Debut or Die - Chapter 165

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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 165
“Oh~ Ajusa.”
“So it started this week.”
When the new season advertisement for Ajusa aired during the drama, a few of the guys watching offered halfhearted exclamations.
They probably weren’t particularly excited about it. They were just pretending to know what was going on since they’d filmed it anyway.
But by the time the thirty-second commercial ended, that composure had transformed into bewilderment and embarrassment.
[The National Idol of K-pop Created by Idol Stock Company]
[A Global Phenomenon Transcending Korea and Reaching the World]
[TeSTAR]
[Meet the Idol Stocks That Will Follow in Their Footsteps!]
“Good grief.”
More than half the promotional content was focused on how remarkable TeSTAR had been and how they were appearing in Season 4 as well.
‘…They took the easy route.’
Season 3 had performed phenomenally when it aired, and the debuted group had done even better than expected, so there was no better way to grab initial attention.
‘There was definitely intent in placing the advertisement right after this drama.’
They’d slotted the Season 4 commercial in prime time right after the broadcast featuring Bae Sae-jin’s surprise appearance—a Season 3 Ajusa alumnus.
This meant they’d been aiming for this from the start. There was a reason the company didn’t reject the proposal and handed it to Bae Sae-jin.
‘In other words, the viewership draw they identified for the early episodes… was TeSTAR’s fanbase.’
“…Hmm.”
No matter how little the fanbases overlapped, the possibility of fandom leakage wasn’t something I particularly liked.
T1 probably figured it didn’t matter since the kids debuting in Season 4 belonged to them anyway, so encouraging crossover support was fine.
‘Once they’ve built up the initial buzz, they’ll pull in the real demand.’
But if Season 4 underperformed… they might try to milk the TeSTAR card again.
‘That’s not good.’
From my perspective, Season 4 is a time bomb waiting to explode.
We’d already seen that mess during the rookie awards because of the controversy surrounding Ryu Chung-woo and the Writer’s family connection, and if any fairness controversy erupted in Season 4, we’d inevitably get dragged into it.
TeSTAR was already managing high fatigue from various controversies big and small since debut by suppressing it with album quality and image. We couldn’t afford more of this.
‘This appearance needs to be the last one.’
…And if possible, I’d prefer this appearance to be minimal.
I know it’s a futile wish.
‘Those bastards even got individual cuts….’
They’d probably milk it for all it’s worth until the show’s own buzz reached critical mass.
Sure enough, Big Sae-jin, who’d been scrolling through his phone, let out a snort of laughter.
“Oh~ We’re in the other preview too.”
Just from the audio, I could clearly hear how well they’d edited together TeSTAR greeting and the screams of this season’s participants in urgent, dramatic fashion.
[This is Sun Ah-hyun….]
[Kyaaaaaaah!!!]
“I’m… a little embarrassed….”
“Sun Ah-hyun, you came out looking extremely handsome. I don’t think you need to worry!”
“Th… uh… u-uh….”
It seems Kim Rae-bin’s words are the most embarrassing. I understand perfectly.
That day, I checked the reactions to Bae Sae-jin’s drama appearance and briefly reviewed the responses to Ajusa’s new season before wrapping up my work.
So far there had been no real conflict, just buzz and hype, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was the calm before the storm.
And a few days later, Ajusa’s new season began airing.

* * *
“Hello, Reviewer~”
“Hey!”
With an energetic greeting, Big Sae-jin tapped the button on his smartphone.
[W Live has ended.]
I had some time to spare and the schedule had come around, so I went ahead with the W Live broadcast.
The topic was… honestly, I’d run through my entire repertoire, so I just did some simple cooking.
But since it was meat, I’m confident it turned out fine. At least the people eating it seemed happy.
“Should I eat this?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
The last half of today’s beer chicken disappeared into Cha Yu-jin’s mouth.
‘He really enjoys his food.’
Among today’s W Live members—whose schedules happened to be free—he definitely had the best appetite.
Me, Big Sae-jin, Cha Yu-jin, and… Bae Sae-jin.
“You worked hard, hyung.”
“I didn’t do much…”
Bae Sae-jin muttered while avoiding eye contact.
