Debut or Die - Chapter 75

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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 75
Thursday evening at 7 PM when MusicBomb began.
Unusually, the Internet was bustling with people waiting for the live broadcast.
-The lineup is so impressive, I love it
-Testa will go first anyway, so give us a shout when they come on lol
Two major boy idol groups were appearing on the music broadcast together, and one of them was even making their debut stage.
Thanks to that, Testa’s fans were even more active.
-Did you see what they posted early in the morning? It’s really so cuteㅠㅠ
└The photo of them apologizing in confusion is peak fanservice… but next time please include a selfie, that’s the real apology
-Even if they post five thousand posts at dawn, I wish they’d post a lot
-The lunch box support was really good. The kids must have had a hard time early in the morning, so I wish they had eaten well.
-I was so jealous reading the pre-recording reviews my stomach almost split… they filmed it three times and did tons of talking in between
-Park Moon-dae did aegyo with a heart gesture apparently…
└Insane
└Why didn’t I get cast for pre-recording
└Who didn’t film the fancam? ㅠㅠ Please upload it like this…
Pre-recording reviews had already been released, and all sorts of information—costumes, makeup, fan service, and conversations—were already known among the fans.
So the fans waited for the live broadcast even more excitedly.
-High Five is live broadcast, not pre-recorded, right?
└Yeah, I’m already curious what kind of baseball uniforms they’ll wear…
-Oh, when will it come out?ㅠㅠ Any spoilers on the order?
Unfortunately, Testa’s stage didn’t air for quite a while. It was because they were treated well since this was a Tnet music broadcast.
-The order is… that far back…?
-It’s good but sad
-Where are you guys?
What consoled the fans somewhat was that the group introduction interview segment appeared in the mid-to-late portion.
[A rookie who appeared like a comet, we’ve brought Testa!]
[Take your STAR! Hello, we’re Testa!]
Testa appeared on screen with bright smiles, waving both hands. Dressed in baseball uniforms, they each held props that matched their individual images, from guards to gloves.
-Insane baseball uniforms
Aww, black hair suits him so well too, he’s become a black-haired cutie.
-Whoever gave Cha Yu-jin pink hair!! Thank you!! Oh I love it so much!
-Good jobㅠㅠ
-Love the team chant
[Testa, how do you feel about the stage ahead of you today?]
[We’re very nervous, but we hope we can show everything we’ve prepared for!]
The interview was nothing special—just a standard script and singing one chorus. But the fans happily watched the members.
And finally, when the stage aired.
-Whoa
Comments poured in instantly.
-X does that well?
Isn’t it supposed to be that the rose-tinted glasses come off after the audition? Why are you doing so well? lol
-It’s such a perfect concept for creating a solemn atmosphere, and they really pulled it off… I guess because they chose it themselves
-I’m not joking, I think I’ve actually become a fan. Quick, what’s the name of that member who looks like a graceful young deer?
└Sun Ah-hyun
└You’ve got good taste, sir. Our boy is an angel
-From now on, I’m the manager of Testa’s baseball club. I won’t accept any objections
The ‘Hi-five’ stage that aired live was genuinely entertaining from the start.
Testa quickly located the camera and pulled off mischievous expressions fitting the concept or flashed bright smiles—they truly looked like the masters of the song.
Because they’d divided the parts among themselves, the live performance didn’t waver. Without a hint of nervousness, they glided through the stage with perfectly synchronized choreography, and it was clear they were enjoying every moment.
-Ah, this is fun
-Yeah, idols really need to nail their stage presence
People were already talking as if the entire performance had ended after just ‘Hi-five’, but the moment the ‘Magic Boy’ stage appeared, the comment section and SNS exploded with new posts.
I can’t even speak, haha
-Park Moon-dae has good taste. Now I get why he pushed this song
Yeah, that Tibetan fortune-telling fox from Ajusa who used to pull concepts is still around, huh? lol
lol
-There aren’t many boy groups that can pull off a dreamy concept without it being cringey. Testa deserves a place in the lineage
The Testa members on screen commanded the stage to a sensual deep house track where a dreamlike music box melody set the atmosphere.
