Debut or Die - Chapter 463

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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 463
-Please please tell me the route where Lee Sae-jin wears the restraint outfit it was in the MV right I’m so lost please
Eugene escaping alone in the car for a comedy ending is so funny lol. I definitely laughed while filming this with Cha Go-young. This is hilarious lmaooo
-Wow, Bae Se, he lost his wallet on the way to work, it was actually Cheong-woo who stole it hahaha It appears in the jailer version!! (capture)
Breadcrumbs, breadcrumbs, breadcrumbs.
Normally, after a music video releases during a comeback period, there’s a gap of several days before appearing on a Music Broadcast Studio.
Usually this period is spent checking SNS updates and teasers, consuming small content while building anticipation. Or it’s a time when you must repeatedly consume the music video and eagerly await the broadcast….
-Ahhhh, Eugene finally put on the guard uniform ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ ㅅㅂ I’m so happy, I can barely even put on the uniform, my baby.
Everything changed completely.
The fan Online Community and SNS were absolutely festive, filled with all sorts of spoilers, walkthroughs, videos, screenshots, and collected photos.
Here, Testa’s side dropped a generous rule that the ‘normal ending’ and ‘bad ending’ could be streamed.
The reason for such a bold attempt in the first place was partly to aim for word-of-mouth, but they couldn’t miss the promotional opportunity.
Besides, to experience it directly, you had to buy the album anyway.
The ‘code’ on the enclosed photocard that unlocks the ending was tied to a single account, so illegal copiers couldn’t view the ending!
Haha, that dog’s being a real tease.
But I’m worried that won’t last long either since it’s getting all cracked up.
-Still seems fine until initial sales are counted? Ah USB is also counted by album sales so it’s really nice
-Truly a new world of fun
Additionally, the lyric booklets, audio files, and concept photos downloadable from the game title received praise because replaying them after finishing the game gave them a different emotional impact.
-The game deepens the album’s narrative… damn I really hated worldbuilding but they made me say this
Overall, it was a very fresh attempt.
And completely unexpected.
At least it properly drew attention.
[Testa actually put a real game in the album]
[New work from the 【127 Section】 abandoned factory Production Team: Testa Album (not joking)]
[Testa’s Insane Live-Action Gameplay Progress lol]
Fans who never expected the MV extended version to actually be a game were shocked, and the news naturally spread to Internet users everywhere.
-So the MV was an introduction to a game
What the heck is going on? lol
-Testa really does everything I truly respect them from magical boys to steadfast otaku all the way
-I want to try this too what’s with the quality… do I just buy the album? What do I need to buy?
On YouTube, several game streamers who wouldn’t miss this breadcrumb were already playing it.
Because Lee Sae-jin’s prologue was shocking, it was great for pulling reactions and had good YouTube potential, so it was a win-win.
Of course, differing tastes and opinions led to arguments and noise, but even that became a hot topic.
It was promotion you couldn’t buy even if you paid for it.
-If I order now from the official website, will it arrive tomorrow? I took the bus to the store and it was sold out.
-Which version should I start with?
-Testa’s game OST for this title?? What?? Why is everyone going crazy?
Thanks to this, album sales were skyrocketing.
The simple composition of USB, playback box, and photocard actually lowered the barrier to entry by making purchases feel less burdensome.
And amidst the beginning of all this typhoon-like activity period.
“Phew.”
Home Ma was playing the game like a madwoman.
The balance of cinematic live-action composition with interactive choices and thrill enhanced by luck elements that required no controller… had brilliantly appealed to her.
As a result, she was pouring all her free time into it.
“Park Moon-dae’s cut is really so pretty….”
Right now she was replaying VER 2 album, which mainly featured the prisoner faction.
When playing as the prisoner faction through the VER 2 album USB, the chapter started from the past timeline of Park Moon-dae and Cha Yu-jin.
-Oh the two of them are having such an intense energy clash conversation in the laboratory, I’m totally freaked out
└??Wasn’t it very sad and poignant?
└??What choice did you even make
└You’re the one to talk
And in the latter half, there was an event where the phantom thieves get caught and proceed in prison uniforms, and an event where they reverse-subdue a guard and put prison uniforms on them.
-Park Moon-dae throwing the prison uniform at Chung-woo looks like he has personal feelings, doesn’t seem like acting but more like genuine best friend vibes
Hahahahahaha
And you could learn a bit about the true nature of the experiments the prisoners underwent.
