Debut or Die-Chapter 363
The outline of how we’d get blindsided by the PDs only became clear in the back half of Episode 2.
‘Of course.’
They’d scheduled five episodes, and if the coins were gone by early Episode 2, the balance of screen time would be off. That actually made the impact of the betrayal—right after all the peaceful healing segments—even stronger.
The moment TeSTAR gleefully opened the penalty note:
[Rae-bin: “At dawn today, a mysterious night visitor broke in...and stole all of TeSTAR’s precious ‘Carrot Coins’?”]
[!!!!]
They close-up every member’s face as their smiles vanish one by one. Real-time reactions exploded:
– “WTF lololol”
– “Look at their faces”
– “Stop Photoshopping Mundae’s head behind Munga’s shocked face lololol ㅠㅠ”
– “The PDs look so thrilled lol”
Then, with a typewriter-effect subtitle, the PDs’ side of the story got reconstructed.
[The Full Story of the Incident]
[40 Days Ago]
The PDs sat around a table in a serious meeting.
[PD: “They’ve already been burned too many times! I bet they’re on full alert not to get scammed again.”]
[Writer Lee: “Right, right.”]
[Writer Park: “We need a structurally meticulous approach, like a wildlife capture team.”]
They were really setting up to film all of this.
“Wow.”
“They really went that far?”
As we watched simultaneously in the car, everyone laughed in disbelief. On screen, the PDs—set to a thrilling BGM—briefed each other between chuckles.
[PD: “First, let’s test the members who show average levels of caution.”]
A mission briefing–style subtitle appeared:
[Difficulty ★★]
[Seon Ah-hyun, Bae Se-jin]
[Traits: “Once you fool them even once, they fall for it easily.”]
“Me?!”
“Uh... um...”
Cue nervous laughter
[PD: “For them, just once—convince them logically.”]
[Writer Park: “They’re so nice, it’s totally doable.”]
[Writer Lee: “They’re so moral.”]
Then this line popped up:
[PD: “Actually...if we betray them, let’s tell them to sue us.”]
[laughter]
The writers kept riffing on “Sue us!” during the meeting.
“...!”
[“That worked like a charm.^^”]
“Ugh...!”
The two of them flushed with betrayal for a moment, then the screen jumped to the next targets.
[Difficulty ★★★]
[Ryu Cheong-woo]
[Traits: “Shows no signs even if skeptical.”]
“Ha ha.” Cheong-woo blushed as they flashed his calm expressions on screen.
[Writer Park: “Let’s create an atmosphere of ‘No need to trick him too hard.’”]
[Writer Lee: “He doesn’t betray disbelief, which actually works in our favor.”]
It was edited like background chatter, yet it hit the nail on the head.
[Difficulty ★★★★?]
[Cha Yoo-jin]
[Traits: “Unpredictable, American-style grandchild.”]
[Writer Lee: “I honestly don’t know... but he probably wouldn’t care about a con.”]
[PD: “Okay.”]
And indeed, Cha Yoo-jin didn’t care at all—clips of his sunny mukbangs and driving montage slid by. He just seemed too busy having fun.
‘Consistent.’
I watched the flood of “ㅋ”s in real time, then looked back at the screen. Five stars appeared.
[Difficulty ★★★★★]
[Lee Se-jin]
[Writer Park: “He already seems to know everything.”]
[laughter]
[PD: “Maybe he’s waiting for us to pull the rug—he knows reality TV too well.”]
[Writer Lee: “Still, let’s trick him. If he plays dumb, he’ll shine in the healing segments.”]
That was it—they actually had good analysis skills.
[Traits: “Serious about variety shows.”]
On screen, a cut of Lee Se-jin enjoying every second of the healing show zoomed by.
“He’s so handsome~”
‘Hm.’
I stroked my chin. We’d already gotten plenty of screen time from the dog, so...
‘Will they just let him slide?’
Not quite. A red star rating popped up again.
