Debut or Die - Chapter 342

—————
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 342
A guy I’d never given my address to, never made prior plans with, was suddenly standing in front of the Dormitory entrance.
He hadn’t even rung the doorbell, yet somehow he’d managed to rack up a disgustingly high number of missed calls.
But if this bastard already had a track record of pulling off genuinely insane stunts?
‘Damn it.’
I examined Chung-ryeo’s expression visible through the chain lock again.
His face remained remarkably expressionless.
“Why are you here?”
“I didn’t come on purpose. I stopped by on my way back to the Dormitory.”
“I never gave you my address.”
“You mentioned it last time.”
That never happened.
“You told me which floor you live on.”
….
Right, when I ran into him at dawn with a dog, I’d casually mentioned which floor I lived on before bringing up information about Ryu Gun-woo to lighten the mood.
And if he knew roughly which line I lived on, he could naturally figure out where exactly I lived….
‘That’s just information gathering and piecing it together, you bastard.’
It was the kind of habit someone like a restart player—someone with nowhere else to fall back on—would shamelessly possess.
This guy couldn’t have lost his mind so badly that he’d lost all social judgment.
But Chung-ryeo’s words didn’t end there.
“I came to tell you something.”
“What….”
And an unexpected answer came.
“Kongi is sick.”
“…!”
What?
“I just dropped him off at the Hospital and I’m on my way back.”
Only then did I correctly interpret what that strange attitude of his meant.
He… was distracted.
‘…Damn it.’
I held back a sigh for a different reason.
“Wait.”
Click.
I undid the chain and opened the door again, stepping outside. Since this floor only had our Dormitory anyway, it didn’t matter.
“…What’s wrong with him?”
“Acute kidney failure.”
Chung-ryeo’s eyes twisted slightly.
“It almost got that far. Someone brought grapes and didn’t clean them up properly.”
….
“This is the first time I’ve dealt with something like this.”
His voice was so calm that you could believe he’d smashed a hammer into the back of that “working man’s” head.
I pressed the bridge of my nose.
“Did you get an apology?”
“Does that matter? It’s not like my jaw hurts just because his mouth moved.”
It was a value judgment befitting someone who’d earned more money than he could spend in a lifetime.
‘So he rushed out because of the dog.’
And after handling things, it seemed various thoughts had crossed his mind on the way back.
‘Was that why he called so urgently.’
I guessed the reason for his missed call. And Chung-ryeo continued quietly.
“So there won’t be any recent photos of Kongi for a while, and I thought I’d explain why.”
“”
“Junior Member, you like Kongi.”
Good grief.
“You could have just texted.”
“Ah.”
Did he just realize that now?
But he quickly changed his tune.
“Well… I can see your face and tell you right away?”
“You could have said it over the phone.”
“That was a heads-up. It would be rude to show up without warning. There might be other people at the Dormitory, so it’s right to be careful.”
“…How did you assume I’d be at the Dormitory?”
“If you weren’t there, I’d just leave. There’s no need to assume.”
He was spouting complete nonsense as if it were perfectly logical. He was definitely not in his right mind.
I rubbed my eyes.
This bastard was clearly so anxious he wanted to talk to someone, but he had no idea he was in that state.
“…Your dog will be fine.”
Chung-ryeo tilted his head to the side.
“Really? I don’t know how you can be so sure.”
“You left him at a specialized animal hospital, didn’t you? If they let the guardian leave right away, that’s a good sign. They probably explained his condition to you too.”
“”
He stared into empty space for quite a while before speaking again.
“Yeah, they did.”
“”
“They treated him quickly, so his kidneys weren’t severely damaged. The IV went well. The chances are low, but if Kongi’s condition suddenly worsens, they said they’d contact me.”
“Right.”
“Besides, I have schedules starting tomorrow, so I couldn’t care for him anyway.”
“That’s true.”
I nodded.
“You made the right call, so why…”
“I guess… it just made me realize how often unexpected accidents happen in life, you know?”
“…Mm.”
