Debut or Die - Chapter 360

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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 360
One hour had passed since it was revealed that all the carrot coins had been stolen.
“Gaaahhhhh.”
The comfortable dormitory had become a mental disaster zone.
Kim Rae-bin, the one who’d drawn the note in question, was wedged in a corner looking like he’d just showered in cold sweat.
“The carrots… the carrots,”
The shock was clearly immense.
“So what you’re saying is….”
Ryu Chung-woo spoke up calmly.
“We’re currently in a state where we don’t have a single won to our names.”
Thud!
If this had been edited, an exclamation mark would’ve popped above their heads. These guys were genuinely shocked by the reality of it.
I folded my arms and spoke without expression.
“In short, we’re beggars.”
“B-beggars….”
“How did this happen overnight?”
All we had left was a single dog.
A furry bundle bounced energetically around the despondent members as if to cheer them on.
Mew-oooow! Yelp!
The members’ expressions brightened a little.
“Right, at least our Mung-ge Mung-ge didn’t get stolen. Right?”
“Y-yes!”
“…Besides, he’s still just a pup. There was a risk, but we’re lucky. He didn’t even get hurt.”
Were they being sincere?
I mean, it’s not like some variety show money disappeared—but the aftereffect of having relaxed everyone completely over the past two days….
“…!”
No, it wasn’t an aftereffect.
‘I got played.’
These bastards had planned this whole thing and executed it perfectly.
To capture genuine shock from us while we were completely defenseless….
‘They set it up brilliantly.’
-Huh? What do we do? You happened to pick this one~ The other notes wouldn’t have had this content.
-Then show us, let us verify!
-Oh no~ we can’t do that! We need to use them next time too!
-Arghhhh! Seriously!
‘That bastard definitely prepared both notes with the same coin-stealing content.’
I recalled the shamelessly babbling PD’s face and held back a curse.
Calling this “healing,” you son of a—!
No… stay calm. Programmatically speaking, this is where things get really entertaining now. Healing… yeah, we did enough healing content over two days to last us.
That’s how I need to think about it. Absolutely that way. Don’t lose your cool here—if you do, you lose.
In the meantime, Sun Ah-hyun had been keeping her mouth firmly shut, but then raised her hand as if she’d made a decision.
“Alright, Ah-hyun.”
“Since there’s thread… could I, make something, and… actually check if anyone would want it…?”
“Wow.”
“Hmm, so someone with crafting skills can come up with ideas like that.”
It was a decent idea. The image of first-tier idols sitting around gluing doll eyes in manual labor would be refreshingly funny if the situation called for it.
But something like this depended on the Production Team’s intentions.
“…Yeah, you’re impressive and all, but… isn’t catching the culprit the top priority over that? The Production Team said so too.”
Right, that would be the direction this program preferred.
-Who on earth did it?? Who stole it?
-Yes! This mysterious nighttime visitor is currently residing somewhere within this village!
Bae Sae-jin swallowed hard.
“They’re basically telling us to catch them outright.”
“Mm.”
The members fell into contemplation. Moments later, Kim Rae-bin muttered seriously with a pale expression.
“If we end up getting sabotaged….”
“Ah, that won’t happen.”
“Yes, yes. It could be dangerous….”
No, they’re overthinking this. This isn’t even a genre variety show, and the Production Team has comedy as their absolute top priority.
Big Sae-jin nodded seriously.
“That’s right. It could be dangerous.”
You’re way too excited. Finally, hardship and adversity have arrived so you can get your footage, is that it.
Ryu Chung-woo offered a compromise.
“But since we’re short on food right now… let’s first help out and earn coins.”
“Yes!”
“And while we’re at it, let’s observe who the thief might be. There must be clues.”
“A good… wise decision, sir.”
That much was fine. It felt immersive, and compared to yesterday’s picture of us laughing and volunteering, it would really be… funny.
“….”
No, don’t be annoyed about it.
Anyway, we set out with cameras in tow to find the residents.
“Uncle~ would it be okay if we continued the yard cleaning from yesterday? If you give us a few coins, we’ll really do a great job!”
“Huh? Sure.”
Yet surprisingly, people weren’t giving us work.
“…?”
“How many houses have rejected us now?”
“Five.”
It was obviously unnatural.
The grandmother at the sixth house even clicked her tongue and said this.
“Oh dear… those coins? I don’t have any of those left either. Can’t you kids just take a spoonful of rice and go?”
The Production Team answered brightly in their stead.
“That’s not allowed~”
“Why are you answering for them?!”
“It’s the rules! The rules! You all know the compensation system—why are you doing this!”
‘These bastards, I swear.’
The Production Team’s benevolence from the Rural Area seemed to have died overnight.
At this point, even a sage would lose their mind, and Ryu Chung-woo lets out a hollow laugh as he asks back.
“So what are we supposed to do?”
“That’s why! We’ve prepared something just in case~”
Yeah, of course they had.
‘They’re definitely going to make us do some unreasonable labor….’
