Debut or Die - Chapter 267

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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 267
As winter drew to a close, Testa launched their scheduled Dome tour in Japan following their American dates.
And as always with performances in Japan, the supply of fancams dried up. Fortunately, fans starved for content welcomed the documentary that arrived at just the right moment.
Filling the gap while raising our profile.
Everything had gone according to plan so far.
The fans were quite excited.
-About time they made a documentary on Testa
-Might be boring but trust the legendary comedy idols of Testa lol
-Saw the preview, looks like it focuses on emotional impact and cinematography. Haven’t seen content like this before, curious (chin-resting emoji)
That is, until the first episode finished airing.
Right after the initial episodes of Testa’s documentary dropped, the reaction shifted like this.
-Oh damn
I’m crying so hard.
-You guys…
Since the platform released multiple episodes simultaneously, fans watched all three at once and grasped the full narrative arc.
I saw the finished edit for the first time then too… well, I can describe it like this.
[Staff: Maybe you should sit down….]
[Park Moon-dae: …(cough), No. I’m fine.]
[Ryu Chung-woo: I want to do my best while I can… (edited), Yes, we all feel that way. No one will give up.]
The documentary consistently focused on how serious Testa was throughout the concert and their activities, and how they wanted to complete the stage even in the face of pain.
-I already knew it, but you can really feel how much these guys love what they do. My heart feels heavy
-The guys really went through so much…
-The more you watch, the more love builds for Testa and hatred for T1..
But it was excessive. Enough to shake and depress the fans.
‘…I had a sense of it from the questions themselves.’
Still, I thought they’d show restraint after dealing with the contract violation regarding the Cha Yu-jin incident, but instead his ‘that kind of’ footage disappeared and they pulled this vibe even more from the other members’ segments.
Especially from me.
[Dance Trainer: Moon-dae’s stamina isn’t what it used to be. It can’t be helped.]
[Manager: (After the accident) We’re being more careful to ensure the artist gets sufficient rest during travel intervals.]
When did they even film that interview.
My dedicated team staff appear too, and the editing was so masterfully done that it made it look like I was performing through injury.
‘Did I answer the interview too honestly.’
My responses were measured, but combined with the surrounding interviews and editing, it made me look like I was ‘pretending to be calm.’
As a result, when you looked deeper, you could see fans becoming more directly uncomfortable.
-What’s the editing trying to do, use this for promotion? Why is the official side doing this lol seriously no sense
-Shoving PTSD back in right after escaping it
-Watching it honestly made me uncomfortable. Did Moon-dae really want to show that? A guy who grits his teeth like that wouldn’t want to show his own pain and struggles. Just feels complicated
But it wasn’t a massive backlash. At most, it was just the atmosphere from when I ranked first on Ajusa as the ‘unfortunate family circumstances’ guy intensifying and returning.
‘…Can I just sum it up as opinions being divided.’
Which meant the general public reaction was good.
This melodramatic emotional tone gave the documentary a compelling overarching narrative and emotional arc, ensuring it never felt tedious.
========================
[Testa Documentary: Park Moon-dae’s Aftereffects.jpg]
(Photo) According to member interviews, the physical exhaustion seems more severe than expected
(Photo) Scene of Sun Ah-hyun supporting Park Moon-dae as he descends from the stage
========================
-He was flying around on stage, but I was surprised to see him fall down. (

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62)
-He took the GED exam because he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of fans, which is truly genuine as an idol (

7241

417)
-The documentary was worth watching. It gave me a lot to think about. Highly recommend (

