Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 177

‘Kim Haejun… Is Kim Haejun seriously a nutcase?’

 

There was no way a simple sentence like ‘I was shocked’ could capture how I felt right now.

 

‘This guy… was he really a lunatic all along?’

 

The person I trusted the most had blindsided me harder than anyone else ever could. Harsh words naturally bubbled up to my throat because Kim Haejun—the one I had judged to possess the most normal mindset—had effectively stabbed me in the back.

 

The whole thing was so absurd that I couldn’t help letting out a disbelieving laugh. Even now, I still couldn’t believe the image on my phone screen.

 

‘What is <The World> even doing? Aren’t you people supposed to manage your artists? You’re really okay with your artist running wild like this? Wrong is still wrong, isn’t it?’

 

Or,

 

‘Did they actually give permission? Are they tolerating this?’

 

It certainly seemed like they were. Quite some time had already passed since the post had gone up, yet it still hadn’t been taken down. That only made my suspicion more convincing—that The World had already discussed and approved everything beforehand.

 

What happened to the plan of getting approval from Lee Unha first? Part of me wanted to burst through the doors of the planning office and find Director Gu immediately, but with the first shoot for [Zombie] coming up, there was no way I could travel that far and back.

 

Instead, I immediately pulled out my phone and called Director Gu directly to ask what on earth was going on and if the company had really decided to align itself with this [Execution] idea. After a short wait, a voice answered. Unlike my own frantic state, his voice sounded remarkably calm.

 

– Yes, Mr. Unha.

 

“Ah. Yes. Hello, Director Gu. Have you been well?”

 

– Yes. And… how’s filming going?

 

“I haven’t started yet. I had a little time before shooting started, so I thought I’d call.”

 

– I see. What can I do for you? This is rather sudden.

 

“Ah… well. It’s about… have you seen that?”

 

– To what are you referring?

 

“What else? <Execution>! <Execution>! I’m asking if you’ve seen the post!”

 

– Yes. I’ve seen it.

 

“What?”

 

– I already knew about it.

 

“What? You knew about <Execution>? You even approved the image?”

 

– Was it not your idea, Mr. Unha?

 

‘What on earth are you talking about, Director Gu?’

 

What kind of lunatic uses that as the opening shot for a full-length album? No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t normal. My mind was overflowing with things I wanted to say, but the situation was so absurd it felt as if my brain had simply shut down.

 

– Mr. Haejun told us that you reacted positively to it…

 

‘I did react positively… but I had no idea it would escalate all the way to Execution…’

 

I was completely paralyzed. My mind felt momentarily frozen, unsure of how to respond. Kim Haejun had sold me out. Well, not exactly ‘sold me out’, but I realized he had misinterpreted my earlier encouragement. He had taken that support as a free pass to do whatever he wanted.

 

‘Even so… what kind of madman just uploads something like that out of the blue? And what kind of crazy company actually approves it?’

 

When I didn’t speak for a moment, Director Gu continued.

 

– So, it wasn’t?

 

“No… well… I mean, yes, it’s true. I did react positively, but I had no idea that was the image… Have you listened to the song?”

 

– Yes. I thought the image suited the song very well.

 

“It does suit it. That’s exactly the problem—it suits it too well. But are you really okay with this?”

 

– Mmm….

 

“Is it right for the first full-length album to be <Execution>? The song itself, too. Did you not think it’s drifted too far from mainstream appeal?”

 

– <Fantasia> was a group far removed from the mainstream to begin with.

 

“That’s true, but… you said we’re entering the global market. Will that really work globally?”

 

– Predicting and analyzing every little thing is meaningless. When you look at the countless agencies and groups that spent years preparing for overseas expansion only to fail, simply chasing trends and mainstream tastes hasn’t necessarily led to success. I believe the important thing is carving out a path no one else is taking—communicating something unique and making people curious.

 

“Pardon?”

 

– There are already many artists walking similar paths. <Fantasia> must be different. And Mr. Haejun’s song… it was distinctly different. It felt unlike any track I’ve heard before. I felt that it wasn’t music made to follow a trend, but was purely his own voice. I assumed you felt the same as I did, Mr. Unha….

 

“I… I did feel something similar, but… didn’t you think it was too different? It felt like the direction of that voice was moving too far away from mainstream audiences…”

 

– It is merely an image. It’s only a draft for now, so I believe that once a clear concept is established and the visuals are refined, we can expect a more positive result.

 

“So you’re really going ahead with it? That’s the company’s stance?”

 

– The quality of the song is undeniable. And… Planning Team Leader Park Sangah was also positive about the concept and the track.

 

“Ah… no… Team Leader Park Sangah too…?”

 

Right, I remembered. The Planning Team Leader who first breathed life into <Fantasia>. Our Team Leader who created Paladin Joo Wooyoung, Dark Mage Lee Unha, Swordsman Jegal Hwi, Mage Kim Haejun, Priest Jung Taehee, Elementalist Baek Suhyeon, and Mercenary Kim Taeyeol. She was the one who turned us into other-world warriors by introducing the concept of the ‘Hidden World’.

 

Why did I suddenly feel so dizzy? What was she planning to bring to the table this time?

 

– Of course, if you say you don’t want it, Mr. Unha, I am willing to reject the song as the title track. May I ask you to persuade Mr. Haejun?

 

“How… how could I possibly persuade him….”

