Debut or Die - Chapter 478
This situation is incredibly embarrassing.
“Why were you interested?”
“…”
“What activities did you watch?”
“Just, overall.”
Wasn’t it Cha Eugene who ran away from the dorm? Why does it feel like I’m the one being interrogated?
Didn’t he say he didn’t want to talk about STier?
The situation of having my past dug up at a restaurant in Ganghwa Island by the guy I barely found after staying up all night was something I never expected… But I can’t just not answer this.
It seems like Kim Raebin managed to calm this guy down, so I can’t mess it up now. So, as I kept answering diligently, the questions seemed endless.
“Why did you watch us?”
Damn.
Does this Cha Eugene have the same personality as a question mark killer? On the contrary, I thought it was better because it felt familiar.
I had no choice but to maintain my composure. And in the meantime, STier Cha Eugene’s questions became more specific.
“I mean, there must have been a reason, a trigger, right?”
“…”
Hmm. I looked at him.
STier Cha Eugene had become more straightforward as if he had lowered the hurdles he had set up over the past few days. So, I realized that I couldn’t just give a vague answer and move on. This sharp guy would notice right away.
Yeah. That’s what it is. If I try to wrap it up cleverly, it will backfire. So… I just started to say whatever came to mind. It was a story I had never told before.
“I watched a stage fancam, and it was good.”
“…”
“I think it was a festival in Pohang.”
In fact, I vaguely remembered the name. It was the Pohang Sea Festival hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
[2X0712 Pohang Ocean Leisure Festival STier Full]
It was a coincidence.
“Back in college, I used to film idol events to make some extra money… The habit stuck, so I was watching idol videos and happened to see it.”
And the sense I had as a data seller was still there at that time. The kind that goes, ‘These guys would cost about this much.’ So I casually looked up the price and was quite shocked. It was lower than my estimated price. Even the demand was dropping at that point.
I could see people leaving them. Unless there was some significant positive news for a rebound, it was obvious that this idol group would fizzle out.
But when I watched STier’s stage, I didn’t see that typical lethargy of someone who knows it’s already too late. So, I wondered if I had misjudged the price.
“…”
…Maybe that’s why I suddenly had this thought.
“What if I filmed and uploaded a fancam, and by some stroke of luck, it went viral?”
Like Youngrin’s heavy rain fancam. But I knew it was practically an impossible fantasy, and I didn’t have the money or time to do it.
There was no reason for me to do it in the first place. So, that’s where it ended.
“…As I kept watching, WeTube’s algorithm showed me related videos. Stages and variety shows. That’s all.”
“…”
Really, that was all.
I closed my mouth, and Eugene also closed his mouth.
It doesn’t seem like he’s suspicious… That was enough
I held back a short sigh. This should be enough of an explanation.
“…? …??”
Next to me, it seemed like Kim Raebin was struggling to keep up with the conversation, but I’ll deal with that later. Right now, I have my own head to worry about.
Honestly, talking about this now is kind of ridiculous. To be precise, until recently, I had forgotten that I had even looked up the group STier. I had entered Park Moondae’s body, and my memories of that time were completely gone. All I had were fragmented memories from my twenties as a civil service exam student, knowing only that the re-listing season of <Idol Inc> was a hit. And it was only very recently that I regained the memories of Ryu Gunwoo, who had quit the exams and started working.
It was a coincidence that I got them back when I broke the system. So, questions like this…
“Then… are you a fan of ours?”
“…”
No, this isn’t the kind of question you should be asking, right?
“I never attended any offline events, so it’s hard to call myself a fan.”
“Really?”
However, Cha Eugene chuckled.
Oh, really?
“(So, you’re saying that you, who originally didn’t participate, ended up on a survival program, and a B-grade boy group became a perfectly successful KPOP group just by coincidence?)”
“…”
“(You had no intention of changing the fate of this group at all. Right?)”
Hey. I was threatened with death if I didn’t debut, you jerk…!
Fate, my foot.
After that, it was a constant struggle to survive, with threats of death if we didn’t get first place or win awards.
I couldn’t bring myself to say that and silently held back my frustration. But suddenly, a doubt crept in. Was it really a coincidence? Could it be that because I was interested in the group STier that debuted in, the system picked up on that and granted my wish?
…It’s possible.
Anyway, let’s calmly clear up the misunderstanding.
I answered sincerely. “It’s really a misunderstanding. This is like a butterfly effect.”
“Umm.”
“My memory was a bit jumbled too.”
After giving a brief explanation of my situation, I emphasized it once again. “Anyway, all I did was watch your stage and some variety shows.”
But it didn’t work.
“(Half the members disappeared due to rumors, leaving only three in the boy group?)”
