Debut or Die - Chapter 478

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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 478
I was genuinely flustered.
By this situation.
“What exactly caught your interest?”
“….”
“Which activities did you watch?”
“Just… overall.”
Wasn’t it Cha Yu-jin who ran away from the Dormitory?
I couldn’t figure out why this felt like I was being interrogated.
‘He said he didn’t want to talk about STier.’
Finding him after pulling an all-nighter, only to have my past exposed at a Baekban Restaurant on Ganghwa Island—that meant I never saw this coming….
‘But I can’t just not answer this either.’
Apparently Kim Rae-bin had managed to calm him down well enough that his tension finally eased, so I couldn’t mess this up.
So as I answered each question dutifully, they just kept coming.
“Why did you watch us?”
Damn it.
‘So this Cha Yu-jin also had that question-mark-wielding personality.’
I decided to think of it as familiar, at least. That was the only way to maintain my composure.
And in the meantime, STier’s Cha Yu-jin kept making his questions more specific.
“[What I mean is], there must have been a reason, a trigger, right?”
“….”
Hmm.
I looked at him.
STier’s Cha Yu-jin had become more direct, as if he’d lowered one of the barriers he’d put up over the past few days.
Which meant I couldn’t give some vague answer that would slide by smoothly. I realized this sharp-eyed guy would see right through it.
Right.
‘That’s how it is.’
Trying to package this with clever words would only backfire.
So… I just started saying what came to mind.
It was a story I’d never told anyone before.
“I saw a direct cam from the Stage, and you guys were good.”
“….”
“It was some festival in Pohang, I think.”
Actually, I remembered the name well enough. It was the Pohang Ocean Festival hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
[2X0712 Pohang Ocean Leisure Festival STier Full]
It was a coincidence.
“Back when I was in University, I used to film idol event videos to make some living expenses, and the habit stuck—so I was watching idol videos when I happened to stumble across you guys.”
And the instincts I’d developed as a data seller back then were still with me.
That sense of ‘how much would these guys be worth.’
So I casually looked up the rates back then, and I was genuinely shocked.
‘It was lower than my projected valuation.’
And demand was dropping at that very moment.
‘I could see people bailing out.’
An Idol Group that would obviously fizzle out unless some major catalyst for a reversal appeared.
Yet when I watched STier’s stage, that peculiar helplessness of someone who already knows it’s too late—it wasn’t particularly visible.
So I wondered if I’d misjudged the valuation.
“….”
…Because of that, I suppose a thought like this crossed my mind.
-What if I filmed a direct cam and uploaded it, and got lucky enough to hit the jackpot again?
Like Young-rin’s rainstorm direct cam back then.
But I also knew it was practically impossible in terms of probability, and I had neither the money nor the time to attempt it.
‘Besides, there’s no reason for me to do it in the first place.’
So that’s where it ended.
“…I just kept watching, and the YouTube algorithm showed me related videos. Stages, variety shows, things like that. That’s all.”
“….”
Really, that was all.
I closed my mouth, and Cha Yu-jin closed his too.
‘Suspicion… doesn’t seem to be it.’
…That was enough.
I held back a short sigh. That should clear things up.
“…? …??”
Kim Rae-bin beside me seemed to be struggling to follow the conversation, barely processing it, but I’d deal with that later.
Right now I’m busy enough protecting my own head.
‘It’s actually funny to even be talking about this now.’
To be precise, I’d forgotten until recently that I’d even looked up STier as a group.
I’d entered Park Moon-dae’s body with those memories erased.
My memories only went back to my twenties as a civil service exam candidate, knowing only the fragmentary information that Ajusa’s relisting season had been popular.
And it was only very recently that I recovered Ryu Gun-woo’s memories from when he’d given up the exam and was working a job.
‘I accidentally recovered them when I destroyed the System.’
So a question like this….
“So… are you a fan of ours?”
“….”
Why would this question even come up?
