Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 161

I didn’t know if my choice was right or wrong, but it was an undeniable fact that the <Wizard> had to disappear from this spot as quickly as possible.

 

And no one understood that fact more than the <Wizard> standing beside me. Since he wasn’t an idiot to begin with, he clearly realized that he was sabotaging everything. Seeing him whimpering like a puppy that needed to go outside, I couldn’t help but realize my choice was correct.

 

He knew he was being a nuisance—or more precisely, that he was throwing cold water on a successful event. That bastard….

 

‘No. Let’s not… let’s not get angry. Dammit… No. Don’t curse, stay calm.’

 

Maybe, in his own way, he’d genuinely been trying his hardest.

 

‘Right. That’s possible.’

 

Even now, he kept glancing at me to check my reactions, so it was likely true. He might have entered a semi-panic state due to the unfamiliar environment. Even though he tried to watch and mimic how the other members moved, his body probably wouldn’t follow his commands.

 

That was likely the case. I hadn’t seen exactly what kind of environment his original parallel world was, but since it was a world where war was a daily occurrence, this situation must be bewildering for him. Unlike Joo Wooyoung, Jegal Hwi, or myself, who had experienced this world with our own skin for six months….

 

‘Strictly speaking, he….’

 

He had only been having indirect experiences from within Kim Haejun’s consciousness, so it was natural for him to act like this.

 

‘Just look at him.’

 

“…….”

 

“Mr. Haejun? Are you okay? Can you keep going?”

 

“Pardon? Ye… yes…?”

 

“Mr. Haejun? Mr. Haejun?”

 

“Ye… yes?”

 

He couldn’t even give a proper answer to the staff member asking him, only maintaining a grave expression. I had no idea how he even managed to speak to me earlier. His current state made me wonder if he had ever engaged in communication in his life.

 

‘This guy… he’s driving me crazy. What, did he just spend his whole life shut inside a room chanting spells before coming here?’

 

His face clearly showed he wanted to escape this situation. Like the real Haejun when he heard about the full album, he had ‘escape’ written all over his eyes. At the same time, he hadn’t completely lost his grasp on reality, as he looked at me with an expression seeking agreement on whether it was okay to leave like this. There was even visible anxiety on his face, as if he feared he’d already caused irreparable harm to the original Kim Haejun.

 

He seemed to be debating if toughing it out was the better option, but….

 

‘No. No. Don’t tough it out. F*ck. Don’t endure it, just disappear quickly.’

 

“…….”

 

‘Just leave. Nothing good will come from forcing yourself to stay.’

 

I had no choice but to conclude that leaving now was the right answer before a bigger problem erupted.

 

‘I mean, it’s true. How are you going to handle the talk segment after the signing is over?’

 

“…….”

 

‘And after that… what are you going to do then?’

 

A performance was scheduled after the talk. I didn’t believe for a second that a guy who struggled just to talk to fans could rap and sing. If his codename were <Sword Master> or <Assassin>, he might have been able to at least mimic the choreography he’d glimpsed, but unfortunately, his codename was <Wizard>. How could a guy who only read books in a corner move his body properly?

 

‘And… the rap? Can you even rap? Are you going to tear up the stage with rap by putting in a ton of diction like you’re chanting a spell? Do you chant spells with a flow like you’re rapping? Obviously not.’

 

There was a chance the real Kim Haejun would wake up in the middle, but waking up during a performance would be its own problem. No matter what happened, he’d probably end up giving a lifeless performance, get caught on camera, and spark a controversy.

 

Furthermore….

 

‘Don’t you see Joo Wooyoung and Jegal Hwi? Do you want to get exorcised by Joo Wooyoung?’

 

No matter how I looked at it, there wasn’t a single scenario where <Wizard> staying here was the right choice. Since the tug-of-war had gone on long enough, I finally got up. Naturally, the staff wanted Kim Haejun to stay, but I couldn’t let that happen.

 

“Um… Hyung… could you please take Haejun hyung inside to rest? He’s been very sick since this morning.”

 

“Ah….”

 

“Please. Okay?”

 

Once the words were out, <The World> had no other choice, since they had to show the fans they cared about their artist’s health. In the end, Kim Haejun was escorted away by the guards and staff. The other members watched him go with worried eyes.

 

I saw Joo Wooyoung, who shared a room with him, flinch. He looked like he wanted to follow him into the waiting room and chant a healing spell, but fortunately, he seemed to realize he couldn’t leave his spot.

 

‘Right. If you leave too, then we’ll really have a disaster.’

 

The murmuring fans were probably another reason he stayed put. Voices like ‘Haejun? Are you okay?’ or ‘Haejun, are you in a lot of pain? What do we do?’ were drifting through the air.

 

‘No! Haejun!’, ‘You aren’t that sick, right? Right?’ Seeing Kim Haejun weakly waving his hand, it seemed he was gaining sympathy votes. I realized once again that my judgment was the correct answer.

 

‘F*ck… seriously….’

 

In the meantime, one of the <The World> staff members grabbed the mic and addressed the fans. It was a standard apology to the <Aether> who had come for the fan meeting.

 

“…….”

“…….”

 

Next was my turn and the members’ turn.

 

‘This part is just as important.’

