Debut or Die - Chapter 434

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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 434
A few hours earlier.
CRASH—BOOM—BANG!
“Ahhhhhhh!”
As the stage apparatus collapsed and screams erupted everywhere.
‘Hurry, hurry, hurry…!’
Big Dal accessed the status window and tried to communicate with Testa Park Moon-dae—or rather, Ryu Gun-woo—to check if there were any problems with his condition.
But it was impossible.
‘…What?’
Instead, I saw a bright red warning window. A popup that read ‘Status Abnormality Failed’.
“…!!”
I swear, Big Dal hadn’t been careless since returning to reality. Park Moon-dae had even given me a heads-up beforehand.
-Don’t you feel like you’re resonating with the System anymore, like you might get absorbed?
Of course, I had carefully checked whether the System might still be lingering. But there had been no sign of it….
-No, I don’t feel that way at all anymore!
-Good. That’s a relief.
Suddenly, Status Abnormality Failed?
If that’s the case, then… Gun-woo hyung is dying.
Isn’t he?
‘What do I do, what do I do?’
I still couldn’t feel the System’s powerful presence. But the situation had already unfolded.
Even as my head turned white with panic, I desperately racked my brain.
And then, miraculously, it struck me. The clear completion title I had given to Park Moon-dae.
“…!”
Status Abnormality Permanently Halted!
It’s a contradiction that Status Abnormality Failed appeared while completely ignoring that!
‘If I can dig into this….’
From past experience, I knew the System could be vulnerable to such logical flaws. Besides, I had been the status window itself in the first place,
‘It might just work!’
I gritted my teeth and began frantically digging through the status window.

* * *
“…So, instead of a status abnormality, I tried to lighten the disaster as much as possible by treating it as a mission failure. And in the process of trying so many times, I poured all my focus into the status window, which caused me to lose consciousness in my body.”
“Yes, yes….”
A bench in front of the Broadcasting Station building as the sun set.
Without any interruptions, we sat together listening to the story so far—it was quite a peaceful scene.
Except for the fact that there wasn’t a single ant around.
I watched Big Dal sitting on the bench, gratefully accepting and drinking the water that Kim Rae-bin offered.
We were still in the empty courtyard in front of the Broadcasting Station.
And while it’s certainly positive that this guy regained consciousness and I got confirmation that my guess was correct, aside from that, I honestly still don’t understand what kind of situation this is.
‘What is this reward window?’
I glanced again at the popup that appeared the moment Big Dal regained consciousness.
[Mission Failure Scenario Complete]
Victory: Player Park Moon-dae (Ryu Gun-woo)
Reward: Fragment of ■■■ 1 (1/4)
I have countless questions about the scenario, the victory, and the fragments, but there’s a reason I can’t ask them.
“…Hmm.”
Right now there are eight guys standing around me with their eyes wide open.
And one of them even has his hand slightly raised, trying to jump in.
It’s Big Sae-jin.
“Well, I apologize for hearing such private matters, but since we all experienced everything together, I’m asking out of curiosity.”
“Yes, yes!”
“So that means Park Moon-dae knew that this was something targeting him and that he might die at any moment…?”
“….”
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. I avoided his gaze.
‘I escaped thanks to not saying anything, damn it.’
This is a bit unfair.
Fortunately, someone came to my defense.
“Moon-dae hyung, you’ve been through a lot. I understand you. You wanted everyone to be safe.”
It’s surprising that Cha Yu-jin made the most mature judgment.
“But understanding and acceptance aren’t the same thing. Your actions were too cruel!”
“….”
It was a setup.
“The situation unfolded so rapidly that there was no time to think. I couldn’t ask anyone either, so I couldn’t be certain and couldn’t say anything.”
I quietly explained the situation.
“I was just trying hard to survive, not acting out of some noble sacrifice for others.”
“….”
The atmosphere settled down a bit.
Big Sae-jin wiped his face with his hand, and eventually conceded.
“…Understood. You’ve… been through a lot.”
“…!”
Fine.
I glanced at Big Dal before any objections could surface from those around me. A new questioner had just appeared, after all.