 

– Anyway, there’s no need to worry too much yet, Mr. Unha. Since discussions are still in the verbal stage, I can’t say exactly how, or rather, in what direction the final planning and concept will be decided.

 

“…….”

 

– For now, since we have tentatively decided to push <Execution> as the title track, I will relay the official presentation schedule to you soon as promised.

 

“…….”

 

– Do you have any other questions?

 

“…….”

 

– Mr. Unha?

 

“No. I don’t.”

 

There was no point in asking further. There wasn’t a single normal person in this company. I’d already known that, but this drove the point home once again. This company was full of lunatics.

 

‘I-Is this really okay?’

 

Director Oh, whom I thought was the most abnormal one, was starting to seem like the most normal person there.

 

“…….”

 

‘Are we really going with <Execution>?’

 

“…….”

 

‘We’re seriously doing this?’

 

The reality was so unbelievable that another incredulous laugh escaped me. Resigning myself to the situation, I logged onto SNS. As expected, a similar reaction was unfolding there.

 

“…….”

 

The timeline was flooded with question marks. Some posts were already sniffing out a connection between the image and Kim Haejun’s past with [TOP9]. But what shocked me even more was…

 

‘People are excited?’

 

There were actually people looking forward to it.

 

↔ Reposted by Reilia 20 minutes ago

[Origami Crane @PIKABU88: T_T No, I’m shaking like crazy. What on earth is this? This is definitely a spoiler for the next full album, right? It has to be!]

 

↔ Reposted by Reilia 19 minutes ago

[Kang-to @MNM110897: I remember writing a frantic post out of pure rage when <Fantasia>’s concept first came out. But why am I excited now? Why am I looking forward to this? Thinking about our kids’ faces and the costumes… my heart is already poundingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I seriously think I’m gonna have an arrhythmia ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

 

↔ Reposted by Reilia 19 minutes ago

[I-Love-Fantasia @KAZMMMMM1: Setting aside whether Haejun is targeting [TOP9] as the rumors say, I think we need to define the clear meaning of <Execution>.We don’t have enough information yet, so this is mostly speculation, but the dictionary meaning is the carrying out of a sentence or a death penalty. I’m curious who the target is. That said, using something like this as the title or centerpiece of a full-length album feels like an incredibly bold gamble…]

 

↔ Reposted by Reilia 19 minutes ago

[I-Love-Fantasia @KAZMMMMM1: It definitely feels like a concept that only Fantasia could pull off. Just like last time, it looks like they’re attempting something nobody else would dare. Let’s look at the detailed image. Considering the white font and the 9 blurred dolls, one of which has already collapsed, it looks like an incident has already occurred.]

 

↔ Reposted by Reilia 15 minutes ago

[I-Love-Fantasia @KAZMMMMM1: I speculate that this album will expand <Fantasia>’s Hidden World and deal with the events occurring there in detail. Predictably, the story of Lee Unha—the <Dark Mage>—will likely be at the center. However… it’s quite suspicious that this was revealed through Haejun’s personal SNS.]

 

↔ Reposted by Reilia 1 minute ago

[What’s Wrong 119 @DNJADKZM1: I’m freaking out. How am I supposed to wait for this? T_T They should have announced it later. Why spread this 6 months in advance and drive fans crazy? Haejun!!! I’m thankful, of course… but this is too cruel. So cruel!]

 

‘There are really this many people looking forward to it?’

 

Really?

 

‘Can people really just do whatever they want like this?’

 

There was no way. While there were positive reactions, there were also many expressions of bewilderment.

 

↔ Reposted by NoWay 1 minute ago

[NoWay @DKSLDI255: No. Not this. Don’t just do whatever you want! What is wrong with you guys… Seriously, why? You could’ve just gone with something normal…]

 

↔ Reposted by NoWay 1 minute ago

[WhatIsNot? @ANJRKDKSLDI1: Literally an unprecedented concept. Many idols have brought decadent or sexy concepts, but none have openly embraced something like <Execution>. I seriously wonder if this is the right move…]

 

↔ Reposted by NoWay 1 minute ago

[NoWay @DKSLDI255: I’m not looking down on our boys, but could they just please come out with something normal? It’s their first full album… what’s the point of distancing themselves from the general public like this? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Of course I support them but… sigh… this is all <The World>’s fault.]

 

That’s true. It is The World’s fault.

 

‘Wait… but… is it really a mistake? Is it possible… that I was wrong?’

 

Unbelievably… I could see the atmosphere shifting bit by bit. I could see the public sentiment gradually exploding. Only an hour had passed, yet the picture unfolding before me was completely different from what I’d expected.

 

I could see the negative sentiment being swallowed by the positive. We were already on the real-time trending lists. We swept every search term; SNS, communities, everywhere was full of talk about the image Kim Haejun uploaded. On top of that, I could see TOP9 becoming part of the discussion as well.

 

Thanks to Seo Dongkwon’s scandal, people had begun revisiting the story behind Kim Haejun leaving TOP9’s debut lineup. Most of the theories were ridiculous, but this time was different. Favorable stories were circulating on our side. Normally, Kim Haejun was the one getting torn apart online, but now, public opinion was turning in his favor. Instead, TOP9 was being painted as the villain.

 

‘So this was the right answer?’

 

My jaw nearly dropped.

 

‘Seriously, this is the right move? Was… Was I too narrow-minded?’

 

It was an unbelievable reality.