Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus – Chapter 143

Author: LyraDhani

No matter how flustered I could have been, this was on a whole new level.

‘At this speed, did he go and request the interview himself?’

I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

It wasn’t as though there had been absolutely no reason for this kind of interview to happen. I did remember them telling me to stay in touch after filming and saying we should act together one day. It wasn’t just the veteran actor; the other actors had said similar things too. One of them had even kept muttering that I had to act—that I was someone meant to be an actor—as though he were trying to brainwash me.

I figured having many connections in the broadcasting industry couldn’t hurt, so I had nodded along, exchanged contacts, and even set up vague future promises… so I thought I’d left a positive impression. But I never imagined I’d left an impression so strong that he would mention me in an interview out of the blue.

He had praised me so highly that he even mentioned me during his own 40th-anniversary debut interview.

‘Is he trying to back me up? Is that it?’

The content of the interview was a spectacle. No, it was a masterpiece. Since it was an interview uploaded almost immediately after the broadcast ended, his intentions were transparently clear.

‘He really is trying to support me, isn’t he? He’s practically saying he’ll pave a flower-filled road for me.’

His comments were bound to attract attention, and as a result, Lee Unha ended up receiving more attention than the veteran actor’s own heartfelt reflections on his decades-long acting career. Consequently, derivative articles based on that interview were pouring out like rain.

[Goryeo Sports] Actor Byeon Yongseok: ‘Lee Unha isn’t an acting idol—he’s an acting genius. My final wish before I die is to do a project with him.’ – Reporter Lee Jung-bin

‘Grandpa, why are you going this far…?’

I didn’t even need to read the article. The headline already told me everything. Most of it was high praise—calling me an acting genius rather than an acting idol, saying I was born to act. It gave off an impression that he desperately wanted to breathe the same air in a project with me if the opportunity arose.

He even mentioned me repeatedly throughout the rest of his 40th-anniversary interview. He pointed to me—someone with zero filmography—as the most noteworthy rookie actor. He even went so far as to express his willingness to appear for free if it meant acting with Lee Unha.

‘People are going to think this is media play, Grandpa. You can’t do things like this anymore these days.’

Sure enough, the public reaction wasn’t exactly favorable. Just look at the comments on the article:

[Cheonnyeon]: These damn singer brats keep trying to crawl into the acting world. How much money did the agency spend to get Byeon Yongseok to give an interview like that? [1 hour ago]

[Choi ssung]: I’ve only watched Actor Byeon’s works for 15 years… I’ll trust him for now… but still… [1 hour ago]

‘No, no, the age demographic here is way too high….’

The comments on the online communities that reposted the article were, for the most part, just as negative. Many comments asked if I had already caught actor’s disease and started media play, or why I became an idol in the first place if I was so greedy for acting.

Just as I expected, some people were venting their frustration, asking how a rookie idol who debuted only a few weeks ago could already be so ambitious about acting. For the first time in a while, Lee Unha was getting thrashed by public opinion.

However, it wasn’t purely a negative thing. One of Korea’s most legendary actors had publicly mentioned me. Regardless of the circumstances, it was an undeniable fact that interest was rising.

It wasn’t just the usual idol fans anymore; older people were also curious about Lee Unha and wanted to know who he was. For someone whose job depended on showing his face to the public, attracting that kind of attention was something to welcome.

Then, just as everyone’s curiosity had been piqued…

The broadcasting station dropped the finishing blow by releasing a clip from yesterday’s shoot.

— Don’t be surprised.

— …….

— I simply want to understand you.

— …….

— There is no other reason. Literally… I just want to fully understand the person that is you.

A video of less than a minute. It was the acting where I used the Succubus’ Eye and properly used the Siren’s Voice for projection. They edited it perfectly, too. They included the reactions of the actors looking shocked at Lee Unha’s performance. They even uploaded Actor Jung Yeonjin’s terrified expression.

‘…Even I have to admit, it looks pretty convincing.’

If it looked convincing even to me, there was no need to even mention the comment section.

[@AI-aido1004]: He’s actually really good at acting. Honestly, when they started with the acting idol media play, I was skeptical… but this guy looks like the real deal. You can see he’s a true actor. I got goosebumps the moment I saw his eyes.

[@user-DAKS111]: Look at the other actors getting startled. Wow. But Jung Yeonjin is something else too. It was only a script reading, but he got immersed instantly. He actually looks scared

Well, the guy really was scared.

[@user-qowenx6adq]: Is this movie coming out? What movie is it?

↳ [@Roselune]: It’s not a movie, it’s from Ten-Million Actor Diner. It seems Lee Unha is this week’s guest.

↳ [@OKokOKok]: I was wondering why an idol was appearing on this show for the first time in ages. Now I get it. I seriously thought he was a psychopathic serial killer for a second…

[@user-gmlqpxo1n1]: Is he the kid from Idol Classism? Was he originally preparing to be an actor? How can he act like this?

↳ [@Roselune]: As far as I know, he’s never officially learned acting. Before Idol Classism, he just trained for a short time at QR.

↳ [@user-gmlqpxo1n1]: Then how does he act like that?

↳ [@Roselune]: Because he’s an acting genius.

