Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 13

“I’m sorry, hyung. Sob…”

 

“No. I…”

 

It almost felt like I could hear the broadcasting staff cheering on the inside. The situation itself was bound to become a hot topic. I didn’t know how they were going to air what had just happened, but… At the very least, it was the kind of incident that wouldn’t just set the online communities ablaze—it could turn them into a raging inferno.

 

In fact, the conflict between one judge mindlessly shielding Team Lee Unha and the other two giving calm, cold, and realistic critiques would have been an interesting enough picture on its own. 

 

But when the subject of that controversy was Lee Unha, who was just starting to get hot on the internet, you could already imagine the impact. On top of that, the scheduled tear-fest was exploding, so from the station’s perspective, there wasn’t a single skip-worthy moment. 

 

Given the nature of this insane program, which valued raw emotional stimulation above all else, it was only natural that they’d want to capture the tears of boys chasing their dreams.

 

“Sob…”

 

As if meeting the production team’s expectations, the tears of Team Lee Unha were contagious. No. 123, perhaps greedy for screen time, suddenly burst into tears… and the other teammates were pouring out tears too. It felt like they were crying for real, not acting, which actually flustered me. 

 

I remembered kids this age being much more cynical, so I couldn’t understand why this sudden crying festival had broken out. What on earth had touched the hearts of these normally cynical guys?

 

‘We haven’t even been eliminated… guys. I’m telling you, we’re not getting eliminated.’

 

Normally, the unwritten rule was that you cried after you got eliminated. Crying too much could make people dislike you.

 

But this was not the time to be stingy with my tear quota. This was a situation where not crying simply wasn’t an option. In fact, if I didn’t shed a single tear in a situation like this, I’d likely be criticized for it. Rather than being seen as a cold-blooded bastard with no blood or tears, it was much more beneficial to carry the crybaby image. 

 

Look at that… The judges hadn’t even finished giving their evaluations, yet my teammates were already embracing one another and comforting each other.

 

“I’m so sorry… everyone…”

 

“Sob…”

 

‘No, but guys, we’ve still got a broadcast to do. What are you going to do if you all keep bawling like this?’

 

Sure enough, voices were leaking from the MC’s side, who was communicating separately with the writers. Usually, the assistant director would suggest taking a break, but seeing as they contacted the host separately, they must want to keep this tension alive.

 

“Ahem… ahem… ahem…”

 

“While we thank the judges for their invaluable critiques… I believe there may have been some misleading remarks. Haha. You are not being eliminated from <Idol Classism> due to the mistake made in the previous stage.”

 

“Ah!”

 

‘See, guys. I told you we weren’t getting eliminated.’

 

“As previously mentioned, the name of this mission is the <Slave> Class Auction. Based on the performance you just showed, we will proceed with an individual auction, not a team auction.”

 

‘Yeah. We already heard the explanation. I’m telling you, falling down just now doesn’t matter at all.’

 

But it was only right to put on a shocked expression. Although it was a bit embarrassing, I opened my eyes wide and wiped away my tears while holding No. 123’s hand tightly. 

 

“And, right here, right now! The <Slave> Class Auction will begin!”

 

“……”

 

“We’d also like to invite all the other <Slave> class trainees who have already completed their performances to come onto the stage!”

 

‘They’re going straight into it without a break?’

 

I couldn’t tell whether the PD had great instincts or none at all. I had no idea how he planned to edit this or connect everything together, but continuing the flow like this didn’t seem like a bad decision. 

 

Soon, other trainees began appearing on stage, and I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. I had no idea what they were trying to do. Naturally, I was curious. The broadcasting bastards loved getting reactions from surprised trainees, so they didn’t release any information about this class auction beforehand. 

 

In fact, I didn’t even need to pretend to be flustered or act surprised. I really was flustered. The same was likely true for the other Slave class trainees who were suddenly dragged onto the stage. 

 

‘It feels like I’m looking at my own reflection.’

 

It was like looking at the past me, put on a slave auction block without knowing a thing. 

 

“I see the <Slave> class trainees are very curious. Hahahaha. It would be best to resolve that curiosity immediately. We will now reveal… how this mission, the <Slave> Class Auction, will proceed! Please show the screen!”

 

Behind the MC, who was waving his hands exaggeratedly, video footage began playing on a large screen. What appeared on the screen were the seven members of the <Nobility> class. 

 

The performance of the trainees in the nobility class, including Joo Wooyoung, filled my vision. As I had heard from Benok, the nobility class had performed before the slave class. Naturally, their flashy outfits, which were worlds apart from ours, caught my eye first. 

 

It was nothing like us, who’d gone on stage without even having proper makeup done. They were fully outfitted, and it was clear they had received external help. Not to mention their skills. 

 

“Waaaaaah…”

 

“Whoa… wow!!”

