Debut or Die - Chapter 487
Reed chapter first at Utoon.net
these Chs are commissioned if you want your series to be translated you can contact us at discord for your favorite series.
Chapter 487
TeSTAR is trapped in their old dormitory. And… finally, they reached the panel that gleamed at the front door after opening the middle door.
-Sacrifice one occupation to open the front door.
The moment they read that, they knew. This is where someone gets eliminated.
So, it’s a survival game. We were supposed to vote among ourselves to choose one occupation. My brain tingles with excitement. I nod and raise my evaluation of Ryu Seorin.
“Wait, but if we vote like this…”
We don’t know who has what job, and we can’t communicate with the other side. Are we really going to vote like this, without any direct interaction, deception, or entertaining banter?
“That can’t be…”
Ah! I turn around and shout. “Hyung!”
“…! What?”
“The walkie-talkie!”
And then I shouted outside the front door. So that it could be heard on the other side. “Did you find the walkie-talkie? The walkie-talkie!”
[Walkie… talkie…?!]
[…Yeah!]
From over there, faint sounds of hurried movements could be heard.
“…! Should we use the walkie-talkie now? Just press here and talk, right?!”
“Yes, but you can’t hear the response while holding it down, so keep it short!”
“Got it!”
Bae Sejin started shouting into the walkie-talkie.
“If we’re lucky, they might hear the communication sound and locate the walkie-talkie from their side…”
So, are we supposed to discuss which occupation to sacrifice while communicating through the walkie-talkie from here?
At that moment, my thoughts were interrupted. It was because suddenly, the panel on the front door updated.
[☜☞]
[Sacrifice selection complete!]
What?
“Huh?”
“Moodae hyung? D-Did you perhaps make a selection?”
“There’s no way.”
However, before I could say the next word… the door opened.
Click.
“…!!”
The front door swung open. And what I saw in front of me were the ones who had just rushed over, catching their breath, holding walkie-talkies. It was the other four members of TeSTAR. Their eyes widened in surprise.
“Guys!”
“MoondaeMoondae! Raebin! Hyung!”
“Th-Thank goodness, everyone…!”
At that moment, everyone forgot about the game and started gathering together like a flock of penguins in joy. It was like a chaotic reunion of a family after being stranded.
“Hyung! We came to rescue you!”
“Yeah.”
I roughly accepted Cha Eugene’s hug and counted the heads again. “All seven are here.”
Yeah, having more people definitely makes things feel more stable. But still.
“Why is the door open?”
The most likely reason is probably this.
“Did you choose a job for the sacrifice over there?”
“Nooope! “The door suddenly opened!”
“…!”
Ryu Chungwoo also shook his head firmly. “I thought you chose it. Since we’re the team stuck in the dorm, I figured we didn’t have a choice…”
What?
“Wh-What are you talking about? We were the ones stuck in the dorm!”
“…? Sejin, what are you…”
No way.
Only then did I squeeze between the four of them. With my view now clear, I looked outside the front door to the opposite side. And then, I was shocked. Crazy.
The other side… the other side was also a dormitory!
“Wait, outside the front door is…”
“a dormitory too…?”
The ones who noticed started to panic, turning their heads back and forth around the front door.
“Holy moly! There’s a living room!”
“Wow~ This is insane!”
Before I knew it, Cha Eugene and Keun Sejin had run to the living room from which we had escaped and were shouting. And I also stepped beyond the middle door on the opposite side.
“…”
“It’s really exactly the same…”
Oh. So, they were also trying to escape? We had mistaken each other for the outside team, but in reality, we were each the Dorm A team and Dorm B team.
What is this place? A set? No, it has to be a set. Otherwise, this would be impossible. Not only were the props arranged like the previous lodging, but the entire house itself was designed that way.
“Huh.” I’ve been completely fooled.
I chuckled and looked around again. I know there will be a way out in the end. There has to be one for the catharsis. However, the entrance itself was fake, and I think it was structured to mirror each other like this. It’s an impressive double-locked room that heightens the sense of fear and tension.
What about the escape route?
No, before that. I turned my head. The members flinched.
“So… neither team has touched or done anything to that panel, right?”
“Yeah.”
