Debut or Die - Chapter 375

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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 375
Being thrown into a survival show mid-way and getting nominated for a death match against the best participant? That’s the play.
Let me be honest.
‘It’s a good idea.’
If a rolling stone wants to knock out a stone that’s already lodged in place, and if you’re confident in your skills, it’s actually a solid strategy.
After all, it’s not a national vote survival show—it’s an Entertainment Agency survival show. The public knows the CEO can do whatever he wants, and they’ve come to accept it to some degree.
It means they prefer to change the rules and pass someone who’s genuinely exceptional, even if they lose.
But here’s the thing.
‘You’re nominating Chung-ryeo?’
Cha Yu-jin, you bastard—we agreed you’d nominate me!
-Your positions don’t overlap, and even if you two seem close later, it won’t look awkward. I think that’s the best approach.
-Okay. Let’s perform with Moon-dae hyung!
That’s what we said just last night.
‘I had the whole scenario planned out, and this bastard just abandons ship on his own?’
I controlled the twitch forming at the corner of my eye as I looked at Cha Yu-jin.
If I show it, only I’ll be screwed.
“Very well. The people standing in front now become your rivals and competitors.”
The CEO reads the script with theatrical significance, but I’m so annoyed I can barely react. I just took a deep breath, pretending to be nervous.
“Of course, competition requires rewards. Whoever wins against the 【Supplementary Section】 will definitely be placed in the 【Superior Section】 for the next evaluation.”
“…!!”
The trainees’ faces, which had been restless, brighten a bit at this one carrot. They’re easy to please.
“And the trainees who weren’t nominated will also receive an evaluation task. It’s called ‘Perfecting Teamwork.’ Try to complete a three-person stage by leading two people who are checking each other.”
I nodded.
In other words, while one-on-one death matches are happening on stage, we each get thrown into a group task—like a shrimp with its back split open. They sure know how to dress up their words.
But do you know who ended up in my group?
Shin O from VTIC.
“….”
My luck in the lottery is incredible.
“Please take good care of us!”
“I’ll do my best.”
I took the two of them and was assigned a Vocal Practice Room. Then I went inside and checked the song we were randomly given.
‘There’s no song-stealing or anything like that.’
The company—or rather, the CEO—had designated a song they thought would suit the three of us.
-Blue Jack’s “Icy Eyes”
A catchy EDM debut track by a male idol group that hit the K-pop industry hard in the late 2000s, when autotune reigned supreme.
To put it simply, it’s the typical story of how the crush’s eyes seem so cold, but you’ll find courage anyway—that kind of clichéd lyric.
Listening to it now makes your skin crawl, as a bonus.
[Oh ohoh Icy Eyes, so cold~]
A short phrase repeated as the hook—a typical hook song. The only part that showcases vocal ability is the ad-lib high note in the latter half.
“….”
Hmm.
“Oh, I really like this song!”
The supplementary members of VTIC were reacting enthusiastically.
‘…Chae Yul.’
I paused my analysis of the song for a moment and recalled my conversation with Chung-ryeo.
It was when I came down from the stage and was briefly replacing the tape and microphone.
-Junior Member. I never contacted Chae Yul separately here. I didn’t bring him either.
-You’re not going to call it a coincidence, are you.
-It’s not so much a coincidence… it was something that was bound to happen naturally.
He smiled faintly.
-Whenever the survival show program runs, Chae Yul always participates in the supplementary section.
-…!
I understood what he meant.
-…’Always’.
-That’s right. Chae Yul was in the group from the very beginning. It wasn’t something I chose.
I recalled Chae Yul’s status window.
[Jin Chae-yul]
Vocal: C+ (B+)
Dance: B (A)
Appearance: A- (A+)
Charisma: S- (S+)
Trait: Circus (A)
His potential was top-tier all-rounder material.
He truly lived up to being a first-tier idol, but for now, his lead dancer skills were simply decent enough.
However, his charisma was exceptional.
‘Almost on par with Cha Yu-jin back in Ajusa.’
Moreover, his trait supported that perfectly.
[Circus (A)]
: Acrobatics must be fun, after all.
-Stage Adaptability +150%
-He has no personal deviations, and there have never been compatibility issues with other members. The audience always loves him.
If someone like this stands out in a survival show?
‘I’d pick him immediately even if I were the CEO.’
It was a convincing explanation.
The problem came next.
-And interestingly, whenever he naturally appears through the survival show program, he’s always designated for the same position.
