Debut or Die - Chapter 209

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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 209
The car wasn’t equipped with a separate freezer.
It was the atmosphere, not the temperature.
‘This is messed up.’
Ryu Chung-woo hadn’t directed his anger at anyone in particular or treated anyone unfairly, but he was definitely not in his usual state.
Let me rewind to what happened in the Music Broadcast Waiting Room a few hours ago.
-Hyung, eat more of those snacks! Have a lot!
-Sure.
That was it.
Ryu Chung-woo remained seated on the sofa without any gesture, only fidgeting with the stress ball in his hand.
Since then, no one has dared to touch him, and everyone’s been keeping quiet.
Though filming starts early tomorrow morning, everyone’s being tactful and staying silent because this is a rare day when we can return to the Dormitory before dinner.
Me? I was never the talkative type anyway. I’m just checking public opinion on my smartphone.
‘Pretty much everything’s been sorted out.’
[Ryu Chung-woo different angle fancam]
[Ryu Chung-woo didn’t hit anyone XXX]
Once the clarifications spread, people finally said things like “well, of course,” and the atmosphere settled down.
Still, some people stubbornly insist on “he did it,” but there’s nothing we can do about that.
In the first place, Ryu Chung-woo’s current state wasn’t solely because of the controversy online.
By the way, this atmosphere continued even after we arrived at the Dormitory.
“I’m going to my room first.”
“Yes!”
As soon as he finished eating, Ryu Chung-woo went to his room. It looked like he was planning to go straight to sleep.
Click.
The moment the door closed and Ryu Chung-woo disappeared, sighs of concern and bitter smiles erupted from all around.
Bae Sae-jin muttered solemnly.
“…Honestly, he had every right to be angry.”
“That’s right!”
“D-do you think Chung-woo hyung is really upset? H-he was just trying to keep the members safe, doing something good…”
Sun Ah-hyun exclaimed worriedly.
Still, everyone lowered their voices as much as possible because Ryu Chung-woo had gone to sleep.
“Well, from the Company’s perspective, wouldn’t they think ‘why did he push back instead of just avoiding it?’ Since you mention it, it seems he was under a lot of pressure~”
Big Sae-jin said this mockingly as if sympathetic. I knew he’d say something like that.
I carried my bowl to the sink and spoke.
“Chung-woo hyung has been too good to the Company all this time.”
If he’d been difficult, he probably would’ve just kept repeating “I’m sorry,” but because he’s good-natured and responsible, people have crossed the line.
“Why don’t we just let Chung-woo hyung rest for now? If anything’s needed or something comes up, we’ll tell the Company right away.”
Most of them nod in agreement.
“That’s a reasonable suggestion.”
“…Yeah!”
Bae Sae-jin’s expression made it clear he was acutely conscious of becoming the eldest once Ryu Chung-woo stepped back. I wanted to tell him it was needless energy expenditure.
“R-rest, and then… wouldn’t things get better…?”
“That’s right. Rest is how we naturally recover our strength. I’ll need to support Chung-woo hyung more during this activity period.”
“Yeah.”
“Well then, let’s head inside quickly~”
The brief discussion concluded with ‘let’s not burden Ryu Chung-woo going forward.’
It was sensible and considerate teamwork, but in truth, we hadn’t addressed the root cause.
‘This approach has its limits too.’
I couldn’t expect any of the managers to cleanly handle what Ryu Chung-woo had been doing.
The Chief Manager would be flustered about why I was telling him about road work and would pass it to the First Manager, and that guy… well, it’s predictable.
At some point, he’d definitely try to quietly dump it back on Ryu Chung-woo, and if he’s not careful, that’s when the real landmine detonates.
‘If it ends with Ryu Chung-woo getting fed up and throwing a punch, we’d be lucky.’
So before that happens, I need to do something. Either replace the manager or knock some sense into him.
‘I should also check how much Ryu Chung-woo’s mental state recovers.’
If some major unexpected incident occurred during activities, it would be problematic. We still had over 400,000 people mobilized.
So for now… let me keep a close eye on Ryu Chung-woo’s condition starting tomorrow. Even if he seems fine, I shouldn’t let my guard down.
I reached that conclusion and fell asleep, but the next day I immediately realized there was no need to have drawn any conclusions at all.
“Before we film the variety show today, we’re stopping by the salon. Any special messages to pass along?”
“No.”
