Debut or Die - Chapter 149

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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 149
The week before the semi-finals and finals of 【The Singer I Created】 were set to air.
Thanks to the impressive hologram character that had appeared after a long time, conversations were flowing lightly across the Internet.
-I guess they’ve run out of usable character concepts lately. After watching all sorts of athlete nonsense, it’s refreshing to see something this creative
-The profile and concept art should drop this week, right? I’m so excited. It’s been forever since I felt my heart race watching broadcast television… it’s almost unsettling
-I was surprised by how good the vocal tone was, but then the next stage was absolutely incredible. My heart was pounding like crazy
-From the first stage that symbolizes the spring groom perfectly to the next stage where the beauty of tragedy shines through. Everything was wonderful. (link)
-The singing is genuinely incredible. This has to be the winner lol
Because the quality was excellent across all fronts without any weak points, positive reviews were naturally the consensus.
And of course, most of Park Moon-dae’s fans had already figured it out.
That “The Spring Groom” was Park Moon-dae.
-Honestly, it’s obvious
-If you’re a fan and don’t know, you must have no ears
-His skills have improved even more. I noticed his vocal quality got so much better since that America project, but how is this even possible?
└The academic consensus is that he’s a genius
-Honestly, the character itself… anyone can tell it’s his taste. I had a suspicion the moment I saw it, but hearing the voice confirmed it lol
└Right? The experience from creating that magical boy character didn’t go anywhere lol
But it never surfaced publicly.
Having experienced so much ridiculous interference, the fans had naturally adopted a stance of not actively asserting anything that differed from public opinion.
After all, it would be over once the identity was revealed. The fans held back their statements, waiting for the reaction that would come afterward—avoiding those crazy people who would screenshot and mock them.
And then came the long-awaited broadcast date for the latter half of 【The Singer I Created】.
These people who were anticipating “The Spring Groom” had waited for and watched this variety show’s live broadcast for the first time in a long while.
Among them were this sibling pair.
“Look. It’s Park Moon-dae.”
“Yeah, right. You’re delusional~”
It was Kim Rae-bin’s fan—a college student—and her younger brother.
The younger brother braced himself for his sister’s curse to fly at him the moment he teased her, but no such thing happened.
“…Sigh.”
The college student held back once, then simply dismissed it with a scoff.
It was the confidence of someone who already knew the answer.
“What’s with you?”
“Whatever. Just watch the broadcast.”
The irritated high schooler huffed and turned his attention back to the television.
Still, the moment the broadcast started, the siblings forgot their argument.
Because “The Spring Groom” appeared right from the first match of the semi-finals, where the remaining three contestants and last week’s champion competed.
[Audience murmuring]
[Wow~ I’m so excited!]
[I wonder what kind of stage they’ll show us!]
It was the eager reaction of the audience and judges who had learned the situation from the previous two stages.
As captions and commentary crossed, “The Spring Groom” finally appeared on the Stage.
“Wow.”
“Here it comes.”
The fluttering butterflies, and the more intricate, naturalistic patterns of the veil and gloves caught the College Student’s eye.
It seemed the hologram had been enhanced somewhat.
‘They must’ve spent some money since it’s getting a reaction, huh?’
A first-tier idol’s main vocalist had appeared—of course they would, the College Student scoffed internally.
“Hey, go for it, go for it!”
“Quiet!”
On the darkened Stage, only the hologram shone brilliantly.
Then the accompaniment flowed.
Sweet, crystalline violin and oboe tones filled the space.
The Stage blazed with bright, radiant light. Flowers swayed, and the groom lifted his right hand, placing it gently upon the microphone.
-My world is
A place without sorrow
Only pure joy
I share with you
“Huh? That’s….”
“Shh!”
After the dulcet verse, a lower, more earnest verse followed.
-In my world
There is no darkness
Bright starlight
Will illuminate you
“Wow….”
This time, forgetting even to stop each other for the distraction, the siblings stared at the screen with their mouths agape.
“May’s Groom” was singing alone a duet meant for both male and female voices.
