Debut or Die - Chapter 126

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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 126
‘…So he’s saying he’ll focus on dance and give it his all.’
At least, I understood his reasoning.
Since this concert unit stage would be promoted as YouTube’s own content and the footage would be released publicly, the fans’ attention was guaranteed.
If he truly performed better than Cha Yu-jin here? The gossip about position assignments would probably never surface again.
But the question was whether that was even possible.
“…Or what if you got the dance break in this album instead?”
“Haha. Even if I did it pretty well… people would probably say they wished Sun Ah-hyun or Cha Yu-jin had done it instead, right?”
Big Sae-jin answered immediately. It seemed he’d been turning this situation over in his mind for quite some time.
‘…Still, a direct confrontation with Cha Yu-jin is a bit much.’
It wasn’t that Big Sae-jin’s stats were poor.
‘…Status window.’
I checked Big Sae-jin’s status window for the first time in a while.
[Name: Lee Sae-jin]
Vocals: C+ (B+)
Dance: A (S)
Appearance: A- (A+)
Charisma: A- (A+)
Trait: Composure (B)
!Status Abnormality:
The status window was quite impressive. His growth became even more noticeable as the “Charisma” category entered A-rank this awards season.
‘Stats that would stand out anywhere.’
…The problem was that overall, he was a slightly inferior version of Cha Yu-jin’s stats.
Every stat except vocals—where they were equal—fell slightly below Cha Yu-jin’s.
It would’ve been better if even one or two categories had a wider gap with at least one higher stat, but this… was ambiguous.
‘He’d get overwhelmed by Cha Yu-jin most of the time.’
That guy’s charisma was now S-, and he had that insanely broken trait called Black Hole on top of it.
Besides, he wasn’t the type to create synergy for others. He was just the kind of guy who stood out like crazy all by himself.
Honestly, even I, whose position was completely different, wasn’t thrilled about doing a stage with just Cha Yu-jin and me.
‘…That bastard Park Moon-dae still gets to tinker away like this.’
I could already hear the sound of all the points I’d poured into raising my dance stat disappearing in vain.
I held back a sigh and looked at Big Sae-jin.
“…Filtering everything out and speaking honestly.”
“Yeah.”
“Whether it’s you, Sun Ah-hyun, or anyone else really—if it’s one-on-one, it seems almost impossible to stand out more than Cha Yu-jin.”
“….”
“You probably thought about it too.”
It would’ve been better to come in at position 3 and somehow extract a part that would get him noticed.
Yet the fact that he deliberately chose Cha Yu-jin anyway… meant his desire and fear about proving himself were quite substantial.
Big Sae-jin looked down at the floor and asked hollowly.
“…Do you think it’s completely impossible?”
“In my opinion… rather than trying to beat Cha Yu-jin, I think we need to approach it from a different angle.”
There was at least one scenario that seemed remotely feasible.
“Just nail the Stage itself. Make it so neither you nor Cha Yu-jin even feel like comparing who performed better.”
In other words, comments like ‘That dance unit Stage was really amazing’ needed to flood out obsessively.
“If you don’t fall behind in your part under those conditions, your impression as a dance position will definitely improve.”
It would be difficult, but far more achievable than beating Cha Yu-jin in a duo Stage.
“You need to make Cha Yu-jin cooperate on the Stage.”
“…Yeah.”
Big Sae-jin nodded with considerable composure. But his interlaced hands had gone white from how hard he was gripping them.
‘…His hands are even trembling.’
I’d never seen him this tense and anxious, not even right before the Ajusa finals.
‘It’s practically at the level of when that school violence rumor nearly broke.’
Wasn’t this a bit excessive?
“Is something else going on with you?”
“What?”
“What’s being said right now isn’t even general fan opinion. It’s just some chatter beneath the surface. You know that too—you seem overly anxious about it.”
“….”
Big Sae-jin was silent for a long while.
Then he laughed hollowly.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this… Hey, you know why I got cut from the Debut Group back then? Because my position was ambiguous.”
“…!”
“Right before launch, a kid whose both parents are actors joined the team. He had recognition, so they wanted to add him to the roster… but the higher-ups insisted on exactly seven members. What could we do? Someone had to be cut.”
“…”
“But the team had someone who danced better than me, someone younger, someone better-looking, someone with a better voice, and someone who rapped—each one. The leader couldn’t be removed because he’s the leader, so in the end, I was the obvious choice as the ambiguous one.”
Big Sae-jin slapped his thigh with his hand.
“So I got cut. What else could happen… Anyway, that’s why I can’t let go of this. If things blow up like this and the atmosphere becomes one where I wouldn’t even be missed if I left, that would just be… ridiculous, you know? Or during contract renewal, only my deal is bad… Ugh, I’m saying all sorts of things…”
Big Sae-jin clicked his tongue and lowered his head. He’d clearly said things he normally wouldn’t have.
‘…This is really the kind of story that needs alcohol.’
Hearing it sober made me feel a bit dizzy too.
‘…Anyway, I understand the situation now.’
Being cut from the team right before that initial debut must have been quite a shock.
I suspect his focus on the “leader” and “main dancer” positions throughout Ajusa had meaning beyond just securing screen time.
‘But what am I supposed to say in response?’
I’d heard too much and felt a bit flustered.
It’s not like I could offer solutions to this kind of past trauma. And I’m not exactly overflowing with talent for comfort either.
…There was nothing for it. I’d just stick to what I knew—listing positive facts.
I held back a sigh and opened my mouth.
“First of all… setting aside position and all that… the team genuinely needs you.”
“What, for entertainment value?”
“No, it’s to cut off the gossip.”
“…!”
It was a sad truth, but the truth nonetheless.
