Debut or Die - Chapter 391

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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 391
The day LeTi Survival implemented an ambitious performance stage with ‘art’ as its theme.
Stage Backstage.
“Should we shout our team chant before we go?”
“Yes!”
Following his teammate who answered loudly while extending his hand, Ryu Chung-woo also extended one of his hands.
“Team D does everything well, let’s do this!”
It was participant Shin Jae-hyun who requested the chant with a smile. As far as he knew, Chung-ryeo.
The leader of VTIC, but also someone who had fallen into this strange situation alongside him.
‘I never thought I’d end up performing on stage together like this.’
For Ryu Chung-woo, it was unexpected. From the start, the situation itself of returning to the past and attending university with Ryu Gun-woo was surreal.
‘It’s like a fantasy from a daydream.’
I never dreamed I’d face such a surreal situation. But I was accepting it, in a way, like experiencing a different life.
The stage preparation with this VTIC leader had been going remarkably smoothly.
‘He really… uses everything perfectly in the right place.’
From participants to trainers.
It was astounding. The process of matching each piece to the picture already complete in his head was solid enough to give me chills.
It was somewhat mechanical, but… he seemed to be a leader with more ability in stage control than me.
‘I need to train more in what I do well.’
Instead of smiling bitterly at his competitive spirit, Ryu Chung-woo decided to do just that.
“You can wait now.”
“Yes!”
The handheld camera that captured the chant left to find the next team, leaving only the fixed cameras in the Backstage.
Since their stage was last, Ryu Chung-woo had been watching the performances from the Waiting Room below until now.
‘They all did great.’
Cha Yu-jin and Kim Rae-bin split apart and entered different teams, each showing remarkable contributions.
-Yeah!
He recalled Cha Yu-jin, who had been the center of the action paint performance, enthusiastically conversing with the orchestra conductor, and Kim Rae-bin, who had almost single-handedly driven the arrangement.
‘Especially Rae-bin is truly amazing.’
His growth was visible to the eye.
Even without memories, he was like that. I’d felt it during Ajusa too, but geniuses are definitely real.
“Mm.”
And right before them, the third stage was about to unfold right before my eyes.
Park Moon-dae and the VTIC Members’ stage.
In reality, it would be a combination that would make people faint, but that wasn’t the problem now.
‘…It should be fine.’
He recalled what Cha Yu-jin had whispered the moment he saw that team’s first choreography in the Training Room.
-That’s that stage! ‘October 31’!
The stage of Ajusa’s first team, which had been so impressive that Cha Yu-jin even remembered the team name.
‘I got completely destroyed back then.’
The team that had faced off against Ryu Chung-woo’s group—the one I might have joined if luck had been on my side, but was separated from with the push of a button.
‘I pretended it didn’t matter back then, but honestly, I was quite disappointed.’
Ryu Chung-woo recalled those memories, which now felt like nostalgia, and almost smiled faintly, but stopped himself.
It was because he’d remembered Park Moon-dae’s condition while practicing this stage, which was identical to that one.
To put it bluntly, he looked completely lifeless and sunken.
-Are you okay?
-Yeah. I’m fine.
-Hyung, does it hurt?? Where does it hurt?
-No. It’s not that I’m in pain.
His complexion had faded entirely.
So much so that even he and the other Testa members had peeked over several times, despite being on a different team.
But since everyone (except Kim Rae-bin) could guess the reason, it was difficult to say anything.
You couldn’t just tell someone what to do or not do about a stage that wasn’t yours.
Especially not to someone who had sworn during a Survival Show Program appearance that they would “definitely win first place and escape from here.”
‘Still, if it had continued for a few more days, I would have tried to say something more.’
Things changed a bit after the midterm evaluation.
Park Moon-dae restructured the stage composition.
-We won’t have much time though….
-Still, I think we’re worth the challenge.
Park Moon-dae, speaking those words, had light returning to his eyes, and seemed to have recovered his usual firmness.
He wasn’t wavering.
Cha Yu-jin had stated his position cleanly.
-Hyung Moon-dae, you’re overthinking this. This time we need to practice doing less. We’re just watching.
Cha Yu-jin was one of the youngest members, but unexpectedly, he was also someone who knew how to hit the core of the matter.
