Debut or Die - Chapter 292

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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 292
The moment Chae Seo-dam brought up “recording,” the atmosphere shifted abruptly into something predictably absurd.
It was laughable.
‘What the hell is this guy talking about.’
Wasn’t the standard move to keep your mouth shut and wait for the right moment before using whatever you’d recorded?
Why was he giving me time to prepare a response by announcing it himself?
‘Hmm, so he’s trying to seize control through blackmail.’
Was he really banking on me panicking and demanding he hand over the recording?
I was curious what he’d do if I claimed we’d said something incriminating on that recording, or conversely, if I said we hadn’t said anything at all.
I opened my mouth immediately.
“You’re aware that third-party recording without consent is illegal, right, Chae Seo-dam?”
“Oh? Ah… I was just trying to record my daily life, and I was asking because I didn’t want any conversations you seniors might find uncomfortable to accidentally be captured in the background.”
Chae Seo-dam lowered his head respectfully.
“If it was a sensitive conversation, I’m truly sorry!”
Oh.
So if I admitted it was sensitive, that became leverage, and if I said it wasn’t, his grounds for pressing further disappeared.
I crossed my arms and laughed.
He was definitely trying to provoke me.
“Well… it seems like this could happen quite often. It’s illegal invasion of privacy, after all.”
Fine, you heard me—it’s illegal.
But what came next from this guy was distinctly unusual.
“Yes! I’m being careful to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll delete any parts here where your words might have been recorded.”
Chae Seo-dam pulled a button-shaped recorder from his back pants pocket.
‘Is it Bluetooth-enabled?’
Then he took out his smartphone and played the recording file right in front of me.
-Um, I’m not sure where this is.
-My legs hurt….
Behind Chae Seo-dam’s voice, speaking deliberately loud as if sitting by the door, faint sounds came through….
It wasn’t entirely clear, but it seemed the recorder had been pressed tight against the door gap, picking up some audio from inside the Waiting Room.
-targeting the subject….
Ah, so it started from there.
From the viral marketing discussion.
I confirmed the faint voice of Chung-ryeo.
And Chae Seo-dam immediately pressed the button and completely deleted the recording file.
“Deleted.”
“Ah, yes.”
Should I applaud? I nodded and stared at him.
“….”
He looked flustered.
What, why am I being so calm about this?
Did he think I’d replay the recording directly and second-guess our conversation, growing anxious? How ambitious of him.
“Anything else you wanted to say?”
“…No, sir. I’ll be going then. I apologize for troubling you seniors.”
He bowed his head and turned to leave.
I checked the other one among the “seniors” Chae Seo-dam had mentioned.
Chung-ryeo.
“….”
He was silently watching the kid turn away.
‘That guy….’
Just then, Chae Seo-dam suddenly turned back and spoke again.
“But… senior, do you trust me?”
“…!”
What kind of nonsense was this now.
“I’m really sorry, but I don’t know much about devices. I was just worried that if it’s still somewhere and gets hacked or something… there wouldn’t be a problem.”
“….”
“The recording.”
I’d performed the deletion, but actually I still had it—was he trying to create this anxiety? Interesting.
‘I can see the outline of how this guy operates.’
He keeps trying to manipulate the other person’s reaction, checking constantly. He seems talented at finding hooks and making leaps in logic.
But with such a weight difference, pulling this kind of stupid move… Ah, is it because he has more to lose, so he’s calculating he’ll be careful?
“Well, it seems like it would be difficult for you, Seo-dam.”
“…Me?”
“Yes. An idol who secretly records other people’s conversations… that’s not a good look, is it?”
I leaned against the door frame.
“If I were you, I’d be careful.”
The moment that recording comes out, I’m dragging you down with me.
Chae Seo-dam’s head rose defiantly for a moment, but then he bowed again.
“…Thank you for the advice.”
And with quick steps, he disappeared beyond the corridor.
‘Funny kid.’
I don’t understand why he’s trying to end himself right after barely debuting… but if he wants to destroy himself, what can I do about it.
I shrugged and turned my head away.
It depends on how well that kid’s recording turned out… but if I’m not going to lift a finger, let me calculate the maximum disadvantage I could face.
‘Casual speech and viral marketing.’
Both were negative factors. If I had to categorize them, I could sum it up as “attitude controversy” and “public deception.”
-No matter how close you are, why talk like that; is it really true you use informal speech?
