Debut or Die - Chapter 139

—————

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

—————

A Fatal Illness if I Don’t Debut – Episode 139
The dance initiation where the two of them unexpectedly turned the tables and attacked the MC wasn’t cut as predicted—it aired in full.
[DJ left speechless by the avalanche of praise]
[23 years in variety entertainment, overwhelmingly defeated by the pink fairy on her first appearance]
The editing primarily framed it as mocking the MC, but the impact was still captured perfectly.
[Do all rookies these days do this?]
[Terrifying… absolutely terrifying!]
…We even got CG with wings burning in neon colors and subtitles like that.
After making a mental note of ‘I won’t burst out laughing every time we appear,’ the members regained their composure, though their lips kept twitching as they let out awkward coughs.
“Ha ha, ahem, you two did great on the variety show.”
“Excellent, ahem, well done!”
“You’re a scary person, hyung. That’s cool!”
“…Uh, thanks.”
Cha Yu-jin seemed to have creatively reinterpreted the subtitle ‘terrifying’ as ‘impressively talented.’
Regardless, aside from the embarrassment, we came out looking good.
The live viewer reactions were quite positive too.
Hahahaha why are you guys doing that lol
DJ Choi is dead lol
-What are these crazy guys
-You can hear the staff laughing in the background lol
What’s up with the wings lol, you must be crazy, I’m dying laughing hahahaha
-Wow, that was bold
-VTIC probably got roasted alive
Just then, the two VTIC members appeared on screen and showcased an impressive dance.
But exactly 10 seconds later, they couldn’t handle the commentary and ended up crawling around.
“…Hmm.”
That was pretty funny too.
‘VTIC’s fans should be reasonably satisfied with that.’
As I was giving them generous praise, the doppelgänger team battle started with a twist.
[Since you share the same body, you have to receive the same penalty~ You’re doppelgängers after all! So, 【Perfect Synchronization】!]
It was entertaining, but in the first 30 minutes of this game, there wasn’t anything particularly worth capturing as a best cut.
We just played the game earnestly and naturally captured a few shots, plus reactions of surprise at VTIC’s self-sabotage.
“Where are the wings??”
“We took them off because they were dangerous~”
“Ah, I see!”
After exchanging this light conversation, this week’s Saturday Party monitoring was complete.
“You two did really well on the variety show.”
“It w-was fun…!”
It was generous praise, but it felt a bit premature to hear it when next week’s episode hadn’t even aired yet.
“Thank you so much! Please tune in for the live broadcast next week too~”
“Ha, got it.”
Ryu Chung-woo smiled in response to Big Sae-jin’s playful antics, his face showing no inkling of what awaited him the following week.
Online reactions remained modest, with fans primarily expressing anticipation for the next episode.
Among general viewers too, the favorable sentiment centered around “Testa’s two are pretty entertaining~” thanks to their striking entrance.
Perfect. The effect would be even stronger when expectations weren’t running too high.
I stretched and rose from the sofa.
‘Just need to wait one more week.’
As long as no major problems surfaced, everything was proceeding smoothly.
But then, the situation I’d been dreading finally materialized.
My public image began to falter.

