Debut or Die - Chapter 482

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

A Fatal Illness if I Don’t Debut – Episode 482
I had once formed such a hypothesis.
The deduction that Cha Yu-jin had reverted to his persona from when he was active in STier because of this System update.
I wasn’t certain of the exact mechanism, but the timing and surrounding circumstances lent credibility to the theory.
And the status window had indicated that the update would take 30 days.
Naturally, I had assumed that everyone would spend another 3 to 4 weeks with STier Cha Yu-jin.
But then.
[Update Complete!]
-Early Achievement
The moment this Popup appeared unexpectedly, I hadn’t anticipated it at all.
[‘■■■ (ver.2 Beta)’ Applying]
Zing—
Color returned to the hologram that had retained only basic lines and font.
The UI came back, the dazzling game system framework fell into place, and the more refined graphics formed a translucent window.
And then.
[Complete!]
“….”
I didn’t know why,
but it was over.
I understood that instinctively.
I turned my head to look at him watching the game screen on the Television, where carts were racing chaotically.
And I opened my mouth.
“…Cha Yu-jin.”
If the update had ended early, then the abnormal phenomena that had been occurring to Cha Yu-jin until now would also be over….
“Yes?”
“…?”
…It wasn’t over.
Cha Yu-jin showed no unusual reaction, resting his chin in his hand perfectly normally.
He was still STier Cha Yu-jin.
And when I called him but said nothing more, he shrugged and turned his face back to the Television.
“Feel free to tell me if you remember something.”
“….”
Wait, could my basic reasoning have been wrong from the start?
‘Was it something unrelated to the update?’
My head was becoming even more tangled.
Ding—!
“…!”
Another Popup appeared.
[‘Reactivate the Company 【System】’?]
“….”
Ah, I see.
I pressed my eyes with my palms.
I even had the choice of timing.

