Debut or Die - Chapter 166

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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 166
“Hand me your phone.”
I took Big Sae-jin’s smartphone and skimmed through one of the articles.
It was the most attention-grabbing piece, with a headline claiming Park Moon-dae had been the main draw.
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【Idol Stock Company 2】 Park Moon-dae, who participated last season as an ordinary person with no specs or experience and won the competition, encouraged other participants to have the same experience, saying “there are times when you can transcend your limits.”
·….
A program official stated, “The charm of watching 【Ajusa】 lies in the unpredictability of not knowing who will win when everything is left to the viewers’ choice,” and added, “We are grateful to Testa for appearing on the show.”
·….
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“Hmm.”
I got the gist of it.
‘This article definitely came from Ajusa.’
They’d written it as if they were conveying my story, but the real focus wasn’t on me at all.
‘They want to emphasize the dramatic appeal of Ajusa.’
They wanted to highlight the unpredictability of a program where someone with no background could suddenly win—like a biotech stock, so to speak.
But it didn’t seem like a good idea.
‘They went a bit overboard.’
I’d received a Gold rating in my initial ranking and Platinum in the overall evaluation.
And I was a participant who consistently ran the orthodox path in high-profile groups and won after my personal issues resolved near the end—a textbook audition-style contestant.
I wasn’t the kind of participant who showcased Ajusa’s differentiated style.
‘They added unnecessary hype.’
They could have just reminded people of the fun of auditions, but the production team seemed to have developed some strange pride in this chaotic audition program.
‘These guys seem to be losing their touch too.’
I wondered if ruining even-numbered seasons was becoming a jinx.
‘Testa really should back out.’
Since they’re my agency’s talent, making enemies with T1 would be costly, so I needed to establish justification beforehand to easily decline any offers for reruns or collaborations.
First, let me check the fallout from this article.
“Good read.”
“Okay~ It wasn’t a bad vibe, right?”
“Yeah. It’s fine.”
First, the fans’ reactions.
I returned Big Sae-jin’s smartphone and started searching on my own.
“·….”
And I was taken aback.
Those bastard producers made us only hear legends and rumors about our kid’s struggles with insomnia, and then they show 3 seconds of it in the new season lolol
-The way he speaks so gently but you can really feel Moon-dae’s passion and affection for this work.. I got emotional and suddenly became that woman from Subway Line 4
-Moon-dae definitely hid it to not worry his fans, and that breaks my heart so much we’re so lucky we bought his stock we’re so lucky he debuted
-I love Park Moon-dae’s commentsㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠThe only way to escape from virtue is to die.
Wow, this is a bit… embarrassing.
Even people who had grown quiet after Ajusa ended and the survival show concluded were now pouring out new posts.
It seemed something had struck a chord with them.
I’d expected half the people to be annoyed because they disliked Ajusa and half to be pleased just from seeing the faces, but people were gathering in far greater numbers than anticipated.
‘It’s a good thing, I suppose…?’
Though it felt slightly off, it wasn’t bad. I decided to accept the situation.
‘So next would be… public reaction.’
That front was practically nonexistent. Entertainment news comments were locked anyway, and since the article’s focus was on promoting Ajusa, everything tilted heavily in that direction.
Most reactions to me personally rather than the program were along the lines of ‘he made a good point.’ I could dig up negative responses if I tried, but I questioned whether it was worth the effort.
This was the extent of it.
-Huh? Seems like just generic stuff, why’s he ranked so high on the Internet
-They’re really hyping him up lol
-Well, he’s a middle school graduate civilian, so without Ajusa he probably would’ve had a hard time debuting.
-That struggling-to-make-it vibe is exactly the type audition judges love
For people who considered this level of comments insignificant, there were no actual insults, so they didn’t even register as malicious comments. They were just thoughtless remarks, nothing worth paying attention to.
‘That’s fine.’
I was somewhat irritated at being used and wasting my image for nothing, but since the fans enjoyed it, I could brush it off reasonably. I should just look for a quick exit strategy.
