Debut or Die - Chapter 134

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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 134
Right after the first day’s concert ended, a popup I’d never seen before appeared.
[Successful Performance!]
You impressed the vast majority of the audience!
-Audience Count: 13,120 (NEW!)
-Impression Rate: 96% (NEW!)
: Hero Trait Draw ☜ Click!
And I’d also achieved an Achievement.
It was the ‘First Performance’ Achievement. Thanks to that, I leveled up for the first time in a while.
‘So performances count differently than stages.’
It seemed one-off stages and solo concerts were counted as separate categories.
‘But that’s actually beneficial.’
My status window had been stagnant, so having more avenues to gain rewards like this made management much easier.
With a level-up after so long and a trait draw appearing, the concert had been quite fruitful in many ways.
‘…It was fun too.’
Though it didn’t seem like the kind of fun most modern people typically experienced, the overwhelming sensation was… undeniable.
Even thinking about it now, it was a dizzying moment.
All those countless lights, voices, heat and emotions….
“….”
I was about to lose myself in reminiscence when I suddenly recalled what I’d done during it.
‘…I cried like a baby.’
…And then I remembered the text on that cone hat I’d worn earlier.
‘Damn it.’
Since the cone hat was custom-made, there were no extras, and I couldn’t show uncooperative behavior toward W Live, so I had no choice but to wear it.
‘I’m never crying again.’
That fucking crybaby king title on the hat would become the next title for whoever made it.
“Moon-dae, you want beer?”
“Yeah.”
I took the beer can Ryu Chung-woo was offering and chugged it. It went down smoothly.
“Everyone worked really hard!”
“Phew, it feels like it’s already over when we’re just starting activities~”
“Strictly speaking, we haven’t started yet. Our album release date is tomorrow.”
“…And the music video reveal is still coming. In thirty minutes.”
“W-wouldn’t it be better to watch it and then go to bed?”
“Sounds good!”
Everyone was properly excited.
I might need to do another video recording soon.
‘Since it’ll be our first reaction to the music video, it wouldn’t hurt to capture it.’
Instead of my old cheap phone, I fidgeted with a new latest-model smartphone with a yellow puppy case.
…It was among the gifts I’d received on my birthday.
The operating system was different from the phones I’d been using, so it took some time to adjust, but the diverse features were enjoyable… and I was grateful.
However, after receiving about seven latest-model smartphones as gifts, I started breaking out in cold sweat.
‘Just the same model—that’s already three units.’
I’d even deliberately positioned myself in front of the camera and verified it a few times, but the smartphones weren’t the end of it.
By now, it seemed I’d received just about every type of electronics and luxury goods imaginable as gifts.
‘…The prices are too high.’
Calculating the amount I’d need to repay was making my head spin.
This couldn’t continue. Besides, I was too busy to actually use any of it properly.
I couldn’t even show that I was using them, yet I kept receiving more—it was just self-satisfaction on their part.
‘It’s not like I’m going to sell them off.’
If I got caught selling them, there’d probably be a public execution on the Internet that very day.
And even if that weren’t the case… these were gifts they gave me to use, so I couldn’t sell them anyway.
‘I should probably announce that they don’t need to give me anything anymore.’
If I alone refused to accept them, I’d just be throwing fuel on the fire for unnecessary drama, so I’d need to bring it up once the settlement came through.
But not right now.
The atmosphere of this drinking session was such that if I brought it up, they’d probably just shout “okay!” in the heat of the moment and regret it the next day.
“Oh my, how are our two twenty-year-olds doing? Do you like the beer?”
“It’s good.”
“It has no sweetness at all….”
“W-well then… h-how about this one?”
Mixed in with those legally drinking for the first time were people recommending what they were drinking, and tasting reviews were flying everywhere.
“This one’s great!”
“Th-thank goodness…! B-but don’t drink too much… oh dear.”
‘What a mess.’
I abandoned the idea of a reaction video. I’d need at least three more years of experience before I could make that public.
“Moon-dae, don’t you have any recommendations~?”
“Tell them to drink cider.”
“I don’t like that!”