Ryu Chung-woo’s condition was the same as yesterday.
He even looked at the First Manager’s face as if he were looking at an object.
‘I’m scared!’
‘Quiet.’
Even when this guy lowered his voice, the volume was still like this.
I peeled Cha Yu-jin away from shouting directly into my ear and climbed into the car. And I deliberately sat close to Ryu Chung-woo.
‘Let me see what he’s really like.’
Ryu Chung-woo wasn’t being particularly uncooperative or giving terrible answers. It just seemed contrasting because he was usually so gloomy.
‘…Actually, now that I think about it, he doesn’t seem that different from how he usually is with me.’
Thinking that way made me feel a bit deflated.
Anyway, I watched for an opportunity and naturally struck up a conversation with Ryu Chung-woo as we were about to get out.
“I’m going to grab a drink. What would you like, hyung?”
“I’m fine.”
He doesn’t look fine at all, but whatever.
“COKE! COKE!”
I only received support from Cha Yu-jin, who was strongly advocating for carbonated drinks.
And I also got those ‘that was a brave attempt!’ kind of looks from the team members… but well, this wasn’t really a challenge to begin with. It was just buildup.
And the next day.
“Chung-woo hyung.”
Without saying anything, I handed him a fresh fruit juice.
“I’m fine.”
“Think of it as supplying glucose. We haven’t slept for three hours anyway.”
“….”
Ryu Chung-woo lacked the energy to argue, so he simply picked up the drink and took a sip.
Then his eyes widened.
“…! This is way too sweet.”
Of course it was. I’d asked them to add as much sugar and syrup as possible.
I actively applied the sugar high method I’d used back during Ajusa to Cha Yu-jin. It was simple and stimulating—low barriers to entry.
“That’s why it tastes good though.”
“…Mm.”
Ryu Chung-woo eventually drained the entire drink.
Probably too exhausted to complain further, and lacking any motivation to exercise self-control over his diet.
However, as his drinking pace quickened and color gradually returned to his face, it seemed my gambit was succeeding.
I posed another question.
“How’s your condition? I’ve been feeling unusually tired this time around.”
“Yeah. I feel like… recovery isn’t happening as well.”
“Right.”
So it was burnout fatigue after all.
Words flowed from Ryu Chung-woo more smoothly than they had in days—whether from the sugar’s power or a sudden surge of energy, it was working.
“Still, high-fructose corn syrup really does seem effective! I’m feeling energized!”
“Yeah, seems like it.”
Kim Rae-bin couldn’t help but chime in with a relieved expression, and I responded with my usual gentle tone.
Better results than expected?
I touched my chin thoughtfully.
‘…He really does seem like the type who needs to release mental stress through physical stimulation.’
Not just rest—the type where his mind clears once his body receives good stimulation and feels refreshed.
“Hmm.”
Troublesome, but unavoidable.
‘I owe Ryu Chung-woo a debt anyway.’
I picked up my smartphone and searched for a location.

* * *
The next afternoon, we successfully filmed a weekend variety show where contestants would automatically dive into the swimming pool if they got the lyrics wrong to nostalgic hit songs.
In other words, we went all in without holding back.
“Ugh!”
“I won’t let you off easy!”
“Hey, what are you doing bringing out Testa like this, MC Chubby!”
In the end, every single one of us was soaking wet, and only after receiving towels and hair dryers did we finally manage to get into the car.
We were utterly exhausted.
‘I really want to go back and soak in a warm bath….’
But there was another schedule right after.
It wasn’t a fixed schedule—we’d arranged the timing flexibly, so it was relatively manageable.
It was W Live.
Since we’d squeezed it into a free slot, if we got too tired, we could easily adjust the content and duration.
However, this time we’d agreed with the members to film it properly instead of doing it casually at the Dormitory.
Of course, excluding Ryu Chung-woo.
“In an hour, right?”
“Yes, we’ll head out~”
Testa moved to the pre-arranged location and caught a quick nap.
Ryu Chung-woo, who would normally have asked where we were going, also silently slept instead.
So he ended up being even more shocked when we arrived at the Filming Studio shortly after.
“This place….”
The members surrounded the startled Ryu Chung-woo, grinning widely as they spread their arms to introduce the location.
“Today’s W Live location is an Air Gun Shooting Range~”
“Ta-da!”
“…!!”
A large-scale Air Gun Shooting Range in the heart of Seoul.
