Debut or Die - Chapter 233

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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 233
Kim Rae-bin adjusted the box in his hand as he walked down the Hospital Room corridor.
His other arm was still in a half-cast, so he couldn’t move it freely, which meant he had to be even more careful with his movements.
Kim Rae-bin pressed his lips firmly together.
‘I can’t let anything happen like dropping the box!’
Still, the number of media personnel who had been swarming around the Hospital after the accident had decreased considerably, so he’d been able to make it this far without incident.
A fair amount of time had passed since the shocking traffic accident coverage.
Once the headline “In a coma, recovering from surgery” persisted for more than ten days, they’d moved on to chase other prey.
It was typical of the entertainment industry, where incidents erupted every other day.
But with all manner of pessimistic speculation articles, columns, and fans’ worries and anger swirling about, the Internet was still in chaos.
[Testa’s Park Moon-dae… Is there a risk of brain death?]
[“May’s Groom” and the accident he suffered 【Reconstruction of that day】]
[Seven days after surgery, prayers for Park Moon-dae’s recovery]
And Kim Rae-bin only happened to check such things occasionally on the search engine’s main page, lacking both the knowledge and the leisure to examine detailed reactions in depth.
Because of that, he understood only the basic facts based on comments fans left on official accounts.
‘Everyone’s paying close attention to whether hyung will wake up.’
Fundamentally, it was accurate.
That was when it happened.
“Kim Rae-bin!”
“…! This is a Hospital, keep it down!”
Cha Yu-jin burst out of the adjacent Hospital Room and chased after Kim Rae-bin at a frightening speed, wielding his crutches with flashy skill.
He’d suffered more severe injuries from breaking a larger bone and was still hospitalized.
“Going to see hyung?”
“…Yeah.”
“I want to go too.”
Cha Yu-jin answered stubbornly and matched Kim Rae-bin’s pace as they walked.
It was hard to believe this was the same person who had wept profusely during the surgery, offering rapid prayers in Spanish that no one could understand.
‘Cha Yu-jin must be nice, being so simple-minded.’
Kim Rae-bin briefly envied Cha Yu-jin, then quietly resumed walking.
Park Moon-dae’s Hospital Room was just nearby.
“Hyung.”
“We’re here.”
“Oh, ah, welcome….”
Sun Ah-hyun, who had been sitting quietly like a statue inside the Hospital Room, quickly stood up and answered softly.
“Is hyung comfortable?”
“…Yeah, there shouldn’t be any uncomfortable places, or so they said.”
“Got it!”
Cha Yu-jin sat down briskly beside the bed and began earnestly explaining the recent situation to the unconscious Park Moon-dae, mixing Korean and English.
“Fans are sending paper cranes, they said. [It’s interesting. I guess similar traditions exist in every country. Anyway, it’s nice that they’re wishing for your recovery, right?]”
Though the consensus was that he ‘might still be listening,’ there was something undeniably hopeful about it, so the members didn’t stop Cha Yu-jin.
“It seems the other members have already visited and left.”
“…Oh, right. He went to the Company earlier.”
“I see.”
Kim Rae-bin nodded and waited for Cha Yu-jin to finish speaking.
The news he’d brought was far too important to let Cha Yu-jin’s voice overlap with it.
Watching Cha Yu-jin ramble on persistently, he suppressed the urge to shout, “Don’t waste visiting hours on the same old stories!” at him.
‘I need to be respectful in a hospital room!’
Kim Rae-bin reminded himself that he would show proper decorum before the great Park Moon-dae.
And so he managed to take the baton smoothly without bickering with Cha Yu-jin.
“Hyung, hello….”
Of course, there was no response from the unconscious Park Moon-dae.
Kim Rae-bin felt tears welling up. Perhaps it was because he remembered his Grandmother, but either way, he held it back.
“I, I’ve prepared something.”
He tried to stay composed as he lifted and opened the box.
The box was completely full.
Several sheets of paper covered in musical notes and lines, iconic props, and… a laptop.
Sun Ah-hyun’s eyes, who had been standing quietly, widened.
“This is….”
“…concept materials for the next album.”
Kim Rae-bin answered confidently.
“We’re working hard on the preparations, so please don’t worry about future schedules at all and just focus on getting better!”
It was something he’d done right after being discharged.
“….”
Even Cha Yu-jin was at a loss for words and stared at Kim Rae-bin.
In truth, it was a highly irrational action.
Even if Park Moon-dae woke up immediately, no one knew whether rehabilitation and his return could happen right away.
Moreover, it had been longer than expected since Park Moon-dae lost consciousness.
