Debut or Die-Chapter 382
To get a read on Bae Sejin’s current situation... surprisingly, one quick Internet search will do.
‘Lee Sejin.’
At the very top, his profile is already there.
Lee Sejin (film actor)
Latest filmography: Hema (20XX.12.15.)
This guy is a hot movie actor right now.
If you check his full filmography, there isn’t a single entry under two million—an impressive lineup.
At this point, anyone who watches movies has probably heard his name at least once.
[Oh, but I see he hasn’t done any dramas?]
That must be deliberate. Ever since his child-actor days, he’s managed his projects very selectively.
Of course his name carries weight. Given how current tastes favor actors over idols, he’s practically TeSTAR level.
It seems like he has nothing to lose... but the next item after his filmography is the problem.
Agency: DreamK Company
It’s the same agency as before. The ones who milked him as a child actor, then leaked rumors to drive down his value at contract-renewal time.
‘What a bunch of assholes.’
Instead of protesting or taking a break, he apparently took a short hiatus after his child-actor stint and immediately started booking work again.
No long blank periods, just a steadily built career.
And while the actor maintains an aura of mystery, the agency works hard on press and social media to push “Lee Sejin.”
I smoothed my chin.
‘Easy pickings.’
[Huh?]
I meant their schedule security must be lax.
There aren’t droves of people camping out in front of his dorm or agency like with idols, so there’s less info noise.
‘Dinner’s served.’
I scrolled through DreamK’s official SNS.
Then, using keywords I pulled from there, I tracked down a staff member’s personal InHart account, compared posts by date, traced the timeline, and reached a conclusion.
‘Right now, Bae Sejin is filming some next project.’
And although I’ve anonymized it, the frequency of indirect mentions of someone presumed to be Bae Sejin on that staffer’s SNS...
[Oh, so he’s often at the office.]
Exactly. Especially when Sejin is active, posts pop up here and there. It’s almost like he finishes a shoot, then clocks out to go home to the office.
So when he’s not filming, he’s extremely likely to be at the agency.
“Hmm.”
So the morning after I activated him, I just washed up, grabbed a cap and mask, and left my officetel.
Of course, I didn’t rely on probability alone.
[Bae Sejin: Giving the boss the finger while staring at him (｀ㅅ ´+)]
I ran one clean status check.
The rough route looked like this.
‘Finished a dawn shoot, took a car, went into a building, then met the boss?’
Where else would the boss be but the agency building?
That alone meant his probability of being there was very high.
[So... shall we go check it out?]
“Yeah.”
Let’s confirm it for ourselves.
His agency was tucked away in a back corner of Gangnam.
No grand skyscraper like the major idol companies—just a four‐story old building with no sign.
Security on the first floor would be similarly lax.
They’d probably just stick up a “No unauthorized entry” sign on the back door that the building staff use.
‘That must be it.’
Sure enough, from a suitable vantage, I saw a truck pull up and uniformed people going in and out of the back door.
I timed it, then casually moved that way—acting like a hired mover lugging boxes.
A small popup fluttered.
[Hey, bro. If they catch us trespassing... could be a problem, right?]
‘As long as it only reaches Sejin’s ears, it’s fine. I’m going in either way.’
He’s worried about being caught on the entrance camera, or that LeTi’s rookie showing up at this agency will get officially logged as a visit.
But it’s not some random office—this is his own agency. Even if I get caught, it’s no big deal.
‘I’m a quasi-public figure, too.’
Thanks to that idol survival show fame of mine.
“No unauthorized entry? I’m a stakeholder,” I can say.
As someone known in a parallel industry, they’ll probably believe I arranged a quiet meeting with “Lee Sejin.”
‘Doesn’t matter if they believe it. Only matters that Sejin hears word.’
His awakening means he’s regained his memories from the TeSTAR days, including that name change.
So even if shocked, he’ll want to see this random stranger who just appeared out of nowhere.
