Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 39

<< Linked Quest >>

[You, with a 1% contribution to the Demon King’s defeat. Assist the Hero Joo Wooyoung, who had a 99% contribution, and form the optimal members to debut together.]

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

 

‘What… on earth is this?’

 

Why…

 

‘Why is there more?’

 

I had only just started running my optimistic fantasies, but that brief moment was over.

 

A sudden linked quest had appeared before my eyes.

 

Even now, having returned to my room after filming ended, I stared at the screen, but the quest still looked as absurd as it did at first glance.

 

Naturally, my head began to throb. Considering the current situation, it was impossible not to feel confused.

 

True, Idol Classism had only just aired its first episode and was waiting for the second, but on-site, the competition was already past the halfway mark.

 

Of course, future broadcasts could still change the course of things, but when you were actually living through the filming, you inevitably started noticing certain patterns.

 

Everyone already had a rough idea of who would be eliminated next, who would survive, and who would become the next hot topic. Naturally, it was a time when you could objectively assess your own standing.

 

I was no different. I wondered if I was jumping to conclusions a bit early, but…

 

‘Honestly.’

 

I thought the probability of Lee Unha debuting was high.

 

I wasn’t being conceited or arrogant… it was an undeniable fact.

 

Unless I completely botched the upcoming schedule, I didn’t think there was any scenario where Lee Unha would be eliminated.

 

I had 447,000 followers. Even better, the momentum was picking up, and the number showed no signs of dropping.

 

Every time I refreshed, the follower count increased. Of course, not all of them would vote, but it didn’t really matter if they didn’t.

 

While doing the rank mission followers quest, I had built up a level of recognition comparable to most celebrities, and I was steadily building a solid core fandom.

 

Of course, the fingers of the antis were also catching fire, but I was confident it wouldn’t affect the overall trend.

 

I could guarantee that the investors and staff of Idol Classsim also wanted Lee Unha to be in the final debut group.

 

Even if they had to rig the results, they had to keep Lee Unha in the debut line, and if there was ever a risk of him being eliminated, they would probably change the rules just to keep him.

 

Because I’d been thinking that way, I’d probably started letting my guard down.

 

I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that a new linked quest would pop up at a time like this.

 

Maybe at this rate, I’d get a quest like: [You, with a 1% contribution to the Demon King’s defeat. Assist the Hero Joo Wooyoung, who had a 99% contribution, and conquer the Billboard charts.]

 

No, if that kind of quest really appeared, would it even be possible to clear it?

 

Of course, I didn’t doubt Joo Wooyoung. He was the type of person who always kept his word. The Joo Wooyoung I knew was someone who always did what he said he would.

 

When Joo Wooyoung was chosen by the Holy Spear, he declared before the crowds of the other world that he would slay the Demon King, and he did. He declared he would decapitate the Evil Dragon, and he did. During the Berkisia Civil War, he declared he would win, and just as he said, he was victorious.

 

But….

 

‘This isn’t something you do alone.’

 

Just because Joo Wooyoung was extraordinary… Could miracles like that really…

 

‘Wait.’

 

Maybe that was precisely why this linked quest had appeared for me.

 

It was an order to assemble the right members, even if only to improve the odds a little.

 

The quest itself was incredibly vague. There were no clear guidelines whatsoever.

 

In the first place, it was the viewers who decide the debut members.

 

I couldn’t figure out what it wanted from me—whether I had to do some behind-the-scenes manipulation or what—but I couldn’t just sit still.

 

If I didn’t want to return to the other world, I had to carry out the quest, like it or not.

 

I carefully considered those who currently had a high probability of debuting.

 

First, I excluded those in the Noble class and thought of the face in my Commoner class with the highest chance of debuting at this moment. I immediately typed in the search terms.

 

Aside from me and Joo Wooyoung, he was the person generating the most buzz at this point.

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

[Kim Haejun]

Idol Classism Trainee Number 12.

Age 18, Height 179cm, Weight 64kg. A trainee from YM, one of the Big 4 agencies.

He ranked third in TOP9, the debut survival show jointly produced by YM and a cable television network, earning himself a place in the debut lineup.

