Debut or Die - Chapter 449

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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 449
Unfortunately, the Grade 7 official remembered by Park Moon-dae as the ‘Assistant Manager’.
This man remembered when Ryu Gun-woo received his first posting.
-Hello, sir!
Most people got shuffled off to City Hall, but somehow this guy—whether through luck or connections—ended up at the District Office instead.
Well, judging by the complete absence of a single courtesy call saying “please take care of me,” it became clear pretty fast that it wasn’t the latter.
‘I need to establish dominance from the start with someone like that.’
At any rate, he seemed easy to push around.
What could a freshly-minted civil servant who’d just passed the exam possibly know? How could he handle the work?
-Does your family live around here, Assistant Manager Ryu? Where are you from?
-Uh… No, sir. We moved here recently!
Since this guy had no real connections in the area, he wasn’t useful for any of the Grade 7 projects at the District Office either.
‘Then he’ll have to learn some hard lessons.’
He’d intended to show this newcomer the bitter taste of working life.
The guy’s face was so smooth and unblemished—he clearly hadn’t suffered through anything—yet he kept pretending to persevere stubbornly, which only irritated him more.
A greenhorn who hadn’t even tasted blood, yet he seemed to rely on his pride in passing the exam. It was infuriating to look at.
He’d expected that by the next posting, Ryu Gun-woo would cry and beg to transfer to City Hall and run away.
‘Hah… Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.’
The groundwork was already complete.
He’d dumped all the tedious, responsibility-heavy work and poorly-documented handovers onto Ryu Gun-woo, while carefully securing everything that would help his own connections and promotion.
And he considered his actions a kind of shrewd maneuvering—even quite generous treatment toward Ryu Gun-woo.
‘If he’d gone to a different District Office, he’d already be threatening to retire.’
At this rate, wasn’t he working far more comfortably than he would at City Hall?
In any case, there was no way that guy would ever feel confident here. Keeping him suppressed now meant avoiding the sight of such a fool getting promoted quickly.
He truly believed this.
But Monday came.
“Good morning.”
When he saw Ryu Gun-woo arrive at work, he felt a moment of confusion.
It was when Ryu Gun-woo swept his gaze across the office as if surveying it.
“….”
Was his expression always so cold?
Originally, he’d seemed to have a soft, almost docile expression, but somehow his demeanor seemed to have changed.
For a moment, it was as if a completely different person had appeared.
“Good morning, Assistant Manager!”
But by the time Ryu Gun-woo greeted the others, he’d already reverted to his usual gentle expression.
It was the same when he’d deliberately sought him out and made some pointed remarks.
“This time, let’s do it right! Please~”
“…Yes, sir.”
See? He couldn’t even talk back properly.
He shrugged and moved on.
‘It’s probably just my imagination.’
But here, I should have caught the hint.
The way Ryu Gun-woo turned his gaze to the computer and smiled.
That afternoon.
When I returned after finishing a meeting-cum-meal as usual, the office atmosphere had subtly shifted.
“…?”
Through a half-open door on one side of the office, I could see In-young.
The Team Leader was conversing with Ryu Gun-woo at the table.
‘What’s going on?’
This should be the time when I’d normally be sitting at the computer, typing away, so what wind had blown to cause this?
It didn’t seem like something had gone wrong or that anyone was getting scolded. The atmosphere looked good.
“Haha!”
Then, Ryu Gun-woo, who had been speaking neatly with a continuous smile, spotted me.
“…!”
And when the Team Leader said something to Ryu Gun-woo, he stood up, approached the doorway, and called over my group.
But not me.
“Lee Chief.”
“Yes?”
The guy who was a Grade 9 civil servant, nephew of the former chairman of the Seoul City Council, currently a city councilman from this district.
“The Team Leader is calling for you.”
“Ah….”
“Yeah, come sit here for a moment.”
“Oh, yes!”
When the Team Leader gestured, Lee Chief hurriedly walked out from behind me and entered the room.
‘…??’
Ryu Gun-woo, who had been wearing a calm smile, turned his head toward me, unable to react to the sudden situation.
Our eyes met.
“….”
Ryu Gun-woo seemed to stare at me for a moment, but….
Click.
He shut the door.
‘…That bastard.’
Acting unpleasantly and pulling this nonsense.
Feeling inexplicably uneasy, I muttered a few curses under my breath and headed to the Break Room.
This was the first anomaly.
And I would witness the second anomaly two hours before leaving work.
On my way up to the Rooftop to smoke a cigarette.
I saw Ryu Gun-woo and Lee Chief by the Emergency Stairwell.
The two of them were conversing with quite serious expressions.
‘What the hell is this nonsense.’
What could they possibly have to discuss that’s so important they’d come all the way out here during work hours?
