Debut or Die - Chapter 308

—————

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 308
The second day of the composition camp.
The arrangement session proceeded amid bursts of laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
“This is completely ridiculous!”
Combining nursery rhymes with idol songs turned out to be far more absurd than anticipated, resulting in all manner of bizarre creations.
Besides, we’d drawn the songs by lottery.
‘There’s no way we can ever release these.’
If it ever came to light that we’d created these, it would become a scandal—people would say we were mocking the Junior Member.
I played my own mashup of “Dreaming Bear” and “Hacker,” then shut it off without hesitation.
[Bear, go go go bear!]
It was indescribable garbage.
However, Kim Rae-bin managed to produce something quite entertaining even here.
“Oh~ Rae-bin, isn’t that beat from a Golden Age song?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I borrowed the verse beat and completed it with a more elaborate feel!”
“…So that’s how ‘Butterfly’ sounds like this?”
Bae Sae-jin’s question was justified—Kim Rae-bin’s mashup was unique and impressive.
‘Butterfly’ sounded trendy.
‘I was trying to make us all fail together and ease the pressure.’
Instead, it seemed I’d only made Kim Rae-bin more excited… but well, that was actually a good thing.
I surveyed the composition camp, which had become a comedy training ground, then rose from my seat.
“Moon-dae, where are you going~”
“To check on the chicken.”
I wanted to verify the samgyetang simmering in the pressure cooker for lunch.
However, an unexpected person followed me.
“I’m coming too!”
It was Cha Yu-jin.
‘I thought he didn’t prefer samgyetang over chicken.’
He must be excited from the outing. I shrugged and headed toward the gas range with him in tow.
Just then, the ginseng liqueur arranged neatly on the adjacent balcony caught my eye, reminding me of the early morning drinking.
‘So that’s how you use a spray.’
Since I’d changed clothes, brushed my teeth, and even used mouthwash, no one would know. Besides, I couldn’t get drunk from such a small bottle.
‘…Wait.’
That applies to me, but what about the other guy?
“The more I listen, the more I think it was truly an excellent choice for you to use only the most addictive melody from the nursery rhyme, Sae-jin!”
“Haha! Really? You keep wanting to listen to it, Rae-bin~?”
“Yes, it’s quite fascinating!”
“…”
Could Kim Rae-bin’s sudden chattiness also be due to intoxication?
‘Well… loosening up is good.’
Anyway, no one was unaware of it. I had passed by the ginseng wine beyond the glass window.
But then Cha Yu-jin caught on.
“Hyung, did you drink that?”
“…!!”
How did that bastard know… No, I’ll deny it first.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Liar! I don’t believe you.”
Cha Yu-jin grinned and pointed at the Refrigerator with his finger.
[This morning I saw an empty bottle in the Refrigerator, and that’s the weird alcohol that was there, right?]
“….”
[I found it while looking for cola.]
So that was the cause.
It was a discovery method befitting the greediest guy here.
I looked at him, wondering if he’d ask for another chicken leg, but Cha Yu-jin unexpectedly shrugged his shoulders.
And he glanced at Kim Rae-bin.
[You drank it while talking with him, right?]
“Yeah.”
[I knew it! He seemed more comfortable today. They say alcohol sometimes loosens people’s tongues.]
“Who told you that.”
[Hmm, my maternal grandmother?]
I could see why this guy and Kim Rae-bin had gotten along since their previous Agency. I briefly recalled and then dismissed Kim Rae-bin’s Grandmother, who had praised the ginseng wine.
Cha Yu-jin lowered his voice and spoke.
“Kim Rae-bin looks much more comfortable. That’s good.”
It was rather admirable to hear.
“He must have worried a lot. Why didn’t he just say it directly?”
Cha Yu-jin shrugged his shoulders.
