Debut or Die-Chapter 334

Big Sejin believed me.

How did this happen?

I didn’t know either. Last night I even checked my status window, thinking maybe I’d gotten some kind of boost, but there was nothing.

Completely normal — and Big Sejin accepted my situation. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“This actually works.”

I was still dazed. But... of course I wasn’t displeased.

It felt strange. I’d never been this honest before.

I hadn’t expected him not to change his attitude even after hearing the whole story.

Because of that, I think I overdid things a bit at today’s concert.

“This is going to be a hassle.”

“Here you go!”

“Thank you.”

I sucked in a breath and looked down at the towel and smartphone the staff had handed me.

“It didn’t even get this far.”

Actually, I’d prepared a contingency plan last night in case I needed to expose things.

“Big Sejin is practical.”

I figured that for someone like him to swallow nonsense that sounded like it came from a web novel, I’d need hard evidence to wave in his face.

But what kind of evidence could there possibly be?

All I had were circumstantial things.

“Testimonies from people involved.”

My only playable cards were words, so I’d tried to gather them from different people in different ways.

First, Ryu Cheong-woo.

If I can help, I should.

But he still suggested they talk between the two of them first.

Next was Keundal.

Um... will you do a video call with Lee Sejin?

That guy was ecstatic. No need to say more.

Also, I’d arranged with Big Sejin to meet Keundal later.

Then the tricky part.

“.......”

If I only recruited people who were friendly toward me, or whom Big Sejin didn’t know well, there’d still be room for suspicion.

Big Sejin thought we needed to bring in someone who was on bad terms with me to balance the spectrum.

Cheongryeo.

Really?

He seemed puzzled — like, “Why would you bother?” — but he didn’t refuse.

He only said this.

I don’t care, but... I wouldn’t recommend it.

They won’t believe it anyway.

Fuck. I had suspected the same.

But he believed me.

“He believed me after only hearing my explanation.”

I won’t deny it. Maybe he was half-asleep and not thinking straight, but when everything was over and I walked back to my room late at night, my scalp buzzed.

Because of that, I did something that, if it went online, would get me roasted in the controversy mill.

Just before falling asleep at dawn, I texted a senior.

[I believed you]

And this morning this was the reply.

[Really?]

[Bring them by next time^^]

What the hell.

“Inviting them so casually.”

I didn’t know what motives were at play. I lowered my eyes from the phone with an uneasy feeling.

That was when—

“...What are you doing?”

“I was wondering if anyone contacted you.”

“I see.”

Bae Sejin happened to speak up. He hesitated, then finally said with a hopeful face,

“You guys... reconciled, didn’t you?”

I laughed. I hadn’t found the right moment while preparing for the concert, and he asked as soon as it was over.

“Yes.”

“Phew...”

Bae Sejin let out a long sigh of relief like the pressure had been released. My chest felt like it would cave in.

I looked at him anew.

He’d delayed the meeting time for us, after all.

“Thanks.”

“It’s nothing.”

“For the time and for telling Lee Sejin to talk with me.”

“...! Y-you heard?”

“Yes. I didn’t do it on purpose; I found out by chance. Thanks to that, I had the courage to apologize, too.”

Bae Sejin’s face went bright red. I snorted and smiled.

“But you didn’t need to apologize to him too.”

“I know, I was just trying to open the conversation...!”

“.......”

Oh, was that it.

“You two’s vibe... like, totally different.”

“.......”

Was it really that obvious?

Bae Sejin looked like he might cough up his soul.

“This is my first time in a situation like this... I don’t know if I did the right thing.”

“You did well.”

We’d been talking about that very thing until now — ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) what are you saying.

Still, I understood what he meant. Has he ever tried to mediate between peers before?

“I feel like back in school you used to push other kids away yourself.”

He probably didn’t expect his first attempt to go so well either.

“Anyway... I’m glad you reconciled...”

Bae Sejin seemed drained as if he’d burned a little life energy on the strange experience, but he looked quietly proud.

“Maybe I should make you a late-night snack or something.”

I was about to say that when I saw Big Sejin, who had been talking with Ryu Cheong-woo, approach us.

‘Did he mark us off one by one with Cheong-woo?’

This treatment was new to me. Big Sejin came up, gave me a few winks, and then spoke to Bae Sejin.

“Hey, hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. Cheong-woo hyung told me. He said you pushed back the meeting time?”

‘You told him that too?’ flashed across Bae Sejin’s face, but pride won out pretty quickly.

“Well, we’re a group. It’s good to be considerate together. ...And! I didn’t think only about myself... everyone agreed.”

“.......”

“Well, um, you might say I disrupted your work, or something like that, but this is—”

“I don’t think like that.”

“...!”

Big Sejin fiddled with his throat. He must be embarrassed.

I thought of slipping away, but in case another argument blew up, I stayed.

Bae Sejin didn’t seem angry, but his expression calmed down.

“Why... did you think I wouldn’t care?”

“I figured you’d care about other members’ stuff but avoid getting involved. It’s awkward, you know.”

“...!”

Honestly, I was the one taken aback.

‘Why is this guy saying exactly what’s on his mind?’

Even Bae Sejin, who’d been censoring himself, was starting to speak more freely.

“It is awkward.”

“Yes.”

“But since there was a concert tomorrow and I’d been involved in your fight... I just tried to do what I could.”

“.......”

