Debut or Die - Chapter 225

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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 225
Convincing my roommate turned out to be easier than expected.
“It’s been a while since I’ve checked the internet, and I haven’t experienced any withdrawal symptoms or anything like that.”
“Mm. Yeah, you seemed fine. Moon-dae…!”
“So it looks like it wasn’t really an addiction after all—more like stress relief.”
“Huh, huh huh?”
“I mean, like you said, it could become stressful if I overdo it… but I’ve gotten a better handle on things after taking a break.”
Sun Ah-hyun seemed shocked that my words connected so smoothly, his mouth falling open.
“Now I think I can manage it myself before it becomes a stress issue.”
“W-well, of course you’ll do well, but…”
And here’s where I throw in the curveball.
“It’s thanks to you. Thank you.”
“…!! N-no, you’re the one managing it well, so…!”
“Yeah. I’ll keep managing it well going forward and monitor things at a stress-free level.”
That was it.
Afterward, Sun Ah-hyun looked dazed like he’d been swindled and stumbled through his schedule in a daze, but he recovered soon enough, so it worked out.
That’s how I successfully resumed free monitoring during the rest period.
“Tomorrow’s concept photo shoot starts prep at seven, so let’s not stay up too late.”
“Got it!”
And that night, after finishing today’s tasks.
‘It’s been a while.’
The moment I lay down on the bed, I scrolled through the relevant online community.
Starting from the past, slowly.
First, 【K-NOW】, which we’d shot in bulk early on, was gradually breaking free from the K-pop hell camp concept and doubling down on the healing camp angle.
That smooth genre shift seemed to have landed well with viewers, and thanks to that, Testa was still racking up decent points.
-When Sun Ah-hyun did that special stage with mixed gender, the size difference got me hyped lol I thought he was a delicate deer but he’s an elk
-ㅠㅠI’m suing Lee Se-jin. He was kind to foreigners and made Lover’s heart flutter.
-Got the Park Moon-dae sunglasses photo shoot dropped, Americans did you see this? This is the dignity of a K-idol from an acting background (photo)
The editing seemed to have really cranked up the production value by contrasting the general participants’ abilities and composure with ours.
My screen time is concentrated in the early parts so there’s not much change, but as the behind-the-scenes footage dropped… I’m getting called cute a lot.
-Moondae really studies hard. If you are serious about becoming an idol, you never miss an opportunity.ㅠㅠ
-Standing cutely thinking about something aloneㅠㅠ (Capture from the corner during break time)
-Every time the senior speaks, his ears perk up so cute
What? You don’t see it? That can’t be right (GIF with dog ears edited in)
The only downside was that the behind-the-scenes footage happened to be from the special stage practice camera I did with Chung-ryeo.
-They did variety shows together too so they must be close, what should we call this line, the genius-brilliant-idol line? (premature speculation)
‘…That’s crossing a line.’
Not from fans, but from the variety show behind-the-scenes editing itself. I quickly scrolled past the reactions from that date.
And then the GED exam.
Thanks to those who uploaded visual materials, the overall reactions were surprisingly heartwarming, but….
“…?”
What were these guys doing?
-Gommer, are you watching this too? Haha, the fight is starting.
I wasn’t sure why they were fighting amongst themselves, but in any case, the traces of exhausted kids who’d failed to scratch and given up were painfully obvious.
‘Got myself a free win.’
…Sun Ah-hyun’s advice had really worked out with perfect timing.
I turned my eyes to the bed next to me. Our eyes met just in time, saving me the trouble of calling out.
“Want anything to eat?”
“Huh?”
“For a late-night snack.”
Sun Ah-hyun seemed to pause for a moment, trying to process what I’d said, then his face lit up with excitement as he bolted upright.
“Oh, uh, Moon-dae, you want a late-night snack?”
“….”
‘That’s my lack of peer-relationship skills showing—failing to immediately pick up on the hint that I was hungry.’ That was the symptom.
I’d probably need to treat him to something tomorrow morning as thanks. I calmed down the oblivious Sun Ah-hyun and resumed monitoring.
Let’s see, there wasn’t much major buzz after that for a while.
Since it was an inactive period, the main focus was just fan reactions to light content about roommates and moving.
But as time moved to more recent posts, the undercurrent shifted dramatically.
It started with a verification post.
