Debut or Die - Chapter 440

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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 440
It’s been over five years since I debuted and started facing year-end seasons. By now, everyone develops a pattern for preparing awards ceremonies and year-end music programs.
1. The relaxed preparation type
These are the ones who, through years of experience, maintain mental composure while pushing their bodies hard.
Or perhaps their bodies are pushed so hard that the mental ease naturally follows.
“Phew, for the next move, we could take more time to learn it… I think it’ll be fine.”
“Okay~ Then let’s skip it and fix it so we do part B from today. Chung-woo, that works for you, right?”
“Yeah. Should we extend the practice time then?”
“Let’s do it.”
Most of the group falls into this category. Next.
2. The anxious preparation type
These are the ones who worry excessively about mistakes, fret over countless scenarios, and sink into anguish whenever they have a moment to rest.
“…Is the idea of taking time to learn it because of me? No, don’t answer. Either way, if we just work hard, it’ll be fine. Right, since we have plenty of time…”
“Hyung, I think if we allocate that much time to the bridge choreography, it means the emphasis of the dance shifts there! If that happens, my pre-arranged composition will sound unnatural…”
“Stop.”
…When I cut them off appropriately, they get influenced by the first type and calm down.
“During breaks, don’t think about anything.”
“But still…”
“Don’t.”
I made sure their rest time was actually restful.
And the final type, which the smallest minority belongs to…
3. The relaxed, carefree type
[You know too, right? Last-minute cramming is basically a form of cheating.]
“You get it?”
“Hehe!”
There’s one guy who practices because his teammates ask him to, but honestly, aside from matching the group formation angles, his movements and gestures are polished enough to pull off on stage without any additional work.
“Your original skill level is what matters!”
“…So you’re saying people without that skill might as well not practice?”
“Nope! Hard work becomes your original skill.”
“Hmm.”
His mouth sure runs loose.
Anyway, with these guys gathered together, the year-end preparations creak and groan as always, yet everything keeps moving forward smoothly.
“Stop it!”
“Kim Rae-bin, catch!”
I dodged the sweet potato stick Cha Yu-jin threw at Kim Rae-bin and rewound the practice footage we’d just recorded. Not bad.
“…Hmm.”
And actually, if I were to classify things this way, there would be one more category.
Type 4.
The type that’s anxious while also being carefree.
But there’s no one like that in this group.
This is a situation everyone experiences once while preparing for tests, but it’s a symptom that naturally heals once you start earning money.
In other words, those of us earning money don’t fall into that category.
However, the other side of me—the part that doesn’t earn money—does qualify. There are moments where I’m anxious yet unable to take action.
“Could a national medal be the next abnormal state?”
-Pardon?
Saturday night after practice ended. I muttered to myself in the bathtub, sipping cold non-alcoholic beer.
Of course, I wasn’t doing this like a madman alone—I was holding a waterproof smartphone.
“It’s not even military exemption, just a medal that lets me defer for a few years, so isn’t it strange that I’m this concerned about it?”
-No, hyung, really, it’s not strange at all!
Big Dal on the other end of the line practically cried out. We were communicating by voice for the first time in a while, and it definitely felt different from chat messages.
Anyway, his opinion remained consistent. No matter how much he examined me, he found nothing odd about my state.
And the reason I’m fixated on the national medal is….
-…Everyone hates going to the military anyway.
“….”
-The closer the time gets.
That’s… true.
Especially since I’m going twice, so as time approaches, I become obsessed like it’s an inevitable biological response.
Those who’ve done it before know how much it sucks.
But here’s the thing.
“How do you know so much about something you won’t have to do?”
-I apologize.
Apologize all you want, but with this aged body, I need at least a military exemption for the math to work out.
And I know that what he understands well isn’t the military itself.
“No. You’re just observing my condition carefully and speaking with confidence.”
-Yes! That’s it!
Big Dal explained without even taking a breath.
-I immersed myself so deeply I almost became a status window myself, examining everything thoroughly, and hyung, there’s no trace of System 1/4 or anything like that! Really!
“Yeah, I got it.”
The walls are going to collapse. I lowered the call volume and conceded.
“What about the mission failure then?”
-…It’s not that.
I said I got it.
After Big Dal rapped out his promise to conduct regular check-ups on my status window, I decided not to bring up this topic again.
‘If I get a bad feeling like last time, I absolutely have to disappear somewhere with no one around.’
And after all this passed, the exciting year-end settlement period finally arrived.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae~ December 20th is our Q3 settlement deposit date, right?”
“Yeah.”
No, not just this settlement.
This is the period when everything we’ve done over the past year gets evaluated through quantitative metrics like performance and qualitative metrics like recognition.
That’s right. Finally, the Awards Ceremony.
“Artist of the Year goes to… Testa!”
“Congratulations!”
“Album Award, Testa.”
“The final award, Singer of the Year is… Congratulations. Testa.”
Boom-boom-pop!