Famous for its fairy-tale lyrics and lyrical melody, it was an extraordinarily romantic piece.
And if there was one more characteristic, it was that it was often used as a wedding blessing song.
-Sometimes sorrowful days
May come to us
Please remain in this world
-May my love
Embrace your world
With warmth
So I can protect it
In the original, the two voices exchanged melodies, layering and solidifying the lyrics.
But this blessing song, sung alone by “May’s Groom,” had transformed into pure courtship nuance.
Unlike the elegant proposal song of the preliminaries, it soared with the flamboyant range of a peacock in courtship display, captivating the ear.
‘It really does sound beautiful.’
‘It’s such a cheesy song, but why does it feel so good.’
The siblings were completely absorbed in the song, listening to the remainder in reverent silence.
The captions were going wild too.
[The Groom of May Conveys His Love]
[Captivated by that sweet voice….]
The judges’ faces alternated—some with eyes closed, others staring intently at the Stage with unwavering focus.
“This is finals material, right?”
“Absolutely.”
After the Groom of May finished his song and bowed deeply before quietly exiting, the siblings found themselves in rare agreement.
And true to their prediction, the Groom of May advanced to the finals.
[The second finalist is… the Groom of May!]
“Yes!”
“If he doesn’t make it, it’s rigged.”
Like they were watching a sports match, the siblings excitedly waved the remote at the Television.
Then the finalists’ profiles were introduced at some length.
It was filler content meant to pad the runtime, but a well-crafted character profile could be entertaining on its own.
The Groom of May was exactly that.
-Insane… he can only sing love songs until he meets his bride;; what kind of concept is this
-So when he sang Winter Night in the main round, that was after meeting his bride and being separated from her, so he could finally sing a breakup song?
└Whoa
└I love this interpretation
-His bouquet headpiece only has flowers that bloom in May… the Groom of May… if he got married in a different month, the flowers would change
└Please let there be a Groom of June too, it’s literally June right now
Hahahahahahahaha
-When he gets married, the flower head changes to match the bride’s ideal type. The setting is overdone but it hits different
The College Student felt a surge of pride as the profile appeared, scrolling through social media.
‘Park Moon-dae is really good at this kind of thing!’
And I was convinced once more. This had to be Park Moon-dae!
“What if you’re wrong about Park Moon-dae?”
“I don’t care if I get completely humiliated.”
“Hey, loser pays 100,000 won?”
“Wow, thanks for the allowance.”
The siblings had even made a high-stakes bet right before the finals.
With no turning back, the two stared at the Television with serious expressions.
“Even if he bombs here, he’s still winning, right?”
“From what I’m seeing, yeah.”
They half-heartedly watched the first finalist performance. An old rotisserie chicken with a neatly tied silver ribbon sang an enthusiastic samba, but it didn’t move them much.
And finally… his turn had come.
The Groom of May took the Stage once more.
[Waaaaaah!!]
Red butterflies fluttered across the Stage, and a bouquet gleamed through a white veil.
“The Groom of May” gripped his standing microphone with both hands, clad in white gloves.
Then the Stage darkened.
A metallic clang.
Thin beams of light shot down from all directions as holograms.
They cast a sinister crimson glow.
“…!”
The lights trembled and warped.
And then, an ominous sound began to emerge.
Whiiiiish— whiiiiit—
A wind-like whistling sound mingled chaotically with a flute’s erratic melody, weaving an eerie atmosphere.
A slow drum beat resonated.
Thud…. Thud…. Thud….
Chilling.
Within that unsettling aura, “The Groom of May” began to sing.
His white suit was stained and mottled by the crimson light.
—On the last day of April
The moon cannot be seen
You do not come
And love decays
A slightly hoarse, scratching sound slowly filled the Stage.
Because the lights trembled, “The Groom of May” appeared as though swaying like a flower.
As if about to wilt any moment.
—Yet longing stretches on so long
While life remains unfulfilled
When suddenly I open the window
Only footprints remain on the path
Over an anxious monotone, the song rushed forward relentlessly, the notes climbing sharply as if ready to plunge at any second.