“It’s a Carrot Farm!”
“…!”
This wasn’t the scale I’d imagined.
We boarded a bus and traveled a short distance, arriving at the edge of a vast green farm spread across flat terrain.
“Wow….”
“It’s really huge.”
How did they even contact this place… No, they must have contacted them and decided on the Dormitory and coin types together.
The PD opened his mouth with a grinning face.
“I mentioned earlier that actual carrots would be exchanged one-to-one for carrot coins, right?”
“Ah~ I remember!”
“Right.”
Among the members marveling at this, Kim Rae-bin brightens with a look of relief.
There it is.
“So you’re saying you’ll directly exchange the carrots we harvest for coins…?”
“Ahem~ Everyone, those carrots were grown by someone else in the field long before now. You’re only harvesting them, so of course we’re not giving you coins just for that~”
“….”
I knew it would come to this.
And the PD makes a proposal like armed robbery.
“If you harvest everything from here to there today, you get 5 coins per person as daily wages!”
“Eeeek!”
“No way I’m doing this!!”
“I’m leaving.”
The Production Team members suppress their laughter watching the terrified members.
Is this funny?
“Everyone, you still need to eat~”
“….”
Accustomed to the program’s unreasonableness, the members’ bewildered expressions fade quickly as they begin moving their bodies.
“Should we start from over there?”
“Yeah.”
“I hate carrots.”
Even while complaining, I end up doing my best anyway.
I grabbed the hoe and dug into the earth, pulling out the crimson root vegetables one after another.
‘The footage will look great.’
We’ll come across as pure and sincere young men who work hard without cutting corners, never losing sight of our original purpose.
Or maybe just a bunch of gullible idiots.
‘Damn it.’
Either way, it’s a win for them… but getting blindsided by this fake setup still stings quite a bit.
‘It’s like the land version of a deep-sea fishing boat.’
“Let’s put them here!”
“Okay.”
The grueling work of filling the massive basket continues.
PD picked up the megaphone.
“Alright~ Five more! Don’t straighten your backs until we’re done~”
“Ahhhhh! Are you going to take responsibility if our backs give out?”
“Huh? Is the daily wage too much?”
“We apologize.”
Honestly, it’s not physically unbearable. Compared to practicing performances during our active schedules, it’s just tiring.
“Work! Keep working!”
“….”
Still, the atmosphere is perfect.
I hate this vibe of being worked like a medieval serf… but once it goes through editing, it’ll obviously become entertaining.
‘I understand.’
I kept digging up carrots while occasionally shooting the Production Team aggrieved looks.
I could tolerate this much.
The problem started after that.
“Daily wage payout!”
“Woooow!”
“We’re not eating carrots for a while. We won’t even touch carrot cake.”
“That’s right, Moon-dae.”
We headed to the Supermarket to buy dinner with the coins we’d earned so hard… only to face astronomical prices.
“C-could we just get ten?”
“…!?”
Suddenly the price of dalgona had skyrocketed tenfold.
“Twenty pieces per pound?”
“We’re dead!”
Meat prices had also surged.
Naturally, the guys with their eyes rolling back ran toward the Production Team and shouted.
“You said there was no manipulation!”
“We absolutely! Did not set prices arbitrarily, everyone~ Absolutely not!”
Kim Rae-bin asked with a face that looked like his soul was about to leave his body.
“Then what exactly is this situation…?”
“Well, how would we know what people want? Everyone’s just selling at their desired price.”
“….”
I clenched my fists.
Whoever had suggested this—I genuinely wanted to punch them just once.
In the end, I returned home with a pathetically meager shopping basket compared to the past two days.
I declared flatly.
“Let’s just make sujebi.”
“Ah, ah….”
“Sujebi… it’s delicious.”
Still, they managed to react—that was impressive.
“I’m sorry…. The root of all this trouble… was my carelessness….”
“Hey, hey, what are you saying! Of course it was PD’s scheme!”
Kim Rae-bin, who’d drawn the slip, looked nearly devastated, while Bae Sae-jin and Mung-ge were busy comforting him.
“….”
This won’t do.
I nudged Big Sae-jin, who was setting down groceries in the kitchen.
“We still have flour and butter left, right?”
“Huh? Yeah, yeah. We do have some… but why?”
“Just a moment.”
I checked the butter I’d bought extravagantly on the first day and headed to the kitchen.
Free time given to curse out the Production Team—I could use it however I wanted.

* * *
Park Moon-dae was making something.
‘Hmm.’
The moment Ryu Chung-woo emerged from washing up, he caught a savory aroma. In the kitchen, he spotted Park Moon-dae’s back moving with practiced efficiency.
‘…Is that a Western dish? I thought he said sujebi.’
Even so, he was conscious of the camera angles, ensuring the cooking process was captured well—a move that was utterly characteristic of him.
‘He’s really composed.’
This was clearly a frustrating situation, yet he methodically crafted a practical solution. In moments like these, I felt his seniority.
