Debut or Die - Chapter 500

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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 500
Spacer’s comeback, spearheaded by Park Moon-dae.
At first, it seemed like nothing more than a calculated move to exploit a gap in the market left by male idols operating at the highest tier.
Right when Chung-ryeo’s comeback activities were wrapping up, and Testa’s comeback was still in the planning stages.
That’s why, a few months back, when articles about “Spacer’s Comeback Announcement” surfaced, there was barely any reaction.
Of course there wasn’t.
[Spacer to make waves this fall… “Intense comeback in preparation”]
-Finallyㅠㅠ
-Looking forward to it, fighting~
-Who are these guys? lol
-Intense lol
Excluding random hate comments, the overwhelming majority of responses came from existing Spacer fans. Since there was no official announcement yet, the general public’s expectations were virtually nonexistent.
That was the end of it back then.
And as time passed, when Spacer’s comeback became something only fans remembered.
One group launched a massive comeback promotion campaign.
[ĭter, October Comeback Announcement! The Monstrous Rookie’s Advance]
It was ĭter.
Having made a brilliant impression with their debut activities, they were pushing forward with another release before year’s end to maintain momentum.
That was only natural.
‘Cementing their rookie status.’
It also meant they were confident in the song and concept. Park Moon-dae suspected they’d probably prepared it alongside their debut track long ago.
‘There’s time until year-end for results to register, so I figured they’d come out in the fall.’
The fact that ĭter’s appearance at Summer Pool was completely overshadowed by Testa’s Water Bomb was, in a way, fortunate.
Without being brutally compared, ĭter’s fans tactfully barely mentioned it and quietly moved on.
So, maintaining the status of a major rookie, ĭter’s agency Wonderhole marked their comeback date and even announced pre-order reservations to the media.
The third week of October!
‘Good.’
Park Moon-dae checked it off with satisfaction.
And shortly after.
As if waiting for the moment, articles suddenly came pouring out.
[Orbit Stars Entertainment, “Spacer’s Comeback in Early October”]
[October K-pop Industry, Male Idol Battle Incoming… “From Spacer to ĭter”]
[‘World Tour K-pop’ Spacer Comeback, Will October Male Idol Matchup Materialize?]
Spacer’s specific comeback schedule had been announced.
And the fact that ĭter was making a comeback around the same time was subtly being emphasized.
Only a 2-week gap between them!
And Spacer was coming first.
In other words, the image strategy of striking while ĭter was at their peak and riding the downward slope wouldn’t work.
Rather, it was the perfect setup for ĭter to easily crush Spacer.
-A second-tier showdown?
-ĭter’s about to properly make their mark, this is gonna be fun popcorn material
-ㅋㅋㅋ What kind of guts does Orbit have? Is it because it’s small and medium-sized?
I’ve lost my touch at raising Testa lol
Of course, most netizens interested in idols were far more interested in ĭter.
Spacer was already past their rookie phase.
Moreover, Testa’s existence as a perfect superior alternative in both background and ability had negatively impacted Spacer’s buzz and image from the moment they debuted.
It was unavoidable.
-ĭter, wondering what god-tier concept they’ll bring next, I’ve been waiting for a rookie like this in K-pop
-Oh Eter, if we pick a good song this time, we think we’ll be confirmed for the 1st team haha.
– Haha, it would be really funny if Spacer tried to take a concept-filled route in a hurry and was pushed out by Eter, but it’s already a post-test.
Only low-grade attention-grabbing maintained their buzz.
Besides, idol fan communities and SNS were already buzzing about different topics.
Specifically, the collaboration stage between Chung-ryeo and Park Moon-dae!
The fans’ reaction to this unexpected collaboration between two top-tier male idols!
For reference, it went something like this.
-That’s awful
-Muggle X bastards comparing like crazy, it’s all because of that insane Kim Tae-in who invested the money earned from VTIC into some random company and failed, I’m dying
Don’t mess with me, damn it.
“….”
It was heavily trending….
Still, the public reaction itself was positive.
Both Chung-ryeo and Park Moon-dae were praised, and people found the unexpected friendship entertaining, so the already well-executed stage drew significant interest and was a major success.
Especially the fact that two people from different groups harmoniously performed two completely different concept songs made it even more impressive and engaging from a meta perspective.
It even ranked high in international YouTube trending videos.
-The moment I got a wish I didn’t even know I wanted
-Maaaah they’re so cool! (heart eyes emoji)
-God, when exactly did this stage happen? Right, I don’t need to know why. I just want to see more stages like this! (fire emoji)
-VTIC Stars. That’s my dream group ☺
However, the more this happened, the more both sides’ hardcore fans felt their morale plummet….
They’d been rivals for years due to all sorts of incidents. My group member laughing and joking around with a rival group we’ve been at odds with for so long!
