Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 36

‘Crazy. F*ck, crazy!’

 

My eyes flew open.

 

‘Joo Wooyoung, that bastard, really cast a spell. F*ck!’

 

I scrambled up and touched my face frantically.

 

‘That insane lunatic!’

 

I wondered if I had been too careless… But honestly, whether I had been cautious or not wasn’t the important part. The moment Joo Wooyoung made up his mind to do something to me, Lee Unha had no way of resisting in any form.

 

‘What kind of spell was it? What exactly did he cast?’

 

I knew a bit about black magic, but I knew nothing about holy spells. Actually, even if I did, it wouldn’t mean much. I knew the holy spells Joo Wooyoung used were on a completely different level from what others used. Who knew? There might be a spell that planted a holy bomb inside a demon’s head….

 

Suppressing my growing anxiety, I quickly examined my current situation. For starters, Lee Unha’s body was lying on that aforementioned luxury bed. It felt like I’d been asleep. No, I definitely was asleep. I could clearly tell that I’d been unconscious for quite a long time.

 

Which meant that Lee Unha’s body—whose mysteries even I hadn’t fully figured out—had been left completely defenseless here for hours. Just as the color started to drain from my face…

 

“Oh. You’re awake?”

 

Joo Wooyoung’s voice drifted over.

 

“Did you sleep well?”

 

‘You’re awake? Did you sleep well? Is that all you have to say?’

 

“Huh? Ah… um…”

 

“You suddenly fell asleep because you were so tired, and since you said you wanted to try sleeping on this bed at least once, I figured I’d just let you sleep.”

 

“I’m sorry, hyung. Did I… did I really just fall asleep?”

 

“Yeah. You were out cold.”

 

I’d somehow become the guilty party. I’d turned into the jerk who barged into someone else’s room and illegally occupied their bed. I didn’t think he’d be this shameless, but he was brazen enough to leave me completely speechless. Then again, at the start of Idol Classism, he did shove his stigma in my face and emit murderous intent. Not only that, he even spat out that ridiculous line asking what my true identity was just because I performed well.

 

He probably thought he was being smooth to smooth over the situation, but from the victim’s perspective, it was absolutely absurd.

 

‘Does this guy lack social skills? Or is he just completely tactless? Does he think everything can just be brushed off like this?’

 

Doing it to Lee Unha was one thing, but what if he casually started casting spells on other people too, then pretending nothing had happened afterward? No matter how anyone looked at it, this whole situation was irrational and bizarre, and his calm demeanor was the cherry on top.

 

“No, what’s there to be sorry about? You were just tired….”

 

“Even so, I fell asleep so suddenly. I must have made you uncomfortable, hyung.”

 

“Not at all, Unha. Don’t worry about it. Seeing you sleep so soundly actually made me feel good.”

 

‘F*ck, Wooyoung hyung… How am I supposed to not worry about it?’

 

“W-what time is it now? I mean, how long have I been sleeping here?”

 

“Well… about 16 hours….”

 

“What?”

 

“I think you slept for about 16 hours… the live stream ended at 9 PM yesterday… and it’s roughly been that long?”

 

‘I was here for 16 f*cking hours? And I just slept the whole time?’

 

“W-why did I sleep for 16 hours? I’m sorry, hyung. I’ll head out now! Ah… let me take a photo here first… Hyung, let’s take a selfie together….”

 

“Ah. Okay.”

 

“I’m leaving now!”

 

“Wait, you don’t have to rush off like that….”

 

“No, I want to go. Now.”

 

‘He doesn’t know anything yet. He definitely doesn’t know.’

 

Right. If Joo Wooyoung had found out anything about Lee Unha, I wouldn’t even be here to worry. I’d be dead without a trace. I had no idea how Joo Wooyoung would’ve cleaned things up, but there were countless ways to dispose of a body without leaving a trace. He could incinerate me instantly with holy fire so there wouldn’t even be a smell, or send me into a sub-space if he had one. There were probably plenty of other methods I didn’t even know about.

 

Considering Joo Wooyoung’s personality, he definitely would have taken action the moment he judged me to be a demon. The reason I was still standing here now…

 

‘He didn’t find out anything.’

 

Even if he did, he clearly didn’t judge it as a reason to eliminate Lee Unha immediately. Joo Wooyoung was in a hybrid position where he knew a few spells, but he wasn’t a mage, a sorcerer, or a scholar. Even if a vanguard who only knew how to swing a sword and spear was given 16 hours, I couldn’t imagine them uncovering much of anything.

 

The more calmly I thought it through, the more convinced I became. If so….

 

‘What on earth was that spell? Was it a recovery spell?’

 

Strangely, my head felt clear and my body felt light. Maybe it was the sort of spell that forcibly made someone rest. Considering the context of our conversation before I passed out, the possibility wasn’t zero. Whether it was the spell’s effect or not, even my mana circuits felt unusually clean. It must be a side effect.

 

‘Was he looking out for me?’

 

My tangled thoughts get even more knotted. I couldn’t tell whether I’d been shown kindness or suspected.

 

‘Damn it… this is driving me crazy.’

 

Scratching my head with a complicated heart, I open my room door to find my roommate, No. 123, welcoming me.

 

“Unha….”

 

“Ah. H-hey. Did you sleep well?”

 

“Where were you yesterday?”

 

“I think I fell asleep in Wooyoung hyung’s room after the stream. I slept for 16 hours… I won’t get some kind of penalty for that, will I? I technically broke the dorm rules… Do you think they’ll punish me?”

