The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 75

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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 (75)
Han Theo hesitated for a moment before opening up honestly about his past.
Han Theo had been born and raised in a small town in Willamette Valley.
It was a quiet small city with a population of only a few thousand, a rural community where most residents knew each other.
The Han Family had been rooted in the region for three generations, so Han Theo grew up being called “the Han farm kid” since childhood.
Han Theo spoke fluent English and was undeniably a perfect American in every way, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he never quite fit in.
Was it because he was close with his Korean grandfather, or was it that his distinctly Asian features stood out compared to his siblings?
“My grandfather always said, ‘Go to Korea.'”
His grandfather had noticed Han Theo’s aimlessness and advised him to go to Korea.
But Han Theo hesitated.
Who could easily leave the cherished small town where they’d spent their entire life and venture to a country they’d never visited?
If it hadn’t been for a K-POP music video he happened to see in middle school, Han Theo would have spent his entire life in his small hometown, helping his father with his work.
“I thought it was really cool.”
Han Theo had a body type that didn’t build muscle easily, so he felt somewhat intimidated among his burly White and Black friends.
His friends teased him half-jokingly, half-seriously, and good-natured Han Theo would laugh it off lightly.
But he naturally distanced himself from sports like basketball, soccer, and rugby.
His natural physique was inferior compared to his White and Black friends, and he didn’t have the athletic coordination to overcome those physical limitations.
Since it was rural with nothing else to do besides sports, Han Theo played chess or card games with his friends or helped his father with work.
‘So that’s why he was so good at chess.’
Han Theo was not an opponent that a trainee who didn’t even know chess rules properly could easily defeat.
I nodded and reflected on this.
In any case, Han Theo thought it was really cool watching people who looked similar to him singing and dancing on stage.
And Han Theo himself… wanted to shine on stage too.
But there was no way a small town would have vocal or Dance Academy lessons.
So Han Theo taught himself vocals and dancing by repeatedly watching YouTube videos.
Fortunately, he had natural visuals, and through relentless effort and unwavering determination, he developed professional-level vocal and dancing skills for self-taught training.
“The problem was… Korean.”
No matter how hard he tried, his Korean never improved.
To begin with, no one in Han Theo’s family knew how to speak Korean.
His grandfather, who was born in Korea, occasionally used Korean, but as he aged, English became more comfortable, so they mostly conversed in English.
Han Theo’s first exposure to Korean was through the K-POP music video he saw in middle school.
“I couldn’t even have everyday conversations. My pronunciation was weird too.”
It would have been nice to have someone to practice with through direct conversation, but most of the few Asian students visible at school were Chinese or Japanese.
“So when a Korean Friend transferred to our school, I was so happy.”
I wanted to become close with them.
I wanted to become best friends if possible, learn Korean, and talk about K-POP and Korea.
But unfortunately, the Korean Friend didn’t seem to like Han Theo very much.
“It seemed like they wanted to be friends with the White Friends instead of me.”
They would eagerly approach the White Friends and strike up conversations, but whenever their eyes met with non-White friends including Han Theo, they would furrow their brows and leave.
Since it was such a small school, rumors spread quickly.
Korean Friend found himself isolated in that moment, belonging to neither the white nor non-white groups.
“Was that Korean Friend the one who wrote the exposé post on the Community Site?”
When I asked, Han Theo confirmed it was true.
Han Theo explained that the exposé post on the Community Site had been written by stitching together the situation in a very cunning way.
Especially the part where Han Theo had supposedly told him “there’s a seat here” and prevented him from sitting….
“I only said there was a seat because the seat actually had an owner.”
The seat Korean Friend wanted to sit in was next to the tallest and most athletic white friend in school.
But that seat belonged to the white friend’s girlfriend.
So Han Theo had told him that seat already had an owner, and suggested he sit next to him instead if that was okay.
“The reason my friends laughed was because my Korean was absolutely terrible.”
Han Theo said that while adding it was entirely his own fault.
If only he had been a little better at Korean.
If he hadn’t been so eager to become close with that Korean Friend….
“It’s not your fault.”
I firmly denied it.
How could Han Theo be responsible for an exposé post that had stitched together truth and lies into something sensational?
“That guy just wants to blame you for his own failure to adapt. And while he’s at it, block your path forward too.”
But Han Theo smiled bitterly and changed the subject.
“Anyway… I wanted to become an Idol.”
When Han Theo entered High School, he applied to everything from Korea’s Top 3 Entertainment Companies to small agencies that even K-POP veterans didn’t know about.
