Debut or Die - Chapter 275

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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 275
In the Broadcasting Station Corridor, I ran into an Ajusa participant even though we weren’t appearing on the same program?
It was predictable.
‘Intentional.’
The production staff had deliberately guided them in our direction to capture footage for broadcast.
Idol Corporation would absolutely do something like this. They could patch over Testa’s absence with tricks like this.
And if I firmly refused to be filmed during greetings here, it would look ridiculous.
They were just filming their own Music Bomb appearance footage, so asking us to be pixelated when we happened to cross paths didn’t seem unreasonable.
But the real problem this situation presented was this.
‘The cameras.’
Cameras were positioned everywhere.
Sun Ah-hyun had ended up meeting Chae Seo-dam with broadcast transmission as a condition.
‘Damn it.’
I signaled the others with my eyes. The more socially adept ones naturally stepped forward to greet them first.
“Oh~ Hello!”
“We’re rooting for you. Fighting!”
That should be enough.
With seven members, Sun Ah-hyun could get away with just nodding.
I bowed respectfully to the participants while being conscious of the two or three cameras turning toward us.
I was planning to end it here.
But it seemed they had other ideas.
“I’m seriously such a huge fan of Testa!”
“Oh man… wow.”
“Senior, I’m really sorry, but could I get your autograph…?”
Thanks to Testa’s reputation, about half of the participants gradually approached.
It didn’t seem like the production team had given them any special instructions—they just seemed genuinely excited to see a successful idol.
And the cameras advanced along with them.
“….”
This was going to drag on. Not good.
I checked Sun Ah-hyun’s expression.
Fortunately, no agitation showed. His smile was small as usual, though it looked a bit stiff, but not noticeably so.
It was probably thanks to no particularly unexpected incidents occurring.
Chae Seo-dam on the other side wasn’t adding any unnecessary words either, staying quiet in the back, moving along with the flow.
‘…He’s thinking strategically, as expected.’
It seemed he understood that deliberately acting familiar with Sun Ah-hyun here to flaunt a connection would bring no benefit and only increase risk.
‘He didn’t say a single word about Sun Ah-hyun even during his Ajusa appearance.’
He probably figured this was the extent of not provoking Sun Ah-hyun, and since it was a loss for him anyway, he’d keep his mouth shut.
But that was only his own judgment.
The production team would be different.
“Come to think of it, aren’t you two from the same school?”
Given the situation, I knew the Broadcasting Station types wouldn’t let go of this opportunity.
The connections of famous idols always made for substantial footage.
“Ah.”
Chae Seo-dam, true to form as someone whose mind worked quickly, preempted the moment with a measured and appropriate response.
“Yes. We exchange greetings occasionally…. It’s been a while, senior!”
The latter half carried the tone of someone speaking to an acquaintance they weren’t particularly close with.
‘This bastard’s really something else.’
He must have anticipated that if Sun Ah-hyun hardened his expression here, it would play into the narrative of ‘success changed him’?
So now that it had come to this, it seemed he was trying to leave behind footage of smiling and greeting Sun Ah-hyun, proving they were ‘acquaintances of sorts’.
Unfortunately, the industry didn’t work that fairly.
I watched him intently.
‘If it comes down to it, I could even make a deal with the production crew to delete the footage.’
Testa wasn’t an Ajusa participant but an idol already contracted with the company. Under T1’s umbrella, no less.
If worst came to worst, I could even openly block this footage from being broadcast, and it would be manageable enough.
-Excuse me. I’d appreciate it if you’d return the items this person stole. There are quite a few of them.
Something like that. There might be some rumors, but one incident was nothing.
It was better this way than letting this bastard profit while Sun Ah-hyun fell apart and suffered a mental breakdown.
‘Should I throw it out there?’
I was in the midst of deliberation.
“…Yes. Hello.”
“…!”
Sun Ah-hyun responded calmly.
A flash of triumph crossed Chae Seo-dam’s face.
And the production crew quickly seized the moment, securing new broadcast material.
“Would it be alright to ask for a word of encouragement?”
“Ah, …that is.”