* * *
Let me think about this.
If I don’t restart the system here and cancel it entirely, there’s a possibility that Cha Yu-jin might not return at all.
But if I restart this damned system right now… setting aside the unease.
‘Will this Cha Yu-jin… disappear immediately.’
…Probably so.
Of course, the right thing to do is to send him back quickly and call the original Cha Yu-jin.
But now that I can actually choose, I find myself first wondering whether I should even tell him about this.
If I suddenly told him to his face, ‘It looks like we can restore things now, so go back right away,’ would everything wrap up cleanly without mental damage?
‘…His memories are of Cha Yu-jin in the state before STier disbanded.’
Just barely opened floodgates.
There’s no guarantee that he hasn’t been hoping to enjoy the Stage here one or two more times going forward.
‘Sigh.’
I held back a sigh and sat down on the bed.
This was the kind of problem that didn’t have a satisfying answer anyway.
‘For now… everyone’s condition isn’t great, so I’ll hold off.’
I’ll decide tomorrow.
“Sleep well, Moon-dae.”
“Yes. You too, hyung.”
But even after Ryu Chung-woo, who had fought a race against Bae Sae-jin and Park Bing until the very end, fell asleep in his own bed, I couldn’t fall asleep quickly.
About an hour passed like that.
“….”
Whether it was from taking cold medicine or not, my consciousness was a complete mess.
‘I knew this would happen.’
On top of that, this damned Popup’s luminescence was so intense I might as well wear a blindfold.
Eventually I grumbled and got up from bed.
“Sigh.”
And it was when I came to the Living Room thinking I’d drink some water.
“You’re not sleeping?”
“…!”
I ran into Cha Yu-jin, still sprawled out on the Living Room couch.
“I slept too much during the day.”
“That’s not sleeping—that’s being sick.”
He sure knows how to talk.
For someone who had volunteered to care for me all day, he looked far too energetic despite it being past midnight.
I let out a small laugh and got water from the Kitchen.
But why isn’t that guy going in… Oh, is Bae Sae-jin uncomfortable?
“Want to switch rooms?”
“No thanks.”
The one who answered firmly stretched and muttered under his breath.
[I just… when I talk with friends, you know? I wanted to stay more awake.]
Fair enough.
“Did you talk with Kim Rae-bin?”
“Yeaap.”
And he said something about not spilling the car and this and that, which seemed to be American slang.
I guessed it probably meant we weren’t being talked about behind our backs.
“I’m not familiar with that kind of slang.”
“Sorry, but it seems like you understood it, hyung?”
“Context and intuition.”
“Got it.”
Cha Yu-jin answered casually and laughed with a hehe, then lay back down on the sofa.
It was the most relaxed he’d looked since arriving here.
“….”
I sipped my water and deliberated briefly.
Whether this was the right timing.
That’s when it happened.
[Hey, should I take a guess?]
Cha Yu-jin sprang up from the sofa with momentum, his upper body snapping upright.
[Did you find a way to send me back right away?]
“…!”
[Yeap, I figured it out.]
Cha Yu-jin smirked and set down the cola he’d been drinking.
[Now that we’ve established some kind of relationship and everything seems to be going well, why would you suddenly be troubled looking at me?]
“….”
[The situation’s flipped, hasn’t it? That’s right?]
There was no way around it.
“Yeah.”
I sat down across from the sofa. I figured it was better to explain clearly rather than complicate things unnecessarily.
‘Should I subtly leave the door open that I’m fine with him staying the full thirty days if he wants?’
I’d gotten that far in my thinking.
But before I could even open my mouth, Cha Yu-jin smirked first.
“Why are you hesitating, hyung?”
“…!”
[Don’t get confused. I’m not your team member.]
Cha Yu-jin spoke firmly.
[But I am your K-pop idol. Aren’t I?]
And though he said it jokingly, I caught the nuance beneath his words.
‘Don’t waste your sympathy on me.’
The thought that he wanted to use Testa’s reputation like some kind of proxy rank, giving STier Cha Yu-jin more stages where he could receive cheers.
Or rather, a warning not to even dare think that he couldn’t let go of it because he’d regret it himself.
He wouldn’t want to be treated that way by a fan. That was part of it too, but….
Well, honestly, that would have been pretty tasteless of me anyway.
“Yeah.”
So I answered with just that.
But I needed to add this.
“That said, it really was good seeing your stage after so long.”
“….”
STier Cha Yu-jin fell silent for a moment.
Past midnight. Silence settled in the living room with only the indirect lighting on.
“Maybe…, well, we might meet again someday.”
Cha Yu-jin shrugged his shoulders.
I didn’t bother asking how that would be possible.
“I’ll show you an even better stage then.”
“…Yeah.”
I simply agreed.
“Great.”
Cha Yu-jin smiled and crossed his arms.
It was an implicit signal.
“Farewells, then.”
“Already done.”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“I said goodbye to my friend just now, and I apologized to everyone else, so I’m satisfied. And….”
And?
“I’ll do it now for you, hyung.”
He extended his hand toward me.
It wasn’t a handshake position.
The kind of pose for clapping palms together—a high-five or interlocking hands.
A fan sign event gesture.
“Thank you. My fan.”
“….”
I extended my hand as well.
Not a diagonal handshake, but hands meeting face-to-face.
“Thanks for showing me such a great stage.”
“You’re welcome.”
A brief high-five.
[Reactivate ‘Company System’?]
“….”
‘That’s right.’
Flash.
Light burst from the Popup.
Then came the sound of something updating, new effects and notifications constructing themselves rapidly and loudly, appearing as if desperate to catch my attention, glittering brilliantly.
But I wasn’t foolish enough to turn my gaze toward it.
Instead, I saw him off.
“Bye.”
Cha Yu-jin didn’t complain of pain, but his eyes blinked slightly as if he felt a little dizzy….
Then he leaned against the sofa and slowly fell asleep.
Until, eventually, I could hear his steady breathing.
“….”
I quietly entered his room and retrieved a blanket without waking the sleeping Bae Sae-jin.
Then I draped it over the one sleeping on the sofa, and after gathering my own bedding from my room, I spread it on the Living Room floor.
“….”
Sleep came very slowly.

