Debut or Die - Chapter 77

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

A Fatal Illness if I Don’t Debut – Episode 77
I reorganized the choreography Sunday evening, collapsed from exhaustion, and when I woke up, it was already the following week.
This meant it was time to check the first week’s album sales figures.
The results were… terrifying.
“…670,000 copies?”
“That’s right!”
I asked the Manager once more.
“That’s actual sales, not pre-orders?”
“…Well, it’s not that either? Anyway, it’s definitely sales!”
“….”
For reference, pre-orders refer to the quantity that retail stores place in advance based on anticipated album sales.
‘I suspected it might be pre-orders since they tend to stock more than initial sales, but…’
670,000 copies actually sold.
‘I can’t quite wrap my head around it.’
No matter how inflated album sales have become recently, this was a number that felt almost surreal.
Considering that Testa’s fanbase, as befits an Audition Program alumni group, was primarily domestic, it was even more staggering.
It had even increased from the original projection.
‘Wasn’t it originally 600,000 copies?’
The initial sales for a group debuting under Ajusa were definitely 600,000 copies. I had no idea where the extra 70,000 came from….
“…So we just set a new male idol debut album sales record?”
“Uh, u-uh-uh….”
“Holy moly.”
The others seemed overwhelmed rather than purely joyful.
If it had been around 300,000 copies, we would have been rolling on the ground in celebration, but seeing double that figure, they seemed a bit intimidated.
Of course, someone quickly snapped back to reality. It meant practical thinking had begun.
“…Does this mean we could take first place next week?”
“…!!”
Suddenly, tension surged through the room.
Ryu Chung-woo spoke up.
“How many copies did VTIC’s sunbae sell this week?”
“I’ll check right away.”
Kim Rae-bin immediately began searching. Weekly sales figures were available directly from the album chart.
[LONG NIGHT / VTIC 312,608]
“…!”
“Wow.”
It was a figure hard to believe for week two.
‘Even accounting for the last day of initial sales being included, this is…’
It was comparable to the total sales of a reasonably successful male idol group.
At this point, I genuinely became curious about their initial sales for this album.
“…Wait a moment.”
I tapped Kim Rae-bin’s smartphone screen a few times to check VTIC’s first-week album sales and initial figures.
[1,872,863]
“….”
Ah, it’s over.
“Wow~”
“Haha.”
“We’ll get first place someday if we keep working hard!”
The tension evaporated entirely. The members began laughing and encouraging each other.
I’d expected it, but seeing the baseline gap this wide drained away any competitive spirit.
This initial period was our best window—with double the album sales—yet we were getting crushed on the digital charts, which made things look grim.
‘We won’t see any special surge in album sales beyond the initial period, and second week will probably be just as tough.’
The digital rankings were climbing steadily, but I was skeptical we could dethrone VTIC, who remained locked in first place.
I shrugged.
“Should we get ready to head out?”
“That sounds good.”
“Fighting today too~”
The members scattered to change into their outdoor clothes.
The Manager muttered something like “This isn’t it…” a few times, but soon seemed to accept reality and let out a heavy sigh.
‘Guess he had different expectations.’
Well, he’d figure it out.
The Manager brought up something new right after we got in the car.
“You know the fan signing is in two days, right?”
“Huh.”
“Already?”
The members tensed up. We’d heard about it when activities started, but with our busy schedule, we’d forgotten the date. The Manager nodded.
“Yeah. They’re buying so many albums and supporting us so enthusiastically—we need to go and do well, treat them sincerely~”
“Of course!”
Probably the Manager had thrown out the sales figures first to build up to this. He looked relieved to get it off his chest now.
‘A fan signing, huh.’
Talking with a hundred people in succession without making mistakes would require some mental preparation.
Though it seemed to backfire on one member. Sun Ah-hyun’s face went pale instantly.
“I, I don’t think I can do this.”
“Why?”
“Um? I, I’m not good at talking…?”
“…? Your Korean is fine right now.”
Sun Ah-hyun got caught up in Cha Yu-jin’s nonsense and grew even more confused.
I sighed and stepped in.
