Debut or Die - Chapter 196

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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 196
The first day of opening a hotteok stand in San Diego.
Before opening time, the PD briefed us with a goofy grin plastered across his face.
“Everyone, don’t forget! You’re going out to have fun tomorrow~”
….
Remaining debt: $1,000.
After being trapped in the vicious cycle of debt and sales from last season, I’d suffered a humiliating defeat in the final desperate lottery draw, ending the season in debt.
Which meant if I didn’t earn about fifteen hundred dollars today, the moment we went out to have fun tomorrow, the debt would be confirmed.
‘If I could pay it all off around this point, the story would be more entertaining again.’
Even if money kept accumulating, the tension would drop—that was the problem. Wasn’t it better to have ups and downs?
The only issue was that the PD had gotten so invested he wasn’t giving me any breathing room.
“We need to show the conscience of us Koreans, right? We can’t just double the price because we added one piece of dalgona~”
Tsk.
“Huh? Tsk? Who did that just now?”
There was no helping it.
Right now, all I could rely on was my ability to attract customers and… Cha Yu-jin’s existing connections.
Just then, Cha Yu-jin threw both arms up and shouted.
[All my high school friends are coming! Let’s make each one order three items!]
“No, that’s fine.”
If we went that far, it’d be pushy sales. Better to just focus on attracting customers naturally rather than risk controversy posts.
I’d been meaning to reshuffle the job assignments to create fresh entertainment, but today required experienced skill, so we’d decided to postpone it after discussion.
So today’s lineup was similar to last time.
Cha Yu-jin and Sun Ah-hyun, fluent in foreign languages, took orders, while Ryu Chung-woo and Big Sae-jin handled the finishing plating and serving.
However, there was one change in personnel.
“I’ll do my best.”
Bae Sae-jin had been assigned to the cooking station.
The addition of dalgona increased the workload… that was the surface reason, but the real reason was something else entirely.
Last season, Bae Sae-jin had fallen into self-doubt over a single mistake, so I’d pulled him out as a utility player under the guise of being a jack-of-all-trades, and the response had been surprisingly good.
‘Everyone was going crazy calling him cute.’
The Production Team had done such a good job editing to highlight his character that he’d become ‘doesn’t seem like much, but actually does 1.5 people’s worth of work.’
And this time, I was assigning him a position based on that image to give him the satisfaction of a promotion.
‘It’d be even more entertaining if he had more interaction with foreigners.’
But Bae Sae-jin himself looked like he might melt from embarrassment, so I dropped that idea.
“I’ll do my best too! Let’s make perfect hotteok and sell it today!”
“…Alright!”
“Yes. Should we do a fighting cheer?”
“Let’s go!”
I could already picture the subtitle ‘At this point, we were still full of energy’ appearing in the next cut, but I went through with it anyway for the sake of the footage.
Next was… the toppings I needed to prepare right before opening.
“Park Moon-dae, what are you doing right now~”
“This is pre-recorded dalgona preparation.”
Big Sae-jin began pointing a handheld camera at the frying pan. Probably for a separate recipe clip that would be released later.
Though calling this a recipe felt somewhat embarrassing, if I’m being honest.
“After melting the sugar sufficiently, I plan to add baking soda and create generous air pockets.”
“Oh~ What’s the benefit of that?”
“The texture becomes much softer.”
I had crafted three enormous dalgona candies using three massive frying pans. Then I passed them one by one to Bae Sae-jin, who had been waiting.
“Me! I want some!”
“…Here.”
Bae Sae-jin, who had been diligently breaking apart the dalgona, awkwardly extended a large piece to Cha Yu-jin.
It looked like feeding a wild beast, but in the actual broadcast, it would probably be framed as a heartwarming moment.
Then, as Kim Rae-bin carefully portioned out the broken dalgona pieces, he suddenly made a sound.
“Whoa whoa whoa!”
“What’s wrong?”
“I, I got hurt…?!”
Sun Ah-hyun, who had been organizing tables outside, rushed in.
“No! I’d like you all to focus on this for a moment!”
And Kim Rae-bin, excited, began placing the dalgona pieces he had separated onto a scale.
30g.
A perfectly precise portion with zero error. Was he really trying to brag about this?
“Yeah, that’s accurate.”
“And this one too!”
Kim Rae-bin quickly placed another piece on the scale.
Also 30g.
“Oh.”
“This one as well…!”
Kim Rae-bin continued placing different dalgona portions onto the scale.
30, 30, 30, 31, 30….
