Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus – Chapter 53

Author: LyraDhani

Idol Classism wasn’t the kind of program where it was easy to cram in screen time. It wasn’t an easy show to edit either.

Of course, I didn’t know exactly how the TV station staff handled the production or whether it was really as difficult as I imagined, but considering how many different elements they had to juggle, I could guarantee it was no easy task.

There were separate missions for each of the three classes—Nobility, Commons, and Slave—and each required a different narrative. The trainees who needed to be highlighted were also spread across those three classes, and as if that weren’t enough, they also had to include footage from the dorms.

On top of that, when you considered that each team’s performance averaged around four minutes, and that interviews, personal backstories, and behind-the-scenes preparation often stretched to ten or even fifteen minutes… it made the task even more daunting. It was physically impossible to fit all that content into a short window of 90 to 110 minutes.

‘That might be why they scheduled it for twice a week, but still…’

Honestly, even that wasn’t enough. From the viewers’ perspective, it meant they got to watch only the most exciting, best-edited moments, but from the trainees’ perspective, it also meant there was always the risk that our screen time would simply disappear.

‘Of course, Lee Unha’s screen time isn’t going anywhere.’

The captions were already playing me up. As expected, the Slave Auction mission began immediately. On the large screen, the clock was ticking down, and in the midst of the confusion of the Slave class trainees, my own image stood out as I struggled to take charge.

[Caption: At this moment, Trainee Lee Unha suddenly begins to speak up loudly.]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: We’re going to be on the same team, right?!]

[Trainee No. 123 Jung Taehee: Huh? Oh! Of course. Is it okay for me to be on the same team as you, Unha?]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Excuse me! We have to go on stage in a few hours, so it’s better to form groups now. It’ll be better to do this together rather than going solo, right?!]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Hey. Want to join our group?]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Hyung! Want to be on our team?!]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Want to join our group?]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: I’ll only take exactly eight members for the group. That seems like the right number! Everyone agrees, right?]

I had expected this, but it looked even better on screen than I had imagined. While everyone else was dazed and doing nothing, I alone was portrayed as someone who grasped the situation quickly and rallied a team. It was a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but I looked pretty cool.

‘Who would’ve thought participating in the Slave Auction would end up helping me like this?’

[Trainee No. 123 Jung Taehee: I’m sorry. We… think exactly eight people is best.]

‘And they actually kept that part in.’

The screen also showed a trainee who had courageously expressed a desire to join our group trudging away with slumped shoulders after being rejected. I glanced slightly at Jung Taehee, but he still seemed to think his choice back then was the right one.

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Honestly, I don’t know for sure, but our next mission is the Slave Auction! It seems like the auction will start as soon as that timer over there runs out! We just need to prepare the stage that will be shown before the auction begins.]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: I think it’s important to pick a song we can handle.]

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: What about the arrangement?]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: There’s no time. I don’t think anyone here knows how to arrange music anyway. Does anyone?]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: We can at least decide on a concept before we go in. If we move fast, we can probably throw some choreography together. Well, technically, it’s less about creating and more about trimming down what we know.]

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: A concept?]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Yes.]

[Trainee No. 123 Jung Taehee: Unha, is there something you want to do?]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Resistance.]

The camera zoomed in on my face. Honestly, it was a bit cringeworthy. The look in my eyes seemed to carry some strange burning ambition, which only made me feel more awkward.

‘They’ve already shown the Nobility Class… there are only about thirty minutes left. They’ll probably switch over to the Commons Class around here, right?’

But the scene didn’t change.

‘Wait… when are they going to switch?’

They were fully showcasing the narrative of Lee Unha’s group. From the moment we started practicing…

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Good! Good! One, two, three! Four! Hyung, pop out here. Yes! Right here!]

[Trainee No. 89 Min Chulgi: Th-thanks…]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: One, two, three! Four! Hyung, this part isn’t working for you. Let’s just cut it.]

[Trainee No. 89 Min Chulgi: S-sorry… I’m sorry. Because of me…]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: No! No! You make up for it with your great singing, Hyung. We’re on the same team. There’s no need to be sorry!]

‘No, really, they’re going this far…?’

They even included interviews with the other members. Most of them were along the lines of: ‘Unha is good at leading. We wouldn’t have been able to prepare a stage like this without him. Even though I’m older, I received so much help from Unha’.

There must have been an interview after the stage as well, because No, 141 Park Deokoh was practically bawling while singing Lee Unha’s praises. Of course, because they were showing the Slave class narrative, other Slave teams appeared too, but anyone could see that Lee Unha’s group was the protagonist.

In fact, it looked like I had more screen time than the Nobility class that aired earlier.

The highlight, as expected, was the final speech. After showing other teams who went up without preparation and gave miserable performances, teams that would clearly be mocked and controversial, and teams whose performances were met with stone-cold silence rather than laughter…

The screen showed the members of Lee Unha’s group huddling together to prepare.

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: You’re nervous, aren’t you?]

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: Haa… haa… whew….]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Are you nervous?!]

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: Yeah… damn… I’m nervous… Honestly, I can’t even joke and say I’m not.]

[Trainee No. 89 Min Chulgi: I don’t even know if the cameras are rolling or what. I feel like I’m going to throw up…]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: I know these words won’t help, but you don’t really need to be nervous. Our practice period was a bit short to say that results will follow our effort, but this is a team created by my stubbornness anyway. I was the one who insisted on the song choice, the part distribution, and the blocking. You hyungs aren’t the ones who have to take responsibility.]

