Debut or Die - Chapter 241

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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 241
The real-time comments exploded at a staggering rate.
-Let’s go with cool for the concert
-#1
-#2#2#2 Please make it cute ㅠㅠㅠ
-Does it count if we use it together??
Hahaha, that’s actually hilarious.
Some people tested different numbers, others genuinely pushed one option, and the vast majority simply picked one for fun.
The diverse comments refreshed rapidly, threatening to overwhelm the chat window.
And the counter on the display board climbed swiftly.
[Testa is]
1. Cool (2017)
2. Cute (1992)
Park Moon-dae’s murmur, though he hadn’t even appeared yet, echoed through the speakers again.
[Hmm… it’s extremely close, isn’t it? Thank you for your swift support.]
[The time limit is 3 minutes. You have… 120 seconds remaining.]
Apparently unprepared for such passionate voting, a hint of bewilderment seeped into Park Moon-dae’s calm voice.
‘Oh, that’s so cute!’
The Graduate Student tapped her keyboard rapidly with both hands, then quickly added her own vote to the count.
-#1 Testa is the best!
‘Moon-dae probably wanted to show off more cool moves at the concert, right?’
The Graduate Student felt satisfied with her choice. After all, those who voted for option 1 were slightly ahead!
But unfortunately for her, there was some padding in these numbers.
Many of those who tested different numbers had chosen option 1.
Moreover, those who had joined beforehand and logged in immediately as the concert started were… quite a significant number of passionate fans.
And the more devoted the fans, the more likely they were to make choices that diverged slightly from the general public.
-Vote for 2 right now
-Reviewers watching Testa’s concert, please push option 2 #2 hurry
-Let’s see the Godgiers’ joke party, pleaseㅠㅠㅠ
There was already an abundance of data showing Testa’s cool stage presence.
Cute stages could only be seen sporadically through surprise concert performances or SNS, so they couldn’t miss this opportunity.
‘An official cute stage!!’
The fans pushed option 2 with fervor, and as a result.
[Testa is]
1. Cool (10286)
2. Cute (15601)
An overwhelming victory.
Oh my god, haha!
-I feel bad for those who don’t know how cool Testa is!
-Yesss~~
-Alright, we won! Cuteness conquers the world!
Unable to see the comments overflowing with nonsense and laughter, my voice remained calm and measured.
[The audience’s choice is… 【Testa is cute】. Thank you for participating.]
Though a hint of amusement did slip through.
[Well, I didn’t expect it to be this popular.]
‘So cute!!’
Even the Graduate Student, who had been slightly disappointed that option one didn’t win, readily accepted option two.
[Then, let’s meet the ‘cute’… Testa.]
The moment those words ended, the screen changed.
“Wow.”
What appeared was… a new stage.
The Concert Hall that Testa had rented didn’t have just one stage.
And this newly revealed stage… looked exactly like a high-quality kindergarten performance stage.
‘Panels?’
Stage props depicting trees and the sea, traditional tile-roofed houses and the sun were charming gathered together to decorate the stage.
As if a children’s folktale were about to unfold on that bright stage.
[I… love to play hard and sleep happily!]
A considerably more upbeat Korean narration from Cha Yu-jin played over the original.
And amid shimmering helium balloons bursting across the stage, Testa poured out.
Children’s cheers were inserted.
[Waaah!]
Testa, who had rushed out, was dressed in outfits that seemed perfectly suited for a children’s folktale play.
Woodcutter, scholar, tiger, magpie, goblin—each costume was theatrically exaggerated just enough to be adorable.
Truly a children’s stage.
Yet Testa proceeded undeterred, launching into their performance.
It was their intense title track with a Joseon steampunk concept: ‘Spring out’.
-Seeping into today’s sensation
Enjoying this moment, this gaze, this premonition
Now, without warning
Spring out
Meanwhile, even the choreography had been subtly altered to feel somewhat rhythmic and playful.
It was intense in an entirely different way.
Haha, are these guys being serious?
-Testa is so softㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Seriously the best, cuteness was the right choice
Haha, he’s actually pretty good at it though, which is lowkey annoying.
