Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 183

StormStudent

 

I had no energy.

 

No, beyond just having no energy, it felt like I was in actual agony.

 

“Hey. You slouching around again?”

 

Even when my twin brother tried to pick a fight with that smirking attitude and expression, I didn’t have the strength to deal with him.

 

“Your part-time job that tough? Huh?”

 

“…….”

 

“When are you gonna quit? Huh? You quitting soon? You gotta pay back the money, you know. Huh?”

 

“Ugh, just stop touching my stuff and get lost….”

 

“What? What’s with you all of a sudden? Are you mad? Did your boss scold you or something?”

 

“Seriously… I told you to get lost!”

 

“W-what’s gotten into you?”

 

“Get lost!”

 

“O-okay! Fine!”

 

I had never imagined that waiting for my favorite idols to make a comeback, and not being able to properly hear any news about them, could be this agonizing.

 

I felt so listless that I wondered if I was even stanning idols correctly until now. I couldn’t even remember how I survived the hiatuses of the other groups I liked before <Fantasia>.

 

‘Isn’t it way too long? No matter how you look at it… six months is way too long.’

 

Of course, it wasn’t as though all news about them had completely stopped.  <The World> seemed to realize that going straight into preparing a full-length album immediately after their debut—right after the first mini-album—was a risky move. Conscious of this, they had kept the members exposed to various media.

 

Kim Taeyeol became a fixed member of a variety show, and the other members appeared on NewTube channels or guest-starred in programs. Their activities were incredibly diverse, not just limited to lighthearted talk shows. Jegal Hwi appeared on a history lecture program, while Baek Suhyeon and Jung Taehee showed up on a fishing show.

 

Since they popped up in places you’d never expect, it was hard to say there was a lack of communication. Even on fan platforms and SNS, they were active. Just yesterday, many members of <Fantasia> communicated with fans through Gift messages. In that regard, there were actually far more ways to interact with them than before.

 

And that wasn’t all. There was never really any time to rest when you were a dedicated fan. Calling it an inexhaustible spring would be a bit of an exaggeration, but content that you could pick apart, devour, and savor at any time, anywhere, was scattered all over the place.

 

But that wasn’t enough.

 

I wanted to hear <Fantasia’s> new music. I wanted to know about <Fantasia’s> new lore. I wanted to see <Fantasia’s> new outfits. My desire to see a new stage and a new side of them could pierce the heavens.

 

Moreover, unlike the other members, Unha and Haejun hadn’t been properly seen since the hiatus began.

 

‘Well… those two… there’s nothing they can do about it.’

 

They did occasionally communicate with the fans, but it was definitely difficult to get any proper news about them. There was no other reason than the fact that they were on the front lines of working on the album. I heard one of them was cooped up in the studio to fill almost every track with self-composed songs, and the other was not only involved in the album production but also filming a drama.

 

Honestly, it was impressive enough that they were even making an effort to communicate with their fans despite having so little free time.I knew I should be grateful just for the occasional photo from the set, a picture with fellow actors, or a glimpse of the studio… but I was still hungry for more.

 

If I had to name a reason, it was probably the fact that they’d spent the last few weeks in the worst possible way.

 

‘They’re doing okay, right? Both of them… are fine, right?’

 

Lee Unha had suddenly become the center of a controversy. There was the issue with his appearance guarantee for [Zombie], and the controversy caused by [TOP9]’s Seo Dongkwon.

 

‘Thinking about it makes me mad all over again.’

 

Though public opinion eventually flipped because of the issues involving his [Zombie] co-stars and [Kingdom]’s Lime, the sheer amount of ridicule and cyberbullying that had taken place on online communities beforehand was so vicious that calling it the absolute worst would not have been an exaggeration.

 

Some internet articles drove Lee Unha into a corner with ridiculous claims, calling him an arrogant rookie or a money-crazed rookie, and the ignorant public joined in with a relentless barrage of hate.

 

I had always thought my twin sibling was pathetic for constantly grabbing his phone and computer and getting into fights with complete strangers online and yet before I knew it, I had ended up joining forces with my own sibling and fighting alongside him.

 

‘Right.’

 

“…….”

 

‘Given what happened… preparing the album must be even harder for them.’

 

“…….”

 

‘[TOP9] said they’re preparing a comeback too. Their promotion periods might overlap… and [Kingdom] even announced a comeback… it’s a relief Unha and Lime are on good terms, but still….’

 

I was worried about [TOP9]. Especially since the single image of <Execution> that Kim Haejun posted recently had set things on fire again. <The World> dismissed the rumors floating around like urban legends, but the fandoms of each group couldn’t help but be on edge.

 

‘But even so… couldn’t they communicate with us just a little more?’

 

“…….”

 

‘I just want to know how it’s going, at the very least….’

 

It was then, while I was clutching my phone as usual.

 

Suddenly.

 

“UWOOOOOAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!”

 

A scream erupted from the living room.

 

“What? What happened?!”

 

Startled, I rushed to the living room. I saw my twin brother clutching his phone, his hands trembling violently.

 

“What? What’s wrong?!”

 

“It’s… it’s up….”

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Unha hyung! Unha hyung! On his SNS!!”

 

“So what is it exactly?!”

