Debut or Die - Chapter 217

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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 217
Cover Stage.
A stage where one performs a song from another group or artist, rather than their own track.
And naturally, there were unspoken rules governing such performances.
‘One doesn’t cover a junior’s song.’
If the performance fell short of the original artist’s, it would look terribly awkward. Moreover, even if executed well, one would inevitably be criticized for lacking decorum.
Given that cover stages typically allowed only days of rehearsal to master another’s composition, the risk was decidedly fatal.
Furthermore, the idols appearing as mentors on this Ajusa Production variety show were already established names from many successful groups.
‘I mean, there are plenty of them who aren’t even at the level to do cover stages at year-end events!’
No one had anticipated that these established artists would do something unexpected—covering a rookie’s recent hit song.
‘Wow.’
Notably, related SNS posts from around the same time were flooded with question marks and confusion.
However, Chung-ryeo’s fans immediately grasped the reasoning.
‘Right, if we stick to senior artists’ songs, the selection becomes pretty limited, doesn’t it?’
There were precious few idols who debuted before VTIC and had hit songs within the past five years.
But covering songs that were too old wasn’t entertaining either. They’d already been exhausted and seen countless times.
‘A rookie female idol’s song… that’s definitely entertaining!’
Now that I thought about it, this was genuinely the first time since his debut year that I’d see Chung-ryeo perform a female idol’s song!
My heart began to race at the thought of this rare, unexpected content.
There wasn’t a shred of doubt that Chung-ryeo would pull it off flawlessly.
And just as all these thoughts flickered through my mind in mere seconds—
-We gonna fly high
The camera stopped its close-up, and the stage began.
Boom, boom, boom, boom—
Over the bass and drums, sharp, crystalline string instruments transformed into synthesizer-like electronic tones, layering the foundation.
Idols clad in well-fitted leather harnesses split the formation and began their choreography on the violet stage.
The awkwardness that might have come from different group backgrounds melted away seamlessly.
Years of polished activity contributed to their refined execution, but the decisive factor was… the center stood out remarkably.
It was Chung-ryeo, naturally.
-You scream high up
Fly, soar higher
Break through the chains, shoot up
Escape, Paradox
‘Oh my god!’
The intense chorus burst forth from the very introduction. Chung-ryeo’s fan involuntarily held their breath.
“Damn, this is so good….”
On screen, Chung-ryeo connected dozens of seconds of choreography like a single, fluid motion, bringing the introduction to a close.
Without time to recall the original, it felt as though it all happened in an instant.
It was an extraordinary display of skill.
‘Oh my god!’
Apart from the unintelligible screams and members’ names being shouted, similar posts sporadically appeared in fan communities as well.
-Chung-ryeo is insanely good X
-World class has arrived
-Just changed the key but the vibe is completely different
It wasn’t just the key that changed.
The nuance had shifted.
Miry-nay’s debut track, ‘high up’, was a song containing a metaphor of a caterpillar caught in a spider’s web, hardening in its cocoon, but ultimately escaping as a butterfly.
Partially retro and melancholic in flavor, yet refined and rhythmic, it perfectly matched recent trends and achieved commercial success.
It was a flawless debut song with sharp rookie-like precision and intentional emotional touches scattered throughout—but that also meant it had a distinctly strong color.
The metaphor itself was meant to shake off the controversy and noise from Ajusa Season 4 and soar upward.
And the established idols, already seasoned in such games, didn’t fall into this trap.
They didn’t awkwardly attempt to replicate that unique sensibility in this cover stage.
-Shed your skin, cast it away
Take off, take off, take off
I’m taking flight right now
They simply maximized the sheer impact.
“Wow, damn.”
There was none of the inevitable stiffness that typically emerges from a rookie’s debut song. Instead, the expressiveness born from composure was amplified to its peak.
Moreover, the choreography angles Chung-ryeo had locked down completely prevented that composure from appearing as arrogance.
As a result, the stage became a relentless, devouring performance—a completely different feeling from the original.
In short, it became an excellent example of the ‘bold, charismatic concept’ that global K-pop fandoms obsess over.
And since they weren’t originally from the same group, the atmosphere of no one backing down further amplified it.
Especially the chorus.
