Debut or Die - Chapter 202

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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 202
The first day of the encore concert concluded without incident, proceeding exactly as planned and ending in grand success.
The response to the unit stage was excellent as well.
-Please give me the music ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-The only advantage Ajusa has now is being able to see these two on the same team. They should just disband already
-Park Moon-dae’s vocal cords and Cha Yu-jin’s dance—shouldn’t this combination be inducted into the K-pop Hall of Fame? (I’m just a fangirl, moving along)
-Cha Go-young was always talking about Moon-dae hyung’s unit on the app, and now I get why. Our kid’s a genius
Occasionally, some trolls tried to compare our unit stage with others, but it didn’t seem to gain much traction.
It’s awkward to say it myself, but… it’s probably because our unit consists of the 1st and 2nd place finishers.
Since the combination was what it was, even fans of other units seemed reluctant to start unnecessary drama.
‘Anywhere you go, it’s risky to mess with the side that has more numbers.’
Besides, all the unit stages had solid quality overall, so the narrative became something like “Testa does well with any combination.”
As a result, the fan community remained harmonious, with everyone simply appreciating each stage on its own merits.
-Today was so good
-I seriously teared up from the moment the opening VCR started
-We’re going all the way to Testa’s dinner show, promise (concert group photo)
The sentiment among Park Moon-dae and Cha Yu-jin’s individual fanbases was also at its peak since the launch—it was practically a festival.
What this meant was that I was the only one among the staff who felt anxious.
“Hyung!! Tomorrow I’m going to swing the chandelier!”
“Sure. Sleep well.”
I gave the okay sign to an ad-lib suggestion I’d heard about five times already and left the bedroom.
“Where are you going??”
“Taking a half bath.”
I passed through the living room and closed the bathroom door behind me.
This was the only place I could stay alone for an hour or two without raising suspicion.
Click.
“Sigh.”
I settled into the bathtub.
…Truth is, I saw the popup appear the moment the concert ended.
I’d simply postponed checking it until bedtime to avoid disrupting the simple evening schedule of behind-the-scenes interviews and such.
‘Of course, checking the popup now doesn’t mean I need to do anything immediately.’
There’s still time remaining, so there’s plenty of room to wait and see.
Still, the thought that this might be the last one made it difficult to postpone any further.
Let me check.
‘Status window, notifications.’
The moment I murmured this, the popup I’d only glimpsed before reappeared.
[Successful Encounter!]
You have successfully met with ‘200,000’ audience members!
!Time Limit: Fulfilled (Success)
!Status Abnormality: ‘Death if not an audience member’ removed!
: ‘Choice’ confirmed ☜ Click!
First… success is guaranteed.
“Hah…”
For some reason, all the tension drained away. I pressed my temples, feeling an odd sense of deflation.
What remained was that damned truth verification… wait.
“…!!”
: ‘Choice’ confirmed ☜ Click!
The keyword isn’t truth.
‘Choice’?
The moment I saw that word, something immediately came to mind—naturally.
‘…A choice between my original body and Park Moon-dae’s body.’
Wasn’t that the most plausible and fitting reward for clearing the final status ailment?
“…”
But it felt far too convenient.
My mind went cold.
‘Isn’t it too late to present it now?’
This bizarre system had faithfully maintained its game-like style ever since I entered Park Moon-dae’s body.
Yet it was strange that it hadn’t dangled this carrot until the very end, only to spring it as a surprise reward.
In a typical game, they’d absolutely throw this bait out before hitting you with a status ailment at the starting point.
‘No, even if it weren’t a game… thinking about structure and efficiency, that would be right.’
Isn’t it the perfect psychological torture to have a guaranteed reward at the ending rather than just whipping you while saying you’re going to die?
‘Then what’s the other hypothesis?’
I racked my brain trying to think what else could be plausible if it wasn’t choosing a body, but no hypothesis felt like “that’s it.”
“…Sigh.”
It really looked like I’d need a half-bath. My head was throbbing.
I briefly thought about drinking but dismissed it, simply leaving the bathroom.
‘Tomorrow. I’ll consider anything tomorrow.’
First, I had to finish the final concert well. It was best to clear my mind of anything that would affect my condition.
‘Let me just sleep.’
Just as I was about to head back to the bedroom, someone waved from the kitchen.
“Hm? Moon-dae, not sleeping?”
It was Big Sae-jin.
“Half-bath.”
“Ah~ nice.”
He grinned and poured another glass of cold barley tea from the bottle he was holding, offering it to me.
