Debut or Die - Chapter 90

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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 90
I’d never seen Kim Rae-bin’s complexion change so drastically before.
Even some of the members who had scattered to handle their own business immediately noticed something was wrong.
“Rae-bin, what’s wrong? Hyung, what happened?”
When Ryu Chung-woo approached and asked quietly, the Manager whisked him away somewhere.
“….”
When personal complications arose, people often preferred others not to pry.
Ryu Chung-woo could get away with it thanks to his leader position, but I had no idea how Kim Rae-bin would feel about the other members’ interference.
‘I’ll observe the situation for now.’
Sure enough, the Manager returned with Ryu Chung-woo shortly after.
Kim Rae-bin had already disappeared.
“…Where’s Kim Rae-bin?”
“Just wait. We’ll talk once filming wraps up.”
The Manager seemed conscious of the staff around us. The members, understanding the situation, fell silent and continued their work.
And shortly after, once we exchanged brief greetings with the Production Team and got in the car, I learned the full story.
“His grandmother collapsed?”
“Yeah. So he went straight to the Hospital.”
“….”
Since I already knew Kim Rae-bin lived with his grandparents, the members’ expressions darkened.
I clicked my tongue. …My heart sank.
‘…At least they let him go.’
It seemed the call came right when activities were wrapping up, around when the day’s schedule ended, and they sent him off without hesitation or unnecessary words.
…Wait.
Could bad news really happen with such perfect timing?
“Hyung, when did you get that call?”
“What, what?”
“When did you get the call about Kim Rae-bin’s grandmother collapsing?”
“….”
The Manager’s expression grew somewhat somber.
“…It came around when you all finished the Valley rafting. I had my phone off for organizing, so I didn’t check until filming ended.”
“…!”
The atmosphere froze.
“Then… even if Rae-bin went…”
“I-it might already be too late….”
“It won’t be! He’s been getting continuous updates.”
The Manager hastily added an explanation.
“…I see.”
The atmosphere in the car eased up somewhat.
I studied the Manager.
‘Did he check beforehand but not say anything?’
That could have been the case.
‘I could have made excuses—said we’d wrap up the shoot soon and send the footage later.’
After all, whether Kim Rae-bin went or not, his grandmother wouldn’t suddenly recover, so I could rationalize it that way….
…No. That was too far. Neither the Manager nor the Company were the type to cross ethical lines so carelessly.
Besides, if that were the case, they wouldn’t have been so honest about it.
I held back a sigh and leaned back in my seat.
“…What do we do about his grandmother.”
I heard sniffling from beside me. Cha Yu-jin was crumpled in the corner with a gloomy expression.
‘He must have met her in person before.’
Ryu Chung-woo spoke with difficulty.
“It’ll be okay. In a bit… let’s try contacting Rae-bin.”
“Yes….”
The atmosphere in the car grew heavy. Even Big Sae-jin, unsure of what to say, shook his head when our eyes met.
“Hmm….”
Lee Sae-jin, finding the mood suffocating, turned her gaze toward the window.
In that dreary atmosphere, the car drove toward the Dormitory.
The maddeningly vibrant schedule of the past day and a half felt like a lie with this ending.

