Debut or Die-Chapter 225
Persuading my roommate turned out to be easier than I’d expected.
“I haven’t checked the internet in ages, and I haven’t had any withdrawal symptoms.”
“Mm-hm. I’ve been fine. Mundae...!”
“So I think it wasn’t an addiction—it was more of a stress-relief thing.”
“Uh, uh—?”
“You said it yourself: if it became too much it’d cause stress. I’ve dialed it back before that happened.”
“Of course, Mundae handles that stuff well, but....”
Then I threw in a curveball.
“Thanks to you. I appreciate it.”
“...!! Ah, no, it’s you who handled it so well...!”
“Right. From now on I’ll keep it in that healthy zone—stress-free monitoring.”
That was it.
Afterward Ah-hyun looked dazed as if he’d been scammed, but he snapped out of it before long. And just like that, I’d successfully resumed my casual monitoring during downtime.
“Remember, tomorrow’s concept shoot prep starts at 7, so don’t stay up late.”
“Got it!”
Late that night, after everything was done:
“It’s been a while.”
I lay in bed and scrolled through the relevant fan communities—from the earliest posts up through today.
First, the footage we shot in bulk for K-NOW had smoothly transitioned from the K-Pop Hell Camp gimmick to a healing-camp vibe. That gentle change had clearly resonated with viewers, so TeSTAR was still racking up ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) points.
– “Ah-hyun’s special mixed-gender stage was ridiculous—thought he was a doe, but he’s an elk”
– “I’m suing Se-jin. He’s so friendly even to foreign attention-seekers, got us all swooning”
– “Sejin’s sunglass pictorial is insane. Did you see it, Americans? Idol-turned-actor swagger” (photo)
Because our trainees paled in comparison, the editors piled on the hype. As for me, my screen time was mostly front-loaded, so not much changed, but the behind-the-scenes clips got plenty of “He’s so earnest!” comments:
– “Mundae really studies hard—how idol-serious can you be? Never misses a chance, sob”
– “What’s he thinking standing so cute in the corner? (break time screencap)”
– “Every time a senior talks, his ears perk up—too adorable!”
You say you don’t see it? Of course not—you just missed the puppy-ear GIF mashup.
If only that BTS clip had been anything other than the special stage rehearsal cam with Cheongryeo...
– “They did variety together—guess they’re close. Should we call them the Genius-Brilliant-Idol Line?”
‘That crosses a line.’
Even the variety BTS edits went too far. I scrolled past that date’s reactions.
Then the GED posts. Thanks to those who uploaded visual proof, the overall response was heartwarming...
“...?”
What the hell were they thinking?
– “Mundae’s watching this too, right? Haha, epic battle of wills”
I have no idea why they’re waging solo wars, but you can see they tried to stir up trouble and failed.
‘One easy win, then.’
Ah-hyun’s advice really hit at the perfect time.
I glanced at the other bed—he caught my eye, so I didn’t have to call him over.
“What do you feel like eating?”
“Huh?”
“For a late-night snack.”
Ah-hyun paused, then his face lit up. He shot upright.
“Ah, um, Mundae, want a night snack?”
“.......”
‘My cluelessness about reading my peer’s cues is off the charts.’
I figured I’d treat him to something tomorrow morning in return. I gently calmed his off-topic excitement and went back to monitoring.
Let’s see... after that, nothing major for a while—just light chatter about roommate content or moving day reactions, since it was downtime.
But recently the undercurrent shifted.
It started with a “proof” post.
---------------------==
[Spotted Se-bin at the hospital—score!]
: Went to ER for stomach pain, on way out saw a bunch of tall guys getting out of a van in the parking lot—idol proportions, right? Took a closer look and it was Se-bin. Recognized him ‘cause Rae-bin wasn’t masked, haha sloppy. But he looked unwell—does he have a sick family member? That was his vibe. (blurry photo)
---------------------==
Because it was posted on a forum that treats celebrities’ private lives as public property, it drew plenty of reactions without backdraft.
I swallowed a sigh.
‘...I was too complacent.’
But who could have foreseen even this when we didn’t know whose passing we might witness?
“.......”
From that point on, I tried various searches—“Rae-bin hospital,” “Se-bin van”—and corroborated multiple reports.
– “What’s this Rae-bin hospital sighting?”
– “Blocking related posts until Rae-bin speaks—won’t comment otherwise”
– “They all went together... shouldn’t consume this, but I’m tearing up”
It was almost certain one of Rae-bin’s grandparents was ill.
Still, most fan communities had forbidden outright mention.
‘It spread faster than expected.’
The original verification post had been widely shared before deletion.
‘Company response was too slow.’
They’d focused all efforts on reshuffling album prep and PR, letting this slip.
That let stalker-types run wild. They seemed to feel superiority from “scooping” the story.
– “They rented the van under the manager’s name—partying without content? Where’s the practice? Where’s the passion?”
– “Why no girls tagging along? Verify ASAP”
– “Yoo-jin’s eyeballs ruined the vacation—had to calm him down in Gangwon”
– “Why am I writing these songs, damn....”
Some who’d copied phone records were re-spreading rumors, and “fans” were lobbing absurd accusations.
– “My mental health’s wrecked over the full album—what’s happening?”
– “He ditched work while on vacation? No news about his return?”
