The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 93

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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 (93)
“…Hey…!”
A voice called out from somewhere in the distance.
But I was in no state to comprehend anything.
‘I don’t want to die. It hurts. Someone, anyone, please save me….’
A black circle like a black hole, monsters erupting from within it.
People screamed, and the debris of the collapsed Set Stage crushed my body.
“Kim… Chowol! Wake…!”
Someone grabbed my shoulders and shook me.
Struggling through the pain, I forced my heavy eyelids open.
A brilliant light struck my eyes.
It was the Practice Room’s lighting.
“Hey, Kim Chowol. You okay?”
Someone looking down at me asked with concern in their voice.
As I blinked slowly, focus gradually returned.
“Yoo Sung….”
“Yeah, you coming to?”
Yoo Sung exhaled a sigh of relief and extended his hand.
I unconsciously grasped Yoo Sung’s hand and pulled myself up.
“Water.”
“Ah, thanks….”
As I gulped down the cool water, my mind felt slightly clearer.
“Hey.”
“Hm?”
“Do you want to die?”
“What?”
Why would he suddenly say something so harsh….
As I tilted my head in confusion, Yoo Sung let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Do you know what time it is right now?”
Yoo Sung glanced at the clock hanging on the Practice Room wall as he spoke.
It was already eight in the morning.
The last time I’d checked, it was three in the morning.
“Ah… sorry. It’s already morning. Where are the others? Is everyone here? I’ll just wash up quickly and be right back.”
“Hey.”
As I hastily tidied my hair and clothes to prepare for practice, Yoo Sung called out to me with an even more menacing expression.
“You’re actually going to die like this.”
“Hm…?”
“You know you haven’t set foot in the Dormitory even once since you came back from your break?”
“Did I really?”
I tilted my head to the side, searching my memory.
Now that I think about it, that might be true….
“If you don’t want to die young, get inside and sleep.”
“I’m really fine. I slept about five hours today.”
It wasn’t a lie.
I’d fallen asleep at three in the morning and woken up at eight, so I’d gotten at least five hours of solid rest.
Solid rest… though that was being generous.
“Don’t be ridiculous. How is napping on the Practice Room floor the same as sleeping in bed?”
But despite my desperate protests, Yoo Sung firmly pulled me to my feet.
“No, I’m really fine….”
“Be quiet. Before I say something harsh.”
Yoo Sung grabbed my arm roughly and dragged me out of the Practice Room.
The live broadcast Stage was only days away, and I needed to stay sharp and practice….
‘Hmm… maybe just three more hours of sleep.’
There had to be a reason Yoo Sung was being so insistent about this.
I trudged after Yoo Sung back to the Dormitory.
* * *
Morning arrived on the day of the live broadcast Stage.
“Hey, you okay?”
Yoo Sung, who shared the Dormitory with me, asked while drying his wet hair.
“Ah, yeah….”
I answered with an awkward smile.
Even though thirty minutes had passed since I woke up, my mind still felt foggy, as if I were dreaming.
‘That dream again….’
I’d been having the same nightmare about the Gate appearing in the Practice Room for days now.
I swallowed a sigh and lightly tapped my cheek with my palm.
“If you’re tired, sleep another thirty minutes or so. I’ll let the others know.”
“I’m really fine. I just need to get through today.”
Rising slowly, I lightly patted Yoo Sung’s shoulder to reassure him.
“Hey, you….”
“I’ll shower and head out. Go practice first.”
Yoo Sung opened his mouth as if he had something to say, but I didn’t give him a chance and slipped into the Bathroom.
“Phew… get it together, Kim Chowol.”
I took slow, deep breaths and muttered to myself like a mantra.
My condition was terrible from the recurring nightmares, but the situation itself wasn’t bad.
‘My slump has ended.’
I checked my status window.
[Basic Stats
Vocal: A
Dance: A-
Appearance: A-
Charm: S-]
After having a nightmare in the Practice Room, my Vocal, Dance, and Charm stats shot up all at once as if I’d used some cheat code.
My Vocal and Dance stats, which had been B+ grade, rose to A and B+ respectively, while my Charm stat, which had been A+ grade, climbed to S-.
Even when I placed Han Theo’s and Yoo Sung’s stat windows side by side for comparison, my stats didn’t fall short in the slightest.
‘What connection could there possibly be between nightmares and a slump?’
The thought crossed my mind briefly, but I didn’t dwell on it.
What mattered now wasn’t the correlation between nightmares and slumps—it was the live broadcast stage looming directly ahead.
After synchronizing the formations one last time with my teammates in the Practice Room, I headed straight to the Set Stage for rehearsal.
Not long after arriving at the Set Stage, the Hero Team entered.
“Hyung!”
Okada, spotting me, sprang up from her seat and rushed over.
But as she drew closer and got a good look at my face, she hesitated and asked carefully.
“Hyung? Are you okay?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You look exhausted.”
“Oh, I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep well.”
But Okada’s expression showed no sign of easing.
“You’re sweating. Are you very hot?”
“Sweating…?”
Startled by her words, I hastily wiped my forehead with my sleeve.
Sure enough, my forehead was damp with cold sweat.
