Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 124

Thinking back on those memories, a quiet anger welled up inside me.

 

Specifically, the fact that they touched Idol Classism. To put it a bit more sentimentally, it almost felt as though everything that had happened there had been stolen.

 

Taehee, who started with a voice crack and gradually climbed up with grit; Kim Haejun, who took good care of other trainees with a cold expression; Baek Suhyeon, who pretended to be sharp but couldn’t hide his clumsiness…. In other words, it felt as though they had stolen the characters that had been born and shaped through Idol Classism.

 

Calling them ‘characters’ wasn’t quite right either—it felt like the stories that had unfolded there had been stolen too. I felt a bit disappointed in myself for getting so over-invested in something useless… But there was no denying the unpleasant feeling twisting inside me. I was just suppressing it because I didn’t want to enter an irrational state.

 

Yes.

 

‘Me too….’

 

Just like Joo Wooyoung, Kim Taeyeol, or Jung Taehee….

 

I was pissed.

 

Just like Director Oh, it felt as though my blood was boiling in reverse.

 

To be even more honest….

 

‘The fact that they’re doing well just makes me even angrier.’

 

It was a somewhat petty thought, but it was my unfiltered truth.

 

‘I just wish they’d completely flop….’

 

The only thing that gave me even a little comfort was…

 

‘At least they’re being torn apart….’

 

The online communities had completely caught fire. The fans were feeling the exact same way.

 

‘Right. It’s understandable.’

 

Not just the fans of Fantasia, but everyone who loved Idol Classism had swarmed in. Even if the trainees they had supported hadn’t debuted, Idol Classism had built a cult following, and those fans were still around.

 

Despite knowing it was a trashy program that only sought stimulation and used trainees as tools for ratings, the fans still loved the incidents, stories, and characters that happened within it. Even now, long after it had ended, people were still posting GIFs and detailed analysis threads, so that alone said it all.

 

Naturally, there was no way those fans were ever going to welcome Kingdom. As I sat down in the waiting room and turned on my phone, the community thread I’d been reading earlier popped back up.

 

[Anon: Honestly, KD…]

[Looks like a blatant copy-paste of FTS doesn’t it?]

↳ [Anon]: No wonder Una’s so stressed. Honestly, if they were just talented I wouldn’t even complain, but every time Lime looks like he’s trying to imitate Unha I cringe so hard I can’t even watch. The secondhand embarrassment is unreal…

↳ [Anon]: Same here. There’s no comparison. This is a classic case of the crow-tit trying to walk like a stork and breaking its legs. [[Comparison GIF of <Idol Classism> Lee Unha and [Kingdom] Lime]]

↳ [Anon]: Isn’t Lime actually better at singing and dancing though?

↳ [Anon]: Better? His singing style feels like a forced imitation of Una… Honestly, the vocal color doesn’t compareㅋㅋㅋㅋ. At best his range is a little higher… And dancing? Same there. Una isn’t amazing because he’s technically perfect—it’s because he has this unique vibe. Lime just doesn’t have that.

↳ [Anon]: Honestly, comparing them is pointless in the first place. In all my time stanning idols, I’ve never seen a group with such zero business ethics. Who sings better? Who dances better? These comparisons are useless and not worth discussing. The only answer for a group with no ethics is to disband.

 

[Anon: Seriously, the more I think about it, the more pissed I getㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Who the hell even stans Kingdom? Crown’s the biggest bunch of idiots, and Kingdom aren’t much better. I even watched them get first place on N-Count… During the acceptance speech I could still see Una all over him. Even the way he talked felt copied.]

 

[Anon: Collection of moments where Lime copies Lee Unha]

[[Comparison GIF of <Idol Classism> Lee Unha and [Kingdom] Lime]]

 

[Anon: Is Lime gonna die if he doesn’t copy Lee Unha?]

[I’m not even a FTS fan, but watching him copy every single gesture is so disgusting I can’t stand it.]

↳ [Anon]: Are we sure he’s actually copying him? The vibe is similar, but people seem a little too worked up…

↳ [Anon]: Yeah, whatever, copycat-dol~

↳ [Anon]: He’s ugly and I’ve hated how he’s acted all high and mighty since he was a trainee. Just because they sold some first-week albums, he’s acting like a top star. The textbook definition of unlikeable. Please disappear.

↳ [Anon]: Get ready to be sued~

↳ [Anon]: Sure, next copycat-dol~

 

‘They really managed to set the internet on fire.’

 

The forums were overflowing with anger. Some of the comments were so abusive I could barely bring myself to read them. In certain communities, the level of the attacks on Kingdom was different. It didn’t feel like they were just throwing stones; it felt like they were launching missiles.

 

Crown had already posted an official statement asking people not to spread unfounded accusations and strongly implying they would pursue legal action to protect their artists, but that wasn’t enough to stop this tide. The occasional defenders appearing only make the public angrier. Some users weren’t even afraid of getting sued anymore—they were storming the official accounts and causing chaos.

 

That middle-school kid I’d seen before… He was a perfect example. I even remembered his username because of how outrageous he’d been.

