Debut or Die - Chapter 170

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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 170
‘Is he in his right mind at this hour?’
Regardless of how common it was in the entertainment industry to work late into the night, it was already past midnight.
I’d thought Gold 1 was a reasonably sensible guy, but apparently I was wrong.
I answered the phone with reluctance.
“Hello?”
-Ah, Moon-dae.
Gold 1’s voice on the other end sounded a bit scattered.
-Um… ah, can you talk right now?
“Yes. Go ahead.”
-Okay. Um…
Gold 1 fell silent for a long moment before continuing slowly.
-I heard about it too.
“Pardon?”
-That our company… treated you guys poorly.
“…!”
He’s just saying this outright?
The company would be too busy dealing with the emergency fallout to notice, so it wasn’t strange that he’d grasped the situation somewhat, but calling out of the blue was odd.
‘What’s he trying to do?’
That question was answered in the very next moment.
-Um… I’m sorry.
“…”
So that was it.
Well, my response was predictable enough.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, so please don’t worry about it.”
If the company had sent him to say this, it was pointless; if it was just Gold 1 speaking personally, it would be comforting.
‘That should be enough.’
But Gold 1’s response was unexpected.
-…Actually, I think I kind of understood the situation all along. I just pretended not to notice and let it slide.
“…!”
-I heard about you guys from the company sometimes.
I heard Gold 1 sigh through the phone.
-I didn’t realize it would get this bad… but anyway, I guess I rationalized it. I thought since you guys were doing so well, it wouldn’t be a real problem.
“…I see.”
-But thinking about it again today, if I were in your position, I’d be genuinely frustrated.
His voice trembled slightly.
-So I called to apologize. I was originally going to call Chung-woo, but since you seemed to have suffered the most, I called you first.
Hmm, well.
‘The company must really be in chaos.’
Guilt doesn’t arise without reason. For one of their artists to reflect on past events like this, that whole place must truly be in turmoil.
‘Still, it’s admirable that he thought of apologizing before resisting.’
There’s no denying he might have reached out partly for his own peace of mind or hoping it would help his company… but what can you do? This guy is barely college-aged, after all.
Just having the courage to apologize was enough to see him as someone with potential.
I accepted his apology graciously.
“It’s fine. I was a bit surprised, but it’s all in the past now.”
When his company was the one taking the hit, there was no reason not to accept his apology.
Words cost nothing, after all.
-Yeah, thanks.
I could hear Gold 1 exhale with relief on the other end.
-Oh, and Seul-hwi also wanted me to tell you she’s sorry and grateful. She said you treated her well during filming.
“…?”
Who was that again… ah, right. That college student from South Korea.
‘I’ll just call her Gold 3 in my head.’
I gave a vague affirmation.
“I didn’t do much… anyway, I understand.”
-Yeah. …Wait, it’s 1 AM right now??
“Yes.”
Gold 1 let out a strange sigh.
The weight of the conversation evaporated in an instant.
-Damn, I’m really sorry. I was monitoring and….
“I was doing the same. It’s fine.”
They probably watched “Echoes of the Past” featuring the college student as a group too.
“Still, it’s getting late though.”
I threw in an appropriate closing remark, and Gold 1 hung up tactfully.
-Yeah, okay. Get some rest. I’ll be rooting for your activities.
“Yes. Thank you. I hope you get good results too, hyung.”
The conversation ended on a warm note.
But I had a feeling that from now on, we wouldn’t greet each other casually or pretend to be close like we did back when they first debuted.
‘Can’t be helped.’
That’s just how it is with competitors. I shrugged and switched my phone to silent mode to avoid any further interruptions.
‘Now then.’
I fell into a deep sleep, unaware that Sun Ah-hyun and Bae Sae-jin had entered the Dormitory.
As a result, I didn’t check the text message that came in the early morning until the next morning.

* * *
[Junior, you put your civil service exam experience to good use. Congratulations^^]
What is this guy on about now.
I nearly spit out my brunch.
‘When on earth did he send this.’
The timestamp showed 4 AM.
‘Must’ve been right before heading to his salon.’
What a nuisance.
I stared coldly at the name ‘VTIC Chung-ryeo Senior’ with a golden retriever—the same one from that insurance commercial—displayed as his profile picture.
‘Come to think of it, I did mention my civil service exam studies to this guy.’
Somehow I’d inadvertently given him proof of my trust.