After the survival show ended, he was waiting for his debut when his contract was suddenly terminated along with JH, another member of the debut group. An official statement was released, but aside from wishing JH and Kim Haejun bright futures, no further explanation was given. Since he had a significant fandom, the incident caused quite a stir in the industry.

After leaving, JH died in a car accident.

 

‘Ah. I know this part.’

 

Kim Haejun disappeared from the public eye afterward.

 

Then, exactly one year later, after various activities, he appeared on Idol Classism.

 

‘Is this about all the information I can find…?’

 

No, there had to be more than this. I searched a bit more, and as expected, new information began to catch my eye.

 

I could see records of him being active mainly on music platforms, the fact that he suddenly started being active on SNS a few months before appearing on Idol Classism, and how he gained many followers in a short time, though some photos he posted on his feed caused controversy.

 

I peeked at the search bar for [Kim Haejun Controversy], and sure enough, photos that were bound to be controversial appeared.

 

‘It’s a convenient world.’

 

[Photo of an e-cigarette sitting on a table]

[Photo of him at a drinking session with famous rappers]

 

He claimed the e-cigarette wasn’t his and that he only attended the gathering with older friends and didn’t drink, but there was no way such excuses would work.

 

To be honest, I couldn’t understand how he still had such a solid core fandom.

 

If it were any ordinary guy, he would have been shunned the moment those photos spread.

 

‘It’s a miracle he hasn’t been photographed with a girl.’

 

The image the public had of him was that of a cocky idol trainee.

 

To make matters worse, public opinion wasn’t favorable. It was a predictable development, but the responsibility for the TOP9 debut group falling apart was being pinned on Kim Haejun.

 

If TOP9 had gone on to succeed, perhaps people would’ve been more forgiving, but unfortunately, TOP9 was struggling, so it felt like more arrows were being pointed at him.

 

Of course, a lot of time had passed, so things had calmed down, but since it was a fairly large incident at the time, it was flaring up once again.

 

Anyway, looking at the overall picture, he had lived quite a turbulent life at a young age.

Competing in a debut survival show once was already unusual enough, but the fact that he had kicked his way out of a major agency after placing 3rd was even more so.

 

After that, I thought he’d be active in the hip-hop scene, but then he suddenly popped up in Idol Classism.

 

After all, it gave me a chance to learn more about Kim Haejun—a person whose thought process I simply couldn’t understand.

 

Of course, this alone wasn’t enough to fully grasp who Kim Haejun was. Personally, he didn’t seem like a bad person…

 

I didn’t know what stance to take.

 

I needed more than just information found on the internet.

 

As luck would have it, I had the perfect source of information right in front of me, so I cautiously opened my mouth.

 

‘Let’s call him… by his name.’

 

I reminded myself to call Number 123 by his name.

 

“Uh…”

 

“Yeah, what is it, Unha?”

 

“I mean… Tae… Taehee.”

 

“Ah!”

 

“Uh… what’s with the reaction?”

 

“I think it’s the first time you’ve called me by my name, Unha!”

 

“R-really? I don’t think so….”

 

“No. It’s definitely the first time…. I’ve been waiting for it.”

 

“I told you, it’s not….”

 

“Is that so? Well, if Unha says so… then I guess it is.”

 

“…….”

 

“But why did you call me?”

 

“Um… do you know anything about Haejun hyung?”

 

“Huh? Kim Haejun? Why him?”

 

“Well… we did the courage test together yesterday. The results were really good… and I also got the benefit for finishing first in the Followers mission. I’ve been thinking about using that benefit to bring Haejun hyung onto my team. It feels like we’d be able to play it safe if he were with us.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. It was true that I had received the right to select team members as a benefit, and I was actually considering whether to bring Kim Haejun onto the same team.

 

An immediate answer came back. The voice sounded a bit cold.

 

“It’s better not to get involved with him. He’s bad news. That Kim Haejun guy.”

 

‘So this is the normal reaction?’

 

“He just acts all high and mighty because he’s a bit famous….”

 

‘But… he didn’t really… act high and mighty….’