“You’re thoughtful by nature, so you won’t make mistakes. Don’t worry too much.”
“…Th, thanks.”
Sun Ah-hyun smiled faintly in response, but his expression didn’t look particularly reassured.
‘That’s understandable.’
I’d barely ever had a proper conversation with a fan to begin with.
I’d catch glimpses of them up close while moving between schedules, but usually it was just quick greetings and fan service before I had to rush into the car.
The persistent ones who followed us near the Dormitory or convenience stores weren’t really fans—they were stalkers—so they didn’t count as a valid sample.
‘When you sit down one-on-one and actually talk, any member would feel the pressure….’
“Time needs to fly by~ so we can see our fans~”
“….”
Everyone except that guy.
Big Sae-jin in the front seat was humming and scrolling through his smartphone.
‘He’s confident about this.’
I never thought I’d get to witness such a stark contrast between idols right before a fan signing event.
And what about me?
‘No idea.’
I’d been paid to attend a few famous idol public fan signing events and take photos as a stand-in.
But I’d never actually heard what the idol and fan talked about during the signing. The space itself was so chaotic and loud that most conversations got drowned out anyway.
‘Well… I’ve definitely seen plenty of people wearing headbands.’
That would be a bit embarrassing, but it’s not like I couldn’t do it.
I tried to dig through my brain, which now contained only images and impressions, and clicked my tongue. There was no substance to it.
‘Maybe I should look up what kind of conversations usually happen.’
We were in the car during transit anyway, and there were no reality cameras around. I immediately pulled out my smartphone and accessed SNS to start searching.
[Fan Signing Event Reviews]
‘Since I added “reviews” to the search, I should be able to filter out most Home Ma photos.’
But before I could even switch to the popular posts tab, a fresh post that had just appeared caught my eye.
“…!”
Wait.
========================
[Testa: 120 photos of this fansign cut haha. It’s a weekday, but it’s crazy! I was so crazy… Please post more reviews of the fan signing event ㅠㅠ (photo)]
========================
The image attached to the post was a screenshot of an authentication post claiming they’d bought 100 copies and run out.
“….”
120 copies?
To be honest, that was my first thought upon seeing it.
‘…How much is that?’
Testa’s debut mini album had a retail price of 15,000 won. Even with discounts from group purchases and such… the lowest price would be around 11,000 won.
‘Even calculating at that rate….’
1.32 million won.
“…Huh.”
My brain started spinning.
‘Even if the conversation lasts 1, 2 minutes max.’
Since Testa had seven members, that meant each of us needed to be worth at least 180,000 won per person.
‘Isn’t the efficiency way too low for this?’
Could I really deliver 100,000 won worth of value in a single minute of conversation? Of course I couldn’t be confident about that.
‘I guess… I just have to do whatever they ask.’
I couldn’t think of any other solution. I lowered my smartphone and pressed my brow.
I’d photographed plenty of idols with over 100 fan sign cuts, but I never thought I’d be the one on the other side.
Cold sweat drenched me.

* * *
Park Moon-dae’s first Home Ma arrived at an Art Hall in Mokdong fully prepared for the fan sign event.
The modest Stage and seating that accommodated 300 people easily welcomed the 100 waiting fans.
And waiting numbers were distributed.
[07]
‘Early number—lucky!’
Home Ma cheerfully set up the camera quickly, thinking she’d get to talk with Moon-dae before he got tired.
And when it was just past 7:30 PM.
Testa entered from the side of the Stage.
In an instant, a roar so loud it made ears ring filled the small Art Hall. Normally the sound of cameras would have come first, but instead, the excitement of the first fan sign event overwhelmed everything.
Testa entered waving their hands, looking slightly bashful, then stood before the signing table set up on the Stage and bowed politely.
“Take your STAR! Hello, we’re Testa!”
“Waahhh!!”
It was a formal greeting befitting a rookie unfamiliar with fan sign events. The fans cheered enthusiastically, but each was internally calling out their favorite member’s name.
Park Moon-dae’s Home Ma was no exception.
‘Moon-dae with black hair!! Ah, I love it so much!!’
She’d seen Park Moon-dae’s black hair in person several times before through filming and other events, but it was beautiful every time.
