Debut or Die - Chapter 277

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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 277
I’m currently jogging along the Apartment Walking Path at 4 AM, with someone else’s dog at my side.
“Huff, huff!”
I have no idea how I ended up jogging with someone else’s dog, especially one I hadn’t seen in nearly half a year and wasn’t remotely happy to encounter.
I stifled a sigh and glanced to the side.
“Kongi runs well. Good boy.”
The one spouting obvious praise was none other than Chung-ryeo, who had materialized from the fog.
‘Damn it.’
I traced back how things had spiraled into this mess.
He appeared in light athletic wear, controlling the dog.
-I’ve always walked in deserted places, so he got a bit excited when he heard someone. Sorry if I startled you.
And he was far too composed about it. So I asked.
-You knew it was me.
His answer to my suspicion was this.
-A pink-haired man jogging in this area at dawn? The suspect pool narrows considerably, doesn’t it?
-….
-I could see the color even through the fog.
There was no real way to argue with that explanation. I groaned at the sight of my own hair, barely covered by a cap.
Of course, I’d assumed no one would be out at 4 AM.
As for why he was suddenly walking here, the explanation came easily enough.
-I’m on a break from touring and had something to do, so I’m staying at the Dormitory for now. And this section of the building has fewer people at dawn.
It was true.
-It seems like you’re here for the same reason, Junior Member.
-….
Yeah.
To sum it up, this was just a coincidence born from the fact that he and I shared similar professions and circumstances.
‘Sigh.’
I acknowledged the situation and tried to leave quickly.
-Alright, then….
-We’re heading the same way anyway. How about we walk together? If you run off, Kongi might bark.
-….
-That would be a nuisance at this hour. Wouldn’t it?
I looked at the yellow lump flailing its front paws in his arms, staring at me, and reluctantly turned around….
“Woof, woof!”
I have no idea how a dog like that came from under a guy like him.
‘There are security cameras, so he won’t try anything stupid.’
I suppressed a sigh and resumed jogging at my original pace.
The dog and its owner jogging alongside me at a similar speed said nothing during the run.
The problem came after.
“How about a drink?”
“That’ll do.”
Near where the Walking Path ended, I took a drink from the water bottle I’d brought. Chung-ryeo fed his dog a treat.
“Next time, I should just wear a beanie instead. It hides the hair color much better.”
I had no intention of coming back here at this hour again.
“….”
Instead of answering, I simply nodded. Chung-ryeo shrugged while petting the dog eating its treat.
And what I could see beneath the hood as he lowered his head was… hair that wasn’t black.
‘Wait.’
I opened my mouth without thinking.
“You dyed your hair?”
“Ah, yes.”
Chung-ryeo touched his hair beneath the hood and pulled his hand away.
Dark green hair disappeared beneath the fabric.
Or was it gray? Hard to tell clearly because of the mist… but the color wasn’t what mattered.
“You haven’t dyed your hair once since debuting, have you?”
At least during my time as a data analyst, I’d never seen VTIC Chung-ryeo with dyed hair.
Whatever it was, there seemed to be a major concept shift, and I needed to pick up hints about what VTIC was planning for their next repackage comeback.
I stared at the biggest obstacle to this year’s Grand Prize.
‘I have to admit it.’
Their staying power was absolutely ridiculous.
It was because VTIC’s comeback career from last February had remained strong.
‘I thought they’d entered a plateau and should be declining by now.’
In a section where they couldn’t possibly show further growth, VTIC was stretching their peak indefinitely.
-VTIC first week sales 1.92 million~~~~
└Are they insane?
└ㅅㅂ Are you sure you can maintain your form until you leave the military? Hahahaha. This annual leave is so delicious.
-VTIC world tour resale is completely sold out, yeah right, no way
-Seriously wondering if they’ll stay top-tier until retirement
It was an unbelievable level of performance for a group that had gone through contract renewal.
For this February comeback, they’d interpreted a 1950s Broadway feel in an incredibly refined and dark way, and apparently fan satisfaction was extraordinary.
I’d verified it myself. And I nearly spit out my drink.