I shrugged my shoulders.
But as I was about to turn off my phone screen, I casually checked the latest comments on the SNS post I’d been reading.
It was a shared post of an article titled ‘Park Moon-dae’s Wise Advice from Ajusa Season 4.’
-Park Moon-dae would probably be completely clueless if you actually talked to him properly… ugh… just spouting random nonsense and acting cool while the company does PR for him~
‘Huh?’
This nuance was very peculiar.
It wasn’t just a malicious comment I disliked—I could see keywords deliberately trying to shift the narrative.
‘Completely clueless?’
That wasn’t an expression that naturally attached itself to Park Moon-dae normally.
Moreover, this wasn’t even the most damaging angle against me.
‘Linking Ajusa’s fairness with T1’s PR would be more effective.’
So something felt off—like there was a different agenda at work here.
‘Wait.’
I checked the account in question.
Event participation and shared humor posts. The timeline was sparsely filled with mundane statements like ‘When should we grab lunch~’ and ‘Want to leave work.’
‘Hmm.’
I attempted several searches linking keywords like ‘Park Moon-dae,’ ‘clueless,’ and ‘middle school graduate,’ and confirmed the existence of similar accounts.
Accounts with unremarkable profiles and usernames, sharing posts with no discernible personality or specific theme.
‘Skillfully done.’
Next, I searched for an entirely different keyword on SNS.
[Golden Age Korea Team]
Then results poured out in abundance.
The most shared post was ‘Idols with that rich kid young master vibe oozing out.’
‘Not that one.’
I searched for a minor post with fewer shares and checked the accounts of those who had shared it.
[Korean University Celebrities Collection]
…There they were—those bland, characterless account profiles interspersed throughout.
‘Found it.’
I let out a quiet laugh. Now I could be certain.
‘Looks like Golden Age is starting their campaign.’
Just as Choi Won-gil had mentioned.
-They’re pushing him with this young master image, and they said they’d use Park Moon-dae as material too…
Sure enough, as expected, that company wasn’t directly comparing me to Golden Age’s university-attending members.
‘Instead, they bundled us all together.’
Idols like me—with weak educational backgrounds and connections but good recognition—got subtly reverse-viraled.
Meanwhile, that Golden Age member was simultaneously being grouped into a list of celebrities with excellent educations and wealthy family backgrounds, cementing their image. This kind of image definitely has market demand, after all.
It was an effective tactic to expand the narrative, suppress backlash, and strategically elevate their status and image.
‘They’re good at this.’
Well, it’s not particularly unsettling or annoying. Isn’t this what most entertainment agencies do anyway?
But it’s… exhausting.
‘I’m already swamped dealing with other things.’
From the current situation to the new Ajusa season, there were plenty of problems to handle.
And if these people escalated their actions further, it would become even more of a headache to manage.
So I needed to end things with this agency right now.
‘Let me think…’
The moment I tried to recall the list in my head, someone suddenly spoke to me.
“…Why are you staring at that so intently?”
It was Bae Sae-jin.
“Oh, just monitoring.”
“Is that so? Then… is something wrong?”
“No, well…”
Bae Sae-jin seemed conflicted for a moment, then spoke quietly.
“…If you have something on your mind, tell me. I’ve been in this industry for a long time after all…”
Having gained confidence from being cooperative in front of the camera, he was now even trying to play the role of a senior—something that didn’t suit him at all.
‘I appreciate the effort, but…’
Right now, I didn’t particularly need Bae Sae-jin’s help.
Still, it would be better to explain. It’s a scheduling matter, after all.
I chose the safest approach I could think of.
“I’m thinking of appearing on a broadcast, and I want to schedule it for the fastest air date possible.”
“A broadcast? What broadcast all of a sudden?”
I let out a quiet laugh.
“There are people on the Internet calling me ignorant. I thought I’d go on something that requires using my head.”
“What, what? These crazy people are really something!”
