The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 16

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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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The Gate Burst Open on My Debut Day (16)
[Idol Survival Rule: School Uniforms Weren’t It?]
[Jang Hyuk-soo… This guy’s seriously insane(p)]
His obsession is insane. I can’t even tell how badly he wants to succeed lol
The response wasn’t bad at all.
Since it was a program created by Jang Hyuk-soo, most people seemed to think this much was the least they could do.
The center Han Theo’s figure zoomed out completely, and the theme song of the EX-Grade K-POP Idol, Hunt the Stage, began to play.
[The song’s pretty good though?]
“What the heck is this dance lol so hard lol”
[Still, they seem to dance pretty well?]
Unless you had a sharp eye, you wouldn’t realize it was all thanks to the editing.
With the power of editing, you could turn even a wooden plank into a main dancer.
I chuckled to myself and thought about it.
[Oh, found a handsome guy]
I just finished eating in 34 seconds.
[I thought the center was a one-trick pony, but there are quite a few trainees with decent visuals?]
Ah damn, I just stepped on a landmine lol lol
[Why would they torment me by insisting on doing something they’re not suited for….]
The chat reactions split into two camps.
They cheered when a handsome trainee appeared, then raged when an unattractive one showed up.
‘My screen time was….’
From 1 minute 10 seconds to 13 seconds—roughly 3 seconds total.
They gave me a close-up of my face, so for those 3 seconds, only my face was visible.
It seemed they focused on my face because I couldn’t dance well.
[What’s at 1 minute 10 seconds? Not bad though?]
Lol a textbook handsome guy, kinda cute too though
[I got a feeling, I got a feeling. My instinct as a 20-year K-pop fan is tingling. That guy’s gonna make it big for real….]
“Making such a big fuss over just 3 seconds lol”
Fortunately, since my face wasn’t particularly ugly, the response was decent.
When there were plenty of trainees with less than a second of screen time, 3 seconds was quite satisfying.
I alternated between watching the stage and the chat.
After the broadcast ended, I immediately accessed the internet on my phone.
Articles about the EX-Grade K-POP Idol were pouring in.
[Jang Hyuk-soo’s New Idol Survival! This Time’s Concept Is ‘Hunter?’]
[Official Site Crashes! EX-Grade K-POP Idol Flooded with Interest from Jang Hyuk-soo’s Idol Survival]
[EX-Grade K-POP Idol Features Veteran Idols! ‘Shining Boys’, ‘Winter Boys’, ‘Dream Boys’… Is the Boys Craze Making a Comeback?]
There was barely any concrete information released, yet the buzz was so high that meaningless articles and outright nonsensical ones kept flooding in.
The EX-Grade K-POP Idol had more veteran idols—in other words, failed idols—appearing than other idol survival auditions.
But calling it a ‘Boys Craze’ or whatever was nothing more than wordplay.
Amused at the absurdity, I logged into SNS and Community Sites.
SNS and Community Sites were already buzzing with talk of EX-Grade K-POP Idols.
On SNS and Community Sites, the discourse was far more unfiltered and explicit than in the official broadcast chat.
[The harness looks good, but honestly
Why are they putting it on middle schoolers? Feels a bit much lol
RT142 ♥453]
└For real lol just have them wear school uniforms
└Jang Hyuk-soo pushed the center pick to wear it lmao. Watch him fly around in that harness
└Tbh the ones it suits actually look amazing lol They don’t look like trainees
[Omg lol I found Former Oppa in the profile lol Why is he showing up there?
RT8 ♥35]
└You too? Me too lol
└Oppa, really… under… I wasn’t going to say this, but what are you doing among the kids?
└I’ve been writing for the youngest, but I can’t do it anymore… I look so old because I’m surrounded by really young kids.
[[HOT] The Story of Reuniting with My Former Bias at an Idol Survival Competition After 10 Years
Does this count as a workplace injury?
My heart is completely shattered…
I forgot about Goo Choi and turned on the show to watch some young, fresh kids, but Goo Choi was dancing right in front of my eyes.
But watching again, I’m excited all over, wondering how desperate he must have been to enter a survival competition, feeling sorry for him, but also thinking his debut would be weird….]
└Don’t worry, your former bias definitely won’t debut lol
└Seriously, what did you just say?
└Wait, didn’t you just say his debut would be weird? Why are you mad
└Evande… It’s Eva… . It just hurts my heart ㅠㅠ
[[HOT] I’ve Made My Pick
I have such a bad case of Hongdae fever that I’d never book a center location lol
I looked through everyone except the obvious popular ones and the veterans
Why did I exclude the veterans?
I came to see young, fresh kids, not middle-aged men… Please leave, seriously ;;>
Anyway, after filtering everything, here’s my pick
I can’t translate this as it appears to be incomplete Korean consonants without vowels, making it unreadable. Could you provide the complete Korean text?
Appears on Music Day Stage from 1:10~13 seconds
With 3 seconds of screen time, it means Jang Hyuk-soo noticed him to some degree
His face is just handsome right now, but once he gets camera training and gets a taste of the entertainment industry, he’ll be something else lol]
└That’s true
└Didn’t know Hongdae bias affected your brain
But honestly, he’s really handsome lol
There are just too many ugly guys out there. It’s all relative when it comes to being good-looking.
After checking all the SNS and Community Site reactions, I turned off my phone.
“Not bad.”
Even though the first episode hadn’t aired yet, this level of buzz wasn’t bad at all.