* * *
While Park Moon-dae waited for the next airing of Saturday Party, the Internet erupted once more.
Just as Park Moon-dae had anticipated, the incident involving the whistleblower who exposed Choi Won-gil’s recordings hadn’t been properly resolved.
This time, the whistleblower posted directly. It was a statement with staff verification, testifying about Choi Won-gil’s notorious reputation at Ajusa.
-Wow, they were actually staff
-Not spliced recordings, but the conversation got cut off because they kept hitting the record button in between
Is Choi Won-gil scared? Did Moon-dae threaten him or something?
-That agency should be blacklisted
But it didn’t last long.
The whistleblower’s identity was exposed due to metadata they’d failed to remove.
========================
[Insane Choi Won-gil whistleblower is trash]
(Screenshot) See the image source URL in the corner here? The end part looks like an ID, so I googled it and all their activity came up lol
Unemployed pathological liar who disrespects the deceased
Forged staff credentials
(Screenshot)
========================
And immediately, the company announced they were pressing charges.
The consensus became that ‘the distributor had no connection to Choi Won-gil and happened to record the conversation while working a day job.’
Simultaneously, Choi Won-gil’s agency began posting anonymous corrections across various online communities, strategically publicizing the whistleblower’s identity in the most sensational way possible.
[Choi Won-gil rumor spreader = famous named user who disrespects the deceased]
[The whistleblower’s identity is far more horrifying than imagined]
Once that operation concluded, public opinion finally began casting sympathetic glances toward Choi Won-gil.
-So disgusting, poor Choi Won-gil;
-It’s really scary. It’s been a while since Azusa ended and the evil part from that time is still catching me.ㅠㅠ
-Listening to the recording now, track 1 is so sad… how much must he have suffered for him to be like that
Naturally, as public attention shifted, the sympathy and positive character evaluations that had been directed at Park Moon-dae began to wither.
And there were those who had been waiting for precisely this moment.
========================
[Current situation: Divided opinions regarding Park Moon-dae and Choi Won-gil]
: Behind-the-scenes footage from Ajusa that aired (screenshot)
During the first team match, Park Moon-dae took over the bridge section that was originally Choi Won-gil’s part
The scene where Park Moon-dae says he’ll arrange this part solo while glancing at Choi Won-gil
By the way, this part—he arranged it solo with ultra-high notes in a saintly style, which is what made Park Moon-dae skyrocket
(screenshot) Choi Won-gil’s bewildered expression
‘Park Moon-dae was taking a jab at Choi Won-gil’
vs
‘It’s just a feeling and speculation’
What do you think?
========================
-Here we go with the nonsense again
-Why post this now? Trying to start a fight?
└Do you have to time your posts while reading the room with fans?
-Where exactly are opinions divided lolololol you’re just hoping they will be.
The prevailing sentiment was mostly to stop spouting baseless claims, but there was also plenty of malice trying to ride the wave.
-Oh, Park Moon-dae’s actually pretty sharp…
-Everyone knows he’s a fox pretending to be a bear lololol
-His image management is seriously good, honestly I think even his recent clarification about Choi Won-gil was all calculated cost-benefit analysis
└Right, there’s something damp about the guy
└Like he grew up without love?? That particular vibe is there…
-Park Moon-dae’s fans were saying in the video that Choi Won-gil was the one who started the confrontation out of nowhere… honestly it all seemed plausible
└I thought the same thing lololol
-But Choi Won-gil asked to do the chorus so they switched it, what’s all this nonsense? The whole story got flipped
└Want to blame Choi Won-gil again?
Of course, the post was deleted not long after reports and rebuttals came in. But there was no avoiding the bitter aftertaste it left with the fans.
After that, posts maliciously picking at Park Moon-dae’s past actions kept sporadically appearing in the trending section, sparking fights before disappearing.
This was the reaction they were aiming for.
[Everyone was going crazy saying Park Moon-dae has good character, but he doesn’t. That’s infuriating?]
Thanks to Park Moon-dae’s swift damage control and Testa’s inherent star power, no major backlash occurred, but those were precarious days.
The fans trudged through each day weighed down by anxiety.
It was right at that timing when Park Moon-dae’s second episode of Saturday Party began airing.
‘Please, just let something work out.’
‘Please, even if it’s boring, let nothing go wrong.’
With these conflicting prayers, the second episode of Saturday Party’s “Telepathy” segment began broadcasting.
At first, it was just moderately funny.
[Wow~ it never ends!]
[Why are they all so good at this??]
The sight of idols and actors fiercely diving into the game and giving their all was heartwarming and pleasant to watch without worry.
The way Big Sae-jin looked after an actor returning from a penalty also drew gentle commentary—”They’re already best friends.”
The strange atmosphere began from the next game onward.
[This game is~ ‘Stay Still and Freeze’! No matter the situation, whoever stays calm and holds out the longest wins!]
It was a game where the team of whoever held water in their mouth the longest without spitting it out would win.
And Park Moon-dae was the sole survivor at a table that had become a battlefield of water cannons.
[….]
[Wait, Park Moon-dae, you’re still conscious, right?!]
[Is this even possible??]
Even when a staff member suddenly screamed and performed a sexy dance, even when a monkey burst out from the DJ Booth, even when a team member rode past on an elephant performing fire juggling right before my eyes—there was no reaction whatsoever.
Park Moon-dae’s face, staring into empty space without the slightest disturbance, was serenity itself.
Compared to the insane situations I’d endured so far, an elephant was nothing.
‘At least elephants actually exist in the natural world.’
The pathos of a fantasy novel protagonist being blackmailed by a status window.
And that caption finally appeared above Park Moon-dae’s head.
[Se-ren-i-ty]
