Debut or Die - Chapter 122

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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 122
Choi Won-gil. The guy who stirred up conflict in every team match at Ajusa and eventually got hit with the editing beam, dropping out of sight.
You could say he was a case of trying to play it cool but failing because it showed all over his face.
He even made Sun Ah-hyun grumble, “That guy’s just too rotten,” so in a way, he was consistently impressive.
‘Hmm, did he leave when he defected to Gold 1’s Agency?’
So the fact that the two of them were moving together wasn’t particularly surprising, but the location being a Broadcasting Station where a year-end music program was in progress was unexpected.
‘They shouldn’t have debuted yet.’
I’d checked all the rookie trends this year because of that rookie award thing, and their Agency wasn’t on the lineup.
Meanwhile, Gold 1 was chattering away and conversing with the members.
“Wow, it’s really great to see you! Wait, should I call you senior? You seniors are really amazing~”
“Oh, that’s enough~”
“P-please, speak comfortably, hyung…!”
“Hey Ah-hyun, you’re still such a good kid!”
In the cheerful atmosphere, I casually checked the appearance of Gold 1 and Choi Won-gil.
And I realized.
‘They came as dancers.’
That Agency had a female solo artist who was an idol and had been performing exceptionally well recently.
And it wasn’t unusual for them to use Debut Group trainees as dancers for experience and media coverage purposes—it happened fairly often.
Sure enough, Gold 1 pushed forward the people around him wearing the same black outfit and introduced them.
“Right, these are the juniors we’re training with!”
“Oh, hello!”
“Hello!”
The eyes of those greeting us shone with curiosity, envy, and admiration. Perhaps sensing the awkwardness of such a reaction, some of the members exchanged greetings awkwardly.
And suddenly, I was singled out.
“Um, um, Park Moon-dae senior!”
“Yes?”
“Could I just get a handshake…! Would that be okay…!!”
Someone beside me stopped him in alarm.
“Hey, don’t be a nuisance!”
“Good grief, this Moon-dae guy, even here!”
What are these guys doing.
I nodded while hiding my reluctance.
“…Of course.”
“…! Th-thank you!”
And the handshake exchange took place with the utmost formality, as if they’d just met a corporate chairman.
“Ah, this is so great!”
Gold 1’s teammates chuckled as they watched the happy handshake guy.
“Man, you really do need courage to do something like that.”
“Right?”
…Anyone watching would think I was some legendary senior in the music industry.
Looking at it, their team seems already set, and if they officially debut in early next year, there won’t even be a year’s difference between them and Testa.
‘…Well, performance is everything, I suppose.’
That reverent gaze was purely a psychological gap directed at a ‘successful group’.
And it seemed like only those kids were feeling it.
Though it manifested differently.
“Wow, we’re doing a pre-recorded shoot and they’re not even filming me, but I was seriously nervous.”
“No, come on—you’ve got direct camera footage with hundreds of thousands of views. Aren’t you being a bit dramatic~?”
“Hey, that’s different! It’s scarier if the senior messes up the stage!”
“Hmm, that seems like a difficult comparison to make.”
Behind Gold 1 and Testa’s members exchanging updates, Choi Won-gil kept his head down, avoiding eye contact.
“….”
‘He’s been put in his place.’
He seemed like the type who’d be finished once the hierarchy was completely established.
Since Testa’s activities this year had gone so well, he didn’t even have the nerve to say anything.
Meanwhile, Gold 1 had managed to exchange greetings with Bae Sae-jin as well. And he wrapped up with an expression of mild regret.
“Ah~ I’ve got so much to talk about, but you’re busy, right? Next time I’ll buy you a meal!”
It was his way of saying they should get going.
But as luck would have it, there was one person present who wasn’t good at picking up on such hints.
Kim Rae-bin.
“Ah, we have plenty of time before our next stage. If we move to the waiting room, there shouldn’t be any difficulty in continuing our conversation.”
Gold 1 was flustered.
“Haha, thanks for the invitation, Rae-bin, but the people I don’t know well might feel uncomfortable~.”
But that was Cha Yu-jin and Ryu Chung-woo.
“We won’t feel uncomfortable!”
“Nah, it’s fine. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Really?”
Gold 1 was taken aback by the straightforward approval.
And Gold 1’s teammates, sensing the situation, quickly made their escape.
