Debut or Die - Chapter 108

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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 108
The Stage was still dark.
From the unlit Stage, a mysterious and heavy bass sound echoed—as if some dull machine were grinding to life.
DOON DOON DOON DOON
DOON DOON DOON DOON
Most of the fans had already heard it countless times through streaming, but the impact of hearing it live was something else entirely.
The tempo was faster than expected, building an electric tension.
And over it, an electric sound cut through.
Dvvvviiiiii-!
It was that thunderous riff melody that had appeared in the trailer.
And as if startled by thunder itself, lightning-bright lighting suddenly flooded the Stage.
Beneath the pale, colorless illumination, a Stage set resembling the back alleys of an SF game revealed itself. Yet scattered throughout were school props—desks and chalkboards—as if abandoned.
Testa stood with their backs turned, each facing a different direction.
Cha Yu-jin slowly turned forward, his head tilting.
-Do not trust it
There no justice
Oooohh….
The moment the soft singing rap ended, the descending riff melody vanished.
In its place, a mumba-ton rhythm unfolded.
Rhythmically rich yet thrilling in its restraint—not quite exhilarating—the first dance break arrived early.
A group choreography centered on Cha Yu-jin, with a slightly mechanical feel.
And the moment Cha Yu-jin disappeared behind Big Sae-jin, the singing began.
-No matter how I look back, I can’t understand
Umm
What happened
-Target Target Target
GOT IT
Chasing and catching as I go
The vocal melody was completely different from the trailer song.
For reasons unknown, this sub-track, ‘Better Me’, appeared to have only sampled the backing from the trailer’s song.
But this version was far more of a trendy dance track befitting an idol group.
As a result, Testa on the Stage was practically flying.
One could only wonder if they had time to breathe.
-This vivid sensation
(Won’t be erased, won’t be forgotten)
Even now I know
(I got that CODE)
The moment the pre-chorus began, Kim Rae-bin and Big Sae-jin’s vocals crossed and spread.
The two showcased a rather intense pair choreography as if trying to seize each other, then separated.
And the second pre-chorus section.
Park Moon-dae stepped onto the stage, and suddenly the electric sound from the trailer surged back to life.
And lyrics similar to the trailer flowed out as well.
-I will never die
Like I did before
I’m gonna keep ME
Alive-!
The high note soared with crystalline clarity.
Though the vocal melody diverged entirely from the trailer, the difficulty level was undeniably, irrefutably certain.
And Park Moon-dae sustained this high note throughout the dynamic choreography that intertwined and clashed with the other members.
With a slightly melancholic atmosphere, no less.
‘Wow….’
Kim Rae-bin’s fan forgot to cheer, watching as if observing a competition program, before quickly regaining focus on the stage.
Finally, Kim Rae-bin emerged in the chorus!
Kim Rae-bin sang the chorus with a slightly sorrowful expression, his gaze piercing like a predator’s.
-BUT,
It’s just confusing
When did it start?
I’m just confused
Umm
How far does it go?
The chorus returned to mumble tone, flowing with a low, breathy vocal and a crisp beat woven tightly together.
And Ryu Chung-woo emerged to carry the next chorus section.
-Could be confusing
What do you want?
May be confused
Umm
How do you do it?
The lyrics and atmosphere suggested wandering, yet carried something profound and abstract.
Thanks to the stage, choreography, and costumes harmonizing together, the performance resembled wandering through a dystopian world rather than reality.
Consequently, the neon signs and devices that could have been distracting instead accentuated the subtly melancholic flavor at the heart of this intense song.
-Take me and get that might
The moment the melodic chorus ended, Cha Yu-jin’s rap—sharp and piercing—launched into the second verse choreography, which grew even more intense and intricate.
This distant feeling
(trying to erase and forget)
I still know.
(I got that CODE)
As if ascending endlessly toward a breaking point, the arrangement continued to layer new elements, and the beat grew progressively fiercer.
And just as the chorus was about to explode past the bridge.
Instead of dropping, the song stripped away all accompaniment. Only that intense riff melody returned, standing alone.
Dvvvviiiiii-!
And without a beat, clashing against only the leaf melody, the final chorus erupted.
-BUT,
It’s NOT confusing!
Who I am
I’m NOT confused
Oh!
Finding my BETTER ME
Park Moon-dae, receiving Ryu Chung-woo’s vocal, nailed even the final ultra-high note with crystalline precision.
His volume was so powerful that the AR backing track was barely audible.
‘Whoa!’
The audience erupted in silent awe.
When listening to the recording, the leaf melody and vocals were both so sharp that fatigue set in after a few listens, but on stage it was absolutely dramatic.
And immediately after, the returning mumba-ton hook latched onto the ears perfectly.
-BETTER ME
Big Sae-jin, flashing a bright smile, burst to center stage for the final dance break.
And the accompaniment from the first dance break was reinterpreted.
As if the conflict had been resolved, a lighter, more upbeat atmosphere took over.
However, the choreography expanded the footwork sections dramatically, making it far more impressive in terms of difficulty and visual spectacle.
-BETTER ME
As the song neared its end, the title was sung once more through a variant hook, bringing the track to a close.
And the internal roar immediately burst outward.
“Kyaaaaaaah!!!”
“Ohhhhh!!”
“What do I do!!”
The sub-track stage, which screamed performance-oriented to anyone watching, was a masterful composition that delivered both visual and auditory satisfaction.
The best part was that since they’d be doing repeat takes, they’d get to see this stage several more times!
Testa, breathless from the song’s relentless structure, staggered and gasped for air before offering thanks and waving.
Some members even grabbed techware props to fan themselves, the heat getting to them.
And shortly after, Ryu Chung-woo spoke to a staff member.
“Huff… huff, the next take… Yes? Like this?”
Testa’s expression brightened.
“Wow, we nailed it on the first try!”
It was a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
‘This can’t be happening!!’
Moreover, since the rehearsal had already wrapped up due to equipment checks, the only stage the fans could see was that single performance!
But of course, there was no reversal. Testa, belatedly grasping the situation, made desperate excuses.
“Director, don’t you think we messed up our vocals?”
“We didn’t look at the camera!”
But it fell on deaf ears. So they apologized, showed some aegyo and dancing, then disappeared.
“….”
And so the fans left the Recording Studio just twenty minutes after entering.
All they held in their hands were cream buns from some restaurant Testa had prepared and Americanos.
‘…Kim Rae-bin!! Park Moon-dae!! Who told you to be this good!!’
Kim Rae-bin’s fan tore into the cream bun without even understanding what she was thinking.
It tasted so good it only made her angrier.

