The Road to Glory

[10. A Repeating Life (‘From Today On’ Heetae theme (Reprise)) | Roh Haeil]In the end, the OST could not climb any higher and settled at 10th place. However, this song did not remain simply as a 10th place achievement.As already mentioned, there were various descriptions attached to it.A song better than the main OSTA song that beat out a Billboard artist’s musicIt wasn’t just that – people added this song to their playlists, accepted it like a number one song, and even showed interest in the owner of an OST they likely wouldn’t have known about otherwise.They had recognized the new name ‘Roh Haeil’.‘Recognize’ doesn’t just mean becoming aware of an existence.Just as actor Lee Jeongmin, who played the role of Heetae in [From Today On], rose to stardom and received casting offers from various entertainment shows, interest in the new singer ‘Roh Haeil’ also surged rapidly.Not merely as a newcomer singer who luckily entered the top ten with a good OST, but as an artist in his own right.Particularly through the interviews given by actor Lee Jeongmin who appeared on entertainment shows, and music director Park Jeongho revealing behind-the-scenes stories about creating the theme song, the name ‘Roh Haeil’ gradually became known.[Actor Lee Jeongmin who played Heetae “I’m really grateful to Roh Haeil-ssi who sang Heetae’s theme…”][A masterpiece OST that turned a supporting role into the lead][Interview | Music Director Park Jeongho “There was a separate composer for ‘From Today On’ Heetae’s theme song reprise…”]Moreover, isn’t it the entertainment industry’s way to blow up even small matters largely, and big matters even more hugely?They couldn’t possibly overlook this ‘newcomer’ who achieved higher rankings than the main OST that was most frequently exposed in the drama, a popular idol group’s lively dance track, and a veteran singer’s ballad.Magazines, interviews, and broadcast casting offers poured in like a flood.“It’s for a broadcast.”Halo crossed his arms.It was a dilemma.He had been busy completely scrapping his original music.However, there was no reason he couldn’t make time.He had spent the night tirelessly inputting melodies driven by inspiration, and it was progressing well. HALO’s 4th album was just a matter of remaking what had already been completed.Halo cleared his throat, taking care not to strain his vocals.As long as he didn’t overexert himself while recording, it would be fine.Roh Haeil’s body was still in its growth phase, and his vocal cords were also in a delicate period, so he had to be careful not to injure them.Halo then stretched out with a yawn.A creaking sound came from his bones that had stiffened from the all-night work session.His haggard reflection in the mirror.He should have slept more if he wanted to look better. He briefly regretted it, but not for long. After showering and drying his hair with a towel, Halo rechecked the casting request emails.His parents had declared they wouldn’t interfere with his music or broadcast activities. With the corporation also approved, he could do whatever he wanted or didn’t want to do.Sitting on the sofa, Halo looked over the list.“Hmm.”Talk shows, interviews, things like that seemed to make up the bulk of it.Not bad. The talk show he had been close to death before had also been one of those, and it wasn’t his first or second time doing them either. As for interviews, well, the questions were pretty predictable.Halo nodded as he recalled the interviews he had done as a newcomer.“But for now, there’s no need to rush.”While he could do interviews about Heetae’s reprise, it would be, how to put it, a dispersal of focus.If he were to do interviews, he would prefer ones that focused solely on himself, after releasing an album and new music. It wouldn’t be too late then.In fact, the same applied to other entertainment shows too.Halo had enjoyed mingling and playing with others, but music had always been his top priority. Music-related places, places where he could make music, and places where he could enjoy it – those were the reasons he appeared on broadcasts. There had been no place without music.He still felt the same way now.If he were to participate in broadcasts, well, he wanted to do something music-related. While he lacked the stamina for a full concert, he would like a program dealing with things he enjoyed like a mini-concert or busking.There must be something like that out there, surely?“Oh, there’s also a casting offer from Lee Hwanhee’s Drawing Book.”“You know about that?”“Of course I do. It’s one of the shows mom keeps an eye on.”Halo tilted his head.From the name Drawing Book alone, he had assumed it was a show about drawing pictures and skipped over it, wondering if his mother watched stuff like that too.Sensing Halo’s lack of recognition, his mother explained with an “You know that, right?”