-Main vocal.
“….”
And this time, that main vocal is none other than me.
‘He said it was because the person he originally designated was still around, so he didn’t expect to choose me,’ but I couldn’t believe that.
What matters is that Chae Yul is paired with me, regardless.
‘And look at the song selection.’
I couldn’t help but smirk inwardly as I listened to the track.
They’re pushing an EDM hook song where the only chance to showcase vocal ability is a five-second ad-lib?
‘I just came down from the previous stage singing the whole time.’
Whoever picked this song clearly wanted to handicap this matchup by blocking my strengths.
‘Perfect.’
I welcomed it.
[No~ Nonono….]
The song ended just then. I clapped my palms together moderately, conscious of the camera positioned to capture reactions.
Then a slightly excited voice asked a question.
“Um, is there any particular arrangement you’d like to do?”
It was Chae Yul. Time to take a step back first.
I offered a faint smile.
“As long as I can perform, I’m fine with most genres.”
“Wow….”
That was supposed to mean show your cards first, but what’s with the admiration.
And what comes next is even more ridiculous.
“Me too!”
“Me too… well, I’ll think of it as experience and do my best.”
“….”
I understood then.
These guys had no sense of conviction—they were spineless yes-men.
Now I understood why Chung-ryeo picked them. I spoke as flatly as possible.
“Then since it’s a competition, how about we make it intense?”
No objections.
“Intense performances really are cool and great!”
“Yes, then… let’s go, team!”
Out of nowhere?
Anyone watching would think this was a team competition.
I’d somehow ended up as the senior member doing group assignments with two rookies.
‘Ryu Gun-woo is only three months into his trainee period—what is this.’
If I take the good parts, I’ll be seen as greedy. If I give them to him and he can’t pull it off, I’ll get blamed for doing it on purpose.
‘I need to prevent this.’
I’d have to appeal this unfairness in the interview in a way that wouldn’t get edited out. I nodded.
I’d need to change my communication approach too.
“Then tell me which parts look impressive to you.”
‘Want’, ‘desire’—I needed to use more objective language instead to get concrete answers out of these guys.
Sure enough, now I was getting answers worth using.
“The intro part looks impressive to me!”
“Yes, this part of the bridge here.”
“Then it would be good to arrange it in a way that brings out both of those feelings well.”
“Got it!”
I attached words and modifiers as if I were generously considering their opinions, completing the arrangement direction.
I also distributed the parts appropriately—giving them the sections they each thought were “cool.”
“….”
Doing this while being conscious of the camera was considerably tedious work.
Thanks to that, I found myself thinking of the guy who used to do this kind of thing with me every time….
-Moon-dae, Moon-dae!
‘Stop it.’
What’s the point of missing someone who isn’t here? Let’s just focus on the work.
I quickly outlined the next stage. At least the other two were unconditionally cooperative, which was better than dealing with Ajusa.
And then, late into the night, came a brief break.
‘I need to keep going like this.’
I picked up the notebook with the arrangement direction and part distribution written on it and walked down the corridor toward a corner. It was partly to get some air and partly to get away.
As it approached dawn, the other people were barely visible.
‘Did everyone head back to the Dormitory?’
That’s when it happened.
From across the corridor, someone came striding around the corner with long steps.
Cha Yu-jin!
He raised his hand high and quickly approached.
“Hyung! Uh-huh!”
Perfect, it’s just the two of us. Good. Don’t say anything else—just follow me.
I led him to a blind spot where there were no cameras.
“I….”
Cha Yu-jin, who was about to speak, understood my gesture of putting my hand to my lips and closed his mouth. Right. The audio picks up everything.
Instead, I handed him the notebook and pen I was holding.
-Why did you choose Chung-ryeo?
Write this.
-This isn’t the time to move impulsively. Don’t tell me you want to keep doing this multi-version thing or whatever.
I crossed my arms and stared at him.
Cha Yu-jin pressed his lips together firmly, then picked up the pen and wrote forcefully.
-It’s not impulsive. I got the call right before filming. [He said he wanted to pair with me. He said the viewers would find it fun, and it sounded pretty convincing.]
His words, scribbled in English out of frustration, were actually quite logically structured. I didn’t stop him and slowly read what he’d written.
-And someone else picked you first -> Another VTIC senior!
“…!”
‘I see.’
Of course, to avoid overlapping choices, the Superior Section would have coordinated with the Production Team beforehand.
