Debut or Die-Chapter 231
The emergency room was still busy with its primary purpose. Thanks to that, the news hadn’t reached the reporters yet.
Lee Sejin stared at the floor, lost in thought.
Company’s been contacted, so that should be the end of it now.
He steadied himself, though he’d yelled too—soon, those responsible would arrive and all sorts of rumors would start.
But he couldn’t do otherwise... not in this situation.
Aside from the unconscious Ryu Cheong-woo, he was the only one who could’ve contacted the company, and he simply couldn’t stay calm.
“...Huff.”
Lee Sejin gripped his smartphone and caught his breath.
His hand was shaking.
Most of the members were fine—sprained joints or fractures at worst.
They’d have to check for aftereffects later, but for now, Lee Sejin himself had only a light abrasion.
The person responsible for all this bounced out because he hadn’t worn a seatbelt and passed out, but compared to someone else, even that felt merciful.
He should have died.
Still, Lee Sejin held his breath against the overwhelming emotion more than any anger at the former manager.
It was fear.
Everyone’s okay...!
When he’d checked on the members right after the crash.
At the very back, beside Ryu Cheong-woo, he’d seen...
No, it’ll be fine.
He must have been so stunned that he’d taken the injuries as more severe than they were...
They were only light wounds, and even Ryu Cheong-woo—the one closest to where the car had struck—had only a hairline fracture in his leg, nothing worse. Only Park Mundae... that couldn’t be.
It was because of the bleeding. He’d receive a transfusion, undergo surgery, and he’d recover.
Lee Sejin tried to calm his head by presuming about a field he barely understood—he’d almost signed Park Mundae’s surgical consent minutes before.
The current patient’s condition is... so it’s dangerous... we need to insert a tube immediately...
He’d tried as hard as he could to listen, but he simply couldn’t focus.
It felt unreal.
We... just performed our second-anniversary concert.
No matter how suddenly an accident came, could it really be so unprepared?
So powerless?
Yes, this was absurd.
We were on such a roll.
Wasn’t Park Mundae doing everything right?
He’d had talent, been diligent, fought desperately—none of that mattered in this industry. Why did it have to be Park Mundae?
His life hadn’t been smooth sailing either.
We need guardian consent.
Guardian...
There was none. Lee Sejin’s blood ran cold.
Couldn’t I just sign? Please...
Just a moment please.
After a flurry of signatures, the medical staff—having re-confirmed the patient—skipped getting Lee Sejin’s signature and went straight into surgery.
It was allowed in an emergency, but Lee Sejin was left sitting numbly, waiting for the outcome.
...
He thought: the other members, already in panic, must’ve received treatment and been informed of the situation by now.
He could vividly imagine them crying and screaming.
Soon witness accounts would surface... rumors would spread once the articles appeared.
But what did any of that matter? The members first had to be all right.
Lee Sejin clenched his teeth and gripped his hands.
They’d be fine.
At least surgery meant there was a chance to recover.
So once Park Mundae came to...
He’ll wake up.
He had to.
“...This is Ryu Geonwoo.”
“Ah~ yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Sejin—please take care of me from now on!”
I looked at the guy greeting me so affably with a curious feeling.
He was still as slick as ever, even from within the coma, but something was different.
This bastard’s eyes...
They were fucked up.
He’d grinned and acted so friendly as if trying to grab any opportunity, yet his eyes couldn’t hide doubt and wariness.
...Was being forced off by rumors such a fatal blow?
He clearly didn’t know why LeTi had picked him up despite the school-violence rumors, nor why they’d gone so far as to allow him a thorough explanation.
“How old are you? I’m twenty-one~”
“I’m twenty-one as well.”
“Oh, we’re the same age.”
For once, he hadn’t presumptuously switched to casual speech—must’ve judged I outranked him as the senior.
His mental state must’ve been shattered by rumors enough to forget all recognition from AJUSA.
I stifled a sigh and said, “Shall we switch to casual?”
“Oh, should we? Sure~”
After that, Lee Sejin exchanged the perfunctory chatter needed to gather information, then left to meet with the agency representative.
