Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 144

To say it was approaching would be an understatement. It was more accurate to say it was right in front of us. After all, the place our van had just arrived at was the filming location itself.

 

The members who had spent the ride catching up on sleep slowly began to stir. Maybe it was because I’d just been thinking about those unsettling comments and Kim Taeyeol’s dejected state, but my thoughts were still tangled.

 

‘To be honest… this isn’t the kind of situation Lee Unha is used to dealing with.’

 

When I was living as a slave in the other world, I minimized my relationships with others, so these kinds of conflicts or problems feel very alien. Or rather, they were indeed alien. Honestly, even now, I was confused. I couldn’t help wondering whether it was really my place to look after Kim Taeyeol.

 

Of course, as Fantasia’s leader Lee Unha, I knew that taking care of him was the right thing to do. But as the human Lee Unha, not the leader, I agonized over whether I could sincerely care for him.

 

It wasn’t that I wasn’t worried about him. I’d been keeping a close eye on him this whole time, and though it was embarrassing to say myself, we had built up a certain degree of friendship. I recognized that the bonds from Idol Classism—what they called Unha’s Clique—were somewhat precious, and I was aware that I had to move forward as Lee Unha, not Slave Joy.

 

In fact, I was still regularly keeping in touch with the other former contestants. I tried to help if they needed it, and I sincerely meant it… But in this specific case, there were parts that even the human Lee Unha couldn’t understand.

 

It was a sincere question.

 

In the first place…

.

‘Is it right to drag personal problems all the way to the workplace? Work is work… and aren’t personal problems personal problems?’

 

Am I the strange one?

 

‘I understand that your pride is hurt as an unpopular member, but… regardless, shouldn’t you feel grateful that the train we’re on together is continuing to move forward?’

 

If anyone heard me, they might curse me for lacking empathy, but this was my honest feeling regarding the situation. If I were Kim Taeyeol, I would have been cheering. Right now, <Fantasia> was on the path to perfect success.

 

Sure, no one knew how long it would take before we’d recovered all the investment poured into us, but the reality was that our absurdly high first-week sales and overwhelming buzz were already dominating the industry. If we just promoted for seven years without any accidents, making a fortune was a foregone conclusion. Kim Taeyeol could buy a building like he so desperately wanted, and show his grandparents and parents a concert.

 

‘Has he just become greedy? At first, all he wanted was to debut… but now that he’s debuted, has he started wanting more?’

 

I could understand. I knew why he’d fallen into this state and why he’d suddenly become so lost in thought. I knew he was still young and incomplete. And I understood that what he was experiencing was something that could happen to almost any idol and it just happened to be his turn.

 

But despite that, I couldn’t help clicking my tongue. No matter what…. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it shouldn’t be affecting his work to this degree.

 

I pondered whether leaving him alone might be the better choice….

 

“…….”

“…….”

 

But before long, I found myself shaking my head. I couldn’t just pretend nothing was wrong. To be precise, there were two reasons.

 

“…….”

“…….”

 

First, I had already brought up the subject of Kim Taeyeol to Jegal Hwi.

 

‘Right. I already said it.’

 

Even though we’d all reached an unspoken agreement to set aside outside distractions and focus solely on our shared goal…

 

‘I already told him that I stepped out of the dorm at night with Joo Wooyoung to have a heated discussion about Kim Taeyeol.’

 

If I didn’t take any action regarding Taeyeol now, it would be tantamount to admitting to Jegal Hwi that we had lied. I had to do something. Until now, I had the excuse of individual schedules, but that excuse wouldn’t work anymore.

 

It felt even more imperative with this filming ahead of us.

 

‘I have to take action, no matter what. Yeah.’

 

“…….”

 

‘People are already making a fuss just because one member’s energy is low… At this rate they’ll start spreading rumors that someone’s being bullied or frozen out… If we can cheer him up beforehand, that’d be best.’

 

“…….”

 

‘It’s not a difficult task, nor is it that much of a hassle.’

 

The second reason I felt I had to deal with Kim Taeyeol now was that this broadcast would feature all the members on one screen. Especially considering the scale of the program we were appearing on today. To exaggerate a little, this program’s scale was about twice as large as Ten-Million Actor Diner.

 

Unlike Diner, which had a somewhat older base demographic, this program’s viewership was evenly distributed across all ages. From teenagers to those in their 60s, it possessed a wide range of viewers…. and many international ones too.

 

‘And for us, that part is the most important….’

 

People kept saying that terrestrial television wasn’t what it used to be these days, but…

 

‘Long-running programs like this still do great on NewTube.’

 

There was no reason not to put my heart and soul into it. From the perspective of Lee Unha, the leader of <Fantasia>, it was important to finish this shoot as a full group without any variables or scandal.

 

As soon as I organized my thoughts, Director Oh’s voice rang out.

 

“We got here with plenty of time to spare. So, like always, let’s go around and greet the PDs, the staff, and the other cast members first, okay? Old-school style. Good old-fashioned manners.”

