Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 170

It was actually a bit bewildering because he was following my expectations so perfectly. I couldn’t believe someone could be this simple-minded, this stupid. Every one of his reactions and actions was so one-dimensional that it was almost impressive.

 

I had briefly wondered if Seo Dongkwon might actually succeed in flipping public opinion while I was away, but…

 

Looking at the call coming in now, that clearly wasn’t the case.

 

‘That would’ve been a one-in-a-million chance anyway.’

 

I’d known from the beginning that he simply wasn’t capable of something like that. To put it bluntly… Seo Dongkwon didn’t possess the intelligence required to overturn last night’s situation. Since he was drunk at the time, it was impossible for his words to gain any credibility.

 

I could vividly picture everything that had happened after I’d left the restaurant. Smelling of alcohol, he would have been rambling and making nonsensical excuses in a slurred voice, busy trying to tear Lee Unha down while the other actors sat there listening to his pathetic justifications.

 

The very fact that he’d believed such desperate excuses would actually work was baffling.

 

‘He’s the type you should never associate with.’

 

I’d always known that people who gained moderate popularity in this industry sometimes developed inflated egos thanks to their fans, but his case was a bit special. He acted as if the world revolved around him and seemed to believe he could be forgiven no matter what he did. Otherwise, there was no way he could have completely forgotten the JH incident and approached me to spout such nonsense.

 

‘Does he even think before he speaks?’

 

At that point, I decided to withdraw my earlier opinion that he’d probably adapt well to life in the laboratory and picked up my phone, which had been ringing for a while.

 

A voice I’d grown familiar with greeted me. It was Actor Kim Jonghoo, one of the witnesses last night.

 

— Unha. Do you have a minute to talk?

 

“Sniff….”

 

— Ah… Unha, are you….

 

‘Yes. I’m currently crying.’

 

— Unha… are you okay? My schedule is clear today… should I drop by?

 

‘Tears are flowing like a waterfall right now.’

 

— Unha?

 

As I continued to let out sniffling sounds over the phone, I could feel his immense concern. He clearly hadn’t expected me to still be grieving over last night’s incident.

 

— You aren’t crying right now, are you?

 

“No. I’m not crying.”

 

— What are you doing right now?

 

“I-I’m looking at the script.”

 

— Are you… sure you aren’t crying?

 

“To be honest, I cried a little. Hearing your voice just made me suddenly relax. But I’m okay now. Really.”

 

— Phew… seriously….

 

“But… what is it, hyung?”

 

— Oh? Ah… just… I called because I was worried about you. I wanted to hear your side of the story… I was a bit out of it last night too. I heard the story from that bastard… I mean, from Mr. Dongkwon… but most of it sounded like total nonsense….

 

“What did he say?”

 

— No. It’s… it’s not something that would help you to know… So, anyway… Unha, could you tell me what happened yesterday?

 

“…….”

“…….”

 

“No. I’d rather not say anything.”

 

— Why? At least….

 

“I just feel like I’d only be causing everyone trouble. I think it’s better if I just admit I was at fault and let it go. Besides, I really was at fault.”

 

— You? What did you do wrong…? Did you actually do something?

 

“I mean… it’s because I didn’t greet him properly….”

 

— What?

 

“I didn’t greet him right. I arrived latest to the reading… and I was so busy greeting the other seniors and staff that I didn’t get to greet Dongkwon sunbaenim properly. I kept telling myself I should, but I kept missing the timing… and then we went straight from the reading to the dinner, so I was a bit out of it… I guess I didn’t approach him kindly enough… I think he didn’t like that. Then he suddenly confronted me in the restroom… So it’s all my fault.”

 

— Sigh….

 

“I’m sorry… everyone must have been so flustered… I was just so… panicked yesterday….”

 

— No, what do you have to be sorry for? You don’t need to apologize, Unha. I’ve heard that bastard’s—I mean, Mr. Dongkwon’s—side, but I don’t think for a second that you’re in the wrong. The other seniors and staff feel the same way…. Don’t think of yourself as a nuisance or someone causing trouble. Everyone is worried about you.

 

“…….”

 

— And… I’m honestly beyond belief… What era does he think we’re living in? Pulling this kind of outdated seniority crap? Sigh…

 

“But it’s true he is a senior idol….”

 

— Yeah, that’s true, but he said with his own mouth that he wanted to be seen as Actor Seo Dongkwon, not Beta of TOP9. That’s why I’m saying this. You’re both rookie actors here… and what? If this were a music show stage, fine, maybe I’d concede and let it slide… but no matter how I think about it, this isn’t right. I don’t know about others, but I don’t want these kinds of problems on our set. Unha, I’ll handle this somehow….

 

“No! No! Please don’t do that!”

 

— What? What do you think I’m going to do?

 

“No… please don’t! I really don’t want that! Please don’t!”

 

— Phew… seriously… Being too kind can be a disadvantage…. No… it’s not my place to say that to you. Anyway, I get the gist of it, Unha.

 

“Hyung?”

 

— I’ll say it again… don’t take it to heart too much… You seem to think you’re being a burden or ruining the atmosphere. I want to tell you there’s absolutely no need to think that way… and… well… the truth is… these things happen all the time on film sets.

 

“Yes….”

 

— It’s the same whether you’re young or old. People get jealous, they show their ugly sides, and when you’re stuck together for a long time, personal feelings pile up. Trouble is bound to happen. Even I’ve been through it… it just wasn’t made public.