They made good use of the fact that the stage was pre-recorded, adding subtle graphic effects—the shimmer and glitch enhanced the mysterious keywords of ‘surrealism’ and ‘magic’ without overdoing it.
And because they didn’t abandon the ‘High School’ setting, the refreshing yet anxious feeling of adolescence remained intact without excess.
The deciding factor was that the choreography incorporated a few movements as dramatic as dance.
And the members anchoring the choreography executed them flawlessly, leaving jaws on the floor.
People marveled while expressing their own preferences.
-Honestly, the baseball song had more mass appeal, but it seems like the fans are attaching to this one
└? Isn’t it the opposite? This song is way more trendy and the baseball one seems more performance-oriented
Let’s just go with both being good ones lol
-Wow, you are a real human Seungri. How can you sing both songs well and perform well on both stages?
-Honestly, Magic Boy wins by a landslide. From the narrative to the choreography to the melody. Hi-five looks a bit B-tier compared to this.
└Yeah, but Hi-five is still higher on the music charts~
└It’ll flip soon enough.
Ugh, you guys, stop fighting… Testa will take care of both of you anyway…
└That’s right, please enjoy it ㅠㅠ
The fans reveled in the lingering impression of the stage.
-A rookie who tore up their debut stage? That’s right, it’s our Testa.
-I’m amazed someone humble like me is allowed to like such precious idols
-Thank you, producers, for your good judgment… I’m just grateful…
-They did a really good job of distributing the parts. I can feel the heart of our kids who took care of it so that no one was disappointed.
A veteran ballad group’s stage aired next, but Testa’s fans were still riding high on the afterglow of their first official debut stage.
But when VTIC appeared, the mood shifted slightly.
-Now that’s what you call class lol
-Wow, he’s so good it’s actually scary
-Shouldn’t we register him as a cultural treasure or something at this point?
-Where’d all those guys go who were planning to make jokes about him being washed up after T-Holic? lol
The noir-tinged swing house track was frighteningly refined and intense.
But people naturally gravitated more toward fresh images and dark horses, so the buzz around Testa never quite died down.
-Ah, the future of K-pop is so bright~
-We’ll get to see both performances all week lol
Since VTIC’s stage was the finale, the first-place announcement immediately followed.
[This week’s number one is… VTIC’s Night Sign! Congratulations~]
[Wow~]
VTIC had skipped MusicBomb starting last week to appear on broadcast first, so they were able to receive the number-one trophy alongside their comeback stage.
-lol
-It’s so obvious I almost forgot to congratulate them
-Congratulations~
[Thank you so much. First, I’d like to thank everyone who worked hard with us on this album….]
Neither VTIC nor the viewers were surprised. The acceptance speech that followed was joyful and celebratory, if not particularly emotional.
And not long after, the MC wrapped things up.
[The joy of music that makes you burst out laughing!]
[Music~ Bomb! See you next week!]
-That was fun~
-It was worth watching Music Bomb for once hh
Amid the clear sense of closure, the VTIC members came forward for their first-place encore.
That’s when an unexpected shot made it on air.
Chung-ryeo, who was coming forward, glanced back at Testa as they were leaving, then smiled and waved.
-Did you just see that?
-?? That was Chung-ryeo, right?
-Wait, Chung-ryeo? I heard he doesn’t have close connections with other groups lol
-Looks like they got close?
-That’s cute lol
-I guess juniors are just cute huh
The viewers chattered away happily, completely unaware that the one who’d received the greeting felt anything but pleased.

* * *
‘…Why the sudden greeting?’
VTIC had arrived in a rush due to scheduling conflicts and gone straight into the live broadcast, so there hadn’t been time for a proper greeting on our end.
In other words, this was the first time I’d seen Chung-ryeo since Ajusa ended.
Yet he was waving his hand openly even though our eyes hadn’t even met?
‘That doesn’t seem like his personality.’
I felt a brief sense of unease, but quickly dismissed it. I was too busy to care whether someone suddenly greeted me or not.
