Debut or Die - Chapter 507
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.
[Re-update complete!]
-First adjustment
A similar pop-up to the one I saw before.
And then another pop-up.
[Applying ‘■■■ (ver.2.1 Beta)’]
[Completed!]
A system update completion pop-up.
“…….”
The first thing that flashed through my mind was… a question.
‘Why?’
Didn’t it finish early last time because STier Cha Eugene’s condition was restored?
Nothing was resolved now. Ryu Chungwoo had never changed his position of not wanting to regain his memories.
Maybe it was completed because they cooperated and performed together? But this wasn’t even the first stage, so on what basis could it be considered early completion….
‘Wait.’
I took a deep breath.
I was overthinking this.
‘I shouldn’t be thinking too fast.’
I finally regained my composure, and with a cool head, I came up with a rational conclusion.
Completion ahead of deadline?
‘There was no such thing.’
There was no deadline in the first place.
This time, unlike before, there was no ‘D-30 to completion’ statement.
In the first place, it wasn’t like it absorbed the fragments and updated to a higher version, but rather, since I wasn’t using it, it was readjusting itself.
‘It’s not ver.3, it’s ver.2.1.’
So it was just, it was done when it was done.
The system did it by itself.
Ting.
And as if in response to my conclusion, another pop-up appeared.
[Would you like to ‘preview’ ‘Company Use’?]
‘…Preview.’
Again, my head was filled with questions.
If I previewed it, wouldn’t it restart the system?
Then I remembered that the previous pop-up said ‘first adjustment’, so did this ‘preview’ mean that the system would measure my satisfaction and update the system if necessary?
What would happen to Ryu Chungwoo’s memory? Would they give it back as a test, or wouldn’t they give it back because it was only a preview, not a live system.
What was the penalty for not pressing it at all, and what was the risk of the system getting out of control?
Which was more likely, and what should I base my decision on…
Oh, crap.
I hit my head on the head of the bed.
Thud.
‘Fuck, fuck, fuck…!’
I couldn’t be more of an asshole for not coming to a conclusion.
How many times had I done this shit?
Why was something like this necessary in the process of updating?
“A-Are you okay, hyung?”
“…….”
“If you’re feeling dizzy or have a headache coming on, maybe an ice pack will….”
“…I’m fine.”
I slowly lifted my head.
My roommate, Kim Raebin, was looking at me with a face full of worry, as if he was about to break out in a cold sweat. He seemed to think I had accidentally hit my head on the headboard.
He must not have gotten enough rest while preparing for the last stage.
“You’re resting well, aren’t you?”
“Yes! I’m doing what you told me to do, which is to rest until the next shoot.”
“Good.”
“Hyung, are you sure your head is okay…?”
Ugh, I felt like it was going to crack.
Not from being smashed into the bed, though.
“It’s fine.”
I stared at the pop-up again, and finally spoke up.
“I need to tell you something. Why don’t you and the others gather in the living room?”
There was no point in putting it off and hiding it.
* * *
An hour after Park Moondae’s gathering, in the TeSTAR accommodation.
Inside Seon Ahyeon and Lee Sejin’s room, two people of the same age, the room owners were talking quietly.
The topic of their conversation was one thing.
Park Moondae, who had seen the pop-up, had called them into the living room.
-…The update is complete.
He shared almost exactly what he had received without hiding anything.
It was surprisingly kind of him to share the information he received without hiding it, even using examples and analogies to explain parts of the system that people who hadn’t experienced it would not understand.
But at the same time… he seemed extremely tired.
-What will happen if I press this… I honestly don’t know. But I’ll think about it more and figure it out, so don’t worry too much.
So here they were, sharing their worries with a friend who was the same age as them and whom they trusted over the years.
Seon Ahyeon sat on the bed with his long legs crossed and muttered a little nervously.
“I’m worried about Moondae.”
“…….”
“I think he’s overdoing it….”
And Lee Sejin didn’t have the heart to argue back.
He had a similar thought as soon as he heard Park Moondae’s briefing earlier.
‘He’s going to get in trouble if he continues like this.’
Of course, his first concern was how Ryu Chungwoo, who had lost his memory and seemed to be a different person, would react. Everyone would have, even Park Moondae.
But it would be absurd not to notice the anomaly in Park Moondae.
The glitter of his eyes was almost extinct.
‘It’s not the first time he’s overworked himself.’
Lee Sejin frowned for a moment. It was a bitter taste in his mouth.
But if things were as they were, Lee Sejin would have brought up a lighthearted story here to put the other person at ease.
He didn’t want to openly admit that he was nervous, because he knew it would only make things worse.
But this time was different.
“…Well, that’s right. Anyone who looks at him can see that he’s pushing himself.”
They needed a solution. And Seon Ahyeon might be a bit clumsy in interpersonal relationships, but he was a serious and attentive type.
‘It’s worth discussing.’
Of course, he wasn’t the kind of person who could be reassured by self-rationalization that he didn’t mean what he said.
So he spoke the truth quite bluntly.
“It doesn’t look like Chungwoo hyung wants to remember. Then how much of a burden will it be? Among us, only Moondae can see the status window or something.”
“…Moondae.”
Seon Ahyeon pursed his lips with his teeth.
“Well, then, if Chungwoo hyung refuses to go through with it until the end…. won’t Moondae press it?”
Lee Sejin already knew the answer.
“No. He’ll do it.”
If it was a reasonable judgment, Park Moondae was the kind of guy who would do it anyway, even if it broke his heart.
