Debut or Die - Chapter 509

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.

‘Switching bodies with Keundal again?’

 

From building collapse to body-swapping.

 

The ability to recreate the events of my previous ‘mission failure’.

 

My jaw dropped as I looked at the option the status window gave me: ‘Re-update’.

 

I was dumbfounded.

 

‘Who the hell would want this?’

 

After all I’d been through, why would I want to voluntarily experience that again? Who would want the thrill of being trapped in a collapsing building or having their schedule wiped out.

 

Are you telling me this because I’ve been thinking about absorbing ‘■■■’s fragments’ a lot lately? Every time I’ve solved a mission failure, I’ve acquired fragments, so you’re saying that’s where the connection lies?

 

‘If you predicted the demand at the local corner store like that, you’d be fired, asshole.’

 

Moreover, when the system was applied to the company, why were they giving additional functions that had nothing to do with the company?

 

It wasn’t like they just borrowed an IP shell from some famous webtoon and made a mobile gacha game with no context.

 

And as if in response, a pop-up appeared.

 

[Mission Failed: Return to Original State].

 

Maximum viewing time: 48 hours

 

-Would you like to view it?

 

And this asshole didn’t even notice.

 

‘Fuck off.’

 

I cleared the pop-up and closed my eyes. My temples were throbbing.

 

…First, let’s get this straight.

 

‘The members who have lost their memories are Ryu Chungwoo and Kim Raebin.’

 

As things stood, they were both cooperative with the group and hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary.

 

However, Ryu Chungwoo was reluctant to regain his memory, and Kim Raebin was reluctant to perform on stage.

 

And it didn’t end there. I remembered Kim Raebin’s expression just before.

 

-B-But….

 

‘Earlier, STier Kim Raebin caught Ryu Chungwoo’s eye.’

 

It was a little scary, too.

 

It was a rare sight in his life as a TeSTAR member, and he’d almost become accustomed to it.

 

“…….”

 

I thought about the strange feeling I had for STier Ryu Chungwoo over the past few days.

 

And I concluded.

 

‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’

 

I’d refrained from picking at it for fear of offending him, but to do so now would be a foolish act of escapism.

 

If the method of not making his face flush with anger didn’t work, then the correct method would be.

 

‘Ask.’

 

And I knew who the best person to ask was.

 

A perfect person who had both memories.

 

* * *

 

“Tell me everything you remember.”

 

I called Cha Eugene, the party to the last incident and the one who had successfully regained his memory, into the kitchen and opened the conversation like this.

 

“What?”

 

“The internal conflict at STier.”

 

Cha Eugene looked at me with a shudder.

 

“You said you were going to cook me something good! You tricked me!”

 

Yeah. I even arranged for Lee Sejin and Seon Ahyeon to split the two STier guys between the choreography practice room and the studio.

 

But it wasn’t a scam.

 

“I’m going to do that too.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“What do you want to eat?”

 

“Kimchi fried rice, please.”

 

Order received.

 

I opened the refrigerator and pulled out the ingredients.

 

“Add some cheese, please!”

 

Okay.

 

Pushing him aside, I sliced the kimchi and asked.

 

“The reason I’m asking is, since things have gotten this bad, I need to gather some information so I can handle it.”

 

“…….”

 

“It means we can’t go any further without knowing anything.”

 

Silence, tacit agreement.

 

I started with the part that bothered me the most.

 

“First of all, Raebin seems to be eyeing Chungwoo hyung.”

 

“Umm… Yep.”

 

Affirmation.

 

“Why?”

 

Cha Eugene frowned for a moment, but soon calmed down.

 

“Hyung, do you really want to hear it?”

 

“Uh.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Cha Eugene was silent for a moment. I didn’t rush to interrupt him and continued to quietly chop ingredients.

 

Soon, a gravelly voice echoed through the kitchen sink.

 

“Back in the old days, STier’s Chungwoo hyung was a scary guy.”

 

“…!”

 

It was an uncharacteristic choice of words.

 

Scary?

 

“What was he like, specifically?”

 

[You know, half of the initial members of the KPOP group called STier were messed up, so he led the team like a hierarchical boss, like a very tough American football captain].

 

Cha Eugene shrugged a little.

 

[I mean, he didn’t treat his teammates with the inclusive gentleness that he does now].

 

“…Like, for example?”

 

His brow furrowed, as if recalling a vague memory.

 

[There was even an instance where a member who was so absorbed in choreography practice was banned from the dorm and made to stay up all night in the practice room.]

 

What?

 

I gripped the handle of the frying pan for a moment. Cha Eugene continued in a snorting tone.

 

[That stupid guy had to stay up all night to learn the choreography, almost crying].

 

“…….”

 

[And that kind of punishment went on for a few years].

 

‘It’s hard to believe.’

 

It wasn’t that Ryu Chungwoo’s personality made it impossible or anything.

 

It was a question of whether it was realistically possible.

