Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 130

‘This is war.’

 

It was a war with [Kingdom], the rookie group Crown had just unleashed.

 

Of course, Lee Unha had never fought in an actual war like Joo Wooyoung had. I’d never entered a dungeon, nor had I ever set foot inside the Demon King’s castle. But I had stepped into an arena before.

 

Back then, it had simply been a fight for survival as someone’s entertainment, but the atmosphere itself was no different from then. Granted, it wasn’t a ‘kill or be killed’ situation like those days, but it was an undeniable fact that everyone’s faces were filled with a fighting spirit. There was no denying that we were preparing for battle.

 

Sure enough, the moment we entered the broadcasting station and settled into the waiting room, the atmosphere of a duel arena washed over me. Well, of course it did. This broadcasting station was our battlefield.

 

Joo Wooyoung, Jegal Hwi, Kim Haejun, Baek Suhyeon, Jung Taehee, and even Kim Taeyeol all wore expressions quite different from their usual selves. Thinking back on how they’d spent the entire time during hair and makeup awake, mentally rehearsing the performance, only reinforced that impression.

 

‘Actually, the real thing starts from here.’

 

After completing our hair, makeup, and styling—no, after being fully armored—we entered the duel arena. There, we devised strategies with the comrades we had chosen to enter with and steadied our minds.

 

It didn’t end with just mental preparation. Within the bounds of not getting caught or the rules being allowed, you must also pack experimental potions. Another important consideration was whether you could receive blessings from priests or shamans.

 

In other words, you’d enter the arena covered in enhancement skills—so-called buffs. It might be a slightly inappropriate analogy, but it was the same on this current battlefield as it was in the duel arenas of the other world.

 

You didn’t simply walk into the arena.. There were many things to do and many things that could be done right up until the clash started. If there were arena officials, winning their favor would also be part of your preparations. Translated to this world, that meant greeting the producers politely, asking for their support, and presenting your team with bright smiles.

 

Naturally, communicating and sharing information with the others using the same arena was equally important. Asking how the arena was today, if there were elements to watch out for, or which weapons were effective. In this context, it translated to filming Shorts with other idols or doing challenges.

 

This place even had a separate course where you could boost your allies’ morale, blow away anxiety, and receive direct or indirect buffs, much like a duel arena.

 

And it was called…

 

The mini fan meeting, or MiFan for short.

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

The waiting period after finishing the rehearsal.

 

From not too far away, I spotted fans huddled together, waiting. They were the people cheering for us. The people who would shout their lungs out the moment we stepped into the arena and raise our spirits.

 

Just thinking about entering the battlefield with them waiting there filled me with gratitude. Compared to when I entered the arena alone without a single cheer under the observation of the Master… no, that mad dark mage… it felt as though I’d gained an army of a thousand.

 

This time, there were staff members too. Team Leader Jung—the closest thing the Management Division had to a normal person—and the fan manager were both present. A significant amount of manpower had been deployed for this short encounter of less than 30 minutes.

 

I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I’d entered an arena with this much support behind me. While I was gathering my thoughts, the fan manager called out,

 

“The fans are gathered. Let’s head up quickly.”

 

“Ah. Yes.”

 

And… the moment we moved our steps,

 

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

 

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

 

“Crazy! Insane!!! Unha really dyed his hair!”

 

The buffs came pouring in.

 

‘Good. The atmosphere seems great.’

 

The sight of so-called cannon cameras following me was reflected in my pupils. Fans without cannon cameras were also busy lifting their phones to take photos or videos of their favorite members.

 

Some seemed to be filming Fantasia as a whole, but most were clearly focused on whichever member they liked best. Honestly, it was a bit chaotic. The giant cameras were one thing, but what really surprised me was how close everyone was. Much closer than during the showcase.

 

To exaggerate slightly, it felt like they were right in front of my nose. I could even hear the fans’ voices.

 

“He… he really looks so good. It suits him so, so well.”

 

I could even hear people quietly muttering things like that to themselves, so that alone said it all. But even those comments felt like encouragement. Honestly, my morale was steadily rising. If I walked into the arena feeling like this, it felt as though I could accomplish anything.

 

Of course, not everyone felt the same way. Some members were flustered by the overwhelming proximity. In fact, Kim Taeyeol, who should be receiving buffs, looked like he was receiving a debuff instead.

 

No.

 

‘Kim Taeyeol… you’re terrible at managing your expression. What’s wrong with you? Don’t tell me you’re actually a scaredy-cat?’

 

Was it because he couldn’t get used to the constant camera flashes?

 

No, looking more closely, that wasn’t it at all.

 

“One, two!”

 

“SAVE THE WORLD! Hello, we are Fantasia!”

 

“Hello! I am Lee Unha, the leader, center, Vitamin… and… the Dark Mage… of <Fantasia>! Please take good care of me!”

 

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

 

“Hello. I am the Paladin of <Fantasia>, Joo Wooyoung!”

 

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

 

“Hello! I am Baek Suhyeon, Fantasia’s Elementalist, who commands the spirits of water and wind! O Spirits!!”

 

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

 

“Hello. I am the Mercenary of <Fantasia>… Kim Taeyeol!”

