Debut or Die - Chapter 492

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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 492
Testa’s Death Game Survival.
【LAMB】
The long-awaited broadcast.
[The individuals, products, and organizations depicted in this program are fictional and bear no relation to reality.]
With this profoundly meaningful disclaimer setting the tone, the program began.
And then.
[Bae Sae-jin: Where exactly… is this our dormitory?]
The members opened their eyes one by one in a game venue identical to Testa’s former dormitory.
Naturally, despite the set being somewhat desolate, the fact that it faithfully recreated a first-tier idol group’s dormitory was itself a major selling point.
-Oh
-Is this seriously the Testa Dormitory?
-That’s amazing
-They’re revealing their house for a horror variety show lol
Since Testa had already moved elsewhere, there was no concern about privacy invasion, so the fans’ excitement surged without restraint.
And this setting was also an excellent device for the members to immerse themselves in their own positions.
[Kim Rae-bin: …The lights won’t turn on.]
-Already getting scared
-Waking up suddenly in your old dormitory would genuinely be shocking
-The kids seem genuinely unsettled?
This was the plan of Ryu Seo-rin, the lead writer.
‘A program like this should start by making people understand exactly how the participants feel.’
Since Ryu Seo-rin, who placed such importance on narrative and character perspective, was the lead writer, the editing reflected this philosophy.
First, they openly revealed the circumstances of three people.
‘It’s a signal to immerse yourselves here.’
The first was Bae Sae-jin, who drew the lawyer.
[Bae Sae-jin: ‘Your occupation is a lawyer.’]
[Bae Sae-jin: And the occupation mission… ‘Make three or more people believe in my occupation and abilities.’]
Here, Bae Sae-jin appeared in the role of the protagonist.
Since the lawyer character knows what all the occupations are, viewers possessed the same amount of information as Bae Sae-jin.
[Bae Sae-jin: I’m a lawyer… and I know what occupations exist.]
[Sun Ah-hyun: !!]
Viewers trusted or suspected the other members from Bae Sae-jin’s perspective as he pursued his mission.
-Wait, why did Kim Rae-bin say he’s a reporter? There’s no reporter in the occupation list
-That’s unsettling;
-How many people has he told so far? Park Moon-dae, then Ah-hyun, and now Chung-woo?
└Ah-hyun seems a bit suspicious…
Thus, the viewers’ suspicions were naturally guided in a particular direction.
And between Bae Sae-jin’s perspective, just as things grew dull, the second character’s viewpoint emerged.
It was Cha Yu-jin, the doctor.
[Bae Sae-jin: Hey, guys!]
Shortly after the two dormitory teams encountered each other dramatically at the entrance, how the four members of that dormitory proceeded was narrated through Cha Yu-jin.
-Since it’s the entrance, it’s not an escape but leaving the same dormitory, which is terrifying…and they’re writing that, wait, did this dormitory get bombed? Why are they like that lolol
-They completely overhauled the dormitory
-Could Eugene being a doctor mean he crushes enemies so there are no patients?
└lolololol Quarterback Eugene’s miraculous door-breaking technique!
-Seriously, no matter how you form teams, how do they split like this? If you lock up Park Moon-dae and pair these four together, it’s completely unbalanced. Is the exploration power real? lololol
And Cha Yu-jin had one more role to play.
-Curious about Eugene’s reaction when he met the fake doctor lolol
That’s right.
The last member whose profession the production team revealed to viewers from the very beginning.
[Park Moon-dae (Mortician) ← Impersonating a doctor]
…Park Moon-dae, caught as a mortician yet going around committing fraud as a doctor.
By openly revealing the real doctor, Cha Yu-jin, they also clearly illuminated the relationship between the fake and the genuine.
Of course, it received thoroughly humorous editing.
-lololololol
-The trolling is insane
Park Moon-dae made doctor jokes to all sorts of people, while the real doctor, Cha Yu-jin, happened to conveniently not mention it and slip past—drawing roaring laughter from the audience.
It seemed to play the role of suddenly ventilating the heavy, persistent atmosphere.
