Debut or Die - Chapter 145

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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 145
[Successful Award Reception!]
You have successfully won the Rookie Award under the recognition of the public at the ‘most prestigious domestic awards ceremony’!
!Time Limit: Satisfied (Grand Success)
!Abnormal Status: ‘Death Unless Awarded’ removed!
: Verify Truth ☜ Click!
First, I need to press that ‘Verify Truth’ button to remove this abnormal status and move on to the next one.
The problem is that every time I press it, uncomfortable gossip about others spills out.
‘I don’t want to see anything more about Chung-ryeo for now.’
It was helpful back then, but now I have no desire to dig up anything else.
‘It would be better to see more about Park Moon-dae’s circumstances instead.’
…Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard from Chung-ryeo at all recently.
Since the reaction to that appearance on the Naldi Andy Show was quite positive, congratulatory messages came pouring in from all sorts of people, even those I wasn’t close with.
I even received an apology and congratulatory message from Choi Won-gil.
-Congratulations on your expansion to America, Senior. I’m sorry for causing you trouble all this time.
Looking at the message with only that content, I naturally recalled Chung-ryeo’s apology text from before that simply said ‘I’m sorry’.
But there was no other contact from him. I only received a barrage of emoticons from the other two VTIC members I’d met on the variety show.
‘That’s emotionally a good thing.’
I hope this atmosphere of us cutting ties with each other continues.
I shook my head once and looked back at the popup.
‘Let’s go.’
Whatever comes up, there’s no need to overreact.
I touched the popup.
And just like last time, my vision faded to black.

* * *
What entered my field of vision was the interior of a moving chartered bus.
Vrrrroooom.
People sat in their seats, chatting and laughing with one another.
The unusually harmonious atmosphere and the absence of a route map on the walls made it easy enough to guess—this was a chartered vehicle, not public transportation.
‘A chartered bus, then.’
It seemed to be carrying tour groups rather than commuters. The bus had a somewhat dated, rustic feel to it, though the passengers were dressed quite well.
And that’s when I noticed something.
Unlike my previous experiences, my sense of self was distinct—I wasn’t inhabiting someone else’s perspective.
‘What on earth is this?’
In that moment of confusion, a familiar face caught my eye in the window seat on the left.
It was a young Ryu Chung-woo.
‘…!’
Ryu Chung-woo was asleep, leaning against the window with his arms crossed. Even as a child, his frame was already well-built.
It was utterly… unexpected.
‘What am I supposed to do about Ryu Chung-woo sleeping?’
As I stared at him uneasily, a memory flashed through my mind like lightning.
It was something Ryu Chung-woo had said during a drinking session once.
-I had a pretty serious traffic accident when I was young… I must have touched something wrong, because the aftereffects only showed up after I grew up. My hands shake when I put strength into them.
‘…No way.’
It couldn’t be. Surely not.
But surely was exactly what got me.
The bus, which had been speeding smoothly down the highway, suddenly swerved sharply.
In an instant, the bus lurched violently.
“Ahhhhh!!”
As screams and the driver’s shout crossed paths, the left window shattered, and something went flying.
It was the torn-off side mirror.
And that chunk of metal struck Ryu Chung-woo’s shoulder directly.
‘…!!’
“Chung-woo!!”
The bus descended into chaos with shouts and screams.
‘What kind of psychopath shows something like this live?!’
I reflexively tried to reach out to pull Ryu Chung-woo toward me, but I realized I had no body.
I could only watch as an ambulance carried away Ryu Chung-woo, who lay in a pitiful state.
…My mood felt heavy.
I could hear the paramedics and passengers talking.
“The call came in as ‘one injured child,’ so that’s the scale of transport vehicle we’re using.”
“Oh, we’re fine! If it hurts, we’ll just go to the Hospital.”
Certainly, Ryu Chung-woo was the only one seriously injured.
The paramedics, readily agreeing, loaded only the unconscious Ryu Chung-woo and his wailing parents into the ambulance before heading to the Hospital.
The remaining passengers seemed to have agreed that only one or two would stay to handle the insurance claim, then take a taxi and leave the road.
And I remained in this field of vision.
‘What is this?’
If I’d followed Ryu Chung-woo, I wouldn’t question it, but I had no idea why I stayed here.
And the moment my vision turned back to the passengers.
“Should we go like this then?”
“Yeah.”
I… I, my thoughts stopped.
People I thought I’d never see again were standing there, perfectly fine.
…It was Mom and Dad.
“Please go first. We’ll take the next one.”
“Oh, thank you so much~”
That’s right. That was their voice.
Unlike the photographs that remained, their voice had left no trace in my memory.
Even the video taken at my first birthday celebration was lost during a move, so the voice that lived only in memory had quickly faded.
Sometimes I’d remember it half-asleep. But since I couldn’t record it, that too soon crumbled away.
My heart felt like it would burst from my mouth.
But since I only had consciousness now, instead I could complete my deduction.
‘…It was a family gathering.’
This bus must have been a Pungsan Ryu Clan gathering. The surname of me, ‘Ryu Gun-woo,’ and Ryu Chung-woo before I entered Park Moon-dae’s body.
It seemed Ryu Chung-woo had an accident while on some kind of family trip.
I’m sorry to Ryu Chung-woo, but… my vision didn’t turn that way, and staying here was such a relief.
…It was truly a relief.
My parents got in a taxi with several relatives. I even saw a familiar face—someone I’d owed favors to during middle and high school.
‘It really is a family gathering.’
I nodded inwardly, then suddenly… a strange thought occurred to me.
‘When exactly… is this?’
The image of my parents that I remember is infinitely close to this moment.
‘No.’
Like a conditioned reflex, an eerie premonition tapped at my head.
The taxi left immediately.
I heard Mom’s voice.
“I hope the kid is okay. I’m worried.”
“Right? Everyone must have been shocked. Once we get to the Pension, let’s rest a bit before heading back. It’s such a rare family event, and this happens.”
“Coming all the way to Gangwon Province for this… I can’t imagine how Gun-woo’s parents must feel… Sigh.”
Family event. Gangwon Province.
Keywords that shouldn’t come out kept appearing….
“Still, it’s good Gun-woo didn’t come. He’s preparing for foreign language high school, and the kid works so hard~ Who does he take after?”
“He takes after Mom, of course. They’re both equally smart.”
“My goodness. You two get along so well.”
“Ha ha!”
The laughter made my head spin. Something felt wrong.
Something…
“We’ve arrived.”
“Let’s rest for a bit, then catch a bus or train back to Seoul?”
Through the window, the Pension came into view.
It was a wooden structure that blended beautifully with the Mountain.
I think I’d only seen it in photos when it was completely burned down…
‘Stop it.’
But the people in the taxi got out together, grabbed their luggage, and headed into the Pension.
I stayed behind.
‘Stop this.’
But my vision snapped back in an instant. Time had skipped.
And soon, smoke began rising from the Pension.
Crackle crackle crackle…
Small sparks flew from inside. From outside, the brightness was unremarkable in broad daylight.
But people died from things like that.
Especially in buildings constructed with unapproved flammable materials…
Toxic smoke would develop.
People asleep wouldn’t escape in time.
Weeee-weeee-weeeee-
The belated siren sound shattered through my mind.