‘The quality keeps exceeding expectations.’
There was nothing I could do about it.
I hoped this year’s comeback would be the end of it, but before someone enlists, they’ll probably push hard for a full year, so I’m not holding my breath.
‘They even dyed their hair, so it’s confirmed.’
They’re preparing something. And with dramatic changes and effort at that.
“I was wondering what kind of unexpected result you were planning to show, which is why you dyed your hair.”
I waited for his answer, closed my water bottle, and crossed my arms.
He… laughed softly.
“Well, I’d say it’s less unexpected than pink would be.”
X strikes.
“The fans love it.”
“Really? Congratulations.”
I smoothly shifted the subject without letting a single word slip. Internally, I nodded to myself.
‘He’s consciously avoiding the topic.’
It was the same as keeping Testa in check.
I occasionally recalled the texts and calls those VTIC guys used to send me.
I felt like I was being monitored.
“Have you all seen the variety show ‘Dance Better Than Flowers’? We’re going to be on it this time too. haha”
This was a text I’d received around the end of Testa’s January activities.
[Wow, combining two songs like that is so impressive?? Ravin… would you ever consider giving a song to another group?? (laughing emoji)]
[^^b]
This was a message that came during the concert.
[The documentary is so touchingㅠㅠㅠ]
Well, this one… came after the Cha Yu-jin incident and Talulla.
In any case, it was proof that they were consistently keeping tabs on Testa’s content this year.
They probably thought it was out of support, but unconsciously, there was definitely a desire to check the growth of the latecomer and assess the situation.
‘…This year is going to be really fierce.’
I nodded to myself internally.
But the next topic Chung-ryeo brought up was something I hadn’t anticipated.
“Yeah, I haven’t dyed my hair even once this time.”
He tilted his head to the side.
“But… I didn’t expect you to know that, Junior Member.”
“….”
“Did you do a lot of research? Or were you a fan of ours instead of Malang Dalcom back when you had your original body? Ah, some people like a whole agency together. Though it seems rare for guys.”
That deduction gave me chills.
‘Damn it.’
I suppressed a sigh and put the water bottle into my backpack. Then I quickly settled the bill.
‘Fine.’
Since the situation calls for it, I’ll speak.
“I wasn’t a fan of anyone.”
“Then?”
I deliberately let the words slip out casually.
Like I was distracted by a dog running toward me, letting my guard down and answering carelessly.
Like this.
“Actually, I wasn’t into idols. I sold idol data to Home Ma during college. So I naturally got to know the ones who made money by seeing them often.”
“Ah.”
I leak information about ‘Ryu Gun-woo’.
The fact that I was selling data during my college years.
It’s a deliberate act with a clear purpose.
‘Track him down.’
This ‘Ryu Gun-woo’ and his information.
“That’s all.”
This bastard had definitely said it himself.
I recalled the guy who had told me about Young-rin’s surprise music release plan last year-end.
-You don’t know. I have information sources. Right? Junior Member, that will be your biggest problem going forward.
What he meant was that he had sufficient information sources.
The fact that he’d uncovered Young-rin’s music news that only the innermost circle knew about was as good as self-proof.
‘He definitely wouldn’t have limited that to just the entertainment industry.’
To control all external factors, you’d need to know other circumstances connected to entertainment industry figures.
So among the cards I could play, if I wanted to track Ryu Gun-woo’s whereabouts without leaving a trail of ‘Park Moon-dae illegally surveilling civilians,’ this guy was the optimal choice.
‘Just as you said, since I have no information sources, I should make use of what you have.’
I’d confirmed on video at Ryu Chung-woo’s House that Ryu Gun-woo definitely existed here, so conversely, I might be able to use this guy to at least verify his current survival status.
‘It doesn’t matter if I find him or not.’
After all, all this bastard knows is nonsense premised on the idea that bodies had switched.
And realistically, ‘Ryu Gun-woo’ could never become my weakness.
‘You can’t have a weakness if you don’t have anything to lose.’
Since around graduation, all I’d had was money to survive three years on.
