Debut or Die-Chapter 218
In fact, what was uncovered from his hacked private account was the same old repertoire.
[Yeah, so fucking boring]
[How the hell are you doing all this? ㅠ (burning emoji)]
[Fucking annoying... life as a star, the weight of the crown]
It meant he’d filled it to the brim with complaints and curses about his job, like a salaryman badmouthing his own work.
If it had ended with him just cursing the company, people might’ve thought “he’s a bit over it,” but this guy freely slandered his colleagues and fans too.
Of course, the internet went wild.
“Unfollow and get lost, you psycho.”
“ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Didn’t know it was so much trouble; sorry I wasted my time on you. Now go live life as a rookie and chill.”
“Isn’t leaking someone’s private account the real problem? Acting like none of us ever cursed at work. Yeah, it’s fun to trash idols, lol.”
└ “Are you the one involved? Instead of commenting, why don’t you just retire, lol.”
“I don’t think that one moment reflects his whole mind, but couldn’t he have been more careful? My head hurts...”
“Seen that attitude coming, lol.”
They dredged up his past deeds and slip-ups, matched them with his SNS posts, and speculation ran rampant.
“This sounds like it’s about that radio show where he totally gave off so uncomfortable a vibe (video link).”
“Shouldn’t we verify the friends his age who are close to him? Hmm...”
“’Life as a star’ bullshit, lol. Wasn’t that fan sign yesterday? Wow. (schedule screenshot)”
Half of it was probably wild conjecture, but nobody wanted to miss out on the fun, so people gleefully piled on every detail.
Meanwhile, Seon Ah-hyun got dragged into it too.
[Club rat acting so fucking innocent lol did you enjoy the water yesterday?]
When I checked the capture, that post had gone up on the very day Ah-hyun and he filmed their special stage together. With the keywords “male,” “schedule overlap,” and “playing innocent,” they’d immediately pegged Ah-hyun as the culprit.
“Once you eliminate all other possibilities, only one is left, right?”
“This is so blatantly SAH, lol. The schedule matches perfectly and he was free the day before, too. Creepy.”
“I’m neutral for now, but damn, his image management is too polished... so fake.”
Because Ah-hyun’s image is so mild, a minority insisted “there’s no way that’s true,” and those voices got drowned out.
Under the surface, some treated it as a foregone conclusion—definitely a deliberate smear.
“Didn’t realize stutter-jerks drive girls crazy? Pathetic stans, lol.”
“It’s exploded—who’s got more dirt? Bring it so we can scatter it everywhere, haha.”
“Finally we can rip that creepy little stalker apart, love it (clapping emoji).”
“These are the same assholes from AJUSA.”
The ones who treated tearing down or trampling Ah-hyun’s image like their life’s mission. Most hopped off once AJUSA ended or when a new survival show started, but a few clung on.
“Sure, other idols have die-hard antis, but those attached to Ah-hyun are on another level.”
They weren’t just hoping he’d fail; they were obsessed with ruining his image and crushing his spirit. And because Ah-hyun’s attitude softened after counseling and he was less passive at public events, the crazies got even crazier.
“Guess it’s pointless to try figuring out these psycho’s motives.”
The answer was a lawsuit, but first we needed to extinguish the blaze fast. I rubbed my jaw.
“...Organizing this won’t be hard.”
If we leaked evidence that directly contradicted their “circumstantial suspicions,” fans’ discourse would die down cleanly. Already, where the undercurrent couldn’t reach, Ah-hyun’s fans were mercilessly bashing that faction.
“ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Such bullshit it’s embarrassing. Club drama for a bowl-cleaning stutterer?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“Looks like grounds for a lawsuit—PDF everything and get ready to meet a big-corp legal team~”
“Ah-hyun doesn’t even hang out outside the group; stop with the bullshit, please???”
“Honestly, so what if he went clubbing? Our idol never flakes on schedules, never lies to fans, so pro-idol, lol.”
I liked how they were already crafting the defense to cover the possibility he’d actually gone clubbing. Of course, there was no way Ah-hyun was a club rat, but having all those alibis ready was perfect.
We could post proof of that roommate content, the move announcement, etc.—all solid rebuttals. Before rumors could spread further, putting something out today would nip it in the bud.
The only concern was Ah-hyun’s mental state.