 

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

 

Seeing that there seemed to be fewer fans there specifically to cheer for him than he’d expected, Kim Taeyeol looked a little flustered. He seemed to have already noticed from the direction the cameras were pointing, but once he realized even the volume of the cheers was different, he looked even more shaken.

 

‘No… th-this shouldn’t be happening. He looks like he’s been hit by a curse.’

 

“…….”

 

‘Is it because I drew way too much attention today?’

 

The other members had gone all out with their hair, makeup, and styling too, but perhaps because Lee Unha had shown up with silver hair, it felt as though I was today’s main attraction. Since I already had the largest individual fandom, those aspects seemed to stand out even more.

 

Kim Haejun, who already had a solid core fandom, along with Jegal Hwi and Joo Wooyoung—the members everyone agreed were visual standouts—were faring relatively well. But with the cameras focusing so obviously on me, I couldn’t help worrying about how the other members might feel.

 

Kim Taeyeol’s expression was getting worse. He was softer-hearted than he let on, so the current situation was clearly bothering him.

 

After being flustered for a brief moment, I immediately flash a bright smile and proceed with the Mi-Fan. Though I did change my approach a little.

 

“Ah. Taeyeol hyung works really hard. He’s the most hardworking member.”

 

I’d decided to take care of Kim Taeyeol’s wounded confidence. I made a point of talking to him, staying close to him, and giving him opportunities to become the center of attention whenever I could.

 

‘Seriously, why is his mental state so fragile, like a sunfish? Do I really have to go this far?’

 

“Come on… I didn’t do anything. It’s all thanks to Unha.”

 

‘Ah. Is your mood finally better now?’

 

Sure enough, the more attention he received, the higher the corners of his mouth lifted.

The problem was that I couldn’t spend all my time taking care of Kim Taeyeol. As always, Jung Taehee was an issue, and I had to keep Baek Suhyeon from going off the rails.

 

Empowered by the public’s attention, Baek Suhyeon’s energy had spiked. He kept spouting nonsense about trying to summon spirits or whatever. Even Jegal Hwi, whom I’d counted on, was acting strangely stiff. I couldn’t help worrying that he’d suddenly blurt out another bizarre proverb or four-character idiom.

 

As for Joo Wooyoung, if nobody actively talked to him, he’d immediately switch into his painfully boring mode, so he needed attention too.

 

‘This is driving me crazy. These guys, seriously.’

 

I thought I was receiving buffs, but the guys going into the duel arena with me were spraying negative auras. There was a clear division between the ones causing problems and the ones cleaning them up.

 

I wasn’t the only one working hard, either. If it hadn’t been for the experienced Kim Haejun helping to smooth things over, I might have actually lost my mind. It genuinely felt like my energy was being drained in real time.

 

‘Can we… actually win today’s war?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Doesn’t something feel seriously wrong here?’

 

Immediately after arming myself with rare items—no, immediately after getting my hair and make-up done—I took a potion to get a buff, but it felt like I accidentally drank a bottle of poison or a status ailment.

 

And even worse….

 

‘Ah, seriously, what is it with you now?’

 

Director Oh was also causing a scene.

 

Immediately after the Mi-Fan ended in a blur, my plan to detoxify the poison I accidentally consumed in the waiting room went up in smoke.

 

“You bastard! Say that again! Huh?! What did you just say about my kids?! Huh?! You bunch of copy-pasters!!! Say it again, you son of a bitch!!! What about my kids?!!!”

 

“Hey! You’re the one who picked the fight first! That’s why I said it! What’s your problem?! Have you lost your mind?! Seriously!”

 

“Wasn’t Crown the one who started it first?! Huh?! Did I say anything wrong?!”

 

Director Oh had become so consumed by his fighting spirit… that he’d apparently gotten into an argument with Kingdom’s staff. I had no idea exactly what had happened, but the situation seemed to be spiraling into complete chaos.

 

“What on earth are you talking about?!!! Seriously!!!”

 

“You moved my kids to an earlier slot, didn’t you?! Huh?!! Does it make any sense for Kingdom to be the ending instead of Fantasia!!! What kind of era do you think it is that you’re pulling this kind of scummy stunt!!! You’re the ones who stole our concept and copied the kids’ characters!!! Are you even human beings!!! Don’t you have any professional courtesy for those in the same industry?!!! You bunch of unrefined bastards!!!”

 

Ah, I think I see what’s going on.

 

“…….”

 

‘I mean… ahjussi, people don’t care that much about who gets the ‘ending’ slot these days. It’s not like the old days when agencies fought over the final shot…’

 

“…….”

 

‘Sure, it still matters, but it’s not something worth blowing up over like this. You’re way too worked up.’

 

“…….”

 

Once again, Director Oh’s voice thundered through the hallway.

 

“You people rigged it so our boys couldn’t get the ending, didn’t you?! Suddenly telling us to move forward in the lineup—how does that make any sense?! You damn bastards!!!”

 

I wondered if we were even that close. I had no idea when <Fantasia> became ‘his kids’ to Director Oh… but it was a shout mixed with a literal scream of anguish.