His eyes had darkened.
I hoped it was about the dog. Surely he wasn’t suggesting we cause an accident to the guy who dropped the grapes.
‘Either way, it’s not exactly a good sign.’
That dog clearly occupied an enormous place in his life.
This was the first time I’d seen him lose it like this since VTIC’s main vocalist fell through.
‘…It’s a similar situation.’
When an uncontrollable factor threatens to destroy something important in your life.
Could this trigger a relapse of Reset Syndrome?
At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if he blurted out something about killing Gold 2 and monitoring the situation.
‘That can’t happen.’
I paused briefly, then opened my mouth.
This guy needed to find some peace in life, whatever he chose to center it around.
“Accidents happen no matter how you live. It’s impossible for anyone to prepare for everything.”
“….”
“So what matters is how well you handle accidents when they occur. In that regard, you did pretty well today.”
“…!”
“You responded quickly, so the dog didn’t suffer much. And now it’s recovering well—that’s fortunate.”
I reached a conclusion once more, briefly.
“You did well.”
“….”
Chung-ryeo stood dazed for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“…Yes. You’re right.”
“So your dog….”
“Right. If Kongi recovers without complications, there’s no problem.”
Still not quite on the same page. I’d expected as much.
But his composure had returned somewhat—his tone had calmed, and his expression had returned to normal.
“Come see him once he’s discharged.”
“I will.”
I nodded, and only then did a smile return to his face.
‘That’ll do.’
I don’t understand why I’m providing aftercare for the guy who tried to kill me, but here I am, working unpaid.
During time I should be doing something else, no less.
‘The composition camp break time….’
Only then did I look down at the smartphone in my hand and realize the gap between the missed calls and the last call time was quite substantial.
‘Nearly thirty minutes.’
Chung-ryeo had been standing outside this entrance door longer than expected.
‘By his standards, that’s an irrational waste of time.’
I think he was frustrated because I’m the only one who knows the full details of why he brought that dog here.
I hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
“Does your group know about this?”
Chung-ryeo opened his mouth readily.
“No. They’re not at the Dormitory right now. I sent them all to the Company. Because of this situation.”
“…?”
This situation?
“Ah.”
Chung-ryeo tilted his head to the side.
“Junior Member, you haven’t checked the Internet today, have you?”
“….”
“Right. If you didn’t deliberately avoid my calls, that would be it. You’re not using your smartphone, are you? Either preparing an album or taking a break.”
Why does this guy keep trying to deduce my circumstances?
“What happened?”
Could it be another scandal?
Among VTIC’s remaining members, none seemed like they’d cause such trouble, but it’s not like only the likely suspects actually do it.
But Chung-ryeo seemed indifferent.
“Nothing happened, exactly. It’s more like something that was coming has arrived.”
“Something that was coming?”
“Hmm? Everyone has to enlist.”
“…!!”
A thunderbolt suddenly struck my mind.
Is it already time? No, we’re fine, but you guys shouldn’t be yet.
“Haven’t you still got time left? I heard you guys got some commendation and postponed enlistment.”
“Well… we already settled on timing it together.”
Chung-ryeo leaned against the wall with a faint smile.
“We agreed that’s the best way to extend the group’s lifespan.”
“…Ah.”
No way.
“Simultaneous enlistment. Simultaneous discharge.”
“….”
Fate really does kill people.
The entire group enlisting and discharging at the same time—an unprecedented collective action.
It does allow the fastest possible return to full strength, but it’s an extreme measure that completely blocks individual activities in between.
I couldn’t believe there were actually people doing this.
“That’s why I said it. This year’s awards should be easier.”
“….”
I slowly nodded my head. Now it makes sense.
“So you’re going too.”
Then his mental breakdown being that severe—reset syndrome or whatever—was also partly due to pre-enlistment anxiety….
“Hmm? No.”
Damn.
“It’s only six months. Haha, we’ll go next year. It’s only natural that disbanding together as one would be more impactful, right?”
