The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 2

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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 (2)
“Kim Chowol, you’re up next. Get ready.”
The staff member who checked my face spoke curtly before disappearing in a hurry.
I stood alone backstage, holding the microphone the staff had handed me.
The starting point of a regression I’d experienced dozens of times over.
This was the stat evaluation stage—the first performance of an EX-Grade K-POP Idol.
Though I’d grown sickeningly familiar with this stat evaluation stage, something felt different this time.
I stared intently at a translucent window hovering before my eyes.
[Main Quest has been unlocked.]
[Check Main Quest.]
“Main Quest…?”
As if responding to my words, a new window appeared.
[Main Quest: Successful Debut
Success Reward: Gate Appearance Delayed (365 days)
Failure Penalty: Gate Appearance]
My eyes widened as I read the Main Quest.
“Gate appearance delayed?”
Through dozens of regressions, I’d learned that a Gate was a black hole spewing monsters.
The Main Quest’s success reward of delaying the Gate’s appearance essentially meant I could prevent the monsters that emerged once the debut lineup was confirmed.
I read through the Main Quest meticulously, determined not to miss a single word.
“Successful debut….”
What defined ‘successful’?
I fell into thought.
‘I can’t debut with some mediocre ranking. I need to debut at least third… no, first place. The program’s buzz and vote count will probably matter too….’
As my thoughts continued, a sense of déjà vu washed over me.
‘Wait, isn’t this just like the last regression?’
In the last regression, I’d achieved first place for the first time.
The vote count was the highest across all Idol Survival Audition Programs in history, and the buzz was undeniable.
My debut in the last regression was an undeniably ‘successful debut’ that no one could dispute.
‘If I just do what I did in the last regression, I can end this tedious cycle.’
The task seemed like it would go more smoothly than expected.
I was recalling how I’d performed in the last regression’s stat evaluation stage.
―Ding!
An unfamiliar, jarring notification sound accompanied a new window appearing before my eyes.
[Congratulations on unlocking the Main Quest.]
[With the Main Quest unlocked, your stats have been reset.]
[You can check your stats through the stat window.]
“What?”
For some reason, the ominous-sounding message made me cry out involuntarily.
‘Reset? Stat window? What on earth does this mean….’
As I mentally summoned the stat window, a new interface materialized before my eyes.
[Name: Kim Chowol
Age: 20]
[Basic Stats
Vocal: S 〉 D+
Dance: A+ 〉 D-
Appearance: A 〉 B+
Charisma: S- 〉 C+]
[Other Stats: Locked]
[Traits: Locked]
Four essential competencies for an idol—vocal, dance, and more—were displayed as numerical stats.
After meticulously examining the stat window, I reached a difficult conclusion.
‘So right now….’
Did this mean all the skills I’d accumulated through dozens of regressions had vanished?
“What the hell is this….”
I caught the curse tumbling from my lips and covered my mouth with my hand.
“Trainee Kim Chowol, you’re up.”
What do I do?
If I go up there like this, I might not even make the debut lineup, let alone rank first.
I recalled how the first evaluation stage had gone.
Missing beats, going off-pitch, fumbling lyrics….
‘What have I been doing for five years?’
The judges’ harsh criticism from after the first evaluation stage remained vivid in my mind.
If it had ended with just the judges’ critique, I could have considered myself fortunate.
The real problem was the broadcast.
My mistakes and the judges’ scathing remarks were edited sensationally and aired, and people mocked me relentlessly on SNS and YouTube right up until the final live stage.
“Trainee Kim Chowol?”
“Yes.”
All the evaluations of the trainees before me had finished.
I couldn’t delay any longer.
Following the staff member urging me forward, I deliberated.
‘Is there any way….’
Dozens of strategies flickered through my mind and dissolved, but no matter how hard I thought, I had no confidence in receiving a favorable evaluation.
Then, accompanied by an unfamiliar notification sound, a status window appeared.
[Hidden Quest Cleared.]
[Hidden Quest: Leave a strong impression on people.
Reward: 1 Item Draw Ticket]
[You left a strong impression on approximately 2.5 million people!
Reward, 1 Item Draw Ticket, has been granted.
You can check it in the Item window.]
[We appreciate your patience as we tally the results.]
I stared blankly at the status windows cascading down one after another.
‘A Hidden Quest? I left a strong impression on 2.5 million people?’
Soon I understood what clearing the Hidden Quest meant.
‘Thank you for supporting someone as lacking as me. I sincerely hope at least one more of you survives.’
“Ah….”
The final performance stage, broadcast live.
If I counted the people in the Audience Seating and those watching me across the entire nation—no, the entire world through the broadcast, it would come to roughly 2.5 million.
At the time, it was something I did while half-mad, but I never expected it would help me in this way.
[Item Draw Ticket
Description: You can randomly obtain 1 item.]
‘Using the draw ticket.’
I used the ticket while praying that something useful would come out.
A colorful spinning wheel appeared before my eyes.
Before I could even react, the wheel began spinning on its own.
―Whirrrr.
The rapidly spinning wheel gradually slowed down and came to a stop.
