The Road to Glory

The bullfrog is known to the public as a representative disruptive species that threatens local ecosystems with its vigorous reproductive desire and size after being introduced from overseas. Hence, the media or academia often used the metaphor of a “bullfrog” to criticize large opponents, such as big corporations.And now, that metaphor is being used here.“And this guy keeps releasing songs without a break, don’t other singers even think about it?”└ “Well, who held a knife to his throat and threatened him not to release songs? You guys can do it too, can’t you? Lol”└ “If he does this, how are newcomers supposed to debut and release songs? He should do it in moderation instead of occupying the entire top 100 chart by himself.”└ “Yeah, it’s good, but I really hope the digital releases keep coming every single day. It’s exhilarating. Oh, The Sun.”└ “Are they really crazy?”Before the public could get tired of the digital releases, ‘his’ new album was released.Until the end of February, when no new songs came out, the record production companies thought all the songs had finally run out, staring blankly at the black and white album covers. Although listeners said it was good, from the companies’ perspective, it was seen as the tyranny of a large corporation.“Can’t we regulate chart monopolization?”“Do you think that’s possible?”What law in the world could stop an artist’s music activities?Whether an artist released a song once a month or once a day, it was their freedom. According to the public opinion, if they wanted to challenge ‘him,’ other artists should do the same.However, the reason they didn’t do so was that it was realistically impossible. Releasing an album once a month?It took years or months to select and produce songs. Then, they had to arrange, record, and produce the album… It wasn’t something that could be done within a month.Even if they rushed to release the digital releases as quickly as possible, by the time they did, the public would have already felt fatigue from the existing releases, and the songs would naturally disappear from the music charts.This market wasn’t meant for chart monopolization like this.And yet, this ridiculous situation was clearly happening.“What should we do? Should we keep postponing it like this?”“Then shall we join this war?”“Everyone is gradually releasing their digital releases.”“Who?”As soon as the employee showed the name [Sin Joohyeok], the president of a small entertainment company had an even worse headache.“Sin Joohyeok made a comeback this time too, didn’t he? Well, Sin Joohyeok doesn’t have to worry about being overshadowed.”“His digital release this time is also good. He’s probably the representative rapper of South Korea.”“Of course, it’s Sin Joohyeok. But our guys aren’t Sin Joohyeok.”“Boss. Even ‘that barrier’ was broken by a newcomer, wasn’t it? Let’s not postpone it anymore.”“A newcomer? Ah, that was thanks to the OST advantage.”The employee tilted his head at the president’s firm statement.“But the song was good.”“Did you watch the drama?”“Yes.”“That’s why it was good. If it wasn’t a popular drama, there’s no way ‘he’ would have been beaten.”“I don’t think that’s the only reason.”The employee, who had even checked Lee Hwanhee’s Drawing Book, wanted to deny it.That newcomer’s song… how should he put it? Even though he didn’t know much about music, it seemed special.And the one verse of the new song he heard was also pleasant to listen to.“Ah.”The employee checked his phone.Come to think of it, the newcomer he had been looking forward to recently also released an album. That one-verse song should have been included, too.But…“!”As he was about to listen to it, he was startled when he saw the latest album chart.[Watermelon – Latest Albums (Domestic) 31-02-28]Sin JoohyeokRoh Haeil:HALO“Wow. This has become a sandwich like this.”What kind of prank was this?On February 28th, when the newcomer boldly released his digital release, powerhouses in music had lined up before and after him.In a way, it was a glamorous debut.But from the perspective that he was just starting out as a newcomer, the employee couldn’t help but click his tongue in regret.It seemed that unless the quality was exceptional, he wouldn’t be able to survive, especially since they released on the same day.“Still… the song is good.”After leaving the president’s office and listening to the new song, the employee thought that while Sin Joohyeok’s and HALO’s music was so powerful that it would be difficult to expect good performance, the song itself was pleasant.The preceding ones were songs that grabbed and shook people’s minds, delivering shocks.In contrast, the newcomer’s song had a light acoustic melody that wasn’t stimulating, but just nice. The calm voice tickled the heart.As he listened, somehow the present moment of listening to this song, himself listening to this song, felt special, like he was living a unique life.