[Difficulty ★★★★★]
[Difficulty ★★★★★ + ★!]
With a punch-in effect, more text appeared.
[Park Mundae]
“...!”
“Ha ha ha!”
Ignore it. The screen happily poured out more subtitles.
[AKA: Tibet Mundae, Mung-dangdang]
[Traits: “Constantly suspects the PDs’ schemes.”]
[PD: “It’s almost instinctual.”]
[Writer Park: “Maybe because he’s like a dog? That nose is dog-level sniffing, hah hah hah.”]
...What followed was an edit stitched together of me interrogating the PDs’ every move:
[Park Mundae: “The bus’s destination really is a rural home, right?”]
[Park Mundae: “You’re not just lending us coins, are you?”]
[Park Mundae: “Are you betting production funds on this...?”]
[Suspicion]
[Conspiracy]
[I will never trust you...!]
“Ha ha ha!”
“Look at Mundae’s face...!”
“......”
With all the CG and editing, I probably never actually looked that blatantly suspicious.
[I will never be fooled. Never...!]
With the PDs resolutely determined, the grand BGM ended and the screen cut.
People around me murmured:
“Hey, where’s Rae-bin?”
“Yeah, why only Rae-bin is missing...?”
Then, to a more trivial BGM, the next scene slid in.
[Bonus]
[Difficulty ★]
[Kim Rae-bin]
“...!”
[PD: “I really like Rae-bin.”]
[Writer Park: “Me too.”]
[Writer Lee: “He’s basically every variety-show producer’s dream character.”]
On screen, countless cuts of Rae-bin with a question mark over his head, convincing himself silently, passed by.
“Ha ha ah!”
“Oh dear.”
“......”
I glanced sideways. Rae-bin’s pupils trembled again. I pretended not to notice.
[“Thank you, Rae-bin,” from all the PDs]
From then on, Episode 1 was reconstructed from the PDs’ perspective, with a thriller-comedy vibe bursting at the seams.
[Suspicious glances]
[Writer Lee: “This won’t do. Mundae and Se-jin are still suspicious.”]
[Junior Writer: “! Director! Your dog at home!”]
[Decision: Supply compatriots]
Finally, when they’d caught me, the PDs leapt into each other’s arms like World Cup goal celebrations.
[“Aaaaah!!” (joy)]
[“This is how it went down. ^^”]
“Man, they’re relentless.” I thought, still annoyed but amused.
After that, everywhere I looked, people laughed at TeSTAR suffering from skyrocketing prices—then being dragged out to a vast carrot field and collapsing in defeat.
– “This scam economy is terrifying”
– “Don’t play with coins”
– “lololol”
Everyone felt for them, yet enjoyed it. Then, a brilliantly inserted trailer:
Late at night, Rae-bin holding a shovel.
– “???”
– “What is this?”
– “Why sudden thriller”
His line was perfect:
[Rae-bin: “I’m going....”]
[Crash of thunder and lightning]
With that, the show ended on a lively BGM—making the contrast even sharper.
– “No lolol”
– “Ahhhh”
– “What the heck lol”
– “Are they going to meet the Lord?”
– “Looks like the PDs are going”
“Rae-bin’s face is so weird!”
“It’s the lighting, Rae-bin...”
“I’m fine....”
I watched Rae-bin bury his head in the sofa, cheeks blazing, and shook my head.
‘They’re really baiting trolls....’
For days, people screamed wild theories about Rae-bin going to bury people. Then, after a few days, more reasonable guesses showed up:
– “Maybe an overnight shift? Night-shift carrot digging lol”
– “That fits—poor kids”
But neither was correct.
‘It’s finally here.’
[Park Mundae: “(I can’t take it anymore.)”]
The re-edited footage of Rae-bin and me fleeing by night to duplicate coins finally aired next week. Viewer reactions exploded:
– “Mundae wtf lolol”
– “Good thing they’re idols”
– “Justice forgery punch”
– “Someone save Rae-bin—they totally tricked him lol ㅠㅠ”
Why am I seen as the madman while Rae-bin became the con victim?