– “Rae-bin, prioritize your career”
– “Dropping the album for family time? When did I become such a domestic stone?”
What a spectacle.
‘...They haven’t clamped down either.’
I hadn’t had the mental bandwidth to notice this site at the time, so it’d been neglected.
“.......”
Fuck it. Self-criticism can wait for unoccupied moments.
‘Shut up and use your brain.’
A few workable patterns sprang to mind.
‘First, posting a screenshot of our group chat would be the most cost-effective.’
I could share our discussions about Rae-bin’s work on SNS as a mini comeback teaser.
That would quash speculation about his condition and quell participation anxiety...
Even in the worst case, it’d still help.
Even if Rae-bin legitimately can’t join early, the needless flak would drop.
Some trolls would persist, but this time I’d deal with them cleanly.
‘Announce the takedown preemptively.’
That’s the first job once the response team is in place. And I’ll build that team in this cycle, even if I don’t sleep.
‘But first, do what I can right now.’
I picked the most fitting snippet of our chat about Rae-bin’s work and took a screenshot.
Then I quickly sought approval to post it in the group chat.
Rae-bin’s a night owl—he’d probably be up.
[“Think posting a screenshot of our work chat would reassure people—thoughts?”]
[Big Sejin: “I’m all for that!” emoji]
[Cha Yoo-jin: “I need to be in that screenshot!”]
True to form, the no-sleep guys jumped in immediately.
And Rae-bin’s reply arrived not long after—but it was odd.
[Kim Rae-bin: 괜ㅊㄴㅇㄹ]
“...?”
A typo unthinkable for him. Looks like he meant “괜찮을 것 같습니다” (“That should be okay”) and slipped. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
‘...Did he make this mistake from exhaustion?’
I folded my arms and waited conservatively for a corrected response.
But... minutes passed and no correction came.
“.......”
So that meant—“that” Kim Rae-bin had neither fixed the typo nor answered further.
Not funny.
‘The likely scenario is....’
Shitty as it sounds, my mind leapt to the strongest possibility.
I tapped my fingers on the armrest.
‘...A death notice.’
If that were the case, I shouldn’t call now. It’d only intrude on an emergency.
I managed a rational conclusion.
‘Check again tomorrow morning.’
By then... whatever had happened would be clearer.
[Big Sejin: “Rae-bin?”]
In the group chat a few others pinged his name, but it quieted quickly. They’d gotten the message.
Something had happened.
“.......”
I kept turning over rational responses in my head.
‘If the obituary and the SNS post coincide, it’d be a disaster.’
So I decided to hold off on posting.
I set my phone aside and lay down.
“M-Mundae... you gonna sleep...?”
“Mm.”
‘Stop the useless thinking and get some rest.’
I had neither the time nor luxury, but by treating fatigue as a sleep aid, I managed to doze off until dawn.
But even after morning came, no message from Rae-bin arrived.
Just past 8 a.m.
“Let’s reach out.”
“We don’t know the situation yet—maybe wait a bit longer....”
“I’m calling him!”
“Wait. We’re already late—let’s talk while we head out.”
The living room buzzed with the guys tossing out opinions on what to do.
We were already past our practice-room departure time. I slumped on the sofa.
‘Goddamn.’
My mind was blank.
‘Because I didn’t sleep?’
Even that excuse was flimsy. My brain was running fine. This was psychological, not fatigue.
I exhaled.
‘...I have to check.’
Delaying further would be avoidance. I had to call now.
Then—
Rrrrring!
“......!”
My phone rang in my hand.
It was... a call.
“Is that... Rae-bin??”
It was him.
Without thinking, I hit answer and put it to my ear.
“Hello?”
-Hyung!
His voice...
Bright with excitement.
-Last night, Grandma fully regained consciousness... We were able to talk again!
“......!”
It wasn’t a death notice.
Suddenly I felt a bizarre release, like confetti bursting from my head to my toes.
And I exploded.
Whether that was “good” I don’t know. I couldn’t control my voice.
“Then why didn’t you call right away...!”
-I-I’m sorry! I thought calling past bedtime would disturb her sleep, so I planned to wait until 9 AM...!
“.......”
It was so perfectly him I was speechless.
Deflated, I pulled the phone away. The guys swarmed around.
“It’s Rae-bin?!”
“He’s okay?”
Cheong-woo asked quietly.
“Should I take it?”
“...Yes.”
I handed him the phone.
They all rushed in and shouted into it with glee.
“Rae-bin~ Your voice sounds great!”
“How’s it going?”
I... didn’t know what to feel.
Just oddly refreshed.
Whether because of Rae-bin, the call, or this crazy situation—or the status screen—I don’t know... but damn, that was it.
My fatigue lifted.
‘Am I insane?’
I let out a hollow laugh and rubbed my temples.
“Rae-bin says he’ll be back tonight!”
“Oh, he nailed the timing~”
Right.
Sometimes things just line up perfectly.
As soon as I got the phone back, I jumped online.
‘Better get to work.’
My head and hands were itching to move.
That same morning.
Not even an hour after Rae-bin had called me, TeSTAR’s SNS posted a short update.
---------------------==
Heart-thump (photo)
---------------------==
Without introduction, the post featured a warm screenshot of our group chat that I’d carefully selected.
– “OMG you guys, sob”
It was the signal flare for our comeback.
