Debut or Die - Chapter 173

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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 173
A topic I’d never even considered suddenly came up.
‘A unit stage with Cha Yu-jin?’
The concert schedule was definitely set, but unlike the other setlists which were practically finalized, opinions on the unit were still divided.
‘Some people are saying it’s unnecessary since we already have solo songs.’
Instead, they’re suggesting we do a group ballad or a couple of songs in that slot, but honestly, I was leaning more toward the unit idea.
It seemed like it would be more fun that way.
I looked at Cha Yu-jin waiting for my answer and let out a small laugh.
Then I replied.
“No.”
“Huh?? Why??”
Cha Yu-jin looked betrayed.
This guy’s funny.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Why do you want to do a unit stage with me?”
“You’re really good! It would be amazing together!”
“I don’t know. You dance well and I sing well, so wouldn’t we actually be mismatched?”
“We can practice!”
He’s casually bringing up effort like it’s nothing. You’ve become a true Korean now.
Cha Yu-jin had a rare look of grievance on his face. I put my smartphone down and crossed my arms.
“You chose me as your roommate specifically because you were thinking about a unit stage from the beginning.”
“Yes!”
He nodded eagerly without any attempt to hide it.
‘Did he choose me remembering how roommates did a unit stage last time?’
I stared at Cha Yu-jin without answering, and he looked slightly deflated.
“Your stages are fun… I want to do that too.”
Hmm. He’s still stubborn with his words though.
“My stages are fun?”
“Yes… Can I speak in English?”
He’s already used it plenty and now he’s asking. I nodded, and Cha Yu-jin explained the situation in English.
[I’ve been thinking about this since we appeared on the survival reality show, but the stage ideas you come up with are really amazing. So for this concert, I want to pour 100% into that and try it!]
Cha Yu-jin’s eyes sparkled as he alternated pointing between himself and me.
[The best dance, the best vocals! I’m telling you, with just a little more practice, it’ll be an incredible stage!]
Oh, that was higher praise than I expected.
‘Now that I think about it, even back at Ajusa he kept saying let’s do it together next time.’
Back then I thought he was talking nonsense since there was no next time, but it seems he was thinking with some long-term vision.
This guy.
‘Maybe I should explain it better.’
Look at that confidence, saying he dances the best even when the team has three dancers in the dance line.
If I just refused, he’d definitely keep pestering me about doing the unit since he wouldn’t be satisfied. I rubbed the back of my neck and opened my mouth.
“First of all, we don’t even know if we’re doing a unit yet. Got it?”
“But I like units! Just say we’ll do it!”
“No. We need to think carefully about which option is better and consider everyone else’s opinions before deciding. We’re a team, after all.”
“….”
Cha Yu-jin’s face was pouty, but he seemed to understand nonetheless.
I continued my explanation.
“And our positions are too different. We have distinct strengths to showcase, so if we do a unit that’s neither one thing nor the other and fail to meet expectations, things could get awkward.”
“Don’t worry. We’re really good! Let’s challenge ourselves!”
You might not be worried, but I am, you brat.
If the top two members team up and do a unit together, all the attention will naturally flow there. And among the other members’ individual fans, some are already going to feel bitter about it.
If we underperform on that stage, we’d just be putting on a show for nothing—all loss, no gain.
In short, there’s no real reason to do a unit with Cha Yu-jin.
“Challenging yourself is good. But we’re working right now. This isn’t school, so we can’t just challenge ourselves unconditionally. We need to be thoughtful.”
“….”
Cha Yu-jin completely deflated. This was the first time I’d seen him so discouraged since Ajusa.
‘Looks like he had big ambitions.’
I eventually shrugged and opened my mouth.
“So, if the concert stage is decided as a unit and a good idea comes up… how about we talk about it again then.”
“…!”
It wasn’t a rejection—it was a deferment.
‘Keeping him completely suppressed isn’t good either.’
Bringing Cha Yu-jin back down to reality a bit was fine, but there was no need to just stamp him out completely.
Who knows, maybe something genuinely good could come up.
Sure enough, Cha Yu-jin perked right back up.
“Great! I have lots of inspiration! I’ll share lots!”
He probably meant he’d give me inspiration.