-You scream high up
(high-up, up, up, up)
Go far, higher still
“Yeah!”
They drove it forward relentlessly.
The large formation led by Chung-ryeo was fluid and masterfully controlled in dynamics, commanding attention.
The choreography law held true—when the one in the center controlled well, the overall quality appeared elevated.
Probably, the moment Episode 3 dropped, those who had already combed through and extracted the performance scenes were endlessly generating GIF files.
‘Ah, this confirms he has no sense of decorum!’
Chung-ryeo’s fan could envision the future backlash brewing, yet somehow couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. It was the magic of the stage.
There was enough presence to make it sound like they were destroying everything with lyrics about “soaring” and using it as a stepping stone.
-high up!
And the second verse.
Suddenly a dramatic melody entered, emphasizing vocal prowess.
Naturally, Park Moon-dae took it.
And this was also the part handled by Miry-nay’s center, the number one member.
‘That guy dances well too.’
Chung-ryeo’s fan briefly recalled the Season 4 first-place finisher—an exceptionally versatile all-rounder—before glancing at Park Moon-dae on screen and instinctively feeling an odd twinge of unease.
Park Moon-dae had grown quite skilled at dancing by now, but among non-fans, many still harbored doubts about his abilities.
It was largely because Ajusa’s debut stage with ‘POP☆CON’ had been so striking.
“Hmm.”
Yet that worry proved to be mere speculation.
-Pain and wounds alike
Can never make us stop
【THE WAY OUT】
Can’t let us down
“Oh.”
Park Moon-dae’s dancing was supple and controlled.
The way his body bent and extended carried an uncommon quality.
‘He’s good?’
Since Testa’s title tracks rarely placed him at center during such elaborate choreography, the freshness of it struck harder.
Perhaps it was the tragedy of being in a group where so many specialized in dance—Chung-ryeo’s fan nodded in acknowledgment.
‘But the dance lines here seem a bit…’
Don’t they resemble our boy’s?
Yet before Chung-ryeo’s fan could fully grasp that eerie sense of familiarity, the song seized her attention first.
-We gonna fly high!
Against these chains
Say goodbye
Post-production must have been applied, but the arrangement was far more dramatic than the original.
“Wow.”
The difference between a balanced member and a vocally specialized member became distinctly apparent.
‘They’re really good.’
Chung-ryeo’s fan watched the screen anew, and suddenly, gazing at Park Moon-dae’s glossy, youthful face, she felt an odd affection bloom.
And simultaneously, anger surged up.
It was because of that irritating incompetent she’d just recalled.
‘Thinking about how that useless bastard, calling himself a main vocalist, just sat there squashing his ass while the kids suffered…!’
That guy had so little talent he was busy being shelved, wasn’t he!
‘Drop the all-fan policy! I should’ve dumped buckets of criticism on that blockhead ages ago to knock some sense into him!’
Thinking of overseas fans who still leave comments like ‘V-Tik has 5 peopleㅠ’, Cheongryeo’s fan gritted his teeth… .
In any case, the stage she was watching was so mesmerizing that her anger quickly subsided.
“Phew.”
It had been so long since she’d seen Chung-ryeo performing this kind of typical conceptual rookie idol song—she was simply happy.
-We gonna find
【THE WAY OUT】
After her idol practically flew across the stage, the final chorus saw Park Moon-dae briefly claim center as the song concluded.
“Hmm.”
By ability distribution alone, she thought it should have gone to Chung-ryeo, but since Park Moon-dae had proven quite impressive, the fan decided to refrain from complaint.
Of course, this was only possible because Chung-ryeo had sufficient screen time.
“This is fun….”
Chung-ryeo’s fan lay in bed, saving photos and GIFs of Chung-ryeo that had been posted, thoroughly satisfied. It had been a while since such unguarded fanservice like this.
And they quietly saved a few of Park Moon-dae’s as well.
‘Well, he’s cute too.’
Making guesses like ‘He seems close with the kids, so won’t he sign with LeTi Entertainment after Testa ends?’, the fan finished the day contentedly.
And when behind-the-scenes footage was uploaded a few days later, upon seeing Chung-ryeo teaching Park Moon-dae the choreography, they felt proud thinking, ‘See, my instincts were right.’

