Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 182

‘Seriously… are they in their right minds?’

 

It wasn’t just Team Leader Park Sangah.

 

To my dismay, the sound of applause began to spread like a contagion. The present and the future of the Planning Division—the very people leading The World—were clapping as if they had been hypnotized. It was a situation I simply couldn’t believe.

 

I rubbed my eyes and looked again, yet it still didn’t seem real. The key personnel of a fairly large entertainment agency—these highly educated elites—were all reacting to a demon hunter that I’d blurted out on the spot… it defied all common sense.

 

‘No… what’s wrong with you people?’

 

“…….”

 

‘What’s gotten into you? Why?’

 

“…….”

 

‘They’re just humoring me, right? That’s it, isn’t it? What on earth is the problem here?’

 

I tried desperately to convince myself that this was just some kind of welcoming ritual for Lee Unha’s first strategy meeting, but it didn’t look that way at all.

 

They were taking it far too seriously, and that honestly scared me. I had no idea why everyone looked so impressed, but the applause only grew louder.

 

To make matters worse, Director Gu joined in the clapping. As if that wasn’t enough… he even muttered, ‘It’s good’.

 

I was so bewildered I didn’t know what was supposed to be good. It was so surreal I felt like I was dreaming. In the short moment I’d spaced out, they had already started discussing it among themselves.

 

“A Demon Hunter… I like it.”

 

“It fits the song’s image perfectly.”

 

“I also like that it raises a philosophical question. Instead of being fixated on the keywords of execution or capital punishment, it can actually convey a message. The question becomes whether you have to become a demon yourself in order to hunt demons. Depending on what choice Fantasia ultimately makes, it could even change the overall tone of the album. It would give the concept a lot more depth.”

 

“We should try to flesh this out more. I want to try creating some images and a concept film. We’ll keep the ‘dark’ and ‘blood’ elements as they are.”

 

“Team Leader, what do you think?”

 

“I love it! I absolutely love it! It’s insane! It’s so great! It’s… it’s just so great!”

 

That settled it. I’d already known these people were crazy, but this only confirmed it.

 

Especially Team Leader Park Sangah.

 

You could tell just by looking at the tears welling up in her eyes. If everyone else was merely pretending, then she was the real deal—a woman possessed by genuine madness.

 

Naturally, I had no choice but to steer the conversation elsewhere. At this rate, it looked like Demon Hunter was actually going to become the official concept, so I hurriedly spoke up.

 

Even though I was the one who suggested it, this was a silent scream for them not to go through with it. With the desperate hope that someone would notice my plea, I put my heart and soul into denying the words that had come out of my own mouth.

 

“Wait a minute. I know I’m the one who said it… but don’t you think the public might find this a bit too difficult?”

 

“No. Fantasia’s concept is already difficult.”

 

So they know that and they still act like this?

 

“Besides, isn’t the production schedule way too short…?”

 

“We have enough time. It’ll be tight, but I believe we can still make the deadline.”

 

Why is everyone so enthusiastic?

 

“Will the music video quality be okay?”

 

“It will be fine, Unha. Don’t worry too much! The vendor already has the models for the Other World and Fantasia, so recreating the same level of quality as last time shouldn’t be a problem. Just to be safe, I’ll talk to them first. The biggest challenge will probably be designing the appearance of the demons, so that’s what we should focus on.”

 

Why wasn’t anyone objecting? Why wasn’t a single person saying, ‘I think this will be difficult’? Why did it suddenly feel like the entire Planning Division had become united?

 

Just moments ago they had been arguing, clashing, completely unable to reach a consensus. Where had all those people gone?

 

“I understand why you’re anxious, Unha. You must feel pressured. But please trust The World. Even if we have to pour everything this company has into it, we’ll do our absolute best to bring your vision of the Demon Hunter to life.”

 

‘That’s exactly the sh*t I am worried about.’

 

I was completely at a loss. So overwhelmed that it felt like my brain had simply stopped working.

 

“Could you explain the image of the Demon Hunter you’re thinking of? Or perhaps some general information about the setting? Please, we’re counting on you.”

 

Now they were even bombarding me with questions like that.

 

I wanted to laugh them off, but I realized I’d already been cornered.

 

This wasn’t up for debate anymore.

 

They weren’t joking. In the minds of these lunatics, no other option but Demon Hunter existed anymore.

 

I had no idea where this train was heading. I was practically half-panicking myself, so I couldn’t even tell whether answering their questions was the right move.

 

Part of me wondered if I should really be explaining Demon Hunters to this group of people intoxicated by their own madness, but I had no choice. I’d already been dragged into this insane project.

 

There was no other reason.

 

The important thing was that the crazy idea had come from my own mouth.

 

‘F*ck, seriously.’

