Debut or Die - Chapter 331

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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 331
At Kim Rae-bin’s encouragement, the Mountain Lodge composition camp only allowed positive feedback.
So even if beginners made clumsy mistakes, everyone just laughed it off. After all, we were just there to have fun.
But when it becomes ‘work’, things change.
Look at the opinion Bae Sae-jin carefully brought up here.
“…Well, the song that won the award was a ‘promised’ track anyway. So what if we do it like a series based on that?”
“That’s a sensible suggestion!”
The feedback seemed like it would end warmly, but it didn’t.
“Yes. Pushing the one with the best performance is good. But for an award-winning song, the overseas response was pretty unremarkable, honestly.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Overseas audiences seem to prefer something stronger like ‘Drill’~”
“Exactly. I disagree!”
In an instant, opinions split mercilessly like that.
“…Fine. We can just cancel it!”
“I liked it. Sae-jin, that’s a shame.”
“Ahem. Yeah. Well, so what do you guys think!”
There’s no particular criticism. It just naturally moves on when the majority shoots it down.
“Got anything else fresh?”
“I came up with a unique idea! We could emphasize mechanical sounds with MIDI and electric noise to create a robot concept….”
“Ooh~ cheesy~~”
No, there’s someone openly mocking it.
“Cha Yu-jin, you haven’t offered any opinions since earlier and you’re just criticizing—that’s very inappropriate!”
“Ok! Let me speak. I like transformation heroes!”
“We did that for Ajusa, and if we do an OST it’ll overlap too much. Rejected.”
“Ugh….”
Self-mockery it is.
Anyway, most members made sensible remarks this way. They just implicitly filtered them out quickly because they didn’t fit the current situation.
As a result, the brainstorming turnover rate was exceptional.
“The discussion is getting too scattered, so let’s organize it into a chart. Let’s just capture the core of the concept with the best overseas response and the hero movie OST concept.”
“Okay~ Park Moon-dae’s making it, right?”
Work naturally gets passed to me.
“Sorry. Park Moon-dae. I should learn how to do this too.”
“It’s fine. You’re already doing so much.”
In the end, it took exactly half a day to extract the concept characteristics we needed to target.
-1. Intensity (Hero Movie)
-2. Uniqueness (Testa)
-3. Familiarity (American)
I organized it without taking a breath.
“A concept with intense action beats, America-friendly, and Testa’s distinctive uniqueness.”
“….”
“….”
“Wow.”
If the Company had made such a request, I’d have had all the justification I needed to go beat my boss to death.
But I had to do it. That’s just how entertainment works.
“Going forward, we’ll use this as our central framework… and discuss the concept and song you’d like.”
“Yes….”
The brutal back-and-forth that had been flying like mad finally entered a lull.
“My throat hurts….”
“Eugene, from now on, don’t shout—whisper instead. We can’t have you performing at the concert with a hoarse voice.”
As I listened to Chung-woo matter-of-factly hammer Cha Yu-jin with facts, I assessed the others.
‘Kim Rae-bin is doing well, at least.’
This guy was operating at an almost prodigious level. Pass.
‘Big Sae-jin has good vision too.’
He was actually more capable here than in the casual creative camp we’d done before. His ability to sift out good ideas and build consensus was top-tier.
‘Cha Yu-jin brings energy.’
He voiced objections without making anyone feel bad, which kept the meeting moving forward.
‘…This is a decent group.’
Now, rather than just coming up with good ideas, they could work within constraints and still produce worthwhile material without losing spirit.
And when we moved into the composition phase, one unexpected member performed brilliantly.
It was Bae Sae-jin.
“…Since you mentioned American, what if we borrowed some metaphors from American literature.”
He’d approached it from an angle no one else had considered.
“American literature?”
‘That feels promising.’
I asked immediately.
“Do you have something specific in mind?”
“I was thinking of Edgar Allan Poe’s works among the classics.”
“…!”
Edgar Allan Poe.
A pioneer of American detective and horror fiction.
“You know, that eerie quality he has. It’s incredibly famous and distinctive….”
“Ohhh.”
Buoyed by the positive response, Bae Sae-jin spoke rapidly, his face slightly flushed with excitement.
“You know ‘The Black Cat’ by that author? It’s creepy with a twist, and… isn’t that exactly the kind of uniqueness Testa is going for?”
“…!”
“Y-yeah, it does seem like that…!”
Oh.
True to form for someone who reads a lot, he articulated the symbolist approach quite convincingly.
‘Classical horror literature, then.’
Not bad.
Kim Rae-bin’s eyes were already gleaming with interest.
“If we nail the concept, we could create something truly impressive by weaving it into the rap lyrics. I’ll definitely jot this down.”
“…Sure.”
It was rare for Bae Sae-jin to step forward and offer producing input directly.
‘Surprisingly talented.’
Apparently caught off guard by how readily his suggestion was accepted, Bae Sae-jin’s face showed a mixture of bewilderment and quiet satisfaction.
Ryu Chung-woo smiled and summarized the direction.
