Debut or Die-Chapter 277
I’m jogging along the apartment’s walking path at 4 AM, running alongside someone else’s dog.
“Huff... huff...!”
I have no idea how I ended up jogging with another person’s dog—especially the dog of that guy I almost never want to see, even though it’s been nearly half a year since we ran into each other.
I stifled a sigh and glanced to my side.
“Kong runs well. Good boy.”
The one praising the obvious was... Cheongryeo, stepping out of the fog.
Damn it.
I replayed how things ended up like this.
He appeared in light exercise clothes, leash in hand.
“I always walked him where there’s no one else, so he must’ve gotten excited when he heard footsteps. Sorry if I startled you.”
He sounded too casual, so I asked,
“You didn’t think it was me, did you?”
He answered smoothly,
“If there’s a pink-haired guy walking around here at this hour... the list of possibilities narrows pretty fast.”
“......”
“But I could still see the color through the fog.”
I had no real rebuttal. I glanced at my own head—just the cap covering it—and groaned.
Of course, at 4 AM, I’d assumed no one would be here.
The words came easily when he asked why I was out walking at such a random time.
“I had something to do during the break in my tour... I’m staying in the dorms right now, and this building has fewer people around at dawn.”
It was true.
“You seem to be here for the same reason.”
“......”
Right.
In short, we both happened to be here because our jobs and schedules are similar.
Sigh.
I was ready to accept it and leave quickly.
“Okay, then....”
“Since we’re headed the same way, why not walk for a bit? If you run off, Kong might bark.”
“......”
“This hour—don’t you think it’d be a nuisance?”
Seeing the yellow bundle before me, paws scrambling, I reluctantly changed direction and started walking...
“Arf!”
Great.
Who knows how that jerk ended up with this dog.
They have CCTV—he’d better not do anything stupid.
I suppressed a sigh and resumed jogging at my original pace.
The dog and its owner kept pace beside me without another word.
But then things got interesting.
“Want a drink?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Near the end of the path, I took a swig from my water bottle. Cheongryeo gave Kong a treat.
“Next time, wear a beanie. It covers your hair color better.”
I planned never to come back here at this hour.
“......”
I just nodded instead of replying. Cheongryeo shrugged while petting his dog.
Then under his hood I caught sight of hair that wasn’t black.
Wait.
I couldn’t help blurting out.
“Did you dye your hair?”
“Oh, right.”
Cheongryeo ran a hand under his hood.
A dark green shade disappeared beneath it.
Or was it gray? Hard to tell in the fog... but color wasn’t the point.
“You’ve never dyed your hair since debut, right?”
In all the time I’ve been digging up data, I’ve never seen VTIC’s Cheongryeo with dyed hair.
Apparently they’re planning a major concept shift—gotta get a hint of what VTIC’s up to for their next repackaged comeback.
I stared at the biggest obstacle to this year’s awards.
Accept it.
Their stay-power is still ridiculous.
VTIC’s comeback career since last February has held strong.
I thought they’d plateau and start falling soon.
Even when they seemed maxed out, VTIC stretched their prime longer than anyone.
—VTIC sold 1.92 million in first-week sales~~~~
└This is insane
└Are they gonna keep this up through their hiatus? lol this level of national pride and sales high is addicting
—VTIC world tour resale tickets all sold out, they say. Yep, still slaying
—I wonder if they’ll stay top-tier until retirement
Unbelievable form for a re-signed group.
Their February comeback interpreted 1950s Broadway with sophisticated darkness, and fans loved it.
I confirmed it myself—and nearly choked on my drink.
Their quality keeps exceeding expectations.
I’d hoped they’d finish this year with that comeback, but I doubt they’ll slow down until someone enlists.
Dyeing his hair confirms it.
They’re definitely preparing something—dramatic and well-crafted.
“I was curious why you’d dye [N O V E L I G H T] your hair for this.”
I folded my arms and closed my bottle, waiting.
He just chuckled.
“I figured it’d be less shocking than pink.”
Damn him.
“Fans like it.”
“Is that so? Congratulations.”
He switched topics without missing a beat. I inwardly nodded.
He’s consciously holding back.
He’s guarding against TeSTAR, just like we are.
I remembered messages I’d gotten from VTIC members.
[Did you guys see that Flower Dance variety show? We’re on it next.]
That was around the end of TeSTAR’s January promo.
[Combining two songs was amazing! Rae-bin, ever think of giving one to another group? 😂]
[^^b]
That came during their concert.
[That documentary was so touching 😭😭😭]
That one arrived after Cha Yoo-jin’s incident with Talulah.
In any case, they’ve been watching TeSTAR’s content closely—probably thinking it’s for support, but subconsciously sizing up a rising rival.
This year’s gonna be a bloodbath.
I nodded inwardly.