3173
42)
As a result, the image of “Park Moon-dae, excessively sincere about being an idol” was further solidified.
It climbed the rankings of “popular content in South Korea,” so the Production Team’s creative intent could be called a success, but I’ll just say it was quite embarrassing.
“Oh~ you’re so genuine, Moon-dae~”
“Stop it.”
Big Sae-jin chuckled and tapped my shoulder before settling onto the sofa.
A smartphone was in his hand as well. He seemed to be monitoring primarily InHeart and YouTube.
Big Sae-jin shrugged.
“Everyone’s just giving praise. And how long will people talk about our eight-part documentary anyway? Don’t worry about your image~”
“…You’re right.”
He had a point. Just as the “Park Moon-dae who endured an unfortunate family situation” image from the Ajusa days had faded through my activities after debut, this too would eventually disappear with time.
It wasn’t like I’d appeared on some major national variety show—it was just an OTT-exclusive documentary.
‘It’ll definitely fade by the next comeback at the latest.’
The fact that he was reacting so casually itself was a sign that it wasn’t a big deal.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae, help me pick out some funny photos of us. Should I post one?”
“Sure.”
I played along with a joke to lighten the mood and decided to take solace in the fact that the documentary had turned out reasonably well.
‘At least it didn’t flop.’
But that was premature judgment.
Some controversies don’t naturally fade with time. They don’t wither away.
…Which is precisely why I’d been so careful about it.

