Debut or Die - Chapter 167

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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 167
The broadcast featuring Park Moon-dae and Sun Ah-hyun, “Echoes of the Past,” proceeded with filming involving roughly five or six cast members.
And to ensure smooth progression, there was naturally a fixed cast member who served as the MC.
‘Ah, this is perfect casting.’
That was the thought of the veteran MC from the entertainment industry upon confirming the lineup of today’s guests.
‘A successful idol alongside a university-educated idol? I won’t miss this material—I’ll subtly draw comparisons.’
Having hosted over twenty episodes, he could already envision how the editing would unfold.
Of course, if he made crude comparisons, he’d face tremendous backlash from the fans of the successful idol group, Testa.
Since this was ultimately an educational program, the approach wouldn’t be too blatant anyway.
One way or another, he’d highlight the Testa members’ moments of brilliance bit by bit, or at worst, edit them in an endearing light.
‘Hmm, but a university student versus someone with only middle school education—that’ll be tough.’
The MC chuckled inwardly, thinking the production team would have their hands full trying to edit things warmly and beautifully.
Then the signal came.
“Ah, here they come!”
He shouted toward the camera and quickly took his position in the corner of the Filming Studio.
“When do we take these off?”
“Where is this place?”
Six cast members with their faces completely covered by hoods waddled along as they were guided.
The MC gave a thumbs up to the camera, composed himself, and exclaimed.
“What in the world are those garments?”
“Ahhh!”
“You startled us!”
“Remove those preposterous things at once!”
“Uh, um…”
The cast members fumbled through their confusion and lowered their hoods.
And they were astonished.
“Wait, where are we??”
“This looks like a Traditional Korean House…?”
“It definitely seems like the Joseon era.”
The cast members huddled close to those they were acquainted with or wanted to appear acquainted with, whispering amongst themselves.
And the MC focused on today’s key figure—Park Moon-dae, who listened to Sun Ah-hyun’s whispers without much agitation.
‘He’s quite composed.’
Black hair, handsome features, a composed expression. Somehow he didn’t give the impression of lacking education, the MC thought without prejudice.
‘Idols these days really do have great looks.’
He nodded inwardly upon seeing the blonde Sun Ah-hyun, then quickly delivered his lines before the confused cast members could attach themselves to him for comedic material.
“There is a grand event to attend today, so dress appropriately and arrive on time! Now I shall take my leave.”
The MC, who had mixed modern speech with archaic language, clasped his hands behind his back and quietly slipped out through the paper-screened door.
“Wait, where are you going??”
“Sir! Sir!”
“Wow, this show is completely unprepared.”
The door shut firmly behind the flustered cast members.
“Ah~ Today’s a jackpot too!”
MC delivered his line with practiced ease, then chuckled as he moved toward the monitoring room.
This was where MC’s true role lay—watching the guests stumble through awkward moments or shine, reacting and providing commentary.
‘Let’s see~ they’ll probably fumble around for a good twenty minutes, spouting nonsense.’
MC predicted the usual pattern and plopped down in front of the monitor.
Then he saw an exception.
[I thought about what the manager who resembles you said. This time’s objective seems to be three stages: finding out what kind of event it is, preparing appropriate clothing, and attending without being late.]
[Right, right.]
[As expected from a survival show veteran, Park Moon-dae is quite composed.]
[Well then, we need to leave this room first… it’s like an escape room. There’s a locking mechanism next to this door.]
[Huh? You’re right!]
Park Moon-dae had already made remarkable progress in an instant.
“Wow~ that’s fast, really fast!”
MC clapped his hands and exclaimed in amazement, though he was bewildered.
‘What is he?’
He didn’t give people time to ramble or explore the room. It was swift and decisive.
What came next was even more shocking.
[Alright, let me read this. Listen up, everyone.]
The veteran comedian pulled out a sheet of hanji paper from a small box beside the door and recited their first puzzle.
[Hmm, ‘We’re assigning these six newly passed candidates to Jiphyeonjeon, and they are A, B, C, D, E, and F. The conditions are as follows.’ …What is this!]
