I’m Debuting With The Bias I Killed - Chapter 26

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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 26
Whether due to the ripple effects of the recent Code announcement, the trainees lingered even after the evaluation ended.
Sure enough, a staff member’s voice rang out.
“Trainees, please change into your group outfits and gather back here!”
When I returned after changing into the uniform, Kang Sejun had already switched into his new costume as well.
‘A sailor outfit this time.’
They’d even done his hair in that brief window—meanwhile, we’d barely managed to wipe the sweat from our heads and change clothes.
“The results of this second-round team mission are extremely important,”
The trainees swallowed hard, their faces taut with tension.
“The five members of the winning team will automatically become part of the debut group.”
“……Wait, what?”
“Not a benefit—straight to debut?”
The unorthodox selection method sent ripples of shock through the room in an instant.
“Which team do you think will take first?”
“Ju Han’s team, obviously.”
“But didn’t Yu Seongwoo’s team get a good response too?”
At that, my teammates shot me a glance.
‘Perfect. They’re already sizing us up……’
“Then, let’s announce the fourth-place team first.”
Thump-thump—
Some deliberately suspenseful background music played, tightening everyone’s chest.
The cameras panned frantically across the trainees’ faces.
“The fourth-place team is…… ‘Dreaming,’ the dreamy concept group.”
“Ah……”
As if it were an expected result, the Dreaming team smiled bitterly. They’d been the ones stumbling through rehearsals from start to finish.
“And third place is…… ‘Buzzer Beater,’ the sporty concept group.”
Thud.
My heart plummeted.
“……What?”
A sound escaped me before I could stop it.
“Whoa—”
“Really?”
Startled exclamations erupted around me, but they didn’t quite register.
‘They were supposed to be second……’
It had changed.
I had changed it.
“Hey, Yu Seongwoo. We’re at least second!”
“You’re amazing, seriously!”
“Yeah, right. Good.”
Among teammates too thrilled to contain themselves, I forced the corners of my mouth upward.
But I couldn’t bring myself to look toward the Buzzer Beater team.
“Kang Iyul and Han Sangyun have fallen out of the debut group for the first time.”
At least Iyul had maintained the number-one position within his team.
‘Of course he did.’
But the face of Kang Iyul reflected on the leaderboard didn’t look certain at all.
“Now, let me announce the second-place team.”
My teammates, buzzing with excitement, grabbed each other’s shoulders and waited for the result.
“The second-place team is…… the refreshing concept—”
“Yaaaay!!”
Ji Dongseok’s shriek made Kang Sejun pause mid-sentence.
“Ah, Dongseok seems very pleased.”
Laughter rippled through the studio.
“Congratulations. How about we have you shout a cheer to mark the occasion?”
“Yes!!”
And at that moment, every eye turned to me.
‘Ugh…… seriously.’
But I couldn’t ignore my teammates, flushed with excitement.
“……If Yu Seongwoo leads—”
“We follow!!”
My teammates let out a roar of cheers.
In that moment, I turned my head and our eyes met—Kang Iyul’s.
His face was expressionless. The way he quickly looked away made my chest drop.
As if I were the one who’d pushed Kang Iyul out.
‘I’m going crazy. Really.’
This should’ve been a happy moment, but I felt nothing but dread.
I made a silent vow.
Next round, I’d be on the same team as Kang Iyul no matter what.
It’s fine if Kang Iyul beats me.
‘That’s how it should be.’
But I couldn’t bear it if I were the one pushing him out again.
“Yu Seongwoo, how are you feeling right now?”
The unexpected question caught me off guard, but I quickly took the microphone.
“To be honest, I thought our team was the weakest.”
My teammates nodded quietly in agreement.
“Especially me—I struggled the most with dancing in our group.”
The nods became more emphatic.
“So even if we couldn’t be the best, I prepared with the determination to try our hardest.”
Even as I spoke, my attention kept drifting to the Buzzer Beater team. More specifically, to Kang Iyul.
“I’m really grateful that effort led to a good result.”