“Take your time, hyung. We’ll head back to the dorm!”
“See you later!”
“Ajusa reunion talk, fighting~”
“You crazy bastards!”
The guys in black clothes rushed down the corridor and disappeared.
But Choi Won-gil, who’d missed his timing, remained in his seat.
“….”
Either he didn’t quite fit in yet since he’d just joined the team, or they’d left him behind thinking he was from Ajusa as well.
‘The situation’s awkward.’
Fortunately, Gold 1 looked after Choi Won-gil.
“Ah, Won-gil, since these guys are visiting our waiting room for the first time, should we grab them something to drink?”
“I’ll go get it.”
“Huh?”
Before Gold 1 could say anything else, Choi Won-gil bolted away.
‘He doesn’t seem like he’s coming back.’
Gold 1 let out a sigh.
“Sorry about that. Was it uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s fine!”
“It’s not really fine though…. But Won-gil has improved a lot. I’m a bit worried about how much he checks internet reactions…. Though there’s not much being said about him these days.”
Gold 1 released a deep sigh. He seemed to have gone through quite a bit of emotional turmoil.
Big Sae-jin smiled and glanced briefly at where Choi Won-gil had disappeared.
“He’s part of the Debut Group too, right?”
“Yeah. I mean, he sings well and he’s young. He’s got recognition too.”
After all, he didn’t debut through Ajusa, and since it was purely a matter of broadcast image, they could just brush it off as a misunderstanding and move on.
Adding one person to the group wasn’t a major issue.
‘Well, it’s not my problem anyway.’
If they happen to exceed 300,000 copies in first-week sales next year, then I’ll analyze it.
“Hey, where’s Moon-dae?”
“Bathroom.”
I slipped away from the procession heading to the Waiting Room and walked down the Corridor.
‘The lower floor here was empty.’
Since I had time, I planned to go and come back without running into anyone.
But I ran into Choi Won-gil before I even reached the Bathroom.
Surprisingly, he was sitting in a corner of the Emergency Stairwell instead of the Convenience Store, drowning in solitude.
“….”
“….”
Let me just go to the Bathroom.
I gave a slight nod and passed Choi Won-gil, heading down the stairs.
Then he suddenly called out.
“You must have it nice, hyung.”
“…??”
“Everything works out for you…. Everyone likes you.”
Why was he suddenly spouting lines like a daily drama?
I had no idea. More than confusion or bewilderment… it was deeply solemn and embarrassing.
‘In an Emergency Stairwell, every sound echoes.’
That made me cringe even more.
I wished there was no one above or below on this isolated stairwell.
I wished no one knew that I was the one hearing these words.
“What does it feel like to live that way? Having the whole world revolve around you?”
And I never dreamed someone would actually say something like this in reality.
On top of that, Choi Won-gil was now sniffling.
‘What’s wrong with his emotional sensitivity?’
I felt that familiar disconnect I sometimes sense in idol hopefuls—that gap between reality and aspiration.
‘Maybe I should just leave.’
I took a subtle step forward, but then I spotted In-young moving below the railing.
“…!”
Could he hear me?
The distance was considerable. The sound might echo and distort, but it seemed like fragments were getting through.
If this guy kept running his mouth, wouldn’t strange rumors start circulating?
‘…I need to contain this and get out of here.’
I checked on Choi Won-gil.
“Everyone lives like that anyway! Like I’m the only one… Everyone fought over parts, cursed each other, all of it.”
“….”
Now he was just rambling on without restraint. Once he’d cracked, there was no holding back.
‘But why is he coming at me like this?’
“Y-you did your part too, hyung. And, and… Sae-jin hyung got frustrated too, but I’m the only one made out to be worse. I even apologized to Hee-seung, but nothing came of it.”
Choi Won-gil continued muttering, rehashing the portions he’d received during the latter half of Ajusa.
‘His head still hasn’t escaped Ajusa.’
Well, that made sense.
A young, self-conscious kid had been subjected to months of harsh criticism from countless strangers.
Testa, having experienced all sorts of chaos over the past half-year, had quickly shaken off the Ajusa feeling. But this guy, who’d only trained, would be different.
Probably his hostility toward me stemmed from lingering resentment and jealousy dating back to the Ajusa grade evaluation.
