Debut or Die - Chapter 235

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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 235
The Human Rights… Commission?
I thought the sudden mention of the Human Rights Commission would throw the hospital room into chaos, but seeing how calm everyone else remained, it was clear this had all been decided without me.
‘At least they discussed it before and after the report.’
I started to press my brow but stopped when I realized the IV was still in my arm.
“You mean… the National Human Rights Commission, right?”
“…Yeah!”
That organization wouldn’t have judicial enforcement power, would it?
At best, they’d just pressure the company a bit and that would be the end of it.
I wasn’t even sure they’d take an anonymous idol human rights violation report seriously in the first place.
Yet Bae Sae-jin showed no sign of panic at my explanation.
“I know. …They won’t be able to solve everything.”
“….”
“But it’ll still make the news! We’ll get improvement recommendations and everything!”
“…?”
Bae Sae-jin, still with his fist clenched, eagerly explained his reasoning.
So to summarize, his logic was this:
“Since the company is blocking entertainment news coverage, you’re trying to get the story picked up by social affairs reporters instead… is that what you’re saying?”
“Exactly.”
In other words, a change of strategy.
So Bae Sae-jin had this kind of ambition in him.
‘Huh….’
A cigarette… no, never mind.
I almost bit my tongue, so let me just calm my mouth.
I quickly ran through what kind of fallout might occur.
‘If it’s anonymous, the effect Bae Sae-jin is aiming for probably won’t happen.’
An entertainment company trying to cover up an artist-related incident?
The odds of the Human Rights Commission independently investigating who exactly was involved were extremely low.
‘If journalists who got the tip from there just spread rumors, it might just scratch the company’s reputation and be done with it.’
Though the company would get anxious, and if that anxiety grew bigger than their indignation at ‘how dare they report us?’, it would actually make negotiation easier….
“And ‘anonymous’ doesn’t mean we didn’t mention the group name.”
“…Then what?”
“We only protected the reporter’s anonymity… by using my mother’s friend’s name….”
“….”
Bae Sae-jin swallowed hard.
“…This way, they won’t think it’s us. They’ll probably suspect a rival company or a former employee instead.”
It turned out this guy had compiled and sent in every employment and labor-related problem that had occurred at the agency.
Everything from unpaid overtime to illegal personal information searches related to industrial espionage.
‘How far has he expanded this game?’
I’m starting to suspect this might not be a daydream after all.
“….”
“I, I’m not saying I’m proud of this either! But still, this much is necessary….”
I suppressed a bitter smile.
“No, sir. You did well.”
“…!”
Bae Sae-jin’s eyes widened.
“R, really??”
“Yes.”
At least we’d cleared the most worrying hurdle, so let’s call it a win.
‘We’ve gotten past the situation where T1, the parent company, could have crushed Testa.’
It’s a shame we can’t use this as a trump card, but….
The car accident wasn’t something I alone suffered through, and there’s no reason I should only benefit in exactly the way I want.
‘Those guys probably had a lot pent up too.’
They could act according to their own judgment.
‘The scale seems like it’s going to expand in quite a different direction, though.’
Actually, this is better. The moment it becomes a social issue like workplace abuse, it shifts from being something the lower ranks handle to something the upper management and headquarters take the lead on.
And from our perspective, it doesn’t matter what hardships the higher-ups endure as long as the working staff can do their jobs.
As long as there are no problems with the group’s operations, it’s fine.
‘If things go well, I’ll get to see the Approval Bot state again.’
Just imagining it brings peace of mind.
I nodded with a much lighter heart.
“Yes. I’m looking forward to the results.”
“…That’s right!”
Bae Sae-jin’s expression brightened. The members just nodded along; not a single one showed any agitation.
‘They must have had quite the blowout with the agency after the accident.’
I mentally clicked my tongue, then posed the question I hadn’t gotten an answer to earlier once more.
“So, what’s today’s date?”
“….”
Then they exchanged glances with each other.
‘What’s going on?’
Ryu Chung-woo, who had been quiet until now, slowly opened his mouth.
“…Moon-dae.”
“Yes.”
“Today is July 6th.”
“…!!”
The month had changed.
‘Wait, I lost consciousness on our debut anniversary, June 18th….’
That meant I’d been in a coma for eighteen days.
“….”
So… June had just melted away.
While I stood there momentarily dazed, Ryu Chung-woo added in a quiet voice.
“So don’t think about anything else and just rest. Worry about work and activities later.”
“….”
“From now on… think about your body first.”
