Debut or Die - Chapter 415

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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 415
Kwon Hee-seung had experienced quite a disturbing dream.
Some alien-like entity had turned him into a virtual reality construct and forced him to labor like an AI housekeeping assistant—a bizarre setup indeed.
And to make matters worse, all manner of idol seniors had made appearances in this grotesque turn of events!
In the end, he’d awakened screaming as the world spectacularly crumbled around him.
“Aaaahhhhh!!”
Though he hadn’t anticipated the scream would be quite so loud.
Kwon Hee-seung’s eyes snapped open, his airplane seat drenched in cold sweat.
“Huh… hah…”
“You alright?”
A hand holding an ion drink appeared before his eyes. Without thinking, Kwon Hee-seung grabbed it and brought it to his lips.
Gulp, gulp.
As the cool, smooth, sweetly refreshing beverage slid down his throat, a tingling sensation surged all the way to the crown of his head.
It felt like his body was being replenished with moisture for the first time in hundreds of days.
‘Wow.’
Only after draining the entire liter of ion drink did he shake his head and finally regain his senses.
It was Park Moon-dae from Testa, sitting across from him, who had handed him the drink. Kwon Hee-seung clicked his tongue.
“Wow, really… ah, maybe it’s because of that strange dream, but it feels like forever since I’ve had something to drink?”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes! I think I was sleep paralyzed, and anyway, we have something we need to do from now on…”
Wait. Now that he thought about it, why was he on this airplane in the first place?
And the moment his eyes met those of the VTIC leader—the owner of this chartered flight—memories came flooding back like a lantern show of his life before sleep, all at once.
Status window malfunction.
Moon-dae hyung coughing up blood.
And…
“…Um, excuse me.”
Kwon Hee-seung asked, sweat pouring down his face.
“Was that… not a dream?”
“…”
Park Moon-dae, unusually, averted his gaze and wore an enigmatic expression, but soon answered in a flat tone.
“It would be better to think of it as a dream.”
“That means it was real…!?”
Kwon Hee-seung clutched his face and wailed, but Park Moon-dae simply remained silent with his lips sealed.
He had grasped the situation well enough.
‘He chose not to remember the specifics himself.’
The choice Big Dal had given him.
-Whether you’ll remember what happened here, or simply forget it, or remember it vaguely like a dream.
Kwon Hee-seung must have chosen to treat it as a dream. Park Moon-dae made the deduction with certainty, and inwardly furrowed his brow.
‘…It must have been quite difficult for him.’
If that were the case, compensation would be necessary. Gold 2—Kwon Hee-seung—had been summoned by airplane, and that was his doing.
So just as I was about to speak, Kwon Hee-seung, having finished his thoughts, cried out in alarm.
“…! Wait, if all of that was real… are we in some situation where South Korea just collapsed and we escaped by airplane?!”
“…No, nothing like that. We’re at LA Airport, our actual destination.”
“Phew.”
So it really was just like a dream!
Kwon Hee-seung let out a long sigh of relief. Park Moon-dae, for his part, held back a sigh for different reasons and continued.
“Anyway, you suffered because you got caught up in all this… so take some compensation.”
“Pardon?”
“One wish.”
“…!”
Park Moon-dae continued without hesitation.
“I’ll grant whatever you ask for, within what I’m capable of. How about it.”
Ohhh.
Kwon Hee-seung instinctively rewound through Park Moon-dae’s accomplishments so far.
From Ajusa’s chicken feet faction to devouring the company from behind the scenes, even to becoming a label maker.
And he reached his conclusion.
“I’ll use it well.”
“Good.”
Yes!
The words ‘Genie grants three wishes, so couldn’t you change it to three wishes too?’ rose to his throat, but he held back.
He was someone who knew when to jump in and when to back out.
Having thus obtained one all-purpose wish token, Kwon Hee-seung finally looked outside and confirmed LA Airport, releasing all his tension.
‘Wow.’
The weather was clear.