“Was it last week or the week before when Hwang Ryongpil appeared on it? That PD has really good taste in guests. I had a hunch, and they really do have an eye for it.”Hwang Ryongpil was the artist who sang ‘Emergency’.That person went on to draw pictures?As Halo tilted his head, his mother played the show directly on the TV. It seemed to have been interrupted midway.A session band and vocalist forming a unit.“!”Halo immediately realized – it was not, as he had thought, a show about drawing pictures.“Should I play it from the beginning?”“No, it’s okay.”His mother glanced at Halo and pressed play.Though the video and music started from the middle, it wasn’t difficult to immerse himself. Hugging a cushion, Halo focused on watching the program.A mini-concert happening inside the studio. The audience responding to it. And a talk show segment interspersed throughout the concert.-May we also get to hear about the teacher’s practice pieces?-Well, they’re just practice pieces, so they might be a bit disappointing, but let’s give it a try. Haha.-Disappointing? It’s an honor, teacher!Just as Halo had wished for, it was a program solely focused on music and the artist.There was a talk show segment, albeit unscheduled.The moment Halo discovered the live stage and audience, he intensely wanted to do it.As always, a single motivation was enough to move him.#Lee Hwanhee’s Drawing Book is a long-running and beloved music program among viewers.There are various reasons for its popularity – the host’s witty banter, its longevity, the composition, etc.However, above all, it became a beloved long-running program for viewers because it booked guests from diverse genres that are rarely seen on other music shows.Indie bands hardly known to the public.Independent artists not affiliated with major entertainment agencies.As well as famous artists and idols.Essentially, any musician pursuing music in Korea appeared on the show and performed live, engaging in music talks with Lee Hwanhee.That was the whole structure of the program, but due to its nature, there was a lot to see. The public could delight their ears with live stages while discovering new artists’ existences. Conversely, artists could freely showcase their skills and make their names known.However, these live stages could also be a double-edged sword.It wasn’t an issue if the skills were excellent, but in the opposite case, it became a broadcast that fully exposed all flaws.Additionally, the cameras had an infamous reputation.The production crew denied doing it deliberately, but some bizarre photos circulating online were from ‘Lee Hwanhee’s Drawing Book’.So when a staff member went to the broadcast station lobby to escort a newcomer guest, they were taken aback to find a boy wearing just a hoodie and carrying an acoustic guitar slung over his back.“Hello.”“Hello, um, Roh Haeil-ssi?”“Yes. I’m Roh Haeil.”He had heard the guest was seventeen, but seeing it in person was jarring.He looked exactly seventeen, putting aside his bare face.As the boy greeted with a faint smile, it was hard to believe he had sung that song.The boy following behind seemed innocent.He didn’t make a fuss about being a celebrity, but curiously looked around here and there.“Is this your first time appearing on a broadcast?”“I…guess so.”The boy suddenly laughed.Thinking he was just good at laughing, the FD explained the camera positions and layout. Since it was his first broadcast, he needed to be informed so he wouldn’t be flustered.“Roh Haeil-ssi, you just need to talk while facing Teacher Lee Hwanhee. It would be good to look at the camera sometimes too…”The person before him was, to reiterate, a newcomer.Moreover, a broadcasting rookie who hadn’t even received separate trainee lessons from an agency.The FD didn’t expect much in terms of camera awareness.Rather, he was relieved the boy didn’t seem too tense in front of the camera.Due to the nature of the program, many artists froze up as soon as they stood before the cameras or entered the unfamiliar location, even if they had been doing well up to that point.“You don’t need to force yourself to talk a lot either, just be comfortable. If you force it, it comes across as strange. The teacher will guide you well.”“I understand.”“Ah, and the audience members will come in and fill up this area. Don’t get too flustered by the crowd.”As the FD showed the wide audience seating area, the boy nodded and glanced down at the stage below with an ambiguous gaze.After that, the FD easily led the boy to the waiting room, which was still empty. He didn’t sense anything amiss until the PD asked, “How was he?”“How was he, you ask?”Only then did the FD recall that the boy had been unusually quiet and leisurely looked around the studio.“Come to think of it, it was unusual.”“Why’s that?”“He followed along well.”Not getting lost in the hectic directions, not flustered by the many explanations. It was unclear if he really listened, but he showed no fear of broadcasting, and also…didn’t ask a single question.How to put it…“He seemed familiar with it, I guess.”“Maybe he has a talent for broadcasting.”