Debut or Die-Chapter 222
The decision for TeSTAR’s three-day vacation had been in the works for quite some time.
The head of the company’s remark that “an artist’s condition must be well managed for them to perform at their best” had surprisingly never been retracted.
“For someone who doesn’t invest in management that much, at least he stuck to his word.”
In truth, it seemed more like his own managerial stubbornness than genuine concern for his artists... but in any case, it worked to my advantage, so I had no intention of opposing it.
Thanks to that, I’d be able to spend three quiet days alone.
And I actually looked forward to it a bit.
“At least I’ll get to do some monitoring then.”
Ever since the only things I’d seen on screens recently were furred quadrupeds, I’d been displeased.
“...Humph.”
I had agreed to curb my usage, but I never meant to be monitored online throughout my hiatus.
If this counts as shirking duty, it’s more like liquid fructose than honey.
So I planned to use the time while they went home to do what I needed to do.
And then rest quietly by myself.
...Of course, I’d never actually enjoyed my vacation properly before.
“I’ve hardly ever even had one.”
This time, I resolved to cut off all variables and definitely be alone. That was the plan, at least...
Then an unexpected development occurred.
And, for once, it was probably a good one.
“Hyungs, what do you think about doing an MT...!?”
Kim Rae-bin had brought this up the week before our vacation.
“MT?”
“It stands for Membership Training, meaning a short trip to strengthen camaraderie and teamwork among members.”
“Ah, Bin, I know what MT means~ I’m asking if you want to go!”
“Oh, yes!”
At Big Sejin’s urging, Kim Rae-bin nodded enthusiastically.
The funny thing was that Cha Yoo-jin beside him was doing the exact same thing.
“Are you two scheming together?”
Listening to the next line, it seemed likely.
“I think it would make up for the fact that, with our busy schedules, we hardly share any topics beyond work!”
“Let’s go on a trip—let’s go to the Korean sea!”
That’s some enthusiastic backup.
Ryu Cheong-woo answered softly with a slightly awkward expression.
“Really? It’s a vacation—are you okay not going home?”
“Three days? No way, I can’t go to America! My parents are busy!”
Cha Yoo-jin answered immediately.
“Hm, I see what’s happening.”
With only three days, Yoo-jin couldn’t visit the U.S., and since it wasn’t peak vacation season, it’d be awkward for his parents to come get him.
“So he’ll be bored at home and wants to hang out with the members.”
That’s some calculation.
I closed my mouth warily, then a sudden flash of insight hit.
“If this falls through, Yoo-jin will be stuck at the dorm the whole vacation.”
No way.
“I’m not saying we should completely use up the vacation. I propose we do an MT in a remote location for one night and two days starting the day before our break, then return home the first morning of vacation!”
“Oh, that sounds good. What do you all think?”
“I—I think that’d be nice, too...!”
“...One day should be fine.”
Approvals poured in all around. Kim Rae-bin’s idea of preserving the vacation while taking a short trip had apparently sounded convincing.
“.......”
“Mundae hyung, what do you think?”
I answered at once.
“Sounds good. Let’s go.”
“...! Yes!”
I waited until the very end to drop the “let’s go” so there’d be no objections.
I had my reasons.
“I need someone to take Yoo-jin along.”
During the MT, I’d find a way to have him stay with one of their families for the rest of the break.
“Wow, Mundae’s proactive!”
“Yeah, going somewhere sounds nice. Bin, did you pick a place?”
“I did! Let’s go to Ganghwado!”
“Ganghwado! ...Yes, hyung. ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) I’ve found a few places I’d like to stay.”
I stroked my chin, pondering.
“Hmm, candidates are Cheong-woo, Big Sejin, and Rae-bin.”
The other two either didn’t mesh with Yoo-jin or would feel burdened, so the odds were slim.
“Alright.”
Watching them debate destinations, I formed my plan.
A moment later:
“I’ll book this place on Ganghwado considering location and interior. Everyone okay with that?”
“Yes, absolutely~”
“Shall I inform the company?”
“That’d be great.”
Once I secured the company’s understanding and set up an emergency contact system, preparations were complete.
