Debut or Die-Chapter 221

The bell rang, and even while the test papers were being handed out, the examinee’s mind flickered through several sentences at once:

“Come to think of it, Mundae’s hair should be silver right now, but it’s black? What is this? A wig? Could it really be Mundae?”

“Even if it’s not Mundae, seeing someone who looks this familiar gives me chills.”

“Wait! Won’t I see his face during ID check!?”

“Ah—right! He’ll turn around when they ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) pass out papers... No, the proctor will hand them out.”

Some of these thoughts were correct, others were wrong.

For example, Park Mundae had used color spray to cover his silver hair and had briefly lowered his mask to show his face to the proctor during identification.

But the student behind him couldn’t see him properly, and the proctor—an older man—didn’t recognize him, so he remained composed.

“Ugh!”

So the student in the back could only suffer in frustration and curiosity, screaming silently inside.

Then, an unexpected opportunity arrived.

“Please pass the papers forward.”

“...!”

Because the test papers were distributed by passing them from the person in front!

And the examinee... finally saw him.

“Gasp.”

The man in front only turned his head slightly, handed over the paper in an instant, then straightened up.

Even with his mask on, the student was certain.

Those wide, clear eyes!

“P-P-Park Mundae!”

The student nearly fainted as they received the paper.

Their heart pounded so hard they couldn’t tell if they were at a fan signing or taking the GED.

No, they’d never even won a spot at a fan signing!

“You may start the exam when the bell rings.”

“P-Please save me.”

The student screamed inwardly without a subject, but thanks to ample practice tests, they opened their paper and began.

Shocked, their mind went blank and nothing made sense.

But a moment later...

“If I finish faster, I can turn away and see Mundae’s back sooner!”

This strange thought gave the student a faulty but motivating realization.

So they furiously tackled the questions, inching farther from failing the GED.

“Aaah!”

And surprisingly to Park Mundae, he wasn’t the only one in the room aware of him.

“All right.”

I finished the last elective, Ethics, set down my pencil, and leaned back.

The exam had gone smoothly.

At lunch, it had been slightly risky, but I ate by the window in a quiet stairwell corridor.

“Eating porridge was easy anyway.”

Most importantly, the exam was even easier than the past papers I’d seen.

I’d worried they’d test me on parts of Social Studies or Science I’d long forgotten, but that fear was unfounded.

“Looks like I didn’t miss anything.”

Confident of passing, I stretched my arms.

“Huh.”

I heard a muted cough behind me—someone must be uncomfortable. I lowered my arms.

“Ten minutes remaining.”

I waited calmly for the end of the test.

On the way back, I had already booked a taxi at the right time, so I just needed to head down and hop in.

“Perfect.”

But reality ten minutes later wasn’t quite what I expected.

After putting away my phone and waiting for everyone to leave, someone in the classroom spoke.

“Excuse me, student!”

“...”

“Are you... that Mundae? The one who makes hotteok?”

I hesitated briefly.

Should I shout “Wrong person!” and bolt?

But there were too many witnesses, so I stayed silent.

Besides, the lady was whispering so quietly that it seemed like this would be over quickly.

“Yes. I’m here for the exam.”

“Oh my! I see. If it’s not too much trouble, could I get your autograph? My daughter’s a huge fan!”

“Of course.”

I signed the exam slip and tried to leave quickly.

But I was already too late.

“Uhh, if it’s alright, could I...?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Hey! I’m really sorry, but could I get one too?”

A few others who’d remained in the room immediately lined up. They were orderly.

And not one person seemed fazed by the situation.

A thought struck me.

“Could they have suspected all along?”

No wonder seven or eight people lingered—they must’ve been waiting for me.

I’d seriously underestimated TeSTAR’s public recognition.

“I’m sweating cold.”

Above all, I was amazed that none of them made a scene during the test.

If even one had made a fuss, it could’ve become a disturbance, and I probably would’ve slipped away at lunch.

“...Thanks to that, it went well.”

There was no escape this time. Their presence had covered my miscalculations.

I continued signing without complaint.

“Thank you!”

“Wow, thank you....”

Having finished signing for the small crowd, I was about to leave.

“Before they start asking for photos, I need to slip away.”

But as I picked up my bag, I noticed the student in the last row still sitting there like a statue.

“...?”

Their eyes lit up, and when ours met, they opened their mouth.

That expression looked just like one you’d see at a fan signing.

“Would you like an autograph?”

“...?! Yes! Yes, please!”

It wasn’t just my imagination. Thank goodness.

“Th-Thank you.”

I hurriedly signed the back-row student’s slip and left.

“Have a safe trip home!”

“Good luck with activities!”

Fortunately, this exam room was at the far end of the building, so no one from the other rooms saw.

I dashed across the nearly empty hallway to the taxi.

“I wonder if there’ll be posts about this later.”

No real problems should come of it.

No one was disturbed, so they’ll probably just sympathize or tease a bit and leave it at that.

I shrugged and stepped out to the parking lot, hopping into the cab.

The ride back to the dorm was quick, just like coming here.

“Welcome~”

“You back safe?”

“Yeah.”

“How was lunch?”

“It was good. Thanks.”

And under Cha Yoo-jin’s insistent argument—using my exam as an excuse—we ordered jokbal.

