Debut or Die - Chapter 57

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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 57
“What are you waiting for?”
I let out a sigh.
Sun Ah-hyun had declared boldly that I shouldn’t get off and should wait, yet his expression looked like tears and snot would pour out any second.
Anyone watching would think he was the one withdrawing.
My mind, by contrast, grew colder by the moment.
‘This is… not something that can be solved just by holding on.’
If I were already a debuted idol, perhaps I could choose to exercise restraint and wait it out.
But for an audition contestant with the finals just around the corner, that approach was impossible.
Because a guy people think doesn’t deserve to succeed in the audition stubbornly holding his ground would only amplify their resentment.
And this wasn’t just any audition—it was a cable program currently exceeding 10% viewership and dominating real-time search rankings. That would be suicidal.
‘If I’m going to be eliminated in the finals anyway, the better move is to withdraw quickly and figure out what’s really happening.’
For now, I’d brush it off with something vague like ‘health issues.’
That would minimize the damage. And if Park Moon-dae was truly wronged, it would be easier to clarify later.
And if I found out he really did something wrong… I’d track down the person involved and apologize…
Damn it, that girl even withdrew from school. I won’t just let Park Moon-dae continue his activities either.
But there was no other way.
“Without evidence that it wasn’t Park Moon-dae, waiting will only make things worse.”
“B-but… Big Sae-jin too…”
“Back then we found the composite photo right away. And we had a smartphone handy.”
“…”
That kind of luck doesn’t come around often.
Sun Ah-hyun hung his head low.
A brief silence fell over the dormitory again. That’s when it happened.
“…Are you there?”
Someone knocked on the dormitory door once more.
“…”
“Yeah.”
After hearing Big Sae-jin’s brief response, the door opened. Kim Rae-bin came in.
And Cha Yu-jin trailed in behind him.
I had no idea why he’d followed into someone else’s room, but if he came intentionally, he was really tactless.
Kim Rae-bin immediately sensed how terrible the atmosphere in the room was.
“…Personal practice just ended…”
“…”
So these two had skipped their self-directed practice to come here.
It didn’t help much, but honestly… I was grateful.
I squeezed out my last ounce of patience.
“Go practice.”
“…! Oh, no…”
“There aren’t many days left. Don’t regret it later.”
“…What about you?”
I answered calmly.
“I need to consult about dropping out.”
“…!!”
“Ah, no, wait….”
Let me check public opinion one more time, and if things are going as expected, I should work out a proper reason for withdrawal.
“Huh? Why all of a sudden….”
Kim Rae-bin looked horrified. It seemed this socially oblivious guy still hadn’t heard the rumors.
‘I’m exhausted.’
I didn’t feel like saying anything more. He’d hear about it anyway by tomorrow.
I simply passed Kim Rae-bin and headed for the door. I was planning to meet with the Writer right away.
Then my shoulders were grabbed from both sides.
“Hold on, Moon-dae. Get some rest first, then think about it.”
“R-right. Y-yes… rest first. Clear your head.”
When two of them latched onto me, I was suddenly overpowered in the physical struggle.
Thanks to that, I was dragged back to the bed like a suppressed dog. Were these bastards insane?
“Are you insane?”
“You’re the one who needs to come to your senses. You found out about this situation less than thirty minutes ago. You’re going to throw away months of hardship in thirty minutes?”
“But the longer we wait, the worse the situation gets….”
“Either way, the articles won’t come out until tomorrow morning. It’s the same whether you do it now or in the morning.”
Big Sae-jin and Sun Ah-hyun pushed me back onto the bed.
“You need to make any decision with a clear mind so you won’t regret it! Don’t you realize you’re panicking right now?”
“What?”
I stopped trying to get up from the bed. What kind of absurd thing was this?
“I’m in my right mind.”
“No. You’re not. You’re panicked and scared right now.”
Big Sae-jin added quietly.
“…I was like that before.”
….