Below that stretched several contradictory conditional statements beginning with ‘If A and B are both assigned to Jiphyeonjeon, then C is also assigned to Jiphyeonjeon.’
It was a fairly complex example used in actual logic.
This was a barrage of historical education entertainment.
“Ahahaha! Ah~ look at their faces!”
And just as MC was starting to enjoy the cast members’ horrified reactions—
[B and F are working at Jiphyeonjeon.]
[…??]
[Really, that’s right?]
[Yes. And listing them in order again… A, B, C, D, E, F.]
Park Moon-dae pressed the first and sixth locks simultaneously on the wooden six-stage locking mechanism.
The lock disengaged.
[Ohhh??]
[What, what!]
“Huh??”
It took less than three seconds to reach the answer. MC stared at the monitor with his mouth agape.
He almost asked the production team sitting in front of him, ‘Was that guy actually a university student?’
“Is that really something you can solve that instantly just by hearing it?”
Production staff shook their heads from various spots, making X gestures. MC let out a hollow laugh. And internally, he shouted.
‘But he said he only finished middle school!’
Even the monitor showed some guy from a Korean university just clapping—that speed wasn’t happening.
And this situation repeated itself several times.
[Why don’t we look around to see if there’s anything else in this room before we leave?]
[That’s a great idea~]
[Th-this is it…!]
After searching the room once and discovering a hidden box with a puzzle, Sun Ah-hyun handed the role of reading the problem to the University Student.
[Then I’ll read it! “To catch winged beasts, one shoots arrows; to catch land beasts, one throws spears. For sea beasts and earth beasts….]
It was a logic puzzle that required some sense mixed with absurdity, and as soon as the problem finished being read, Park Moon-dae opened his mouth.
[Hmm, winged beasts three times, land beasts once, sea beasts twice, winged beasts once… it’s the same pattern. And if we think of the beasts as the Four Celestial Guardians… couldn’t each be substituted with the cardinal directions of east, west, south, and north?]
[Four Celestial Guardians? Like the Azure Dragon?]
[Ah! I get it! Winged beasts are the Vermillion Bird! Like this?]
[Yes. Something like that.]
The locking mechanism that could be pulled up, down, and to both sides was swiftly unlocked by the excited cast members who’d grasped the pattern.
[Wooow!!]
[Man, your brain just spins like crazy! You’re insane, kid!]
[Thank you.]
“Huh? Shouldn’t that not work like that??”
Park Moon-dae on the monitor bowed his head slightly under the cast’s praise and applause, while the Production Team murmured at the MC’s words.
“That’s supposed to only unlock after going around once….”
It meant he’d solved it using only his own sense and logic, without the feng shui hints or location clues.
At the PD’s words, the MC deliberately feigned frustration.
“Ugh~ if you’re going to cast someone that smart, you should’ve cranked up the difficulty way higher to show him the bitter taste of humility!”
The camera captured the PD sinking. The comedic intent landed well enough, but the MC was inwardly impressed.
‘Wow~ so this really does come down to natural talent!’
Half right, half wrong.
Actually, Park Moon-dae on the monitor felt slightly deflated.
‘Yeah, this is straight from LEET and PSAT past papers.’
When he’d watched all previous episodes for preparation, he’d thought something felt familiar—they’d just added a few words and steps, but it was identical.
‘Once you’ve solved something, it sticks in your head no matter what.’
That’s why his speed was so much faster.
And even setting that aside, it was simply advantageous for Park Moon-dae.
‘If you know logic notation, you can wrap it up in a single line.’
For Park Moon-dae, who’d taken logic for senior year PSAT prep just last semester and gotten decent grades, this was almost embarrassing.
‘Comparing me to some guy who took a leave of absence without even finishing his first year feels off.’
Park Moon-dae looked at the Korean university student with slightly sympathetic eyes, but soon realized his own nose had grown three feet.
‘Anyway, things are going smoothly.’
Around Park Moon-dae, who was reasonably satisfied, the cast was busy checking the contents of the box.
[What’s inside??]
The contents wrapped in silk were… a book that looked freshly made.
And both its cover and interior were filled with classical Chinese characters.