But the next thing Cheongryeo said surprised me.
“You’re right—I’ve never dyed it.”
He tilted his head.
“But... I didn’t expect you’d know.”
“......”
“Have you done a lot of research? Were you originally a fan, not ‘MalangDalkom’? Some people just follow an entire agency. Guys doing that is rare, though.”
That guess was creepily accurate.
Damn it.
I re-shouldered my pack after stowing the bottle, doing a quick cost-benefit in my head.
All right.
Now’s the time to speak up.
“I wasn’t a fan of anyone.”
“And?”
I let it drop casually, distracted by the dog charging ahead, answering without thinking...
Like this:
“I actually sold idol data to fans back in college. So I just learned about popular groups by selling to whoever paid, that’s how I knew.”
“Oh.”
I’d just leaked info on “Ryu Geonwoo.”
That I sold data during college.
It was deliberate.
Trace it.
Trace Ryu Geonwoo’s trail.
“That’s it.”
He’d said it himself once.
I recalled him telling me last year about Youngrin’s surprise single release.
“You don’t know—there’s no source. Right? That’s your biggest problem going forward.”
He meant he did have sources.
He’d proved it by uncovering news that only insiders knew.
He’s not limiting himself to entertainment circles.
To control outside factors, he’d need connections beyond the industry.
So among my options... to follow Ryu Geonwoo’s whereabouts without leaving a trace that Park Mundae’s illegally surveilling civilians, he’s perfect.
As you said, I have no sources—so I’ll use you.
I confirmed Ryu Geonwoo had indeed existed here with video from Ryu Cheong-woo’s house. Maybe he can tell me if Geonwoo’s still alive.
I don’t care if he finds me.
His whole “my body’s swapped” nonsense means nothing. He doesn’t know my real weakness.
You need something real to be a weakness.
Since graduation, I’ve had only money to last three years.
But he doesn’t know that.
To check on a rival like TeSTAR, to control for every possibility, he’ll dig into Park Mundae’s original body.
He couldn’t before—he only knew my name and age.
Just a name and age, so that’s not much to go on.
Let’s see... if I add “data dealer” to “Ryu Geonwoo” as a clue, he might react.
Plenty of possible leads.
He calculates like me.
I wrapped it up casually.
“But I did like MalangDalkom... not enough to be a fan, but I was interested.”
“......”
I patted the dog and smirked. Cheongryeo, leash in hand, gave me a strange look.
He really was professionally in the industry.
“Just pocket money, though.”
“Ha, but seeing how you operate, it seems more than that. That experience must’ve helped you spot valuable talent. Interesting.”
He muttered, stroking his chin with the free hand.
I couldn’t see his expression clearly in the fog, but he looked thoughtful.
Good.
Let him bite.
Soon he spoke softly.
“But a guy in his early twenties with glasses, a hat, and a camera... that’s distinctive. Describe your appearance again. You said you filmed VTIC? I’ll remember you.”
He’s trying to reverse-mine information.
I scratched behind the dog’s ear, thinking,
I shouldn’t seem like I’m dangling info.
With his personality, he’d demand more or try to stab me in the back—maybe both.
Answering too thoroughly would look suspicious, so I shook my head.
“Just wore glasses and a cap. Very common.”
“Hmm.”
That should seem vague enough.
But the real data’s buried there:
–Early twenties, male, glasses, cap, camera.
If someone checks archived footage from our agency’s events, they could match faces even in low resolution.
Famous cameras are usually near the front in the audience.
To monetize data, he’d assume my college was in Seoul.
Most broadcasters and venues are in Seoul.
Then by matching year, Seoul university, age, name, and face...
“Mm.”
A skilled person could quickly unearth Ryu Geonwoo’s present whereabouts.
Good.
I shrugged and got ready to leave.
No need to say, “I think I said too much.” That’d be awkward.
Leaving quietly would be most natural.
“Arf!”
The dog squealed in disappointment and pawed the ground.
“I’m heading in.”
“Okay. Take care.”
Cheongryeo scooped up his dog and said casually,
“I’ll walk around here for the next couple weeks—if we bump into each other, say hi to Kong.”
“...Got it.”
I exhaled and left the walking path’s fog behind.
“Phew.”
I felt like I’d handled it well, yet seeing that guy always drained me.
A few minutes later, entering the dorm building, I finally shook off the unease.
Maybe the fog has some debuff on it.
Anyway—let’s look at the outcome.
For Cheongryeo to try a deal on me, the moment he starts hunting Ryu Geonwoo, he has to spill at least where Geonwoo is now.
Good.
Clean.
I shrugged and stepped into the elevator. My mind raced again.
I slept early last night, so I caught up on sleep.
I had an active schedule this afternoon at last.
And that schedule was...
“Okay, room assignments are starting~”
“Waaah!”
