Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 55

He was truly sobbing his heart out.

 

‘I don’t know if it’s just because they’re at that turbulent age of adolescence….’

 

They were hard to handle.

 

These guys were already at an age where their emotions were jumping all over the place like a wild roller coaster, and being locked in a confined space under stress made them even more sensitive than usual.

 

However….

 

‘This much is just child’s play, really.’

 

A little extra sensitivity from these kids was something I could laugh off. Back in the other world, hadn’t I lived alongside slaves who were far more troublesome than they were?

 

Considering I had to cater to the whims of that mad dark mage, what was happening here was nothing more than a playground squabble. Furthermore, the fact that they were crying and reacting sensitively to this kind of conflict was proof that they were still pure and honest about expressing their feelings.

 

Things had become more dramatic than necessary, but in a way, that sincerity made it pleasant to watch. It was better to experience this kind of friction than to be mixed up with thugs who still couldn’t tell right from wrong.

 

‘Yeah. Compared to guys who swear every other word and act like complete thugs, this kind of youth drama is much better.’

 

I wasn’t targeting No. 98 specifically. No. 98 had a bit of a foul mouth, but he was different from common thugs. The real ones were probably snickering and puffing on e-cigarettes in their rooms at this very moment.

 

‘Yeah… this is much better.’

 

“Hic. Uwaaaah. I just… I wanted you, Unha….”

 

‘Or… Is it?’

 

I was trying to think as positively as possible… but it was still difficult. Especially because I had received a lot of help from No. 123, so I couldn’t just take a purely hostile stance.

 

As I glanced at the other team members before fixing my gaze on Taehee, I could see Jung Taehee’s face as he went into full-on wailing mode. His face was so distorted by emotion that he couldn’t even speak properly. Why did he look so sorrowful?

 

It felt like there was nothing to be gained from pushing Taehee any further.

 

Perhaps the other teammates felt the same way. The Elder Duo and Kim Haejun were actually trying to comfort Taehee and stop me.

 

“That’s enough, Unha. Taehee… has probably understood by now.”

 

“Right. It’s true that we chose the song a bit emotionally. It’s understandable that Taehee would be hurt. Using the term ‘majority vote’ to… just….”

 

‘Still, when you discipline someone, you have to do it properly.’

 

This was a lesson learned from my experiences—or lack thereof—in the other world. If No. 123 were just a common mob character I’d never see again, I wouldn’t have gone this far. But….

 

‘There’s a real chance he could debut, too.’

 

He received a lot of criticism during the incident with Kim Haejun, but that also meant he was getting a lot of attention. He was also benefiting from being close to Lee Unha.

 

It wasn’t like he lacked skill either. He was a surefire main vocal, and a unique one at that, so fans were steadily gathering around him. If he made a big impact in this mission, he might actually have a chance to debut.

 

‘But it’ll be a problem if he acts like this.’

 

If he caused an incident like this every single time after being picked for the debut group, it would be troublesome. Joo Wooyoung valued party play above all else and disliked party members who caused discord or trouble.

 

It seemed more natural to straighten him out properly now. If he couldn’t change, then it would be better to cut him before he debuted. Of course, there was a possibility that No. 123 would turn his back on me because of today’s incident… but that was a risk I had to take.

 

“No. Taehee was in the wrong here. In the first place, we gathered like this to have a meeting on how to do better… but now we can’t get anything done because of something unnecessary.”

 

“Even so….”

 

“Hic… Ugh… Hic…”

 

“Taehee did it all for you….”

 

“I know Taehee did it for me. I’m grateful to him. But… it’s also a fact that Taehee said things he shouldn’t have to Haejun hyung or the other hyungs. Honestly, I’m not in a position to say anything, but….”

 

“N-no… I-I’m sorry, Unha… I….”

 

“Taehee.”

 

“Hic… Yeah?”

 

“You don’t have to be sorry to me. Shouldn’t you be apologizing to the hyungs right now?”

 

After I finished speaking, I watched Taehee quietly, and he began to hesitate. He likely knew what I was demanding. With the Elder Duo and Kim Haejun awkwardly watching the situation….

 

Jung Taehee finally opened his mouth with difficulty.

 

“I think… I made a mistake. Without thinking about the hyungs… Hic. Uuuuugh.”

 

But he looked resentful. He clearly didn’t think he was in the wrong, but because I had taken a firm stance, he was forced to apologize.

 

“I think I only thought about myself and Unha… and I think I spoke too harshly to Haejun hyung… Hic. Ugh. I’m sorry.”

 

The process of that apology looked pathetic. He kept sobbing, and all of his resentment came through.  Especially when apologizing to Kim Haejun, his hands were even trembling….

 

‘He really… doesn’t want to apologize.’

 

That feeling was transmitted instantly.

 

However….

 

No. 123 clenched his teeth and finished what he had to do. He officially apologized for his previous mistake and finally bowed his head to Kim Haejun.

 

The atmosphere didn’t immediately shift to one where we could talk about the next mission… But this was the right moment to offer a carrot after the stick.