I reached out and pointed at the panel. The sentence is still floating there.
[Sacrifice selection complete!]
“Then why did it say ‘Selection Complete’?”
“…”
Keun Sejin furrowed his brow as if deep in thought, then crossed his arms. “Could it be part of a job mission?”
“…!!”
“Why not? There could be a role where you choose a sacrifice. Hmm~ think of it like a board game?”
It made sense. It was a sharp thought.
“Then, shall we ask everyone about their jobs first?”
“Ah~ about that…”
Just as Keun Sejin was about to respond,
[Participants.]
“Ugh!”
“What the…?”
A distorted mechanical voice was heard. The voice started coming from the front door panel.
They’ve packed in a lot of features.
We immediately ran and stood in front of the panel. Then, the panel screen changed, and a new sentence was displayed.
[The Sacrifice’s job has been decided.]
[Now, the mark of destiny has been bestowed.]
The black screen with white letters glowed ominously.
“Is it already over…?”
“What’s going on here?”
The air grew chilly with confusion and tension. However, I was also nervous for a different reason.
Hey, didn’t they say the game was supposed to have a 3-hour time limit? So what are we supposed to do for the remaining three hours? Isn’t this going to ruin the tension?
It was at that moment. Click. The wall next to the entrance opened. And something spilled out.
“…!”
“Whoa!”
Amidst the commotion of a few startled people, I checked the items.
Cards?
At first glance, they looked like poker cards, and there was a total of seven of them. On the back of each card, their respective names were written.
“What is this?”
“Is this a QR code?”
“Hold on a second.”
I nudged the others. The message on the panel wasn’t over yet.
[Among the 7 cards, there is a card belonging to a participant with the chosen sacrificial job.]
The screen showed the 7 cards flipping over, and soon, one card was zoomed in with a bright red mark on it.
The Sheep’s Skull.
[That is the sacrificial mark.]
“…”
It’s getting serious.
[You have to exchange the ‘mark card’ with other cards for 3 hours.]
[And at the end of the game, the character holding the sacrificial mark card will become the final sacrifice.]
On the screen, the cards spun around like a shell game, and then, one by one, they flipped over to reveal their backs. And then, the card with the bright red skull mark started blinking…
[Pop!]
It exploded.
[02:59:59]
All that was left was a black screen with a white countdown blinking at the bottom.
“…”
I immediately checked my card again. Similarly, one side had a poker pattern and a name, and the other side had a QR code engraved on it.
I tapped the frozen panel and asked, “How do we exchange it?”
There was no other narration. Just a new phrase appeared on the black screen.
[Please show the QR code.]
Hmm. I held the card with the QR code facing up and looked around the panel next to the front door. Is this where we scan?
“MoondaeMoondae?”
“Hold on a second.”
I stopped a few startled people from grabbing my shoulder and scanned the QR code on the card. How about it now?
The screen changed again.
[Required currency: 1 Gold]
“…”
Gold?
“This… doesn’t seem like something we can just exchange, right?”
“Yeah.”
It looks like there’s a cost involved. Well, endlessly exchanging things would be overkill anyway.
At that moment, Cha Eugene raised his hand excitedly.
“I know!”
“…!”
“Wait a second!”
Then he dashed off, quickly kicking open the door to their bathroom and bringing something out.
“This is gold!”
It was… gold with a QR code attached.
“…!!”
“Wow~ Where was it?”
“Under the shelf.”
“Eugene, you’re amazing…!”
The members gathered around and started praising Cha Eugene’s vision. They were grinning from ear to ear. And then, a decisive comment was made.
“Hmm~ There must be more hidden things in these two dorms, right?”
“Probably, right?”
In that case, I immediately stopped scanning the QR card. “Then, shall we start by looking for the gold?”
And so, the treasure hunt began.
“MoondaeMoondae~ Didn’t you miss our members so much?”
“Yeah, I did.”
Keun Sejin, who was excited to see me, eagerly started talking about what they had been through. I silently continued to search the living room where these guys had ‘escaped’ from.
“Ah~ But I wonder if there’s anything left here. We really turned this place upside down.”
Yeah, seeing how they even looked under the living room sofa, it’s clear they searched thoroughly.
