Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 7

I had no idea what kind of algorithm it had gotten picked up by or where some portal had suddenly opened, but despite only having been uploaded a short while ago, the view count just kept climbing.

 

Every time I refreshed the page, the views increased, and new comments poured in.

 

‘Weren’t idol survival shows supposed to be a dying format?’

 

[Charming. Charming. Charming. Charming. Charming.]

 

‘Do individual contestant pre-release view counts usually go up this much?’

 

I was dumbfounded. There really had been a time when audition programs were at the height of their popularity. Not only did they maintain incredibly high ratings, but to exaggerate only slightly, they had once captured the entire nation’s attention.

 

Communities would explode with every new episode, and there was definitely a time when many people were over-invested in the contestants’ debuts. I even remembered people who had absolutely no interest in shows like these saying they’d at least heard the contestants’ names.

 

Of course, times had changed. After a big scandal broke out, survival programs started to stumble, and unknowingly, the format reached the end of its lifespan, with public interest gradually decreasing. There was still demand, so the supply never disappeared entirely, but it was a pathetic level compared to its former glory.

 

That was probably why the filming set had felt so chaotic—or rather, so slapdash. Idol Classism was a program born from that very background. 

 

Moreover, it was a program where the PD’s intent was clearly obvious: rather than learning from the mistakes of previous similar formats, he wanted to reignite the spark by being more provocative and more over-the-top.

 

Naturally, it had already been criticized by what little audience remained even before it aired. Comments like ‘They’re just doing business by selling kids’ dreams’, ‘Whose life are they going to ruin with evil editing this time?’ and ‘They’re going backwards in time’ were everywhere. I even remembered a small movement encouraging people to boycott it.

 

Because of that, I didn’t expect it to start with massive interest, but….

 

‘What is this?’

 

This short video seemed to be receiving an incomprehensible amount of attention.

 

30,000 views.

 

120,000 views.

 

190,000 views.

 

200,000 views.

 

330,000 views.

 

It was rising to an unrealistic degree. 

 

I thought it might be the influence of trolls or bait, but the comment reactions were incomprehensibly positive.

 

> @Ahn116: Am I the only one who keeps replaying? T_T Why can’t I leave?

> ↳ @Roselune: Me too

>  ↳ @user-wv5: Same here

>   ↳ @user-dawad123: Me four

 

> @user-jo2: I’m done for… At first I thought it was funny, but now I’m not even laughing anymore… I’m just staring blankly at the screen.

 

> @davied: What is this that I keep watching? ㅋㅋ

 

> @Animix0890: charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming

 

> @FFF1324: Seriously, once you enter, you can’t leave. charmingcharmingcharmingcharmingcharming

 

> @BODYYYY1111: My husband is so cute.

> ↳ @user-DO123: My husband!!

 

> @user-KY1090: I thought this would just be boring, provocative, and cruel, but a fresh face has appeared. I swore I wasn’t going to watch this time, but I’m suddenly looking forward to it.

 

> @SILVERSUPER: You have to debut. You’re already my babyT_T T_T

 

> @rlaeogus9899: I just laughed hollowly because of all the vitamin talk… but suddenly I’ve been vitamin-ed ♥

 

> @marong: charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming charming

 

> @DND-like: Does anyone know when this program starts?

> ↳ @kwine999: It says at the end of the video. The first episode is in a week.

 

> @user-qcdcv123: I’m a guy… and I’m currently stuck here.

> ↳ @user-444: Me too, I keep watching for some reason. F*ck.

>  ↳ @user-dmnjkandj123: Me too…

>  ↳ @user-qcdcv123: And so we all…

>  ↳ @user-444: F*ck, stop right thereㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ but he really does look cute… sigh…

 

Mixed in among them were heartwarming comments saying I looked cute.

 

For a moment, I wondered whether that insane producer’s scheme had worked so perfectly that the program had become a huge success before it had even begun, but comparing my views to other videos, I realized that wasn’t it.

 

Most of the others averaged around 10,000 views. Heartbreakingly, there were even trainees who hadn’t hit the 10,000 mark. Even Joo Wooyoung only reached 170,000 views—so what more needed to be said?

 

It was hard to believe, but it wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to say that the other contestants were benefiting from the spillover attention I was generating.

 

It was incomprehensible, but I had a suspicion.

 

‘Is this… because of the Succubus Eyes?’

 

[Succubus Eyes: D-Rank]

 

But it was only D-Rank. Not even C-Rank, just D-Rank. Before returning to Earth, it hadn’t even been capable of inflicting status effects on the thugs lurking in back alleys. It was practically useless, but….

 

‘Maybe it’s more effective here.’

 

After all, there was no holy power or supernatural abilities in this world. Perhaps the humans of this world had far less resistance to supernatural influence than the humans over there. Since their magic resistance was non-existent, even a mere D-rank ability was proving effective.

 

The fundamental effect of making people feel favorably toward me didn’t seem to have changed, but it appeared to have a much more dramatic effect than I thought. 

 

Checking the comments further, I noticed some people showing negative reactions.

 

‘Are they people with higher magic resistance than average?’

 

And they were very hostile. It was possible they felt a sense of revulsion toward me in the process of resisting the unidentifiable supernatural power.