And then, it fell.
—Still, I will wait
To match that low note, the accompaniment exploded.
“…!!”
Amid the rampaging monotone of traditional instruments, “The Groom of May” bowed his head, burying his voice into the standing microphone.
—My heart has rotted completely
Until the withered longing melts away
Buried beneath the earth
Until all memories crumble
Still, I will wait
A melancholic melody began in the deepest register, then climbed madly through the notes.
Within the repeating lyrics, every metaphor’s end converged into a single word.
‘Waiting’.
The screen didn’t show the audience’s reaction. It captured only “May’s Groom” on the blood-red, glistening Stage.
Beyond the veil and bouquet that shouldn’t have been visible, I could see the glimmer in those eyes.
Even through the screen, a desolation so overwhelming it felt suffocating washed over me.
And then came the finale.
A piercing high note, as if wailing, lifted the final chorus lyrics.
-At last you have come
Until the day you call me beautiful
The final note stretched on as if breath itself had ceased.
The melancholic accompaniment chased after it in frantic desperation… then, abruptly, stopped.
-I will wait
“….”
A single, fragile streak of salt sound concluded the song.
Where terror and madness had dwelled, a bittersweet, aching resonance lingered.
“May’s Groom” stood motionless at the standing microphone, the bouquet pressed against it.
And the moment the accompaniment cut out completely.
He vanished from the Stage like a fading light.
[Ahhhhh!]
[Wow…!]
Only then did applause and exclamations fill the audience.
The camera finally appeared front and center, capturing the judges and audience members with their hands covering their mouths in stunned silence.
[An overwhelmed audience]
[People unable to lower their hands from their mouths]
Even the siblings frozen in front of the Television came to their senses.
“…This is insane, seriously.”
“Fucking chills.”
“Moon-dae’s winning this.”
“He’s crossing the line again.”
“May’s Groom’s” Stage—like a groom driven mad waiting for a bride who never returns—left an enormous impression.
What could have easily seemed excessive was pulled off with such an eerily perfect vocal delivery that it transcended any doubt.
‘I’m definitely watching next week’s broadcast too.’
The high school student, now certain of “May’s Groom’s” victory, made an inner vow.
This was something worth witnessing.
When the identity was revealed, she even thought she’d buy the album and listen to it.
‘From what I’ve seen so far, he’s a band vocalist. Probably writes pretty niche songs.’
So when “May’s Groom” revealed his identity shortly after, the shock completely froze her in place.
[‘May’s Groom’—we will now reveal the identity of the person who created this hologram character!]
Just before announcing the winner, the participants’ identities were pre-revealed so they could stand on Stage alongside the hologram and await the announcement together.
With the motion link disengaged, “May’s Groom’s” hologram stood quietly on the Stage—so demure it was hard to believe he’d just performed such a devastating song.
The MC’s resonant voice rang out.
[Come on, please take the Stage!]
At that moment, the floor beneath the Stage began to open, and a figure started to emerge.
The audience let out strange exclamations.
“…!?”
What was rising up was… “May’s Groom.”
“What?”
Once the real “May’s Groom” had fully ascended, it tilted the bouquet in confusion.
It was identical to the hologram—goosebumps erupted across my skin.
“Ugh.”
I’d recreated animals and food in costume form as jokes before, but never anything this perfectly matched.
Usually I create characters out of things I can’t do myself!
‘What the hell is this guy doing?’
Amid the murmuring audience and judges, only the MC shouted cheerfully.
[This person is… none other than!]
The newly emerged “May’s Groom” tore the bouquet from its head with its right hand.
“…!”
The thick mesh veil covered in flowers slipped down to its neck, revealing a sweat-drenched face and matted hair.
[Trending idol, Park Moon-dae of Testa!]
[!!!!]
The screaming audience and judges feigning exaggerated shock continued to be replayed on screen.
Even the high school student was left speechless.
“….”
“Hey, hey.”
The College Student nudged her younger sibling with her foot.
“Hand over 100,000 won.”
“….”
Meanwhile, a similar scene was unfolding in real-time on the Internet.

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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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