I dusted off my hands and stood up. Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to say to this guy.
“About what you were trying to say earlier.”
“Hmm?”
“You guys didn’t talk about your jobs.”
I meant their jobs, of course. Even while you were talking about what you went through, it never came up.
Keun Sejin shrugged his shoulders. “Hmm~ That’s exactly what I was going to say earlier. We were so busy exploring that we didn’t even get to talk about our jobs.”
“”…”
Really, you? Is he doing that intentionally? The guy who’s best at variety shows skipped the introduction part that the writer specifically asked for.
But as if reading my mind, Keun Sejin shrugged his shoulders again.
“I thought it’d be better to do it when we all gathered. Hmm, but now it seems like I was lying, right?”
“Maybe.”
The one who got stuck with an awkward job would lie on their own.
I nodded in agreement. That’s a very typical idea from that guy. In this type of game, it’s hard to completely trust anyone.
I shrugged inwardly and ended the conversation with him. And then, I was on my way to the kitchen.
“…Park Moondae.” Bae Sejin suddenly approached and spoke in a very small voice.” You’re sure you didn’t get a weird job, right? Absolutely sure?”
“Yes.”
This doesn’t feel right. But still.
“Wouldn’t someone with a weird job answer like that too?”
“That’s true, but… you scanned your card there right away earlier. Someone trying to hide their job would be too anxious to do that.”
“…”
That’s a sharp observation.
“And since you’re good at this kind of thing, I’m counting on you.” Bae Sejin swallowed for a moment before continuing. “My job, that ‘lawyer’ thing.”
Right.
“I have a special ability.”
“…What kind?”
“…’ I can know the circumstances of other jobs.’”
“…!”
“It was written like that… So, I knew what kind of job it was.”
Bae Sejin lowered his voice even more. “Raebin said he was a reporter, right?”
“Yes.”
The guy swallowed hard.
“There is no reporter…!”
“…!”
“In the jobs, there’s no reporter!”
It was a completely unexpected blow.
I immediately reviewed Kim Raebin’s behavior up to this point. However, there was no sign of the awkwardness typical of someone with a guilty conscience.
Is Kim Raebin really that good at lying? No matter how much training one gets from past variety shows, is that even possible?
I’m starting to have some doubts about Bae Sejin too. However, without showing it, I widened my eyes in surprise and soon put on a determined expression, as if I were intrigued by Bae Sejin’s expression, which also turned serious.
“Hyung, can you tell me about the jobs you know? I want to figure out some real job candidates for Raebin.”
“Sure. But before that… I want to hear about your ability too.”
He knew how to negotiate.
I nodded immediately. As Bae Sejin swallowed nervously, I revealed…
“My ability is a question mark.”
“…?”
No, it’s not a joke.
[Special Ability]
-??
(To be revealed during progress)
That’s what was written in the profile.
“Probably because it would be a spoiler for the game, so they didn’t tell us.”
“Ah.”
Of course, if I stop here, I won’t gain any trust. So, I added my own speculation.” If this is a type of Mafia game, the doctor’s role usually protects the victims.”
“…!”
“So, when someone is about to become a sacrifice, they would probably let us know.”
“…Makes sense.”
Right. It seemed I hadn’t lost trust after all, as I was able to hear the list of jobs Bae Sejin was explaining.
Doctor, sheriff, detective, scholar, undertaker, lawyer… and a clown. These are modern occupations. Anyway, it was quite plausible and useful information.
This is a gain. If it was true, that is.
I gladly bowed my head in thanks, and Bae Sejin looked somewhat proud.
“But if that’s the case, it might not be enough for you to just trust me… Should I find one more trustworthy person?”
“Huh? Who….”
I raised my hand and pointed at someone. The person who was diligently inspecting the kitchen in our dorm. It’s Ryu Chungwoo.
Bae Sejin became anxious. “…Uh, isn’t this unrelated to one’s usual personality? The job is important. It’s entertainment, after all.”
“That’s right.”
No, that’s exactly why I’m saying this. I nodded in agreement.
“Think about it, Hyung.”
“Huh?”
“Last time, in our own content, Chungwoo was the betrayer. The zombie.”
“Y-Yeah, that’s right.”