“A glass? Mom gave us some yesterday.”
Because of the color, I oddly thought of beer.
I took the glass without complaint. Big Sae-jin continued speaking with that same smiling face.
“Oh, right. Your unit stage was incredible? You and Eugene really did great~ truly Park Moon-dae!”
But his words had an edge to them.
‘There’s definitely a subtle nuance to this.’
I was reflecting on my own experience with the Cha Yu-jin unit as I spoke.
I recalled that time clearly.
-Just nail the Stage itself. Make it so good that neither you nor Cha Yu-jin would even think to compare who performed better.
I remembered giving that kind of advice back then, yet I’d gone ahead and performed a head-to-head style Stage with Cha Yu-jin—so it would’ve been natural to feel self-conscious about it.
But this was merely a matter of presentation.
“…At least I picked the right points to emphasize.”
I took a sip of cold barley tea and muttered flatly.
“It wouldn’t have worked if it wasn’t a musical. Regardless of how the vocals were delivered.”
“….”
Ultimately, it meant that just like his unit Stage, I’d simply structured the format well.
‘Of course, there’s the trait bonus too, but I can’t explain that part.’
Instead, let me give this guy a chance to finish his thought.
“Your unit Stage was good too. The shadow performance fit perfectly—it was impressive.”
“…!”
A slightly embarrassed bitter smile flashed across Big Sae-jin’s face.
He probably understood intellectually, but I got the feeling behind his casual remark, so I’d leave it at that.
He seized the opportunity with a joke.
“…Haha. We worked hard. It’s great that it came out well in the actual performance~”
“It sure did.”
Bae Sae-jin was training with his soul getting knocked out of him—if the Stage had flopped, he probably would’ve tried to kill you.
‘Fortunately, it seems things went smoothly because Kim Rae-bin, who’s oblivious but hardworking, was in the middle holding it together.’
Big Sae-jin grinned.
“Next time we should do a unit with Park Moon-dae too! We haven’t done a single unit together since our debut~”
We don’t have overlapping positions at all—why would we?
He’s probably just saying this as a parting compliment too. So….
“Park Moon-dae, Park Moon-dae—I just thought there was no need to do it since your positions are different anyway!”
“…!”
“Haha, looks like I got it right~”
“…No.”
How did this bastard know that?
Big Sae-jin suppressed his laughter, then quickly composed himself and spoke.
“Still, if the opportunity comes, we’d do great, right?”
“Probably.”
“Good~ that’s the attitude!”
Big Sae-jin put the barley tea in the Refrigerator. Then, after hesitating slightly, he continued.
“…I owe you a lot. I’m counting on you going forward.”
“…You’re too kind.”
“You always say that whenever someone compliments you!”
Big Sae-jin laughed and tapped my shoulder. This guy’s hilarious.
It seemed this guy had also grown sentimental, having been away from South Korea concerts for so long.
‘…Either way, it’s a bit better.’
He hadn’t intended anything, but talking about the Stage kept my mind from wandering uselessly, which was comfortable enough.
“Then I’m heading in.”
“Yeah. Let’s do well tomorrow too~”
I went straight to sleep.
There were no variables, not yet.
And the next day.
Waaaaaaah!!
“Thank you!”
The encore concert had completely ended.
“Ugh! The clothes are sticking!”
“First, you guys, grab your stuff….”
“W-wait, we’re supposed to take a group photo…?”
The minor tasks remaining after the event wrapped up quickly.
The after-party was simple too—just the members ordering delivery food at the Dormitory. We’d done something big when we first arrived in South Korea after the tour ended.
“No alcohol!”
“…I wasn’t even touching it.”
I was assigned a non-alcoholic beer. Taking alcohol from a drunk guy felt oddly surreal.
And noticing the atmosphere, I came out to the Balcony pretending to get some air.
“…Phew. Status window notification.”
Pop. The popup I’d seen yesterday returned.
Alright, now it was time.
After today, there were almost no official group activities until the comeback.
It was only about a month gap, but that meant this window was appropriate for me to figure things out. I had the breathing room.
And something occurred to me.
‘If I click on this “Options” section, I’m pretty sure another popup will appear introducing each option.’
Considering the UI so far, it’s a fairly convincing hypothesis.
‘Then it’s better to find out quickly and think it over.’
I swallowed, raised my hand, and tapped “Options.” My finger cut through empty air without any sensation.
And just as I expected… a new popup appeared above it.
[Options]
: Confirm ‘Truth’ ☜ Click!
: Obtain ‘Coin’ ☜ Click!