[■■■■ 10ml administered : Detection of objects 100m away
-Dizziness, hallucinations, headaches reported.]
‘Hmm, is this an experiment to create something like a superhuman?’
It had an American sensibility somehow… something eerie and unsettling, definitely that vibe.
Anyway, Cha Yu-jin seemed to have a sharp mind and highly developed instincts, and Park Moon-dae seemed to be able to use telekinesis!
‘…Though he did cough up blood.’
After recreating the music video scene of smashing the surveillance camera and seeing Park Moon-dae collapse in the bad ending, she had sealed away the telekinesis….
Anyway, that’s what the VER 2 prisoner faction playthrough felt like.
Similar to the phantom thief faction but more desolate, with the story focused on the facility.
However, the VER 3 album was a bit different.
This guard faction had taken on a somewhat special structure….
It started from Lee Sae-jin’s perspective, and was a playthrough where she cooperated with the phantom thieves.
-Shh.
-…!
-Stay quiet and follow me.
‘Wow.’
Like she was fed up with the facility and turning a blind eye… she seemed to be a guard on our side.
Of course, the truth was she was planning to backstab them at the very end and catch them all like stringing dried fish, without any way out.
What Lee Sae-jin said while humming alone was exquisite.
-It’s comfortable and nice~ coming on your own feet, breaking the rules….
‘Ugh!’
The lingering spiciness of VER 1, the first experience prologue, was potent!
As a result, VER 3 became a bizarre composition where the player, while playing it themselves, felt dizzy wondering when they would get backstabbed.
‘This all happened because I did the phantom thief faction first… hmm?’
“Wait, hold on. Now that I think about it….”
Could this sequence have been intentional?
Home Ma’s eyes lit up with sudden realization.
The key shape that appeared in the music video… was precisely the USB for the ‘VER 1 Album’.
The other two versions looked slightly different from the music video.
And when selling them, they showed the product page. Of course, most people buying just one album would have chosen VER 1….
Before that, when they took album pre-orders without any information, they only received the set.
‘And even people who bought all three versions would have played VER 1 first, since that’s the shape shown in the music video.’
Hadn’t she done the same?
Which meant… most people would inevitably see the phantom thief scenario first before experiencing the prisoner or guard faction stories.
Enjoying the most fundamental flavor first, then continuing to discover new elements while maintaining tension.
‘Wow.’
Home Ma’s mouth fell open.
She couldn’t quite articulate this meticulous structure designed to prevent replay fatigue. She didn’t know games well enough. But it certainly resonated with her.
‘Incredible.’
Anyway, moving on.
So in VER 3, the phantom thieves could now travel alongside Lee Sae-jin while wearing navy uniforms!
That way, the hiding option disappeared entirely.
Instead, new events emerged where they could access the facility’s documents or hear more information.
-Keep It Safe, so ‘KIS’…. What exactly are they keeping safe?
-Um, outsiders?
-…Safe from what?
-From all dangers? Nah, I don’t really know either~ How would a staff member know something like that?
Fortunately, Lee Sae-jin becomes slightly shaken in her values when the phantom thieves cooperate with the prisoners and build some rapport with them.
She discovers that both prisoners were imprisoned without actually breaking any rules.
-I was kidnapped.
-Me too.
-…I see.
And after going through various incidents, she accepts Ryu Chung-woo’s proposal to become a phantom thief partner.
-Should I?
-…!
-My tenure is reaching the point where I should switch jobs~ Me, that is.
“Ooh!”
So she succeeded in recruiting even Guard Lee Sae-jin, along with many other Testas….
Yet she kept seeing only the normal ending.
‘Why!?’
Although Park Moon-dae’s syringe choice had been spoiled and she selected correctly to see the phantom thief outfit… even then it was the normal ending.
‘What the….’
Was it because she was too scared of Ah-hyun… and couldn’t bring herself to approach or recruit Ah-hyun?
[We escaped from this damned facility.]
Every time, the ending credits roll with no epilogue—just like that!
All that remains is Park Moon-dae’s incredible thighs… anyway, that’s how it goes.
So this time, she had truly prepared everything meticulously.
‘I can do this….’
Home Ma, who had searched for a strategy guide while avoiding spoilers as much as possible, clenched both fists and sat back down in front of the computer.
She’d figured it out! The true ending condition!
‘Well, since they told me to watch from VER 1 first….’
