Debut or Die - Chapter 366

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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 366
The shock of confirming his ‘mission’ via hologram, surreal evidence!
Kwon Hee-seung regained his senses only after several dozen seconds.
“Th-th-th, how is th-that, this… how is this even p-possible??”
Let me correct myself. I thought my head had regained its senses, but this mouth of mine clearly hadn’t.
‘Ahhhhh!’
What kind of sci-fi movie is this? A Limestone film?
Yet Park Moon-dae’s voice coming through the smartphone remained calm.
-I don’t know the mechanism myself, but basically… it’s like hacking.
“Hacking is possible…? Is this a computer?”
-….
It was a strange question, but Park Moon-dae fell into contemplative silence.
And then he answered with a hint of intrigue.
-That could be the case.
‘That could be, sure!’
This wasn’t some metaverse virtual reality AI or anything!
Just as Kwon Hee-seung—who had been throwing together every IT term he knew—recovered from the shock and was about to ask more detailed questions about ‘how on earth this was even possible’—
Park Moon-dae beat him to it.
-Anyway, what did you see when you looked at it earlier? The mission content, I mean.
“Hmm.”
The phrase ‘abnormal condition’ was certainly unsettling, but I suspected this senior was asking about the content below that, not that.
Kwon Hee-seung reflexively opened his mouth.
“It, collaborative work announcement… I think that’s what it was?”
-Right.
“It’s surprising though. So it really is a self-produced album….”
Kwon Hee-seung felt electrified, like someone who’d witnessed magic.
I felt like a movie protagonist. Whether that was good or bad, I wasn’t entirely sure.
But Park Moon-dae was cold about it.
-No, it’s different.
Pardon?
-The criterion isn’t a self-produced album—it’s collaborative work.
“Yes… but isn’t that the same thing?”
-It’s different. Collaborative work doesn’t necessarily have to be the entire album.
“Ah.”
Park Moon-dae, who had drawn the distinction with surgical precision, then applied a flexible strategy.
-It’s far easier to make the public simply recognize it as ‘collaborative work.’
“Wow.”
It was a truly clandestine operative kind of statement.
Growing somewhat serious in turn, Kwon Hee-seung respectfully held the smartphone with both hands and asked.
“Then… I could succeed with this album, right? The odds have gotten better, haven’t they?”
-Yeah.
Wow.
Kwon Hee-seung let out a brief exclamation, but in the next moment, he calculated.
He wasn’t a fool either. He considered the possibility that Park Moon-dae might be deceiving him or scheming against him.
‘Hmm….’
But no matter how much he thought about it, there was no real reason for Park Moon-dae to lie to him.
‘No, if this hyung wanted to take me down, how many opportunities has he had?’
He’d been treating me kindly all this time, so there was no need for him to backstab me now, especially while sharing something like this supernatural ability.
‘It’s not like he’s some joker. If he’d wanted to, things would’ve blown up already.’
Kwon Hee-seung decided to graciously accept Park Moon-dae’s goodwill this time!
But before that, a cautious voice was heard.
-Should I help you.
“Huh!”
Kwon Hee-seung quickly asked.
“I’m so grateful, hyung! But is there like, some kind of collateral or something involved….”
-I wouldn’t do something like that without saying anything.
At the absurd tone of his voice, Kwon Hee-seung scratched the back of his head.
“Sorry. I just see it in movies all the time, so I thought I’d ask! But you’re really going to help, right? Hehe….”
A soft chuckle escaped.
-Yeah.
And Park Moon-dae truly began to help Kwon Hee-seung thoroughly.

* * *
It all started with the production process.
Park Moon-dae deftly identified a section of Spacer’s upcoming album where I could make a meaningful contribution.
-The lyric booklet would be perfect. It’s not an external-facing component or fan merchandise like photo collections, but it still feels like a legitimate creative element.
“Oh, nice.”
-And even if a non-expert offers input, the final product won’t fall apart. Since it hasn’t been pre-released, it’s easy to modify.
“That works… really!”
Kwon Hee-seung thought he should mention this to the member who’d refused to participate in album production, doubting their own creativity.
But the very next day, I saw that member offering opinions on the lyric booklet design at the company’s suggestion.
“Wait, what?”
“No idea, the company told me to.”
And the revised lyric booklet was approved for replacement within two days.
