Debut or Die - Chapter 325

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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 325
K-pop. A neologism primarily referring to idol music from South Korea.
In truth, it wasn’t a term coined domestically.
‘It seems like it’s been mentioned abroad here and there since the Korean Wave era, perhaps.’
So if the new mission is ‘breaking K-pop records,’ wouldn’t it make sense that only records with recognition from overseas would count?
I texted the status window to confirm my suspicion.
[I’d never thought about it that way, but it does seem right, honestly.]
“….”
Don’t tell me some obscure record actually counted, and my asking about this is what triggered the update.
With an uneasy feeling, I closed my smartphone.
After returning to the Dormitory, I’m now sitting on my bed in my room.
Sleep? I need to head to the Training Room as soon as the special stage choreography is finalized. The end of the year isn’t exactly a leisurely season.
And my roommate, who’d been waiting on his own bed, opened his mouth.
“If we need to break records, ultimately we’ll have to outperform all our seniors.”
“That’s right.”
He’d said ‘I’ll think about it’ in the car, and it seemed he’d genuinely pondered it. Truly a conscientious guy.
His next words matched his character perfectly.
“What if we aim for newly created evaluation categories? New categories tend to make record-breaking easier.”
A pragmatic remark befitting someone who’d competed as an athlete. I rested my chin in my hand.
“Let me check. At least in the Asian market, most records are….”
VTIC has already dominated them. Damn.
“Ha. Our seniors have been quite active, haven’t they?”
“Yes.”
They really had. Dozens of weeks at number one, million-seller albums, dome tours—they’d already established every conceivable record.
While Testa focused primarily on securing domestic presence, VTIC had further solidified their global standing… so they’ve essentially swept everything.
“South America is the same.”
“Right.”
Every region where the K-pop market has thrived has formidable records. Breaking those by next summer is a reckless challenge with only one shot.
And it’s not just the seniors’ records that stand in the way.
“Everyone’s still actively promoting right now. And their results are good.”
Globally speaking, not just VTIC but quite a few groups are outperforming Testa.
Chung-woo nodded, apparently recalling information from the Company briefing.
“Yeah, it’s tough. Even if we create the best stage possible with maximum effort, there’s no guarantee the results will be good.”
That’s just how the entertainment industry works.
“Timing and luck play a huge role.”
“Right. There are similar aspects, but in this regard, it seems quite different from sports.”
Chung-woo smiled wryly.
“I’ve challenged record-breaking during my athletic career too, but with entertainment… it’s not simply about winning or losing. You have to win people’s hearts, which makes it incredibly complex.”
“That’s true.”
I nodded, and Chung-woo seemed lost in thought.
The conversation was heading in a deeper direction than I’d anticipated. I figured it was better to steer it back a bit.
I gently shifted the topic.
“Now that you mention it, I’m curious what record you were attempting before.”
“Hm? Haha. Nothing special—it’s something everyone tries. Three golds: Asian Games, World Championships, and Olympics. The idea was to become the youngest to achieve all three.”
“….”
Three golds?
I had no idea what the South Korean archery industry was even doing.
‘Why are they talking about gold medals like they’re regional league championships?’
That ecosystem was beyond comprehension.
“That’s impressive.”
“Impressive? I failed. Didn’t make the selection for the World Championships.”
Ryu Chung-woo laughed with a hint of embarrassment.
“But I did manage to snag the youngest Olympic record.”
“That’s still more than impressive enough.”
“Haha, though it’ll probably be broken soon. Lots of younger kids are making it to the main competition….”
“…!”
Wait. Something about what he just said is ringing a bell.
‘Youngest record.’
Suddenly, a new path illuminates in my mind.
‘…That’s right. That approach is possible.’
Rather than simply chasing the highest overall achievement, I could subdivide the record category itself in a different direction.
Toward items that appear ‘impressive’ enough to be recognized externally.
‘Good. I’ve got it.’
I need to solidify this direction. I nodded.
“Anyway, I’ll think more about your question. I’m sorry I can’t give you a useful answer right now.”
“No, thank you. I think I got a hint from this.”
“…? Really? Then that’s fortunate.”
