Is This Really What You Want?

Unexpected things always happen in life.

This saying is easily used everywhere.

In our daily lives, and in dramatic or climactic scenes in dramas and movies.

There is another case. 

You just wanted to take a quick look but somehow ended up watching a sea lion eat its food after starting with NuTube's very first video.

People have agreed to call this the NuTube algorithm.

So it may have been this NuTube algorithm that led Jang Jinsoo to accidentally find a video with his friend in it while searching for Soyou clips.

With blurry eyes from lazily browsing NuTube, Jang Jinsoo suddenly stopped scrolling. Though there was no audio from the auto-playing video, something strange caught his eye.

"What is this...?"

He stared at the video in disbelief.

The video showing the familiar Hongdae streets was uploaded 2 weeks ago. It was from a channel that often uploads busking videos. The title was nothing special.

[A Shocking Live Busking Crash by a Passing Male Student #MindBlowing]

It was a clickbaity title from whenever, but Jang Jinsoo couldn't skip this old-fashioned titled video because a familiar face appeared in it.

He immediately knew when this was from.

It was rare to see so many people gathered in the Hongdae busking streets. Especially a performance that drew people of all ages, from businessmen in suits, and middle-aged couples, to foreigners, made it impossible not to click on just the thumbnail.

Jang Jinsoo, who had clicked on the video to check the voice, jumped up in alarm.

He quickly dialed a number on his phone.

"Hey, pick up quickly. Why isn't this guy answering the phone? Hey! No Haeil, something big has happened!"

Jang Jinsoo nervously checked the view count of the video with trembling hands.

"Wow."

He covered his mouth at the unusual number.

#

[A Shocking Live Busking Crash by a Passing Male Student #MindBlowing]

Views: 480,000 ＊ 12 days ago

Korean Busking

"What."

With a nonchalant reaction, Jang Jinsoo pounded his chest in frustration.

"No, didn't you see this before?"

"I did."

"But why is your reaction like that? If it were me, I would have been really nervous."

"Did I make a mistake?"

This boring guy.

No Haeil seemed uninterested in how his busking was being received.

'Isn’t this guy too carefree?'

Suspiciously eyeing No Haeil, Jang Jinsoo clicked on the video again. Even though he had already watched it on the subway, his heart was still racing.

The video starts quite early.

After the busking performer's show ended and everyone left, it seemed there were people watching them.

No Haeil accepts the offer from that performer and takes the microphone. Until then, no one paid any attention to him as they passed by.

At that moment, when the busking performer started playing the guitar.

It was the familiar intro of "Let It Be."

Some people reacted to the familiar intro.

Of course, many people just glanced and passed by.

But the moment No Haeil opened his mouth, the people who were about to pass by stopped in their tracks. College students absorbed in their phones, girls chatting with friends all stopped talking and simultaneously turned their heads.

A strange satisfaction arose from there.

People gathered like moths to a flame. It was a moment when people flocked around No Haeil.

It could be nerve-wracking when people gather, but No Haeil doesn't seem tense as if he's immersed in his song.

His pure voice spread through the streets.

Though he was clearly singing a Beatles song, it sounded like he was singing a hymn.

So oddly, it felt healing.

And Jang Jinsoo wasn't the only one who felt that - the audience was quietly mouthing the lyrics and gently nodding their heads, eyes moist, and someone stared in shock.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten how they should react.

The downside was that the video wasn't very long.

Maybe the battery died or there was another issue, but there was no encore from No Haeil.

Jang Jinsoo stopped watching and checked other videos on the 'Korean Busking' channel for more of him.

There were no other recent videos with 480,000 views. At most 60,000. Videos with over a million views were from years ago.

The insane view count wasn't just because it hit 480,000 views in 2 weeks on a channel that averaged 30,000. The comment section was especially no joke.

Comments mentioning riding the algorithm were hot and fresh, ranging from 3 days ago to just a few seconds ago.

-Why is this guy just an ordinary person...?

-The guitar playing stopped at 1:24

└ ????

└ Why's that?

└  I definitely... heard it. Is this brain-generated?

- Wow... not sure if these words are right... but it's making me emotional... why do tears keep coming?