The audience burst into laughter at the bright and wholesome stage worthy of a charity event, flooding the comments.
Yet some fans felt a bittersweet pang.
-This reminds me of the impromptu concert stage…
-Our kids’ tour got cancelled, so they’re trying to give us a similar feeling like this… I’m actually tearing up
-The kids are adorable, but I’m overwhelmed doing this alone
As all these sentiments mixed together, the real-time comment section descended into absolute chaos.
Similar discussions rippled across social media and online communities, generating considerable promotional buzz.
-What’s everyone talking about?
-Testa’s doing theater?
-Come watch the free concert lol this is hilarious a full interactive comment-driven concert
-What on earth is going on?
Even people who typically paid no attention to idol charity concerts found themselves clicking the link out of curiosity.
Throughout it all, Testa was delivering a solid performance on stage.
They weren’t being excessively shameless about their cuteness—there was even a hint of genuine embarrassment, which only added to the entertainment value.
-Yo, Testa’s really living their best life lol
-They’re genuinely committed to the charity
I wish I had picked -1 (just kidding lol)
After witnessing this unconventional performance, the audience grew curious about what the other option could have been.
-Then what is cool?? What on earth did coolness come from?ㅠㅠㅠ
-Is there any mention of the other choice?
-It’ll probably come out in the next stage or something lol
With a spark of anticipation, the audience waited for a “conventional” cool performance to follow.
But there was no such luck.
[Once you choose one path, you cannot take the other.]
[So the path not chosen~ is erased from existence!]
These words came after the members’ awkward individual greetings once the stage ended.
Lee Sae-jin smirked and held up her index fingers to form an X, bringing it toward the camera.
The other members also couldn’t help but snicker at the absurdity, but the comments couldn’t laugh.
-??
-Seriously?
-But you said there’s no such thing lol
[Ah~ what a shame! We prepared so hard~]
[But the concert continues! Next choice coming up!]
As the members’ cheerful voices rang out, the commenters began to grasp what was happening.
-So they’re definitely abandoning one option
-Hey Testa crazy people, do you have to do this much for a donation concert?
-They’ll release the other one online, right?? Right..?
Everyone tried to think rationally, telling themselves “they wouldn’t just throw away what they prepared,” but what they saw before their eyes was Testa cleanly performing only the chosen option and moving on.
Binary choice, that’s it!
As a result, the voting began to heat up intensely.
[This winter]
1. Go to a snowy winter beach
2. Stay home and drink warm hot chocolate
The voting display stage had returned.
Now the comments began actively trying to persuade the audience.
-Ah, it’s gotta be hot chocolate lol that’s crossing the line
-Winter beach stage would be insane
-Why would we want to see boring work-from-home content at a concert, obviously beach let’s go
-I think I’ll find a place to stay. Please make me some cocoa. Please.
This time, after a close contest with over 50,000 total votes, the winter beach ultimately won with 30,000 votes.
[Oh~ what a result!]
[An excellent choice.]
And the scene shifted.
The members sang while sitting on the ground, surrounded by a dreamlike, shimmering silver stage.
It was ‘Picnic’, rearranged with more delicate notes and tailored to their vocal performance.
-Regardless of the weather forecast
It’s a day I want to see you
Walking lightly, step by step
Today is a blue sky, yeah
It was a cool and beautiful a cappella.
Taking advantage of the non-face-to-face concert format, soft, undulating silver-blue waves washed across the screen in harmony with the beautiful melody.
At the climax, Park Moon-dae’s dramatic harmony brought the stage to a resonant close.
-That was good…
-Ah lol it was a good choice
-Testa has a lot of good songs
As each entertaining or memorable stage accumulated, people became increasingly immersed in the concert, either praising their own choices or curious about the alternatives.
Even people who had been watching illegal streams on YouTube because the less mainstream platform was inconvenient began flowing in, drawn by the voting’s appeal.
Pick the #2 choreography video – the music video is cringey
-If you pick dog it’s Moon-dae, if you pick cat it’s Cha Yu-jin as center right? lol
-You just add the hashtag and post it right?