I quickly typed ‘Yes, thank you’ and tried to exit the message app.
But before I could, another text arrived.
Ding—
[(Image file)]
Out of nowhere… a gift certificate.
“…??”
When I clicked it, it was a ‘Test-Taker Support Chocolate Set’ from a Franchise Cafe.
Did he seriously send this as a joke?
[Sending it to cheer on your activities. Isn’t it about time for a new song?]
That… was true. It was indeed time to release a repackaged album soon.
And the activity track came from candidate songs I’d received from the composer who’d worked on Golden Age’s tracks, all according to plan.
‘The arrangement turned out well.’
Kim Rae-bin’s arrangement passed with near-unanimous approval, though he still seemed unsure of himself.
The funny part was that his concern wasn’t about his own skills, but about the environment.
-We did choose a genre that’s been standing out on music charts, but if a new trend emerges around the time we release the song and the standards for public appeal shift entirely…!
-That won’t happen, Rae-bin. Relax.
We’d had conversations like this several times recently.
I held back a sigh.
‘He should worry about his own feet instead.’
Kim Rae-bin had recently received a perfect recovery clearance—’no longer requiring stability management.’ Thanks to that, dance practice was progressing smoothly.
‘If only he hadn’t insisted on that indoor climbing nonsense, he would’ve gotten the clearance a week earlier.’
I appreciated his enthusiasm for keeping up with the schedule, but he was certainly stubborn.
“Aiming too hard for mass appeal might actually draw harsh criticism from critics….”
“No, Rae-bin~ don’t worry. Let’s just eat.”
And here he is, still going on about it while eating.
Anyway, the album preparations were proceeding smoothly.
‘If I was going to muzzle that company anyway, why did I even draw up such grand plans as a composer.’
I’d even pulled in Young-rin and Chung-ryeo, sharing the composer role between us.
I put a spoonful of rice wrapped in seaweed into my mouth and pondered.
‘Hmm, Young-rin did well this time too.’
Young-rin, whom I’d deliberately shared Golden Age’s composer with, had released a new track the week before, and it was currently ranking high on the music charts.
A few days ago, I’d even received a separate message of thanks for introducing the composer.
‘Ah, so that’s why they were being so aggressive.’
If Golden Age’s company had heard from somewhere that it was me who introduced that composer to Young-rin, then their recent persistence made even more sense.
‘When emotions get involved in work, things tend to go better.’
It was somewhat absurd that they’d gotten upset over me simply sharing a composer while they were doing reverse-viral campaigns, but there it was.
‘Well, it’s all in the past now.’
It wasn’t ethically problematic enough to cause real issues, and those guys were already stretched thin dealing with T1, so they couldn’t afford to hold onto grudges for long.
‘So, after Young-rin comes us.’
The final batter was VTIC, Chung-ryeo’s group.
‘Cunning bastard.’
He’d quietly stepped back while talking about tour and comeback schedules, but it was essentially saying he’d place his bets only after seeing the rise and fall and having it proven.
‘Not even a title track, just a B-side, and he’s making such a fuss.’
True to form—a perfectionist with reset syndrome.
…Then again, looking at it differently, the fact that this lunatic was cooperating at all was a sign of his own kind of support.
‘As long as things stay this way, I can manage.’
I sighed and moved my thumb to my phone’s keyboard.
[Yes. I’ll do my best. Thank you for the chocolate. Senior, have a good day.]
[Got it.]
Good. Clean and simple.
Even he seemed more cooperative, probably because he genuinely liked the composer’s work.
‘And as long as Golden Age doesn’t do anything stupid, there’s no reason for any other issues to arise.’
Overall, this arrangement was solid. I nodded to myself and returned my focus to eating.
Or rather, I tried to, but my phone rang again.
Zzzzzing—
“….”
[Oh, my birthday’s next month. The 27th.]
What am I supposed to do with that information?
I turned off my phone with exasperation.
Let me just finish eating.
“Everyone put their dishes away properly, right?”
“Yes!”
The cleaning staff would come by, but for basic decency, we’d put our dishes in the sink.
And then came free time.
“Hahahaha!”
Usually everyone stayed in their rooms, but today Cha Yu-jin was playing some weird dance game, so the living room was packed with guys who’d come out to watch.
‘Should I go in?’
I’d come out because I was tired of being in my room all the time, but it was too loud.
