Debut or Die-Chapter 274
“Inferiority and competitiveness run deep in someone who enters a survival audition; even if they cope perfectly at first, their true nature eventually surfaces.
‘After all, it’s a program that deliberately stokes that psychology.’
By the time the first team battle rolls around, he’s already checked the public’s initial reactions to the contestants. Even without exact rankings, everyone knows from views and mentions.
‘He knows he’s high up—and who threatens his position.’
When you see someone as a threat, you fixate on them. It was far from unlikely that Chae Seodam was among the “nasty contestants” Mirinae mentioned.
I spoke again.
“May I ask which contestant it was?”
“Uh, but I might be biased—so it’s hard to point fingers!”
“Of course.” I answered evenly.
“I’m not asking to defame anyone. I just worry—if they debut, they’ll end up in the same company as us.”
“Oh—yeah, that would be awkward!”
“Right.” I paused, then asked,
“Of the things you saw, what was the worst behavior you remember?”
A confident voice came through.
“Oh, that! Sure—fire away!”
Got it.
“Go ahead.”
“What bothered me most was him pretending not to hear me!”
“Ah—ignoring you?” I pressed.
“No, no! It’s hard to explain... how can I say it?”
He was stalling—and then...
“Huh?”
“Unnie!”
Suddenly I heard running footsteps and excited exclamations, then a moment of silence as if the phone was covered. A new voice spoke.
“Hello, senior! This is Park Min-ha from Mirinae!”
It was the #2.
“Ah... hello, Min-ha.”
“Yes!!”
She was out of breath—maybe thinking it was a friendly call.
“I called because I had questions about the new season of Idol Corporation.”
“Oh, ask away—I’ll explain! I went there too!”
She was eager.
“I see. I wondered if only Jeong Yul-gi appeared—since your episode hasn’t aired yet.”
“Ah, right!”
That was a lie—I just found it easier to ask the #1’s teammate.
“Yes... what do you want to know, senior?”
I briefly summarized my earlier chat with Yul-gi. Min-ha inhaled sharply.
“Oh... that?”
“You saw it too?”
“Mhm.” She hesitated.
“What Unnie mentioned was... false accusations.”
Interesting.
“False accusations?”
“Yes. He made it look like only he was the victim.”
Min-ha grew calmer as she spoke.
“So... when practice times changed, he insisted he never heard about them, saying he was surprised—and he did it on camera and mic.”
“...!”
“Me and Unnie overheard—he didn’t know we were there.”
He’d crafted an edit-worthy scene himself.
“That would’ve provoked a backlash, since it was obviously a lie.”
“Right. But then he’d say, ‘Oh, sorry—I might have forgotten. My bad,’ in a meek tone.”
“......”
“So it became awkward to say we saw him lie...”
Smart. He’d made the other look the fool, anticipating the editors.
So...
“Was the victim low-ranked? Probably not well-liked.”
Make him vulnerable at the next ranking, nip trouble in the bud.
“...Yes. Hmm.”
“What was their position?”
“Dance.”
I didn’t pause.
“And the person who did it seems debut-worthy.”
“...! Uh, yeah, I guess.”
“If it’s too sensitive, you don’t have to answer.”
His reaction slipped—enough to confirm it. Once it airs, it’ll be public anyway.
‘A dance-position contestant in clear debut range.’
Only two or three fit that—knowing what Ah-hyun told me, it was almost certainly Chae Seodam. He was sharp. Targeting a rival in the same role, low-ranked and socially isolated—classic. And editing would frame it as victimized jealousy.
‘After elimination, there’ll be no point in calling him out.’ He’d already played innocent: “I might have [N O V E L I G H T] forgotten.”
Once public image is set, it looks like sour grapes, not a true grievance.
‘...Poor bastard.’ The victim would have no defense.
I clicked my tongue—but actually, this wasn’t bad. He’d exposed his nature perfectly. Catching his tail would be easy. Mirinae’s scoop proved that.
‘We can’t do it ourselves... but we can use this call.’
I asked,
“Do you have any more schedule for Idol Corporation this season?”
“What? Oh, yes. We have to perform the song—so we’ll go once more, around the second team battle or mid-term evaluation.”
“Then could you watch the trainees’ mood then?”
I heard her gulp.
“C-Can I ask why?”
“Hearing your report... I feel uneasy. If worse happens, even if we end up in the same agency, I’d keep my distance.”
“Oh. Okay!”
She relaxed noticeably, then added several times, “Don’t expect too much—” before politely hanging up.
She’d matured beyond mere “I’ll work hard.” Her rookie phase was ending.
“Good night, senior!”
“Yes, you too, Min-ha. Sorry for the late call.”
I hung up.
“Mmm.”
The situation was good. He was clever, but I could see him slipping.
‘If I were him, I’d have been more cautious.’
Obsessed with momentum, not consolidation, at the #1 spot. Now that he’d hit #1, he’d let his guard down.
“......”
This could yield something interesting. I needed another string to pull. Now was the break before the first ranking show. I thought, then sent a text.
[“I saw the show. Hope it goes well. Cheering for you.”]
The recipient was Gold 2 Kwon Hee-seung.
By morning, Gold 2 had replied.
[“Hyungㅠㅠ Thanks so much for cheering—I was afraid to burden you with a message!”]