Since everything would happen in a few days, leaks weren’t a big concern.
We’d rent a car through the manager and register Cheong-woo as the driver, so tracing it would be harder.
“And the manager is on standby in case something happens.”
The manager had been noticeably cooperative lately—probably spooked by plans for a dedicated team.
In any case, I smoothly finished booking our candidate pension. Even in the off-season, its security and facilities kept prices high.
“Reservation’s done. Let’s have fun!”
“Wooo!”
“Rae-bin, thanks for the great suggestion...!”
“It’s my pleasure. Thank you all for agreeing so readily!”
They were all excited.
I leaned back on the sofa.
“...It’s the first time we’re going somewhere like this that isn’t content-related.”
Going on a trip instead of work felt fresh.
Actually, this qualified as a workshop if it’s colleagues traveling together... but since no one seemed uncomfortable, it wasn’t worth mentioning.
Even Bae Sejin looked unexpectedly forward to it.
Just the other day, in the rental car, he’d said:
“...It’s my first time going on something like this.”
Sitting beside me, Bae Sejin seemed to regret speaking but the reaction was already in motion.
“Really?”
“You’ve never done school trips or events?”
“...I hated that stuff, so I never went.”
“Ah, I see! Group trips with dozens of people really limit choices and can be inconvenient.”
Kim Rae-bin nodded enthusiastically, taking it as an honest preference, but the others clearly sensed the nuance.
“He must not have fit in well with school group activities.”
Not surprising.
At that moment, Seon Ah-hyun shot his hand up.
“I—I haven’t gone on many either...!”
Bae Sejin’s face, full of regret for his earlier comment, brightened slightly.
“...Oh?”
“Yes!”
I chimed in.
“I haven’t really gone on many either. We’ll just have fun when we go.”
“...! R-Right. I’m looking forward to this trip.”
“...Me too.”
Bae Sejin murmured, turning his head. It was oddly poignant.
“What’s with this atmosphere?”
Fortunately, the cringe-fest was shattered the next moment.
“I’m really looking forward to it. The options are perfect!”
“I love the sea!”
“Ha ha, it’s so cozy here—time for some music~”
Without much thought, Big Sejin played a song.
Doo-doong doo-doong doo-doong doo-doong doo-doong!
This was... the Magic Boy EDM version.
“When did you get this from Rae-bin?”
“Ah, just today~ Let’s forget work and just have fun together~ Let’s go, TeSTAR!”
“Haha!”
Ryu Cheong-woo in the driver’s seat laughed.
“It takes about an hour and a half to get to Ganghwado.”
With Big Sejin in the front, Cheong-woo could entertain him all the way.
“It’ll go smoothly.”
I leaned back, head against the seat.
Once we arrived, they’d undoubtedly run wild with games, so I planned to enjoy peace of body while I could.
“Tomorrow, the you I’ll meet! You-you-you!”
“Ahahaha!”
And this judgment was correct.
After midnight that night.
“Cha Yoo-jin!!”
“Wahaha!”
The two youngest charges were sprinting along the beach.
“Don’t they get tired?”
Since it wasn’t work, they never seemed to tire.
– Barbecue! Barbecue!
– There’s a karaoke machine here too!
From the moment we’d arrived at the pension, they’d made the most of everything from grilling meat to the hot-water pool, yet still had boundless energy.
“I thought they’d crash by now.”
They might stay up all night like this.
The funniest part was that the most peaceful activity they were doing was fireworks.
“They’re pretty.”
“Right?”
It wasn’t anything grand—just handheld sparklers by the pool near the pension.
“In case doing it on the beach gets us in trouble.”
Fireworks are illegal on the public beach.
And just now, Cha Yoo-jin had tried to photograph them on the shore, only to be caught by Kim Rae-bin and chased back.
I could hear his voice from afar.
“Dousing them with water is unreasonable... huff huff!”
Good, they were having fun.
I tried to clear away the spent sparklers in my hand when...
“Mundae Mundae~ Beer?”
“...!”
Big Sejin approached with a can of imported beer with frost on it.
