Debut or Die - Chapter 276

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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 276
To be honest, romance within these walls is something people whisper about, but everyone does it anyway.
The difference is, this situation is a bit unusual.
Some guy who hasn’t even debuted from the audition program is out here collecting female idol phone numbers.
‘I guess getting first place twice gave him such a rush that it went to his head.’
He seems intoxicated by his recent success, so let me verify the facts first.
“Did you ask for the number with ulterior motives?”
-Well… our members said it was fine to ask follow-up questions if there was anything else you wanted to know after giving stage feedback.
The voice through the phone sounded hesitant.
-So then he asked if you could check the song interpretation one more time, and he sent a follow request to an InHeart account.
I let out a quiet laugh. I got the picture.
“But we don’t have personal accounts due to company policy.”
-Right. Since we don’t have personal accounts, when the conversation went that direction, it eventually shifted to exchanging numbers.
His technique wasn’t bad.
“So you exchanged numbers?”
-No! I stepped in and gave him the Manager’s number instead!
Park Min-ha’s voice carried a note of quiet pride. I considered praising her but decided against it—it might seem odd.
-But thinking about it more, I realized he probably knew we couldn’t make personal accounts and deliberately steered the conversation this way.
“I see.”
That’s sharp judgment on her part.
‘So she felt uncomfortable and reported it to me right away.’
Getting tangled up with some guy who’s riding high but hasn’t even debuted yet would be annoying.
But this… I don’t think Chae Seo-dam was particularly interested in any specific member of Miry-nay.
‘It wasn’t about targeting someone specific—it was just casting a wide net to hook any contact.’
This isn’t about genuine romance. It’s about showing off.
Proof that he’s risen high enough to be associated with female idols of this caliber.
There was a peculiar scent of contempt in that logic.
Contempt for the idol profession itself.
‘So he never took this job seriously.’
Most trainees who’ve spent years grinding would think of using romantic relationships as a status symbol and then abandon the idea. But this guy seemed to think ‘I can get away with this.’
‘He’s clearly someone who knows how to calculate things realistically.’
Chae Seo-dam had been pushing his SNS for more than half a year. Judging by his actions and how he considers editing angles, he’s clearly sharp.
Yet despite all that, doing something like this means he’s looking down on both his fans and the idols who would become his competitors.
‘He thinks he can pull this off.’
And that tendency seems to have intensified with recent events.
‘After getting first place, he probably felt like everything was in his grasp, but then Sun Ah-hyun stole his thunder. If he gets first place again after that…’
Anxiety and arrogance had formed a magnificent cocktail.
‘Hmm.’
I ran through a few scenarios in my mind, then shrugged and opened my mouth.
I thought of a few paintings, shrugged my shoulders, and opened my mouth.
“Just leave it alone.”
-Pardon?
I laughed.
“You don’t need to worry about it. I think it’ll be fine if you just let it be.”
Looking at the Internet, I could see other competitors climbing up aggressively, and I was genuinely curious to see what kind of sabotage would come the way of someone distracted by chasing two first-place finishes.
Following Sun Ah-hyun’s example, I decided not to touch this bastard directly and let it slide.
‘Let’s see how he crashes on his own.’
And a few days later, a post appeared on an Internet forum.
[Chae Seo-dam Love Heart Private Account (713)]
The post meticulously compiled screenshots of a private account similar to the username of Chae Seo-dam, who had disappeared in late autumn.
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(Screenshot)
Chae Seo-dam’s previous InHeart account. Seems to have been used mainly for status updates
Account name was ‘ChatiD1130’
And look at this
(Screenshot)
‘ChatiU0417’
This account was created recently
The numbers attached at the end follow a similar pattern of creation dates
And this account’s follows and followers are all just one lol
It’s this model’s account
(Screenshot)
Anyone can see it’s a love heart for dating lol
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The post claimed that a suspicious private account connected only to a successful model’s account belonged to Chae Seo-dam.
“Whether they found it or fabricated it.”
According to the explanation, the model’s account recently let slip hints about dating an Ajusa participant, which led to reverse-tracking.
-Here we go with the delusions again
-Probably just self-made?
Hahaha, look at Chae Seo-dam’s fans in denial. Your oppa’s dating~
-How is this supposed to be evidence… anyway, Ajusa fans need to learn some restraint
The Internet did get noisy, but not many people believed it.
Most fans cracked down on it, and the baseless speculation post quickly lost credibility and disappeared.
Just as the controversy was dying down roughly, another post conveniently popped up.
Ah, so the account from earlier was Chae Seo-dam’s, huh lol (1415)
Someone had hacked the private account.
And while there were no direct face photos inside, there were quite a few photos of hands or shadows that could identify her as Chae Seo-dam.
All of them showed her standing side by side with someone or holding hands with them.
“Oh.”
Opening a private account like this in the middle of an audition program.
It’s behavior unfolding exactly as I’d predicted.
“I let my guard down.”