‘Maybe he’s just excited from getting first place.’
“I think he was greeting you, Park Moon-dae? Maybe because you two met during the casting call.”
“Hmm, that could be it.”
I nodded in agreement with Ryu Chung-woo’s reasonable observation and moved forward.
Cha Yu-jin’s hopeful voice reached my ears.
“Can we go home now?”
“Come on, we should greet the PD first~”
At the manager’s response, Big Sae-jin muttered under his breath.
“Ah, they do that here too, huh.”
“Do what?”
“Line up and greet the PD before leaving.”
“I see.”
I’d heard about it too. Apparently, idols’ departures from music broadcasts get delayed because of the group photo at first place and this greeting ritual.
‘I’ve heard they do the same thing at several broadcast stations, not just here.’
Because of it, leaving late was frustrating. I was exhausted from being awake since dawn.
‘…But if you want to function in society, what choice do you have?’
It was better not to stand out over trivial things. We followed the manager without complaint.
“T-This feels kind of awkward…!”
As we lined up in the Corridor, Sun Ah-hyun whispered with a flustered expression.
There were more cast members than expected, and all eyes were on us. It felt like someone could strike up a conversation at any moment.
Though I’d made album promotion rounds before, this was my first time meeting everyone as a group like this.
‘The sociable ones will handle it themselves.’
I ignored the stares and made small talk with Sun Ah-hyun.
“How was the Stage?”
“Huh? W-Well… it w-was absolutely amazing!”
“In what way?”
“Um… w-well, there were people cheering for us, a-and the song was great, and the m-members were all so close….”
“….”
‘Honestly, we’re not all that close, are we?’
But there was no point in bringing that up and ruining the mood. I just kept quiet and nodded. Sun Ah-hyun’s face brightened considerably.
Then, from down the Corridor, I saw people parting like a receding tide.
At this timing, there was only one possibility.
‘It must be VTIC.’
The ballad group that performed after us had already left before the first-place announcement due to scheduling conflicts. It was interesting how you could only benefit from a spot like this if your seniority was firmly established.
VTIC seemed to operate on the same principle—their seniority and popularity allowed them to greet the PD quickly and efficiently.
‘…Are there any T1 subsidiary perks I’m missing?’
As I muttered such cynical thoughts to myself, Chung-ryeo happened to pass right in front of me.
I should at least offer a polite nod.
But someone stopped walking and spoke to me.
“Ah, Park Moon-dae, we meet again. Congratulations on first place.”
“…!”
It was Chung-ryeo.
“Ah, is this the person you…?”
“That’s right.”
“Wow, nice to meet you. Fighting with your activities!”
The other VTIC members chimed in with their own greetings, pretending to know who he was. Chung-ryeo was smiling.
‘…This guy seems like he’s doing this on purpose.’
I couldn’t shake my suspicion and simply returned the greeting.
“Yes. Thank you. Nice to meet you, senior.”
“I’m happy to meet you too. Um… shall we exchange numbers? It’s rare for our activities to overlap like this.”
“…I’d be grateful for that.”
I might as well exchange numbers. It could prove useful later. I readily pulled out my smartphone.
Still, his motivation for saying this in a crowded corridor full of other cast members seemed suspicious.
‘He could’ve just gotten my number through his manager quietly.’
The way he made a point of greeting me in front of the cameras earlier, and now this—he definitely had some ulterior motive. I just couldn’t figure out what.
‘…Is he just showing off connections?’
Either way, it was true that Park Moon-dae came from the Audition Program in first place. Maybe Chung-ryeo was just an attention-seeker.
‘How could I possibly understand someone’s true character from just one meeting?’
“I’ll reach out to you.”
“Thank you. Have a good one.”
VTIC disappeared from the corridor soon after. I suppressed a sigh and put my smartphone away.
Big Sae-jin chuckled beside me, clapping his hands.
“Wow~ Park Moon-dae, exchanging numbers with a male idol before a female idol… kehehehe.”
Just eat more glucose candy.

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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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