The Road to Glory

Who I am.What form I take.You will call me Glory.Halo stared blankly out the window.Along with the view of the buildings outside, he saw the reflection of Roh Haeil.He was deep in thought.He had finished recording faster than the 3rd album, and sent the tracks to Veil.Everything was satisfactory, but something was bothering him.He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, which left him feeling frustrated.“What are you thinking about?”“Huh? Ah…”Halo turned his head at his mother’s voice.His mother, who had been talking with the real estate agent, had come to stand beside him.“How about it?”She looked around the 4th floor interior with an expression that it wasn’t bad.Though the building was a bit old, it looked neat thanks to the remodeling.“Not great?”“Hmm.”Only then did Halo look around the building properly.He glanced around the room and knocked on the walls.Thud thud. The thin walls made hollow sounds.They would probably do soundproofing, but still.“I’ll look around a bit more and come back.”“Sure, take your time!”His mother immediately caught on from his expression that he didn’t like it much.She gave the real estate agent a faint smile before heading out of the building.Halo was in the process of finding a new studio space.After only looking online at listings, he came out in person today.This was the third building, but he wasn’t finding many places he liked so far.“Should we grab something to eat first?”His mother, who had originally planned to go straight to the next place, suddenly brought up food.From her expression, it seemed she realized he was distracted by other thoughts.Halo nodded and followed his mother.While eating, his mother looked at him with an expression like she knew what was on his mind.“Are you worried about Jinsoo?”“Huh?”Halo’s eyes widened at her unexpected words.“People are talking a lot. He’s such a kind and truly diligent kid.”Ah, so the news had reached his mother as well.Jang Jinsoo had failed the audition and was still being criticized.Since he had received the wild card thanks to producer Hwang Jeil’s favor instead of someone else, the fans of the other eliminated participants, as well as those who simply enjoyed tearing others down, had been dragging Jang Jinsoo’s name through the mud.“Is there anything we can do to help him?”His mother seemed to have taken quite a liking to Jang Jinsoo.Well, it wasn’t like they had only shared a meal once or twice.His very personable mother had grown quite fond of the affable Jang Jinsoo.However, in this situation, there was nothing they could do to help.“Hard to say.”Everything that could happen had already happened, and he had been eliminated from the competition.Though public opinion was still harsh, interest would eventually die down.Until then, there was nothing they could do to help—At least, that was how Halo saw it.“In the end, he has to endure it himself.”He wouldn’t use the phrase “there’s nothing that can be done.”But the negative attention inevitably accompanied popularity and public interest.In this case, that negative attention had simply grown larger, and there was nothing those around him could do about it.Halo had experienced the same.Just as the world had focused on him, controversy and rumors had naturally followed.Of course, the reasons were different from his skill, but it wouldn’t be much different.Just as he had overcome it with “I am HALO,” Jang Jinsoo would have to overcome it himself.“Well, I suppose we can offer words of comfort.”“I suppose so?”His mother’s expression brightened slightly.#Unprecedentedly, ‘his’ new tracks were uploaded to Spotify and other global streaming platforms, as well as NuTube.This was at a completely unexpected timing.Moreover, whereas previously ‘he’ had released full albums, this time it was a single album.And this time, there wasn’t even a plausible location image used as the cover art.Only the default image was uploaded along with the tracks.With no special marketing, these tracks could have easily been buried among the countless others.However, those who knew ‘him’ snuck away during work to secretly listen in the bathroom, and some woke at 3am saying the sun had risen.And the blogger who had been the starting point of the ‘manipulation controversy’ discovered in his bed that an answer to his thrown question [Who is HALO] had arrived.The reply “I am HALO” began to resound across the world.Since Halo already knew the tracks’ performance, he didn’t think it would greatly impact the current trends. Well, people don’t change much no matter what world it is.Just as they had come to love Halo’s music again, he expected this newly released song would also divide opinions.But Halo didn’t know.That things were different from back then.People’s