The Road to Glory

“Laon, did you see the rookie who joined recently? I heard he’s your friend.”“Huh? Ah, yeah. But he didn’t actually join.”“Anyway, is it true that the rumor says the CEO and producer desperately tried to recruit him?”“Well, I’m not sure.”Gillaon mumbled his answer, wondering how many times he had given this response.He didn’t know.Ever since the rumor of Nokjin’s love call spread, everyone he met grabbed him and asked about it.Well, it wasn’t incomprehensible.People were interested in the first (?) new addition after Gillaon.At least the artists affiliated with P-R, and the acquaintances of the CEO, producer, and musicians who actively communicated with P-R asked him casually.Of course, the rumor was inevitable when they even mentioned ‘independent label’ support to a rookie who hadn’t even debuted yet. Moreover, didn’t that rookie reject the love call and start his own label?In the small Korean music industry, there are people who can’t help but satisfy their curiosity if something even slightly interesting happens. They tried to find out the facts that they could just wait and learn.“Did he join as a singer-songwriter?”“Nokjin’s not the type to desperately recruit like that. What kind of person is he to make him do that?”“Is he super handsome like Cha Yunwoo? Then I can understand.”Of course, that interest wasn’t always positive.“Veteran singers are postponing their comebacks when a rookie is debuting? I don’t know who it is, but I guess it’s because he’s a rookie. He’s pretty cheeky. He needs to fail once and come to his senses.”“Aren’t you making a comeback, hyung?”“Comeback? Do I look like someone who can make a comeback? You must have heard about it too.”“About what?”“That.”Gillaon nodded awkwardly with an uncomfortable laugh.He couldn’t be unaware of what the senior singer meant by ‘that.’The singer currently drawing the most attention in the Korean entertainment industry. The destructive stride that made even veteran singers postpone their comebacks. Naturally, as someone in music, Gillaon had heard about it and was amazed.“I was like, ‘Wow, this is insane’ as soon as I heard it. It’s the first time I felt a wall. I’ve been called a genius quite a bit too. I guess there are classes even among geniuses. I should just be satisfied living in Korea.”After rambling about the wall he felt for a while, the senior singer returned to the original topic after about 20 minutes.“Anyway, have you listened to the rookie’s songs?”“No. How could I… And I shouldn’t listen to the songs.”“That’s true. But you’re friends, and he didn’t let you listen? No, I tried poking around because I was curious, but no one would tell me.”He grumbled with regret.Just in case, he had tried asking around, but the staff who were even slightly involved in the album production kept their mouths shut as if they had made a promise. They just told him to listen when the songs come out, without saying anything else.“What’s it like? Is it really that bad? No one’s stopping him, so it seems they’re just letting him release it because he’ll fail anyway.”“Ha, ha, ha.”Gillaon laughed, unsure how to respond to the senior’s words.He didn’t agree with the senior, but he thought they would understand once they listened to the songs.“So what is he doing now? Not doing any junior duties to the seniors?”“Maybe he’s too busy to pay attention?”“Where is he?”“Well, I don’t know? Maybe with Producer Nokjin.”In fact, Gillaon knew where Roh Haeil was and what he was doing.Although he didn’t check KakaoTalk often, he casually told him whenever they were in contact.“Tell him to come to our night gathering sometime.”“Huh? Where?”“Our night gathering.”Gillaon’s eyes widened at the senior’s words.“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s not like I’m saying anything bad. In this day and age, do you think I’ll give him a hard time or do anything? He’s even a minor. I don’t want to end up on the 9 o’clock news.”“…”“And while I was a little worried, do you really think I want my junior to fail? As a senior, I just want to pass down some tips on the public’s tastes. How to get #1 on Watermelon. Strategic debut, stuff like that. I feel like he lacks a bit of sense? This timing definitely doesn’t seem right for a debut. What’s in it for a good senior like me?”“Umm.”‘It doesn’t seem necessary.’Gillaon, who knew that Roh Haeil had already reached #1 on Watermelon with ‘Show by Show’, just let out a faint laugh.