Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 34

Actually, it wasn’t a particularly strange situation.

 

‘It’s only natural that he has a lot of fans.’

 

It would be weirder if Joo Wooyoung didn’t have fans. He had barely posted anything on social media, yet he already had over ten thousand followers. There were probably plenty of people who followed him based on nothing but his face. On top of that, he’d already become a hot topic in several online communities purely because of his visuals, to the point where it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a certified visual.

 

‘And this cheat-code of a guy can sing and dance too. How could anyone not like him?’

 

Now that he’d even dressed up to appear together on the livestream, he looked even more stunning. To put it bluntly, I felt so ashamed to be caught in the same frame as him that I wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

 

> [Deavil0oj] Wooyoung!

> [newkrystal] Wooyoung, you came too! T_T I had a feeling there’d be something extra, and it was you ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

> [hanna11] Wooyoung oppa!!!

> [u.m.jung] Wooyoung!!!!!!

> [lol-tokyo] Why is Lee Unha being so mindful of Wooyoung? It’s adorable…

> [old__elf] There are two very handsome young men here…

> [hunterhunter4745] Wooyoung, your face is insane today!! T_T T_T

> [bamp1/2] The weather was gloomy all day, but seeing your faces makes the sky feel clear. I’m so happy to spend the day like this.

> [zen78] eng plz!!!

> [1234561onian] You two are seriously handsome…

 

The chat was scrolling so fast it was lagging. It would pause for a second and then a massive pile of messages would flood in. Because it was so frantic and constant, it was hard to catch even a single line.

 

Of course, I didn’t really need to monitor the chat to gauge the mood. Almost everyone was welcoming the unexpected guest, and the attempts I’d seen in certain communities to drive a wedge between Joo Wooyoung and Lee Unha were nowhere to be found.

 

‘Was I being too sensitive? Was that just a minority opinion?’

 

Then again, no one would come all the way to a live broadcast just to start a fight… Still, if we wanted to completely dominate public opinion, we needed to remind everyone that Joo Wooyoung and Lee Unha had always been close.

 

Right on cue, I saw chats from people who bit the bait I’d laid out earlier. Even in the endless scroll, these messages stood out.

 

> [seugjun] Wait. How did you two get close? When did you get close?

> [FFAAFFAA1199] How did you guys become friends! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

> [hOTcHILLpEPPER] Since it’s not your first time there, Unha oppa, have you been to Wooyoung oppa’s room before?

 

‘Thanks for noticing. I was worried it would get buried….’

 

“Yes! I’ve been to Wooyoung hyung’s room to hang out before. Right, hyung?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I was seriously shocked when I first came here. It’s so different from our dorm… honestly, I wanted to ask hyung if I could just sleep over.”

 

“Why didn’t you?”

 

“Huh?! If I’d asked, could I really have stayed here?!”

 

“The room is big. But… would that be allowed?”

 

‘This is going well.’

 

It was a perfectly good-natured, nice guy answer.

 

“You’re right. We’d probably need permission. If you guys saw the <Nobility> class room, you’d understand why I’m saying this. It was my first time seeing a place like this. It feels like a luxury hotel; there’s even a private fridge! Wooyoung hyung seems used to it now, but I’m not. I really wish I could live here for just a few days.”

 

“Then why don’t you try living here for a few days? Maybe they’ll allow it.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Don’t regret it. I might just stick around and never leave.”

 

> [FFAAFFAA1199] Are you planning to move in or what?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

> [yubin9543] Just ask and share the room. Live there.

> [hOTcHILLpEPPE] Unha oppa, what is the Slave class dorm environment like? Is it really that bad?

 

“It’s not that the <Slave> dorms are bad, it’s just that the <Nobility> dorms are too good. First, let me show you the full view.”

 

I tilted the camera up. I could guess what the reaction would be. They were bound to feel the same thing I did at first. The room clearly showed where a huge chunk of the production budget went. Well, there were probably quite a few sponsored products too, but there was no denying how much effort had been put into it.

 

It felt like a model home. And because Joo Wooyoung kept his room so tidy, the impression was even stronger.

 

“Isn’t it luxurious? Like a model home, right? The room itself is pretty, isn’t it? Plus, Wooyoung hyung is the type to keep his room incredibly clean.”

 

“Hahaha….”

 

“I’m not lying. He didn’t just clean up for the live broadcast. It was exactly like this when I first came over. Not a speck of dust. Usually, you’re exhausted after practice, but I figured hyung must clean every single day. I even showed up without warning that time.”

 

“Ah. Did you?”

 

“Yes. Honestly, it’s embarrassing to say, but I’m not really the tidy type… anyway, isn’t he amazing? Let me touch the top of this TV. I bet no dust will come off on my finger.”

 

“Actually, it might.”

 

“And he seems to make the bed every day too, right? t was already neatly made the last time I was here too.”

 

> [FFAAFFAA1199] why are you the one sounding so proud, Unha?ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

> [old__elf] A man who is good at cleaning is a rare find…

> [happyday4050] Does anyone know why Lee Unha is the one looking so proud ㅎㅎBe happy you guysㅎㅎㅎㅎ

> [CUTEaa] My light. My love. My everything.