Once again, we toasted with non-alcoholic drinks in a strangely formal ritual.

“Mundae worked hard on today’s exam... Let’s recover well until our next activity and show an even cooler side.”

“Absolutely~”

“Yup!”

“Let’s use this prep period wisely.”

“Wait, Park Mundae, put down your phone!”

“...It’s a video of a dog eating meat.”

Well, it was a fittingly relaxed day.

Dinner was... delicious.

News of Park Mundae’s GED attempt spread more slowly than he expected.

No one had taken photos with him after getting his autograph, so many fans were skeptical.

Only after three or four people posted their signed slips did it become accepted as fact.

The clincher was this post:

---------------------==

[Went to take the exam yesterday and saw my bias]

I bet lots of you clicked in hoping to see someone, haha.

Yes, it really was my bias, Park Mundae!

(Photo of autograph)

I was actually sitting right behind him. My heart nearly exploded—he’s so handsome even from the back, every angle is perfect, I couldn’t look up, sob.

His posture was so straight and his shoulders so nice and broad, sob sob.

(......)

---------------------==

That was the post by the student in the last row.

And below it, someone added a note to prevent trolling.

---------------------==

He just quietly took the test, then signed autographs for everyone when they recognized him leaving.

I was frozen in place, couldn’t speak, but he asked if I wanted a signature and gave me one, sob.

I almost didn’t post it to avoid bothering him, but everyone already knew... I wanted people to know how kind he was.

I’ll treasure this exam slip forever, lol sob sob.

---------------------==

A cute, heartwarming account. Even fans who’d been wistful over his GED attempt enjoyed reading it.

It wasn’t invasive of his privacy, and people could easily picture the scene.

– Our puppy really loves people, gave autographs to everyone, sob sob sob

– He asked if we wanted his autograph, Park Mundae is truly guilty of having too much charm... They probably couldn’t sleep afterward

– If I saw him at my exam, I’d drop everything and stare at his back, damn, so jealous

It circulated on online communities and SNS as a sweet anecdote—just enough to show his character without turning into a “fan service” scandal.

But, as Mundae expected, the “trolling” reactions followed.

Only this time, they were a bit harsher than he’d guessed.

– Park Mundae didn’t need to take the GED, it’s just ego

– Must have a complex about education, haha

– Lucky the other examinees were nice; if any crazy stans had been there, what then?

– He’s still just high school graduate at best, how much honor can that bring? sob

– He asked first if he should sign, how solemn...

They were deliberate attacks.

Because Mundae kept diffusing controversies at the perfect moments, die-hard haters were itching for a fix.

Of course, most of his responses were low-key, so “does Mundae really care that much about public opinion?” lacked credibility.

They just found it more satisfying to think that way while trashing him.

– He’s always searching his own name, 100% he saw this, haha

– Don’t even think about using the GED as a bait for controversy—he’ll roast you, lol

– Yep, Mundae, you know it’s just poking holes in a wound, right? You’ll keep quiet, won’t you?

– If you post this here it’d be hilarious, sign of a loser...

But unfortunately for them, Mundae was keeping his distance from the internet.

He only checked fan communities and W Live; beyond that, every time he tried to look, the other members swooped in, so he couldn’t do much.

In other words, the trolls were fighting a lonely battle.

Thankfully, someone unfazed by haters stepped in to respond.

“Hyung! Show them the chicken porridge review!”

“Go ahead.”

Assuming the rumors were already everywhere, Mundae coolly agreed, and Cha Yoo-jin immediately uploaded the photos from that day.

[“Mundae hyung had an exam so we made chicken porridge. Everyone worked hard. Best teamwork! 🐯” (photo set)]

From shots of them grocery shopping and cooking to photos of Mundae’s surprised and smiling face as he ate—there was a story.

– ?

– What the—

– Are they really posting this?

And while the trolls were briefly stunned:

“Huh? Yujin posted photos?”

“Yes!”

“Oh~ I see.”

Big Sejin saw the situation and even posted a video he’d taken.

[“It’s been a while since I saw Mundae’s smile like this... Good food is the best, haha. Love you, have a great meal♡” (video)]

Fans rarely hate seeing their favorite group getting along and close with each other.

Naturally, they warmed to this unexpected, wholesome bonus.

– Our kids are so genuine. Let’s stay like this forever—talking dinner show next!

– I vowed never to fall for idol family marketing again... Screw it, TeSTAR is family

– My heart feels so warm. Thanks for the good news, guys

With this flood of photos and videos—and since Mundae himself hadn’t posted anything—the trolls were left swinging at shadows.

– Haha, Mundae’s public fight game is next level

– He must’ve asked the others to post for him—didn’t he feel embarrassed?

– Posting like this through gritted teeth... or is it just me?

They kept rationalizing, but it was just self-congratulatory defeat.

In the end, talk of “Mundae is a search addict” quietly died down.

Incidentally, Park Mundae himself was at home watching red pandas on video.

“...Hmm.”

He was intermittently bored but had nothing special to do.

Except he had something to look forward to.

“Vacation starts the day after tomorrow.”

A three-day break was right around the corner.

For Park Mundae, who’d never had a proper vacation, this was hugely significant.

“This time, I’m going to have an amazing vacation.”

The plan was perfect. Well, at least in theory.