Bae Sae-jin seemed to empathize, huffing indignantly as he got up and paced back and forth several times.
Then, after a moment, something seemed to occur to him, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“…That’s right! I know that Writer!”
“Pardon?”
“The Writer from the Educational Broadcasting Department!”
Bae Sae-jin’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
“The screenwriter for the drama I just filmed worked with me on a variety show before, wait!”
Then he retrieved his smartphone and frantically attempted texts and calls.
For reference, it was currently 8:30 PM.
“….”
What in the world was happening?
“Yes, yes… Writer. Oh, no. That role isn’t… well, it’s not. Um, sorry, but could you perhaps….”
Bae Sae-jin concealed his discomfort and somehow managed to finish the call, then clenched his fist and turned back to me.
“Done…! They said they’d tell me about the fastest possible broadcast-ready shoot!”
“….”
I spoke calmly.
“Thank you.”
“Well, for something like this…!”
“But what kind of program is it?”
“…?!”
Bae Sae-jin realized he’d made a request for a specific program without even asking my opinion first, and his face went pale before flushing red again.
“Ah, it’s educational, but more like a variety show… that.”
“I see.”
“…It’s 【The Past Calls】.”
Ah.
“That’s great.”
“…Right?!”
Yes, it was absolutely perfect.
【The Past Calls】—I’d watched it occasionally myself.
It was a program where cast members moved to recreated locations from a specific point in the past and solved incidents.
And in between, they solved logic and Korean history quizzes while precariously maintaining an educational character.
Crucially, unless it was a special episode, the past locations the cast visited were all within Korean history.
‘If I can’t make use of this, I’m an idiot.’
Among people who’d devoted their lives to entertainment—a civil service exam candidate who’d studied the PSAT and Korean history? It was practically a free meal.
“I’ll coordinate the schedule with the company and do my best. Thanks, hyung.”
“Y-yeah!”
I made late-night toast for Bae Sae-jin as both praise and thanks.
“Hyung! Can I have some too!”
“Get permission from Sae-jin hyung.”
Everything was proceeding smoothly.

* * *
And so arrived the filming day for “The Past Calls.”
I encountered an unexpected person.
“Hello, senior!”
The guy bowing his head respectfully was Golden Age’s South Korea division main vocalist.
In other words, the one who’d worn that ribbon on the whole roasted chicken.
‘Oh.’
I nodded with a smile.
“Yes. It’s good to see you again. I look forward to working with you.”
“No, I’m the one who should say that! I really look forward to it!”
He greeted me with a deep bow, then straightened up and patted his chest as he spoke.
“I came here quite nervous because my schedule was suddenly confirmed, but I’m so glad and honored that you’re here, senior!”
See?
“Your schedule came up suddenly too, I see. I also just found out about my appearance recently.”
“Is that so! For me, it was really almost on the day itself… Oh, I’m sorry. I’m rambling about useless things….”
“No, conversation is good. Let’s do our best with this filming.”
“Yes, thank you!”
Golden Age’s main vocalist soon left to greet the other cast members.
And as if passing by, Sun Ah-hyun returned from the convenience store.
“I, I’m back…!”
“Okay~ Ah-hyun, let’s touch up your hair in a bit!”
He was a member who came along after the Educational Broadcasting Department requested one more cast member, and we arranged for him to participate.
I smiled as I organized the snacks Sun Ah-hyun had brought and asked.
“M, Moon-dae. Are you looking forward to the filming? You, you look like you’re in a good mood….”
“Oh, it’s fun.”
It really was fun.
The moment I grabbed a variety show that required quick thinking, that guy immediately grabbed one too?
There was only one conclusion.
‘There’s a rat in the company.’
I was already delighted thinking about how to use this.
Of course, first I need to finish this filming well. I unwrapped a chocolate Sun Ah-hyun had given me.
‘Let’s see if it works against the South Korea division.’
Shortly after, filming proceeded without any delays.

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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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