* * *
The next morning.
“Hey.”
“….”
I opened my eyes.
And I immediately recognized who the voice belonged to.
‘Cha Yu-jin.’
…I turned toward the direction of the voice.
And right above my head, Cha Yu-jin stood holding a large pot in both hands….
Wait.
‘…A pot?’
“…?!”
What is this absurd situation?
At that moment, Cha Yu-jin, who had been staring at me with wide, bright eyes, suddenly sprang up and shouted.
“Park Moon-dae hyung is awake!”
“P-Park Moon-dae!”
“You’re up?”
Then I heard voices calling out frantically. What was this?
The members came rushing in like they’d found a lifeline, speaking incoherently.
“Cha Yu-jin has returned!”
That’s right.
“B-But… he cooked!”
He… did?
“What are you talking about…?”
“I made this this morning.”
Cha Yu-jin boldly lifted the lid off the pot he’d been holding and thrust it directly toward my face.
‘Wait, hold on.’
Regardless, this smell and appearance….
‘…spicy braised chicken.’
That’s exactly what it was.
A pretty fiery menu choice for guys who’d come down with body aches yesterday to eat for breakfast….
Wait, hold on.
More importantly, my memories came back, and instead of a joyful greeting or whatever, he made spicy braised chicken and shoved it in the face of the guy who was sleeping?
‘This is confusing.’
But Cha Yu-jin remained consistent.
Really, completely consistent….
In fact, his head bombarded me with new information without pause.
“This is my apology and expression of gratitude! There have been many things up until now.”
What?
Wait, what does that mean…?
“You have memories?!”
“Some of them. Bad Cha Yu-jin enjoyed the Water Bomb. I want to do it once more.”
“…?!”
“Members eat! Breakfast!”
Bae Sae-jin fell into confusion, but Cha Yu-jin cheerfully called everyone to the Dining Table.
And the Dining Table descended into further chaos.
“Eugene, are you okay? Your memories?”
“I’m healthy. I have memories.”
For now, Cha Yu-jin’s condition was confirmed to be completely normal.
Upon waking in the early morning, he naturally possessed memories of the past few days, and after some thought, he’d decided he should make breakfast.
“Bad Cha Yu-jin is also me, so I have to take responsibility. One meal isn’t enough. That’s why I made this too.”
“Eugene….”
However, the designation for STier Cha Yu-jin had completely solidified as ‘Bad’ within him.
And I thought a joyful reunion would continue from here.
“Cha, Cha Yu-jin!”
“Kim Rae-bin is a traitor.”
“…?!”
“You told my secret!”
“I didn’t!”
“You told the bad Cha Yu-jin!”
“You just said you’re the same person! That doesn’t count!”
Well. This is a mess.
But I heard a slightly emotional murmur from beside me.
“It’s been a while….”
“….”
I decided to leave Bae Sae-jin, who had finally reunited with his cherished roommate, and focus on eating instead.
And the moment I took a bite of the spicy braised chicken.
‘Hmm?’
“….”
“Why, why are you like that, Moon-dae…?”
“It’s nothing.”
Cha Yu-jin suddenly interjected.
“Hyung, doesn’t my cooking taste good?”
“No, it’s delicious.”
“Hehe.”
Right. It does taste good.
But here’s the thing.
‘This isn’t just spicy braised chicken.’
It’s chicken soup.
The flavor was nearly identical to when Cha Yu-jin’s chicken soup failed at W Live, and I had salvaged it by turning it into spicy braised chicken.
Moreover.
‘Cha Yu-jin probably never made spicy braised chicken before.’
And the one who made excellent chicken soup was… STier Cha Yu-jin.
“….”
I stared at Cha Yu-jin, who was still bickering with Kim Rae-bin.
‘Could it be.’
Does he retain all his memories from his STier days?

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————