The brief comments finished, and Kang Sejun announced the final results.
“Then, first place automatically goes to the Sexy Concept team.”
“Woah!!”
Cheers erupted.
‘Ugh…….’
It was exactly what I’d expected.
And the top performer in the Sexy team was, unsurprisingly, Ju Han.
“Now we’ll begin the Code ranking announcement.”
Since two debut group spots had already changed hands, significant shifts were anticipated. Everyone was particularly curious about how far Han Sangyun’s Code would fall.
With each name tag replaced one by one, some trainees—worn down by the long filming—couldn’t hide their strained expressions.
This time, they seemed to have deliberately shuffled the order. They positioned trainees with extreme rises and falls in alternating sequence, creating dramatic moments.
‘Han Sangyun must be last—’
But I didn’t have time to worry about him.
“Code 6, Yu Seongwoo, please come up to the stage.”
Called sooner than expected, my heart pounded.
I climbed slowly onto the stage.
‘Please don’t drop…….’
“Oh…….”
“Wow, you held it.”
“……?”
I turned to check the leaderboard.
[Code 6 ▶ Code 6]
“Phew…….”
I’d dodged the worst.
But then, a chill ran down my spine.
‘Wait.’
Kang Iyul hadn’t been called yet.
All five debut group spots were already filled.
That meant he’d be no higher than seventh rank.
Without thinking, I grabbed my head.
“Yu Seongwoo? Are you happy because you kept your rank?”
“……Oh, yes? Yeah…….”
I quickly dropped my arms.
“Next is Code 4, Go Jaesung.”
Without meaning to, I clenched my fists.
The numbers on the leaderboard shifted slowly, and simultaneously the danger rating flickered unstably.
[Danger rating: 83%]
[Danger rating: 85% (▲2%)]
[Danger rating: 84% (▼1%)]
‘Please…….’
[Code 4 ▶ Code 3]
“……Ah.”
I closed my eyes.
Of all the countless possibilities, this was the worst outcome.
“Congratulations. Trainee Go Jaesung, please exchange your badge with Trainee Kang Iyul of Code 3.”
“Yes!”
Go Jaesung stepped forward with a smile, as though he’d been waiting for this moment.
I turned away. I couldn’t bear to watch.
Rip, tear—
The sound of the badges being torn away rang out louder than anything else.
The moment Kang Iyul moved to his new position, the danger rating changed.
[Risk level: 87% (▲4%)]
‘Ah…….’
My breath caught in my throat.
This was the danger rating I’d struggled so hard to lower.
But now my own performance had pushed Kang Iyul down instead.
I couldn’t believe it.
My goal had always been simple.
‘I just need to survive.’
If I made it into the debut group by pushing out Go Jaesung, I’d naturally debut with Kang Iyul anyway.
I never imagined I could actually affect Kang Iyul’s ranking.
[Code 3 ▶ Code 7]
The numbers on the scoreboard shifted. Fortunately, the previous Code 7 trainee had risen to Code 5, leaving Kang Iyul positioned just below the debut group.
Kang Iyul walked past my seat. I couldn’t bring myself to look up.
If our eyes met, I had no idea what expression to wear.
The new Code 2 was Choi Unjo, and Code 1 remained Ju Han as expected.
Han Sangyun had dropped from Code 2 to Code 8.
It was the biggest upset of the announcement ceremony.
Han Sangyun brushed past the hand I offered him. His smile was forced.
Suddenly, I felt like an uninvited intruder in this survival show. My teeth clenched.
Five faces of the new debut group appeared on the scoreboard.
And at the center of them was Go Jaesung.
I stared at his face silently. Then, slowly, I clenched my fist.
If there was one variable in this survival show, it was you.
* * *
A few months ago, Baek Gayun experienced the sudden withdrawal of her favorite idol.
The official statement cited health reasons, but she didn’t buy it for a second.
After all, reports of the idol drinking flooded in the moment after the withdrawal announcement. She would’ve found it more believable if they’d just said her liver had given out.
“Are you kidding me? They decide everything among themselves and that’s it? What about me?”
