Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 2

Returnee Joo Wooyoung

 

‘It’s the real Joo Wooyoung… It’s really him.’

 

He was really here. 

 

He was really, truly here.

 

I clenched my fists.

 

Even after rubbing my eyes and staring straight ahead again, the person standing before me was undoubtedly Joo Wooyoung.

 

While I had been thrown into another world without warning and spent seven years living as a slave, enduring every humiliation and hardship imaginable, he had been summoned as the Hero, saved that world, defeated the Demon King, and become a legendary hero.

 

The Joo Wooyoung I hadn’t even dared to look up at in that damn fantasy world was standing right in front of me. 

 

Moreover, he was standing on the stage of an idol survival show, introducing himself.

 

In a way, he was my benefactor. Naturally, I felt a surge of gratitude. I had thought I would suffer forever as a dark mage’s experimental slave… 

 

But as a result of Joo Wooyoung defeating the Demon King, I was able to return to Earth along with everyone else.

 

Of course, Joo Wooyoung wouldn’t know I exist, but I had always thought of him. 

 

It’s only natural to feel a sense of kinship when you hear news of a fellow Earthling being appointed as the Hero in a place where you have no one to lean on—especially if that person happens to be from the same country

 

In that hellish laboratory, I spent my time indulging in delusions: that Joo Wooyoung would come to save me, that one day he would find me, kill that bastard of a master—no, the dark mage—and take me in as a companion or even just as a porter.

 

Because of that, I knew everything about him. Who his companions were, what habits he had, how he killed the Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings, and what his personality was like. 

I had never even met him, yet I remembered his catchphrases.

 

He used to go around saying that once he returned to Earth, he wanted to become a K-pop idol.

 

‘It was true. He really… just like he always said, he actually came out here to become an idol.’

 

Since he was always a guy who chased his dreams, seeing him here wasn’t strange, but regardless, a massive sense of accomplishment washed over me.

 

After returning to Earth at the age of 17, I had finally succeeded in tracking Joo Wooyoung down.

 

Watching him from backstage, I couldn’t help thinking I’d made the right decision by coming here to stick close to him.

 

It wasn’t just because I knew the special powers Joo Wooyoung possessed as a returnee. 

 

And it wasn’t just because I was the only one who knew the fact that he was a returnee and the Demon King Vanquisher.

 

Whatever strange thread of fate connected the two of us, the real reason I chased him here was because of the text floating before my eyes.

 

<<Emergency Quest>>

[You, with a 1% contribution to the Demon King’s defeat. Assist the Hero Joo Wooyoung, who had a 99% contribution, and debut together. This is a golden opportunity to become the Hero’s companion.]

<<Penalty for Quest Refusal or Failure: Return to the Other World>>

 

‘This is insane.’

 

It was an emergency quest I received immediately after returning—an emergency quest I hadn’t seen once when I was in the other world. 

 

I briefly wondered if I was seeing hallucinations due to PTSD from my time there, but the problem was that I couldn’t just dismiss it as a mere hallucination.

 

‘Go back?’

 

There was no way I wanted to return to that hellhole. Even if I were crazy and seeing things, there was no way I could refuse that emergency quest.

 

While I was clenching my fists and lost in thought, the voices of the judges reached me from the stage, which was lit so brightly it made my eyes ache.

 

“Hahaha! Hahaha!”

 

It was the sound of laughter. To them, an 18-year-old boy who seemed to know nothing suddenly declaring he would become the world’s best idol must have looked cute. 

And in fact…

 

“Ah! Isn’t he just so cute?”

 

One of them said exactly that. It was the expression of someone who’d finally found a contestant worth watching after a long wait.

 

Looking at Joo Wooyoung on stage, Benok, a judge for the idol survival show, spoke.

 

“That’s quite the dream you’ve got. It’s certainly memorable. The world’s greatest idol… It’s adorable. It even reminds me of when I was younger…”

 

“Trainee Joo Wooyoung. You’re serious, not joking, right? Hahaha.”

 

“Yes! I am serious. I applied here to become the world’s best idol!”

 

“Look at this. It’s even written on his application: ‘I want to become the world’s best idol.’”

 

“Noona, what do you think?”

 

“He looks pure, so it’s nice to see.”

 

“It definitely doesn’t seem like a gimmick… No, even if it were, so what? It’s fun.”

 

It absolutely wasn’t a gimmick. Joo Wooyoung had always been this kind of person.

 

“But if you’re serious, you’ll need the skills to back it up. Are you confident, Trainee Joo Wooyoung?”

 

“Yes. I am confident!”

 

“Haha! Great! I love the confidence! I’m sure I’m not the only one eager to see your performance…”

 

“I’d like to hear more, but let’s watch the stage first. Good luck, Trainee Joo Wooyoung.”

 

“Yes!”

 

Soon, the lights dimmed slowly, and Joo Wooyoung began to take his position in the center of the stage. 

 

Even the judges looked intrigued. Having spent over a decade in this industry, they could tell from his very intro that he had ‘it’. Moreover…

 

‘He’s really handsome.’

