Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 64

OnlyStansNugus

 

‘Isn’t this program… way too biased?’

 

While watching episodes 1, 2, and 3 of the trendy show Idol Classism, that thought suddenly took hold of me.

 

‘Seriously… aren’t they being way too harsh on the Commons class? They’re blatantly focusing only on the Nobility and Slave classes, aren’t they?’

 

Of course, I knew survival shows like this were never truly fair. They all claimed to be impartial, but in reality, they were heavily influenced by all kinds of outside factors.

 

But this felt far too blatant. Excluding Episode 1, which featured the self-introduction evaluations…

 

“Seriously… where did the Commoner class screen time go in Episodes 2 and 3?”

 

The vast majority was focused on the Nobility and the Slaves. It wasn’t as if the Commons class received no attention at all, but somehow that only made it more frustrating.

 

Their mission flew by in an instant, and so did the trainees. I harbored hope that they would be featured more in Episode 4, but I hated myself for even having that hope. The disparity in screen time had become so extreme that the dominant opinion among viewers was that the Commons class was practically invisible.

 

Of course, I knew it was only the first mission. I also understood that, relatively speaking, the Commons-class mission had simply been the least entertaining.

 

The Nobility had:

[1st Class-Specific Mission: <Nobility> Coin Competition]

 

The Commons had:

[1st Class-Specific Mission: <Commons> Market Economy]

 

The Slaves had:

[1st Class-Specific Mission: <Slave> Class Auction]

 

In reality, the missions themselves didn’t feel that different, but the situations certainly were. There was a clear gap between the Nobility, who competed to earn coins at the top, and the Slaves, who were openly pushed into extreme survival conditions.

 

Even the trainees within each class were on completely different levels.

 

The seven Nobility members who competed as a team—including Jegal Hwi, Joo Wooyoung, and Baek Suhyeon—truly showcased their individual charms. They pulled off [V.I.P]’s song almost perfectly. Since they were the only 7 out of 150 trainees to hold the Nobility rank, such a phenomenon was expected, but they truly exceeded expectations.

 

Take Jegal Hwi, for example…

 

‘Isn’t he a crazy good dancer? How can he be that good?’

 

His dancing was enough to leave my jaw hanging open, while Joo Wooyoung once again delivered rock-solid live vocals and elegant dance lines. It was a performance where no one was lacking; everyone looked like the center. They even managed to hook viewers simply by deciding how to distribute the coins that would likely become important later in the competition.

 

As for the Slaves…

 

‘The problem there is that there are too many attention-seekers.’

 

To put it bluntly, they were the ‘Major of the Majors’.

 

Lee Unha was especially prominent. He stood out in the class mission, struggled throughout the broadcast, and capped it off with a dramatic fall on stage. It wasn’t that the other Slave stages weren’t stimulating; they were too stimulating, to the point of being a problem. It was one train wreck after another.

 

Sure, the fact that they’d only had about five hours to prepare was a huge factor, but in the end, what viewers remembered was a series of performances that were almost painful to watch. Aside from the various incidents happening within Idol Classism, these trashy stages were becoming memes, heating up NewTube and Shorts.

 

Videos like:

[<Idol Classism/Ep 3> Slave Team 1 [Road to Hell] Full Version Comment Compilation]

Or:

[<Idol Classism/Ep 3> Slave Team 2 [Rotten Benok] Full Version Comment Compilation]

Or:

[<Idol Classism/Ep 3> Slave Team 5 [Hell Hell Hell] Full Version Comment Compilation][EN/JP]

 

‘This one is still getting comments. Well, that part where they went ‘Waaaaagh!’ was pretty intense.’

 

The videos had around 4,000 to 5,000 comments. The view counts were high, too—almost matching the Nobility performance videos. That alone spoke volumes about how much attention the Slave class had attracted.

 

Furthermore…

[<Idol Class System/Ep 3> Slave Team 6 [PUNCH] Full Version][EN/JP]

 

The views for Lee Unha’s team were on another level. I could bet that the scene where Lee Unha collapsed on the floor recorded the peak viewership rating for Episode 3. With international fans joining in, the comment count was over 8,000. Combined with comments trashing the main PD and demanding his resignation, it was creating massive buzz.

 

‘But honestly, is Lee Unha really all that?’

 

Sure, I admitted he had a unique face.. His vocal tone definitely had charm. But if you asked whether his actual skills matched those of the Nobility class, I’d have to shake my head. People kept talking about his star quality, but…

 

‘It feels a bit lacking.’

 

There were obvious shortcomings.

 

‘No matter how I look at it… aren’t these guys just more skilled?’

 

I set a video to play in the corner of my monitor to contribute to the view count of a particularly low-performing video.

 

[<Idol Class System/Ep 3> Commoner Team 1 [Pure Message] Full Version Comment Compilation][EN/JP]

 

It might not have felt as perfect as the Nobility performance, but…

 

[A message, a message for you, that is a revelation for us]

[A piece of my heart quietly written down. In what way will it blow toward you?]

[My heart pressed firmly into jagged handwriting, I lift my pen, worrying it might be too heavy for you]

 

‘Isn’t this stage actually good?’

 

It sounded great, for one thing. Honestly, the dance lines were much prettier, and the formations were put together beautifully.

 

[<Idol Class System/Ep 3> Commoner Team 2 [Don’t Come Closer] Full Version Comment Compilation][EN/JP]

 

‘And this one too.’

