Debut or Die - Chapter 483

The returned Cha Eugene had an incredibly lively day. But it doesn’t mean he just played around.

“I’m practicing!”

He checked his choreography, worked out, and even had a direct call with the manager, who was crying their eyes out. After talking with his family in the U.S., he started enjoying a racing game with Kim Raebin.

“Yeaaah!”

“W-Wait!”

“Left! Press the jump key on the left!”

The members were swept up in the whirlwind of activity. It was like he was ticking off items on his bucket list while organizing his daily life. He even had a video call with Bae Sejin’s family dog, Munggae, in the middle of it all.

[Woof!]

“Ooooh. Hi, buddy!”

The little furball that used to fit in one hand had grown to overflow in both hands. Still flipping over on its back, as always.

Still looks as clueless as ever.

On the screen, the white head and tail were wagging furiously.

“Since we moved, should we call Kkami too?”

“I’d love that!!”

He seemed ready to even video call his dog back in the U.S. to introduce all the members’ dogs together.

“…”

And… I silently observed him. The interesting part was that an unexpected person got caught up in it.

“Hey, Moondae. Are you… feeling regretful?”

“…”

Seon Ahyeon had quietly asked.

“Me?”

“Yeah,”

His face blushed slightly, and he nodded firmly.

“Eugene coming back is, of course, really great and reassuring… but, it might be sad to part again.”

“…”

“I think it’s only natural.”

No, I mean… I was worried because that point was ambiguous.

Anyway, it seems Seon Ahyeon was quite concerned about Stier Cha Eugene, who had suddenly disappeared.

I did give a rough explanation.

But Eugene himself noticed my change and requested that the situation be ended. Still, from his perspective, it was like he suddenly vanished without a proper goodbye. In the morning, they were just relieved and happy that Eugene, our member, returned safely, but now they might start feeling a bit uneasy.

Hmm.

“…Yeah. Thanks.”

“Oh, no!”

So, I might need to bring up the conversation.

“Yeeees!!”

“Ugh!!”

I decided to seize the timing while watching Eugene do a victory ceremony with the game controller. And that timing came sooner than expected.

It was that evening.

“Oh, our Eugene is doing well~”

“Hehe!”

After a stormy day, Eugene was checking out the guitar in Keun Sejin’s private room. In other words, he was in a relaxed state, having slowed down his pace as if he had planned it.

I called him out. “Eugene.”

“Umm?”

“I have something to talk about with the Waterbomb.”

“OK!”

I led him to the balcony, intending to slowly gauge his feelings while talking about the Waterbomb.

If he seems reluctant, I can stop right away.  Carefully, of course, but there was no need to go that far. …Because as soon as Eugene stepped onto the veranda, he spoke up. Directly.

“I remember.”

“…!”

What?

I turned my head.

“Bad Cha Eugene.”

Eugene had a calm expression. He shrugged his shoulders and stretched. Then, passing by my stiffened self, he stood by the veranda window.

“But it’s not exact. (It’s like some kind of vivid dream, or… a childhood memory.)”

He squinted one eye slightly as if trying to recall a word that didn’t come to mind.

“But the emotions ‘that’ Eugene felt, um, moving? Touching? Overwhelming? (It’s surprisingly hard to find the right word. Anyway,)”

Then, leaning against the veranda ledge, he turned his gaze towards me, like Stier Eugene from that day.

“I remember that.”

“…”

I looked at him. His positive and straightforward mindset, proactive and sociable demeanor, and the way he bluntly stated facts all remained the same. This was Eugene, a member of the group that debuted as TeSTAR. But it didn’t seem like he knew ‘STier Eugene’ merely as knowledge. So… Cha Eugene just looked like Cha Eugene. And he spoke as himself.

“I think I was exhausted. Really exhausted.”

“…”

“(Maybe Bad Eugene wouldn’t have admitted it, but it was a kind of burnout. And anyone can experience that when they hit a wall.)”

Eugene cheerfully shrugged his shoulders.

“(Even me. So it’s not particularly shocking!)”

Is that so?

But realizing that your past self didn’t succeed might not be such a pleasant thing. Even though Eugene was amazing on stage, no one paid attention, so he never got the recognition he deserved. Eventually, he got tired of being an idol and quit.

“…What do you think?”

“What? About what?”

“Just,”

On a summer night without air conditioning, the air on the balcony was hot and stuffy.

“Overall, about this situation.”

“Oh… Are you worried about me?”

I nodded slightly.

Eugene seemed a bit surprised but soon bowed his head seriously. “(I’m not going to lie. Honestly, when I woke up this morning, I was a bit confused.)

The response continued calmly. “(At that moment, it felt like I was Bad Eugene, but with TeSTAR’s memories returning.)”

“…!”

“(It didn’t take long for me to return to myself. You’re right, it’s like a bit of a trauma. Five years of not being rewarded at all.)”

…So it was like that.

Eugene let out a short sigh. I accepted his words calmly. But it didn’t end there.

“But Moondae hyung, I know this.” He raised his hand and gently patted my back. “Time heals everything.”

“…”

“So even if you hadn’t come from the past, I would have returned to the stage.”

I lifted my head. Eugene was smiling.

“Others feel the same way as I do.”

No way.

And before I could ask, he mouthed the word ‘Stier.’

“…!”

“(Five years. The fact that it wasn’t rewarded is just Cha Eugene’s thought from back then. Who knows what happened after that?)”

Life is long, and opportunities keep coming. Cha Eugene shrugged.

“(Who knows? Maybe after about two years, I went back to Korea and re-debuted with an amazing song by Kim Raebin… Or maybe we released an album in the U.S.)”

