Debut or Die - Chapter 317

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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 317
Four days after the accident, the media would have been abuzz with speculation that I showed no signs of waking.
I opened my mouth immediately.
“I’m fine. Everything’s recovered.”
[Master, they’re saying you’re dead, the news….]
“I’m not dead.”
Whoever the madman was who described a coma with such language deserved to be sued.
[Hyung, you’re really not dead, right…? You didn’t come to help me because you died, did you?]
“I’m telling you, I’m not.”
What was he talking about? I’d gone up to receive my reward.
‘You’re the one who disappeared, not me.’
Hearing such words from someone who didn’t know what would happen once this ‘reward reception’ ended left me somewhat unsettled.
I suppressed a sigh and spoke.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you beforehand, but it slipped my mind. I woke up fine and have been active normally.”
[….]
Every time obstacles appeared, I’d crushed them and pushed forward, so I didn’t think there was any particular issue that needed special explanation. This situation would resolve itself without him doing anything anyway.
However, from his perspective—not knowing how it would be handled—it was certainly cause for concern.
Especially if he’d lost someone close to him in an accident before.
‘I was careless.’
I sat down on the bed and spoke calmly.
“You received a new abnormal status and wanted to confirm whether I’d actually come back, didn’t you?”
It was still June. We’d planned to receive a new abnormal status later and wait longer, but he must have processed it now just to verify that I’d actually appear.
‘Four days of patience was impressive, actually.’
With the news constantly saying I was dead, he must have been too anxious to resist checking.
Gong-myeong seemed to calm down, then trembled again.
[I’m, I’m sorry. We were supposed to activate it in September, but I….]
“No, you did well.”
Thinking about it efficiently, it was a situation worth confirming. My guide had nearly vanished suddenly, after all.
‘This is far better than taking the test in this state and failing.’
I let out a relieved sigh and sat up.
“You handled it well, so don’t worry about it. It’s a month before the test, so we could even go through past exams one more time. If anything, this is advantageous.”
[Yes….]
Gong-myeong seemed to settle down with great relief. He’d definitely been in a panic.
“You worked hard. For four days.”
Gong-myeong trembled as if sobbing.
I checked my physical condition just in case and realized my stomach was almost cramping.
“You didn’t eat either.”
[…When I tried to eat, people kept bringing up your accident… so sometimes I couldn’t.]
So they don’t talk about idols, but they do talk about idol accidents. Perhaps disaster involving others is simply fascinating to people.
In any case, eating while constantly hearing about someone you know dying would be exhausting. I clicked my tongue inwardly.
“Still, from next time onwards, you have to eat no matter what.”
[Yes….]
Gong-myeong’s voice wavered. With the tension breaking, he seemed unable to speak properly, so I decided to piece together the situation myself.
‘First of all… today is Monday.’
With so little time left until this year’s exam, I’d naturally assumed I’d be at the Dormitory Academy all weekend, but this was an Officetel.
‘They must have deliberately cleared my schedule to match my return timing.’
Looking at my smartphone calendar, it seemed I’d been attending the Dormitory Academy faithfully.
Next, I accessed the Internet.
[Testa’s Park Moon-dae unconscious for four days… Agency statement “in recovery”—what does it mean?]
The article had been posted in the social section, absorbing criticism along the lines of ‘why is the headline like this,’ and I scrolled through the comments.
Perhaps because four days had passed and people now sensed ‘this has actually gotten serious,’ the inflammatory comments had largely subsided, leaving mostly fans.
Worry, panic, despair, anxiety….
“….”
Truth be told, I’d only seen the aftermath back then, so witnessing something this raw was my first time, and it did feel unsettling. I’m scheduled to remain unconscious for eighteen more days, after all.
Yet on the other hand… it’s absurd how somewhat glad I feel about it.
‘…Stop thinking useless thoughts.’
I sighed and scrolled past the news. By now, the others should all be conscious and hospitalized.
‘I heard most of them ended up with minor injuries, so there weren’t any major issues….’
In fact, when I woke up, the only one visibly recovering from serious injuries was Cha Yu-jin. The rest were barely wearing support braces.
‘Hmm, so the company could’ve cut me loose and made new plans.’
Now that I thought about it, something seemed odd.
By the point where I hadn’t woken up and more than two weeks had passed, there should have definitely been some gesture from the company.
Even if the Subsidiary held back because of the Manager issue, T1 Headquarters would be more than willing to make a move.
‘…Now that I think about it.’
Suddenly, words Sun Ah-hyun had spoken before came to mind.
-W-when the traffic accident happened, Big Sae-jin d-did a lot, worked really hard….
-T-told the company… and kept visiting the hospital, talked about surgery… he, he really did his best! Even couldn’t eat properly….
“….”
I pondered for a moment, then created a new anonymous email account. And in the ‘recipient’ field, I entered the Agency’s email format.
However, not the representative’s address.
I directly typed in the email address of the ‘Management Director.’
