Debut or Die - Chapter 159

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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 159
The Japanese broadcast featuring Testa was a morning show with the time displayed at around 7:41 at the top of the screen.
‘Ah, so K-pop groups do appear on shows like this morning variety program.’
The high school student was somewhat dissatisfied, but since he’d already started the video, he continued watching to see what would happen.
Korean subtitles, apparently added by a fan, were overlaid on the footage.
[A top-tier K-pop group has arrived!]
[South Korea’s national idol group, Testa]
Testa’s career history and achievements were then rapidly broadcast, interspersed with music video clips and award ceremony footage.
[Their latest album sales have reached a staggering 1.1 million copies!]
[Could the secret be the seven members’ diverse charms, formed through a Survival Audition?]
[We asked Korean Wave fans around Shin-Okubo!]
Brief interviews with K-pop fans from the streets around the Korean town followed.
[They really seem to have the most momentum lately, don’t they?]
[My favorite is Moon-dae. A cute puppy who sings well!]
[Everyone has different favorites.]
[Their hardworking attitude is moving, and they’re really adorable.]
‘Oh… they’re actually quite popular in Japan?’
The high school student’s indifferent expression softened a bit.
The video, accompanied by some flashy effects, finally announced Testa’s entrance.
[South Korea’s top-tier idol group]
[is now entering the studio!]
Boom boom boom!
With some kind of dramatic effect, Testa entered against a backdrop of three or four panelists clapping on a pastel-toned set.
Their navy formal suits, accessorized with traditional jewelry, looked impeccable.
‘Look at those leg proportions.’
While the high school student felt a vicarious sense of satisfaction, Testa greeted them with a smile and respectful bow, showing no particular signs of nervousness.
[Hello. Take your STAR, we are Testa!]
[Woooow!]
[Welcome. Please introduce yourselves!]
[Yes!]
Following the MC’s request, introductions continued with members mixing in very basic Japanese or English.
Knowing that time was limited, they also wove in characteristic elements about themselves.
[Hello. I’m Ryu Chung-woo, the leader of Testa. I was previously a national archery representative.]
[Whoa!]
[Really?]
[Yes. I was a gold medalist.]
Then, smiling, he passed the microphone to the next person without hesitation.
An even more enthusiastic reaction erupted.
[So cool! Dangerous!]
[That must be his charm point!]
The person who created the subtitles had even implemented the murmuring of the panelists in the background as small colored captions.
Whenever a member flashed a grin, bursts of “That’s cool,” “So cute,” and similar remarks would appear.
[I’m Bae Sae-jin. I started out as a child actor…]
[I’m a tsundere with conviction!]
[…!]
Just as Bae Sae-jin hesitated and tried to wrap up his introduction adequately, Lee Sae-jin cut in.
[A tsundere??]
[Ahahaha!]
Lee Sae-jin, who had drawn a burst of laughter from Bae Sae-jin’s dumbfounded expression, continued his own introduction with a grin.
[My name is Lee Sae-jin, and since I share the same name as this tsundere hyung here, we created the nickname Big Sae-jin for me.]
[Big?]
[In Korean, “big” means large~ Yes. In the team, I’m in charge of dance!]
Thanks to the training I’d received as a trainee, fluent Japanese flowed out naturally.
[…Hello. I’m… Sun Ah-hyun. I majored in… dance. …Nice to meet you.]
[I’m Park Moon-dae. You can think of my image as whichever you prefer—a singing puppy or a Tibetan fox.]
[HELLLLO GUYS, I’m Eugene. Please remember me! Thanks!]
And so, the turn finally came to Kim Rae-bin, who stood at the very end.
However, this time a question came from the panelists. They’d noticed that the ornament on his leg, which he’d been wearing subtly like a mere accessory, was actually a brace.
[Is your leg injured?]
[Yes. However, it won’t interfere with the stage performance.]
When the interpreter translated Kim Rae-bin’s straightforward answer, the panelists nodded and expressed admiration along the lines of “That’s great confidence.”
‘The choreography was insanely intense though. What’s he planning to do?’
The high schooler watched this with some skepticism.
[Testa’s stage is coming up next~]
It would normally have been where an advertisement cut in, but because this was an edited version, the stage followed immediately in the video.
On a platform atop the cleared set, the stage began with rotating lights and Japanese subtitles.
