Debut or Die - Chapter 502

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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 502
There exists an old public broadcasting program.
A show that had already passed its peak, barely clinging to existence before ending in ignominy.
‘But thanks to its golden era, the name is still famous.’
In short, most of the general public knew of this program, but no one had any desire to watch it anymore.
An entertainment show that had sucked dry all its novelty and entertainment value before collapsing.
If this program were to receive a charitable opportunity through connections and barely manage to launch a renewal season… would there truly be any anticipation?
Could they secure guests worthy of the reputation earned from that distant golden era?
The answer was obvious.
‘It wouldn’t happen.’
Celebrities and their agencies weren’t fools—successful people would appear on programs that are currently thriving. They’d have plenty of offers coming in anyway.
‘Why would anyone take such a risk choosing something like that?’
When better alternatives existed, this was a dead end.
‘And… considering the program’s nature, it’s impossible.’
This entertainment show was a competition program where rankings were determined.
【True Victory Battle】.
Some people might actually remember this name.
After all, on the very first day of meetings, even Kim Rae-bin, who had read through all the documents, raised his hand and exclaimed.
“This is that program we appeared on when we debuted as Wishes!”
“That’s right.”
In the virtual world created by the System, it was a program where Testa, who debuted under LeTi, and the joint group from VTIC had appeared.
“Oh, I remember that. That program was famous. But why is it dead now?”
“Because that was already several years ago in terms of timeline.”
“Oh….”
There, it had been a competition program that succeeded through Season 7, advancing triumphantly, but here, where more time had passed, it faced a different reality.
As time progressed further, reaching Seasons 15 and 16, the buzz gradually diminished, and the original PD left again, causing the program to collapse.
I delivered the somber verdict matter-of-factly.
“And the industry consensus is that this renewal version will probably fail too…”
“….”
‘There’s no helping it.’
With expectations so low that rumors had spread this far, securing famous cast members would be difficult.
But since the name still carried weight, if securing famous cast members failed, any comeback or recovery was out of the question.
It would simply… fall into obscurity without garnering interest.
In other words, a doomed program with failure already written in.
Even Big Sae-jin, who had been flipping through the documents, clicked his tongue.
“Wow~ and they even added survival rules on top of it.”
“Yeah, recruitment is definitely going to be tough.”
In the process, they had supposedly adopted a survival format in addition to the competition itself to make it more sensational, but that made securing famous cast members even harder.
‘The probability of appearing and losing out is higher, so why would someone already successful appear?’
It wasn’t for nothing that existing survival programs typically featured amateurs who hadn’t debuted yet, or people who had debuted but weren’t famous with the general public.
When there’s more to gain than to lose, one should be willing to accept situations like elimination and ridicule.
‘The PD must have a headache too.’
So to break through this situation, realistically there was only one route.
-At least one highly renowned star needed to confirm their appearance.
From there, they could shift the recruitment momentum.
Building on that foundation to expand the program, and the moment it became certain they could earn public recognition as “they fought well” or “it couldn’t be helped” even if they lost.
Named celebrities could definitely come forward to appear depending on their individual circumstances.
But even up until right before the program’s broadcast schedule, they couldn’t secure such a megastar appearance…
“…But we’re the ones saying we’ll do it.”
“Yes.”
Bae Sae-jin’s eyes narrowed as if he had plenty to say. Ryu Chung-woo laughed awkwardly.
“The production team’s reaction was fine.”
“Of course it would be!”
Right.
Sure enough, the moment the program side dangled Testa as bait, they bit immediately.
-We haven’t seen anything like this from other broadcasters before… You’re being very proactive.
According to the agency staff, the public broadcast production team had never made meeting requests this polite and desperate before.
That’s right. These guys desperately needed one successful celebrity totem.
If Testa became that totem right now?
“That much—thanks to us, if the program’s recruitment difficulties get resolved, they’ll probably edit it well. And…”
“And?”
“We could leave a good impression on MBS through this program.”
“…!”
We’d become founding contributors to the relaunch.
The exact same position as with “Idol Stock Company” could be secured.
Though public broadcasting has lost its topicality to OTT programs these days, there’s still plenty they can’t do without—from year-end music festivals to music broadcasts and weekend variety shows.
‘And they can’t use us like we owe them a debt for debuting us.’
We could establish a cooperative relationship as equals.
Only in name are we the public broadcaster’s children—in reality, more like allies.
And there’s one more advantage.
“And the PD’s rank seemed quite high. I think the effect would be better.”
“Ooh… that’s true.”
Someone who got promoted through seniority and good connections would naturally have more influence within the company than a newly appointed rookie.
But Big Sae-jin immediately hit on the real point.
“But wouldn’t influence matter more than rank? Seeing that they took on this program, I’m thinking they’re the type who prioritizes their own style over career advancement~”
In other words, taking on a doomed program meant they were probably sidelined in internal politics and left with an empty title.
I let out a quiet laugh.
“There was a separate reason they took on this program.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. They started their PD career at the broadcasting station with this program’s season 3.”
“Ah.”
Probably because of that lingering regret, I took on the renewal project, but even at my position, I couldn’t pull much budget—a sign that the broadcasting station had little faith in this program.
Yet the PD had maintained a solid hit rate with the programs he’d overseen so far.
“So if this goes well this time… oh, it would be quite unexpected at the broadcasting station too. And that PD would get recognized~”
“Yeah, it’s a great outcome for everyone…!”
Big Sae-jin probably meant that all of this would create synergy and we’d have plenty to gain, but in any case, Sun Ah-hyun seemed genuinely pleased that this would be a major help not just for us, but for the production crew as well.
‘Well, both points are valid.’
But for all of this to come to fruition, there’s one prerequisite.
“For that to happen, we absolutely have to win.”
An overwhelming victory that the vast majority of viewers would acknowledge.
The stage.
Without that, everything we’re doing is pure loss.
The moment we make even the slightest mistake, we’d be doing something insane—completely destroying the reputation Testa has built up as a first-tier group until now.
But here’s the thing.
“If we just win, this is the best possible outcome.”
Once you break through public broadcasting, it becomes much easier to negotiate with other platforms. The barriers come down.
If we do well, T1 might even get some variety shows under its subsidiary companies….
‘If it goes that way.’
Then domestic promotion worries would be over.
“Hmm… as long as we maintain popularity and relevance in South Korea, even if we aim overseas, people will listen to our music.”
“Yes.”
“Wait a minute.”
Bae Sae-jin cut in.
“Isn’t this a bit reckless? There’s no guarantee these production people will actually do all that. Even if we do well, we could still fail because of other factors… that’s just how this industry works.”
“….”
“…I’m not trying to kill the mood. It’s just… I felt like I had to say it once.”
I understand.
“You’re right, hyung.”
“…!”
“And honestly, even if we don’t do this, we won’t suddenly collapse or anything.”
If Testa were satisfied with this level and wanted to accept a gradual decline, we really wouldn’t need to do this.
We’ve won awards, done world tours, and Testa’s reputation will remain solid for at least two more years.
But.
“But if we want to keep climbing even as our years in the industry increase, we have to secure a platform somehow.”
Just like VTIC is doing now.
This was the most critical moment.
“….”
Bae Sae-jin nodded with a slightly heavy expression. A hint of grim determination flickered across the others’ faces too.
“OK, I’m totally ready for that! Let’s go out there quick!”
Everyone except him.
The others nodded as if they’d made a pact, ignoring Cha Yu-jin’s outcry.
“Let’s do a majority vote.”
“Fine.”
And so the voting began.
Kim Rae-bin brought out his laptop and ran an anonymous voting program.
The result was….
“Unanimous.”
Every single vote in favor.
“Wow, so much for anonymity, huh?”
“Right?”
The members glanced at each other and chuckled softly.
And so we resolved to shoulder the risk and take what appeared to be a reckless leap forward.
Not long after, the embargo was lifted through MBS’s active initiative.
[‘The Legend Returns’ 【True Showdown】, Will National Idol Testa Participate?]
And the fans’ reactions exploded.

