Debut or Die - Chapter 424

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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 424
“Is my landing okay when I turn here?”
“Yeah, yeah. But let’s be careful with your arms.”
Miry-nay, the next season’s junior group from Ajusa right after Testa, was diligently preparing for their broadcast stage performance.
Even if it was merely a supporting stage for their senior Testa’s concert live performance.
Of course, it felt awkward.
‘Haven’t we already passed the timing for us to be involved in something like this?’
It wasn’t arrogance—it was just common sense, wasn’t it?
Miry-nay wasn’t some rookie idol who hadn’t established themselves at all, and appearing like they were just tagging along to a senior’s concert with a different gender demographic seemed counterproductive no matter how I thought about it.
‘Still, maybe Spacer benefits from this.’
The idols weren’t fools—they understood what their agency was plotting.
Thinking about it with slight discomfort, the Miry-nay member executed their solo performance.
“Phew!”
While not quite at the level of Yul-gi, who was practically the center with both popularity and visual image, I had to deliver as much as I received screen time as the main dancer.
And right beside me, a member with quite substantial screen time like myself was staring intently at the pad with a serious expression.
It was Park Min-ha, who debuted in second place from Ajusa.
In a group without a designated leader, she practically filled that role, making her both someone I was grateful for and someone I felt sorry for.
But recently, her behavior seemed a bit odd.
‘…Is Min-ha perhaps dating someone?’
It was just a few days ago that I’d seen her frequently fidgeting with her smartphone or sneaking away with a determined expression.
And most tellingly, I’d inadvertently overheard Park Min-ha making a call using the Manager’s smartphone in the dormitory bathroom.
-Um, Senior.
And echoing off the narrow tile walls was unmistakably a pleasant, calm male voice.
-It’s fine.
I knew who it was.
‘Park Moon-dae….’
Testa’s main vocalist. AKA Moon-dae-dae.
“Okay!”
I stopped my feet and wiped my forehead.
Honestly, it made sense that romantic feelings could develop between people of the same age and opposite gender.
‘He was handsome.’
Testa had an absurdly good average across the board anyway.
‘It’s a scam.’
More than excitement, a sense of crisis as someone from the same survival show rang louder.
We haven’t failed yet, but I wish we were doing better. The Miry-nay member thought darkly as I finished practice.
“Should we get Min-ha some water? Do you want some water?”
“Oh, it’s fine. Unni.”
And as I listened to the conversation between Yul-gi and Park Min-ha, I plugged in my earbuds and leaned against the mirror wall.
“Hey, Ha-rin.”
“Hm?”
Park Min-ha, seated beside me, spoke up.
But her expression seemed oddly strained.
Like she’d made some kind of decision?
“Even if it’s a bit risky… no, never mind.”
“…??”
“No, it’s nothing. I must’ve been mistaken!”
A bit risky? Risky how?
‘Surely she’s not about to introduce me to someone so wonderful she’d risk danger for them?’
Unease crept up my spine, but I pushed it aside.
The Park Min-ha I’d known up until now wasn’t the type to introduce people to others—she was the type to worry about whether such members might cause problems.
‘Still, let me probe a bit.’
The member rolled his eyes and opened his mouth.
“Min-ha, I’m just asking, but… are you and that senior getting along well or something?”
“Huh? Who?”
The member whispered, “Park Moon-dae.”
The undisputed top male idol!
And Park Min-ha….
“No.”
She turned serious.
“Don’t ever say something like that. Absolutely not. It’s impossible.”
I thought she was about to rap.
“Okay, okay….”
It really wasn’t the case. Watching Park Min-ha react as if she’d just heard he was dating a ghost crawled up from hell, the member reluctantly accepted it.
‘Then what was that phone call about?’
The atmosphere had seemed pretty lively and upbeat. Sung Ha-rin shrugged and continued practicing.
‘…Are we not practicing the new song?’
Thinking about the title choreography for the new album that had been postponed indefinitely and wasn’t even being discussed anymore.
And a few days later.
A schedule was booked that wasn’t practice or an event.
“What’s this?”
“Oh, a photo shoot and advertisement kind of thing.”
It seemed to be work for a fashion magazine.
‘For something like that, the vibe seems oddly off though?’
The Mirinai member scrutinized his outfit and silhouette carefully, but regardless, work was work.
I’d just shoot another set of photos.
With that thought, I stepped into the Filming Studio.
