The Road to Glory

[Gillaon at Hongdae]Just from reading that text message, Manager Kim Kyungjin rushed over, wondering what had happened. He was sure they had said they were just meeting up as friends. As Kim Kyungjin glanced at SNS during a red light, he felt a subtle emotion seeing Gillaon sweating and brightly smiling at the busking spot.It seemed like a long time since he had smiled so brightly after Soyou. The van to pick up Gillaon didn’t stop and just kept driving.And Manager Kim Kyungjin watched from afar without disturbing those in the crowd.What should he say?For now, he was relieved of one worry.The artist was enjoying himself like that, and the response was better than expected. To Manager Kim Kyungjin’s eyes, it seemed like he was doing better than on broadcasts.He sent a message to the boss saying there was no need to worry, and suddenly noticed the guitarist providing accompaniment behind Jang Jinsoo and Gillaon.Even though it seemed like he was just playing casually, the accompaniment sounded excellent. After finishing singing a song, he would play a different beat or melody from the original recording, but it still blended well.Rather than an arranged cover, it was more like a guitarist unfamiliar with the original song was improvising a suitable accompaniment.But it was incredibly natural and skillful.Like someone who had played guitar in a band for a long time.Suddenly, Kim Kyungjin recalled where he had seen the boy in front of him before. His uncommon appearance with silver-tipped hair.“Ah, that, studio?”Come to think of it, he had overheard that among the many new artists participating in this OST, there was also a NuTuber.In fact, the AD from the [From Today On] production team was there where that kid was.‘Could it be, that kid is the one?’After realizing this, Kim Kyungjin only looked at the boy called a NuTuber, not Gillaon.He didn’t know about his vocal skills since he hadn’t heard them, but if the music director recommended him, he must be good. More than anything, his guitar playing skills were extraordinary.‘I wonder if he’s signed to a company.’The entertainment world pursuing new faces.With excellent performance skills and a uniquely eye-catching presence, he undoubtedly had star quality no matter what anyone said.“Who is that person?”“Seems to be Jang Jinsoo’s real friend. He introduced him by name earlier.”The people who gave up their busking spot gossiped about the guitarist.Anyone with a bit of musical knowledge couldn’t help but notice who was truly dominating this stage.“What did he say his name was?”Kim Kyungjin fidgeted with a business card in his pocket.“It was a unique name. Ail? No, was it Haeil? Roh Haeil?”Maybe it was just a coincidence.How many people would remember the stage introductions at a busking show? And hardly anyone would remember those introductions well enough to recount them again.However, the guitarist’s name stuck in Kim Kyungjin’s ears, and he repeated it to himself.“Roh Haeil?”As Kim Kyungjin pronounced it, at some point he tilted his head.It sounded like a name he had heard somewhere before.He couldn’t quite recall it.It was an uncommon name, so it should be memorable.In the midst of this, Jang Jinsoo and Gillaon’s semi-competition stage ended, and another melody could be heard.Hmm. Jang Jinsoo moved a bit more to the front.People recognized the song that had reached #1 on Watermelon and cheered loudly.“It’s Show by Show.”He created the beat like an electric guitar using an acoustic guitar.People tapped their feet to the beat, and Kim Kyungjin realized that the guitarist, who had arranged the other songs, was properly playing only Show by Show.Jang Jinsoo spat out his rap.With skills incomparable to Episode 1.And Gillaon sang the hook.He looked satisfied being able to sing the song he had wanted to sing so badly.The people sang along with the hook and swayed their heads to the accompaniment. The guitarist who controlled this entire flow perfectly finished the accompaniment for Show by Show.It seemed like he knew the melody of Show by Show better than anyone.“Ah?”Kim Kyungjin let out an exclamation.He felt like the boss and Producer Nokjin had some conversation about Show by Show.For example, about the co-composer and arranger of the song.‘Who was that again?’