 

“Incredible…”

 

Admiration burst out as a high-quality stage was shown. The faces of the slave class trainees, who were already feeling the skill gap, distorted even further. Since the ones who were already good were getting proper support… I felt like they could debut as a successful group right now. 

 

“The footage you are watching right now is the stage of the <Nobility> class trainees that took place earlier!”

 

Of course, the Returnee Joo Wooyoung stood out even there. Regardless of whether he was recognized as the definite center within the nobility group, he stood out by taking the center position and excelling in both dance and song. 

 

But the other six were no slouches either. If Joo Wooyoung felt like an unpolished gem, the other trainees felt like gems that had been somewhat refined. Of course, it was more like comparing a diamond to cheap gemstones, but none of them felt out of place.

 

“As you can see, the <Nobility> class trainees also received benefits and penalties through a preliminary mission. The name of the nobility class mission was ‘Nobility Coin Competition,’ a mission where they were a team but competed individually to obtain a limited number of coins!”

 

“……”

 

“Please reveal the coin acquisition status of the <Nobility> class!”

 

“Waaaaaaaah!”

 

“What you are looking at now are the coins each <Nobility> class trainee earned through this mission!”

 

With a dramatic boom! sound effect, the giant screen lit up once again. And…

 

[Nobility Coin Competition Status]

[1. Jegal Hwi: 1,500 Coins]

[……]

[3. Joo Wooyoung: 1,300 Coins]

[……]

 

“Waaaaaaaah!!”

 

The trainees shouted at the top of their lungs in response to the production staff practically forcing a reaction out of them.

 

Normally, I would have shouted along too, but I couldn’t give an honest reaction. The results of the coin competition were too unexpected. That was because… Joo Wooyoung’s name was sitting in third place.

 

‘Is there an error? Is this a broadcast accident?’

 

If I’d stretched my imagination, I could’ve accepted him being in second place, but 3rd was completely incomprehensible. What on earth happened? Even after rubbing my eyes and looking again, Joo Wooyoung was still firmly listed in third.

 

Seeing that the broadcasting officials didn’t find it strange either, it seemed the screen wasn’t wrong. 

 

‘Did he… did he really come in 3rd?’

 

Even in the performance shown on the giant screen, Joo Wooyoung had looked like he’d completely dominated everyone else…. I couldn’t understand why he was ranked 3rd instead of at least 2nd. 

 

Did that bastard Judge Benok intentionally give Joo Wooyoung a low score to keep him in check because he was worried about creating an overwhelmingly strong competitor? Or perhaps it wasn’t the judges who evaluated the <Nobility> class mission. Maybe the evaluation was done within the <Nobility> class itself, and the petty nobility members did their best to give Joo Wooyoung a penalty as a group. 

 

‘This is going to cause some controversy.’

 

1st place got 1,500 coins, 2nd place got 1,400 coins, and Joo Wooyoung in 3rd place got exactly 1,300 coins. But regardless of that, as the next development was predictable, I couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. 

 

“I believe the <Slave> class trainees have some idea of what to expect.”

 

‘Seriously, the PD…’

 

“The <Slave> class auction will proceed based on the coins the <Nobility> class trainees have earned!”

 

‘No matter how I look at it, the PD is out of his mind. All the planners must be prepared to write apology letters…’

 

It was a crazy development where you couldn’t tell what was coming next. Having contestants auction off other contestants was ridiculous. They were determined to create conflict even within the <Nobility> class itself.

 

Naturally, I wasn’t the only one who was flabbergasted. The other trainees here also seemed to have no time to show any other reaction; each wearing expressions of complete disbelief.

 

Sure enough…

 

“Sh… s*it, is this… are you serious?”

 

‘Excuse me, you’re being recorded.’

 

“No, what kind of crazy program is this…”

 

‘Still, I get why you’re reacting like that.’

 

Voices like that echoed all around. Naturally, there were also trainees whose concerns were much more practical.

 

“Phew…”

 

The anxiety of whether they could actually be sold. 

 

“Please… please… please…”

 

Quite a few of them had completely bombed the performance just moments ago, so their reactions were only natural. It was certainly humiliating, but if you weren’t sold, you were out. If the seven <Nobility> class trainees standing on the special stage didn’t spend their coins on you, you were out immediately.

 

Of course, for me…

 

‘I probably don’t need to worry.’

 

I wouldn’t have to worry much. I had already raised my recognition with the pre-release video views… and the stage I just did would have left a positive impression on the nobles. 

 

Most of all…

 

“……”

 

“……”

 

Joo Wooyoung. 

 

Joo Wooyoung would definitely buy me. It wasn’t wishful thinking; it was a certainty. 

 

“Well then, from now on! We will begin the <Slave> Class Auction!!!”