* * *
The incident erupted two weeks later, right when the documentary was in full broadcast.
Most of the general public had moved on, but plenty of people at least knew that ‘Testa’s documentary had been released’.
It was the timing when the remaining documentary production crew had wrapped up their additional filming and departed.
I was grabbed by the neck at the rented studio.
“Park Moon-dae!! Did you see this??”
“What’s wrong….”
I observed Bae Sae-jin’s visibly exhausted state and turned my gaze away.
A smartphone.
A trending post on the bulletin board.
Rank 1: [Cameraman Cha Yu-jin Assaults Someone (692)]
Why is this… here.
“….”
I clicked on the post immediately.
A short video without sound was attached to the article. And the short word ‘inseongㅠ’ was the entire content.
Yet the response was fiercer than ever.
For good reason.
A close-up frontal shot showed Cha Yu-jin with a frown, roughly striking the screen with his hand.
-????
-What is this where did it come from??
-Could be someone else
└The outfit’s identical though lolol (screenshot)
-Gasp
The comments had already matched Cha Yu-jin’s appearance from the documentary with this footage, determining it was from the concert backstage.
After that initial assessment, the discourse became one-sided.
-His mouth shape says ‘stop it’ wow his character is really lolololol
-It looks like the camera was shoved in his face and he walked over and hit the camera telling them to stop
-So this is how quickly people change once they gain seniority wow…
└Stop grabbing senior idols by the hair, Cha’s coldness is a character issue but you’re muddying the waters
└Cha coldness lololololol
-I’m so shocked I can’t even speak, I never imagined Cha Yu-jin would do something like this
-Thought he was an insider but he turned out to be a petty squad leader
In an instant, the slurs, mockery, and condemnation were complete.
Because his hand striking the camera was captured so cleanly on film, people judged there was no room for debate on this matter.
The backlash was even greater because Cha Yu-jin’s existing image had been so bright and charismatic.
“What about the company.”
“…They probably know. I overheard the staff talking about it.”
“Wait.”
I immediately went out and began examining the latest posts. I needed to assess the atmosphere and adjust our statement accordingly.
And now the narrative was….
[An idol acting violently while a fellow member pours their heart into the stage.jpg]
[Now I understand why Cha Yu-jin never looked serious in the documentary lolololol]
[Aren’t you ashamed in front of Park Moon-dae]
Damn it, they started comparing me to him.
That wasn’t all.
[Ryu Chung-woo too, seems like they only gathered people who throw hands first lol]
[Did the leader rub off on you?lolol]
They began linking me with Ryu Chung-woo. There had been similar controversies involving him.
However, Ryu Chung-woo’s justification was clear—he was protecting safety—and other camera angles had vindicated him.
So Ryu Chung-woo’s individual fans grew fed up and took action.
[Can we please leave Ryu Chung-woo alone, this happens every time]
[Cha Yu-jin = hits, Ryu Chung-woo = blocks]
[How much longer do we have to suffer because of him?]
They cut ties with Cha Yu-jin’s fanbase.
And this was… because of the incidents and image that Cha Yu-jin’s fanbase had accumulated.
The impact was significant because in the early days, the voices of individual fans who exclusively supported ‘Cha Yu-jin’ had been particularly loud.
Even if that’s no longer the case, even if the majority of the fanbase consists of entirely different individuals, the image persists.
The evidence was so clear that even sympathetic people fell silent, leaving only the voices of those with grievances.
-Yeah, Cha Yu-jin should leave and go solo… I’m exhausted
-We don’t acknowledge problem members
What began with Ajusa, progressed through debut and various conflicts, and the accumulated problems finally erupted at the worst possible moment.
Because my image had been so favorable through the documentary, it made everything… easier.
The atmosphere among individual fans was already shattered.
Of course, the group fanbase atmosphere wasn’t much better either.
“….”
“…Are you okay?”
“I’m fine….”
I trailed off. Because I wasn’t fine.
I felt like absolute shit.
“Let’s start with a meeting.”
The company was naturally in chaos.
And they seemed to be making every effort to contact the documentary production crew and figure out exactly what had happened.
So the conclusion was….
“…So apparently, someone from the documentary production crew had a computer malfunction and took it in for repairs, and it leaked from there.”
“Yes. Since the owner seems to be affiliated with the Broadcasting Station, they apparently recovered even the deleted data.”
The employee offered this explanation with an expression that said ‘I’m not sure if I should be telling you this,’ unable to resist the members’ persuasion.
“I’ve heard that personal information can leak this way, but honestly, since it’s a crime, it’s difficult to hold anyone accountable for negligent management….”
Right, I understood from that point on.
A criminal trying to dig up anything related to celebrities had caught a big fish, but it seemed Cha Yu-jin’s video wasn’t in their area of interest.
So to draw attention and show off, they upload posts and videos to one of those low-quality Deep Web sites.
Then someone among that site’s users finds the video interesting and leaks it again to a mainstream website.
And just like that, it spreads across SNS and the Online Community.
“….”
But what good does understanding the mechanism do when there’s no solution in sight?
This wasn’t a situation where a normal explanation would work.
‘The Documentary Production Crew made unreasonable demands, so it happened?’
That won’t fly. They’d just counter with ‘So you quit the moment you’re unhappy.’
‘It wasn’t hitting, just pressing down, and we were protecting the member from disrespectful requests during documentary filming….’
Who would believe that? There’s no evidence.
We already destroyed all the data.
It’s just an excuse.
And if they frame it as ‘major label idol bullying a small studio production crew’… there’s truly no way out.
No matter what official statement we release, they’ll find something to criticize.
Cha Yu-jin, who had been nodding quietly, raised his hand beside me.
“Should I apologize?”
“Wait, wait. Eugene!”
“Let’s see how this plays out.”
The members immediately started talking him down.