- I came in here to curse because of the intrusion.... but I've been watching this for four hours straight

- No fake sounds, and a Beatles cover by Hwang Ryongpil, the courage of it amazed me, I was blown away from the first note

- No fake sounds, first I thought it was a cover of the Beatles by Hwang Ryongpil. Wow, the courage of him amazed me, I was blown away from the very first note

- I'm the girl who appears there for the first time, the atmosphere was no jokeㅠㅠㅠㅠ I was supposed to meet my friends but couldn't move until the endㅠㅠ I got roasted but I don't regret it at allㅠ Although it cut here, during the encore, he sang Hwang Ryongpil "Emergency" and it was really awesomeㅠㅠ I couldn't take any pictures because I was enjoying it so muchㅠㅠㅠ

It was mostly Korean comments, but there were some foreign language comments too.

Anyway, it showed this video was trending.

"There's always hate comments."

-Just high schooler level lol (Dislike 329)

└ ?

└ Do you go to Berkeley by any chance?

There were some hate comments but they were nothing compared to the positive reactions.

"Hey, look."

Jang Jinsoo scrolled down to hide the hate comment and showed No Haeil the entire phone screen of comments. As No Haeil read some of them, his expression changed.

Of course, he'd react to suddenly getting this much attention.

"What do you think? Shocking right?"

"...It is shocking."

Though not the same way Jang Jinsoo meant. 480,000 views simply put meant 480,000 people had watched this video.

In a world where countless channels exist on NuTube.

That was shocking but also hard to fully comprehend since he hadn't actually performed in front of 480,000 people.

"What about your videos?"

Jang Jinsoo carefully asked.

No problem just asking plainly. Halo thought about the view counts of his four videos. Obviously less than this busking video.

He shrugged and Jang Jinsoo made a pitying expression though his mouth curled up.

"You know you can't cancel the bet now right?"

Just as expected.

Halo scoffed and opened up his MIDI program.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think?"

He had just released his first album - four songs. It meant there were still many albums left to release.

'But I need more training this time.'

There were no feelings of relief after releasing [Struggle]. More than anything, feelings of inadequacy overwhelmed him. His physical stamina was lacking. Most of all, it was time to intensively train his voice.

To be honest, it didn't feel like he had overexerted himself with the four songs. Recording was difficult because he kept straining his voice trying to do it all in one take. He ended up recording over three days.

Something the original Halo would have never let happen.

Starting this winter after fulfilling his last duty, he would properly build his body. He couldn't keep this childish body forever.

"The grades are coming out soon."

Jang Jinsoo stretched.

"Grades? Since when did you care about grades?"

"No, not finals. The first round Soyou results. It takes about 3 weeks. Our school grades will probably come around then too."

Since Halo also didn't care about school grades, he breezed past that and was met with a puzzled voice.

"Did you do well on the exams? To get into a foreign language high school you probably have to be in the top 1 or 2 right?"

"Why would I go there?"

"...Weren't you preparing for foreign language high school?"

Foreign language high schools.

He vaguely knew they refer to elite private schools. Why would he go there?

Halo shook his head as if it was obvious.

"I don't have to go to high school."

"Huh?"

"Compulsory education is until 9th grade, no, middle school."

"?"

It certainly wasn't wrong.

Koreans' compulsory education was set as 3 years of middle school.

But saying they were not going to high school which most people go to, especially No Haeil, was strange.

A guy who was preparing for a foreign language high school suddenly wants to end up being a middle school graduate?

"No."

No Haeil's face said what's the problem?

Was this that quiet guy suddenly acting all cocky?

Jang Jinso occasionally felt that No Haeil could be extreme. Didn't he just ask if he was weak? And now he says he's not going to high school?

"Not going to high school or college is a bit much, don't you think?"

"Why would I go to high school if I'm not going to college?"

"Well, you might want to go to college later, if not now."

Honestly, Jang Jinsoo didn't understand why he had to say this when he wasn't even No Haeil's parent. He also had no interest in college. But he felt he couldn't leave No Haeil like this.

He knew No Haeil was more talented than him.

"Not really."

How can he so resolutely cut off his future like that?

"Or how about an arts high school? You have good grades and sing well. You could probably get in, right? Go there, compete, and date with kids who have similar dreams."

"Why bother?"

His face clearly showed no interest.

Were those kids able to even compete with him?

Unable to stand the arrogance, Jang Jinsoo scratched his head and brought up the most pressing issue.

"And, uh, I know this sounds naggy but have you told your parents you're not going to high school? ...You haven't right?"

As expected.

He had a feeling that was the case.

"How about discussing it with your parents first before deciding anything? Any Korean parent would oppose their child not going on to high school. Even idol trainees all finish high school. In the first place, there are very few middle school graduates in Korea."