She clicked the game icon and progressed through it rapidly, reviewing the strategy in her mind.
The strategy guide.
-Regardless of which faction, recruit everyone except Sun Ah-hyun as allies, then encounter Sun Ah-hyun in front of the final gate!
‘The dice that appeared when I hid must have been the hint!’
It wasn’t a completely ‘correct’ choice at all.
If you meet him without recruiting all your allies, it’s game over, but if you encounter him after recruiting everyone, the true ending event triggers!
‘Good.’
And the moment of destiny.
-Just around that corner….
Home Ma squeezed her eyes shut and ignored the ‘hide’ option.
And finally.
Thud, thud.
Bae Sae-jin, who had been holding the key to the lock pad, flinched in surprise and turned around.
From around the corner, a blonde guard in a navy uniform emerged, military boots first.
The screen froze.
“…Phew.”
Home Ma clenched her fist. And….
-….
A hollow BGM echoed.
Sun Ah-hyun stared intently at the key Bae Sae-jin was holding.
Then he scanned the six people standing around him, all dressed in similar uniforms.
After brief, breathtaking close-up shots alternated across the screen….
The guard opened his mouth.
-It exists.
-…!
-The jewel.
Home Ma covered her mouth.
‘No way!’
That’s right.
The jewel that the thieves had tried to find but ultimately concluded was false information the facility had spread to lure test subjects.
Sun Ah-hyun had revealed that Tutáculum truly existed.
Then he turned around and began walking forward again without hesitation.
Thud, thud….
On the screen, Bae Sae-jin swallowed hard.
-…What should I do?
▶ [Follow him.
-Trust
]
▶ [Ignore him.
-Distrust
]
“…Phew,”
This was a no-brainer.
If we’d followed him here and gotten a bad ending, there’s no way we’d reach the true ending!
Home Ma clicked “Follow him” with conviction, and naturally the characters on screen moved along with Sun Ah-hyun.
-….
Sun Ah-hyun passed by the outer edges of the complex several times, moving at a pace that showed little consideration for others.
Down, down.
After passing a couple of light dice checks….
Creeeeeak-
-…Where is this?
They arrived before a small iron door.
Beside it was a lock pad identical to the entrance.
Modern organ BGM played as Sun Ah-hyun stood beside the iron door.
The six members holding keys approached the lock pad.
Only then did the blonde guard speak.
-The front side.
‘…The front side?’
Home Ma was bewildered.
What did “front side” mean when entering a code?
‘Could there be something on the front of the card?’
But no matter how hard she looked, the photo of Kim Rae-bin with the awl in his mouth held no obvious clues.
‘There’s only this on the back….’
[AW23-5DQ2-B25E]
This code.
Just as she was about to panic, fortunately Bae Sae-jin’s narration came through.
-The code was… written on the back of the male’s photograph among the dummy data in the key. Not the front.
‘That’s what I said!’
-But the front side? Why would he say it backwards?
-…Wait, backwards?
“…!!”
In that moment, Home Ma understood.
If you read the letters on the back from the direction of the front….
‘…It’s the opposite direction, isn’t it!’
Then, the code….
Tap tap tap.
She began typing on the keyboard.
[AW23-5DQ2-B25E]
This one.
[E52B-2QD5-32WA]
Like this, reversed!
“…Yes!”
And the moment she pressed enter.
Whirrrrrr—!
With a brilliant light, the Iron Door began to open.
A tingle ran through my fingertips.
‘Wow….’
And after the light faded.
In the center of a small room on the screen, surrounded by metal walls on all sides.
A beautiful emerald gem rested inside a hexagonal glass tube.
An enchanting BGM played.
‘The props really are amazing….’
The camera slowly approached the gem….
A gloved hand reached out. And….
▶[Take the gem.]
▶[Ask a question.]
“….”
A choice appeared.
‘Hmm.’
Home Ma crossed her arms.
This game had no save or load function.
While she could skip already-seen events, it meant that reversing a choice once made was impossible.
But still.
‘…I need to uncover the truth.’
That’s what the true ending meant, according to her SNS friends!
Home Ma swallowed hard, feeling like a detective herself, and pressed the lower option.
[Ask a question.]
Then Bae Sae-jin on screen withdrew his hand.
And turned his head toward Sun Ah-hyun.
-…Why did you bring us here?
-….
-What’s your purpose? Why are you giving us the gem, I mean the Tutáculum?
That was when.