Fine then, keep drinking and pass out.
I opened a fresh beer can and impulsively spun the special trait gacha.
‘With the hero trait gacha, it’s at least B-rank, right?’
I hoped something usable would come out. Getting Bacchus one more time and upgrading it would be the best.
The familiar slot machine appeared, and the slot with golden squares mixed with occasional platinum squares began spinning rapidly.
[Mental Fortress]
[Concentration]
[Soft and Cute Charm]
[Further detailed explanation omitted]
[Needs Empathy]
[Bacchus]
[…]
Characteristics that seemed vaguely familiar flickered past in rapid succession, interspersed with phrases I desperately hoped wouldn’t appear, until finally it stopped.
Ding!
It was one of the rare platinum-colored slots.
“…!”
Papapapang!
An A-rank characteristic emerged amid a shower of pollen.
[Characteristic: Exchange Student (A)]
-I understand perfectly what you mean.
: Foreign Language Acquisition Ability +200%
“…??”
What is this?
Where on earth did this random job-seeker characteristic come from?
‘Foreign language acquisition ability increase?’
Why not just grant me fluency in an entire language outright? I guess even the status window can’t create something from nothing.
‘…Wasted an A-rank on this.’
I was about to discard the newly acquired characteristic with a bitter smile when I suddenly came to my senses.
‘Wait.’
…Let me think about the precedents so far.
Equanimity. Discarded it immediately, and a scandal about my past erupted.
Faucet. Discarded it immediately, and I ended up crying during the concert… Damn it.
Could it be that the system gives me exactly the characteristic I’ll need most at any given moment?
The ominous premonition I’d been harboring since last time suddenly seemed very convincing.
“…Sigh.”
Calm down. Let me reason through this.
A situation where foreign language acquisition ability would be necessary.
‘That can only mean overseas expansion.’
Unless I got kidnapped and sold to an overseas fishing vessel in the near future, that was the only plausible future for me as an idol.
‘It’s about time we attempted a tour.’
Given that Testa originated from a domestic audition program, our overseas fanbase was thinner compared to domestically, but it wasn’t nonexistent either.
Generally, once we gained popularity domestically, interest naturally followed from overseas as well.
Besides, the ONYX stage we covered last time apparently became quite a hot topic among overseas K-pop fans.
‘So that’s their taste, apparently.’
I’d sold data to foreigners using translation apps a few times before, and the groups that had notably higher transaction success rates overseas had that kind of concept.
Hip-hop-based dance tracks with strong beats and intense performances.
‘Testa isn’t a group that makes that our main focus.’
Not everything flows according to trends, but if we ever aimed for overseas markets, it wouldn’t hurt to try one or two of those tracks as single titles.
Anyway… setting that aside, let me return to my hypothesis that this characteristic appeared because an overseas tour is scheduled for this year.
‘…Still, I don’t think we’d need an ability like that for a tour.’
I already speak English at a college graduate level. It means I can manage light communication.
Besides, we already have a native speaker on our team. Cha Yu-jin….
“Drink more!”
“Wait, Cha Yu-jin, let’s stop~”
“You’ve had way too much…!”
“….”
Cha Yu-jin… the only native speaker among us.
And the remaining overseas student is Sun Ah-hyun. The communication compatibility between those two was, needless to say, catastrophically terrible.
‘This won’t do.’
I ultimately decided to follow the process of elimination.
Rather than witness another disaster like when I abandoned Equanimity and Faucet, it would be better to study foreign languages until I could grab the next trait.
That meant I’d have to delete one of the three traits I currently possessed… well, this was obvious.
[Trait: That Makes Sense When You Think About It (C) has been deleted!]
I hadn’t used this trait once since debut. It didn’t activate when persuading the former Director, nor when recommending counseling to Sun Ah-hyun.
‘Since it’s the lowest rank, it’s right to get rid of it.’
It’s not like I’m walking a tightrope doing group assignments in some insane individual survival competition like back at Ajusa.
I checked my organized status window again.