“No, hyung was the most helpful with the cooking.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, ahem, if that’s the case.”
Big Sae-jin focused on being entertaining and Cha Yu-jin focused on eating, so it was fair to say Bae Sae-jin was essentially the only one assisting.
Moreover, today Bae Sae-jin was, borrowing Big Sae-jin’s expression, quite “cooperative.”
He gave lots of reactions and actively tried to participate in casual conversations unrelated to the broadcast.
And Bae Sae-jin’s efforts would pay off far more than he realized.
The timing was absolutely perfect.
‘Bae Sae-jin acted so well in the drama.’
It was well-known that Bae Sae-jin started as a child actor, but due to his limited screen time in Ajusa, the general perception was that his skills lagged behind the other members.
So through this drama appearance, his “acting ability” was reassessed, and he recovered quite a bit of his standing.
That’s how it worked.
-Bae Sae-jin seriously shocked me, like he was possessed
-A ten-million-viewer actor at 11 years old, his skills never disappeared lol
-Watched it with my mom and she was so delighted asking how that little kid grew up like this
-I wanted to watch it longer, so please work on it~ㅠㅠ
It was a very tasteful cameo role, so even though his appearance was brief, it left a strong impression, and his acting was remarkable.
‘It’s beneficial to me.’
So strictly speaking, the problem was simply that both Bae Sae-jin’s personal fans and anti-fans alike might have thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be better if he just acted?’ but that was the extent of it.
However, since it was a one-off event appearance, that criticism never made it to the cutting board, so this level was acceptable.
‘If I keep showing this kind of friendly dynamic in my own content, it should be fine.’
The atmosphere of enjoying group activities was sufficient.
‘Serious acting should probably start two or three years from now for propriety’s sake.’
Well, honestly, I have no idea what the situation will look like starting next year.
If my condition really did end with this, then by that time I wouldn’t need to be grinding away at results like this.
‘Of course, I need to focus now.’
That’s exactly why I was about to monitor the new season of Ajusa, something that had nothing to do with my fate.
I had a feeling Testa’s first episode would be clickbait, so I’d stacked up through episode two.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae, what are you doing~?”
“Trying to watch this new Ajusa.”
“Oh~ that’s a good idea?”
I quickly claimed the empty Living Room Television and navigated to YouTube. The guys who’d filmed W Live with me gradually settled in around me.
‘Guess they were curious after all.’
I could immediately find the broadcast clip on the main page.
[【Idol Stock Company 2】 National Stockholder Testa★ Appearance | Episodes 1, 2 Testa Clip]
Usually these take some time to release, but it seemed the buzz was urgent enough to drop it immediately.
“Oh~ Moon-dae’s in the thumbnail!”
Official number one, no less.
Anyway, I clicked right away.
[What Does 【Idol Stock Company】 Mean to Me?]
On screen, individual shots of Testa members with serious expressions appeared against a dark background.
[I’m so nervous!]
[To me, Idol Stock Company is….]
[…a new opportunity?]
[A turning point in my life]
‘Our Ajusa is such a prestigious program’—it was clearly a setup cut to establish that atmosphere.
“Ugh~ this is no joke?”
“It’s so cheesy!”
“…sigh.”
Leaving the guys dazed by the showbiz flavor of Ajusa they’d tasted after so long, the video pressed straight ahead.
Testa’s embarrassed reactions as they watched and reminisced about their season three appearance cuts played out with warm background music.
“Hey~ Moon-dae can’t even lift his head. Are you embarrassed about the chicken feet? The chicken feet you were eating so deliciously?”
“Shut up.”
Then the scene transitioned to this season’s participants watching Testa’s appearance clips and their activities.
[Really, I want to create a stage like that too.]
[It felt like my competitive spirit ignited.]
“…those were the days.”
“Cheer up, guys~”
“I hope things work out well for you.”
The members, who had been watching this scene with sympathetic and understanding eyes, found themselves sighing at the next moment.
[Season 3 participants arrive at the Filming Studio!]
[SCREEEEEEECH↗!!]
[※Not a crow sound※]
The entrance scene was highlighted through roughly three replays, with Testa being captured almost member by member.
