Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus – Chapter 90

Author: LyraDhani

‘Was coming here… a mistake?’

I’d be lying if I said the conversation we’d just had wasn’t weighing on me. A dialogue that should have ended with a simple exchange about Jegal Hwi and my first impression had mutated into a strange direction.

I felt like I’d just walked out of a psychological counseling session I never signed up for. And it hadn’t even gone in a positive direction; the fog in my head, rather than clearing, had grown even thicker.

It really felt like I had entered a maze.

The one small comfort was having someone tell me that maybe Jegal Hwi didn’t actually see Lee Unha as an enemy…

‘I seriously don’t know anymore.’

I couldn’t understand what he saw in me to say such cryptic things. Part of me thought it might be better to just ignore it, but Kim Haejun’s words wouldn’t vanish easily from my mind.

As if completely unaware of the turmoil inside me—or perhaps fully aware of it—he simply watched me with a smile on his face.

“Want some ramen?”

“I can’t say no to ramen.”

“Hmm… what kind should I make?”

“Do you happen to have Jin Ramen Mild?”

“Ah, no… that’s the only one I don’t have. Should I go out and buy some now?”

“No, no. I’d feel too bad since you’re treating me. I’ll just eat whatever you have!”

“Then I’ll make Ansungtangmyun.”

“Okay.”

“By the way, how is the voting going right now, Unha?”

“Ah, wait a second. I’ll check right now.”

At Kim Haejun’s question, I took out my phone, and the now-familiar screen appeared before my eyes.

[ <Election Campaign> Voting Status ]

It was the website that opened after the first round of voting ended. And it was also the official mission announced by Idol Classism after the Citizen Revolution.

In effect, it was a mission signaling that the program was nearing its end.

Starting from the Slave Auction to the Territory War, gathering supporters, and finally the Citizen Revolution. Since the program’s concept was originally to elect Seven Kings, it wasn’t particularly strange for a mission labeled Election Campaign to appear, but….

‘But wait, why are they electing Kings through an election?’

Does calling them kings instead of presidents or prime ministers just sound more exciting? Well, the title didn’t matter. What mattered now was the fact that the performances we were currently preparing would all be lumped together and conducted under that mission.

‘Aside from the simple performances, there are plenty of scenes to be used as filler.’

In fact, ever since the mission opened, the production crew had been running around all over the place like crazy. Just for me alone, they had already done several private filmings. They were trying to fill an episode by stitching together scenes of the trainees trying to promote and make themselves known.

An episode clearly designed as a breather.

Similarly, Kim Haejun….

‘Didn’t he film himself performing in Hongdae?’

Anyway, I knew everyone had been doing different kinds of promotional activities. There were trainees appearing on famous livestreams, and others doing one-day part-time jobs at cafes. I didn’t know yet how many of them would make it into the broadcast or who would benefit from this plan, but I didn’t feel like the current mission was that important.

After all.

‘It won’t have a big impact.’

“It… probably won’t make much of a difference, right?”

“Well. I guess it depends on how you handle it.”

“But by this point, the viewers have usually made up their minds. When they have multiple votes, they pick people who are close to their ‘one-pick’ or people who fit the group, but once the votes decrease to one per person, they can’t do that anymore…. Of course, there’s vote-sharing, but eventually, that becomes meaningless too….”

“Is that so…?”

In reality, I could already see the effects of the voting limit dropping to five votes.

“…….”

‘See? Jeon Hocheol and Na Younghun… they’ve already been pushed down.’

The two who had been at 10th and 18th had dropped to 14th and 29th. Although the voting hadn’t ended yet, it wasn’t hard to understand why they’d fallen. They still had a handful of highly loyal fans, but with fewer votes available, they could no longer benefit from the spillover effect of Lee Unha’s popularity.

Jeon Hocheol and Na Younghun weren’t the only ones losing out. Number 45, who did the Dark Mage stage with me, and Number 141, from my first performance, were also drifting further away from the debut zone. Other trainees who had points of contact with Lee Unha saw their rankings drop significantly as well.

In the midst of that….

The debut lineup still hasn’t changed?

I didn’t know if it was because there were still a few votes allowed per person, but there was no major change in the existing debut zone.

1st – No. 112 Lee Unha

2nd – No. 111 Joo Wooyoung

3rd – No. 004 Jegal Hwi

4th – No. 012 Kim Haejun

5th – No. 027 Park Myungjin

6th – No. 056 Ha Yoon

7th – No. 123 Jung Taehee

The only difference was that, for some reason, Kim Haejun and Park Myungjin had switched places.

“Hyung, you’re in 4th. There’s a bit of a gap between you and Myungjin hyung.”

“Ah, really? That’s a relief. Then what about you, Unha?”

“I’m… 1st.”

“Hahaha. Amazing. You’re definitely going to debut, Unha.”