 

It was time for us to do everything we could to salvage the situation.

 

“You must’ve been really surprised, noona. I’m sorry.”

 

“No, no, no… But Unha, is Haejun really that sick?”

 

“Yeah. I think he’s in pretty bad shape. Actually, he’s been unwell since this morning. But don’t worry too much. He’ll be fine after a little rest.”

 

“Really? That’s a relief.”

 

“Did you come here to see Haejun hyung? Aww… what should we do? He’s not here anymore…”

 

“It’s a shame, but it’s okay.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Mmm… because I came to see our Unha?”

 

“Ah… what! Why would you say that? You’re making my heart flutter!”

 

“Hahahahahaha!”

 

“Where should I sign for you?”

 

“Right here.”

 

“Ah, this photo turned out great, didn’t it? I like this one too. I like the mask version.”

 

“Mm-hmm. Actually, I became your fan back during Idol Classism, when you played the Dark Mage.”

 

“Ah, when I performed with Wooyoung hyung, Taeyeol hyung, and Yohan hyung?”

 

“Yeah! By the way, are you still in touch with the other members?”

 

“Yes! Yes! we even have a group chat.”

 

“Oh, really? Yohan too?”

 

“Yes. Yohan hyung is… in it too… Hey! Noona! Why are you talking about Yohan hyung while you’re talking to me! Don’t tell me…”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Was Yohan Hyung your bias in Idol Classism? Am I just a substitute for him?”

 

“Hahahahahaha! No! Of course our Unha is my favorite!”

 

‘I’m glad she’s a pleasant person.’

 

The frozen atmosphere in the hall seemed to be thawing slightly. More than anything, hearing laughter again was what I appreciated most.

 

“Oh, I have something to ask. Unha, if you could swap concepts with the other members, which one would you want to try? Parts included.”

 

“I’d pick Wooyoung hyung’s! I like the Paladin, and I love his parts too.”

 

“Ahhh. I see? I knew it.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Ah, it’s over already? See you next time!”

 

“Yes! Thank you. You have to stay my fan! Even if Yohan hyung debuts, you’re not allowed to switch over to him!”

 

“Hahahahahaha!”

 

The fans after her were the same.

 

‘Wow… these people are… for real…?’

 

At first, I thought all the pleasant people were just clustered at the end… but now it seemed that wasn’t it. In a fansign missing one member, I realized I wasn’t the only one making an effort.

 

“Unha, it’s hard, isn’t it!”

 

“No! It’s not hard at all!”

 

“Okay, first let me show you this… Wait, and this too… No, no, that’s not what I should be doing. You must’ve been really shocked. How’s Haejun? Is he seriously sick?”

 

“He’s been sick since this morning. We decided to push through because he said he felt a bit better in the middle, but I think he got worse. Sniff….”

 

“Ah, I knew it. I’ve been watching him and his expression was so bad. People were already talking about it.”

 

“I feel like it’s my fault. Haejun hyung told me not to tell anyone… so I kept quiet.”

 

“No! How is that Unha’s fault!”

 

“Oh… but for some reason, I feel like I’m the one being comforted. I-instead of this, we need to talk! This is your time, noona. We really don’t have much left!”

 

“Ah, right. Me. Do this for me… the photo! The photo too! And I want you to make eye contact with me. Staring into each other’s eyes! A staring contest!”

 

“Ah, yes!”

 

“Hurry! Hurry! Ah… ah! And! Ideal type! What’s your ideal type!”

 

“Someone like you, noona! Kind, likes me, and is considerate of others!”

 

“Huh?”

 

“See you next time, then! noona! You have to come find me again!”

 

“Uh… uh!… Uh… yeah!”

 

The fans were being considerate of the members, and the members were being considerate of the fans. I saw members being comforted after being startled by the sudden situation, and many fans worrying about Kim Haejun together.

 

It struck me again…

 

‘So this is why everyone says fans are important.’

 

To put it clearly, I felt like they were on our side. Even though we weren’t literally working together, there was a sense of camaraderie between us. It felt very reassuring. To exaggerate a little, it almost felt like we were all in the same boat. I thought that if we handled the remaining schedule smoothly, today’s incident might just become a minor mishap.

 

Of course….

 

That wasn’t going to happen.

 

Because the scariest people, once they’d turned away were the fans themselves…

 

I’d already learned that from countless examples.

 

‘It’s already up?’

 

As soon as the successful—-if you could call it that—-fansign ended, I saw reviews about Kim Haejun appearing on my phone. Since the fansign had concluded in such a good atmosphere, I thought maybe nothing would happen….

 

But apparently, it wasn’t meant to be. Looking at the astronomical view counts and number of comments, I didn’t even dare to click.

 

[Title: I’ve been a Kim Haejun fan since TOP9… but I went to the Fantasia fansign today and my mood was ruined because of him. Long post warning, photos included]

[Author: Haeju] [Views: 11,421] [Comments: 442]

 

[Title: Kim Haejun fansign attitude controversy]

[Author: Anon] [Views: 9,221] [Comments: 124]

 

[Title: Is it true Kim Haejun ignores his fans?]

[Author: Anon] [Views: 1,121] [Comments: 24]

 

The entire community was heating up.