“…So before knowing that, I just watched the stage fancams….”
This isn’t working. We’re going in circles here…
Stay calm. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and opened them again.
Cha Eugene was now leaning completely against the table, nodding his head. It seemed like the wariness had been replaced with a sense of ease.
Next to him, Kim Raebin nodded as if he finally understood. “Ah! So that’s why you recommended Ganghwa Island right away!”
“What?”
This is driving me crazy.
“This is indeed the place we visited during our trainee days, but according to Cha Eugene, it was also the location of their group’s first variety show shoot. It seems Moondae hyung knew that. Impressive!”
“…”
That guy acted like he would never talk about STier, but when did he spill the beans to Kim Raebin? Wait, he’s still talking.
“Yeah. Umm, the second one was also at Ganghwa Island.”
“Really?!”
Huh?
I frowned. This is… a bit strange. STier’s second reality show was indeed planned in Ganghwa Island. But,
“Didn’t that get canceled…?”
“Oh.”
“…”
“…”
F*ck. I realized immediately. This guy was testing me. He was purposely checking if I knew about the canceled schedule. Even the early debut schedule. This b*stard!
Cha Eugene chuckled and adjusted his posture.
I rubbed my forehead. Was he trying to see if I had memory issues or if the timeline was different? I was about to fact-check to avoid any crazy talk, and he used it to trick me?
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
“OK.”
“I said it’s a misunderstanding.”
I’ve never even bought a single one of your albums…
This kind of information can be found just by organizing the timeline. But Cha Eugene didn’t seem to care.
“(In my opinion, everything seems clear now.)”
Cha Eugene extended his hand. It was quite polite. “Nice to meet you.”
“…”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a fan.”
Damn it.
I… extended my hand for a handshake.
“…!”
Why were you surprised when you were the one who extended your hand? …And although it’s a stretch to call myself a fan, it’s true that I endured boredom with the content this guy provided without spending a single penny. You could call that a debt.
“Yeah, nice to meet you.”
“…”
STier Cha Eugene continued to shake hands silently for quite a long time. Then suddenly, Eugene shrugged. “‘Moondae hyung’ might feel a bit disappointed. I’m better looking than this Cha Eugene.”
That’s a statement that could spark some debate.
“Do you have something to be that confident about?”
“I have a tattoo here!”
“What?!”
Leaving Cha Eugene, who was pointing at his forearm, and the astonished Kim Raebin to their own world…
Anyway, it seems like it’s done now. Did I manage to handle it…?
If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have said I was a fan from the start. No, since I’m not really a fan, saying that might have just made him more wary, so maybe this is the best. Since it seems like that guy is less stressed out now, this is the best…
I pressed my throbbing temples and bent over to pour some water. That’s when it happened. Liquid suddenly spilled onto the table. It wasn’t water.
“M-Moondae hyung?”
Ah, damn it.
It’s a nosebleed.
* * *
“Are you alright? We should go to the emergency room…”
“I’m fine.” I muttered as I removed the ice pack from my now-stopped nose.
It’s the first time I’ve had a nosebleed just from staying up late. It didn’t even happen during <Idol Inc>, so I guess I really needed <Bacchus 500>.
Maybe my brain is overloaded from having too much to do. It seems like the blood rushed to my head and tried to escape through my nose. Anyway, it means my head is clearer now.
“I can see people coming.”
“Yes. We should be careful.”
We are now sitting on the folding chairs under a parasol in front of a convenience store. There are only a few people visible far away at the beach, and since we are all wearing hoodies and masks, no one has recognized us yet. But we should probably take a taxi and head back soon, just in case someone does.
“Hey, drink this.”
This guy is the problem. I’m not sure if he’ll come along willingly.
“Thanks.”
Anyway, I took the ion drink Eugene handed me and drank it. Then I paused for a moment.
“…”
Isn’t this the drink STier advertised when they first debuted?
“Wow, Moondae hyung, you know that too?”
“What?”
I learned this from reading the organized post on the STier Wiki advertisement tab.
I continued drinking the beverage. Then, a small voice came from beside me.
“Sorry.”
“…”
“Are you disappointed in me?”
“No.”
I took the drink away from my mouth.
“I should have been more considerate, but I wasn’t. I’m the one who should be sorry.”
“…”
I added jokingly. “We just had a fight with T1 and left.”
“What?”
Well, it is something to be shocked about.
“So all the schedules related to T1 are blocked. That’s why I was more concerned about our reputation. I was anxious.”
“…”
“I’m sorry if it felt like I was controlling you. You’re right. We don’t have the right to do that when we just met.”
Kim Raebin was right.