“I have a question as well.”
It was Ju Dan.
Somehow this guy who’d stumbled into this mess was the most fascinated by it all.
“So this place is like some kind of mental inner world you created last time?”
And that’s what he was curious about, of all things.
Big Dal answered readily.
“No, it’s not like that. This is reality too, but… when my hyung successfully escaped, the building collapse penalty was erased from existence. So this reality will disappear soon!”
“…!”
Here’s how it worked.
Originally, I was supposed to take the final building collapse hit for the ‘mission failure penalty’ to be completed.
‘But I avoided it.’
Because of that, the penalty was deleted, and retroactively, the very fact of the building collapse—the penalty for mission failure—ceased to exist from the beginning.
‘Even I, knowing roughly what happened, think it sounds like complete nonsense. I can’t imagine what the others must be thinking.’
“Um, perhaps the System’s ability to return to the past works similarly—erasing reality and restarting from the past….”
“…!”
And there was one other person in this room besides me who could understand what he was saying.
I turned to look at Chung-ryeo. He was just listening to it all with an expressionless face.
Big Dal continued his explanation.
Apparently, because these guys had escaped the building at the same time as me, they’d somehow remained here without being sent back to the past like the others.
“…Anyway, so you’ll all be leaving here soon and returning to the point in time before the building collapse! Just like everyone else.”
“Ooh.”
“Well, that’s a relief, truly.”
In any case, satisfied with the conclusion, the battered figures who’d escaped the disaster nodded their heads with noticeably more peaceful expressions.
And the questioner himself marveled.
“Indeed, it’s a type of… parallel world scenario where selecting one eliminates the others.”
“…! You understand?”
“From a fundamental dimensional perspective, yes. If needed, I could recommend some relevant materials.”
I pretended not to notice Cha Yu-jin mouthing “Nerd” briefly next to Kim Rae-bin.
Ryu Chung-woo asked Big Dal gently again.
“So when can we return?”
“Uh… now!”
“…!”
And the next moment.
[—]
In-young and the others sitting on the bench vanished in an instant.
But I didn’t disappear. Instead, I watched Big Dal take a deep breath and look at me.
“I thought there was something I needed to tell you separately, hyung. So I sent them back a bit early!”
That was quite thoughtful of him.
However, the problem is that not everyone has disappeared.
“Hmm, I can see the countdown.”
“Gasp.”
“It seems GM authority still remains.”
Chung-ryeo was still sitting on a different bench.
And I also confirmed the countdown he was talking about.
[100 seconds until scenario deletion]
So this place will disappear in 100 seconds. Then there’s no time to waste.
“Just don’t worry about it and speak quickly. If we’re already at the countdown, it seems time is running short.”
“Y-yes.”
I decided to ask about the System’s survival and other questions later after we get out, and instead listen to what he wanted to say first.
Big Dal opened his mouth in a tone that clearly showed he was trying to remain composed.
“Hyung.”
Yeah.
“If things go back as they are, the building collapse might not happen… but what happened before that will have occurred.”
“…?”
What happened before?
And I realized a beat too late.
“I started interfering after the first time you were threatened with death from an abnormal state failure, hyung.”
The first abnormal state failure signal flare.
Big Dal swallowed and spoke quietly.
“When you go out, it will be the moment when stage equipment pours down onto you on stage.”
“….”
“That was you, right? You did dodge it, but it was still dangerous, so I thought you should know about it to be able to dodge it again… I felt I absolutely had to tell you.”
I realized something there.
‘He doesn’t know I got hurt back then.’
He just thinks I safely dodged the first one, so he’s only somewhat nervous.
“Got it. I’ll be more careful and dodge it just in case.”
“…Yes.”
I looked at Chung-ryeo to signal him to stay quiet, but soon realized this was a timing when he too needed to worry about himself.
“…The stage equipment collapse will affect you guys too. How about thinking of a response plan starting now.”
Isn’t this a charity concert hosted by VTIC? The moment accident and event become linked keywords, it’ll be a complete mess.
However, Chung-ryeo didn’t laugh… no, he didn’t laugh.
