Debut or Die - Chapter 72

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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 72
I heard that the “Magic Boy” music video had been released just after midnight last night.
But I didn’t have time to monitor it properly—Cha Yu-jin’s delirious rambling in the seat next to me was proof enough of our current state.
“Mm…? Is the hair done?”
“Hair was finished earlier. We’re moving in the car right now.”
“Oh….”
Cha Yu-jin drifted back to sleep with a faint murmur of acknowledgment.
That’s right. Since last night, we’d been moving from place to place—getting polished up, doing shoots, doing interviews….
After nearly a month of barely sleeping, it wouldn’t be strange if someone started forgetting who they were and where they were anymore.
“S-so this is the showcase now, right…?”
“Yep~”
I heard Sun Ah-hyun, who’d asked the manager with uncertainty in his voice, take a sharp breath. It seemed the proximity of the event was making him genuinely nervous.
“Look, everything we’ve prepared this past month… let’s show it all out there. Wherever we are, the hours we’ve put in won’t betray us.”
“Of course~”
“Yes, yes!”
A few awake members responded to Ryu Chung-woo’s hoarse encouragement.
And Kim Rae-bin, sitting next to me, muttered quietly.
“…Actually, the proportion of practice relative to the timeframe is high, but in terms of absolute practice volume, it’s insuffi….”
“….”
When I stared at him silently, he quickly changed his words.
“…cient, and I believe we’ll be able to perform the stage with plenty of passion.”
“Right.”
No social skills, but at least he reads the room—I was grateful for that.

* * *
Most of the journalists attending the showcase came with high expectations.
Not about Testa’s skill, but about the buzz they’d generate.
‘At least the article will rack up some decent views.’
‘If they flop, that’s even better.’
Both the photographers and columnists waited eagerly in their seats for the showcase to begin.
And seated in front of and behind the journalists were shareholders who had purchased stock packages from Ajusa.
Most had brought along various slogans and support items. Since official light sticks hadn’t been released yet, the designs and colors varied, but the fans’ excitement was palpable nonetheless.
As the entire atmosphere buzzed with anticipation, lights illuminated the darkened stage and the opening began.
-High five!
Dressed in the exact same baseball uniforms as in the music video, Testa executed the synchronized choreography even more precisely than the video itself.
-My feet keep moving
Like I’m dancing~
Toward you
Ddan Ddan Daradara DAAN Yeah!
Matching the upbeat song, the choreography featured frequent jumping movements with energetic body motions.
Whiiiish~!
Each time they spun their bodies or flicked their feet to the whistle, the stage presence surged dramatically.
‘They’re good.’
‘The song is great too!’
During the instrumental breaks, the members played rock-paper-scissors with each other or exchanged greetings—charming ad-libs overflowing with personality delivered with effortless skill.
‘Doesn’t feel like a rookie group.’
‘Those from audition shows always excel at this kind of thing.’
The journalists transformed their favorable impressions into enthusiastic headlines.
[‘Hi-five’ Testa Proves Their Star Power]
[Testa ‘Knocks It Out of the Park with the Opening!’]
Meanwhile, the Testa members exited after finishing the opening. The MC then took the stage to fill the time.
It was a face everyone in the audience recognized.
“Hello everyone~”
“Ohhh!!”
As the fans felt both joy and mild irritation at the familiar Ajusa MC, Testa backstage frantically changed clothes with the help of staff.
“Ugh, my hair!”
“This baseball uniform really won’t come off….”
Just as Testa managed to slip into a flashy school uniform jacket with ornate epaulettes and rushed back onstage, the MC skillfully drew reactions from the audience.
“Wow~ it’s been a while, shareholders! …What? You’re not happy to see me? Come on, let’s not be like that~ it’s only been three months since we last saw each other! Though of course, only you shareholders have seen my face.”
Laughter, playful jeers, and cheers mingled together. The MC smiled and introduced the next stage.
“So I hope you get to see your stocks again after all this time. Your investment has taken flight!”
And once more, light flooded the stage.
Testa began dancing with a smile, matching the intro.
It was “Right Now Me”.
“…!!”
How long had it been since the broadcast ended? The audience found themselves swept up in a strange, bittersweet nostalgia.
Moreover, watching Testa divide the parts among themselves and sing “It’s Me” with such joy felt refreshingly novel.
It felt like watching an epilogue after a happy ending, so the audience savored the stage with warm hearts.
-What shines on this stage tonight.
It’s me!
Yes, the Shining Star you’ll create.
It’s me!
“Finally awakening, radiating light~”
“…!”
Eventually, the entire crowd joined in singing.
Testa, pleasantly flustered, laughed even louder and continued singing.
Even some journalists who had watched Ajusa nodded their heads in enjoyment during this delightful pop song moment.
However, not everyone’s heart warmed.
A few hearts grew cold.
‘So they’ve finished their song.’
‘They divided the parts and got excited?’
These were the fans of eliminated Ajusa participants who had attended the showcase with resentful hearts.
Of course, most of the eliminated participants’ fans were simply enjoying the stage.
Even if their favorite participant hadn’t made it, there were members of Testa they had some affection for.
However, there were always exceptions in any crowd.
“That was the challenger version! Thank you so much~”
The incident occurred during the talk segment after the next song ended.
“I really wanted to do this version!”
“Yes~ Congratulations, Cha Yu-jin.”
“Hehe.”
Cha Yu-jin excitedly chattered about performing an alternate team version of “Final,” the song he had performed in the finals, while the other members found it endearing on camera in a way they hadn’t before.
The journalists didn’t ask particularly malicious questions. They merely posed a few sharp questions with subtle traps.
“You all seem close—who’s the member you’re least close to?”
“The album was prepared in such a short timeframe. How was that possible?”
“VTIC made their comeback just a few days ago on the 12th. What are your thoughts?”
Since all the questions fell within expected territory, Ryu Chung-woo and Big Sae-jin smoothly deflected the topics by passing answers between them.
“We’re all getting closer~ But since we went through Ajusa together, we developed this strange sense of camaraderie… We’re actually surprised at how quickly we bonded, even faster than we expected!”
“The company had already prepared all the groundwork for album production, so we were able to proceed quickly. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Director Kwak Shin-gyun and all the staff members.”
“When I meet the VTIC sunbaes, I definitely want to get their autographs on the album! It was on my bucket list!”
This was the moment when the members’ survival interview skills, honed to avoid malicious editing, truly shone.
And then came a proper question.
“You’ve selected two title tracks—aside from the ‘Hi-five’ stage we just saw, what unique charm does ‘Magic Boy’ have?”
“Ah.”
Ryu Chung-woo reflexively reached for the microphone, but after a brief moment of judgment, he passed the answer to Park Moon-dae, the one who had conceived the idea.
‘That’s not an odd question, so it should be fine for Park Moon-dae to answer.’
Though the gesture came from genuine consideration, Park Moon-dae wasn’t someone who particularly enjoyed interviews.
‘Well, then.’
Still, he couldn’t very well hand the microphone back, so Park Moon-dae took it willingly.
“Magic Boy is…”
That was when it happened.
“…!”
“Ah!”
Something translucent shot up from below the stage and struck Park Moon-dae’s arm with considerable force.
“Watch out…!”
Ryu Chung-woo pulled Park Moon-dae back with quick reflexes, but the projectile had come too fast to block it properly.
“….”
Park Moon-dae looked down at his arm.
It was completely soaked.
‘Someone threw a water bottle.’
Water dripped steadily from the ornate shoulder boards down to his sleeves.
His forehead felt cold, so some of it must have splashed onto the side of his face as well.
His elbow throbbed slightly.
‘They threw it pretty hard.’
The concert hall froze in bewilderment in an instant.
Among the audience, murmurs of concern and small screams erupted from all directions.
And the journalists were delighted.
‘Well, well.’
‘Whoever did that just made my day~’
Park Moon-dae quickly assessed the situation.
‘No harmful substances, at least.’
Since his forehead was fine, it wasn’t hydrochloric acid or alcohol. In the worst case, it was probably just the thrower’s saliva.
‘Then I’ll just move past it.’
The entire incident was resolved in the three seconds it took to wring out his arm.
It was only possible because of the adolescence he’d spent constantly reading situations.
Park Moon-dae laughed softly.
“You’re quite perceptive.”
“…!?”
“It seems you predicted my answer.”
Then he removed his jacket. Underneath, the school uniform shirt that fans already knew about was revealed.
The white summer uniform from the Magic Boy music video.
“If you watch the performance directly on stage, you’ll be able to fully appreciate the unique charm of this song, I believe.”
“…Ah!”
The members instantly grasped the situation and removed their jackets as well, tossing them aside.
“Then, encouraged by this prompt, we’ll begin right away. Magic Boy.”
Park Moon-dae swept back his still-damp side hair and reclaimed the microphone.
Soon, the delicate melody of a music box filled the Concert Hall.
♬♪♩♪-
♬♪♬♪-
♪♩-
Beneath the dreamlike violet stage design, Park Moon-dae with wet hair opened his mouth to sing.
-I think of you all day long
The you I’ll meet tomorrow
I dream dreams as blue as daylight
And the fans in the venue instantly forgot about the water bottle incident.

