Debuting by Riding the Returnee’s Bus Chapter 99

One thought led to another in an endless loop.

 

‘Was he… always this kind of person?’

 

Did he really hate our debut song enough to go that far? Of course, I had been planning to take action myself… but now that Joo Wooyoung had apparently beaten me to it, question after question continued swirling through my mind.

 

The focus of my doubt wasn’t ‘how,’ but ‘why.’

 

I kept wondering why Joo Wooyoung felt he had to go this far.

 

It wasn’t that I didn’t have questions about the ‘how.’ But trying to guess that felt pointless. Joo Wooyoung was the Hero chosen by the Holy Spear. He was a superhuman who didn’t just transcend human limits but was evaluated as being in the rank of a demigod. Slipping into Kang Hyuk’s house or the Crown headquarters to swipe a few documents and leak them to reporters would be easier for him than taking candy from a baby.

 

And if we assumed the Archmage crossed over to the modern world with him, as I suspected before, the possibilities became even more infinite. Unlike me, he wouldn’t need to summon a spirit, make a contract, or coax one into helping him. A quick teleportation to appear before Kang Hyuk and a flick of a spell would be the end of it. Even without magic, there were countless ways he could have done it.

 

The scope was too broad, making it pointless to agonize over. That was why I was obsessing over the keyword ‘why’ instead of ‘how.’

 

Lee Unha didn’t know everything about Joo Wooyoung, but… I knew he wasn’t the type of person to handle things secretly from the shadows like a thief or an assassin. I simply couldn’t imagine it.

 

“……”

 

“……”

 

It was even harder because the image I had of Joo Wooyoung was one of order and goodness. Someone who never strayed from the proper path, never wavered, never gave up, and ultimately accomplished his goals. Wasn’t that exactly what all of Joo Wooyoung’s stories were like?

 

Of course, stories about Heroes tend to be exaggerated, so there was no guarantee the Joo Wooyoung in the stories and the real one were the same person. Nevertheless, it was undeniable that Joo Wooyoung’s internal compass leaned toward Order rather than Neutrality or Chaos.

 

‘No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense.’

 

“……”

 

‘Besides, acting like he knows nothing is so unlike him… is he really that good an actor?’

 

“……”

 

‘Hyung, what did you do yesterday?’

 

‘Oh, I was just at home. Why?’

 

Recalling how casually he spoke in yesterday’s conversation, it felt even more impossible to believe that Joo Wooyoung had orchestrated all of this.

 

“……”

 

‘No… this wasn’t Joo Wooyoung.’

 

“……”

 

‘There’s no way Joo Wooyoung did this.’

 

In the end, my mind rejected the hypothesis that Joo Wooyoung had handled this. Every bit of circumstantial evidence pointed away from him.

 

Maybe, just maybe, this was the arbitrary judgment of the Archmage who had returned with him. No, that was highly likely. I wondered why they would start such a mess, but they probably either heard Joo Wooyoung venting or caught him talking to himself. They likely displayed excessive loyalty to help him. The clumsy way everything had been handled was another reason the Archmage seemed like the prime suspect.

 

‘Because… taking down Kang Hyuk at a time like this is definitely strange.’

 

This person had no understanding of broadcasting. It looked like they committed the act while having zero grasp of modern society. If the intent was to blow things up, they should have waited until the Hey HEY Hey live performance was over and the debut group was confirmed—during the preparation period for the official debut.

 

Even now, just by looking around, I could see how chaotic the atmosphere had become. Everyone had gathered for practice as usual, but nobody knew what we were supposed to do or how we were supposed to proceed.

 

“So… what’s going to happen to us now?”

 

“How should I know? Maybe we’ll just perform Hey HEY Hey, pick the debut team, and be done with it.”

 

“Seeing as they aren’t saying anything, it looks like that’s what will happen.”

 

“But why isn’t there a notice for the next shoot? Are we really doing Hey HEY Hey?”

 

All of this was the Archmage’s handiwork.

 

‘Even if Joo Wooyoung is still adapting to modern society, he’s too mature not to consider consequences like these. He’s more than old enough…’

 

On the other hand, that Archmage, separate from being smart, had almost zero social intelligence. There was a high probability they didn’t even realize what they had done. They’d probably even deceived Joo Wooyoung himself. I couldn’t see any traces of guilt or apology on his face. True to his soft-hearted nature, he didn’t even seem capable of suspecting that the Archmage beside him had done something like this.

 

Of course, I was happy that there was now a high chance those awful double title tracks would be scrapped. It felt good to know I wouldn’t have to shout ‘Candy Star, Candy Star’ anymore. But from this moment on, I couldn’t help but worry about the fact that Idol Classism had derailed from its original plan.

 

Thinking there was probably one other person who was having the exact same thoughts as me, I quietly moved over and spoke. I was heading toward Jegal Hwi.

 

“What do you think is going to happen now?”

 

“……”

 

“Hyung?”

 

“…….”

