Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 112

Yes, I hated to admit it, but this was the daily reality of the <Fantasia> dormitory.

 

It was a little depressing to realize we were spending our daily lives actually watching The Hero Knight Adventure or whatever it was called… but it was something Fantasia needed right now. Like it or not, the die was cast. Regardless of how the fans took it, we had to pull off this mysterious concept at least for this mini-album.

 

In particular, the rest of the members who knew nothing about the genre needed to understand the concept. Joo Wooyoung and I were returnees who had experienced a world where all sorts of supernatural powers and unknowns lived and breathed. Baek Suhyeon, though not a returnee, was well-versed in this kind of lore. The rest of the members, however, were far removed from this type of content.

 

Jegal Hwi, Kim Haejun, and Jung Taehee, who looked like they had never even played a video game, didn’t really know what a Paladin or an Elementalist was. They didn’t know why they were assigned ‘skills’ or the ‘vibe’ they were supposed to project. Even though they diligently read through the thick setting book written by who-knows-who, tucked under their arms, they still didn’t seem to fully understand what exactly we were doing.

 

As a leader, I felt they should at least know what they were portraying. Fortunately, the members understood my reasoning, so the time spent watching Hero Knight Adventures thing became a fixed part of our routine. In fact, seeing the members focus so intensely on it—even Jegal Hwi—made me realize…

 

‘They’re all aware of it.’

 

They knew that even at this point, right before debut, their understanding of the concept was lacking. Of course, we weren’t just watching cartoons and anime in the dorm. That was just a snapshot of our daily life; the overall daily schedule was… almost impossible to describe in full.

 

“Unha… good morning again.”

 

“Yeah. Good dawn.”

 

“Where’s Jegal hyung?”

 

“He’s probably already up doing those weird exercises. You know, the ones he does on the rooftop every day.”

 

“Ah. I told him to let me join next time.”

 

“I think he did wake you up. You were the one who didn’t get up, Suhyeon.”

 

“Wait? Really?”

 

“Anyway, let’s get up already. I think Hwi hyung’s already finished washing up.”

 

The problem was the mountain of events, big and small, waiting for <Fantasia>.

 

“But… are we practicing all day again today? When are we going for our management treatments?”

 

“I don’t know. The manager hyung will tell us. But as far as I know… we’ll probably just keep practicing. There isn’t much time left.”

 

The release of our six-track mini album, including PARADISE, which had already been revealed on Idol Classism. And then, the Showcase.

 

Those were the two major events, but each of them involved an overwhelming amount of work. First off, there was the showcase preparation. Paradise, the final mission song and the title track of this album, was one thing. But we also had to put together performances for the other five songs that we had finished recording at breakneck speed.

 

Honestly, I even questioned if it was right for Paradise to be released to the world in its current state.

 

‘Actually, it’s insane.’

 

Even for trainees who’ve practiced together under the same agency for years, this would have been difficult. We hadn’t even had these new songs for two months. Learning the choreography for every track on a mini-album for a showcase was by no means an easy feat. Furthermore…

 

‘I still have no idea whether Paradise is actually going to work.’

 

I didn’t think they’d release it exactly as it was, but the arrangement was so different that we had to change almost the entire choreography.

 

‘I expected an arrangement, but… isn’t it way too different?’

 

Was it K-pop, or rather, electro-pop? It was an arrangement that sounded strangely dreamlike. I recalled some girl group attempting a similar genre and failing miserably, but overall, this arrangement felt like it was putting the finishing touches on the perfection of Paradise.

 

I still couldn’t understand how it fit this concept. Maybe it was like taking a bard’s song and producing it through electronic instruments in a modern, trendy way. Even the other five songs in the mini-album felt similar yet distinct.

 

‘The concept is definitely consistent.’

 

Almost too consistent, but from beginning to end, it was thoroughly unified. The concept photos, the teaser drops of the album cover and components through official SNS, and the outfits being modernly reinterpreted from the original costumes. And… the most decisive factor: the music itself.

 

Honestly, the quality of the mini album wasn’t bad. Sure, some of the marketing felt a little predatory…

 

‘But if it’s to recover the investment… well… maybe… maybe the fans will understand?’

 

It wasn’t impossible to understand. The dorm looked like this, sure, but I knew enough to realize that amounts of money beyond anything I could imagine were changing hands behind the scenes. In any case, whether I understood it or not wasn’t the point. My lack of understanding couldn’t stop the massive wave that had already started flowing.

 

Besides…

 

‘We definitely need to change dorms.’

 

We couldn’t keep living like this. It wasn’t just a matter of size….

 

‘It’s too inefficient.’