 

Just look at these kids. Look at how desperately they’re fighting to climb higher, no matter what… It was what an idol was supposed to be. These were my precious babies working hard for their dreams. To be honest, compared to the sensationalist Slave stages, there was a huge difference. You couldn’t watch those Slave stages without the video. But the performances of this class? They didn’t need to rely on visuals. The live vocals coming through the speakers were a joy to the ears. If this were a competition based purely on digital streaming, I was certain my babies’ stage would have hit high numbers.

 

That said…

 

‘Honestly, the show’s still fun. Even if the Commons-class kids get rushed through… the show’s genuinely entertaining.’

 

Even I had become hooked despite all my complaints, so what more needs to be said? It was fun. There were definitely moments where the dopamine rush hit completely naturally. This was likely why there weren’t that many complaints about the fairness of screen time.

 

‘Right… the broadcast people probably think as long as it’s fun, it’s fine. Why would they care about the trainees?’

 

“The other viewers have either accepted it or given up, too.”

 

Maybe people had simply given up because there were too many things that were understandable. Though this was a slightly different issue… the fact that personal phones were allowed inside Idol Classism was another point. It was even more so considering that the next mission was [Class Mission – Follower].

 

—

[General] [User: Seriously, Idol Classism has completely lost its mind.]

[I wonder if they’re even human. They’re doing the Follower mission right now, right? Or is it already over? If it’s already over, isn’t that even worse? It doesn’t look like they collected everyone’s phones… The trainees are using their personal phones to post on social media, right? What if they’re exchanging DMs with fans or getting help from their agencies? What the hell are they thinking?]

 

↳ [FixedHandle]: You only just realized they’re insane?

↳ [User]: As long as it’s sensational, that’s enough for them. The ratings prove it. These idiots don’t care about fairness or spoiler risks. Didn’t you see the Commoners’ screen time completely vanish?

↳ [DuckFly]: The answer is to just stop giving this kind of show attention.

↳ [User]: Why are you living on this board if you don’t care? You even made a fixed username.

↳ [DuckFly]: Because watching you all suffer is entertaining.

↳ [User]: Just gtfo.

↳ [User2]: No, but seriously, allowing personal phones is crossing the line. I guarantee this will cause problems. Actually, it already did ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

↳ [User]: Wasn’t the phone use allowed to filter out those problematic guys in the first place? If someone like Han Jungmin causes trouble and leaves, I’m actually grateful. I’m worried about something else… ㅋ Personal phone use is one thing. It’s making it a mission that’s weird. What kind of method is deciding victory based on SNS follower counts? Some of them already had huge followings before joining the show, and even if they make new accounts, it’ll obviously still have an effect. Just look at LUH and his Shorts views…

↳ [Unha Stan^^7]: Why drag Unha into this? Getting lots of Shorts views is a skill too, you know?

↳ [User]: By that logic, getting into a good agency is also a talent, right?

↳ [Unha Stan^^7]: I never said anything about the follower mission being fair or unfair

↳ [User]: Talking to you is impossible ㅋㅋ

—

 

While absentmindedly browsing the gallery, my eyes landed on one particular post. It was the usual unproductive discussion on an unproductive post… but as always, I reflexively left another meaningless comment.

 

↳ [OnlyStansNugus]: I’m actually in favor of this mission. I need to see my kids on SNS since their screen time is gone. Otherwise, I’d never see them again

↳ [User]: You stan the Commoners? Escape while you still can~

↳ [OnlyStansNugus]: Too late. I was hooked since the self-introductions…

↳ [User3]: You think stanning the Slaves is any safer? My bias disappeared without a trace after leaving behind one miserable stage~

 

‘Right. At least we have this.’

 

I found myself clicking in and out of Insta. Since I already had the performance video playing on one side and had finished scanning the board, this was the natural next routine.

 

But still, no new posts. I let out a disappointed sigh and was about to get up from my seat.

 

‘O-oh, it’s up.’

 

A notification chimed.

 

‘Younghun!’

 

It was a photo of Na Younghun. And even better…

 

‘He took it with Hocheol!’

 

My second bias, Jeon Hocheol, was with him. The two looked quite close. I’d been worried because there had been no news lately, but it seemed like they were adjusting well inside the dorm.

 

‘Look at them smiling. How can they be this cute? How is he 24? How?’

 

I stamped my feet in excitement for a moment, but then I regained my senses. I had work to do.

 

‘I have to post this on the board!’

 

You could never forget to squeeze in a little promotion. I knew it wouldn’t be easy for the two older trainees to debut among so many contestants, but I still had to do whatever I could. Ah, while I was promoting them, I should upload that performance I’d just watched too.

 

‘I need to let them know they’re being cheered for.’

 

Leaving comments on Insta was essential as well.

 

And then, another notification rang.

 

“What! Another one?”

 

This time, it was a challenge. And…

 

‘Lee Unha?’

 

Lee Unha was with them. It was the currently trending Triangle Challenge. I saw Younghun in the center, with Lee Unha on the left giving it his all.

 

I was screaming with happiness on the inside, but an even bigger question filled my mind first.

 

‘How… did these three connect?’

 

“…….”

 

‘How?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Are they doing another mission together?’

 

“…….”

 

‘Wait, could they be in the same group?’

 

This was good news. Incredible news. Whatever the case, being associated with Lee Unha at this timing in this program was a huge win.

 

It was an opportunity. Probably an opportunity for both of them. Having watched countless survival and competition programs, I knew that human relationships were also a factor in surviving. I knew I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but before I realized it, my hands had clasped together.

 

‘Please… just let them survive as long as possible. Mr. Lee Unha, please take good care of my kids. Please, please….’

 

If they really were going to perform together… Then all I could think about was how desperately I wanted them to make it a huge success.