[We’re the same year, you know. There’s a pride issue.]
The guy who came crying to find Kim Rae-bin back at Ajusa has no right to say that.
‘But that’s a different matter.’
Anyway, I just nodded and checked on the pressure cooker with the chicken in it.
Cha Yu-jin followed along again and this time gave a thumbs up.
“You’re amazing, Hyung.”
The chicken and ginseng soup?
[You’ve always supported Kim Rae-bin so he could compose, after all.]
“He just did well on his own.”
Honestly, the guy who turns nursery rhymes into pop songs would have made a living anywhere.
But Cha Yu-jin crossed his arms.
[No way. The previous Entertainment Company wasn’t very smart! Kim Rae-bin definitely had talent, but they didn’t give him composition work often.]
“Mm.”
[But you believed in him from the start, so Kim Rae-bin talks about being grateful to you often.]
I thought we were just yelling at each other every time, but you two actually had conversations like that.
The content was so heartwarming that I felt embarrassed mentioning I’d seen the Maestro trait in the status window.
But Cha Yu-jin’s story didn’t end there.
[Athletes and artists always hit a slump eventually. So it’s not because you put special pressure on him that Kim Rae-bin fell into one.]
“….”
[Kim Rae-bin definitely wanted to say this, so I’m saying it for him in advance. As your BFF!]
…I didn’t expect to be encouraged like this.
I’m not sure what my back has to do with any of this, but he patted it.
[And look at that—your magical alcohol even worked, didn’t it? Honestly, I find it admirable?]
Geez.
I watched him grinning, checked on Kim Rae-bin once more, then gave a short reply.
“Thanks.”
“Hehe.”
[But don’t talk about the alcohol to anyone else.]
“Got it! [I’ll keep the secret for my friends.]”
Cha Yu-jin spoke with gleaming eyes.
“But I want to drink it too! That’s the condition.”
Ginseng wine?
He probably wouldn’t like it much, but the color made him mistake it for some kind of dessert wine.
“When.”
“NOW! No, tonight!”
Seriously.
I chuckled and answered.
“Fine. Let’s drink it.”
Cha Yu-jin grinned and extended his fist.
Then a gloomy voice cut in.
“Drink what.”
“…!”
Why are you popping out from there again.
It was Bae Sae-jin.
He looked at Cha Yu-jin’s fist with suspicion, then suddenly seemed to realize something and cried out in shock.
“You…! You drank the ginseng wine!”
Damn it.
“No, that’s….”
“Kim Rae-bin! Did you drink that with Park Moon-dae??”
“Ah, yes! This morning we… oh.”
Kim Rae-bin remembered my words about not mentioning it so the other members wouldn’t feel left out, and answered with an embarrassed expression.
“I apologize. I should have waited until evening… I’ll definitely prepare a fresh batch for tonight!”
“That…!!”
Bae Sae-jin’s face flushed red and purple, but he held it in.
Okay.
“…That’s right.”
“Understood!”
“What’s going on~?”
“We were discussing having ginseng liquor in the evening!”
“G, ginseng…?”
“Ah, that’s what you mean.”
The members exchanged knowing glances but didn’t press the issue.
I’d been abstaining for quite a while anyway, and I didn’t feel like making a fuss about it with Kim Rae-bin right now.
So this is how it passes.
Well, Bae Sae-jin seemed to have guessed there was a reason. And honestly, drinking doesn’t excite me the way it used to, so it’s fine.
‘Like this, naturally one more time in the evening….’
Then Bae Sae-jin grabbed my shoulder and spoke.
“You’re not doing that.”
“….”
Seriously.
“Hyung, look! I’m fine now. A little wine won’t hurt!”
“That’s not wine—it’s distilled liquor!”
Cha Yu-jin eventually gave up with a dejected expression.
“Hyung, I’m sorry.”
That’s enough….
From that moment until I left the Mountain Lodge, I didn’t let a single drop of alcohol touch my lips.
Still… well, it was a decent camp overall.
When I left the Mountain Lodge, Kim Rae-bin’s laptop was in his hands, not in my bag.

