Debut or Die - Chapter 260

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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 260
While Testa was deep in preparations for a live broadcast on the last day of the year.
“They’re starting early.”
Office Worker Fan, who was filming Park Moon-dae and Lee Sae-jin, clicked her tongue as she watched the second part of the MBS Music Awards Festival they would be appearing in drawing to a close.
It was funny that she could only rest in front of the TV despite working overtime right before the new year, but it was equally amusing that a program running past midnight had started before 9 PM.
And truthfully, she didn’t really need to watch this right now.
Testa wouldn’t appear for quite some time yet.
‘I’ve already commissioned the upload data because of the overtime work anyway.’
So, watching it now was purely out of light curiosity.
‘I’m just wondering how the Sun Ah-hyun collaboration will turn out.’
Of course, it wasn’t curiosity about their skill level.
Actually, in a group chat where several of Park Moon-dae’s fans had gathered, there had been some whispers going around.
About the cold, sharp look in Park Moon-dae’s eyes that had appeared for just a brief moment on the day he was MC at SBC.
‘It’s almost never happened.’
Park Moon-dae was remarkably composed in front of the camera.
Of course, not quite as much as Lee Sae-jin, and there had been a few times in places like the old summer package where his expression had seemed off… but that was almost his only flaw.
This time it was so brief that there wouldn’t be any controversy, but the fans somehow felt compelled to analyze the angles and even track down the Singer’s Seating Area at that exact moment.
And they confirmed it.
-Greeting the collab kids… sashimi style..
Haha, oh man.
-Seems like something happened but let’s not say anything about it, teachers
So they had already arrived at a remarkably truth-adjacent conclusion: ‘Ah-hyun must have had a rough time preparing for the collaboration stage.’
Of course, conscious of the threat of screenshots and public exposure, they hadn’t discussed it specifically and had deleted everything, but Office Worker Fan had been there too.
‘Did Sun Ah-hyun’s mental state break?’
Now that she’d speculated about the behind-the-scenes story, she wanted to check out this stage. She was curious whether it would show.
She refreshed her SNS account and watched the TV absently.
[Coming up!]
[Music Awards Festival Special Stage]
[Winter boys]
The special stage was the finale of part two.
It was a typical format: gathering junior artists to perform to songs by legendary first-generation K-pop seniors, hastily putting together a stage.
‘Still tacky.’
Considering half of those first-generation seniors had been disgraced over drunk driving, she watched the TV quite skeptically.
Regretting a bit that she’d turned it on while uninterested members performed an uninteresting song.
Soon the backing track mixed with mechanical sounds began. It was music rearranged purely for dance performance, without vocals.
-Wee Oo Wee Oo
They’d spent some money—the LED display effects like a puddle and the floor looked decent enough.
‘Of course it’ll fall apart the moment the dancing starts.’
Figuring these busy people must have practiced separately, she anticipated the group shot would obviously be a mess.
But the moment the choreography began.
-Oo-u Oo Oo-u Oo
The quality felt convincing.
“Hmm?”
And she immediately recognized the reason, drawing on years of K-pop industry experience.
‘The center is performing well.’
And the opening center was Sun Ah-hyun.
“Oh.”
From the opening moment, the quality of movement—acrobatic in nature, utilizing long limbs—was distinctly different.
The camera was capturing poorly, yet Sun Ah-hyun’s movements created an optical illusion as if being captured flawlessly.
Sharp synchronized choreography wasn’t necessary. With the central performer executing so overwhelmingly well, everything appeared perfectly aligned.
Wait, hold on.
“Cancel that.”
However, four seconds later, she caught sight of the chaos in the corners—members rising late from the floor or nearly stumbling—and clicked her tongue.
‘It’s a mess.’
Year-end collaborations with busy people assembled for one-off stages often turned out like this, but somehow this felt even sloppier.
The contrast was stark when compared to Sun Ah-hyun’s performance at center.
“Is Sun Ah-hyun the only one who’s competent?”
Was this a difference in ability? The office worker fan watched the screen with intrigue.
It seemed the choreographer’s choice of something closer to contemporary dance rather than typical broadcast choreography benefited only Sun Ah-hyun.
Apparently she was a major in ballet or contemporary dance, and it showed she’d trained longer and more rigorously than the industry average.
Just then, a close-up of Sun Ah-hyun caught by the camera filled the screen.
Above the movement of pressing one hand to the floor, her beautiful face shone with an unexpectedly intense gaze.
She’d known her face was pretty, but this was unexpected.
‘I thought she’d be too reserved to show her full abilities.’
She revised her judgment.
She’d assumed Lee Sae-jin and Park Moon-dae were in the same group, so Sun Ah-hyun was included as filler, but it seemed she had considerable presence.
She kept her eyes on the television, watching Sun Ah-hyun’s dance performance through to its conclusion.
And if this reaction were taken to a more extreme degree, it would become the viewers’ reaction.

* * *
“Ah-hyun was incredible!”
“He really was amazing.”
“Th-thank you. Thank you so much…!”
Sun Ah-hyun returned to the Waiting Room with flushed cheeks.
