Debut or Die-Chapter 415
Kwon Hee-seung had a rather creepy dream.
Some alien-looking thing had trapped him in a virtual reality and forced him to labor like an AI housekeeper.
On top of that, all sorts of senior idols kept appearing in a bizarre, absurd storyline!
In the end, the world spectacularly collapsed around him, and he screamed as he woke up.
“Waaaah!!”
He hadn’t expected to make quite that much noise.
Kwon Hee-seung opened his eyes, drenched in cold sweat so heavy that his plane seat was soaked through.
“Huh... huck...”
“You okay?”
A hand holding an electrolyte drink appeared in front of him. Before he could even think, he grabbed it and brought it to his lips.
gulp, gulp.
As the cool, smooth sweetness slid down his throat, a zing shot up to the top of his head. It felt as though he’d been dehydrated for hundreds of days and was finally rehydrating.
“Wow.”
Only after finishing the entire liter did he shake his head and finally come to his senses.
It was Park Mundae of TeSTAR, seated opposite him, who had handed him the drink. Kwon Hee-seung clicked his tongue.
“Wow, man... I guess that weird dream did it—feels like the first time I’ve had this in ages.”
“...Is that so?”
“Yes! I must have been sleep-paralyzed. Anyway, about what we have to do now...”
Wait. Why am I even on this plane?
The moment his eyes met the VTIC leader—the charter’s owner—he remembered everything just before falling asleep, as if a reel were playing before his eyes.
State window went haywire.
Mundae hyung coughing up blood.
And...
“...Um, excuse me.”
Kwon Hee-seung wiped dripping sweat and asked,
“Was that... not a dream?”
“...”
Park Mundae, unusually, avoided his gaze with an inscrutable expression, then answered flatly,
“It’s better if you think of it as a dream.”
“That means it was real...!?”
Kwon Hee-seung grabbed his face and wailed, but Park Mundae merely kept silent. He already had the gist of the situation.
‘He chose ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) not to remember details, huh,’ he thought, recalling the choice the Grand Moon had offered:
You may remember what happened here, or you may forget it or recall it vaguely like a dream.
Kwon Hee-seung must have chosen to treat it as a dream. Park Mundae guessed this for sure and furrowed his brow inwardly.
‘...Must’ve been pretty rough.’
Then some compensation was in order. Gold-2 rank... after all, he was the one who’d brought Kwon Hee-seung onto this plane.
Just as he was about to speak, Kwon Hee-seung, having gathered his thoughts, jumped ahead and shouted,
“...Wait, if all that was real... were we evacuating by plane because Korea just got destroyed?!”
“...No such thing. We’re at LAX, our destination.”
“Phew.”
So it really was almost like a dream!
Kwon Hee-seung let out a long sigh of relief. Park Mundae, for a different reason, suppressed his own sigh and continued,
“Anyway, you went through hell because of this, so consider this your compensation.”
“Eh?”
“...!”
“A wish.”
Without hesitation, Park Mundae added,
“I’ll grant any one request of yours, within reason. How’s that?”
Ooooh.
Kwon Hee-seung reflexively replayed Park Mundae’s achievements so far in his mind—
From the Ajusa challenge’s Chicken-Feet Lord to behind-the-scenes company domination to label-making.
Then he made up his mind.
“I’ll put it to good use.”
“Good.”
Yes!
‘Should I ask to make it three wishes like Jinni does? No, better not.’
He knew when to join in and when to hold back.
With that all-purpose wish voucher in hand, Kwon Hee-seung finally gazed outside and relaxed completely as he confirmed they were at LAX.
“Wow.”
The sky was clear. Though the sunset sky felt foreign, it was familiar and unbearably beautiful.
“...”
“You did well.”
“Ah, it was just a dream.”
Park Mundae didn’t reply but wore a faint, bittersweet smile as he, too, watched the sunset sky.
Silence reigned.
Immersed in that quiet reprieve, Kwon Hee-seung casually asked,
“So, what about the system?”
“I got rid of it.”
“I see.”
He felt refreshed. Even if it had been a dream, it sounded like he’d had a rough time.
‘Ah, feels so good.’
He sat back down, popped some cheese-and-salt crackers and chocolate from the cart into his mouth.
“Hey, when did you eat these?”
“While you were asleep.”
“Wow, these must be expensive, right?”
“No idea.”