-Lame
-Wow this time it’s really close lol
There were people trying to stir up trouble, but it was ultimately meaningless.
After all, Testa couldn’t see the comments, and they had no influence beyond choosing one option and adding to the count.
It was simply that the real-time reflection and choices were stimulating enough to be tremendously entertaining.
People chose from various options: ‘dog vs cat’, ‘hotteok vs yakgwa’, ‘magic vs baseball’, and more.
Some choices seemed to openly push the side connected to Testa, while others left you wondering what they had to do with the stage at all.
But no matter what was chosen, watching the stage resolved the mystery and drew laughter or gasps of admiration.
-Oh so it was picking a cover song Malang Dalcom’s cat so cat lol
-Baseball = got a high five. Ah, Cheongwoo in baseball uniform is great as always ㅠㅠㅠ
-Hotteok lol did they air a mukbang VCR
Clever screenshots and GIF files were produced in real time and circulated across SNS.
And Testa didn’t forget the mid-roll advertisement either.
[Please give a dream of tomorrow to So-mang, who has never left the Hospital Room. Give them the chance to fulfill their dreams.]
Through collaboration with the Children’s Welfare Foundation, I wove in hopeful donation appeals throughout the concert.
It was meant to remind the audience this was a charity concert, and it proved remarkably effective.
Since the timing for receiving donations was fixed, the contributions surged all at once.
Each time they did, fireworks effects erupted relentlessly across the comment section, encouraging participation and even swaying those who initially had no intention of donating.
-That’s amazing
-We’re so cultured
-Saturday leisure time~ lol
By the time the audience had grown completely comfortable with this system and flow.
[This time… the choice I’m presenting concerns a special stage.]
[I look forward to your participation…!]
After Sun Ah-hyun’s gentle voice, the text that appeared on the display board was something the audience hadn’t anticipated at all.
[My prediction is the special stage will be]
1. Testa covering VTIC
2. VTIC covering Testa
Suddenly, a first-tier rival group had appeared on screen.
-???
-What is this
-Wait, is this real?
-Why is VTIC here
But soon the audience understood the situation.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ If you choose number 2, Testa will pretend to be V-Tik.
I’m about to burst out laughing lol
Are you listening to Testa’s audio arranged in a VTIC-like style? That’s so fun, lolol
-Is Testa coming out to apologize to the nation?
The choices were obviously playful. Wasn’t option 2 basically a joke, practically begging people to pick option 1 instead?
Since most of the viewers were Testa fans, I naturally expected them to choose option 1.
The problem was that as the scale had grown, so had the audience pool.
The viewers who’d already gotten hooked on the choice format weren’t about to pass up such a funny opportunity.
-Let’s go with 2
I’m curious what you’re gonna do lol
I bet they’d be super embarrassed, haha #2
-#2 The answer is 2~~
With even fans wanting to tease Testa joining in, the momentum shifted decisively toward option 2.
Of course, some fans were growing anxious about the uncomfortable feeling.
‘If this goes wrong, we’ll get criticized for exploiting VTIC…?’
‘Ah, this is risky….’
But with only three minutes remaining.
Before public opinion could shift, the result was already decided.
VTIC covering Testa (71432)
Option 2 had won.
-Hahaha, that’s insane!
-So what’s Testa gonna do now~~
He/She really appeared twice lol
-Looking forward to this, you guys
Just as that mischievous anticipation swelled to its peak.
[Ah… so it’s come to this.]
[Indeed.]
A narration suddenly flowed out over their exchange of dialogue.
But it wasn’t the voice I’d heard before.
-?
Does Testa regret it? lol
Those who weren’t Testa fans laughed and left comments, but Testa’s fans were somewhat bewildered.
‘This….’
The voice wasn’t Testa’s.
And moments later.
Instead of the stage displayed on screen changing, a massive LED screen suddenly opened up.
“…!!”
And from the black Backstage, four members of In-young emerged through the dry ice.
-What
-Wait a second
-No way
‘No way’ was exactly right.
VTIC had actually made a cameo appearance at the Testa concert.
-Insane
The audience reaction began to explode at this dramatic turn they hadn’t anticipated at all.

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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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