“Anyway, don’t lie about me telling him to come to our gathering. Oh, I’ll check later.”“Uh, yeah! I’ll try, senior! But he’s really busy, so the chances are slim! I’m busy too, so I’ll get going! Be careful on your way!”“Oh, wait, Laon. I’m not done yet.”Gillaon quickly hung up and dashed out.While the senior wasn’t a bad person, he still didn’t want to waste his busy friend’s time.‘He’s probably doing a profile photoshoot right now.’Knowing that he was at a photoshoot studio instead of a recording studio, Gillaon swiftly took the elevator to avoid being caught by the senior. The transparent elevator overlooked the city forest beyond.While the senior was worried about his debut and such, Gillaon wasn’t worried.If they saw Haeil directly, no one would worry.However, if there was any worry…“Photoshoots are tough.”Gillaon shuddered, thinking about how long photoshoots took.Jinsoo had said there was no need to worry about Haeil, but photoshoot sets were tough for anyone.#Meanwhile, Halo was looking into the mirror.With his arms folded and a disgruntled expression.“Hmm.”Roh Haeil, about to have wax applied and styled with pomade.Strange tools laid out in front of him.Roh Haeil sitting in front of the makeup mirror was out of place in and of itself.It felt like he was somewhere he shouldn’t be.“Can’t I just take some casual photos?”“‘Casual’? That’s not possible.”The team leader of the album production team answered firmly, as if she had heard an unacceptable word.“Profile photos are what the public will see first. We can’t show a sloppy look fresh out of bed, obviously. This is just common practice. And you’ll need to get used to wearing makeup, as this won’t be the last time. It’ll be better if you get familiar with it early.”‘Obviously.’And ‘common practice.’Not his favorite words.Halo drummed his fingers.When he asked why he, a non-actor, needed to take profile photos that wouldn’t even be on the album cover,She said they would be the photos uploaded to the internet and platforms.After searching and showing him photos of people, Halo finally understood what ‘profile photos’ were.The team leader emphasized multiple times that they would be the first impression and his representative image that people would see when they became interested in the name ‘Roh Haeil’ and searched him up.“Can you close your eyes?”The makeup artist brought a large brush.She was probably going to use that on his face.She had mentioned doing an ‘idol profile makeup’, hadn’t she?Creating shadows on his face, coloring his lips, darkening his eyebrows.And adding lines and shadows to his eyes to make his gaze more intense.Saying it would suit Roh Haeil’s face.And after the makeup, he would style his bangs with wax and put on the semi-formal outfit hanging on the rack.Originally, Halo didn’t care much about the profile photoshoot itself.As long as they didn’t interfere with the music itself, he thought it was fine to follow the experts’ opinions on areas he wasn’t familiar with, like profile photos.But once the shoot started, Halo fell into doubt.This just didn’t seem like him, no matter how he looked at it.This groomed and styled appearance wasn’t him.‘The first image shown to the public.’Halo tilted his head as he looked in the mirror.Not minding the makeup artist and team leader observing his actions from the side, he pondered.Was this the image he wanted to show the public?“Since it’s your first photoshoot, it’ll be better to listen to me.”Seemingly frustrated with his behavior, the team leader added.“Well.”He gave a curt reply.While it was his first profile photoshoot, it wasn’t his first time being photographed.HALO’s albums always featured his face, full body, or upper body shots.With every album release, he stood in front of the camera.However, back then, he didn’t rely much on stylists or experts.They would stare at Halo’s face and say there was nothing to be done, only tidying his hair and providing props or outfits.Moreover, from the 3rd album onwards, he didn’t even do that.He would freely take photos just as he came from home, hair disheveled or not.Everything was decided by his will, and no one opposed his opinions.Because that was enough.So what was different now?Halo folded his arms and thought of just one thing.Was this the appearance ‘he’ wanted?“No.”The answer came right away.So there was no need to hesitate.Halo looked up at the production team leader.Their eyes met with her bewildered expression.“I’ll go like this.”“Excuse me? What do you mean by-““I’ll do the photoshoot like this.”