Debut or Die - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Fatal Illness if I Don’t Debut – Episode 101
It was Sunday, September 23rd.
Testa’s fans and reviewers were lamenting the dried-up crumbs of content.
Of course, Testa regularly posted updates on social media, and news about advertisements or events came through consistently every few days.
But the fans couldn’t forget that cascade of content from the debut promotion period.
-The kids don’t have any other news…?
-We kicked out the Director, and I wish they’d at least done a celebration party on the W App or something about a week ago
We have a conscience too, we’re not already hoping for a comeback teaser, guys. But how come there can’t even be a YouTube variety show…?
-It feels like I eat a sumptuous meal every day and only eat soy sauce with barley rice.
The fans, caught between conscience and desire, were about to fall asleep on the approaching Monday in agony.
That is, until the video dropped.
-Wait, something just got posted on the official account, is it YouTube??? (link)
[TeSTAR ‘Bonus book’ Comeback Trailer (with 127 Section)]
-???
-Comeback trailer?
-Out of nowhere?
-Almost had cardiac arrest
People screamed and gasped in shock, then immediately clicked on the video.
The thumbnail showed a left eye visible through a sniper scope. Whether it was a contact lens or CG, it gleamed with an eerie violet light.
And soon the video began to play.
[….]
What appeared were long, black legs. Stretched out feet clad in sleek leather pants strode purposefully toward somewhere.
The camera followed those footsteps, capturing a corridor with clear marks of destruction and hastily patched boards and fabric at a brisk pace.
Then the camera panned upward from the legs, soon capturing a left hand clad in black fingerless gloves. In the process, a side profile came into close-up.
It was Cha Yu-jin with crimson hair flowing down.
And in Cha Yu-jin’s hand was… a worn-out red plush doll.
[♬♪♩♪~]
Cha Yu-jin whistled a familiar melody softly, then flipped the plush doll over.
On the doll’s back was a gear. His right hand grabbed the gear without hesitation and began to turn it.
Click-click.
The sound of the gear turning rang out loudly, and soon strange sounds began to mix in.
Pi Pi Pi Pipipipipi-
PPi-.
Boom.
With an explosion, the screen went black. A narration played over it.
[WHAT makes people live?]
[…A CHOICE]
The moment the screen brightened again, the scene changed.
A devastated sports field. The sand had all hardened, and the goalposts were already torn down. The instant an odd pattern was captured from an aerial shot in the center of it all.
A heavy beat began to thunder.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM
Then a dazzling orchestral string section surged to life, its urgent minor key composition creating an atmosphere of crisis.
Over it, an intense electric synth riff pierced through like thunder, delivering a powerful melodic line.
-I’m gonna survive,
Like you did before
I’m gonna grab it,
Just like I dreamed
The high-pitched opening section had arrived.
In that instant, the area beneath the goal post on the sports field erupted in an explosion, and Cha Yu-jin burst forth from the debris.
-Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
But NOT for me, not me
I’m alive, that’s right, like
Legends never die
Shaking dust and sand from his hair, Cha Yu-jin kicked the goal post with exhilaration before sprinting across the sports field toward the main gate.
The moment he kicked open the main gate, its frame thick with crimson ivy, and strode through with purpose, the scene shifted.
-Every crossroad becomes a choice
But wherever you go, find it
The most certain equation
You will never die
It was Lee Sae-jin, an actor-turned-researcher, peering at a monitor in a research lab filled with samples and equipment.
Despite her delicate appearance behind glasses, her lab coat was smeared with green and dark red stains.
Lee Sae-jin rose from her seat, watching Cha Yu-jin dash beyond the main gate on the monitor.
She walked toward the iron gate sealing the research lab entrance, then stopped and read the warning marks plastered across it.
It was a biohazard symbol.
In that moment, the camera cut to a hand tearing away the same mark in a different location.
-That’s what keeps me alive
I chase after it fiercely
The footsteps that complete my life
If I reach out, I can hold it
The hand holding the torn paper belonged to Big Sae-jin, dressed in neat, contemporary attire, standing on a dilapidated platform as if delivering a speech.
The moment he threw the crumpled paper toward the old iron gate,
Thud.
The wrinkled paper bounced weakly off the gate, but the people standing beneath the platform rushed toward it in a surge.
Big Sae-jin shrugged, then grabbed a baseball cap hanging nearby, placed it on his head with a snap, and gracefully disappeared from the platform.
In that instant, the camera soared skyward.
-I’m gonna survive,
Like you did before
I’m gonna grab it,
Just like I dreamed!
A sniper, equipped with modern tactical gear from head to toe, stood on the rooftop aiming something strange through the scope.
A blue light shot from the sniper’s rifle.
The moment the light struck the pulsing red mass, it burst and exploded.
The camera panned around, capturing the sniper rising as he threw down his gun. It was Ryu Chung-woo.
The instant the rifle Ryu Chung-woo hurled fell below the rooftop, it melted crimson and seeped into the asphalt, vanishing without a trace.
And the camera plummeted below the asphalt.
-I will never die
Like I did before
I’m gonna keep you
Alive- Alive- Alive!
In the vast sewage system pooled with water lay mannequins and countless weapons in ruins, stacked haphazardly.