-…! Wait a moment.
Someone interjected.
…Park Moon-dae, the prisoner now dressed in a phantom thief’s leather suit.
He asked quickly in a low voice.
-Tutáculum?
Bae Sae-jin responded.
-This jewel is Tutáculum.
Park Moon-dae’s face went pale.
-No, that’s… a drug administered to the inmates we manage here.
-…!!
-It’s not a jewel. Tutáculum is… a code word for the drug used here.
Insane.
‘A drug that creates superpowers….’
Wait, now that I thought about it, that had been green too. Home Ma clamped her mouth shut again at this twist, staring at the screen.
“….”
The camera slowly panned.
Ryu Chung-woo looked at the blonde guard and asked.
-Then,
-what is this jewel?
At that moment.
The screen went dark.
“…?!”
And only then did Sun Ah-hyun’s voice resonate softly from the black screen.
-The mysterious and fearsome guard with the black baton did not open his mouth.
-But at the end of that gaze… there was a prisoner.
Along with gentle background music, the screen brightened again.
And what was revealed was… an attic.
Testa, sitting on the wooden floor between the warm lamplight, with a board game in the center.
That scene from the teaser.
“…??”
Home Ma fell into confusion!
But Sun Ah-hyun’s calm voice continued.
-It is the players’ turn.
Cha Yu-jin and Park Moon-dae, who had been sitting comfortably, both furrowed their brows simultaneously. The two who had been playing prisoners.
Ryu Chung-woo, resting his chin on his hand, spoke carefully.
-They said they saw the prisoner. Did they want to give the jewel to the prisoner? A reward?
-A psychopath couldn’t do better than that.
After Cha Yu-jin’s grumbling, Park Moon-dae rubbed his chin and opened his mouth.
-…Hmm, if a hacker can convince multiple people to their side in such a short time, they’d be a threat later. Maybe they were planning to give them a real jewel and send them back. A deception.
-Aah~ leaving no regrets.
Lee Sae-jin nodded and broke into a bright smile.
-Alright! Then let me put it this way.
The screen seemed to dissolve inward, and the backdrop shifted back to the secret facility.
There, Lee Sae-jin in a phantom thief outfit spoke.
-I have a question too~
-Keep It Safe. That slogan… actually, isn’t the Safe supposed to be Sacrifice? Warden. What exactly are we keeping safe?
-I thought there were rules, but now it seems like you’re not really following them~
What followed was a heated debate about the facility’s secrets they’d uncovered while playing the game.
And the conclusion was….
-It wasn’t a prison… it was a research facility.
A facility dedicated to researching how to completely control this drug, Tutáculum, which grants bizarre abilities!
‘Oh.’
Watching the information they’d gathered piece together one by one was quite thrilling.
-Right?
The scenery shifted back to the attic as if being pulled inward—I still didn’t understand why, though.
Sun Ah-hyun’s gentle voice was pleasant to listen to.
-But the blonde warden showed no agitation, nor did she answer.
-Ooooh!
-Should we fight?
-Let’s fight. I’ll roll the dice.
At the combative members’ reaction, Sun Ah-hyun, holding a book, laughed and nodded.
-Okay, then… who?
-Obviously the strongest person should do it, right?
-….
Kim Rae-bin clicked his tongue reluctantly and picked up the dice. Sun Ah-hyun also picked up his dice.
-I’ll roll a hexahedron. The maximum number is 6. The player keeps the decahedron, with a maximum of 10. Quite the difference.
-But if the player’s decahedron number comes up smaller, the player can subdue the warden.
It was absurd enough to mock as a scam, but everyone seemed so absorbed that they simply nodded along.
Home Ma did too, before suddenly grasping reality.
‘Wait, am I rolling?’
And that premonition was correct.
‘Seriously?!’
At the dice displayed on screen, Home Ma nearly screamed internally while calculating probabilities… before finally placing her hand back on the mouse.
And she clicked.
“Ugh.”
Clatter, clatter, clatter….
The decahedron tumbled and rolled and rolled… the number was….
[5]
‘…No, this can’t be.’
Too high!
Home Ma felt her blood run cold, swallowing involuntarily as she watched the screen.
The game was in progress.
Sun Ah-hyun was rolling the dice inside his book, so the number wasn’t visible.
And overlapping Sun Ah-hyun’s face for a moment was the expressionless face of a guard in a navy uniform.
‘Huh?’
But moments later.