※Cannot select both
“…!”
There was no option to choose a body after all. And one of these two was… a familiar one.
‘Truth’.
This had to be that ridiculous past notification I’d been seeing all along.
So the meaning of this choice ultimately lay in the new option below.
‘Coin’.
What on earth does this mean?
My mind spins involuntarily at a word that’s anything but intuitive.
The first thing that comes to mind is… currency.
‘Maybe some kind of shop opens up.’
This is a setting I’ve seen plenty of times in web novels. A personal status window shop, just for me.
It sounds plausible, but it’s far too abstract. Beyond that, I can only conjure images of virtual currency or something equally vague.
“…Damn it.”
It keeps being deliberately vague. I glare at the choice window.
But… in truth, it’s already decided.
I move my finger without hesitation toward the choice that requires no deliberation.
[‘Coin’ Acquired!]
It was the rational choice.
‘The truth… carries too much risk.’
I don’t know what it would reveal.
Just looking at the popup’s wording alone—’truth’ is confirmation, while ‘coin’ is acquisition. Whatever a coin is, I’d be obtaining something. Even if it’s a dud, that’s maintaining the status quo, isn’t it?
‘This is right.’
I wipe away cold sweat and stare at the popup.
I had the reasonable expectation that an explanation of what to do with this coin would follow.
But the popup that appeared was… contrary to my expectations, already in a familiar form.
[Sudden Event!]
Status Abnormality: ‘Stardom or Death’ Triggered!
“What?”
Another damned status abnormality notification has appeared.
‘These bastards really…!’
My mind reels. What the hell is this last one! How much longer must I endure this madness?
…But on the other hand, a strange feeling rises within me.
Relief.
‘This too… could be considered maintaining the status quo, couldn’t it?’
At least for another year, I can just live as I have been.
Tomorrow itself, I’d think this was insane, but still… there’s a peculiar comfort in this reprieve.
The ability to keep living like this.
“No.”
I clench my teeth and glare at the popup to resist that feeling.
‘What’s the actual purpose?’
That’s when it happened.
Suddenly… the popup begins to crackle and distort.
“…!!”
Status Abnormality: ‘Stardom or Death’ Triggered!
And the text strikethrough and vanishes.
“What the…”
It wasn’t over.
Ding!
Abnormal Status: ‘Death if Not First Place’ triggered!
A new popup appeared. The content was an abnormal status I’d seen once before.
“What…”
And this wasn’t the end either.
‘Death if Not First Place’ triggered!
‘Death if Not the Target’ triggered!
‘Death if Not a Performance’ triggered!
‘Death if Not the Best’ triggered!
‘Death if Not Debut’ triggered!
‘What the hell.’
The abnormal statuses in the popup were endlessly struck through and deleted.
And as if someone had hacked the system, they flickered ceaselessly and updated with new names.
How many times did this repeat?
Ding ding ding!!
[Sudden!]
Abnormal Status: ‘Death if Not an Audience’ triggered!
Finally, the popup stopped updating.
Bearing the exact same name as the abnormal status from just before.
However, the description was different.
[‘Death if Not an Audience’]
: If Park Moon-dae fails to meet 400,000 or more audience members within the set period, Park Moon-dae’s death
Achieved: 0 / 400,000
Not 200,000, but 400,000.
The number had doubled.
And there was an addition to the description. A specific name was attached to the death.
‘…Not just death, but Park Moon-dae’s death.’
…How was I supposed to accept this?
From the Coin nonsense to this glitched status window now, I couldn’t find a single angle to grasp the situation.
Thinking harder wouldn’t help. There were no clues.
“…”
I sat on the edge of the Balcony and cooled my head. I craved a cigarette a bit, but it was manageable.
“Sigh.”
And once my body had grown cold, I organized the situation.
‘At least two things are certain.’
First, meeting 400,000 audience members within a year.
This was actually manageable. I’d already filled 200,000 with just a two-month tour.
The second half of this year’s tour was scaled up, so just looking at the schedule, I could achieve 400,000.
‘If I factor in the event, it’ll be even more manageable.’
So let’s set that aside for now.
The second thing is… there’s actually one person I can question about this whole situation.
And since the information he gave me turned out to be wrong, I have grounds to press him on it.
“…Damn it.”
It’s not something I’m eager to do, but with no other options, I don’t have much choice.
I pulled my smartphone from my pants pocket.
I found the MMS message with the puppy photo attached and made the call.
The dial tone cut short.
-Yeah.
You could’ve guessed, but it was Chung-ryeo.

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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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