“Since there’s no camera here, I’ll say it—Ah-hyun really performed the best out of all of us~”
“That’s right! You did the best, hyung! The others didn’t do well….”
“Hey, that’s a bit much.”
Cha Yu-jin’s unfiltered comment was quickly shut down. Sun Ah-hyun looked like he might break into a cold sweat.
In truth, the others had performed decently during practice. Regardless of how their personalities clashed, they were seasoned professionals with experience.
The problem emerged during the live broadcast.
“Th-that was b-because the floor was a bit slippery….”
Due to a timing miscalculation in the live broadcast, water sprayed as an effect during the previous stage hadn’t dried properly.
But since only Sun Ah-hyun moved normally, it would become an excuse of the losers.
“But hyung didn’t slip!”
“I-I had practiced on a slippery surface before…!”
“Ah, so your past experience accumulated to perfect your current skills! I truly respect that!”
“Th-that… um, thank you….”
That’s how it went.
‘Unfortunate.’
Originally, he would have taken some criticism, but once the facts emerged, it would have ended with public backlash against the Broadcasting Station’s poor working conditions.
Now it looked like only Sun Ah-hyun’s rating would rise, and that would be the end of it.
-Sun Ah-hyun isn’t just a popular first-tier member for nothing, what a legend
-Honestly the top-tier male idol main dancer
-Modern dance, ballet, audition background? Honestly that’s an unbeatable combination lolol
Checking the immediate public sentiment, the trend was flowing as expected.
‘Good.’
Satisfying, and everything was perfect. Everything was rolling smoothly.
Except for the fact that this Waiting Room wasn’t isolated.
“We watched you do great too, Ah-hyun!”
“Y-yes! Th-thank you….”
“We did something similar before… oh, Shin O, didn’t you cover a senior’s stage here during a battle back then?”
“Not me—it was Chung-ryeo hyung. He’s our main dancer.”
“Oh right, that’s how it was! Anyway, we did something similar and it brings back memories, you know?”
“….”
VTIC was sharing this Waiting Room.
And they were deliberately attempting to participate in Testa’s conversation.
‘How did it come to this.’
I roughly understood why they were sharing the room.
Since VTIC was essentially the top of the industry right now, it seemed the Production Team deliberately made them share with seniors to create awkwardness.
That said, pairing them with a group too far below their level would leave a sour taste, so it seems Testa—who appeared to have a good rapport with us—was ultimately selected as roommates.
Since they’d managed to gather people capable of attending the New Year’s program in America, they naturally had to be considerate about it.
‘Damn it.’
I understood that much, but these bastards had been active for nine years without developing any social awareness, constantly trying to insert themselves into the kids’ conversations.
‘Stop it.’
Yet they kept dragging another person into the conversation regardless.
“Do you remember, hyung? The year-end special stage!”
“Yeah.”
Chung-ryeo, who was getting his hair styled by the stylist, lifted the corners of his mouth.
“We did plenty of them.”
“….”
I had to ring in the new year with this bastard. I would’ve preferred being exiled to an outdoor stage.
“Guys, Sae-jin’s coming on.”
“Ohhh!!”
Then Ryu Chung-woo, who was sitting on the sofa, called the others over.
On the smartphone screen Ryu Chung-woo was watching, the Acting Awards happening in the neighboring broadcast was playing.
[Hello. I’m Ah-hyun Ahn.]
[Hello. I’m Bae Sae-jin from Testa.]
Bae Sae-jin entered alongside the sole member from Malang Dalcom who had successfully become an actor.
He looked somewhat nervous, but dressed so neatly, he certainly looked like an actor.
“Ooh, formal wear.”
“He must’ve had a hard time getting ready with barely any time.”
“Hyung looks so handsome!”
Even as whispers about how we should wear suits in the next album emerged, Bae Sae-jin on screen continued the proceedings calmly.
[Those of us with idol experience are standing on the presenter’s stage together. I imagine this must feel quite fresh, appearing at the Acting Awards like this. Sae-jin!]
[Yes. Since it’s been a while, I feel I need to do even better. Thank you so much for having me.]
“Wow, hyung really does it so well…!”
“Right?”
Bae Sae-jin had good pronunciation and didn’t tremble at all.
[I started acting in dramas after my idol activities, but you went the opposite route, didn’t you? How are you finding idol activities?]
[Yes. I’m currently active as a member of the group Testa. …It’s incredibly enjoyable and fulfilling. I’ve also met many wonderful people.]
“Oh….”
“Us, could he be talking about us?”
“…Probably.”
Bae Sae-jin on the small screen smiled faintly. And among those watching the screen, a bashful warmth spread.
“Wow, that sounds so genuine.”
“Testa’s amazing~”
No, you guys go back to your seats.
I silently gave Big Sae-jin, whose expression had turned peculiar, a light nudge. He shrugged his shoulders with an embarrassed face.
‘Maybe time really is the answer.’
They’ve come to respect each other in their own way. Though judging by how these guys live together lately, their roommate dynamic seems absolutely terrible.