On the day she posted ‘CLOSE’ on her home master account with tears in her eyes, Baek Gayun declared K-pop finished in her life.
Of course, none of her friends believed her.
“I’m putting my camera on the line that you’ll be stanning a rookie within a year.”
“Shut up.”
But contrary to their expectations, Gayun actually spent months living an ordinary life.
Even watching performances, her heart wouldn’t race. Even looking at videos of handsome male idols, it ended at “they’re handsome.” Nothing stirred her anymore.
Then one day.
An acquaintance she’d been going to schedules with reached out.
[Sujeong: Hey, I’m going to Sangam tomorrow to see Boys Code. Could you tag along and film for me?]
[What? You unfanned too? What happened to Garam?]
[Sujeong: Not really unfanned, just sampling new stuff? The profiles looked pretty decent lol]
[But what’s Boys Code?]
[Sujeong: A new survival show for male idols lol try watching it (link)]
Clicking the link without much enthusiasm, her eyes landed on the final profile.
[Code 20: Braces]
“Huh?”
Her gaze snagged on the bizarre keyword—Braces. Among all those other guys dressed to the nines, there was one face shining brightly, a boyish charm in his smile, silver braces visible between his teeth.
Something about it stuck with her.
A puppy-like aura, completely different from her old favorite, but with an awkwardness that was oddly appealing. Still, her eyes kept returning to him.
She was curious. About this trainee participating in a survival show with braces.
And on the day of the event, Baek Gayun recalled an old stone tablet quote.
[There’s no such thing as truly unfanning. Only hiatuses.]
I’m losing it.
My heart hadn’t raced like that in years.
After the stage ended, I checked the camera footage and found myself grinning without meaning to.
The braces visible every time I smiled, the eyes that searched so hard for the camera only to look away once they found it, the solemn expression as he threw a heart—
All of it was absolutely maddening.
“I’m going to debut him myself.”
The moment I got home, I skipped dinner and dove straight into editing the footage.
“Natural light really is the best—”
This was the moment my years as a home master finally paid off. Of course, Code 20’s face—the one with braces, utterly devoid of any artificial quality—deserved equal credit.
Color correction, background music selection, thumbnail design, and more…
Done.
The masterpiece of my lifetime was complete. Baek Gayun created a new account with a satisfied expression.
“Now, what should I name the account?”
WhoAreYou @Mysteriousboy 2 minutes ago
**0814 Boys Code
The Mysterious Boy
#BoysCode #Code20 #Braces
The reactions started rolling in immediately after upload.
“Oh.”
Faster than expected. Even though I’d been filming almost alone at the venue, the share count climbed steadily.
Then, about an hour in, the notifications exploded.
“Wait, the shares are already over three thousand?”
The replies were flooded with confessions of fandom casualties.
-God, now I’m about to fall into another survival show again;;
-lol the way he shows off the braces is so fresh haha but he’s so cute too ㅎ
-But doesn’t he have a name? Why is everyone calling him braces?
-First they don’t reveal names and call them by Code, and why is he 20? Is he a rookie?
-Even if he’s a rookie, that face is forgivable haha he’s cute
-First time I’ve seen a trainee flirt with their braces lol
-Why is his smile so pretty? What is this cute puppy?
By the next day, the video had spread across every online community.
[Have you seen this video?]
Code 20 already has a home master lolol looks like he picked up a pro
-How does this survival show already have a home master so fast?; Anyway, everyone’s working hard to get famous
-This video editing style looks like a home master from a group I used to follow
└Is she bouncing between fandoms?
└No, her favorite left the group so she closed her account
-The vibe is insane lol Is this youth itself?
It was Yu Seongwoo’s first fancam.
I’ll Debut My Favorite That I Killed (Serialized)
Author | Yu Sseu
Publisher | Kim Joo-hyung
Published by | J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing | Han Jaehyuk
Address | 401, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8)
Email | [email protected]
Website | www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Yu Sseu 2026
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder, and the contents may not be used in any form or manner 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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