Ryu Chung-woo cautiously entered the kitchen.
“Do you need anything?”
“Almost done. It’s fine. The others helped out.”
Park Moon-dae opened the air fryer.
With the savory aroma came… golden cookies coming into view.
“Would you like to taste one?”
“Oh.”
So they were cookies.
In that instant, Cha Yu-jin burst out.
“I want one!”
“Be careful, it’s hot.”
“Huff huff!”
Ryu Chung-woo popped a cookie into his mouth and watched Cha Yu-jin’s eyes light up as he gave a thumbs up. He understood then.
‘He’s planning to sell snacks.’
It was a brilliant idea. The members who didn’t want to visit the carrot farm again would probably respond well too.
“…! This is delicious.”
“I’m glad.”
Ryu Chung-woo marveled at both the taste and the concept.
‘I should remember this and help with mass production later.’
But that thought was quickly shattered.
Once the cookies cooled slightly, Park Moon-dae swept more than half of them into a container and made his announcement.
“The others will make sujebi… Hyung, let’s go together.”
“…Me?”
Go where?
And so Park Moon-dae took me along on foot to the Village Community Center, which had just finished serving dinner.
‘…??’
What on earth was happening?
“Hello, everyone.”
“Ah! Aren’t you that star from Seoul with the camera!”
“The camera came along today too. And I made something I’d like to share. It’s soft, so it’s perfect to eat right now.”
“Oh my, what now!”
Buoyed by the enthusiastic support of the elders who had discovered something entertaining, Park Moon-dae distributed the cookies generously.
Ryu Chung-woo found himself swept up in the moment and joined in.
Park Moon-dae went even further, selling out Ryu Chung-woo himself.
“This hyung won a gold medal in archery at the Olympics. Do you happen to remember?”
“Oh my goodness!”
“Yeah, I think I remember, wow~”
“Hahaha.”
Ryu Chung-woo laughed and eagerly shook hands and even gave them massages, but he still had no idea why Park Moon-dae was doing this.
“Should I sing a song for you?”
“Sure, sure~”
Park Moon-dae even sang trot by himself, danced ‘POP★CON’, and pulled out every trick in the book.
“…??”
Ryu Chung-woo’s mind grew even more confused, but he went along without complaint, belting out a verse himself and earnestly answering the elders’ questions.
‘He must have a plan.’
And when the atmosphere had fully ripened and the elders’ defenses had crumbled.
Park Moon-dae got down to business.
“By the way, about this bottle cap—did the people who came from Seoul today mention anything special about it?”
“Ah, that!”
As the camera director panicked, Park Moon-dae finally heard the truth.
“It was….”

* * *
I opened my mouth.
“So you’re saying they promised to give the latest massage chairs to the ten residents with the most carrot coins.”
“…!”
All the members gathered after hearing the full story, now facing off with the Production Team on the porch.
The PD seemed to be avoiding eye contact, then brazenly muttered.
“You heard about that?”
“Argh!”
“It’s true though!”
“How could you do this to us, really!”
Accusations poured forth.
Even Sun Ah-hyun’s face flushed red.
“You said it was for healing, or—or you told us to sue…!”
“Huh?”
The PD casually suggested.
“Go ahead~ Sue us!”
“…!!”
“I mean, what even is a carrot coin? Is it actual currency? A bottle cap? Who knows if it counts!”
“Argh!”
Trembling with rage.
Bae Sae-jin trembled with clenched teeth, muttering under his breath.
“I won’t forget this….”
“PD~ Someday all of this will come back to you as karma!”
The PD seemed to feel a pang of guilt too, hastily making excuses.
“No, everyone… you shouldn’t be upset with me. The real culprit who stole it! There definitely is one!”
“…!”
“If you just find that culprit! We’ll refund all the coins and… we’ll even give you a reward ourselves! 100 coins!”
“…! Really?”
“Really~ You weren’t fooled, were you?”
Oh, you were the one fooled.
“….”
I took a deep breath.
Right. This is what makes it funny and entertaining.
Testa had grown accustomed to this production crew through numerous scam experiences.
So to create something more stimulating and entertaining, this was the right approach.
‘Getting the kids to desperately search for the culprit and perform in front of the elders and crew—that’s the best shot.’
“….”
But… why does this irritate me so much?
Being caught off guard by someone else’s scheme? I’m not laughing. I’m not.
“M-Moon-dae…? Are you okay?”
“…Yeah.”
I made a decision.
The PD’s voice echoed.
“Find the culprit~”
Past midnight that night, in the early dawn hours. When the production crew had all withdrawn, leaving only unmanned cameras.
Creak.
I quietly opened the gate and stepped outside.
Of course, I wasn’t alone.
“Um… hyung Moon-dae.”
Kim Rae-bin, dressed in training clothes, hesitantly followed with a confused expression.
“May I ask… why you’re bringing me along?”
“Bring a shovel and follow me.”
“…??”
“We’re going to harvest carrots now.”
I won’t let this slide.

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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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