 

“Ah. Really?”

 

— Yeah. Of course, I can’t compare your case to mine, but… whew… anyway, I’ll try my best to make sure the filming is as comfortable as possible for you.

 

“Thank you, hyung.”

 

— Part of me wants to… no, if I had the authority, I’d fire him on the spot. Or maybe the actors should start a group boycott? Hmm?

 

“Ah. No! You can’t do that!”

 

— Hahahaha. Oh, I’m joking. It’s just a joke. Don’t worry….

 

It didn’t sound like a joke. No, it was definitely not a joke. It had only been for a moment, but he’d sounded completely serious.

 

— Take care of yourself, and I’ll see you on set.

 

His voice actually sounded a bit cold at the end.

 

‘He’s angry.’

 

It was obvious that he’d already developed a poor opinion of Seo Dongkwon. You could even call it prejudice at this point. If Actor Kim Jonghoo acted like this….

 

‘Grandpa Byeon probably won’t even look at him.’

 

The probability was high that he’d be in Director Choi’s bad books as well. Oh, and since Actress Yoo Aran and the Writer also thought highly of me, public opinion on that side wouldn’t be great either.

 

‘Is Dongkwon really going to get fired?’

 

“…….”

 

‘No, that’s probably unlikely.’’

 

The odds of him suddenly being removed from Zombie were slim. As Kim Jonghoo said, all sorts of things happened on sets.In fact, what Kim Jonghoo described was mild compared to reality. There were cases where grown adults got into fistfights and sometimes even worse things happened.

 

‘You can’t just keep firing actors every time something happens.’

 

Unless someone caused a major public scandal or seriously damaged the production itself, it wasn’t common for contracted actors to be dismissed. Furthermore, since the guy was from a major agency, the chances of him not being fired skyrocketed.

 

Unless things progressed several steps further, it felt like there was no way to get rid of him other than him quitting on his own out of exhaustion.

 

‘No matter how stupid he is… after getting burned this badly, he’ll probably keep his head down for a while.’

 

“…….”

 

‘His company will tell him to behave….’

 

“…….”

 

‘And considering I need to continuously provoke Kim Haejun….’

 

“…….”

 

‘Maybe it’s actually better if we keep working together.’

 

I was just thinking that everything was flowing as naturally as water, despite the fairly large accident. Without really thinking, I glanced down at my phone.

 

I realized a situation I hadn’t anticipated was unfolding.

 

‘What… what is this?’

 

My eyes widened as I checked the screen. A bewildering article was gracing the headlines.

 

[[TOP9] Beta’s ‘Outspoken Remark’ causing a stir. ‘Hubaes these days have no manners’. A targeted attack on <Fantasia>’s Lee Unha?]

 

‘What… is this?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Is this real?’

 

“…….”

 

‘He… what… he blew this up on his own?’

 

“…….”

 

[[TOP9] Beta’s ‘Outspoken Remark’ causing a stir. ‘Hoobaes these days have no manners’. A targeted attack on <Fantasia>’s Lee Unha?] [Entertainment News, Reporter Lee Hyein]

 

[Entertainment News] Reporter Lee Hyein = [TOP9]’s Beta is a hot topic after publicly criticizing a junior idol.

On the 15th, Beta posted on his personal SNS and the fan communication platform [GIFT], stating, ‘Hubaes these days have no manners’ and ‘They ignore their seniors just because they make a lot of money’.

Since Beta is confirmed to have finished the script reading for Jackflix’s blockbuster drama [Zombie] on the 14th, speculation is growing that the junior he was referring is <Fantasia>’s Lee Unha. Meanwhile, <Fantasia>’s agency, <The World>, has yet to release a statement.

 

‘I mean… what kind of statement are we supposed to release?’

 

He was a lunatic. The guy who posted this on his story and a fan platform out of the blue was a lunatic, and the one who wrote an article about it was definitely a lunatic too.

 

[<Fantasia> Lee Unha. After causing a stir with his appearance fee, now embroiled in an insubordination controversy. Noise surrounding Jackflix blockbuster [Zombie] before it even begins.] [Munhwa Today, Reporter Jo Donggil]

 

‘What kind of article is this? When did I cause a stir with my fee? And what ‘insubordination’?’

 

After going quiet for a while, the online communities had finally found fresh prey. I knew he wasn’t in his right mind and that his intelligence was low, but I realized Seo Dongkwon’s IQ and social skills were even lower than I had imagined.

 

‘No… wow… this guy… is he for real?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Is his intelligence really this low? Did he actually think this would work? Or was he just drunk, got angry, and posted it without thinking?’

 

The articles had only just been published, yet the comments were already pouring in. Since I knew public opinion toward Lee Unha had worsened due to the appearance fee controversy, I didn’t expect any positive reactions. My name was likely being dragged through the mud.

 

It was then. I heard the sound of a door opening.

 

Turning my gaze, I saw Kim Haejun, who had been keeping quiet in the studio all this time, approaching me with a dark expression.

 

“Is this true, Unha?”

 

‘Wait, he’s angry too….’

 

“Everything this Seo Dongkwon bastard said… it’s all a lie, right?”

 

‘You’re scary, Haejun hyung.’

 

His face was twisted with fury, exactly as I’d expected.

 

“That son of a bitch.”