Debut or Die-Chapter 315
When I woke up, several more months had passed, and suddenly I was about to go watch my old performance.
And the cause of this situation... was surprisingly simple.
I pressed my brow and summarized.
“So... I was studying, but whenever I had time I got curious and looked up my own activities, and at some point I actually started enjoying it.”
“Yes!”
He answered with astonishing cheerfulness.
“The Magic Boy stage... oh, that one in the baseball uniform was really awesome! And your solo variety show was super fun too... I couldn’t watch it live because of studying, though....”
That sounded like he’d kept up with all the big news, and fortunately he’d avoided failure and sudden death.
...Or maybe his only joy in life had been this.
“He relieved stress by watching idols, then.”
Hard to argue with that.
“And, I figured I probably cleared the failure threshold on my mock grading... so, I thought, maybe it’s okay to go see it in person for a day, so I got tickets....”
“.......”
His echo trailed off.
‘Seriously.’
I stifled a sigh.
“...Where is it?”
“Ah!”
Right. I understood.
If a person locks themselves away studying all day, they’d go nuts—everyone needs at least a day off in the long term.
Mundae wailed with excitement.
“It’s not far from here! It’s in Gyeonggi-do at the festival....”
“Hold on.”
I changed into different clothes.
Thousands of people would be there—surely nothing would go wrong. I just had to endure monitoring my own stage while cheering in person.
“Thank you so much, Hyung!”
I think he thanked me three times while I squeezed toothpaste onto my toothbrush.
“It’s not that hard. You need at least some fun.”
“Really?”
I snorted.
“You’ll start boarding academy tomorrow, right?”
“...Huff!”
I wasn’t going to ruin his last bit of leisure ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ this year.
An hour later.
To avoid looking like a crazy person talking to himself, I bought wireless earbuds at a convenience store. That should do.
Of course, I also had business to conduct while moving.
“First, let’s review what happened.”
“Yes!”
I had him check the new status ailment that had appeared.
[!Status Ailment: Death If You Don’t Pass! (2)]
“If you fail to pass the first written exam of the Grade-7 Open Competitive Recruitment Test, you die.”
Of course. I knew it would happen.
The deadline is still one year. Huh.
“Next time, remind me to check later,” I thought. If we slip by a bit, the period could expire before the second or third exams—insane.
Even if exams run annually, timing could give an edge.
But as soon as I thought that far, I recalled how my status-ailment clear had been confirmed.
“A truth check.”
He probably saw a “Truth Check ☜ Click!” prompt too. I needed to verify.
“Looking at the date, it doesn’t seem to have changed the moment you saw your scores.”
“Right! Something strange popped up....”
Mundae’s voice trembled faintly. As he explained, I realized why.
The success popup that appeared the moment he checked his first-stage scores had a final option:
[Accept Synchronization ☜ Click!]
He’d hesitated for weeks, then clicked it in September.
“I was going to wait a bit and ask you when you returned....”
But I never showed, so yesterday he clicked it himself.
And the result was...
[Cumulative Complete.]
That window showed up.
‘...He must’ve felt sick about that.’
“Hyung, did I do something wrong and rack up penalties?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
From what I can tell... the reward I set up is still unfolding in a process that preserves your existence as Mundae, but I’m not certain.
‘What kind of mechanism triggers these things?’
Another mystery to analyze. But for now, I let it go.
Because we’d arrived at the destination.
I got off the bus and spotted the sports stadium before me.
“This is it.”
“Wow!”
I remembered.
‘It was a festival hosted by some company, I think.’
Unusually, they’d sold tickets without private booking. Somehow Mundae had managed to snag one.
‘The lineup was... top-tier, especially for us.’
I recalled the details as I entered.
The air inside was thick and stifling. In modern times of endless heatwaves, late September was still hot.
‘No wonder I wore a sleeveless shirt to sleep.’
I sat in the outer walkway seats, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. Maybe a flashback to my “data-peddling” era.
“Hyung, do you remember this performance?”
“Yes.”
“Then... when do you go on, Hyung?”
Consciously pressing my Bluetooth earbud, I answered.
“Second to last.”
“Wow....”
What was so admirable about that exchange? Practicality—to wrap up quickly rather than ham it up for the finale.
‘Maybe I should share some behind-the-scenes anecdotes later.’
I felt like a curator. I shut my mouth. Onstage, the concert had just begun.
“.......”
The following acts didn’t move me much—I’d seen them often during overlapping promotions.
But watching again from below gave me that data-peddler flashback all over.
“Hyung, is it boring?”
“No, it’s fine. You’re just used to it.”
He knew that mumbling in this noise wouldn’t carry, and since this was his body, he understood.
“You were an idol yourself, after all.”
“That’s true, and I even filmed these during college.”
“...!”
Oops.
But instead of something like, “You interned as a reporter?” he nodded eagerly.
“Right! You even filmed that Youngrin fancam!”
“...??”
How did he know so much?
“Did I tell you that?”
“Yes. Somehow I learned about it!”
Right. It wasn’t a big secret—I might have drunkenly mentioned it.
I nodded.
Since my shared-viewer was excited, I didn’t turn my head and watched the rest of the show.
After a long time, the group we’d been waiting for finally took the stage.
Wooooaaaah!!! 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
The screams were three times louder than before.
And then they formed formation onstage.
TeSTAR.