 

‘Looks like this bastard’s rattled too.’

 

“…….”

 

His usual cool-headed expression was nowhere to be found.

 

‘He’s not even saying anything.’

 

“…….”

 

“Hyung?”

 

“What. What is it?”

 

“I asked what you think is going to happen now. No matter how you look at it, this should be good news for us, but judging from the way things are unfolding, I’m starting to wonder if it’s actually a good thing. The show itself seems like it’s in trouble.”

 

“What… do you think will happen?”

 

“What do you mean, what? It’s a total wreck. I don’t know why things ended up like this, but it’s like we made a wish on a Monkey’s Paw and it went wrong.”

 

“…….”

 

“Still, for now… I don’t think Idol Classism will be suspended.”

 

“…….”

 

“There’s too much at stake here. Like I told you before, there’s no way the people holding slices of the cake will give up.”

 

“Mmm….”

 

“The real question is whether they’ll go ahead with filming Hey HEY Hey or not. Personally, I think they’ll probably finish filming first, but that isn’t certain. Some of the people holding pieces of the cake might not want Kang Hyuk’s now-toxic image to rub off on either the group or the program.”

 

“Hm… couldn’t they just have a replacement song?”

 

“Yes. They probably have some candidate songs… but honestly, even if they do, it’s still a problem. The final song also involves an on-site vote, so the preparation period will definitely be brutal. We’ve been trimming Hey HEY Hey while practicing Candy Star. Expecting us to prepare an entirely new performance in just a week is impossible no matter how you look at it. Even two weeks would be short… Some people learn quickly, but others don’t.”

 

I took a deep breath and muttered again.

 

“Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what we trainees sit here talking about. In the end, it’ll probably be up to the production staff and the higher-ups involved to make that decision.”

 

“……”

 

“……”

 

The problem was that they themselves probably hadn’t come up with a clear answer yet. Well, it was a first-of-its-kind crisis without precedent, so that was understandable. The production staff were probably just as overwhelmed as everyone else.

 

‘Is it even possible to push back the broadcast schedule in the first place?’

 

They’d have to talk with the higher-ups at Amnet. There must be other programs scheduled after Idol Classism.

 

‘Do they even have a replacement song ready?’

 

If Crown had truly withdrawn from Idol Classism, they’d also need to decide which company would manage us trainees afterward. They’d have to figure out whether it was even possible to reschedule the live performance venue and audience voting that had already been arranged.

 

Everything, big and small, was a problem. There were mountains of large and small decisions that would have to be coordinated all over again. In fact, none of the key production staff were anywhere to be seen on set. Everyone was probably off in their respective positions trying to clear these various quests.

 

‘We’re one thing, but….’

 

The production team must have a massive headache. Most of what I felt toward them was lingering resentment, but honestly, I felt a bit bad for them.

 

While opinions on the editing style were split because it was so saturated with stimulation, the Main PD of this show was definitely someone who had poured everything into Idol Classism. The same went for the writers. From the main writer to the sub-writers, the dozens of preview writers, the lighting and camera directors, and all the staff including the part-timers in the props team—it wasn’t an exaggeration to say Idol Classism existed because of them.

 

The beginning was controversial, and the process was chaotic, but the desire to have a beautiful ending wasn’t exclusive to the trainees. No, the production team probably wanted a beautiful wrap-up for Idol Classism even more than the trainees did.

 

‘Otherwise, they won’t be able to continue to Idol Classism Season 2.’

 

It was then that one of the writer noonas approached the gathered trainees. It was a familiar face. Since she had been with us for every interview, it was impossible not to know her.

 

I expected her to say something generic, like asking us to wait a little longer because an official announcement would be made soon, but….

 

Her completely unexpected words left my mouth hanging open.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“We’re going to start interviews. Ah, could everyone quiet down for a moment over there?”

 

“Yes, noona.”

 

“Yes! Noona.”

 

“Yes!”

 

“I’ll say it one more time. The live performance and on-site voting have been pushed back.”

 

“…….”

 

“We’ve decided not to do the Hey HEY Hey performance, and instead, we’ll practice a different song for the show.”

 

“…….”

 

“Don’t worry, Idol Classism isn’t being canceled.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And from now on, Idol Classism is going to capture your anxiety and confusion directly with the cameras and broadcast it. We plan to depict the story of you guys overcoming this issue yourself and finally reaching the live performance.”

 

“Ye… yes?”

 

“So you can think of it as something like a documentary about this entire incident. Anyway, we don’t have much time, so let’s start the interviews! Woonha, why don’t you come with me first?” Unha, why don’t you follow me first?”

 

I suddenly realized something I had momentarily forgotten. These production staff….

 

‘They’re all out of their minds.’

 

From the very beginning, they were just monsters crazy for ratings.

 

“Shall we start by talking about how you felt when you first heard the news?”

 

Naturally, I nodded and opened my mouth. Showing a few tears would definitely be a necessary part of this documentary.