reactions, the manipulation controversy, the new artist. The faceless singer.Amidst all the changes, the one who had changed was Halo himself, the one singing the songs.Though the intent behind the tracks was still to counter the rumors,This time, he focused more on his present self than the self in the rumors.He had clearly used the same melody,and the lyrical content was toned down, but the overall feel was similar.However, the line about them eventually liking him gave off a vastly different vibe.At least, it was enough to strike a chord in a country with a history stemming from pioneers, one that values individual freedom and will.At that point, Halo was in Hongdae.His first purpose was to deliver thank-you gifts to the hyungs who had introduced him to midi, under the guise of souvenirs from his trip.Second, since coming here, Hongdae had been the place that provided solutions whenever he faced problems, so he had instinctively come.However, he didn’t expect to run into Jang Jinsoo, given the circumstances. Most people aren’t accustomed to criticism and insults. He figured Jang Jinsoo would be holed up at home. Even if they did meet, there was nothing Halo could do for him.Halo strode down the familiar stairs that had become as comfortable as home.“Hello there.”And then he found a familiar face amidst the hyungs greeting him.“No way, is that Haeil?”“Wow, Haeil really grew up!”“Said you went on a trip. Have a good one?”After the initial thought of ‘why is he here?’, he had the impression that ‘he looks surprisingly okay.’“Well, he’s grown up now.”“How tall are you now? Maybe around 173cm? Wow, kids really do grow up in the blink of an eye. You used to look like an elementary schooler but now you seem more like a high schooler. Jinsoo loses this one.”The hyungs muttered that they couldn’t tease him about his height anymore, glancing at the shopping bag Halo had brought – a long one that clearly contained alcohol.“Is that for us?”Well, who else would it be for?Halo set down the shopping bag containing whiskey.When he nodded, the hyungs approached with unexpectedly touched expressions – as if they hadn’t anticipated he would bring gifts – and opened the bag. Then, seeing the rather expensive liquor inside, they let out joyful shrieks.And Halo turned his head.“Did you have a good trip?”“Yeah.”Having greeted Jang Jinsoo, he was a bit surprised by his unexpected appearance. He had thought Jinsoo would be dejected from all the insults, but he seemed more composed than expected. No, he even looked nonchalant.“Don’t worry about it. It’s because I wasn’t good enough that I failed.”Seeing Halo’s puzzled look, Jang Jinsoo calmly responded. It was a truly unexpected reaction.So Halo ended up saying something he hadn’t intended.“You’ve improved a lot though.”It wasn’t a lie.By chance via the algorithm, he had seen Jang Jinsoo’s final stage performance. Though he was ultimately eliminated, Halo saw how much Jinsoo’s skills had grown there.His pronunciation had improved, and more importantly, the habits Halo had thought were bad points were no longer visible. The middle-schooler who had brought the original “Show by show” was completely unrecognizable.While Halo had been enjoying himself in Europe, Jang Jinsoo hadn’t wasted his time either.Seeming surprised by his words, Jang Jinsoo flinched briefly.“…Thank you.”“Just stating facts.”Halo shrugged his shoulders.Thinking that a conversation ending with ‘thank you’ sounded better than one ending with ‘sorry.’The hyungs asked if they could drink it, then cracked it open without waiting for an answer.Clink.Glasses from who-knows-where clinked together.Watching the immature older guys – practically his peers – Halo rose from his seat.It was time for him to head back.Then, Jang Jinsoo’s voice came from behind.“Hey. I’m gonna study.”Study?Pausing at the unexpected word, Jang Jinsoo continued speaking.“At first… I just wanted to give up because it was so tough. But seeing someone forge ahead, I just couldn’t quit. I’m planning to study it all over again from the basics. I don’t know if I can do it, but no, I have to. So I want to beat you someday too.”Though he said that, his expression didn’t seem like he really wanted to win.As Halo chuckled, Jang Jinsoo glanced at him self-consciously. As always, Halo thought, he was being too conscious of others. Though Jinsoo probably didn’t actually think he could beat Halo, Halo readily replied:“Go for it.”It was a simple response, but Jang Jinsoo’s face brightened as if reassured.“This time I’ll really work hard.”“When didn’t you work hard before?”Even without seeing his practice, the improvement in his skills was proof that he had worked diligently.Then, Jang Jinsoo answered:“Yeah…”“?”An unexpected response.Halo had naturally assumed he had worked hard.