Several Entertainment Agencies showed positive reactions after seeing Han Theo’s visuals and skills.
But the moment they learned Han Theo couldn’t speak Korean properly, their attitudes changed completely.
‘It would be difficult without Korean, you know. You need to speak Korean to some degree to appear on variety shows. You know how important variety shows are these days.’
Of course, there were some Entertainment Agencies that said Korean could be learned after coming to Korea.
They encouraged him to come to Korea quickly, saying his Korean would improve rapidly through trainee life there and that it wouldn’t be a problem at all.
“But my family opposed it.”
Everyone except Han Theo’s Grandfather disapproved of him going to Korea to become an Idol.
Why insist on pursuing Idol work with such a high failure rate instead of just inheriting Father’s Orchard in America?
His family couldn’t understand.
“I kept missing opportunities. There was even an Entertainment Agency that went all the way to contract negotiations, but by dragging things out, the position disappeared quickly.”
As the dream he had first nurtured withered without ever blooming, Han Theo spoke less and less.
He couldn’t focus on school life and just locked himself in his Room.
Just when his family, who had opposed his dream, began to worry that something serious might happen, Han Theo’s Grandfather knocked on the door.
‘Go to Korea. You have a cousin among your relatives who runs a small Entertainment Agency, and he will help you.’
Han Theo was startled.
Han Theo’s Grandfather had never opposed his dream, but he hadn’t supported it either.
So Han Theo thought he had no interest at all.
But behind the scenes, he had been searching for relatives who had lost contact and quietly preparing Han Theo’s trip to Korea.
“That’s how I signed a contract with Round Sound.”
Round Sound was a mid-sized Entertainment Agency run by Han Theo’s fifth or eighth cousin.
Though Loud Sound was a small agency, its CEO genuinely believed in Han Theo’s potential.
But reality was merciless.
Loud Sound lacked the capital and infrastructure to debut Han Theo.
After dropping out through high school and enduring over a year as a trainee in Korea, debut remained elusive, and both Han Theo and the CEO grew impatient.
“That’s when the CEO heard about the EX-Grade K-POP Idol program.”
A new program created by Jang Hyuk-soo, the master of Idol Survival Audition Programs—the EX-Grade K-POP Idol.
But Jang Hyuk-soo’s Idol Survival Audition Program was so competitive that even passing the document screening proved difficult.
While the Loud Sound CEO believed Han Theo could make it, he harbored secret doubts—would the agency’s modest status cause rejection?
In the end, the CEO crossed a line he never should have.
“He paid off the Female PD.”
Not Jang Hyuk-soo himself, but the Female PD who selected trainees for the program—she received a substantial sum.
Han Theo had no idea.
Only after the parachute article broke did he frantically contact the CEO to learn the full story.
“So even if I wanted to release a rebuttal, I couldn’t. It’s all true.”
As I summarized the situation in a single sentence, Han Theo fell silent.
I wondered if I’d been too blunt and carefully added more.
“Don’t blame yourself too harshly.”
Ignorance might be a sin, but Han Theo was only twenty—he’d barely begun real adult life.
It was too cruel for him to abandon his dreams because of adults’ mistakes and greed.
‘Looking at it now, the article’s tone is incredibly malicious.’
I reread the exclusive article raising suspicions about Han Theo’s parachute appointment.
Particularly that phrase: “There are reports that he joined through an introduction from someone with connections to high-ranking officials.”
The person who received bribes from the Round Agency CEO wasn’t some “high-ranking official”—just a mere Female PD.
Why fabricate a nonexistent high-ranking official to distort the facts? Because if the Female PD’s bribery were revealed as-is, Jang Hyuk-soo would also face accountability.
“Have you tried contacting the Female PD who took the bribe?”
“No. She went silent after filming started.”
The Female PD was likely discovered by Jang Hyuk-soo and cast out.
Initially, he probably intended to expel Han Theo as well.
But after witnessing Han Theo’s visuals and abilities firsthand, he must have thought it would be too wasteful to simply discard him.
“I understand the entire situation now.”
After hearing Han Theo’s full account, I began formulating a plan methodically.
“First, don’t panic. Let’s solve this step by step. For now, what we can do immediately is….”
The parachute appointment, school violence, bribes, malicious articles….
Various problems raced through my mind.
I closed my eyes and pondered for a long moment when suddenly, a brilliant idea struck me.
“…Can you show me some photos from when you were younger?”

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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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