Sun Ah-hyun seemed to take a shallow breath. Chae Seo-dam waited with a faint smile, savoring the moment.
“That….”
“Wait.”
I caught the soft whisper of Ryu Chung-woo restraining Bae Sae-jin from behind as he was about to explode.
And Sun Ah-hyun, undisturbed, spoke slowly while looking at Chae Seo-dam.
“Whatever you do, I hope you’ll trust yourself a bit more…. That’s what I wish for you.”
Sun Ah-hyun smiled faintly.
“Having come this far…, I’ve come to think that’s what matters most. Instead of worrying about others, focusing on and trusting yourself…. That’s it.”
“….”
Disturbance flickered across Chae Seo-dam’s face.
Sun Ah-hyun stepped forward. And met Chae Seo-dam’s gaze directly.
“We weren’t…that close. But I hope you’ll face the time remaining ahead with a good heart.”
“….”
“I’ll pray for that.”
It was a blessing.
Though depending on how you interpreted it, it could sound quite loaded with meaning.
And to the person it was directed at, it would have sounded different altogether.
Something like this, I’d say.
-Instead of scheming against others out of inferiority, focus on yourself and try to live a decent life.
‘He stiffened.’
I watched bewilderment and tension flicker across his eyes. It was quite amusing.
Sun Ah-hyun glanced around and called out as if slightly embarrassed.
“Um, everyone else too. Fighting…!”
“Yes! Fighting!”
Watching the other contestants echo his words, Sun Ah-hyun raised his hand slightly to make a fighting gesture.
He looked at ease.
Chae Seo-dam seemed to barely manage a laugh, but didn’t look particularly comfortable.
Still, she reluctantly extended her hand.
“…Thank you for the kind words.”
“Sure.”
Sun Ah-hyun received the handshake. And shook it naturally.
“Oh, should we leave a message too? Meeting like this is fate~”
“We’re so grateful!”
Big Sae-jin quickly seized the opening and shifted the flow.
And with enthusiastic support from the contestants and production crew, a brief cheering segment was filmed.
Taking that opportunity, Sun Ah-hyun stepped back.
“You okay?”
“…Yeah.”
Sun Ah-hyun answered quietly and calmly. His voice sounded somehow relieved.
“Our Manager said we really need to move now.”
“Yes, thank you so much.”
“Oh, come on. Then we’ll see you on stage next~”
The other members each filmed brief words of encouragement for the contestants before resuming their movement.
And the moment we parted ways in the corridor, I saw Chae Seo-dam turn her head.
“…!”
Whether she was trying to glare or not, our eyes met and she flinched.
‘The shock was bigger than expected.’
Being first place this season, she must have thought she was in a weight class worth competing against.
That’s how it always is when you first participate in a program like this.
‘Maybe she developed some superiority complex because her performance on the program was better than Sun Ah-hyun’s.’
So she thought Sun Ah-hyun would back down again and grovel, but instead she got threatened. She must be losing her mind.
I looked at her and smiled.
And shaped the words with my mouth.
‘Lucky bastard.’
“…!”
I didn’t need to make an enemy, but watching that bastard’s behavior showed he was more emotional than expected—he wouldn’t last long.
It’s nice not having to worry.
I rubbed the back of my neck and turned my head. I was curious how long that punk could hold it together in front of the camera.
Testa soon finished walking down the Corridor and arrived at the Waiting Room.
“I’ll quickly check on lunch and be right back.”
“Understood, Manager~”
Click.
The door closed like that, and with only the members remaining.
“Phew…!”
As if the tension had lifted, Sun Ah-hyun exhaled and collapsed onto the sofa.
Then a wave of positive reactions poured out.
“Hey Ah-hyun~”
“WOW!!”
“You handled that calmly and well.”
Sun Ah-hyun seemed flustered, but his face showed he was secretly proud.
Even Bae Sae-jin spoke with an excited expression.
“…You really told that guy off.”
“Huh? That, I wasn’t trying to say anything like that… Did, did it sound that way?”
Sun Ah-hyun’s face turned bright red as if it might burst, and he lowered his head. Bae Sae-jin looked slightly taken aback.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes…! It was just, my honest thoughts… But I, I didn’t even know I could say something like that directly….”