Perhaps that was the reason why TeSTAR was able to survive so many controversies and incidents from their debut until now.
However, Keun Sejin also realized the consequences.
“But it’s going to be really hard afterward.”
“…….”
“Moondae is a bit… He’s trying to take the blame for everything.”
This was the guy who thought he was responsible for the current situation.
‘If something goes wrong, something could happen because of the stress.’
Lee Sejin still remembered the chaos during the summer package shoot at the beginning of their debut.
Park Moondae had almost had a trauma attack and still managed to go through with the shoot.
He clenched and unclenched his hands.
‘…Ah, how did this happen?’
Becoming an idol seemed like a dream, but it was difficult for a realist like Lee Sejin, as things that could literally only happen in a dream kept happening.
He didn’t even expect to find a friend who would care so much, and yet all this nonsense was focused on him.
So, it was time for Lee Sejin to remain silent while thinking of a solution.
“Look, let’s… talk about it.”
“Huh?”
Seon Ahyeon spoke up first with a determined face.
“Let’s talk to the other members, and…… talk to Chungwoo hyung again. We’ve been practicing for the stage, and everyone has been so… cautious because of what happened with Eugene that we’ve barely talked to him, I think….”
Lee Sejin felt like he’d been punched.
‘I know.’
He just tried not to offend Ryu Chungwoo, but he didn’t think to have a deep conversation or convince him.
He’d subconsciously excluded it because he’d seen how badly it had gone with Cha Eugene.
Seon Ahyeon was silent as if in deep thought, then spoke again.
“The current Chungwoo hyung is also good to us, but he must be insecure, which is why he doesn’t want to search for his memories……. I think we should have a deeper conversation.”
“…….”
Lee Sejin listened, and Seon Ahyeon spoke slightly faster.
“If we don’t do it now, I think it will be harder for Moondae, because if we don’t come to a conclusion, no one will be able to help….”
“You’re right.”
Lee Sejin immediately agreed.
He got up from his seat. He knew his friend wouldn’t be offended if he ended the conversation abruptly.
“Let’s talk, now.”
“…….”
Seon Ahyeon nodded and stood up as well.
Lee Sejin and Seon Ahyeon left the room together.
Then again, an hour later.
“Park Moondae.”
They called out to Park Moondae, who was sitting on his bed with his eyes closed like a dead rat.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he realized that his roommate wasn’t in the room.
And this time, he found his roommate outside the room.
To be precise, all of them except for himself.
“What…….”
“We’ve been talking, and I need to tell you something.”
Lee Sejin said like an announcement. And he thought.
He couldn’t just say ‘You can do whatever you want’.
It wasn’t like he was going to be responsible for the outcome. It was like he was just passing off the decision and responsibility to someone else.
Therefore.
“Hit preview now.”
He had to make the decision.
* * *
“What?”
I questioned my ears.
“Do you know what you’re talking about?”
“Of course I do.”
For someone who had suddenly barged into someone else’s room with all the members, Lee Sejin was nonchalant.
The same was true for the members who came with him.
“We discussed it amongst ourselves and came to a majority decision.”
“…….”
“No, you said we’d all use the Company System together. That’s what we did last time we made an album.”
Lee Sejin shrugged.
“Then just obediently surrender to the majority and press it~”
It was ridiculous.
What was even funnier was that a few people around him were nodding their heads in agreement.
And the story didn’t end there.
“I’ve already talked to Chungwoo hyung here.”
“…….”
I turned my head reflexively.
Standing in the back was STier Ryu Chungwoo, who looked pretty calm. He didn’t seem to have any resentment from public opinion.
“I’ve heard that if you keep putting it off, something dangerous might happen, and there’s a good chance that the memory won’t come back.”
“…….”
“I’ll believe you guys. I know you guys didn’t have to lie to me. You could have just given me my memories back with no explanation, but you didn’t.”
He smiled faintly.
“…I felt it while we were preparing for the show, but I think you guys are a trustworthy team.”
“Hyung…….”
Even the members around me responded.
It was a fairly… touching remark. I was momentarily shaken, because I had just been told that someone who had become a stranger in a matter of weeks trusted me.
But at the same time, I also felt a strange sensation.
A faint sense of discomfort.
‘What is it?’
But the nagging thought passed through my head before I could solidify it.
And now I had a much clearer picture in front of me.
Everyone had agreed and notified me.
Hit ‘preview’.
“…….”
Funny thing was, I suddenly felt calm. It was like a relief.
‘Am I crazy?’
It was always good to have options, but why the hell should I feel relieved when I was informed that the majority had decided?
However, I couldn’t deny that… my head felt lighter.
‘…Yeah. It does feel less overwhelming.’
I finally conjured up the pop-up.
“Let’s press it, then.”
“Okay.”
[Would you like to ‘preview’ ‘Company Use’?]
I pressed ‘yes’.
And immediately, the pop-up started to get busy.
Colors returning, holograms flashing.
[Enable ‘preview’].
I thought of a few possibilities.
That the system would restart but not Ryu Chungwoo’s memories, that the survey feature would activate, and in the unlikely event that Ryu Chungwoo’s memories would return.
But none of them were the right answer.
“……! Ugh!”
“Raebin?”
I watched the guys stare at Kim Raebin in disbelief as he collapsed.
And at the same time, I realized.
By preview, it meant the next batter.
This batter, Ryu Chungwoo, was on hold.
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