The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 78

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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 (78)
“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Your expression looks terrible.”
Han Theo, walking beside me, asked carefully.
Devastated by the fact that I couldn’t receive compensation, I quickly managed my expression and replied.
“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”
As I brushed it off vaguely, Han Theo nodded and fell silent.
We walked on in comfortable silence.
Finally arriving at the Dormitory Building, we paused and faced each other.
“Now… what should we do?”
Han Theo said, glancing around nervously.
Even though public opinion had subsided thanks to my Childhood Friend’s help, there were still far more people cursing Han Theo.
The school violence controversy might have been resolved, but the nepotism suspicion remained unaddressed.
And that nepotism suspicion was truly… a difficult problem to resolve.
‘Unless the Female PD who received bribes comes forward to clarify, we won’t be able to resolve it completely.’
Han Theo and Loud Sound had limits to what they could say, and even if they came clean, there was no guarantee the public would believe them.
“What do you mean ‘what should we do’? We prove it through skill.”
Nepotism becomes a problem because the nepotistically hired person is incompetent.
But if the nepotistically hired person is competent, the story changes.
A competent nepotistically hired person could be sufficiently mitigated in Korea, where ability is prioritized over equal opportunity.
“Yeah.”
“Right. Stay camera-conscious at all times, day and night. Got it?”
“I got it.”
Han Theo grinned reassuringly.
I gave Han Theo’s shoulder a light tap and headed into the Dormitory Building.
Now it was time to prove myself through skill.
* * *
Eun Ha-su surveyed the expressions of the crowded people with sharp eyes.
Their faces bore tension rather than excitement or anticipation.
Watching the faces of Han Theo’s fans she recognized, Eun Ha-su clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘Han Theo’s fans… they really look like they’re barely hanging on.’
Over the past week, Han Theo’s fans must have been burning with anxiety.
The nepotism suspicion, school violence controversy, and character concerns all at once.
The school violence had been concluded as false, but the nepotism suspicion and character concerns showed no signs of resolution.
‘I hope today’s performance goes well.’
Originally, Eun Ha-su hadn’t particularly liked Han Theo and his fans.
She had no ill will toward Han Theo himself, but how could she like people who rushed in eagerly whenever Kim Chowol’s name came up?
But as she began to see Kim Chowol and Han Theo spending time together, her thoughts shifted slightly.
‘They seem closer than I thought?’
Of course, Yoo Sung and Okada would be his closest companions, but Han Theo’s chemistry with him wasn’t bad either.
And Han Theo, before being subjected to malicious editing, was quiet but had a decent personality.
‘Setting aside the nepotism issue, the real problem is the devil’s editing. Jang Hyuk-soo too… the man doesn’t know the meaning of moderation.’
Eun Ha-su gazed at Han Theo’s fans with sympathetic eyes as she thought this.
Even though Han Theo’s fans passionately insisted the editing was devilish, no one believed them.
“We’ll have the teams enter in numerical order, starting from the first.”
Today was the third broadcast recording day.
Until the last recording, luck had been on her side and she’d won the lottery for attendance.
But due to the explosive surge in popularity, unfortunately she hadn’t gotten tickets this time.
Fortunately, she’d managed to secure a transfer by leveraging money and connections.
If she hadn’t found a transfer, Eun Ha-su would be sitting at home today, sucking her thumb while waiting for the preview to drop.
‘There was a rumor that Kim Chowol and Han Theo are on the same team this time.’
Could it be true?
Eun Ha-su watched a fan having her camera confiscated by security and hid her own camera deeper in her bag.
‘The crackdown has gotten stricter.’
Until the second recording, entry had been a bit troublesome, but once inside, it was never this intense.
“Thank you so much for coming to the third broadcast recording of our EX-Grade K-POP Idol!”
The MC who had taken the stage addressed the audience.
Eun Ha-su fidgeted nervously with her fingertips, waiting for Kim Chowol to appear.
“Now, the next team, please come up!”
Finally, Kim Chowol ascended the stage.
‘White outfit again? Kim Chowol looks good in anything… but still, it’s a bit disappointing.’
Eun Ha-su quickly scanned the outfits of Kim Chowol and his teammates as they walked up, licking her lips.
But the moment Kim Chowol and his teammates faced forward on stage, the atmosphere of their costumes shifted 180 degrees.
“One side is white, but… the other side is red?”
Half of the jacket and pants she’d thought were white were dyed a deep, blood red.
“Hello, we are Fate.”
“Fate? Your team name is Fate?”
As Kim Chowol, holding the microphone, briefly introduced the team, the MC jumped in with perfect timing, tilting his head curiously.
Kim Chowol answered with a bright smile.
“Originally it was ‘You’re destined to love us anyway,’ but it was too long, so we decided to just call ourselves Fate.”
“Huh? You’re destined to… wait, what did you say?”
The MC, rarely flustered, stumbled over his words.
“You’re destined to love us anyway. Once you see our stage, you won’t be able to help but love us.”
The audience began to stir at Kim Chowol’s bold declaration.
With a team composition like this, confidence was inevitable.
Han Theo, considered the best all-rounder, Jung Yoo-yeol, the visual center causing a stir for not being from any of the Top 3 Entertainment Companies, and Okada and Lee Hyun-soo, who consistently demonstrated top-tier dance skills.