-No matter how much I struggle, there’s no escape
Today’s procession arrives, it happens
One more mark added to the record
Now’s procession arrives, it happens
‘Damn, it fits perfectly.’
The choreography was seamless, thanks to having already practiced the formations without Kim Rae-bin.
Moreover, because the opening featured Cha Yu-jin—the complete lineup for the first time in a while—brimming with energy, it commanded incredible immersion.
The extremely static camera laid bare every detail of the dynamic performance.
The high schooler watched the stage with his mouth shut, his mind blank.
-procession
‘But that guy isn’t coming out?’
The one with the injured leg hadn’t appeared on stage at all, even after the first verse. The high schooler found this slightly odd, but soon dismissed it from his mind.
‘Wait, the main guy’s definitely layering in backing vocals throughout the chorus, right? Damn, why do my ears pick up on everything like this?’
He was too busy watching the stage anyway.
Since this was actually the first time he’d properly watched Haengcha’s stage, he simply sat mesmerized through the first and second verses.
And just before entering the final pre-chorus.
The high schooler barely noticed Kim Rae-bin walking toward them from behind with slow, deliberate steps.
‘What’s he trying to pull?’
The moment he thought the performance might lose its edge, the formation shifted subtly, then suddenly swept apart like a receding tide, lifting Kim Rae-bin into the air.
“…!”
With blazing eyes, Kim Rae-bin rode atop his members’ backs and arms as if being carried on a palanquin, launching into his part.
-Someone who came in the dead of night
A doorknob torn and shattered
Bang bang bang
The sound of something rolling and bouncing
And simultaneously, the formation shifted.
-Now you appear
Warning after warning
Approaching at an angle
Slow and electric
Using the arms and torso connected to the ground, Kim Rae-bin glided smoothly to the front like a landing aircraft, supporting himself with his arms as he rose.
Then he stood at the very center, staring directly into the camera.
-Me
“Damn!”
Regardless of whether the high schooler was impressed, Kim Rae-bin didn’t stop rapping.
So he continued, waiting for the next part to arrive.
‘Huh?’
Only then did the high schooler realize it.
Testa had removed and rearranged the similar parts from the first and second halves appropriately, then dumped an entire chunk of the latter half entirely onto Kim Rae-bin.
‘Wow, that’s bold.’
Thanks to the song’s heavy rap focus, Kim Rae-bin’s momentum was terrifying.
As Kim Rae-bin walked forward, there was no separate choreography for him, but because the surrounding members moved in perfect sync like extensions of his body, it looked like a performance in itself.
And as if inheriting that momentum, Park Moon-dae’s vocals soared upward at the climax of the final section.
‘This is it!!’
Then came the final dance break, driving it home.
After dazzling movements so flashy that Kim Rae-bin, who had stepped back, was completely hidden from view, Testa deliberately pulled the formation far back.
So after Kim Rae-bin rejoined, they hit the ending shot.
[Haengcha]
“They’re insanely good.”
Without thinking, the high schooler slapped his desk. At that moment, the screen was showing close-ups of the panelists’ faces after the stage ended.
Every single one of them had eyes wide open.
‘So the thumbnail comes from here.’
The high schooler giggled to himself.
On the video, Testa got to their feet, then casually straightened their clothes. And immediately after, they smiled and waved at the camera.
[Thank you!]
[Testa’s grand entrance~]
The video ended there.
And the high school student was certain.
‘This absolutely slayed.’
I could understand why this had racked up so many views. Just watching it filled me with a surge of national pride. The comments section reflected the same enthusiasm from fans and fellow Koreans alike.
Curious about the reactions, I scrolled through the comments and found myself immersed in the excitement.
-Taste the testa just a little bit, not too much. We don’t have enough seats so we can’t do it.
We know that feeling too, like your eyes are opening for the first time lol
-Testa’s too good to waste on Japan, the agency should focus more on America
-Our K-pop idols~ we’re so proud!^^
-Wait, isn’t Testa above the level of appearing on morning broadcasts? Foreign earnings are nice but let’s keep our pride
└In Japan, the status of such morning shows is much higher than in Korea. The viewership ratings are good~ The tester is awesome haha.
└Oh I see, thanks for the info
“Oh….”
Turns out it was a pretty successful program. I shrugged my shoulders.