‘Worst case... the agency could cut us off entirely.’
And given he probably doesn’t have Sejin’s personal contact info, that’s not an impossibility.
Thud.
I slipped through a fire-exit door on the first floor outer corridor, ducked into a restroom stall, and lay low.
I planned to wait, check if Sejin came out, then map his next moves...
Bang!
In the meantime, the restroom door swung open, and I heard someone’s polished shoes stomping closer.
‘Security can’t be out here already...’
Sure enough, it was just someone at the sink. I shrugged and checked my status...
[Bae Sejin: Washing face with cold water (#ㅅ#)=3]
“...”
Unbelievable.
I quietly cracked open the stall door.
Creak.
There he was at the sink.
In a suit, head bowed as he splashed cold water on his face.
When he lifted his head, his reflection stared back in the mirror.
“...!”
It was Bae Sejin.
No dye, no lenses, just a suit—he looked every bit the working actor.
‘Of course.’
A familiar thought struck me.
For some reason, I always run into him at the sink when I’m in Ryu Geonwoo’s body.
“Mr. Lee Sejin, right? Sorry—I’m just a fan, I got startled.”
It was weird, but there was no time to admire it.
After confirming no one else was in the restroom, I spoke up.
“Hello.”
“Yes?”
The moment I stepped out, his eyes shifted from that odd look to a controlled expression. Typical actor.
“I’m a fan.”
“Um, thanks. Are you one of the new staff?”
I saw him relax, then delivered the knockout.
“No, I’m a fan of TeSTAR’s Bae Sejin.”
“...!”
He reacted instantly.
“Who are you?”
His demeanor snapped sharp.
He looked like he might grab my collar or quickly seal off the restroom.
Direct approach it is.
I spoke immediately.
“I’m Park Mundae. Hyung.”
“...!?”
Thud.
Something fell behind Sejin’s back.
Looking down, I saw a pen—probably a hidden recorder.
“Pa–Park Mun...”
“Yes. It’s come to this.”
Before he could lose his wits, I moved to the point.
Unfortunately, there was no way to take this guy to some café or restaurant.
Our faces would be too recognizable, and besides, he’s in this situation.
“It’s hard to leave this building.”
“What situation are you in, exactly?”
“There’s a lot. But you—why are you in this body...?!”
I can’t tell if he actually believes me or is just playing along, but at least Sejin was ready to grill me.
“Actually—”
“Actually?”
“I was born in this body. Park Mundae is the new body I got.”
It sounded crazy, and Sejin’s face drained color.
“Are you... a ghost?”
“No.”
Wait a second.
My claim of dying and inhabiting someone else’s body isn’t so different from a ghost story.
[It’s different! Totally different!]
“Maybe it sounds similar...”
“Ugh.”
He looks like he might snap his neck. I corrected myself.
“Anyway, I’ve been living as Park Mundae since just before AJUSA. It wasn’t my choice.”
“So... this whole world shift happened the same way?”
“Could be similar. In any case, Hyung you always knew Park Mundae from the start. You having doubts is understandable.”
Despite his face going through all the colors, Sejin gave a surprising response.
He sighed several times, then said:
“I know. You’ve never changed.”
“...Thank you.”
Even if it was an act, it felt good.
“But this alone won’t convince me! This situation is insane enough, and now you... Explain in detail!”
Even if I wanted to, where to start?
“...In the company restroom?”
“...”
He sighed again, then gestured.
“Follow me.”
He led me to a storage room near the 3rd-floor emergency exit.
‘He comes here when he wants to be alone.’
He moved with familiarity.
Click.
He closed the door, set his expression to serious, and spoke.
“No one will come here for a while. Now tell me.”
“Yes.”
I nodded, then began a concise account of everything so far.
“So...”
‘I still can’t get used to this.’
Despite having done it once with Cha Yoojin, the story still reads smoothly.
Sejin’s face went pale, then white, then yellow.
