Debut or Die - Chapter 294

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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 294
This was where it mattered.
‘I’m going all in.’
I pulled my smartphone from my pocket and placed it prominently on the desk.
Then, just as this bastard had done to me before, I played back a recording file.
-You’re targeting them, right?
-All singers do that.
Audio with far cleaner quality than what Chae Seo-dam had recorded.
“…!”
It was my own recording.
“Recording isn’t something only you can do.”
I stopped the playback and let out a snort of laughter.
“Did you really think I’d come crying, whining about how I spoke casually to a senior, and beg you not to expose it?”
“….”
“I can just go on a variety show, use evidence of my closeness with that senior, and clear it all up.”
Chae Seo-dam seemed to be struggling to comprehend what situation this even was.
It didn’t help the situation much, but the reflexive urge to deny reality made them scramble for counterarguments.
‘I’ll give them a moment.’
After a few more seconds passed, they opened their mouth urgently.
“The new song hitting big! You’re saying that was all planned too….”
Ah, that.
“Well, did I say that? I just glossed over it because I didn’t want to drag the conversation out… but isn’t it all about how you frame the situation?”
Without further words, I manipulated my smartphone again.
I opened the contacts and made a call.
[VTIC Senior Shin Chung-ryeo]
The ringtone played—VTIC’s acoustic version of their latest track—before cutting off.
Click.
-Hello, junior.
“Hello, senior. About our conversation in the Waiting Room last time—would it be alright if I used it as material for a variety show?”
I could hear laughter through the phone, which was somewhat irritating, but Chung-ryeo answered as planned.
-Of course. Go ahead. I’m the one who told you to speak casually anyway.
“Thank you.”
-Don’t mention it.
I hung up the phone.
“That’s what they said.”
“….”
So both of your supposed weaknesses just evaporated.
The idiot in front of me, who had come charging at me with such swagger moments ago, had suddenly gone quiet.
‘That wild look won’t last long either.’
This bastard really has an overwhelming desire for self-preservation.
I recognized this was the moment to escalate the pressure one notch higher.
So I quickly changed the subject.
“So that answers your question… Next, there’s the school violence report I originally intended to discuss.”
I’d blocked my own weakness—now it was time to expose yours.
I spoke casually.
“Wouldn’t it be cleaner if the victim just did an interview with a journalist?”
“…!!”
“I think doing it officially would send a better social message. With enough evidence, everyone will believe it.”
Evidence.
I’d bet my life that the conversation I had with Sun Ah-hyun is playing through this bastard’s mind right now—and I’m recording it.
I finished my statement.
“If we add the detail that you were recording this whole time trying to dig up dirt on someone else, it’ll wrap up perfectly. We’re moving forward immediately. That’s all.”
I picked up my smartphone and straightened up from my seat.
A gesture that said I had nothing left to say.
“…Ugh!”
Chae Seo-dam jolted to his feet as if struck by a bomb.
“W-wait. This… why, why are you—”
Right, why am I even telling someone like you all this? How thoughtful of you to ask.
I smiled faintly and answered.
“Give up.”
“….”
“We’ve already decided to resolve everything, so I need to notify the parties involved. Now we just wait.”
It was a notification.
“….”
Chae Seo-dam froze in place.
A typical reaction. By this point, most people feel overwhelmed.
No desire to negotiate left in the opponent, all your preparations dismantled, and now a warning that I’m about to strike your weakness fatally.
For now, it feels like there’s nowhere left to escape.
Regret and distrust.
And this self-inflated bastard’s mind conjures up a different conclusion.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Blaming others.
“I didn’t do anything wrong to you! Just because Sun Ah-hyun and I had a bad relationship in school, this happens… does that even make sense? Is this sincere… why would you do this?”
Chae Seo-dam began rambling incoherently.
“You can’t just bury someone based on what Sun Ah-hyun says! Like this, trying to destroy me unilaterally….”
“Is that so.”
I spoke indifferently.
“What you did to Sun Ah-hyun was something anyone would do in that environment, but what you’re experiencing now is cowardly and unfair?”
“….”
“You already knew exactly how to harm Sun Ah-hyun when you did it. Same when you recorded me.”
Chae Seo-dam’s face bore the marks of a beating.
These bastards only reflected on themselves when they suffered like hell.
“If it were me, I’d be too ashamed to say such things. Wouldn’t it be better to accept the outcome?”
Of course, I said it knowing he wasn’t the type to accept anything.
“No, Sun Ah-hyun too! If this kind of talk gets out, it’ll cause damage to….”
