Debut or Die - Chapter 279

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

A Fatal Illness if I Don’t Debut – Episode 279
Five minutes have passed since we came for a psychological evaluation and ended up in a zombie escape room.
“Watch your head.”
“Huff.”
We’re crawling through the Ventilation Duct passage.
Given the pre-installed cameras scattered throughout, this route seems to be the right one.
‘The path is decent.’
The Production Team members who stayed behind deliberately obscure the Ventilation Duct to make it look difficult to find.
But in reality, seeking out the Production Team during an emergency is a natural narrative flow, so the story connection is solid.
‘The atmosphere works too.’
It’s a cliché, but the darkness inside the Ventilation Duct and the eerie atmosphere make it easy to stay focused.
Screeeeeech—
Screech! Screech!
Sounds like that filter through from beyond the walls.
“Whoa.”
“Wow, the sound effects.”
“This is definitely a zombie!”
‘Not a single one failing to immerse themselves.’
I check on the tense guys, nod inwardly, and continue crawling.
And shortly after.
Rounding the corner, the passage splits into two paths. Ryu Chung-woo, leading at the front, stops.
“Should we split up….”
“Shh.”
He presses himself against the corner of one passage, signaling the others to stick to the wall behind him.
“Hup.”
Sensing the gravity of his gesture, the others press themselves firmly against the wall.
At that moment.
“Kieeeeeek!”
“Ugh.”
Kim Rae-bin urgently clamps his hand over Big Sae-jin’s mouth.
A zombie is clinging to the opposite Ventilation Duct, shrieking grotesquely.
The suit is covered in blood and wound makeup—genuinely menacing.
‘They’re really committing to the performance.’
The Production Team has invested enough to hire additional actors. It feels quite realistic… wait.
An ominous sound echoes.
Crack.
“…!”
And the Ventilation Duct fan that the zombie is hanging from… gives way.
Ting, ting, tidididing….
Before the debris even hits the ground at our feet.
“To the right! To the right! To the right!”
“Ahhhhh!”
Cha Yu-jin bolted like lightning into a corridor in a different direction. He grabbed and pushed the members along with his hands and head.
‘Is he herding us like sheep?’
But the effect was undeniable. In an instant, those who had scrambled on all fours down the side corridor reached the ventilation duct on the opposite side.
However, at that very moment, the zombie behind smashed through the obstruction, and the violent tremor of it bursting out echoed loudly through the corridor.
CRASH!!
“Ahhhhhhh!”
“L-Let me open it!”
Sun Ah-hyun reached out and pulled at the side of the ventilation duct next to Kim Rae-bin, who was screaming.
It came off easily. And ahead was darkness. It connected to a space with no lights on.
I spoke immediately.
“We won’t hear the zombie sounds from here.”
Ryu Chung-woo responded right away.
“Let’s go. Be careful, those in front!”
“Yes!”
One by one, they escaped through the ventilation duct.
I relied on the faint light coming from the ventilation duct to confirm that those who had gone down first were supporting the others, then emerged almost simultaneously with Ryu Chung-woo.
And I closed the ventilation duct.
BANG!
But it was being pushed open. Big Sae-jin shouted calmly.
“This won’t lock! Check if there’s anything we can use to secure it!”
“Wait, wait! If we push this….”
Bae Sae-jin pointed at something dark around where he was standing. Kim Rae-bin ran over and shouted.
“It’s a cabinet!”
“Move it!”
And immediately, the group split into three people holding the ventilation duct and four people moving the cabinet, just in case.
But there was no time to spare.
Thud.
…The vibration transmitted through the hands holding the ventilation duct.
“….”
“It’s through.”
The zombie had smashed through the ventilation duct and entered the corridor.
I confirmed the zombie that appeared around the corner.
“It’s there now.”
“Hey, it’s coming!”
The atmosphere became tense enough to raise cold sweat.
‘It’s probably coming with controlled speed, right?’