“I’ve never attended an offline schedule, so it’s hard to call myself a fan.”
“Really?”
But Cha Yu-jin let out a snort of laughter.
What?
[So you’re saying it’s just a coincidence that you, who originally didn’t participate, ended up on the Survival Show Program, and a B-grade boy band became a perfectly successful K-pop group?]
“….”
[You never had any desire to change this group’s fate. Right?]
Hey.
‘You bastard, threatened me that I’d die if I didn’t debut…!’
Fate? More like I’d freeze to death.
After that, it was die if I didn’t get first place, die if I didn’t win the award—I barely scraped by like that.
I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud, so I just silently swallowed my frustration.
But doubt crept in at some point.
‘Was it really just coincidence?’
What if the System had noticed my interest in STier, the group I debuted with at Ajusa, and granted my wish based on that?
‘…It’s possible.’
Anyway, let me clear up this misunderstanding calmly.
I answered sincerely.
“It’s really a misunderstanding. This is more like a butterfly effect.”
“Umm.”
“My memory got a bit scrambled too.”
After explaining my situation a bit more, I emphasized once again.
“Regardless, I only watched your stage performances and variety shows, that’s all.”
But it didn’t work.
[A boy band where half the members disappeared as rumors, leaving only three?]
“…So before you even knew about that, you should’ve watched the stage fancam first….”
This isn’t working. We keep coming back to the same argument….
‘Just endure it.’
I held back a sigh, closed my eyes, and opened them again.
Cha Yu-jin was now completely leaning against the table, nodding his head—having apparently regained his composure instead of his wariness.
And beside him, Kim Rae-bin was nodding as if he’d finally understood.
“Ah! So that’s why you recommended Ganghwa Island right away!”
“What?”
I’m going to lose my mind.
“This place is where we came to play during our trainee days, but according to Cha Yu-jin, it was also the filming location for his group’s first variety show. It seems you knew that fact, Park Moon-dae. Impressive!”
“….”
That bastard acted like he’d never mention STier, but when did he spill it to Kim Rae-bin?
Wait, his mouth is still open right now.
“Yeah. Umm, the second one was Ganghwa Island too.”
“I see!”
Hm?
I furrowed my brow.
This is… a bit strange.
‘STier’s second reality show was definitely planned for Ganghwa Island.’
But here’s the thing.
“That didn’t get canceled….”
“Oh.”
“….”
“….”
Damn it.
I realized it immediately.
‘This bastard got me.’
He’d deliberately tested whether I knew about the cancelled schedule.
Even one from the early days of my debut.
‘This son of a bitch!’
Cha Yu-jin chuckled and adjusted his posture. I rubbed my brow.
I was about to fact-check immediately, worried he might say something insane about memory issues or different timelines, but he’s using this to bait people?
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“OK.”
“A misunderstanding, I’m telling you.”
I’m someone who’s never bought a single one of your albums….
‘This kind of information just comes up naturally when you’re organizing the timeline.’
But Cha Yu-jin didn’t even pretend to listen.
[I think everything is now quite clear, don’t you?]
Cha Yu-jin extended his hand.
It was quite formal.
“Nice to meet you.”
“….”
“It’s been such a long time since I’ve met a fan.”
Damn it.
I reached out and shook his hand.
“…!”
Why is he surprised when he’s the one who extended his hand?
…And while it’s not quite right to call myself a fan, the truth is I’ve endured boredom without spending a single penny directly, living off the content he provides.
That might as well count as a debt.
“Yeah, nice to meet you too.”
“….”
STier’s Cha Yu-jin continued the handshake in silence for quite a long time.
Then he suddenly shrugged.
“Park Moon-dae must be disappointed. I’m better-looking than this Cha Yu-jin.”
That’s a statement that seems open to debate.
“Do you have any basis for such confidence?”
“I have a tattoo here!”
“What?!”
