Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus – Chapter 30

Author: LyraDhani

‘What kind of mission is this, seriously?’

No.

‘What on earth were they thinking when they came up with this?’

The moment the absurd mission to create personal social media accounts appeared, everyone looked completely dumbfounded. It was likely exactly the reaction the production crew wanted.

In truth, I was just as flabbergasted. Of course, since previous missions were performance-based, I expected something different this time… but I never imagined in my wildest dreams that the mission would be to ‘gather followers’.

And even worse….

[Introducing the next mission for the <Commons> class.]

[<Commons> Class Mission — Follower]

[Members of the <Commons> class, please create a personal SNS account. Please acquire as many followers as possible within the set time limit.]

[The <Commons> trainee with the most followers will receive a benefit. The bottom 10 <Commons> trainees will unfortunately be eliminated from <Idol Classism>.]

They were sending ten people home right here.

Sure, in this day and age of constant online communication, the importance of social media couldn’t be overstated, but eliminating people simply because they had fewer followers in a mission this ridiculous… It was impossible to understand. I didn’t know who would get cut out, but I felt like anyone who did would be too resentful to even sleep.

‘These broadcasting station bastards have seriously lost their minds. Doesn’t this raise fairness issues? No… this show was never fair to begin with.’

So that was why deleting our social media accounts had been written into the contract. At the time, I thought it was to prevent trainees from causing trouble online, but apparently not. It was a setup to make everyone compete starting from zero followers. However….

‘As if this could ever be a fair competition.’

I could say with complete confidence that it wasn’t fair. Leaving aside those who had SNS before, there were trainees who already had significant public recognition before even appearing on this show. Calling them influencers might be a stretch, but some trainees were already quite famous.

They might have deleted their accounts according to the contract, but their starting line was fundamentally different from the other trainees. On top of that, screen time had also affected public recognition, meaning this mission was especially unfair for certain trainees.

‘Well, they said the final group will be picked by votes anyway… it was never a fair program from the start.’

They likely planned the show to edit things to their liking, write narratives to their liking, and hand-pick the ones who would debut to their liking…. Thinking about it now, searching for fairness in a medium that delivered information one-dimensionally was a fool’s errand.

‘What can we do? We just do as we’re told.’

I just had to hope for good luck. Besides, there were definitely people who’d welcome a mission like this.

‘Look at the grin on No. 45’s face.’

Number 45, who absolutely lived for selfies and preserving memories, was one of them. He probably had hundreds of photos saved on his phone already; his editing skills were beyond reproach, and he’d apparently even mastered overseas selfie apps that were famous for making photos look good.

Watching him move his hands, you’d never think he was an amateur. I couldn’t even understand how such delicate operations were possible on that small phone screen. No. 45 was likely happier about this mission than any other trainee.

But the others weren’t. No. 78’s face looked dark, and No. 98, who presumably lived a life completely divorced from selfies or photography, looked like he was attending a funeral. Likewise, No. 123, who looked like he’d never even touched SNS, let alone taken a selfie….

‘Wait, why does he look happy?’

Surprisingly, No. 123 was also wearing a silly grin, as if he welcomed the mission. While everyone was busy creating accounts in the app, No. 98 finally spoke up, and No. 45 responded.

“I’m… I’m going crazy. I’m really bad at this stuff.”

“Hey, I’ll help you.”

“Oh, really? Th—thanks.”

Naturally, all eyes turned to No. 45. Enjoying the sudden attention for the first time in a while, No. 45 held his head high and continued. He looked like some kind of top-tier SNS star instructor.

“And actually… it’s not just about whether you take good photos or not. There are many ways to gather followers. You can film the short-form videos that are trending lately, or going live is another way. It’s also important to decorate your feed with consistency… and you have to read the trends well. The initial followers will mostly be our fans or viewers, but after some time, many will come from other channels. To keep those people, you need to look a bit ‘aesthetic,’ you know? And… crucially… ahem… we’re definitely going to pass this mission, so don’t worry.”

Having finished his piece, No. 45 stared intently at me. The way he looked at me made it seem as though there was nothing to worry about simply because I existed, which made me feel a bit pressured.

“I—I’m not very good at SNS either….”

When I muttered that quietly, No. 45 tilted his head conspicuously and spoke again.

“Ah! Haven’t you looked it up yet?”

“Looked what up…?”

It was No. 123 who answered my question with a booming voice and a beaming face.

“Unha, you’re incredibly famous on the internet right now!”

“Huh? Me?”

“After Episode 1 aired, a challenge was created using your clip. You didn’t know? It’s huge right now. It’s called the ‘Charming Challenge.’ Famous celebs are all following it, and every TikToker is doing the dance! There are even active idols participating in the challenge. Liz sunbaenims did it too. The song is even climbing back up the charts because of it….”

“Huh?”

“I mean, the dance is so easy to follow and pretty. I knew for sure it would go viral…. It’s great, isn’t it?”

I didn’t know how big the impact was, but the news was mind-boggling.

‘The original artist did it?’