[Though our fields differ, we’ll strive to present ourselves honorably regardless. Now, allow me to announce the category we’ll be presenting today.]
Bae Sae-jin wrapped up the remaining presentations smoothly, and concluded with a polished closing remark about meeting again if the opportunity arose.
And not long after, when Bae Sae-jin finally arrived, breaking through the congested expressway.
“…I’m here.”
“Ooh!”
“You were amazing out there, hyung!”
“That was brilliant.”
“Ah, well, thanks. …But the script was originally pretty short!”
“No, you were amazing! Thank you for talking about us!”
“…! Oh, no.”
“We weren’t?”
“No… that part’s right!”
An overwhelming barrage of welcoming greetings rained down. Bae Sae-jin’s face flushed red.
But that atmosphere didn’t last long.
“Hello~ Your presentation was so cool!”
“…Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Bae Sae-jin greeted VTIC with a polite nod, but cast a suspicious glance and quietly retreated toward the Testa section of the waiting room.
He hadn’t forgotten about my brawl with Chung-ryeo, apparently.
“Hyung. Change your clothes first.”
“…Right!”
I spent the time with him in a corner of the waiting room.
And before Testa even took the stage.
“Yes, everyone! Are you enjoying the Music Awards Festival—the year’s final and most spectacular celebration?”
“The new year is almost here.”
We were called up onto the massive main stage to welcome the new year.
On the way out, I got a kick out of deliberately greeting the poor guys who’d been knocked out by Sun Ah-hyun, though some of them seemed to have different problems.
“It’s cold.”
“Quiet, Cha Yu-jin! So many people are watching to welcome the new year—we need to start joyfully!”
“You’re not smiling either!”
“I’m about to smile now!”
“Stop it.”
I grabbed the two of them before they could fight and linked their arms together.
Surrounded by all manner of idols and singers on stage, we positioned ourselves in front of an area that seemed to have a decent number of familiar light sticks.
‘At least the fancams should turn out well.’
The Production Team had designated a specific spot, but once the crowd swelled, the boundaries blurred anyway.
“Wow, a whole year’s already gone~”
“Uh, yeah! It… it went by so fast….”
The guys around us exchanged quiet words so the microphones wouldn’t pick them up. The countdown was beginning to kick in.
“3!”
“2!”
“1!”
Confetti burst into the air as the lighting and sound surged to a crescendo.
“Happy New Year!!”
Pop.
Wedged between people clapping and cheering, I welcomed the new year in yet another unfamiliar way.
“Testa’s going to show us something amazing this year too~”
“I hope this becomes a year where we stay healthy without any incidents and release wonderful music!”
Shoulders linked and encouragement exchanged roughly. As I waved back at the light sticks swaying just as vigorously, they began shaking like mad.
‘Seriously, aren’t their arms sore?’
Well, if they’re happy, that’s what matters.
Then arms came cascading over my shoulders.
“Moon-dae, you worked hard! From now on, let’s work less hard and just do our best~”
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it…!”
“…Right. Have a prosperous new year.”
I exchanged high-fives and well-wishes with my members.
Something felt strange.
‘Still, we made it to the new year.’
There was a considerable risk of falling apart midway, but somehow we managed to get through and here I am, greeting the new year as an idol.
Last year at this time, I thought this might be the end.
“…Hmm.”
It felt rather pleasant.
“Wishing you a prosperous new year!”
The stage for the new year’s first performance was cold, loud, vibrant, and bright.

* * *
After the glittering New Year’s countdown on the main stage, the next performance area was being rapidly prepared.
And Testa was scheduled to wait just below.
Since our stage came right after theirs.
The problem was that I ran into him again when I split off to use the bathroom after coming down from the stage, with barely any standby time left.
“We’ll see each other again soon this year too. There are award ceremonies lined up throughout January.”
“Probably.”
It was Chung-ryeo.
If this bastard was going to spout such obvious nonsense, he shouldn’t be bothering someone with almost no standby time left….
“Since you released a new song on January 5th, you performed the new track at the awards ceremony too, right? Hmm, that’s quite a bold choice.”
“….”
I stopped in my tracks.
‘A bold choice?’
That intonation implied Testa would be at a disadvantage with the new song.
“Oh, you really don’t know.”
“….”
“You don’t know. You don’t have information sources. Right? That’s going to be your biggest problem going forward, junior.”
Chung-ryeo’s eyes gleamed faintly. And he spoke in the tone of someone offering advice to a junior.
“You lack connections.”
“….”
“Well… consider it a New Year’s gift. Listen up.”
Chung-ryeo laughed.
“Do you know Young-rin is preparing for a comeback?”
“…I’ve heard something about it.”
I recalled something I’d heard in passing from Young-rin while preparing for the MC gig last time.
I’d thought that since she had the best digital music performance among all idols and solo artists currently active, she’d do well no matter when she came back.
‘…Wait.’
Could it be….
Chung-ryeo wore a bitter smile.
“You didn’t know the timing. It’s a surprise New Year’s release.”
“…!!”
“January 4th. So… just one day before your group.”
Oh, shit.

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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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