Debut or Die-Chapter 275
In the broadcast station corridor—where we didn’t even have to be on the same show—the staff had corralled the Idol Corporation contestants toward us.
‘Deliberate.’
They wanted footage of us to intercut into MusicBomb promos, since Testar weren’t on Idol Corporation this season. And when we refused to film the greeting, we’d look ridiculous. Asking us—Testar—to blur out our faces in their recording of MusicBomb appearances was absurd.
The real problem was the cameras. They were everywhere. Seon Ah-hyun had agreed to meet Chae Seodam only because the producers made broadcast clearance a condition.
‘Damn it.’
I signaled to the more outgoing members to step forward and greet them first.
“Hey—hello!”
“We’re rooting for you—fighting!”
That was enough. With seven of us, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Ah-hyun could just nod. I bowed politely, eyes aware of the two or three cameras panning our way, planning to end it there.
But they weren’t done.
“I’m such a huge fan of Testar!”
“Oh wow...”
“Senior, I’m really sorry—could I get your autograph?”
About half the contestants edged forward. It didn’t look like they’d been tipped off—they were just excited to see a top idol group in person. And the cameras inched closer.
“......”
This was going long—and I didn’t like it. I checked Ah-hyun’s face. He wasn’t rattled—just a small, tight smile. He looked a bit tense, but not noticeably so. Probably no trigger yet. Chae Seodam—sharp as ever—stayed silent, moving quietly behind his teammates.
‘As expected, he’s clever.’
He knew that showing off familiarity wouldn’t help but only increased risk. He’d made no move to claim friendship with Ah-hyun on Idol Corporation. He’d just planned to record us smiling together as “old classmates.” But the industry isn’t fair.
I stared him down.
‘I could threaten the producers to delete the footage if needed.’
Testar were already contracted idols under T1, not Idol Corporation trainees. We could publicly refuse to let them use that shot.
“Hey—those shoes you stole—please return them. It’s more than one pair.”
Sure, rumors would spread. But one scandal is far better than seeing Ah-hyun break down on camera.
I considered it.
“......Yes. Hello.”
Ah-hyun responded quietly. Chae Seodam’s face flickered with triumph—then the producers swooped in.
“Could we get a word of encouragement from you?”
“Uh... that’s—”
Ah-hyun inhaled deeply. Seodam grinned, waiting for the moment.
“That...”
“Hold on.”
I heard Ryu Cheong-woo gently restrain Bae Se-jin behind me. Then Ah-hyun spoke directly to Chae Seodam, undisturbed:
“No matter what you do, I hope you’ll learn to trust yourself more.”
Ah-hyun smiled faintly.
“Being here... it made me think that’s most important. Instead of worrying about others, focus on and believe in yourself.”
“.......”
Triumph flickered across Seodam’s face. Ah-hyun stepped forward one pace and looked him in the eye.
“We weren’t close, but I hope you navigate the time ahead with a good heart.”
“.......”
“I’ll be praying for you.”
It was a genuine benediction—but also something he could interpret any way he wanted.
I saw confusion and tension in Seodam’s eyes. Quite satisfying. Ah-hyun turned to the group, a little shy:
“And... good luck to all of you, too!”
“Yes—good luck!”
As the other contestants echoed the gesture, Ah-hyun raised a small fist for fighting spirit. He looked relaxed. Chae Seodam forced a smile and extended his hand.
“...Thanks for the kind words.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Ah-hyun shook his hand casually.
“Should we leave you a message? It’s fate we met like this~”
“We’re the ones who should say thank you!”
Big Se-jin jumped in, steering the moment, and the producers cheered us on as they filmed a quick montage. During that, Ah-hyun slipped back.
“You okay?”
“...Yeah.”
His tone was small and calm—somehow relieved.
“Our manager says we should move on now.”
“Okay—thank you.”
“No worries. See you on stage next time~”
The other members each gave short words of support before we moved off. As we split apart in the corridor, I saw Seodam turn his head.
“...!”