‘What else is interesting?’
Caught up in the momentum, I browsed related videos and found countless reviews of Japanese reactions to Testa.
[Japanese broadcasters left speechless by Testa’s Korean traditional stage!]
[Japanese broadcast goes wild over Testa’s performance]
‘These nationalist channels are having a field day.’
Normally I’d skip this kind of content—it embarrasses me—but since I was bored, I figured I’d give one a shot and clicked on it.
Around the same time, Park Moon-dae was also monitoring the situation.

* * *
-I spilled my milk because Testa’s performance was so incredible, I can’t believe it
-Who is this kid? Who exactly? No matter how many times I watch, they’re an angel (photo of Sun Ah-hyun taken directly from the TV screen)
-Are they a ballet major? I thought they seemed elegant, but wow. Such a beautiful face and angelic movements (*´ω｀)
-Another Korean idol appeared on the morning broadcast. But their dance level is absolutely incredible.
-Someone tell me the name of the member with the injured leg! A scary beautiful face, an amazing voice, and a kind personality? What manga character are they lol
-I can’t stop thinking about the Sae-jins, their opposite characters are driving me crazy…
-It’s an Oriental-style song! The impact is amazing!(◡‿◡✿)
-They’re obviously cute like a cat, so why is their nickname a Tibetan fox? I don’t understand, Korea www (photo of Park Moon-dae)
I wondered if they’d cherry-picked only the positive comments.
It occurred to me that things might have been slightly distorted. I stuffed the room service food into my mouth haphazardly and skipped through the video at high speed.
It was annoying that content which could’ve been posted as text was taking twice as long to get through in video format.
‘I’m already swamped learning English anyway—Japanese is too much on top of that.’
The fact that I’d picked up basic greetings and conversational phrases in just two weeks was entirely thanks to my traits.
I shrugged and roughly organized the information I’d collected from fans’ social media and YouTube channels.
‘Sun Ah-hyun’s getting a great response.’
Kim Rae-bin was getting quite a bit of attention too, probably because his center position in the second half was striking, and the rest of the members were getting steady praise across the board.
‘…I’m getting mentioned more than I expected, though.’
I wasn’t sure exactly what had captivated them, but it seemed my four-dimensional personality type was resonating.
‘Whatever.’
In any case, the conclusion was that the overall response had been excellent.
Of course, the fact that such a significant impact had occurred meant there couldn’t be only positive comments.
[Japanese internet rightists going crazy over Testa’s popularity]
I could roughly see this video as an example of that.
-Who even is Testa? lol Never heard of them. Probably just appealing to Korean residents in Japan anyway
-Another anti-Japan group? If you’re so desperate for Japanese money, at least get your attitude straight
-They’re all plastic surgery cases
-A Korean concept? How far does the Korean government’s national project go?
-All flash and no substance, the song is just noise lol
Below that were comments from the video uploader refuting these claims and mocking them.
‘How typical.’
It seemed I’d collected all the usual nonsense that any K-pop group with even a little recognition in Japan had to deal with. But the response really was good.
I shrugged and ended the monitoring.
And sure enough, a few days later, I heard news from the company.
“It’s getting an official broadcast in Japan?”
“Yeah! Apparently the broadcasting station there bought it because your response was so good!”
It was news about the official Japanese broadcast of 【Idol Stock Company】.
‘…I wonder if it’ll do well.’
The content was sensational enough that it seemed like it would appeal to Japanese audiences too, but I wasn’t sure why a survival show with an already-determined conclusion would be so popular.
“Man~ I remember back then!”
“Well, yeah.”
“It was tough, but it was worth it.”
Several members shared their thoughts on Ajusa’s broadcast, which had aired for the first time in a while.
Since we’d won and debuted, some of them had started speaking about those difficult audition days as if they’d been romanticized in hindsight.
Of course, not everyone felt that way.
“…It should have been shut down.”
That was Bae Sae-jin.
Anyway, the news about Ajusa didn’t end there.
“Oh, by the way, you guys know they’re doing a new season of ‘Ajusa,’ right?”
“Really? They are?”
“They’re actually going through with it.”
“Yep~”
The Manager broached the subject casually.
“So~ they’re saying if you guys appear on it once, they’ll do it?”
I saw this coming.

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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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