Debut or Die - Chapter 340

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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 340
Let me examine the public’s reaction to the plagiarism controversy between Star of Stars Song and Testa’s Kim Rae-bin.
More precisely, I’ve categorized by type those who are thrilled to have such a perfect excuse to criticize Testa after so long.
First, type one.
Dubbed the “I never saw it coming” crowd.
-Kim Rae-bin everyone called a genius and all that, but look at this mess.. ugh
I didn’t expect even an idol who rode the trend would be like this. I’m really shocked.
-Testa really disappoints me, isn’t Korea becoming a laughingstock too?
They emphasize that they never thought poorly of Testa before, but this incident has deeply disappointed them.
Of course, flipping it works just as well.
That’s exactly type two.
Dubbed the “I knew it all along” crowd.
-Physiognomy is science
-Didn’t seem like a villain during Ajusa, but the fans’ innocent image was too strong
-The final part of this tech tree is usually drugs. Is Kim Rae-bin speechless and talking gibberish? Haha Kingly Godsim
Normally they’d be attacked in reverse for being crazy, but now they can freely indulge in all sorts of speculative insults and rumors.
And finally, the most crucial type three.
Elevating Star of Stars Song.
The more you deify the victim, the more satisfying it feels to beat down the wrongdoer.
-The songs on Star of Stars Song’s channel are really so sparkly and pretty, I get why they plagiarized
Lol, it’s my major, and Star’s Various Songs is the origin of this. I’ve been consistently referencing Kim Rae-bin, but I think I might have crossed the line.
“So you were cosplaying as a genius when there’s an actual genius right here lol”
“So, considering the reaction of Kim Rae-bin, the central member of Star of Stars Song who’s being called the modern Mozart, a genius…”
“…thank you?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
At Big Sae-jin’s words, the members sighed or let out hollow laughs.
Those who’d stopped Kim Rae-bin from immediately posting “Star of Stars Song is Testa” on SNS had gathered at the Dormitory before dawn right after arriving.
“Where’s Rae-bin?”
“He’s sleeping well.”
“Okay.”
“But why stop Kim Rae-bin? Let’s tell them quickly who we are! Show them the taste of justice.”
“Hmm~ Eugene, it’s better to prepare something like this before saying it.”
Big Sae-jin wore a bitter smile.
“There are people who get angry as if they were deceived even though they misunderstood on their own.”
“That’s… pathetic.”
“Yeah, it kind of is.”
He was right.
Of course, the moment we reveal that Star of Stars Song is Testa centered around Kim Rae-bin, mainstream opinion will flip completely.
But the problem is that depending on the method, unnecessary side effects could emerge.
I crossed my arms and opened my mouth.
“People might say we deliberately aimed for this as a publicity stunt.”
“Right, that’s definitely possible.”
There could be those trying to manufacture public opinion along the lines of: we created a YouTube account right after signing the OST contract and uploaded arrangements related to 127 Section.
-Honestly, the response being this fast is suspicious, and it’s too coincidental to call it luck
-Hmm… After signing a contract for the Ruined Factory worldview movie OST, I created an account to upload the Ruined Factory game arrangement?
Yo, this looks way too rigged, T1 you’re full of shit lol
There’s no reason to deliberately leave such ammunition lying around.
Ryu Chung-woo added seriously.
“But we can’t leave it alone for long. Kim Rae-bin is getting attacked too much.”
“Right. It’s a serious misunderstanding.”
If we let this drag on under the guise of a meeting, that situation will only intensify.
‘If they don’t want to apologize.’
A significant number of those who cursed in agreement with the plagiarism controversy won’t want to admit they were wrong.
So won’t they inevitably try to create another justification to blame the other side instead of themselves?
Sun Ah-hyun’s face fell.
“Oh, even if it’s a misunderstanding… it seems too harsh. Kim Rae-bin, without even hearing an explanation, to go this far first….”
“…Yeah. It’s too severe.”
I nodded in agreement.
“It’s a side effect of the song doing too well.”
If this had just been a controversy on a B-side track, that would be one thing, but this OST is riding the wave of national pride sentiment.
‘Vicarious satisfaction has shattered into vicarious shame.’
They’re even more enraged because they’re afraid of losing face internationally over this.
It was a side effect of the national pride trend. If our title had faced plagiarism accusations, the internet wouldn’t have been in such an uproar.
“Sigh.”
I let out a hollow laugh watching the Star of Stars Song YouTube channel subscriber count climbing along with the overheated atmosphere. Big Sae-jin, who leaned in to check, was astonished.
“Wow, we’ve passed 100,000.”
“Right?”
So it became noise marketing in the process. Maybe I should soon register it as a monetized account and tell them to collect the copyright revenue.
-Fighting!
-Subscribed, the song is seriously amazing
-☆★☆★☆ Limestone, look here, this is the original, work with this genius ☆★☆★☆
-Really amazing, they said he’s a college student, so talent really doesn’t depend on age
Bae Sae-jin, reading the comments on that channel, muttered with a bitter expression.