“Hmm.”Without realizing it, the employee began to hum the song he had just heard once and started working. The piled-up work that was as always, heavy, didn’t feel as burdensome today.#Clearly, that was the public’s assessment.It’s pleasant to listen to. But the weight class difference is too big.Halo didn’t care much about others’ opinions, but he was still curious about how well his new attempt would be received.It was completely different from the way he had been doing things all his life, so it felt a bit awkward.He was only used to pouring out his emotions, so controlling those emotions was a bit difficult.Still, he liked the song itself.Halo looked at the album written in Korean.[Another Life (1st Mini Album) | Roh Haeil]The album his mother had bought had a picture of Roh Haeil with a similar expression to his own, staring straight at him. A familiar expression.‘…’Although they were clearly different people, Halo felt that Roh Haeil was becoming more and more similar to him as time passed. Was it simply because he was getting used to it? Or was it the influence of the soul?After briefly pondering, Halo shook his head.Religion or philosophical musings were not his forte.Unless someone summarized it in one line for him, he wouldn’t understand it. It wasn’t important, either.‘What’s important is something else.’Halo set aside the overseas digital streaming statistics sent by Veil and turned on Watermelon.It hadn’t been long since its release, but HALO’s songs from his 4th album were already dominating the charts as if they were riding a wave.Moreover, Sin Joohyeok’s regular album, which Halo had liked from the first listen, had also entered the charts.Halo liked Sin Joohyeok’s music, and people probably felt the same way. His career couldn’t be ignored, either.After taking an interest and looking into Sin Joohyeok’s past albums, they showed his musical perspective, especially on rock and bands. If HALO sang about his emotions every year, Sin Joohyeok talked about people’s lives, especially his own, and expanded his musical perspective.Similar, but different.HALO sublimated his emotions into music, while Sin Joohyeok sublimated his life or suffering into music.Halo didn’t have a desire to sing in Sin Joohyeok’s way, but he enjoyed the rich music he encountered here, like Sin Joohyeok’s fans probably did.Then Halo searched for [Another Life (1st Mini Album) | Roh Haeil] on the charts.“Oh, it’s rising.”It was clearly slow, though. Unlike his previous songs, there was no explosive growth.Perhaps others might not even notice it.However,[99. (title) Another Day | Roh Haeil – Another Life (1st Mini Album)]It was moving at a slow pace, but it was definitely walking.And there was another person who was aware of this pace.“Wow, Joohyeok, did you see his latest album this time? People are just saying it’s crazy. Even if it’s an EP (*mini album), how is it possible to release a song every month? Even the Beatles only did it once a year.”“He was crazy ever since Struggle.”“I guess ‘he’ must be a team.”As Sin Joohyeok shrugged, the drummer of his band reiterated the opinion he had been voicing for months. Then, the keyboardist objected.“No, The Sun is always one.”“Geez. Must be an artificial sun. How could one person do that? Well, I guess it’s possible if he had prepared them in advance. But then, shouldn’t he just release them as a regular album?”“How could a human understand the meaning of The Sun?”“Damn you enthusiast.”After arguing for a while, it was only after thirty minutes that they came to their senses and talked about reality.“This album is good, but how can we not beat it? Doesn’t he ever think that barrier will crumble?”“It hasn’t even been two months yet.”“Wow. I thought it had been a year or two. Then we have to wait a few more months?”“Will his 5th album come out this month too?”“!”The bassist thought positively.Still, there were no decent albums other than ‘his’.The only thing that could stop them was ‘him’.Of course, that was a bit much. In fact, the bassist didn’t think ‘he’ was being checked much. ‘He’ was simply an exceptional figure. He would influence many singers. In the indie scene, traces of his influence had already started to show. Perhaps their next album would be significantly influenced by ‘him’ as well.Then the bassist noticed that their vocalist was not listening to their album or HALO’s releases, but another release.