The Road to Glory

The decision was quick.Halo visited P-R again with his parents.While making the contract, someone had a regretful expression, while someone else had a “as expected” look as they finalized it.“Then we’ll set the schedule for the album production.”Halo nodded, and after signing, Nokjin added.“It would be easier if you join our sub-label. As I mentioned before, it’s just a formality.”“Thank you. But I’ll be satisfied with a cooperative relationship.”It wasn’t a complete rejection, but it was a rejection of the love call itself.Halo still dreamed of a completely independent system, and he knew well that owing a debt was another form of constraint.The contract with the P-R label was not related to an independent label, but was related to the physical album production and promotion that Halo was interested in.They discussed collaborating with P-R until their workforce was completed, and he would pay a fair price for that as well.And the next thing he did was to sort out distribution.[Oh, you mean that you’ll be active as ‘Hae-il Roh (Hae-Il Roh)’ instead of ‘Halo’?]“Yes.”[Like Stephen King and Richard Bachman, with two different albums.]August Veil on the other end of the phone showed great interest for a while.[I understand. Well, I’m a little disappointed that I missed your second identity, but I won’t dwell on it. You won’t suddenly abandon your secret identity, after all.]Secret identity, second identity.Just by the way he spoke, it seemed like August Veil was engrossed in a hero movie or espionage film.And that was the case in reality as well.Judging by the fact that someone recently rambled on about really stupid speculation about ‘him’, this reaction was not false.Veil finally said one more thing.[Mr. Halo, there’s one thing I’d like to ask.]“Yes, please go ahead.”[I’d like to ask if you’d be interested in signing with a record label. I know of a good one as well.]With his mischievous yet earnest intentions, Halo let out a chuckle.[Even if it’s not a record label, please let me know if you need any help.]As always, August Veil added politely.Halo didn’t bother to decline either.However, it didn’t seem like he needed August Veil’s help right away.Because he had found a good studio property that he had been searching for. Halo signed the contract without hesitation.Although the digital streaming settlement for ‘HALO’ had not been paid yet, the revenue from the ‘Show by Show’ soundtrack and NuTube copyright earnings had been quite substantial.If it was not enough, his mother, who said she could break into one of her savings accounts, was surprised to see the bankbook that had enough for the monthly rent.“Our son can handle things well on his own.”Perhaps next month, she’ll see a bankbook with enough for a purchase.While finding a suitable studio, he also completed the corporation registration process. Once the corporation is approved, he’ll be able to exercise his will as a corporate representative, not as a minor.As these tasks were somewhat resolved, the heavy weight on his shoulders lifted a bit.“Be careful!”Halo stretched his arms.Leaning against the studio wall as the interior workers came in, even though the proper equipment hadn’t been set up yet, he would create HALO’s 4th album here soon.#While Halo was busy moving, the Friday-Saturday drama [From Today On] aired.If the first episode was about the protagonist returning to his old school and facing the still chaotic classroom, starting from the second episode, the stories of the main characters began.Starting with Minjae, who properly clashes with the protagonist from the second episode, the episodes began to unfold. Original fans waited for the theme songs to be released sequentially, like musical numbers. What they most anticipated were the mood makers like Yujin or Minjae, who would lead the first episode.And as expected, when Minjae’s story began and a defiant rock metal melody played, they cheered.[Minjae ㅠㅠㅠ Be happy forever][Will Yujin’s theme come out next week? Just release it now][I’d be okay with a duet later on]└ For realAs the episode rushed towards the ending.Glancing at the clock and regretting that one episode was ending, Heetae appeared.The kind-looking actor, though an unfamiliar face, suited Heetae well.Quiet, kind, and exemplary. So those who knew the backstory complained that he was annoyingly similar.Then, a gloomy melody could be heardThe female student who was about to ask for Yujin’s theme song instead closed her mouth, startled by the voice that tickled her eardrums.It was clearly a different voice from the actor who played Heetae,But Heetae’s voice came through.Heetae sang.So I close my eyes again-.His inner self, which was never described in the original webtoon, or anywhere else.[???][What was that just now][My eardrums are melting][Dang the theme song quality is insane][Dang they picked a good theme][It’s a voice I’ve never heard before]The female student, who was very sensitive to voices, quickly searched for Heetae’s theme on the internet.The [From Today On] forum, which had only been discussing the popular characters, was now buzzing with talk about Heetae.[Dang who’s the singer for Heetae’s theme? The voice is intense][I prefer mid-low ranges but this high tone is crazy ㅠㅠ][I want to hear the full version]There were purely those who appreciated and marveled at the OST.[Wait, does this intense style mean our kid is better?][Did they slap the crazy label on Heetae?]And other character fans who felt threatened.The female student who was a Yujin fan expressed her concern while replaying Heetae’s theme.Even before Yujin’s theme came out, she worried that it might be overshadowed, as Heetae’s theme overshadowed Minjae’s theme sung by a famous singer.The episodes 2-3 were about Minjae’s story, but everyone was just talking about Heetae’s OST.And this wasn’t just a conversation between viewers who watched [From Today On] and fans of the original work.“Director! We just got a call from Gause asking who sang Heetae’s theme?”“Reporters keep calling too.”“Haha, what’s new.”“You’re acting all modest, Director.”“Stop chatting and get back to work!”The music director smiled.Who wouldn’t be pleased that the music they made was getting attention? But it wasn’t like the OST had overshadowed the drama. The overall reaction was good.It was still the early stages, and they couldn’t ignore the firepower of the original fans, but it was a positive signal.The fact that the PD, who had been working hard on editing, hadn’t gotten upset yet was proof of that.And there was interest from another side as well.