 

Even his visuals were ridiculous. 

 

No, his visuals were the most ridiculous part. I felt that even if he were compared to the elves I had lived with as a slave, he wouldn’t lose. 

 

It wasn’t just that he was handsome. Given the nature of the idol profession, most of the guys gathered here for this survival show had above-average looks. As the common saying goes, handsome guys were as common as pebbles on the street.

 

But that guy—the returnee and Trainee No. 111, Joo Wooyoung—was fundamentally different. He stood out even among the 150 people gathered here.

 

Furthermore…

 

‘Look at that sparkle in his eyes.’

 

Unlike most of the other trainees, he didn’t seem to be wearing a mask for the cameras. You could feel his sincerity in his seemingly ridiculous words about becoming the world’s best idol. 

 

I was certain he wouldn’t get dead-fish eyes even after five years of debuting. I was certain he wouldn’t just say, ‘Oh, really?’ dismissively at a fan signing event. 

 

The viewers and judges were likely seeing the same thing I was. 

 

Not only that, he had a smile that felt like the sun itself.

 

It was the same once the performance began.

 

The moment the lights brightened and Joo Wooyoung began his stage, I found myself staring at him blankly. 

 

While his technique wasn’t completely flawless, but his dance lines felt vibrant and full of life. 

 

He had an absurdly magnetic charm.

 

And also…

 

“He’s singing live…”

 

“How is his breathing not wavering at all?”

 

‘That’s only natural. Would the Demon King Vanquisher feel out of breath just from dancing and singing?’

 

The other trainees waiting near me to go on stage were also muttering to themselves as they watched Joo Wooyoung’s performance. 

 

His voice was refreshing. I even thought it was much better than the previous participants who showed off strange vocal techniques. It was clean yet felt new.

 

-I picture that moment with you under the blue sky.

 

“…….”

 

-I believe we can meet. I believe we can dream together.

 

“…….”

 

-To me, you were the dream. You were my dream.

 

“…….”

 

-To me, you were the dream. You were my dream.

 

“…….”

 

“It’s good.”

 

“Waaaaaaaah!!!”

 

“Wow… ah….”

 

It was a shocking stage. Although he seemed unpolished, even that felt like part of his charm.

 

It would be most appropriate to say he looked untainted. Even to an amateur like me, impressive wasn’t enough to describe Joo Wooyoung’s stage. 

 

The other trainees waiting in the wings couldn’t help but applaud. 

 

The judges’ reactions were no different.

 

“He’s good, right?”

 

“He is. It was a surprising stage. I can’t really point out anything he did wrong. It was enough to make his claim about being the world’s best idol not sound like a empty bragging. Of course, he still has room to grow…”

 

“You can tell he’s never really performed on stage before—or received proper professional training. He doesn’t seem aware of the cameras at all. You realize you didn’t look at the camera even once during the performance, right?”

 

In other words, to the pros, everything else looked perfect.

 

“Even so… doing live vocals while dancing like that isn’t easy even for me… It’s bewildering the more I think about it. Where has someone like him been hiding all this time?”

 

“You’re seriously saying he was never a trainee anywhere? No professional training whatsoever? He’s lying. If he’s not lying, this makes no sense.”

 

The writers and producers had similar reactions. 

 

Of course, they probably knew a bit about Joo Wooyoung’s potential from the pre-meetings and expected him to be a hit, but their faces showed they had found a total jackpot. 

 

Several cameras that were previously focused on the trainees who had already finished were now busy capturing him. 

 

It was like suddenly winning the lottery. 

 

Watching the writers huddle and whisper, it looked like they were dying to give him a special narrative. 

 

They even hurriedly put text on the prompter for the judges to see, requesting they extend the Q&A session.

 

‘He’s definitely debuting. It’s already decided.’

 

II knew he’d be good… I expected him to show a shocking stage, but…

 

‘Did he practice singing and dancing while training his swordsmanship?’

 

It was beyond common sense. He’d spent seven years fighting to defeat the Demon King, when exactly had he found the time to train as an idol?

 

“Trainee No. 111 has been assigned the Nobility rank. All of the judges are in unanimous agreement.”

 

“We look forward to your next stage.”

 

“I’m personally keeping an eye on you, so please keep working hard.”

 

As everyone expected, the <Nobility> class. Yes, at this point, it would be strange if he received anything lower than the highest rank. In fact, even that rank didn’t feel high enough.

 

Apart from Joo Wooyoung’s success, looks of pity began to pour toward me.

 

“Trainee No. 112, you will go on stage in 5 minutes.”

 

Everyone’s expression was the same. 

 

They looked like they were wondering how anyone could possibly follow up a performance like that.

 

‘That’s exactly what I’m saying. How am I supposed to follow that…?’

 

Not only the other trainees but even the writers, assistant directors, staff, and other broadcasting officials were pitying me. Regardless, I was being pushed forward.

 

“Trainee Lee Unha, No. 112, please go up now.”

 

Taking a deep breath, I moved my feet. 

 

Immediately, the spotlights began to pour down on me.