Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 103
It meant that a lot of time had already passed since the release of the new debut song for Idol Classism.
‘Strictly speaking, it’s only been about two weeks….’
But by the standards of this place, that was by no means a short amount of time.
‘No wonder people keep screaming about it being scripted.’
To be precise, our new debut song had been secretly revealed to the trainees the day after the articles broke out—or, more precisely, on the very day filming for the documentary began.
I could still vividly remember the stunned expressions on everyone’s faces. It was one thing for Candy Star, which had already been used as the semi-final mission song, but no one had expected them to actually throw away HeyHEYHey, the song that had been slated for the final.
Once I learned the behind-the-scenes story—that it wasn’t [Crown] but the rookie agency [The World] that was originally supposed to handle Idol Classism—I realized that this song was the original debut and final track all along….
And precisely because of that…
I realized how easily these broadcast people could grab the viewers and swing them around.
The answer was obvious just from this week’s episode, where they casually sprinkled in hints of the melody. People were already making all sorts of guesses based on a tiny melody that leaked during the tour of [The World]’s building.
As if that weren’t enough, they even filmed the agency and production crew looking anxious about whether the debut song would turn out properly or not….
The current situation was more than enough to drive the fans and viewers who love Idol Classism crazy. Even if I had been watching purely as a fan, I probably wouldn’t have been able to hide my frustration. The information they released was far too limited, and it wasn’t as though they were communicating with the audience very well.
All the viewers could do was wait endlessly for a debut song and mission song that might not even exist. From my perspective, since I wanted to know the viewers’ opinions, it was a bit of a setback.
The only consolation was that the atmosphere on-site wasn’t bad. At least among the trainees, the mood seemed okay. There weren’t any trainees loudly proclaiming, like Kim Taeyeol, that it was obviously better than the previous song, but Idol Classism’s debut song, <PARADISE>, seemed to suit most people’s tastes.
It had the feel of a typical K-pop track, not particularly different from what current idol groups were releasing. A dance track with a moderate tempo—neither too slow nor too fast. It followed a typical structure: starting with vocals, moving through a rap part, another rap part, a bridge, and then immediately into an addictive chorus.
Unlike the current trend favoring short songs under three minutes, this was an Old School-style 4-minute-and-20-second track that included a dance break.
Personally, it felt rather ordinary. True to its name, PARADISE, the melody wasn’t too aggressive; it even felt a bit bland. When it came to originality, Candy Star and Hey HEY Hey were easily superior.
Of course, that originality had been poisonous. No matter how you looked at it, those songs were clothes that didn’t fit Idol Classism…. Even so, I couldn’t view the new debut song with complete optimism. This sense of ordinariness, too….
‘Might turn out to be poison.’
I was steadying my heart once more when a voice suddenly called out from behind. We were on our way back to the practice room—me, Jegal Hwi, Kim Taeyeol, and Han Yohan.
“Lee Unha.”
‘Jegal Hwi… he’s been talking to me first a lot more lately.’
“Lee Unha.”
Of course, it was mostly official business… but compared to before, when he was consistently dismissive, it was a remarkable improvement.
“Sigh… Lee Unha.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think of <PARADISE>?”
“Didn’t we talk about this once before?”
“…I was curious if your thoughts had changed now that some time has passed.”
“Not really. My thoughts haven’t changed. It’s the same as I said last time. It’s smooth, right? The melody is like modern music, yet strangely it doesn’t feel like today’s music…. Crucially, I should say it lacks individuality. It’d probably be fine if an established idol group released it under their name, but it feels a little awkward for rookies.”
“…….”
“What do you think, hyung?”
“I don’t think my opinion differs much from yours.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“…….”
“…….”
“Well, I’ll just assume you’re anxious. To be honest, I’ve thought about this quite a lot too. Even before you asked me. I guess what bothers you is how safe it feels, right?”
“…….”
“But in my opinion….”
“?”
“That might actually be a strength.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It means we can become the individuality.”
“…….”
“The debut lineup hasn’t been fully decided yet, but the thought suddenly struck me that our voices and our dance could be the ‘character’ of the song. Fans, viewers, and those coming for the on-site voting will naturally focus on those aspects, don’t you think?”
