The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 73

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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 (73)
A cold, synthetic sound like the ticking of a clock repeated in steady rhythm.
Violin notes layered heavily, creating an ethereal atmosphere.
―Click.
The darkened screen brightened.
Against a red-tinted backdrop, the shadows of two figures stood in unnatural poses.
One had their arm extended forward with their head bowed deeply, while the other hung limply like a PUPPET with severed strings.
―Thump, thump, thump.
A low, heavy heartbeat-like bass began to resound.
As the figure standing behind raised their hand upward, the one hanging limp in front mirrored the gesture perfectly.
Eun Ha-su, unable to help herself, murmured softly in admiration.
“Kim Chowol really put in the practice.”
The introductory hand-raising movement appeared simple, but it required precise timing with the person playing the puppeteer behind.
Yet the current Kim Chowol not only matched the timing perfectly—every single movement possessed the detail of a real PUPPET being lifted by invisible hands.
[“Destiny begins at your fingertips”]
Kim Junwoo, who played the puppeteer, twisted his wrist in time with the song.
Kim Chowol’s body responded with precision to Kim Junwoo’s gestures and the melody.
[“You don’t need to know why. Just move as commanded, PUPPET.”]
Kim Junwoo’s voice was utterly devoid of emotion, mechanical in its delivery.
As the original artist, his vocal and dance quality were on another level entirely.
‘It’s been so long since I’ve seen Junwoo perform his main craft with such intensity.’
Eun Ha-su’s heart began to race.
Even though her affection and attention had recently shifted toward Kim Chowol, Kim Junwoo remained her eternal first love.
[“A PUPPET singing bound by command. A line severed with a single gesture.”]
The pre-chorus section.
Kim Chowol rose from his position and began dancing in sync with Kim Junwoo’s movements.
Kim Chowol’s movements flowed like water, yet something felt wrong—as if invisible hands were forcefully twisting his joints.
[“A destiny that never returns. A PUPPET singing in my shadow.”]
PUPPET was a song where the roles of puppeteer and PUPPET constantly switched.
As Kim Junwoo, who had been controlling Kim Chowol, withdrew his hands, Kim Chowol staggered in place.
Freed from the strings of fate, Kim Chowol seized Kim Junwoo’s wrist.
Now the former puppeteer Kim Junwoo became the PUPPET, and the former PUPPET Kim Chowol became the puppeteer.
The red lighting made Kim Chowol and Kim Junwoo’s forms even more eerie.
‘Finally, the highlight—the chorus section.’
PUPPET created an unsettling atmosphere in the chorus not through explosive high notes, but by emphasizing lower registers and vocal tone.
Originally Kim Junwoo’s part, but….
[“Breath drawn in rhythm. Exhaled breath that cannot be suppressed.”]
Kim Chowol’s voice flowed through the speakers.
His rich vocal resonance stirred the heart, while his emotionally restrained tone swept coldly across the entire body.
Eun Ha-su found herself clenching her fists without realizing it.
‘This is it, this is working!’
Now it was impossible to tell who was the puppet and who was the puppeteer—Kim Chowol and Kim Junwoo’s choreography meshed together flawlessly.
Certainly, Kim Chowol’s skill fell short of Kim Junwoo’s.
But who could possibly criticize Kim Chowol for it?
Kim Chowol was displaying far more ability than anything he’d shown on broadcast until now.
Though his skill might not match Kim Junwoo’s, it was absolutely sufficient.
[“How long have we been here? Could I exist in this place even without you?”]
Kim Chowol and Kim Junwoo continued swapping roles, executing both dance and vocals with perfect precision.
At some point, all sound flowing from the speakers vanished.
[“Following the thread’s end, I see the blurred boundary. Within the hazy line, we hold our breath.”]
The chorus ended, and the outro began.
Kim Chowol and Kim Junwoo sat on the floor with their backs pressed together.
Then, brushing across the ground as they moved in opposite directions, they collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
Kim Chowol and Kim Junwoo, sprawled on the floor, reached their hands toward each other.
[“Even if I want to escape, I cannot. We are forever each other’s….”]
Kim Chowol swallowed the final lyric as though stifling a sigh.
Their fingertips drew near, almost touching, but ultimately never made contact—shattering into fragments.
―Click.
The bright screen faded to darkness.
The performance was completely over, and the puppet and puppeteer would not return again.
That was the ending of the puppet and puppeteer who had escaped their fate.
“…Incredible!”
Though the video had ended, Eun Ha-su couldn’t breathe properly for a long while, caught in the lingering emotion.
Finally exhaling the breath she’d been holding, Eun Ha-su logged into SNS.
[└I saw it! It was seriously incredible, incredible!]
She immediately left a message for her close younger sibling who’d tipped her off.
The corners of Eun Ha-su’s mouth gradually lifted into a smile.
Less than an hour had passed since she’d hoped Kim Chowol would deliver a stage powerful enough to overturn public opinion.
But instead of merely reversing the narrative, Kim Chowol had brought an absolutely phenomenal cover stage that would completely reshape it!
“Both Kim Chowol and Kim Junwoo are truly filial sons!”
Finally, she’d get to see all those people who’d been gossiping about Kim Chowol’s abilities fall silent.
Eun Ha-su grinned widely as she accessed the Community Website.