-Please just stop here, if you plan some joint trip thing I’m seriously going to kill someone
-I didn’t see Orbit that way, but I guess X company is X company after all, why did they have to get investment from Retti?
Of course, they couldn’t openly say such things on the surface. After all, the fact that the stage reaction was good was undeniable.
So the trend was to circulate only cropped GIF and video versions of each member’s individual stage on SNS, and try to rationalize and smoothly move past the situation however possible.
In short, a time of stimulation and turbulence!
In that context, ĭter and Spacer’s comeback?
It was somewhat annoying for Testa’s fanbase, but not a big deal for the general public.
-If you’re worried about getting upset by the copycat thing, go watch Water Bomb and recover
-They’re gonna trash-talk again with their media play, it’s frustrating
I only look at the exam and leave.
Thanks to the massive success of this album, Roll the Dice, and the explosive popularity that erupted at Water Bomb, the fans weren’t particularly anxious.
So I’d assumed Spacer and ĭter would simply make their comebacks in this unremarkable, bland atmosphere.
That is, until Spacer’s teaser dropped.
[Spacer ‘Hello’ Teaser]
The teaser itself didn’t cause any massive uproar.
It was just a brief montage of Spacer members going about their daily lives pleasantly over a good song.
-You’re handsomeㅠㅠ
-Their voice… OMG
-THIS SONG WILL BE AMAZING
The track was addictive even on a single listen.
Thanks to Spacer’s composer creating the top notes, Kim Rae-bin participating in the arrangement, and Park Moon-dae verifying it with his signature talent—his “ear that catches everything”—the song came together seamlessly and polished.
An ambitious project!
But the general public didn’t bother clicking into a male idol group’s teaser just to hear the song, and as always, the typical scene of domestic and international fans leaving comments unfolded.
However, Spacer’s title track this time wasn’t something you could only hear in the teaser first.
A few days later.
-Is this our boys’ song?;; (link)
A link appeared on fans’ social media.
‘What’s this?’
Those who clicked the link without thinking were soon shocked.
“…!”
The familiar melody from the teaser and the recognizable voices of Spacer members played.
But it wasn’t a video uploaded by their agency, Orbit Stars Entertainment.
[My personal hydration fix, deliciously refreshing sports drink!]
[HoneyShake Water]
Multiple people took turns appearing, refreshingly drinking a specific beverage after a grueling day.
Edited down to 15 seconds, it was a YouTube advertisement for a new beverage.
Spacer’s title track was being used as the background music.
-??
-What is this?
It was a commercial song.
Spacer had provided a version of their title track with slightly modified lyrics to be used in a commercial for a certain company’s product that was marketing aggressively.
For free!
Naturally, it was a confidential agreement.
The advertisement was scheduled around the same time as Spacer’s comeback, and in tracking down this aggressively marketing company, I nearly ended up using the System again.
‘Damn information gathering.’
In any case, the efforts of the staff members with compensation on the line paid off, and the contract was ultimately signed successfully.
Though it was essentially a one-sided donation from Orbit Stars Entertainment’s side!
Still, if there had been no expectations for the song, it might not have been signed, but the name value of Kim Rae-bin listed as the arranger was tremendous.
‘Since he’s the composer of a song that already succeeded as an OST.’
When the other company heard that the composer of ‘Black Hole’—which resonated throughout this Water Bomb performance—was participating as the main arranger, they finally stamped their approval.
And so, right now.
[Hi, Hi, Hello
If you can hear this voice
Then answer me now]
Spacer’s song was being exposed to smartphone users across the entire nation.
Park Moon-dae deliberately logged out of his YouTube account just to verify the frequency of the advertisement’s exposure.
‘Quite impressive.’
The fact that it would be broadcast like this for nearly a week was extremely satisfying.
‘After all, our company isn’t in a position to aggressively increase TV exposure right now.’
This agency had been in conflict with T1, resulting in significantly fewer broadcast appearances.
Testa, last year’s award-winning idol, and Mirinai, a female idol with strong public appeal, were one thing, but Spacer had very few programs they could appear on immediately.
‘Then, we expose ourselves to the public through a different avenue.’
And so, the company’s beverage advertisement was broadcast on YouTube in all sorts of versions.
In other words, the most popular and catchy, most memorable chorus part from Spacer’s title track this time had begun circulating in users’ minds.
-What song is this?
└Found it, this is it (link)
└Thanks
It was a strategy that first-tier groups couldn’t use.
Handing over your title track as advertisement music simultaneously with its release could potentially become an issue tied to the album’s image or brand value.
But the effect was undeniable.
If the song was good, there was no promotion more certain than increasing exposure.
Moreover, it was exposure without prejudice.
‘Even people who automatically skip male idol songs will listen differently once they associate it with a CM song.’
The Spacer members agreed to attempt it unconditionally the moment they heard the plan.
Particularly, this album was said to be the one the members had participated in the most so far.