Countless fireworks, drum rolls, name announcements, and cheers—all layered beneath Testa’s signature track of the year.
“Thank you! We’ll work even harder!”
“We’re coming back soon!”
Screams, applause, roaring cheers.
At every awards ceremony they attended, they cleanly swept up one major award category after another. The company simply didn’t send them to any ceremony where they wouldn’t win an award.
Well, that’s certainly efficient.
Back at the company headquarters, they moved between locations to photograph the trophies for promotional materials, receiving a steady stream of congratulations from colleagues along the way.
“Hyung! Hey~”
Spacer, the newly debuted female idol group, AR Team staff, the management team leader….
Even Miry-nay.
“Congratulations!”
“Congratulations….”
It was a remarkable industry—even rivals who glared with eyes that screamed they wanted to smash your skull and claim that trophy for themselves still offered their congratulations.
“…That junior member, Sung Ha-rin? Does she hate us?”
“Probably.”
Anyway, the year-end season was quite… entertaining, without any major upsets.
Right, who wouldn’t enjoy receiving awards for doing well? Our special stage performance was well-received too, given the effort we put into it.
-Testa’s Saber stage was insane
-What do you call that? A sword dance? I almost drooled watching it
-Testa ToneA stage currently pinned in real-time trending videos
It was the taste of a golden age, like the end of hardship and adversity.
…Of course, unfortunately, we didn’t sweep every major award category.
Digital sales went to Young-rin, albums to VTIC.
Even after VTIC went to the military, this hierarchy remained solid.
Because the leader stayed behind to attend the ceremonies.
“Thank you.”
Chung-ryeo had arrived at the most prestigious year-end awards ceremony dressed not in stage attire but in a navy semi-formal suit for the red carpet.
“I’d like to dedicate all the congratulations and joy of this award to my grateful members who are faithfully fulfilling their duties.”
He showed no awkwardness or clumsiness about attending alone.
Instead, as always, he appeared perfectly composed, appropriate, and utterly flawless.
And he even dropped this hint.
“We’ll show you something to look forward to next year as well.”
Waaaaaah!
“Thank you.”
As applause erupted toward Chung-ryeo, who bowed slightly, Big Sae-jin, wearing a respectful smile, whispered beneath the grand BGM.
“You’re saying you’ll release a solo album?”
“Yeah.”
Another dog fight, then.
And knowing him, he’d slip in some buildup—either hinting at VTIC’s full lineup or sneaking in a track he’d later rearrange as a group song. I’d bet my ‘Colorful K-pop Star Award’ on it.
I stared at the crudely crafted trophy sitting on the table.
It was a category that suddenly appeared this year, purely to appease sponsors. We’d received it without any real reason or achievement.
‘They had time to create this but not to refine the rookie categories.’
Still, it’d probably disappear next year, so at least it had some rarity value.
“That’s quite an award. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
Chung-ryeo, whom I’d run into backstage, had praised the award too.
I quietly handed the trophy over to a staff member collecting it. As he watched without much reaction, Chung-ryeo suddenly spoke up.
Out of nowhere.
“Haven’t you heard some good news?”
What?
“Did your pet dog have puppies, by any chance?”
“Um, Junior. Did you happen to sleep through science class?”
That’s what I meant—what nonsense is this. I felt the same way.
I stared at him, signaling him to speak properly. Chung-ryeo held my gaze for a moment as if thinking, then smiled slightly.
“Ah, never mind.”
“Pardon?”
“No, I just meant… if something good happens, I’d like you to tell me too.”
Why.
“I’m curious.”
He left those words and got in the car to leave the awards ceremony. Then he sent me a short video via text. Along with a message.
-Happy birthday. (video)
“….”
The video showed a dog receiving a new cushion as a gift instead of its worn-out one.
‘What does that even mean.’
Of course, I left it alone since he’d probably find it amusing if I asked.
By now, he should’ve learned that messing with me means messing with himself.
Anyway, leaving behind countless temporary awards distributed for the trophy ceremony, that year’s final music awards came to an end.
What remained was….
“We’re making our comeback!!”
That’s right.
A new year, a new activity period.
We would make our comeback in the coming January, that time when all our achievements could be fully reflected.
And we’d use a format that garnered far more attention than regular music broadcasts and allowed for longer airtime.
Specifically.
“We’re making our comeback at the January awards ceremony.”
“Yeah!”
Even though it was something I already knew, the reaction was hot. Everyone was clearly excited about their first comeback in a while.
In fact, the Headquarters had sent offers at an almost pressuring level asking us to make a comeback at ToneA in December. Since it was their own awards ceremony.
But we pushed back against that opinion.
“We did well to refuse, saying we couldn’t pull off the Stage quality by then!”
“That was a sound judgment!”
“A Happy New Year comeback? That’s the best!”
…It seemed a bit overly excited, but still, watching these guys already intoxicated with the taste of victory humming while practicing through the night was impressive.
“…Alright. Yeah, it feels like it’ll definitely go well!”