“…??”
“Whoa.”
Even the Production Team began stirring with excitement. The PD asked urgently.
“Rae-bin, did you really just eyeball all of these without using the scale??”
Kim Rae-bin clenched both fists tightly.
“Yes!!”
Good heavens.
“Uwaaaaah!!”
“Kim Rae-bin, what are those hands!”
The members crowded around Kim Rae-bin and began making a fuss.
It seemed Kim Rae-bin would have made an excellent graduate student in the lab rather than pursuing entertainment—a true gem of talent.
“Insane! Insane!”
Before I knew it, even the staff had joined in, creating an atmosphere like someone had just scored a goal in the World Cup.
[A broken hotteok machine]
[suddenly started operating normally]
Yes, I imagined this kind of edit would come right after.
The question would be whether what follows next is “Strangely, luck was on our side” or “Dream Team Deployed.”
‘It’ll be decided by today’s sales figures.’
I changed my apron according to the Art Team’s request.
It was almost time to open the shop.

* * *
Near La Jolla Beach on a beautiful day.
A woman returning from a nearby comic shop with manga in hand caught a pleasant aroma.
‘Cinnamon?’
As she turned her head toward the savory and sweet scent, a small shop beside the corner came into view.
‘That used to be a taco shop, I think.’
She’d never been there, so she couldn’t be certain, but her feet moved of their own accord toward the enticing smell.
Ding!
[Welcome~]
[Oh, hello.]
The shop already had quite a few customers despite the awkward hour.
The staff moved deftly between tables, serving, and greeted her as well.
One of them approached first.
[Would you like to try one?]
[Ah, yes, I’d love to.]
A tall man with a cheerful voice held out a sample plate. His smiling face looked refreshingly pleasant.
She found herself picking up a piece from the plate.
[It’s a sweet snack with a bit of cinnamon~ and has a great texture. With ice cream or….]
[Table 3, two dalgona!]
[Got it! Yes, customer, enjoy and call me if it’s delicious!]
The man flashed a bright smile and was about to say more when a call from the kitchen left only his grin behind as he rushed off.
The man who’d called from the kitchen was another young man with clean skin and neat features.
‘They’re all handsome….’
There was a vibe that transcended race. She stood dazed near the entrance, chewing a piece of hotteok.
Inside the crispy exterior, hot and sweet cinnamon syrup burst forth.
“…!”
‘This is delicious!’
She’d already been drawn in by the aroma, but now her mind was made up.
‘Looks like today’s snack is decided.’
She headed straight for the counter where the menu was displayed.
The man leaning against the counter quickly straightened up and acknowledged her.
[You’ll be ordering something, right?]
Huh? What?
Beneath the unfamiliar hair color lay a face I recognized all too well, and my mouth fell open.
[Oh! You! Eugene!]
[Huh?]
The person’s expression turned puzzled. When he lifted his head, his sharp features and canine teeth became even more prominent.
My memory was correct. It was Eugene!
[Hmm… have we met before? Middle school? Elementary school?]
Of course, I should have anticipated this reaction.
He’d been such a successful guy back then that my only real interaction with him—as the studious type I was—had been showing him my homework in exchange for some snacks.
[Ah… I’m Hana Hamilton. We were in the same class in middle school.]
[Ah~ Hana! Great to see you. How have you been?]
Wow, he’s actually acknowledging me—that’s encouraging!
I laughed softly and answered.
[Couldn’t be better. How about you?]
[Fantastic. Oh, are you ordering?]
[Uh? Um… well.]
As I hesitated, new people entered the shop.
[You bastard, you came back to San Diego?]
[Oh~ welcome!]
‘Ugh.’
They were middle school classmates I didn’t know well. I retreated uncomfortably.
Then I bumped into someone behind me.
[…! I’m so sorry!]
[It’s quite alright.]
Another staff member. A French accent colored his speech.
And remarkably, he was handsome too.
‘…What is this?’
What on earth was happening in this tiny shop?
When our eyes met, the elegantly featured staff member smiled and asked.
[…Will you be ordering?]
[…Yes! Um, do you happen to have vegetarian options?]
[Of course. We do have vegetarian… options. Would you like to look at this?]
I was recommended a vegetarian hotteok topped with cashew vanilla ice cream by the courteous and refined staff member.
And when the order arrived, Eugene returned.
[Hana~ huh? You’ve already ordered!]
And as we ate, brief conversation passed between us.
Some of it was shocking.