“I didn’t actually work hard.”Jang Jinsoo continued haltingly:“I wanted to seem as carefree as someone else too. Since it felt like I was the only one working hard, it was mortifying. It was like I was the only one lagging behind. Even when pulling all-nighters, I never let it show. I just wanted to seem that carefree.”“…”“But I realized I shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t have time for that false nonchalance.”Strangely, Jang Jinsoo looked refreshed as he denied his own efforts and talents.“From now on, I’ll really live diligently.”“…Alright.”Halo suddenly recalled a line:A child abruptly becomes an adult.He didn’t particularly believe that saying.He didn’t think there was such a thing as a critical age, and considered age to be like a countdown to one’s death.But today, he vaguely understood what that phrase meant.And on the other hand,Halo discovered his former self in Jang Jinsoo –The unwavering determination not to give up even when everyone said it was impossible, just like himself once upon a time.Jang Jinsoo’s eyes had hardened.He no longer looked like a child.#“Ah, that’s right.”On the way back home, Jang Jinsoo exclaimed.“Congratulations. You’re going to make a crazy amount of money now. I really couldn’t have imagined you’d make it big like this… I thought even if you became famous, you’d start in Korea first.”“Yeah.”When Halo nonchalantly replied, Jang Jinsoo gave him a look like “typical you.”“But I saw on your channel that everyone was speculating and going crazy, what are you going to do about that?”To Jang Jinsoo, the issue seemed bigger than expected. The image others were envisioning differed from at least the Haeil here.Ah, the speculation that his hair would be white did turn out to be correct.Though his black roots had grown out a lot, Haeil still had silvery hair. A different vibe from what they meant by “white hair,” but it matched regardless.“You’re just gonna go to a press conference now and say ‘I am Iron Man!’ or what?”Halo didn’t understand what Jang Jinsoo was saying, but got the sense that he meant a public reveal of his identity.“No plans for that anytime soon.”“So you’ll just keep uploading tracks? Like now?”“Yeah.”As per his conversation with August Veil, he had no plans to engage in musical activities for the time being.Jang Jinsoo then tilted his head.“Really?”As if he didn’t quite understand.“But didn’t you like being in the spotlight?”Jang Jinsoo phrased it indirectly instead of using the word “exhibitionist.”And he recalled,How much Haeil enjoyed singing in front of people – from the busking in November to how he always delighted in showcasing himself to the crowd.Oh, and he had almost forgotten, but he also did it once on the subway.Seeing him enjoy it even more than himself, Jinsoo had thought he would make it big soon.So for someone like that to be satisfied just uploading tracks, without even a music video or MP4 files masquerading as MP3s, was hard for Jinsoo to understand.“I thought you loved performing on stage and singing in front of people the most.”He had seen Haeil sing in the recording studio too, but even so, the happiest he ever looked was during the busking in front of the crowd.Jang Jinsoo asked the Halo who had abruptly stopped walking:“You’re saying you won’t do what you love so much anymore?”#People say:‘He’ must have been a very famous musician in the pastLooks like he definitely led a bandWhat 60s band hit it big?Taking it further, they theorize:He’s clearly BritishWith that posh accent, from the upper class or an college-educated eliteA middle-aged white maleMust have injured his throat or taken a long hiatusAnd then came the nicknames.All the many nicknames directed at Halo until now.Drunkard, Chainsmoker, Hellvoice, Ladykiller… those nicknames combined to form one entity called Halo.Halo looked at the image of the ‘finalized Halo.’The ‘Halo’ that fans had rendered in 3D illustrations was completely different from Haeil.And below it was written that they would welcome him in any form.His NuTube channel was the same. Unlike the other videos always speculating on his identity, the first comment on the “I am HALO” video was:[I already love you, whatever you are.]Using ‘whatever’ instead of ‘whoever’ was directly quoting Halo’s lyrics.And the comments continued similarly:-We’ll love you wherever you are, whoever you are-Whatever you are, I’ll be your first fanHalo thought,‘If I don’t hide but sing in a different form,when will they be able to recognize me?’At some point, the corners of Halo’s mouth curved upward.“Anyone can just talk big. That’s no fun at all.”The lyrics of “I am Halo” resounded.Who I amWhat form I takeYou will call me GloryHi 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)!