The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 98

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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 (98)
I blinked slowly.
The spotlight ignited.
The spotlight directly above my head, to be precise.
“Congratulations! Kim Chowol, trainee!”
―Boom, crash!
Fireworks erupted, and the audience roared with such deafening cheers that my ears rang.
―Ding!
Between the explosions and the roaring crowd, an incongruous notification chimed.
[Main Quest progress has been updated.]
[Please check your Main Quest.]
I took a slow, deep breath and checked my Main Quest progress.
[Main Quest: Successful Debut
Success Reward: Gate Appearance Postponed (365 days)
Failure Penalty: Gate Appearance]
[Main Quest has been cleared.]
[Distributing rewards.]
[Success Reward: Gate Appearance Postponed (365 days)]
This couldn’t be a dream.
It was the moment I’d yearned for, yet it felt strangely unreal.
“Congratulations on first place, Kim Chowol, trainee! Let’s hear your thoughts right away!”
The MC who had approached my side thrust a microphone into my hand.
I stood dazed, unable to speak, watching the audience wave their light sticks.
“Kim Chowol, trainee? You must be quite shocked… huh?”
The MC and the audience staring at me suddenly gasped in alarm.
W-what’s happening? Could another Gate be—
“Chowol, don’t cry!”
Someone from the audience seats shouted.
I slowly raised my hand to my cheek. It was damp with tears.
“Ah…”
I’m crying.
As the tension released, my limbs began to tremble.
I drew upon every ounce of strength I possessed and steadied my legs.
I couldn’t collapse here.
“…Thank you.”
I’d practiced my remarks so thoroughly that I could deliver them fluently even if awakened mid-sleep.
Yet my voice emerged strangely constricted, as though something blocked my throat.
“Thank you, just… thank you…”
The tears would not stop.
They fell onto the stage in soft patters, forming small pools.
“To all the fans who have always supported me, to the friends I’ve grown close to through broadcasts, to the judges who’ve helped me in every way…”
And to my mom and dad in heaven, to my brother watching over me from somewhere.
There’s something I want to say to all of you.
Every time I wanted to give up, you were there, and I got back up again.
Thank you for loving me. I’m truly grateful.
“…I’m really grateful. Because of you all, I was able to come this far.”
I bowed deeply with a bright smile on my face.
My face was smiling, but tears streamed down my cheeks. It probably looked ridiculous.
But what could I do? Even though I wanted to stop, they kept flowing.
“We’ve heard Kim Chowol’s closing remarks! Next, let’s hear from Yoo Sung!”
I wiped away the flowing tears with my sleeve.
Yoo Sung, who had received the microphone from the MC, gently patted my shoulder.
“Hello, I’m Yoo Sung.”
Yoo Sung spoke calmly.
“When I was called as a top candidate for first place, I’ll admit I had some expectations. At first, I thought any ranking would be fine as long as I debuted. But human hearts are truly fickle, aren’t they?”
Yoo Sung continued with a faint smile.
I thought I’d known Yoo Sung for quite a while, but I’d never seen that kind of smile before.
“…But it’s strange. Even though I didn’t achieve the first place I was hoping for, I’m incredibly happy in a way that’s hard to believe.”
Yoo Sung laughed.
So brightly, so openly—just watching was enough to feel relieved.
“Without the support of all the fans, I wouldn’t have made it this far. I’m truly grateful.”
Yoo Sung bowed and finished his closing remarks.
‘It’s finally over.’
I swallowed a sigh and released all my tension. I could finally go home without dying.
“With this, all six members of the Guild have been confirmed.”
The MC spoke to the audience with a meaningful expression.
As Yoo Sung and I were about to take our seats in first and second place, I sensed something unusual and hesitated.
“But… wouldn’t it be a shame to end it like this?”
What?
Everyone except the MC tilted their heads in confusion.
This was a situation I’d never experienced before.
The Gate always burst open after the first-place remarks ended.
“To all twenty trainees who’ve run this far, and to all the ordinary people who’ve watched this moment with us!”
The MC raised his voice, spreading both arms wide.
“Do you remember what the fifth Main Quest is?”
As the MC asked, a familiar message appeared on the Large Screen.
[The fifth Main Quest has arrived.]
[Main Quest: Debut]
The fifth Main Quest the MC mentioned was Debut itself.
“For the six trainees who have cleared the fifth Quest—Debut—we’ve prepared a special reward!”
A special reward?
The Program ends today, and there shouldn’t be any more Quests, so a special reward…?
“Let’s check it right now!”
The MC pointed toward the Large Screen.
The text filling the display changed.
[Main Quest Special Reward!
Item: Special Mercenary Recruitment Ticket
You can recruit the 7th-ranked trainee as a Guild member]
Trainees and audience members alike gasped in surprise.
“Kim Chowol trainee!”
“Yes?”
“Until we officially appoint a Leader, the 1st-ranked Kim Chowol trainee will serve as the temporary Guild Master!”
“Ah, yes.”
Being a temporary leader wasn’t particularly difficult, so I didn’t mind doing it.