So Chae Yul, who went before me, picked me first.
‘So that’s why he chose Chung-ryeo instead when he heard that.’
That bastard Chae Yul claimed he didn’t do it, but Cha Yu-jin admitted he did, so he kept his mouth shut. My eyebrows twitched.
Cha Yu-jin didn’t stop writing.
-And I’m confident I’ll win. 100%
-Moon-dae hyung, do you think I’ll lose?
I immediately took the pen and wrote my answer.
-No.
Honestly, if I only looked at the stage performance, I couldn’t really imagine Cha Yu-jin losing.
-But that’s only if we’re talking about the stage alone.
-This is his company, after all.
You don’t know, but that guy is a petroleum-grade fossil who’s gone through this process dozens, maybe hundreds of times.
I heard Cha Yu-jin snort with laughter. This bastard?
-It’s fine. ☺
-Hyung, do you feel like you’ll lose? Can’t beat VTIC people? U_U
Tch.
I moved the pen.
-Remember this too. Right now, winning or losing isn’t what matters. What matters is buzz.
We have to debut together anyway.
-lol OK!
Cha Yu-jin wrote letters three times as large with gusto, then shrugged his shoulders.
“We’ll do well. I’m looking forward to it!”
“Yeah.”
Since it’s come to this, I need to squeeze out as much buzz as possible.
‘I’ll do the same.’
After parting ways with Cha Yu-jin in the Corridor, I immediately returned to the Training Room.
Shin O was curled up in a corner, repeatedly listening to his part, and seemed to have dozed off, while Chae Yul responded.
“You’re here!”
“Yeah.”
Then he said this.
“Um, hyung. Please speak comfortably to me. I’m nineteen!”
“…Sure.”
So I’m already speaking casually to a senior with an incomparably distant career. I nodded.
“If you want to speak comfortably too, that’s fine.”
“Yes!”
The fact that he didn’t even push back suggests his brain is just naturally bright.
I sat down. He’s still watching. I should ask him something while I’m at it.
“By the way… can I ask why you picked me?”
“Ah, well.”
He might be asking why I looked like the most pathetic one among them, but this guy didn’t calculate that far and just scratched the back of his head.
“Actually, I wasn’t originally a LeTi trainee either… so I thought it would be difficult to become a participant in this program.”
A surprisingly realistic answer came out.
“That’s why I wanted to perform on stage with the most skilled person! I think I’d learn a lot from it.”
He mumbled excitedly, having watched my first solo performance.
“If I’m going to drop out anyway, might as well do it this way, right?”
Here was someone who’d never dropped out once, yet he spoke as if it were inevitable. If he’d gone through trainee life, he must’ve heard some gossip about unintentionally deceiving people.
I let out a quiet laugh.
“I don’t think you’ll drop out.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you so much!”
He bowed his head, his face brimming with anticipation and excitement.
‘…No.’
I’d tried to craft a heartwarming moment by saying we’d both do well and somehow both advance….
He seemed to have momentarily forgotten that if he made it, I’d drop out. He was just happy.
I fell silent watching him.
How am I supposed to handle this….
‘…Shin Jae-hyun will figure it out.’
I don’t know. There haven’t been any major issues in ten years, so there must be a way to manage it. I’ll just focus on my own group.
“Let’s practice a bit more, then head back to the Dormitory.”
“Yes!”
A week passed, and the day of the first death match arrived.

* * *
[Superior Section Kim Rae-bin – Win!]
[Participant Confirmed!]
Third Stage.
Kim Rae-bin had targeted a rap position with a similar vibe to his own and crushed it.
‘That was incredible.’
[Park Jung-woong – Superior Section Eliminated]
[In Danger of Elimination!]
If I’d known he was a producer, I would’ve attacked him with dance instead. Why did he center the stage around rap? Idiot.
Watching him drop out, I couldn’t help but click my tongue inwardly.
Kim Rae-bin bowed his head repeatedly, then backed away with impeccable courtesy to return to his seat.
His teammate seemed a bit flustered, but what could it matter? There was nothing to fault him on.
-Rae-bin. From the moment you step into this program, think of everyone you meet there as being your grandparents’ age.
It had been solid advice for editing purposes. I nodded in acknowledgment.
“Now, the next Stage is….”
And then came a Stage that would probably be edited as the final one in the broadcast.
“Superior Section Shin Jae-hyun.”
It was the death match between Chung-ryeo and Cha Yu-jin.

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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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