Debut or Die - Chapter 61

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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 61
Just as Park Moon-dae had anticipated, both viewers and audience members alike found themselves drowning in confusion over this unprecedented result of “6.47 members on average.”
Several audience members were pulling out their smartphones and posting about it on their SNS.
-People were booing and the atmosphere suddenly turned awkward lol Ajusa really is amazing till the very end
-Where the hell did this insane idea to average it out come from
Rather, just keep it clean at 5 people or 6.47 people lol
-Production Team why’d you throw away the 0.47? Let’s accept the 7th place as a guest member
This is it lol
However, once the confusion subsided, the reactions proved surprisingly less uniformly negative.
People could sense the Production Team’s genuine effort, which lent a certain solemnity to the moment.
-Well, at least they didn’t rig it.
-The Production Team probably wanted to go with 9 members too.
-These weirdos showing conscience in the strangest places… they’ll bait for attention but won’t manipulate…
-Yeah, if it’s between 5 or 6, then 6 is the way to go
People gradually accepted the situation. Of course, there were still plenty lamenting that the number was far too small.
If you had just blocked single-vote casting from the start, Ajusa wouldn’t be full of crazy people like this.
And right then, as if perfectly timed, a new VCR began playing.
[Hello?]
[Yay!]
It was footage of participants dressed in unfamiliar pastel linen outfits waving at the camera with bright smiles.
They were walking between dark structures, with light glimmering through the gaps.
The atmosphere both on-site and online instantly calmed.
-What is this?
-When was this filmed
-What kind of footage is this?
The participants clutched the camera and took turns sharing their final thoughts about the broadcast, then dashed off somewhere.
[Thank you for always supporting us!]
[We love you~]
Since it looked like a typical heartwarming VCR, viewers responded with the expected reactions. Audience members watching the VCR cheered whenever a participant they were rooting for appeared.
And the last participant remaining happened to be Park Moon-dae.
Park Moon-dae looked awkwardly at the camera and simply smiled faintly.
[Thank you. I’ll definitely debut.]
It was an unusually resolute statement.
After leaving those brief words, Park Moon-dae too rushed off-screen and disappeared.
Naturally, comments flooded in on Online Communities where Park Moon-dae had many fans.
Oh my, Moon Dae…
-Moon-dae has to debut
-Invest in the well-prepared Moon-dae who has both mental fortitude and skill… If you call now, you can make a 5-year investment for just 100 won…
-Is this the guy where everything he says becomes real?
└Yeah that’s him
└Your Honor, I didn’t write anything
└Even without personal matters, he’s a jack-of-all-trades. Just try one bite
“lol actually I already voted and did it really well”
└Oh thanks
To pull in even a single additional vote, the fans gritted their teeth at every comment mentioning personal matters and continued their promotional efforts.
In the meantime, all participants had vanished, and from the empty black screen, the acoustic version of “It’s Me” that had been playing in the background swelled poignantly.
The viewers were swept up in a strange sense of lingering emotion.
-It really feels like the end
-Total series finale vibes
-The BGM really adds to it
-Guys, can’t we just debut all 20 people..ㅠㅠ
-Isn’t 20 people doable? Production Team, please revote on the debut lineup right now
Then the camera angle shifted. It turned toward the direction the participants had run.
Following the rotating camera, the participants climbing up the ramp came into view.
-?!
-No way
-Don’t tell me
The broadcast feed had switched to the Concert Hall. Participants were seen ascending onto the Stage.
What had looked like a video was actually a live broadcast.
-Ah…
I’m crying / Wahhh / Boo hoo
And the participants picked up their microphones and began to sing.
The acoustic arrangement version of “It’s Me”.
I’m crying / I’m so sad
-No, guys, don’t go
-Stay with Ajusa forever
“Are you cursing me? Lol But seriously, please do that for me.”