Yeah, if he were the type to reflect over something like this, he wouldn’t have come this far.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“He said he’d do it himself, so why should I worry about that stuff? What do I know.”
“…!!”
“It’s not like I’m the one going down.”
Chae Seo-dam’s mouth snapped shut.
By this point, he couldn’t help but think it.
‘This bastard is actually insane.’
‘He’s really going to spill everything—members, the group, collateral damage, doesn’t matter—just to bury me.’
That realization must be hitting him hard.
And he was probably using his imagination to the fullest, conjuring up the extent of how thoroughly I’d destroy him, creating his own personal hell.
‘That bastard is preparing my social death!’
‘Hmm.’
Of course, it was all a bluff.
I wasn’t an idiot, and naturally I had no intention of bringing this matter to light.
‘It’s just a threat.’
“You take responsibility for your own actions, don’t you? You’ve got evidence anyway.”
“Ah, no….”
Same situation here.
We’d realized through discussion that Sun Ah-hyun had made a contextual recording. However, that file had poor audio quality, making it difficult to identify Chae Seo-dam himself.
All that remained was the counseling records Sun Ah-hyun had first mentioned, but that would likely turn into a dogfight with all sorts of public opinion attached to it.
Well, aside from all that, I had no intention of adding another personal scandal to a group that had already been through so much turmoil.
But Chae Seo-dam didn’t know that.
“….”
He was completely swept away by this massive bluff and sinking.
He’d lost his will to fight and seemed to have fallen into such a panic that he couldn’t even think of crying or getting angry.
‘I’d like to leave him like this for a week or two, but….’
Another variable could pop up, so maybe I should throw him something that looks like a lifeline.
I touched my smartphone under the table once.
It was about time for the final helper to make an entrance.
A few seconds later.
-Knock knock knock!
The door burst open at the same time as the urgent knocking.
“H-hey, hyungs.”
“…!!”
It’s Gold 2.
His expression hovered somewhere between urgency and tension.
“…Kwon Hee-seung.”
Even as Chae Seo-dam grew weary, she seemed to have scripted every possible scenario—she whipped her head around to look at him.
But the moment Gold 2 spoke again, the atmosphere shifted.
“I heard about it in the meeting… Moon-dae hyung, couldn’t you just hold off until the official announcement?”
“…Mm.”
I deliberately withheld my response, as if conflicted.
“…!”
In that instant, a spark of hope flickered back into Chae Seo-dam’s eyes.
Hope.
“Seo-dam hyung must be reflecting a lot too. Right, hyung?”
Chae Seo-dam nodded as if with genuine sincerity. Then he opened his mouth urgently.
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
I’d discovered what made for a worthwhile moment.
“Yes.”
“I recorded it… and tried to use it. I was wrong in my thinking. I misunderstood….”
“Mm….”
I let the silence stretch appropriately before responding.
“If this situation hadn’t happened, I don’t think you would’ve apologized. Anyway, I understand.”
“Since things are the way they are, Seo-dam hyung finally gets it, right?? H-hyung. Tell me what you understand.”
I could see Chae Seo-dam’s mind working at Gold 2’s prompting.
In the end, he nearly parroted what I’d said earlier.
“…That you shouldn’t try to do well while causing serious harm to others… that’s misguided effort, I realize. Yes.”
‘Good.’
So that’s what came out.
Whether the words were sincere from someone who’d spent all this time blatantly violating such a platitude was debatable, but what mattered was that he’d spoken it himself in this shocking situation.
Later, when time passed and he tried to rationalize his actions positively, he’d have to affirm this admission as well.
And as silence settled, Gold 2 stirred the situation again.
“Th-think about it, Moon-dae hyung! If Seo-dam hyung leaves on such bad terms… things could get way bigger than expected… and then this year’s schedule could become really difficult….”
“….”
I stared at Gold 2 without speaking.
Gold 2 met my gaze with a face that looked ready to break into a cold sweat, swallowing hard.
Gulp.
Only at the very last moment did I shrug my shoulders.
“Well… if the company takes damage, there’s more work to handle.”
“…!”
I glanced at Chae Seo-dam as if suppressing a sigh, then nodded.
“This time only.”

* * *
After that, things moved quickly.
With relief washing over her, Chae Seo-dam seized the momentum Gold 2 provided and signed the contract in a flash, then withdrew from the team on her own terms.
‘The nuance of the contract terms mattered most.’
It wasn’t that Chae Seo-dam would keep our conversation secret—rather, we made certain that we would keep quiet about Chae Seo-dam’s weaknesses.
In exchange for burying her attempted rumor-spreading and the school violence allegations, the contract stipulated that she would leave quietly and cause no further trouble to the team.