[“I’ll do my best, see you on stage! 💕”]
Because we sometimes checked in, it didn’t feel sudden or opportunistic. He looked hopeful and spirited—rightly so.
‘He got platinum this time.’
Gold 2 had escaped Gold. He was riding the edit. Audition veterans who succeed twice are rare—and he’d pulled it off.
“Hee-seung is the icon of second-generation glow-up.”
“Age is ruthless—he still looks young, amazing lolol”
He ranked 3rd this time. With existing fans and post-show buzz, his debut odds were high.
‘And Gold 2’s role is basically dance.’
That meant... a high chance Chae Seodam targeted him. A rival to watch.
“Se-jin, I texted?”
“Yeah.”
“I heard something last night.”
I told Big Se-jin about the call with Mirinae and my deductions.
“Ah, got it.” He smiled and opened his phone.
[Big Se-jin: How’s everyone doing? 🙄]
[Big Se-jin: Saw the first team battle—remember our team? LOL Legendary stage!]
He briefly reactivated our old “October 31” group chat and spent days coaxing Gold 2 to participate.
[Big Se-jin: Hee-seung, what do you think—ready to show a legendary stage again? ✨]
[Kwon Hee-seung: LOL I don’t know, hyung!! 😊]
Bae Se-jin froze at the sudden group message.
“Why is he—?”
“Spying on Idol Corp.”
“Oh—right.”
Se-jin jumped on board and even tried messaging.
[Big Se-jin: Tonight we’ll watch Idol Corp. with apples—think we’ll taste the sting? LOL]
[Kwon Hee-seung: LOL good one]
[Bae Se-jin: Better to eat apples in the morning than at night]
Then no replies for two minutes—until:
[Golden Age Ha Il-jun hyung: LOL Se-jin’s still Se-jin!]
“......”
Thud. Bae Se-jin collapsed into the sofa. But he’d done his job: eased tension and made it comfortable.
A few weeks later, the moment came.
[Contestant Chae Seodam didn’t receive the revised practice schedule]
[Frozen team atmosphere]
[Chae Seodam: ...I’m sorry. I must have missed it.]
[Lee Ho-yoon: No, that’s not it... you clearly said it!]
[Chae Seodam: Yes, you did—I must have misremembered...]
That scene finally aired.
“Wow.”
“Sure did.”
While Ah-hyun punched a pillow in his room, the rest of us watched the episode in the living room. We’d already briefed them.
[Q: Do you feel wronged?]
[Chae Seodam: Nothing I can do. Can’t ruin team morale—so it’s fine.]
Even his interview at that opportune moment was classic Idol Corp. editing.
“Could it really be a memory issue?”
“No—it’s just a jerk.”
Bae Se-jin scowled at the screen. He sensed it too. The show continued.
[Winning team: ‘Changer!’]
[Wooaaah!!]
[You receive a survival lottery ticket! And as a prize, you’ll appear on Tnet’s global music show, MusicBomb!]
And Chae Seodam’s team clinched victory.
“So now they even randomize survival spots.”
“They really know how to torture people.”
But I had work to do.
‘It’s confirmed—Chae Seodam was the one.’
As the contestants drifted off set, Big Se-jin and I returned to our rooms. Time to act.
“You doing it?”
“Yeah.”
Big Se-jin was better at this. He shrugged and dialed Gold 2.
“How’s the recording?”
“Probably can’t—he uses an Apple phone.”
Good. Soon the call connected. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
“Hey, Hee-seung. Just in case—heard some stuff last night.”
“Yes?”
He explained it diplomatically—sounding like concern, not slander.
“...Anyway. But I saw the broadcast—saw that scene come up.”
“.......”
Gold 2 was silent, then sighed long and deep.
“Ah... yeah, I noticed something was off.”
“Did it bug you?”
“Yes! In our chat... ever since the rankings, he’s been weird to me.”
“Think he’s targeting you?”
“Exactly! Now I get it... but his personality! Why me again? He did this last time too!”
He started crying. Gold 2 had been bullied by Choi Won-gil last season, so it hit home. Big Se-jin gently steered him.
“If he debuts, you’ll be in the same group. So I called to tell you to be careful!”
“Ugh... yes, hyung—thanks so much... ugh.”
He complained, sighed, and hung up.
Thud. Big Se-jin lowered his phone grinning.
“Seeding worked, right?”
“Nice.”
Gold 2 would now join as an ally. I shrugged, gave Big Se-jin a high-five, and headed to my room.
Click.
Just then, Seon Ah-hyun, sorting his completed rug at his desk, quietly asked,
“Hey... you watched Idol Corporation, right?”
“...!”
He’d heard. I nodded. Ah-hyun spoke calmly:
“I’m okay. Next time... I want to sit and watch together.”
“...Sure.”
Though a bit pale, he finished tidying, then stood.
“I can’t stay like this... I want to get better.”
“Got it.”
I patted his back.
‘I’ll show him the short clips first.’
But the real opportunity came faster than I’d thought.
A few days later...
“Hello, senior!”
Testar encountered this season’s Idol Corporation contestants in the broadcast station corridor, cameras rolling. They were there courtesy of the winning team’s MusicBomb appearance.
‘Damn.’
Of course, he was among them.
“Hello.”
Chae Seodam.
