Debut or Die - Chapter 171

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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 171
Do you know that urban legend about finding a doll you threw away in the garbage, only to encounter it again in front of your house?
My current feelings are remarkably similar to that.
‘Why is this showing up here?’
This trait I just drew: “That Makes Sense When You Hear It.”
It appeared as a C-rank trait early in my Ajusa participation and I used it to persuade Sun Ah-hyun, but I deleted it when I debuted.
It’s funny that it’s popped back up, but something else is even funnier.
‘Why is the rank A?’
I’ve experienced traits I already owned appearing again and merging into a higher rank, but in those cases, the name seemed to change.
‘What kind of system has no consistency?’
I don’t understand why this one kept its name the same. Surely it wasn’t adjusted up to A-rank because of its utility—that’s the kind of nonsense you’d see in a poorly designed game.
Anyway… let me check the details carefully.
[Trait]
“That Makes Sense When You Hear It (A)” acquired!
-Induces emotional turbulence in the listener.
: Activation probability 60%, basic active state
“…Hmm.”
The description remained the same, but the probability definitely increased. I think it was 35% when it was C-rank, but here it’s 60%.
‘So it is a higher rank with the name unchanged… but why exactly?’
At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Is this a warning?’
Now that I think about it, I’d formed a hypothesis that whenever a new trait appears, the moment to use it always comes.
And that hypothesis… has been roughly correct so far.
So the reason they didn’t even change the name was to make me think once more, to warn me to definitely take this trait with me…
‘That’s excessive.’
I shouldn’t focus too much on the intentions behind this status window. I’ve been blindsided more than once or twice.
But that doesn’t mean I should ignore it just because it feels off. I needed to judge objectively.
“…”
I tapped my arm with my finger, then eventually shrugged.
‘Well… I was planning to change it anyway.’
“Emotional turbulence” was a useful ability in many ways.
‘This is the right choice.’
I manipulated the trait section.
[Trait: Exchange Student (A) has been deleted!]
“That Makes Sense When You Hear It (A)” made its triumphant return to my status window. Congratulations on wearing the hat again.
Now all that’s left is stat allocation…
“Yeah, I also think fundamentals are most important, just like Sae-jin. But it’s less about technical aspects and more about mindset. It’s important not to lose your original intention, you know?”
“Hmm~ That could be it!”
“I, I also… think heart is important…!”
“That’s right! Heart! Personality!”
No, that’s not what I meant.
Besides, the conclusion had nothing to do with stat allocation.
‘Sigh.’
But since these guys were looking pleased with themselves for reaching a unified conclusion, well… let it be.
“So the conclusion is about mindset… wait, why were we even talking about this?”
“Park Moon-dae hyung asked us!”
At Cha Yu-jin’s words, Ryu Chung-woo turned his head toward me. I avoided his gaze.
“…I just asked out of boredom.”
“Ah, I see.”
Ryu Chung-woo laughed awkwardly.
“I thought you meant we should all get our heads straight. We’ve got new activities coming up soon.”
“Ah~ We can use it for that purpose! Comeback fighting!”
“F-fighting!”
Suddenly the atmosphere shifted to cheering for a comeback hit. Unbelievable.
‘Still, everyone doesn’t seem as tense as before.’
The team’s established position on the right track. Good songs and choreography.
And since repackages originally had short gaps and similar album compositions, expectations for performance were lower, so the pressure seemed to have eased.
There’s no worry about getting caught up in Ajusa’s new season either. Since the company will likely take a low-key stance for a while due to the industrial espionage incident, it won’t be difficult to refuse appearances or articles.
I heard that in the recently aired Episode 6, they’re committing the insane act of selling stocks at a discount—literally “selling minus votes cheap.”
Since it wasn’t my business, watching from across the river couldn’t be more fitting.
‘Hmm, maybe I’ll take it easy this time too.’
It would be a lie to say I don’t want to dance with a more relaxed body.
I looked at the still-open status window and chuckled.
‘A guy who dies if he doesn’t earn 200,000 points, what is he doing.’
Let’s be efficient.
Since this song doesn’t have powerful performance elements, it’s better to emphasize other factors and make the stage more appealing.
‘It all converges to one thing anyway.’
I raised my stats exactly as I’d originally planned.
Charisma from B+ to A-.
‘Well, it’s nothing compared to Cha Yu-jin anyway.’
I was curious what difference would emerge between B and this level.

