Debut or Die - Chapter 256

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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 256
Evening at the Dormitory on the last day of the Chuseok holiday break.
The members began returning one by one.
I’d actually expected Bae Sae-jin and I to arrive first, but someone else got here ahead of us.
“Huh?”
“Oh~ Moon-dae’s here! Welcome, welcome! And Sae-jin hyung too~”
Big Sae-jin, whose Hometown was close to the Dormitory, had returned early and was sprawled across the Living Room sofa. He was watching a special episode of Testa’s Island Life with commentary.
From what I heard, he’d been enjoying his holiday as a first-tier idol, handing out autographs to excited relatives.
It wouldn’t be long before his relatives’ sightings and autograph verifications flooded SNS.
“How’s our cold and composed Moon-dae been? My mother kept saying how much she wished she could see you in person, what a shame~”
The guy who’d even visited his great-uncle’s place sure knew how to talk.
“Yeah. I should do a video call with her next time.”
“Haha!”
Big Sae-jin giggled.
I wasn’t sure if the break was doing him good or if confirming his recognition in real life had put his mind at ease, but either way, it was good that he’d found some composure.
Now I’d be able to squeeze out every last drop of energy when we made the album.
“Wow, a lot of people are back already.”
“I’m… I’m back…!”
Ryu Chung-woo and Sun Ah-hyun arrived almost simultaneously. Ah-hyun had been on a family trip and even brought back souvenirs from a small island near Namhae.
I accepted the goose-shaped bread Ah-hyun offered. It was filled with green tea cream inside.
“W-we were near that island! My parents wanted to visit once, so…!”
‘Even after all that hardship…?’
Whatever. But since they had fun, let’s leave it at that.
“I hope you spent the holiday break comfortably!”
And Kim Rae-bin, who’d arrived with bundles of things… seemed a bit rounder somehow.
It looked like his grandmother had fed him generously after his grandmother’s hospitalization and his own car accident, saying her grandson had suffered enough this year.
“Hyungs?”
“…Yeah, welcome back.”
“Yes!”
Well, it should be fine. We’re in a hiatus period anyway. It’s not like there’s a health problem… Once we start preparing the album, he’ll naturally return to normal.
Besides, how minor this was became clear at dawn.
The one who’d undergone the most drastic image transformation appeared last.
“Yaho! Everybody say hello~ like hello!”
“Cha Yu-jin!!”
It was Cha Yu-jin, who’d flown in from Los Angeles at dawn.
This guy… his skin was patchy.
To put it kindly, he looked healthy; to put it bluntly, he was a sunscreen destroyer.
Looked like he’d had an amazing break at the beach.
‘The stylist is going to have a fit…’
They’d probably lock him indoors and make him take vitamin D supplements orally instead.
“Hey! You! What’s with your face!”
Kim Rae-bin was the first to react in shock, slapping Cha Yu-jin on the back.
“Ow! No, I’m healthy and cool!”
“You’re not! This isn’t a proper tan—it’s just careless neglect that left you unevenly burned!”
“Kim Rae-bin didn’t exercise either! That’s a failure!”
“…! Ah, no, I’m already recovering muscle loss through exercise….”
Only after that commotion finally died down could I bring up the main topic.
It was 2 AM.
“Tomorrow… or rather, around lunch today, I was thinking of stopping by the Company.”
“Huh?”
“Why, why…?”
“Moon-dae, you’re taking the workaholic thing too far. Get some rest. You just came from working at Sae-jin’s place, didn’t you?”
“No, listen first, okay?”
They pile on whenever I say anything.
I pressed my forehead and spoke.
“We were thinking it’d be a waste of all the lawsuit materials we—especially Bae Sae-jin—collected….”
I laid out the plan I’d carefully devised during the holiday break.
“Mm.”
Bae Sae-jin, who’d already heard it before we left, nodded without much reaction, while the others went from exclamation marks to faces full of concern.
“Is that… even possible…?”
“…It’s possible. I asked a lawyer about it.”
Following Bae Sae-jin’s answer, Kim Rae-bin raised his hand.
“Is it perhaps illegal?”
“No, it’s not.”
After that came fairly productive discussion and back-and-forth questions.
Eventually, Big Sae-jin shrugged.
“Well, everything we want is already settled anyway, right? I think it’ll work out.”
“Yeah. Then should we all go together tomorrow and have a meeting?”
I shook my head.
“No, I think it’s better if I go alone.”
“Huh?”
Someone like that would find a secretive one-on-one meeting intimidating instead. If a bunch of young guys showed up, he’d probably feel it as insubordination from his inferiors.