So this time, Ryu Chung-woo decided not to interfere separately with Park Moon-dae.
And the result of that was about to unfold on that stage right now.
He was thinking of leaning slightly forward to get a closer look at the stage with all the sets installed, but….
“Hyung always performs well on stage.”
“…! Yes. That’s right.”
The leader of VTIC spoke to him from beside him.
Though now his junior, the person he couldn’t quite drop formality with was watching the stage with quite delighted eyes.
“So this is what you prepared.”
“….”
Ryu Chung-woo turned his head.
The stage that had begun was now projecting a snowy Birch Forest.
-….
As the stage slowly darkens, a bell rings, and a yellow moon rises.
And then, a female chorus rings out.
-Ah- ha ha Ah- ha ha
A beautiful minor harmony.
And to that dissonant harmony, In-young emerges between the trees.
Three tall silhouettes wearing black hoods.
Limbs slip through the gaps between them. White arms draped in linen fabric overlap in a short, intense intro performance.
-Woo! oooo oo, oo-
And matching the final chorus note, the three stand upright again.
Hoods pulled down in sequence, maintaining perfect formation.
As pale faces are revealed, harmonized vocals pour across the Stage like a torrent of water.
-It’s cold outside
come here, come in!
Let’s drink with us, tonight
“…!”
It was a carol.
The English title from last year’s LeTi Entertainment joint winter special album.
That retro carol evoking the nineteenth century hadn’t achieved tremendous commercial success, but it had cultivated a cult following on the Internet.
Its classical, warm melody had transformed into something elegant and secretive when paired with an exaggerated orchestral arrangement.
The reason that was possible was….
‘The accompaniment is “A New World”.’
That’s right.
There was no restriction limiting them to selecting only one song.
Instead of radically rearranging “A New World” the way I had during Ajusa, I borrowed the original accompaniment from the carol.
The dark melody shifted to a minor key meets the elegant orchestral lines representing flower fairies, bringing the atmosphere to life.
And the song transforms into a rhythm suited for dance.
-This night
The bell sound heard outside the window
Ding-dong Ding-dong
The ballad-like first verse.
Two members hold Chae Yul’s waist and perform lifting him while he’s lying down.
A striking, expansive movement.
Ryu Gun-woo’s low harmony supporting Chae Yul’s vocals is as solid and round as a water droplet.
-Ding-dong Ding-dong
The first verse that unfolds this way appropriately blends storytelling with idol-like choreography.
The participants, true to their vampire roles, refrained from smiling for atmosphere, but executed all other facial expressions excellently alongside gestures.
Rather than screaming “I’m a vampire” through fangs or blood makeup, they employed an indirect method—allowing the audience to infer through costume design, choreography, and gestures.
The hooded robe billows like a cape, revealing the ornate chain-adorned costume beneath.
-The beautiful sound of winter
Ding-dong Ding-dong
The voice of winter
The red lining inside the robe ripples.
Following the pre-chorus choreography where both hands grasp one’s own neck and the upper body twists, the group dance with controlled dynamics unfolds exquisitely through the chorus.
The dark, intimate orchestra becomes grand again as it passes through the chorus.
-Tonight!
In the middle of winter
Lal lalalalala!
As the three performers leaned their entire bodies back in an impressive pose and dispersed their movements in all directions, the first verse came to an end.
Over the quieting accompaniment.
A piano melody glided into the empty center of the Stage.
-♬♩ ♪♪♩- ♬♬♪- ♩
And what began was none other than the verse melody of “A New World”.
A new figure takes the Stage.
A pale hand emerging from behind a tree in time with the music.
Then, stretching an arm forward, the entire body is revealed on the Stage.
-♩♬
A black-haired male ballet mentor in white attire, his silhouette emerging against the backdrop.
A light turn. And a grand jeté.
The movements through the air are controlled without excess, creating a balance with the background like a figurine within a snow globe.
And a voice like a music box.
-Can’t you feel me.
From the left side of the Stage, In-young in a hood turns around.
“…!”
Ryu Gun-woo.
He gripped the head microphone with both hands and sang the lyrics softly and gently.
-Your warm touch
Lifts me up, so beautiful
A spring garden
The lighting warms to a beige hue, and the winter atmosphere momentarily fades.
