Debut or Die - Chapter 222

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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 222
Testa’s three-day vacation had been decided quite some time ago.
The Director’s statement that “an artist’s condition must be properly managed for them to perform at their best” had surprisingly not been retracted and continued to hold.
‘For all that talk, he still won’t invest in the Management Office though.’
In truth, it seemed less about caring for the affiliated artists and more akin to the Director’s stubborn management philosophy… but regardless, it benefited me, so I had no intention of objecting.
Thanks to this, I’d be able to spend four days alone in peace.
Moreover, I had some anticipation.
‘Then I’ll finally be able to do some monitoring.’
Lately, all I’d seen on screens were furry four-legged beasts, which left me dissatisfied.
“…Hmm.”
I’d said I’d control my usage, but that didn’t mean I’d be monitored for internet searches throughout the entire inactive period.
Dereliction of duty at this level wasn’t honey—it was high-fructose corn syrup.
So I planned to use the time after those guys returned home to take care of my own business.
And rest quietly by myself.
…Of course, I’d never actually enjoyed a vacation like this even once so far.
‘I haven’t even received vacation that many times to begin with.’
This time, I’d block out all variables and make sure to be alone. That was the plan I’d made….
Then an unexpected situation arose.
So… probably in a good way.
“Hyungs, what do you think about an MT…!”
Kim Rae-bin brought this up the week right before vacation.
“MT?”
“It’s an abbreviation for Membership Training, referring to a short trip to strengthen camaraderie and teamwork among colleagues.”
“Come on, Rae-bin, I know what that is~ I’m asking if you want to go on an MT!”
“Ah, yes!”
Kim Rae-bin nodded enthusiastically at Big Sae-jin’s prompt.
What was funny was that Cha Yu-jin was doing exactly the same thing beside him.
‘Did those two conspire together.’
Hearing the next words, it seemed they had.
“I hope we can make up for the unfortunate fact that while we handle busy schedules, we barely share topics outside of work!”
“Let’s go play! I want to go to the Korean beach!”
His supporting fire was quite enthusiastic.
Ryu Chung-woo answered gently with a slightly troubled expression.
“Really? It’s vacation—you don’t mind not going home?”
“Three days? No way, I can’t go to America! My parents are busy!”
Cha Yu-jin answered promptly.
‘Hmm, I roughly understand the situation now.’
With only four days, Cha Yu-jin couldn’t go to America. And given the timing wasn’t vacation season, it would be awkward for his parents to visit either.
‘So he can’t go home and will be bored, so he wants to play with the members instead.’
His calculation was certainly thorough.
I closed my mouth reluctantly, then suddenly experienced a flash of realization.
‘…What if this falls through? Will Cha Yu-jin be stuck in the Dormitory the entire vacation?’
No way.
“I’m not suggesting we use the entire vacation. Rather, we’d do a one-night, two-day team outing in a remote location starting the day before vacation, then return home on the morning of the first vacation day!”
“Oh, that sounds good? What do you all think?”
“I, I think that could work…!”
“…One day should be fine.”
Votes of approval poured in from all sides. Kim Rae-bin’s idea of preserving the vacation while taking a short trip seemed quite reasonable.
“….”
“What do you think, Moon-dae hyung?”
I answered immediately.
“Sounds good. Let’s go.”
“…! Yes!”
I waited until the last moment to settle it with ‘let’s go’ so no one could object.
I had my reasons.
‘Someone needs to take Cha Yu-jin along.’
During the outing, I’d manipulate the situation somehow to send Cha Yu-jin to one of their houses during the vacation.
“Oh~ Moon-dae’s really enthusiastic!”
“Yeah, it’s good to go once in a while. Does Rae-bin have a place in mind?”
“I do! Let’s go to Ganghwa Island beach!”
“Ganghwa Island! …Yes, hyung. I’ve already scouted a few places I’d like to stay at.”
I touched my chin and deliberated carefully.
‘Hmm, Ryu Chung-woo, Big Sae-jin, and Kim Rae-bin seem like the main candidates.’
The other two either don’t mesh well with Cha Yu-jin or find him burdensome, so the chances are extremely low.
‘Hmm.’
I formulated my own plan while watching them debate over the destination.
And shortly after.
“Then I’ll book this place on Ganghwa Island, considering location and facilities. Everyone’s okay with that, right?”
“Yes, yes~”
“Should I inform the Company?”
“Then thanks.”
I finished preparations by securing approval from the Company and establishing an emergency contact network.
Since we’d settle this within days, I wasn’t too worried about leaks.
We’d also rent a car through the Manager, and I planned to register Ryu Chung-woo as an additional driver so tracking would be harder.
‘And if needed, I told the Manager to be on standby.’
The Manager had become noticeably more cooperative lately. It seemed the threat of the dedicated team formation plan was working well on him.
