Debut or Die - Chapter 379

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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 379
“The team I wish to join is Shin Jae-hyun’s team.”
“…!”
I had chosen Chung-ryeo’s team.
Even the trainer’s eyes widened. His expression suggested he’d assumed I would naturally select Jin Chae-yul’s team.
[What? Hyung?]
Even this guy, who had been quiet saying he wouldn’t interfere with filming, suddenly burst out.
‘Why.’
[Oh, well, Chae Yul was a competitor just before, but the atmosphere was good, so I thought if we worked together this time, the team would hit it big….]
So you had your own vision of how this would play out, didn’t you.
I stifled a laugh internally.
‘It won’t work.’
[Huh! Why?]
‘It’s a decent idea, but there are too many pitfalls.’
My position would become ambiguous.
First, if I paired with Chae Yul, my opinions would inevitably dominate his. I already had a track record, plus I was his senior and superior in skill—there was no way around it.
If I then held back and stayed quiet with a “since I lost, I’ll keep quiet” attitude, that would look strange too, so if there wasn’t anyone better than me on his team, I’d have to take the lead again.
‘It won’t work.’
Then problems would arise from song selection itself.
If I went with the same light and refreshing concept as last time, the CEO’s evaluation would become problematic.
‘They’d say I’m not thinking straight and just copying what came before.’
Or they’d think I was trying to show off.
But if I completely changed direction to a darker concept to match the CEO’s evaluation? This is what happens.
-Hmm, I don’t think I expected this kind of result
-I understand why, but since he’s being considerate and it’s not working, it feels like his true colors are showing… it’s a bit disappointing
When episode 3 airs, there would definitely be quite a bit of public opinion defending me against the CEO’s harsh criticism, but I’d have to pretend to be disappointed at having let down those people’s expectations.
No matter what I chose, I’d lose the advantages I’d demonstrated in the previous team competition.
Whether it was consideration or pure stubbornness.
[I, I never even imagined this kind of answer….]
There was no reason to be disheartened though.
‘I just thought this time it would be best if there was definitely someone other than me who could clearly take the leader role.’
And conveniently, hadn’t a leader who had been verified to do his work well—someone with decades or even centuries of experience—just arrived?
I crafted a genuinely grateful expression.
“…Thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be grateful. Hyung, I look forward to working with you.”
That was Chung-ryeo.
‘This round, I’m positioning myself as a hardworking team member number one.’
That’s the best approach.
I shook hands with Chung-ryeo. He wore a faint smile.
‘He knew I’d do this.’
So you finished calculating and came back.
I clicked my tongue inwardly while outwardly sending him a grateful gaze.
Of course, cleanup was essential too.
“Still, don’t you have anything to say to the other team that came to pick up Gun-woo?”
Right. I knew he’d try to smooth things over around this point.
I approached Jin Chae-yul before the trainer even finished speaking. He nodded as if he understood.
“Thanks so much for coming.”
“No, I….”
Here I shifted the narrative around why I’d rejected Chae Yul.
“But you don’t need to feel guilty or responsible just because I lost. Really.”
“…!”
Jin Chae-yul lifted his head.
“You made it because you did well. I’ll do well this time too and move up. Let’s work together again on the next stage.”
It was consideration—checking whether he’d made a reckless choice out of guilt.
‘He’d have every reason to feel that way.’
Since he came from the Supplementary Class, he barely knew anyone on the team, so he must have struggled quite a bit persuading them to bring me along.
‘And realistically, if I join, there’s a high probability of complaints about parts again.’
It would’ve been more convenient for him to go separately anyway. His skills were solid enough.
“We had fun doing it, didn’t we?”
“…Yes!”
He sniffled but soon smiled and nodded. I patted his back lightly to set a good mood.
…And truthfully, I was quite grateful too.
Even if his brain was a bit scattered, there was no malice in him.
‘The fact that he’s not saying anything weird means he’ll make it through fine too.’
I didn’t think I needed to do any other work.
The other participant who’d been paired with Kim Rae-bin was soon picked up by another team as well, and that’s how the distribution of the leftover trainees ended.
But the camera still followed.
Hmm, I should probably ask one question like this.
I asked Chung-ryeo as I walked down the corridor.
“Why did you pick me?”
“Because we have the best chemistry when we practice together. I wanted to show you that.”
“….”
Lying without even wetting his lips first… man, this guy was really set on playing the game.
“And you’re so skilled, hyung….”
True to form, he knew how to talk smoothly. I returned his words with conviction.
“I’ll do even better. I won’t be a burden to the team.”
“I’m not doubting you. Oh, and there’s one more reason.”
“…?”
Chung-ryeo grinned.
“I thought you’d like our team too, hyung.”
“…Yeah. That makes sense.”
A sudden bad premonition washes over me, but I force a smile anyway.
And moments later, I get to see the faces of the teammates Chung-ryeo has assembled.
