The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 50

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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 (50)
Seo Ijae left for the Dormitory first.
Alone now, I sprawled across the cold wooden floor of the Practice Room.
The chill radiating from the Practice Room floor soothed my overheated mind.
“I’m so tired….”
As the tension drained away, drowsiness began to creep in.
Maybe I’ll just sleep for a bit before heading back to the Dormitory.
Yoo Sung might worry if I don’t show up soon, so just a little while….
“Kim Chowol.”
Just as I was closing my eyes and surrendering to the approaching tide of sleep.
Someone called my name.
I snapped my eyes open and bolted upright.
“Who… Han Theo?”
The person who’d called my name was Han Theo.
Han Theo stood awkwardly in the Practice Room doorway, gripping the frame.
“Weren’t you supposed to go back to the Dormitory and rest?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you forget something? Or….”
I gestured for Han Theo to come in.
Han Theo hesitated for a moment before stepping into the Practice Room.
Watching him avert his gaze awkwardly, I continued with what I’d been about to say.
“…Did you come here to tell me something?”
Han Theo looked at me with a complicated expression.
‘I was just making conversation, but does he actually have something to say to me?’
I sat down on the floor and patted the space in front of me.
“Sit here.”
Han Theo dropped down in front of me like a well-trained dog.
His grayish blonde hair caught the Practice Room’s light and gleamed.
It was a color I’d always found mysteriously captivating, and I kept finding myself drawn to it.
‘What do you even call that shade? Ash blonde? Dirty blonde? Han Theo’s fans wouldn’t shut up about it….’
I found myself lost in thought, staring at Han Theo’s hair.
“What is it?”
“Huh?”
“My hair.”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Really?”
He seemed bothered by my constant staring.
Han Theo absently ran his long, pale fingers through his hair.
‘He really is handsome.’
In fact, across all my regressions, I’d never had a long conversation with Han Theo even once.
I hadn’t actually teamed up with him that often, come to think of it.
Even when we did work together, Han Theo tended to follow others’ opinions rather than voice his own.
‘He’s quiet, that’s for sure. But his presence is so strong because of his face and skills.’
Now that I thought about it, I’d rarely seen Han Theo initiate conversation with other trainees.
I felt it again while preparing this stage with him.
Han Theo never speaks first unless someone asks for his opinion or addresses him first.
‘Isn’t that… strange?’
There’s a limit to being quiet.
Across dozens of regressions, I’d barely seen Han Theo speak first—did that even make sense?
At this point, there had to be a reason he couldn’t speak.
And I vaguely sensed that reason was exactly why Han Theo sought me out today.
I had no evidence, but my instincts were screaming it.
“So what did you want to say?”
“Um….”
Han Theo furrowed his brow and began to deliberate.
Was I finally about to see the real Han Theo beneath the veil?
After pondering for a long moment with that handsome face, Han Theo finally opened his mouth.
“Do you remember?”
“Remember what?”
“The center’s remarks….”
“The center’s remarks?”
Why was he breaking up his sentences like that?
As I tilted my head in confusion, the furrow between Han Theo’s brows deepened.
“After… Hunt the Stage evaluation ended.”
“Ah.”
Now I understood what Han Theo was talking about.
After the evaluation of Hunt the Stage, the theme song, Han Theo had ranked first and become center.
He’d then stepped onto the podium and shared his remarks as the new center.
What had he said back then?
“I remember… sort of. I do remember….”
I trailed off as I tried to recall Han Theo’s remarks.
Truth be told, the memory was hazy.
But I couldn’t say I didn’t remember.
Han Theo was looking at me with such hopeful eyes.
‘Now that I think about it, his eyes are gray too. Wait, this isn’t the time for pointless thoughts.’
I racked my brain again, trying to recall Han Theo’s remarks.
―Knock knock.
Just as I was desperately trying to remember Han Theo’s remarks,
someone knocked on the practice room door where we were.
Both Han Theo’s and my head snapped toward the practice room door.
“I… Kim Chowol.”
“Hiro?”
The person knocking on the door was Okada.
Okada flinched when she saw Han Theo, apparently thinking I was alone in the Practice Room.
“I… I have something to tell you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Right now might be a bit difficult….”
I gestured toward Han Theo and asked Okada for her understanding.
Even though I was closer with Okada, I was already in the middle of a conversation with Han Theo.
But I couldn’t bring myself to finish my sentence.
I caught sight of Okada’s face through the crack in the Practice Room door.
“Hiro, you….”
Her face was noticeably gaunt compared to when I’d seen her a few days ago.
But what stood out even more than her thinness was something else.
Her eyes were puffy and swollen, her eyelids drooping, and the skin around her eyes and nose was flushed red.
“…Have you been crying?”
At my words, Okada awkwardly averted her gaze and hung her head low.
What on earth was happening with Okada’s Team?
* * *
I had no choice but to send Han Theo back to the Dormitory first.
I apologized profusely, promising we’d definitely talk again next time.
Han Theo smiled with his usual handsome face and said it was fine before heading back to the Dormitory.
“Maybe… we should move somewhere else?”
Okada nodded silently.
I led Okada to the Camera Blind Spot.
The Hallway was nearly empty since the trainees and staff were busy with the midterm evaluations.
“Did you finish your midterm evaluation?”
“Yes….”
“Did you get scolded a lot…?”
“Yes….”
Okada answered dejectedly, her head bowed low.