└Let’s just mess around every week and just perform on stageㅠㅠ Don’t get eliminatedㅠㅠ
-Ah, I’ve grown attached to all of them, how can I let them go
The participants sang their parts with earnest care, their faces beaming with smiles.
But even before the first verse was finished, participants began breaking down in tears one after another.
Of course, Park Moon-dae handled his part with composure. His ad-lib in the latter half of the second verse was clean and pleasant to the ear, lingering beautifully.
-He really sings well
-His fans were going crazy for a reason
-Is it too late to become a fan now?
└It’s not just that it’s not late, it’s a winner, isn’t it? All I have to do is catch it at the last show without wasting any emotion and just enjoy the debut haha.
-I’ve decided to stan Park Moon-dae right now, I even like his face
Though there were a few exceptions, the Stage was filled with such melancholy in the arrangement and the participants’ emotional expressions that even the audience members in attendance were moved to tears.
The ending closed with a close-up of Lee Sae-jin’s pale face, tears streaming down her cheeks.
-He really is handsome
└It seems like today is their best moment out of all 13 episodes
-An award-worthy performance
Hey guys, you all worked hard. I appreciate it.
-I hope everyone does well…
The contestants descending from the Stage were still caught in the afterglow, floundering helplessly.
Just as the stylists fixing the makeup of sniffling contestants were beginning to grow irritated, the sound of the MC introducing a new VCR came from above.
‘Ah, so that’s it.’
Park Moon-dae guessed the content of the video without much enthusiasm. It was family content—something that absolutely never failed to appear in the final episode of an audition.
Of course, since Park Moon-dae had no family, he simply glossed over it.
‘They probably packed it full of people sobbing.’
He briefly recalled how Kim Rae-bin had cried so hard watching his grandmother’s video message that his eyes swelled up like he had triple eyelids.
Since most of the contestants had cried anyway, he figured it must have been incredibly easy to select clips.
For reference, Park Moon-dae only had a few scenes captured—him calmly patting the backs of other contestants.
He had no idea that this restraint was precisely what made people care about him more.
“…It’s all over now.”
“…?”
Someone unexpected spoke to Park Moon-dae.
‘What.’
It was Lee Sae-jin, a former child actor.
“Well… the program will be ending soon anyway.”
“You’ll debut, so it won’t end—is that what you mean?”
‘Why is this bastard suddenly picking a fight.’
Since it was already a timing when Park Moon-dae had a lot on his mind, he simply ignored the remark without responding.
“…Must be nice.”
Lee Sae-jin just murmured that way, then retreated to a corner and sank into gloom.
“….”
Park Moon-dae decided not to react at all. Right before the final ranking announcement, anyone who cared about others would be a fool.
The contestants who had encouraged each other at the beginning of the live broadcast had now hardened with extreme tension once the emotional resonance of the final performance faded.
The staff called them again at precisely that moment.
“Move to Zone B! Everyone move!”
The contestants moved with rigid expressions.
A long, grueling final ranking announcement awaited them.

* * *
My shoulders ached from exhaustion.
‘If I didn’t have the fatigue reduction trait, this would be killing me.’
It was difficult to even turn my head or shift my posture.
The fact that thousands of people below were staring intently at me created quite a powerful sense of pressure.
‘This is closer than when I’m on the Stage.’
The audience was closer than even the team battle Stage, which had been the closest until now.
If I rolled my eyes even slightly, I could make eye contact with the spectators below the Stage.
Right beneath me, banners were being waved.
【Park Moon-dae debuts today】
Written in a serif font, it looked incredibly solemn.
‘I should probably wave my hand or something.’
But in this tense atmosphere, I couldn’t do that.
“Indeed, who will claim the glorious 6th position….”
The MC had been stalling for 15 minutes straight with this and a few other lines.
It was remarkable that not a single person had been announced despite 20 minutes having passed since I came up.
‘Looking at the vote count, I can see why.’
I heard text voting had exceeded a million, so it wasn’t strange that they were still tallying.