But he didn’t know that.
So to check Testa, the most troublesome opponent to maintaining my current form, to control contingencies, he would definitely dig into ‘Park Moon-dae’s original body.’
Until now it had been impossible because all he had was three syllables of a name.
‘Since the only clues were a name and age range.’
So let’s see… I’d like a reaction from him if I added ‘data broker’ to the characteristics of ‘Ryu Gun-woo.’
‘It’s a characteristic that allows multiple inferences.’
If my prediction was right, he’d do the math too.
I finished speaking casually.
“Still, Malang Dalcom… I wasn’t exactly a fan, but I’ll keep them in favorable regard.”
“….”
I chuckled while petting the dog. Chung-ryeo, holding the leash connected to the dog, looked at me with an enigmatic expression.
“Turns out you really did work in the industry professionally.”
Here I was talking about professionalism to a guy who sold idol data.
“I just did it for pocket money.”
“Haha, but from what I see you doing, it seems like it was more than that. Hmm, through that experience, you got good at spotting talent that would become valuable. That’s interesting.”
He muttered to himself and rested his chin on the hand not holding the dog’s leash.
The fog obscured his expression, but… he seemed lost in thought.
‘Good.’
Take the bait.
Soon a soft voice came.
“Still, a man in his twenties with a camera… that’s pretty distinctive, isn’t it? Try describing his appearance. You said you filmed VTIC too? Then I think I’d remember.”
Perfect.
‘He’s trying to extract information from me.’
I thought this while touching the ears of the dog that had flipped onto its back.
‘I can’t give the impression that I’m deliberately leaking information here.’
Given this guy’s personality, he’d either push for a deal until the limit or try to backstab me—or possibly both.
Since answering too eagerly would look suspicious, I shook my head.
“I just wore glasses and a hat when I went out. It’s pretty common, isn’t it?”
“Mm.”
This should feel like I’m being appropriately evasive.
But the substantive information is sufficient.
-Early twenties male, glasses, hat, camera.
If he matched the years and rewound through event footage stored by the Agency, he could definitely extract low-resolution faces of Ryu Gun-woo candidates.
Since they usually held conspicuous cameras near the front of the audience seating.
‘If he’s serious about monetizing data, he’d naturally assume the university is located within Seoul.’
Since major Broadcasting Stations and performance venues were concentrated in Seoul.
‘Then if he cross-referenced the year, universities in Seoul, age range, name, and face….’
“Mm.”
A skilled guy could probably uncover Ryu Gun-woo’s current whereabouts pretty quickly.
‘That’s enough.’
I shrugged and stood up.
There was no need to say something like ‘I think I said something unnecessary.’ That would be even more awkward.
Leaving naturally was the most convincing approach.
“Woof!”
The dog at my feet made a strange, regretful sound and pawed back and forth.
“I’m heading back inside now.”
“Mm, okay. Have a good one.”
Chung-ryeo picked up his dog and spoke casually.
“I’m planning to take walks around this area for about two weeks, so if we run into each other, Kongi and I can say hello.”
“…Sure.”
“Haha.”
I suppressed a sigh and turned away from him, slipping out through the mist of the Walking Trail.
“…Phew.”
I’d handled it well enough, but somehow every time I met that guy, I felt exhausted.

* * *
A few minutes later, I finally shook off the unease as I stepped into the Dormitory building.
‘Is there some kind of debuff attached to that fog?’
Well, never mind that. Let’s just look at the results.
For Chung-ryeo to make a deal with me, the moment he searches for Ryu Gun-woo, he’ll have no choice but to leak information about at least Ryu Gun-woo’s current status to me.
‘Good.’
Clean and simple.
I shrugged and stepped into the elevator. My mind picked up speed again, spinning through possibilities.
‘Maybe it’s because I went to bed early yesterday.’
Since I’d had an active schedule this afternoon for the first time in a while, I’d slept longer than usual.
And that schedule was….
“Alright, we’re starting the room assignments~”
“Woooow!”
The roommate assignment content had returned to fill the awkward gap in the schedule.

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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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