Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 168

‘What did I just see?’

 

“…….”

 

‘The more I think about it, the more unbelievable it is.’

 

“…….”

 

Even though the script reading had ended quite a while ago, the absurdity of what I’d witnessed still hadn’t worn off. The more I replayed it in my head, the more it made me let out a disbelieving laugh.

 

‘Is it actually possible for a human to have this little shame?’

 

His way of thinking was fundamentally different from that of normal people. I knew that kind of mindset was common among abusers, but seeing such an extreme example in real life left me genuinely speechless.

 

‘So a lunatic like this existed here, too, not just in the other world?’

 

No—in fact, he was even worse than the one I’d met there.

 

‘Lucas.’

 

That was the face that immediately came to mind the moment I witnessed his antics upon arriving at the scene.

 

‘Yeah. He acts exactly like him.’

 

He belonged to the same breed as Seo Dongkwon. Weak to the strong and strong against the weak. Humans were animals whose personalities and temperaments changed slightly depending on the situation they were in, but the Seo Dongkwon I saw and the Lucas from the other world shared that exact common denominator.

 

No, it wasn’t just a feeling. Anyone could tell at a glance that the attitude he showed JH was completely different from the way he treated Lee Unha—or the actors gathered at the dinner.

 

Aside from Joy, the slave who provided entertainment, Lucas was one of the few other slaves favored by the Master. He wagged his tail enthusiastically whenever he was around the Master, and he sucked up just as eagerly to any slave who looked higher-ranking than himself. Since Joy and I had practically competed for first place in the Master’s affection—or rather, that insane dark mage’s—I had never been bullied by Lucas, but…

 

‘He was truly vicious.’

 

He had mercilessly tormented the other slaves after they fell out of the Master’s favor. Always pushing right up to the line without quite crossing it, his methods were so malicious that even I, someone who usually kept out of other slaves’ affairs, ended up telling him off more than once.

 

Even that madman Lucas had a shred of self-reproach. He was a real piece of work, and I thought of him as someone I should never associate with, but even he was a human who recognized what he had done wrong and what was wrong with himself.

 

I still remembered him trying to justify his actions, claiming that the terror of Paradise and the constant pressure of having to remain the Master’s favorite just to survive had forced him to vent his stress somehow. I even remembered how he couldn’t bring himself to meet the eyes of the slaves he’d bullied.

 

In the end, I remembered him collapsing while sobbing out apologies before being thrown into a pit of living black flames, screaming in agony. And I remembered climbing down to retrieve his corpse.

 

‘Damn it.’

 

I could still recall the screams, the acrid smoke, the smell of burning rotten filth, and his entirely charred body.

 

With that in mind, Seo Dongkwon seemed even worse than that madman Lucas. He had zero awareness of what he had actually done. He fundamentally lacked any consideration for how much others might have been hurt by his actions.

 

Lee Unha wasn’t exactly a moral saint himself, but looking at the guy in front of me, I was left speechless.

 

‘Wow… in the worst possible way, you’d probably survive just fine even in that laboratory. I can guarantee it.’

 

He was exactly the sort of person you gained nothing from keeping close, and personally, a type I disliked. The only saving grace was that I didn’t need to become friends with him. From my position, I didn’t even need to bother trying to change my prejudice against him.

 

Of course, there was no need to openly antagonize him either. Lee Unha’s image was important. Just responding politely when necessary and ignoring him at other times would be enough to press his buttons.

 

In fact, that was already happening.

 

The endless script reading had finally ended, and the company dinner had begun. As soon as I offered a polite professional laugh at Grandpa Byeon’s joke and clapped enthusiastically, I noticed a pair of eyes staring at me.

 

‘What a sight.’

 

“…….”

 

‘Is he really acting like that?’

 

Anyone could see the irritation written all over his face. I didn’t know if he was the type that had to be the center of attention in everything, or if he was just annoyed that the spotlight wasn’t on him, but he looked thoroughly disgruntled.

 

Was he attaching some grand meaning to that brief, purely formal conversation we’d had earlier? Since we were both former idols, was he expecting us to pull and push each other along?

 

Just in case, I reviewed the conversation we exchanged, but I never spoke with that nuance, nor did I agree to do anything together. I never suggested we talk more at the dinner, either.

 

‘There definitely wasn’t anything like that, right?’

 

We’d just exchanged polite greetings. Had something happened between us?

 

‘Or does he just not like where he’s sitting?’

 

It was probably a combination of reasons. Unlike Lee Unha, who naturally joined the main group and was sitting with the director, writer, the veteran actors, and the lead cast, Dongkwon was seated far away and seemed displeased about it.

 

Eventually everyone would start mixing together as the evening went on anyway, but instead of paying attention to the people around him, he looked like his ears were constantly tuned toward our table. Meanwhile, he kept pouring alcohol down his throat.

 

‘Is he disappointed in himself because the reading ended late today because of him? But why the hell is he glaring at me?’