“Oh, it’s Testa sunbae.”
“…!”
I ran into Testa, who was finishing up and preparing to leave. It seemed they’d had a shoot scheduled right before this time slot.
“Hello, sir.”
“Hello!”
‘Oh.’
The outfit was ambiguous on this one too, but the hanger and face were good, so the overall vibe was excellent.
‘Wow, I really wonder how he maintains himself like that.’
I watched Kim Rae-bin pass by with a ninety-degree bow, thinking absently, when I realized he was wearing an outfit similar to mine.
And I sighed.
‘Don’t tell me we’re doing another commercial together?’
Recalling that smart device commercial from early in my debut and all the ridicule that followed nearly shook my resolve, but years of experience kept me steady.
I just need to do my part well!
“Please wait a moment.”
“Sure~”
Mirinai moved without complaint to the waiting area prepared to the side.
“Let me adjust your outfit fit just once more~”
“Okay!”
But the moment Jung Yul-gi, who was first in order, stood up and eagerly headed off to prepare….
Park Min-ha quietly slipped out through the back door.
As if sneaking off to meet someone.
“…?”
Wait, if there’s someone worth secretly meeting at this filming studio… or rather, a group… honestly, only one comes to mind.
‘Isn’t this way too obvious a signal?’
Surely not, surely not!
Without realizing it, Sung Ha-rin quietly followed Park Min-ha. To prevent any potential disaster.
And she really did witness it.
Park Min-ha and Park Moon-dae standing together in the corridor!
“…!”
These two… now that I think about it, they share the same surname and clan, don’t they? Ah, no. Calm down. I turned my startled gaze away and assessed the situation coolly.
They were standing fairly close, but there was no physical contact. Still, there was this strange tension about it?
Listening to their conversation….
“Senior, surely this isn’t what you mentioned last time….”
“Yes. But I didn’t expect it would be done this way.”
“…I understand!”
…Just from listening, it sounded less like romantic tension and more like secret agents plotting some conspiracy?
Sung Ha-rin’s pupils trembled, but soon she sighed and stepped away from the corridor.
‘Well, whatever.’
Anyway, he wasn’t the type to do anything reckless, so it seemed best to back off here too. I’d probably already overstepped a bit.
‘Grilling Min-ha about it would be awkward too.’
I should just focus on my idol career. With that thought, I returned to the waiting room and proceeded with the shoot without incident.
Checking the monitor between takes, the photos looked like they’d turn out beautifully, thankfully.
‘Days like this call for this!’
I naturally logged into SNS.
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Today’s Ha-rin is on fire (burning emoji)
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I’d already received permission to upload the photo shoot outfit showing just a bit of my upper body without any issues….
…the outfit?
‘Wait, hold on!’
A bad premonition struck me, and I paused the upload for a moment.
Then I searched for a certain account and checked the latest posts… and sure enough!
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It’s hot but I’m holding back (eye-rolling emoji) (burning emoji)
(photo)
========================
‘Ugh!’
It was Testa’s SNS.
A perfectly humorous snapshot with excellent color grading showed Lee Sae-jin and Cha Yu-jin grinning mischievously, while Park Moon-dae stared with an expression of utter bewilderment.
‘They shot it first and posted it first!’
The composition was frustratingly similar too.
Similar outfits, accessories, background, and the same emoji? This was a controversy waiting to happen.
No matter how much our schedules overlapped and it would be explained later, I couldn’t afford to be caught in even a moment of dating rumors or attention-seeking accusations.
‘Ugh, this is so annoying!’
Recalling those tiresome rumor-mongering trolls on YouTube, the Mirinai Member gritted my teeth and deleted the SNS post I’d been about to upload.
‘I’ll make it big…!’
I’d become an idol with better music than Testa, and if any dating rumors ever surfaced about me, I’d make sure people said I was too valuable for such gossip.
Though the possibility seemed impossibly distant to me, ambition was only meaningful when you burned for it, wasn’t it?
Then suddenly, I remembered that I too had juniors.
‘…Are they filming this too?’
That new girl group that had been assembled by removing all the older members I’d worked with.
Sung Ha-rin hesitated for a moment, then decided not to dwell on it further.
‘Let me just focus on practice.’
That wasn’t something I could control anyway. It was better to do my absolute best with what I could control.
And Sung Ha-rin’s rather gloomy speculation turned out to be true, as revealed through an article a few days later.