 

> @starfiled: They’re already starting the rigging. Why is Lee Unha the only one with a 50-second video?

 

> @lee-5123: The Am-net bastards still haven’t learned their lessonㅎㅎ Discriminating already? Viewers aren’t stupid these days.

 

> @dmkajqncl: Is this really supposed to be cute? It feels way too over-the-top. Honestly it’s kind of creepy.

 

> ↳ @jcjcjc: It’s a bit… creepy… I thought it was just me.

 

> @user-gy6: The editing is doing all the work; the performance itself is pathetic. People keep talking about vocal tone, but it’s not even that good. You can hear his heavy breathing even through the editingㅋ He’s not even a good dancer… if he debuts, the group is doomed. Since he’s getting views anyway, they should milk the attention for a while and then eliminate him.

 

Of course, the blatant hate was from a tiny minority. Given the platform’s atmosphere, it seemed people didn’t write hate comments openly. I wasn’t too worried for now, but it still gave me a lot to think about—the fact that people resisting the Succubus Eyes could feel repulsed by me. 

 

However….

 

‘Isn’t the benefit still greater than the downside?’

 

No matter what, getting my face in front of the public was what mattered. Whether they became fans or haters, the more people talked about me, the better. It went without saying that my standing within the program would change.

 

Ever since that massive scandal years ago, survival shows all claimed they were producing completely clean competitions with no vote manipulation whatsoever, but that didn’t mean the producers and writers stopped interfering. Not by rigging the votes.

 

If a trainee showed promise, the writers would desperately search for material to build a personal storyline around them, and the PDs set a direction for the editing—favorably, of course. There was even a difference in screen time. Fairness in screen time had never existed in the first place. No matter how perceptive viewers had become these days, the show still controlled what information they received, so differences between trainees were inevitable.

 

‘This means I’ve already been noticed.’

 

It was a sign that they were going to push Joo Wooyoung and Lee Unha. I didn’t know if it was Writer Kim Jaehee’s influence or if the PD was on board, but a narrative for the two of us was already being built.

 

> @idol666: Wait, what are you two? Is there already something between them? Their chemistry though…

 

> @crazyapple: This isn’t even a game, so what’s with these interaction lines? Noona is rooting for you.

 

> @sasnaru111: Why am I smiling? ㅎㅎBe happy you two ㅎㅎ

 

> @user-rrrrrrrr19: Thanks for the meal.

 

‘What do you mean, ‘thanks for the meal’?’

 

The reactions were already coming. Of course, the comments here didn’t reflect public opinion perfectly. It seemed most were just muggles who stumbled upon the video, and the comments were on a video platform that didn’t lean toward any specific fandom yet. Occasionally I spotted comments from people who seemed more like dedicated fans, but they were definitely the minority.

 

The communities where people genuinely immersed themselves in idol survival shows and actively voted were somewhere else entirely. Naturally, winning over those communities was just as important as winning over the general public.

 

‘Anyway, it’s positive for now. That’s a relief. And I’ve definitely been tied to Joo Wooyoung now. That’s what matters most.

 

I was just about to go back and check Joo Wooyoung’s comments when I felt a tap on my shoulder. 

 

I turned around to see No. 123, the guy I had talked to briefly before. He was the one sharing the room with me in the Slave dorm. Of course, since it was a Slave dorm housing 10 to 15 people, we weren’t alone.

 

‘Treatment is worse than in the old days. Back then, I at least had a room to myself.’

 

It wasn’t something to brag about, but it showed just how favored a slave I had been. 

 

Anyway, I turned toward him. He was a guy prone to making a fuss, and sure enough, he shoved his phone in my face and shouted.

 

“Unha! Did you… did you see the pre-release video?”

 

“Huh? Yeah…”

 

“Did you check the view count?”

 

“I’m checking it now.”

 

“410,000… it’s 410,000. Just by yourself… It’s truly amazing. All the other kids are around 10,000 and slowly rising, but yours is 410,000… E-everyone’s freaking out right now.”

 

“Why are they freaking out?”

 

“Because of you, of course! Everyone in the practice room is talking about you. Everyone’s checking the preview videos, but yours is the only one anyone’s talking about.”

 

‘But why do you look so proud?’

 

“Anyway, hurry up and come out.”

 

‘No, really, why are you proud? It has nothing to do with you.’

 

“Don’t we still have some time?”

 

“They said filming starts soon. Hurry!”

 

No. 123 grabbed my arm and dragged me along. 

 

As we entered the practice room, the gazes of the other Slave class trainees poured in. Some seemed friendly, but others didn’t. Actually, the majority didn’t. Even though they had encountered the Succubus Eyes once before, their reactions weren’t that favorable.

 

Only then did I realize the mechanism of the Succubus Eyes.

 

‘So, this doesn’t work on people who already harbor hostility toward me.’

 

There was no way the atmosphere could be good. After all, the next mission revealed after the 150 auditions ended was….

 

The Class-based Competition Mission.

 

“Congrats, Unha.”

 

It was even more dramatic for the Slave class. I looked up. Exactly as I had heard before….

 

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

 

The theme of the mission was written across the large screen in massive letters.