“So we’re thinking Hollywood film vibes as the foundation, layered with American classical literature, and then blending in our own worldview?”
“That works as our initial producing framework.”
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.
Honestly, as it stands right now, it feels a bit… incomplete.
‘There’s something missing—no real spark to it.’
I decided to find value in the fact that we’d at least grasped the basic direction and identified a starting point.
‘The real polish will come once we integrate the film’s soundtrack.’
Truth be told, I’d pushed for this camp not to churn out high-quality results immediately.
It was more about assessing and encouraging each member’s producing capabilities.
‘I wanted to see how well the label would function on its own.’
The group had reached the point where it could stand on its own two feet now.
‘Once we become an independent label, decision-making authority expands, and some members will definitely need time to adapt to that.’
From what I’d seen so far, most of the members were performing well. They all spoke up readily and cooperated.
‘Ryu Chung-woo has a talent for coordination, so he’s fine.’
I’d given nearly everyone a passing grade.
But after surveying the entire group, one person stood out as the exception.
“….”
“Sun Ah-hyun.”
“H-huh…!”
The one who’d been offering nothing but agreement all day finally looked up.
“I’m curious what you think about the proposals we’ve come up with so far.”
“U-um… everyone’s, everyone’s ideas seem really g-good…!”
“Which aspects specifically?”
Sun Ah-hyun flinched but answered slowly.
“The H-Hollywood film aesthetic is… very mainstream, so I think adding that deeper feeling from classical literature is… really good….”
“…Right.”
Right. When I ask directly like this, one question at a time, he actually delivers fairly solid feedback.
The problem is… he can’t do it in real time, which is the most crucial aspect of collaborative work.
‘He can’t offer opinions on his own.’
Sun Ah-hyun excels at articulating assigned tasks, but he’s always been somewhat weak when it comes to original ideas or creative breakthroughs.
Moreover, unless it’s a moral issue, he rarely pushes back even when he disagrees.
His consideration for others causes him to step back and listen to what everyone else is saying, so he misses his window to jump in entirely.
In short, in situations like this, he’s just adding headcount to the majority vote.
He knows that too.
-Hyung! Do you have any thoughts?
-I, I’m… not yet.
-Mm~ OK.
-….
After this conversation with Cha Yu-jin, Sun Ah-hyun had hung his head low.
I sat down beside him.
“You can take your time.”
“…Yeah.”
Sun Ah-hyun didn’t look entirely convinced, but he nodded nonetheless.
That was actually fine.
‘He has his own pride, doesn’t he.’
He seemed to feel a strange competitive spirit about what he couldn’t do. There’s room for growth….
“What’s wrong with the mood?”
“…!”
Big Sae-jin cut in with a laugh.
“Ah~ So Moon-dae said something because Ah-hyun didn’t contribute much!”
-….
“Ah, no…!”
Sun Ah-hyun reacted a beat too late. He must have felt that way….
“Come on, don’t worry about that~ We have so many friends who are good at producing. Let’s just enjoy it, Ah-hyun!”
Of course, this didn’t sit well with Sun Ah-hyun.
“There will come a moment when I have to do it myself too….”
Big Sae-jin chuckled.
“Then Moon-dae can just do it for you!”
“…!”
“Moon-dae, won’t you produce Ah-hyun’s solo later?”
“M, my solo??”
“Yeah! Eventually we’ll all do a unit or solo once~”
He cleverly omitted the sad context of ‘when the other members go to the military.’
Anyway, I let out a quiet laugh.
“Of course I will if you want.”
“…!”
“See? You can feel better now, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Sun Ah-hyun offered a faint smile, then rose from his seat with a noticeably lighter expression.
“Th, thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Still, looking at his eyes, it seemed the desire to try hadn’t died. His mind just felt a bit more at ease now.
“Let’s go in and watch.”
“Yeah.”
“See you tomorrow, Ah-hyun~”
The camp atmosphere had wound down for the day, and several people had already left their seats.
Sun Ah-hyun followed them out of the Suite Room’s living area, his expression lost in thought.
“….”
Big Sae-jin kept his mouth shut until Sun Ah-hyun disappeared.
Then he suddenly spoke up.
“Ah-hyun really looks out for everyone, every time.”
“He’s a member.”
“Hmm~ Is that so?”
Big Sae-jin added in a casual tone.
“Moon-dae, you know how well Ah-hyun does once the producing is all done and he starts preparing, right?”
I know. Still, I want to help him grow a bit more.
“Instead of worrying about your same-age friend, let’s just focus on us, yeah~”
“Yeah.”
Actually, you’re all younger than me. I endured Big Sae-jin patting my back while giggling.
‘This guy’s still got energy left.’
Since he seemed to have stamina remaining, if I said anything stupid now, there’d be nothing left of me to bury.
I stood up, thinking I’d need to find the right moment tomorrow to open up about my ‘situation’ again.
“Where are you going?”
“Bathroom.”
An unexpected text had just arrived on my phone.
[The concert was so cool, it was the bestㅠㅠ]
“….”
