Debut or Die - Chapter 69

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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 69
‘Finally, the day has arrived.’
Park Moon-dae’s first fan cracked her knuckles rhythmically while staring at the monitor.
Today was the day the reality show’s first episode would air.
The messages from a few days ago when she and her friend got excited over the teaser preview were still sitting in her chat history.
-Moon-dae’s cooking!
-Moon-dae’s playing games!
-Kyaaaaaaah!!
…In the midst of chronic content drought, the video bait that had been dropped was nothing short of a drug.
She’d rewatched the adorably edited short teaser so many times that she’d memorized every frame.
And now, she was finally about to watch the full episode!
‘Here we go…!’
The moment the “Rated 12+” rating appeared, she rubbed her hands together eagerly. She paused the teaser stream she’d been playing for view counts and settled into an attentive posture, eyes locked on the screen.
[The Glory of Debut!]
The program began by showing brief clips of the final announcement moments from Ajusa and various media reactions, establishing TeSTAR’s position.
[Finally, TeSTAR is formed]
[What awaits them?]
The captions dripped with meaning.
And what appeared next was….
[Kyaaaaaaah!!]
[Let’s do it one more time!]
[Uh, u-uh-uh….]
TeSTAR members completely absorbed in a board game.
Hahahahaha
-They’re doing well! I’m relieved!
-They look incredibly happy
Just as people were chattering about it on social media, TeSTAR looked absolutely delighted.
Fans were pleased to see them looking relaxed, freed from the pressure of the audition, but only for a moment.
[Why is TeSTAR… playing games with such intensity…?]
The screen shifted, accompanied by a humorous caption.
[【202■ May ■■. 9:00 AM】]
[Wooooah!!]
[Love the place!]
TeSTAR bustling into the Dormitory was captured on film.
The members’ effort to appear bright and excited, combined with the editing, made them look like a pack of puppies.
‘Where’s Moon-dae?’
Park Moon-dae wasn’t running around, but his eyes were wide as he looked around the place. He was wearing the yellow hoodie she’d seen in TeSTAR’s first social media photo.
‘Seeing him move in video makes him even cuter…!’
While she was overwhelmed with emotion, other viewers were already flooding the comments about the casual outfits.
-I finally get to see the kids dress up the way they want in moving high-definition. Is this the taste of debut?
-Their preferences are really showing
Lol, everyone else was predictable but Moon Dae stood out lol
“Right? In all the witness accounts, she was always wearing that cheap outfit, so what’s with her wearing something cute like that? lol”
└He even wore that Corgi plush costume, so Park Moon-dae is really committed to his character…
└This is it
└Truly a mysterious hard worker
And on screen, the Testa members began receiving mission cards from a robot vacuum cleaner.
[To become a true group, please clear the missions!]
[Oh.]
[Ah… Missions.]
After that, whenever the successful contestants encountered elements reminiscent of Ajusa, they reacted with oversensitivity and looked slightly dejected, which became excellent comedic material.
Ugh, nooo!
How can you be so perfect lol
-You guys, honestly we’re all suffering from Ajusa PTSD too…
-Such a sinful show, but now that Testa has aired, they should just shut it down!
Next season, I hope Testa does a reality show or something every year lol
The viewers laughed while nodding in agreement.
And when they saw the members completely absorbed in the game during the roommate mission, shifting their entire focus, they burst into laughter once more.
[Please, just once!]
[I want to win!]
Hahaha
What are you gonna do about these kids’ competitive spirit lol
-Isn’t that a kind of… occupational habit? They can’t shake the habits they picked up from Ajusa
This seems right lol
And the fact that the most absorbed person and the most composed person ended up in 1st and 2nd place respectively became another delightful detail.
[Yeah! We won!]
[…Congratulations.]
Park Moon-dae’s calm demeanor, seemingly bewildered by Cha Yu-jin’s loud celebration, created an even funnier contrast that reminded viewers of how they worked together as a team.
Lol, Moondeung’s got that Tibetan fox expression again
-You two are so different, but it’s so much fun because you’re on the same team. Please keep being friends, guys.
-ㅋㅋㅋ The 1st and 2nd place changed the rankings among themselves and took 1st and 2nd place again.
Cha-yu seems to have insanely good luck, and Moon-daeng seems to be good at games? lol
However, the reaction to the roommate results dampened slightly.
It was a pairing that viewers had never really thought about or particularly hoped for.
-Oh
So it’s come to this, huh? lol
-I hope they get along well
-They won’t keep the same roommates until the end and will swap them again, right?