He flinched when our eyes met. ‘He must be pretty shaken.’ He’d been riding high as #1—likely feeling invincible. But seeing Ah-hyun stand up to him must have rocked him. I smiled and mouthed silently:
‘Lucky bastard.’
We didn’t need enemies—but Seodam’s display was so emotional, he wouldn’t last long under this pressure. I rubbed the back of my neck, curious how long he’d hold out on camera. Soon enough, Testar finished the corridor walk and reached the green room.
“I’m going to check on lunch.”
“Understood, Manager~”
The door closed, leaving only us.
“Phew...!”
Ah-hyun exhaled and sank onto the sofa. An appreciative chorus followed.
“That was amazing, Ah-hyun~”
“WOW!!”
“You were so composed.”
He looked startled, but quietly proud. Even Bae Se-jin looked moved.
“...You really landed that line.”
“Huh? I didn’t mean it like that... was it taken that way?”
Ah-hyun’s face flushed crimson, and he hung his head. Bae Se-jin seemed a bit embarrassed.
“Uh, right?”
“Yeah...! It was just my honest thought... I didn’t know I’d actually say it out loud...”
He let out a small breath, tension gone.
“...It’s strange. I thought I’d be terrified.”
I asked,
“How was it?”
“Better than I thought... it felt okay.”
Ah-hyun clasped his hands, murmuring,
“Meeting him in person... made me realize it’s really nothing.”
“......”
Rather than my worry, this meeting seemed like a kind of awakening for Ah-hyun. He’d felt firsthand that it didn’t have to hurt him.
“I’m... okay.”
He spoke with conviction.
“...Good.”
“That’s great~!”
Big Se-jin patted his shoulder. The rest of us gathered around him with warm smiles. Then Ryu Cheong-woo commented with a grin,
“Hey, didn’t you barely stutter just now?”
“...!”
“Seriously!”
Had the trauma eased? Ah-hyun brightened.
“R-Really? I... I think so—ah!”
He immediately stuttered again, conscious of it. The others quickly cheered him on.
“Who cares, Ah-hyun! It’s fine to stutter sometimes!”
“We’re among friends—just speak freely.”
“Exactly. Cha Yoo-jin picks his words on the fly and speaks fine.”
“I speak perfectly!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Though the topic rambled, the intention was clear. Ah-hyun bowed deeply.
“...Yes.”
His voice was a little thick, but he lifted his head and firmly declared,
“I’ll practice more! So I can speak even better and more comfortably!”
“Right. We’ll support you.”
The green room felt warmer than ever.
‘Good.’
I patted Ah-hyun’s back. He was truly admirable.
“Th-Thank you... thanks...”
He smiled more easily than before.
The interesting part was that afterward, Ah-hyun really did speak more fluidly and confidently at official events. Releasing that pressure had helped.
“Teacher said progress would be step-by-step, and I feel like I’ve climbed one step...!”
“Congrats.”
That week, we all watched Idol Corporation together, including an engaged Ah-hyun. It was the ranking announcement:
[“#1 is... Chae Seodam!”]
“Whoa.”
No surprise—he’d gotten a boost from last episode’s “team suffering” edit.
[“Chae Seodam: Thank you so much... I’ll work even harder...!”]
Still, the living room mood wasn’t bad.
“Want some?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks, Ah-hyun~”
He handed out dry apple chips to the members, face bright. Even if Chae Seodam succeeded as an idol, I doubted it’d bother Ah-hyun much now.
‘Well, I’m glad for him.’
I shrugged—a nagging feeling remained that we weren’t done.
Later that night, the bait we’d set started to pay off. Mirinae called me.
“Hello, senior!”
I cut to the chase as I entered my room.
“Hey—are you calling about what we discussed?”
“Yes! I... we filmed the team battle today and just got home!”
Since the ranking show was airing now, the filming window was clear. A call now meant something was bothering her—enough to reach out on the same day.
“What did you see?”
Park Min-ha—the #2—exhaled.
“This... phew. Well...”
“Go ahead.”
“The guy I mentioned—he tried to find out our number through brute force.”
“......!”
Jackpot.