 

“I was worried. You never came back.”

 

“Ah… you were worried? Sorry. I was shocked when I woke up, too. I was searching through things, but the bed there was so soft that I must’ve fallen asleep without realizing it. I seriously never imagined I’d sleep all the way until morning. Did anyone come looking for me?”

 

“I did.”

 

“…Sorry.”

 

“I almost reported it because you didn’t come back. I didn’t tell the staff because I was afraid you’d get in trouble….”

 

“Sorry for making you worry. I’ll make sure this never happens again.”

 

‘What is with this atmosphere? Why do I have to keep apologizing?’

 

I felt bad for worrying No. 123, but feeling like a sinner again right after the encounter with Wooyoung made me feel pathetic. I wanted to snap at him since I was already high-strung, but I just let out a heavy sigh. I knew there was nothing to gain from feuding with No. 123.

 

“I need to wash up first. I don’t think I washed up before I slept yesterday.”

 

“Yeah. Take your time. Oh! But Unha, did you hear?”

 

“Hear what?”

 

“That there’s a shoot today.”

 

“What? Suddenly?”

 

“I guess you didn’t see the notice. They posted last night that there’s extra filming. I guess it’s because they need more footage.”

 

“W-what time?”

 

“We leave in two hours.”

 

“Ah….”

 

“It’s a little surprising, isn’t it? Everyone’s pretty shaken up. They’re saying the follower mission might’ve been a complete flop.”

 

‘I can see why.’

 

“Of course, that’s just us talking, but the staff’s mood doesn’t seem great… so the rumors are spreading more.”

 

“Well… it makes sense.”

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

“The planning seemed okay… but it’s mostly good for promotion or handling PPL. It must have been hard to turn into actual broadcast material.”

 

“Good for promotion?”

 

“Yeah. The trainees are doing the viral marketing themselves on SNS. They’re all eyes-wide-shut trying to gather followers…. Some are probably posting directly to communities. Right now, the internet is doing nothing but talking about Idol Classism and the trainees’ live streams. The hype isn’t dying down… that’s promotion. It probably trended more because Episode 1 ended on a stable note. They probably timed it on purpose….”

 

“Aha… then isn’t that a good thing?”

 

“It’s just my theory… but maybe there were too many hurdles to use it as a broadcast? There are still so many trainees left; how could they organize and fit all those live streams and SNS posts into one episode? The PD and writers here seem competent, but regardless, I think it’s hard to make a show out of it. It’s not exactly a format the general public prefers.”

 

“I guess so. It would be a total mess….”

 

“Exactly. It’s like trying to edit together nothing but leaves when you don’t even have a tree. So this new shoot is probably…”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Probably an attempt to plant a trunk after the fact.”

 

“Aha!!”

 

“Well, regardless, it’s still pretty surprising. Anyway… did they tell you what we’re filming?”

 

“Hmm….”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I heard we’re doing a ‘Courage Test’… Sigh…”

 

“All of a sudden?”

 

Actually, it was not that sudden.

 

‘It’s summer vacation. The haunted-house style courage test may be old-fashioned, but it’s a classic. Plus it’s perfect for individual livestreams, so it ties nicely into the follower mission…’

 

No. 123 looked a bit gloomy; maybe he was scared of ghosts….

 

“Everyone else seems to find it fun… but honestly, I’m a l-little scared…. They said we aren’t doing it at the dorm, but going to a famous spot… An old school that’s been abandoned for over 15 years. There are so many stories about people seeing ghosts there… It’s famous enough to pop up immediately if you search for it….”

 

“Ah. Really?”

 

“Yeah… aren’t you scared, Unha?”

 

“……”

 

“……”

 

“I’m a bit nervous, too….”

 

‘No, I’m not scared at all.’

 

“……”

 

‘Rather, I’m worried about how I’m going to act scared.’

 

Right. Nothing could be more ridiculous than someone who had lived in a dark mage’s laboratory being afraid of ghosts. Necromancy was one of the specialized fields the Master was interested in, and I had seen it so much that I learned a bit over his shoulder. I had spoken directly to souls that had left their bodies, and I had lost count of how many times I’d done the grunt work of dissecting and stitching corpses.

 

What I saw every f*cking day were corpses and souls; I’d heard, seen, and experienced things much worse than that. There was no way a childish courage test would be scary.

 

Joo Wooyoung was likely the same.

 

‘Though with him, I’m worried for a completely different reason.’

 

After all, considering he’d casually knocked Lee Unha unconscious, there was a very real possibility he’d start chanting holy spells the moment something like a banshee appeared.I hadn’t seen any actual spirits since coming to Earth, but hearing that it was a famous haunted location made me uneasy anyway. He might unconsciously manifest his Stigma and pull out a glowing weapon.

 

I could already see it: the whole scene captured on a live stream, Joo Wooyoung being revealed as a returnee, and eventually, the image of him waging war against nations and the whole world.

 

‘No, that’s going too far.’

 

Just as my thoughts were racing, the time to depart approached. After a bit more time passed… an abandoned building that looked gloomy just by sight appeared before my eyes.

 

“Why are we suddenly doing a courage test…? Ugh…”

 

“Ah… I really hate scary things….”

 

“Is that even scary?”

 

“The directors will all be following us anyway, what’s there to be scared of… Honestly, I’m not scared at all.”

 

“Your voice is shaking right now, you know?”

 

“No, I told you I’m not scared.”

 

“Bullsh*t.”

 

Along with the trainees gathered in various groups—or rather, paired off in twos.