The crowning touch came from the participants’ interviews.
[He was my number one pick. I’m losing it…!]
[I just… screamed without thinking!]
[I couldn’t control myself. Hehehehe!]
[Park Moon-dae in person!! Really!! I thought my heart was going to burst!]
I’d bet fried chicken that the poor last participant is getting torn apart on the Internet right now for calling his direct senior by a nickname without any honorific.
“Hmm, it’s more embarrassing than I thought?”
“Why?? I think it’s great!”
While the members’ opinions were divided, the intense enthusiasm on screen finally calmed down when Testa’s members took turns offering their blessings and encouragement.
First, Cha Yu-jin.
[WOW! Everyone, hang in there! Don’t be nervous, enjoy this moment, and do your best!]
Some guys probably pretended to be disgruntled, saying he could only talk like that because he’d never received bad editing, but that kind of criticism would have come out no matter what Cha Yu-jin said anyway.
Next was Bae Sae-jin.
[…I hope you can get what you’re looking for here.]
Yeah, they probably tried to stir things up by saying he could only manage such clichéd words because he lacked skill, but got countered and failed.
Next was… Big Sae-jin.
[Idol Stock Company is a major audition, after all. So it’s a place where things inevitably don’t go as expected or planned.]
Laying groundwork for ‘you might fail.’
[But since opportunity can’t be denied, I hope you’ll do everything you can so you won’t have regrets. I’m rooting for you!]
He focused on the challenge itself rather than success.
Yeah, there’s nothing to criticize here. The program even subtly elevated his status without crossing any lines.
‘So that’s what being quick-witted gets you.’
Anyway, everything up to this point had been fine. There was no strange editing, and it seemed like far more people would have enjoyed it.
However, my turn hadn’t come yet. I was last, after all.
“Moon-dae hyung!”
“Oh~ the finale!”
Only when the playback bar reached nearly the end did Park Moon-dae on screen pick up the microphone.
[Since appearing here….]
And suddenly, silent flashback footage began appearing.
“…?”
[I’ve often felt my limits. Whether it was my abilities or the circumstances.]
Footage of Park Moon-dae doing popcorn moves, practicing without sleep during the rating evaluation, and lying sprawled out after dance practice flashed by in succession.
And… a shot of me sitting alone on the Bed with a complicated expression.
“….”
Unaired footage. It seemed to be a cut from when I’d realized Park Moon-dae’s past.
[But sometimes, there are moments when you can transcend those limitations.]
A brief shot of Park Moon-dae on stage, cheering alongside my team’s other participants with a slight smile.
[I hope that when this filming ends, you’ll all be able to see yourselves with a broader perspective.]
The screen returned, and Park Moon-dae, now a member of Testa, bowed his head.
[Thank you for listening.]
After that cut, the season’s participants with reddened eyes were captured—naturally accompanied by the emotionally arranged theme song BGM of this season.
“….”
“…Yeah.”
Bae Sae-jin carefully opened his mouth.
“That didn’t feel like what happened.”
Right. It was pure fabrication.
I’d been asked, “Since you’re first place, could you make it a bit longer, please!” and I’d finished my cheering in a very unremarkable tone amid the participants’ goodwill.
That meant there was absolutely no nuance of Park Moon-dae’s past season actions being unfolded like a panorama and connected together.
Of course, there were no tears from the participants either. They were just having fun.
Still, I wasn’t surprised.
“It’s Ajusa, after all.”
“That’s… true.”
With this exchange, everyone in the room understood the situation.
But apparently, not everyone on the Internet did.
“Moon-dae, there are some articles popping up too?”
“…Really?”
[Ajusa’s New Season Launch. From Dark Horse to Champion… Will Park Moon-dae’s Reversal Drama Be Recreated?]
[Ordinary Person Ranked First, Park Moon-dae’s Wise Advice. 【Idol Stock Company 2】]
[【Idol Stock Company 2】 Unveiling the Secret Behind Park Moon-dae’s Surge, Once a ‘Penny Stock’?]
‘These bastards are really something.’
It was the taste of Ajusa’s aggro that I hadn’t experienced in a while.

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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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