‘I looked it up, but there’s only a registration with the association, no other records.’Kim Kyungjin took out his phone and went to the Watermelon charts. He clicked on the information for the song he was still listening to.Composer | Jang Jinsoo, Roh HaeilArranger | Roh HaeilThat name stood out boldly, as if it should be bolded.Kim Kyungjin stared dumbfounded at the guitarist.The vocal skills the music director had filmed, the top-notch guitar playing, and a charm that drew more attention than Jang Jinsoo at the front of the stage.‘Hyung, I’ll go check out Jinsoo and Jinsoo’s friend.’‘Okay, don’t get into any accidents.’‘When have I ever gotten into an accident?’‘But who is Jinsoo’s friend?’‘He has one.’Jang Jinsoo’s real friend.Goosebumps rose on his arms.The existence who could so casually improvise accompaniment. He felt he had found the reason a middle school student with no agency could be listed as a co-composer and arranger.It was an old story, and just speculation, but.For a while, Kim Kyungjin thought back to Producer Nokjin, who had searched for the name ‘Roh Haeil.’Nokjin had naturally assumed ‘Roh Haeil’ was a producer around his age or older with many years of experience.So if he couldn’t find any records?Kim Kyungjin gulped and picked up his phone.He firmly pressed a familiar number.“Hello, Producer. It’s me, Kyungjin.”#Halo thought that Jang Jinsoo’s words were correct.It seemed to be almost the only thing he got right.He likes the stage.Singing in front of people and playing guitar was the happiest for him.To think he had considered not doing what he loved so much.‘It’s ridiculous.’Halo lifted the corners of his mouth.The crowd whose eyes met his stared at him in a daze.Halo roughly followed Gillaon and Jang Jinsoo’s performance for his accompaniment. Since he had never heard the songs before, he couldn’t reproduce the exact original recordings, but did he really need to know them in order to play? As long as he could see the melodies, the accompaniment wasn’t difficult.The final encore song was Show by Show.He happily finished busking with Gillaon and Jang Jinsoo’s duet as the last performance.People crowded around.The person who was Gillaon’s manager appeared right when needed and perfectly guided them to the van.Halo didn’t refuse the offer to take him home.But it didn’t seem like such a good choice after all.“Haeil, don’t you want to join our label? The boss and Nokjin-hyung, everyone at our label would love you.”After admiring his guitar skills for a while, Gillaon started pitching their label. Actually, if only Gillaon did it, that would have been enough, but the manager person added to it too.“If you’re going to start music activities seriously, you’ll need someone to properly take care of you.”If Gillaon appealed to the advantages of P-R, the manager appealed to the necessity of a label.“That’s right, I like Manager-hyung too. He can manage my schedule and take care of things I can’t. Don’t you need that too?”“…I do need a manager.”When Halo responded once, Gillaon’s face immediately brightened. He was talking about needing people, not about joining P-R.“There are good people at P-R, so you could meet someone who fits you well too.”Well. Halo fell into thought.If it was so easy to find someone suitable, wouldn’t he have found a manager long ago?“Why? What kind of person do you like?”Halo considered the criteria he had for the managers he had hired before. First, being good at their job was a given.His manager needed to be mentally strong above all.It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Halo lived amidst controversy, so if they were mentally weak, they would easily quit. They had to remain steadfast without losing themselves amidst the controversy and rumors.Next, someone Halo could trust.Someone who would believe in him no matter what he did, and would never betray him for any reason.Also, he needed someone who could apply the brakes to him, who only knew the accelerator, and guide him in the right direction. He didn’t want someone who would simply agree he was right no matter what.Lastly. Rather than being serious about everything, someone who could crack jokes and laugh together even when being serious.Those were roughly the qualities of someone who would be a good fit for him.Gillaon, who had been quietly listening to his words, tilted his head as the conditions exceeded three, and the manager’s voice also trailed off.And Jang Jinsoo, who was beside them, said as if it was ridiculous.“Who in the world is like that?”“That’s why.”That’s why it was taking him so long to find someone.He didn’t know about the manager, but it seemed faster to find someone else.Anyway, it was a refusal of P-R’s label.But P-R was more persistent than expected,And expected a bit more of Roh Haeil rather than Halo.