Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 154

An oppressive silence settled over the room, one that felt like it would never be broken. Caught completely off guard, I turned my head toward Director Oh, only to find him staring back at me.

 

It was only for a brief moment, but it felt as though we’d exchanged countless words through our eyes alone. Naturally, I realized that at this very moment, Director Oh was thinking the exact same thing I was.

 

‘He’s completely lost it. Maybe he’s gone delirious.’

 

That was the exact look on his face. He believed Director Gu was running wild without a proper grasp on reality.

 

“Director Gu. I mean, I know our Artist Lee Unha is a good actor, but…”

 

He was even trying to dissuade him. Director Oh, who usually turned into a fat frog in front of a snake whenever he faced Director Gu after losing their last power struggle, was now boldly challenging Director Gu’s grand delusions.

 

“No. Director Oh, there is no reason not to proceed with this project right now.”

 

“No, hold on. You need to explain something like this more thoroughly first… Our Artist Lee Unha has to understand it too… If you suddenly start talking about ‘the world’ and all that, of course he’ll be confused. Just look at Artist Lee Unha’s expression. Does this make any sense? I mean, I know our Artist Lee Unha is a great actor, but…”

 

“This isn’t just a simple hunch. This isn’t some pie-in-the-sky fantasy. This is a conviction I feel as someone in the entertainment business, someone deeply devoted to this industry. Mr. Unha will succeed on the world stage.”

 

“No… I mean.”

 

“Please listen to me, Director Oh.”

 

However, even Director Oh seemed to be getting persuaded by the resolve in Director Gu’s voice. The more the two of them talked, the more the look in Director Oh’s eyes began to shift.

 

‘What is this? Some kind of cult? A religion or something?’

 

What scared me was that while I was still trying to process everything, the conversation was already coming to an end. In the end, even Director Oh had been completely brainwashed.

 

“Director Oh, do you really believe it’s impossible?”

 

‘Of course it’s impossible. Does that sound like common sense to you?’

 

“No, no! It’s definitely possible! Who is our ‘Actor Lee’? What’s impossible for him? Is the global stage that big of a deal? Huh?! Hollywood stars be damned—so what, are they better actors than our Actor Lee? They’re all just hype, you know, all hype. Tell me, huh?! Who among them actually knows how to act properly?!”

 

‘What’s wrong with you now? You’ve lost your mind too?’

 

Now the two of them were staring at me simultaneously.

 

Being cornered like this left me utterly flustered. Honestly, the only thing I could think was that both of them had gone insane. Of course, I knew that Lee Unha’s acting was reasonably well-regarded in the market. I was not an idiot. There was no way I could be oblivious to it.

 

There was no way I wouldn’t notice that the skills I trained for survival in the other world were being highly praised here. The fact that numerous famous directors in Korea kept sending him scripts was proof enough. Despite it being my very first project, I was receiving offers for leading roles, and some were even offering unusually high appearance fees.

 

Even that Grandpa Byeon Yongseok and other actors were rating me highly, so the thought that my acting might actually work on the public had crossed my mind for a long time. No, it would definitely work.

 

‘The PD I met during Idol Classism said so, too.’

 

“…….”

 

‘He told me to quit being an idol immediately and just act with him.’

 

There was no way all these people who had worked in the industry for so long had collectively gone crazy. While the influence of the Succubus’ Eye or the Siren’s Voice might play a part, it was an undeniable fact that Lee Unha was receiving everyone’s expectations as an actor.

 

‘But… ‘Saying it’ll conquer the world is… complete bullshit, isn’t it?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Isn’t that taking it way too far?’

 

I looked at Director Gu again. I wanted to check if he was perhaps so influenced by the Succubus’ Eye that he couldn’t snap out of it.

 

‘It doesn’t look like he’s acting this way because of a hypnotic effect.’

 

I hesitated. But I had no choice except to speak. Even I thought what I was about to say sounded ridiculous…

 

“I don’t speak English.”

 

It was the only timid way I could express that I simply couldn’t make sense of this situation.

 

“That is fine, Mr. Unha Other K-content currently trending in various countries is consumed entirely in Korean.”

 

The rebuttal came immediately.

 

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I have no intention of being an actor. I am Lee Unha, the Vitamin of the Idol Planet, born to be an idol.”

 

“You may remain an idol. In fact, you must. Our company wishes for you to remain in <Fantasia>, not to become independent as an actor.”

 

No matter what I said, it made no difference.

 

“No, I’ll be honest. I don’t think my acting will work on a global scale.”

 

“It will. It definitely will. But even if it doesn’t, what of it? Ultimately, Mr. Unha will make money, and <The World> will make money. The risk we have to take is small, while the potential return exceeds anything we can imagine. Under our current operating policy, the only thing <The World> is investing is opportunity cost.”

 

These bastards had absolutely no intention of backing down.

 

To be fair, he wasn’t wrong. As Director Gu said, the only thing Lee Unha was wasting would be time. No, actually, the term ‘wasting time’ wasn’t quite right either. I’d still be getting paid for my work, and the company would take a healthy cut along the way. Even if the overseas expansion failed, it would still add another line to my résumé, and my activities would contribute to raising <Fantasia>’s profile.