And the fact that the other person was a model confirmed my suspicion about this being for show—which was entertaining.
But the timing is what’s truly fascinating.
‘Did they orchestrate this?’
Judging by how quickly everything erupted, it looked like they’d coordinated beforehand, dug up all the material in advance, and were now releasing it frame by frame.
‘Hmm… Could it be Gold 2’s doing?’
He’d already gained prominence for his leadership in the last team competition and was already in the top tier, yet he’s still climbing higher.
First place is within reach.
If Gold 2’s fans saw even a hint that they could demolish the current number one, it was obvious what they’d do.
‘Regardless of who did it or whether it was coincidence… the timing is perfect.’
-Wow
Hahaha, you even made your account private because you couldn’t let go of your relationship. The truth really is messy.
Just live dating as a regular person and don’t struggle doing idol work lol
-Dating isn’t even a crime and you’re cursing her out like this? It’s genuinely terrifying. Chae Seo-dam didn’t even deceive anyone
└Yeah, she came to an idol audition and hid her dating. That’s deception~
In the comments, everyone was going wild as if the dating rumor was confirmed, fueled by the sensational element of hacking and the photos themselves.
The usual “let’s wait and see” comments never gained traction, just like arguments about “dating isn’t deception.”
And the fans were caught up in confusion and bewilderment. I didn’t even need to see it to know the internal situation had become a complete mess.
‘The momentum’s gone.’
They’d spent money and time accumulating stock support, and now a dating rumor explodes in real time.
If it were something like “reckless words and actions,” at least it would rally people together, but this kind of thing just cools the atmosphere.
-Wow
Hahahahahaha
I could already see fans disappearing after leaving just this one last comment.
‘This alone is enough to sink first place.’
People whose hearts have cooled because of “they’re dating, so they don’t seem desperate enough” will definitely emerge.
It means the momentum has been broken.
I swiped down on my smartphone screen.
I could easily guess what Chae Seo-dam must be feeling right now.
‘Like she’s been struck by lightning.’
The best move would be to delete the account right now and announce that the hacking was fabricated…
But would someone with their head in the clouds really be able to reach that cold conclusion as quickly as before?
‘It’ll be tough.’
As expected, Chae Seo-dam’s side released a “baseless rumor” statement after about a day.
However, they couldn’t make specific comments about the photos.
‘Looks like they couldn’t convince the other party properly.’
If they’d both claimed misunderstanding and manipulation, there would’ve been enough material to recover, but they seem to have missed the timing window in their desperation.
“Oh man, that friend’s done for~”
Big Sae-jin chuckled as he glanced at my smartphone screen and walked past. It meant everything was ruined.
A comeback would be difficult. I shrugged my shoulders.
All I could rely on now was salvaging things by capturing a scene in the latter broadcast that would shake people’s hearts….
‘Judging by how his mind is working, he might even snap to attention and try again right now.’
But this wasn’t the end.
A few days later, an article broke.
[(Exclusive) “We were sacrificial lambs” Screams of eliminated contestants from a cruel Audition Program]
It was an anonymous interview with this season’s eliminated contestants from Idol Corporation that had surfaced in the form of an exposé.
It mainly covered stories about the Production Team’s cruel treatment and conflicts between participants, and among these was ‘that incident.’
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B: There were cases where high-ranking participants would deliberately frame other participants to get them eliminated… (it happened.)
B: Since positions overlapped, they’d use their influence to spread lies and make people look bad. (voice trembling)
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Normally, this post would have been suppressed as ‘rumors’ under fan pressure, but on a battlefield already scorched by dating rumors, it spread like wildfire.
-This is totally Chae Seo-dam right? (screenshot)
Hahaha, he could tell from the moment the woman brightened up. Even the misogynists are impressed. Mangju 1st place!
The moment this speculation spread from anonymous sites into the light, Chae Seo-dam took an enormous hit.
Until then, there were still quite a few people thinking rationally that Chae Seo-dam, whose account was hacked, was the victim.
But this was a clear attack on the perpetrator, and other fandoms that had been wary of Chae Seo-dam absolutely didn’t miss this opportunity.
-Honestly, it’s suspicious. The circumstances fit too perfectly
-I think we need to think about this calmly. The eliminated contestants must feel so wronged, so blindly defending isn’t right
Ah, that’s why it felt cheap… damn it…
“Hmm.”
She really did dig her own grave.
Soon after, Chae Seo-dam’s side released a statement with ‘no comment’ and ‘legal action,’ bringing things to a close, but now her debut… even with effort, wouldn’t it be touch and go?
Now that controversies had erupted in both passion and character, the damage would be irreversible.
‘It’s over.’
I shrugged and was about to turn off my phone screen when I paused for a moment.
‘Wait, this….’
“Ah, didn’t work out this time either, didn’t work~”
I grabbed Big Sae-jin, who was passing by after looking at his phone.
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“Doesn’t this match our prediction too well?”
“….”