-Joohyeok, I liked the OST for this one-But do you know who sang Heetae’s theme?Veteran singers who were always interested in new music and new singers.-Our Joohyeok is going to lose his Watermelon throne to a newbie kukukukThe man reading the KakaoTalk messages chuckled.Do they think I’m some kid who desperately wants to be #1? It’s Watermelon’s nature for new faces to appear.Moreover, what didn’t concern him much was that it was Heetae’s theme.A supporting character’s personality and role, not the lead. Given the nature of an OST that has to follow the narrative, it might have had a brief impact, but it wouldn’t be able to beat the main OST in the end.“Rather, we have something else to pay attention to.”Heetae’s theme wasn’t the important thing.The man took a deep breath, setting down his headphones.The destructive melody was making his head spin.The sixteen songs coming from there.A wave from the outside was entering Korea.#[The Age of HALO Has Arrived]An unconventional movement appeared on Billboard. Anyone interested in the Billboard charts might have noticed this movement.HALOThe writer wants to mention a name that those who know, know, and those who don’t, will soon know.Some might think, “He’s not even #1 on Billboard, just a rookie who barely made it onto the charts.”The writer would like to urge those people to listen to him at least once. Once they do, they will surely exclaim “The Sun.”And is being #1 on Billboard everything?The reason he hasn’t achieved that is not because his music is lacking, but because you – [traces erased] – he only releases digital albums.A faceless singer.Digital albums.Formal album covers andDisappointing – the writer thinks it was intentional – sound quality.An unknown identity and a fandom that has just started to form.Never having a single live performance (the writer earnestly hopes for one) and never appearing anywhere, etc. There were a few disappointments, which is why he couldn’t achieve #1 on Billboard.However, starting with the immortal masterpiece and answer to fans, ‘I AM HALO’, all of HALO’s songs have entered Billboard, and the single ‘I AM HALO’ reached #23 on the Hot 100, scoring high in streaming numbers and radio airplay!Despite having all the aforementioned disappointments.And now, all the tracks from his three albums are becoming gatekeepers on Billboard.If The Beatles released one song a year,He releases one song a month.At this rate, the absurd situation where Billboard consists solely of his songs might happen.(Omitted)As a result, it’s becoming more difficult for K-pop to enter Billboard. Just looking at the Watermelon chart alone, his music is rapidly climbing up. At this rate, unless you’re an established artist…An internet article was posted.It was a Korean internet article that drew aggro in various ways, and it was unclear whether the intention was to praise Halo, express fear, or worry about K-pop and rookie artists.The writer didn’t understand how such a diary-like article got through. Also, he wondered what Jang Jinsoo’s intention was in sending this article to him.‘Is this the reason?’Halo opened the Watermelon app.As the article said, HALO’s songs were appearing on the Korean music charts, notably Watermelon. The wave that started in Europe and passed through America was starting to reach Asia.It’s not uncommon for foreign pop songs, not Korean pop, to appear on the Watermelon Top 100 chart. From the beginning, Korea didn’t have much aversion to pop songs in foreign languages, and there were fandoms for overseas pop as well. After all, good music knows no borders.Moreover, the SNS issues that helped HALO’s songs chart on Billboard, the fanatic comments seen on HALO’s NuTube channel, the animations, remixes, and TikToks created by his fandom piqued interest.As a result[53. I am HALO | HALO][57. When we meet again (title) | HALO][64. Struggle (title) | HALO][65. Even so we do (title) | HALO]He had just landed, but the album tracks were listed below. It meant the public was just starting to listen.And according to the article, due to this trend, it would become difficult for rookie artists or new album works.Because under normal circumstances, albums that would have charted would be buried by this mysterious bombardment.‘But that’s the story of others.’Halo raised the corners of his mouth.He acknowledged that his past self was praiseworthy,But not as good as his present self.“Did you hear that all the singers postponed their comebacks this time?”“Why?”Halo brushed his head, finding the black hair unfamiliar.The black hair had grown more than the silver, so he had trimmed it once.“Apparently, the Billboard singer scores are intense this time.”“Did someone make a comeback?”“Something similar, it seems.”Halo organized the schedule in his mind.Mid-February.Along with Roh Haeil’s debut, he would also release HALO’s 4th album.The folk guitar and electronic melodies were already screaming out.“Will Haeil-ssi be keeping to the album schedule as is?”“Yes.”“Will you be okay?”“Is there any reason it won’t work out?”“That’s not it, but the competition is…”Halo shrugged his shoulders. After that, he closed his mouth shyly.Halo focused on the sound again.He heard an acoustic melody like hot chocolate soothing a wild nature.This was Roh Haeil’s first album.It was different from HALO’s music.While HALO’s songs were filled with electronic sounds and acoustics, Roh Haeil’s songs focused more on the voice.Unlike HALO’s music that pulled people in and lashed out like a storm,The melody, like magic,Drew people’s attention,And made them focus on the black-haired boy in the center of the camera.The boy’s voice was like the tide.Like how water slowly rises and traps you underwater without realizing, those listening to the song were already trapped in the middle of the sea.The warm water soaked their knees.It was fine to stay like this.Even if it made you short of breath, you hoped the warmth wouldn’t drain away.Halo opened his eyes after singing.People had their eyes closed, smiling comfortably as they enjoyed his music. Some were nodding their heads repeatedly.He had expressed the changed sensibility since he first came here, and it seemed to have been conveyed well.And now, there would be no one to say anything more to him.Halo smiled contentedly.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)!