 

The only things weighing on my mind were Kim Haejun and our full-length album.

 

“If you’re worried about the full-length album, we’ll make sure you’re updated on the meeting minutes and the project’s progress in real time. If you’d like, we can even arrange for you to participate through video conferences.”

 

‘Can you read my mind or something?’

 

“Naturally, we will ensure that agendas sent by Mr. Unha are raised in official meetings.”

 

‘He’s completely cut off every possible escape route.’

 

There was no way to avoid it any longer. If anything, accepting the offer seemed like the better choice. There was nothing to gain by continuing to oppose Director Gu here. More importantly, I realized this was the perfect opportunity to tell Director Gu exactly what I wanted.

 

“…….”

“…….”

 

Once again, a quiet silence enveloped the small room. 

 

As I slowly parted my lips, I could feel both Director Gu and Director Oh staring at my mouth at the same time. Then my own voice broke the silence.

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

Director Gu nodded, and Director Oh jumped up from his seat, clenching his fists. Was he really that desperate to push me into that field?

 

“But there are conditions.”

 

“Yes, Mr. Unha.”

 

“Of course! Whatever the condition! I can grant anything our Artist Lee Unha wants! Just say the word! Just the word! Even if you ask for a private trailer every time we film, like Hollywood actors, I’ll make it happen.”

 

‘He… really does love… to talk big…’

 

“Take legal action.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You knew, didn’t you? The hate comments about Haejun hyung that have been going up since today’s live broadcast ended. Respond to every single false rumor currently spreading in the various communities without letting a single one slide. Sue them if necessary.”

 

“Yes. We were already preparing for that. I intended to look into it a bit more, but…”

 

“No. You don’t need to look further. Do it right now. Haejun hyung is the type who gets shaken more easily than he lets on. And I want to be involved in producing the full-length album too. I’m not saying I won’t focus on the project. The acting project comes first, but create opportunities for me to contribute to the album’s production as well. Like you said, besides meeting minutes, video conferences, and submitting agenda items, give me anything else I can help with. If my schedule allows, I’d even like to participate in concept meetings in person.”

 

“That is not difficult. Do you have any other conditions?”

 

“This might be a bit random, but set the comeback date to be around the same time as [TOP9].”

 

“Of course! We should! As expected of our Artist Lee Unha! Sure, we’ve got to step on those [Kingdom] guys, but we’ve got to crush [TOP9] too! The time has come to stomp them into the ground! It’s time to take over the Korean music industry! Absolutely!”

 

‘That man, seriously. Please stop. You’re just a fake madman anyway.’

 

“Then, Artist Lee Unha—no, Actor Lee—you’ve decided on the project, right? Huh? That’s it, right?”

 

‘Please stop rushing me, Director Oh.’

 

“That’s exactly what I’m going to talk about next.”

 

“What is it? What is it, Actor Lee?”

 

“You pick the project.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“And,”

 

“Y-Yes. Actor Lee.”

 

“Get me the highest appearance fee possible.”

 

“What?”

 

“The maximum. Tell them I want the absolute most they can give. Ignore all industry practices or standard fees for a first project; make sure I get as much as humanly possible. Get me enough that it makes people gasp.”

 

Both Director Gu and Director Oh visibly froze. Their expressions were impossible to describe.

 

“Do dramas pay more? I don’t care what it is, just give me enough to trigger a controversy over the pay, and I’ll do it.”

 

Director Oh was one thing, but Director Gu’s expression was striking. I wasn’t exactly having a war of nerves or a verbal spat here, but a strange sense of satisfaction from landing a blow crawled up my spine.

 

“You can do that, right? <The World> is a capable agency, after all.”

 

“Yes… well. I will do my best. For now, I will look into OTT platforms like ‘Jackflix’ rather than domestic public broadcasters or production companies. That would probably give us the best chance. It would also bring us closer to the global market. If anything, that works in our favor.”

 

“O-our Actor Lee… so you do have a greed for money? R-right! You should! Of course!!! You definitely should.”

 

“I really do want a huge appearance fee.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Finally, do some media play.”

 

“?”

“?”

 

“I want you to leak to the press that Lee Unha is making his acting debut with an outrageously high appearance fee. Don’t make it too obvious. Something subtle should be enough.”

 

“?”

“?”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“I don’t particularly recommend that. It will likely bring controversy.”

 

That was exactly what I wanted. After all, I had included that condition specifically to stir up controversy.

 

‘If someone’s going to become the hottest topic anyway, it’d be better if it’s me instead of Kim Haejun.’

 

It was a rather straightforward solution, but honestly, I couldn’t think of a better one. I’d draw all the hate toward myself. Kim Haejun’s Artist Disease controversy would be swallowed by Lee Unha’s Actor Disease controversy, disappearing before it even had a chance to gain momentum.

 

Director Gu also seemed to roughly guess what I was thinking. It was only possible because Lee Unha wasn’t afraid of hateful comments.

 

“I know. I know it’ll be controversial.”

 

“…….”

 

“But if it truly works on the global stage, won’t the controversy eventually disappear on its own?”

 

Director Gu’s expression, looking at me as if he had encountered real madness, was reflected in my eyes.