Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 149

“Honestly, it’s pointless to talk more about the details here… ahem, ahem.”

 

“…….”

 

“I expect the company will make an official announcement soon….”

 

“…….”

 

“Ahem… Anyway, I just wanted you all to have an idea of the general direction for <Fantasia>. And Hong Dukwang, you son of a… no, no, we’ll talk back at the office.”

 

“I’m sorry, Director….”

 

“Sorry? You bastard, that’s all you’ve got to say right now?!”

 

Even more than Hong Dukwang, who had committed the absurd blunder….

 

‘I really hope I don’t have to see Hong Dukwang anymore after this.’

 

Kim Haejun’s face was turning even paler.

 

Even as Director Oh yelled inside the van, while the members quietly murmured among themselves…

 

Kim Haejun still couldn’t utter a single word.

 

‘Get a grip, Haejun hyung.’

 

The one leading the atmosphere was Kim Taeyeol, who had now completely recovered his spirits. The guy who had looked miserable before the shoot was now wide-eyed and staring at everyone.

 

“Wait, what… so… after we win #1 on this music show, our official promotions are just over? Is that how it usually works? And we’re going into hiding for six months?”

 

“No. It’s not hiding. They said we’d be doing individual activities. Didn’t you hear? Apparently I’ll be filming a drama, and you’ll be doing variety shows… I imagine everyone will have their own schedules.”

 

“Even so, is this really okay? It’s only been a few weeks since we started group activities….”

 

“No, no. We’ve actually been active for quite a while. These days, groups usually promote for two to three weeks and then wrap up. The problem right now isn’t the length of the promotion, but the timing of the comeback. Going for a full-length album at this stage is a bit absurd, and the fact that the prep period could take over six months is even more so.”

 

“…….”

 

“There are groups that put out a full album in three months… Of course, it could get shorter as we go, but just having that timeline set is a burden. I can sort of follow the logic after the explanation, but it’s hard to fully accept it. Don’t you all feel the same?”

 

“W-well, six months is a bit long compared to other groups, right?”

 

“Very long. And it feels even longer because we’re coming off such a huge hit….”

 

“But, in its own way… won’t there be pros and cons?”

 

Right.

 

‘It won’t be without downsides. They wouldn’t have done this without any thought. <The World>… they’re an agency that delivers when it counts, and they must have their own ideas.’

 

At least, that was the kind of person Director Gu had seemed to me, but separate from that, it was hard to distinguish whether this direction was the right or wrong answer.

 

“That’s true too. In my personal opinion, it would be better to strike with a single or mini-album within two or three months while riding on this momentum. Honestly, comebacks are so fast these days that quality doesn’t necessarily drop. Churning out comebacks at lightning speed is just a sign of the production company’s urgency… and seeing what other groups bring out, it doesn’t always feel rushed.”

 

After Kim Taeyeol finished speaking, Baek Suhyeon chimed in.

 

“But Unha, honestly, isn’t a mini or a full album basically the same thing? Is there really that much difference?”

 

I’m not sure about that either.

 

“I guess it depends on how you look at it. People who don’t care about deeper meaning will just see it as a difference in the number of tracks. People who do care… might expect an album that captures the essence or identity of the artist….”

 

I couldn’t help worrying about how the market would receive an album like that. In reality, there were probably plenty of people who couldn’t care less about an artist’s identity or artistic vision. I’d bet there were fans who honestly didn’t care about any of that and just wanted their favorite idols to make a comeback as soon as possible.

 

Rather than the composition or perfection of the album, or the number of tracks, all they wanted was one great title track and for the group to keep promoting for as long as possible. Some fans were practically sitting there with their wallets already open, thinking, ‘Just come back whenever, I’m ready’.

 

And to those fans, what we’re doing might look like nothing more than idols catching artist disease. If anything, it could look like we’re doing useless things under the guise of making a masterpiece.

 

For instance, they might think the comeback was delayed because Lee Unha was greedy for acting, or Kim Taeyeol was greedy for variety, or that there was discord in the team. They might think we had just grown pretentious.

 

Actually, even I was starting to think something similar.

 

‘The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it sounds. I’ve heard of idols getting artist disease, but it’s my first time seeing a company get it. Just sit there and make money; what’s all this talk about a masterpiece? Do they think a masterpiece just pops out that easily?’

 

Of course, I did have a rough idea of what they were aiming for.

 

‘They want to take it one step further. They want to distinguish us from every other group…’

 

Thinking about <Fantasia>’s unique traits, it was almost inevitable. We had to unravel that ridiculously solid worldview, and there was the story that continued from the music video. On top of that, they’d even agreed to let us incorporate our own ideas, and the Planning Department had actually accepted it. Realistically, there was no way to do all of that in two or three months. Especially when you considered the MV quality of the first mini-album….