And the subject line.
-It’s said that the Q4 Testa activity push-forward plan is scheduled to be announced.
I wrote it as if it were an internal whistleblowing disguised as anonymity, detailing what kind of external backlash might come from forcing six-member activities.
‘This will work perfectly while the Department Head and Management Director are busy with their factional struggle.’
With this, even if the Department Head brings up this plan in talks with Headquarters, the Management Director can quickly push back. It’s content about a weakness I already know.
Then with the two of them tearing at each other, the plan won’t proceed properly….
‘…The members will have fewer things to worry about.’
Big Sae-jin.
At this point, he was the only one in the group who could properly communicate with the company, so imagine if the company came with an X-tier proposal like this.
I had no idea what might happen to this guy’s head under such extreme stress.
‘Still, I think I handled it well by being firm until I woke up.’
Well, I hope that taking even this much precaution had some effect. I hit send on the email.
My mood lightened a bit.
That’s when Gong-myeong’s voice resonates faintly again.
[Um, hyung… is it okay if I ask where you’re sending that to…?]
“Oh, to the Agency…”
Wait.
Talking with this guy reminded me of something else.
-Actually, an article was supposed to come out last year, but the Agency blocked it.
That airplane accident involving his parents.
The Agency supposedly blocked the article from breaking around the time I was discharged from the Hospital, but given how chaotic things have been, I doubt these guys actually managed to suppress it properly.
“…Park Moon-dae.”
[Yes!]
“There’s just one thing… I need your understanding.”
I explained the situation to him.
That the media could potentially seize on his family matters as fodder.
What’s already been exposed to the public is annoying enough—I can’t let this go out too.
So I planned to send the Agency an email disguised as a journalist wanting an “exclusive” to put them on alert.
…It’s not exactly a method I prefer, but given the time and space constraints, it’s the most effective option.
“So I need to write the content in the email first, and I’m sorry if it’s uncomfortable to read.”
[No, it’s not… Um, I’m really fine with it…?]
“…? Really?”
[Yes.]
Gong-myeong’s voice resonates in a dazed way.
[Actually, I don’t really feel like it’s me… my appearance is quite different too… Just, um, I don’t know how to say this, but… it’s like watching my real hyung on Television.]
“…I see.”
[It might just be my own thought, but maybe that’s why I feel a sense of familiarity…]
“I appreciate that.”
Gong-myeong’s voice resonates as if he’s smiling without realizing it.
If he’s fine with it, then I can think about it freely too, which is convenient… but somehow it doesn’t feel that comfortable.
‘Is this guilt?’
No, I’ll think about that later.
I squinted my eyes, created a new anonymous email account, and finished what I needed to do.
And until evening, I spent time spoiling for him which days I’d wake up and what activities I’d do afterward.
Whether it had an effect or not, Gong-myeong became much calmer.
“I wake up on July 6th, so don’t bother watching the news until then.”
[Yes!]
“You watch the charity concert after the second round of the exam is over.”
[Yes…]
And I emphasized one more thing.
After passing the second round, there’s the third round—the interview—and the next abnormal status will definitely appear then.
So this is what needs to be done now.
“First, take the interview, and only accept the next abnormal status immediately when you’re certain you’ve passed.”
Once you receive an abnormal status, you only get one chance to clear it.
Since this guy has never done anything resembling an interview in his life, I can’t ignore the possibility of him failing.
[I’ll do exactly that!]
Still, deep down, I thought he might actually pass on his first try.
And when I opened my eyes again the next morning.
[…hyung.]
“Yeah.”
I realized I’d only woken up the following spring.
He’d failed the interview.

* * *
Park Moon-dae had failed the third round.
Of course, it wasn’t because he performed particularly poorly in the interview.
[I’m sorry, my score was outside the cutoff, and I was too nervous during the interview….]
His score had been borderline even for the 1.5x recruitment quota.
“You did well. Passing the second round means you’re almost there. Just endure one more year.”
If he passes this year, that’s it. But Gong-myeong wavered with anxiety.
[What if… I don’t pass this year?]
It seemed he’d grown fearful after slipping once from his goal.
But there’s no need for that.
“No, you can pass. I’m not just trying to encourage you—I mean it sincerely.”
I failed because I got caught up in the questions and unnecessarily tried to outsmart the interviewer. He just needs to raise his score a bit.
And he’ll be able to do it.
“You raised your score to the passing range in just two years—honestly, that’s incredible.”
[Huff….]
“And for this grade level, during the first three years, if you just work hard, your score will naturally improve to some degree.”
I spoke without hesitation.
“So since you’re already in the passing range, if you endure just a few more months, you’ll almost certainly pass.”
[…Yes!]
Gong-myeong’s response regained its strength.
‘Good.’
His motivation had returned. I nodded and finally began my day.
Since he now had to push himself to the limit for his final exam opportunity, I spent this time cooperating with his rest as much as possible.