The sunset sky was foreign, yet familiar, and beautiful enough to bring tears to his eyes.
“….”
“You did well.”
“Ah, it was just a dream anyway.”
Park Moon-dae didn’t respond, but wore a slightly bitter smile as he gazed at the sunset sky like Kwon Hee-seung.
It was quiet.
Kwon Hee-seung, soaking in that peaceful rest, asked casually.
“By the way, hyung… what about the System?”
“I eliminated it.”
“I see.”
Somehow it felt refreshing. Despite it being a dream, it seemed I went through quite the ordeal.
‘Ah, this tastes sweet.’
I put cheese and salt crackers and chocolate from the cart into my mouth and sat back down.
“Huh? When did you eat this?”
“While you were sleeping.”
“Wow, this is expensive, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure.”
Kwon Hee-seung opened another bottle of champagne and savored the leisure of the moment.
The owner of the chartered aircraft, absorbed in his book, made no comment toward me nor even glanced in my direction.
‘Then I can eat whatever I want.’
Just as I was entertaining this optimistic thought, sounds began to return to the aircraft.
The door opened, and the crew members stirred into motion.
“Preparations are complete.”
Chung-ryeo spoke for the first time. When Kwon Hee-seung turned his head, he could indeed see the staff members returning to their posts.
‘Huh?’
Kwon Hee-seung carefully opened his mouth.
“Hyung, should we disembark now?”
“No.”
“…?”
“We’ve already refueled at the airport.”
Park Moon-dae smiled.
“We’re heading back now.”
“…!!”
What? We came all the way to Los Angeles just to turn around and leave like this? We could’ve at least spent some time here before heading back!
Kwon Hee-seung’s mind flooded with countless objections in that instant, yet somehow his lips sealed shut of their own accord.
Because he suddenly realized—he too couldn’t bear to stay any longer. He wanted to return.
To the everyday. To home.
“We’re departing.”
The three idols fastened their seatbelts.
The airplane began its turn toward its departure point.

* * *
I arrived at Incheon International Airport just as dawn was breaking.
The journey back to Seoul took considerable time, but I wasn’t particularly anxious about it.
My smartphone had been ringing incessantly the entire way.
-Kim Rae-bin : As soon as I arrived, I suddenly said I was returning to the Dormitory, and my grandmother became very worried, so it took quite some time to talk with her. I apologize!
-Sun Ah-hyun : No, be careful on your way, Rae-bin. I also told my parents and left, and I’m back at the Dormitory now.
-Cha Yu-jin : I was at the Dormitory from the start. I’m number one! (sunglasses emoji)
It seemed that once the scattered members who had taken leave started heading back, all sorts of incidents were unfolding.
‘I think it would’ve been fine if they’d just stayed home for a few days.’
I actually tried bringing that up once, but….
-Those who’ve already gone home could probably rest a bit longer, right?
-Sun Ah-hyun : No way!! I’m definitely coming back!!
The response came back with startling speed and him alone.
And after a moment of silence in the group chat.
-Sun Ah-hyun : I didn’t mean that the members shouldn’t stay longer at home. Since my home is close and I visit often, I meant I’d return to the Dormitory right away. It’s absolutely not a demand!
The message was characteristically long.
-Ryu Chung-woo : Got it, Ah-hyun. Come comfortably. (big smile emoji)
-Kim Rae-bin : I completely understand! But I’m fine as well. Won’t we have another opportunity to visit within the fortnight?
In any case, messages kept pouring in through the group chat as members arrived at the Dormitory one by one.
-Big Sae-jin : You know what, beloved members? I even did the grocery shopping alone… A day like this calls for a toast! (bear raising wine glass emoji)
-Ryu Chung-woo : Nice work. Oh, the other Sae-jin just arrived too.
-Bae Sae-jin : (hamster waving emoji)
And eventually, once everyone had arrived, I received this message just a moment ago.