The exact place I’d searched for the day before.
“You seemed to really enjoy shooting, hyung, but we don’t have time for serious hobbies like that these days~ We wanted you to enjoy it this way!”
“I’ll enjoy it! Let’s have fun!”
….
Ryu Chung-woo looked like he’d been struck.
But soon, a subtle expression of emotion became evident on his face.
“…Thanks, guys. This’ll be fun.”
“Hehe.”
He seemed genuinely moved.
It worked out as expected.
The consideration that had been lying dormant beneath the surface for days finally began to emerge from Ryu Chung-woo’s lips.
“You must be pretty tired right now—are you sure about this? It’ll be hard to do something this physically demanding again tonight….”
Bae Sae-jin avoided his gaze.
“…I agreed because it looked fun when we were filming the music video. Everyone wanted to try it, so don’t get the wrong idea.”
“W-well, that’s right. This should be fun…!”
“Haha, okay. Got it.”
“Mm, mm.”
For someone who’d been the first to enthusiastically agree it was a good idea, he was speaking with surprising composure.
“Then let’s pair up in twos~ and go to W Live with the theme ‘Beat Ryu Chung-woo’!”
“No going easy on us! No mercy!! I’m going to win!”
Ryu Chung-woo let out a dry laugh.
“You sure about that? We can even let three of you team up.”
“Wow, hyung, you’re really underestimating us.”
Though to be fair, it wasn’t underestimation but a cold, hard dose of reality—something revealed within just an hour.
“Ugh!”
Suffice it to say, the Bae Sae-jin and Kim Rae-bin team found themselves drowning with a double-digit score gap against Ryu Chung-woo.
Hahahahahahaha
-Why did they take on such a reckless challenge
-Let’s just pretend we didn’t see that
Haha so cute! Hahahaha
The live comments I checked while watching the other team were like this.
And as time went on, Ryu Chung-woo flew around even more spectacularly.
“Seriously.”
“…He’s actually doing it.”
The sight of a former Olympic gold medalist in archery running wild among ordinary civilians would surely remain a source of laughter for fans for years to come….
“Chung-woo hyung did use firearms once in a music video, so we should also consider that he has a certain advantage!”
“…But that was a musket and this is a rifle, so they’re different types of weapons.”
“Oh.”
“W-well, the staff member said that the musket underwent improvements to eventually give birth to the rifle…!”
“Exactly! This isn’t a defeat for Bae Sae-jin hyung and me at all—it’s simply a respectable showing….”
“Ooh~ Another double score!”
“Good grief.”
Regardless of whether this comedy routine continued, I simply kept shooting.
Tat-tat!
While I didn’t quite match Ryu Chung-woo, I’d like to think I put up a decent fight. As proof, Sun Ah-hyun and I came closest to his score among everyone.
Wow, this place is actually pretty cool, haha.
-They can shoot
When is the Testa army coming? Hurry up lolololol
Look at the mood/atmosphere
Given the nature of the venue, there were some military-related jabs in the comments, but in any case, W Live wrapped up quite successfully, capturing both laughter and thrills.
“See you again~”
“We’ll visit often!”
And with the standard closing remarks, everyone—staff included—returned to a state of complete exhaustion.
“Sigh.”
“No regrets….”
“This is so fun! Let me do it one more time!”
Well, except for Cha Yu-jin.
In any case, while the staff cleared the set, the idols were given a brief moment of downtime.
That’s when Ryu Chung-woo made his move.
“Have some of this.”
“Thank you.”
The guy whose mood had improved from enjoying the shooting and winning the competition had bought drinks from a nearby convenience store for everyone.
He stood beside me as I took the can, then casually broached the subject.
“Sun Ah-hyun said you were the one who suggested coming here.”
So someone had to go and mention it.
Before I could even respond, Ryu Chung-woo finished his thought concisely.
“Thanks. It’s… much better.”
“….”
I took the drink he offered. The sound of carbonation fizzing was refreshing.
“Feeling a bit better now?”
“Yeah.”
That works.
I drank the zero-calorie beverage in silence. Ryu Chung-woo opened his plastic bottle and continued matter-of-factly.
“It wasn’t really anything special… but I felt oddly drained.”
“….”
“Maybe it reminded me of when I quit archery.”
He was opening up about this now?
The activity’s therapeutic effect seemed more powerful than I’d anticipated.

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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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