“Otherwise you would’ve realized it before I said anything. There’s no difference whether you drop out now or tomorrow morning.”
“…!”
That was….
Damn. He was right. I couldn’t refute it.
‘I’m in a panic state.’
I sighed. I kept thinking I should have kept that damned imperturbable trait.
I just lay down on the bed as they pushed me to.
I could clearly hear Sun Ah-hyun’s sigh of relief.
“What on earth is going on….”
“Come on, let’s go.”
I heard Big Sae-jin ushering Kim Rae-bin and Cha Yu-jin out of the room. Sun Ah-hyun followed them out, then swallowed hard and spoke to me.
“Rest, rest.”
Creak.
And the door closed with utmost care.
‘…Even if I go look, their beds are right here anyway.’
Well, whether they stumble in sheepishly three hours from now or sleep in the Training Room, that’s their problem. I’m hardly in a position to worry about such details.
I closed my eyes and crossed my arms.
And I tried to view Park Moon-dae’s situation objectively… as if that were suddenly possible. Social death looming, and now actual sudden death on the horizon.
‘Status window.’
Calling up the status window with still no changes, there was only one thing that caught my eye.
[!Abnormal Status: Debut or Death]
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Why me of all people.
Why Park Moon-dae of all people.
The fact that I knew nothing about my situation and had no way to find out was infuriatingly frustrating.
Naturally, I didn’t expect some brilliant solution to suddenly occur to me by morning.
There was no reason for the situation to suddenly improve.
‘Hoping for luck is foolish.’
While terrible misfortunes could certainly strike life without warning, the opposite was extraordinarily rare—that was only natural.
Compare the odds of winning the lottery to getting hit by a car on the street. The latter overwhelmingly wins.
Look at me. A supernatural miracle happened and my entire life changed, yet that life is already ruined.
“…Ugh.”
Damn it. I’m only getting more anxious. At this point, I feel like just quitting outright.
‘…But maybe I’ll get through tonight.’
There was nothing to look forward to.
Purely out of consideration for those guys’ sincerity, I sighed and uncrossed my arms.
My thoughts spiraled. The more I calculated what would be rational for me to do.
‘No matter where I go, there’s no answer….’
And so I drifted off to sleep, it seemed.

* * *
Boom!
I jolted awake at the sudden noise.
‘…The sound of wood splintering?’
Still half-asleep, I rolled my eyes toward the door and saw Sun Ah-hyun bursting through it.
“P-Park Moon-dae.”
Sun Ah-hyun’s face was flushed crimson.
‘What happened now.’
I hoped, if it was someone else’s scandal this time, maybe mine would get buried in the noise.
Sun Ah-hyun thrust something directly into my face.
It was a smartphone with the screen lit up.
“L-look at this…!”
The screen light stabbed my eyes. I squinted and grabbed the phone from him.
‘Where did this come from.’
I reluctantly read the screen while holding a prohibited item from the Filming Studio.
“…!”
A miracle had occurred.
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[(2nd Trending!) Park Moon-dae from Idol Corporation is the person at the center of recent controversy. (632)]
: I’m still very afraid to write something like this publicly. However, I can no longer bear to watch innocent people suffer, so I’m writing this.
It’s true that I withdrew from school after the sanitary pad theft incident.
However, Park Moon-dae did not steal the sanitary pads.
….
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The post began explaining the circumstances in meticulous detail.
The Post Author had been continuously bullied by several malicious classmates from the beginning of the semester over a trivial pretext.
What started as gossip gradually escalated until it became unbearable. However, due to family circumstances, they had no choice but to endure it.
Then the sanitary pad theft incident occurred. It seemed those bullies deliberately framed Park Moon-dae—who walked alone without close friends in the class—to double their entertainment.
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[I didn’t want to live.]
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Though not explicitly stated between the lines, the mockery was apparently sexual harassment. Under extreme stress, the Post Author’s mental state completely shattered, and they were absent without leave for ten days.
During this period, Park Moon-dae withdrew from school.
