Debut or Die - Chapter 486
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these Chs are commissioned if you want your series to be translated you can contact us at discord for your favorite series.
Chapter 486
After absorbing all the information from my assigned ‘profile’ folder, I stepped out of my room in the dimly lit ‘TeSTAR’s former dorm.’
The door was locked. There was a slight resistance in my hand. I gently gripped the doorknob and pushed softly. Creak.
“Wh-Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
“Park Moondae!”
Several guys were already in the living room and greeted me warmly upon seeing me. Even in the dim light, their builds and faces were visible.
Kim Raebin and Bae Sejin. It seemed they had been sitting close together on the floor rather than the sofa, and they quickly got up.
Hmm.
“Did everyone wake up in their own rooms?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Kim Raebin nodded, claiming he was the first to come out. Bae Sejin then hit the nail on the head.
“How on earth did they do this? It’s exactly like our previous dorm!” He wasn’t just talking about the structure.
We had heard that since we had taken over our former company, T1 Stars, our old dorm’s lease was still intact. We can definitely use that dorm for reality shooting now. But that wasn’t what surprised him.
I turned my gaze to the plaster air freshener in front of the turned-off TV. A flower wreath shape. It was similar to the one Seon Ahyeon had displayed in the previous dorm and brought to the current dorm.
“Indeed, most of the stuff looks the same.”
In other words, the props from when TeSTAR lived here were almost identically recreated. Moreover,
“But it feels somewhat eerie since the lights aren’t on….”
“…Yeah.”
The light switches didn’t work. Only a few corridor and ceiling end lights were functional.
“…”
For those with vivid imaginations, the environment was unsettling. The atmosphere suggested something could happen at any moment.
Hmm. When I think of it, the faces of those particularly strong in such environments are absent, like Ryu Chungwoo or Seon Ahyeon.
…Wait a minute!
I looked at the faces of the others again and asked. “Did you have roommates in your rooms?”
“Ah.”
The others seemed to realize something as well.
“Now that you mention it, everyone was alone in their rooms?”
“Yes! At least I was.”
That’s right. All three of us used different rooms. Kim Raebin with Seon Ahyeon. Bae Sejin with Cha Eugene. And I am with Ryu Chungwoo. So, none of us had roommates.
Does this mean one from each room was selected?
We could speculate as much. In other words, the three of us became the ‘dorm team.’ Of course, since it’s a group reality show, we won’t be shooting just among ourselves forever. Eventually, we’ll contact the others. However, if the teams were divided this way, one room would remain.
A single room.
Realizing this as well, Bae Sejin clenched his fist. “Ah, right! Let’s find Lee Sejin. He’s the only one in a single room…!”
“Yes.”
However, when we cautiously approached Lee Sejin’s single room, the door was locked.
“…”
No sound was heard in the dark dorm…
“…Could he be inside, staying quiet to surprise us?”
“It’s possible.”
Isn’t he the type who understands variety shows? But there was no sudden burst from Sejin opening the door. At least for more than three minutes, it was dead quiet.
“…”
“…”
At this point, the silence becomes an issue. Someone like him, who’s good at timing, wouldn’t stay in his room and miss the main storyline for this long. We should consider it a door that can’t be opened now.
“He’s not there.”
“Or maybe he doesn’t want to come out?”
That’s unknown.
“Hmm.”
Bae Sejin and I felt a strange sensation as we looked at the firmly closed single room door. It was then.
“There’s something under here.”
“…!”
Kim Raebin bent down. He picked up something partially sticking out from under the door. It was a piece of white paper with writing on it.
Instructions?
There was only one sentence.
-I open at the end.
Intriguing.
“It feels like an escape room clue.”
“I know, right?”
We looked at the paper with serious faces.
In the dimly lit corridor, where indirect lighting barely reached, cool air from the air conditioner touched the backs of our necks. They’re setting the mood right.
Could you at least give us a flashlight? The spooky atmosphere felt like something that could turn into a full-fledged survival situation at any moment.
It’s possible. I nodded. But first, let’s proceed with the part the production team instructed us to do.
-Please introduce yourselves to the viewers.
“Shall we sit and talk for a bit?”
“Sure.”
It’s time for introductions.
* * *
“First of all, I am a ‘doctor.’”
“Oh.”
“That’s a fitting job for Moondae hyung!” Kim Raebin exclaimed as if someone had chosen it for me.
No, we drew lots together before entering here. Undoubtedly, they would have distributed the profiles this way. Maybe they even divided the teams. But let’s leave that as behind-the-scenes fun for the viewers, and I nodded.
“Thanks for the compliment. So, Sejin hyung….”
“Ah, I am… a ‘lawyer.’”