His expression suggested he had no idea where I’d gotten it from, but Ryu Chung-woo simply laughed it off.
I added something just to be safe.
“You can rest assured—I won’t think about anything that would harm Testa’s mutual interests.”
“I was never worried about that… but understood.”
Ryu Chung-woo accepted it at that.
It was the same straightforward response he’d shown when I’d said ‘I need to win the award’ last time.
“….”
Now that I think about it, he never even asked why I was asking such things. He seemed to have sensed it would be burdensome.
‘What kind of guy is this?’
It was the same in the car earlier. I’d ended up being oddly moved by the situation, so I’d glossed over it in an emotional way, uncharacteristically….
But thinking about it now, I’m puzzled how he’s even accepting this situation.
‘He seemed like the type who doesn’t believe in supernatural phenomena at all.’
Isn’t he the guy who doesn’t even acknowledge ghosts?
No matter how much groundwork was laid beforehand, isn’t it far too unrealistic to simply brush this off as trust in Park Moon-dae based on what he’d experienced?
‘He doesn’t seem to have any ulterior motives, though.’
I rubbed the back of my neck and let out a sigh.
Fine, whatever. Let me just ask.
“Hyung.”
“Hm?”
“About what you said in the car earlier… I’m curious how you became so certain about my situation.”
“….”
“Honestly, it must have seemed absurd to you.”
The proposition that ‘Ryu Gun-woo and Park Moon-dae had switched bodies.’
Ryu Chung-woo laughed awkwardly.
“Well, I actually tried to think of other explanations… but they all had gaps.”
“….”
“At first, I thought maybe the two of you were so heavily influenced by each other that you shared a lot in common, like you were one person. I figured I should consider that carefully.”
I recalled when he’d suggested I could speak more casually to him.
‘So that’s why.’
But the explanation didn’t end there.
“Then today, when I met ‘Ryu Gun-woo’… that’s when I realized it wasn’t that.”
Ryu Chung-woo concluded calmly.
“The two of you are very different. …Like you’d switched places.”
“….”
“So then what you said during that mountain hike came to mind. Like a bolt of lightning.”
-I just… acted as myself.
Ryu Chung-woo laughed.
“If I take that literally, everything that’s been puzzling me suddenly fits perfectly. Cleanly.”
“….”
“Your knowledge, your coping abilities, your trauma. And both your and Ryu Gun-woo’s reactions in that moment.”
Ryu Chung-woo gave a bitter smile.
“And why you used to avoid me in anger before… things like that too.”
“….”
“It all made perfect sense.”
That guy’s summer package.
He’d already factored in why I’d had a breakdown hearing about his traffic accident.
I closed my mouth, and Ryu Chung-woo continued quietly.
“Back then, it seemed like I was the only one understanding you unilaterally… but actually, you looked out for me a lot too. Didn’t you? I’m sorry.”
“…No.”
I barely managed to respond.
“It’s definitely my place to apologize.”
Ryu Chung-woo laughed it off.
“Stubbornness must run in the family.”
“….”
“Anyway, that’s how I found out. Of course, I still don’t understand the principle… but it doesn’t really matter if I don’t. I don’t need to hear all the details.”
In the end, this guy had exercised his instinctive judgment based on reason.
And since he was naturally so unflappable, the circumstances had aligned perfectly, allowing everything to flow smoothly to this point.
‘Besides, hearing it explained like this, there was quite a lot of valuable information.’
I ended up laughing too.
“I’m embarrassed that I can’t explain things properly while always listening to explanations. Thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Chung-woo chuckled, but then his expression changed as if he’d remembered something.
“Oh, now that I think about it, that wasn’t the end of it.”
“Pardon?”
What else was there?
“Actually… I happened to hear it directly without meaning to.”
Chung-woo looked a bit embarrassed.
“When you went out to take that call at the Restaurant earlier, I was standing outside the door for a moment to get the timing right before coming in….”
Wait.
“…So you’re saying,”
“Yeah. That person called you ‘hyung’ very naturally.”
“….”
So it was confirmed then.
My sad premonitions never lie. I understand now.
I felt a twinge at the back of my head from the situation I’d been worried about, but I quickly moved past it.