‘But making such a statement in the current situation isn’t good.’
Eun Ha-su nervously glanced around.
“They’re full of spirit. Destined to love us, huh.”
“But Han Theo still hasn’t dropped out? At this point, shouldn’t Jang Hyuk-soo be forcing him to withdraw?”
“What’s so pretty about him that we should love Han Theo?”
Kim Chowol was one problem, but Han Theo was another.
So many people despised Han Theo because of various suspicions and controversies surrounding him.
Right now, Han Theo would appear as an eyesore to them simply by standing still.
“We’ll begin the stage performance now.”
The MC stepped down, and the lights went out.
The audience members stared at the stage with sharp eyes, determined not to miss even the smallest mistake.
―Lacrimosa dies illa. Qua resurget ex favilla. Judicandus homo reus. (That day of tears and mourning. From the ashes they shall rise. The guilty man stands before judgment.)
Suddenly, a classical piece that stirred the heart poured from the speakers.
The lights remained off.
The audience members exchanged confused glances, looking back and forth between the stage and its surroundings.
“Huic ergo parce, Deus. (God, have mercy upon him.)”
Then a familiar voice rang out.
A voice so dangerously enchanting that even angels would fall under its spell.
―Pop!
The lights came up, revealing trainees sprawled across the floor.
Someone struggled to push their body upright, reaching their hands toward the sky.
“Pie Jesu Domine….(Merciful Lord Jesus….)”
It was Han Theo.
The audience watched Han Theo’s trembling hands as if mesmerized.
Han Theo’s face was anguished as he pleaded with God for mercy.
“…Dona eis requiem. Amen. (…Grant them eternal rest. Amen.)”
The golden lighting shifted to a cold, icy blue.
And almost simultaneously, Han Theo’s hand dropped limply, like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Gasp….”
The audience members watching the stage drew in a sharp breath.
―Thump, thump-thump
Piano and violin sounds layered over a deep, heavy beat, enriching the composition.
The trainees lying on the floor slowly pushed themselves up, their hands gently caressing the ground as they rose.
“The hands that shaped the stars now grip only ash.”
Kim Chowol sang, thrusting his fist forward.
He naturally unclenched his fist and opened his palm, but there was nothing inside.
“A single name that was both beginning and end.”
Kim Chowol’s voice was composed, his expression cold.
It seemed as though he had awakened to a harsh reality, or perhaps accepted a tragic fate.
“In eyes that knew no waves, what pools is the final light of a melted crown.”
After Kim Chowol came Okada.
Certainly, until the second viewing, her vocals had been uneven, but it seemed she had practiced extensively—her pronunciation and vocal technique were now natural and fluid.
“The wheel has already begun to tilt.”
Finally, the pre-chorus section.
Layered sounds built upon one another, heightening the tension.
“My shadow fading away. Darkness spreading from my fingertips.”
Lee Hyun-soo’s body bounced in sync with the precisely fractured rhythm.
The choreography that meshed perfectly with the song sent shivers down the spines of everyone watching.
“O Fortuna, you call out to me.”
As Lee Hyun-soo’s voice wavered under the strain of the difficult choreography, Jung Yoo-yeol filled the gap with a stable vocal line.
And finally, the long-awaited chorus.
“Sand slips through the spaces between my fingers. The word eternity lingers on my tongue before vanishing.”
Jung Yoo-yeol’s voice, weaving between chest voice and falsetto, resonated with crystalline clarity.
Eun Ha-su and the other audience members felt a tremor beginning at their feet, spreading throughout their entire bodies.
Jung Yoo-yeol, who had stepped aside, executed a stable high-note ad-lib before Han Theo, who had delivered a flawless intro, appeared with a soaring jump.
“Beneath the lowering sky, O Fortuna, was this too the will of the gods?”
The blue lighting shifted to red.
It created the illusion that blood was trickling down Han Theo’s pale forehead, visible between strands of dirty blonde hair.
Dozens of emotions swirled within Han Theo’s eyes.
Rage, resignation, resentment, solitude, confusion….
“Insane….”
The audience couldn’t tear their eyes away from Han Theo’s gaze.
Jung Yoo-yeol, who had stepped aside, returned to his position.
The five trainees executed a flawless synchronized formation centered on Han Theo.
―Tap-tap-tap, boom!
The steps, too rapid to follow with the eyes, concluded as all the trainees leaped upward simultaneously.
The moment their feet touched the ground, they slid into a seated position.
The red lighting shifted to white.
All the trainees except Han Theo collapsed to the floor, centered around him.
Han Theo, hugging his knees, stretched his hand upward and sang in a soft, murmuring voice.
“Lacrimosa dies illa. Gold has seeped into the earth, and where my name once was inscribed….”
The lighting gradually dimmed.
Han Theo’s eyes, which had sparkled like stars, slowly lost their luminescence.
“…a single nameless flower.”
A harsh reality that cannot be escaped no matter how one tries to flee, yet a body that resists to the very end, and Fate that swallows everything whole.
Han Theo, exhaling his final breath, buried his face in his knees.
At the end of an inescapable destiny, what awaits—freedom or another shackle?

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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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