“…….”
“People will exercise their ‘one-pick’ votes first, but surprisingly, there are many fans who love the name Idol Classism itself rather than just an individual. They’re probably planning a rational vote. They say the turnout for the final vote isn’t great right now, but it’s not because they’re disappointed in the show. I think they’re just delaying their vote until the very last moment.”
Kim Taeyeol, who was walking ahead, turned around and chimed in.
“Mmm, so. Unha, you’re saying that giving your own part some individuality will help you get more votes?”
“No. You can’t just approach it like that. I think how well you harmonize with the other team members is probably part of the evaluation too. The real challenge is figuring out how to preserve your own individuality while still blending well with everyone else.”
“Easier said than done.”
“It is difficult. Even the judges will find it hard to evaluate. There isn’t a fixed answer key, and if there are 100 people, there will be 100 different opinions….”
“Well, that’s true.”
“It’s even more so for song interpretation. The teachers from The World didn’t give us a clear concept, did they? No, rather than not giving one, it feels like they left it up to the trainees. I don’t know if they want us to interpret it ourselves… or if they just didn’t have time to think about it, or if they really wanted to differentiate it from when we actually debut….”
“Yeah.”
“Like I said earlier, I think we’re in a state like a blank sheet of paper right now.”
I hadn’t said anything particularly profound. These weren’t even thoughts I’d already organized in my head. While talking to Jegal Hwi and Kim Taeyeol, I was merely picking up scattered puzzle pieces and spitting them out.
I didn’t even know if it was the right answer….
But it seemed my words gave Jegal Hwi, Kim Taeyeol, and Han Yohan something to think about. And this time, they gave me something to think about in return.
It was Han Yohan.
“<PARADISE> means heaven or a garden of bliss, right?”
Kim Taeyeol answered Yohan.
“Heaven is closer to ‘HEAVEN,’ and ‘PARADISE’ is more like a land of bliss. They say it’s a place without misfortune or pain? An ideal place where happiness never ends.”
“You actually know stuff like that, Taeyeol?”
“Hey. You… ah… no, I wasn’t trying to curse, Unha. Anyway, it’s on Tree-Wiki. The etymology supposedly means ‘a place enclosed by walls.’ I don’t know how it ended up meaning what it does now… but it’s definitely a good thing.”
“…….”
“A place where happiness never ends… So is that how we’re supposed to interpret it?”
“That depends on your own interpretation. A simple interpretation is fine too… but these days, the word paradise shows up all the time in subculture, doesn’t it, Unha?”
‘I keep telling you, I don’t know much about subculture. The Dark Mage thing only happened because I know an actual dark mage.’
Following Kim Taeyeol, Han Yohan immediately tossed a question.
“Mmm… then Unha, what do you think Paradise is?”
“Well….”
“Hmm?”
At the sudden question….
The image that immediately came to mind….
Was suffering.
Yes, it was an old memory now, but before I officially entered the laboratory….
The high-ranking slaves used to call that laboratory ‘Paradise’.
I never knew why it was called Paradise, but I remembered doing my absolute best to get in there back then. Of course, after realizing that the place called Paradise was actually a hellish lab, I cursed myself for struggling to climb up there… but a remark made by one of the slaves, who was unusually full of smiles, suddenly flashed through my mind.
<The slaves who couldn’t make it here were all disposed of. No. Don’t look at me like that. I—no, we—only called it that because we wanted at least a few more friends to live. Isn’t it better than having no hope at all? Right. As long as you’re alive, as long as you’re alive, someday….>
Back then, I had shouted at him to stop talking nonsense, that dying would be better instead…
‘You were right.’
Ultimately, because I stayed alive, the current Lee Unha was here.
“…….”
“…….”
“Unha?”
“…….”
“Well… I’m not sure.”
“…….”
“What is Paradise?”
“…….”
“…….”
Han Yohan’s idle question continued to linger in my head. No, the answer was already decided, but I needed time to organize my thoughts. No, not time to organize thoughts, but time to shake them off.
“…….”
Even after arriving at the practice room and repeating the dance training and routines with the other trainees, that thought kept leading to another.
“…….”
“…….”
“One, two, three!”
“One, two!”