Kwon Hee-seung popped open a new champagne bottle and relaxed. The charter’s owner, who’d been reading a book, neither commented nor looked his way.
‘So I can eat whatever I want.’
Just as he let himself think that, sounds rippled through the cabin—doors opening, people moving.
“Everyone’s ready.”
For the first time, Cheongryeo spoke. When Kwon Hee-seung turned, he saw crew members returning to their stations.
‘Huh?’
He cautiously asked,
“Hyungs, can we get off now?”
“No.”
“...?”
“We’ve refueled at the airport.”
Park Mundae laughed.
“Now we head back.”
“...!!”
They’d come all the way to LA only to turn right back? He could’ve at least let them hang out a bit!
A thousand protests filled his mind, but before he could speak, he realized he, too, wanted to go back so badly he fell silent.
Back to everyday life, back home.
“Departing.”
The three idols fastened their seatbelts. The plane turned toward its departure point and began its return flight.
By the time they arrived at Incheon International Airport, it was already dawn.
It took a while to get back to Seoul, but he wasn’t anxious—his phone had been buzzing nonstop.
Kim Rae-bin: As soon as I said I was heading straight back to the dorm, my grandma got really worried, so we spent a while talking. Sorry!
Seon Ah-hyun: No worries, come back safely. I told my parents and I’m back at the dorm now.
Cha Yoo-jin: I stayed at the dorm from the start; I’m rank 1 😎
Those who’d gotten leave and scattered seemed to trigger every possible episode on their way back.
‘I could’ve just stayed home for a few nights.’
He’d actually suggested it...
Maybe those who’ve gone home can rest a bit before coming back
Seon Ah-hyun: No, I’ll definitely come!!
She replied at lightning speed.
After a moment of silence in the group chat...
Seon Ah-hyun: I didn’t mean to stop members from staying home longer; I live close so I said I’d head straight back. No pressure!
Long messages, as always.
Ryu Cheong-woo: Got it, Ah-hyun. Take your time 😊
Kim Rae-bin: Understood completely! But I’m fine, too—won’t there be another chance within the next two weeks?
Anyway, news of each member arriving non-stop filled the chat.
Big Sejin: My beloved members, did you know I went grocery shopping alone? On days like this we must toast 🥂
Ryu Cheong-woo: Haha, awesome. Oh, the other Sejin just arrived too.
Bae Sejin: 👋
Finally, when everyone seemed to have arrived, another message came through earlier:
Cha Yoo-jin: I want chicken. Mundae hyung, where are you? 👀
Big Sejin: Only Park Mundae’s left~~~
Bae Sejin: He must be on his way, right?
My starting point was the Pacific Ocean; of course I’d be late.
They really don’t give an inch, after flying from the Pacific to LA and back.
He checked the time in the taxi—thirty minutes left.
Swiping past group messages, he saw a private chat—messages he’d checked while Gold-2 was asleep.
Grand Moon: Hyung, I arrived safely! Are you okay?
Grand Moon said he’d safely recovered consciousness in Ryu Geon-woo’s body, no pain or discomfort at all.
‘Success, then.’
Only one odd thing remained.
[You can still message through your status window...? OMG?]
It didn’t feel like the system was swallowing them up anymore, but that extra function was still working. He could still see his own status window.
‘Because of the permanent status-window reward?’
He guessed it was from a reward he’d received after clearing his status ailments. That system seemed bizarrely bound by contracts or promises.
‘Will is mental energy, I guess.’
Anyway, since it was gone, he didn’t care.
He put his phone away feeling light.
A moment later...
“We’ve arrived at the apartment gate!”
“Thanks.”
He paid the fare quickly and got out.
Past the nearly unfamiliar flowerbeds, past the playground, through the first-floor lobby, into the elevator.
His familiar front door came into view.
beep-beep, click.
He pressed the button and opened it.
clack.
“Huh!”
“Wow, Park Mundae’s here already!”
“No chicken joints open at 4 AM, right?”
A rush of cool air hit him as he stepped inside. Voices and rushing footsteps came from beyond the door—familiar people.
‘Why aren’t they all asleep?’
He laughed and entered. Suppressing the late hour, they showered him with muted praises and hugs. It was the same members, the same dorm—even the same...
But surprisingly, it wasn’t just people in the dorm.
“Mundae, look at this!”
“Wow!”
A white furball was there. He recognized that tuft.