-He said “doggy” and he’s really at the level of a f*cking bastard lolololol
-Honestly ruins the image
-From VTIC’s debut to the downpour concert, it was all planned to look coincidental, really so underhanded
That’s about the level of response I’d expect.
However, if you ask whether it’s unconditionally fatal, that’s a question mark.
‘I’ll get plenty of criticism and it won’t be good.’
But if both sides had enough preparation time, defense was possible. It all came down to framing, after all.
Especially if I coordinated a bit with the other party involved, it could end as a tempest in a teacup….
“This is interesting.”
…This bastard acts completely unfazed, as if the recording being exposed only damages me.
Wait, from his perspective, wouldn’t it actually be a gain if it blows up?
The bigger the minus for Testa in this standoff, the more VTIC benefits.
‘No wonder he wouldn’t open his mouth.’
I rubbed the back of my neck and headed back into the Waiting Room. I figured I’d handle some tasks before the others arrived.
But a question came from behind me.
“I’m curious what you’re going to do.”
“Why are you curious about that, senior?”
“Since I told you to drop the formality, I figured I should cooperate. Hmm, is this some kind of grudge?”
“A grudge?”
There’s no reason for that.
Honestly, I don’t understand it. We only had one point of contact—a single insult—and that’s enough to piss him off to the point of recording blackmail?
‘Is this just “I got screwed so everyone gets screwed”?’
That’s the psychology of an indiscriminate terrorist.
But what Chung-ryeo pointed out next was clear.
“He doesn’t seem to have any intention of negotiating with me either…. This is another unique case.”
“….”
Hmm.
Yeah, he specifically targeted me….
“So I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me what you’re planning to do.”
“Well… I’m watching.”
I finished typing the message and sent it.
Since Chae Seo-dam went straight for threats, unless he’s a complete idiot, he’d have already considered that I’d be prepared if the recording got exposed.
So he’d definitely do additional work instead of releasing it immediately.
‘Extract all the risk.’
Either way, if scandal breaks, I lose, so for now it’s observation.
Until the intentions of the careless one are revealed, and his weaknesses surface.

* * *
A few days later, I was lying on the living room sofa after leaving work early for once.
“Moon-dae, moon-dae, what’s this?”
“What?”
Big Sae-jin held his smartphone above my head.
It was an interview transcript.
The question was about ‘close connections in the entertainment industry’.
The subject was… this time’s Ajusa Debut Group.
========================
Chae Seo-dam: Recently, I’ve been receiving advice from Senior Park Moon-dae of Testa. He’s been so incredibly kind in guiding me that I’ve been thinking a lot about how I need to work harder.
….
========================
It was a typical rookie interview, drawing attention by talking about a heartwarming anecdote of bonding with a successful senior.
The problem was that the senior and rookie in question were me and Chae Seo-dam.
“I asked Hee-seung about it right away, and apparently he keeps giving answers like this even now.”
“….”
“Look.”
Big Sae-jin changed the screen.
[Hee-seung: Is Moon-dae hyung really close with that hyung? Never saw that coming lol]
…Gold 2, this guy appeared on the Survival Show Program twice and is completely soaked in internet slang.
Anyway, I understood the situation.
“She’s trying to capitalize on my name.”
Chae Seo-dam seemed to have a sharp mind for this sort of thing.
She was maximizing this as a positive element to counter her own poor public image. My fans were lukewarm about it, but they were accepting it as a heartwarming story anyway.
‘She’s scratching right up to the limit.’
It seemed like she was trying to reap benefits up to the line where I would stay quiet out of consideration for risk.
Moreover, if I personally contacted her and showed anger or a negative reaction, she’d probably record that too.
That’s how she’d entangle me.
‘Cunning bitch.’
Had she been doing similar things for a long time?
…Of course, no matter how much I analyzed it, the immediate situation was something else entirely.
Big Sae-jin lowered his smartphone and asked.
“So, Moon-dae. Why do you think this bastard suddenly decided to use Park Moon-dae’s name?”
“….”
“Did something happen?”
This question.
And this was something that, no matter how well I prepared and prevented it, could create a risk for the team.
I decided to come clean about everything.
“Wait, I’d like everyone to gather in the living room for a moment.”
It was time for confession.
And then, a moment later.
“So… you spoke informally to Chung-ryeo?”