* * *
Testa’s showcase lasted roughly an hour—nothing excessive. Yet before it even ended, articles and reviews began flooding in.
Of course, pieces mentioning the mishap were inevitable.
[Testa’s Water-Soaked ‘Magical Boy’ Enchants]
[The Prowess of a Prepared Star. Crisis Transformed into Performance]
Clicking on articles with such headlines invariably revealed photos of Park Moon-dae in his school uniform, shaking water from his hair.
There were also shots of him flinging off his water-soaked jacket, the droplets scattering from the shoulder boards and catching the stage lights in a way that only enhanced the visual appeal.
Photos of the water bottle impact occasionally surfaced, but most were screen captures from fan recordings, so the quality of the dramatic moment was poor.
Still, the reaction was unmistakable.
-What kind of insane bastard throws a water bottle at a rookie idol who just debuted?
-That was clearly aimed at his face lolol if Chung-woo hadn’t pulled him back, he definitely would’ve gotten hit
-Definitely a genuine psycho
-They caught them, right? Please tell me they got arrested
-It’s sad that I can’t go to the showcase right now and watch the stage late, but my spot was taken by a bastard like that? Haha, I’m dying, please.
While the fans seethed with anger, they were deeply relieved by Park Moon-dae’s response.
If things had gone wrong, it could’ve ended messily, but thank goodness Moon-dae handled it well. Seriously.
-He must’ve been startled but didn’t show it and moved past it so naturally… that’s truly impressive
-Lol Park Moon-dae just seemed genuinely oblivious and rushed them along naturally? The Ajusa character interpretation was spot on~
└Are we really talking about character here? Get lost
-The members immediately took off their jackets too when they saw what happened, it was touching. They seem to mesh well together
Still, the cyber trolls on YouTube didn’t miss this golden opportunity.
As a result, a title like this briefly trended in the day’s viral videos.
[The Mystery of the Water Bottle Thrown at Ajusa’s #1?]
[#1 Idol Hit by Water at Showcase!]
Ironically, because his response was so good, all of this became viral marketing in itself, generating buzz upon buzz.
“Hyung, did you see this?”
And this news reached the ears of VTIC, who had just wrapped up their first week of activities.

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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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