“You would have done the same thing.”

“...!”

Big Sejin looked like he’d been punched. Bae Sejin said with a reasonably convincing expression,

“Ahem, right?”

“...No.”

At that moment Big Sejin relaxed and grinned.

“Of course you would. Hyung, I guess I misunderstood for nothing. I’m sorry.”

“.......”

“And thank you. Really.”

“Yeah. Well, good work.”

The atmosphere lightened suddenly. I shrugged.

“...Park Mundae! You did well too!”

He dragged me into it out of embarrassment.

“Come on. Let’s head down.”

“Ah, okay.”

Only then did the three of us quicken our pace down the hallway. The others had already gone to the waiting room.

In the middle of it, Big Sejin snickered and tossed out a joke.

“Was the reason you stayed out in the living room when I was your roommate because of that? Trying to do what you could?”

“No... that was uncomfortable.”

“.......”

“.......”

“Yeah, well.”

“Ahem, next time we’re roommates... let’s try talking more.”

Big Sejin tried again.

“You didn’t even answer me properly when I tried to talk!”

“No! I really had nothing to say!”

Of course.

Still, it felt much better to call out what bothered me.

‘We know there’s no malice, but we didn’t really feel it until now.’

Maybe that’s what they felt. I shrugged.

“Sometimes I really don’t get you, hyung, you know that?”

“I know. Me too.”

It looked like Big Sejin and Bae Sejin had cleared things up for now.

A big step forward.

‘If we stick them together, they won’t explode.’

I took that unexpected gain with some pleasure.

Back in the waiting room, getting ready to leave, the process repeated in a similar way.

“Hyungs! Glad you came!”

“Hyung, this is good. Try it!”

They tried to hide it, but it was obvious.

‘I know you fought and reconciled, and I’m proud I contributed’ — that was the vibe.

Even the staff were smiling as if the rumor had spread. Damn.

“Ahaha, thanks~”

Big Sejin didn’t stop smiling. It seemed pretty embarrassing that he’d known everything. I knew — I’d been the same.

He left me one quiet line.

If anything happens with Park Mundae, tell me anytime. I’d like to meet the person you mentioned soon~

Yeah. If he wanted to see with his own eyes, that wasn’t a bad idea.

‘Looks like Ryu Cheong-woo handled the conversation on his own.’

... I felt a little relieved. I straightened my shoulders. Then I noticed someone else.

Seon Ah-hyun.

He was sitting alone in a corner, looking at something, and when our eyes met he jumped.

“...? Why, why...?”

“No reason.”

Thinking about it, for him it must have been awkward that two same-aged members besides him had fought and reconciled.

‘I didn’t expect him to know all this.’

And from now on... I’d probably have to talk about things without leaving him out.

I mumbled an apology.

“Sorry for making you worry.”

“Ah, no...! I was worried, but I thought you’d reconcile.”

Seon Ah-hyun smiled faintly, then added in a small voice,

“Um... if, if Mundae has troubles, you can always tell me too.”

“.......”

Is he fishing to see if I’d tell him? Of course not.

“Thanks.”

“It’s nothing.”

Seon Ah-hyun smiled and started gathering his things. I couldn’t help but wonder.

‘How would he react if he found out...?’

I didn’t know. I hadn’t expected even Big Sejin to believe it.

Well, I didn’t plan to drag Big Sejin into this mess too much, so Seon Ah-hyun wouldn’t be excluded either.

I picked up my things from beside him.

Then I noticed Bae Sejin’s device — some kind of e-reader.

“This is yours, hyung.”

“Oh? Yeah.”

I handed it back, and the screen lit up as I did. It was locked, but the book title showed.

[It’s Okay to Fight Today]

“.......”

“...Just for reference!”

“Okay.”

It was a self-help book.

Really... he was trying hard.

‘I’d be ridiculous if I didn’t give him a compliment here.’

I spoke up immediately.

“Hyung, you really seem to do well when you commit to something.”

Surprisingly, Bae Sejin didn’t flinch at that. Instead he muttered a little excitedly.

“Right. Like producing as well — I thought I couldn’t do it, but if I try, some things turn out well... I was surprised.”

“.......”

“I’m going to be more proactive from now on.”

“Good idea.”

“Yeah.”

Bae Sejin seemed to have resolved to change.

And an opportunity to put that resolution into practice came soon.

A few days later.

“The film company replied.”

“Oooooh.”

The OST inquiry from a film borrowing the game world of the Ruins Factory had safely reached T1.

But when Ryu Cheong-woo, who received the company’s contact, smiled awkwardly, it was an awkward smile.

‘...awkward?’

“It’s positive.”

“Awesome!”

“Woooow!”

Cha Yoo-jin, who’d been most excited, whistled. But Ryu Cheong-woo’s awkward expression didn’t go away.

“But... the deadline is super tight.”

“Huh?”

No way.

“It seems like they want us to push it through. So if we really want to participate...”

“If we want to?”

“They said the demo needs to be submitted within four days.”

“...!”

Insane.

Everyone reflexively looked at Kim Rae-bin. We needed a pro’s judgment.

But I already knew the answer.

‘No need to guess.’

As expected, Kim Rae-bin’s eyes had widened.

“As expected of hyung Mundae. Concerned about this situation, you brought in the strong policy of a three-day training camp every week!”

“.......”

Fine then.

K-pop hell camp... reopening.