*Click.*
“Surprise, Geon-woo hyung is here.”
“Thank you. I look forward to working with you.”
I knew this would happen, but the first person I see when the door opens is… Kim Rae-bin.
“I’m honored to be teaming up with you like this! I’m the one who should be thanking you!”
Producer, rapper, eager to please.
I figured he was picked because he doesn’t overlap with me in any position and is easy to work with.
‘So far so good.’
I was already planning to look after him this round anyway.
As I turn my head while hearing the explanation that the teammates met through a mini game… yeah, there’s a VTIC Member here too.
“Hello.”
“Yes, yes.”
Hmm, it’s Ju Dan. His real name seems to be something else, but I’ll skip that and just nod.
The surprising part is that the last guy who suddenly darts out from behind is someone I know too.
“Hyung! Welcome~ have a seat!”
…They even brought Cha Yu-jin.
“Our team is really great! We’re good!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I didn’t see this coming. I thought he’d be cut because our positions overlap, but this is quite a bold choice.
I sit down and assess the final composition.
Two main dancers, main rapper, lead vocalist….
‘And with me as the main vocalist, the team is complete.’
Half VTIC, half Testa.
Actually, there’s nothing to fault in terms of skill or positioning. If there are no problems, this round should go smoothly without major obstacles.
As long as we don’t fight… and since I have no intention of taking the lead, I can just be the mediator.
‘Good.’
The roles are neatly defined. I nod in agreement.
“First, let me briefly explain the rules for how we’ll be structuring our performance, hyung.”
This round has a simple structure where two teams that drew the same concept keyword face off, and the team rankings are determined as superior or inferior.
Except for me.
I receive a separate evaluation of ‘elimination or survival,’ apparently.
And the keyword we received is….
“Um… it’s sexy.”
“….”
They really picked something avant-garde.
Chung-ryeo laughs apologetically.
“It’s a bit awkward, isn’t it? I’m sorry. I’m not very good at games.”
That would certainly be the case.
“No, not at all! You performed quite well—it was just that the environment wasn’t ideal at the end. The concept is also… quite intriguing!”
“Right. It’s fine, really.”
“Yeah? Thanks for saying that.”
Setting aside this nauseating display of performative reassurance, the concept itself wasn’t bad.
It was striking in its own right, and it didn’t overlap with any of the previous stages’ images.
‘Good.’
During the arrangement discussion, I naturally supported Chung-ryeo’s opinions as he took the leader’s role, careful not to dominate the conversation.
My only contribution was gently weaving in suggestions from Cha Yu-jin or Kim Rae-bin here and there.
Thanks to that restraint, the arrangement direction took shape quickly along the lines Chung-ryeo had already envisioned. As a result, he moved faster than expected and delivered his next statement.
“Now let’s talk about the vocal parts.”
This was where the real discussion began.
“Does anyone want to take the high note in this bridge section?”
I raised my hand immediately.
“I’d like to do it.”
“Ah.”
From that point on, I volunteered for every difficult high note section.
Since I was the only main vocalist, being ambitious about this wouldn’t backfire.
‘Showing a somewhat competitive spirit here is the right move.’
The key was to aggressively challenge only the parts difficult enough that others would naturally avoid them. If I came across as someone trying to hog screen time later, that would be problematic.
I’d maintain the image of someone willing to showcase their abilities to the limit.
“Hyung, won’t that be too difficult for you?”
“I’ll manage it.”
And I wouldn’t deny it. Chung-ryeo had positioned things perfectly to highlight my image at every opportunity.
“Then shall we finalize the part distribution like this?”
“Yes!”
He’d even prepared a decent part for Cha Yu-jin, sacrificing quite a bit of his own screen time in the process.
‘Hmm.’
While the production crew was checking their filming equipment, I quietly asked Chung-ryeo without a microphone.
“That’s interesting.”
Putting Cha Yu-jin on the team and giving him such a proper showcase like this.
Without even asking what I found interesting, he answered immediately.
“It looks good, doesn’t it? Two people who showed great performances as competitors are now becoming teammates. Isn’t that right?”
“….”
Once the deathmatch between us airs, the backlash that would pour down on Cha Yu-jin.
He was preemptively blocking the viewers’ resistance toward him before it could take root.
‘A calculating bastard.’
An excellent choice.
“It seems the junior member also saw it as a good decision. Well, should we share these detailed discussions with him now?”
“Never mind.”
I held back a sigh.
Of course, I’d already received a briefing from him on how this survival show would unfold.
But we hadn’t established any detailed joint plans beyond that.
I recalled our conversation from back then.
-We don’t need more details.
-Huh?
-Even if we discuss and plan everything based on your prior knowledge, variables can still emerge. The time slots are different, and the participants are different.
-That’s true.
He immediately caught on and continued with a snickering smile.
-And if we end up with different opinions in that moment… hmm, you’re not planning to back down?
