Debut or Die - Chapter 466

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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 466
Seven members of In-young took the stage.
For the first time since Testa’s formation, their first comeback stage on public broadcast.
Internet users were already settling in and chattering about it.
-Testa not appearing on Tnet, seeing it written out like this makes it even weirder
-Next week I wonder if we’ll see Music Bomb gritting their teeth and not giving Testa first place
-Is Testa ending today?
It was inevitable that talk of Tnet, which hadn’t even appeared yet, would surface.
Until now, Testa had been nothing short of an icon of T1’s K-pop business success.
That image remained unshaken even now, after their split from T1.
So as long as that image persisted, unless some massive upheaval occurred that would erase their origins entirely… it meant that public broadcast had no particular reason to be more favorable to Testa than necessary.
That’s why Testa earned a spot at the second-to-last ending slot today.
-Testa appearing already?
-If it were me, I’d seize this chance and give them the ending first lol public broadcast pride on display
It was a somewhat ‘strict’ seniority-based ordering relative to their popularity.
But regardless of such things, people believed that this week’s KBC Music Broadcast’s highlight was Testa’s comeback stage.
That was enough.
-It begins
One stage.
Within the comeback buzz where every effort invested to make people witness it was worthwhile.
Testa’s stage began.
[Doong…!]
A monotone riff melody that seemed to modulate the sound of a belly drum.
When the lights came up, what appeared was a dazzling set with the ‘KIS’ logo floating above it—resembling a study room or laboratory.
And in the very center of that elegant, conceptual stage, In-young members stood in a symmetrical triangular formation.
Only they were turned away.
The seven men slowly moved their necks in that position.
The leather texture gleamed under the lights.
Tight-fitting leather suits that gripped the body.
-It’s a group phantom thief outfit
-Insane
And as the monotone MIDI and electric guitar sound rose and climbed higher….
With a crackling sound effect, the cascading drop was an intense major key introduction.
[Touching your hands
My tape wraps around again]
The formation shattered and dispersed, and as Park Moon-dae’s solo movement crossed his arms, the remaining members’ synchronized choreography moved in response.
And from the right edge, the next member slid across the camera in a smooth glide.
[The moment my heart races
All senses go Slow]
Ryu Chung-woo’s part, performing clean, dynamic choreography—kneeling and spinning, then extending one arm in a sweeping motion.
The group’s formation and synchronized movements shifted in response to his arm gestures.
-Oh damn
-Look at Ryu Chung-woo’s arms, insane
That was the point.
The choreography, designed around the theme of the “butterfly effect,” was structured so that the formation changed based on the solo gestures of whichever member sang their part.
-Wow
-Please, get a better camera angle
-I have to hold this well.
The stage surges forward within that scene where everyone desperately wishes for a fixed full camera shot.
The drum beat rises with a thrumming intensity.
[A tingling contact
In your silent eyes
I search for the certain answer]
Kim Rae-bin, taking on vocals for the first time in a while, wore a distinctive phantom thief outfit with a turtleneck that extended all the way up his neck.
He narrowed his eyes as he finished his part, then exchanged a high-five with the next vocalist like passing a baton.
It was Cha Yu-jin.
[There’s only one choice
Yeah, take it all (one more)
Even if I let go of this hand I’m gripping]
The pair choreography with Kim Rae-bin unfolded sharply, like combat.
And then Park Moon-dae and Ryu Chung-woo’s double rap, rising to support the live energy that suddenly comes alive.
-The live vocals are incredible
-The AR is barely audible
-Testa really does difficult songs like this
And here, a pause enters to control the tempo.
A single phrase where only a deep voice is heard.
[Let’s Start, let’s begin the chaos]
A close-up of Kim Rae-bin at center, gripping his chin and neck.
I’m crying / I’m so sad
-Ah
And then the pre-chorus.
[Find it, look at the face
I don’t care what’s next
Chaser, today too
Don’t stop your hands]
A complex syncopated rhythm and a difficult section spanning multiple vocal ranges. The choreography difficulty escalates sharply in response, becoming more elaborate.
In this part where the center becomes even more crucial, Lee Sae-jin, with her powerful presence, leads first, followed by Sun Ah-hyun, whose subtle control of dynamics commands the atmosphere.
[Figure it all out
Don’t be scared what’s next
Chaser, tomorrow too
Don’t end the plot twist]
-Bae Se, that thief outfit… who picked the thin-lined black? Wow
-Sun Ah-hyun, how many times are you changing the beat? What was that move just now? I couldn’t even see it
Just when I thought the visual appeal was reaching its peak, the chorus finally arrived.