...
Was this right?
We’d tried to bring in anyone we could before Casting Call, but it tasted strangely bitter.
On top of that, Seon Ah-hyun’s side hadn’t even responded to the agency yet.
...Watching the AJUSA broadcast, I understood why.
Damn.
My head throbbed.
...Maybe I should’ve gone to AJUSA no matter what.
Honestly, for a company like LeTi, having a participant drop and inserting their own trainee into this failed program would’ve been trivial.
The problem was that the agency had firmly refused.
Idol Stock Company? Why there...
There was nothing to gain.
They could’ve added two or three trainees without it being a debut—Cheongryeo’s influence would’ve made it happen.
But they refused to let an unverified trainee appear on a trash show wearing their label.
They’d all assumed AJUSA Season 3 would bomb spectacularly too.
Persuasion didn’t work.
I thought I could bait them with future knowledge, but with AJUSA’s first shoot imminent, there simply wasn’t time.
This sucks.
The only positive was that this agency treated me quite well.
Have you ever taken special lessons, Geonwoo? Really?
I’d been a trainee for the past two or three months, and after assessing my skills in the first two weeks, they’d been extremely cordial.
It made sense—three years in as a main vocalist wasn’t something to scoff at.
I think they’re already planning to put me in the debut lineup.
That debut lineup—three years later, still no debut news. I wanted to tell them to stop.
“...Huff.”
I sat before the mirror in the practice room. My familiar face of twenty-nine years stared back.
...Honestly, this process was much easier.
My abilities were virtually complete, the company was savvy and treated me well, and I already knew what song and concept I should debut with.
If they gathered only verified members, we’d surely thrive after debut.
And since I couldn’t see the status screen, bringing in people I’d already synced with made the most sense.
...It felt like only a matter of time before Seon Ah-hyun would be reachable.
If we grabbed a few more for Casting Call and debuted, it’d be perfect. If not, we could slot in one of the existing trainees.
So compared to the mess I’d endured in reality on AJUSA, this was far smoother...
Still, I felt strangely reluctant.
“...Because it’s not real.”
Since waking up was the goal, it couldn’t be helped, I told myself and ended the thought.
“Not real, you say?”
“...!”
I turned to see Cheongryeo entering through the door at the back of the practice room.
Doesn’t this guy even knock?
I responded tersely, “I was just saying.”
“Mmm, it’s about time you thought like that.”
...
“But it is real, so don’t waste your time on that.”
It’s a pity, but it’s a dream, you bastard.
I said nothing and just nodded. Cheongryeo smiled and continued.
“Oh, you said you’d come to Casting Call. That shoot’s in three days.”
“....”
“You’re not appearing on broadcast. I’m just picking you up.”
“That works for me.”
He wouldn’t have wanted to appear, after all.
In any case, since my future knowledge had been verified multiple times, the guy—startlingly friendly—had cheerfully agreed even to rig Casting Call.
“Um... so this question comes up, right?”
“Yes.”
We planned to exploit the rule that the agency whose answer most closely matched the given question would offer a transfer.
Kim Rae-bin would be recommended by LeTi no matter what.
And Cha Yoo-jin and Ryu Cheong-woo... no matter what we did, they weren’t the type to switch for this kind of setup.
So we intended to catch the last one.
“Since I told him, he’ll probably do it.”
Bae Sejin.
If done properly, he was the easiest catch at this point.
A few days later, on the AJUSA set. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
“Move this first!”
I was running errands for LeTi among the staff wearing similar outfits, checking the situation.
The odds were high.
The agency had already contacted two members before Casting Call.
Kim Rae-bin and Bae Sejin.
It was through Cheongryeo’s advice after being tipped by me.
Since AJUSA was so popular, they readily allowed this kind of trick.
They’d offered each the most tempting deal.
To Kim Rae-bin: support with production.
We’ve invested the most budget among domestic entertainment companies in producing facilities.
Their AR work was impressively systematic. And since Rae-bin was curious about the recording program VTIC used, there was some chance.