I left Cha Yu-jin pointing at his forearm and the astonished Kim Rae-bin to their own devices….
Anyway, it seems settled now.
‘…I’ve managed to smooth things over, haven’t I?’
If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve said I was a fan from the start—but then again, I’m not even a real fan, so claiming to be one might’ve only made him more guarded. Maybe this is for the best.
‘At least he seems less stressed this way… this has to be the right call.’
I pressed my aching brow and bent forward, thinking I’d pour some water.
That’s when it happened.
Liquid spilled across the table in a sudden rush.
It wasn’t water.
“P-Park Moon-dae?”
Damn it.
A nosebleed.
***
“Are you sure you’re alright? We really should go to the Emergency Room….”
“I’m fine.”
I muttered while pressing an ice pack against my nose, which had already stopped bleeding.
This was the first time I’d gotten a nosebleed from just losing a bit of sleep. It never happened back at Ajusa, so I really did need some energy drink.
‘Maybe my brain’s overloaded from having too much to do.’
Blood must’ve rushed to my head, and the pressure was trying to escape through my nose.
Either way, it meant my head felt clearer now.
“People are starting to show up.”
“Yes. We should be careful.”
We were sitting on a simple parasol chair in front of the Convenience Store.
Only a few people were visible far off near the Beach, and since we were both wearing hoodies pulled down and masks, no one had recognized us yet.
But we should probably take a taxi back soon since we didn’t know when someone might appear….
“Hey, drink this.”
This guy was the problem.
‘I’m not sure he’ll just follow along quietly.’
“Thanks.”
Anyway, I took the ion drink Cha Yu-jin offered and drank it. Then I paused for a moment.
“….”
Wasn’t this the drink STier advertised back when we debuted?
“Wow, you even know that, hyung?”
“What.”
I’d read it in the advertisement section organized on STier’s wiki.
I continued drinking the beverage.
Then a small voice came from beside me.
“I’m sorry.”
“….”
“Did I disappoint you?”
“No.”
I pulled the drink away from my lips.
“I should’ve been more considerate. I’m the one who should apologize.”
“….”
I added it as a joke.
“We came out after fighting with T1.”
“What?”
It was certainly shocking enough to warrant that reaction.
“So all schedules related to T1 got blocked. That’s why I was even more careful about our reputation. I was anxious about it.”
“….”
“If you felt controlled, I’m sorry. You’re right. We didn’t have the right to do that when we’d just met.”
Kim Rae-bin was right.
I sat beside him and glanced at the guy who was still wrapping up the remaining ice packs.
He sat there seriously worrying about my nosebleed, completely oblivious that he’d just achieved some incredible social milestone.
‘This guy.’
That’s when it happened.
“Hey.”
Cha Yu-jin wrinkled his nose and hunched his shoulders.
“I’m not trash.”
What are you suddenly saying?
“I’m grateful to the fans. You’re our fan, hyung, so I’m grateful.”
“You haven’t even bought an album.”
[…Some value might not be related to money.]
The guy, who spoke in a way unbecoming of someone from the heart of capitalism, rested his head on his own knees while keeping his chin propped up.
“Thank you.”
“….”
I finished my drink.
“I’m grateful too.”
We called a call taxi from there and returned to the Dormitory.
Cha Yu-jin didn’t talk back or run away. He simply chatted naturally with Kim Rae-bin and got in the taxi with us without incident.
And if everything had been resolved just like that, it would have been really nice.
“Yu, Eugene!”
“…Thank goodness.”
If only I hadn’t noticed Ryu Chung-woo looking decidedly unwell among the guys welcoming the situation like this.
‘What’s this.’
I felt a strong premonition of something going wrong.
“Hyung Chung-woo, is something wrong?”
“…Yeah.”
That meant there was. Damn it.
“The company called… but this is just speculation from the staff, so don’t worry too much and listen.”
“….”
“ĭter apparently came out as a special guest at an event called Summer Pool today.”