– “Mundae’s camera work is so professional—no shake, so fun, looks like a pro forger lol”
– “Revolution ← when did forging currency become a revolution?”
– “Stop Photoshopping Munga lol”
It was official. My variety-show image was cemented as “the crazy one.” I sighed.
‘At least I’m not a bad guy.’ I’d grown used to this since “AJUSA.” I decided to accept the distortion calmly.
‘The PDs made sacrifices too.’ Image-wise, that is. They’d edited themselves into loathsome roles and took some heat until now. Then, in this episode, TeSTAR reversed the tables for massive catharsis.
‘Nice of them.’ They captured both hype and a positive image.
‘Our counterattack succeeded too.’ I shrugged—maybe we should do this again.
...Meanwhile on SNS, parody snippets edited like a “Farm Animals: Coin Edition” drama trailer went viral.
Skipping ahead past Episode 4’s return to healing...finally, the last episode.
We gathered in the living room again.
“It’s been ages since we made time just to watch TV together.”
“Really~ jet lag’s rough but it’s fun?”
“Turn it up!”
For Episode 5, the PDs suggested filming our reactions as YouTube content. There was only one likely reason:
‘Another twist ahead.’ With only one dangling thread—“Who stole the Carrot Coins?”—it had to be resolved.
And we already had a prime suspect.
“Hm? Mundae Mundae, why—?”
“No.” I reset my gaze and resumed watching.
The early-middle part showed us performing for and playing with the elders—cutely edited to be almost embarrassing. We’re mid-twenties now—hope that’s okay. But the key came next.
The moment we boarded the bus home:
[PD: “So, you still haven’t caught the culprit?”]
[Cheong-woo: “Haha, right. Are you going to trick us one last time?”]
[PD: “Sorry about that.”]
Despite the PD’s comically groveling voice, an ominous subtitle appeared:
[Or is it...?]
We cut back to a PD meeting scene. I nodded.
‘Time to reveal.’
I waited for Big Se-jin’s appearance....
[PD: “Let’s cross off Park Mundae and Lee Se-jin first.”]
[Writer Park: “Too obvious suspects are no good. We need some unpredictability.”]
“...?”
[Writer Lee: “Wait—no one suspects Rae-bin, right?”]
[!!!!]
A moment of stunned silence, then the camera’s perspective shifted.
There stood Rae-bin... alongside the PDs.
[The night the Carrot Coins were stolen]
[PD: “Rae-bin is the culprit.”]
[Rae-bin: “What??”]
[PD: “You picked the note that said the coins disappeared. Of course you’re the culprit!”]
[Rae-bin: “...!!”]
Subtitles poured in behind his bug-eyed face:
[PD: “And think about it—what were you doing last night? You handed us that pouch, didn’t you?”]
[PD: “What was that? You moved the coins, of course!”]
A flashback showed us swapping camera data just before bed.
[Writer Lee: “We need to check props—sorry, Rae-bin, your pouch too!”]
[Rae-bin: “Sure!”]
And Rae-bin had unhesitatingly handed over the pouch of Carrot Coins.
“......”
Using that method...
‘It was so plausible I’m speechless.’
It was just trickery.
Se-jin’s lips trembled.
“You—you...!”
“Sorry! I didn’t know either!”
Clearly it looked that way.
‘No wonder he felt guilty....’
Clips of Rae-bin’s cold sweat and hesitations every time the theft was mentioned slid by.
[Park Mundae: “If we catch the culprit, we should hand them to the police.”]
[Rae-bin: “Right...”]
[Culprit ↑]
It was pitifully hilarious—and everyone seemed to agree.
– “The rabbit who paid carrot taxes”
– “Damn, the PDs are pure evilㅠㅠ what about our medieval rabbit?”
– “They had nothing else to steal so they picked Rae-bin!”