[Oh, um…?]
[I’m not sure. This is all in Chinese characters, isn’t it?]
[That’s right.]
[Just in case… should we take it with us?]
[Yeah, yeah. Then Sun Ah-hyun, you hold onto it… so should we head outside now?]
[Yes!]
That’s when Park Moon-dae spoke up to Sun Ah-hyun.
[Hey, can I take a quick look at that?]
[Sure!]
Park Moon-dae quickly skimmed through the book he’d been handed, then let out a quiet chuckle.
[…?]
[Ah, thanks.]
[Come on, guys. Let’s open the door together!]
[Yes!]
Sun Ah-hyun tucked the book back into his arms, and the cast members pressed against the door, counting down before yanking it open.
[3, 2, 1, open!]
[…!?]
[…!!]
And they froze.
Beyond the door lay a bustling Corridor filled with palace servants coming and going.
[This must be a Royal Palace.]
[Everyone’s dressed like what we’ve seen in historical dramas…!]
It was time to move into the next phase.
“Ah~ this is getting fun~”
Just as the MC watching the monitors said, the full-fledged comedy sketch began.
[A group in the most bizarre attire…!]
[Aahhh!]
The members who’d stepped out of the room were scolded by the palace servants and began scrambling around, hiding in the sealed, massive Royal Palace.
[This is driving me crazy.]
[Shh! Let’s move quietly.]
[Ah, um, um, there’s a door open here…!]
[Good job, Sun Ah-hyun!]
Having found an unlocked door, they discovered clothing in a wardrobe inside the room.
[Oh~ is this official court attire?]
[It looks impressive, doesn’t it?]
It wasn’t.
[Is that not the light blue round-collared robe worn at Sungkyunkwan? I heard you had just graduated from Sungkyunkwan and arrived.]
[This show really stakes its life on the backstory.]
[Pardon?]
[Ah, no, of course not~]
The cast realized through a skit with the palace staff that what they were wearing was a type of school uniform worn by Sungkyunkwan students.
And through a certain official who claimed to be their Sungkyunkwan instructor, they learned that the event they would be attending was the King’s event.
[We must enter the Royal Court at once!]
[The Royal Court?]
[The King, we were supposed to meet our King!]
[Wow, that’s it!]
[But before that… isn’t there something we need to do first? Ahem.]
[Yes…?]
Having gathered small food offerings as a form of the ritual tribute paid to instructors instead of tuition at Sungkyunkwan, they managed to obtain proper official robes and moved on to the next stage.
“Park Moon-dae is even good at cooking, huh.”
The MC, watching the monitor while sipping a product-placed beverage, spoke in a tone of complete resignation. Sighs echoed from the Production Team scattered throughout the room.
The cast’s progress was nothing short of lightning-fast. Looking at just the puzzle-solving alone, there was even slight concern about running short on content.
Of course, it was entirely Park Moon-dae’s doing, but what was even more remarkable wasn’t that.
Because as the problems were solved quickly, they were filling that time by executing the situational comedy thoroughly.
[What was the most popular game enjoyed at Sungkyunkwan?]
[What was the most popular game?]
[Uh, Moon-dae…?]
Sun Ah-hyun’s flustered yet earnest response to Park Moon-dae’s evasion was quite endearing.
‘That guy’s really looking out for his juniors with the comedy bits.’
The MC, who had mistaken Sun Ah-hyun for a junior member, felt a mixture of warmth and slight fatigue watching Park Moon-dae subtly yield or encourage the skit to Sun Ah-hyun and Golden Age’s main vocalist.
‘He didn’t place first in the audition for nothing~’
He was clearly someone with supernatural instincts.
[Hmm… what do you think?]
[Ah, um. Just a moment. Let me calculate!]
In some quizzes, he even stepped back to give the University Student a chance, but it didn’t have nearly the impact of Park Moon-dae’s swift accuracy.
‘Man, how’s that going to look in the edit~’
The MC, who had been subtly clicking his tongue, realized something shortly after.
‘Wait, the situation completely flipped…?’
The Production Team had originally anticipated the University Student’s strong quiz performance and planned to give Testa heartwarming and cute content, but it turned out completely opposite.
