Debut or Die - Chapter 140

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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 140
I accessed the banking app I’d downloaded in advance.
‘It should have been deposited by now.’
I’d heard yesterday that the settlement payment would arrive.
In truth, the contract stipulated quarterly settlements, but last year when the company fell into chaos, it was temporarily deferred under the condition of legal interest being applied.
So now in April, both last year’s settlement and this quarter’s first settlement had been deposited at once.
For a regular office worker, it would have been grounds for a lawsuit, but since no one was in urgent need and there was still plenty of contract time remaining, it passed without major incident.
Still, no one dislikes money.
So on Monday, April 22nd, the moment my schedule ended, I wasn’t the only one immediately checking the settlement payment.
“Gasp!”
I heard a gasping sound from the adjacent bed. It was Bae Sae-jin.
‘The amount must be substantial.’
I’d suspected as much. Our performance had been excellent, and we’d even held a concert.
‘Still, it doesn’t feel quite real.’
I habitually swiped past the app’s main account and checked the new account.
And I doubted my eyes.
[Korean General Savings Account]
[1,146,193,520 won]
‘…1.1 billion?’
1.1 billion won??
An amount I could never touch even with long-term smuggling was displayed on the screen.
“….”
I was speechless.
Was this really possible to earn in nine months of work?
It was true that I’d struggled without sleep and under immense pressure. And looking at it long-term, this was the accumulated amount from all the grueling work since my time at Ajusa.
But if I could receive 1.1 billion won, it was almost too good to be true—a business that left me terrified.
‘No matter what, 1.1 billion is… beyond imagination.’
I felt I needed to check the settlement statement. I accessed the email account I’d opened for company correspondence.
Strange emails had accumulated like bombs—I wasn’t sure how my address had been leaked—but after filtering through them, I found the settlement statement email.
I scanned through it quickly.
“…Phew.”
1.1 billion was correct.
And I understood the reason.
‘There were no trainee costs.’
It meant the company’s preliminary investment costs hadn’t been deducted. Thanks to that, the profits were settled in full the moment revenue was generated.
Albums, events, advertisements, music sources, concerts….
Moreover, since my involvement in production was substantial, royalties were quite considerable.
‘Kim Rae-bin must have received even more.’
Just then, I heard a scream from the adjacent room. It sounded like Kim Rae-bin was on a call.
Probably someone in his family had called in shock.
‘What a commotion.’
It was the kind of amount that warranted such a fuss. Even now, it didn’t quite feel like my money.
“Did you see it? Did you??”
Bae Sae-jin spoke to me with flushed cheeks. He was asking if I’d seen the settlement amount.
“…Yes. Just now.”
“With this much, we could buy a place in Seoul, right?? With a loan, if we take out a loan….”
It depends on what kind of place.
But Bae Sae-jin seemed excited as the initial milestone of his secure home-ownership plan suddenly came within reach.
However, his calculation was off.
“That’s the amount before taxes are deducted.”
“Huh, …what?”
“Since it’s a large sum, the tax rate will be high. Don’t plan to spend it all—definitely consult with a tax accountant before filing your comprehensive income tax return in May.”
“…O, okay.”
Bae Sae-jin nodded blankly, then flopped back onto his bed.
He seemed to have returned to reality somewhat.
And as I gave Bae Sae-jin that advice, I came to my senses a bit too.
“I thought you’d be used to settlement amounts, hyung.”
“This is my first time with an amount like this….”
Bae Sae-jin buried his face in his hamster body pillow.
He certainly gets good use out of that thing.
“W, what’s going on…?”
Even Sun Ah-hyun, who was in the middle of showering, poked his head out from the bathroom at the commotion.
“Checking the settlement.”
“Ah, I see.”
Sun Ah-hyun laughed, seemingly relieved. He didn’t seem particularly curious about the amount.
“Do your parents manage it for you?”
“Y, yes! I, I get allowance too….”