[Park Moon-dae: I’m a doctor.]
[Ryu Chung-woo: Ah, I see.]
[Cha Yu-jin ← Didn’t hear it!]
The caption “← Didn’t hear it!” floating alongside Cha Yu-jin as he quickly passed by the two having their conversation was a punchline of comedy in this tension-filled genre variety show.
-lololololololol
-When will Cha Yu-jin get caught lolol
-Ah, he’s avoiding it lolol
‘Moon-dae is so cute!’
Even the graduate student, who hadn’t watched the simultaneously released first and second episodes and was barely keeping up through YouTube, was seeing it that way.
Of course, the reason she missed the broadcast was because she was diligently rotting away in the lab room to become a thorough doctor rather than a thorough master’s graduate….
‘Phew, next year I have to pass my thesis defense and definitely get a job!’
With that money, her goal was to follow Testa’s world tour and travel around the globe.
But for now, on this sweet weekend, just watching Testa’s content made her feel good.
She rolled around on the bed once.
‘This genre…? I’ve never seen a variety show like this before.’
At least the production team marked occupations and exchanges clearly with graphics, making it somewhat easier to understand.
…Though the bright red sheep skulls appearing on screen were a bit scary.
[※When ‘card exchange’ occurs via the entrance door device※]
[※Each person’s occupation remains the same; only the sacrifice marker transfers to the other person※]
‘Ah, so the person chosen by viewers doesn’t get eliminated right away, but through a card exchange? They can pass it to each other through that.’
She roughly understood and nodded. In the end, as they exchanged, the sacrifice kept changing, and the person left holding it at the end would die.
Of course, that was what I was curious about.
‘So which profession did the viewers actually pick?’
Remarkably, the moment I asked that question, a cut was inserted.
[Hold on a moment]
“…??”
[Special advance reveal exclusively for our viewers!]
[The profession of the sacrifice you pre-voted for is….]
“Huh, huh, huh?”
Massive text suddenly appeared on the screen.
[Detective – 20,347 votes]
“Gasp!”
The Graduate Student was momentarily flustered.
‘Is it okay to reveal this?’
Wait, more importantly—who on earth is the detective?
“Well, Park Moon-dae is a mortician, Eugene is a doctor, and Bae Sae-jin is a lawyer, so if we exclude them….”
It had to be one of the other four members!
[Detective candidates: Ryu Chung-woo, Sun Ah-hyun, Lee Sae-jin, Kim Rae-bin]
[So who is the detective?]
I was nodding at the Production Team for creating a perfect four-way split screen like that.
“…?”
The screen switched again.
[※Answer Reveal※]
Wait, what?
[Ryu Chung-woo: I see. So Ah-hyun is the detective.]
[Ryu Chung-woo: And the viewers picked the detective.]
“…??”
It was right at the midpoint check.
The scene showed Ryu Chung-woo reading from his tablet.
[Detective: Sun Ah-hyun / ※Top vote※]
And then Ryu Chung-woo’s profile document came in through cross-editing.
“…!”
[Scholar]
[The Scholar can learn information about the first profession chosen as a sacrifice and the participant who holds that profession.]
[However, the Scholar cannot speak about their own profession and abilities.]
That’s right.
Scholar Ryu Chung-woo.
Through his job ability, he already knew during the midpoint check that Sun Ah-hyun was the detective and that he had been chosen as the sacrifice.
[Ryu Chung-woo: So Park Moon-dae, who exchanged cards with Ah-hyun, is the sacrifice now.]
And he even knew that the sacrifice mark had been transferred to Park Moon-dae!
Ryu Chung-woo knew everything.
People erupted with excitement at that thrilling development!
-This is insane.
-Chung-woo knows everything but can’t say it lmaooo
-If this happens, Chung-woo has to carry the trial no matter what, but the real question is whether the others will believe him
└Right, he can’t explain how he found out lol
-So I just have to insist it’s deduction, I figured it out, I’m definitely right?
└lololololololol
The viewers munched popcorn eagerly, anticipating Chung-woo’s struggles and hard carry.