The movements of a perfect ballet mentor, powerful and beautiful, continue.
An arabesque.
-Umuum, Umuum….
But it is only a moment.
At the end of the bridge section, the instant the orchestra surges back into the song.
The ballet mentor flees the Stage as if escaping.
And in that instant, three In-youngs seize the space once more.
Performers in flashy attire rush forward, casting off their hoods.
Cold lighting bursts forth, flooding the Stage once again.
-Woo! oooo oo, oo-
And the chorus choreography begins anew.
But this time, new movements are woven into the formations.
Turns and jumps reminiscent of what the ballet mentor had performed moments before.
Yet cleverly constructed.
‘It feels different.’
It mimics that, but it’s a dance-pop style movement distinctly different from ballet.
Unable to directly compare quality, the overwhelming stage presence alone becomes a singular, unified experience.
-In the snowy garden
in a teacup, in a sugar bowl
Provocative idol synchronized choreography and close-up gestures fill every frame.
And an ending brimming with energy.
-The bell rings
ring ri-ring
ring-ring-ring
The finale of a static composition where heads turn fluidly in different directions.
Intertwined with the tearing arrangement, high-pitched ad-lib vocals blend until every note converges into one.
And finally, In-young smiles toward the audience, arms rising.
-The winter is… in!!
The music ends.
And every movement freezes on stage.
Roooaaaarrrr!!!
Applause and cheers pour out without restraint. Even screams of support.
You did great!
Draped in robes, In-young adjusts their posture and bows repeatedly, composing their smile.
Dizzying, intense, and dark stage.
Deliberately somewhat cryptic.
On any other stage, it might have faced harsh criticism for being too experimental, ignoring mass appeal.
But this time, the keyword is ‘art’.
Both audience and judges likely expect something different.
“Mm.”
Ryu Chung-woo turned his head slightly, glancing just before the audience seating.
Sure enough, the CEO’s lips curl upward as he subtly raises his thumb—visible even from here.
As if to say it was very good.
‘Wow.’
This is fun!
Even knowing it was his turn next, Ryu Chung-woo found himself smiling and applauding enthusiastically.

* * *
The stage was over.
“Phew.”
I pulled off the hood and clenched it in my hand.
Damn, it felt refreshing.
‘What is this.’
The sense of liberation was overwhelming. Anyone watching would think I’d already won an award.
I folded the hood and handed it to a staff member.
‘I nailed it.’
I don’t even need to see the score. This one landed.
My head, which had been sluggish and bogged down like sinking into a swamp, now spun taut and clear as day.
‘Direct hit.’
Stage adrenaline—when it connects, there’s nothing quite like it.
I wiped my forehead.
“Hyung!”
Just then, the guy who’d stripped off his paint-covered costume came running and linked his arm through mine.
Cha Yu-jin.
“Hyung, that was incredible. So cool!”
“Ugh.”
Wait, hold on—is this bastard putting his arm around my neck and squeezing? Is this former football lunatic trying to snap my head off? I managed to salvage my nearly broken neck and barely escaped.
Then a quiet voice reached me.
“Hyung, let me say something first.”
What.
“You can use the stage I did with you however you want. Don’t worry about it!”
“…!”
And with the same arm that had nearly snapped my neck, he alternately pointed to his head and chest.
“Our stage is here. And it’s in reality. Even if you use it in a multiverse, it doesn’t disappear!”
“….”
“We can’t forget that. Got it?”
If I’d heard this a few days ago, I would’ve interpreted it as ‘so do it right’ and been grinding my head against the wall in frustration.
But hearing it after it was over, after my head was clear… there’s no truer thing than this.
‘Was I the one who got buried.’
To think I was the first one to lose sight of things in this strange situation. I let out a quiet laugh and tapped his shoulder.
“Got it.”
“Then we’re good!”
He grinned widely.
“And I’ll use mine however I want too. Get ready to watch!”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
I watched as he was dragged away for an interview, finishing changing out of my costume.
I watched that bastard get dragged away for an interview, and I finished changing out of my costume.
And shortly after, the moment he finished his stage performance and arrived at the Waiting Room, he spoke to me.
Ryu Chung-woo.

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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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