“Three, two, one! One!”
“Lee Unha. Focus! Focus!”
“Focus! Focus!”
“Wait. Stop. Stop.”
“What? Why?”
“What is it, Taeyeol hyung?”
“Let’s stop here for today.”
“Huh?”
“I said, let’s stop for today. I don’t think doing more here will change anything. Everyone, go do individual practice or extra vocal work. Just do that.”
“But… there’s not much time left….”
“We’ve practiced long enough. It’s already three o’clock.”
“…….”
“…….”
It was probably because of Lee Unha. Kim Taeyeol seemed to only think of himself, but he was surprisingly good at looking after others’ conditions. Since I hadn’t been able to focus at all, it was natural for him to notice.
He asked things like, ‘Nothing happened, right?’ and ‘If you think of something else, let me know. Even something absurd like the Dark Mage is fine’. I just gave him a vague nod.
Immediately after, I opened my mouth.
“Hey, Taeyeol hyung.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t make fun of me for sounding cheesy.”
“What is it?”
“Hope.”
“Hmm?”
“Paradise. To me, it’s ‘Hope.’”
“…….”
“…….”
“Unha, you really… you like stuff like that, don’t you?”
“What are you talking about? What is ‘stuff like that’?”
“Ah. Never mind.”
“Stop talking nonsense and… let’s practice again.”
“…….”
“And, that thing on the board over there… change the date.”
“Ah. That?”
“Ah, no. I’ll do it myself, hyung.”
I walked over quietly, drew a line, and wrote small letters underneath. It wasn’t something that suited me, but it looked decent, so I captured the board with its graffiti on my phone camera.
TEAM B – D-8 until Live Performance
Performance Song: Idol Classism Debut Song <PARADISE>
Center: Lee Unha
Concept is Hope. Fighting, everyone!
The next day,
TEAM B – D-7 until Live Performance
Performance Song: Idol Classism Debut Song <PARADISE>
Center: Lee Unha
Concept is Hope. Fighting, everyone!
I’m gonna tear up the stage and debut. – Kim Taeyeol was here. → I’m debuting too. – Yohan.
Unha, let’s definitely debut together. – Taehee
↳ Why is another group even in here? Seriously?
The day after that too.
TEAM B – D-4 until Live Performance
Performance Song: Idol Classism Debut Song <PARADISE>
Center: Lee Unha
Concept is Hope. Fighting, everyone!
I’m gonna tear up the stage and debut. – Kim Taeyeol was here. → I’m debuting too. – Yohan.
Unha, let’s definitely debut together. – Taehee
↳ Why is another group even in here? Seriously?
↳ Don’t erase this. Unha, let’s definitely debut together. – Taehee.
Unha, let’s hang in there just a little longer – Kim Haejun
↳ Seriously, other groups please use your own boards.
Thanks, everyone. And Taeyeol, stop erasing what I wrote. – Hocheol hyung
May it be a beginning, not an end. Fighting, Idol Classism!
And the day after that as well.
TEAM B – D-2 until Live Performance
Performance Song: Idol Classism Debut Song <PARADISE>
Center: Lee Unha
Concept is Hope. Fighting, everyone!
I’m gonna tear up the stage and debut. – Kim Taeyeol was here. → I’m debuting too. – Yohan.
Unha, let’s definitely debut together. – Tae-hee
↳ Why is another group even in here? Seriously?
↳ Don’t erase this. Unha, let’s definitely debut together. – Taehee.
Unha, let’s hang in there just a little longer – Kim Haejun
↳ Seriously, other groups please use your own boards.
May it be a beginning, not an end. Fighting, Idol Classism!
→ Cringey. Is this you, Wooyoung?
After it’s over, let’s all gather at my place and eat ice cream. Mint choco ready to go.
↳ Are you a psychopath…? → Younghun hyung, is that you?
Jegal Hwi [Seal]
Everyone, don’t make mistakes. Let’s all go up together. – Lee Unha
Right up until the moment the performance was right in front of us.
TEAM B LIVE D-1
<Idol Classism> Debut Song <PARADISE>
Center: Lee Unha
Let’s all definitely debut together! Definitely! Fighting, Idol Classism!!!
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