But why reveal this now? We’re still broadcasting live.
“Kim Chowol trainee, as the temporary Guild Master, please tell us.”
“Yes?”
“Will you use the Special Mercenary Recruitment Ticket or not? Kim Chowol trainee, please speak on behalf of everyone!”
Snapping back to attention, I made eye contact with each member sitting around me in turn.
Kang Hae-soo nodded with a serious expression. I could see trust in his eyes directed toward me.
Jung Yoo-yeol shrugged his shoulders. It seemed to mean I should do as I pleased.
Okada moved her lips as if she had something to tell me. I read the shape of her mouth.
‘I believe in you.’
Han Theo gazed steadily into my eyes. Like Kang Hae-soo and Okada, she seemed to trust me.
Finally, Yoo Sung was…
“Odd numbers are better than even ones.”
Yoo Sung answered with a light chuckle, completely at ease.
I felt a bit more at peace.
“I’ll use it—the Special Mercenary Recruitment Ticket.”
The MC broke into a beaming smile upon hearing my answer.
“Kim Chowol trainee has used the Special Mercenary Recruitment Ticket! Now, let me announce the final 7th-ranked trainee!”
I clasped my clammy palms together.
And I gazed intently at the trainees huddled together on the Protruding Stage.
Among the fourteen trainees, one face stood out distinctly.
‘Seo Ijae…’
Seo Ijae stood with the color drained from his face, biting his lower lip.
I don’t know if the 7th rank is Seo Ijae or not.
Yet as long as there was even the slightest chance that Seo Ijae could debut, I didn’t want to give up.
“A trainee with solid skills who has proven their worth on any stage.”
The MC began introducing the 7th-ranked trainee.
I prayed.
Please, let the MC call out Seo Ijae’s name….
“I believe this trainee’s debut could become a new beacon of hope for those who failed once but refused to give up.”
I clenched both my fists tightly.
One failure, refusing to surrender, a new hope….
“The 7th-ranked trainee who captured the hearts of our audience through unwavering determination in the face of adversity and hardship, never yielding, and challenging once more is….”
The face of the 7th-ranked trainee appeared on the large screen.
“…Congratulations, trainee Seo Ijae!”
Seo Ijae.
Seo Ijae was the 7th-ranked trainee.
“Lee Jae, congratulations!”
“This is insane. Even dramas would get roasted for writing like this!”
“Seo Ijae, Seo Ijae, Seo Ijae!”
An enormous wave of cheers erupted from the audience.
Seo Ijae’s legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed right where he stood.
“You can’t fall here!”
“Come on, get up! Your fans are waiting!”
“Lee Jae, congratulations from the bottom of my heart!”
The trainees beside him rushed to help him to his feet.
Seo Ijae walked toward the central stage, bathed in the audience’s roaring applause and cheers.
“Trainee Seo Ijae, would you please share your thoughts with all the fans who have supported you!”
Seo Ijae took the microphone from the MC and opened his mouth.
“I… *sob*….”
But his words never came.
Seo Ijae’s shoulders trembled as tears began to flow.
“*Sob*… I’m sorry. I keep… *sob*… I can’t stop….”
Seo Ijae wiped his tears with his sleeve, but it was futile. Once the floodgates opened, the tears wouldn’t stop.
After pouring out everything, Seo Ijae took a steady breath to compose himself.
“I’ve thought about it dozens, hundreds, thousands of times. Should I just give up? Should I quit now and find something else to do….”
Dozens of cameras were trained on Seo Ijae.
His voice transcended the set stage, reaching across the entire world.
“But for every hundred times I thought of giving up, I resolved a hundred and one times to try once more. I loved being an idol so much. It was incredibly difficult and painful, but not enough to make me surrender until the very end.”
Seo Ijae wiped his tears with his sleeve.
At some point, the tears stopped flowing. Instead, his eyes glistened brilliantly, reflecting the dazzling stage lights.
“To the fans who stood by my side so I wouldn’t break, my fellow members who felt like family, composer Jiyu, and….”
Seo Ijae glanced back at me, sitting in the rear.
Our eyes met, and Seo Ijae broke into a radiant smile.
“…to my fellow trainees who told me I could do it. Thank you so much. I’ll work even harder from now on.”
As Seo Ijae’s remarks concluded, the MC turned to the camera and audience, shouting.
“This concludes the entire journey of EX-Grade K-POP Idol! We sincerely thank all of you for staying with us until the very end!”
At the same time, the theme song of the EX-Grade K-POP Idol, Hunt the Stage, began to play.
The members who had been sitting jumped to their feet and rushed toward Seo Ijae.
“Lee Jae, congratulations.”
“Kim Chowol… I’m truly happy for you too.”
As I embraced Seo Ijae, I swallowed the wave of relief threatening to burst forth.
‘It’s finally all over.’
The moment that thought crossed my mind.
Everything that had been holding me together collapsed at once.
‘What…?’
Strength drained from my body, and my vision narrowed progressively.
I lost consciousness right then and there.

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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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