One representative was appropriate.
I explained that part and added more.
“Since Chung-woo is the leader, if you went as the representative, he might mistake it for an official deal. I think it’s better if I go and catch him off guard.”
“Hmm….”
Bae Sae-jin frowned and opened his mouth.
“Still, considering retaliation or threats….”
“It’s fine. I’m not planning to resort to anything that extreme either.”
“…?”
Why that expression?
I paused in confusion for a moment, then let out a hollow laugh.
“The Director? To me?”
….
“I couldn’t possibly. What kind of person do you take me for.”
And shortly after, it was finalized that I would be the one to deliver the message.
It went smoothly.

* * *
T1 Stars’ third Director had a reasonably pleasant holiday break.
Though a deranged former employee had created troublesome complications, he’d been recovering steadily since just before the holidays.
Still, considering the damage to the company’s image, interference from headquarters, and losses from the cancelled tour, his head continued to throb.
‘At least recovery was fortunate.’
The silver lining was that the Testa member who’d been in a coma hadn’t died, but his subsequent actions were far from satisfactory.
‘A charity concert, of all things.’
And on a platform affiliated with another agency at that.
It seemed highly suspicious.
‘Could they be attempting a transfer to that agency?’
Public opinion and atmosphere made it impossible to outright stop them, but the Director, new to the entertainment industry and thinking of idol agencies much like sports teams, grew even more displeased.
He believed they were testing the waters.
However, Testa showed no signs of further contact with that agency, so he set his suspicions aside for now.
‘Once public sentiment recovers, I’ll coax them gently and get the tour back on track.’
Then, timing it with the tour’s conclusion, he planned to prepare the next album for a global launch.
Though having to accommodate the demands of those temperamental idols was already proving stressful.
‘Those without even a university degree should at least do their job as business figureheads properly.’
Hadn’t the industry fallen into this state because of star marketing created in early Hollywood to sell tickets?
In any case, he clicked his tongue at how the entertainment business lacked system and dignity.
He’d thrown himself into it with ambition, but his affection for it had waned considerably.
‘I should build up my portfolio for a few years, then launch a different business line.’
It was during lunch that he kept a previously scheduled appointment with a Testa member.
“Hello.”
“Yes, come in.”
In truth, this was rather absurd. Was he really in a position where he had to keep appointments at the word of his own talent?
Still, it could prove useful as new material, so he decided to hear them out.
The company had been unsettled by the traffic accident incident, after all.
‘Let’s see.’
He observed Park Moon-dae, the sole Testa member who’d come, and made an assumption.
‘A favor request, perhaps.’
Not the leader, and he’d heard the information that this was the one who’d contacted headquarters last time.
However, he hadn’t considered that a dedicated Testa team had been created because of him.
He never even suspected that a high school dropout playing in a band would possess such intellect.
Still, he thought he could use it.
‘If I provoke him a bit, he’s the type who can’t resist his own ambition.’
The man had a voice in the team and seemed to harbor his own aspirations for advancement.
So wasn’t it natural that he’d come to see me after recovering from the coma?
However, the moment the Director sat down in the private room of the Sushi Restaurant where course meals were served, Park Moon-dae pulled out documents.
“These are lawsuit papers.”
“Cough!”
The Director choked.
But the idol before him remained perfectly still, merely watching him.
His gaze was coldly observant.
“….”
For a moment, the Director felt his vision blur with rage, but he prioritized practicality first.
The documents, that is.
And he was shocked.
“…!”
“Evidence materials documenting the Agency’s negligence related to the Former Manager.”
The documents were meticulously precise in legal terms.
Moreover, certain specific details had been deliberately redacted, making it difficult for the Company to prepare counter-arguments even after reviewing this paper.
Anyone could see the hand of a professional at work.
‘He hired a lawyer…!’
The Director took a subtle deep breath, then lowered the documents.
“So why are you showing me this?”
“….”
“It doesn’t look like you’re planning to sue immediately. Is there something you want?”
Park Moon-dae acknowledged it.
‘He has some brains after all.’
Well, this Director wasn’t a parachute appointment or an executive’s relative either. He was simply a superior with an inflated ego.
And precisely because of that, it was easier to talk to him.
He recalled his conversation with Bae Sae-jin the night before returning to the Dormitory.
-…You mentioned taxes during the first settlement, remember? That it’s a pre-tax amount so a lot will be deducted later.
-Yes.
-Right. That was it. Idols aren’t employees.