“Hyung! That has a jinx, doesn’t it!”
“…?!”
“Just kidding.”
“Hey!”
And so, on Monday, January 9th, we ended up on a New Year’s commemorative late-night Radio Booth schedule right before our comeback.
Of course, it was all calculated.
“It’s not really promotion—it’s more like a kind of viral thing.”
“I like that it’s not overly bold, yet has a touch of unconventionality!”
Since it’s a place where talk is the main content, we can say as much as we want to say. We’re not at the level where we’d be nervous on radio anymore.
And I wanted to give fans the joy of speculating and guessing what kind of album would come out.
Because it’s a limited medium, there’s no worry that the promotional effect will be completely consumed there.
‘It’s a kind of eve festival.’
I smiled and greeted them in the media room in front of the Radio Booth.
“Thank you for having us.”
“Wow! Yes!”
The Writer and staff welcomed the group more warmly than expected, and everything went smoothly.
“Testa will be brought in 16 minutes from now!”
“Got it!”
We sat on the sofa prepared on the outskirts and began waiting for our entrance. Since it was a surprise appearance, we planned to make it feel like we were barging in.
“Moon-dae, this….”
“Ah, thanks.”
I squeezed the stress ball Sun Ah-hyun handed me.
And I blinked slowly.
‘This waiting time is when there’s really nothing to do.’
I had to stay alert so I wouldn’t miss the timing if I got distracted, but at the same time, I wasn’t doing anything.
All I could do was mentally organize what we’d talk about on the radio once more.
Blink.
‘First, greet them, manage the audio so it doesn’t get tangled….’
Blink.
‘Make sure Kim Rae-bin doesn’t get too excited and spoil too much about the song.’
Blink.
‘When I said goodbye for the last time, it was Bae Sae-jin….’
Blink.
A dark ceiling came into view. I closed my eyes and opened them again.
Blink.
Still the same.
“….”
Wait, dark?
“…!!”
I pushed myself up. And I realized I had been lying down.
‘What?’
A bed. No, a bed?
‘What is this.’
I felt around and reached down beneath the bed.
‘Light.’
Click.
I pressed the button on the wall, and the light came on.
And the comfortable bedroom came into view.
“…!”
A room with a Testa poster on the wall.
The layout seemed familiar from somewhere, but before that, what I needed to think about was….
I had suddenly woken up in a different place.
“Phew.”
I took a deep breath.
Honestly, at this point I’d experienced so much that I thought nothing could surprise me anymore, no matter how insane….
‘But how can something happen this suddenly without any warning?’
There was no popup, no status window, not even any psychological premonition!
‘First, let me check the status window….’
That’s when it happened.
[Hyung!]
“Ugh.”
A sound echoed in my head. A vibration-like sensation carrying meaning.
‘A vibration?’
And I realized this vibration carrying meaning was something I’d experienced before.
When Big Dal, studying for the civil service exam in Ryu Gun-woo’s body, occasionally lost control and I took over the body.
“…No way.”
Hey, surely not.
I suppressed a groan and thought about responding to this voice in my head.
Then.
Whoosh.
Strange calculations and processes flashed through my mind in an instant, and soon a popup appeared before my eyes.
[_____]
What is this?
[What is this_]
Stop, I get it.
‘This is a chat popup.’
The kind Big Dal used to send me.
And it means only one thing.
“Damn it.”
I realized my voice sounded familiar in a different way, and then I picked up my smartphone to check my face in the front camera.
“….”
It’s Ryu Gun-woo, damn it….
“Damn it.”
[Hyung? Could it be that you’re in my body right now?]
“Yeah!”
Hey, you said I don’t have a System left!
That last thought seemed to go through as a popup chat too, but let me set that aside for now… think, what can I do?
‘Connect!’
Big Dal can access Park Moon-dae’s status window too! While sharing his vision.
I’m not sure if I can do it, but let me try.
‘Would that work if I just think about how I call up the status window?’
I concentrated my thoughts.
Park Moon-dae, status window, System, access, connect….
Connect.
[-CONNECT-]
And then.
A vision and sensation bloom in my mind. It was Park Moon-dae’s senses while on radio standby.
So I really could use the sense-sharing that Big Dal mentioned.
‘Phew.’
My relief at it working lasted only a moment.
…A hologram appeared in the shared view of Park Moon-dae.
A familiar status window popup.
[Emergency!]
Abnormal Status
Mission Failed: Return to Original State
-Everything as if it never happened
: 23:59:59 until termination (1 day)
“….”
[I’m really sorry, I don’t understand what’s happening! All that shows here is that the mission failed….]
And I instinctively grasped what this meant.
Ah, damn it.
“You had it.”
[What??]
“I’m telling you, you had it.”
This damned System—the 1/4 abnormal condition didn’t originate from me. It erupted from that bastard instead.
…And right before the Radio Booth standby, ten minutes before, our bodies swapped!
[Nooooo!]
That was the beginning.
【Continued in Part 2】

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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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