* * *
It was over.
“Hnngh—”
I shoved my hand into my mouth. The sound still leaked out.
I pressed the blanket against my face. Finally, my mouth was sealed shut.
‘What is this.’
I had no idea. What the hell was happening? Why did I have to see something like this?
My mind was malfunctioning. My thoughts wouldn’t process properly.
I needed to calm down. Why? Because….
‘W Live tomorrow.’
Right. I had a schedule tomorrow. We were going to broadcast footage of me playing around at the Hotel, timed to match Korean evening hours, so….
Could I even stand in front of a camera?
Could I actually work in this state… why was I even worrying about this?
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
Forget the camera and all that—why the hell did I have to see something like this? Had I really lived such a miserable life?
“Park Moon-dae, are you okay? What’s going on?”
“Don’t talk to me.”
“What?”
“I said don’t talk to me, damn it…!”
I couldn’t even tell what I was muttering through the blanket. But whoever was talking to me seemed to understand. They stopped speaking.
Fine. Let me just think… think….
[Sudden Event!]
Abnormal Status: ‘Death Without an Audience’ triggered!
“Damn it, seriously.”
I slammed my head against the nightstand.
“Hey!!”
“Park Moon-dae!”
More voices. More people had arrived.
The bed sagged under their weight, and several hands grabbed my shoulders.
“…Do you want to go to the Hospital? Where does it hurt?”
“I’m not hurt.”
“Then what’s wrong? Did something happen? Just tell me. I won’t tell the Company.”
“….”
I was exhausted.
I couldn’t explain this, and I just wanted them to shut up and leave. That would be best, but even explaining that would sound irrational given the situation.
“Hey, Moon-dae. Here.”
Someone pressed something into my hand. A glass. And… medicine?
I tossed it into my mouth and swallowed water. It felt like it might come back up, but it went down.
“….”
The room fell silent.
And I too felt my head clear a bit.
“…Sedatives?”
“…! P-painkillers and sleeping pills….”
Ah, right. You can’t get sedatives without a prescription.
Still, once I put something in my mouth, reality came rushing back. And talking with a familiar person, I actually felt myself pulling away from the chaos in my head.
‘Calm down.’
I coughed a few times before lifting my head.
“…I just had a bad dream. Sorry. For causing a commotion.”
“Don’t, don’t worry about it!”
“…Feeling better?”
But the moment I spotted Ryu Chung-woo among the tense faces of the other members, I felt an overwhelming urge to drive his face straight into the nightstand.
‘This won’t do.’
My head was clearly still in a messed-up state.
I lay back down on the bed.
“Again, I’m sorry…. I took medicine too, so I’ll just go back to sleep.”
But I was immediately contradicted.
“…No, go to the hospital.”
“What?”
It was Bae Sae-jin’s voice. I could hear the tension in it.
“I’ll call the Manager. Go get a medical certificate and pick up sedatives…. We can do it, so there’s no reason not to.”
“….”
I couldn’t argue.
I eventually got out of bed.
Accompanied by the Manager who came rushing in shocked, I actually went through the emergency room in the middle of America and came back with sedatives.
The sedatives I got by making a decent excuse about insomnia worked quite well. From that day on, I slept without major issues.
And except for one W Live I skipped under the guise of health concerns, I managed the schedule without problems. It was simple—just don’t think about anything else and do it.
Once I sorted through all that, two problems remained.
One was… I absolutely hated calling up the status window.
This was fine for now since the grace period was generous. The other one was far more troublesome.
It was that I couldn’t interact with Ryu Chung-woo.
I could barely manage greetings, but anything beyond that and that damn ‘truth verification’ would come to mind and drive me insane.
…And of all things, the next filming roommate was Ryu Chung-woo.
‘I’m going crazy.’
It was a choice between discord rumors and mental health.

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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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