* * *
At first, no one believed it.
-???
-Why would Testa appear here
-Why though; definitely not, they’re not stupid
The probability of a first-tier idol suddenly appearing on a survival show that’s being revamped after collapsing completely.
Realistically, it should’ve been zero. They’d only suffer massive losses, so why risk it when they could be touring instead?
But the article dropped again, and reporters who actually called Testa’s agency confirmed it was true.
[Testa’s MBS 【True Showdown】 Appearance Confirmed… “We’ll Show You an Intense Performance”]
At that moment, the fan reaction was… well, let me give you an example from the depths where ruthless individual fans congregate.
-Is survival show a joke to them
-Ugh this bastard did a collab stage with some other group and now they’re dragging everyone to appear for real?
hahahaha
I’m sorry, bear. I won’t stop you from hanging out with Tae-mul-tic anymore. Damn it, save me.
…It seemed like I was causing people distress again, following the stage where I’d featured with Chung-ryeo.
‘I’ll repay them by winning.’
If Testa benefits spectacularly from that program in this state, the payoff would be absolutely delicious. They won’t have expected it anyway.
And losing on stage as a member of this group?
‘I don’t think I’ll lose.’
No matter how high people’s expectations are, if it’s just about stage production, I don’t think we’ll fall short.
Actually, if we just handle the information warfare right now, our weaknesses are….
[Survey Possible!]
[Help: You can customize 【System】 functions through feedback from surveys.]
Nah, I’m not using it.
Does it look like I’m in such an urgent situation for information right now? I’ve lost count of how many times this has happened.
‘Irritating bastard.’
It refuses to give up.
Well, it doesn’t matter.
I smiled inwardly as I looked at the Popup.
‘Spacer’s comeback this time was successful, and soon the drama starring Bae Sae-jin will air too.’
Now, if we perform properly on this program and then make our comeback?
The company’s rank increase is practically a foregone conclusion.
And based on the precedent with Kwon Hee-seung last time, raising the company’s rank would allow me to absorb those ‘■■■ fragments’ additionally.
‘That means I can absorb what Chung-ryeo has too.’
Big Dal has been diligently reverse-engineering the internal algorithm of this ‘Company System’ as well.
If things go well, it could all be finished before Chung-ryeo enters military service.
So.
‘You’re not needed.’
I dismissed the Popup without hesitation, not even bothering to gesture. I was about to refocus on stage planning when—
“…?”
Suddenly, my vision was engulfed in a translucent blue tint.
As if I’d put on sunglasses.
‘What?’
For a moment I couldn’t discern what it was, but the instant I focused my eyes on that blue hue, I understood its nature.
It was….
A massive Popup.
Appearing right before my eyes.
[Owner’s dissatisfaction detected!]
“…!”
As if staging a protest.
And….
[[Company-use 【System】 automatic re-update initiated]
Wait.

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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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