[【T1 Stars】X【Turslay】 Joint Line Launch]
[Tnet’s Survival-Bred Idols Reborn Through Brand Apparel… Turslay’s Revolutionary Attempt]
Accompanied by press coverage overflowing with grandiose language.
To summarize the story, it was this:
-T1 Stars launches collaborative line with clothing brand! The company’s own idols become exclusive models. Currently considering direct participation in design.
‘Ah, as expected.’
So the agency had pulled this off on their own.
Sung Ha-rin nodded to myself.
And ending my thoughts there, I deliberately avoided clicking on the rookie group’s photo shoot cuts or scrolling through comments, refusing to waste my emotions.
That’s why I didn’t know.
[Did you see this? T1 Star idol clothes (12)]
[I knew they were money-obsessed bastards, but they’re really doing everything… (7)]
[Have Kim Rae-bin design it (8)]
[But I actually like it lol, I love merchandise (3)]
These reactions continued—lukewarm yet perfectly adequate—until….
[This article’s content seems a bit off (534)]
From that point on, things changed quite dramatically.
So a few days later, on the day of the Testa Concert broadcast.
[Clothes only idols can wear, such blatant fashion class hierarchy]
Articles like these began pouring in.
[“Platinum tier isn’t something you can wear”… The impact of Tnet’s survival show on us]
[T1 Stars fans begin boycott… A mistake by Turslay?]
In the backstage waiting area preparing for the live broadcast, the Mirinai member felt slightly flustered by the commotion.
‘Wow, it’s chaos.’
Even the Manager rushed off after taking a call.
She understood that boycotts against the agency happened all the time. But something about the atmosphere felt different.
‘What is this?’
In truth, these articles hadn’t just appeared out of nowhere.
Having disconnected from the internet for several days, she didn’t know that the uproar that had erupted across social media and was bubbling like lava on YouTube had finally surfaced.
“Ah…. Um.”
“Come on, focus on the stage!”
And judging by the atmosphere, it seemed the agency would take the heat, not them, so among the members quickly shifting the mood.
She saw it.
Park Min-ha breaking into a cold sweat, trembling slightly.
“…?”
The weight of leadership…?
“Min-ha, were you startled? What’s wrong?”
“…No. Uh, I was just a bit surprised!”
Park Min-ha had been startled out of her skin, but soon her expression hardened. Her determined chick-like appearance didn’t seem like anything critically dangerous.
‘Seems fine though?’
“Let’s just touch up the makeup a bit here.”
“Sure.”
The stylist came in to tend to the spot where Park Min-ha’s cold sweat had been.
And then.
“Could we adjust the lighting here, please?”
“Yes, yes.”
Testa’s Park Moon-dae. Through the gap of the open waiting room door, she caught a glimpse of him passing through the corridor, conversing with staff.
And Sung Ha-rin saw it. The way his gaze briefly checked on Park Min-ha as he passed.
“…!”
It was a fleeting glance, yet Sung Ha-rin stiffened slightly from the shock.
‘Did that person just… laugh?’
The misunderstanding deepened further.

* * *
“Things are getting chaotic.”
“They sure are.”
Behind the pre-recorded Concert Stage, while waiting for the broadcast’s special performance, the bomb finally detonated.
Of course, the staff remained orderly and unaffected, but the company officials’ behavior made it unmistakable.
Without smartphones, waiting right behind the stage, we had no way to confirm anything anyway.
“Hmm, looks like some article’s been released.”
At Big Sae-jin’s words, Kim Rae-bin raised his hand.
“Should we consider the possibility that this might be the type of problem requiring us to modify the performance?”
It was a necessary question. And then.
“No.”
Ryu Chung-woo answered with refreshing decisiveness.
“Just do what we planned to do and come back.”
Smiles spread among them.
“Good.”
“Understood!”
And when the standby signal came through.
“Hyung, do great!”
Cha Yu-jin patted Sun Ah-hyun on the back. The one who received it looked slightly startled, but soon answered firmly.
“Got it.”
That damned System’s virtual reality had certainly been exhausting, but returning to reality hadn’t been entirely without its merits.
‘For instance.’
For instance, the years of professional ballet experience that he’d acquired.
“The viewers are going to be genuinely shocked.”
And whether the Agency collapsed or not, twelve minutes later, on air.
Sun Ah-hyun began the intro solo dance.

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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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