He opened his mouth with an expressionless face.
“How about you worry about yourself instead.”
“….”
No, even when I’m trying to help… well, fine. I’m the one who needs to look out for myself.
“Protect your head as the top priority,”
“Yeah. I already know all that.”
I took a deep breath and reviewed my upcoming actions. Fortunately, time was running out before Big Dal could notice anything strange.
“The countdown’s almost over.”
“Yes….”
I read the numbers aloud.
3.
2.
1.
And the moment I blinked.
“Park Moon-dae…!”
I was running across the stage again.
Instead of the stale air reeking of dust pouring from the cracks, I felt the crisp scent of dry ice and the warmth of blazing lights heating the air-conditioned atmosphere.
‘I’m here.’
And the devices falling from above.
CRASH—CRASH—CRASH!!
But this time, with a crystal-clear mind, I knew exactly what to do.
I knew how far they would fall.
‘Faster…!’
Instead of running blindly this time, I accelerated into a slide.
My thighs burned from the friction.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—CRASH!
Through the deafening roar.
Debris sprayed behind me with a chilling sound. Screams erupted.
“Ahhhhh!”
“No!”
And then,
“Whoosh,”
the moment my slide came to a stop, I assessed my position.
I was completely off the stage—in the backstage area.
“….”
I turned to look back.
The shattered stage equipment lay in ruins, but this time… they were at least my height away.
A complete evasion.
‘I made it.’
My back and ribs didn’t ache like before.
I waited a moment longer.
My thighs were hot from the friction, but that was all.
That was the extent of it.
“You!”
The members appeared around the backstage corner with shocked faces, then rushed toward me in sudden relief.
And the building didn’t collapse further, didn’t even shake.
“Phew.”
I stretched out backward without reservation and lay down.
There were still unresolved questions and problems I needed to think through, but I couldn’t suppress my laughter.
“What are you laughing at?”
‘I survived.’
No one died, no one was injured, and we all made it out.

* * *
What happened afterward unfolded in a peculiar way.
Naturally, the audience members at the scene received their smartphones and evacuated, immediately flooding SNS with posts, and articles poured out.
[SBC Broadcasting Station Stage Collapse (Breaking News)]
[‘Unprecedented Stage Collapse’ No Casualties… Everyone Safe]
The headlines were sensationalized, but that’s how articles work. Fortunately, since no one was injured, the public impact didn’t seem to last very long.
No matter how catastrophic the collapse was, because all the smartphones were confiscated, there weren’t even any photographic evidence of the stage.
And there were no casualties? Then the story’s shelf life really does get shorter.
I thought that after things calmed down a bit, the pre-recorded broadcast schedule would just be rescheduled elsewhere…
[Testa Member Park Moon-dae Narrowly Avoids Stage Accident… “Plans to Rest”]
Who writes this stuff?
-This guy seems to be threatened by steel frames every time an article comes out about him
-Doesn’t Park Moon-dae need to do some kind of cleansing ritual?
-They said he rushed toward the stage, so why did he suddenly do that? So scary. Did he know an accident would happen and deliberately put himself in danger?? Who did the stage manager want to send out?
└There are actual bastards leaving comments like this when someone almost died
└Why would a good-looking idol who makes tons of money take such a gamble? Anyway, you have to understand the delusions of these losers lol
I don’t know who leaked it, but thanks to them, my activities came to a halt. I’m actually grateful for that.
Moreover, afterward, the blame for the stage collapse fell on someone, and I still haven’t seen how VTIC responded to the situation.
Because…
I’m in this state right now.
“I need to contact the company…”
“Mm~ Just lie down. Get some rest.”
“…??”
“W-would you like an apple, Moon-dae…?”
That’s right.
…I’ve been hospitalized for a week now.
For the record, aside from a minor laceration on my thigh, I had no other injuries.
Even that healed in two days.
‘What on earth is this?’
“I want to be discharged…”
“Ah, the doctor said you can’t~”
“R-right.”
“…”
These bastards must have coordinated their story somewhere and came back with such an obvious lie.
‘I’m going insane.’
And so the forced rest began.

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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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