It was obvious. You’d think your own idea was more effective anyway, you bastard.
-So we just go with our own judgment. If we clash, we’ll figure it out on the fly.
-Understood. Do your best. Besides, you’ll debut anyway, so don’t burden yourself with worry.
-….
This guy really thinks everything is in the palm of his hand, which is kind of irritating.
‘Fine.’
Perfect timing then. Let him taste a bit of this natural disaster too.
After parting ways with him, I called the next person and stepped into the corridor.
“Cha Yu-jin.”
“Umm?”
“Wait a moment.”
I brought him along and had a brief written exchange.
-On the main stage this time….
It was a small operation that began this way.
Cha Yu-jin stared at the notebook for a moment, then shrugged.
And he wrote back like a response.
-I can manage it.
-[But only for the team’s sake.]
Team.
‘He must mean Testa.’
I let out a quiet laugh.
Got it, you bastard.
“Good. Now copy this down exactly as written here.”
“Why?”
Why? It’s evidence fabrication to submit later when the Production Team asks after reviewing the corridor camera footage.
And two days later, the mid-evaluation day arrived.
The preparations were already complete.
My original plan was to make a proper impression starting from here and create the editing points and narrative.
‘That was supposed to happen….’
But an unexpected situation occurred.
The midterm evaluation brought active idols as special judges.
“We’ve invited the K-pop stars of this era who are actively performing.”
“Wow.”
A solid lineup impressive enough to make trainees lose their composure.
And among them… there was one.
“Hello, I’m Lee Sae-jin from Zairop!”
“…!”
A familiar face.
To be precise, the face was familiar, but the styling was unfamiliar—it was Big Sae-jin sitting there.
Big Sae-jin.
“….”
Right. I’d already learned he’d debuted by searching the internet beforehand. And naturally, I’d expected to meet him once broadcast activities began.
But I never thought I’d see that bastard’s face this soon….
Cha Yu-jin nudged my side slightly.
‘Be careful.’
“….”
Right. We’re being filmed.
I focused on the performance. I’d been making my living off this long enough that a sudden situation like this wouldn’t throw me off.
“Whoosh.”
“That’s all for now!”
The first verse performance went well.
And Lee Sae-jin from Zairop left this comment.
“Wow, you seem even better than me~? That was impressive.”
“Thank you!”
“But Gun-woo.”
Why.
“You don’t need to be so tense~ You seem a bit nervous before and after the stage. But you really don’t need to be!”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
Damn it.
I stepped into the corridor during the break.
It wasn’t something I could do in front of people.
[Are you okay??]
Of course I’m fine. So….
‘Recruit allies, recruit allies.’
Let me use some of that damned Fame Exp that came in—50,000 points from episodes 1 and 2 airing.
[Recruit Allies]
[1 time / 10 times]
I immediately pressed 10 times.
Light burst forth without hesitation, and the list scrolled past.
One star, two stars, one star, two stars, two stars….
The names I recognize don’t appear. Instead, unfamiliar names claiming to be colleagues fill the entire window….
‘Damn it.’
I clenched my teeth and scrolled again.
[★]
[★]
[★★★]
[★★]
Stars pour endlessly, but the one I’m looking for never appears. Once again, only useless gold remains before it vanishes.
“….”
I bit my tongue.
Think rationally for a moment. Even if I recruit him as a colleague now, there’s nothing I can actually do with him anyway.
‘He’s already debuted with a different team.’
He’s the one with zero possibility of joining this group.
‘…Is that why I feel so repulsed?’
Lee Sae-jin, who debuted with an entirely different group? There’s no certification mark saying this isn’t reality.
“Sigh.”
I exhaled. As my head cleared, I saw the logic behind my own actions.
“Ha.”
A dry laugh escaped me.
Right.
Efficiency and all that aside, it would be nice to have more people who understand reality.
‘…Though it doesn’t seem like I will.’
Still, I chuckled to myself, raised my hand, and pressed the 10-pull button again.
It was absurdly funny.
That’s when it happened.
[~♪♬♪~]
“…!”
Aurora light burst from the image in the popup window like a night sky, then swirled and trembled as if breaking free from the window itself….
‘This is.’
A visual effect I’ve seen before.
…When I pulled a 5-star Cha Yu-jin.
“Ah.”
But the screen displays four stars glittering.
[★★★★]
Only briefly.
Soon another star of a different color flies in and attaches. Five total.
And finally… the image and description appear.
[Aah!]
[★★★★☆ Lee Sae-jin / Sub-Vocal]
“….”
[※Colleagues with stars of a different color possess special abilities!]
Special abilities.
In the 【127 Section】 game, this referred to skills outside of combat—exploration, production, and the like. In other words, abilities in fields other than the game’s primary stats.
So here, then….
I moved my hand.
A small popup appeared as I passed over Lee Sae-jin’s name.
[Special Ability: Actor]
This is… Bae Sae-jin before the name change.

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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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