I looked at the section the arrow attached to the top of the wheel was pointing to.
[Item Draw Ticket has been used.]
[Acquired Item: Stat Growth Voucher
Grade: S
Description: You can raise one stat by 2 levels.]
I stopped abruptly.
I halted my steps as I was following the staff member.
“Kim Chowol? Is something wrong?”
“I’m sorry. I….”
I drooped my eyebrows pitifully and forced an awkward smile.
The staff member tilted their head, waiting for me to continue.
“Could I change my song selection?”
A perfect plan had just formed in my mind.
* * *
The Filming Site of the first stage of the EX-Grade K-POP Idol, the Stat Evaluation Stage.
“Next trainee, please come out!”
The MC introduced the 81st trainee while maintaining an unflagging high-pitched tone.
The judges, having finished their brief break, composed their expressions and straightened in their seats.
‘Ugh, this is exhausting.’
Kim Junwoo, a second-generation representative Top-tier Male Idol now in his 15th year since debut, groaned inwardly and leaned back against his chair without drawing attention.
Even Kim Junwoo, who rarely complained unless facing an extreme schedule, found the six-hour-long shoot grueling.
‘I hope this ends soon.’
Honestly, hadn’t I already seen enough by now?
Kim Junwoo flipped through the application materials before him with a cursory glance, his thoughts wandering.
There were a few trainees who stood out, but most of them were at a similar level.
Skilled and visually striking A-grade trainees debuted through their agencies—they didn’t appear on public audition programs like this.
If their contract period was three years or less, some would appear to build recognition before debut, but trainees destined to debut as EX-Grade K-POP Idols had seven-year contracts, making it problematic to carelessly put them on the show only to have them hastily debut.
As a result, many trainees who appeared on EX-Grade K-POP Idol were those who had failed to make the debut lineup for various reasons—lacking skill, not fitting the group concept, or simply having bad luck.
“This trainee is….”
Kim Junwoo read through the application materials of the eighty-first trainee without much expectation.
The trainee was from a Small Entertainment Agency planning to launch a new male idol group in the second half of this year.
‘Five years as a trainee… must have failed the debut lineup and decided to appear here.’
Well, most trainees appearing on EX-Grade K-POP Idol had similar stories, so it wasn’t surprising.
‘The backstory angle won’t be easy to sell. Visuals? Hmm… not bad, but relying solely on visuals for debut feels a bit ambiguous. Still, if his dancing or singing were decent, he wouldn’t have failed the debut lineup….’
Tap, tap….
Kim Junwoo tapped the application materials with his pen, lost in thought.
‘Is his skill really lacking?’
Having grasped a rough sense of the trainee, Kim Junwoo watched the eighty-first trainee step onto the stage.
“Hello, I’m Kim Chowol.”
“Nice to meet you, trainee Kim Chowol. I reviewed your application materials, and I see you’ve been a trainee for five years?”
“That’s right. Since I was fifteen… so I’m twenty now?”
Another judge chimed in with Kim Junwoo’s comment, asking a follow-up question.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“How did you end up appearing on EX-Grade K-POP Idol?”
“I didn’t make it into my agency’s debut lineup.”
Kim Chowol spoke of what could have been a heavy topic with an easy smile and natural laugh.
“I’m thinking of this as my last chance, and I’ll do my absolute best. Thank you for having me!”
“Oh, you’ve got spirit.”
“I’m looking forward to your stage. I hope you do well.”
The judges laughed along with Kim Chowol as they spoke.
The heavy atmosphere that had weighed on the filming for over six hours lifted in an instant.
‘He’s better when he smiles. The real thing is better than the photo. With a bit of camera work, he’d look much more handsome.’
Kim Junwoo evaluated Kim Chowol’s face objectively.
‘If his skill is decent, he could aim for the top thirty. Or even the top ten….’
But whether he could actually debut was another matter entirely.
The average training period for idol trainees ranges from two to five years, often extending much longer.
Even with the most dedicated practice, only one to five percent of all trainees cross the threshold to debut.
The probability of success after breaking through such fierce competition and debuting is even slimmer.
‘Only idols with that special “kick” that captures the public’s attention can succeed.’
Kim Junwoo checked the song selection Kim Chowol had submitted in advance.
‘This is going to be difficult.’
The song Kim Chowol had chosen was the title track of a Top-tier Male Idol Group that dominated the charts whenever they made a comeback—a song with extremely high difficulty due to its relentless performance and unceasing barrage of lyrics.
And he was planning to perform it solo?
‘Too greedy.’
There were trainees like that from time to time.
So desperate, driven by the compulsion to prove their abilities by any means necessary, they’d choose songs beyond their skill level to handle.
Kim Chowol was clearly one of those trainees.
I could already picture what kind of stage would unfold.
Kim Junwoo, having lost interest, leaned back against the chair.
“Then, whenever you’re ready, please start the stage.”
Kim Chowol nodded to the staff, and the song’s intro began to play.
“Huh?”
Instead of an intense drum sound that shook heaven and earth, a rhythmic bass line flowed out.
The song choice had changed.
To one no one had anticipated.

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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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