“…Kim Rae-bin is getting recognized just as much as he’s getting cursed out…?”
“Y-Yeah….”
It was an awkwardly funny situation—neither happy nor sad. Cha Yu-jin stretched.
“Whatever, if we do the next one well, no one can say anything! Let’s just get ourselves known faster!”
Consistent as always.
And surprisingly, Ryu Chung-woo spoke seriously.
“Actually, I think the same way.”
“Huh?”
“I might be thinking too optimistically about this, but… honestly, I think we’ll be fine without making a big deal out of it.”
Hmm.
“Honestly?”
“Yeah. I think if we just explain well why we created that account, it’ll work out. It’s actually a good story, after all.”
“Mm.”
The straightforward approach, then.
It was actually the most legitimate method when issuing a statement. Simply explaining the circumstances honestly.
“What if we issued an official statement through the company like that?”
“….”
Just then, a low voice came from behind my head.
“I… I agree with that.”
“Ack!”
“I’m sorry!”
When I turned around, I saw Kim Rae-bin standing awkwardly behind a startled Bae Sae-jin.
“You, weren’t you sleeping??”
“I woke up a few minutes ago. I came out to drink some water, and it seemed like you were having a conversation, so I was trying to move quietly when I inadvertently overheard what you were saying!”
“Uh, well….”
Here we were talking about someone who wasn’t present, and we should be the ones feeling guilty—so why was he making excuses?
Anyway, since the person in question had shown up, the atmosphere shifted toward hearing his opinion.
“So… Rae-bin, you think this approach is good? Telling everything honestly?”
“Yes.”
Kim Rae-bin nodded as he took a seat.
“Actually, the reason we started managing the Star of Stars Song account was because you hyungs kindly helped me out of my slump, and I really want to make sure that point is conveyed.”
“Rae, Rae-bin….”
“Even though we won’t be able to manage the account as a hobby anymore… I’ll try to develop another healthy hobby in a different way!”
Kim Rae-bin clenched his fists tightly.
‘Oh.’
I smiled faintly.
“Yeah. Let’s just be honest about it.”
“…!!”
I heard a clicking sound from beside me.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae?”
“Did he drink or something?”
I ignored them.
“Rae-bin’s right. Sincerity always wins in the end. I think being honest is the best approach.”
“Thank you!”
“…Wow~”
Big Sae-jin was staring at me with a look that said I was full of it. This guy.
Of course, I still had more to say.
“But what if you did it yourself instead of going through the Company?”
“Ah, then on Testa’s SNS….”
“No, not there.”
“…?”
“Then where should I post it, sir?”
I smiled and turned my smartphone around to show him.
Maximum impact. Let’s go.

* * *
Half a day after the plagiarism controversy erupted.
The Internet was still ablaze.
A complete mess—beyond this incident, all sorts of Kim Rae-bin’s past rumors were being stitched together and dragged out on the verge of exposure.
Even as the OST’s music ranking soared high, star ratings poured in like terrorist attacks, endlessly reshaping the narrative when—
-Breaking: Star of Stars Song live stream starting
Finally, the plagiarized party himself took the stage!
[This is my statement regarding the plagiarism controversy.]
With fresh kindling, people excitedly clicked on the video like madmen.
A black thumbnail passed, and in the revealed video….
[Hello, this is Kim Rae-bin, who operates the Star of Stars Song channel.]
-???
Why are you appearing here…?
In an instant, the live chat flooded with question marks and exclamation points, and all manner of onomatopoeia.
Yet Kim Rae-bin, sitting in a room at the Dormitory in casual clothes, continued his statement with a serious expression, referencing the paper he held.
[First, thank you to everyone supporting the channel. And I apologize for causing trouble.]
-What is this
Why was the plagiarism controversy’s subject suddenly spouting thanks on another party’s channel?
‘Could he be saying they reached an amicable settlement?’
‘Isn’t this forced appearance too pathetic?’
But Kim Rae-bin continued speaking.
[It was late autumn, and I fell into a sudden slump that made composition difficult… As a result, my senior members carved out time they didn’t have to arrange a hobby camp activity for me.]
[While it’s unfortunate that this incident occurred in that process, I want to make clear that it was entirely my mistake, and my members bear no responsibility whatsoever.]
People finally jumped to the conclusion that Kim Rae-bin had come to apologize for the plagiarism based on his humble demeanor and tone.
As a result, curses finally began pouring in.
-So you plagiarized at a hobby camp?
-But what does a hobby camp have to do with anything lol apologize properly
-Ugh, what a loss of face, what are you doing on a regular account, you have an Agency so why are you starving?
-Sigh
[As a sample mixed in due to my mistake….]
That was the moment.
Suddenly, a member quietly emerged from the corner of the Dormitory room. It was Sun Ah-hyun.
-???
Then he waved his hands energetically at Kim Rae-bin, but soon realized it wasn’t working and waddled over to whisper in his ear before disappearing back out of frame.
