Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 159

“To explain the situation in more detail—and the nightmares Kim Haejun occasionally has… it seems he frequently encounters scenarios where the album he worked on performs poorly, leading to criticism from the public or being shunned by the members. Specifically, he often imagines being told that you, Lee Unha, are disappointed in him… and being left all alone.”

 

“…….”

 

“I recall other scenes as well, but he has so many thoughts that it’s difficult to specify exactly what emotions he’s harboring. As you might expect, they are mostly negative.”

 

“…….”

 

“Physical changes accompanied by panic attacks occur occasionally as well. Things like trembling hands and feet or irregular breathing. These thoughts visit him most often when he goes to bed, and because of that, he hasn’t been able to get proper rest.”

 

“Then… from your perspective… do you think Haejun hyung will get better?”

 

“I cannot be sure. I am someone who lived a life far removed from what the Kim Haejun of this era does… I do believe that he and I were born with fundamentally similar dispositions, but our environments were so different that calling us the same person wouldn’t really be appropriate.”

 

“…….”

 

“To be honest, it is impossible for me to fully understand him. In my world, things like ‘idols’ didn’t even exist. No, it was a world where the entertainment industry—singers and such—failed to develop. You either entered the Tower, or you didn’t….”

 

“…….”

 

“You lived, or you died. It was one of the two. Do you have any other questions?”

 

“I do. This time, it’s about the frequency.”

 

“It used to be intermittent. However, it is now happening very frequently. The duration of time I possess his body is gradually increasing. At first, it was a few seconds. You… likely remember.”

 

“Ah.”

 

“Yes. When there was that scuffle in the waiting room of the music broadcast, I took ownership of the body for a brief moment. When this phenomenon first occurred, it was for a time that could be called a mere instant, but as Kim Haejun’s condition worsened, it grew longer. Next, it was dozens of seconds, then dozens of minutes. Currently… 33 minutes and 30 seconds have passed.”

 

This was not a good situation.

 

No, it was more serious than I had thought.

 

It felt like working on the album wasn’t what was important right now.

 

‘Shouldn’t he just take a hiatus at this rate?’

 

I knew Kim Haejun was backed into a corner, but I didn’t think it would be this severe. Maybe I was jumping to conclusions, but it honestly felt like he was on the verge of completely breaking down. The faces of those who had mentally collapsed in the laboratory and become empty shells flashed through my mind. That alone said everything.

 

The fact that the time the <Wizard> spent occupying the body was getting longer was also a problem.

 

“So. Right now… it’s not that you’re holding onto Kim Haejun. It’s that Kim Haejun is unable to regain his senses?”

 

“Yes. That is correct.”

 

It wasn’t a few seconds or a few minutes. Kim Haejun was blacking out for an absurdly long time. Considering that Haejun’s issues hadn’t been resolved yet, Joo Wooyoung or Jegal Hwi would eventually realize what was happening.

 

Anxiety also crept into my mind. I’d gotten involved in helping this guy for no reason, and Joo Wooyoung or Jegal Hwi might use it against me. After all, wasn’t I already in a precarious position where I could be labeled a threat for the slightest mistake?

 

I had confirmed that Joo Wooyoung wanted to protect me from Jegal Hwi, but there was no telling how long that would last. I didn’t want to be grouped together with this guy and treated like a villain.

 

Unfortunately, abandoning him now wasn’t an option. Strictly speaking, I was in a position where I couldn’t abandon either the S-Rank Hunter codenamed <Wizard> or Kim Haejun.

 

‘They’re both… too valuable.’

 

One was a mage-class, and the other was a pillar of <Fantasia>. Specifically, the fact that this version of Kim Haejun was a mage was the reason I couldn’t abandon this <Wizard>.

 

I couldn’t fully trust the <Wizard> yet, but if it became certain that he had no intention of being hostile toward us, his value would rise astronomically. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was the only being with any clue about this incomprehensible phenomenon.

 

It wasn’t that I was looking down on the two physical fighters resting back at the dorm, but honestly, I couldn’t imagine those two—who solved everything with spears and swords—being able to understand or research something like this.

 

‘Right… Honestly, aside from my admiration for Joo Wooyoung… what could he actually do in this case…?’

 

But the person standing before me was different.

 

Take his sudden question just now, for example.

 

“Excuse me for a moment, Mr. Unha. May I ask a different kind of question?”

 

“What?”

 

“I apologize for interrupting while discussing Kim Haejun… but when did you cross over to this place?”

 

“About six months before Idol Classism began.”

 

“It may be a coincidence… but that’s similar to me.”

 

“…….”

 

“My apologies. I have a personality that cannot withstand curiosity. Well then, back to the story of Kim Haejun….”

 

See? He was a completely different type.

 

He was nothing like Joo Wooyoung, who was focused only on becoming an idol, or Jegal Hwi, whose thoughts were impossible to read. Because he thought too much, he seemed to do a lot of strange things, but as a partner to solve this puzzle with, he was more than qualified.