Just then, a reply came from her close younger sibling.
[Unnie]
[Unnie unnie]
[Unnie check the link I just sent you right now]
A link?
Eun Ha-su, about to browse the Community Website, paused.
When she tapped the link, it connected to an internet news article.
“What the—what is this?”
Eun Ha-su’s eyes widened in shock as she checked the headline.
[[EXCLUSIVE] “Already Decided”… Popular Idol Survival Program ‘Parachute Trainee’ Controversy Spirals Out of Control]
Please don’t let it be our Kim Chowol…
Eun Ha-su quickly scanned the full article, her heart racing with dread.
[A ‘parachute trainee’ allegation has been raised against a specific trainee on the currently airing Popular Idol Survival Program. According to exclusive internal information obtained by this outlet, the controversy is not merely speculation from viewers, but has been confirmed to originate from within the program itself.
The figure at the center of the current controversy is trainee ‘H’, who has consistently maintained a top ranking in the overall standings. With striking features and exceptional physicality, this trainee captured attention from the very first appearance and received consecutive praise from the judges, emerging as ‘the season’s biggest beneficiary’.
Industry insiders report that H joined through an introduction from someone with prior connections to high-ranking production company officials before applying to the program. Informant A stated, “I heard on set that they didn’t go through the formal audition process.”]
This is…
Everyone reading this article right now was probably thinking of the same face.
Han Theo, obviously.
* * *
The journalist who wrote the exclusive article revealed neither the program’s name nor the trainee’s identity.
But everyone knew.
The trainee facing parachute allegations was none other than Han Theo, the EX-Grade K-POP Idol.
[[HOT] HT Parachute Allegations
Is this real?
Han Theo of all people is a parachute trainee?
└Honestly, it’s obvious lol ‘consistently maintaining top rankings’ with ‘H’—who else could it be but Han Theo
└At this point it’s basically screaming “please figure out it’s Han Theo” lol]
[[NEW] But is Han Theo being a parachute trainee
really that important?
Honestly, with Han Theo’s visuals and skills, they would’ve stayed in the top ranks even without the parachute entry
└Of course it matters, are you an idiot?
└This guy’s clearly a hardcore Han Theo anti lol
└I’m not even a Han Theo fan though;;>
└Then why did they enter as a parachute trainee in the first place? There must be something wrong if they needed the backdoor entry, right?]
[[NEW] Let’s fact-check whether this is really a parachute entry
Staying neutral until it’s confirmed
We can criticize after the official statement comes out
└If it wasn’t true, the article wouldn’t have come out lol The fact that it’s been quiet until now means they’re definitely guilty of something
└Han Theo’s agency hasn’t released a statement either, right? Is it Loud Sound?
└Yeah, Loud Sound is right, lol what a shitty Entertainment Agency]
After the parachute trainee allegation article broke, SNS and Community Sites were buzzing with talk about Han Theo.
Eun Ha-su was disappointed that Kim Chowol and Kim Junwoo’s cover stage was overshadowed, but on the other hand, she felt relieved that Kim Chowol wasn’t entangled in such a dirty controversy.
“But seriously… could it really be true?”
Public opinion was split down the middle.
Half argued it made no sense for Han Theo to enter as a parachute trainee, while the other half insisted that the parachute entry itself was the problem, regardless of visuals or skill.
The two camps hurled accusations at each other, maintaining a precarious balance.
“Let’s just wait for the broadcast.”
Either way, the tug-of-war wouldn’t end until an official statement was released.
Eun Ha-su turned off her phone and swiveled her chair toward the computer.
Today was the day Episode 7 of EX-Grade K-POP Idol aired.
[“Today, we’ll be filming the PR videos you trainees have been waiting for!”]
The MC on screen began explaining the PR video shoot.
[There’s time to broadcast but no time to clarify]
[Han Theo parachute suspicions clear this up quickly]
[The chat people watch too;; please be reasonable]
The live chat exploded into chaos.
People starved for gossip pounced eagerly when Han Theo’s seemingly flawless image showed a crack.
‘Don’t worry about it. It has nothing to do with Kim Chowol anyway.’
Eun Ha-su furrowed her brow and focused on the broadcast.
Han Theo’s fans might be frustrated, but Eun Ha-su was already overwhelmed just keeping track of Kim Chowol and Kim Junwoo.
[“Trainees, please go to the Dungeons marked on the map and clear them!”]
The process of preparing the PR videos was entertaining.
Acquiring rewards needed for the video shoot through mini-games felt fresh, and watching the trainees plan their PR videos with the rewards they received was worth watching.
But there was one thing.
One part that was hard to overlook.
[“Hey there.”
“Yes?”
“I have something to ask you.”]
Han Theo stopped Kim Chowol, who was rushing around to clear the mini-games.
A dramatic BGM played.
Han Theo’s sharp gaze and Kim Chowol’s flustered expression were zoomed in on.
[“But why are you speaking informally?”
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Aren’t you twenty? I’m twenty too.”]
Han Theo speaking informally while Kim Chowol used formal speech created an odd atmosphere.
The live chat began burning up.
Public opinion about Han Theo started tilting decidedly negative.
But Eun Ha-su knew the truth.
“This is completely devilish editing…?”
She recognized this editing style—the same one Jang Hyuk-soo frequently used to destroy someone’s reputation.

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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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