Judging by how he handed me a department store gift certificate as a birthday present last time, that allowance was probably quite substantial.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t used that gift certificate yet.’
Right after the awards season ended, I was preparing for the concert and new album, then immediately went into another promotional period and forgot about it.
‘Tomorrow morning, actually… hmm, I have no schedule.’
Tomorrow was the only time in the next two weeks, including weekends, when I had free time during the day.
Let me double-check first.
“We don’t have any schedule tomorrow afternoon, right?”
“Y, yes! That’s right, why…?”
“I’m going out for a bit.”
“…Shopping? The bank?”
Bae Sae-jin chimed in. He seemed to have guessed, since I was heading out right after receiving the settlement.
I nodded.
“Yes. Shopping.”
“…So, want to go out together? I need to stop by the bank anyway.”
“Hmm… that’s a bit…”
“What?”
I rubbed the back of my neck.
“I was planning to visit the Dessert Shop.”
“…?”
“About… seven different locations.”
“…??”

* * *
So the next day, Tuesday, I found myself leisurely wandering through Seoul.
…Well, that was the plan, anyway.
“Uh, Moon Dae-ya. That blue sign over there, right?”
“If you drop us at the first alley on the right, that should work, driver.”
Turns out I had two tails following me.
Sun Ah-hyun and Kim Rae-bin had eagerly tagged along.
-I, I wanted to go out too…!
-The Dessert Shop? Since it’s noona’s birthday next week, this seems like a perfect opportunity to pick out one of her gifts.
…Or so they said.
For the record, I dropped Bae Sae-jin off at the bank on the way. It saved on the taxi charter fee.
‘At least I don’t have to worry about taxi fare anymore.’
It felt strange—it had been so long since I didn’t have to worry about money in my life.
Not long after, the taxi driver pulled up to our first destination.
“Here we are~”
“Thank you.”
As I stepped out, the two in the back seat, their eyes gleaming with anticipation, quickly followed.
“Looks… delicious, doesn’t it?”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Three masked men with hats pulled low entering a specialty dessert shop wasn’t exactly a common sight… but whatever.
‘There aren’t many people on the street anyway.’
It was 9:30 on a weekday, so that made sense.
My members and I entered as the first customers of the newly opened shop.
“Welcome… Oh.”
“Hello.”
The moment our eyes met, I was seen through. I’d felt it before, but now masks seemed utterly useless.
“Oh, oh… oh… wow…. I love your music so much, oh my…”
“Thank you. Please wrap one of each type of dacquoise for me.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Please package one of each flavor, all of them.”
“Oh, oh, yes!”
I apologize, but I didn’t have much time.
I exchanged handshakes and autographs for packaged dacquoise.
“Ugh, hehe.”
…Still, I’m glad they seemed to enjoy it.
Then I turned to look at the two standing there in bewilderment.
“Aren’t you two picking anything?”
“Oh!”
The other two also hastily chose dacquoise along with handshakes.
I went straight to the register.
“Please process the payment together.”
“Ah, yes!”
Both of them were startled.
“W-wait, it’s fine!”
“If we sort by total amount, I should be the one paying… no, I’m not trying to show off, I just mean it’s fine….”
I chuckled.
“It’s settled. I’m the one who suggested we come out.”
“Hyung….”
“W-wait….”
If I’d brought Cha Yu-jin or Big Sae-jin, they would’ve shamelessly devoured the treats, but these two were just sitting there getting all emotional.
Both of them received the packaged dacquoise and smiled widely.
“Well, we’ll enjoy it!”
“Thank you so much.”
And the moment we stepped outside the shop, Kim Rae-bin suddenly realized something.
“Oh, I need to buy a birthday gift for that noona.”
“You can take your time choosing. There are plenty of shops left.”
“Pardon?”
Both of them blinked.
“D-did you, you already choose here, didn’t you?”
“I thought you were gathering candidates in case you didn’t like what you picked….”
“That’s not it.”
I shook my head.