Sun Ah-hyun let out a small sigh, the tension finally leaving his face.
“…It’s strange. I thought I’d be, be scared.”
I asked.
“How was it?”
“It was, better than expected… It was fine. Yeah.”
Sun Ah-hyun clasped his own hands together and murmured softly.
“Meeting him in person, I realized it really wasn’t anything at all… That thought definitely came through.”
“….”
Contrary to my concerns, this meeting seemed to be a kind of awakening for Sun Ah-hyun.
He directly experienced that it was no longer difficult.
“I… was fine.”
Sun Ah-hyun finished speaking as if he was certain.
“…Okay.”
“Then that’s all we need~!”
Big Sae-jin patted his shoulder. The other members also surrounded Sun Ah-hyun with pleased expressions.
Then Ryu Chung-woo spoke together with Miso.
“Come to think of it, Ah-hyun just now spoke comfortably and barely stuttered at all, right?”
“…!”
“Exactly!”
Did getting over the trauma help?
Sun Ah-hyun’s expression brightened.
“R-really? I, I think that’s h-how it was… oh no.”
The moment I thought that, he became self-conscious and stumbled over his words again.
The other members, who had been watching him, suddenly cried out in alarm.
“No, what does it matter, Ah-hyun? You can stumble even when speaking casually!”
“We’re among ourselves—just be comfortable.”
“A most accurate statement. Cha Yu-jin speaks well despite carelessly selecting his vocabulary.”
“I speak really well!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Though the point got a bit muddled in the middle, the intention came across well enough—Sun Ah-hyun hung his head low.
“…Yes.”
His voice sounded slightly thick with emotion. But immediately after, he lifted his head and spoke with determination.
“Still… I’ll p-practice more! So that I c-can speak better even when I’m c-comfortable, I will!”
“Yeah. I’ll cheer you on for that.”
The Waiting Room’s atmosphere became so warm it was almost unbearable.
‘That’s good.’
I patted Sun Ah-hyun’s back. He was certainly a commendable guy.
“Th-thank you, thank you…!”
Sun Ah-hyun smiled with a much more relaxed expression.

* * *
What was amusing was that Sun Ah-hyun genuinely began speaking more fluently without stammering in official settings afterward.
It seemed that resolving the pressure and tension had helped.
“S-sir said I’d improve step by step, and it feels like I’ve climbed one rung up…!”
“Yes, congratulations.”
And this week’s Ajusa watched the broadcast together with an actively engaged Sun Ah-hyun. It happened to be the ranking announcement show.
[First place is… Chae Seo-dam!]
“Wow.”
Surprised? I’d expected as much.
I watched the screen with an indifferent expression.
Given that last episode had featured scenes of “Chae Seo-dam suffering because of her teammates,” her momentum would only have increased, not decreased.
[Chae Seo-dam : Really… thank you so much. I’ll work even harder…!]
But the atmosphere in the living room wasn’t that bad.
“Want some snacks, Moon-dae?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you, Ah-hyun~”
Sun Ah-hyun’s face was clear as he distributed dried apple chips to the members.
It seemed like even if Chae Seo-dam ended up ranking first and succeeding as an idol, he wouldn’t be particularly bothered.
‘Well, it’s fine.’
I shrugged my shoulders.
But I felt uneasy just letting it pass like this.
And the bait I’d laid out beforehand had brought back its catch that very night.
-Hello, senior!
It was Miry-nay.
I entered my room and quickly steered the conversation to the main point.
“Hello. Is this about what I mentioned last time?”
-Yes! Um… I participated in today’s team match filming and just got home!
Since the ranking announcement was airing now, I could guess the filming period was just these past few days.
And the fact that they called meant… something was bothering them.
Something serious enough that they called without hesitation on the same day.
“Did you see something?”
On the other end of the line, Mirinai Member (Rank 2)… in other words, Park Min-ha took a breath.
-This… well. You see.
“Yes, go ahead.”
-That person we mentioned before. It seems they were trying to naturally find out our phone number.
“…!”
I heard the sound of a jackpot hitting.

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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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