[Name: Park Moon-dae (Ryu Gun-woo)]
Level: 16
Title: None
Vocal: A+
Dance: B
Appearance: A-
Charisma: B
Traits: Infinite Potential, Overseas Student (A), Bacchus 500 (B), Catching Ears (A)
!Abnormal Status: Death Unless Perfect
Remaining Points: 2
First, my Dance stat naturally grew from B- to B, which caught my eye.
‘All that rolling around paid off.’
It was an achievement earned through year-end performances and concert preparations. Now I’d look quite skilled even standing next to decent dancers.
And with the remaining 2 points I could currently use… well, actually I had one extra, so I wanted to dump one into Vocal. The rank would change.
‘I want to see how different the sound becomes when entering S-rank.’
But pouring two points into Charisma or Dance to make three A-rank stats also looked appealing.
‘What should I do.’
I pondered briefly, then recalled one of my upcoming schedules and made my decision.
‘This seems right.’
And the moment I distributed the points, someone tapped my back.
“Park Moon-dae, did you see this?”
“What is it.”
I turned my head, and Big Sae-jin thrust his smartphone screen at me.
A new message from the Moon Rabbit Group Chat—the Ajusa third-round team battle I hadn’t seen in ages.
[Ha Il-jun: Heard the concert went great! Congratulations (crying emoji) Sorry I couldn’t make it even though you invited me!]
[Brother Ha Iljun: Actually, I’m debuting in April! I couldn’t go because I was busy preparing for my debut. Please take care of me in the future, Testa senior! (greeting emoticon)]
So Gold 1 is debuting.
But is there anything to say beyond congratulations? There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly noteworthy.
“…Oh, wait. I scrolled past something.”
Big Sae-jin checked my expression, then scrolled down on the smartphone screen he’d been showing me.
A new message appeared.
[Ha Il-jun: By the way, Choi Won-gil is debuting with our team too. If they ask in interviews how things are between us, would it be okay if I just say everything worked out well?]
[Ha Il-jun: Not like we’re close or anything, just that much!]
I see.
So Choi Won-gil was debuting as part of the same team after all.
More than half of Testa’s members had experienced Choi Won-gil’s trolling at Ajusa, and it had all been broadcast, so it was definitely the kind of thing that could come up in a poorly-handled interview.
‘Gold 1 has a point to worry about.’
Big Sae-jin shrugged.
“What do you think?”
What could I think? Nothing in particular.
Gold 1 wasn’t a stupid attention-seeker, so he’d stick to exactly that much—just saying things worked out well.
And thinking back to when Choi Won-gil apologized on the Broadcasting Station stairs, it seemed like he’d genuinely had a change of heart, at least enough not to say anything unnecessary.
“I don’t mind.”
“Yeah? Honestly, me neither. Then I’ll post it.”
Big Sae-jin smiled and posted a message in the group chat.
[Me: Wow, hyung is debuting~ Congratulations so much! (sparkling eyes emoticon) Of course that’s fine~ We weren’t even fighting or anything!]
“You’re keeping it at that? You should post a congratulations message too~”
“Yeah.”
“The others will probably post congratulations once they get their heads on straight, right?”
“Probably.”
Sun Ah-hyun and Kim Rae-bin. Predictable.
They looked too busy drinking and stopping Cha Yu-jin right now, so they’d do it themselves once they sobered up later.
“Hey, Moon-dae! Want a drink too?!”
“…I’m good.”
The moment our eyes met, he came at me like it was a Pokémon battle. I dodged.
In the end, I got dragged into the chaos and even drank some wine, but I didn’t think anything particularly problematic would come from this situation.
Not until a few days later, when I discovered that popular YouTube video that went up right before my music show comeback.
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[Choi Won-gil Recording 2]
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Up to this point, it wasn’t my problem.
But when I pressed play, things changed.
It was just a recording with no video, just sound against a black background, but a conversation I’d heard before came through.
“…??”
No way.
in the comments.
Someone kindly added interpretation subtitles.
-Transcribed as heard
Choi Won-gil: What’s it like living that way? With the world revolving around your whims?
Park Moon-dae (presumed): (sighs)
….
Why am I showing up here…?

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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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