Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 71

He was overdoing it for no reason.

 

It was such a passionate reaction that it made me think exactly that.

 

‘What is wrong with this guy? A standing ovation? Is this the effect of the Siren’s Voice? No, there’s no way, right?’

 

Or maybe….

 

Is he just trying to steal the camera? Seriously, give it a rest, Mr. Minhyuk….

 

‘You’re already as famous as can be. You’re active everywhere, your face is all over the place, and every comeback you make tops the charts. Do you really have to go this overboard? You’re a full-fledged active idol. Did you seriously have to steal the trainees’ camera time too?’

 

Was that kind of relentless drive what had allowed him to climb to where he was now? Or perhaps he entered this filming with a desperate resolve of his own. If I were Kim Minhyuk, I would have thought this was the timing to show something big too.

 

‘He really has… well… had zero presence until now….’

 

Among the three judges, he had the least experience, so he had just been dragged along by Benok and Paige’s opinions. Even though he was a member of a successful idol group himself, he seemed reluctant to get on their bad side, so he never properly expressed his own views.

 

Considering Benok and Paige’s prestige, it was understandable, but people in online communities had started calling him nothing more than background decoration on Idol Classism. Personally, I even thought his appearing on this program was a mistake, so that alone said enough.

 

Given that situation, it only made sense that he’d be desperate to create one defining moment for himself. Sure enough, perhaps believing that moment had finally arrived, he kept applauding. He applauded so enthusiastically that even Benok and Paige, sitting beside him, looked flustered.

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

Then, perhaps feeling embarrassed himself, he glanced around and sat back down. Absurdly, he even hung his head low. Seeing that, Benok apparently decided he needed to salvage the situation and slowly picked up his microphone.

 

While our teammates were in a state of extreme tension, he opened his mouth.

 

“In terms of performance, it was lacking to be called ‘perfect,’ but….”

 

‘Ah….’

 

“But it was the kind of stage that made me think, I wish I could have stood up there and performed with you.”

 

‘?!’

 

“Ah, and Trainee Lee Unha.”

 

“Ye-yes?”

 

“You were truly wonderful today. Trainee Lee Unha is like an onion—the more I peel, the more things keep coming out. Today was especially shocking. Until now, I thought your greatest strengths were your magnetic aura and charm, but…. Well, anyway, I really enjoyed watching it. Originally, I’d like to talk about this performance piece by piece, but Judge Kim Minhyuk seems to have a lot to say today, so I’ll leave it at that.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Ah, one last thing… it was just for a moment… but Trainee Lee Unha’s voice… no, it’s nothing.”

 

‘Is this a good thing? It is, right?’

 

He didn’t explicitly mention the fleeting Siren’s Voice, perhaps thinking it was just his imagination… but overall, it was a positive review.

 

‘Does he think he misheard it?’

 

Paige, taking the microphone, murmured something similar. It was as if the three judges had coordinated beforehand… she immediately passed the turn to Kim Minhyuk.

 

“I will also pass the turn to Judge Kim Minhyuk. I enjoyed the performance.”

 

‘Are you guys just pushing your junior into the spotlight now?’

 

“…….”

 

‘You definitely coordinated this beforehand, didn’t you?’

 

With the timing, it was hard not to suspect there was some sort of behind-the-scenes connection between them. At that very moment, Kim Minhyuk lifted the microphone with trembling hands. Hadn’t he said recently that he’d started taking acting lessons? I felt his acting skills were no joke.

 

He was even still swallowing back tears. He acted as though he was so choked up that he could barely get the words out.

 

“Haa… Ah… I-I’m… sorry.”

 

“…….”

 

“Truly… I’m sorry. I… I shouldn’t be… doing this… but I… wait… just a moment.”

 

“…….”

 

‘Wait, is this actually real?’

 

“I—I don’t know why I’m suddenly like this… either. Just… suddenly… I can’t seem to calm down. Haa….”

 

“Take your time, Minhyuk.”

 

“Yes. Yes… huff… phew…”

 

‘Is he even going to be able to continue?’

 

I thought we had torn up the stage, but it felt like this guy was the one tearing up the broadcast.

 

‘Seriously, cut it out. F*ck, isn’t this too much?’

 

In fact, every camera was fixed on him. I could even see one camera doing a close-up exclusive coverage. Since it was a tear show by an active idol, it would be strange not to film it, but thanks to him, it looked like we were being pushed into the background.

 

“Haa… huff. Haa… I-I’m sorry.”

 

Kim Minhyuk finally managed to compose himself only after quite a long time had passed. By then, every bit of attention had already shifted to him. His deeply emotional voice echoed through the venue over the microphone.

 

“I’m not very good with words… so I’m not sure how to explain this performance. However… that… for me… it felt like a very great comfort.”

 

‘Then what exactly comforted you?’

 

“I don’t know if it’s okay to bring up my personal story here, but I’ve been going through a hard time lately. No, it might be a bit strange to tell you all of that.”

 

“…….”

 

“Anyway, at the very least, I felt like this performance gave me tremendous courage. I don’t know whether it was because the ending was death, or because I could so clearly see the desperate determination of the older trainees like myself, but it genuinely felt as though all of you were burning everything you had.”

 

“…….”

 

“I could tell how desperately you prepared for the stage and how much effort you put in. I don’t know how it looked in the eyes of Benok or Paige sunbaenims… but that’s how it felt to me.”

 

And he still wasn’t finished.

 

“A musical… yes. Should I call it a musical? It felt like watching a musical… haha… I hope I’m not overacting….”

 

‘Yeah, you are actually overacting. At least you know.’