 

‘I should probably try talking to him while we wait, right?’

 

Of course, that would have to wait until we’d finished all the usual routines that came with arriving on set.

 

  ***

 

“One, two! Hello! SAVE THE WORLD! We are <Fantasia>!”

 

‘I heard idols these days don’t even do this anymore.’

 

“One, two! Hello! SAVE THE WORLD! We are <Fantasia>!”

 

‘Apparently they don’t even have group slogans anymore…’

 

It was the old-school style greeting Director Oh insisted on. As rookie idols who had just entered the scene, it was a mandatory routine. Going around in a circle to greet the PDs, writers, staff, and seniors. It was a simple but very important ritual.

 

“Oh! <Fantasia>!!!”

 

‘We’ve definitely become more well-known. People barely recognized us before… but now…’

 

“My daughter is a huge fan of you, Unha! She even voted for you during Idol Classism.”

 

‘Things like this happen too.’

 

“Ah! Really? It’s such an honor, sunbaenim!!!”

 

“Come on, you don’t have to be so formal… Actually, an acquaintance of mine asked me to look after you.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Byeon Yongseok hyungnim.”

 

“Ah… Ahhhh!”

 

“And it’s not just him; everyone else is telling me to look after you too. Hahahaha. You must have a really good personality, Unha.”

 

“Haha… N-No, not really…”

 

“Come and be a guest on my NewTube channel next time.”

 

“Ah! I’d be so honored if you invited me!”

 

As my connections in the broadcasting world slowly grew, I was beginning to understand how this industry really worked.

 

“I’ve heard a lot about you from PD Ahn.”

 

“Ah! Really? How is PD Ahn doing?”

 

“Of course she’s doing well~”

 

No one was unimportant.

 

“Oh! Lee Unha!”

 

“Ah! Hello, sunbaenim!”

 

“Sorry for using informal speech so suddenly. Hahahahahat! Our Nok was telling me to take good care of you….”

 

“Nok? Ah! Benok sunbaenim!!!”

 

“You hesitated for a second there, didn’t you? Nok’s going to be pretty hurt.”

 

“Please don’t tell him. Please!”

 

Once again, I realized just how important it was to leave a good impression on people you only met in passing. I probably wasn’t the only one noticing it. With seven members, we kept running into people who stopped to chat with us.

 

In Kim Haejun’s case, since he had a longer career than us, he even looked very close to one of the fixed members of this program.

 

‘Ah. Did those two work together before?’

 

Joo Wooyoung and Jegal Hwi were also exchanging greetings here and there, and even Baek Suhyeon was talking freely with the PD and writer lines.

 

Jung Taehee stood out as the only one being somewhat left out, but I wasn’t actually worried about him. He was a mad chihuahua who just walked his own path regardless of what others did or said, whether he had friends or not, or whether he knew lots of people or hardly anyone.

 

The one who seemed to be taking the biggest emotional hit was Kim Taeyeol, who, like Jung Taehee, was standing on the sidelines of many conversations. He was already in a fragile mental state, and going through this routine made him realize the gap between himself and the other members even more. The smile on his face wasn’t a real smile.

 

‘I definitely need to talk to him. No matter what.’

 

I’d already planned on finding time to speak with him, but seeing him like this only made me more certain. Immediately after the routine ended, I subtly approached him and cautiously opened my mouth.

 

“Excuse me, Taeyeol hyung.”

 

“Uh… oh. What is it?”

 

“Can we talk for a second?”

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

“No. I’m… not really in the mood right now… Let’s talk later.”

 

‘What? He turned me down?’

 

“Come on, don’t be like that. Let’s talk.”

 

“No, no. It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. Let’s just focus on today’s recording, Unha.”

 

‘What’s gotten into Kim Taeyeol? Why’s he suddenly become so sentimental?’

 

“But I want to talk. I’ve already finished preparing for the show.”

 

“Mmm… I’m really fine.”

 

“Geez~ I’m the one who’s not fine. Let’s talk now!”

 

“Ah, I said I’m seriously fine.”

 

‘What?’

 

“Please don’t be like that….”

 

“I said I’m fine… Ah… Why are you doing this?! Seriously!”

 

“Hyung. It’ll only take a moment.”

 

“Ah! I said I’m fine!!!”

 

‘What the hell? Why’s this idiot suddenly blowing up on his own?’

 

“I told you I’m fine! Seriously! Is it that hard to just leave me alone?! Huh?”

 

‘Wait… this bastard really….’

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

‘Have you lost your mind?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Have you seriously gone crazy?’

 

I was dazed for a moment.

 

“…….”

 

“Why’s he the one yelling?”

 

“…….”

 

“How ridiculous. Seriously.”

 

Jung Taehee muttered under his breath. No, It was loud enough that he clearly intended everyone to hear it. As satisfying as it was to hear someone say it…

 

‘Wait… these guys… they aren’t on good terms?’

 

Honestly, I couldn’t help feeling a little taken aback.