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: Th-that makes me feel even more pressured.]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Actually, I’m saying it because I want you to feel pressured.]

[Trainee No. 89 Min Chulgi: Haha…]

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: Hahaha!]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: I am only half joking. If we mess up our stage, I guarantee I’ll get a mountain of hate comments!]

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: R-right… we really have to work hard then.]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Actually, it’ll be hard to avoid hate comments anyway. This whole situation feels like they’re setting us up to be mocked! So…]

[Trainee No. 123 Jung Taehee: Huh?]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: So let’s give them a taste of their own medicine.]

[Trainee No. 123 Jung Taehee: Huh? Give what? How? Wait, to whom?]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: To whom else… the broadcast people. It feels like they set the stage this way because we’re trainees from small agencies with no proper backing… so if we flip the script, wouldn’t that be getting back at them?]

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: Wait… wouldn’t it actually be better for the program if our stage is a huge hit? Like… the feeling of succeeding in a harsh environment… and Unha, isn’t the recording rolling right now? Is it… is it okay to say that?]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: It’s sensitive content, so they’ll probably… edit it out, right? Anyway, let’s go in with the mindset of sticking it to them. Think of the concept. What was the concept?]

‘They didn’t edit it out. They’re really consistent, these guys.’

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: Resistance.]

[Trainee No. 123 Jung Taehee: Resistance.]

[Trainee No. 89 Min Chul-gi: Resistance.]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Yes. Let’s go with that.]

[Trainee No. 123 Jung Taehee: Yes. Let’s do what Unha says.]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: Alright, everyone, hands in.]

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: Alright.]

[Trainee No. 89 Min Chulgi: O-okay.]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: On three. Fighting.]

[Trainee No. 112 Lee Unha: One, two, three!]

[Lee Unha’s Team: Fighting!!!]

[Trainee No. 141 Park Deokoh: Let’s go!]

[Trainee No. 89 Min Chul-gi: Let’s go!!! Let’s go!!! Let’s go!!!]

[Trainee No. 123 Jung Taehee: Lee Unha Team! Let’s go!!!!]

[Lee Unha’s Team: Lee Unha Team!! Let’s go!!!!]

Immediately after.

‘Wait. Is it over?’

The screen went black, and the broadcast ended with a fade-out, leaving behind a small caption.

[Caption: What fate awaits Team Lee Unha?]

It was such a predictable cliffhanger. I thought there might be more, but the broadcast truly ended there. They didn’t even show a preview for the next episode.

“…….”

“Unha. Do you remember? We were so incredibly nervous back then.”

No. 123 Jung Taehee was mindlessly reminiscing about the past, but the atmosphere was not one for small talk. Kim Haejun’s expression remained unchanged, but the faces of the Elder Duo were dark. To exaggerate slightly, they looked like they had just chewed on poop.

Naturally, anyone would make that face in a situation like this.

‘The Commons class… damn it, got completely edited out.’

“…….”

‘Completely.’

Of course, it was still too early to know for sure. Episode 3, airing tomorrow, might finally focus on the Commons class.

But considering that the story of the Nobility and Slave classes meeting for the first time and holding the Slave Auction was still waiting to be shown, there was a high chance even that wouldn’t receive proper attention. Furthermore, didn’t I fall and bleed because of No. 141 Park Deokoh, who became a beast instead of a beast-dol? Added to that, the confrontation between the fuming Vex and the main PD was also scheduled.

No matter what kind of story unfolded in the Commons class or what sort of chaotic spectacle happened there, it was impossible for it to overshadow what had happened in the Slave class.

Given the current momentum, the Nobility and Slave classes would likely be the main focus of tomorrow’s Episode 3 as well, and the protagonist would probably be Lee Unha.

‘This is making me feel awkward.‘

“Con… Congratulations, Unha.”

‘You don’t look like you’re congratulating me at all…‘

“Whoa~ you were totally the main character today, weren’t you?”

‘Why is this hyung talking like that?‘

“Unha is always the protagonist. I thought back then that we definitely had to listen to what Unha said. For our mission, too… we should have picked BOOM…”

‘Stop it, Taehee…’

As obvious as it was, this was the moment he had to comfort the guests who had come to our room. The atmosphere was so stifling that even my efforts to brighten it up failed.

Perhaps the most baffling part was that the broadcast was actually… entertaining. Objectively speaking, the tension reminiscent of a chaotic survival show was maintained throughout, and the story of Lee Unha’s group shouting ‘Resistance’ as if they wouldn’t be played by the production’s game made it impossible to be boring.

The Elder Duo probably realized that there was no need to highlight the Commons class when this narrative was available… so they didn’t seem to have much hope. I heard that the Commons class was also quite spectacular, but perhaps it just couldn’t beat the sheer insanity of the Slave class.

“It—It’s okay, hyungs. Episode 3 will probably focus on the <Commons> class.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. I’m sure it will… Though looking at the current flow, our screen time might be reduced a little… but there are still plenty of viewers who’ll want to see the Commons class too.”

‘They won’t edit them out entirely. Especially since the incident with Kim Haejun’s bracelet happened recently. They’ll at least highlight Haejun.’

But if someone asked if the Elder Duo would get a lot of screen time, I would have to shake my head. The two of them seemed to be desperately clinging to hope, but they probably knew better than anyone. They knew Idol Classism was a cruel program and that screen time wasn’t distributed fairly.

Even so, it wasn’t a time for me to be blindly happy, either.

‘Won’t this look way too blatantly biased?‘

The accusations that the show was favoring Lee Unha above everyone else were likely to resurface once again.