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[I spotted the members at the hospital and hit the jackpot]
: I went to the Emergency Room with stomach pain and on my way back, I witnessed several tall guys rushing out of a van in the parking lot
From the ratio to the number of members, it screamed idol so much that when I looked closely, it turned out to be fake. I confirmed it because Kim Rae-bin wasn’t wearing a mask lol. Pretty sloppy lol.
But they looked pale. Does someone in the family have an illness? That’s exactly the vibe I got
(blurry photo)
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The post had been uploaded to the Online Community, where people believed celebrity private lives were public property, so it didn’t face any criticism and just racked up reactions.
I suppressed a sigh.
‘…Yeah, it was careless.’
But there was no way anyone could have considered such things back then.
When we didn’t even know who we’d be watching pass away.
“….”
I set the timeline to after that post and searched by combining keywords like “Rae-bin” and “Hospital” to check various results.
-What’s this about Rae-bin being spotted at the hospital
-We’re blocking related discussions. We won’t speculate until Rae-bin tells us himself
-They all went together… We shouldn’t consume this, but somehow I’m getting teary
The speculation that one of Kim Rae-bin’s grandparents was ill was practically confirmed.
Still, most fan communities had imposed a ban on direct mentions.
‘It spread faster than I expected.’
It seemed the original verification post had spread widely before it was deleted.
‘The company’s response was a bit slow.’
They’d been so focused on reorganizing the album preparation schedule and preparing media responses that they’d clearly overlooked this situation.
Which meant that beneath the surface, those stalker-style lunatics had the perfect opportunity to run wild.
It seemed like they were experiencing some bizarre sense of superiority, as if they’d monopolized information that many others were curious about.
-I rented a van in the manager’s name. Are these guys playing around with each other? LOL Where’s the content, where’s the practice, where’s the original intention?
-no girls invited? no girls invited? they really didn’t invite girls right someone find out quick
-because of that guy’s eyes the whole vacation got ruined lol going to Gangwon Province to appease Rae-bin’s eyes~
-just make music ffs this is annoying
It seemed like a few people who’d gotten information from company contacts or by copying phones were reproducing that information and stirring up trouble.
On top of that, there were those bastards who claimed to be Kim Rae-bin’s fans while spouting all sorts of baseless speculation and ridiculous complaints.
Man, my mental state’s about to break with this crazy stuff happening in the regular season lol, but I knew a day like this would come eventually.
“It’s not like someone died, so why did you just abandon work? Why haven’t I heard that you’re back at the Dormitory, Levin? lol”
-Rae-bin please prioritize your career right?
-spending time with a sick family member so you’re dropping the full album huh?? how’d I end up supporting such a family-oriented guy
It was pathetic.
‘…This side wasn’t monitored either.’
I… didn’t have the mental capacity to pay attention to this at the time, so I’d let it deteriorate to this point.
“….”
Damn it, stop. Self-criticism should only happen when you have time, otherwise it’s just a burden on others.
‘Shut up and use your brain.’
Several usable patterns immediately came to mind.
‘First, releasing screenshots of the group chat would be the most cost-effective approach.’
I’d post the conversations we’d had about Kim Rae-bin’s work on SNS like a comeback announcement.
That would immediately put an end to speculation about Kim Rae-bin’s current condition and anxiety about his participation….
Even in the worst case scenario, it would be effective.
Which meant… even if Kim Rae-bin couldn’t participate in the early stages of this activity.
It would reduce unnecessary criticism.
There would still be those who’d cling to it, but this time I was prepared to handle it cleanly.
‘I’ll issue a legal warning first.’
That’s the first thing I’ll do as soon as I form a dedicated team. And I’ll complete that team’s composition within this activity cycle even if I have to go without sleep.
‘Before that, let me handle what I can do right now.’
I immediately selected the most appropriate conversation about Kim Rae-bin’s work and took a screenshot.
Then I quickly tried to get approval for uploading it in the group chat.
Kim Rae-bin was nocturnal, so he’d likely be awake even now.
[I’m thinking of screenshotting some of our work and posting it, what do you think.]
[Big Sae-jin : (I support that emoji)]
[Cha Yu-jin : I need to be included!]
As expected, the ones who couldn’t help themselves reacted immediately.
And Kim Rae-bin’s response came without delay.
But the content was a bit strange.
[Kim Rae-bin: Sounds gd]
“…?”
It was a typo completely unlike Kim Rae-bin.