In any case, booking the candidate Pension was smoothly completed at the end. It seemed the high price even during off-season was due to security and facilities.
“Alright, booking complete. Let’s have a great time!”
“Yaaay!”
“Ra, Rae-bin, thanks for the great suggestion…!”
“That’s too kind of you. Thank you so much for agreeing so readily!”
Everyone was excited.
I reclined on the sofa with my arm stretched out.
‘…It’s not even content, so this is actually my first time going somewhere with this many people.’
A trip that wasn’t work felt refreshing.
To be honest, when it’s coworkers going together, it does feel more like a workshop than anything else… but since no one’s particularly uncomfortable about it, there’s no need to bring it up.
Even Bae Sae-jin seemed to be looking forward to it.
To what extent? This guy even said something like this inside the rental car on the day itself.
“…I’ve never been to something like this before.”
Bae Sae-jin, sitting beside me, had the look of someone regretting why he’d said it, but the reactions had already erupted.
“Really?”
“You’ve never participated in school trips or other group events?”
“…I didn’t really like those things, so I didn’t go.”
“I see! Certainly, when dozens of people travel together, the options become limited and inconveniences are frequent.”
Kim Rae-bin accepted it as an honest expression of preference and nodded readily, but the others all seemed to catch that subtle nuance.
‘He probably didn’t fit in well with school group activities.’
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
Then Sun Ah-hyun suddenly raised his hand.
“I, I haven’t been to many places either…!”
Bae Sae-jin’s face, which had been full of regret about saying something unnecessary, improved a little.
“…Really?”
“Yes!”
I should throw in some support.
“I haven’t been to many either. We just need to have fun while we’re there.”
“…! R, right. I’m looking forward to today’s trip because it seems like it’ll be enjoyable…!”
“…Me too.”
Bae Sae-jin muttered while turning his head away. It was oddly wistful.
‘Why is the atmosphere like this?’
Fortunately, this cringeworthy atmosphere was destroyed the next moment.
“I’m also looking forward to it. The options were perfect!”
“I love the sea!”
“Haha, the vibe is so warm? We definitely need to play a song right here~”
Because Big Sae-jin turned on a song after the thoughtless guys’ cheerful remarks.
Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom!
This is… the magical boy EDM version.
‘When did I get this from Kim Rae-bin?’
“Alright~ let’s forget about work today and just have fun together~ Let’s go to Testa!”
“Haha!”
Ryu Chung-woo in the driver’s seat laughed.
‘It takes about an hour and a half to Ganghwa Island.’
If Big Sae-jin is sitting up front, he’ll keep Ryu Chung-woo entertained on his own.
‘Things will work themselves out.’
I leaned my head against the backrest, surrounded by those singing along to the music.
These guys would definitely get up to all sorts of nonsense once we arrived—games, races, you name it—so I figured I’d enjoy some physical peace while I could.
“Tomorrow when I meet you! You you you you!”
“Hahahaha!”
And that judgment proved correct.

* * *
Just past midnight that day.
“Cha Yu-jin!!”
“Wahahahaha!”
The two youngest were sprinting across the beach.
‘Don’t they ever get tired?’
Since this wasn’t work, these guys just wouldn’t run out of energy.
-Barbecue! Barbecue!
-There’s a Noraebang machine here too?
From the moment we arrived at the Pension, they’d been like this—grilling meat, using the heated swimming pool, and they still had boundless energy left.
‘I thought they’d all be passed out by now.’
At this rate, they’d probably keep going all night.
What was even funnier was that they were currently doing the most subdued activity possible.
Sparklers.
“Yeah, they’re pretty.”
“They really are.”
Nothing fancy—just a few stick-type sparklers we were waving around near the heated pool in front of the Pension.
‘If we did this on the beach, we’d unnecessarily invite legal trouble.’
Sparklers are actually illegal on the beach.
And Cha Yu-jin had just tried to take a sparkler photo with the beach as a backdrop before Kim Rae-bin caught him and chased him down.
I could hear voices in the distance.
“Splashing water is absurd… Blech!”
Yeah, they’re having a good time.
I tried to remove the burned-out stick sparkler I was holding and toss it.
That’s when it happened.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae~ Beer?”
“…!”
In Big Sae-jin’s hand, who’d just spoken to me, was an imported beer can with a thin layer of frost.
…A low-alcohol fruit beer variety.
“We’re here to have fun, right? You’ve been sober for months now, and since you’re in a good mood, I thought maybe one drink wouldn’t hurt~”
“….”
He had a point.
I took the can without a word and cracked it open.
Crack.
Then I heard stifled laughter from beside me.
“What’s so funny?”
“Hey, no way~ It’s just heartwarming, that’s all.”
Big Sae-jin chuckled and sprawled across the adjacent sun bed.