Among the medical staff, there was even talk of conducting a full re-examination.
Yet Kim Rae-bin had come with concrete ‘preparations’ for the next activities as if they were possible at any moment.
To report to Park Moon-dae, who lay asleep and couldn’t even see them.
‘I know.’
Kim Rae-bin thought.
It was unbelievable that he’d spent this absurd amount of time unconditionally expecting an uncertain future to turn out positively.
‘But… I’ve experienced it.’
His Grandmother had woken up, so surely Park Moon-dae would wake up soon too.
“While preparing… I’ll wait!”
Kim Rae-bin reaffirmed his illogical conviction and sat down confidently on the chair beside the bed, holding the box.
Then a loud voice burst out from beside him.
“That’s right!”
“…!”
“Wake up, hyung! Let’s do another concert! Many more!”
“Y-yes! Moon-dae, I’ll prepare…!”
Following Cha Yu-jin, even Sun Ah-hyun, who had been listless, seemed to catch the spark of motivation as he gripped the yarn tightly and shouted.
Had anyone else been present, they might have clicked their tongue dismissively or regarded the scene with pity.
Yet they remained steadfast.
“….”
Of course, Park Moon-dae still gave no response.
Reality was not a manga—someone in a coma would not awaken at the call of a colleague.
But they had decided to wait.
Instead of making future plans without Park Moon-dae, they chose this path.
And a moment of choice was approaching for the sleeping Park Moon-dae as well.

* * *
The ‘Click’ text from the status window I’d repeatedly tapped flashed brilliantly, summoning a new popup.
The slot machine image I’d grown accustomed to.
I pulled the lever… and the reels began to spin.
Between the reels gleaming gold, occasional platinum-hued slots appeared.
Yet those slots were not filled with all manner of embarrassing text as they would be in reality.
Every slot was empty.
“….”
Still, I simply waited for the reels to stop. Cold sweat dripped from my chin.
The slowly spinning slot came to a halt.
Pang!
[Slot Machine Jackpot!]
: Obtaining a Legendary Trait!
I’d landed on a platinum-hued blank slot.
[Trait: ______________ Obtained!]
The blank space in the popup was glaringly obvious, as if anything could fill it.
‘Is it because this is a dream?’
I couldn’t tell. But one thing was certain.
Platinum-hued, legendary trait.
‘It’s A-rank.’
What A-rank traits do I know of…
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a sudden premonition flashed through me like a blow to the head.
And without thinking, I opened my mouth.
“Bacchus… 1000.”
[Enter Bacchus 1000 (A)?]
[Yes / No]
I raised my hand and selected Yes.
The additional effect attached to Bacchus 1000 now that it had risen to A-rank was….
-All fatigue recovery speed +100%
Then, if I rank up to S-grade?
[Identical trait confirmed!]
Will you synthesize ‘Bacchus 1000 (A)’?
Yes.
In that instant, colorful light burst like fireworks before my eyes.
And the popup refreshed with a shimmering rainbow glow.
[Synthesis successful!]
‘Nectar (S)’ obtained!
The sweet taste of life
-Complete vitality restoration (single use)
“…!”
This is it.
I collapsed to the floor.
‘I did it.’
I’d chosen the right option.
My body, which had somehow risen to its feet, now greedily drank in the sweetness of rest.
As tension melted away, my limbs trembled, but my mind reeled from the unresolved questions that still lingered.
But one thing was certain.
‘I can return.’
The moment I activate it, my body will undergo complete restoration and awaken—the logic fit perfectly.
The possibility that Ryu Gun-woo’s body in this dream might recover instead of my real body… no, never mind. That won’t happen.
‘The status window didn’t work here in the first place.’
Besides, hadn’t it synthesized with the traits I originally possessed in Park Moon-dae’s body in reality?
This is absolutely targeting my real body.
My mind tingled with electricity.
And at the same time… I grew anxious.
‘I need to do this before the status window deactivates again.’
I had no idea what else might happen in this cursed dream. I immediately tried to activate the trait ‘Nectar (S)’ floating in the popup.
And without thinking, I muttered.
“Let’s go back.”
“Already?”
“…!!”
…When I turned my head, the one who’d left saying he had a schedule was poking his face into the Training Room.
It was Chung-ryeo.
I instinctively braced myself for crisis. Excuses flooded my mind.
“I didn’t think I’d improve further with more practice, so I was saying I’d head back.”
“You’re lying.”
He strode into the Training Room with heavy steps.
‘If I press it right now….’
Wait, if he senses something off about me pressing against empty air, could this psycho actually attack?
While I was rapidly weighing the pros and cons, Chung-ryeo stood across from me.