Sun Ah-hyun smiled brightly and closed the book.
The number showing on the black die was….
[6]
-I subdued them.
-No way!
-Ohhh~
Cheers erupted.
-So, you all….
Sun Ah-hyun closed the book with a smile.
-have obtained the jewel and successfully escaped from the ‘KIS’ Foundation.
-I was your game master.
Applause burst out.
-Ah~ that was so fun!
-Thanks for inviting us. It’s actually pretty entertaining.
-Ah, no….
Sun Ah-hyun smiled gently and set down the paper book he’d been holding.
As he’d mentioned earlier, he seemed to have been the one running this board game.
‘Ah, I think I’ve seen something like this in American dramas?’
That’s why it came out with an American teen concept!
Home Ma nodded to herself.
‘Ah-hyun really did have the key role!’
Still, Ah-hyun’s fans might feel a bit disappointed about the limited screen time, the thought crossed her mind unbidden, but regardless, she was swept up in the cute appearance and development of Testa on screen.
-You said you hated nerdy stuff, but you’re actually enjoying it~?
-If anyone talks about what happened today at school, I won’t let it slide.
-Look at this guy!
While Cha Yu-jin and Lee Sae-jin bickered, Kim Rae-bin rubbed his chin. His somewhat menacing silver accessories swayed.
-The setting was 2025. They say the world ends in 1999, but in a time period even later than that, I got a role where I’m just strong….
-That’s better than me, who was a kidnapped test subject.
-Being a test subject is better.
Kim Rae-bin replied darkly, but Park Moon-dae just chuckled. And Sun Ah-hyun also laughed softly watching him.
In that gentle scene, Bae Sae-jin smiled and set down his die.
The narration continued.
-A secret detention facility, superhuman experiments, hackers and phantom thieves, and a thrilling escape. It was quite a journey.
The jewel token from the board game was shown in close-up on the screen.
The secret we uncovered was astonishing, but perhaps another story lay hidden beneath it all.
No, I think replaying the same story once more would be just as entertaining.
The camera panned across the attic bathed in the soft glow of lamplight, capturing Testa.
I hope you’ll come back to play with us again someday.
The camera pulled upward, framing the harmonious circle of Testa seated together.
Alongside the delicately arranged B-side track from this album, subtitles appeared.
[True Ending]
~In the tutáculum.
It was the true ending.
“Sigh…”
She leaned back in her chair.
So this game was about the 1980s American high school version of Testa from the previous album playing a board game… that was the concept.
‘So that’s why the repackage album…’
It all connected.
Home Ma felt an indescribable surge of emotion as she watched the ending credits roll back up.
The scenes she’d witnessed so far flashed through her mind—the attic sequences, the character details—all cascading past in rapid succession.
“….”
The euphoria kept building endlessly.
She was so curious about the Stage. But she still had to wait to see it.
That’s why.
‘I’ll play again!’

* * *
She quickly handled the urgent matters, then tapped the icon again and logged back into the game.
This time it was a different version.
‘The Guard!’
I’d been saving Park Moon-dae as the main character for the finale!
And to see the true ending one more time, I diligently pressed skip to progress through the game.
‘Ah, this is seriously fun.’
My heart raced. What new content would this version show me?
Just as Testa members dressed as guards finally reached the moment of entering the code!
“Perfect!”
She quickly grabbed the photo card and began entering it backwards, just like before.
[E52B-2QD5-32WA]
‘That was it!’
And the moment she pressed enter.
‘Now the door should open and the jewel would appear….’
That’s definitely what should have happened.
[%EA%B8%B0%EB%8B%A4%EB%A0%B8%EC%96%B4]
Instead.
The blonde guard turned to face the camera.
Sun Ah-hyun.
‘…What?’
-You pressed it wrong.
“…??”
-That’s a code from a different version.
And the uniformed Sun Ah-hyun in the game smiled.
It was the first smile he’d ever shown as a guard.
-It’s okay.
-But… the fact that you made this mistake.
Cotton gloves covered the camera.
-means you’ve played a lot.
“…?!”
Did they just… say played?
-Right? So you must have played so much that you accidentally mixed up the code on the card—not entering it straight, but reversing it—to the point of making this mistake.
The BGM disappeared.
No, and somehow… the camera angle had changed.
The game world where other members were visible together had now narrowed to show only Sun Ah-hyun.
In that moment.
-Let’s keep playing.
The hidden route had begun.

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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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