This is being filmed at a research institute with even product placement included—surely they wouldn’t deny us at least the minimum time to complete the mission.
But the zombie, creaking and writhing its entire body as it came from the end of the ventilation duct corridor, was quite… no, incredibly fast.
‘Damn it.’
It’s already right in front of us.
Just in case, I shifted my weight onto both hands gripping the ventilation duct.
I appreciate them giving such a committed performance for the cameras, but maybe dial it back a bit….
“Move!!”
I reflexively twisted my body to the side. Ryu Chung-woo retreated in the same direction as a metal cabinet came crashing in.
Crash!
A cabinet. The massive piece of furniture blocked and pressed down on more than half the ventilation duct.
And in that instant, the zombie slammed into the ventilation duct.
“Kyaaaah!”
Thud!
The cabinet, moved by four grown men and apparently quite heavy, the zombie couldn’t break through.
“Ugh!”
But Cha Yu-jin, who was at the very front, nearly collided with the zombie in the vent from the pushing force.
“…!”
“Kyaah!”
Ryu Chung-woo and I reflexively pulled Cha Yu-jin back. He jumped and retreated.
“You okay?”
“No problem. Dodge!”
Cha Yu-jin laughed with an unblemished face. It didn’t even look like the special effects blood had gotten on him.
“Phew, thank goodness. I thought we’d have to tie Eugene up~”
“Haha!”
A few of them finally laughed at Big Sae-jin’s joke. The tension from the unexpectedly brutal situation seemed to ease.
And naturally, once everyone came to their senses, complaints poured in.
They promised a trip but made us work instead—it was a con worse than selling hotcakes. I understand.
“Wow, but seriously… I never expected something like this! Production Team, really!”
“I really didn’t anticipate this….”
“…Now that I think about it, we signed some kind of agreement when we came in. I thought it was because of the physical exam.”
“Shh!”
Cha Yu-jin pressed a finger to his lips seriously.
“There’s another zombie outside! Let’s check this place first!”
He was having the time of his life.
His eyes were gleaming—he’d clearly gotten hooked on the fun.
“Right, Eugene’s got a point. Let’s confirm where we are first. Since it’s dark, pair up in twos… I’ll go alone.”
“Understood, Leader~!”
Reminded that they were being filmed, they quickly resumed their exploration.
‘It probably would’ve been more entertaining if we’d talked a bit more, but it’ll get edited anyway.’
I shrugged, then began surveying my surroundings, relying on the faint light filtering through the ventilation duct from the zombie.
“Sir, my night vision isn’t great so my field of view is narrow, but I can move however you direct me anytime. Just say the word….”
“Got it. Don’t worry—I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”
“Yes!”
‘With all this commotion and the zombie actor nowhere to be seen, it’s clearly a sealed room….’
I quickly grabbed Kim Rae-bin, who happened to be nearby, and moved toward the wall.
And the moment my hand finally touched the wall.
“…!”
I felt a distinctive texture.
…Wood.
I stopped my hand.
‘Dark, sealed, an unfamiliar wooden space….’
“….”
My mood was sinking a bit.
“Hyung? Is there some suspicious liquid on that wall or something….”
I moved my hand again.
“No, it’s clean. I was just being careful, so I slowed down.”
“I see! A wise decision, sir. We never know where the zombie might appear!”
Right. That was an overreaction.
‘This is filming.’
Once a zombie virus setting gets attached, it’s already entertainment enough.
Everyone’s obviously in makeup anyway, so sealed room or not, it doesn’t really matter….
“Wait, this.”
“Yes?”
My hand, mechanically feeling along the wall, found something colder than the wood.
“There’s… something like a metal box attached to the wall, and it’s pretty big.”
“…!”
A suspicious box.
“What did you find, Mun-dae?”
“Uh, hold on a second.”
“I’ll check the other side!”
I heard Kim Rae-bin’s voice as he moved to the side and examined the other face of the metal box.
“There’s something like a lock on the opposite side! Should we open it?”
“Huh? Wait! You guys, hold on!”