I found myself speaking without thinking.
“If you apologize, you’re admitting fault. Don’t do it for now.”
I don’t even know if that’s the right thing to say. Would it be better to just apologize? But what did he even do wrong that he needs to apologize for?
I couldn’t see any other answer either.
Cha Yu-jin’s video is too powerful. To reverse this, we’d need a truth stronger than that.
And naturally, the original truth isn’t that impressive. It needs to be processed.
‘Spin….’
It won’t work. It won’t take.
Whether the company downplays it as nothing serious, apologizes, or explains the situation in meticulous detail, it won’t work. It sounds boring and like an excuse.
We need evidence that’s shocking, intuitive, and instantly comprehensible….
But we don’t have it.
“For now, let’s wait and see if the situation calms down a bit.”
“Yes. Everyone, please don’t worry too much, and we have the concert next week, so please take care of your condition….”
The meeting ended like that, trailing off. But the company would probably spend the night monitoring and holding endless meetings.
I also spent most of the night glued to my smartphone, monitoring for the first time in a while.
-Closing my account. I can’t do this anymore.
-There’s never a peaceful day.. I thought I was supporting them, but this is exhausting. I need to cherish myself more. I won’t be coming back. Thanks for everything so far.
-I never thought Testa would get hit like this…
Sleep wouldn’t come.
And the next day. Whether the others had done something similar, they all looked rough.
All except one.
“Don’t go browsing the Internet for no reason.”
It was Cha Yu-jin speaking. Surprisingly, he looked the least shaken of all of us.
“Yes!”
Cha Yu-jin nodded. Then he added something more.
[Hyung, please don’t worry about me so much. The truth always comes out in the end anyway.]
Blood rushed to my head.
How could this bastard be so calm? Did he have any idea what kind of abuse he was taking?
“That’s exactly why! It won’t work….”
I clenched my teeth.
…Was I losing my mind?
I’d almost let slip words that would only dampen morale without accomplishing anything.
And it wasn’t even my problem—it was someone else’s.
‘…No, we’re all in the same boat.’
I’d already seen group fans abandoning us last night.
But… I knew this too. Eventually, this would become a burden that Cha Yu-jin would have to bear almost entirely alone.
Once this scandal passed, the group would recover, but for Cha Yu-jin, it would remain an indelible label—something that would resurface whenever someone brought up the incident.
Yet Cha Yu-jin remained remarkably composed.
“Hyung, I’m really fine. I don’t mind that sort of thing. It’s not like I can’t perform.”
“….”
[Are you planning to say that even though I’m fine, the other team members aren’t?]
“…That’s…”
[Please stop worrying about me!]
Cha Yu-jin laughed, but by the end, his expression deflated and he hung his head low.
“[And I’m sorry. It’s true that I caused harm to the team. I really wanted to say that.] I apologize….”
“There’s no need.”
I answered calmly.
“I agreed that those guys were in the wrong. That settles it.”
“Uh… That’s sweet. Thank you!”
Perhaps he hadn’t escaped emotional strain after all—Cha Yu-jin seemed genuinely moved. I suppressed a sigh.
‘He’s going to suffer emotionally for a long time to come.’
Yet there was still no clear answer.
Sometimes misunderstandings arise that can’t be resolved. I had to accept that.
I sat on the sofa, turning my back to Cha Yu-jin as he entered his room.
“….”
It wasn’t his fault. And since we’d taken every measure we could, it wasn’t anyone’s fault.
Right.
‘It’s just… the situation unfolded in the worst possible way.’
…Was it really?
I rose from the sofa. Something felt off.
It felt artificial somehow.
‘Is that really the answer?’
Was it just bad luck that Cha Yu-jin’s video happened to leak from that computer?
…Let me go back to the basics.
‘Why was that video even still on that computer in the first place?’
When we took action, didn’t we destroy all of Cha Yu-jin’s footage?
Even if they recovered it at a repair shop, how did they manage to preserve only the most damning part so cleanly?
Out of all that lengthy footage?
“…Ah.”
That’s when I finally understood the situation.
“They cut it.”
These bastards had deliberately edited out just a portion of Cha Yu-jin’s footage and kept it on a personal computer—in case they needed leverage for negotiations or something later.
If the full context came out, it would only hurt them, so they cut it down to just the part where Cha Yu-jin took action.
‘Fucking bastards.’
Even if the leak wasn’t intentional, these assholes were still the root cause.
‘These documentary-making bastards, full of schemes instead of any sense of responsibility.’
“Ha.”
My head suddenly started spinning.
I quickly pulled up information about their studio and personnel list.
If Cha Yu-jin’s image couldn’t be completely restored, then I’d make sure something of theirs couldn’t be restored either.
‘Leverage.’
I needed information.
I first reviewed all the image files of the documentary contract I’d received and photographed.
The director, the producer in charge, the writer….
And the contact’s email address.
-Moon Seok-chun
/ [email protected]
It’s a company email, but that doesn’t matter. What’s important is the ID before the email address.
‘People don’t change their IDs often.’
I checked the studio’s website history, then narrowed my search to before its founding.
Then I combined the ID with common search engine addresses, mixed it with names in various combinations, and searched….
A few old articles from years ago popped up. They were about some program launch.
And at the bottom of the article, there was the address and name of the studio’s production crew members who were “newly joining.”
It matched.
‘Of course.’
There would definitely be articles that included details like this.
“Found it.”
-Studio Ioujay’s producer Moon Seok-chun ([email protected])….
And what was the title of this article?
[Idol Corporation Season 2 Production Confirmed]
That’s right.
These bastards were the production crew from Idol Corporation 2, which had planned a co-ed group and crashed spectacularly.
After botching the program and leaving the Entertainment Division, they’d been transferred to the Educational Broadcasting Department’s studio.
“How amusing.”
I smiled, my teeth showing.

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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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