“Look, I know you understand, but half our team lacks awareness, and more than half have soft hearts. Think about it—if you weren’t here, where would this team even be right now?”
“….”
Big Sae-jin fell silent, as if reviewing everything from the month-long rush before debut all the way to the recent ONYX crisis.
But soon he shook his head.
“You’ve already voiced nearly all the opinions yourself. There wouldn’t have been much change.”
“Well, about that—honestly, I took a gamble trusting you.”
“What?”
“No, I mean… I just figured if there was a worthwhile opinion, you’d definitely rally everyone behind it.”
“….”
I felt a bit embarrassed. I cleared my throat and continued.
“Chung-woo is the leader, sure. But if I had to pick the person most suited for teamwork, I’d say it’s you. On stage, on broadcasts, within the team, outside the team… people who pull their weight in every situation are genuinely rare.”
I finished my thought.
“And honestly, a member with such well-balanced hexagonal stats is exactly the kind of position an idol group needs. So… that’s just how it is.”
“….”
After hearing me out completely, Big Sae-jin closed his mouth and turned his head away.
‘Don’t tell me he’s crying.’
I really hoped he wasn’t. The atmosphere would get so awkward.
And a moment later, Big Sae-jin couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out.
Not with tears, but with laughter.
“Hahaha! You must be dying from how cringe this is!”
“…You’re laughing?”
“Heh, come on, wouldn’t you laugh in this situation?! Park Moon-dae spouting all this nonsense trying to comfort someone!”
Even when I gave him a compliment, this bastard had to make a fuss about it.
Before I could smack him with the neck pillow, Big Sae-jin stopped laughing.
“Hahaha, really…. Phew, anyway, I get it. It’s funny, but… it actually does comfort my heart. You’re something else, you know?”
Big Sae-jin grinned, then suddenly crossed his arms and muttered in an exaggerated voice.
“But if the fans don’t know how amazing Sae-jin is as an idol, isn’t it all pointless? Shouldn’t I at least take over the leader position from Chung-woo?”
Don’t say something sincere while pretending it’s a joke, you bastard.
I answered as calmly as I could.
“Most people already know. You’re worried your opinions might spread to fans who think differently, but actually… I think the opposite. The longer this goes, the more advantageous you become.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. Having no weaknesses becomes more apparent as your career progresses.”
It was actually a trend I’d confirmed from real market data.
When each member went through periods where their demand plummeted, it was always that type—those with no obvious weaknesses—who held their ground best.
Big Sae-jin didn’t seem to fully trust this assessment. But he nodded with a smile.
“…Okay. I’ll keep that in mind and do well on stage~”
At least that part seemed genuine.
In any case, it seemed my mind had already reached a conclusion, so I was likely to receive the trait effect.
[Maintain Composure (B)]
: Let’s not lose our temper!
-Momentum +100%
Looking at the name alone, I’d thought it might be a trait related to public opinion given Big Sae-jin’s nature, but when I opened it up, I was slightly surprised.
‘Well, that does suit him.’
I suspect the “don’t lose your temper” applies to both him and those around him.
While preparing for this unit stage, it would probably be a similar stance with Cha Yu-jin.
‘…I’ll gently coax and soothe him, extracting only the elements I want.’
I was curious how far that approach would work.
“Well then, I’m heading up. Come up once you’ve finished organizing.”
“What are you talking about? You organized everything yourself. Hey, let’s go up together!”
….
Big Sae-jin stretched forward and prepared to get out of the car.
Watching his hands, I suddenly recalled the image of him manipulating the cards.
“…Now that I think about it, how did you mark the cards?”
“Huh?”
“Those cards for deciding the unit. The ones you manipulated.”
“Oh~ seriously? Wait.”
Big Sae-jin giggled.
“Hey, I didn’t manipulate them!”
…!
“What was I supposed to do? I just happened to remember the scratch patterns on the back while handling the cards~ I’m just naturally smart… Ah, my brain’s the one at fault!”
….
At least it didn’t go as far as actual manipulation, which was fortunate… but somehow it still irritated me.
As I walked out of the car and headed toward the Waiting Room, Big Sae-jin chuckled a few more times.
And in front of the Waiting Room, he spoke with a slightly serious tone.
“Anyway… I’m even more grateful now. Even thinking I’d manipulated it, you were willing to listen to my situation.”
“…If the concert goes well, I’ll buy you a cow.”
Big Sae-jin burst out laughing.
“Yeah. Then what kind of cow? I’ll get you Korean beef.”
“Sure.”
“…If you have any worries, tell me.”
….
My worries.
I briefly imagined explaining my situation to these guys.
…Hmm, I’d probably have to suspend activities starting that day and book a psychiatric consultation.
Yeah, I should just pretend this doesn’t exist.
“Yeah. If something comes up.”
“Oh~ Such confidence that there’s nothing yet!”
Big Sae-jin entered the Waiting Room with a smile.
The Manager, having grasped the situation in the meantime, confirmed that Big Sae-jin’s condition had recovered and gave me a subtle thumbs-up.
‘Big Sae-jin will see all of this too.’
In any case, the waiting time that followed passed peacefully without incident. All members except Kim Rae-bin avoided even making eye contact with Zairop.
And Testa claimed both the Album Award and the Rookie Award for the fourth quarter that day.
“Thank you so much! We reached our 200-day debut anniversary last week….”
While waiting for Big Sae-jin’s turn as he spoke into the microphone with eloquent fluency, I finally received the news I had been waiting for.
[Successful Award!]
You have successfully won the Rookie Award with public recognition at ‘the most prestigious domestic awards ceremony’!
!Time Limit: Satisfied (Great Success)
!Abnormal Status: ‘Death if Not an Award’ removed!
: Verify Truth ☜ Click!

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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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