Thank you for coming all the way here to leave positive comments.

Some users were clearly part of <Aether>. While some subtly revealed themselves, others were going all out.

[@dkalpq123]: Who is this? It’s my first time seeing him, but he’s so handsome and his acting is amazing? Yep, that’s my boy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[@ether1236621]: Our Una’s acting is seriously insane… ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I was so upset when he got trashed for media play, but I guess he’s really the real deal. Our Una must be an acting genius ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[@ChocoDoraemon]: I’ve got goosebumps. Honestly, I want to see Unha act too… Fantasia activities are the most important, but I’m just curious… ㅠㅠ

[@una4una]: Is there anything Una can’t do? He sings well, dances well, and now acts well. He does everything well. But let’s save the acting for later! Focus on promotions for now, okay? Put the greed aside!

Then there were a few comments that weren’t exactly worrying… but were a little hard to understand.

[@LoveLeeUnha]: I’d honestly rather he just be an actor… ^^

[@dmkadlqazl]: Honestly, I feel like Lee Unha would succeed in broadcasting even without Idol Classism or Fantasia. If anything, the group is holding him back…

↳ [@oqowjeijf12341]: For someone like JWY it’s fine, but when you think about KTY, I kind of get what you mean.

‘What…? Are comments like this normal?’

It hadn’t even been a month since our debut…

‘People are already trying to pit us against each other?’

I’d seen comments like these every now and then whenever I searched my name. There were similar ones even while Idol Classism was airing… but lately….

‘It feels like they’re becoming more common.’

It had started around the last music show recording. Complaints about Lee Unha’s outfit being lower quality than the other members, or him having too few parts. Even though I didn’t think so myself, signs were emerging that more people believed Lee Unha was being discriminated against or that he would be more successful if he weren’t tied to a group.

Even though I’d only searched to see people’s reactions to my acting… Seeing comments like these made me take a more serious look at the current situation.

‘Should I be worrying about this more than the acting idol talk?’

Maybe….

‘Is this a side effect of the Succubus’ Eye?’

I closed my phone, thinking it wasn’t something to worry about yet… but for members who saw these comments and received hate themselves, they might take the situation more seriously than I did.

Kim Taeyeol, who was often dragged as a prime example for the ‘other members are useless’ argument, was a case in point.

‘Right… he’s already stressed enough as it is….’

If public opinion kept going in this direction. he might get even more stressed….

And on top of that….

‘He didn’t really seem to stand out in variety activities either….’

Joo Wooyoung had filmed the soccer variety show Kick a Goal, and by all accounts the atmosphere had been great. Baek Suhyeon and Jung Taehee went on a program called 6 O’Clock My Hometown and caught squid. It sounded like the last place you’d expect idols to appear, so I’d worried they’d been sent somewhere completely random, but apparently, it was well-received. It had turned into a chaotic squid-catching adventure, and, as people liked to say, they’d absolutely killed it.

Baek Suhyeon was currently snoring beside me.

I’d also heard that even Jegal Hwi—someone no one expected to shine on variety shows—had done surprisingly well. Apparently he’d shown an unexpectedly charming side on Into the History of the World.

As for Kim Haejun….

‘He’s so good at broadcasting that I don’t even need to worry….’

Most of them had performed well in the spots they were filled into. Of course, I’d have to wait until the footage aired to know for sure if it was good, but at least the atmosphere on set was said to be positive.

‘Kim Taeyeol… I really thought he’d do well on a variety show.’

Maybe the atmosphere on set hadn’t been very good.

‘No….’

If his energy was at an all-time low to begin with, there was no way the filming could have gone well. He had been looking miserable lately, after all.

The thing was, Kim Taeyeol was actually a funny person. He was at the top of our group for being talkative and high-energy. Even his mindless chatter was surprisingly witty… strictly speaking….

‘He’s basically one of our variety specialists, along with Suhyeon.’

<The World> must have recognized this, as they slotted him into a fairly famous variety program, but… It seemed impossible for him to simply forget everything that had been weighing on him lately and enjoy filming.

He was the same even now. Even while moving to the filming site in the van, he sat slumped in his seat with his hat pulled low. He’d occasionally fiddle with his phone and let out a deep sigh or stare off into the distance. After perking up briefly from the amazing first-week sales, he had started sinking into depression again once he faced his own problems.

In the midst of that….

“Our Artist Lee Unha, you know the pre-release clip is causing a riot, right? There’s a whole truckload of production companies wanting to scout you! Huh?!”

Director Oh, having lost all sense of tact, was busy praising my achievements.

‘Seriously, how much longer is this ahjussi going to follow us around?’

Jung Taehee was the same.

“Are casting calls really coming in? Wow… Unha is truly amazing. The comments are no joke either.”

“Of course! All those ten-million actors were calling him ‘this actor,’ ‘that actor,’ and trying to get close to him—it made me so proud.”

Please, just keep it down.

I saw Kim Taeyeol, who had been listening to their fuss, slump even further into his small seat.

“…….”

‘Group activities… really are difficult.’

“…….”

I had to watch the other members’ moods, consider their feelings….

Winning first place on a music show. All the members had agreed to run toward that single goal, but perhaps this was an entirely different challenge.