Big Sae-jin looked at me, then his expression changed as if he understood what I meant.
“No way.”
Big Sae-jin sent a direct message to Gold 2.
[Hee-seung, could it be?]
He was confirming the groundwork we’d laid.
A reply came back shortly.
Hahaha, yes? I just gave you courage.
“….”
I could feel his resolve not to debut with this lunatic. True to the warning I’d given, it seemed he’d gotten a proper taste of what real character was like during this shoot.
“That’s insane.”
Big Sae-jin and I let out hollow laughs. It looked like Gold 2 had subtly egged things on the moment an opportunity arose—like when eliminated contestants came seeking counsel.
“Wow… how did all the groundwork he laid out collapse like that?”
“He got overexcited, anxious, and arrogant. That’s why.”
“Yes, a precise assessment~”
I gladly high-fived Big Sae-jin.
“Oh, Ah-hyun’s here too!”
“You guys, you guys?”
Big Sae-jin opened the door and walked out, then exchanged a high-five with a bewildered Sun Ah-hyun.
“Ah-hyun, big news~ that bastard’s first place is over?”
“Huh?”
Sun Ah-hyun checked the text on the screen I held out, then nodded with a dazed expression.
“Oh, I see. Still, I thought he had a cautious personality….”
“Position shapes people, after all.”
“Right. And now that I think about it, he didn’t seem to have genuine aspirations to be an idol in the first place?”
“Oh, really…?”
Sun Ah-hyun seemed to tense slightly at Big Sae-jin’s casual addition, then swallowed hard as if he’d made a decision.
“Well, actually….”
“Hm?”
“I, I actually… felt the same way. It wasn’t that I desperately wanted to be an idol… I came here because I wanted to keep dancing.”
“…?”
The conversation suddenly veered into something more personal.
I answered first.
“At Ajusa?”
“Yeah.”
“You were already dancing before that.”
Sun Ah-hyun hung his head low.
“I couldn’t stay there anymore….”
“….”
“If I kept dancing, I was afraid I’d keep running into people I was scared of… I couldn’t bear it… so I quit.”
That world seemed narrower than I’d thought. Peers probably kept colliding with each other as they built their careers.
“But I wanted to dance so badly… I thought, let me try this one last time, and came here.”
I suddenly recalled how Sun Ah-hyun’s answer had been oddly vague when he’d talked about his reasons for participating in Ajusa back at debut.
…Had he been unable to speak properly because he’d judged his own motivations as impure?
“Everyone else came with serious intentions, and I felt like I hadn’t… but I really wanted to tell you that right now… it’s truly precious and joyful to me.”
“….”
I looked at Sun Ah-hyun for a moment, then shook my head.
“No.”
“…!”
“I just got cast and ended up enjoying it. I don’t think you need to see it that way.”
If it weren’t for that abnormal condition of falling behind, I would never have had any connection to this field. I rubbed the back of my neck.
“You were serious enough. You worked hard at it.”
“….”
Sun Ah-hyun kept his head bowed, his mouth firmly shut as he nodded. Big Sae-jin chuckled.
“Right, if someone as hardworking as Ah-hyun says that, then shouldn’t everyone else who came to be an idol quit?”
“…What?”
“Ah-hyun’s talking right now~”
Bae Sae-jin, who had the misfortune of hearing himself described perfectly, called out from across the living room. Big Sae-jin smoothly glossed over the situation.
And he patted Sun Ah-hyun’s back.
“We’re just grateful that Ah-hyun had the courage to participate—it made our group even better. You think so too, Moon-dae?”
“Yeah.”
“…Yeah.”
Sun Ah-hyun nodded repeatedly.
He sniffled a few times, but ultimately didn’t cry.
“You did well.”
And so he was completely freed from the burden he never should have carried in the first place.
Despite having a schedule the next day, we spent the evening reminiscing about the Ajusa days and drinking beer lightly.
And after that, we decided to stop caring about what happened to Chae Seo-dam.
We’d already collected all our seeds and seen everything there was to see anyway.
‘It won’t matter anymore.’
Sun Ah-hyun would no longer be affected by him in any way.

* * *
After a tumultuous incident had passed, early May arrived with noticeably warmer weather.
“Phew.”
I was jogging along the walking trail within the Apartment Complex at dawn, avoiding crowds and sunlight.
Though mist had settled in somewhat, it didn’t hinder my movement. If anything, it was beneficial—obscuring me from other people’s view.
‘The sound of a dog barking in the distance suggests someone else is out for a walk.’
I’d primarily stuck to indoor exercise using equipment, but I thought I’d switch up my routine for once.
‘I should do some bulking when I have the chance.’
Because when I release the next album….
-Woof woof!
“…?”
The dog’s barking that had been distant suddenly grew louder, and a harnessed dog burst through the mist directly in front of me.
“…!”
Wait.
I recognized this dog’s face.
“Kong, hold on.”
It was Chung-ryeo’s dog.

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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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