Though Jang Jinsoo wasn't in a position to worry about No Haeil, he was concerned that his stubborn attitude would clash someday because he wasn't a bad kid.

"I know you want to do a lot but shouldn't fighting and distancing yourself from your parents not be part of that? Is that really what you want?"

Halo wondered why he had to listen to this from a kid barely out of his teens. So he was about to cut him off but the last question made his lips tremble.

'Is that what I really want?'

It was a weighted question.

Unlike Jang Jinsoo, Halo felt that way.

Honestly, from Halo's position, No Haeil's parents weren't important at all. It was best that No Haeil's parents didn't exist on the path he saw.

He didn't need anyone's help that much. It was the same before and now. He could live well on his own.

But there was one snag.

The reason he couldn't only think from 'Halo's' position.

'No Haeil', who had given him this body, lingered in a corner of his mind.

'I can't know what No Haeil wants.'

He couldn't talk to No Haeil.

Obviously, there was only one body and he had No Haeil's body, so he had no idea where the real No Haeil was, let alone what he wanted.

The only traces No Haeil left were in that secret notebook. Aside from No Haeil's song, it was a diary full of scribbles and random worries.

He had read over the notebook closely but couldn't find anything No Haeil wanted. He only realized No Haeil was extremely indecisive, unable to make any decisions.

'What would No Haeil have done?'

Honestly, he didn't have high expectations. Based on the traces in the notebook, he probably would have listened to his parents in the end. In other words, he would have given up if they opposed.

Of course, this was just speculation.

Reality may have been different.

Like Halo, he might have left home, or not given up on both.

"Uh...sorry if I made you mad."

"I'm not mad."

A timid apology was heard over the stiff face.

Timid guy. To think they mistook this guy for a gangster.

Halo put both hands behind his head and laid back in the chair.

It bothered him that he had to care so much about what a kid not even twenty said, but it did bother him.

'Don't act like a kid, say it properly.'

It must be because his manager who always nagged him to stop acting like a kid came to mind.

'If you're an adult, take responsibility like one.'

Halo had always brushed off the nagging as joking.

It wasn't that he denied it, he just never truly saw himself as a proper adult.

Time had just passed.

He was always that sixteen-year-old kid who had run away from home. Nothing much had changed.

But he couldn't exactly yell "I'm a kid too!" His age had advanced after all.

"It's difficult."

"Wh-what is?"

"Can't ignore it when I've received something."

"What did I give you?"

Halo didn't bother correcting Jang Jinsoo's misunderstanding and just stared into space.

"It bothers me a bit to just do what I want."

"...I guess that's how it is huh?"

This wasn't something he wanted to say to Jang Jinsoo either, but he didn't deny it.

"Then what is it that you want?"

"Don't you know?"

"Hmm."

A sigh came out.

Not because Jang Jinsoo was annoying but because it really was confusing. Honestly, if Jang Jinsoo hadn't nagged him, he wouldn't have had this dilemma. Halo would have just acted like Halo.

"I know this sounds a bit funny and cheesy but,"

Then, Jang Jinsoo's voice was heard.

"They say the composer's thoughts and emotions at the time are contained in music. We can cry or laugh when we listen to music because we share similar thoughts and emotions. I don't know if this fits your dilemma, but instead of trying to make good music, why not just make music any which way?"

"..."

"The things you really want may be conveyed in that music."

Halo's gaze which had been fixed in midair slowly turned to Jang Jinsoo. Jang Jinsoo wondered if he had been too cheesy.

'Crap, I guess I shouldn't have said anything.'

The voice he heard in response was not kind.

"What did you just say?"

"I-I didn't say anything?"

At Jang Jinsoo's words, Halo abruptly stood up.

He went to the sofa and opened his bag.

Then he halted and stared at Jang Jinsoo.

"Why?"

“By any chance, does No Haeil has a girlfriend?”

"?! What nonsense is that? How would I know about that?"

"...I guess not."

Initially puzzled by the sudden question, Jang Jinsoo soon raised the corners of his mouth.

"Well, why suddenly talk about a lover? You’re a confirmed nerd. Can't even say a word to girls."

Suddenly, No Haeil mumbled.

"Then... who is it?"

"What?"

No Haeil opened his bag and took out a notebook. Then, hastily flipping through the pages. It was the notebook No Haeil always carried around. Was there something in it? Jang Jinsoo cocked his head.

"Hey, what is it?"

And he slowly approached No Haeil.