“Excuse me?”The production team leader was flustered.“No…”It was the first time someone had said they would do a profile photoshoot just as they were.While there had been discussions on how they wanted to appear, no one had shown their raw, unaltered self.Camera distortions could occur, and the ‘manufactured image’ was most important for celebrities.The team leader thought the boy in front of her might not understand the importance of ‘profiles’ yet.“As I’ve said multiple times, profiles are the first impression. It’s the image of Roh Haeil that people will see first!”“So?”“Excuse me?”When she asked back, seemingly not understanding, Halo smiled and answered:“This is me.”“!”The image people would see first should be his true self.It was enough for them to see him without any special styling.He could garner enough interest afterward.In the way he loved most.“That’s all.”She added, as if still not fully convinced.“But people might not like it.”“We’ll see. I don’t think so.”The boy calmly spoke as if he had experienced it before.She still couldn’t understand.However, unable to sway the firm will of the artist, she watched the boy’s photoshoot with her hands on her hips, ready to intervene if any issues arose.“You’ll take the photos like that?”“Yes.”A black hoodie over a brown jacket.Plain jeans and an acoustic guitar slung over his back.The boy stood in front of the camera wearing the clothes he had on when he entered the studio.‘This isn’t right.’The production team leader bit her nail.While the boy’s outfit was certainly from an expensive brand, it completely deviated from the originally planned ‘well-mannered and gentle high school student’ concept.It was just a casual outfit.Moreover, the disheveled hair could easily give off an unkempt and messy impression.Without any wax, the split ends were sticking out as well.By any measure, it was completely raw and ungroomed.While the experienced production team and makeup artist wondered if this was right, the boy seemed at ease.He appeared comfortable in front of the camera, unlike a rookie.He showed no signs of nervousness and didn’t seem conscious of the camera at all.He wasn’t particularly handsome, but there was something strangely captivating about him.Well, that’s because he’s ‘imperfect’.The production team leader felt dizzy and raised a hand to her forehead.It wasn’t just the outfit that was an issue.If he was as handsome as Cha Yunwoo but refused makeup, there would be a lot to say, but the boy wasn’t the type to rely on his looks.Especially in the entertainment industry with many beauties, it’s easy to be called plain or lacking.His vibe was unique, but how much would the camera capture?After staring through the camera for a while, the photographer tilted her head, fueling the team leader’s frustration even more.“I guess we should do some makeup after all?”“No, that’s not necessary.”The team leader glanced at the camera with a dissatisfied expression.She couldn’t see properly since the photographer was holding the camera.She had just thought he wouldn’t say much, contrary to her expectations.If it were as she imagined, he would have said something by now.The photographer focused on the camera again.The boy was framed in the center of the angle.His disheveled black hair contrasted with his pale skin, making it look darker.Some strands of his forehead-framing bangs were swept to the side, while others framed his slightly pointed eyes.The acoustic guitar, a few centimeters above his head, and the soft semi-leather emphasized a sense of calmness, while the black hoodie accentuated the boy’s face.“It’s not bad, is it?”Contrary to the team leader’s thoughts, the photographer clicked a few test shots, thinking it wasn’t bad.While the camera couldn’t preserve the actual image due to distortion,The reason cameras possessed charm was because they captured moments.Not just the environment framed in the camera angle, butThe time, emotions, and vibe of that moment. Everything.Yes, like the boy in the angle.The intense gaze piercing through the casual image.His ordinary appearance was transformed by that single gaze.The camera maximized the boy’s free yet refined aura.It was nowhere near the well-mannered boy they had originally planned, but“It’s good, isn’t it?”The photographer muttered.As if reading his mind, the boy beyond the angle gave a faint smile.Click.The shutter opened and closed.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)!