 

‘The atmosphere is great.’

 

“Look at this. The bed is huge. You could probably fit three people. Right? The mattress is super soft too. I already showed you the TV… oh, let me show you the private fridge. Can I open it, hyung?”

 

“Yeah, of course.”

 

“Let’s see what Wooyoung hyung has in his fridge. Oh! Red Ginseng! Everyone, look, it’s Red Ginseng!”

 

“Haha….”

 

“It’s the Red Ginseng from the Korea Red Ginseng Corp. I always wondered why Wooyoung hyung had such good stamina, and here was the secret. For those who don’t know, let me explain briefly: Red Ginseng is effective for fatigue recovery, blood flow improvement, boosting immunity, antioxidants, and memory improvement. I heard these packs from Korea Red Ginseng Corp are especially effective.”

 

‘Everyone knows this is PPL anyway, right? I can just be shameless about it, right?’

 

“I’ve had my eye on this product too… were you drinking this all by yourself, hyung?! You should share!!!”

 

> [limi_Lm] Lee Unha is furiousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

> [Duck_1010] Blatant PPLㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

> [vj45jomp45] Even his furious side is so adorable T_T T_T

> [HOT_CAT_aa] It feels like watching an angry cat.

> [hOTcHILLpEPPER] Wooyoung oppa suddenly became a cat owner T_T Pick up this stray cat ㅋㅋㅋ

 

“W—would you like to have a pack now?”

 

“Yes!”

 

‘Does this make our chemistry look good?’

 

“Here you go.”

 

“I’ll enjoy it.”

 

‘I’m sure we look good, right?’

 

“Wow, it’s delicious!”

 

‘The chat reaction is good, but….’

 

I had a feeling it wouldn’t end with just a ‘good’ reaction. Of course, the chemistry itself looked fine. Lee Unha, chattering away with high tension, and Joo Wooyoung, looking at him with an ‘isn’t he cute’ expression, were a striking pair.

 

Maybe it was my imagination, but it didn’t even look like he was acting. Though his exterior was 18, his soul was in his mid-20s, so I suppose it felt like he was looking at a younger brother he never had.

 

As we maintained this vibe, even Joo Wooyoung, who was unfamiliar with live broadcasts, seemed to relax. It was a series of small, peaceful stories—him introducing his room or showing things he’d brought with him.

 

Naturally, there weren’t any fans complaining that it was boring or telling us to hurry up and do something else. Everyone gathered here was interested in either Lee Unha or Joo Wooyoung. They were people curious about whatever we did, people who enjoyed even small, non-provocative stories, and people who were grateful we were just communicating at all.

 

I was naturally grateful too, but from the perspective of a content creator, I felt differently.

 

‘Isn’t this… just a little too ordinary?’

 

“Ah, what is that, Wooyoung hyung!”

 

“Haha….”

 

‘Is it a bit too peaceful?’

 

Following the natural flow, I didn’t see an opening to really push a narrative. Laughter broke out occasionally, and the production staff seemed satisfied, but if asked if I’d generated memes that would set the community on fire, I couldn’t answer confidently.

 

I judged that this was the timing for a big decision; time was running out before the stream ended, and I was getting anxious. Then, suddenly, my eye started to sting.

 

‘Did something get in it? Or is there an issue with the Succubus Eye?’

 

I didn’t know which it was, but either way, it didn’t matter. As I kept rubbing my eye, just as expected, Joo Wooyoung immediately noticed.

 

“Ah….”

 

“Hmm? Unha, what’s wrong?”

 

“I think something got in my eye, hyung. Wait a second.”

 

“Let me see.”

 

I opened my eyes wide and looked at him. Joo Wooyoung stared intently into Lee Unha’s eyes. Having already been deeply curious about my eyes, Joo Wooyoung fixed his gaze on me as if trying to pierce right through the Succubus Eye.

 

The atmosphere shifted instantly. He leaned in even closer, wanting to inspect the eyes more thoroughly. From Joo Wooyoung’s perspective, it must have been a great opportunity. He had been bothered by Lee Unha’s mysterious supernatural power for a while. This was a legal moment to fully observe and analyze my pupils.

 

Just as I felt Joo Wooyoung was staring into my eyes for longer than expected—

 

“Wooyoung hyung?”

 

[The broadcast has ended.]

 

The live broadcast time ran out at the perfect moment.

 

“Huh? I think it’s okay now.”

 

“…Is it?”

 

“Ah! The stream ended… What do we do? we didn’t get to say goodbye at the end.”

 

“Ah! You’re right.”

 

“L—let’s take a photo together first. While I upload it, I’ll post an apology notice. You should post one too, hyung.”

 

“Yeah, that would be best.”

 

“I’ll say sorry for not saying goodbye and that I didn’t know it would end so suddenly because it was my first time. I’ll tag you too and tell them to follow you.”

 

“You don’t really have to do that.”

 

“Come on! This is the least I can do. You helped me out so much.”

 

I didn’t know if the reaction would be explosive or if it would just end quietly. With my heart pounding, I said goodbye to the production staff. After uploading the feed, I went into the community….

 

“Whoa….”

 

In this community and that community, screenshots and clips of that exact moment were already being posted everywhere.