#If someone abroad was captivated by the music of an old(?) musician named HALO, and a music director in Korea was thrilled by the vocals of a certain boy, Nokjin of P-R Records took notice of his producing and arranging abilities.“Is ‘that’ Roh Haeil the NuTuber participating the OST of the drama that Laon participate too?”Of course, it was hard to believe at first.“It’s something that can’t possibly come out of that age group.”But he had thought the same about Jang Jinsoo, and since Jang Jinsoo didn’t show anything more in ‘Soyou,’ he leaned towards the other co-composer.Nokjin really liked the chords and structure of ‘Show by Show,’ and if possible, he wanted to bring him to P-R.It wasn’t a lie or an exaggeration.There were many people in the world who could sing well. If discussing the ‘best’ among them, that would be different, but there were plenty of singers who could sing decently well.The same went for composing. Of course, he didn’t mean composing like Mozart or Beethoven. In modern society, anyone could become a composer by creating a line or two of melody and registering the copyright.But producing was different.Before a producer, singers and composers were merely fresh ingredients. Ultimately, what kind of dish was created depended on the producer.Nokjin thought of producing as sculpting.If someone brought in white marble, the job of completing the David statue with that material belonged to the producer.A decent producer was rarer than a decent singer or composer.Nokjin, who wanted to bring in a capable producer whose heart matched his own, one day discovered the song he liked the most.While the hook was great, the real appeal was the professional who completed that song.At that moment, Nokjin heard the name ‘Roh Haeil’ from Manager Kim Kyungjin.He participated in the same drama OST as Gillaon,And was the guitarist who had just caused a stir in Hongdae.On top of that, he was the same class friend of Jang Jinsoo who could naturally work on Jang Jinsoo’s songs.Having already confirmed his top-notch guitar playing skills, Nokjin watched the videos of Gillaon’s performance posted on SNS.To evaluate his producing abilities, he needed to hear the original song. However, no matter who he asked, no one would play the original for him. What composer would show the raw form of their work before it was arranged?Around that time, Nokjin recalled that Roh Haeil was a NuTuber named ‘wave_r.’ And that NuTube channel was what gave him the answer.In ‘show and prove,’ the ‘prove’ part proved it.The producing evident in the rough track proved they were the same person.It was clear they possessed the same skills.“Let’s get him.”That’s why he was in front of Samjang.It was like that day. The only difference was that the person he wanted to get that day was Jang Jinsoo, and today it was Roh Haeil.“That kid is the real deal. Let’s get him.”“I heard he doesn’t seem to want to be affiliated anywhere.”“Talented kids usually don’t like being affiliated. I was the same.”That wasn’t something he should say in front of the label’s representative, but Nokjin was confident. He had joined because his contract didn’t specify a term either. He could leave P-R anytime if he wanted.“Our label’s purpose is to discover new artists and help them maintain their own colors.”“That’s right.”“Signing them is the priority, but we don’t necessarily have to sign them. We can maintain a collaborative relationship and help with album production and promotions. In fact, that’s originally a label’s role too.”While their label had aspects of both a crew and an agency, its original form was a label (distributor and producer). Mainly, they could work with artists without necessarily signing them.Nokjin just wanted to establish a good relationship.“Was it Roh Haeil? What do you think of that friend’s talent? What I mean is, Jang Jinsoo was…”“Episode 56 was a bit disappointing. But this time is different. He’s a real genius. He could become one of Korea’s top producers. Maybe even one of the world’s top producers. Well, that’s still far in the future though.”In fact, even aside from producing, he already met all the conditions for a label to want him.Excellent guitar playing skills,A melodious singing voice,The composing abilities to write [Confession].In truth, how could one person possess all those talents?But once-in-a-lifetime geniuses tend to suddenly emerge from somewhere in this vast world.“Hello. I’m Nokjin, a producer from P-R Label.”For that reason, P-R’s courtship began.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)!