 

‘This isn’t even the army.’

 

No matter how much of an elder he was, they were all around the same age.

 

And in the same situation, an individual who was only a nominal leader would try to ‘punish’ them like an instructor?

 

As long as the other members could make judgement like adults, there was a limit to how it worked.

 

Plus, they’d all just made their debut on a high-profile survival show where they were ranked in the top 10, so at a time when they were still feeling self-important….

 

“It worked?”

 

But Cha Eugene immediately replied.

 

[It worked].

 

“…….”

 

I got it.

 

‘It means that Ryu Chungwoo was surprisingly good at fear politics, to the point where common sense didn’t work.’

 

In an effort to stabilize the group’s shitty atmosphere, both internally and externally… he ended up taking the hard approach.

 

I silently flipped the bacon and began frying the sliced kimchi in the oil, confirming.

 

“So, you’re saying that as a leader, he was pretty coercive.”

 

“Something like that.”

 

As I listened to Cha Eugene’s affirmation, I mechanically tossed the cooled rice into the frying pan, painstakingly unscrambling it.

 

Repetitive labor made it easy to think of other things, and I quickly composed a rebuttal.

 

“But I’m sure Raebin would have listened to him even if he didn’t do that.”

 

“What about me? I listen to him too!”

 

“You have a conscience.”

 

“Oooh.”

 

He gave me a fat look of mild indignation, but then came up with the right answer.

 

“Discrimination gets you in trouble, I think, and that’s why big brother Qingwu was equally tough on all the members.”

 

“…….”

 

‘You mean he had to subdue Kisun and keep her from taking pictures, so he couldn’t give her individualized attention.

 

‘That’s why even Kim Raebin got to see through him…’

 

Now that I think about it, STier Cha Eugene was also surprisingly hard on Ryu Chungwoo in the beginning.

 

It was an indicator of how toxic the team atmosphere was that Ryu Chungwoo, a former national athlete, was ‘unforgiving’ and dominating.

 

“That’s what it takes to make the fear politics meta work in the long run.

 

It took years of suppressing backlash, to the point where half the members would rather leave and run than cause trouble within the group.

 

They’d taken a group that their agency had abandoned, and somehow managed to run it.

 

Cha Eugene, however, sounded a bit regretful when he said.

 

[Hyung, you have the right to keep your illusions as our fan, so I didn’t mention it specifically… but yeah, that’s the truth].

 

“…….”

 

And I knew.

 

“There’s no reason for you to lie.”

 

“That’s right, I’m an honest person.”

 

I finished the kimchi fried rice with cheese.

 

Then I turned to Cha Eugene, who was chasing away his melancholy with his appetite, and said casually

 

“It’s not like I have any illusions or anything.”

 

“…Are you serious?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

In the end, Ryu Chungwoo made the best choice he could given the circumstances.

 

You couldn’t blame him for not making the best choice.

 

‘It’s a miracle he made it through with those unruly kids.’

 

More than that.

 

“So what you’re saying is that STier Ryu Chungwoo is deliberately trying to be gentle now?”

 

Cha Eugene seemed to think for a moment, but eventually nodded.

 

“That’s what I think, too, because people don’t like to show their weaknesses, and Chungwoo hyung is no exception.”

 

In other words, STier Ryu Chungwoo himself considers his ‘coercive leader’ image to be a weakness that wouldn’t help him settle in here.

 

‘…Chances are, he didn’t really like being that overbearing himself in the first place.’

 

I speculated as I cut a stick of butter in half and put it in a new pan to fry the eggs.

 

I turned to Cha Eugene, who couldn’t take his eyes off the kimchi fried rice, which had now melted the cheese.

 

“Okay, so what about Raebin?”

 

“…….”

 

“Do you know why he doesn’t want to be on stage?”

 

Cha Eugene’s shoulders sagged slightly.

 

“I don’t know either.”

 

“…??”

 

[I remember STier Kim Raebin… yeah, he was less energetic than he is now, but he didn’t hate the stage].

 

“…….”

 

Even now, he didn’t seem to hate the stage, but he just didn’t admit himself as a ‘performer’.

 

Because in the end, it didn’t matter.

 

‘Anyway, this guy doesn’t know exactly either.’

 

Then it could be that something decisive happened to STier Kim Raebin after this guy went to the United States.

 

-After the group disbanded. After he parted ways with all the members.

 

I decided to memorize this timing.

 

And.

 

“Let me ask you one last question.”

 

“…OK.”

 

I brought up the question I had been putting off.

 

“…What happened to Bae Sejin hyung?”

 

Sizzle sizzle.

 

The sound of eggs cooking filled the quiet kitchen.

 

And then.

 

[I think the news stopped a few years ago, and I think he kept appealing the trial.]

 

Appealed?

 

Appealed meant that he disagreed with the outcome of the trial.

 

And it meant that… the drug distribution charge had been admitted and he was definitely going to be sentenced, whether it was jail time or a fine.