 

“The concept film is out… F*ck! F*ck!!! Aaaaah! It’s so f*cking cool. So… so f*cking cool!!!!”

 

“What? What? What?!”

 

“C-crazy!! This is insane!!! Aaaaagh!”

 

“Hey, stop overreacting!”

 

“Waaagh!”

 

‘What is wrong with him?’

 

“Insane!!! Demon Hunter… Demon Hunter!!! Unha hyung! A Demon Hunter!”

 

‘W-What the hell does that even mean? Why is he suddenly talking about a demon hunter?’

 

“It’s Devil Hunter! He’s a Devil Hunter!”

 

‘What? What is a Devil Hunter?’

 

I felt a chill of anxiety.

 

‘D-Demon Hunter…? De…vil Hun…ter?’

 

I knew <Fantasia> always took paths anyone could never imagine, but….

 

‘What? What is it? Seriously? How did a demon hunter suddenly come into the picture? What the hell is going on?’

 

I couldn’t even process what I was hearing.

 

‘Why suddenly Demon Hunter? What… what the hell is that.’

 

I began to worry that <The World> might have done something crazy again at this crucial juncture. Did they go even further? Did they take this incomprehensible lore and push it past the limit?

 

I immediately and urgently entered Lee Unha’s SNS….

 

“M-madness….”

 

I realized why my brother had been screaming like that.

 

“This is insane!!!!!!!!”

 

“WAAAAAGH! Unha Hyung! This is crazy… truly f*cking crazy!!!!”

 

It was just a single image.

 

A simple, ordinary image.

 

An image that looked so low-effort it almost made me want to say, ‘That’s it?’

 

“Insane… insane!!!”

 

Moreover, almost everything in it was dark. It was hard to even see what was what. The only thing clearly visible was Lee Unha’s face. Aside from his face, the image was so dark that you could barely make anything out even after enlarging it.

 

‘What is this?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Is he standing in a red room? It’s a red room, right? Right? He’s in there?’

 

No, the background wasn’t the important part. The important thing was Lee Unha’s face.

 

‘Crazy!’

 

I could see Lee Unha’s eyes wide open. A bloody tear was trickling down from one eye.

 

‘Crazy!!!’

 

It was too dark to see clearly, but it looked as though someone was embracing Lee Unha from behind. 

 

No, I was sure of it. A black, silhouette-like figure was hugging Lee Unha from behind.

 

‘Hey, show us properly! Properly!’

 

Even the parts that were somewhat visible were covered by a font. Specifically, the words <Devil Hunter> were engraved largely in the center.

 

In reality, all I could confirm with the naked eye was Lee Unha’s face and the font. Naturally, I realized that the black figure hugging Lee Unha from behind might be a demon.

 

‘Didn’t you say Demon Hunter? Why is he with a demon?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Isn’t there any more information? There’s still so much time left… are you telling me to survive with just this? Show us properly… if you’re gonna show us, reveal it clearly.’

 

Of course, there were probably circumstances beyond their control. Given the nature of <Fantasia>’s concept, creating high-quality images required all sorts of preparation, so there was no way they could reveal everything in detail right from the start. Even the Otherworld version outfits, which were mocked as costumes, were probably still in production. The designs probably weren’t even finalized.

 

‘Crazy… seriously crazy.’

 

But it was more than enough. Honestly, I felt shivers down my spine.

 

‘Unha’s face, oh my god. What is that. What is that expression….’

 

What the hell was this?

 

“Crazy… it’s a Demon Hunter. Unha hyung is coming out as a Demon Hunter!”

 

‘<Fantasia> is coming out as Demon Hunters. Are all the other members going to have images like this? Is that what this means?’

 

“The gear looks different too. It’s a bit different from the outfits they had before. No, it’s completely different!”

 

‘The styling changed too? Black and red? Is it a sexy concept? Please tell me it is.’

 

“Crazy… insane!!!”

 

‘Isn’t this way too provocative?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Are they really allowed to come out with something like this?’

 

“…….”

 

My hands were shaking. I already knew Lee Unha suited this kind of image perfectly, but seeing a concept image this deliberate made me feel like I was losing my mind.

 

Of course, it was a bit difficult to grasp. There was suddenly <Devil Hunter>, and then there was <Execution>. It was an image that no other group had attempted before—or, for that matter, anything like it at all. So my fear of how the general public would react to it came before anything else.

 

But.

 

‘It’s cool.’

 

As long as it was cool, that was enough.

 

Yeah.

 

‘Half the battle is already won.’

 

The general public was going to judge them based on what they could see anyway. More important than <Fantasia’s> difficult concept or lore was the visual image. If it looked cool at first glance, they had already succeeded halfway. You could tell just by looking at my twin brother jumping around like a madman.

 

He was already talking to his friends about this concept. I didn’t know why middle-school boys were getting so excited about <Fantasia>, but regardless, the fact that it looked cool to them was what mattered.

 

Just as I was nodding to myself….

 

“Hey… another image just went up on <The World’s> official account.”

 

My brother’s voice reached my ears again.

 

“Yeah. I’m looking at it too, oppa….”

 

It was still so far away.

 

But….

 

I saw the countdown beginning before my eyes.

 

<Fantasia> Full Album <Devil Hunter/Execution>

Produced by Lee Unha, Kim Haejun

D-126