“Ah, the atmosphere is perfect~”
This guy had clearly had a few drinks too. I slowly sipped my beer while breathing in the night air.
…Certainly, my mood was fine.
Still, I didn’t feel a desperate urge to drink like a madman or crave more alcohol.
It was calm.
“….”
This was clear proof that the past few months of abstinence had worked.
The habitual connection had been severed.
‘I should thank him.’
I briefly observed Bae Sae-jin over there, selecting a second stick of fireworks.
And then Big Sae-jin suddenly blurted something out.
“We’re going to keep doing well like this, right?”
“….”
“Hey, seriously… if you went back three years and told me we’d sell a million albums, I wouldn’t believe it.”
“Everyone feels that way.”
“Do they? Yeah, they do!”
Big Sae-jin laughed. I could see Sun Ah-hyun laughing along with him.
“Anyway~ I really like this team. I love you guys so much~ Let’s do well this year too!”
“Yeah! Come on, let’s do this!”
First, let go of my shoulder. With three of us doing this, we’ll roll off the sun bed.
Still, I can say something like this.
“Let’s work hard.”
“Great!”
The hand that patted my back encouragingly fell away. …Well, it doesn’t feel bad.
I decided to laugh it off.
“Oh, Moon-dae. But actually, that’s non-alcoholic?”
“…!”
“The packaging was identical. Hey, but Moon-dae seems fine~ He didn’t even notice it was non-alcoholic. Going forward, you could have a can or two, right?”
“You’ve really improved a lot…!”
This feels like I’m crossing a line if I just laugh it off.
Hmm, but I’ll let it slide for the sake of the good outcome and the smoother transition to Cha Yu-jin next.
I was deliberating on my response.
Ding-ding— ding-ding-ding-ding!
Suddenly, a strange ringtone went off.
“Huh, that’s not mine.”
“N-not mine either.”
I immediately checked the smartphone from a nearby sun lounger.
[Sister]
It was Kim Rae-bin’s.
“Rae-bin, I’ll bring it back to you.”
“Okay~”
“S-should I go instead?”
“It’s fine.”
I headed toward the beach. Fortunately, the two who had been chasing each other were back near the pension.
“Cha Yu-jin, you really lack social etiquette…!”
“Rae-bin, you have a call.”
“Oh, thank you!”
Kim Rae-bin, dripping with seawater, huffed indignantly before bowing respectfully. Then he picked up the still-ringing smartphone and answered.
“Sister. Yeah, I’m doing well….”
Just as I was about to turn back toward the pension after completing my task.
The strange feeling arrived without warning.
“…Huh?”
“…!”
Kim Rae-bin’s response suddenly carried an odd undertone.
The kind I could immediately recognize.
Like the dumbfounded sound someone makes when hearing something shockingly unexpected.
My feet stopped reflexively.
I turned my head around.
“W-wait, wh-what….”
“….”
“Kim Rae-bin?”
Either Cha Yu-jin’s voice didn’t reach him, or Kim Rae-bin simply stood there in the dark beach, phone in hand.
Not a single part of him wasn’t trembling.
“I-I don’t… Why?”
“Rae-bin?”
“…!”
Ryu Chung-woo, sensing the strange atmosphere nearby, stepped in and grabbed Kim Rae-bin’s arm.
Only then did Kim Rae-bin, his hands shaking violently, respond.
“G-grandmother… she s-seems like she’s going to pass away….”
“…!!”
In that instant, the atmosphere of the beach transformed entirely.
“Wait, is this your sister?”
“Y-yes….”
“Where is she calling from?”
“The hospital… so… home….”
“Is there a big hospital near your place?”
“Yes, yes….”
Kim Rae-bin’s face was incapable of even tears.
Of all places, it had to happen during our vacation again.
As if the past situation were repeating itself exactly… like this.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why is Rae-bin like that?”
The other members came running from nearby.
Ryu Chung-woo immediately patted Kim Rae-bin’s back.
“Rae-bin, take a deep breath.”
“Yes, yes….”
“First, let’s change clothes….”
I immediately bolted toward the Pension.
“Park Moon-dae?”
Then, grabbing the car keys right at the entrance, I rushed back out to the beach and told Kim Rae-bin.
“Get in the car.”
This wasn’t the time for that. We could change clothes and breathe on the way—right now….
“…Park Moon-dae, you don’t have a license. Calm down.”
Right.
At Big Sae-jin’s quiet whisper, I handed the car keys to Ryu Chung-woo.
“…Yeah, Rae-bin. We should move right now. We can change clothes inside the car.”
“….”
Kim Rae-bin nodded.
And we all crossed the beach straight to the parking lot, then got in the car.
I was wedged into the back corner of the rear seat.
“Everyone in? Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The car departed immediately.
…And so, our first day of vacation began.

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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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