‘…They’re moving this fast?’
Does our company really make decisions this quickly?
Kwon Hee-seung was a bit taken aback, but the work continued.
Physical albums were printed, and promotional copy was revamped.
========================
Willpower toward our dreams and a leap forward!
From the music to the inner pages, every member of Spacer had a hand in this album 【Grit】—please look forward to it! (fireworks emoji)
========================
It didn’t dominate the promotional front. Just supplementary descriptive text at a level where fans would absorb the information with a casual “I see.”
The album and image, centered on idols’ dreams and aspirations, aligned perfectly without any awkwardness.
A polished finishing touch that added the right details without compromising Spacer’s original plan.
‘Wow, this actually works.’
Kwon Hee-seung was impressed.
Even if he’d lived longer and returned to the past, this kind of sensibility and influence(?) were something else entirely!
‘Is that rumor about Park Moon-dae actually building the entire label actually true?’
When I’d asked about this gossip circulating in the company before, he’d reacted so reluctantly that I thought it wasn’t true, but maybe that was just modesty.
Kwon Hee-seung nodded, but at the same time, felt a slight chill.
When Spacer eventually grew large enough to become Testa’s competitor…
‘…the Testa seniors will definitely leave!’
Right, I heard next year is contract renewal season. They’d obviously escape this miserable company. Ha!
Kwon Hee-seung decided to move past it. What good would it do to worry about an unsolvable problem? Live in the present!
So he immediately went to thank the person responsible.
“This is all thanks to you, hyung! I’m really grateful! Let me repay you!”
-Sure.
Park Moon-dae’s answer was brief, but not curt. Rather, it carried a gentle tone.
After making a mental note to treat him to lobster once the settlement came through, Kwon Hee-seung exclaimed cheerfully.
“I have a feeling this is going to work out—it is, right?”
Now I was finally free!
But it was far too premature a confidence. Park Moon-dae had given an ambiguous answer, after all.
-The condition is met, that’s true.
“…Huh? It’s different?”
A calm voice responded.
-It’s going to appear now. Just a moment.
“Huh?”
Crackle.
“Whoa!”
A glitch burst across Kwon Hee-seung’s vision.
And then another strange hologram appeared.
[Successful Release!]
You have successfully released a collaborative work!
!Time Limit: Satisfied (Success)
!Status Abnormality: ‘Make It Work’ Removed!
:
*^@5#&
Confirm ☜ Click!]
“…!”
The hologram, packed with text proclaiming success, looked far more stable than when Park Moon-dae had shown him one before.
And the button gleaming so blatantly.
‘Should I just… press it?’
Kwon Hee-seung confirmed the obvious ‘Click!’ button and, as if enchanted, began to raise his arm….
Park Moon-dae’s voice came through like a splash of cold water.
-About you repaying me.
“…?”
Kwon Hee-seung, whose hand had been reaching toward the hologram, paused for a moment.
In that instant.
-Don’t press it.
“Y-yes?”
-Waiting a few days before pressing that would be repayment enough for me.
Did he have eyes in the back of his head? Kwon Hee-seung yanked his hand down as if it had touched flame.
“Why, why is that?”
-Hmm.
Park Moon-dae fell silent for a moment, then asked in a voice tinged with amusement.
-Are you interested in something good you could do with a single day off?
“…??”

* * *
Beneath a massive concert hall in Seoul.
The audience’s roar still echoed in my ears like tinnitus. The members laughed around me.
“Phew, everyone worked hard~”
“That was fun!”
It was the end of a joint concert hosted by the Card Company.
“Moon-dae, want to sit in the back?”
“Yeah.”
Among the members heading home in high spirits after a flawless performance, I settled into the very back seat of the vehicle.
And I reflected on the conversation I’d had with Kwon Hee-seung yesterday.
‘From the beginning.’
Through the ‘truth verification’ timing, I could control when to clear abnormal conditions.
And that was entirely thanks to the status window.
‘So I thought about it the other way around.’
Wouldn’t anyone be able to do it if they just had a status window?
-If we could access the status window of someone currently afflicted with an abnormal condition, couldn’t we control the clear timing?
So Big Dal accessed Kwon Hee-seung’s system and pulled up the status window.
[It’s a bit uncomfortable… ughhhh]
Of course, he said it was more inconvenient than using my status window, but this guy succeeded without any other side effects.