It wasn’t about great success. It was just that even Cha Eugene, who had scattered and completely given up on idol group activities, returned to the U.S…. In the end, it meant that he wouldn’t have given up forever.

“(We would have continued doing it somehow. Because we loved it so much.)”

“…”

What comes to mind reflexively is, funnily enough, my own experience. My first concert.

“Countless voices formed a harmony, and with the lights, they poured down like shooting stars from all directions.”

I was breathless.

Because I knew what kind of impact it had on my mind, I understood Cha Eugene’s words. And I understood his next words too.

“(Waterbomb made Bad Cha Eugene realize it early on.)”

Right.  So… that’s why he became so cooperative after that.

“(But even without Waterbomb, whether I ran a repair shop or a surfboard shop in the U.S., I would have realized it eventually. I know myself.)” Eugene Cha spoke confidently and giggled. “Since I know, Moondae hyung should believe too. It’s better that way.”

“…”

So, that’s the story.

Ryu Gunwoo just didn’t see it because he had made an extreme choice before, but in fact, STier would have recovered.

Cha Eugene, who had been in that position, spoke without a shred of doubt. “Hyung is my fan.”

“…”

I… don’t know.

Did the STier Eugene Cha, who high-fived me, return to where he used to live? Or, like how I regained the memories of my past job as Ryu Gunwoo, did this guy briefly return to his past STier days?

So now, he has regained all his original memories and remembers the STier days like a distant pass. But one thing is certain. That Cha Eugene eventually became this Cha Eugene…

Because of that, it’s a reliable statement… I’ll think of it that way.

So.  If Ryu Gunwoo hadn’t died and had held on for a few more years, I might have seen these guys perform again somewhere. I’ll believe that too.

Whoosh.  The wind blew.

I looked out at the starlit view from the balcony and opened my mouth. “…Yeah. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Don’t mention it!”

It was a slightly more polite expression than the usual ‘Don’t mention it’ that Cha Eugene used. I realized that it wasn’t something said to an older brother like Park Moondae but rather to Ryu Gunwoo, who had supported him. So I quietly nodded and stood with him on the balcony without air conditioning for a little longer.

* * *

“So… I have something to say.”

“What is it?”

“Moondae hyung, you’re my fan.”

“I told you I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. I do fan service! Then, Hyung, make me some dakgalbi.”

“If it’s a service, why are you asking for something in return?”

“That’s Konglish. Originally, ‘service’ means you get paid!”

Oh, come on.

A moment later, the guy who had been having a serious conversation started acting like the youngest member of the team again, and I left the balcony feeling the familiar sense of being drained.

Dakgalbi, huh…   Haven’t we been eating too much chicken lately?

But as I watched him head back to his room, a thought suddenly occurred to me. Ah, right.  So I hurriedly asked. “By the way, about Sejin hyung.”

“Oh.”

Bae Sejin. I was worried about how he would feel after regaining his memories, but…

“I don’t know!”

The details of his memories were already starting to fade, and he seemed to vaguely remember the chaos during Bae Sejin’s drug arrest. Moreover,

“But I think there was a misunderstanding. (Honestly, that hyung would have joined the military rather than sell drugs.)”

“…”

Over the past few years, his trust(?) in Bae Sejin’s desire for legal action had been solid.

“You’re right.”

“Sure. I’m always right.”

“Sometimes you’re wrong.”

“It might seem wrong at the moment. But in the end, I’m right!”

Oh, really.

I laughed and patted him. “Yeah. Let’s see.”

“Hehe.”

And so, Cha Eugene really, completely came back.

The next day, he received a bunch of handmade candies from Bae Sejin and uploaded a post on SNS.

=========================

Loviewer, it’s Cha Eugene!

Sorry for being late. I won’t be sick anymore. T.T

I’m completely healthy now (sunglasses emoji)

I want to get back on stage soon. Thank you for worrying about me. I’ll come back as a cooler tiger!

(photo)

=========================

The response is hot. The comments and shares were updating like crazy, and the numbers were very positive.

I nodded, finished my call with the company, and saw Ryu Chungwoo approaching. Now, everything was ready.

“Reality filming is scheduled as planned, right?”

“Yeah. The conversation went well.”

That’s right. With Cha Eugene safely back, it’s the perfect timing to film the group’s own content, the reality show.

“It’s next week.”

We can proceed as planned.

“Yes.”

I finished my assessment satisfactorily and composed myself. All the priorities are now taken care of. What’s left… is just dealing with this.

Taking a deep breath, it’s time to face it.

“…Status window.”

Ding.

The brilliant text began to appear on the screen.

[New! Update complete reward]

[New! New feature unlocked]

[New! Survey]

……

The items are flashing. They look very enticing, almost suspiciously so. So, I was carefully checking them when a strange word caught my eye.

[New! Survey]

“…Survey?”

What does that mean?

I rubbed my chin, considering a few possibilities. Of course, one thing is certain.

Yeah. I’m not falling for it.

I have no intention of clicking it. I’ll call Keundal to take a look inside of it.  And if there’s no risk?

Just get rid of it quickly.

Let’s cancel this damn system as soon as possible.

Keun…

At that moment. Bzzzz-

“…”

My smartphone buzzed. It was a text message.

Hmm.  Wondering if it was a message from the company, I opened it just in case….

-VTIC Shin Cheongryeo Sunbae-nim: Hoobae, are you interested in featuring?

“…”

Wait a minute. I read it again, and both the sender and the content were correct.

What?

It was the beginning of an unexpected proposal.