 

“Um, hyungs, I’m sorry, but I think it would be best to stop here for today and talk about the rest tomorrow. We don’t have much time, but… tomorrow, let’s not worry about the broadcast and at least try to get a framework together.”

 

“Y-yeah… let’s do that.”

 

“Haejun Hyung….”

 

“I’ll work on the song for a bit.”

 

“Yes. Please do.”

 

“Then how should we divide the parts?”

 

“Let’s decide that tomorrow too, hyung.”

 

“Um… the timing is a bit awkward, but could I talk to Haejun for a bit about the parts I want?”

 

‘The Elder Duo… these guys really. They’re hopeless. Do you really want to do this right now? Was Jung Taehee actually right…?’

 

“Yes, of course. Ah. Then let’s all write down the parts we want by tomorrow. Since the parts we want might change depending on how the arrangement goes, we should decide carefully.”

 

“R-right. But… um… no. Let’s talk about this tomorrow.”

 

We had only shared a normal conversation.

 

But it felt subtly uncomfortable.

 

Even though the incident with Jung Taehee was over, a certain tension lingered. The source of that uncomfortable feeling wasn’t Kim Haejun, Jung Taehee, or me. It was the Elder Duo, who were looking this way.

 

‘Is it because of the parts?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Or… is it because of the leader role?’

 

Since the team wasn’t moving according to their wishes, they might have felt uncomfortable….

 

Perhaps they were even more anxious because they had seen their screen time completely vanished in the broadcast we just watched. They needed to show something to secure screen time, but to make matters worse, they might have felt that the initiative or leader role of the team had been snatched by me.

 

They felt the team naturally gathered around Lee Unha, the narrative naturally progressed around Lee Unha, and they were naturally listening to Lee Unha.

 

The thing these guys could show in this mission was their ability as elders to unify the team, but since even that was in danger of being lost, they instinctively appeared to feel uncomfortable about being on this team.

 

‘But this couldn’t really be helped…’

 

Lee Unha had the highest recognition, and Lee Unha had produced the most results. Since I also had the closest relationships with Kim Haejun and Jung Taehee, it was only natural that my words carried weight.

 

‘To be honest, it’s not like I can really trust those two anyway…’

 

These guys were currently worrying more about how they could get more attention and build their recognition than the success of the mission. It wasn’t exactly bad, but… I felt a subtle discomfort that I couldn’t put into words.

 

Seeing Kim Haejun being hounded by the duo regarding part distribution the moment he left mine and Taehee’s room made my anxiety start to rise even further.

 

‘The fact that there’s another unstable kid here is also a problem….’

 

After closing the door and sending away the instability factors, the other instability factor who was walking on eggshells in the room was reflected in my eyes.

 

With a huddled posture and an anxious expression, he looked like a student just before being scolded by a teacher. Until just a moment ago, he had seemed to be hoping for Kim Haejun and the Elder Duo to get out of our room… but now, the atmosphere of just the two of us being here felt uncomfortable.

 

Since the air was frozen, I also ended up walking on eggshells.

 

Jung Taehee finally spoke up when this atmosphere started to feel even more uncomfortable.

 

“I’m sorry… Unha… I….”

 

“No.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I’m sorry, too.”

 

“Uh… no, Unha….”

 

“The truth is, I’m not really in any position to lecture you. You’ve always been so good to me… I think I failed to understand how you felt… and it ended up looking like I was scolding you in front of the hyungs… even though that wasn’t what I wanted…”

 

“Unha.”

 

“I guess I was under a lot of stress, too. Like you said, there was the song selection issue, and I felt like the fight earlier happened because of me… and people are trashing you and Haejun hyung on the internet… and everyone is complaining about the screen time. I think I ended up taking all that out on you.”

 

“No, it’s not that you were taking it out on me… I… I really was the one who was wrong…. I… I think I only thought about the two of us too much… just like you said, this is a team mission… and… I already knew how important things like that were to you….”

 

I should load up some tears, too.

 

Since that was the atmosphere.

 

It felt like we were already sharing our honest feelings with each other. We were creating a scene that even kids this age would find cringeworthy, but the parties involved, who were already deeply immersed in these emotions, had no time to feel that way.

 

More importantly, Taehee didn’t seem the slightest bit uncomfortable with this sentimental atmosphere. If anything, he seemed to welcome it.

 

‘I’m doing something I wouldn’t even do after drinking three bottles of rum.’

 

Even so, I opened my mouth.

 

I didn’t full-on wail, but with moist eyes, I poured out my heart.

 

“I… want to debut with you, Taehee.”

 

In other words, it was a request to please not ruin the teamwork if possible.

 

“Y-Yeah! Yeah! Unha… Hic… Ugh… I want to debut with you too. If I can’t debut with you, then I won’t debut at all.”

 

That was a bit much.

 

‘Even if you don’t make it… I’ll still debut by myself… no, I’ll debut with Joo Wooyoung.’

 

But it wasn’t the right moment to object, so all I could do was nod.

 

“Yeah. Let’s definitely debut together, Taehee.”

 

“Yeah, Unha.”

 

The atmosphere felt like the peak of summer.