Kim Rae-bin lay motionless atop the pile. A single shaft of sunlight descended upon him, yet simultaneously water dripped steadily, drenching his black hair and face.
In that moment, Kim Rae-bin lifted his eyelids.
Then his eyes alone rolled to the side. The camera followed that somewhat eerie gaze.
Splash.
The cut transitioned through the hurried footsteps of people moving through the sewage system.
Instead of dropping, the song became more melodic. A soft tenor voice continued.
-Choose your way
Choose your side
Make your way
Decide your fate
The camera’s focus sharpened on a massive tank-like object being carried by the people.
The tank trembled violently, then its top opened and a pale arm thrust out.
It was Sun Ah-hyun pulling himself from within.
Beyond the shaking camera, luminescent water overflowed from the tank in an otherworldly shimmer.
Behind Sun Ah-hyun, a cascade of glowing water droplets froze like a halo.
In that instant, the camera ascended with the spraying droplets, escaping the sewage system.
And it captured the shattered window of a high-rise building.
-Choose your way
Choose your side
Make your way
Decide your fate….
Standing behind the window was a boy staring down at his smartphone.
The song faded.
[….]
The boy in the black hood pulled low turned his back to the camera, gazing out the window. In his hand was an old smartphone.
Even in the dead of night, the city blazed with undulating light. The backlighting deepened the boy’s silhouette into shadow.
The moment his upper body slowly zoomed in for a close-up.
The boy spun around abruptly, staring directly at the camera.
It was Park Moon-dae’s face.
The camera recoiled as if startled. Then drones hovering around the boy suddenly came into view.
Luminescent drones with flickering glow-in-the-dark lights aimed their cameras at me.
Park Moon-dae’s eyes shimmered with an eerie violet hue as he stared at the camera, then hurled his smartphone out the window.
The moment Park Moon-dae stepped toward the camera, the screen went dark.
Click.
Text appeared on screen.
[Choose Your Side]
[127 Section]
[Coming Soon]
The video ended there.
-????
-!?!?
The fans erupted with question marks and exclamation points.

* * *
The trailer was a short 2 minutes and 42 seconds long, and the song was cut to just the first verse.
But the stunning visuals, the cryptic implications, and the elements connecting to the previous album had fans and online communities across all social media platforms forget it was Monday and immediately flood the internet with discussion.
-ㅠㅠNo, is there a way to surprise a fan of new breasts like me by launching a trailer like this without warning? Thank you. Please enact it into law.
-Good call kicking out the Director. The group still pulls off amazing work without him.
-This feels like a pre-release track? I was disappointed there was no choreography, but I think if they’d included a group dance scene it would’ve broken the tension. This was perfect.
└You’re right. It wasn’t exactly a one-take, but I loved how they edited it to feel that way.
But honestly, I still don’t get why the song title is “Bonus Book” lol. It means like a bonus supplement, but I’m not sure if it’s just the video title or what.
Of course, the news spread immediately to general entertainment communities as well.
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[TeSTAR Comeback Trailer Drops]
: Fans apparently had no idea it was coming, total chaos
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-Wow, smells like money
-Looks like a movie trailer
-But there is no choreography and the song doesn’t seem to have an idol feel.
-T1 must be investing crazy amounts of money. Lee Sae-jin’s so lucky, getting all the benefits.
└Hmm, actually the actor they cast this time really elevated the video quality?
└LOL It’s only 20 seconds long, but is it possible to evaluate your acting skills?
└Oh man, the stock Ajusa was pushing got eliminated, what a shame. Who was that anyway?
-Consumed by the worldbuilding… feels too nerdy
-Absolutely insane
Many people loudly voiced their dislikes, but the comments and view counts didn’t lie.
And naturally, the text clue that appeared at the end of the video was immediately analyzed and a conclusion was reached.
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[Testa’s Video Seems to Be Game-Related]
: The text at the end was 127 Section
When I searched, there was news about a game launching in October.
(Article screenshot)
Originally a small development team, but T1 acquired them.
========================
-Wow
-Was it a game collaboration?
-Whoa, even better. Now I get why it had that game feel to it
-So it was just an advertisement video then.
Looking at the fact that it’s a comeback trailer… it seems like it’s more than just an advertisement…lol
Hmm, I’m not really into them. They’re only just now starting to establish their own worldview.
-But there were way too many connections to the magical girl music video to just call it a game video? Fans dug into it like crazy
Did T1 make the game in Testa’s universe or something? lol
└Whoa
└No way
That’s some serious money throwing.
People who were moderately interested in Testa watched the situation unfold with curiosity.
The fans wavered between worry and anticipation, but when the album pre-order announcement dropped the next day, they settled on waiting to see what would happen.
-Seeing how much money they threw at the video, they’re not abandoning us. The song is good and it seems to connect with the previous album’s universe, so I’m putting my faith in them
-This doesn’t seem to be the title track, just a collaboration with the Game Company on one or two songs. Honestly, I’m satisfied just seeing a trailer with this kind of quality!
-I liked the song and video visuals because they hit the mark just right. I’m looking forward to the titleㅠㅠ
However, there was one place that hadn’t settled down yet.
[Hey, you guys seeing this?]
It was the gaming community.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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