A Tibetan fox CG even appeared in the background.
Thanks to my cheeks becoming somewhat wider from holding the water, it boasted a perfect synchronization rate.
[※An Unprecedented Situation]
[The production team says… they’ve run out of everything they prepared!]
[Wow!!]
[That’s incredible, seriously!]
A complete victory.
Park Moon-dae swallowed the water and bowed repeatedly to everyone around him. And he returned joy to the viewers.
Haha, seriously lol
-genuinely so funny
-Park Moon-dae is really so consistent… it’s amazing
Nothing’s changed lol
-Tibetan fox wins big
-It’s so cuteㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋ
But it didn’t end there. The MC began to make his move.
It was a direct attack on Big Sae-jin.
[Well then, this round’s penalty goes to… Lee Sae-jin!]
[What??]
[No, that’s not right!]
[There are three people who were eliminated before Sae-jin?]
[That critical moment! When you were eliminated right then, the team’s momentum collapsed~ Ah, look! Sae-jin burst out laughing and now both of them are laughing together~]
The MC pushed the situation forward with plausible reasoning, trying to draw out a flustered reaction from Big Sae-jin.
But Big Sae-jin laughed brightly.
[Ah, sounds good!]
[…!?]
[Sae-jin?]
[You’re okay with scribbling on an idol’s face?]
[The team’s victory is more important than that!]
[?!]
Beyond the bewildered caption, Big Sae-jin extended his index finger toward Park Moon-dae.
[Moon-dae!]
[…?]
[If you keep doing well like this, I’m definitely going to take all the penalties!!]
[…!!]
[Even if the team wins, you’re getting punished! Think about it!]
It was madness in pursuit of victory.
[Sacrifice spirit…?]
Even the caption was taken aback.
But Park Moon-dae wasn’t flustered.
[Fine. I’ll take all the penalties, whatever.]
[!!!!]
[The team winning is what matters. We have to catch the doppelgänger.]
[You guys are way too immersed!!]
[You know this is a variety show, right??]
[We’re definitely going to win and catch the fake on our way out.]
[The fake is important! But this footage is going to follow you guys for life, you know?!]
[If we don’t catch the fake here, our team has no future.]
[Good grief.]
There was no getting through to them.
The two of them went out together and ended up with cat whiskers and raccoon doodles drawn on their faces.
It was cute, but their eyes were burning with intensity.
[True madness]
As the caption burned alongside them, the next round began.
[This round is~ ‘Song Encyclopedia’! What year is it now? 1988~ Listen to songs released this year and guess their titles!]
And following the pattern, Big Sae-jin, who had come prepared and studied for this game, began sweeping up the correct answers.
[That’s correct!]
[Yay!]
The moment Big Sae-jin’s team’s victory became certain.
This time, Park Moon-dae started sabotaging himself.
[Ah… Moon-dae, wrong!]
[…What are you doing, senior…?]
[I’m trying to record the most incorrect answers so I can take the penalty.]
[!!!!]
Beyond the caption that fell over in shock, Park Moon-dae clenched his fists tightly.
[The better Lee Sae-jin does, the more she’ll taste the penalty too.]
[Wait.]
[This isn’t even a rule you’re supposed to follow like this, guys!]
It was a catastrophe.
As the game progressed, the cast members who got swept up in it completely embraced the strategy of sniping the performers who were excelling by self-destructing, earning themselves penalties.
The viewers were losing it.
Hahahaha what is this lolololol
-I’m laughing so hard I think I’m gonna throw up
-Did they lose their minds, how did it come to this
-I’m dying
A total disaster caused by an overly obsessed rookie lolol
Even though it was clearly supposed to be a narrative of sacrifice for the team’s victory, the situation had spiraled into something so absurd due to the rookie’s over-immersion in a show devoid of all realism—it was just hilarious.
[Let’s go.]
[Sigh.]
Even the veteran cast members got swept up in the atmosphere and sacrificed themselves. The sight of them walking toward their penalties with expressions of complete resignation was comedy at its finest.
And as the final touch, something else erupted during the last game that decided the final match.
Malang Dalcom Sun Ah-hyun abandoned the threat of self-destruction at the last moment.
[I’m sorry, Park Moon-dae! Young-rin has acrophobia! This doesn’t feel right!]
[!!!!]
The over-investment ended in betrayal.
Young-rin successfully raised the flag, securing victory for her team.
[So the real winners are… the Party Team!]
[Yaaaaaay!!]
Park Moon-dae’s vacant, forlorn expression was absolutely priceless.
-Burned it all down white-hot…
Haha, so cute!
No, don’t get so obsessed with stuff like this, you idiot lolololol
Oh my god, that’s so funny lol
Haha, she’s so cute. Since she’s a rookie, she can pull off this total mess-up. Haha.
Even back when she was at Ajusa, she was so sincere on broadcasts, and she’s like that here too lolololol
And the Testa-focused clip from this episode shot to the top of trending videos on YouTube the moment it was uploaded.
[(Saturday Party) ‘Beat that guy’s doppelgänger!’ Testa’s Over-Investment Compilation.zip | Legendary 【One Mind, Two Bodies】 | SBC]
The anti-fans’ carefully built narrative of ‘Park Moon-dae, who sneakily picks people while pretending not to and schemes behind the scenes’ was completely shattered by the wave of ‘Over-invested Tibetan Fox Four-Dimensional Moon-dae.’

* * *
‘Done.’
I exhaled a sigh laden with complex emotions and powered off my smartphone.
It was embarrassing, admittedly—quite embarrassing—but undeniably satisfying.
‘The atmosphere is perfectly set.’
My deliberate request for VTIC to ham it up even more had clearly paid off.
Thanks to that, Testa’s behavior appeared all the more peculiar and absurd. It was a reaction amplification effect.
And with this comedic image now firmly cemented, it seemed unlikely that trivial matters would shake things up for a while.
Then something suddenly occurred to me.
‘…I can proceed with peace of mind.’
I realized I could finally begin executing the plan I’d been strategizing since the start of this promotional cycle.
But first, I needed to lay some groundwork.
‘Let me start by organizing the settlement figures.’
It was finally time to audit last year’s performance.

—————

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

—————