And finally flushed red.
I understood the first part, but why the last?
“Are... you that person?”
“Yes?”
“You... Ryu Geonwoo! You cheered for me!”
Ah, that.
‘So that strange look earlier wasn’t random.’
Though mixed with Park Mundae memories, Sejin recognized the look from back then. I stroked the back of my neck and spoke.
“Yeah, but I didn’t mean to deceive. I really was cheering.”
Sejin hurriedly waved his hand.
“No, no, thank... Wait. But you were Park Mundae then—doesn’t the timing not match?”
“That’s another tangled story.”
I didn’t expect to have to explain that much, but I briefly recounted my tale with Park Mundae and Keundal.
Keundal had chimed in with excitement,
[Don’t forget to say I passed the civil service exam thanks to Hyung!]
and Sejin—rather than being overwhelmed—grew more serious, offering analyses.
His humanities background really showed.
“You know about the time paradox? Your situation seems similar.”
“Maybe this is like a mock test—similar to reality but a bit easier.”
“Or maybe it’s a virtual reality thing. Like The Matrix...”
I answered each theory as sincerely as I could.
But the bottom line was:
“I don’t know. It’s all speculation.”
Unknowns.
“In any case, I’m betting on the idea that I can return to my original structure—and proceeding accordingly.”
“...As an idol aiming for the grand prize.”
“Yes.”
“...Right. That at least makes sense.”
Sejin took a short, deep breath. He’s probably run out of mental bandwidth from all the craziness.
And maybe because of that, he said something similar himself.
“If we’re going to return to reality anyway, then this place is like a dream.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“...?”
What’s good?
“Just wait. I’ll smash this place to pieces.”
“Yes?”
“This agency!”
With blazing eyes, Sejin declared—
“If it’s not real anyway, perfect. I’ll fight legally, flames flying everywhere, see how they handle it.”
“Well...”
I had no intention of stopping him.
“But if you enjoy acting here, why not make the most of it?”
Back during TeSTAR, his solo projects were always on hold, so he never built much of an acting résumé.
Before returning, he could use this as practice: experience the environment, refine his personal plans—still a benefit.
But Sejin was relentless.
“I love acting! But this is bullshit.”
“Why?”
He balled his fist.
“These assholes always force me into the same character!”
“...”
“I’ve been playing the same psycho role for four years. Even I get sick of that broth!”
“Mm.”
Yeah, I could see why he’d be frustrated.
Lee Sejin is now a genuinely renowned actor, yet he can’t choose his own scripts; that’s absurd.
‘He should be able to slam the script on the table and demand respect.’
This is outright unfair.
It dawned on me.
“Is it because they don’t give you your contact info...?”
“...! How did you know... Right. Those bastards, under the guise of mental health, even forbid personal smartphones.”
Sejin muttered coldly.
“They treat me like I’m some powerless kid.”
He even used legal jargon—guess he chewed it over since his TeSTAR days.
“...That must’ve been hard.”
“If only I could just act, I wouldn’t care. The schedules aren’t as murderous as when I was a kid, and they pay enough that my mom’s comfortable...”
His expression darkened, then flames lit in his eyes, and he clenched his fist.
“But as long as it’s me, even if it’s fake, there’s no need to tolerate this.”
“Exactly.”
He declared with relief.
“I’ll tear it all down and come out on top. You’re training for idols, right?”
“Something like that.”
I told him about LeTi’s survival show. He nodded, then cried out with resolve—
“I’m going to join it, too!”
Hmm.
“Won’t that be tough?”
“Why!” 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
“You’re twenty-five.”
“...”
Indeed.
Among everyone I’ve checked, twenty-five-year-old Bae Sejin is by far the oldest. His face flushed red as he bowed his head.
‘He probably needed time to succeed as an adult actor.’
A brief thought passed, and then—
“...Am I too old to be an idol? We had participants around that age in AJUSA...”