And after the midpoint check ended.
[Park Moon-dae: Eugene, did you find another gold card?]
[Cha Yu-jin: Yeap!]
[Park Moon-dae: Hmm… there’s not much time left until the end. Does it disappear if you don’t use it?]
[Cha Yu-jin: Uuu…]
Park Moon-dae’s appearance created another oddly comedic atmosphere.
He had treated his speculation—”the gold card will probably disappear if you don’t use it now”—as established fact, gently persuading Cha Yu-jin until he proposed a card exchange.
[Cha Yu-jin: Then should we trade, hyung?]
[Park Moon-dae: Hmm… are you sure you’re not it?]
[Cha Yu-jin: Yes!]
[Park Moon-dae: …Alright. Then I’m trusting you.]
[lololololololol]
The fake doctor had fooled the real doctor!
Hot potato successfully passed!
-lololol
-Good luck, Cha Yu-jin!
-The undertaker is literally scamming the real doctor
-Ah, Park Moon-dae, you cunning bastard, you even spent Cha Yu-jin’s money on the card exchange lmaooo
However.
[Exchange Complete]
[Current Job Holding the Sacrifice Marker]
[※Scholar※]
-???
-What is this
-Why is Chung-woo the sacrifice;;;;
With the Scholar—Chung-woo—revealed as the sacrifice, the viewer chat descended into chaos once again.
-What the hell
-Wait, who did Chung-woo trade with at the end?
└Bae Sae-jin
└…? Bae Sae-jin is a lawyer, what’s going on
└Yeah, he should’ve only traded with Chung-woo;;;;
And amid that total confusion, the members began earnest deduction, suspecting each other as they hunted for the “black sheep”—the person who had passed the sacrifice marker last.
The viewers were also in the midst of their own deductions.
-So is Bae Sae-jin the black sheep? Chung-woo exchanged with him at the end anyway
└No confirmation, could be that we just didn’t see a few exchanges. We’ve seen a twist or two in Testa variety shows
-But Park Moon-dae passed it to Cha Yu-jin in the first place, so why does Ryu Chung-woo suddenly have it now
That’s when it happened.
[Bae Sae-jin : Wait! I have something to say first.]
Among the members gathered around the altar, about to begin their deductions, Bae Sae-jin revealed his occupation and eagerly began laying out his reasoning.
-Right, let’s all reveal everything now
-He’s doing the mission well lol
-Sae-jin’s lawyer job helps with the deduction oo good boy good boy
The viewers, having seen this countless times before, relaxed the tension that had been gripping them and settled their minds.
That’s when Lee Sae-jin interjected.
[Lee Sae-jin : That’s strange. I’m a lawyer?]
-Huh??
-I have no idea anymore, you Testa guys
-So it’s not just Park Moon-dae being fooled, Lee Sae-jin is too
-Sae-jin lolololol
Just as everyone believed Lee Sae-jin was trolling, everything flipped.
Bae Sae-jin’s serious face suddenly zoomed in.
And an interview segment was inserted.
[Bae Sae-jin : When Lee Sae-jin said she was a lawyer.]
[Bae Sae-jin : That’s when I realized.]
-?
-Realized what
-Sae-jin?
[Bae Sae-jin : I might have been mistaken about my own occupation.]
-??
[Bae Sae-jin : I did know a bit about what characteristics each occupation has. But….]
A flashback showed Bae Sae-jin carefully reading his own profile document.
And the document zoomed in.
In the occupation information section, a spotlight edit highlighted one role.
-Jester : Mimics the occupations of others
[Bae Sae-jin : That’s me.]
“…!”
[Bae Sae-jin : As I listened to Lee Sae-jin’s story and thought about it, my ability seemed a bit much to be a lawyer….]
[Bae Sae-jin : I think… I’m currently mistaken about being a lawyer.]
[Bae Sae-jin : So if I was mistaken, then I’m automatically mimicking a lawyer.]
On set, the cut of Bae Sae-jin bristling at Lee Sae-jin and refuting her while insisting he was a lawyer naturally passed by.
But then a voiceover overlaid it.