Now that he was facing me as an individual rather than as part of Testa, it all came pouring out.
‘…Wouldn’t it be better if he got some counseling or something?’
Of course, there was no need or desire to suggest that. I just needed to quietly defuse the situation and leave.
I held back a sigh and opened my mouth.
“You’re jealous of me? Why?”
“…Because everything works out for you, hyung.”
“That’s not true.”
I stared directly at Choi Won-gil.
“Would you trade places with me if you could?”
“…You can’t trade, can you…!”
“So you do want to. Hmm….”
I rubbed the back of my neck.
“But honestly, you wouldn’t want to trade families, would you?”
“…!”
Choi Won-gil flinched where he crouched. Naturally, he knew about Park Moon-dae’s family situation too.
I spoke deliberately slowly.
“What you’re jealous of is just… my current achievement status. And even this could change completely in a few years.”
“….”
“Are you getting along well with your parents?”
“…Yes.”
“Yeah. I hope it stays that way going forward.”
“….”
Choi Won-gil bowed his head deeply.
‘Done.’
The bait had worked perfectly.
‘Now he’s probably shed some of that pointless inferiority complex.’
So this was how you weaponized a notorious family background.
‘I’ll just offer some vague encouragement and wrap this up.’
But before I could open my mouth again, something unexpected happened.
“…I’m sorry.”
“…!”
An apology had actually come from Choi Won-gil’s lips.
“At first, I just… said you were lucky, and I’m sorry for that.”
Hmm… was that it?
It was probably one of the barbs Choi Won-gil had thrown during the rank evaluation practice.
‘Isn’t it the universal rule that the one who said it forgets, but the one who heard it remembers?’
I never expected he’d still remember it all this time.
Either way, this was a perfect way to end the conversation. It would’ve been even better if someone had been listening.
I nodded.
“Yeah. I accept your apology. You focus on preparing for your debut too.”
“….”
Choi Won-gil gave a small nod.
Truth be told, Choi Won-gil was an annoying guy, but he hadn’t committed any serious crimes. His mind wasn’t fully developed yet, so he lacked the cunning for real scheming.
‘He simply didn’t have the capability to destroy anyone through politics.’
Even Gold 2, whom he’d openly looked down on, hadn’t ended up worse off than him.
All in all, he was just an irritating troll.
‘I hope I never have to see him again.’
I walked back down the stairs.
Just to be sure, I glanced below the railing again, but In-young, whom I’d seen earlier, had already disappeared.

* * *
“Happy New Year!!”
“Wishing you a prosperous New Year~”
Testa welcomed the new year right there at the MBS Broadcasting Station, even handling the countdown themselves.
But naturally, there was no time to leisurely savor the New Year’s sentiment.
A new awards ceremony awaited just five days later.
【Golden Disc Awards】
It was one of the most prestigious and long-established award ceremonies, so it had made it onto Park Moon-dae’s self-imposed list of “most authoritative award ceremonies.”
The ceremony was divided into digital music and physical album categories, spanning two days, but there was still only one Rookie Award category.
And the cue sheet for the physical album awards ceremony that Testa was attending included the Rookie Award presentation segment.
Everyone thought the same thing in their hearts.
‘Honestly, it would be stranger if Testa didn’t win.’
And true to everyone’s expectations, Testa claimed the Rookie Award long before their own stage performance was even scheduled.
“Congratulations! Testa!”
It wasn’t a surprising result.
But perhaps because there had been so many obstacles, both the fans and Testa overflowed with exhilaration!
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
Recalling everything that had happened on the Internet over the past two months, the fans waved their light sticks enthusiastically and cheered.
“Thank you so much!”
Testa bowed repeatedly as we climbed onto the stage.
But the moment we received the bouquet and trophy, we suddenly exchanged knowing glances with a mischievous smile.
And I immediately handed the microphone to Sun Ah-hyun.
“…??”
For a moment, a slightly bewildered atmosphere swept through the audience.
Anyone who’d watched even a single episode of Ajusa would know about Sun Ah-hyun’s stuttering condition.
This was the first time the microphone had ever been passed to Sun Ah-hyun first. There had even been instances where he’d backed away in embarrassment.
But Sun Ah-hyun, though visibly nervous, immediately accepted the microphone.
“…Thank you so much for this undeserved award.”
“…!!”

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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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