This guy really did have a talent for scratching people with his mouth.
“So I’ll be the only one appearing at the awards ceremony this year-end. That’s the situation that was reported in the media today.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes.”
Either way, Chung-ryeo spoke as if there was nothing particularly surprising about it. He looked somewhat subdued, but nothing extraordinary.
‘This is going to be chaos.’
I tried to imagine the Internet situation but gave up.
“Aren’t you feeling good? A tough competitor is disappearing for you.”
“I can win without going.”
“Ah, I see.”
He didn’t believe me. Damn it.
“How are you feeling about it.”
“Well. Not great. Managing the gap period is going to be tricky.”
His response was far more businesslike than I’d expected.
Even though all the guys I’d been living with were leaving, this one didn’t seem to have much emotional reaction to it.
‘Hmm.’
“It’s a bit strange, actually. This is the first time I’ve come this far.”
“….”
“I’ll be using the Dormitory alone too….”
The guy speaking suddenly stopped mid-sentence. At that moment, a sound came from the entrance door.
Beep.
The sound of the door opening.
“…!”
And someone’s upper body suddenly poked through.
It was Big Sae-jin.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae, why did you go outside…,”
It seemed he’d come looking for me because break time was almost over and I wasn’t around.
But soon he saw Chung-ryeo standing nearby and stopped talking. Damn.
“Lee Sae-jin.”
“Wait.”
And he instantly switched his demeanor.
“Ah, Senior! Hello!”
“Hello.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you. What brings you here….”
“A lot?”
“….”
Big Sae-jin paused for a moment, but soon responded in the same tone.
“Yes~ a lot.”
Meanwhile, Kim Rae-bin’s voice could be heard shouting from behind the entrance door.
“Hyung, who’s here?”
“Well, um~”
“Hold on.”
This wouldn’t do. I grabbed Big Sae-jin and pulled him inside the door.
Thud.
The moment the door closed, Big Sae-jin’s face went rigid.
“Park Moon-dae, why is that guy here?”
“A dog collapsed, so… anyway, it’s not related to us. More importantly, VTIC is heading to the military.”
“What??”
“Huh, are the VTIC seniors already enlisting?”
“….”
“My goodness. Is that why you came looking for us?”
I watched Kim Rae-bin burst out and immediately realized the situation was spiraling beyond my control.
Everyone gathered in the living room had definitely heard Kim Rae-bin’s voice.
“Military??”
“…That guy’s outside right now?”
“Oh, did you call the senior, hyung?”
“…! Could it be that you brought them in to offer advice for our work….”
“Wait.”
I stopped the conversation. Cold sweat was pouring down my face.
“I didn’t call him in the first place.”
“Then?”
I mixed in some of his circumstances and made an excuse along the lines of ‘a dog had an accident, but all his acquaintances were busy, so he had nowhere else to turn.’
‘…Wait, now that I think about it, that’s not an excuse—it’s the truth.’
It just happened that way.
“Oh, poor puppy….”
“I see.”
Those who only knew that I’d fought with Chung-ryeo and the dog seemed to accept it readily enough.
Bae Sae-jin looked like he was about to throw open the front door and kick him out, but Ryu Chung-woo was stopping him, so it should be fine.
I immediately delivered my closing line.
“I’ll see him out and be right back.”
“Oh, I should escort the senior too~”
“….”
Fine, do as you please.
I didn’t bother peeling Big Sae-jin away and opened the entrance again.
Chung-ryeo was still leaning against the wall. Just go home already, you bastard.
“Looks like everyone was home. Well, I’m sorry if this was inconvenient.”
“It’s fine.”
My head was throbbing.
“I’ve actually thought of something to tell you as an apology.”
“Huh?”
Chung-ryeo shrugged, then quickly opened his smartphone and sent a file to me.
“…?”
“…It’s an audio file.”
Big Sae-jin was right. But it wasn’t a song.
[Future Midday Radio – Spacer Kwon Hee-seung cut]
It was a radio broadcast clip featuring Gold 2.

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