“I’m only taking three per day.”
“Umm… Got it!”
Cha Yu-jin made a finger-snapping gesture, and the conversation seemed to be ending, but….
[That’s right! How about an underwater performance??]
“….”
Think about our concert budget.
‘Maybe I should’ve just left him discouraged.’
I briefly regretted my choice.
But I never would have guessed that the spark would ignite over something far more trivial than this concert unit.

* * *
A few days later, Testa’s roommate reassignment content was uploaded to YouTube.
Only those who subscribed to the channel’s membership could watch it a week early, but naturally, illegal pirated versions spread everywhere.
While Testa’s fame contributed to this, there was another reason why views accumulated on each illegal upload.
-This is insanely funny lolololol
It was genuinely hilarious.
Like most idol self-produced content aimed at fans, Testa’s recent YouTube videos had been appropriately heartwarming and less provocative.
But starting with this roommate content, the production PD changed, and the provocative flavor from Testa’s debut reality show came alive.
When T1 restructured Testa’s self-produced content, they brought in the same production team that had filmed the debut reality show.
They actively built up character dynamics, drove narratives forward, and made excellent use of editing twists.
[Bae Sae-jin (Investment Addict): (I invested everything and only have 2 coins left…! Now it’s just coins!)]
[Sun Ah-hyun (Landlord): Ah, um… it says I need to collect 3 coins from Sae-jin hyung….]
[Bae Sae-jin (Just Bankrupt): !!!!]
Moreover, the game had so many unexpected situations.
As a result, every video’s comments were flooded with laughter onomatopoeia in foreign languages and Korean.
-Everyone this video is real I almost threw up from laughing just now
-Are you crazy because you keep making each other bankrupt? Hey guys, protect the land. Why do you keep selling it and speculating? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-(19:41) Cha Yu-jin breaking the 1/216 odds and getting the highest prize moment everyone’s reaction lololol
-Ryu Chung-woo Bae Sae-jin are hilarious lolololol
└Seems like since childhood they’ve been making real money so they’ve never played a fake money game.. (sympathetic emoji)
└lololol are you seriously talking about a national representative and a child actor like it’s illegal child labor!!
Fans encouraged reporting the illegal videos in their posts, but secretly they found the content so entertaining that they just enjoyed it.
-This would be great for general audience appeal… or is this just a fan’s fantasy? (chin-resting emoji)
– Anyway, Jackon is for promotional purposes, so don’t be blinded by the small amount of money you get with membership. Let’s buy it right away.
-Ah so fun… guys I love you
-If you don’t stan this hilarious group right now you’re wasting your life best value for money recover your laughter with Testa on YouTube right now
-Lee Sae-jin’s cute hand gesture capturing the soul of the bankrupt Bae Sae-jin.. (GIF)
And the PD also made the roommate formation after this game quite entertaining.
[Cha Yu-jin: Wow!! Moon-dae hyung! We’re roommates!]
[Park Moon-dae: …Wow? (Don’t understand English but grateful anyway)]
The emotions each member subtly expressed through the roommate assignment were maximized in a positive direction.
And among them, the combination of Cha Yu-jin and Park Moon-dae, whom we’d barely seen together since debut, was quite entertaining and received good reactions.
-Cha Yu-jin probably just picked Park Moon-dae because he was right there lololololol
-Moon-dae obviously knew Yu-jin would pick him look at his expression lololol
-Moon-dae Cha Yu-jin combo how long has it been ah show us more~~ (sparkling)
-Damn Park Moon-dae despite being an introvert he accepts everything Cha Yu-jin says damn so sweet love it
-This is the super extrovert Cali boy’s direct sunlight drying out the introverted Incheon fox (screenshot)
Fans who liked Testa across the board and Park Moon-dae’s fans mostly enjoyed this dynamic. The characters were intense and heartwarming, making it fun.
However, there were those who weren’t entirely satisfied.
Among Cha Yu-jin’s individual fanbase, a few long-time hardcore fans who had been established since the very early days of the ‘Ajusa’ broadcast.
-Ugh, I’m just sitting here and everyone loves their favorite, so I want to push them, but when I see certain fans of theirs, I just… ugh
-I can’t get rid of the habit of being emotional and inciting people. There’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll just die.