 

The fact that the keyword Demon Hunter had jumped out of my mouth was the crucial point. I was the one who provided the core keyword for this project.

 

If I couldn’t cancel it, I had no choice but to take the lead. The moment the album failed, the blame game would begin, and the arrow would naturally point at me—the one who uttered the words Demon Hunter. It was painfully obvious.

 

‘F*ck, I should have just kept my mouth shut.’

 

I even started to wonder if these Planning Division people were setting me up for social suicide. Maybe that really was their plan. Maybe this insane project simply needed someone to take the fall, and they were leading Lee Unha straight to the guillotine.

 

Sensing the crisis, I immediately began to put my brain into full gear.

 

Canceling it would be best, but if I couldn’t, then I’d have to keep building on it. At the very least, I had to make the Demon Hunter concept feel believable.

 

It wasn’t a difficult task.

 

‘I-I mean, they actually exist, after all.’

 

Yes, at least in the other world, demon hunters existed. If I added enough convincing details, maybe the concept would feel grounded enough for everyone to accept.

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

I opened my mouth, speaking with a passionate and persuasive voice. Everyone fixed their eyes on my face.

 

“They’re exactly what the name suggests—people who hunt demons.”

 

“…….”

 

“Anyone can want to become a Demon Hunter, but not everyone can actually become one. Setting aside things like undergoing harsh training or possessing superior combat skills, hunting demons comes with a massive penalty.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“The closer you get to demons, the easier it is to be influenced by them. You have to constantly fight against whispering temptations and internal impulses… Usually, those who become demon hunters are people who hate demons with every fiber of their being—like those who lost their families to them. In the end, the most important quality is their willpower.”

 

“Ah…”

 

“They wouldn’t be welcomed by the people, either. They don’t care about anything other than hunting demons. I think it would be good to portray them as beings that people need, but at the same time, fear and loathe.”

 

“Does that mean people who aren’t Demon Hunters can’t kill demons?”

 

‘Why are you even asking that?’

 

“I’m not sure about that.”

 

Actually, they could. There were always irregulars in the other world.

 

Take Joo Wooyoung, for example. People like him—members of the Hero’s Party—were individuals chosen by the gods. One of Joo Wooyoung’s nicknames alone said it all: the Demon Slayer. They possessed overwhelming talent and overwhelming power. Without relying on specialized equipment forged from demon materials, he could slaughter demons through nothing but his own strength.

 

Whether they should even be called human was a bit of a gray area. The Archmage of the Hero’s Party and the Saintess both had the ability to kill demons, but even among them, Joo Wooyoung was special.

 

‘Now that I think about it…’

 

That crazy dark mage had been the same. He was special. He went beyond simply making contracts with demons or borrowing their power; he commanded them and became an object of their awe. The demon blood currently in my body was something he had procured.

 

But those were special cases. Since the vast majority of humans didn’t possess such talent or power, most Demon Hunters generally used demons’ own power against them in order to kill them.

 

As always, there had been Demon Hunters among the slaves. Whenever I returned from one of my demon-related experiments, there were always those who tried to kill me and those who screamed that I was the child of a demon.

 

The image I had of Demon Hunters was… negative.

 

Inevitably so. They were people who never truly slept, their nerves worn raw from constant exhaustion, and forever fighting auditory hallucinations. Dark circles, unkempt hair, bodies thin from starvation, pupils that looked like they weren’t focused on anything, hands that shook constantly, and lips that never stopped muttering to themselves.

 

But despite all that, they were noble. Their reasons and goals were all different, but their ends were always noble.

 

‘There was a Demon Hunter in the Hero’s Party, too.’

 

As I recalled, he had met a noble death as well. It was the catalyst for Joo Wooyoung to formally earn the nickname ‘Demon Slayer’.

 

“It’s incredibly detailed.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“It’s so detailed, it’s as if you’ve actually seen them. I think I heard somewhere that you were interested in this kind of worlbuilding…”

 

“N-No.”

 

“You did play a dark mage in Idol Classism, after all.”

 

“N-No. It’s not exactly… well… I guess, sort of.”

 

“Have you ever created your own fictional universe or something? Honestly… it almost sounds like you’ve actually visited the other world. Hahahaha.”

 

I ended the meeting by responding to the question with a laugh. I was worried about what would come of this meeting, but…

 

For now…

 

“Um, what if we made even just a very simple concept image and uploaded it to social media?”

 

I spoke up timidly.

 

Perhaps, 

 

‘The public might oppose it.’

 

I held onto a sliver of hope. Maybe their dreams would be shattered by a massive wave of protests.

 

After Kim Haejun’s Execution image, one more image was uploaded. This time, the concept film for Devil Hunter was released to the world through my personal SNS.

 

Unfortunately, the reaction…

 

Was explosive.