Still, the reaction mostly recovered when the dinner preparation scene aired.
The shopping team excitedly rushing through the mart and sweeping up items contrasted with the cooking team quietly and harmoniously preparing spicy braised chicken, and both were adorable.
Park Moon-dae and Sun Ah-hyun in particular garnered significant screen time with their unexpectedly impressive cooking skills.
[I think it would be best to prep the ingredients first. I was planning to butcher the chicken—would that be alright?]
The moment the ingredients arrived, Park Moon-dae swiftly divvied up the tasks and claimed the most demanding one for himself.
Purely because he couldn’t trust the other members, though on camera it came across as quite reassuring.
And Sun Ah-hyun, who somehow looked like he’d be good at cooking, ended up botching things spectacularly, capturing plenty of footage with his visible shock at his own incompetence.
[I-I’m so sorry….]
[You don’t need to apologize.]
Park Moon-dae alternated his gaze between the mangled onion and the kitchen knife that had nearly minced Sun Ah-hyun’s hand, then assigned him a new task to lift his spirits.
[How about you take these and tidy up the dining table over there for us?]
[Y-yes!]
Sun Ah-hyun on screen brightened instantly with a radiant effect. The fans, naturally, loved it.
-Moon-dae can cook too?;; That’s surprising
Oh my god, Ahyun, hahahaha
-Guys, let’s not give kitchen knives to Ahyeon from now on. She said she would get hurt (herself).
-Mundae is really good at taking care of people? ㅠㅠ Why on earth was he like that in the beginning of Azusa…
└That’s probably every Park Moon-dae fan’s question
The scene of them eating steamed chicken in the Dormitory for their first meal together, conversing warmly, received praise as the quintessential reality show moment fans expected.
Wow, the kids have big appetites – they ate so much jjim-dak!
-They’re all eating well
The kids seem way closer than I thought – is it that camaraderie created by Ajusa? lol
-Let’s go for a long time you guys ♡
And then came the crowning moment of that episode.
A group horror movie screening.
[Hehehehehehehehe]
At the ghost face appearing on screen, the store-brand popcorn flew through the air.
[Uhhhhh….]
[Aahhh!!]
Thanks to the production team capturing each member’s reaction in turn, fans were able to happily build up more character for the members.
-Cha Yujin is smiling? LOL
-Wait, the mighty Big Sae-jin is scared of ghosts?! I thought he was an invincible, sparkling social butterfly!!
-Ravin, my clothes are going to tear haha.
-Mr. Ryu Cheong-woo, I didn’t watch it like that, but he shamelessly chose a horror movie even though he wasn’t scared! Haha.
And before Park Moon-dae’s cut appeared, his fans all had a pretty good idea.
Of course Park Moon-dae wouldn’t be scared.
The Tibetan fox expression is about to show up again lol
-(Everyone seems scared. Horror movies are supposed to be scary.)
hahahahahaha
└It’s already cute Mundaeㅠㅠ
-Bet he’ll just munch on popcorn neatly while watching
But the Moon-dae who finally appeared on screen was….
I kept my gaze lowered, munching on popcorn.
And every time a ghostly sound echoed through the speakers, the popcorn bucket would flinch and jump slightly.
[Ghoooooooooooooo….]
[(Popcorn acrobatics)]
Still, Park Moon-dae stubbornly refused to glance toward the horror film.
The comments exploded.
-…?
-?!??
-He’s scared… he’s actually scared!
-Oh my god
-He’s lost it, this is too cute
Fans went absolutely wild seeing Park Moon-dae—who always appeared composed on broadcast, whether he’d pulled all-nighters for a week or claimed first place—actually show signs of distress.
-Wow, I can’t even look at the screen until the end. Look at you pretending like it’s not happening.
-He finished the popcorn but keeps holding the empty bucket! He’s too scared to let go!
I woke up as soon as the movie ended lolol
-You didn’t notice the other kids, right? Mundae: Are you under the illusion that you look very natural in front of the camera right now? Hahaha.
Park Moon-dae’s home master, watching the broadcast, couldn’t hold back and texted a friend.
[Aaaah]
[Moon-dae’s good at cooking too]
[He’s good at board games too]
But I can’t watch horror movies lol, you’re so crazy cute I want to destroy the apartment
While texting, she kept her eyes glued to the screen, so typos poured out, but that was essentially what she wanted to say.
[Seven Members, Seven Colors]
[Testa Getting to Know Each Other Anew]
[What Will Happen Tomorrow?]