Therefore, to put it simply, the Spacer members were in this state.
-Spacer Kwon Hee-seung: I really wish at least one more person would listen to itㅠㅠ
So there was nothing to hold back.
Mass appeal.
Everything was set up to match that unconditionally!
And there was one decisive element here.
-Easy to watch lol
-Nice song, thanks for sharing
Spacer stripped the music video down to its essentials.
No excessive concept, no fictional worldbuilding—just clean storytelling.
A sporty choreography scene shot at an outdoor basketball court on a beautiful day, and a music video cleanly edited without the story of boys uploading the video to their SNS carried no burden.
It maximized only visual appeal and good vibes.
By minimizing the barrier to entry, few people bounced away from the music video.
And so Spacer’s song this time began to spread by word of mouth.
[My pick for this year’s best commercial (subjective, I could be wrong, if you disagree then you’re right)]
[Did you know that’s a Spacer song?]
[Honey Shock? What do you search to find that commercial jingle?]

* * *
And five days later.
Spacer’s song quietly climbed the music charts, breaking into the top 40.
The highest ranking since their debut album, excluding 【Ajusa】!
-Spacer Kwon Hee-seung: Ahhhhhhhhh
-Spacer Kwon Hee-seung: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠShould we go up further? No, I’m satisfied even if I can’t climb higher, but should I still be greedy? What do you think?
-Calm down
Park Moon-dae chuckled at the bizarre text message Kwon Hee-seung had sent, but in truth, he was already contemplating the limitations of this strategy.
‘It’ll be hard for the song to climb any higher at this rate.’
There’s one more drawback to creating it as a commercial jingle.
Listener fatigue accumulates.
The more people are forced to watch the advertisement repeatedly, the more backlash it generates.
‘Plus, once people start realizing it’s an idol song, the effect diminishes.’
At this point, a chart reversal was practically a matter of luck.
And the rival agency knew this too.
‘Wonderhole.’
ĭter’s agency.
They were the ones who had discovered Cha Yu-jin’s runaway news in real-time during that incident and orchestrated everything.
Park Moon-dae was aware that someone within this company was leaking information to them.
But he deliberately didn’t expose them now.
‘Let me use this against them instead.’
He laid out bait and constructed a trap.
He deliberately scheduled Spacer’s comeback two weeks before ĭter’s, making it look appetizing.
And he deliberately didn’t hide the weaknesses of this promotion either. He left the information exposed so Wonderhole could obtain it. Making the vulnerabilities crystal clear.
“Exactly.”
[ĭter teaser imminent… Monster rookie to dominate the music industry]
As a result, ĭter ended up not adjusting their comeback schedule.
‘Spacer looks beatable at this level.’
The weaknesses seemed obvious, and they calculated that once they made their comeback, they could overwhelm everything with their buzz.
‘For male idols, building a fanbase takes priority over public appeal anyway.’
They might have even thought Spacer receiving moderate attention would be perfect prey to devour.
But there was one thing ĭter overlooked.
“Good.”
Park Moon-dae had been grinding his teeth over this exact scenario for months.
And that night.
A post quietly appeared on the Internet community.
====================
[Spacer’s track is doing well]
But am I the only one who thinks of Tea Holic for no reason, as does this title concept?
====================
-Wow, I thought it was just me! Haha, a bit of a tea-holic in the early stages? Songs from when a regular entertainment show appeared for a long time haha.
└That’s right, it’s a bit refreshing and not complicated.. Something like a hoodie stage costume suddenly comes to mind when Ha Jin-tae has brown hairㅠㅠ
I get what you’re saying lol
-Huh? They’re not similar at all though
└Oh, it’s not like their faces are similar or anything—I meant the vibe feels similar. Carefree, that kind of thing
The Spacer music video subtly overlapped with T-Holic’s golden era imagery.
This opinion didn’t face any strong rejection or sarcasm.
T-Holic’s group prime had long passed, and Spacer wasn’t an image that warranted particular vigilance.
It was simply the tone of a fan flaunting their discerning eye.
But it’s kind of funny—ĭter seems like a concept-heavy Testa line, while this time Spacer feels like the opposite, more like a T-Holic line haha
└ㅋㅋㅋK-pop is exciting
As a day or two passed with such modest interest in the online community, with only some devoted idol fans discussing it that way.
Articles began to emerge.
[Spacer resembles T-Holic, ĭter resembles Testa… The crossroads of rival agencies]
[Will Spacer become the second T-Holic?]
But this time, it wasn’t from ĭter’s side.
‘You think you’re the only ones who can plant stories.’
Park Moon-dae. Orbit Stars Entertainment had released it.
An article linking Spacer to T-Holic, and ĭter to Testa.
Framing, pure and simple.
Constructing narrative and positioning!
And so Park Moon-dae began to reverse-engineer the group positioning strategy that ĭter had employed at their debut.

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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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