...A low-alcohol fruit beer, it seemed.
“We’re here to relax. You haven’t drunk for months, but since you’re in good spirits, I thought you could have one~”
“....”
He had a point.
I wordlessly accepted the can and popped it open.
Clink.
I heard quiet chuckles beside me.
“Funny?”
“No way~ I just thought it’s wholesome.”
Big Sejin giggled and sprawled on the sunbed.
“Ah, this vibe’s nice~”
He must have had some himself. I slowly drank my beer, feeling the night breeze.
...Indeed, I felt good.
Yet I didn’t feel an urge to chug or crave more.
I felt calm.
“....”
This was clear proof that months of abstinence had worked.
The habitual link was broken.
“I should thank him.”
I watched Bae Sejin, who was selecting the second sparkler, for a moment.
Then Big Sejin suddenly said:
“Do you think we’ll stay together like this?”
“....”
“Man, if someone told me three years ago I’d sell a million albums, I’d never believe it.”
“Right?”
“Right!”
Big Sejin laughed. I saw Seon Ah-hyun grin in response.
“Anyway~ I really... love this team. I love you guys so much—let’s do great this year too!”
“Yeah! Let’s do our best!”
He dropped the arm link. ...Well, it didn’t feel bad.
I decided to smile.
“Ah, Mundae, but actually this is non-alcoholic.”
“...!”
“They look the same in the package. But you seem fine not knowing. You could have a can or two from now on.”
“I—I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better...!”
That was a bit much to just laugh off.
Huh, but since it had positive results and would make handling Yoo-jin easier later, I let it slide.
As I weighed my judgment...
Ding-dang-dang-dang!
A strange ringtone suddenly played.
“That’s not mine.”
“Not mine either.”
I grabbed the smartphone by the nearby sunbed and checked it.
[Nuna]
It was Kim Rae-bin.
“Bin. I’ll go bring it.”
“Okay~”
“Should I go?”
“It’s fine.”
I walked toward the beach. Thankfully, the two who had been chasing each other were back near the pension.
“Yoo-jin, you seriously lack social etiquette...!”
“Bin, your phone.”
“Ah, thank you!”
Kim Rae-bin, wet from the sea, stumbled but respectfully bowed, then answered the still-ringing phone.
“Nuna. Yes, I’m fine....”
Having completed my mission, I turned to head back to the pension entrance.
Then an intuition hit without warning.
“...Huh?”
“...!”
In Kim Rae-bin’s response, I heard a strange tone.
The stunned sound someone makes when they hear shocking news.
I froze on the spot.
I turned my head.
“Uh... what...?”
“....”
“Bin?”
As if he couldn’t hear Yoo-jin, Kim Rae-bin stood holding the phone on the dark beach.
He seemed to be shaking all over.
“I-I don’t know... grandma’s... her condition... they said she might not make it....”
“...!!”
In that moment, the beach’s mood shifted completely.
“Wait, your grandma?”
“Yes....”
“Where are you calling from?”
“H-hospital...? They said... at home....”
“A big hospital near home?”
“Yes, yes....”
Kim Rae-bin looked as though he couldn’t even cry.
Of all times, it had to happen on this trip.
As if history were repeating itself.
“What the...”
“Why is Bin like this?”
Other members ran over.
Ryu Cheong-woo patted Kim Rae-bin on the back immediately.
“Bin, take a deep breath.”
“Yes, yes....”
“First, let’s change clothes....”
I dashed back to the pension.
“Mundae!”
I grabbed the car keys at the entrance and raced back toward the beach, telling Kim Rae-bin:
“Get in the car.”
This wasn’t the time. We could change and breathe on the way, so—
“...Park Mundae, you don’t have a license. Calm down.”
Right.
At the whispered reminder from Big Sejin, I handed the keys to Cheong-woo.
“Right, Bin. It’s best we move right away. Change in the car.”
“.......”
Kim Rae-bin nodded.
Everyone crossed the beach toward the parking area and got in the car.
I crammed into the back seat’s corner.
“You all in? Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The car set off at once.
...And so our vacation’s first day began.