 

‘Fuck.’

 

Jail time was more likely if it was distribution. I stifled a sigh.

 

“What was the outcome?”

 

[I don’t remember. I think the STier members probably didn’t look for the final conclusion on purpose.]

 

Cha Eugene’s voice sounded a little bitter.

 

[But I know now. Sejin hyung is a completely upright person, so… I’m saying that I now think it was a misunderstanding, or a badly timed coincidence.]

 

“…Yeah.”

 

That was it.

 

‘Then, all the STier guys know that Bae Sejin was found guilty at trial after all.’

 

It was even more surprising that STier Ryu Chungwoo was being so gentle and kind to Bae Sejin here.

 

‘Hmm.’

 

I turned down the heat on the stove, making a few hypotheses.

 

I placed two over-easy fried eggs on a bed of kimchi fried rice with cheese.

 

“It’s done.”

 

“Wow!!”

 

All of Cha Eugene’s worries flew away in an instant. Well, it looked good.

 

A few moments later, the guys who had gone out to the front door came rumbling back.

 

“Whoa, kimchi fried rice without us?”

 

“Hyung ordered delivery!”

 

“Wow~ that’s really mean, Eugene.”

 

I looked at the STier guys mingling a bit awkwardly in the middle of the room without saying a word, and finalized my decision.

 

First things first.

 

‘Things are so messed up right now.’

 

As Cha Eugene explained, the causal chain of events at STier was more complicated than I realized.

 

How do I guide both of them to a satisfactory recovery of their memories at the same time, without stepping on either bomb?

 

‘The difficulty is insane.’

 

And even if it all miraculously ended well, the problem remained.

 

‘Whether or not they regain their memories, it all comes down to this system update.’

 

I simply could not guarantee that.

 

I didn’t have a clear understanding of how this system worked.

 

That was why the reasoning in that part became ambiguous and kept going around in circles no matter how much we talked about it.

 

In the end, if I didn’t understand this fundamental part of the system, I wouldn’t have a good answer.

 

-Why was it an update and why did the memories from the STier days come back?

 

-When would I get my original memory back?

 

How the system worked.

 

And there’s a way to figure this out… under the conditions we’re given… but it’s not clear to me.

 

‘Then I’ll figure it out.’

 

If I hesitated, it would drag on and on and on, and the bomb would slip out of my hand and go off.

 

‘I don’t want to see that sight again.’

 

This was where the second step of the ‘straightforward tactic’ came in, after talking directly to the parties.

 

-Analyzing the system directly.

 

And to catch a tiger, you have to go into the tiger’s den.

 

I decided.

 

‘Throw the gambit.’

 

And if I were to take the risk of the unknown, I would only feel safe if I did it myself.

 

So early that morning.

 

‘Status window.’

 

I voluntarily loaded up the game system for the first time in a very long time.

 

I checked the system pop-up again, which was incomplete because it was still in ‘preview’.

 

[Mission Failed: Return to Original State].

 

Maximum viewing time: 48 hours

 

-Would you like to view it?

 

48 hours was probably the maximum penalty period I received last time, when Park Moondae and Ryu Gunwoo switched bodies.

 

‘Since it’s labeled as a maximum, there’s a good chance that I can arbitrarily end it.’

 

Even in the worst case, it meant that a conclusion would be reached within 48 hours without fail.

 

By the way, tomorrow was a weekend.

 

My competition stage was not ready yet, and Keundal’s workplace was closed on the day.

 

It was perfect timing.

 

[Hyung, are you sure you want to do this?]

 

Yeah.

 

[I got it….]

 

Keundal, who had already been persuaded for hours, readily agreed to my suggestion.

 

And after a moment.

 

“Whew.”

 

I opened my eyes tiredly in bed.

 

The ceiling of Ryu Gunwoo’s bedroom was outlined through the hazy light.

 

But I didn’t have time to look closely.

 

‘Starting with the connection.’

 

I immediately connected to Keundal’s view of the ‘Park Moondae’.

 

[Viewing fragment records]

 

My vision split in two, projecting an image into my head.

 

‘Good.’

 

This was what I had done last time.

 

And this told me something.

 

‘If my body is switched, I can access Park Moondae’s vision as a status window just like Keundal did.’

 

If so, I might be able to take it one step further.

 

So I took it to the next level.

 

-It’s a bit like being sucked into a typhoon or a black hole….

 

‘This is hard.’

 

I thought to myself, remembering Keundal’s vague description, and focused more and more on the surface of the status window that was visible to me….

 

And how much time had passed?

 

‘…!’

 

My consciousness was sucked in.

 

Into the status window.

 

‘Done!’

 

Seeing and changing the structure of the system.

 

As Keundal had done many times before, from the daydream incident to the building collapse, by accessing the system through the status window.

 

[■■■■■■■■■]

 

‘I’ll just… make it comatose and unrecoverable.’

 

I started analyzing the system.

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