What?
I grasped the hidden meaning behind his words.
“…This wasn’t the original schedule, but suddenly?”
“Suddenly.”
That was right.
ĭter had apparently agreed to appear at a smaller event similar to a water festival today with nearly no compensation, completely out of the blue.
But why had our company rushed to contact them about it?
“It seems… information about Eugene leaked from someone at the company.”
“….”
In other words, the fact that Cha Yu-jin had bolted reached the ears of their contacts through someone at the company….
“If you hadn’t found Eugene, there could have been an article about it tonight.”
The other party had anticipated that this water festival event would become bad publicity for Testa.
And to create a comparison, they hastily inserted ĭter into a similar but smaller-scale event.
‘Damn.’
They were clever.
‘With this, even the smaller scale gets spun as a story of a rookie’s passion and drive.’
They were aiming for word-of-mouth by contrasting it with a veteran idol member who’d bolted due to greed and popularity, or an idol group that cancelled the water festival.
But that was all assuming Cha Yu-jin had acted recklessly like an idiot.
“…Yes. However, since Cha Yu-jin has safely returned, the effect that agency was aiming for won’t materialize.”
“Right. That’s why I told you not to worry too much. I figured if I didn’t mention it, you’d just get more anxious later.”
“….”
That was fair.
Ryu Chung-woo smiled faintly.
“Anyway, get some rest. I can handle contacting the company, so it’s fine. There’s still… about four hours before the event, so you should be able to sleep.”
“Mm.”
That wasn’t going to work.
“No, we need to run through the formation one more time. We have to check the parts too. Since the center is missing, I think we need to be more careful.”
The song had been created with Cha Yu-jin’s presence in mind, so performing it without him required more precise coordination.
But Ryu Chung-woo shook his head.
“Your complexion looks terrible right now. …Look, let’s just get some sleep first. We’ll run through it ourselves beforehand….”
“Do we have a group schedule tonight?”
“…!”
I almost slipped up.
Cha Yu-jin suddenly interjected into the conversation.
‘What?’
He’d asked if there was a schedule, but he didn’t seem particularly curious about it.
“…Yeah. An event.”
“Is it difficult without ‘Cha Yu-jin’?”
“…A little.”
“Umm.”
STier’s Cha Yu-jin stared blankly into space for a moment, lost in thought.
And I glanced over at Kim Rae-bin once more.
…Could it be?
“[The fact that you bled from your nose is half my fault.] I take responsibility for that. So….”
“…??”
“I have a schedule tonight.”
“…!!”
“Re, really?!”
“I don’t lie.”
“Cha Yu-jin!!”
The Living Room erupted with exclamations, shrieks, and bewilderment.
I nearly dropped my jaw myself.
‘…I never saw this coming.’
STier Cha Yu-jin had joined the emergency schedule.
And for the Water Bomb event, no less.
But moments later.
“Moon-dae, hold on a second.”
“Yeah.”
Big Sae-jin called me over carefully.
“I mean, it’s great that Eugene’s helping us out, but… you know we’ve got less than a few hours until our Water Bomb, right?”
Big Sae-jin spoke quickly and precisely.
“If he can’t perform at Eugene’s level, it might actually be better if he just sat this one out. We’ve already explained it away as a health issue anyway.”
“….”
“What do you think?”
It was a rational concern and a cold-blooded assessment.
If I didn’t have other information, I probably would’ve nodded in agreement. But….
I let out a soft laugh.
“I don’t think you need to worry.”
“…!”
“Let’s get straight to practice.”
There was no need for further explanation.
Just once.
Once the choreography cycle ran through, I knew his worries would vanish.
‘Actually, quite the opposite….’
Unless something else entirely took root in that moment.
“…Okay.”
And 30 minutes later.
“…!”
My prediction had come to pass, I can tell you that much.
And so the time for the Water Bomb event drew ever closer.

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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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