Not long after, Big Sae-jin and Sun Ah-hyun approached with a flashlight they’d found somewhere.
“This should work, right?”
“Excellent, sir!”
And the moment we unlocked the metal box with the flashlight’s help.
Zzzzzing!
The box opens by itself.
And a blue laser shoots up from the box.
“Huh?”
“Dodge!”
Bae Sae-jin and Cha Yu-jin, who had been keeping watch for something resembling a window, both cried out.
“Get down!”
I grabbed the guy next to me and ducked my head.
But immediately after.
Click.
My vision brightened.
“…??”
As I lifted my head, a piercing light stung my eyes. The room’s lights had turned on.
For crying out loud.
“It’s fine.”
“Y-yes?”
I reluctantly patted the guy next to me on the back to get him up.
Then I checked where the box in front of me had been attached.
It was a massive burgundy cabinet. Beyond it, I could see a cleanly painted wall.
‘It was furniture.’
What I’d touched wasn’t a wall—it was a wooden cabinet.
…This isn’t a wooden villa at all. It’s just an office space.
“Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
And beside me, someone else was laughing for an entirely different reason.
“So the lights… could actually turn on….”
“We must’ve looked ridiculous, right?”
“The dramatic pacing of this production is quite impressive.”
“…What’s the mechanism behind this?”
Bae Sae-jin touched the box. Big Sae-jin laughed loudly and rubbed his hands together.
“Ah, the lights turn on with a laser and—AHHHHH!”
“What?”
I turned my gaze toward where Big Sae-jin was looking… and something that looked like a corpse was sprawled in the corner.
What the hell!
“What?!”
“Ugh!”
“Guys, it’s a mannequin.”
…Let me correct myself. It was a mannequin playing the role of a corpse.
“What is this?”
The mannequin was dressed in what appeared to be security personnel uniform, and in its hand was some strange object that looked like a hybrid of a gun and a stun device.
And the barrel was pointed at its own head.
‘If the mannequin is a stand-in for a corpse, then this must be a stand-in for a gun….’
I immediately twisted it and carefully removed it. Then I examined it.
‘Hmm.’
The barrel was covered with glass. This is….
“It looks like a laser gun.”
“Pardon?”
I recalled the metal box from earlier where the blue laser had shot out.
“The shape at the end is similar to what I saw in that box, and the patterns match too.”
“Oh, you’re sharp, Moon-dae~”
“Just a moment. I-I’m sorry….”
“…Ah-hyun is so brave~”
In the meantime, Sun Ah-hyun flipped the mannequin over and found a box and instruction manual inside its clothing.
Inside the box was a firearm identical to the one I held, and… four purple cylinders that looked like they contained live ammunition.
“Oh, there’s additional writing here that seems to have been written by this mannequin.”
Big Sae-jin quickly read through the instruction manual and summarized its contents.
A zombie virus that was mistakenly brought into this research institute had leaked, and the only weapon effective against zombies was this gun that came in with the virus.
Since he was already infected with the virus and escape was impossible, he used the laser gun… the note was summarized like this.
“Wow, you can actually kill zombies with this?”
“Yeah.”
Big Sae-jin pointed at the purple cylinder with his hand.
“That’s a rechargeable battery… and you can use it three times per charge!”
“Hmm. Really?”
Ryu Chung-woo picked up the laser gun and aimed it at the suited zombie hanging from the ventilation duct.
More precisely, at one of the zombie’s arms visible beside the cabinet.
Then he fired quickly.
Zzzzzt!
“Kyaaak!”
As the laser shot out, the zombie’s arm became paralyzed and stiffened, ceasing all movement.
“Whoa!”
“Nice.”
Ryu Chung-woo shrugged and dusted off the gun.
Then he spoke calmly.
“Sorry, could you pull the cabinet out a bit? I want to shoot its head.”
“…Yes.”
It seems like from here on, this will shift from a zombie escape scenario to a zombie shooting game.

* * *
My prediction was only half right.