* * *
That evening, both Testa’s sub-track and title track stages finally aired for the first time.
Perhaps because the Director had flown off and there had been so many recent incidents, the Company at least gave us proper rest during our activities.
Thanks to that, I was able to check the reaction to our first stage from the Dormitory at midnight that day.
On YouTube and similar platforms, the title track naturally had more views, but when I checked SNS and Online Communities, the reaction to the sub-track was nearly equal.
I clicked on one post that had over five hundred comments.
========================
[Testa’s Sub-track This Time]
: (SNS video link)
Just came out on Music Bomb and honestly the stage reaction seems better than the title track
========================
-This is definitely a performance track
-It’s intense
-They’re really good;
-The audio is way better on the title track but now I get why they chose this as the sub-track, it’s so much better when you see the performance lol
-Is this live?
└Yeah it’s completely live
-It’s basically lip-sync lol Park Moon-dae’s part has so much AR you can tell, he was like that in Ajusa too
└lol (MR removed video link)
-The stage is really good but what the hell are the lyrics about?
└We don’t know either but Kim Rae-bin is credited as a lyricist, he’ll come on W Live soon and explain everything in detail, watch if you have time
└lol give us a summary
Overall, most opinions were positive. There were occasional provocative comments here and there, but those were just the usual troublemakers.
Of course, I also found the reactions I’d expected among those comments.
-Wow Park Moon-dae really hits his peak with blonde hair lol
-Is platinum blonde really Park Moon-dae? Seriously, my mental image of Park Moon-dae was stuck on that Ajusa pre-release photo, what happened
-Moon-dae is really handsome
-No seriously Park Moon-dae’s blonde hair suits him so perfectly like it was made for him, what’s going on
-I missed Ajusa because of exams but platinum blonde is first place? With that face and singing like that, it makes total sense he got first;;
└This is the guy who poured broadcast content through a water filter into his mouth, don’t be fooled
Don’t be fooled—he’s the guy who pours broadcast content into your mouth like filtered water through a strainer.
That was roughly the vibe.
‘All that filming was worth it.’
Of course, skeptical reactions popped up here and there, but they didn’t develop any further.
I’d already laid the groundwork by getting ahead of it.
-Haha, the appearance change… is worth doing
└They say he changed salons
└How did you know that?
└There’s a scene of him getting his hair done in the comeback live behind-the-scenes
└Ah, okay
-If changing salons changes your face, I want to go to that salon too
└Surprisingly, it’s common for idols who do stage makeup…
└Who says that?
└I know because an idol I was rooting for changed salons and flopped
└Sorry;
Well, with a decent excuse in place, I smoothed things over without much fuss.
‘It was fortunate that the company was planning to switch salons anyway.’
Thanks to that, I was able to raise my appearance to A- without strain.
And the reason I invested in appearance was… because Ryu Chung-woo, who had been B+ recently, rose to A-.
…It seemed like the aftereffects of the mental exhaustion I went through during my Ajusa days had finally disappeared. Even I could see that his eyes had brightened.
Anyway, if things continued this way, I’d be left alone at B-tier and become material for instant capture comparison posts, so I made the investment while the timing was right.
‘A good choice.’
Ah, the other one I invested in was vocals, raising it to A+.
Since I kept practicing the final chorus of that sub-track, I had a strong premonition that my voice would give out eventually, so it was unavoidable.
‘It’s a bit regrettable though.’
Actually, I felt like vocals could naturally improve with just a bit more time. But with the comeback right around the corner, there was no choice.
‘I should save the remaining point as planned.’
I shrugged and turned off my smartphone. Tomorrow’s schedule started near dawn anyway, so I needed to sleep immediately.
‘I’ll check the title track’s response more carefully tomorrow.’
And the next day, while waiting for the music broadcast and checking the title track’s response, I heard some interesting news.
“You guys have a variety show shoot booked for next week~”
“Oh~”
“Where?”
“I hate birds.”
Amid the lukewarm reactions still lingering from the afterimage of , the Manager raised his thumb.
“It’s a variety show where you ride horses and shoot arrows!!”
“…!”

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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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