Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus – Chapter 87

Author: LyraDhani

I had to barely suppress a hollow laugh at the useless assumption.

Even after everything I had been through in this other world, I found it ridiculous that I was still getting worked up over something so trivial.

‘There’s no way I’d change that easily.’

I didn’t exactly welcome the current Lee Unha. In fact, a sudden surge of anger welled up inside me. I didn’t know if this was the right way to put it, but…

I felt that I was becoming weak.

Yeah, I’d only met them because it was necessary. It was important to show on SNS that I was with other trainees. Because of that thought, I occasionally spent time with those I had formed bonds with even after leaving the dorms. Since hanging out only with Joo Wooyoung, Kim Haejun, and Baek Suhyeon would look suspicious in many ways, I simply mixed in a few more people as a way to hide the fact that I was openly pushing my favorites.

‘You wouldn’t normally call that ‘growing fond’ would you?’

Or, perhaps I was. Even though I was friendly with everyone…

In Taehee’s case, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to debut together. I thought Kim Taeyeol was a decent guy, too. I might have even been hoping that those from my group in the Slave Auction, the Hopeless Trio, and the Elder Duo would all survive until the end.

I didn’t show it, but when Jung Taehee and Kim Taeyeol were called for 7th and 9th place respectively… I felt strangely happy.

‘Is this natural?’

Or…

‘Am I just momentarily intoxicated by something?’

Even though I knew it was a subject that didn’t need to be settled right now, I kept ruminating on the current situation.

“……”

‘Do I really need to get this emotionally invested?’

“……”

‘Those who fail will fail, and those who pass will pass.’

“……”

‘Failing doesn’t mean they’re being disposed of like back then; they’re just leaving to find their own path in life.’

Joo Wooyoung never abandoned anyone he considered a comrade, but Lee Unha was different. My goal right now wasn’t to play friends; it was to form the best members and debut in the best possible form.

From that perspective, the trainee ranked 4th was a pretty solid candidate.

“Congratulations, Trainee Park Myungjin.”

“Thank you. Sniff I… I never imagined I’d rank this high. Thank you to everyone who voted for me. Thank you. Thank you so much!”

He didn’t look like a delinquent, and his dyed blonde hair suited him well. He had a cute impression like No. 45, the SNS addict, and the dimples shown when he smiled were charming. Being from the Nobility class, his skills spoke for themselves, and I remembered his rap being quite pleasant to the ear, even if it wasn’t as good as Kim Haejun’s.

I’d need to look into him a bit to see if there were any controversies or other issues, but the fact that he’d ranked 4th in the first place already suggested he was the kind of trainee with no scandals to speak of. If there had been any controversy, the internet vultures would have stripped him bare and sent him tumbling somewhere near the bottom of the rankings.

‘He’s even close with Joo Wooyoung?’

I could see him exchanging greetings with Jegal Hwi and Joo Wooyoung, who were from the same Nobility class.

Would it be good to talk to him? If he was in the debut range… it’d be advantageous to get close to him, so I clapped as conspicuously as I could, hoping he’d notice me.

In the meantime, the MC continued.

“There are only three finalists of Idol Classism left. Who will be the trainee to climb to 1st place? This is the third trainee who will sit on the 7 Thrones!”

Perhaps because they were looking forward to clocking out, their voice was extremely excited.

‘The third one will probably be… Jegal Hwi, right?’

“Congratulations! Trainee Jegal Hwi! It is Trainee No. 4, Jegal Hwi, who will sit on the third throne!”

‘As expected.’

He, too, wore an expression that suggested he had anticipated his rank. Curiously, he didn’t shed any tears. He calmly walked onto the stage and delivered his speech with composed simplicity. He could have come across as a bit arrogant, but strangely, he didn’t seem unlikable. Perhaps he was just the type who didn’t show his emotions much. I’d thought he wasn’t the kind of personality that would become popular on television, but seeing him flash a slight smile, he didn’t actually seem all that stoic either.

After Jegal Hwi’s name was called, the trainees who had yet to go up were narrowed down to two.

Joo Wooyoung and Lee Unha.

The background music and direction, which had changed since the top 7 were left, shifted once more. The lights dimmed, and grandiose music began to play.

“I will now call the trainee who will sit on the first throne.”