Ah.
I looked up at Ryu Chung-woo.
He had an unusually dark expression on his face.
‘Come to think of it, that rebar was about to go through his head, but I took the hit to my chest instead.’
Honestly, wasn’t the exchange rate pretty fair?
I’m not some psychopath, and I couldn’t just stand there watching the guy next to me get his head pierced through.
I looked at him with considerable reluctance, but I understood his feelings well enough.
‘He probably thought I fell into a coma because of him.’
Well, it could’ve been the system’s doing, so there’s no need to apologize… but if he considers it a debt, I’d appreciate it if he’d agree with my opinions later on.
I shrugged and pushed myself up.
“I’ll take good care of myself. Actually, my body feels fine right now… I think I just couldn’t wake up because fatigue accumulated.”
“Wait, you shouldn’t be getting up…!”
“Park Moon-dae, sit down!”
“I think it would be best to get a recheck done.”
“….”
Really… what a fuss they’re making.
And shortly after.
Due to their earnest requests, the medical staff made an unscheduled return to the hospital room earlier than planned.
And they were shocked to hear that the patient had eagerly eaten melon right after recovering from over two weeks of unconsciousness.
“Melon?? Patient, can you describe how the sensation feels inside your abdomen right now!”
“…!!”
“I feel perfectly fine.”
“Doctor! This patient here….”
And calls kept coming in.
‘…Right.’
A guy who’d been lying down for eighteen days eating premium melon—that’s understandable.
Big Sae-jin’s face, who had offered me the melon, turned pale, but fortunately the results showed nothing was wrong.
If I’d been in normal condition, I would’ve suffered pain the moment I swallowed.
“I should’ve eaten it!”
I’ll overlook how Cha Yu-jin regretted not being able to stuff all the melon into his own mouth.
‘This seems to be the Nectar’s effect.’
Thanks to the trait ‘Complete Life Force Recovery,’ my digestive system must have recovered rapidly as well.
‘Since it came up, let me check.’
After the commotion died down, I pulled up the traits section of my status window.
[Traits: Infinite Potential, Indulgence’s Hour (S), Nectar (S)—Activated, Grasping Ear (A)]
Indeed, the activation notation was there.
It seems my rapid recovery is progressing well, and the wound on my chest will disappear once it’s fully healed.
‘…So that’s the end of using Bacchus.’
My mouth waters at the thought. What a waste.
Of course, there’s still hope I’ll pull Bacchus again in the next draw. It’s been so useful for activities.
I swallowed my regret and closed the status window.
‘Anyway… eighteen days.’
Though there was some wasteful usage, it looks like there won’t be major issues with the tour schedule. Thank goodness.
‘A month should be plenty for full recovery.’
That applies to me, and those guys still wearing protective gear should recover within three weeks, I think.
If we prepare for another month and then depart… we’ll be able to cover everything except a few Japan dates.
‘That works.’
I nodded inwardly in satisfaction.
After the medical staff left entirely, the members let out sighs of relief and came to their senses.
“Park Moon-dae… really, I’m sorry.”
“No, it was delicious.”
“From now on, let’s definitely ask for permission….”
And shortly after.
It finally seemed to dawn on these guys that I’d be better off resting more.
“We’ll visit again tomorrow!”
“If, if there’s any problem, just call anytime… w-we live nearby…!”
“I’m not getting discharged.”
“Ugh, Cha Yu-jin’s being difficult, let’s go!”
“Whimper.”
“…Rest, Park Moon-dae. Really… you’ve been through a lot.”
“Thank you.”
Ryu Chung-woo seemed to smile faintly, but that expression soon faded.
‘He seems completely drained.’
His worries must run deeper than I expected.
Just as I was about to grab him and probe further.
“…Park Moon-dae.”
“…? Yes.”
Bae Sae-jin spoke with a serious expression just before leaving.
“Once the Human Rights Commission investigation comes in… I’m going to look into whether we can sue T1 Stars based on that.”
“…What?”
“And if it succeeds, we’re moving to a new agency…!”
“…?!”
What insane nonsense is this.
It felt like I’d been hit in the back of the head.
‘Don’t tell me the plan was to get it covered in the news section and then actually take it to court using government authority!’
Regardless of whether that would work or not, why would he pick a fight with a major corporation that owns broadcast networks and studios.
Are you planning to kick away one of your massive platforms?
I found myself staring at the one who I couldn’t possibly believe had agreed to this.
Big Sae-jin avoided my gaze.
‘Hey.’