“C-come on… it’s still too early to say.”

I would probably debut. I was 100% sure I would. The massive number of votes proved it. More than anything, the fact that I’d secured international fans was the deciding factor.

And….

‘Kim Haejun’s vote count is pretty high too. Ah… I guess he’s picked up quite a few international fans as well?’

“You’re the one who’s definitely going to debut, hyung.”

“It’s still an unknown for me. As you know, there was that issue during the incident. Strictly speaking, the only reason I’m up there is because of you, Unha. Well, that and the fans who’ve been supporting me since before…”

“Ah, right. Back when you were on that previous program, hyung?”

“Yeah. It seems they’ve started supporting me again lately. I’m so grateful.”

I nodded vaguely at Kim Haejun’s words and turned my gaze back to my phone.

8th was still Baek Suhyeon, 9th was Kim Taeyeol….

‘It looks like they might be able to make it into the debut zone.’

It was still impossible to say. Once everyone was down to a single vote, it would ultimately become a battle between individual fandoms.

On top of that….

Fans who seriously supported the program Idol Classism would also cast their votes while picturing who the optimal members would be…. Once the final voting began, no one could predict what would happen.

‘I should just… not think about it….’

No.

‘Even if it’s for the sake of the quest… I need to settle this properly.’

Maybe this was actually for the best. Strictly speaking, Kim Taeyeol should be out. Whether it was just a habit or not, he swore constantly. He looked like he’d grown tremendously throughout Idol Classism, but compared to the Noble-class trainees, he still felt a little lacking.

It was a bit of a shame to lose Baek Suhyeon considering the mad Dark mage connection, but I had only become close to him recently. I didn’t even remember our past friendship, and crucially, he was a guy who talked about having a girlfriend as soon as he got lonely, making him look like a liability.

‘Taehee… Taehee also has a high chance of being pushed out.’

What was there even to say about Jung Taehee? I just hadn’t voiced it, but he was a bigger liability than Baek Suhyeon. He might have been small, but once he snapped, he was the type who’d charge ahead without caring about the consequences. On top of that, I couldn’t even be sure that the affection Jung Taehee felt toward me was normal. Since he was under the strongest influence of the Succubus’ Eye, the friendship itself was effectively a lie.

It wouldn’t really matter if they were replaced by others. The ones currently in the debut zone and the trainees right behind them had decent skills… and crucially, those trainees didn’t have any other flaws.

“…….”

‘This is the right choice.’

“…….”

‘I don’t need to care about the results in the first place. I just need to get closer to Jegal Hwi and build friendships with the other trainees in the debut zone.’

It felt as though an exit had suddenly appeared in the maze that had seemed impossible to escape.

Just as I was nodding quietly, feeling like I’d reached a conclusion. Kim Haejun came into view carrying an enormous pot.

“Oh, Haejun hyung?”

“Let’s eat ramen.”

“Uh… right, but how many did you cook?”

“About… eight?”

“What?”

“I thought it might not be enough, so I’m planning to cook a few more.”

“……?”

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong’? Are we filming some kind of content? Or is this a hidden-camera prank?”

Wait, if it were a hidden camera, would it have been better if I acted more surprised? I had no idea what was going on, but just as I swallowed hard, convinced something had gone terribly wrong.

Suddenly, the front door opened.

“I’m here. Ugh… it’s so damn hot out there. Seriously.”

The one who appeared was Kim Taeyeol.

“Un—Unha. Did you see my message?”

Before I could even process that, the door opened again and Jung Taehee walked in.

“We should’ve just gathered at my place instead. Haejun hyung, what kind of ramen is this? I only eat Shin Ramen Black….”

Next was Baek Suhyeon.

“Excuse me.”

And next was Joo Wooyoung.

After that, more of the trainees I’d spent time with began filing in.

“Haejun, you’ve got a nice place!”

“Where should I put the housewarming gift?”

“Can I use the bathroom?”

“I was waiting outside, and I think people recognized us. I’m pretty sure we got spotted.”

“Unha, you’re still in 1st. Our Vitamin is really going to debut.”

Even though the room wasn’t small, it was filled to the brim in an instant. Suddenly, boisterous sounds filled the air. It was so noisy I almost wanted to cover my ears.

I turned my head back to look at Kim Haejun. His face, still carrying that awkward smile, was reflected in my eyes.

Naturally, I realized he’d been the one behind all of this.

No.

‘What… is this? Some kind of melodrama?’

What kind of surprise event was this all of a sudden?

“Because you seemed depressed.”

Are you secretly writing youth dramas or something? People don’t do this kind of thing anymore.

‘Nowadays they’d just call it unbearably cheesy.’

But.

“…….”

The fog inside my head seemed to disappear. The maze that I thought would never have an exit seemed to have vanished as well.

“…….”