– “Meeting You Tomorrow”
I’ve been thinking of you all day today
In navy stage outfits, holding a mic... that was me.
– “Dreaming a sky-blue dream like daytime”
“.......”
“Wow...!”
A strange feeling washed over me.
I’d monitored the stage countless times. I needed to check what I’d done to refine it.
But seeing a live show from the audience’s perspective... was almost shocking.
Even the small lighters looked huge down here.
‘Was I making that expression?’
The big screen’s close-up and the tiny figures running around crossed in my vision.
– “Cast a Spell”
Only then did I truly realize I was part of the scenes I’d once stored as data.
Onstage, Park Mundae—me—looked like a pretty decent idol.
I sat quietly among the cheering crowd until the rapper I didn’t care about finally came on, then I stood and left.
“Hyung?”
“Bathroom break.”
I needed to splash cold water on my face. I couldn’t believe how deeply impressed I was.
...I missed it.
‘My god.’
I walked down the hall and, as I entered the restroom, realized:
I’d just casually entered a staff-only area.
“.......”
I guess no one mistook me for a fan, so they thought I was staff. Security here was pathetic.
‘Well, I’m not carrying a camera.’
I shrugged and turned on the sink.
Then I heard it.
SMASH!
Someone slammed the stall door off its hinges and stomped out.
“...?”
Who was that?
Through the mirror, I saw the person—someone I knew.
“Ahhhh! It’s you!”
It was Bae Sejin.
In that moment, I put it together.
‘He was crying in the stall.’
He was still early in his debut—perfectly plausible. I’d even dreamed something similar.
“.......”
I tried to be less prickly, but this was the hot-tempered Bae Sejin before his family troubles.
I watched him freeze at the sink, suspicion sharpening his gaze.
‘Hmm.’
A strange warmth—almost like relief.
To avoid seeming strange, I started damage control.
“Isejin, right? Sorry, I’m a fan—I was startled.”
“...!”
“I enjoyed your stage earlier. Your expressions are great, as always.”
Bae Sejin—actually still Isejin—looked dazed.
‘Oh yeah, this was prime time for online hate.’
He’d been under fire for lacking stage skills as an alternate. He could be even more on edge.
But he wasn’t.
“...Thank you.”
Instead, he seemed a bit embarrassed, a flicker of awkwardness crossing his face.
“No, thank you. I’ll keep cheering for you.”
“...Okay.”
He finally washed his hands at the sink.
‘Handled that.’
I dried my hands and headed for the door, when I heard a voice behind me.
“Um... if you’d like an autograph, I can—”
“Oh.”
I’d noticed before that he was pretty good at fan service. I pretended to dig in my pocket, then nodded.
“I don’t have a pen. Next time, please.”
“...Sure.”
So I finished my brief conversation with past Bae Sejin and exited the staff area unnoticed.
It was a fresh experience, I can’t deny that.
“Do you think he recognized you, Hyung?”
“I don’t think so.”
We barely talked back then.
‘September of debut year...’
He reported his father’s fraud to the police and changed his name soon after, right in early October.
‘But wasn’t he also caught up in a drug scandal then?’
I stopped in my tracks.
...Maybe?
“Can I make a quick stop somewhere?”
“Sure!”
I located the nearest payphone.
“...?”
Then I called the Gyeonggi Northern Police Station’s public service desk.
“Hey, it’s me.”
I reported:
“There’s ongoing drug loading at an illegal gambling den in the basement of the XX building in XX City.”
And hung up.
“...Whoaa...”
He’d think it was a prank, but if Bae Sejin makes a formal anonymous tip, they’ll remember it.
Same location, same informant vibe, different details.
‘They might check for drugs now.’
I shrugged and left the booth.
“It wasn’t a prank. Don’t worry, they won’t come looking for you.”
“R-right....”
I shared a few debut-era anecdotes on the walk back to the officetel.
After dinner and a shower, the day was nearly over.
‘Going out really eats up the time.’
First, I reminded him about the status ailment, then quickly ran him through next year’s first-stage questions. Even months of study, he grasped quickly.
Turns out he felt a bit down, so we chatted.
“Hyung—do you return each time this status ailment clears?”
“Could be.”
Only one example so far, but possible. His echo murmured sadly.
“Then... next time, I might not see you until a year later.”
I snorted.
“Look at it another way—if you pass first stage, you’ll get to see me again.”
“Oh... right?”
“Yeah. Work hard.”
“...Okay!”
Better than sudden death if he slacks. Still, a guide showing up annually is better than nothing.
I taught him how to sell stocks if he needed cash, then fell asleep at midnight.
And morning again.
My alarm woke me. Sunlight streamed in.
So, does Mundae’s hypothesis hold...?
“Hyung! It’s really you, right?”
His voice confirmed it.
“Yeah.”
I smiled at his excited echo.
“How did the exam go?”
“Yes! I passed! First stage!”
Wonderful.
No matter how well he’d registered at the boarding academy... wait, we’re still in that same officetel.
I sat up and looked around. Something was on the table.
“You didn’t register for the boarding academy?”
“I did! But it’s the weekend and I had things to do yesterday, so I came back to the officetel. And I thought it’d be less awkward when you returned.”
“Right.”
Smart. I nodded and went to the table. On it lay an advertising bromide...
“Live happily^^ VTIC Cheongryeo.”
That bastard... why is his autograph here?
