Debut or Die-Chapter 282
“◀◀◀”
On the screen, the counselor’s kindly face replayed as she narrated Ryu Cheong-woo’s one-on-one interview.
“Counselor: You have a strong independent and self-directed nature, and it’s impressive that you occupy such a compassionate leadership position.”
Up to that point, it was the same script as before. But then a new line was added.
“Counselor: So, how about Cheong-woo when he’s not in the leader role?”
“Counselor: How would he behave in a situation where he could fully exercise his independent nature?”
The video cut to a new scene.
“After the individual interview”
“A mysterious letter suddenly delivered to Cheong-woo”
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “Hmm? What is this?”]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “...?? Zombie?”]
The moment it was revealed that Cheong-woo had known about the zombie incident even before the group interview began, the chat exploded in screams once more.
His assigned role was the faction that had introduced the zombie virus into the lab.
Their goal: turn everyone into zombies—or blow the place up!
“Counselor: When you are positioned in opposition to the group, stepping out of your leader role, how different would Cheong-woo be compared to his usual self?”
To the counselor’s voice as BGM, unseen footage of Cheong-woo’s actions began to play.
He deliberately held back in the vent, letting the zombies and the other members face off, then slowly backed the group down the corridor.
And when he slipped out into the dark room, he moved alone to remove clues about the spy.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: (waves once at the camera)]
Fans cried out when Cheong-woo approached the corpse mannequin first and removed the note from the hand opposite the gun. The note read, “There is a traitor among you.”
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “I was worried I wouldn’t do well, but it was surprisingly fun.”]
Cheong-woo deliberately overused the laser gun and prompted debate about whether to shoot zombies or not—to waste time, of course.
Finally, after spotting something and dashing off, Park Mundae appeared, and Cheong-woo spoke to the members:
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “I’ll go follow Mundae. He’s got the gun.”]
[Kim Rae-bin: “Understood!”]
Cheong-woo charged through the corridor rigged to collapse, sprinting at incredible speed to catch up with Park Mundae.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “Park Mundae!”]
After showing all those cuts, the scene snapped back together, returning to the present.
Cheong-woo aimed his gun. Mundae stood firm.
Aaaahhhh!
Is this a Cheong-woo landslide victory??
Wow, never saw that coming—Cheong-woo is amazing lol
Heheh villain vibes Cheong-woo is the best...
Poor Mundae
People screamed wildly in the chat—and moments later, they screamed again at the next scene.
[Park Mundae: “Well done. It works on people too.”]
The instant Park Mundae drew out the very same laser gun, the chat froze from lag.
“Wow, damn!”
The graduate student screamed too. As before, she was watching on the subway, and heads turned—but she couldn’t care less.
The interview scenes cut back and forth.
[Park Mundae: “When I looked again at the note in the mannequin’s hand... there was exactly one shot left.”]
[Park Mundae: “So I pocketed it. I was planning to hand it to Brother Cheong-woo in case of emergencies... but it ended up being used on him.”]
“Insane!”
He even deduced the lab pass under his robe—and brought that along too!
“Don’t we need more variety shows featuring Mundae??”
Once more, the live chat united in nearly identical one-word screams.
Then came the standoff dialogue and Cheong-woo’s situation briefing.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “Mundae. But even if we just stand off like this, you can’t use the ID card, right?”]
“Uh!”
Despite Mundae’s ace move, it looked like Cheong-woo would win—until the balance of power collapsed.
The members who were supposed to be at the back door poured out of the vent all at once.
Wow, seriously
Totally spectacular
lol what an entertaining group
Is this unscripted??
[Cha Yoo-jin: “I’m here! It’s me!”]
The members lingering at the back door immediately moved at Cha Yoo-jin’s call, Sejin’s agreement, and Bae Sejin’s deduction. The lone person left behind, Kim Rae-bin—who had insisted on staying at the back door “just in case”—watched the scene with a stunned expression.
[Kim Rae-bin: “I never could have guessed something like this would happen......”]
Kim Rae-bin’s deflated, bewildered face in the interview was honestly both funny and adorable.
Back to the standoff.
Outnumbered, Cheong-woo lowered his /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ gun and surrendered.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “This won’t do. I surrender.”]
[Cha Yoo-jin: “Woooaaaah!”]
The producers edited these rapid reversals without pause, so Cheong-woo’s crisp surrender exploded not with disappointment but with a warm sense of relief.
Oh yes he surrendered!!
You guys are incredibleㅠㅠ
I feel like I escaped
[Park Mundae: “Honestly, if Brother Cheong-woo had just gone dirty, he could’ve won easily, but I guess he couldn’t bring himself to—because of his character.”]