Moreover, the University Student was from a group the MC had only vaguely heard the name of, so there was no need for the Production Team to specially look after them anymore.
And Sun Ah-hyun, another member of Testa, had such an attractive face and elegant reactions that he seemed far more like an actual Sungkyunkwan student.
‘Man, this is scary. Really scary.’
The MC clicked his tongue.
Park Moon-dae had clearly looked after his junior the University Student, but the footage made it look like the University Student couldn’t capitalize on it.
Meanwhile, the cast’s story on the monitor progressed at lightning speed, reaching the final gate.
But the gate was already open.
[You must quickly deliver something that… uh, uh, you’ve already brought it…?!]
[Yes…?]
The item that the person who introduced himself as a Jiphyeonjeon official was about to request they find was the very book they had discovered immediately in the first room.
[Jackpot!]
[Park Moon-dae! Thank you so much!!]
[We all solved it together…, ugh, thank you.]
Park Moon-dae endured another round of applause from the cast members.
[Isn’t this the fastest time we’ve ever done this?]
[We’ll finish filming when the sun rises!! Woohoo!]
The cast members moved forward excitedly, and finally arrived at the Royal Court.
And the hidden quiz revealed itself.
[What business brings you to the Royal Court?]
[We had to figure that out too…?]
[Ugh…! Guys, tactical retreat!]
It was the moment the cast members were planning a strategic withdrawal, their eyes widening in panic.
[Um, I’ve given this some thought.]
Park Moon-dae whispered to the cast members.
“It’s you again!”
While the MC exclaimed with delight, everyone in the monitoring room waited eagerly to hear what Park Moon-dae had to say.
[I think the king might be… King Sejong.]
[…!]
[Why, why??]
[This book.]
Park Moon-dae picked up the book he’d been tasked with delivering and flipped through its contents. Countless Chinese characters spread across the pages.
[Doesn’t this look just like Hangul?]
And Park Moon-dae’s finger stopped at one place, pointing to the top.
The first letter of that chapter that I passed by without thinking… It had a shape exactly similar to ‘ㄱ’.
[Huh?]
[Wait!]
The cast members examined the book carefully, page by page.
Though the shapes were unfamiliar compared to modern times, upon closer inspection, what appeared to be vowels and consonants of Hangul could be seen scattered throughout the top of the pages.
[Whoa, wait. So is this Hunminjeongeum?? That’s why King Sejong?]]
Park Moon-dae gave an ambiguous nod.
[Well, but I’ve heard that the King created Hunminjeongeum himself. It would be strange for Jiphyeonjeon scholars to present it to the King. So what’s left is….]
[What’s left?]
[I think it might be the 【Hunminjeongeum Haeryebbon】.]
It was a book that explained the principles of creation and usage of Hunminjeongeum.
One might carelessly think it would be written in Hangul, but in fact it was written in Chinese characters.
After all, they were introducing ‘Hangul’ to those who used Chinese characters.
Park Moon-dae smiled faintly.
[I learned that the Jiphyeonjeon scholars created it. So we should go in and tell King Sejong that this book is the 【Hunminjeongeum Haeryebbon】, then present it to him.]
It was the correct answer.
“Wow!”
The MC marveled. The Production Team in front was making similar sounds.
And the cast members on the monitor were equally excited.
[Wow, Park Moon-dae, you know even that?]
[Whoa!! That seems right!!]
[The circumstances fit perfectly! I had a feeling when Jiphyeonjeon appeared!]
But Park Moon-dae’s explanation wasn’t finished.
[And it seems there are two people who could fulfill that role.]
[Huh?]
[Remember earlier when among the five positions, ‘A’ and ‘E’ were assigned to Jiphyeonjeon?]
[Oh, I remember!]
Park Moon-dae nodded.
[I think those might be us.]
[…!]
[The number of people matches, and we both just passed the exam—it’s all the same.]
Unexpectedly, the backstory aligned perfectly.
[So if the two people working at Jiphyeonjeon present this annotated manuscript, it should work, and by age order….]
Park Moon-dae raised his hand respectfully.