With the horror movie segment bringing joy to all the members’ fans, the first episode of the reality show came to an end.
“…Oh.”
Now that I think about it, an hour had already passed.
Before her disappointed gaze, the commercial break ended and a preview aired.
[We’re in the Music Studio right now~]
Testa discussing and exchanging ideas in the soundproofed Music Studio. And….
[We’re heading to the presentation right now.]
Members entering the Conference Room dressed in neat attire.
“Gasp.”
So there’s content about the album work too!
I already wanted to see the next episode.
She quickly opened SNS. She wanted to share this overwhelming excitement.
-Honestly expected it to be boring but it was amazing
-Where did all the guys who said it would be awkward between them hide? Haha, they were friendly and comfortable?
-Ah, it’s so good to see the trailer and the story about their debut being revealed. I feel relieved.
—and did the God Concept members really pick her? Is she also a veteran of Ajusa?
Every comment flooding the timeline resonated with her completely.
She was about to click the write button with a satisfied smile when she noticed a freshly updated post on her timeline.
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[Ugh… I’m losing it (link) (screenshot)]
========================
“Huh?”
The link was a news article from a portal site.
And the screenshot was… the article itself.
“…!”
The moment she read the content, her chest tightened as if she’d been doused in ice water.
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[Idol Stock Company’s Testa Lawsuit Reveals ‘Unfair Contract’]
: Dream K, the former agency of Lee Sae-jin (22), a member of TeSTAR who debuted through Idol Stock Company, has filed a lawsuit against Tnet regarding an unfair contract.
According to Dream K’s claims, Tnet coercively demanded that multiple agencies provide their artists as participants for Idol Stock Company, which aired starting in January, and forced them to sign unfair contracts that would transfer the artist’s agency affiliation to Tnet upon debut through the program.
….
========================
She swallowed hard and clicked on the article.

* * *
Past midnight, in the dead of night.
The atmosphere in the Dormitory was as fragile as thin ice.
“…Let me break this down.”
“….”
“So basically, Sae-jin’s former agency is demanding to get their artist back.”
Ryu Chung-woo laid out the situation matter-of-factly.
I held back a sigh.
‘This was bound to blow up eventually.’
From the start, Tnet’s insistence on claiming every participant who debuted through Ajusa as our exclusive artist was a risky move.
It was clearly born from their greed to keep the group they’d launched through the audition for as long as possible.
‘Usually they’d at least go with dual agency and split the settlements twice.’
Outright taking them away was almost unheard of in this industry.
Since agencies couldn’t fight the Broadcasting Station, most would have backed down quietly, but with Ajusa performing so exceptionally this season, it seems the situation finally exploded.
‘Probably… resentment had been building since the ‘Casting Call’ content where the broadcaster casually proposed changing agencies.’
And Lee Sae-jin was particularly valuable since she could be used as an actress alone.
At minimum, they’d want to receive their share during Testa’s activities.
“….”
Lee Sae-jin didn’t respond even as the standoff dragged on. She just sat on the sofa with her head down.
Big Sae-jin urged with a laugh.
“Hyung, say something~”
At first, he tried to coax and soothe me, but as his patience wore thin, his tone gradually shifted.
“Big Sae-jin,”
“We need to sort this out quickly. You know we have only a week left until our debut, right? We don’t have time~”
“….”
“If you don’t clarify your position now, other agencies will muddy the waters the same way, and we could end up with lawsuits, you know?”
Big Sae-jin was still wearing that bitter smile, but his words came faster and faster.
“If you just sit back, it’s not just you who suffers—the other members get dragged down too. Whether you stay or go, talk to your agency right now.”
‘His mental state is cracking too.’
I clicked my tongue.
Now that I thought about it, Big Sae-jin’s agency could easily join Lee Sae-jin’s agency’s lawsuit if they felt like it.
The thought of barely passing the audition and then facing this mess right before debut was enough to make Big Sae-jin’s blood boil.
“….”
But instead of opening his mouth, Lee Sae-jin suddenly jumped up and bolted.
“…!”
“Hey.”
Bang.
And he went into his room and shut the door.
‘…Is he serious?’
It was his own problem, yet he was running away so primitively.
At this point, even I, who had been indifferent, was starting to get annoyed. This wasn’t happening once or twice—what the hell was he doing?
‘…If I want to sleep tonight, I’ll have to break down that door anyway.’
I walked up to the door and brought my hand down hard on the locked doorknob.
Click.
It was just a residential door handle, so it opened easily. All that training paid off.
“…!”
“I’m coming in.”

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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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