[Park Mundae: “Of course, in a good way.”]
Amid the members sprinting for the back door, Mundae’s gentle quip was heartwarmingly inserted.
Legendary.
This quality... on a self-produced show?
They nail comedy, thrills, and emotion too? What is this?
They could make a proper variety show out of this.
TeSTAR’s trust in each other... the only villain is the production team.
[Lee Sejin: “Aha! Spies, please walk briskly!”]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “Haha, understood.”]
Cheong-woo walked out with the others, a carefree smile on his face.
Then the expert analysis commentary began—right at the moment just before their dash to freedom.
“Which TeSTAR types were observed during the disaster escape?
After a brief explanation of the lab’s self-developed ‘role-playing classification method,’ evaluations for each member appeared.”
First up was the twist’s star, Ryu Cheong-woo.
“Counselor: As expected, even when acting solo, you remain composed and show challenging behavior. This seems very natural for you.”
“Counselor: However, Cheong-woo, you hold very high ethical and moral standards and prefer not to use tricks.”
Behind the close-up of Cheong-woo running came his interview and flashback footage of him chasing Park Mundae. There was a small twist here too.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “Chasing Mundae wasn’t about stopping him or anything.”]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “I thought he’d be in danger alone, so I stuck with him. There was smoke coming from the wall and all.”]
Cheong-woo’s final action was simply an act of kindness. Though Mundae’s odd reaction played a part, the producers had already cut those segments out neatly.
After filming, Mundae politely explained that “in fire situations, my senses don’t function properly,” and the producers, horrified, apologized and promised to be more careful in editing.
Even setting that aside, it was a heartwarming edit.
“Ryu Cheong-woo / Humanitarian Explorer”
“A self-directed, people-friendly type with pioneering spirit for the future”
Cheong-woo’s type label appeared beside his face like a verification mark—a classification exactly as Mundae had hoped.
Next, each member received their evaluation.
“Kim Rae-bin / Ethical Healer”
“Cha Yoo-jin / Destructive Explorer”
“Bae Sejin / Ethical Warrior”
“Lee Sejin / Rational Strategist”
“Seon Ah-hyun / Humanitarian Warrior”
No two types overlapped. Whether by chance or the lab lightly skewing data for drama, it looked impressive.
“Huh, 4×4 makes sixteen types.”
The graduate student nodded, finding it quite interesting. She wasn’t sure how solid the theory was, but the precise match to each member’s actions made for fun viewing—though she could imagine some lab mates foaming at the mouth in outrage.
Finally, her favorite, Park Mundae, appeared last—perhaps as a reward for his performance.
“Counselor: Observing this escape, Park Mundae, you have perfectionist tendencies but also a strong desire to take risks and challenge yourself, right?”
Footage of him grabbing the gun, bursting out of the bathroom to check for zombies, and sprinting backward at full speed ran briefly.
“Counselor: It might be good to train yourself not to overdo it, but you’re truly astute and confident.”
As Mundae reached the back door and pulled out the ID card, his smiling face was flanked by his type label.
“Park Mundae / Destructive Strategist”
“Embodiment of efficiency and full-throttle sprinting, a brain type that sees the forest for the trees”
“Cool!”
The graduate student thought, admiring how his pink hair still retained its cuteness while his badass side shone through—exactly why he was her bias!
“My fatigue just vanished...”
She watched with sparkling eyes.
[Wooaaah!]
The paused frame showing the type label resumed, finally revealing the back door opening and TeSTAR pouring out.
At dusk, TeSTAR’s fresh-faced members emerged, shouting “Success!” and “Amazing!”
[Bae Sejin: “I don’t think I’ll ever forget this.”]
[Cha Yoo-jin: “The best! Let’s do this again!”]
[Lee Sejin: “It was fun~”]
“Me too!”
The graduate student smiled, satisfied. What an ending!
Just as the video seemed to conclude, the screen changed.
[TeSTAR: “Ooooh~”]
Instead of outdoors, the members appeared sitting comfortably around a table indoors, clapping enthusiastically.
“...??”
[Lee Sejin: “Did you enjoy the video, viewers?”]
[Seon Ah-hyun: “We’ve just finished watching Episode 1...!”]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “And we’re seated here now to hear the main announcement.”]
Cheong-woo grinned. Cha Yoo-jin chimed in.
[Cha Yoo-jin: “Roommates!”]
“Oh right, roommates!”
She had completely forgotten. This was obviously extra footage explaining that—she refocused on the screen.