“…”
“Wh-What?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Around this time, they might insert my interview where I’d say, ‘Wouldn’t the prosecutor suit him better?’ And everyone would agree.
“But being a lawyer makes me think you might have gotten a mission to deceive people…”
“What are you talking about?! No way!” Bae Sejin protested.
Ah, what is the mission?
-Occupation Mission:
Must be completed before the first game ends.
It’s this.
I saw it written in my profile folder. It might be different for each job. I nodded, thinking of mine.
“Alright. Hyung, I’ll be suspicious of you for now.”
“Usually, people say they trust you first…!”
“I’m not usual.”
“…?!”
After some banter, we lightened the mood and gave a bit of a feeling of survival. As we yell at each other, the awkwardness unique to the opening of variety shows dissipates.
“Then what about Raebin?”
“I am a ‘reporter.’ Please take care of me.”
“Okay.”
It was after hearing Kim Raebin’s job, which strangely suited him and didn’t suit him at all.
“Now… shall we explore a bit more?”
“Yes. We should find an exit.”
This place was designed as an escape room for anyone to see. Right next to the living room, where the original veranda should have been, there was a thin partition blocking it. It was clearly aiming for a sealed room effect. It was also a crucial fact.
When Bae Sejin approached the front door and tried to open the translucent middle door, he reached out. Clunk. But it didn’t open.
“…The middle door is locked too.”
Of course. To double security, a keypad installed in the middle door from the previous dorm was holding it firmly.
“There’s no power here either.”
“Sigh.”
After confirming that, the search resumed.
“How about splitting up to look….”
“To prepare for any situation, it’s better if we move together!”
“Right!”
“…”
Well, alright then. The three of us started to enjoy the ‘escape room content’ together. Searching each room, gathering hints leading to the kitchen, and finally arriving at the locked bathroom door.
“If we enter the numbers in rainbow order….”
“2724! That’s it!”
“Excellent!”
Surprisingly, these guys are enjoying this, aren’t they?
Once accustomed to the darkness, the atmosphere turned into an ordinary escape room cafe. No special horror elements were there. No zombies or at least an eerie BGM suddenly popping up.
This is a bit dull. Is it possible that writer Ryu Serin is hiding her skills? I expected a twist.
Predicting a heartwarming and fast editing point, I focused on solving clues with the guys. And soon unlocked the bathroom padlock.
“2724… It’s correct.”
“Oooh!”
“At least we can maintain our dignity….”
Creak. The moment the bathroom door opened, the lights inside turned on.
“Huh?”
“Looks like the electricity is back!”
The fluorescent light was blinding for a moment. Naturally, everyone walked into the newly lit bathroom.
Hmm. I checked inside immediately. Although it replicated the previous dorm almost exactly, there was one thing causing discomfort. A black rectangular portable device sitting alone on the sink.
“A walkie-talkie?”
“Why is there a walkie-talkie in the dorm?”
“…”
Could it be?
I quickly approached the sink and picked up the walkie-talkie…It had batteries! It works.
I pressed the button and spoke. “Can you hear me?”
[…]
“Chungwoo hyung? Ahyeon?”
“…Lee Sejin, Cha Eugene!”
But there was no response from the other end.
I shook my head and lowered the walkie-talkie. “There’s no response… I thought it might be a way to communicate with the other members.”
“Ah….”
“Maybe the others haven’t found theirs yet.”
“That’s possible. Um… can I take a look at the walkie-talkie?”
“Sure.”
It was when we exchanged our theories.
Blink.
“…?”
“Uh, just now.”
Blink, blink.
“…”
This time, it was certainly not an illusion.
I looked up at the ceiling. The bathroom light… It blinked twice in succession. And usually, such a direction means…
Ah, damn.
“Park Moondae?”
I grabbed the two guys by their necks and stepped back. Then,
Blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink, blink-
“Ahhh!”
“Eek!”
I pushed the two screaming guys and quickly exited the bathroom. My vision flashes rapidly. And from behind, a shadow-like figure… Damn!
Someone’s there!
As soon as I barely got out of the bathroom, I reached back. Bang!!
“Gasp!”
I slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it again.
“Wh-What’s going on??”
“I just felt something weird!”
That was definitely an attempt to spook us with a ghost or zombie emerging from a corner cabinet!
“Did anyone see something?”
“I-I didn’t look back….”
“…Me neither.”
Phew. I looked at the quiet bathroom door and sighed in relief. At least we didn’t get caught. We should revisit the bathroom after increasing our numbers. I probably look like a scaredy-cat on camera now.
Bae Sejin patted my shoulder as if to comfort me. Somehow, it felt infuriating.
“Well, I brought the walkie-talkie.”
Good job. It’s always best for the last one holding it to keep it.