“Then, theoretically, this time, it won’t be Chungwoo hyung.”
“…?!”
“What do you think?”
Wouldn’t it be boring if the same person got picked again? Even if it’s a random draw, I believe the production team wouldn’t let that happen. Then, they would have said there was an error and redrew it again. And it seemed like my theory sounded quite plausible, as Bae Sejin eventually clenched a fist and agreed.
“…Ahem, fine. Let’s do it.”
Good.
I immediately sidled up to Ryu Chungwoo and whispered. “Hyung.”
“Hmm?”
“Just for a moment, over here.”
To avoid drawing attention from the others, the three of us started talking as if we were searching similar areas.
“Sejin hyung wants to form an alliance, but he says we need to reveal our jobs first.”
“Ah.”
“We’ve already introduced ourselves to each other.”
It meant that if he spoke up, we would form a party right away. However, Ryu Chungwoo, who was looking under the table, gave a small, awkward smile.
“Um… I can’t tell. Sorry.”
“…!”
Bae Sejin’s expression changed.
“You, don’t tell me—”
“Hold on, Hyung.” I quickly interrupted before he could jump to conclusions. “It’s not that you don’t want to tell us, but that you can’t, right?”
“…”
Ryu Chungwoo gave an ambiguous smile.
As expected. I nodded and whispered to Bae Sejin. “It seems like Chungwoo hyung has a job that he can’t talk about directly.”
“…Ah!”
“If he were a mafia, he would try to deceive us instead of answering so honestly.”
“Ugh…” Bae Sejin groaned but soon nodded in agreement.
“Then… he could be a detective. In most mystery novels, the detective shines at the end.”
Oh. That was quite a contextually relevant deduction.
“So?”
“…Alright! Let’s talk about it.”
Bae Sejin nodded.
I gave Ryu Chungwoo a moment to listen to Bae Sejin’s explanation. And Ryu Chungwoo was impressed.
“You had such an ability. That’s amazing, Sejin.”
“Cough, it’s nothing.”
“Raebin is certainly suspicious, but the urgent thing is the imminent sacrifice. I want to discuss that too.”
Hmm?
“… That’s right.”
“If one of us could choose the job of the person who will become the sacrifice, what job do you think it would be?”
That’s easy.
I answered without hesitation. “Detective or Clown.”
* * *
At the same time, on the internet.
=====================
[What did everyone vote for in the Orbit poll?]
There are 7 options, so many are guessing it’s related to the 7 members of TeSTAR. I’m curious, haha.
=====================
Idle chatter about the sudden appearance of the Orbit poll was rampant in idol communities. The term ‘sacrifice’ was provocative, and the fact that you could vote made it even more interesting. And surprisingly, the opinions were quite unified.
-Isn’t it obvious to everyone that we should vote for the clown?
└Lol, seriously, just the job title alone screams troll.
Clown. Doesn’t it somehow feel like a job for a criminal or a mastermind? But precisely because of that, there were also strong opinions against voting for it.
-You all don’t get it. In these situations, it’s funnier if the voting side trolls. This clearly looks like a variety show segment.
-Ah, this has to be the doctor, no doubt, lol.
-Let’s kill the detective, please. That way, the game will be hilarious and chaotic.
As the rumors spread, more people started calling for the detective and the doctor. And a little while later, a new post was uploaded to Orbit Stars’ account.
[The vote is complete. -> View results]
And the moment people, filled with curiosity and anticipation, clicked to see the results, the link led to a video.
[ The game starts now – TeSTAR coming soon]
It was the teaser for TeSTAR’s variety show.
-Crazyyyyy
-TeSTAR variety show!!!
-Wow, as expected.
-I’m already excited. What should I do?
Looking at that, people were thrilled, saying it’s been a while since their last variety show. And amidst all this, a comment from a fan who realized the reality passed by.
-Wait a minute… Does that mean the member we voted for just got eliminated?
└ No way
└ Hold on
└ Noㅠㅠ
Once again, the fan sites and communities started burning with speculation and excitement. And at that moment, TeSTAR’s peculiar filming set was burning hot in a different sense.
“Uh, M-Moondae.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you want to… trade cards with me?”
“…!”
The first trade request 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