Unable to contain himself any longer, he finished his cigarette, came back down, and went straight to Lee Chief to ask him directly.
“Lee Chief, what conversation are you two having that’s so entertaining?”
Lee Chief flinched and dodged the question.
“Oh… it’s just, he was helping me with some citizen complaints.”
“Oh, so Ryu Gun-woo’s helping you out? How impressive.”
Of course, it wasn’t praise—it was mockery. The implication was clear: what help could he possibly provide?
But as always, no passive agreement came in return.
“Yes. Ryu Gun-woo is kind and a good person, after all.”
“….”
What?
‘This bastard… is he showing discomfort?’
The guy who usually laughed and went along with everything….
He nearly bristled with indignation, but forced a hearty smile instead.
“Well, Ryu Gun-woo’s personality aside, he’s basically a corpse. But the man himself is decent.”
“Yes….”
The response wasn’t great this time either, but he decided to be satisfied that the other party had at least deferred to him.
However, around quitting time.
The final shock occurred.
“Lee Chief~ want to grab a drink before heading out?”
It was an invitation he made a point of extending once a week to be a good superior who treated his staff to meals and drinks.
But Lee Chief shook his head.
“Hmm… I have an appointment today.”
“…!”
It was a polite refusal, but a refusal nonetheless.
It had never happened since his initial assignment.
“…Really?”
“Yes. I’m truly sorry, but I’ll see you tomorrow. Thank you, sir.”
And with that, he briskly slipped out of the office.
In the process, he even glanced back at Ryu Gun-woo and gave him a nod of acknowledgment!
“….”
He was left dumbfounded, but something felt unsettling.
‘That’s strange.’
He hurriedly left the office and stepped into the elevator.
Inside were two female employees who had just been in the office, already in the elevator.
They were whispering about something.
“Wow, so that’s how it is.”
“Oh, then that means….”
But the moment their eyes met his, they startled and glanced at each other. Then they laughed awkwardly.
“…??”
Ding.
At that moment, the Elevator arrived. The two of them quickly stepped out.
As if they didn’t even want to hear a question.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“We’ll just head inside~”
In the end, the Assistant Manager was left alone in the Lobby, forlorn.
Without understanding anything.
Unable to grasp even a hint, left out in the cold.
“….”
What the hell.
‘What’s wrong with all of them.’
Until this morning, it had been just another day like last week.
What on earth was this situation?!

* * *
The Office was empty—no one working overtime.
“Then, Gun-woo, get some rest.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I saw the Team Leader off and remained alone in the Office. There was something I needed to take with me.
[Hyung, what exactly did you… do?]
What do you mean.
‘I handled it in my own way.’
[Where exactly are you?!]
Popup cries out in desperation. There seems to be a misunderstanding.
Well, to explain this properly… maybe I should start with this first.
I asked point-blank.
‘Why do you think Lee Chief followed along to the external meeting?’
[Huh…? Well, it’s work, so he probably did it because of that, right?]
Right.
Out of enthusiasm? Absolutely not.
‘He did it out of fear, no question about it.’
[…!]
In his first job, he didn’t want to fall out of favor with his superior.
Life is the same for everyone, but how could a guy who came here for work-life balance possibly enjoy being dragged around to field visits, meetings, and entertaining clients? Especially with a stubborn old-timer like that.
There’s no way resentment wouldn’t have accumulated.
‘He probably found it irritating when the guy thought he was doing him favors.’
Like how he’d corner him in the evening under the pretense of buying him dinner.
‘So.’
[…So?]
I simply… gave him a reason to cut ties.
‘All I need to do is keep him from getting scared.’
So first, I targeted the most influential speaker. The Team Leader.
-Ah, Team Leader. That was actually something Lee Chief did…!
I deliberately praised Lee Chief during lunch with the Team Leader, using a plausible excuse.
Then I’d draw out the conversation by casually asking about the Team Leader’s personal life, and at the right moment, I’d bring Lee Chief into it… and the setup would be complete.
[What kind of setup….]
A setup to make Lee Chief realize his own position.
All I needed was to borrow the mouth of the most authoritative person—the ‘Team Leader’.
‘By gradually steering the conversation that way….’
I’d make him suddenly realize how advantageous it was to work here as a blood relative of a local figure of influence.
Then this thought would occur to him.
-Huh? So I could push back against that assistant manager a bit?
He’d be bringing forward thoughts he originally wouldn’t have had for another year or so.
Of course, if it ended here, it would take some time before he actually acted on those thoughts. So the final push would be….
‘Giving him justification.’
[…Justification?]
Yeah.
‘I just reminded him that guy deliberately bothered you.’
-Um, Assistant Manager Ryu. Thank you. For speaking well of me….
-No, no. It’s the truth! And… when we’re all struggling like this, that’s nothing.
-….