Since it was something received as a mission reward without any shortcuts, it seemed like only his strength increased.
‘Good.’
It was an idea inspired by how Big Dal had changed the state of my status window, and I was relieved it worked without issues.
And Kwon Hee-seung readily accepted my proposal for ‘support before system destruction’.
-Of course it’s good! It feels like I’m doing a mission, you know?
…I wish he hadn’t talked about it like he’d walked into a VR arcade, but anyway, I’m glad we’re going with a mutually beneficial vibe.
‘Good.’
I nodded and adjusted my neck pillow.
The timing worked out perfectly as planned, with plenty of breathing room.
A situation where the activity period had ended and gaps appeared in the schedule while preparing for the tour.
‘I should be able to spare a day.’
If everything goes according to plan, one day is enough to see the results. I nodded and entered the dormitory that had just arrived.
I was planning to spend today reviewing the plan….
“Moon-dae, could we talk for a moment…?”
“Oh, sure.”
I’d have to postpone that. Something’s up. I followed Kim Rae-bin’s call and moved my feet.
For some reason, all the members were gathered at the kitchen table.
“…?”
What are you all doing?
“Moon-dae.”
“Yes.”
“We’ve got some time before our tour anyway.”
Right. I was thinking the same thing.
‘Why is that?’
Ryu Chung-woo grinned and turned the laptop screen on the kitchen table toward me.
“Want to go here then?”
“Huh?”
What was on the screen was… a glamping resort.
-Healing Glamping Resort
Beautifully composed photos automatically scrolled past.
Forest bathing, hot springs, rural scenery, …animals.
Keywords I’d seen somewhere before.
The healing keywords from that variety show I’d done, and the ones the production team had promised for the next healing content.
‘What is this.’
Big Sae-jin grabbed my shoulder.
“Ah-hyun went there for a family trip! He says it’s really amazing?”
Right. The facilities and overall vibe looked good. If someone from a wealthy family like that went there, it had to be decent.
But why all of a sudden.
I looked at Sun Ah-hyun. He shrugged his shoulders.
“W-Moon-dae, you seemed to like the neighborhood we went to for that variety show… I didn’t want those memories to be left as something unpleasant for you….”
“…!”
“S-so I looked into it.”
I was at a loss for words.
“D-do you hate it?”
“…No.”
I answered.
“And… it wasn’t that unpleasant actually.”
It was a bit embarrassing, sure, but before I knew about the production team’s scheming, it was fine. That’s why it became even more embarrassing.
“But hyung didn’t give us anything delicious….”
“Cha Yu-jin, be quiet!”
That’s because being unpleasant and being annoyed are two different things. You punk.
But I had no intention of bringing that up now to these guys who were nervously watching my reaction.
Bae Sae-jin quickly added his words.
“Right. I mean, we don’t have to go to the hot springs with those variety show people anyway. Let’s just go by ourselves!”
“Exactly. How about we just think of it as a vacation celebration and have fun?”
Ryu Chung-woo finished speaking.
I chuckled.
“Sounds good.”
“Ooh~”
“Then it’s decided here!”
“OK!”
The tension that had been holding them back dissolved, and they started chattering among themselves.
“Next vacation, should we all go on a cruise together? If we take one in Europe or somewhere like that, nobody would recognize us anyway~”
“Oh, that sounds good too.”
“What’s a cruise ship?”
“Cruise ship.”
“Oh….”
“Eugene doesn’t like it?”
“Grandfather likes cruise ships. I don’t.”
He was always consistent.
‘Good grief.’
The next morning, I found myself cooking a large batch of food without any particular purpose—a rare occurrence. My roommates devoured it without complaint, so there was no tedious cleanup to deal with.
It was funny, but it felt almost like some kind of ceremony before a major event.
‘Finish this, then take a break.’
I let out a quiet laugh. It wasn’t intentional, but the structure was almost textbook in its predictability.
And in the afternoon.
I called my final collaborator.
After a few rings, the call connected, and I heard a voice accompanied by the sound of a dog barking.
-It’s been a while, Junior Member. What’s this about?
“I need to borrow your private jet.”
Laughter came through the line.
-What for?
I cleared my throat.
“To make sure there’s no one batting next.”
I end the system here.

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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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