It might have been because Park Moon-dae had black hair when she first became a fan.
‘The blonde was nice too, but black hair is definitely it.’
She briefly thought of her friend who was a staunch blonde advocate, but quickly dismissed the thought and focused on the camera.
She had to photograph that face well and spread word of it widely.
‘He seems to get more handsome every time I see him.’
Whether it was the album concept or the white school uniform he wore on Stage, Park Moon-dae with black hair had a mysteriously refreshing aura.
‘This isn’t bias—it’s the truth…!’
While she was muttering to herself like that, Testa finished their greeting, slipped into their seats at the table, and sat down.
‘Moon-dae’s at the very end.’
Home Ma muttered that she’d done well bringing gifts for the other members too, just in case. Walking to Moon-dae’s end seat with hands full of gifts meant she wouldn’t be the only one giving nothing to anyone.
“We’ll start in order of your numbers~”
Soon the fan sign event began in earnest.
Because she’d gotten an early number, she didn’t have to wait long before she could start getting signatures. It was just before Moon-dae met the first fan.
The first person was Ryu Chung-woo.
“Hello!”
“Ah, hello.”
Watching Ryu Chung-woo greet her first, Home Ma’s words stumbled slightly.
‘He’s quite handsome too.’
She’d seen him called something like “hot Confucian gentleman” on social media, but seeing him up close in person, she finally understood why.
‘He looks like a male lead from a webtoon—the athletic type.’
She exchanged a few light pleasantries with him, high-fived, and handed over a small red ginseng box.
“Wow, thank you so much!”
“Oh, don’t mention it~”
The first autograph session ended warmly. And then came the next person.
“Where would you like me to sign?”
It was child actor Lee Sae-jin. With a delicate and neat impression, Lee Sae-jin wasn’t particularly enthusiastic, but wasn’t insincere either.
“Who did you come to see?”
She even asked the first question, surprisingly.
“Oh, I came to see all of Testa~”
“Is that so? Thank you.”
Lee Sae-jin answered matter-of-factly without any particular sensitivity, and finished signing cleanly.
‘Fresher than I expected.’
Somehow, with each autograph she received, the impression kept improving.
The other members she got signed by were the same.
“Well, I’ll try to find a spot that’s visible without covering your face…”
Kim Rae-bin, who despite his sharp impression signed shyly while visibly tense, was wonderful too.
“Which album cover do you like best? I love Violet the most!”
Cha Yu-jin was adorable, more excited than the fan receiving the autograph, scribbling all sorts of doodles around his signature and bombarding her with questions.
‘He was really annoying at the beginning of Ajusa.’
She praised herself for not saying anything unnecessary back then.
And then Big Sae-jin appeared.
“Welcome~ How was it coming to your first fan meet today? I was really nervous!”
“I was nervous too!”
“Oh, you didn’t seem nervous at all~”
Big Sae-jin, with his friendly tone, instantly got her to spill what she’d done during the day, her current mood and state, even her worries.
And without her even saying anything, a high-five naturally happened.
“See you next time~”
“Yes…!”
‘…It feels like we got closer?’
It felt like she’d built an internal friendship with the handsome business major and class president all by herself. Even though she vaguely sensed that he probably treats all his peers this warmly.
Impressed by the social butterfly vibes she felt from just 2 minutes and 30 seconds of conversation, she braced herself for Park Moon-dae’s turn coming up next.
‘Now Park Moon-dae is coming after this one…!’
Sun Ah-hyun was ready to move on quickly with anticipation, but then—
‘…his face was far too extraordinary.’
“N-nice to meet you…!”
Sun Ah-hyun smiled brightly while listening intently to her words, and as a result, she received his autograph almost as if entranced.
Sun Ah-hyun even added a thoughtful P.S. below.
[Thank you so much for coming today, Yeon-ju! I’ll work even harder going forward and show you amazing performances!*^^*]
‘…He really is a natural treasure.’
With that face and that personality, maintaining any character would be difficult.
…And now, the moment of truth—my ultimate bias.
She swallowed hard and turned to look at Park Moon-dae.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————