It seemed like he’d slipped while trying to write “Sounds good to me,” leaving behind that telltale trace.
‘…Did he make a mistake because he was tired?’
I crossed my arms and waited for a reply in the most conservative manner possible.
But… as minutes passed, no corrected message came through.
“….”
In other words, ‘that’ Kim Rae-bin had gone silent without correcting the typo.
This was no laughing matter.
‘The scenarios I’m imagining….’
A grim one had struck me first and foremost.
I tapped my arm with my fingers.
‘…An emergency?’
If that were the case, I shouldn’t call now. Calling would only interfere with an urgent situation.
I barely managed to reach a rational conclusion.
‘…I’ll check tomorrow morning.’
By then… everything would either be resolved or settled one way or another.
[Big Sae-jin: Rae-bin?]
In the group chat, others had called out to Kim Rae-bin a few times, but it quickly died down.
Everyone seemed to have read the room.
About what might have happened.
“….”
I kept my mind working to arrive at the most rational response possible.
‘If an emergency and an SNS upload coincide in timing, that’s a problem.’
I decided to hold off on uploading.
Then I immediately set my phone down and lay on the bed.
“Hey, Moon-dae. You… asleep?”
“Yeah.”
‘Stop overthinking and just sleep.’
There was no time or room for this kind of worry.
Sleep didn’t come easily, but I managed to drift off around dawn, using exhaustion as my sedative.
But even after daylight broke, no message came from Kim Rae-bin.

* * *
Past eight in the morning.
“We should contact him.”
“Well, we don’t know the situation yet, so wouldn’t it be better to wait a bit longer….”
“I’ll call him!”
“Wait. We’re already behind schedule. Let’s talk about it while we head out.”
The Living Room was in chaos as everyone voiced their opinions on the current situation.
We’d already passed the time we were supposed to leave for the Training Room. I leaned back against the sofa, tilting my head.
‘Damn it.’
My mind wasn’t working.
‘Is it because I didn’t sleep?’
That excuse wouldn’t hold up either. The Bacchus 500 was working fine. This wasn’t fatigue—it was a problem with my mental state.
I exhaled.
‘…I need to check.’
…Any more delay would be avoidance. I really had to make that call now.
That was when it happened.
Brrrrring!
“…!”
The smartphone in my hand rang.
A call… had come through.
“Is that Rae-bin??”
It was Kim Rae-bin.
Without a moment to think, I immediately pressed the answer button and brought the phone to my ear.
“Hello.”
-Hyung!
Kim Rae-bin’s voice was….
bright with excitement.
-Last night, my Grandmother completely regained consciousness… and we were able to have a conversation!
“…!!”
It wasn’t bad news after all.
Suddenly, a strange wave of relief surged through me like fireworks exploding in my head.
And I erupted.
I didn’t know if it was joy. I just couldn’t control my voice.
“Then you should have contacted me right away…!”
-I’m, I’m sorry! I thought you’d be sleeping in the early morning, so I was planning to wait until 9 AM…!
“….”
His answer was so typical of him that I was left speechless.
I lowered the phone from my ear, my strength draining away. The members crowded around me.
“Is it Kim Rae-bin?!”
“Is he okay?”
Ryu Chung-woo asked quietly.
“Moon-dae, should I take it?”
“…Yes.”
I handed over my smartphone.
They swarmed around the phone, their voices ringing in my ears as they chattered excitedly into the receiver.
“Kim Rae-bin~ your voice sounds nice?”
“Oh, really?”
I… wasn’t sure.
I just felt strangely refreshed.
Whether it was because of Kim Rae-bin, the phone call, or this damned situation and status window—I couldn’t say—but damn, it was something.
The fatigue lifted.
‘Am I crazy?’
I let out a hollow laugh and pressed my temples.
“Kim Rae-bin’s coming tonight!”
“Oh, the timing worked out perfectly~”
Right.
Sometimes things aligned like this.
The moment I got my smartphone back, I logged into SNS.
‘Let me just get to work.’
My head and hands itched to move.

* * *
That morning.
It was less than an hour after Kim Rae-bin had called Park Moon-dae.
A short post appeared on Testa’s SNS.
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Thrilled (photo)
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The post, uploaded without any introduction, was accompanied by a screenshot of a warm group chat that Park Moon-dae had carefully selected.
-Hey guys.
It was the opening salvo for their comeback project.

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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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