After another 3 minutes or so, the MC finally received a signal from the Production Team.
“【Idol Stock Company】, the final stock rankings combining Internet and live broadcast text investments, 6th place! We announce it now!”
I felt the bodies of the participants around me stiffen.
“A participant who has garnered attention for overflowing leadership and outstanding skills.”
The large screen flashed chaotically through the corresponding participant’s face.
‘…But why am I there.’
I understood Ryu Chung-woo and Big Sae-jin, but not myself.
I tried hard not to make an absurd expression.
But perhaps because my face already looked devoid of hope unlike the other two, when my face was caught on screen, a few people in the crowd below laughed at this moment.
“Congratulations, Lee Sae-jin… B!”
Big Sae-jin’s eyes widened in shock, and when the “B” was added, he burst out laughing and hunched over.
“Haha…!”
Countless handshake requests and congratulations from the other participants poured down on Big Sae-jin.
I gave Big Sae-jin a light high-five as he received all the congratulations and came down.
“Ah… really, truly thank you. I tried to abandon my hopes.”
Big Sae-jin spoke fluently about his feelings on making the debut group with a flushed face, showed something like aegyo to his fans, and then climbed onto the podium.
‘He really debuted.’
Given his upward momentum, it seemed inevitable.
‘It’s far better than someone unknown.’
I waited willingly for the next ranking announcement.
…And after an enduring wait of over 15 minutes, the next ranking was finally announced.
“5th place is…! …Ryu Chung-woo!”
It was exactly as I’d anticipated.
I’d actually thought his ranking had dropped somewhat, but he seemed genuinely shocked—shedding tears on camera for the first time in the program.
‘A decent person, that’s nice.’
I gave him sincere applause this time as well.
And next, fourth place.
“Kim Rae-bin! Congratulations!”
Kim Rae-bin, trembling with nerves, stumbled awkwardly up to the podium rather than accepting the congratulations properly.
Then he rattled off his remarks with only his pronunciation crisp and clear.
…But honestly, it sounded more like a prepared statement than heartfelt remarks. He simply recited what he was good at and what he was working to improve.
“…So the ability I’m currently developing is vocal performance. To present a more complete version of myself and fulfill my role as a group member in any situation, I’ll also focus more on communication skills going forward.”
Only the last two sentences actually sounded like genuine remarks.
“…I’m grateful once again to the shareholders who invested in me. And Grandmother, Grandfather. I love you.”
Then he cheerfully stepped away from the microphone.
‘…Shouldn’t he have said he loves his fans too?’
Only after returning the microphone did Kim Rae-bin seem to realize this, glancing at the MC with an “oops” expression, but the ship had already sailed.
‘…Still, he’s got his uses.’
I accepted it readily enough.
Next was the announcement for third place.
I held onto hope that my turn might finally come…but it didn’t happen.
“Third place is… Sun Ah-hyun! Congratulations!”
Sun Ah-hyun’s face appeared on the screen that had been dragging out the suspense between Cha Yu-jin and him.
Heat rushed into Sun Ah-hyun’s face, which had been deathly pale.
“Th-thank you….”
Sun Ah-hyun accepted the congratulations without crying, surprisingly. I hadn’t intended to hug him, but I ended up doing it along with the others.
“I-I’m really an inadequate person. Th-that you would believe in and support someone like me… I’m truly, truly grateful to the shareholders and… my friends. I’ll become someone you can be proud of. Th-thank you.”
Sun Ah-hyun wept openly as he stepped back from the microphone.
Watching someone who definitely hadn’t debuted in the original future finally make it through was a strange feeling.
Hmm…. It seemed to lean toward the good side.
‘Sun Ah-hyun’s a decent guy, after all.’
So now what remained was….
“The heat intensifies at the final ranking announcement of 【Idol Stock Company】! We now stand on the threshold of the long-awaited first-place reveal!”
‘So it’s come to this.’
I held back a sigh.

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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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