I glanced at the guy next to me, who was packing the remaining ice packs. He was sitting there, seriously worried about my nosebleed, completely unaware of the monumental social achievement he had just accomplished.
Good grief.
It was then.
“Hey.” Cha Eugene scrunched his nose and hunched his shoulders. “I’m not trash.”
What are you suddenly talking about?
“I appreciate the fans. Thank you, Moondae hyung, for being our fan.”
“But I never bought the album.”
“(…Some values might not be related to money.)”
The guy, who made a statement uncharacteristic of someone from the heart of capitalism, rested his head on his knees in the same position.
“Thank you.”
“…”
I finished my drink.
“Thank you too.”
We called a taxi from there and returned to the dorm.
Cha Eugene didn’t argue or run away. He just quietly chatted with Kim Raebin and naturally got into the taxi with us. And it would have been great if that had resolved everything.
“Eu-Eugene!”
“…Thank goodness.”
It was then that I noticed Ryu Chungwoo, who didn’t look too well, among the guys welcoming the situation.
What’s going on? I had a strong sense of impending doom.
“Chungwoo hyung, is something wrong?”
“…Yeah.”
That means there is. Damn it.
“The company contacted us… This is just the staff’s guess, so don’t worry too much.”
“…”
“ĭter is appearing as a special guest at the Summer Pool event today.”
What? I realized the hidden meaning behind those words.
“…It wasn’t part of their original schedule, but suddenly?”
“Suddenly.”
That’s right.
Ĭter was suddenly scheduled to appear at an event similar to Waterbomb but smaller, with almost no pay. But why did our company rush to inform us about it?
“It seems… someone at the company leaked the news about Eugene.”
“…”
So, the fact that Cha Eugene had run away reached the ears of the other party through someone at the company…
“If you hadn’t found Eugene, there might have been an article about it this evening.”
The other party anticipated that this Waterbomb event would be a disaster for Testa. And to create a comparison, they hastily included Ĭter in a similar but smaller event.
F*ck.
It was a smart move. This way, they can create a narrative of rookie passion and spirit even for a smaller event. They aimed to create buzz by contrasting a first-tier idol member who ran away or an idol group that canceled Waterbomb with the passionate rookies. But that was only if Cha Eugene had gone on a rampage.
“…Yes. But since Cha Eugene returned safely, the effect they were aiming for won’t happen.”
“Yeah. That’s why I told you not to worry too much. I didn’t want to keep it from you and make you more anxious later.”
“…”
That’s true.
Ryu Chungwoo smiled faintly.
“Anyway, get some rest. I can handle the contact with the company. There’s still… hmm, about four hours until the event, so you can sleep for a bit.”
“Hmm.”
That’s not possible.
“No, we need to practice our formation one more time. We need to check our parts. Since the center is missing, we need to be more precise.”
We had to be more meticulous if we were going to perform the song without Cha Eugene, whose presence was integral. But Ryu Chungwoo shook his head.
“You look too pale right now… At least take a rest right away. We’ll practice first…”
“Do we have a group schedule this evening?”
“…!”
I almost flinched. Cha Eugene suddenly butted into the conversation.
What now? Even though he asked if we had a schedule, he didn’t seem particularly curious.
“…Yeah. It’s an event.”
“Is it a problem if ‘Cha Eugene’ isn’t there?”
“…A little.”
“Umm.”
STier Cha Eugene stared into space as if deep in thought. Then he glanced over at Kim Raebin.
…No way?
“(It’s partly my fault that you even had a nosebleed.) I feel responsible too, so…”
“…??”
“I need to do the schedule this evening.”
“…!!”
“R-Really?!”
“I don’t lie.”
“Cha Eugene!!” The living room was filled with exclamations, screams, and confusion.
I almost dropped my jaw. I never imagined this…
STier Cha Eugene joined the temporary schedule. And it was for Waterbomb.
But a moment later.
“MoondaeMoondae, wait a second.”
“Yeah.”
Keun Sejin cautiously called me out.
“It’s great that Eugene is cooperating, but… you know we don’t have much time left until Waterbomb, right?” Keun Sejin spoke quickly and accurately. “If Eugene can’t keep up, it might be better to just step back. We’ve already discussed the health issues anyway.”
“…”
“What do you think?”
It was a reasonable concern and a cold, rational judgment. If I didn’t have other information, I would have nodded in agreement. However…
I chuckled. “I don’t think you need to worry.”
“…!”
“Let’s start practicing right away.”
No other words were necessary. Just once. After one round of choreography, his worries would disappear. No, rather… He might feel other emotions arise.
“…Okay.”
And 30 minutes later.
“…!”
Let me just say my prediction came true.
The time for Waterbomb was approaching.