‘Anyway, things worked out well.’
It was a blessing in disguise. I looked at Chung-woo anew.
And I spoke suddenly.
“I look forward to working with you going forward.”
“Haha, I should be saying that to you.”
And so I unexpectedly gained an ally who didn’t need to know my true identity.
And not long after, the door burst open and the others poked their heads in.
“Everyone~ The choreography is here~”
It was time for practice again.
“Got it? Hold on a second.”
Chung-woo immediately got to his feet and added as he left, “Let’s continue talking about that K-pop record when we get back.”
“Understood.”
I could probably think about it on my own soon enough, but if I wasn’t going to act alone anyway, I’d need to keep discussing it.
So I nodded readily, but the response actually came from someone else after Chung-woo left.
Big Sae-jin, that is.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae, what’s this about K-pop records?”
“We were discussing what would be worth setting as our next goal.”
“We were discussing what we should aim for as our next goal.”
Isn’t that the kind of productive thinking you’d expect from a leader?
“Oh~ So now that Moon-dae’s your roommate, it seems like you’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with Chung-woo hyung?”
Big Sae-jin chuckled. Then he deliberately pretended to cry.
“Sniff sniff, you two just went out to play earlier without me, and Sae-jin’s feeling pretty left out here….”
This perceptive bastard—how did he find out we snuck out?
“You were on a call with that variety show MC anyway, so what?”
“Aw, but when our main vocalist, best friend Moon-dae calls, I drop everything and come running~”
He said it so naturally, without a shred of hesitation.
I was about to smack him on the back when a thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I froze.
‘…Now that I think about it, I did tell this guy I’d explain my situation if the opportunity came up.’
…Ryu Chung-woo already found out first.
“….”
“Moon-dae?”
Should I really explain this to him voluntarily out of courtesy?
But the thing is… I’m not even sure if this is something I should just tell him outright. The risk is way too high.
It’s not like I can restart things if I fail to convince him after telling him directly.
‘Plus, this bastard’s the type who’ll demand to hear every single detail from start to finish the moment I open up.’
Just thinking about explaining all of this to someone who doesn’t even know what a Status Window is—I’m worried I’ll end up humiliating myself, regardless of whether he believes me or not.
I stayed silent for a moment, then stifled a sigh and opened my mouth.
“…Then let’s go out together sometime when we have a chance.”
I should probably tell him eventually. If Ryu Chung-woo knows and only this guy doesn’t, it’ll get weird the moment I slip up later.
“…! Moon-dae, you finally want to leave the house! Great, great~ I’ll make sure it’s perfect!”
No, that’s not what I meant, you idiot.
Big Sae-jin giggled and patted my back, but I sighed and walked out the Entrance door with the other members.
‘I’ve got more on my plate now….’
How am I supposed to explain this surreal situation to that guy?
‘I’ll figure that out carefully as I go.’
I set that thought aside for now and brought back my original concern.
‘So, to make the K-pop Industry record-breaking mission goal somewhat easier….’
1. Pioneering new markets
2. Subdividing new evaluation categories
That’s how it breaks down.
So if I subdivide the categories to look authoritative, I need a market that’s large enough and has good public recognition, while still having pie left for us to claim….
I unconsciously blurted out one anticipated answer.
“America.”
“We’re going to America??”
“No.”
It’s just a candidate.
“Aww….”
Cha Yu-jin, who’d reacted like lightning, drooped his shoulders and passed by me to get in the car. But there’s nothing to be done about it.
‘There are countless examples of failed America ventures.’
There were prerequisites to handle first.
‘Analysis comes first.’
I’d pull data on which markets favored Testa, construct a strategy, and then enter.
I absolutely wouldn’t charge headfirst into America recklessly.
And to make that happen… I’d need more control over planning and activity schedules.
I cracked my neck.
‘It’s time.’
Then I recalled the contract terms I’d renewed with the Director.
-If Testa wins the Grand Prize at an annual awards ceremony within the next year, the Company will fully support the establishment of Testa’s new independent label.
We’d already secured the Grand Prize.
Which meant it was time to create an independent label for Testa.

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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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