And soon the articles and announcements went live.
[Ajusa’s New Season Rank 10 Chae Seo-dam Debut Cancelled, “Health Issues”]
Given that she’d already fallen out of favor with the Debut Group’s fanbase due to various incidents, and since the reason cited was “health,” the matter passed without major controversy or scandal.
And Gold 2, who’d inserted himself at the last moment and reaped all the benefits, was practically beaming.
You probably caught on, but he was the one Big Sae-jin had orchestrated the whole thing with—brought in to play the carrot-dangler to Chae Seo-dam.
-Yeah, Moon-dae just swings the whip around~ and Hee-seung gives just one bite of carrot at the very end!
I couldn’t deny it. It was solid casting.
“You’re quite the actor.”
“Me? I was completely sincere.”
The moment Chae Seo-dam vacated the room, Gold 2 took a long, deep breath as if finally able to relax.
“Phew… I mean, how did that guy manage to debut again this time too…? Ah, never mind! Honestly, I’m just relieved we sent him away quietly before debut. Really!”
Having a time bomb like that on the same team would wear anyone down, so I couldn’t blame him. I just laughed it off.
“Thank you again for your help, hyung!”
“There’s nothing to thank me for.”
“Come on, you’re amazing no matter how many times I see it! Whenever you need anything, I’ll really do my best for you!”
After that, Gold 2 began sending check-in messages more frequently.
And not long after, another type of message came through—this time via the Ajusa Debut Group’s manager.
The sender was Chae Seo-dam.
It was a lengthy message, and interestingly, the recipient he’d requested was Sun Ah-hyun.
[I approached everything as part of competition and acted competitively, but I think I hurt you far more deeply than I intended or realized. This time I learned it painfully. That my methods might have a problem….]
Boiled down, it was an admission that he’d gone too far with Sun Ah-hyun back in their school days.
Of course, half of it bordered on self-justification.
“…’More than I intended’? You’re calling this an apology now? You still haven’t come to your senses…!”
“It’s… it’s okay…!”
Sun Ah-hyun stopped Bae Sae-jin, who was getting angry on his behalf.
“I didn’t think I’d ever receive an apology. I didn’t think it would happen, but… I guess I wanted one too.”
“Ah-hyun….”
“Th-thank you.”
Sun Ah-hyun bowed his head to those around him, then met my eyes.
“And thank you, Moon-dae… I-I was trying to help, but it feels like I keep receiving help instead.”
“…?”
You laid the groundwork perfectly and sent Chae Seo-dam away—what are you talking about?
Of course, if I answered like that, it would only lead to endless pleasantries, so I kept my response simple.
“We cooperated. I was grateful too.”
“Mm…!”
Sun Ah-hyun broke into a bright smile and decisively deleted Chae Seo-dam’s text screenshot.
“Ooh!”
The members applauded as if they’d witnessed some grand ceremony. Sun Ah-hyun looked a bit embarrassed.
“Hmm.”
I watched that quasi-apology vanish and reflected.
‘That bastard will probably forget about this and try to pull the same stunt again anyway.’
But I’d already factored that into my plan.
‘He’s got such a talent for dodging anything that might hurt him—he’ll keep his mouth shut.’
And whenever someone gets overwhelmed by such a crushing gap, they shift from seeking revenge to admiration, then convince themselves they handled it well.
‘Even in that situation, I managed to escape cleanly.’
That’s how it works.
So this guy won’t dare bring up anything related to this again. Sun Ah-hyun will forget about him.
‘I won’t see him again.’
I’d cleanly wiped him out of the industry.
“…Hmm.”
After a moment’s thought, I sent him a text that night.
[It ended well. Thank you.]
Well, it’s a simple fact that he helped with this situation, so this much was worth doing.
Ding.
Not long after, a familiar photo arrived—a dog raising its front paw.
A greeting, then.
“…Hmm.”
I touched my chin.
Surprisingly, no scratching. This guy’s finally coming to his senses….
[VTIC Senior Shin Chung-ryeo : Really? Then as thanks, I’d like to receive a song.]
“….”
Is he insane.
[VTIC Senior Shin Chung-ryeo : Just joking ^^]
I didn’t reply and turned off my messages.
After sending Chae Seo-dam away like that, all the impact was fully resolved.
And the very next day, the meeting revealed that if I hadn’t sent Chae Seo-dam away then, we would have ended up working together.
“We’ve received more specific scheduling details regarding the Agency Concert agenda….”
Because the discussion immediately turned to the schedule for a group concert—the symbol of a successful Agency and its affiliated artists.

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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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