The beat drops.
[Just roll the dice
Trust, take my side]
A stark contrast to the pre-chorus.
A simple rhythm and a main melody that strikes with precision. And a catchy riff melody.
Composed of these three core elements, the memorable chorus is filled with a visually stunning dance break.
-If you hear the footsteps, they’ll match perfectly with the beat
-They’ve lost it
-When did they practice all this while filming the game? Is Testa superhuman?
The signature arm movement—giving unexpected acceleration to the motion, capturing like a snare—matched the thief outfit perfectly.
Sharp yet subtly sexy.
That’s why the exclamations keep coming.
-Testa is just Testa
-They really were self-producing legends
-Wow, the vibe is the same but they’re actually flying even higher
-Where are those guys who said Testa and T1 were just riding on company money?
It was the thrill and satisfaction that came from meeting expectations for Testa.
Why was this happening?
Let me give an example. A group switched companies. Even if most members stayed the same… could the group’s identity change?
The answer is yes.
If the production team and planning department changed, it absolutely could.
It wasn’t just a matter of quality, but whether the reason fans and the public loved this group—that ‘feeling’—remained intact.
That group’s unique color.
What the public expects from that group.
Without the right personnel, without sufficient capital, they might no longer be able to create such things.
But Testa proved the opposite on this stage.
‘Testa does what you expect!’
Because of this, those watching the stage unconsciously realized it and felt joy.
-I’ve been gasping in admiration through the entire first verse
Hahaha, I don’t know about other things, but their stage performances are seriously fun.
Testa continued their high-flying trajectory on that same track from their debut.
[Yeah, this Final round]
The stage advanced relentlessly toward the bridge.
As the rough electric sound faded, the somewhat swelling keyboard notes stacked in rhythm with the drum sound.
When Bae Sae-jin, matching that atmosphere, sang cleanly and firmly, lifting the melody from the low to mid-high registers without unnecessary embellishment.
[Pull and hold]
Cha Yu-jin burst forth from the end of the formation, landing on both feet like a feline predator, then moved through the steps with deliberate, controlled power.
And then came the final dance break.
[Just roll the dice
Trust, take my side]
-Oh, bliss
-This is seriously insane
Testa had clearly decided to pour everything into the stage until the very end, not dropping a single movement or note, filling the entire performance space with their presence.
Until Ryu Chung-woo, standing center at the finale, turned back and playfully held up the glove he’d removed.
It was a perfect ending member selection befitting the phantom thief concept.
Waaaaaaah!
And just like the roar of fans filling the screen, the chat window on the Internet scrolled by in a blur.
Hahaha
-Testa! Testa! Testa! Testa! Testa! Testa! Testa!
-They killed it
-Oh
-Give us the replay
And fans on SNS, overwhelmed with excitement, poured out words, onomatopoeia, and emojis in a frenzy of appreciation.
It couldn’t be helped. It was simply too exhilarating!
They only managed to construct coherent sentences once rational thought began to return.
-I’m saving every corrected version as it comes out, and when I came to my senses I’d already saved the same Chung-woo clip ten times
-I’m so hyped for this comeback
-There was a restraint outfit in the pre-recorded content spoilers right? Please tell me there was, I’m begging you
-Will there be a lot of public broadcast variety shows this time? I’ve actually been wanting to see them on public broadcast lol
The moment they witnessed the stage, they instinctively sensed this comeback would be a success, and their happiness index maxed out as anticipation for the schedule began to overflow.
Amidst it all, facts and rumors slipped through here and there.
-I hope they film another variety show with that PD who got the coin sponsorship lol we’re besties lol
└Seriously right lol
└They probably already filmed it? hehe
└Um… sorry to butt in, but that PD is affiliated with T1, so I’m not sure if it’ll work out. Looking at the schedule, it seems Testa isn’t appearing on T1’s broadcasting station…
└Please no
└Don’t tell me T1 is blocking it;;>
└Rumor NN the schedule might just not be up yet, so why are you like this already? Let’s wait a bit
But most were too full of anticipation waiting for the next stage, or too busy examining reactions to this comeback performance with satisfaction.
For instance, like this top comment.
-Testa knows they’re good at what they do right lol
└They’d have to be blind not to lol
And after chuckling to themselves, one fan suddenly had this thought.
What emotions did Testa feel when that stage ended?

* * *
“Thank you for your hard work~”
“Wooooow!!”
The Waiting Room erupted with cheers even louder than their previous comeback.
