I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed - Chapter 20

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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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Episode 20
“One last thing I want to ask.”
I clapped my hands lightly.
“Does anyone have a Part they want to do?”
Instead of answers, eyes darted nervously around the room.
They were all reading the air. It wasn’t that they had no preferences—it was clear they lacked the nerve to speak first.
‘The energy is completely dead.’
I was beginning to understand why this team had failed before my return. From the start, they’d walked in convinced: “We’re a team that won’t make it.”
Ji Dong Seok at least hesitated before raising his hand.
“Honestly, I don’t care what I get! But… then you’re the Leader, right, Jun Woo?”
“Leader?”
“Assigning Parts—that’s the Leader’s job, isn’t it?”
The three who’d been silent all along murmured their agreement in small voices.
“…I think it’d work if you did it, hyung.”
“We don’t mind.”
“M-me too.”
Had they already given up? Ironically, their passive response struck me as oddly courageous.
Kids, that’s a death flag in a survival show.
“Fine. I’ll be the Leader.”
I’d joined this team ready to lead from the beginning. In a way, this was better. With people this passive, they’d actually want someone to guide them.
‘As long as they don’t nitpick unnecessarily, that’s a win.’
Far better than kids with oversized egos.
I pressed play on the song immediately.
“You all know the song, right?”
All four nodded.
Our Mission Song, “The Road to Meeting You Is Always Clear,” was a hit by With Us, the male idol group synonymous with bright, refreshing concepts. They were famous for their crisp sound and the individual styling that let each member’s personality shine on stage.
“Alright, this Intro here—have Dong Seok and Gi Hyun do it together.”
The Intro had to capture the listener’s ear, which meant vocal color was critical.
These two had distinctive tones—perfect for it. The difference: Ji Dong Seok’s was “bright and refreshing,” while Gwon Gi Hyun’s was “ambiguous.”
“Ambiguous” vocal color meant it sounded plain at first, yet somehow blended seamlessly into any song.
“I’ll go first!”
Ji Dong Seok launched into the Intro without hesitation.
‘Thinking about stage presence, maybe Dong Seok should do it after all.’
It was bright, but a touch too strong for an opening line.
Gwon Gi Hyun, meanwhile, had already shrunk back.
“…I’m not very good at this, though.”
“You’re fine. Just try it.”
Gwon Gi Hyun hesitated for a long moment before finally opening his mouth.
[Hey you!
What a curious coincidence,
On the road to meeting you,
There’s always a clear blue breeze.]
‘…I’ve got to use him.’
That vocal color was too good to waste.
Clear and light, yet a voice that seeped naturally into the melody—exactly what the Intro needed to set the song’s mood.
‘And they threw him away after just one line?’
Before my return, Gwon Gi Hyun always got short Parts and nothing more.
‘And then he ended up as the first one eliminated.’
“The Intro—Gi Hyun’s doing it.”
Gwon Gi Hyun’s eyes widened.
“Hey, maybe you should think about this again—”
“No? I think your voice is the right call.”
Thankfully, Ji Dong Seok was the kind of guy who accepted a decision cleanly.
“Oh, Gi Hyun—congrats! Your tone is seriously good, man. Why haven’t you been singing before?”
Gwon Gi Hyun waved his hand, saying that didn’t make sense.
“D-don’t mess with me.”
“Alright, let’s move on to the next Part.”
I moved forward immediately. If I kept talking, he’d just get more flustered.
“This one—have Jun Woo and Woo Joo try it.”
“Isn’t that the rap section?”
“Then you should’ve said you wanted to do the rap part, Woo Joo.”
“…….”
His lips pout slightly, as if he has nothing to say. So what if he’s showing me his displeasure right now?
‘……Wait a minute.’
In that instant, I realized something that made the back of my neck go cold.
‘This is totally Seong Ah!’
Yu Seong Ah’s tyrannical manner had naturally installed itself in my head.
I collected myself and tossed the carrot.
“You know that people who rap well usually sing well too, right?”
Song Woo Joo lifted his head slightly.
“That’s why there are lots of rappers who sing well. Someone like you should be decent at singing.”
“…….”
“Ah, maybe not that well? That’s strange. To my ear, it sounded really good—”
“……I’ll try.”
Song Woo Joo cleared his throat unnecessarily.
I knew it would work. Boys that age crumble the moment you touch their competitive spirit.
Sung Jun Woo’s breathing is slightly shaky, but his pitch is accurate. If he can keep from wavering even while dancing, that becomes a tremendous advantage.
As his turn approached, Song Woo Joo warmed up his voice.
‘Looks like he wants to do well after all.’
[Hey you!
Even on cloudy days
Your smile, just once
Makes the umbrella I’d opened
fold away again]
“Whoa!”
This time, it was Ji Dong Seok, not me, who exclaimed first.
“Hey, Woo Joo. Just do vocals! You sing well?”
“I still prefer rap.”
“Ooh. I respect your taste.”
Ji Dong Seok played his role perfectly. His exaggerated reactions were exactly what we needed to keep the energy alive.
So the two of us make quite the pair—a despot and a clown.
Usually, the rap position falls into one of two categories: either someone who’s genuinely good at rapping, or someone mediocre at both dance and singing who settles for rap.
Song Woo Joo probably started with the latter. He wanted to stand out in the rap position where the competition was thin, debut with the project group, and rise. But unfortunately for him, he has no talent for rap.
‘He’d be better off competing as a vocalist.’
Song Woo Joo’s shoulders were now much more relaxed than before.
‘That’s done.’
Praise really does change people.
“I’ll handle the High Note section here.”
“…….”
“Does anyone want to try it?”
All four shook their heads in unison. Very vigorously, too.