Though the Post Author was the victim, they felt troubled that Park Moon-dae bore false accusations, so they attempted to contact him after withdrawing.
However, Park Moon-dae’s response to their apology and inquiry about his well-being was reportedly this.
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[‘You did nothing wrong, so there’s nothing to apologize for. I was planning to withdraw anyway, so it’s fine. However, if you’re struggling and want to report the bullies who harassed you, I’ll help.’ He sent a lengthy response.]
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The Post Author was taking antidepressants at the time and would hyperventilate just approaching the school, making it impossible to file a report.
So they ended the conversation with Park Moon-dae vaguely, but even after some time had passed, it continued to weigh on them, and they attempted to contact him again.
However, the number came back as invalid.
‘…Park Moon-dae had cancelled his phone service.’
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[When I saw Moon-dae on the Audition Program, his style and appearance had changed so much that I didn’t recognize him. Only after this controversy broke did I realize that Park Moon-dae was that friend.
Even when I was at school, I was quiet, but I wasn’t a nuisance to anyone or a strange friend. After I dropped out of school, I realized that he was a thoughtful and kind friend.
He was quiet even back in high school, but he wasn’t the type to burden others or cause trouble. After he dropped out, I came to understand that he was a thoughtful and kind person.
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I sincerely hope that Moon-dae wasn’t hurt by this incident.]
Even when I was at High School, I was quiet, but I wasn’t a nuisance to anyone or a strange friend. After dropping out, I realized I was a thoughtful and kind friend.
I really hope Moon-dae wasn’t hurt by this incident.
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The post ended with a satisfying sentence stating that the author would proceed with charges against the perpetrators from high school based on the recording. Below it were several verification photos attached.
In the latest comments, people denying reality were being bombarded and either deleting their comments or fleeing.
And opinions that had shifted their stance now occupied the best comments.
I felt sick.
-For those self-proclaimed alumni who spread rumors about Park Moon-dae and the author without knowing him well, please prepare a settlement amount~ haha
Ah… thank you so much for writing this… I really mean it… Moon-dae, you really went through so much… what am I supposed to do…
“….”
My stomach churned.
‘It wasn’t Park Moon-dae.’
And the person involved had even appeared and proven it with verification.
All within a day of the incident occurring.
“….”
“Stop, that’s enough!”
Sun Ah-hyun started saying something, but I couldn’t hear it properly.
My head felt heavy.
‘Is this… even possible?’
I hadn’t done anything, yet suddenly the situation improved like this?
It just resolved itself?
Rather than relief and joy, I felt something strange.
It was unfamiliar to me that such a thing could happen in life.
I had empirically learned that when my life changed without me doing anything, it was almost always for the worse.
…I never expected to experience a counterexample in someone else’s body.
“Hey!!”
The door burst open and people rushed in. I could see the faces of my teammates, led by Big Sae-jin.
‘Now that I think about it… I was the leader.’
I thought it was strange that we hadn’t gotten that close. With the leader in a state of Schrödinger’s resignation, it would’ve been awkward to change practice schedules.
These guys must have had plenty to think about last night too.
“Hey! What did I tell you! I said to wait?”
Big Sae-jin looked at Sun Ah-hyun, grasped the situation, and shouted loudly. He clearly already knew everything.
“…Yeah.”
I nodded readily.
“Thanks.”
“…!”
If it weren’t for these guys, I would’ve thrown in the towel last night, packed my things, and regretted it come morning.
“Thanks to you all, the broadcast continues.”
I laughed.
Sun Ah-hyun repeated “no way” and “what a relief,” beaming with happiness. Big Sae-jin chuckled.
“If you’re grateful, buy me a cow.”
“…Let’s just call it even.”
“Hey!”
I’m broke.
I listened to Big Sae-jin’s grumbling and my teammates’ congratulations, finally allowing myself to relax.
‘Now I can practice quietly until the finals.’
“Thanks for bringing this. How did you manage to get it?”

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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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