“Yes. That’s not the problem.”
I explained slowly.
“Because you’ve built so much as an actor, the public will inevitably resent a seasoned twenty-five-year-old joining an idol show.”
A twenty-five-year-old actor with achievements isn’t going to fare well—unless he utterly outperforms the idols, he’ll only suffer.
Since we return to reality eventually, there’s no need to endure that pain here.
Sejin groaned, then sighed.
“...You’re right.”
“Hmm...”
But he hadn’t given up support.
He clenched his fist again.
“Then I’ll push you properly.”
“Huh?”
His face lit with an ambitious smile that quickly faded.
“If your theory’s right, there’s no need to consider long-term futures or my influence here.”
“Right.”
He chuckled low.
“I’ve uncovered more corruption in this agency than I can count.”
No way.
“I’ll hire a lawyer and drive them into a corner. Let’s see if they can still act shameless if we expose their flaws. Instead of leaving, I’ll fix this properly!”
Eyes gleaming with that thirst for justice, he fired on all cylinders. Yeah... unlike idols, a straight-up public campaign by an actor seems fitting to teach these executives a lesson.
“I’m with you.”
“Great!”
He beamed with pride, then, brimming with excitement, made another proposal.
“Once that’s done... I’ll have a say in my activities. Should I open an SNS account and ask people to vote for you?”
“No.”
That was a frightening suggestion.
After a long debate about fairness, he postponed that plan until after our debut.
‘This guy’s a runaway train.’
Sejin’s carefree about the future, like a hero in a straight-up revenge story.
“So, you’re going to...?”
Just as we were about to continue catching up on his news—
Buzz-
My phone rang.
“Oh, I need to buy one, too.”
“I’ll give you my number first.”
When I opened my phone, a text had arrived.
—Hello. Gyro Lee Sejin here! You’re Wise Ryu Geonwoo, right? 😊
“...”
Right.
This was the guy I’d arranged to contact after filming.
Sejin, who’d been watching, lit up.
“...! You found Lee Sejin too? So he remembers, then?”
I spoke slowly.
“No.”
“What?”
“We happened to run into each other, but I haven’t found a way to restore his memory yet.”
“...”
Sejin’s enthusiasm deflated. He quietly stepped beside me, patting my back in comfort.
“You were the closest. You, Sejin, and Ah-hyun...”
And then he realized something, and asked tentatively—
“Have you heard anything about Seon Ah-hyun?”
I nodded slowly. Sejin looked restless for a moment, then patted my back more robustly.
Pat-pat!
“Well... once we win the grand prize and return, everything will be fine! You’re good at planning. We’ll do great!”
“...Yes.”
Sejin and I sat quietly in that storage room a little longer. It was odd, but I felt at ease.
And not long after—
“They’ll probably come looking for us soon... I’ll set up a number and text you. Today.”
“It’ll be okay?”
Sejin snorted.
“I’m doing it—what can they do?”
That afternoon, a new group message was created.
[TeSTAR / 3 members]
The first post wasn’t from me but from Cha Yoojin.
Cha Yoojin: # Nоvеlight # Bae Sejin hyung, you there? WOOOOW
Bae Sejin: (hamster waving emoji)
Bae Sejin: You seem to be doing well. Rae-bin says hello
Cha Yoojin: YEEESSS (sunglasses emoji)
I got the feeling we’d somehow returned to our old dynamic.
Cha Yoojin: Let’s recruit more members, hurry!
He even posted an early slogan.
[Take your 7 STAR! Cheer up!]
I saw that familiar line, then slowly typed—
Me: (dog raising both paws emoji)
It wasn’t even half the lineup yet, but it felt good to see a real group taking shape.
Before long, Wise’s episode 4 aired successfully, and the next shoot was around the corner.
“Hyung, shooting starts today, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Take care out there... see you soon.”
I left the officetel again, headed for the set,
and faced the most competitive rules of this entire survival show.