Only then did Kim Rae-bin’s eyes widen and he nodded.
[Ah! Did I perhaps not mention it? My apologies.]
What do you mean then?
[I am Star of Stars Song!]
-??????
[I apologize. I should have mentioned this first, but I got ahead of myself wanting to provide detailed explanations….]
The comment section filled with chaos and screams again. Not that it mattered to Kim Rae-bin, who didn’t know he could see the live chat anyway.
[To be precise, this account was where Testa uploaded arrangements and compositions we created during the Composition Camp Mountain Lodge.]
[Thank you so much for your support. I’ve been drawing strength from the comments you’ve been leaving recently!]
-What?
[If I were to match each member with the songs they led the arrangements for… oh, I almost strayed from today’s video topic. I apologize again!]
Tell me right now!!
I can’t provide a reliable translation for this text. The Korean characters don’t form recognizable words or standard Korean language patterns. It appears to be either corrupted text, random characters, or intentional nonsense characters.
-Is this real
The live reactions devolved into gibberish. But Kim Rae-bin simply stuck to his prepared explanation, earnestly describing how this situation had come to be.
There was only one additional remark.
[Drawing strength from the positive responses you’ve been sending, I even submitted the works from this account as a portfolio during OST negotiations.]
This was a sentence Park Moon-dae had subtly inserted to prevent any suspicion that the songs on this account were composed after the OST contract was signed.
Of course, Kim Rae-bin had simply said it thinking he was expressing gratitude, speaking with utmost sincerity.
-Wow
-I really can’t even imagine this
-Star of Stars Song = Kim Rae-bin the genius Mozart era
Hahahahaha no, ugh!
And the live chat instantly shifted gears and began flowing cheerfully.
Because it was fun!
And because Kim Rae-bin wasn’t blaming or criticizing them for their insults—he was saying he was the one who caused the misunderstanding!
Mocking those who had cursed far more harshly and stirred up controversy, the chat now rallied solely around the identity of Star of Stars Song supporters.
The trolls who had genuinely come in with ill will toward Testa were swept away by the changed atmosphere or began to hesitate.
-Those bastards who were cursing are all running away now
-Ah this is so damn fun
-Is this some kind of meta power move?
What followed was Kim Rae-bin’s detailed explanation of exactly how he composed the OST and why the samples overlapped.
[Due to production timeline constraints, I had to create a demo version in just four days, and during that process there was an error where samples overlapped….]
And even that was a situation that evoked sufficient empathy and sympathy from modern audiences.
-Deadlines…
-So he was dealing with crunch time
Lol, composing like this and saying composition is a hobby? What kind of person does that?
-Being an idol really isn’t easy
The atmosphere had now become pleasantly lighthearted, with everyone simply enjoying a discussion about the OST production process for this blockbuster film.
Since Kim Rae-bin’s prepared presentation was around five minutes long, and anything longer would backfire, this was the perfect timing to wrap up the broadcast.
[Knock knock.]
[Ah!]
On screen, Kim Rae-bin turned his head toward the Dormitory door, which was half-visible in the corner.
Then the remaining members of Testa began sneaking in from behind the door.
-No way, Testa
-No way
-Why are they like that lolololol
Just as the chat was flooding with laughter again at their embarrassed demeanor—as if they were arriving late to a conference room—
The group, dressed in comfortable casual clothes, positioned themselves around Kim Rae-bin, even aligning with Big Sae-jin, and hurriedly bowed their heads.
[We sincerely apologize for causing controversy!]
When this apology-thumbnail-worthy scene appeared, the comments erupted in laughter once more.
[We’re sorry! I suggested it! I told them to try it as a hobby!]
[We didn’t expect it to turn out like this! Rae-bin isn’t at fault!]
Anyone could see they meant it, which made it even funnier.
-lololol we’re the ones who should apologize
-They probably couldn’t sleep from the shock
-You all worked hard, seriously lololol this is hilarious
With this light atmosphere, people began to genuinely apologize as well.
This was the moment the controversy transformed completely into a delightful happening.
[Then next time, we’ll meet you without any mistakes!]
Finally, the camera shook awkwardly a few times before the live stream ended.
But the comments continued to buzz with the aftereffects of this unexpectedly delightful chaos.
-Are you guys crazy lololol
-You really live life to the fullest, you guys
At the same time, the Internet began flooding with similar notification posts.
Because it was hilarious.
[Star of Stars Song’s True Identity]
[Kim Rae-bin and Kim Rae-bin, plagiarism controversy resolved amicably… .jpg]
And only after these posts had spread appropriately did Testa upload the evidence to their official SNS, framing it like a reflection on the happening.
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Now we can finally tell you… the ginseng liquor Park Moon-dae drank at the Composition Camp Mountain Lodge
(photo)
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It was all a matter of timing.
What Park Moon-dae hadn’t anticipated, however, was that this time the timing had aligned far more perfectly than expected.

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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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