“Ah, this is….”
Without realizing it, my heart was racing, and my breathing was rougher than usual.
It couldn’t be from just practicing once or twice, so the remaining possibility was….
‘…Post-traumatic stress disorder?’
I looked up at the familiar Set Stage.
My stomach, which I’d thought was just upset from eating breakfast wrong, began to churn.
“I’m fine.”
I answered, desperately forcing the corners of my mouth upward.
I’m fine.
No, I have to be fine.
I’m the center.
I have to debut in first place no matter what….
* * *
The final episode of EX-Grade K-POP Idol begins on a blazing Friday at six in the evening.
The live broadcast stage itself starts at eight, but before the broadcast, a special programming block airs a summary video of episodes one through ten and episode eleven for about two hours.
Rehearsal wrapped up around three in the afternoon.
It seems like there’s plenty of time until the broadcast starts, but by the time we eat, get fitted for costumes, and go through makeup, it’s already six.
“Wow, I’m so nervous.”
The trainees, now in full makeup and stage costumes, whispered to each other with expressions mixing excitement and tension.
The first outfit was the jacket and harness I’d worn during the theme song stage.
I kept wiping my increasingly damp palms on tissues. I couldn’t risk getting sweat on the costume.
“Each team’s center, please come over here and pick up your center badge.”
Once the Staff Member confirmed that all twenty trainees were ready, they called me and the center of the Hero Team.
Han Theo, Okada, and I gathered in one place.
“Since it could be a spoiler, please don’t attach it now. The stylists will put it on when you change into your main stage outfit.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I gazed intently at the center badge nestled in its small case.
It was a small, crown-shaped silver badge.
The letter ‘C’—representing center—was engraved at the very heart of the badge.
“Once you’re ready, we’ll move to watch the broadcast.”
Following the Staff Member’s guidance, we headed toward a small studio behind the Set Stage.
The studio was furnished with a screen that was neither large nor small, and twenty folding chairs.
We’d pass the time watching the broadcast here, then move to prepare for the stage about an hour before the live broadcast began.
We sat quietly and waited for the broadcast to start.
[“Finally, it’s time to reveal the fifth and final main Quest!”]
Episode 11 began with MC explaining the fifth main Quest—debut.
[“The Quest’s clear condition is simple. Get selected by ordinary citizens and debut! Please do your best to prepare for the stage to clear this Quest!”]
Once MC finished explaining, Kim Junwoo appeared to describe the surprise gift.
[“The surprise gift that Nexus has prepared for all of you trainees is… a song.”]
As expected, SILK VEIL was completely cut from the broadcast.
The scene dividing the teams was almost entirely edited out, and only the part explaining the concept barely survived.
[Huh? What? The editing feels a bit awkward]
People began noticing the inconsistency in the live chat one by one.
Jang Hyuk-soo and the Female PD had done their best, but given how massive the incident was, the awkwardness was unavoidable.
[Wait, could that rumor actually be true?]
[What rumor?]
[There was a rumor going around that IKE Dol got a song from SILK VEIL, plagiarism allegations blew up, so they rewrote it midway]
[For real??? What kind of baseless accusation is that;;]
[I just dismissed it as a rumor, but now that I see this, it actually seems true]
Fortunately, public opinion wasn’t negative.
The blame clearly fell on SILK VEIL, after all….
Episode 11 was edited primarily around me and Seo Ijae.
[“So I’ve decided to become a villain anyway, one so ◼◼◼◼ ◼◼◼◼ that I can shake even those who love heroes.”]
[“Let’s just try everything. Try everything, then vote on who fits the center best.”]
My part where I voiced my opinion on the concept and suggested voting for the center was edited in an extremely favorable way.
[“The existing concept of ‘the strongest hero who won’t yield to any hardship or adversity’ needs to change a bit.”
“The first verse goes ◼◼◼ hero, and from the second verse onward, it becomes ◼◼ hero.”
“So the center should be ◼◼◼◼ too.”]
And the scene where Seo Ijae took the lead in deciding the center and concept was rendered with dramatic flair.
In truth, it was merely a desperate attempt to contain the SILK VEIL scandal.
[Why wouldn’t they give us a heads-up about the concept and center position? They cut it off at the most crucial moments]
[With Kim Chowol here, the stability is completely different]
[But Seo Ijae is better than expected too? I guess you really can’t underestimate someone with that much experience]
The live chat refreshed so rapidly it was impossible to follow with the eye.
I gave up trying to scan through it after a moment.
Instead, I focused on something else.
‘Real-time viewers: 100,000.’
Considering there were people watching through television and other means, far more were actually tuning in.
There would be international viewers too, and the live broadcast stage hadn’t even started yet….
I suddenly recalled the first Hidden Quest I’d cleared.
[You’ve left a powerful impression on approximately 2.5 million people!
Reward: 1 Item Draw Ticket has been granted.
You can check it in your Item Window.]
2.5 million people.
Could I surpass that number?
“Trainees, please stand by!”
I slowly took a deep breath and rose to my feet.
Whether it turns to ash or blooms into success, everything is decided today.
I would give my all to break free from this suffocating cage.

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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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