-Gomer people are making a big deal out of it, but the Gomer fans are trying their best to make it warm. The summer package soup is next, is it Jin? Haha.
Their argument was that Park Moon-dae had deliberately portrayed himself as neglecting Cha Yu-jin, then artificially edited it to look heartwarming.
Of course, this wasn’t the general consensus of Cha Yu-jin’s fanbase.
Much of their aggression had mellowed after his successful debut, and as new fans mixed in, their exclusivity had diminished considerably.
Still, there remained fans who harbored quiet doubts about the legitimacy of Park Moon-dae’s first-place ranking.
And this sentiment translated into viewing Park Moon-dae’s individual activities unfavorably.
Because of this, hateful comments occasionally surfaced not just on anonymous sites or secret accounts, but in public spaces as well.
It was a day like any other.
-What the hell are these bastards doing?
The difference from before was that Park Moon-dae’s fans no longer felt the need to hold back.
-(Capture) The 2nd place bad guys are still like this. What should we do about the fact that they lost out on the vote because they didn’t perform well?ㅠㅠ
-Yeah, you’re just seething, you psycho~
Even Yoon-jin would probably feel like throwing up seeing a weirdo like you writing your own profile.
“He’s such a big mouth that he can’t control what he says, so he can’t do solo variety shows. What am I supposed to do about this? Shouldn’t the #1 person take responsibility for this?”
During Ajusa, Cha Yu-jin’s fanbase had held a first-mover advantage from the very beginning, so Park Moon-dae’s fans had no choice but to grit their teeth and settle for behind-the-scenes maneuvering. But the situation was different now.
Park Moon-dae’s post-debut activities had been remarkably strong.
His visuals and stage presence kept improving in leaps and bounds, drawing in new fans visibly, and he consistently hit home runs with every variety show appearance.
Even this album cycle, his photocard prices had become nearly comparable to Cha Yu-jin’s.
So it was perhaps inevitable that Park Moon-dae’s more aggressive individual fans began to think this way.
‘Aren’t they at a point where we can just openly go after them now?’
And once they started fighting back, insults and criticism came pouring out like a broken dam.
Of course, Cha Yu-jin’s malicious individual fans didn’t just sit idle either.
Some deleted their posts and disappeared, but the rest went underground and began responding even more aggressively.
“So I can’t even say whatever I want on my own account? If you don’t like it, just don’t look at it yourself. Where do you get off acting like you’re in charge? lol”
-Acting like an all-fan while secretly boycotting solo song streams is wild, seriously fans and haters are exactly the same, both so petty
-Ugh, thinking you’re some popular member now and acting up, huh? Congrats on becoming the pick of broke old people who don’t spend money~ (clapping emoji)
It was absolute chaos.
-These guys were the ones who used to trash him whenever he wasn’t center on Cha Yu-jin’s chorus, even planned coordinated mass reports, we need to root them all out this time
-Park Moon-dae’s haters, there’s that open message room, right? Why are you pretending not to know? Did you enjoy making rumors? (Screenshot)
Exposures led to more exposures, and rumors along with fabricated testimonies were quietly beginning to surface.
-Let’s just enjoy fandom happily, guys
-Blocking all related content, I’m just gonna enjoy the idols~
-Please, everyone just unstan
Among fans who hadn’t gotten involved, many who sensed the situation either felt disgusted or ignored it, but there were an unsettling number voicing opinions.
-Honestly, Cha’s haters were way too much, those psychos were something else
-But Moon-dae’s fans were trashing Eugene the same way, they’re all idiots anyway, what did the idol do wrong
Honestly, Cha Yu-jin should’ve placed first from the beginning—that’s where everything went wrong. Since we gave him a chance to feel wronged, what can you do, haha.
If things escalated any further, it seemed only a matter of time before it reached trending posts on SNS and online communities.
‘Damn it.’
And that was precisely when Park Moon-dae witnessed the whole mess unfold.
“…Eugene.”
“Yes!”
“Let’s do a live broadcast.”
After a brief call with the Company, Park Moon-dae turned on a personal live stream with Cha Yu-jin.
It hadn’t even been half a day since he’d assessed the situation.

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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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