 

‘Whatever comes next has to be better than this.’

 

Since the MV quality became such a huge topic, they likely wanted to maintain that stance. Taken to the extreme, even six months might not feel like enough production time. But as I said, that was strictly the producer’s perspective. They weren’t necessarily the same as what consumers—or investors—wanted. Setting consumers aside, it was even more so for the investors.

 

‘Don’t investment contracts usually include expectations about how many albums a group releases each year? Are investors really okay with us playing at being ‘artists’ while delaying comeback after comeback?’

 

While I was clutching my head over these mounting questions, it became Joo Wooyoung’s turn to speak.

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

“But what’s certain is….”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Our agency doesn’t seem to be a company that only cares about money.”

 

‘I know, but I can’t tell whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It’s not good to automatically treat commercial success as something negative.’

 

“Oh? That’s how you see it?”

 

“Yeah. It feels like they genuinely want to tell our story.”

 

“Ahhh. Looking at it from that perspective… I guess you’re right.”

 

“And it feels like they want us to put our own voices into our music as soon as possible. These days, a lot of idol groups produce their own songs or have producer members taking an active role. Maybe they believe Fantasia can become that kind of group too.”

 

It was a perfectly reasonable observation, but it wasn’t particularly helpful in the current situation. The sharper take came from Jegal Hwi.

 

“No one is against putting our own voice into our music. But we do need to be clear about whether we’re artists or idols.”

 

‘Right. That’s important too.’

 

“Of course, I know the line isn’t completely clear, but depending on where we place the emphasis, the group’s identity changes. We’re not pop stars. What’s important isn’t assigning meaning to every album, filling it with our story, our narrative, and trying to create a masterpiece every single time. Even many of today’s biggest artists release digital singles. The very idea of treating a full album as something inherently profound feels like an inflated sense of self.”

 

Joo Wooyoung immediately responded.

 

“Then what is import—”

 

Jegal Hwi cut him off immediately.

 

“Isn’t it making the fans happy?”

 

It was the correct answer, in a way.

 

“I think communicating with fans is more important than locking ourselves in a back room for artistic soul-searching. Rather than making the music we want, we should make the music our fans want. Isn’t that what everyone here believes?”

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

Why did it feel like those two were locked in a power struggle? Healthy debates were always welcome, but it bothered me that the people clashing were Joo Wooyoung and Jegal Hwi. Since the atmosphere felt a bit tense, I felt I had to anchor the group. Besides, something Jegal Hwi had just said gave me an idea in response to this useless debate.

 

“I think both are important. We shouldn’t lock ourselves away for artistic soul-searching and neglect communication with fans… but I believe we should at least have music we want to make.”

 

“…….”

 

“Ultimately, the dictionary definition of an idol is an ‘icon’. While the meaning has changed a lot now, I believe we must possess the elements that make fans love us, beyond just grooming our looks and dressing well. If <Fantasia> just sways back and forth without a spine, if we have nothing we want to show the fans, who will find <Fantasia> charming? Who could love <Fantasia>?”

 

“…….”

 

“Moving as the company decides might be more efficient, and I can’t say that’s the wrong answer, but I want the fans to look at <Fantasia>, not our agency.”

 

Jegal Hwi tried to counter immediately, but I spoke faster.

 

“Of course!”

 

“…….”

 

“I think Jegal hyung’s point is valid as well.”

 

“…….”

 

“We are idols, not artists. If we keep working hard, maybe one day we’ll reach that boundary between the two. But I don’t think crossing that line would do us any favors. I did say before that I wanted to tell our story in our own voice… but I wasn’t talking about becoming artists.”

 

“…….”

 

“I’m saying that even if the company catches ‘artist disease,’ we shouldn’t.”

 

“…….”

 

“The essence of <Fantasia> is….”

 

“…….”

 

“Idols.”

 

“…….”

 

“That’s what I think.”

 

“…….”

 

“And as for where that boundary should be…”

 

“…….”

 

“I think our Haejun hyung will be able to handle that.”

 

“Wait… what?”

 

“I trust Haejun hyung.”

 

At my words, the other members chimed in.

 

“Me too….”

 

“Same here.”

 

“I do too, Haejun hyung.”

 

As the atmosphere grew warm and encouraging, I gave Kim Haejun a thumbs-up to show my support.

 

However….

 

His face looked even paler than before.

 

Furthermore….

 

Even after arriving at the dorm, and the next day, and the day after that, while each of our solo appearances aired, and even now, on the brink of the final battle….

 

Even in a situation where winning #1 was almost a certainty….

 

His face remained deathly pale.

 

‘Come on… cheer up. We’re… we’re going to accept an award. At least smile a little, Haejun hyung.’

 

He continued to wear the expression of a death row inmate being dragged to the gallows—or more accurately, a slave being dragged into an experimental laboratory.