Still, Rae-bin tried to protest.
[Rae-bin: “I’ll turn myself in!”]
[PD: “Wait!”]
This, too, played exactly into the PDs’ plan.
[PD: “If you’re caught, your coins just vanish!”]
[Rae-bin: “!!”]
[PD: “But if you aren’t caught till the end—!”]
[Rae-bin: “Then...?”]
Drawn in again, Rae-bin heard the PD announce cheerfully:
[PD: “We’ll double every coin in the village and donate them at the town hall! And a massage chair!”]
[Rae-bin: “Huuagh!”]
[PD: “You’re a righteous phantom thief, Rae-bin!”]
[Heroic proclamation]
Rae-bin froze, then gradually zoomed in on his face.
“......”
“...No way.”
No way...
[Rae-bin: “Ah, I understand!”]
“Aaah!”
“See!”
“Sorry!”
On screen, Rae-bin balled his fist and confessed to the PDs. Then, as if sentencing him:
[The Phantom Thief Who Steals Carrot Coins: Medieval Rabbit Launches]
[Writer Lee: “Let’s give him another coin-stealing mission—he’s the perfect accomplice.”]
[laughter]
‘That was going to be the perfect crime, but....’
It blew up. Because it’d been Rae-bin who’d gone to the hardware store at night to explain every detail of how to use and collect them.
[????]
[PD: “Why would Rae-bin help you?”]
[Flustered PDs]
They even summoned Rae-bin for an emergency confrontation.
[PD: “Why did you help with that, Rae-bin? You’re supposed to be a phantom thief!”]
Rae-bin answered with serious eyes.
[Rae-bin: “Because as a phantom thief, I could commit the crime of coin production!”]
[PD: “Wait.”]
[Rae-bin: “The more coins there are, the more we can donate to the town hall. That’s the right direction.”]
[PD: “...”]
A stamp graphic appeared over the PD’s open mouth.
[Conclusion]
[Got someone who wouldn’t have otherwise acted to move]
– “lololol”
– “Serves them right”
– “Karma shot lol”
– “Wait, that means Mundae brainwashed the culprit—catching mice by stepping backward lol”
Viewers delighted at the PDs’ despair.
I looked down at Rae-bin sitting on the floor.
“Sorry! Hyung! I didn’t mean to trick you—it’s just if I got caught the coins would vanish...”
“Right.”
I just smiled.
‘You did well.’
With his personality, that must have been mentally taxing. It made for great TV, though.
One thing still... nags at me.
‘...So it wasn’t Big Se-jin.’
I want to wipe out that slip of suspicion toward Se-jin. Damn.
Anyway, I patted Rae-bin on the shoulder.
“Well done.”
“Yes!”
Rae-bin barely managed a smile. On screen, the mood had brightened again.
[“Thanks for your hard work, Rae-bin~”]
Yet no one else reacted.
“...?”
Looking around, everyone except Cha Yoo-jin still looked uneasy—or rather, shocked.
‘What’s going on?’
Just as I was about to speak, the BGM sucked away all sound again.
[Yoo-jin: “Yes! But......”]
[BUT]
[Used when the preceding and following statements conflict]
“...??”
[“Did you enjoy that, everyone?”]
[“It’s not over.”]
[3]
[2]
[1]
Then on the black screen, the PD’s voice:
[PD: “But it doesn’t have to be just one person, does it?”]
“...!!”
What...?
[The Full Story of the Incident 2]
A subtitle popped up as the fixed-camera cut rolled in, showing five other faces.
[Bae Se-jin: “Ah, understood.”]
[Seon Ah-hyun: “...! So I was the one who stole them?”]
[Lee Se-jin: “Oh~ this is fun, isn’t it!”]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “So the mission is not to get caught stealing the coins.”]
[Cha Yoo-jin: “OK.”]
They all accepted their mission cards as if given a critical assignment. The card read:
[“You are a Phantom Spy!”]
“......”
“Wait a second.”