 

“Anyway, thank you. And… to give feedback to each of you… first… Trainee Jeon Hocheol. Trainee Na Younghun.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“…As I said earlier, you know I also debuted at a late age.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Of course, I wasn’t as late as you two… but since I can understand a little bit of how mentally difficult it must be for you right now….”

 

“Yes.”

 

“There is something I definitely want to say.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I hope you don’t give up.”

 

“…….”

 

“It might sound irresponsible. Who am I to give you such advice? But while watching this stage, that thought… suddenly occurred to me. I felt that I want to see your performance again somewhere, someday… yes, one more time.”

 

“Th-thank you.”

 

Kim Minhyuk turned his head again.

 

“And Trainee Kim Haejun.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’m really envious of Trainee Kim Haejun.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“I’m genuinely envious that you possess that kind of talent. Honestly, I’m jealous. I’ve studied composing and songwriting myself… so I know just how incredibly difficult it is to create melodies that can move people’s hearts.”

 

“Ah…!”

 

“I had set my studies aside for a while… but after seeing you today, I suddenly felt like picking it up again. Thank you.”

 

“Thank you for the kind words, Judge Kim Minhyuk.”

 

Kim Minhyuk smiled brightly and nodded. For a brief moment, the thought struck me that perhaps he truly meant every word.

 

The kind words to the Elder Duo were one thing, but the feedback for Kim Haejun wasn’t something a person could say unless they truly meant it. A judge telling a trainee they were envious or jealous was proof of that. What kind of judge would say something like that before scoring a contestant? I had no choice but to accept that the guy was currently carried away by his emotions.

 

“And, Trainee Jung Taehee.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“It feels like you’ve become a different person overnight.”

 

“Th-thank you.”

 

“It’s likely because of the help from Trainee Jeon Hocheol and Trainee Na Younghun, right?”

 

“Un—Unha too… Unha helped me a lot as well.”

 

“Hahaha. Yes, I’m sure that’s true. But in my eyes, it looks like Trainee Jeon Hocheol and Trainee Na Younghun contributed greatly to completing this performance. Trainee Jung Taehee, you might not know yet because you lack experience… but having teammates like them is something truly valuable, and something to be grateful for.”

 

“Y—Yes!”

 

“Anyway… Kim Haejun is one thing, but watching someone like Trainee Jung Taehee grow is equally rewarding.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“I’ll look forward to your next performance.”

 

“Yes!”

 

“And… Trainee Lee Unha.”

 

“Yes….”

 

“Do you want to join our group?”

 

“?!”

 

“Don’t look so surprised. I’m just joking. Hahaha… well… is a comment for Trainee Lee Unha even necessary? To be honest, I was a bit worried when I first saw the lineup, but those worries were groundless. Even though you had the fewest lines, the performance was structured in such a way that you couldn’t help but stand out the most among the five of you. And then there was that ending.”

 

“…….”

 

“I’d heard about it and saw a glimpse during the rehearsal, but I was truly startled, you know?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Benok sunbaenim said earlier that he thought he’d figured out what Trainee Lee Unha’s greatest strength was. I felt exactly the same thing.”

 

“…….”

 

“It’s your expressive power. Is that right, sunbaenim?”

 

Benok nodded.

 

“He accurately knew, realized, and expressed exactly what this mission and this song wanted. I’ve never seen anything like this—no, I’ve never seen this type of trainee before, so I don’t know how to explain it.”

 

“…….”

 

“There are many trainees who are good at dancing and singing, but this is a completely different realm. Honestly, it’s true that Lee Unha’s choreography and vocals are still lacking compared to other trainees. But somehow, those weaknesses completely disappear because Trainee Lee Unha has this strange ability to draw people in.”

 

I made eye contact with Kim Minhyuk.

 

“He makes it impossible to look away. No, it’s more than that. Like Benok sunbaenim said earlier, even I… if it were impossible to stand with you… felt like I wanted to stand behind you… and just wave a flag together… that’s how much impact it had.”

 

“…….”

 

“I’ll just say one thing honestly. I know there are many viewers who don’t understand why Trainee Lee Unha is attracting such a cult-like popularity.”

 

‘Wait, can you really just say something like that on air?’

 

“I guarantee that even those viewers will change their minds once they see this stage. I’m willing to bet on it.”

 

“Ye—yes?”

 

“It was a wonderful revolution, and a wonderful death.”

 

“…….”

 

“It was a touching performance, and a touching end.”

 

“…….”

 

“So… haa… I sincerely want to thank all of you once again for giving us a stage like this.”

 

Kim Minhyuk slowly stood up and bowed deeply. Since Benok and Paige didn’t say anything else, did it mean they partially agreed with Kim Minhyuk? Or was it just his personal impression?

 

“But… he didn’t mention Siren’s Voice either. Did only Benok notice? More importantly… did the skill even activate? It definitely activated, didn’t it?”

 

At the very least, my mana had been consumed. Maybe it had happened so quickly that no one could tell. In the middle of this chaotic situation, various worries and thoughts occurred to me, but I couldn’t reach a conclusion right now.

 

‘At least I’ve confirmed the skill activates properly… I’ll observe it a little longer.’

 

I made a mental note to investigate the matter more thoroughly later.

 

Leaving the various anxieties behind, the sight of the judges assigning scores came into view. As I looked up with a slightly anxious heart…

 

An unbelievable result appeared before my eyes.

 

“Uh….”

 

“Wow… WAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

 

“Unhaaaa!!!!”

 

[299 Points]

 

Even after seeing it with my own eyes, I rubbed them and looked up again.

 

[299 Points]

 

It was the highest score of this mission.