“Wonder if he’ll freak out or panic first.”
Knowing Ah-hyun, he wouldn’t rest, and all the counseling he’d had might go to waste.
“...This next promo will be interesting to watch.”
My temple throbbed already. Better to move quickly and resolve it out of Ah-hyun’s sight.
I called the company to adjust the content release timing—but that’s when a problem popped up.
“There’s chatter about something Ah-hyun said on set. Wouldn’t it be better to just release it now? ...Oh, it’s not finished yet? Then even if it costs more, we should push to finish by midnight...”
“M-Mundae?”
“...!”
Of all people, Ah-hyun had come out onto the balcony looking for me. The downside of living together. Damn.
“I thought this might look good next to the bed...”
“Hmm, yeah.”
Ah-hyun’s reason for seeking me out was about room décor. He handed me a dog plushie, which I set down beside the bed.
‘...I really should’ve considered that he’s my roommate.’
But since I’d already heard what was happening, there was no turning back.
‘Ah-hyun is already the type to overthink things.’
If he didn’t hear the exact facts, he’d imagine something even worse.
‘Gotta keep it simple.’
I spoke as calmly as possible to the rigid Ah-hyun.
“It’s nothing serious. Some idol’s getting trashed online, and it’s got nothing to do with you. I just thought it’d be best to keep your name out of it as a precaution.”
“O-Oh, I see...”
“Yeah.”
“I understand.”
Ah-hyun nodded obediently.
‘I bet he’s not done yet.’
“But, um...”
I knew it.
“W-What’s the story? You said it’s about me...”
He’d heard up to that point. No point stalling.
“It’s nonsense. They’re saying you went clubbing.”
“Cl-clubbing??”
“Yeah. Nobody believes it, but they saw overlapping dates. I wanted to show you were doing something else that day.”
“Oh, ahaha...”
Ah-hyun nodded again, placated.
‘Maybe that’s it.’
I thought if I just kept his phone away for a few days, he wouldn’t go chasing rumors.
“There’s nothing major, so you don’t need to look into it.”
But Ah-hyun wasn’t satisfied yet.
“Um, if you found it all out... did you really look it up...?”
If I said I hadn’t, it’d sound like it was big enough he could’ve encountered it anywhere.
I shrugged.
“Well, I was monitoring, so I did dig a bit.”
“Hmm.”
He hesitated, then spoke again.
“So, um...”
“Yeah?”
Ah-hyun clenched his fists.
“Can you... not look up what people are saying about me... from now on...?”
“...!”
“It’s hard. Seeing those comments... doesn’t dull them; it makes it worse.”
“...Right.”
I was a bit taken aback—didn’t expect that from him when it was actually in his favor.
I crossed my arms.
“Wouldn’t it be easier on you if we handle it quickly?”
“I-I’m fine.”
He said firmly.
“It’s not true, and not everyone believes it!”
“...!”
“If there are ever enough people who do believe it, then we can talk about it... okay?”
“...”
“So... I hope you don’t worry too much or stress over it.”
I couldn’t believe this was coming from the same Ah-hyun who said on AJUSA he was used to being trashed online.
Looks like counseling really helped.
‘Impressive.’
While I stayed silent, Ah-hyun spoke again.
“I... if I look, it just makes me anxious.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Before, when it wasn’t me, it felt like everyone would end up believing it, and no one would hear my side, so I’d worry.”
“...”
His words sounded like personal experience.
“Even if the explanation gets through, I worry it’ll come back as a problem later, so I keep checking and worrying.”
That, too, sounded lived.
‘Typical for his age?’
I listened quietly. Ah-hyun swallowed.
“B-But the chances of it really happening are extremely low, right...?”
“That’s right.”
“Uh-uh!”
His relief was visible.
“So... I hope you don’t worry so much anymore.”
“...”
“Because...”
“What?”
Ah-hyun brightened.
“It’s not been that bad lately. This was just random.”
Ever since Cha Yoo-jin said something similar, I’d stopped obsessively tracking every mention.
Ah-hyun’s face relaxed.
“Oh, really!”
“Yeah. And actually, it’s kind of fun.”
“F-fun...?”
“Not watching. Sweeping everything away at once—that’s the rush.”
“Oh, haha.”