Bae Sejin hadn’t come back alone.
“I brought Mung-ge, too. Thought she’d make a good travel buddy. It’s been a while... I’m happy.”
Beyond Cha Yoo-jin—who had hunted down a 24-hour chicken place—Bae Sejin held out a small dog in his hands.
He took the wagging pup. It was soft and warm.
“Let’s get some rest first... tomorrow we’ll wake up, get ready, and go have fun.”
“Absolutely.”
“First, chicken.”
“I really want to know how Yoo-jin doesn’t gain weight.”
Petting the dog, he quietly said,
“Before that, there’s something I want to do.”
“...!”
“What is it?”
“It won’t take long. I’ll just head out while you’re all sleeping.”
At that hour, he called the only place open.
“Mundae, what’s up so late—good to hear from you!”
“Same here. Thank you.”
He sat in a chair as a hairdresser smiled and took his hair.
That’s right. He’d come to the salon’s first slot at dawn.
“Aren’t the members doing theirs?”
“No.”
He wasn’t alone. While his hair was being done, the others had followed and sat in the waiting area, squealing over potential travel photos.
“Here! Let’s go here!”
“Don’t decide based on promo shots, Cha Yoo-jin!”
‘They never listen.’
Their dorm allowed pets, so without leaving anyone behind, he’d brought them all.
“So for your color, this one?”
“Yes.”
His hair was coated in dye.
And a few hours later...
“Matches the photo from earlier, right? Looks great.”
“Yes, thank you.”
He sat in the salon chair and, a bit awkwardly, took the photo himself. After years of experience he could manage a self-shot, but it’d been a while.
“...”
Then, after a very long time, he logged into TeSTAR’s official SNS... and hit upload.
Hello, Lovuers
It’s Mundae (dog emoji)
I’ve got my hair color back. I kinda missed it.
(photo)
In the attached photo he had golden-brown hair, just like his first dye back in the Ajusa days.
As if waiting for it, notifications started pouring in.
“Whoa, Ajusa’s Golden Mundae”
“Love you, love you always”
“Park Mundae’s official attendance rate is unreal—this is the child of the era”
“Is this a next-album spoiler? Mundae? Mundae?”
“♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
“Mundaedang, forever victorious. Tibetan fox, give up now” (fist emoji)
Familiar reactions and profile pictures filled the screen—insults like “What’s his scheme?” as usual.
It was TeSTAR’s Park Mundae.
“...”
“Oh? Mundae-Mundae posted? Aww, leaving us waiting in the wings to do it all alone...”
“Show your face.”
“Oh?”
He snapped a group shot of them all furiously tapping laptops and phones in the salon waiting area.
Here to see Yellow Mundae 🥴
From that morning on, fans received multiple alerts from TeSTAR’s official account.
And just a few hours earlier, at a spacious, spotless Seoul apartment, silence reigned.
By the grand entrance, a large dog lay half-asleep on a soft beige blanket, having waited a long time. Yet it hadn’t forgotten its happy sound.
ting!
The door opened. Footsteps approached. The signal that its beloved family had returned.
“...!”
In an instant the dog lifted its head, wagged its tail, and stared at the huge gray door.
It swung open, and as always, the big family strode in on two legs.
“Kong-ah.”
“Woof!”
The dog leapt up, greeting its family with all its might. It had learned to wait patiently whenever they were away, but the reunion was always overwhelming.
Kong danced on its hind legs, reaching forward with paws and muzzle to welcome them warmly and enthusiastically.
“Ah...”
Kong’s family member, Shin Jae-hyun, scooped up the yellow dog and held it close at the entrance, listening in stillness to the unfamiliar echo—
The things always discarded at each new beginning, until nothing remained.
The affection for what was left.
“Kong-ah, I’m back.”
It was Jae-hyun’s first homecoming line since becoming Cheongryeo. He stood at the door, holding the dog, quietly savoring that strange afterglow.
For a moment—that stretch of time.
And then.
buzz
“Just one thing.”
A phone rang from Cheongryeo’s back pocket, where he never gave pre-workout dawn snacks to his dog.
“Huh?”
No one would contact him at this hour unless it was urgent.
He checked, and saw the unexpected:
Park Mundae: (photo)
Silently, Mundae had sent a picture of the white dog, as if copying him.
“Haha!”
Cheongryeo laughed out loud, cradling the dog on his lap, savoring his first homecoming.