[Bae Sae-jin : There’s no evidence, but yes. I think I might be the jester.]
-I’m losing it
-Ahhhhh
Everyone gasped in shock.
-This is the acting skills of a genius child actor haha.
-Absolutely killed it
-Wait, is he serious?? Bae Sae-jin’s lost it
Meanwhile, on screen, Bae Sae-jin was possessed by the spirit of innocence, insisting he was the real lawyer.
-So Lee Sae-jin is the actual lawyer?
Lol, but Bae Sae-jin is acting like that even though he believes it.
└He’s gone mad
Even though I know everything about him, Bae Sae-jin really looks so unfairly treated lolol
The mark of a true actor.
The broadcast gained fresh momentum from that shock and surged forward.
That psychology of ‘Who knows who’ll blindside us next!’
And after all the deductions and theories, the moment the culprit’s trick was finally revealed hit viewers the hardest.
Because it was Park Moon-dae.
[Yes. I lost. Kim Rae-bin was impressive.]
The undertaker who seemed to be doing comedic trolling the entire time!
-I’m going insane…
-So that’s why he was funny
-He made us let our guard down and pulled off something this heinous
Exhausted viewers could no longer even laugh.
-The exchange Park Moon-dae made with Eugene at the end must’ve been fake too, to confuse the deduction with the sacrifice moving back and forth
That’s hilarious, seriously.
-Wait, so did Ryu Chung-woo deliberately exchange with Bae Sae-jin first to confuse things, then get hit with the sacrifice bomb by Park Moon-dae?
“No, why would he willingly become a sacrifice lol. Isn’t this side just being deceived?”
└But if he was deceived, how would he personally grab both cards with that trick? He must’ve cooperated…
And the obsessed fans began pouring out long speculations like madmen.
That’s when it happened.
A narration was laid over the scene.
[Park Moon-dae: It seems to have gone well.]
-??
-He got caught, what is he talking about
Park Moon-dae’s interview was inserted, then suddenly the scene froze.
And with a film rewind effect, the screen suddenly changed.
[◀◀◀]
[Start of filming, Park Moon-dae’s room]
In the rewound scene, Park Moon-dae was shown reading his profile.
Park Moon-dae tilted his head.
[Park Moon-dae: The culprit?]
And then, the undertaker’s backstory from the profile—hidden from viewers—was zoomed in on.
[The undertaker is the ‘culprit’ in this incident.]
-The culprit?
-Isn’t the culprit that black sheep? The person who passed the sacrifice bomb at the end?
└But that gets decided while playing the game, so why are they saying the undertaker is the culprit from the start?
The cut changed again amid the viewers’ confusion.
This time, it was during the midpoint check.
[Your card is ‘Sacrifice Mark’.]
[Current Lamb: Park Moon-dae]
Once Park Moon-dae realized he’d received the sacrifice bomb from Sun Ah-hyun, the tablet showed him another explanation.
For smoother gameplay, a warning message displayed only to the role currently holding the sacrifice bomb during the midpoint check.
[Points of Caution]
[Whoever makes an innocent person into a sacrifice becomes the ‘black sheep’.]
[The black sheep can face consequences.]
An interview cut in.
[Park Moon-dae: That’s when I realized it.]
[Park Moon-dae: While passing the sacrifice bomb around, in the end… it’s not the person who receives it that might be doomed, but the person who gives it.]
Park Moon-dae: And one more thing.]
Park Moon-dae’s narration from the interview overlaid the footage of him handing over the tablet.
The Park Moon-dae on screen let out a small laugh.
[Park Moon-dae: Ah, so the culprit and the black sheep are actually separate people.]
That’s right.
So the culprit the Security Official needed to shoot and the black sheep were originally two different people…!
[Park Moon-dae: But if these two are the same person… then you just need that one person to die, right?]
[Park Moon-dae: The deduction becomes easy too.]
-Insane
And so Park Moon-dae’s strategy began.
[Park Moon-dae: I need to become the black sheep.]
It was utterly ruthless utilitarianism.
The Graduate Student covered her mouth.

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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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