 

[@StormStudent: Seriously, if I ever see this bastard in real life I’m beating the hell out of him. You think copying him is enough? You know that expression you keep making is disgusting, right? Putting in lenses and pretending to be handsome, that’s so f*cking pathetic ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Honestly, I was pissed seeing him copy Unha hyung, but now it’s just sad… you’re really something else… you pathetic piece of sh*t ㅋㅋㅋ Just go jump off a bridgeㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

 

‘I can’t even read his posts. I’m seriously worried about him getting sued.’

 

[@StormStudent: Seriouslyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ! Ugh! Pathetic bastard! So pitiful! Spend the rest of your life just copy-pasting and then rot away~]

 

It looked like he was doing the work of a thousand people all by himself. As if that weren’t enough, he was also picking fights with other fans. Even I, who had gotten fairly used to hate comments, felt like I’d be hurt if I were on the receiving end of this middle schooler’s insults. No, rather than being hurt, I felt like I’d be emotionally dominated by him.

 

‘You, you really need to be careful.’

 

I could already picture a future where he got sued at such a young age and ended up in serious trouble.

 

‘I… I should tell him to be careful if he ever comes to a fan-sign later.’

 

Part of me wanted to send him a DM right now telling him to tone it down, but publicly, the best thing to do was pretend I knew nothing about any of this. Besides, as I sat here reading these posts…

 

‘It’d be ridiculous to feel good and gratified by it in private.’

 

It felt like such childish behavior, which made it feel even more so.

 

Anyway….

 

‘It looks like we’ve captured public opinion.’

 

This was the general sentiment… the public opinion surrounding <Fantasia> and [Kingdom].

Of course, online communities always tended to favor whoever shouted the loudest. At this moment, perhaps Lee Unha’s fans simply had the louder voices.

 

‘Even if we set the hardcore fans aside… people who just personally like Lee Unha are kind of being treated like toxic fans too…’

 

Still, what mattered was that, for the time being, the side supporting Fantasia seemed louder. What mattered was that our fans’ voices felt stronger. What mattered was that, with the showcase just ahead, everyone’s attention had turned toward us.

 

‘If anything, we’ve already won the battle for hype.’

 

“…….”

 

‘Maybe being framed as rivals is actually working in our favor.’

 

“…….”

 

‘The moral high ground is on our side.’

 

“…….”

 

‘The company is preparing well. The MV turned out great.’

 

“…….”

 

‘We just have to perform.’

 

Yes.

 

We just had to perform.

 

We just needed to kill it at the debut showcase.

 

We just needed to flip the script on every music show stage and every other performance to come.

 

We just needed to ‘tear up the stage’, as Kim Taeyeol liked to say.

 

In the end, artists spoke through their performance.

 

We only had to prove that there was a gap between Fantasia and Kingdom that no amount of imitation could ever bridge.

 

We only had to make the public, Crown, and even Kingdom’s members realize the difference between the original and the imitation.

 

Whether they relied on viral marketing or reverse viral marketing didn’t matter. If we made everyone understand, through our performance, that we were fundamentally different, everything else would follow naturally.

 

Once again, I picked up my phone and went through what had become a habit. I scrolled past the pages I’d been reading and opened my photo gallery.

 

“What are you doing, Unha?”

 

“Looking at photos.”

 

“Is that officially part of your routine now? Looking at the group pictures from Idol Classism?”

 

“It’s not just group photos… just a mix of things. Things in my gallery… yeah, of course I look at the ones from Idol Classism too… well…. Come to think of it, I guess it has become a routine.”

 

“You’re more sentimental than I thought.”

 

“It’s not sentimentality, it’s a habit. It’s not a meaningful action, just my fingers moving on their own.”

 

“Well… anyway, let’s get going. The Team Leader said it’s time.”

 

At Kim Taeyeol’s voice, I got up.

 

It looked like everyone had been waiting for me.

 

I wondered if I should say something, but….

 

‘Do I really need to?’

 

I’d already said everything I wanted to say.

 

I had said it last night, I had said it before the rehearsal, and I had said it after the rehearsal was over. I’d been repeating the same things habitually all this time. I’d talked so much I was starting to worry my teammates’ ears might fall off.

 

There was nothing left to say. I just met each member’s eyes once….

 

“Let’s go. This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Like I told you, let’s show them everything we’ve got.”

 

“…….”

 

“For the sake of the other hyungs who aren’t here with us today, too.”

 

I looked around again. Joo Wooyoung, who loved moments like this, was already grinning.

 

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!!!! Let’s go!!!!!”

 

“Go! Let’s go!”

 

Kim Taeyeol, who always loved to shout to psych himself up, yelled out, and Baek Suhyeon responded.

 

“Fighting, Unha!”

 

Jung Taehee looked at me with his fist clenched tightly, and Jegal Hwi began to walk in silence. Kim Haejun followed behind him with a smile.

 

And, the moment I set foot on the showcase stage.

 

Along with a massive roar….

 

<<Emergency Quest>>

[You, with a 1% contribution to the Demon King’s defeat. Assist the Hero Joo Wooyoung, who had a 99% contribution, and debut together. This is a golden opportunity to become the Hero’s companion.]

<<Penalty for Quest Refusal or Failure: Return to the Other World>>

< You have cleared the quest. You obtain a random reward immediately. >

[……]

[……]

[……]

[……]

<< Succubus’ Eye >> has been promoted from << D-Rank >> to << C-Rank >>.

 

The text suddenly flashed before my eyes.