Even the staff joined in the celebration, the atmosphere brimming with warmth, energy, and passion.
Their first album under a new company, in a new environment, forged through obstacles they’d never faced before.
Everyone’s emotions were inevitably fresh and raw.
In fact, the members rushed over to Park Moon-dae, who was immediately monitoring the pre-recorded broadcast reactions.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae, how’s the response?”
“Good.”
“Good? How… how is it…?”
Park Moon-dae answered simply.
“It’s good.”
“…!!”
It was rare for him to make such an unqualified statement about public opinion.
And what that meant….
“Really?”
It meant the response was overwhelmingly positive, even accounting for fan bias!
The members were momentarily stunned, then broke into wide smiles.
“Wow… Testa’s alive!”
“Haha, we showed something today!”
“Oh~ Chung-woo hyung!”
Even Ryu Chung-woo riffed on their pre-stage chant, ‘Ah, Testa’s gonna show something today,’ with an excited ad-lib.
Bae Sae-jin, flushed with excitement and breathing heavily, approached to look at the screen Park Moon-dae was viewing.
Sun Ah-hyun smiled brightly and shifted slightly to make room.
“Ah, y-yes, here…!”
“….”
Bae Sae-jin read the contents of the smartphone that Park Moon-dae hadn’t bothered to hide.
‘So good I can’t even describe it, definitely watching the live broadcast’
‘So happy I might cry’
‘Hope this promotion lasts a long time’
‘Strong premonition I won’t have a seat at the concert’
Those reactions—overflowing with genuine anticipation and happiness, without a trace of pretense—truly resonated.
“…It’s good.”
“It really is!”
I was enjoying it too.
‘It went well.’
That feeling of having done something right.
The choreography flowed smoothly, the vocals were solid without any weakness.
The leather costume didn’t breathe well, but years of stage experience meant I barely noticed the discomfort anymore.
“….”
So, the thing is.
Bae Sae-jin found himself with no choice but to make a decision.
It was unavoidable.
“Testa members, time to change!”
“Yes!”
So he was among the members who hurried to change clothes, and he changed first before heading to a corner sofa.
Then he opened the memo app he’d been writing in again.
He’d started writing because his mind wouldn’t settle, but closed it after thirty seconds, thinking it was pointless right before the stage.
[Thank you so much for the offer. I really want to appear in the Director’s work]
He gritted his teeth and began rewriting the text he’d written up to that point.
[…I really want to appear in the Director’s work. But I think I need to focus more on group activities right now to avoid regrets later.]
This was right.
‘If it overlaps with the activity period… I can’t do it.’
Even if he couldn’t do it during any other album activity period, he couldn’t do it now.
‘What kind of resolve did everyone have when we started again?’
And this time, he’d actually… not just barely kept up with Eugene, but genuinely contributed properly to completing a work.
He didn’t want to throw cold water on it through individual actions. He’d come to understand the idol group ecosystem to some degree by now.
‘This is the time to focus on group activities.’
Bae Sae-jin began writing again. He was refining his language to prepare how to answer during the call.
[I apologize for declining despite your kind offer]
That was when it happened.
“What are you doing, hyung?”
“…!!”
He felt his heart drop.
When he glanced over, Park Moon-dae was looking at him with an expression of seeing something strange, his face blank.
“…?!”
To an expression that clearly asked ‘what were you looking at to be so startled?’, Bae Sae-jin couldn’t help but reveal his embarrassment!
“No! Just a text!”
“It’s a memo app though.”
“….”
“Sorry, but I could see some words because of where it was positioned.”
Park Moon-dae sat down at an appropriate distance beside the sofa. Bae Sae-jin went completely rigid.
“Did that Director offer you a role?”
“L-lower your voice.”
“…?”
Park Moon-dae thought ‘there’s no need for that,’ but went along with it anyway.
Bae Sae-jin continued speaking in a serious, lowered voice.
“…Yeah. But I’m going to decline because of the activity period.”
“You don’t seem like you don’t want to do it though.”
Bae Sae-jin felt a sudden surge of emotion.
Of course!
But he also knew he couldn’t let his anger show. Park Moon-dae had done nothing wrong.
So he took a deep breath and answered more calmly.
“…I’m not saying what I want to do is unimportant—I’m saying the timing just doesn’t seem right right now!”
“Hmm….”
Park Moon-dae let saliva drip from his expressionless face, then nodded after a few seconds.
“Then let’s ask everyone if they think the same way.”
“…??”
Testa meeting reconvenes.

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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
—————