And then… he opened his mouth with an indifferent expression.
“Hmm, you seem to lack resolve more than I expected.”
“What did you say?”
“You said this was the third time? Trying to restart over something like this at this point seems like a rather hasty decision.”
“….”
Ah, so that’s what he meant.
Of course, there’s no way this bastard could know this is a dream I’m having while in a coma.
It seemed he’d interpreted it as ‘going back to the beginning’ instead.
I responded with a considerably lower intensity.
“I’m not restarting. I was just thinking seriously about something, so my words came out heavy—I really just meant I’m going back to the Dormitory.”
“I see. Then go ahead.”
He’s not buying any of it.
He continued speaking nonchalantly, his face convinced that I’d made up my mind to restart.
“For now, the two that the Junior Member has gathered are… in an awkward state to handle. They won’t be cooperative every time. You saw it this time too, didn’t you?”
“….”
“Going forward, it would be better to observe them for about a month before deciding on recruitment. This time seems to have been too hasty. The previous one was quite good.”
“That’s right.”
I laughed.
“I just chose them because I wanted to work together.”
“…!”
Chung-ryeo’s… expression became enigmatic.
It was the look of someone whose distant past had suddenly surfaced.
And he muttered.
“…Well, since it’s early on, one or two times like this should be fine.”
“….”
I deliberately didn’t respond.
Instead, after a brief moment, I threw out a deliberately light remark.
“Still, if I do restart, you’ll make sure those kids debut, right? I’ll give you plenty of good information before I go.”
“Hmm, those two?”
“You said they’re not much. They don’t seem like they’d be a threat to VTIC.”
Chung-ryeo shrugged.
I don’t understand the logic, but it’s a sign of agreement. If there are no major issues, there’s a decent probability he’ll do it if he feels like it.
I saw him out as he’d calmed down.
And I set up several scheduled emails for him.
[202X Year August.txt]
Future knowledge arriving at two-week intervals.
And then… I tipped off the prosecution about the gambling den that Bae Sae-jin’s father used to run.
-It’s an illegal gambling establishment dealing in large quantities of drugs. Please be sure to investigate.
Anyway, I won’t be staying here much longer, so it doesn’t matter if the person who reported it turns out to be me.
‘…This should help things improve a bit.’
Finally, I sent Sun Ah-hyun’s parents the hospital contact information for Sun Ah-hyun’s current counselor in reality.
-This is the teacher I received counseling from, and I found it very helpful.
Click.
After finishing everything, I closed my smartphone, and somehow I felt refreshed.
‘…Is there anything left?’
That’s when it happened.
“Oh~ Are you close with Senior Chung-ryeo?”
I turned my head, and the guy who’d left while looking at his smartphone was coming back into the Training Room.
I glanced at the popup for a moment before responding to Lee Sae-jin.
“…Not exactly.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but I’m not going to introduce you to him.”
“…!”
“That guy’s a lunatic. Be careful around him from now on.”
“…What?”
He looked like he thought he’d misheard something. It was a human expression I hadn’t seen from him in a while.
“….”
Probably the moment I leave, this damned dream will all disappear.
So it’s all just self-satisfaction, but what does it matter.
I opened my smartphone again and spoke quickly to him.
“I’ll introduce you to a composer instead of that guy, so listen carefully. Once you debut, use it well.”
“What?”
I sent him a text right away. It was the contact information of a still-unknown composer.
Zzzzzing!
The vibration was loud, but Lee Sae-jin’s face was blank.
“Go ahead and contact them… listen through the samples, then pick either number 3 or number 7. That one will do well.”
“…What’s this all of a sudden,”
I let out a soft laugh.
“Actually, I think you’d pick that one anyway even if I didn’t say anything. I just thought I’d mention it.”
“…!”
Because that’s what you did in reality.
Lee Sae-jin’s eyes were clearly bewildered. He rubbed his face with one hand as if choosing his words carefully, and finally opened his mouth.
“Um, I appreciate it, but I don’t understand what you’re saying right now. Can we talk about this after I calm down? And why is the senior a lunatic….”
Seeing him with one layer peeled back, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘…If there had been a little more time, maybe he would have opened up.’
Somehow it felt pleasant.
I looked at him for a moment, then turned my back and headed toward the door.
“Hey, wait a second.”
“See you again.”
In reality.
There’s nothing left for me to do here.
I waved one hand behind me and walked out of the Training Room without hesitation.
The popup still floated in my vision.
[‘Activate Nectar (S)’? (※Warning※ : Consumable Trait / Single Use)]
“Yes.”
And then, my vision blazed white.

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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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