-Cha Yu-jin : I want to eat chicken. Why aren’t you here, hyung? (puppy eyes emoji)
-Big Sae-jin : Only Park Moon-dae is left~~~
-Bae Sae-jin : He should be on his way. He’s late.
-My departure point was the Pacific Ocean. Isn’t it natural that I’m late?
I flew over the Pacific, went all the way to Los Angeles and back, and these guys show no mercy.
I got in a taxi and checked the time. Thirty minutes remaining.
As I scrolled through my smartphone screen, a private message appeared instead of the group chat.
It was a message I had checked immediately while Gold 2 was sleeping.
-Big Dal : Hyung, I arrived safely! Are you okay?
Big Dal had safely regained consciousness in Ryu Gun-woo’s body, it seemed.
With no injuries anywhere, healthy and without any discomfort.
‘Is it a success?’
However, one slightly peculiar thing remained.
[Hyung, I can still send messages through the status window…? What?]
It doesn’t feel like I’m being consumed by the System exactly, but this additional function continues to operate.
I can still see the status window too.
‘Is it because of the permanent status window reward?’
I suspected it was because of the reward I received after clearing that abnormal condition.
That System seemed oddly bound by contracts and promises, you see.
‘So willpower is mental energy too.’
Anyway, since that thing’s already gone, it doesn’t matter anymore.
I lowered my smartphone with a light heart.
And a moment later.
“We’ve arrived~ at the Apartment main entrance!”
“Thank you.”
I quickly paid the taxi fare and got out.
Past the flower beds that had nearly become unfamiliar, past the constructed playground, past the First Floor entrance, past the Elevator.
The familiar Entrance door came into view.
Beep, beep-beep-beep, beep.
I press the button and open the door.
Click.
“Whoa!”
“Wow, Park Moon-dae just got here!”
“Is there even a chicken place open at 4 AM?”
Cool air conditioning rushes in.
Beyond the familiar entrance design, I hear the familiar voices of people and the sound of running footsteps.
‘What are they all doing awake at this hour.’
I smiled and stepped into the entrance. Restrained praise and hands poured out, mindful of the early hour.
The members hadn’t changed, and neither had the Dormitory.
But surprisingly, what was in the Dormitory wasn’t just people.
“Moon-dae, look at this!”
“Woof!”
A white fluffy bundle of fur is in the Dormitory. It was a familiar bundle of fur, though.
Bae Sae-jin hadn’t returned to the Dormitory alone.
“I brought Mung-ge along. I thought it would be nice to take him with us when we go on our trip. It’s been so long… I was happy to see him too.”
“….”
Beyond Cha Yu-jin, who had managed to find a 24-hour chicken place and ordered from it, Bae Sae-jin held out the small dog in his hands to me.
I took the tail-wagging creature.
It was soft and warm.
“So let’s get some good sleep first… then wake up tomorrow and get ready right away to go have fun.”
“I’m all for it.”
“Let’s eat the chicken first.”
“I’m really curious how Eugene doesn’t gain weight.”
I petted the dog and quietly opened my mouth.
“Before that, there’s something I want to do.”
“…!”
“What is it?”
“It won’t take long. I’ll be back while you’re sleeping.”
I called a salon that opened at this hour.
“Park Moon-dae! What’s the rush? Good to hear from you!”
“Me too. Thank you for accommodating me.”
I settled into the chair. The hair designer grinned and took hold of my hair.
That’s right.
I’d come to the salon for the first appointment of the dawn.
“The other members aren’t getting their hair done?”
“No.”
And I wasn’t alone in coming.
While I was getting my hair done, these guys deliberately tagged along and sat in the waiting area, excitedly flipping through travel destination photos.
“Here! Let’s go here!”
“Don’t jump to conclusions based on promotional photos, Cha Yu-jin!”
‘They’re growing up.’
But they still don’t listen.
Since this salon allows dogs, I’d brought everyone along without leaving anyone at the Dormitory.
“Testa always gets along so well! Do you guys film self-cam content or anything like that?”