 

Honestly, if I could trust him completely—if Lee Unha and the <Wizard> were in a state of total mutual trust—I would have poured out all the doubts inside me right now. Things like….

 

‘Are you receiving quests too?’

 

Or,

 

‘Did you come here because of Joo Wooyoung too?’

 

Or,

 

‘Do you know anything about the Dark Mage?’

 

I let out a long sigh as I looked at him. Thinking about it once more, I felt I had no choice but to carry this burden with me.

 

“Then let’s go back to talking about Haejun hyung. Have you ever had any direct or indirect contact with him?”

 

“No. I have never made contact. It likely isn’t even possible. I thought about leaving a note, but I judged the timing was poor… no, wait.”

 

“…….”

 

“It’s time for me to go back.”

 

“Ah.”

 

“The other Kim Haejun is waking up.”

 

“Wait—”

 

“I’ll… leave the rest… to you….”

 

There was no warning. Yet his condition began to change in a way that was obvious even to the naked eye. The S-Rank Hunter codenamed <Wizard> disappeared, and the person before me returned to the Kim Haejun I knew.

 

His appearance itself hadn’t changed.

 

He still had that somewhat cold-looking—or rather, chic-looking—expression, but the eyes staring back at me were completely at odds with that impression. The eerie eyes I’d seen when <Wizard> was in control—more accurately, that unnatural gleam—were nowhere to be found.

 

At a glance, he looked like someone with an intimidating presence, but this was undoubtedly Kim Haejun, the one whose mentality was more fragile than anyone else’s. The Kim Haejun who tried so hard to act tough.

 

“Uh… Unha?”

 

“…….”

 

“Unha.”

 

“Yes, Haejun hyung.”

 

“Huh? Uh… what?”

 

He looked visibly flustered. Well, if he’d blacked out for a few seconds—or even a few dozen seconds—that would have been one thing, but if there was a memory gap this large, anyone would be shaken.

 

“What’s wrong, Haejun hyung?”

 

“Ah… no… it’s not that. What… what was I doing?”

 

“Oh, come on! Stop joking. You… you asked me to go for a short walk.”

 

“Ah… oh. Did I? Ah… right, I did.”

 

He seemed to accept it, or rather, he was forcing himself to accept it.

 

“B-But, what were we talking about?”

 

“The acting project I’m going to do.”

 

“Ah. Ri… right.”

 

“I’m still deciding. I’ve narrowed it down to two final candidates. One is a zombie piece, and the other is a psychopathic killer role, but I think the latter’s character is just too intense, so I’m leaning toward the zombie one.”

 

‘This guy is in real trouble. What am I going to do?’

 

“Ah. They both sound like… good roles.”

 

“What about you, hyung?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“How have you been lately?”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I… I’m okay.”

 

“…….”

 

“I haven’t started working yet. The company asked if they could listen to the songs I’ve worked on so far… so I just sent them the files. Some are a bit old, so I don’t know if they’ll fit the trend… Phew… maybe at least one of them could make it onto the B-side tracks.”

 

“Ah! Really?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You’ve written a ton of songs, haven’t you?”

 

“I have written quite a few…”

 

“Then… maybe one could even become the title track.”

 

“A title… uh…? Uh… that would be nice. More importantly, Unha.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“When exactly did I ask you to go for a walk?”

 

His face looked anxious.

 

I felt like things had become even more serious.

 

‘No. How can you just leave him like this? That bastard <Wizard>… if he leaves things like this, Kim Haejun’s going to think he’s sleepwalking or something.’

 

No, it was definitely serious.

 

There were still promotions left. There was no guarantee that <Fantasia> wouldn’t continue promoting even while preparing the album. If Kim Haejun were to suddenly shut down during a filming, it would be a disaster of epic proportions.

 

‘I have to fix this somehow as soon as possible. This won’t do. This… this needs close-contact management. Right. I’ll stay stuck to him all day for the time being. At least until we start filming, forget Joo Wooyoung or Jegal Hwi, I’ll only stick to this guy. I’ll focus on his mental care and raise him like a delicate little sunfish.’

 

That was the conclusion I reached.

 

Of course, the world never goes as planned.

 

I figured an accident might happen eventually and that I should prepare for it…. But I never imagined an accident would explode at the long-awaited fan signing event.

 

***

 

“It’s been a while! Haejun! Do you remember me?”

 

“…….”

 

“Ah… yeah… I remember.”

 

He looked like he didn’t remember at all.

 

The S-class Hunter <Wizard>, looking extremely flustered, was sitting next to me.

 

“Could you do a ‘heart’ for me?”

 

“…….”

 

“Ah… a heart… uh… a heart is….”

 

“…….”

 

“Then a different pose….”

 

“Ah… yes. That… yes… how… does one do that?”

 

A madman with dead fish eyes, looking as if he already had a severe case of Artist Disease, was sitting right next to me. When bewilderment was added to the unique look in his eyes… It genuinely made him look like he had the eyes of a dead fish.

 

A wave of panic was rising from the soles of my feet.