“I’m going to buy from all seven places.”
“…!!”
And I really did just that.
So by noon, both of them were sitting in a taxi, sniffling.
I organized the boxes and set them down at my feet.
Seven in total. All successfully purchased. I’d already tasted one of each.
There was an unexpected event where someone came running with an album waving and hugged me mid-way, but otherwise it went smoothly.
‘The last one was a bit risky.’
When our eyes met at the register, the person let out a loud shriek, so I just greeted them and fled the shop like a thief the moment I got the macaron.
“Is… is it over…?”
“Yeah. It’s over.”
“Haahhh…”
Sun Ah-hyun melted into a puddle. He looked exhausted from meeting so many people.
I didn’t understand why he insisted on tagging along when I told him midway to just head back to the Dormitory—the guy barely ate sweets anyway since he was always managing his physique.
‘Was it because he felt left out?’
Given Sun Ah-hyun’s personality, he probably hated being the only one left behind when the group went out together.
Either way, the fact that he came along during break time… regardless of utility, it was something I was grateful for.
“Are you heading home now?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
I directed the taxi toward the Dormitory.
And instead of going up together when we arrived, I only entrusted them with the desserts.
“Tell the people at the Dormitory to share these.”
“Huh, what?”
“I just remembered something I need to do.”
I sent the two of them home and got back in the taxi.
And I entered the destination into the navigation again.
“Department Store?”
“Yes.”
After finishing my business, I returned to the Dormitory about an hour later.
Ding—
As I opened the Entrance door and stepped inside, my eyes met Cha Yu-jin’s in the Living Room, where he was stuffing his cheeks with dacquoise.
“…”
“It’s delicious! Thank you!”
“Well… sure.”
He wasn’t the type to gain weight easily and loved sweets, so he was the perfect person for this.
“Which one tastes the best?”
“This one.”
Strawberry macaron. I made a mental note of the shop’s name on the wrapper.
“Thanks for enjoying the pastries, Moon-dae.”
“No problem.”
“Moon-dae didn’t get a girlfriend and buy us all these as a smokescreen, right? I trust you, hyung~”
“You’re insane.”
After greeting Ryu Chung-woo, I patted Big Sae-jin on the back as he giggled and returned to my Room.
Beyond Bae Sae-jin, who was reading a book on the Bed, I could see Sun Ah-hyun at the desk crocheting a dishcloth.
“M, Moon-dae. Did you finish what you needed to do?”
“Yeah. And this.”
“Uh, um?”
I held out what I was carrying.
“It’s a bit early, but… it’s a birthday gift.”
“Wh-what!?”
Sun Ah-hyun was startled. Bae Sae-jin bolted upright.
“Is it Sun Ah-hyun’s birthday…?!”
“Oh, no…?!”
The two of them looked flustered in perfect unison—it was like watching a comedy sketch.
“It’s two weeks away, but since there won’t be time to go out by then, I’m giving it to you now.”
“Ah….”
Bae Sae-jin relaxed and lay back down. Sun Ah-hyun nodded enthusiastically.
“Th-that makes sense, thank you…!”
“Don’t mention it.”
…Best not to mention that I used the department store gift card I’d given him for this present.
“C-can I open it now?!”
“Of course.”
Sun Ah-hyun immediately tore open the wrapping. When the coat appeared, he froze.
“…! You, this is way too expensive….”
“It’s not.”
The guy who gave me the gift card is really something else.
I slid the other shopping bag I’d brought from the department store under the bed. It took a moment since the bag was rather large.
‘…I think I chose well.’
I briefly regretted not bringing Sun Ah-hyun along, but what was done was done.
Bae Sae-jin glanced over.
“What’s that?”
“A gift.”

* * *
That Sunday, in the early morning Broadcasting Station where Testa’s final music broadcast recording of this promotional cycle was underway.
When Testa’s fans arrived at the venue, each received a large box.
[Testa Sings.]
[Midnight and Reviewer♡]
“…??”

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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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