Considering his moral sensibilities, we hadn’t even mentioned leaking the question. We only emphasized that this was an “official” route.
If he could meet through the official transfer method on the program, we’d be very pleased.
We’d added that if needed, Cha Yoo-jin could be persuaded to come along.
Cha Yoo-jin follows the mood when convenient.
If he liked the offer, he’d notice the setup and respond like Rae-bin likely would—though that was unlikely.
And Bae Sejin... was a safe bet.
Our legal team was fully staffed, and we were actively working with a major law firm to protect our artists.
We pitched it subtly, conveying our strength in handling agency disputes along with the question’s answer.
He was already tempted enough; this would seal it.
In the process, Cheongryeo surprisingly did a thorough job planting the idea with the agency externally on my behalf.
Using a composer as bait was a clever move.
Now it was time to see the results.
I continued posing as staff, scanning the set.
First... Kim Rae-bin.
“Um... sorry. Since I’m appearing, I’ll do my best at my job.”
He hesitated more than in reality but ultimately declined.
I figured as much.
But the crucial point came next.
“Here you go.”
“Oh, thank you!”
He took the business card.
Meaning, if the show collapsed due to the accident—or if he withdrew—he’d contact LeTi.
You never know what life will bring.
That was enough.
Having watched these producers for three years, I could come up with three or four ways to wreck AJUSA on the spot.
Plus, after filming, Ryu Cheong-woo had slipped me the card of a LeTi staffer amid the chaos.
It was more successful than I’d imagined.
If only I could do something about Cha Yoo-jin... we could gather them all and debut as is.
A thrill ran down my spine.
I swallowed.
But things never go entirely as planned.
...No, I'm fine.
“...!”
Bae Sejin... declined.
He didn’t even take the card.
Is he out of his mind?
I knew he’d struggled over this in reality, yet here he was refusing a lifeline.
“Yeah. Good luck.”
But the outcome stayed the same.
Bae Sejin was confirmed to remain on AJUSA.
I walked on in silence.
Feels like I’ve been slapped.
I intended to cut off the uncooperative ones anyway—why was this bothering me?
I burst into the staff restroom, determined to splash cold water on my face.
“...!!”
“...!”
I locked eyes with Bae Sejin.
He’d been splashing water and was clearly startled.
If you were going to refuse, why refuse?
I couldn’t hide my irritation and blurted out, “Why not accept it even now?”
“What?”
LeSejin stared blankly.
“LeTi’s a decent agency, you know.”
...
His face turned pale, then flushed red, then ashen.
Had I stabbed too directly?
“You guys... you do this to poach artists?”
“...!”
“To contact me in advance... leak the question.”
Damn.
It had warped here.
He must’ve been terrified.
We’d sent the question and even mentioned the law team in advance.
No wonder he felt it was like his own agency’s schemes.
...
Bam.
Bae Sejin bolted from the restroom as if fleeing.
I had to admit my mistake.
On the return drive.
I crossed my arms, trying to sort through my thoughts.
Let’s pretend it never happened.
Still, I ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) felt disgusting.
Across from me, Cheongryeo checked that a member beside him was sound asleep, then spoke.
“Junior?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t get it. Since you didn’t join anyway, I’m just asking.”
...
“The last actor-turned-participant didn’t even perform well—why bring him in? I would’ve cut him loose at that chance.”
“...What?”
It felt like being struck in the head.
Why did I try to bring him in?
Because unconsciously, I’d realized... if Bae Sejin debuted like this, he’d be ruined by the drug rumors.
That bastard’s life... damn it.
I gritted my teeth.
Honestly, I knew too.
It wasn’t real, so it didn’t matter if he took the fall for drug rumors or died.
So why the hell was I losing my mind over it?
“Don’t worry about old connections. It’s a loss.”
...
“Since they all just took the card and nothing’s confirmed, how about this.”
“What?”
Cheongryeo smiled.
“What if he joins VTIC?”
“...!!”
What insane idea was that?
A top-tier group adding a new member after contract renewal—what a surefire way to commit suicide.
“Listen up.”
And then, astonishingly, he began to outline a pretty plausible route.