“Great! Also, the living room switch seems to work now!”
Meanwhile, Kim Raebin quickly figured out that the bathroom incident meant other lights in the house were back on.
Does this mean other electric devices too?
I stood up. “What about the middle door keypad?”
“…! Yes! It’s lit up!” Kim Raebin waved.
I took a breath then. Okay… Looks like the middle door might open soon. This should be about the right length for the opening part.
Just as I was heading towards the middle door.
“…Park Moondae.” Bae Sejin called softly, ensuring Kim Raebin couldn’t hear.
“Yes.”
“This… has something like blood on it.”
“…!!”
I focused on the inverted walkie-talkie’s bottom that he showed me. Sure enough, there was a sticky, dark red substance.
…Is it starting? Zombies, for real?
While I was predicting camera angles for the potential entry point, Bae Sejin whispered.
“Don’t tell Raebin… he might get scared.”
Hmm?
“…Okay.” I nodded, and Bae Sejin, firmly holding the walkie-talkie, moved forward.
It was then I thought. Should I retrieve the walkie-talkie…? That guy was a bit unnatural just now.
Thinking Kim Raebin would be scared? Kim Raebin would react with, ‘…? It’s just fake blood for the show. Why would I be scared?’ Because Raebin is surprisingly a wild guy. He’s the kind of guy who would even catch a chicken with his own hands. Maybe growing up in a farmer’s family made his guts strong. And Bae Sejin would know this.
Well, maybe he just panicked and tried to protect the youngest as the oldest person.
But there’s one more thing bothering me. Bae Sejin’s job. A lawyer.
A lawyer in criminal law represents defendants. And defendants could be criminals.
What if the game focused on this characteristic? There’s a chance Bae Sejin received a mission to protect or sabotage a troll.
Let’s keep this in mind… I decided to keep an eye on ‘lawyer’ Bae Sejin. Though it’s just a variety show, I’d rather not get blindsided like in .
Then, I joined them at the middle door. Bae Sejin and Kim Raebin were seriously reading ‘Incorrect number’ on the screen.
“The middle door code… doesn’t work.”
Naturally, for security, they wouldn’t use the original password of the TeSTAR dorm. But searching for the number would be tedious.
After a brief thought, I suggested. “How about 0000?”
“Ah.”
It was a default number. And,
Beep, beep, beep-
“Wow!”
“I-It worked!”
Finally, the middle door opened. Beyond it was the front door.
First, let’s check the front.
It was then.
[…Hyung!]
[…Guys~!]
“…!!”
“G-Guys?”
Voices shouting could be heard from the other side of the front door.
“Looks like they were waiting on the other side!”
“Y-Yeah!”
As expected, we’ll meet up. We quickly approached the front door. The voices grew louder.
[…open up! Let us…!]
They seemed to be saying to let them in. I nodded and took a step.
It was at that moment. The front door started to glow.
“…!!”
“Wh-What is it?”
The two jumped in surprise. Good, it’s nice they’re reacting fast after the bathroom experience.
“It’s okay.”
I raised my hand and placed it on the door. Sss, squeak. Like peeling off a sticker from paper, the coating gently came off from the edge.
It’s a laminated sheet.
“Is it a cover…?”
“Yeah.”
The outline of the paper cover, invisible in the dark, was revealed by the light from behind. And the source of the light….
“A panel?”
It was a pad, like a smartphone or monitor screen.
“Whoa.”
“Is it okay to install something like this on a normal home door?”
Surprised voices were heard from the other side too. Something must have happened there as well.
It was then. Beep.
[Welcome to the Young Lamb Game!]
“Agh!!”
Light burst from the screen attached to the front door, along with a sound effect, revealing a large message. Kim Raebin covered his mouth, his eyes wide as he stared at the screen.
“Wh-What is this?”
“Let’s step back a bit.”
Swoosh. The three of us stepped back three steps from the door. At the same time, the screen changed flashily.
[First Game]
-Choose a Sacrifice
“…!!”
-Sacrifice one occupation to open the front door.
Time left: 3 hours.
What?
* * *
It was on the internet, just as TeSTAR began filming. Their company, ‘Orbit Stars,’ suddenly posted an odd message on their account.
[Choose a character to be sacrificed. (Link)]
-??
-What’s this
Many suspected hacking, but there are always pioneers. Curious people clicked, revealing a list with vague black silhouettes.
============
1. Doctor
2. Sheriff
3. Detective
4. Scholar
5. Undertaker
6. Lawyer
7. Clown
============
It was a sacrificial vote.
The real survival variety show had begun.
these Chs are commissioned if you want your series to be translated you can contact us at discord for your favorite series.
Reed chapter first at Utoon.net