* * *
Two weeks after Park Moon-dae completed his status window settlement. Thursday, October 17th, afternoon.
“A comeback!!”
Home Ma couldn’t contain her overwhelming emotions as she watched the music video and audio streaming playing simultaneously on her tablet and smartphone.
A common caption appeared across all the screens.
[TeSTAR – Picnic]
It was TeSTAR’s new repackage track that had made its comeback on the 14th of that month.
‘It’s so good!’
She couldn’t help but gape with joy, even as she worried about the singer working like an ox without any rest period.
‘I was worried we might lose the momentum from the previous release!’
There was no need for such concern. The promotional track was excellent.
The refreshing and smooth R&B song was perfect for listening to on a chilly autumn morning.
‘Please become a commute pick…. Please!’
Though it was only the fourth day since release and fans were busy pulling up rankings on the daily charts, Home Ma was indulging in premature celebration.
‘This has to perform well on the streaming charts!’
A strange sense of pride welled up in her—they had crafted a song with such meticulous listening appeal that everyone simply had to hear it.
Moreover, TeSTAR had carefully preserved those charming moments that fans would love, details that could easily be overlooked in the pursuit of mass appeal.
They had refined the details in the music video.
-Regardless of the weather forecast
Today is the day I want to see you
Walking lightly, step by step
Today is a blue sky, yeah
Go on a picnic, Go on a picnic
The music video’s premise was simple—college student TeSTAR members going out to play at the Han River—but the use of props and composition inside was masterfully executed.
From Ajusa to the previous release, they had subtly recreated and woven in TeSTAR’s defining moments and props.
For instance, the high school uniform hanging in Park Moon-dae’s room that resembled the Ajusa uniform, the soap bubbles Sun Ah-hyun blew at the Han River, and the composition of Ryu Chung-woo walking between trees.
These elements that only those in the know could spot delighted the fans.
That’s why a journalist interested in TeSTAR offered this commentary.
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[The nostalgia brought by a group marking its first anniversary]
Here exists a time in which a massive narrative is compressed. TeSTAR’s relentless journey carries a dense texture woven from rich, shared experiences with the public.
….
The feeling of unraveling all those moments one by one and letting them scatter beautifully is particularly special.
Those who know will understand, but those who don’t can still enjoy it.
….
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Of course, this article didn’t receive major public attention, but it garnered plenty of comments and support from TeSTAR fans, led by Home Ma.
And while fans weren’t intoxicated by interpretation alone, the initial public response was quite decent.
For one thing, K-pop related online communities weren’t flooded with comments like “the song is mediocre” or “the previous release was better.”
This was the limit of what they could achieve.
-Compared to the previous concept, it’s a bit bland. Just my taste though
-I chose a very easy route. I guess I won’t do it again because it’s a concept.
└Rabin arranged it herself and the members loved it so much they wanted to use it as the title track! I’m really looking forward to what amazing song they’ll bring next comeback ♡
-Pretty solid~
-The song’s good but it’s a bit disappointing. I thought something more intense would come out
Of course, that didn’t mean the fans were unhappy.
‘When they released the previous concept, everyone was like “that’s too much”, “it’s cringey”!!’
Watching them lavish praise on past promotional tracks that had already passed and couldn’t be changed, only to use that as a weapon to trash the new song—it never failed to irritate me.
Home Ma clutched the back of her neck at the memory, but she quickly calmed herself down.
‘It’s fine, it’s our masterpiece.’
Since the song was good, everything was fine.
Besides, it wasn’t just the title track that was getting praise. The repackage album contents were excellent too.
As a pre-order bonus, they sent out picnic blankets and boxes with designs the members had drawn themselves.
‘I know it’s a marketing tactic… but it was brilliant marketing.’
Home Ma gazed contentedly at one corner of her room wall where the blanket with the lumpy apple pattern that Park Moon-dae had drawn hung.
By the way, next to it were several “May’s Groom” dolls from 【The Singer I Made】 lined up by size.
Just looking at them made her heart feel full.
“This is great… Everything’s going smoothly.”
Home Ma quickly settled her emotions, and at the same time, she rolled around on her bed with happiness tinged with excitement.
Honestly, when she first started her Home Ma activities as a member of a group that debuted through survival, she had secretly worried it might be quite the thorny path.
But looking at the score so far… the days had been far smoother and more joyful than she’d anxiously anticipated.
Problems had come up, but the way they handled things was perfectly calibrated, and everything settled down quickly.
And most importantly, the results were excellent!
‘Ah, and the release of 【The Past Calls】 this time was so good too.’
Like a brilliant crown prince from a historical drama, Home Ma excitedly recalled that moment when the timeline had lagged from all the activity.
‘Park Moon-dae is… a genius puppy….’
It was just pure, primal fan devotion.
And only a moment later did she snap back to reality.
‘Work, work!’
She needed to quickly edit the photos from the last event so she could watch tonight’s comeback stage broadcast with a refreshed mind!
But what Home Ma saw when she casually clicked on the Internet tab on her laptop was… an announcement posted on Testa’s YouTube channel community.
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[【Testa’s Living Together TEST: Side Story】 Roommate Switch Round 2!]
So, who ended up sharing the same room? Tomorrow (Friday) at 7 PM, it’ll be exclusively revealed to membership reviewers! >_<
(Photo)
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The attached photo showed several male hands playing a card game.
Matching it with the text… anyone could tell it was a game to decide roommates!
"Kyaaaah!"
Home Ma let out a delighted shriek.
'This is going to be fun!'
It wasn't that I disliked Ah-hyun, but at this point, I was curious to see how Park Moon-dae would react if he'd been roommates with a different member.
But after that, I calmed down a bit.
'Hmm… anyone but Ryu Chung-woo… I hope it's Lee Sae-jin!'
Though we'd managed to smooth things over with some banter and perfect timing without it becoming an issue, everyone had vaguely sensed that something had happened between Moon-dae and Ryu Chung-woo during the last summer package.
Of course, it wasn't anything serious.
'They only fought back then and got along fine again.'
I'd only suspected they'd had a brief argument, but there was no need to deliberately hope for the adventure of them becoming roommates.
And since the first impression of the team composition from Ajusa's first team match was still vivid in my mind, I secretly rooted for Lee Sae-jin.
'Anyway, I just hope it's entertaining!'
In the end, only Home Ma's all-encompassing wish came true.

* * *
"WOOOW! Moon-dae hyung!"
"…Wow."
Is this real?
I was momentarily at a loss for words seeing Cha Yu-jin extending his hand for a high-five.
So this was….
"We're roommates!"
He even gave me confirmation. Got it.

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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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