I closed my eyes slowly, wearing a satisfied smile.
* * *
“Welcome back, trainees!”
The break—whether long or short—had come to an end.
Hearing the MC’s bright, elevated tone, the reality of returning to the EX-Grade K-POP Idol competition settled in.
“Everyone seems prepared, so I’ll now explain the second Main Quest!”
The large screen on the Podium shifted to display new information.
[Second Main Quest has arrived.]
[Main Quest: Guild War]
Guild War?
At the unfamiliar term, the trainees tilted their heads in confusion.
The MC maintained his energetic tone and continued his explanation.
“You all remember the Guilds we created after the Stat Evaluation Stage, right?”
“Yes!”
Of course, no one could have forgotten.
We’d shared the Dormitory with our Guild members, after all.
For anyone who hadn’t neglected the Dormitory like I had due to constant practice, living in the same Room with their Guild members would have naturally fostered some camaraderie.
“Many of you formed Guilds, and I suspect you were quite disappointed when the first Main Quest turned out to be an individual evaluation.”
The trainees exchanged meaningful glances with their fellow Guild members.
Only Yoo Sung would stare at a Guild member with such murderous intensity.
I pretended not to notice Yoo Sung’s gaze and focused on the MC’s words.
“The moment you’ve been waiting for—a chance to shine alongside your Guild members and dispel that disappointment—has finally arrived!”
Guild War; the name sounded grand, but it was simply a team competition.
The only unusual aspect was that each Guild would form a single team to perform on Stage.
“Um… could I ask just one question?”
A trainee listening to the MC’s explanation carefully raised their hand and spoke.
The MC would explain everything anyway, even if we stayed silent.
“I don’t belong to any Guild. What happens to trainees like me?”
“Excellent question!”
At the MC’s praise, the corner of the trainee’s mouth twitched upward.
That won’t work.
I understood they’d asked the question hoping to get more camera time, but showing it so obviously meant even Jang Hyuk-soo couldn’t edit it favorably.
“The minimum number of members required to participate in the Guild War is five! You need exactly five Guild members to enter the competition.”
The trainees began murmuring at the MC’s explanation.
Most Guilds only had two members, and at most four.
If the minimum was five, did we need to recruit additional members to fill the gaps?
Would Guilds unable to reach five members be unable to participate in the Guild War?
What about trainees without a Guild?
The cameras eagerly captured the confused expressions on the trainees’ faces.
“Don’t worry! To ensure the Guild War proceeds smoothly, our production team has prepared an unprecedented benefit!”
An unprecedented benefit!
The trainees’ expressions brightened.
“The extraordinary benefit provided to each Guild is none other than… the ‘Special Mercenary Recruitment Right’!”
The Special Mercenary Recruitment Right, like the Guild War itself, had a grandiose name but was nothing particularly complex.
Simply put, it meant allowing non-Guild members—other trainees—to temporarily join a Guild.
For fairness, everyone had to participate in the Guild War.
“Each Guild can use their Special Mercenary Recruitment Right to fill any vacant positions with mercenaries! Selection will proceed in order of the Guild Master’s ranking. Now then, let’s begin the mercenary recruitment immediately! Trainees without a Guild, please gather over here!”
I turned my head toward Yoo Sung, who had been eyeing me whenever the opportunity arose.
Yoo Sung stared blankly at the trainees shuffling about.
I gestured toward him.
“Over here.”
Yoo Sung, noticing my gesture, furrowed his brow.
But without a word, he strode over to my side.
He seemed to have realized that stubbornness wouldn’t let him escape this.
“Oh, and one more thing—after the Guild War ends, you’re free to leave your Guild or disband it entirely! However, if you do leave or disband, you’ll forfeit all benefits received thus far and any future benefits. Please keep that in mind!”
Hearing the MC’s words, I tapped Yoo Sung’s shoulder and spoke.
“Just bear with it this once.”
“Bear with what?”
“Just bear with it this once. Stop furrowing your brow like that.”
I gestured toward the camera with my chin.
Yoo Sung exhaled deeply and smoothed out his furrowed brow.
“Have you decided who to recruit?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure. What about you?”
When I turned the question back on him, Yoo Sung’s eyebrows twitched.
He seemed to be managing his expression for the camera, but it wasn’t easy for him.
“Asking me won’t help… You’ve already got everything figured out, haven’t you?”
“I can’t say I haven’t. Well, for now….”
I glanced at Han Theo, who stood prominently among the trainees without a Guild.
“Not Han Theo.”
“He’s definitely not it, right?”
Our voices overlapped.
For the first time, our thoughts aligned.
Han Theo hadn’t formed a Guild.
In other words, he was a trainee who could be recruited through the Special Mercenary Recruitment Right.
Sure enough, trainees with Guilds were eyeing Han Theo with greedy gazes.
Han Theo was handsome, skilled, and had strong appeal—they probably wanted to recruit him for those reasons….
‘They know one thing but not the other.’
I inwardly scoffed at the trainees glancing at Han Theo.
Han Theo is a double-edged sword.
They’d think that standing beside such radiance would let them shine too, but reality is far harsher—the light consumes everything, leaving even the faintest glow you possessed completely faded.
“The trainee we’re going to recruit is….”
I gazed at a trainee among those without a guild, whose eyes burned with fervent admiration directed at me.
“Decent skills, and obedient too.”
Okada Hiro.
Since things had come to this point, I might as well use her for all she was worth.
I smiled wickedly at Okada as the thought crossed my mind.

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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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