Park Moon-dae had known this from the moment of signing the contract, based on the legal knowledge he’d acquired through university and civil service exams.
Idols don’t enter into employment contracts with companies.
Because of this, they’re often classified as independent contractors rather than employees, and frequently fail to receive proper protections under the Labor Standards Act or the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
‘Though from that perspective, the Agency’s power is still too great.’
Since that wasn’t something he could change immediately, he let it pass.
Park Moon-dae’s thinking was this:
‘Conversely, it means the contract can be written with more flexibility, doesn’t it?’
Isn’t this becoming a contract between business entities?
So I’m making this proposal.
“Let’s add an additional clause to the basic contract. A penalty and guarantee clause.”
“A guarantee.”
“Yes, it’s nothing serious—more of a bet concept. The terms are….”
Park Moon-dae smiled.
“If Testa wins the Grand Prize at an annual awards ceremony within the next year, we will fully support the establishment of Testa’s new independent label.”
“…!!”
“The deadline is set for two years… and of course, it would be as a subsidiary. We’d use it if the contract is terminated. You’d still remain under T1.”
The paper Park Moon-dae presented anew was densely filled with detailed provisions.
-‘Annual awards ceremony’ refers to an awards ceremony hosted by a music or album platform entity that reflects sales figures from that year’s music market by 70% or more.
-…During the period when the relevant verification takes place, Party A guarantees Party B’s leading and safe activities. In this clause, ‘leading’ means….
In short, it meant: we’ll handle it ourselves, so don’t interfere and just provide proper care.
And Park Moon-dae understood.
‘This bastard has no connections in the entertainment industry.’
What he had were connections with the executives at T1 Headquarters sufficient to navigate this situation. But due to reputation issues, he wouldn’t be able to bring such matters to his superiors.
‘Then he’ll have to carry it alone.’
Actually, even if he did bring it up, it wouldn’t matter.
‘We have no intention of clashing with T1, and it’s just a repetition of the claim that we only want to distance ourselves from this agency where you serve as Director. That’s all.’
It was logic already used during the dedicated team request. Even if the deal came to light, there was no reason for Headquarters to newly antagonize Testa.
“….”
At that moment, the Director had similarly finished his calculations.
If he pushed hard or came on strong, a bomb would detonate instead.
So he interlaced his fingers and spoke more gravely.
“I understand the artist’s position… but this isn’t something I can approve, is it? I’m just operational staff… I need to speak with the executives and the CEO.”
It was a lie. In truth, the CEO position was merely given to a T1 relative to hand out business cards.
The Director was actually the right person to discuss these contract modifications.
“I’m not really familiar with such things.”
Park Moon-dae didn’t even blink.
“Just convince them for us, Director.”
“…! What….”
“No… since I don’t know much about it, if it doesn’t work out, we’ll just find it easier to sue. Our lawyer will handle it.”
Is this guy insane?
The Director was at a loss for words and stared at Park Moon-dae intently, but there wasn’t a trace of agitation on that smooth face.
So he understood too.
This bastard was truly the type who would pursue a lawsuit without blinking an eye.
And you can’t convince a madman like this.
“Soon we’ll be doing another season of Ajusa, and the people debuting there will also be under this agency, so for us with not much contract time left… a label or two is fine, right? Isn’t it?”
“….”
“If they win the Grand Prize, just set up a label for them—it doesn’t seem difficult.”
And then, as the sun set that day.
Park Moon-dae gathered all seven revised contracts, now stamped and sealed, and headed home.
‘Clean and simple.’
I knew this would happen if I didn’t give them time and pushed hard.
If I’d given them even a day or two more on something like this, they would’ve wasted effort on unnecessary complications.
‘Fast resolution is the right answer.’
Besides, the additional clause about Testa’s performance was tied to my own career anyway, so I couldn’t block them from achieving what they’re capable of.
That Director is obviously the type with a pathetic obsession with prestige.
On top of that, I added a double-violation compensation clause just in case.
Park Moon-dae shrugged.
‘I couldn’t create the legal precedent Bae Sae-jin wanted, but I hope he’s satisfied with this much.’
Either way, I wouldn’t have complete freedom of movement until next year, and if I debut, not even after that.
If I don’t debut?
‘Then the contract period won’t have much time left anyway, so it doesn’t matter.’
I shrugged.
Either way, there was nothing to lose.
“Might as well go prepare the album.”
I was ready to pour all my ample time into it.
‘This time, I’ll make it properly.’
And so began an intensely demanding album preparation bootcamp.
For reference, Testa’s planned comeback stage was the year-end awards ceremony hosted by T1.

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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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