“Well~ if T1 ends up in this situation, they’ll probably want to reorganize their Agency too, and if there’s even a possibility of a lawsuit on top of that, the deal terms might get a lot better~”
“….”
“Even without a new Agency, that much should be fine, right?”
So this bastard got swept up in it too….
“It’s not something we need to do right now, we’ll discuss it gradually… for now, let’s just let Park Moon-dae rest a bit more.”
“Sure~”
“…Get out.”
I need to think about this alone for a moment.
I waved my hand with a complicated mind, and the members laughed or waved back as they left the Hospital Room.
Click.
I exhaled a sigh in the suddenly quiet Hospital Room.
“Sigh.”
A lawsuit.
I could brush off most things, but that’s not a smart move for a long career in this industry.
I’ve barely seen any cases where people filed lawsuits and had their careers work out well.
Whether they win or lose, they get blacklisted in the industry.
‘If I want to maintain public appeal, the realistic choice is to settle things as amicably as possible.’
Besides, even in the best-case scenario, it takes too long to win, and until then activities would be almost completely halted….
‘Wait.’
Suddenly, goosebumps crawled down my spine.
‘…What about the tour?’
I can’t do it.
“….”
Hey, you bastards…!
If I can’t do the tour, I could literally die!
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, they say—and suddenly, the threat of sudden death was staring me in the face.

* * *
While Park Moon-dae remained in a daze, breaking news about his regaining consciousness was flooding the Internet.
[(Breaking) Testa’s Park Moon-dae Regains Consciousness]
[Park Moon-dae Awakens… “Fans’ Desperate Wishes Have Reached Me”]
[Traffic Accident Testa Member Recovers from Coma After 18 Days]
-What are these articles just now
-Is this real?
-Is this actually true? (link)
-Please please please
Fans tried to calm themselves, worried this might be another false report, but fortunately, within 30 minutes of the initial breaking news, the Agency released a confirmation article.
[T1 Stars “Testa’s Park Moon-dae Regained Consciousness Around 2 PM, Confirmed”]
Only then did congratulations, relief, and tearful messages pour out across all social media, online communities, and comment sections.
-I’m scared this is a dream
-What do I do, I really can’t stop crying
-Moon-dae, thank you for fighting through 18 days and coming back to us. No matter what you do, I’ll support you, truly
-I’m so grateful and happy to be able to post this photo. (2nd Anniversary Photo of Park Moon-dae)
-I love you, Mundae! I’m so happy that I can continue to support you at 24, you at 30, and you at 40…ㅠㅠ
Because a young celebrity who nearly died in a tragic accident had returned alive, the public’s reaction was nothing but warm for the moment.
-It would’ve been such a waste to lose such a promising young man, so he’s been given a second chance. I hope he recovers well and shines South Korea with wonderful music~~
– It really went well. I’m not even a fan, but I was so sad.
Hope you live well.
Did they regain consciousness after 18 days? That’s insane.
In such a dramatic moment, even malicious comments couldn’t gain traction.
-Isn’t this also Gommer’s design? In fact, what is the probability that I came to my senses on the first day and unplayed it? Haha.
└He lost consciousness from the impact
└That’s what we call crossing the line
-Still, he won’t be able to work for a while anyway, so I guess that’s good enough
└Remarkable character
└K-haters criticizing a 23-year-old who was in a coma for 18 days
Lol, I wasn’t that into her, but the Internet’s going crazy over her. Nobody around me even mentions her.
└Pardon me, but do you actually have people around you…?
Hahahahahahahaha
After this atmosphere died down, no one knew what angle would be attacked next, but for now, everyone happily celebrated the singer and his fans.
So, a few days later, what Bae Sae-jin submitted to the Human Rights Commission exploded suddenly amid all the warmth and heartfelt sentiment.
[The Shadow of Entertainment Companies… Truth Behind Testa’s Traffic Accident Revealed?]
[‘Consecutive Reports of Internal Human Rights Violations’ T1 Stars Petition to Human Rights Commission]
-???? What is this
-Wow
lmaooo T1 is insane
So the situation began to unfold in quite an interesting way.
The exposé had erupted right on the heels of such joyous news that it was naturally swept up in the tide of good tidings.
-X Agency getting completely exposed lolololol
-Let’s make justice happen!
In the end, public sentiment abandoned the exhausting resentment and instead gravitated toward a hunger for the perfect happy ending.
What they called the “refreshing twist” narrative.
Bae Sae-jin’s first victory.

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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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