They seemed to be raising the tension to create suspense, but I didn’t feel particularly nervous. Of course, I held Joo Wooyoung’s hand tightly and showed as much nervousness as possible. That was the kind of scene the audience wanted to see.

Immediately after:

As expected.

My name was called.

“Congratulations! Trainee No. 112, Lee Unha!!!”

“Oh… u-woah….”

“Congratulations, Unha.”

“Huh? Wooyoung hyung? Ah….”

“Truly, congratulations. You have to go up there.”

I was slightly worried that the result might upset Joo Wooyoung, but naturally, no sign of jealousy appeared on his face. He showed no emotion other than genuine celebration for Lee Unha.

“Th-thank you, Hyung. Sob… uugh. I… I….”

“Don’t cry.”

“Waaaaahhh… sob… hic.”

My tear ducts were performing exceptionally well today.

‘I was worried they wouldn’t come out. This is quite a relief.’

This wasn’t even the final debut announcement—just an interim ranking that could change at any time. I had even more or less expected that I’d come in first.

I had been worried it would be hard to concentrate because of the useless stray thoughts I had during this event, but fortunately, tears poured down like a waterfall along with the announcement of 1st place. Joo Wooyoung, who naturally became 2nd, gave me a light hug and patted my shoulder before heading up to the platform, but my tears showed no sign of stopping.

Of course, even while struggling to compose myself, I didn’t forget to applaud for Joo Wooyoung.

Interestingly, I saw a shimmer of tears in Joo Wooyoung’s eyes as well. Unlike my forced tears, his were likely sincere.

‘Well, he must have had a lot of ups and downs too.’

He had even talked about becoming an idol after falling into the other world. Reaching the debut range here must have felt like a very meaningful achievement for him.

‘Right. After going through that hellish experience and now achieving his dream here. He must be deeply moved.’

I could see him moving to suppress his emotions as much as possible.

‘It’s a first for me, too.’

Despite his efforts, his voice trembled as if he couldn’t easily calm down.

“First, I want to express my gratitude to the many people who helped me. I will take this as a sign to work even harder and I will give it my all. Thank you.”

His hands were even shaking slightly. It seemed he had more he wanted to say, more he had prepared, but his face was strangely flushed, and it looked like he couldn’t think of any more words.

‘Joo Wooyoung, really….’

Immediately after, he moved his steps. Despite having memorized the blocking through rehearsals and past observations, he was visibly hesitant.

Next was my turn.

“Sob… Hic…”

“Trainee Lee Unha! You can come this way. Hahaha.”

“Ah. Yes… yes….”

“Please say a few words to the viewers who cheered for you.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much. To all the fans who supported me and voted for me, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much for taking an interest in someone as insignificant as me, for praising me, and for loving someone as lacking as I am! I-I’ll continue to do my very best to show you even better performances! Hic. And I’ll show you an even… even cooler side of myself… Sniff. I’ll do my very best to become everyone’s vitamin.”

“……”

“A-and… and yes… yes. Thank you so much for making my dream come true. It—it was my dream. Waaaaahhh… Standing on a stage one day, standing before all of you like this was my hope for the future, waaaaahhh… thank you so much for letting me achieve that dream. I am truly, truly grateful.”

I honestly had no idea what I was saying, but the atmosphere was good. In fact, the staff seemed moved by Lee Unha’s wailing. Did it look real?

“Hahaha. You can go up here, Trainee Lee Unha.”

“Sob… Y-yes… Hic…”

Since my seat was at the very top, I had to pass by the trainees who were already seated as I made my way up. I heard voices from all around saying ‘Congratulations, Unha’. Among them were Na Younghun, Jeon Hocheol, Kim Taeyeol, and Jung Taehee.

Of course, trainees I wasn’t close with also smiled and greeted me. Park Myungjin in the 4th throne and Jegal Hwi in the 3rd throne offered their greetings as well.

“Congrats.”

“Congratulations.”

As I sat down and looked forward, the landscape of Idol Classism filled my vision.

<Idol Classism> First Official Voting Results

2nd Place – Trainee No. 111 Joo Wooyoung

3rd Place – Trainee No. 004 Jegal Hwi

4th Place – Trainee No. 027 Park Myungjin

5th Place – Trainee No. 012 Kim Haejun

6th Place – Trainee No. 056 Ha Yoon

7th Place – Trainee No. 123 Jung Taehee

* * *

1st Place