“…Yeah.”
“….”
I thought they’d curse me out with their eyes, but surprisingly, both of the same-named individuals just looked understanding. What’s with that?
“Yeah… it just happened that way, so the two of them were together.”
“You did well!”
Ah, these two bastards know that guy was the cause of my vacation-season brawl. They must think I dropped the formal speech because I didn’t feel he deserved respect.
But the others seem confused. Ryu Chung-woo mutters.
“You did well…?”
“Oh, uh, well, that guy harassed Park Moon-dae before!”
“…!!”
“…Really? When?”
Now’s not the time to bring that up.
I cut off the conversation between Ryu Chung-woo and Bae Sae-jin. Kim Rae-bin’s eyes are about to pop out of his head.
“It was a while back, but anyway, I should’ve been careful at the Broadcasting Station. I apologize. …And when he said that guy planned how our song blew up, I didn’t deny it.”
“Hmm….”
“I apologize for that too.”
“No!! The person who recorded it is bad! Moon-dae hyung did nothing wrong!”
“That’s right. How could someone do something so rude and malicious….”
They’re quick to defend me even though the song’s about to get dragged. I suppressed a bitter smile.
“I appreciate it, but a mistake is still a mistake. It’s my fault. I must’ve let my guard down.”
“…Moon-dae, moon-dae, how can a person live in constant tension like that?”
Big Sae-jin put his arm around my shoulder and muttered quickly.
“It’s fine! Some guy who hasn’t even debuted yet recorded it? Just tell them right away….”
“Then! I… I’ll say something!”
What?
Suddenly, Sun Ah-hyun, who had been listening quietly, clenched his fists.
“That guy… treated me badly, so if I tell people that he’s harassing you too….”
“Ah-hyun??”
“Ah-hyun, that’s not it!”
The Living Room suddenly got loud. And I agree with this reaction.
‘If we bring up something sensitive like school violence without proper evidence….’
It’ll just turn into a mud-slinging match without any benefit to Sun Ah-hyun himself. There’s a reason I didn’t bring it up back at Ajusa.
“Sun Ah-hyun, it’s better if I just let the informal speech issue slide and target Chae Seo-dam as the recorder instead.”
Bae Sae-jin chimes in.
“Yeah! Just Park Moon-dae speaking informally is better!”
Damn.
“You can just make that crazy bastard explain himself! Otherwise, it’ll….”
“It’ll…?”
“…Well, anyway, if we just make her publicly confirm that she was fine with the casual speech, that should do it.”
Bae Sae-jin shrank back at Ryu Chung-woo’s follow-up question, apparently thinking he shouldn’t say more since he wasn’t directly involved.
‘Probably something about threatening to release evidence or just reporting her outright.’
Well, that was one option among many.
And Ryu Chung-woo began to settle the atmosphere.
“Right. Anyway, if Moon-dae has been suffering in silence all this time, don’t worry too much about it….”
“Ah, I’ve already prepared something.”
“Prepared?”
“I recorded it too.”
“…??”
I picked up my smartphone and showed them.
A recording file.
“I had a bad feeling about it from when she started using casual speech, so I recorded it just in case.”
If nothing came of it, I could just delete it—no harm done. There was no downside to having a backup, no matter what happened.
And the reactions from all around were ‘I knew it’… wait, they knew it?
“That’s our Moon-dae for you.”
“Wow….”
Yeah, well, fine.
“I’ve already informed the Company about all of this.”
Just as I was about to say there was no need to worry about distortion or mishandling—
Sun Ah-hyun raised his hand again.
“I also… have something.”
“…!!”
“A recording?”
“Ah, no.”
Sun Ah-hyun lifted his head, then spoke firmly, his voice trembling.
“I have counseling records from back then, Moon-dae…!”
“…!”
“Of course I stopped going right away… but if we look, there should definitely be documentation left behind.”
Sun Ah-hyun finished his words clearly.
“If it helps you, I want to use it.”
“….”
…With those words, two paths forward opened up for handling this situation.
Making Chae Seo-dam quietly disappear from the industry.
And the other option… was to make her suffer immensely.
‘Let’s go with the latter.’
Yeah.
That’s the only way the math works out.
That night, in the early morning after the meeting ended, I called the final person involved.
-Have you made up your mind?
“Yeah.”
Since he was overseas, I got through to him right away.
“I need your cooperation.”

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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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