The sight reminded me of how I used to reflexively answer whenever Yu Seong Ah offered an opinion.
‘How are you doing, Seong Ah? Turns out I became the tyrant instead.’
Just then, Sung Jun Woo was studying my face carefully. He probably wanted to know what his own part would be.
“Jun Woo, you try rapping here.”
“Pardon?”
At the suddenly raised pitch of his voice, Ji Dong Seok covered his ears.
“Whoa, my eardrums are about to burst.”
Sung Jun Woo bit his lip and asked again.
“Isn’t it Woo Joo instead of me?”
“No? Your names are kind of similar, but I was talking to you.”
“But I’ve never done rap before…….”
Song Woo Joo’s expression also stiffened slightly.
“Woo Joo could do the rap.”
“Just try it once.”
Sorry, but the answer’s already decided. So who’s the one who has to keep their mouth shut for an hour? This is the karma of someone who willingly gave up their freedom.
“Come on, Jun Woo. Give it a try~ Besides, we didn’t even know Woo Joo could sing until today.”
‘That resourceful bastard.’
I’ll have to put up with Ji Dong Seok even if he’s annoying from here on out.
Sung Jun Woo hesitated for a moment before finally surrendering.
But it took a while before I could actually open my mouth. If I’d acted like that in front of Yu Seong Ah, I’d have been on the receiving end of a roundhouse kick.
‘Right, I’m different from Yu Seong Ah. I don’t resort to violence, after all.’
A sharp intake of breath.
Finally, as if he’d steeled himself, Sung Jun Woo—who’d been doing nothing but breathing in—began his rap.
[One Two, follow my step
Want to be your lover]
I was certain the moment I heard it.
‘That tone is good.’
Clean enunciation, solid rhythmic sense.
This was a case I’d seen countless times back in my producer days. The type stuck in a position their agency assigned, unable to use their real talent.
Sung Jun Woo could definitely do vocals. But that voice shines brighter in rap.
Not rapping with that vocal color? That’s a waste of talent. Rap skill improves with practice, but tone is something you’re born with.
I made my decision right then.
“That’s perfect, actually. Since you and Woo Joo have different rap tones, I think you two should handle the rap Part together—it’d sound amazing.”
Song Woo Joo’s eyes went wide.
“I—I get a Part too?”
“Of course.”
It was a shorter Part than Sung Jun Woo’s, but Song Woo Joo accepted it more readily than I’d expected. He seemed satisfied with the fact that he’d get to rap at all, quantity be damned.
The atmosphere began to shift, bit by bit.
Until just now, everyone’s face had screamed ‘let’s just get through this’—but now they were actually looking down at their lyrics.
I didn’t miss that momentum. I marked out each person’s Part on the lyric sheet with my pen.
“Alright, let’s lock in the Parts like this and start rehearsing.”
Gwon Gi Hyun, who’d been quietly studying the lyrics, carefully spoke up.
“……Is it really okay with you?”
“What do you mean?”
Unable to grasp his intent, I asked back—and he answered in a slightly louder voice.
“It just looks like you have way too little of a Part…… sir.”
Looking at the lyric sheet after he said that, my Part was indeed the smallest.
Basically nothing but the High Note in the Chorus.
Ji Dong Seok chimed in with exaggerated concern.
“Right! You’re basically the High Note shuttle—you sure you’re okay with that?”
Yeah, Dong Seok. You said it well. Thanks to you, I can confirm my Part distribution was sound—it puts my mind at ease.
My role in this performance is ‘High Note shuttle.’ The real highlight of this song is the ten-second high note that explodes at the Climax. So I was planning to win on quality over quantity.
Plus, at my current skill level, dragging out a middling mid-range Part for too long would be riskier.
My breathing was unstable, and adding choreography on top of it would likely throw me off.
But high notes are different.
Short and strong, minimal movement while still commanding attention.
‘It’s my decisive moment.’
That was the most efficient strategy for me right now.
“Is having more of a Part really important?”
I gave a slight shrug.
“The team has to win first.”
If this had been earlier, I would’ve brushed past it—but this time, their faces were different.
Gwon Gi Hyun looked uncomfortable, and Sung Jun Woo started to move his lips before closing them again.
Apologetic expressions.
‘Good.’
Exactly the reaction I wanted. Now there wouldn’t be any more complaints about who got which Part.
“Everyone’s on board with this?”
Four heads nodded in unison. The atmosphere had completely transformed.
Song Woo Joo still looked uncertain, but there’s nothing I can do about that. I’m not a mind reader, and he didn’t say anything—how am I supposed to know? If he has an opinion, he needs to speak up.
‘……That sounded just like Yu Seong Ah, didn’t it.’
Now that we’d settled the Part distribution, it was time to step down from the despot’s throne.
“Should we start working on the Choreography now?”
Fortunately, as soon as dancing came up, everyone perked up a bit. They began trying to match the original song’s Choreography as best they could remember.
The problem was.
‘It’s bland.’
There’s nothing more boring than performing familiar choreography exactly as it was.
I reflect anew on how arrogant that had sounded—’If I’m bored, I’ll just dance myself’—but it’s true.
Choreography was never really my domain.
“What if we tried adding some different moves?”
All four of them turned to look at me at once.
“I’ll rearrange the song completely. In exchange, why don’t you guys create some fresh choreography?”
Sung Jun Woo asked carefully.
“Hyung, you think you can pull that off?”
What are you talking about?
While I’m hitting those high notes, you need to tear the stage apart.
I Kill My Favorite and Debut (Serialized)
Author │ Yu Sseut
Publisher │ Kim Ju Hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae Hyuk
Address │ 401, Ace Techno Tower 8th, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
© Yu Sseut 2026
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder, and its contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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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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