 

“He got completely crushed by you in the Followers mission… You ended up taking first place, didn’t you? I was looking at Kim Haejun’s face then. You should have seen his expression… it was completely rotten. It was probably all caught on camera. The day that airs is the day Kim Haejun hits rock bottom.”

 

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have asked him.’

 

“The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is. Acting like he does ‘real music’… acting like idol music is fake music. So full of himself. And you know what? He smokes too, and apparently he got caught drinking before. You know TOP9, right? I heard that’s why he got kicked out of the debut lineup….”

 

‘There’s no way that’s true. I couldn’t even smell cigarettes on him.’

 

“And that’s not all. Did you see all those piercings? Just looking at him, he seems like a total delinquent.”

 

‘No… I mean, it’s not common, but… being a delinquent just because of piercings is a bit….’

 

It felt like he’d completely lost his objectivity. Whenever No. 123—Taehee—mixed in his personal opinions, everyone somehow turned into a terrible person.

 

“He was even a school bully back then! He was famous all over Eunpyeong-gu!”

 

In the end, I had no choice but to raise my voice slightly to cut him off.

 

“Could you tell me how he acts here, instead of outside?”

 

“Huh? Here?”

 

“Yeah. Like… if he has people he’s close with. Or if anything special happened.”

 

“Ah… well….”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“It seems like he’s doing okay….”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah… He’s probably hiding his true colors, but everyone seems to like him. During the mission, I heard he divided the parts fairly as the team leader… Apparently he hasn’t done anything strange.”

 

‘Then that means he’s a good guy.’

 

“But it’s all acting. He’ll show his true colors eventually. It’s obvious. Don’t go getting hurt later, Unha. You should keep your distance starting now.”

 

It seemed best to take whatever came out of his mouth with a grain of salt. I’d be better off judging Kim Haejun for myself.

 

If I had more time, I could’ve spent longer thinking it over, but I was out of time. From now on, I had to start making my path clear.

 

This was especially true in the case of Kim Haejun.

 

If I concluded that he wasn’t suitable…

 

‘I’d have to sabotage him.’

 

Conversely, if he was judged to be perfectly fit….

 

‘I’d have to pull him in.’

 

Whatever the case, as someone who had received this quest, I had no choice but to investigate him.

 

As I was lost in thought while looking at the quest again, Number 123—no, Jung Taehee—spoke up.

 

“B-but Unha. Do you really have to use the benefit on Kim Haejun?”

 

“For now, it seems very likely. Honestly, there aren’t many people who can arrange and compose. He has the buzz, he has style, and he’s a good rapper… he’s perfect from head to toe. This mission will probably be on a larger scale than the last one… and since we don’t know what kind of mission it will be, I think he’d be a big help.”

 

“T-that’s true, but….”

 

“The biggest thing is that he can arrange and compose music. That alone gives our team an advantage over everyone else.”

 

‘And that’ll still matter after debut too, won’t it?’

 

Of course, I didn’t know how far Kim Haejun could go. He might make good songs, or he might be all hype and never see the light of day.

 

In fact, the latter was more likely. It was more probable that he would fail at everything he made and eventually have to get songs from outside.

 

No matter how talented he might be, Kim Haejun was only 18, and the world was full of talented composers. There’d be no reason to take the risk of relying on Kim Haejun’s songs.

 

But….

 

‘Image is what matters.’

 

Yes. Image was important.

 

There was a huge difference between a group that had a member with genuine artistic qualities and one that didn’t. Likewise, there was a big difference between having a self-composed track at the end of an album and not having one.

 

Of course, plenty of people didn’t care about things like that, but having a creative member allowed us to present ourselves not as a group manufactured by a factory, but as artists with genuine creative input.

 

It was an important element and a component that could take an ordinary idol group one step further.

 

While I was lost in useless thoughts again, Number 123—no, Taehee—spoke to me.

 

“S-so… are you really going to use the benefit?”

 

I was still debating, but in the end, I nodded.

 

“Yeah. I think the team needs him.”

 

But before that, there was something I wanted to try.

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

< Conversation with the Dead: C-Rank >

 

Among the minor skills I possessed, this was one that was ranked at C-rank.