* * *
After returning from the two-night, three-day composition camp where we’d been cut off from the outside world, we threw ourselves completely into concert preparations, scheduling every moment.
Of course, it wasn’t as though we had absolutely no spare time.
I found myself periodically monitoring the reactions to the 127 Section arrangements that Big Sae-jin had even extracted and uploaded as a background image.
In conclusion, the response was better than expected.
-Who is this guy
-OK I’m not lying This is SOOOOO interesting
-Absolutely killed it
“Why are we doing anything with a ruined factory? We need to put money in right away. If this kind of talk comes out of the boss’s room, it’ll be fucking embarrassing.”
Since the game series had such a large global fanbase, people periodically searching for covers kept flowing in, and it seemed to have generated subtle word-of-mouth.
‘I figured as much from the quality.’
I’d deliberately optimized the keywords so it wouldn’t get buried and would show up easily in searches.
And naturally, the theme song that Kim Rae-bin arranged received the best response.
No matter how much Kim Rae-bin had refined our pieces to the level of recreation, something he’d composed entirely himself would naturally have better quality.
And the reactions were… mostly calling him a genius.
-Expecting an established composer
└You’re confident for an outsider, industry people would see the estimate, seems like a talented young kid with genius who hasn’t entered the pro scene yet
“Lol, this so-called ‘expert’ is just spouting nonsense. But I can tell right away this arranger is a talented guy with real experience.”
I deliberately let Kim Rae-bin search for and find these comments.
Actually, I looked at them together with him too.
“That’s what they’re saying.”
“Yes, well, somewhat embarrassing but… grateful words…!”
I wanted Kim Rae-bin to solidify his own conviction that he’d escaped the slump by reading these comments.
At first glance, these comments seemed similar to the public’s high praise that had given Kim Rae-bin the slump, but there was a crucial difference.
‘Fresh faces.’
They lacked high standards or background knowledge.
Without any other intention, they were purely sincere praise and feedback about the arrangement, so they could be converted directly into motivation.
And this time, even if he received criticism, I wasn’t afraid of the fallout. It was anonymous anyway.
Besides, there was an escape route. We’d made it with a beginner.
‘Whether it fails or succeeds, it ends here.’
Additionally, it had the effect of keeping the others continuously interested in composition.
I’d seen Bae Sae-jin searching for feedback on his own song several times.
“…Why, why!”
“No.”
Well, I’m in no position to talk since I also search for reactions to my own arrangements.
Anyway, that’s why there was a certain pleasure in checking casual feedback during the concert preparations.
Thanks to that, Kim Rae-bin seemed to concentrate well without unnecessary thoughts, even though this was his first concert where he hadn’t participated in the arrangements.
And there was someone who was actually taking advantage of this.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae.”
“…?”
Just as dance practice ended and I was about to head home, Big Sae-jin approached me with a tablet in hand.
“So… since Rae-bin has his own work this concert and we haven’t really touched the audio production directly, right?”
“That’s right.”
“So the arrangements will come out faster… what if we put more effort into other elements with the extra time?”
Interesting.
“What do you mean?”
“Like this~”
Big Sae-jin turned on the screen and showed me the setlist.
Not the existing one, but a draft he’d personally revised with his own edits.
“…!”
“Not bad, right?”
It was good.
I answered without hesitation.
“I like it. Should we bring it up at tomorrow’s meeting?”
“Okay~”
Big Sae-jin grinned.
‘Productive.’
I took a sip of water and received the file.
But that day’s agenda didn’t end there.
“Um… there’s a comment.”
On the way home after practice, Bae Sae-jin showed me something on his screen.
There was a comment section on our anonymous arrangement channel that I was starting to recognize.
It had received so many recommendations that it had risen to the very top…
It was a formal invitation.
-Hello. This is T1 Plays. Since you didn’t leave contact information on your channel, we’re reaching out through this comment.
…
“…??”
And below that lengthy comment was the email of the T1 Plays representative.
It looked familiar.
“…Isn’t this the person who contacted us during our game collaboration?”
“Yeah, that’s them.”
A massive opportunity had just begun.

—————

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

—————