Ah-hyun nodded vigorously. His eyes looked a bit glassy, but maybe I was imagining it.
“Got it. If that’s how you feel...”
“Right. I’ll do it moderately.”
“Okay.”
He went back to being calm, as if stress was relieved by my promise.
‘Becoming roommates leads to all sorts of conversations.’
Finally, he spoke the expected response.
“A-And... Mundae. Thank you so much for caring about this.”
I shrugged.
“Well, since I knew about it, I’ll handle the response.”
“Oh, okay. ...B-But! If it troubles others, you don’t have to....”
“Nah, they won’t do it.”
“R-Really?”
I’d already decided when they said “editing will take more time.”
“You and I will handle it.”
“R-Really...?”
And that evening, the one day his schedule was free, I spent four or five hours glued to my laptop.
Thanks to that, we were able to upload the content at midnight as planned.
Of course, it wasn’t the official company content we’d discussed earlier.
Fans already felt TeSTAR used SNS effectively.
Photos or updates went up almost daily, and occasionally members would post cute bickering or competitive uploads.
But videos weren’t that common—and long videos hadn’t appeared since the surprise fan song release.
“Video length: 6 minutes 27 seconds?”
“Who’s this saint?”
“ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ don’t know, click anyway.”
With nothing but “Good night” written, people clicked immediately.
“...!”
They burst into broad smiles at what played.
“OMG a vlog!”
“I love you guys!”
It was a rough handheld video of the members lounging freely in an unfamiliar living room—with even small subtitles.
[Popcorn Lover Cha Yoo-jin]
[Nom]
Instead of the roommate or move content teaser we’d planned, Park Mundae had quickly edited his personal footage for archival and posted it.
He’d even used a 90s film-camera filter so date and time stamped onto the footage, a cunning touch.
[19:11:21]
[Tonight’s dinner duties]
[Do not approach the stove—Seon Ah-hyun]
In the warm, nostalgic hues, you could faintly see the kitchen still half-unpacked behind them as they ate and chatted.
Short clips showed them playing games, flashing peace signs to the camera, or saying hello.
[Pajamas were comfy]
[Good night!]
There were even shots of them brushing their teeth and heading to bed, all ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) set to a mellow BGM for a cozy vibe.
Even without the filter, the rawness gave it a very different flavor from official content.
“So cute.”
“They’re still wearing the animal pajamas from debut—I love it.”
Fans adored this intimate content so much it even had a knock-on effect.
“Isn’t that not their dorm?”
“Are they on a retreat??”
“Wow, they really moved!!”
“So was that the roommate game? Damn, hurry up with the full releaseㅠ”
“Did Mundae film this? (screenshot of Mundae holding the camera)”
“Please, more roommate content is my dream.”
And most importantly, Ah-hyun’s innocence was proven cleanly—he appeared onscreen every second, so there was no way he could’ve slipped out to a club and back in thirty minutes.
“What happened with SAH and the club?ㅠㅠ Seems false?”
└ “Yeah, he was celebrating the move with Halli Galli in the dorm instead, end of story~”
The suppressed suspicion got beaten down again and quieted.
“Crafty bastard.”
“ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Did Bear-hair design this?”
“Tsk tsk, covering up club guy? Didn’t learn anything from Ppitik.”
When even the underground realized the bait no longer landed, they spat meaningless rage in vain.
Then another wave of content washed it all away.
“Hey, there’s something on WeTube too.”
“What’s special about today?”
“Finally woke up.”
An hour after the vlog release, around 1 AM, T1 Stars’ official WeTube channel sent a notification.
[TeSTAR ‘Enchanted?’ Concept Film]
The black thumbnail showed Ryu Cheong-woo in an outfit between “Spring Out” and “Haengcha,” sitting against a pine tree backdrop.
“OMG.”
It was the concept film TeSTAR had prepared to wrap up this promo cycle and tie in the world-building.
Originally scheduled for three days later, Park Mundae had pulled it forward in a group meeting—since it was already edited, it was a snap.
It was an all-out content blitz.
Fans’ reactions:
“Suddenly?”
“Not sure what this is, but thanks, guys.”
“Omg a feast—as always, lots to enjoy.”
Just as they rushed to click through the flood of content...
“...!”
The lighthearted buzz in their hearts plummeted at once as the film’s atmosphere swallowed the screen.