“Nothing like that.”
I answered the director while glancing at the mirror.
In the mirror’s reflection, I could see Big Sae-jin gently grasping Mung-ge’s front paw and shaking it.
‘These guys.’
“Shall we go with this color then?”
“Yes.”
My hair became coated with bleach.
And several hours later.
“Looks just like the photo, right? Came out great.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I sat in the salon chair and took a photo myself, feeling slightly awkward.
After years of experience, I wasn’t incompetent at self-portrait angles anymore, but it had been so long since I’d taken photos with this face that I went through several trial-and-error attempts.
“….”
And after a very long time, I logged into Testa’s official SNS and… pressed upload.
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Hello, Reviewer
I’m Moon-dae (dog emoji)
I’ve gotten my hair color back. I actually missed it
(photo)
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In the attached photo, I had golden-brown hair.
Just like my first dye job back at Ajusa.
And as if waiting for this moment, notifications began flooding in.
-Ajusa Gold 2 Park Moon-dae
-I love him, I’m telling you I love him
-Is Park Moon-dae’s public appearance rate real? This is truly the hero of our generation
-Could this be a spoiler for the next album?? Moon-dae? Moon-dae?
-♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
-Moon-dae wins forever, give up on the Tibetan fox now (fist emoji)
Familiar responses and profile pictures flooded the screen. The usual barrage of insults—’that’s not the vibe from back then,’ ‘what are you scheming?’—filled the comments as always.
It was Testa’s Park Moon-dae.
“….”
“Huh? Moon-dae posted something? Sob, we’re leaving our other members stuck in the waiting room while he’s off doing his own thing….”
“Show your face.”
“Huh?”
I snapped a group photo of the guys furiously typing away on their laptops and phones in the salon waiting room.
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Came to see yellow Moon-dae (eye-rolling emoji)
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From that morning onward, fans received notifications from Testa’s official SNS account multiple times.

* * *
And several hours earlier, in the early dawn.
In a spacious, immaculate apartment in Seoul, silence hung heavy.
In front of the grand entrance, a large dog lay draped across a soft beige blanket, half-asleep.
It had been waiting for so long.
Yet it had not forgotten the sound of happiness.
Click!
The sound of the door opening.
Footsteps.
The signal of seeing a beloved family member.
“…!”
In an instant, the dog’s head shot up, its tail wagging as it stared at the massive gray door.
Soon the door swung open, and as always, the beloved figure strode in on two legs.
“Kongi.”
“Woof woof!”
The dog leaped up, greeting its family with unbridled enthusiasm.
Though it had learned to wait patiently whenever its family was gone for days at a time, the moment when that waiting ended was simply unbearable.
Kongi scraped its hind legs and extended its front paws and snout, welcoming its family with warmth and fervent affection.
“Ah….”
And so Kongi’s family, Shin Jae-hyun, embraced the yellow dog that threw itself into his arms and lifted it up.
Then, without moving, he quietly listened to an unfamiliar sound.
Something that had always been discarded and severed with each new beginning, something that had vanished somewhere along the way.
Affection for what remains.
“I’m home, Kong.”
It was the first homecoming greeting he’d ever spoken since becoming Chung-ryeo.
He stood in the entrance, cradling his dog, quietly savoring that unfamiliar warmth.
For a moment—or rather, quite a long while.
And shortly after.
“Whimper.”
“Just one.”
Chung-ryeo’s smartphone buzzed in his back pocket—he’d given his dog a pre-dawn snack before exercise, something he’d never done before.
‘Hmm?’
No one in their right mind would contact him at this ungodly hour for anything other than an emergency.
So he immediately checked his phone….
Something unexpected appeared.
-Park Moon-dae : (photo)
What he’d sent without a word was a photo of a white dog.
As if mimicking someone.
“Ha ha!”
Chung-ryeo allowed the dog climbing onto his lap and laughed quite heartily.
Savoring his first homecoming.

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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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