Hmm, let me think.
Who were Okada’s teammates again?
“Is Ju Gilhyung perhaps bullying you?”
Ju Gilhyung and Okada were definitely on the same team.
I’d thought things would be fine since I’d properly established discipline.
‘Could he be taking out his resentment toward me on Okada?’
If so, he’d be truly irredeemable trash.
Of course, I never thought he could be redeemed anyway.
I’d simply figured there was no need to waste more effort on someone destined to be eliminated.
‘But if he’s really venting his frustrations on Okada, that’s a different story.’
I asked Okada to get a clearer picture of the situation.
“How is Ju Gilhyung bullying you?”
“Brother….”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. Just tell me what happened.”
“It’s not that.”
“Huh?”
“It’s not Ju Gilhyung….”
“Really?”
Then what on earth was going on?
I waited for Okada to calm down and explain the situation step by step.
Once Okada had composed herself a bit, she finally opened her mouth.
“It’s not Ju Gilhyung….”
“Oh, Okada!”
But before Okada could say anything, someone called her name.
A man who exuded a model-like presence from a distance was approaching with a cheerful wave.
Okada clamped her mouth shut like a herbivore spotting a predator.
‘Ah.’
Recognizing the man, I immediately understood what had happened.
“What are you doing here? I’ve been looking all over for you.”
He was tall with long, lanky limbs that made him look like a model from a distance, but his face was… how should I put it.
‘A street punk?’
He practically reeked of the kind of swagger someone would have if they’d spent their youth chewing gum and causing trouble.
Of course, despite his appearance, his words and actions were surprisingly gentle.
Fans absolutely loved what they called his “reverse charm.”
“What would I do if you just disappeared without saying anything?”
The man draped his arm affectionately across Okada’s shoulder as he spoke.
Okada laughed awkwardly in response.
“…I’m sorry.”
One of my eyebrows twitched involuntarily.
I smoothly removed the man’s arm from Okada’s shoulder and spoke.
“I called Hiro away for a moment, so it’s my fault.”
“Huh?”
“If anyone should apologize, it should be me.”
The man looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.
I smiled gently as if asking what the problem was.
“I apologize. Jung Yoo-yeol.”
“Oh… you know my name?”
“Of course. How long have we been filming?”
Jung Yoo-yeol.
Twenty-two years old.
Over dozens of regressions, I’d heard Jung Yoo-yeol’s name so many times it had become tedious.
“Impressive, isn’t it? I still haven’t memorized all the trainees’ names. Oh, but I know yours. Kim Chowol, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Jung Yoo-yeol grinned widely, feigning familiarity.
His sharply angled eyes crinkled at the corners.
It was the smile that made Jung Yoo-yeol’s fans lose their minds.
But I knew the true face hidden beneath that mask.
“Actually, I knew about you even before filming started.”
“Hm?”
“You’re famous, after all.”
I grabbed Okada’s sleeve beside me and pulled her behind my back.
Jung Yoo-yeol was about five centimeters taller than me, so I had to tilt my head slightly to meet his gaze.
With my chin raised, I spoke with a threatening expression.
“The legendary trainee who kicked out the Top 3 Entertainment Companies’ debut team and switched to another agency.”
Jung Yoo-yeol’s eyes widened in surprise, his mouth opening slightly.
A crack appeared in Jung Yoo-yeol’s perfect mask.
Honestly, I was a little scared.
Through dozens of regressions, I’d defined Jung Yoo-yeol in a single word.
‘A thrill-seeker.’
He was the person who best embodied the phrase “enjoy life while you have it.”
He didn’t fear being targeted by Jang Hyuk-soo, and sometimes he’d pull crazy stunts that even I, having regressed dozens of times, found utterly appalling.
But even when Jung Yoo-yeol became Jang Hyuk-soo’s sacrificial lamb and faced nationwide ridicule, he didn’t care one bit.
Jung Yoo-yeol genuinely enjoyed the EX-Grade K-POP Idol Program itself.
“Hahaha!”
Jung Yoo-yeol, who had been acting kind and polite just moments before, suddenly burst into convulsive laughter.
I was taken aback.
‘Why is he laughing?’
Jung Yoo-yeol was someone who wouldn’t help even if you kept him close.
There was a high probability that Jung Yoo-yeol had provided the reason Okada’s Team got punished.
“Hahaha….”
After laughing for a while, Jung Yoo-yeol wiped away the tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes.
I glared at Jung Yoo-yeol as a warning and positioned myself protectively in front of Okada.
But Jung Yoo-yeol didn’t seem particularly interested in Okada.
An inexplicable unease began to rise from deep within my chest.
“You’re pretty fun.”
Jung Yoo-yeol stared at me intently and spoke as if tossing out the words casually.
―Ding!
And then came a sound effect I shouldn’t have heard at this moment.
[Sub Quest progress has been updated.]
[Please check your Sub Quest.]
[Sub Quest: Recruit Allies
Description: Recruit allies for a successful debut.
Ally Recruitment Progress (4/6)
Success Reward: Gate Occurrence Suspended (180 days)]
[1. Okada Hiro (Grade: B+)(Stats viewable)
2. Yoo Sung (Grade: S-)(Stats viewable)
3. Seo Ijae (Grade: B)(Stats viewable)
4. Jung Yoo-yeol (Grade: A)(Stats viewable)
5. ―
6. ―]
Damn it.
What… what is this?

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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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