.Professor Kim waited for the general director’s reaction.At that moment, the head of the general director, who had been quietly listening to the song, suddenly tilted to the side.‘Wait, this is…’The general director had thought the final number Professor Kim made wasn’t bad.The zeitgeist of that era. The despair of the youth.But this… is completely different.Of course, at first, he thought he was listening to the first number, not the last one.But suddenly, a flash of lightning passed through him.He turned his body sharply to look out the window.In front of it was an unfinished stage set.‘…I can see it.’The music plays.A joyful and familiar melody envelops his ears.‘I can see it.’Before he knew it, he was standing on a completed stage,The props and stage, lighting, and even the yet-to-be-cast Jeongwoo that he had vaguely imagined were all perfectly formed as the curtain rose.In the rapidly flowing time, what he arrived at was the final stage.Smoke bursts among people protesting against the military regime, and people get beaten.Jeongwoo, who has already lost a friend, watches everything clearly from that spot and plays the guitar.The people are pushed back by the military.There was an insurmountable wall there.There, Jeongwoo sings.Rather than representing his and the youth’s pain with sad and agonizing music,He sang of the future of the youth that would come soon with joyful music.Jeongwoo said that although the wall in front of them seems overwhelming and insurmountable right now, they will eventually overcome it.And the reason Jeongwoo can sing like that is-.‘That’s it!’The general director clenched his fist.A thrill rushed over him and tears welled up in his eyes.The protagonist of this musical, Jeongwoo, doesn’t know if their movement will really succeed.But the audience watching this musical will know that their attempt will somehow succeed.Because they are the youth who came to enjoy the future that Jeongwoo and the young people created.‘This is what I wanted.’The general director turned his head sharply.There, instead of the stage, was the boy.The boy who showed him the stage he wanted.The general director passed by Professor Kim with wide eyes and approached the boy, grabbing his shoulder.“Would you like to be the general director instead of me?”Pffft-!Music Director Park, who was drinking water after feeling an intense thirst, spat it out right there.Hi everyone, I've fully translated this series. If you love the series and wanted to binge read until the end, you can go to my Patreon "Shop" page. Instead of buying the advanced chapters one by one, you can buy them in one bulk (with discounted price too)!