It was Big Dal.
[Did you follow the tour?]
[Yes! Since it’s the neighboring country, I made time on the weekend and you all did so well, this is real healing…]
“….”
Right, this guy had enough money to fly first class without hesitation.
I calculated his wealth and shrugged. As long as he didn’t get scammed, it didn’t matter how he spent it.
But another text arrived right after.
[Is video call okay? There’s something I wanted to confirm.]
Hmm.
Something seems to be going on.
[Yeah. Give me a moment]
[Yes!!]
I entered the small room where Ryu Chung-woo was tapping away at his laptop.
“I’m going to video call with Ryu Gun-woo hyung for a bit.”
“Sure.”
I’d considered getting a separate room for the call, but that seemed like it would invite more suspicious misunderstandings. After all, this Suite Room was my room.
With him around, he’ll cut the feed if anyone else tries to peek in.
‘…It’s reassuring to have someone I know.’
“May I say hello too?”
“Feel free to do as you wish.”
I initiated a video call to Big Dal, and he accepted the moment the ringtone sounded.
-Hello!
“…Hyung, you keep saying it backwards.”
-Oh, uh, sorry…. Are you outside?
“Yes.”
This time, there was no chance of another accident like last time.
-Have you been well?
“Of course.”
Big Dal immediately corrected his tone, and I was about to ask how he’d been before diving into the main topic.
“Why did you want to call….”
That’s when Ryu Chung-woo called from behind me.
“Moon-dae?”
He said I could say hello, so why ask for permission again?
“No, it’s not that… Sae-jin wants to say hello too.”
“…!”
“Oh, not my younger brother Sae-jin. Bae Sae-jin.”
When I turned my head, I could see Bae Sae-jin standing beyond the doorway, looking somewhat tense.
Ryu Chung-woo appeared a bit flustered.
“He insists he knows you separately… is that right?”
This is driving me crazy.
I looked at Bae Sae-jin, and he let out a nervous cough.
“Well… it seems you video call often. I thought I’d just say hello….”
“…Yes, okay.”
If I just agreed without thinking, he’d probably keep spinning more pointless lies. I racked my brain for a way to end this absurd situation.
That’s when it happened.
“What are you all doing over there… huh?”
Big Sae-jin approached after seeing the three of them clustered in front of the door.
I immediately pressed the call end button.
Beep.
“Park Moon-dae, you were on a call…!”
“Oh.”
Bae Sae-jin startled, thinking it was an accident. Big Sae-jin let out a hollow laugh.
“You were on a call? I wondered where you went when you said you were going to the bathroom.”
“Someone I know just contacted me.”
“I see.”
Big Sae-jin glanced back at Ryu Chung-woo and Bae Sae-jin, then shrugged.
“…Do you all know each other?”
“Ah… he’s someone who helped Park Moon-dae when we were young.”
“…Ah, I see.”
“Park Moon-dae has been looking for someone since last year, you know. That… ah.”
Bae Sae-jin closed his mouth belatedly, reading the atmosphere.
‘Damn it.’
He’d started speaking assuming Big Sae-jin would naturally know, but realized he was wrong—and his attempt at damage control only made things worse.
“Anyway, I happened to have some acquaintance with him too….”
“Ah… yes.”
“….”
Big Sae-jin fell silent. An inexplicable awkwardness settled between us in the doorway.
“…For now, should we go rest too? This is Park Moon-dae’s room anyway.”
“Y-yes.”
Bae Sae-jin turned to me with an apologetic expression, but when I shook my head, he quietly closed his mouth and followed Ryu Chung-woo out of the room.
“Sae-jin, you come in too.”
“….”
Big Sae-jin didn’t respond to Ryu Chung-woo’s call. Instead, he rubbed his own shoulder.
Then, after a moment, it seemed like he was about to turn away, but suddenly he opened his mouth.
“Isn’t this… a bit too much?”
“…!”
His tone was choked with emotion.
“How many times now have I… everyone seems to know, but I’m the only one left out.”
Damn it.
I could see why he’d misunderstand.
“No, not everyone knows. It’s not that kind of thing—it’s just that the situation before was….”
“Then if it’s hard to explain, why does everyone know? And now even that guy….”
Big Sae-jin seemed to swallow his next words. Then he closed his mouth.
“….”
‘Open your mouth.’
I barely managed to find something to say. And I opened my mouth as calmly as I could.
“So what I’m saying is….”
“Park Moon-dae just looked flustered. Are you not sorry to me at all right now?”
“…!”
Words tumbled out reflexively.
“No, I am.”
“Really? But….”
Big Sae-jin opened his mouth as if to lash out… but then he subsided.
“…No, I’m just… let’s talk about this later.”
“Wait. You….”
“Later.”
Big Sae-jin muttered to himself in a voice that wasn’t even particularly angry, then slipped out of the room in an instant.
Slam.
He left so quickly that I heard the entrance door close immediately after.
In the corridor, Bae Sae-jin murmured.
“…I’m sorry.”
….
I’d ruined everything.

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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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