“Oh… This is…”The name was familiar.The rising powerhouse(?) who recently beat Sin Joohyeok.Of course, he didn’t really beat him in terms of releases and victory, but he was being talked about a lot.It wasn’t common for a theme song to outdo the main OST.“He released a new song this time.”It was a newcomer singer that both Sin Joohyeok and HALO were aware of. Naturally, the bassist couldn’t help but take an interest. Since he wouldn’t lend his headphones to someone with that personality, the bassist found and listened to it himself.[Just another day, no different from anyone else]Gentle acoustics.A melody that began with a whisper.Oh, it’s good. The bassist closed his eyes and listened.It wasn’t stimulating, but it was comfortable to listen to.There was also a thrilling feeling, like turning twenty years old.“A song befitting a newcomer.”It was music they couldn’t attempt.A thrilling song that a newcomer would do.“But we don’t need to pay attention to it this time.”“What did you say?”Sin Joohyeok, who had his eyes closed, turned around at his words.“I said we don’t need to pay attention to it.”“Why?”“Well, it’s just a different weight class, isn’t it? Once you listen to our album, you won’t even think of it, right?”The bassist taunted as if it were obvious. Sin Joohyeok then replied indifferently.“…Well, I don’t know.”“You’re saying that too?”“The song is good.”“It’s good, but isn’t it a bit bland compared to the releases dominating the charts?”Sin Joohyeok didn’t answer.Well, this wasn’t the first or second time, so the bassist let it go.Sin Joohyeok remembered the spirited junior he had encountered backstage. A boy who didn’t lose his confidence even when facing a senior.He thought the boy did music a bit different from his, but he couldn’t agree with calling it befitting a newcomer.The soft, tingling melody.The smiling junior was depicted on top of it.He felt it was not ordinary.Sin Joohyeok was not mistaken.Roh Haeil’s song, which everyone had said wouldn’t be able to beat HALO or Sin Joohyeok, slowly began to sail smoothly.It seeped into people before anyone noticed, and even as people erased other songs, they continued to listen to Roh Haeil’s song.It was truly strange.Someone said it was due to the influence of ‘Lee Hwanhee’s Drawing Book’. However, anyone with a normal mindset would have shaken their head right away.Even though ‘Lee Hwanhee’s Drawing Book’ had good viewership ratings and reactions at the time, if its influence was that great, all the singers who appeared should have had good performances.In fact, there was no need to analyze the reason.The performance figures, clearly visible in numbers, said it all.The boy’s song was no less than music bullies like HALO or Sin Joohyeok. The numbers proved that it was definitely appealing to the public.[25. (title) session 33 | Sin Joohyeok][26. (title) Another Day | Roh Haeil]They inevitably faced each other again.It wasn’t just about the releases.Aware of the viewership ratings of ‘Lee Hwanhee’s Drawing Book’, a radio station simultaneously invited them.#KDS Radio’s Han Rayeon’s Music Classroom, which aired from 1 to 3 PM, had just started, but the outside of the recording studio was already bustling.With a fleeting glance, the skilled DJ Han Rayeon delivered her line.“Hello, this is Han Rayeon’s Music Classroom. Is everyone having a good day today? Yes, it’s finally March. Spring has arrived. It seems to be time to take out the pretty clothes you had put away in your closet. It would be good to go shopping for a new mood. Also, it’s time to spruce up your playlist. The guests we’ve invited today are very special. They’re the ones who sang the songs I really like. Who are they, you ask? Drumroll, please! The answer is… we’ll listen to ‘Cherry Blossom Zombie’ by Beosjjak-ssi.”As she listened to the familiar melody, Han Rayeon looked outside the recording studio. Of course, there was a familiar face.And a cute new face was standing beyond the recording studio.It seemed like they were having a conversation, and after waiting a moment, she gestured for them to come in with a bright smile.“Sin Joohyeok-ssi, Roh Haeil-ssi, you can come in 1 minute later.”At the writer’s words, Halo nodded and looked at the man he had met backstage.Back then, they had only briefly greeted each other before parting, not expecting to meet again so soon.“Hello, senior. It’s nice to see you again.”Halo greeted as promised. Sin Joohyeok then curved the corners of his mouth.“We meet again here. Nice to meet you, junior.”Their eyes met.They might have been making the same expression, Halo thought. Sin Joohyeok also seemed to have a glint of amusement in his eyes.Halo thought that today’s radio show might be quite interesting.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)!