“I thought you definitely knew… hehehe.”

‘The song is climbing the charts?’

It was amazing that so much had happened during the short time I hadn’t touched my phone. I glanced around and saw the faces of the Hopeless Trio again. It wasn’t a look of ‘please don’t abandon us’. They had faces that said it was only natural for me to help them.

Of course, I intended for us to help each other out, but the way they looked at me like we were lifelong best friends was a little overwhelming.

“You can ask me to decorate your feed or touch up your photos, Unha.”

“Ah… if that’s the case, I’d definitely appreciate the help.”

“In exchange, could you tag us?”

“Sure. That’s not hard….”

“Phew, what a relief.”

“We’re always the ones getting help from you. Thanks, Unha.”

“No, I’ve received a lot of help too. Then, for now….”

‘Better to strike while the iron is hot.’

“Shall we film the Charming Challenge right away?”

“Let’s do it!”

I wasn’t sure what was going on… but since they said it was a trend, it seemed best to film it and jump on the bandwagon. The Hopeless Trio and No. 123 acted immediately.

“Three people seems just right. Let’s go in order. Unha, you stay in the middle, and the rest of us will rotate two by two. Taehee and I will go first. Oh, and wait a second.”

“Okay.”

No. 45 even brought out some strange lighting. It was a piece of equipment for personal broadcasting called a ring light. I hadn’t seen that when he was taking photos alone in the room…. Just how serious was this guy about photography? He even brought out cosmetics.

“It’s better to clean up your skin a bit. I have a lot of blemishes, so I need to touch up. Everyone knows the choreo, right? It doesn’t have to be perfect. Unha, can you teach them the dance while I check their faces?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Should we… just stay in these clothes?”

“Yeah. I think it’s better to just wear the tracksuits. It’s our first post, and these number tags are the best way to let people know we’re on Idol Classism.At first, most of the traffic will probably come from the show’s official website. It’s better to secure a core fanbase first.”

“What should I use as my username? Should I make it something unique?”

“I don’t think you need to put too much meaning into it. The simpler, the better.”

‘You really never know with people.’

Under the leadership of Number 45—the very same guy who’d looked like nothing but a troll before—everyone was actually coming together. Who could have predicted that No. 45, of all people, would look this reliable?

“Let’s match the formation here. Unha, stand in the center.”

“Ah, yes.”

Furthermore….

“Do we just upload it like this?”

“Of course not. I’ll edit it for you. Wait a second.”

It seemed he even knew how to edit video.

“Wait, let’s film one more time. I should edit and upload different versions.”

He was moving the phone around like a music show director while filming.

“I have to put extra effort into the one for Unha’s SNS. He’s tagging us, after all. Oh! Unha, you should film a solo one too. Your followers will probably want to see a challenge video with just you in it.”

“That’s only natural. Please put extra care into Unha’s.”

Added No. 123.

‘No. 123 is basically my spokesperson now.’

“Unha, so… could we do it just four more versions? I think it would be good if each of us could upload a challenge video with just you and one of us.”

“Ah, sure! That’s fine.”

I liked that he was honest about his desires. He didn’t beat around the bush and said exactly what he wanted. He wasn’t just shamelessly taking, either.

‘Maybe… did this guy pick the wrong career path?’

Watching the video with the editing effects applied, I felt the effort was well worth it. The quick-cut transitions were great, and I liked how he focused on the Succubus Eyes. On top of that… he seemed to have his own philosophy.

“Flashy editing is nice, but your first upload should be as natural as possible. More fans are going to want to see your dance lines and your overall performance than fancy effects. Don’t upload the eye-focused video I made today. Save it for tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“If you upload too much in one day, it looks desperate.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I don’t know. That’s just how things work. Oh, but you can post lots of Stories. Your feed matters, but Stories are even more useful.”

“Why… why? Why can’t I put them on the feed but I can put them on Stories?”

“Stories disappear after twenty-four hours. More importantly, posting them there is trendier. And your eyes are really pretty. I think you should use this as your profile picture. Or you could even fill your entire feed with photos of just your eyes. There’d actually be demand for that. Just change up the eye makeup and hairstyle a little each time.”

“That feels a bit much….”

“I’m just saying you can go to that extreme with a concept. Actually, Unha, it would be better for you to post lots of eye photos on your Stories, mixed in with some other photos.”

It didn’t feel like he had shown all his skills yet. He was firing off various requirements to the production staff, asking if he could use a laptop separately and what kind of support they could provide.

“I think we can just give our IDs and addresses to the writers and upload them right away.”

“Okay. Thanks, hyung.”

“Oh, please. I’m the one who’s grateful. Let’s upload it right now, Unha.”

“Yes.”

After finishing a few settings, I cautiously uploaded my very first post.

“There doesn’t… seem to be much reaction?”

“That’s because our SNS hasn’t been introduced on the official homepage yet.”

Immediately after he said that.

[AHN007 is now following you.]

[KIM-JIHAE_119 is now following you.]

[LizLiz is now following you.]

[HolyFree_48 is now following you.]