 

Yes, incredibly inefficient.

 

“Taeyeol hyung! When are you coming out?”

 

“Just a bit longer.”

 

“Unha is after you, hyung. Hurry up.”

 

“I said I got it!”

 

“You won’t even care once we get to the practice room anyway… I didn’t think you’d be the type, but you spend way too much time in the bathroom. It’s been almost 15 minutes. Everyone is waiting because of you. Just finish up and do your hair at the studio.”

 

The time spent bickering over the bathroom alone took over an hour.

 

“Ah. Sorry, Unha.”

 

“It’s fine, hyung.”

 

Our belongings were scattered everywhere, so we were constantly getting in each other’s way, and that was incredibly irritating.

 

“Let’s move…. Ah. Where are my shoes?”

 

The shoe rack was too small, so seven pairs of shoes were scattered in front of the narrow entrance, which I also hated.

 

“Hurry up and get in the van.”

 

Even the van was uncomfortable. And on top of that, we had to practice until the soles of our feet practically peeled off…

 

‘Well… we have to earn money.’

 

Honestly, I just had to hope for a return on the investment sooner rather than later. Furthermore….

 

‘The practice rooms… aren’t exactly….’

 

In terms of environment, the facilities at Idol Classism were better. Much better, actually. After entering the headquarters (if you could call it that) of The World, we head straight to the practice room. Unless something unusual came up, we spent the entire day battling it out there with the instructors. Not just choreography, but vocal training too. Excluding the educational sessions that didn’t seem particularly helpful, we practiced almost all day.

 

Oh, one more thing.

 

“But damn… are we really allowed to keep our personal SNS open? The fans don’t seem to like it much.”

 

“Unha’s SNS is already huge, after all.”

 

“We have an official SNS, so why bother?”

 

“They’re probably just trying to make use of every promotional tool they can.”

 

We even had to do our own PR on our personal SNS. What initially started as a pleasant activity to communicate with fans had now become a chore.

 

‘Isn’t SNS usually managed by the company? I heard other places have strict inspection… Aren’t rookies’ accounts usually controlled by the company in the first place?’

 

In particular, fans here and there didn’t like the idea of an idol who was just about to debut—or rather, one on the verge of it—running their own personal SNS, which doubled the annoyance.

 

To summarize, yes, even before debuting, Fantasia was already wearing down. With days where the only enjoyable thing was that time passed quickly, the discomfort of our first experience living together, an uncertain future, an environment completely different from what we’d expected, and The World itself—our mental states were being worn down bit by bit.

 

Joo Wooyoung, who was barely human, showed no signs of being tired or struggling, but the rest of the members were clearly fraying. Kim Taeyeol, who was the most motivated after being picked; Kim Haejun, who was used to the cycle of work and practice; Baek Suhyeon, who was always sharing nonsense; Jung Taehee, who was always trailing behind me; and even Jegal Hwi—I could see them all getting exhausted.

 

You could tell just by watching them practice.

 

“Let’s do it one more time.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The responses were getting quieter, and I could see them being cautious with every single movement. Knowing that practice was scheduled for the entire day, they had unconsciously begun to move while budgeting their stamina. They’d shown signs of that before, but today it felt especially obvious.

 

‘This isn’t right, is it?’

 

Even after I’d gotten angry and snapped at them several times already, they were still like this from the very beginning today…

 

‘Do I need to shout again?’

 

No.

 

‘Will more whipping actually change anything?’

 

Since Idol Classism ended, we entered The World’s building, finished recording in a flash, and jumped straight into a hellish practice routine without any time to adapt. I had used the whip several times already. I started wondering if I had pushed the members, who were already at their mental limits, too hard.

 

Perhaps what we needed now wasn’t repeated practice or the whip, but some other activity to boost morale.

 

‘Even that crazy mage….’

 

He managed his slaves that way. So, during the break after a routine, as we lay splayed out on the floor catching our breath, I found myself gauging the mood and opening my mouth.

 

“Let’s stop for today.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Let’s take the day off.”

 

“What does that mean, Unha?”

 

“I’ll go settle things.”

 

“Huh? Wait? What?”

 

“I need to rest today, too.”

 

“Wait, hold on, Unha. Wait….”

 

“Wait here. I’ll be back.”

 

Was it because I was doing something I’d never done before? I saw the members staring at me as if I’d lost my mind. Joo Wooyoung was wearing a warm smile, thinking I was taking the bullet for the team, but honestly, it wasn’t as if I didn’t have another objective.

 

Looking at the way things were going….

 

‘It’s about time I headbutted them.’

 

“…….”

 

‘The time has come.’