Letting him do what he wanted while resting, answering his curiosities.
For example, like this.
[Hyung, is the next comeback….]
“July 12th. So don’t dig any further—just listen to the song on that day.”
[Understood!]
I acknowledged and realized something. The song making a comeback on July 12th was the latest track: “Promise.”
In other words, I had finally caught up to the year I returned.
‘I’ve made considerable progress.’
Even though I hadn’t uncovered anything concrete about the system itself.
‘This guy himself has no clue about it whatsoever.’
I crossed my arms.
Still, if I’m being honest, my conversation with Park Moon-dae itself went quite well. It even felt like I’d grown somewhat closer to him than expected.
Besides, Park Moon-dae seemed likely to successfully overcome the abnormal status better than my initial prediction.
‘There’s a strange sense of accomplishment in this.’
And I was gaining some benefits from it too.
[Hyung, what’s that about?]
“I have something to handle.”
I recalled the conveniently timed exposé post that had sent away the guy who’d been most irritating during this period.
Chae Seo-dam’s secret dating account.
Of course, I hadn’t done anything significant. As a civil service exam candidate, I couldn’t afford to get sued.
I simply… posted this one thing on an anonymous site.
========================
[Looks like Chae Seo-dam’s anti-fans are running a rumor operation]
This account’s ID creation method is way too similar to the previous Chae Seo-dam account, but it was made recently
Interesting that they’d go this far to trash her
========================
I’d posted it in a tone suggesting the private dating account belonged to “an account deliberately created by anti-fans.”
Then those wanting to claim it was real would latch onto it… well, and as I’d witnessed, even hackers might emerge.
It was just a possibility. Though… I did see the results.
‘If this hadn’t actually been true, it could’ve been used as a move to silence the anti-fans instead.’
Unfortunately, Chae Seo-dam’s own carelessness turned out to be the real issue.
After confirming the comments multiplying, I waited just five minutes before deleting the post.
‘Clean and simple.’
[Hyung… did you help that person take the fall?]
“The opposite.”
[…??]
I didn’t bother explaining in detail to the bewildered Gong-myeong. Just focus on studying.
After that, I simply rested as planned, and a day slipped by in an instant.
Gong-myeong hummed dejectedly.
[It’s already 11 PM….]
“Yeah.”
In other words, the decisive moment was approaching.
If my hypothesis and calculations were correct, this was the section where I’d need to clear the final fifth abnormal status.
I didn’t explain in detail, but he believed my words that this abnormal status would end once he passed this test itself.
However, he was curious about what would happen after that.
Now, just before today ended, he asked me this.
[Brother, when this is all over… what happens then?]
It was something I’d been concerned about anyway, but for now I answered plainly.
There was no need to make him anxious.
“For me, the abnormal status just disappeared and that was it, nothing else happened.”
[Really?]
“Yeah. Well… even if that’s not the case, I won’t suddenly drop dead out of nowhere anymore.”
Gong-myeong trembled like laughter.
[That’s true!]
Right.
And just in case, if I were to return to the time period I was originally experiencing right away like this, I’d prepared a contingency plan.
“Then do well. Let’s meet again in six months.”
[Yes!!]
“If I don’t come back, contact me using the number I gave you in December.”
Gong-myeong trembled with tension and anticipation. It seemed like a sign of agreement.
‘Either way, I can control it.’
As long as this guy passes.
With that, I fell asleep considering various possible outcomes.

* * *
When I opened my eyes again, I realized I was lying on the bed in the officetel once more.
“….”
It’s Ryu Gun-woo’s body again. Nothing particularly changed.
And looking at the season outside the window… it’s late autumn.
Exactly the season when Grade 7 civil service exam results are announced. I understood immediately.
‘He passed.’
The only thing my return at this timing meant. I chuckled and sat up. Then I called out.
“Park Moon-dae.”
Good job.
“….”
But there was no response.
“…Ryu Gun-woo?”
I heard no echo at all.
The strange vibration that had resonated somewhere within me left no trace.
“….”
What… is this situation.
I waited a moment longer. Just in case this bastard was playing some kind of prank to celebrate passing.
But after more than five minutes, the surroundings remained silent.
I was alone in the Officetel.
I swallowed hard.
“…Status window.”
[Receiving Reward]
It wasn’t finished yet. I was still in the process of receiving the reward for “Conversation with Park Moon-dae.”
So… it definitely wasn’t the worst-case scenario I’d been considering.
‘But why did my conversation partner disappear?’
What in the world was happening?
I bit back a curse and immediately pushed myself up from the bed. My plan was to gather whatever clues I could find and piece together what was going on.
That was when it happened.
Bzzzzt.
A phone call came through. It was the smartphone on my bedside table.
‘A number that wasn’t saved.’
I answered it immediately, hoping to extract whatever information I could to make sense of this.
Then a voice came through the phone.
But it was a familiar one.
-Found you.
…Chung-ryeo.

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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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