* * *
Kim Rae-bin returned to the Dormitory past midnight, in the early morning hours.
“…!”
“You’re back.”
Several members were still awake, sitting in the Living Room.
Sun Ah-hyun and Lee Sae-jin, who had a photo shoot schedule tomorrow morning, had gone to bed at the Manager’s insistence.
‘That was wise, since we didn’t know when Kim Rae-bin would arrive.’
And that judgment proved correct. It was now 3:30 in the morning.
“Did you take a taxi?”
“…Yes.”
Kim Rae-bin’s face was puffy as if he’d been crying, but he didn’t look particularly scolded.
‘It doesn’t seem like anything serious happened.’
I opened my mouth.
“Is your grandmother okay?”
“Yes…. We got to the Hospital right away, and they said there will be almost no aftereffects.”
It turned out his grandmother had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Fortunately, Kim Rae-bin’s older sister had discovered it quickly, and treatment was completed within the golden hour.
“Thank goodness….”
“Really, thank goodness, Rae-bin.”
“That must have been hard on you. It was tough, wasn’t it? You did well.”
“…Thank you.”
Kim Rae-bin’s eyes welled up again, and he wiped them vigorously as he entered the Living Room. A modest welcome and consolation followed.
“Did you eat dinner?”
“…No.”
“Sigh.”
“You’ve already been through enough. You should at least eat something and get some rest.”
It was the right call.
‘…There’s no helping it.’
I sighed and volunteered. With this lineup, my turn would finish the quickest.
“…Sit down. I’ll heat something up for you.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary!”
“It’s dawn. Keep your voice down.”
“Yes….”
Once the members confirmed the situation was manageable, they stretched with noticeably lighter expressions and stood up.
“Then Rae-bin, get some good rest. Park Moon-dae, thanks for your hard work~”
“Yes….”
“Finish eating before you head to bed.”
“You did well.”
Finally, Cha Yu-jin patted Kim Rae-bin on the shoulder and left.
There was another group schedule starting tomorrow afternoon.
Now that I’d confirmed this hadn’t blown up into something major, having everyone sit around watching him eat would only make things more awkward.
‘I should wrap this up quickly and head back too.’
I heated up some instant rice and stew and set them out. Ordering an extra portion earlier in the evening had been a wise decision.
“Here.”
“Thank you….”
After confirming Kim Rae-bin was eating, I turned to leave when it hit me.
‘…Wouldn’t it look odd for him to eat alone at dawn like this?’
It was the perfect setup for pity. So it made sense for someone to stay.
And I’d just volunteered for it.
‘…But this is the right thing to do.’
I sat down across from him.
Kim Rae-bin ate quietly.
But he put his spoon down before finishing even half.
“…Doesn’t taste good?”
“No….”
Kim Rae-bin hung his head and murmured.
“I confirmed Grandmother is okay, but…, still… something feels wrong.”
“…Why.”
“If, if something like this happens again later, and I find out too late again, and… what if it’s real next time…”
“…Mm.”
“Even if I find out in time, if I stop a performance or a shoot to go, is that even the right thing to do? But then… it feels like I’m lacking in professional responsibility.”
“….”
“I just… can’t stop thinking about it.”
…It was a worry worth having.
And it was the kind of concern anyone with their life divided by work would naturally carry.
Working frantically, then one day receiving a truly fatal… call while I’m in the middle of something critically important—what was I supposed to do about that?
The problem was that Kim Rae-bin wasn’t even an adult yet.
At an age where he legally couldn’t even drink alcohol, I honestly wasn’t sure if this kind of work environment that forced such worries on him was normal.
‘If someone says “You’re making money, so aren’t you a pro?” then I have nothing to say.’
That kind of call… it’s a situation people who haven’t experienced it simply don’t understand.
“….”
This is really difficult. I never thought I’d be saying something like this in the middle of the night.
After deliberating, I opened my mouth.
“When I received that call… I was at the Academy.”
“…!”
“I had my phone on silent because I was in class… so I didn’t see it until quite some time had passed. The exam was coming up soon.”
“….”
Twenty-four missed calls lit up the screen.
I still think about it sometimes. What if I hadn’t gone to the Academy… what would have changed?
If I’d skipped it and gone to that family event instead, what would have been different? Meaningless thoughts like that.
“Back then, I was far less busy than you are now, and I was just a student. So I think this kind of… timing issue is really just a matter of luck.”
“…Ah.”
“Besides, you’re not going to live on this kind of schedule forever. Once you build up more experience, schedules can be adjusted however you need.”
I wiped the back of my neck and continued.
“Still, if you’re worried, just tell your Manager to always check family calls for you. And there’s absolutely no problem leaving in the middle of work.”
“…!”
“Everyone lives like that. If someone complains, they’re a psychopath—just sue them.”
“….”
After a long silence, Kim Rae-bin finally nodded.
“…Yes.”
“Feeling a bit better?”
“…Yes!”
Kim Rae-bin answered with a bit more strength in his voice. And he picked his spoon back up. It was a relief to see he’d regained some energy.
‘Looking at his pace, he should be done in five minutes.’
I checked my watch with some relief. …Hmm, if he finishes, the sun will probably be rising.
‘My sleep schedule’s flipped again….’
I could practically hear my circadian rhythm shattering. Once I get a break, I need to start by going to bed at 9 PM and waking up at 9 AM the next day.
“Um, hyung.”
“What.”
“May I ask you something?”
“…Go ahead.”
Kim Rae-bin carefully opened his mouth as he cleared away the empty dishes.
“You mentioned amnesia earlier, but no matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand how you remember the events from back then….”
“…I just remembered it out of the blue when I woke up.”
“Ah, I understand.”
He really was consistently the same.

* * *
The moment news broke about Testa’s reality travel special, fans erupted in excitement.
-Yes! A trip!
-Ah, Testa’s reality show was fun at first but lately it’s been boring so I only watched clips, and finally the Production Team came to their senses
-There was an eyewitness account of the valley. It seems to be a healing content that feels like people playing among themselves in the countryside. I’m looking forward to it.
And when the teaser dropped, the reaction doubled.
Hahaha, that’s insane extreme!
Skydiving, a haunted house, water play? Wow, you really picked only the best stuff, haha!
-Park Moon-dae and a haunted house? This is a solid investment, everyone put your money in!!
-Wow… I think they also made a fan song at this time ㅠㅠ Even though there was only one cut of the kids making it, it was so cute.
-Of course Kim Rae-bin was leading it, all those bastards trying to say they all did it equally, Kim Rae-bin shut them down
-They seemed to eat well so I’m relieved
Lol that’s totally my reaction too lol
I was worried maybe I hadn’t been feeding it well, but then a whole pig came out lolol
Fans eagerly counted down the days until the first episode of the reality travel special aired.
And at the same time, they scraped together rumors wondering if there were any other variety show scoops.
And they even spotted one unverified anonymous post.
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: 【Just Get Along】 next guests are PMD and CRY and TST BMD. We reached out to CRY but they specifically requested it themselves. Everyone’s saying the ratings should be good.
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The claim was that VTIC Chung-ryeo would be filming a variety show with Park Moon-dae.
Naturally, mocking responses flooded in beneath this absurd assertion.
-? What nonsense is this
-Good fanfic fantasy I’ve seen
-This is the type of guy who sees Chung-ryeo and Park Moon-dae say hello once and instantly creates a rumor that they’re best friends?
-Wow, these days even low-tier bait gets responses, the world’s really improving
Fans naturally didn’t believe it and moved on.
But a few days later.
An official article dropped.
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[【Just Get Along】, Next Guests Are VTIC and Testa? (Exclusive)]
: According to MBS officials on the 21st, 【Just Get Along】 is scheduled to film with VTIC’s Chung-ryeo and Testa’s Park Moon-dae as guests.
….
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-???
-What is this
-Is it really?
It was real.
Shortly after, a teaser video produced by 【Get Close First】 dropped.

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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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