Zing—bang!
I watched a zombie charging down the corridor get hit by Ryu Chung-woo’s laser gun and tumble to the ground.
That’s Ryu Chung-woo’s handiwork. For reference, I’ve seen a similar scene about seven more times.
“Wow.”
“Hyung, that’s insane!”
“Haha.”
That’s the eighth exclamation. I’d bet my hair color that this gets bundled into an edited clip.
But Ryu Chung-woo glanced at the cylinder and shrugged.
“Only two shots left now… I really hope we can escape soon.”
“Yeah, seriously.”
He’s been holding back.
He’s used the laser gun remarkably sparingly—only for one-shot kills. But with only ten shots to begin with, there was no room to be wasteful.
‘I wish I hadn’t shot that ventilation duct thing at the start.’
But what’s done is done. I pressed my forehead.
‘The Research Institute probably designed the gun as a source of conflict between group members anyway.’
The route had been designed primarily around stealthy movement through cooperation.
If anything, shooting zombies took longer, so having two shots remaining wasn’t a major problem.
‘It’s well made.’
The route was tense.
From the bathroom where zombies were trapped in each section to the consultation room, from the playroom with its chilling BGM to the corridor… it was quite a well-designed course, but there was a problem.
“Phew!”
“Wow, two hours of intense stuff??”
By the time we finished, time was running dangerously short.
According to the map I’d obtained from the desk earlier, the back door was at the end of this corridor, and it felt like that would be the exit.
‘And there’s definitely going to be a trick there too.’
But checking Bae Sae-jin’s wristwatch, we had less than ten minutes left.
‘We need to escape for the final scene to work.’
Barely making it out would be the perfect ending.
“Let’s hurry.”
“Keep your eyes forward, and tap my shoulder if you see a zombie.”
“Got it!”
We carefully made our way through the dim corridor with flickering lights leading to the back door, but… nothing happened.
“Oh.”
“I guess this is the end.”
“Great! We made it!”
‘This is anticlimactic.’
I inwardly clicked my tongue, but I didn’t stop Cha Yu-jin from pulling the back door.
However… the door wouldn’t open.
Beep—screech.
Instead, a red light flashed across the intercom display.
[Please present your access pass.]
“….”
“What?”
The final trick had revealed itself.
“An access pass?”
The members stared blankly at the Back Door for a moment, but then rapid discussion erupted among them.
“What about the Production Team?”
“No, they never received or submitted anything like that.”
“Wow.”
“Should we head to the desk?”
With less than ten minutes remaining, such a vague trick left the members frantically wracking their brains.
Understandably so. I closed my mouth and shook my head.
‘…There has to be a clue somewhere.’
Since this is the final escape, a decisive hint must emerge from what we’ve experienced getting here.
That’s how the structure stays clean, and how it feels satisfying when we escape.
‘There’s definitely an idea we need….’
-The way you frequently come up with unconventional ideas seems to make you function like an essential idea bank for the group.
“…!”
Wait.
I straightened my head.
‘…I’ve got it.’
And I began retracing the Corridor we’d advanced through until now.
“Wh-where are you going?”
“Just wait!”
There’s no time to explain.
‘Nine minutes.’
Tight.
I ran first. And calculated in my head.
If I think of it as a straight line, the route is shorter than expected.
‘There are no zombies on the route to that Room, so if I keep going….’
I can escape!
I sprinted down the Corridor even faster.
That’s when it happened.
—Crack-crumble.
A strange sound came from beyond the Corridor I was running through.
The sound of something collapsing.
—Screeeech.
And dark smoke began rising from the wall seams and edges.
The flickering lights in the corridor where the smoke had been billowing continuously began to extinguish sporadically. The opposite side was now pitch black.
‘A blackout state….’
I sprinted to the end of the corridor.
The smoke rushed toward me.
‘The smell of burning….’
I stood alone in a dark, sealed space filled with smoke.
“….”
I stopped moving.
Cold sweat trickled down my neck.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————