“It didn’t give off that vibe though.”There are people who are naturals in front of the camera.But his demeanor seemed more like genuine familiarity.From throwing glances at the camera before being told, to checking the session lineup and looking at the stage – it wouldn’t be strange even for an established singer.“Alright, let’s get started now. Let’s go.”The FD nodded in agreement.#Halo took a breath.The pitch-black stage with the lights still off.The audience couldn’t see him yet, but he could feel each of their movements and breaths.He exhaled slowly.An opaque smoke, either from dry ice or his own breath, enveloped his vision. Breathing felt easy. He had a sense of returning home.‘This is fun.’Holding the microphone, he aimlessly looked around.Oblivious to the staff nervously watching him.‘He doesn’t seem tense?’‘Suddenly?’‘Well, kids can suddenly get sick even when they were fine before.’Halo sensed the tense breaths of those around him.Yes, this was how every stage always started.The audience anticipated and tensed up more than the artists themselves.He enjoyed dispelling that tension in an instant.Though the FD didn’t say anything, he knew a famous Korean singer was next. Some in the audience likely came to see someone other than him.Halo grinned crookedly.But hey, it didn’t matter.No matter who they were waiting for, they would soon see him anyway.For what the world loves most is him on that stage.Halo closed his eyes, then slowly opened his mouth.A mellifluous voice flowed through the high-quality microphone.And with it, someone’s breath caught.#:Among them were certainly some who knew the OST singer from ‘From Today On’ was coming. But most were those expecting Sin Joohyeok’s performance.However, in this moment,No one could recall any name other than ‘Roh Haeil’.From the instant the boy’s voice was heard,They were spellbound, falling into not just the song, but the entire stage.Despite his plain appearance, they couldn’t take their eyes off the boy.For the boy had dominated the stage before they even realized it.The boy effortlessly belted out high notes that would leave others breathless, then smiled upon noticing the dazed reactions.As if he had expected as much.“He’s a rookie?”The camera director captured that sight in an entranced manner.Stealing not just the audience’s breaths but the camera’s gaze too was no easy feat.“Wow!”The host Lee Hwanhee approached Halo. The middle-aged man in a suit with neatly slicked-back hair, looking like a office worker, stared piercingly at Halo, let out another exclamation, and applauded.For quite a while.Unable to even tell the guest to take a seat.“He’s completely smitten.”The PD muttered.As he said, Lee Hwanhee seemed to have fallen for the artist ‘Roh Haeil’.Even while introducing him and engaging in casual conversation, he looked at Roh Haeil with an expression viewers described as ‘looking like he’ll devour the guest’.And really amusingly, the boy experiencing public exposure for the first time accepted such gazes as if familiar with them.How to put it, they didn’t seem like a host and rookie guest, but rather a famous artist and their fervent fan.It’s understandable.Lee Hwanhee could discern artists’ potential to some extent. Even the PD who had long observed rookies and their growth was convinced upon seeing the boy – how much more so for Lee Hwanhee’s eyes.Of course, since he wasn’t Lee Hwanhee, there was no way to know the teacher’s thoughts, but the PD knew the boy would soar high before long.Strangely enough, the talk segment progressed smoothly.In fact, it was more compliments than a talk segment. Enough praise to overwhelm a rookie. Yet just as he had disregarded the gazes, the boy nodded softly or chimed in as if the praise was only natural.Not just his singing skills, but his demeanor and wit were so unawkward that no one could think of him as a newcomer.After excitedly talking about the boy and music for a while, when a writer showed Lee Hwanhee the remaining time for Drawing Book, he was truly disappointed.If he could, he would have liked to keep conversing all day long.He really took a liking to this child named ‘Roh Haeil’.However, putting aside his regret for later, he professionally moved on to the final segment.“I’ve heard you’re working on a new song.”“Yes, I’m working on a new album right now.”“Could you tell us a little bit about the album?”Halo nodded at the question.“I’m trying something new. I think everyone will like it.”“Oh!”Assuming ‘new attempt’ roughly meant a new genre, Lee Hwanhee marveled at the artist’s confidence and smiled contentedly.“If it’s not too much trouble, could we get a listen? If you have an MR track, you can play it for us now.”“I just hurriedly made it last night, so I don’t have an MR track ready, but I can play you a verse.”Halo grinned as he picked up an acoustic guitar, and Lee Hwanhee smiled brightly in response before suddenly tilting his head at a strange word.“Last night?”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)!