-Let’s hang in there. Once we get through this period, things will be fine.
The conviction that he’s doing something good.
People really do care about that. Add in the satisfaction of cleanly implementing justice, and suddenly there’s nothing holding him back.
I nodded.
Besides, look at how the office people reacted when things went down.
The fact that so many people enjoyed this reversed situation meant Ryu Gun-woo had made quite a good impression normally.
‘This is only possible because you’ve lived decently.’
[….]
Well, I complimented your character—shouldn’t you be a bit happier about it?
‘Anyway, from now on, when I take that ‘Lee Chief’ guy to meetings, he won’t be as fully cooperative as before.’
Because he’d know how useful he is.
There’s already some resentment, and if he dislikes it, he’ll show it, and then things will start to creak.
Until that ‘assistant manager’ gets absolutely fed up.
‘But now that we’ve come this far, I can’t exactly change my story and say I’m taking Ryu Gun-woo with me….’
Soon enough, he’d have no choice but to accept the reality that he too would be stuck managing connections at this District Office.
[So then….]
I shrugged.
“Well… he might aim for the next transfer.”
‘Then he leaves, and you get to keep clocking out early here.’
A happy ending.
[Hehehehe….]
Yes, thinking about it again, it was an extraordinarily gentle resolution.
I never imagined I could handle things so smoothly by simply praising others—doesn’t it look just like Big Dal’s usual behavior?
[Yes?]
Yet no one suffered a loss, and everyone was happy. Truly remarkable.
I let out a short exclamation of admiration.
‘Living the way you do seems like quite a decent approach.’
[…Yes. Thank you….]
Don’t mention it.
I logged out of the internal system with a refreshed mood.
I think my experience with a civil servant’s life is complete.
‘How are your evening schedule preparations going?’
Now it’s my turn to control Park Moon-dae again.
[Oh… Yes! I’m all set!]
‘Good.’
I’m heading out now too.
[…Yes!]
As soon as I arrived at work, I retrieved my belongings from my personal locker.
The heavy bag pressed down on my hand.
‘It’s been such a long time since I’ve used this.’
I slung it over my back and left the office, heading toward my destination.
To the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium.

* * *
“Aaaahhhhh!!”
“Ugghhh!!”
Screams and flashing lights erupted everywhere. Not a club or a battlefield, but the competition for seats was just as vicious.
The scramble for prime seating was absolutely cutthroat.
‘Phew.’
I took my seat.
Late January, the most prestigious and final awards ceremony of the season—the Sychart Music Awards.
And Testa was scheduled to make their comeback performance at this very ceremony.
‘My body’s switched right now, so what about the stage?’
Fortunately, the ceremony ran past midnight. Since Testa performed near the very end, my body would switch back before then.
The real question was whether Big Dal could naturally hold his own in the Singer’s Seating Area, accepting awards until that time.
‘And meanwhile, Ryu Gun-woo has his own plans.’
His post-work agenda, to be precise.
“…Hmm.”
I opened my bag and pulled out what I’d prepared. A black rectangular object.
A camera.
And… a telephoto lens. Once I attached the long cylindrical lens, everything was ready.
‘The specs are pretty solid.’
I was curious how much he’d paid for it, but decided not to ask.
Anyway… that was it.
Today’s plan for Ryu Gun-woo’s after-work hours was exactly this.
At the music chart awards ceremony, to film Testa with a camera.
-I remembered the videos hyung used to upload… so I thought I’d try it myself! But honestly, I wasn’t very good at it….
That’s what he’d said.
It wasn’t exactly a hobby I’d recommend, but exploring one’s interests by dabbling in something like this was harmless enough.
…Photography.
I adjusted the focus and raised the camera. Even after all this time, the composition came naturally.
[Now, let’s meet this year’s artists at the Sychart Music Awards!]
The MCs’ introductions and the ceremony began. As the opening VCR played, the audience erupted again with cheers and the glow of light sticks.
Applause was coming from the Singer’s Seating Area as well.
‘This is the moment to capture this shot—it’s the golden rule.’
I pulled back my view to find their table as a reference check. Testa… yes, there they were.
“Found them.”
I looked through the viewfinder at the seven of them sitting in a row, smiling.
Especially Park Moon-dae.
‘Hmm… condition looks good.’
He’d made an excellent choice hiding the occasional tremor in his hands beneath a blanket. I nodded in approval.
Click.
Instinctively, I snapped a few more shots of the surrounding members, and the satisfying feel of a good camera in my hands returned. I’d captured some solid shots.
‘Hmm.’
This is turning out to be rather entertaining.
I swiveled the camera again. There was still some time before the Stage performance began.
‘Why not film the others too.’
Let’s see, first there was the one sitting right next to Testa….
“….”
Chung-ryeo.

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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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