 

I knew he was a strange guy, but he was even weirder than I thought. Maybe it was the alcohol, but it felt like his trigger button had already been pressed.

 

As I was thinking about the commonalities between Lucas and this guy, I heard the voices of the actors, which had now become familiar.

 

“So, Unha. How was your first script reading today?”

 

“Ah. It was really great! I think I was able to focus even better than usual.”

 

“True. Looking at you today, our Actor Lee… you looked even more focused than last time. Hahahahahaha!”

 

“What does that mean, oppa?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Didn’t you say ‘last time’?”

 

“…….”

 

“When did you guys do a script reading without me?”

 

“Ah. We gathered briefly at Byeon sunbaenim’s house yesterday to rehearse together.”

 

“Is that true, oppa?”

 

“Mmm… it came up in our group chat, [Ten-Million-Actor Diner]. Since Unha’s schedule was open and his agency gave permission, we met up for a bit. Not for long… just briefly.”

 

“What? No fair! Why wasn’t I invited? And you promised to invite me to the group chat! Besides… if you were looking at the [Zombie] script, you should have invited me too.”

 

“It’s a group chat for the Diner cast… and besides, it happened because Unha’s schedule suddenly cleared and his agency allowed it. It wasn’t that long. Maybe two hours?”

 

‘What’s with these people now?’

 

“Anyway, Mr. Unha, let’s practice the script together too. Just us, without the seniors….”

 

“Hey. What are you talking about? Our Unha is an idol. You’re already close in age, and if he spends time alone with a hugely popular actress… imagine the rumors…”

 

“What do you mean we’re close in age? There’s a seven-year gap! And Mr. Unha’s still a minor! It’s… it doesn’t really matter. Don’t you agree, Mr. Unha?”

 

“I can’t.”

 

“Huh? Why not?”

 

“I just can’t.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Anyway, I can’t. <Aether> won’t like it.”

 

“Hahahahahahahaha!”

 

“Hahahahahahahahahaha!”

 

“Hahahahahahaha!”

 

“Pwahahahahahahaha!”

 

“Unha really is a natural-born idol… You know what? He supposedly didn’t even want to join this drama at first.”

 

“Pardon? Why?”

 

“Why do you think? He said it would interfere with <Fantasia>’s activities… The company practically had to beg him to take the role. If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t even be acting right now.”

 

“No way! What are you talking about? Mr. Unha’s meant to be an actor…”

 

“We said that over and over too. But it was useless. That’s how important <Fantasia>’s activities are to him.”

 

“Ah… if that’s the case, there’s nothing we can do… but you’ll keep doing acting projects, right?”

 

“If… if I have time?”

 

“Hahahahahaha.”

 

“Hahahahahahaha!”

 

Even as laughter bloomed around the table, one corner remained oppressively gloomy. As the night wore on, that gloomy atmosphere only grew heavier. Even as people moved beyond the initial laughing and chatting to serious discussions about acting, the script, and the project over a few drinks, the area where Seo Dongkwon was sitting remained dark.

 

In fact, he was the one making it that way.

 

‘What did the people sitting with you ever do to deserve this?’

 

Was it because we were all having too much fun over here? No, not really. The leads mostly stayed at their own table, but people naturally began gathering with actors they already knew.

 

“I mean… acting is… that’s what I think… this… sometimes when I see Unha act… you know… he acts as if he’ll die if he doesn’t…”

 

“You’re drunk, oppa.”

 

“No, no. Really… yeah. It’s just because you haven’t seen Unha act properly yet, Aran. That’s why he fits this character perfectly… I mean, all the characters in [Zombie] are people who don’t know when they’ll die. Maybe that’s why the Director too… ugh… I’m dizzy. Ah. Wait, I’m going out for a smoke.”

 

“Ah. Okay.”

 

It was that kind of vibe. As people heading out to smoke kept leaving, others filled the empty seats, cycling through until naturally everyone involved in the project ended up talking to each other. Despite this structure….

 

That guy remained alone.

 

‘Seriously, pay attention to the people around you first.’

 

Did he not even notice the veteran supporting actors, or did he think they were beneath his level? Even the voices of actors comforting him about his mistakes in the earlier script reading couldn’t dissolve that solitude.

 

Just in case, I stood up subtly….

 

‘What?’

 

He suddenly stood up too.

 

As I moved toward the bathroom, he also turned his steps toward the bathroom. I felt like I’d seen this before. Just as Joo Wooyoung had followed me during Idol Classism, this guy was following me too.

 

Same tailing.

 

Different feeling.

 

The moment we stepped into the restroom, the words that came out of his mouth were so childish I almost couldn’t believe it.

 

“I’ve held it in long enough, so let me say this… don’t you look down on your seniors a bit too much?”

 

‘What the hell are you talking about?’

 

“Huh?”

 

‘Are you drunk? Oh, this guy is indeed drunk….’

 

“Come on, isn’t it obvious? If you weren’t looking down on your senior… would you really ignore me like this?”

 

The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

“Are you… sane?”