[Park Mundae: “Now they’ll announce our rooms.”]
[PD: “Okay, everyone~”]
At the sudden voice of the PD, staff and members laughed all around.
[PD: “Do you remember the types you received?”]
[TeSTAR: “Yes!”]
TeSTAR held up their notes to the camera, showing their type and description once more.
[PD: “At our Institute of Communication Research, we’ve matched you as roommates—pairing people whose personalities perfectly complement each other!”]
[PPL shout-out to our sponsor for making this magic happen]
“Oooh~”
The graduate student’s heart fluttered. So that was the purpose of the personality types!
“So, who’s with whom?”
[Lee Sejin: “Oh, I’d be fine with anyone! Hurry and tell us!”]
[PD: “Here we go—reveal time!”]
As Big Sejin wished for a single room and Lee Sejin looked laid-back, the PD revealed the whiteboard.
[Bae Sejin, Cha Yoo-jin]
[Ryu Cheong-woo, Park Mundae]
[Seon Ah-hyun, Kim Rae-bin]
[Lee Sejin]
A neat reveal.
“...??”
Confusion spread both on-screen and off.
[Kim Rae-bin: “I have no complaints about the room assignments, but weren’t we supposed to be matched with similar types?”]
[Bae Sejin: “Right?”]
None of the pairs shared a type! But the PD shrugged nonchalantly.
[PD: “Oh no, not similar—but ‘complementary’ personalities!”]
[!!!!]
[PD: “Think about it—only different types can complement each other!”]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “My goodness.”]
After a brief uproar as they realized they’d been tricked again, the members accepted reality and greeted their new roommates, stifling laughs—a classic variety moment.
All except one.
[Lee Sejin: “PD-nim? What about me??”]
[PD: “Lee Sejin... we recommend a single room so you can experience solo action at least once!”]
[Lee Sejin: “Eeeaaah!”]
Lee Sejin’s melodramatic agony gave everyone a big laugh. The graduate student laughed too, but her attention inevitably drifted elsewhere.
“Oh, nice. Same room as the leader!”
It was Park Mundae’s roommate assignment.
[Ryu Cheong-woo, Park Mundae]
“Not bad.”
She thought they’d get along well and felt at ease.
Of course, not everyone thought so.
Haha, this will be hilarious
Bet they’ll swap as soon as they get home
Rumblings about the new roommate pair were happening behind the scenes—but only behind the scenes. The AJUSA fandom, now united against the new season, hadn’t completely fallen into chaos yet.
Overall reactions were as positive as the graduate student’s.
[TeSTAR’s epic zombie escape with spoilers]
TeSTAR’s hiatus period was holding its momentum without decline.
And whether they liked it or not, contrary to rumors, they had already swapped rooms.
[Big Sejin: “MundaeMundae I’m bored the single room is so sad, reallyㅠ”]
“Such a joker.”
He’d been secretly happy about Mundae getting solo as a good character moment—yet his tongue was always too quick.
[Then come to the living room.]
She replied quickly and was about to turn off her screen, but he beat her to it.
Screech
[Big Sejin: “Nope—you have to come to my placeㅎ That’s the right choice.”]
“......”
Busy, huh.
[운동 감]
She shrugged and turned off her phone.
It wasn’t a lie—she really was going to head out.
“I need to work out more.”
Since this self-produced variety during their hiatus had such a good atmosphere, she’d have to accelerate her comeback prep.
“I have no worries...”
The classification method from the sponsor lab had gotten into a minor copyright controversy, but nothing to do with them.
“Apparently it’s similar to some board game’s personality system.” 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
That aside, what she really worried about was something else.
“Going to work out?”
She was going to be roommates with this guy.
“Um, yes.”
She looked at Ryu Cheong-woo and nodded.
It didn’t feel as awkward as before, but if someone asked “Are you really comfortable?”...
“It’s a bit weird, actually.”
In fact, some had suggested scrapping the roommate show format altogether and starting over, but she quickly withdrew that idea.
“It’s too risky.”
Better to feel a little awkward than get caught up in rumors. And now it wasn’t uncomfortable anymore—she’d get used to it in time.
She decided to be more cooperative with her roommate, adding her usual pointless commentary.
“But I’m debating where to go. Most places are crowded.”
The walking trail would be busy, and the gym probably too, she thought.
“Maybe I should just go to the company.”
Just as she drifted back into indecision...
“Then let’s go together. I was planning to work out too.”
“...?”
Cheong-woo smiled and rose from the desk.
“I know a place I go often.”
...Hm, a sudden uneasy feeling came over her.