However, since moving felt like a hassle, I found something else to focus on instead.
‘…It’s about time I took a look.’
During the chaos, at least I won’t be distracted by other thoughts—it’s almost a relief.
‘Status window.’
For the first time in ages, I opened my status to review it.
[Name: Park Moon-dae (Ryu Gun-woo)]
Level: 17
Title: None
Vocal: S-
Dance: B
Appearance: A-
Charisma: B+
Traits: Infinite Potential, Exchange Student (A), Bacchus 500 (B), Catching Ear (A)
!Abnormal Status: Death if not before an audience
Remaining Points: 2
My eyes immediately caught on the vocal stat, now in the S range.
‘That’s rather satisfying.’
It was a well-invested category. I’d put it to good use across variety shows and actual performances.
After that, I noticed the points I’d gained from leveling up, but something else was drawing my attention more.
‘Why is that?’
For some reason, my charisma had naturally increased from B to B+ without me understanding why.
‘I don’t recall doing anything that would specifically raise charisma.’
Since I hadn’t checked in a while, I had no idea when exactly it had gone up.
“Hmm.”
Regardless, an increase was a good thing. I crossed my arms calmly.
Now I just needed to allocate the points and close the window.
The new album was coming out soon, so now was the perfect timing.
‘The standard choice would be… charisma.’
Spending just one point to break into the A rank was the most efficient option available.
“Good.”
“What is?”
“…!”
Oops.
I’d been so focused on the status window that I’d spoken aloud without thinking. Cha Yu-jin, who’d just finished his game, was staring at me with wide, curious eyes.
‘Well, I didn’t say anything incriminating.’
There was no real problem. I was about to give a vague answer when a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
What if I asked what they thought about this?
“Actually, I was just wondering something.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think is the most essential ability for an idol?”
“Hmm? It’s like… personality?”
Individuality.
‘Can charisma be substituted for roughly anything?’
It was the kind of remark someone with such exceptional stats would make—someone whose charisma was so rare that even within the same industry, you’d struggle to find its equal.
But Kim Rae-bin immediately interjected from beside me.
“You need to give a more professional answer, hyung! I think it’s the ability to digest a song. I believe expressiveness is what matters most.”
Right. In the end, it was the same thing as what Cha Yu-jin said—just charisma repackaged as a stat.
“I’m a pro! You’re bland!”
“No! Your answer lacked sincerity!”
As I watched the two of them bicker, a gloomy voice cut in from the side.
“…Fundamentals.”
It was Bae Sae-jin. He seemed to be voicing what he personally felt was necessary.
Meanwhile, Big Sae-jin was chiming in on the argument between Cha Yu-jin and Kim Rae-bin.
“You just gotta be good at everything~ Why are you nitpicking like that?”
“Still, I’m trying to pick what’s more important….”
A complete mess.
‘Why did I even ask.’
I decided to let them reach their own conclusion. Shaking my head, I used the break to check something else instead.
An event popup, to be precise.
[The True Taste of Fame!]
10,000,000 people have remembered your existence!
: Legendary Trait Draw ☜ Click!
Ten million people.
At this scale, it was impossible to even imagine that many people gathering in reality.
What was even more terrifying was that this popup had appeared quite some time ago. By now, I was probably racing toward fifty million.
‘Phew.’
Both gratification and chills washed over me simultaneously.
Anyway, I decided to click on the trait draw.
Whirrrrrr—
The familiar slot machine graphics appeared, and the reels began spinning.
‘Since the Hero tier started with Grade B as baseline… does the Legendary tier guarantee Grade A as baseline?’
Well, considering ten million people knew of me, this much seemed reasonable.
But the slots contained gold mixed in.
‘What?’
So now it was only generating probabilities for higher grades, refusing to guarantee Grade A anymore.
‘Feels like a mass-produced pay-to-win game.’
I stared intently at the slot machine with its gold, platinum, and rainbow colors spinning together.
‘Anything’s fine, as long as something useful for my activities comes up.’
It felt like time to retire the “Exchange Student” concept and move on to something else. Ideally, something that would help with concept execution, or at the very least, strengthen my hair.
The slots gradually slowed their rotation, then came to a stop.
Fortunately, it was platinum.
Pop!
[Trait]
‘Now That I Think About It, That Makes Sense (A)’ acquired!
“…!”
But there it was… a trait name I’d seen countless times before.
Only the grade had changed.

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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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