[Y-you’re a K-pop singer?]
[That’s right!]
It was something I never could have imagined.
Strange as it sounds, hearing a successful football player mention K-pop felt oddly out of place!
While it was true that some K-pop artists had gained fame, the genre overall still carried the feeling of a subculture.
Yet Eugene remained unfazed.
[Didn’t you know? We’re filming right now! Everyone here is part of my team.]
[…!!]
At those words, I glanced around and sure enough, camera lenses were visible here and there. There were also notices posted throughout the space.
-Currently filming for a South Korean Broadcasting Station. We appreciate your understanding.
I had been too focused on the food and staff to notice earlier.
‘I run into an old classmate who used to be a quarterback, and now he’s become a K-pop star selling snacks… seriously?’
Faced with a situation that felt utterly surreal, I simply continued eating.
And the hotteok I’d ordered was genuinely delicious.
‘He could probably keep selling here and do just fine.’
Near the end of the meal, I even received a complimentary drink.
[Here, it’s a ‘Dalgona Soy Latte’! According to this guy, it’s a service he’s offering to my friend?]
[Guy?]
I turned my attention toward Eugene’s gesture.
The man with the expressionless face I’d seen earlier in the kitchen nodded.
And smiled slightly.
‘…He’s kind of cute!’
I almost burst out laughing and nodded back, but I barely managed to redirect myself at the last moment.
[Really? Thanks. You’re very kind.]
[Right? He’s a great guy!]
Hana Hamilton chatted with Eugene while unconsciously sipping the new drink.
‘…!’
This one was quite delicious too.
I reflexively looked up at the kitchen again, and I could see that the man who’d given me the free drink was expertly managing the entire kitchen operation.
‘A singer who cooks this professionally?’
Perhaps cooking was actually his main profession, and he was simply fitting in as a band member on the side, which wasn’t his primary focus….
‘…Should I ask for his number?’
No, forget it. There’s no way he’d give it to me.
I stopped entertaining that thought and picked up my smartphone instead.
Click.
I photographed the shop’s menu and uploaded it to my comics enthusiast SNS account.
[Found this place by chance. Run by a K-pop boy band, but the taste is pure professional craftsmanship (chin-resting emoji)]
It didn’t mean much. It was just a record.
‘Still, the food really is delicious. …And the staff is cute too.’
In the end, I packed up three sets of hotteok to take with me.
The man in the kitchen happily witnessed the entire sequence of events.
‘Perfect. Sales are going smoothly.’
At this rate, the record for the highest sales was within reach, and Park Moon-dae in the kitchen felt genuinely satisfied.
That night, Hana Hamilton checked her social media post and found an overwhelming response attached to it.
Testa’s fans came flooding in, tears streaming down their faces, asking for the location of the shop.
-Please please tell me please where is it??
-Oh my god I was at La Jolla Beach yesterday ;(
-This lucky person (GIF of Cha Yu-jin gazing at Park Moon-dae’s hotteok)
‘My goodness.’
Through several of Testa’s music videos and appearances on American talk shows, she came to realize that her former classmate had achieved far greater success than she could have imagined.
Days later, while scrolling through YouTube, she found herself wishing she could turn back time, thinking, ‘I should have asked for an autograph.’

* * *
“Phew.”
I sat down on my assigned bed. The first day of business had ended successfully.
-Today’s sales… $1,627!
-Wooooow!!
Pushing sales by throwing in low-cost beverages for customers who came through connections worked better than expected.
Cha Yu-jin’s friends certainly had deep pockets.
‘Completely sold out.’
After a loud dinner with Cha Yu-jin’s family, I finally got some rest time.
Though I ended up sharing a room with Cha Yu-jin again. Damn it.
‘Today won’t be quiet either, it seems.’
Right now, Cha Yu-jin was already chattering away.
“Hyung! Remember how cool our unit stage was!”
Still, this was the first time I’d heard him say that since the unit stage was confirmed for the encore concert.
Well, it was about time we discussed it anyway.
“What is it.”
Cha Yu-jin tapped my bed.
[I’ve really thought about it many times, and circus is definitely the best choice!]
Is that so?
I replied while looking at my smartphone.
“Yeah.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s do circus.”
“Yay!”
Cha Yu-jin threw both hands up in the air.
And a moment later.
[Wouldn’t diving be even more shocking though??]
I knew this was coming.
‘I need to nail down the preparation process.’
Without a doubt, the unit stage with Cha Yu-jin would be either a massive hit or a complete flop.

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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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