[That would be the older brother and… this younger brother.]
[…!!]
Park Moon-dae smiled faintly, pointing to the oldest cast member and the youngest cast member—the University Student.
The monitoring room erupted in admiration.
“That’s incredible, really.”
[You’re a genius.]
[You’re too kind. I feel like I might be speculating too much.]
[No, you’re right. This is it. My gut is telling me so.]
As the cast member said, he was right.
‘That’s the kind of puzzle you’d only figure out after getting hints once it’s broken—otherwise you’d just move on.’
“Do you know all of Korean history too? Geez.”
The MC was exasperated with Park Moon-dae for even dodging Choi U’s grueling question-and-answer session, but he quickly dressed in his costume anyway.
It was time.
“Alright, let’s head down~”
He led the staff, dressed like a ceremonial procession, to the Royal Court.
Meanwhile, the cast members had steeled themselves and were passing through the entrance to the Royal Court.
“The ‘A’ and ‘E’ of Jiphyeonjeon have come to present the annotated manuscript of the Hunminjeongeum to Your Majesty.”
“…Welcome.”
“Yes!”
The cast members cheered and hurried inside with quick steps.
And they saw it.
The MC sitting on the throne.
“You have come.”
“Eeeeek!!”
I appeared triumphantly with the Hunminjeongeum Haerye, leaving the cast members dazed.
“Hyung! No, King Sejong!”
The flustered Eldest Brother of the cast called me King Sejong, but the joke ended with subtitles reading “※Sejong is a temple name (廟號) determined after death” and “extreme premature naming,” and the filming wrapped up.
“Splendid!”
Park Moon-dae’s explanation was confirmed as the correct answer.
“Wow~ that was amazing!”
I finished filming and greeted everyone while patting Park Moon-dae’s shoulder.
“Thank you.”
Park Moon-dae smiled and bowed his head.
I glanced back at the University Student and Park Moon-dae.
‘There’s no comparison.’
Park Moon-dae’s explosive amount of dialogue and tremendous performance were essentially guaranteed to air as-is.
And Park Moon-dae was already considering the side effects that would come with it.

* * *
“Wow, the filming was fun!”
“Right?”
I nodded. It was a very productive time.
Sun Ah-hyun laughed with a grin.
“W-wow, Moon-dae really knows Korean history well.”
I shook my head.
“No, I prepared in advance.”
“Huh? What?”
Literally what I said. I prepared in advance.
“I watched some of the previous episodes of that show beforehand.”
I formally watched about five episodes. I did the rest differently.
First, I created a table of all 25 episodes of “The Past Calls” with titles and summaries.
Then, excluding those, I selected impressive historical events from similar question patterns that occurred in eras not overlapping with the latest three episodes.
‘The creation of Hangul and the June Democratic Struggle were the most likely candidates.’
After that, I just had to memorize all the achievements and events that occurred around that time, down to the minutest details.
‘If the scope narrows down that much, this is definitely doable.’
I had plenty of experience memorizing knowledge in minute detail while preparing for the civil service exam.
Besides, I still retained a lot of my existing Korean history knowledge.
“Y-you worked hard… Y-you were really cool!”
“Thanks. You did well too. You found things well. Your skit was great.”
“Oh, no… that was you!”
“What did I do.”
I continued exchanging casual conversation with Sun Ah-hyun as we traveled in the car.
And just before arriving at the next Filming Studio to rejoin the group, I slipped away to the Bathroom.
“I’ll just stop by for a moment.”
“Yeah, okay~”
“Alright, got it!”
But instead of heading to the Bathroom, I made my way to the sealed-off space behind the Parking Lot.
Then I called the Company.
‘It’s time.’
Today’s filming was scheduled for late-night broadcast this coming weekend. I planned to handle this before then.
That rat bastard.
“Yes, hello.”
Did you think I was calling the Operations Team? Wrong.
“This is the Management Office, right?”
The Management Office—the department that oversaw the Operations Team as a subordinate division.
“Could I schedule a meeting with the Director?”
After all, the most effective approach was to go straight to the highest-ranking person involved in these matters.

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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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