Debut or Die-Chapter 297

“Hyung guys are mean. You tricked me.”

“Ay~ Yujin, why are you like that!”

Cha Yoojin seemed seriously shocked when he saw the laser havoc at rehearsal, and after watching the joint stage today he’s declared a conversation boycott.

His reason: “How could you do a stage like that without me?”

‘It only went on for thirty minutes anyway.’

Once TeSTAR’s set ended, his mood improved and he’s talking up a storm again.

I swept the towel from my head and said, “Next time we’ll give you a solo laser number. Swing it like twin swords.”

“Oh!! ...Umm, I wish we’d done it today!”

“Today was just a one-off. At our solo concert we could run it for months. That’d be better, right?”

“Right~ Doing it multiple times is way better!”

“That’s true!”

“Then waiting is more advantageous.”

“OK, Got it! Hyung, I’m not mad at you.”

This much is easy now.

After humoring Cha Yoojin a few more times, I kept walking.

My body felt far lighter than usual at the end of a concert.

‘Five more songs wouldn’t even be that hard now.’

Compared to a solo concert, this was nearly effortless. I’m sure the other groups felt the same.

I opened the waiting-room door and stepped inside.

“Hello, TeSTAR seniors!”

I looked at the cameras and the rookie group waiting.

‘Those guys with the crafty hairstyles too.’

“You were amazing. Thank you so much for teaching and helping us!”

“We’re the ones who should be thanking you~ Good luck with your debut!”

That was our formal greeting with the Ajusa debut team in the ending behind-the-scenes cut.

As soon as the cameras shut off and the set cleared, I called one of them out.

“Heeseung.”

Gold 2.

“Yes, hyung?”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Yes!”

Among the rookies someone muttered, “You two are really close!” but Gold 2 followed me cheerfully.

Big Sejin asked quietly, “Heeseung didn’t do anything wrong, right?”

“No.”

I denied it lightly. Big Sejin shrugged and waved a hand, probably assuming I just wanted to chat about the performance.

But I led Gold 2 all the way to the van parked in the lot.

“...?”

“Get in.”

By now Gold 2 realized something was up and bowed his head.

I wondered if he thought he’d made a mistake.

‘Mistake... maybe.’

I closed the door, then tossed him a canned drink.

“Oh, thank you.”

He grabbed it quickly. I waited until he was about to take a sip.

Then at the right moment—

‘I never thought I’d have to say this line.’

Not that I’m crazy. I sighed, then spoke.

“So... how many years did you come back from?”

“...!! ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) cough.”

Gold 2 nearly spat out his drink.

Poor guy, but that reaction was practically an answer.

“Uh, um...”

I pulled another can from my pocket and held it in my hand.

“You were so blatant about it.”

The circumstances were odd from the start.

‘It’s rare for a returning contestant to debut at number one.’

Especially if the show was a hit—viewers prefer fresh faces each season.

‘But you still debuted in first place.’

And when they sent the original first-place, Chae Seodam, packing, you were so cool about it.

‘Oh... that’s why it felt weird.’

After that minimal reaction, trusting us completely was surprising.

‘Your responses were too smooth for your age.’

So I checked your status screen as soon as we met.

At the bottom was this:

[!Status Ailment: Bounce Back]

-If the team fails to bond within the allotted time, “Failure.”

Doesn’t that feel like the same type of ailment as Cheongryeo’s “Correction” or my “Debut or Die”?

And what Gold 2 said while handling Chae Seodam—

-“Huh... how did that hyung debut again this time...”

Then he hastily changed the subject. That was enough to make my suspicions concrete.

Gold 2, Kwon Heeseung, came from the future.

Probably targeting me as the next.

“Starting with ‘Chae Seodam debuted again,’ your behavior was way too obvious.”

“.......”

Of course Kwon Heeseung didn’t seem mentally ready to confess. No wonder—why would he ever tell me he came from the future?

‘I need to throw out a bait too.’

There was information I had to extract from him. I’d have to give something in return.

‘I’ll give this much to start.’

Click.

I opened the can and murmured, “I came from the future too.”

“Huh—!”

He nearly choked.

Gold 2 covered his mouth and stared at me.

“.......”

“.......”

A long silence passed, then he nodded and muttered, “...No wonder! I thought you were too good at this.”

Did it work?

“Yeah.”

“I thought it was just me... was this maybe a prophetic dream? I had those.”

He sounded frustrated as the words spilled out.

“So someone else came back too, right? It’s not just me. I’ve seen that in dramas.”

He clearly believed we came to the same past together, and that this was his first time back.

Judging by the status screen, this might be both his first and last chance, just like mine.

‘This is a different case though.’

I’ll need to learn more.

“Okay. Then... did you return because something in your career didn’t work out?”

But Kwon Heeseung wiped sweaty palms across his face and answered, “I—I wasn’t an idol before.”

...What?

“...I was a model.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Our talk was dragging, so we moved into the agency office.

Gold 2 said, “I thought my heart would stop,” then kept downing green tea.

“Phew... I had all sorts of trouble as a model. I realized I was on the wrong path.”

“Mm.”

“So this time I quit modeling and joined Ajusa again.”

He sounded proud, having watched this season closely in advance.

“What about Chae Seodam...?”

“Oh! That guy had dating rumors and a personality scandal the moment he debuted. So I sent him off with no guilt!”

Of course.

I tried to ask about my own future, but let him keep talking.

“I knew you were frighteningly good at this! I was so relieved. I thought something was wrong.”

Gold 2 looked far more at ease.

“I’ve heard some people are sent back when the world’s about to end... could that be it??”

He definitely thinks we returned together, in the same timeline.

And this is his first return.

Seeing as his wish was fulfilled—‘quit modeling and become an idol’—the status ailment’s penalty aligns with the wish. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

‘It fits perfectly.’

There is one problem.

...Me.

‘I don’t remember wishing for this.’

Compared to the other two cases, it feels off.

No matter how drunk or depressed I was, I wouldn’t suddenly decide I wanted to be someone else’s idol body.

Then... was this Park Mundae’s wish?

Why on earth?

“......”

First, I need to explore the detailed conditions to understand the mechanism.

And for deeper insight, I’ll need to cross-reference cases.

“Hyung?”

“...Hmm. One moment.”

I thought for a bit, then pulled out my phone.

[Are you on tour?]

A moment later:

[VTIC Shin Cheongwoo senior: En route]

[VTIC Shin Cheongwoo senior: What’s up?]

There’s only one option.

Let’s cross-check.