* * *
-Moon-dae when did you secretly become part of the dance line without your noona knowing lol IQ 300 genius puppy
-The best husky, highly recommend (GIF of Park Moon-dae in the chorus choreography)
-Park Moon-dae’s concept execution is truly unparalleled. Performers who can deliver precise expression no matter where they’re placed are rare. And Park Moon-dae is definitely one of that select few. (photo)
Lol, so season 3’s first place winner isn’t just any champion—the winners from the program’s golden era have a different vibe to them.
‘The response is decent.’
I nodded while monitoring the reactions to the first released stage.
Since it was a song by the rookie group T1 was pushing, comments like ‘why did you choose a junior’s song’ didn’t appear.
‘It’s obviously the production team’s influence anyway.’
Moreover, the expected complaints about ‘T1 is pushing Miry-nay too hard’ didn’t come up as much as anticipated.
‘Because the stage reviews were so good.’
Once the results were good and people were satisfied, the detailed process inevitably became justified.
However, since they’d put together completely unrelated people for the stage, there was quite a bit of subtle competition over who performed better.
Of course, usually the most popular one wins, that kind of thing.
-Look at Shin Chung-ryeo’s face, I’d believe it if you told me he debuted yesterday instead of being almost 10 years in
-Chung-ryeo is still so handsome
└He’s an old man at that age.
└Negdol is a very old idolㅠ I feel bad for being an old idol. Fighting!
-Chung-ryeo is truly an eternal idol
‘Eternal, I’m not sure about, but he might be doing idol work for another fifty years or so….’
I scrolled down the SNS page with a bitter expression.
This time… I hate to admit it, but since that ‘most popular one’ had the biggest role on stage, there’s nothing particularly to comment on.
‘Anyway, it was a success.’
Not just domestically, but the separately uploaded YouTube video is apparently getting views at a terrifying rate.
The variety show is a hit, Miry-nay’s recognition is growing, and the company must be celebrating.
‘Actually, we didn’t lose anything either.’
As the international recognition of this variety show climbs steadily, it’s been quite helpful for the international recognition of Testa members who received good attention as mentors early on.
‘My special stage this time got such a good response too.’
And next is Sun Ah-hyun, so we’ll likely maintain this momentum.
Young-rin was also in that lineup.
Not quite as much as Chung-ryeo, but since Young-rin has good international recognition, Sun Ah-hyun will also benefit from the synergy.
Plus, with such a big age gap between them, there’s no unnecessary dating rumors to worry about.
‘It was a coed group song.’
From what I heard, they covered a track from some popular entertainment agency’s coed unit that had decent international recognition.
I know because we performed it once on an impromptu stage during the tour. It’s a masterpiece, and the vibe suits Sun Ah-hyun perfectly, so it should turn out well.
Just then, the person monitoring my performance from beside me speaks up as the video ends.
“M-Moon-dae. You really did amazingly well…!”
“How was the choreography?”
“Y-yeah! Th-the energy was great!”
Oh, so he’s confident about it.
“Thanks. I think you’ll come out well too.”
“R-really?”
Sun Ah-hyun laughed with a grin. It seems like even he thinks he did pretty well.
‘Keeping it as is was definitely the right call.’
I’m sure it’ll be good even without watching, but I should do a monitoring session next week anyway.
With that thought, I turned off the smartphone I’d been watching.
However, contrary to expectations, the process leading up to that point wasn’t smooth.
A few days later, after the teaser for the second special stage was uploaded.
[Screenshot of post from Choi Ki-woon’s private account.jpg]
Choi Ki-woon’s scaffolding all collapsed lol
The private account of some nameless guy who performed the coed unit song stage with Sun Ah-hyun had been exposed to the world.
‘Honestly, among the lineup, I only considered Young-rin, so I didn’t even think about that guy.’
Up to this point, it honestly wasn’t our concern. If anything, it would’ve been a gain if he received less camera time due to the controversy.
The problem was that people trying to grab attention inevitably started appearing.
-Wait, isn’t this about Sun Ah-hyun? (screenshot)
-The timing matches perfectly, same as the filming day
‘…It’s about time the cooldown period came around.’
The time for pest extermination had arrived.

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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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