Debut or Die-Chapter 428
[Images flicker]
A scream
A muffled crash and a cascade of afterimages and wavering lights
A massive impact bearing down from behind
And I...
“Huh—ugh.”
My eyes opened
—“Hyung”
I smelled dust and iron
And at the edge of my vision, faint lights
A voice
—“Hyung”
“...uh.”
Cough! A fit of coughing cut me off. I could barely breathe. But I could see
Flash
The smartphone, flung by the impact, lay face-up on the cracked floor, its screen blinking
A low voice, as if from somewhere blocked
—“You’re alive”
Right, I’m alive, you bastard
Weren’t you the one who told me to live?
But even saying that was impossible—my condition was still garbage
I feel like I’m gonna die
My vision wavered and my heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst from my chest. It felt like agony
When did I lose consciousness?
I had no idea where my arms and legs were...
...Anyway, I’m alive
I wiped my mouth. The back of my hand pressed my bottom lip against my teeth; I tasted blood. I wasn’t dead
—“Did the stage rig collapse?”
“Yeah.”
I clenched back a cough and forced my mouth open
I’d failed the status-ailment mission—failure means death
So if the system was going to kill me immediately, it might do so with some ‘absurd event’
An accident
A ridiculous accident
So it guided me toward assuming the most plausible scenario
Nobody was on the stage now, so I reflexively thought any collapse would just look like a structural failure
Thank goodness that guess was right
...If I’d been in the corridor, I’d be dead
It had steered me toward a scenario that wouldn’t drag others in and that I could predict
And somehow I survived that first blow
But
“This isn’t over, is it?”
—“......”
“Right”
I spoke calmly
“If it had ended with this, you wouldn’t have needed me to finish the mission either”
Since it couldn’t be avoided, you wouldn’t have had me restart so many times
I held my breath and waited. Soon the phone crackled with that low voice again
—“Yes”
I ground my teeth
“...When?”
—“Soon”
Fuck
I lifted my head
Around me I caught glimpses of twisted steel beams and shattered lights strewn everywhere
Anyone would think the moment their balance slipped, those beams would crush me
If I get rescued before that... no, that would be even worse
I had no idea what might happen during a rescue—too many variables
This was right
I steadied my breath and organized my thoughts. Then I spoke
“Don’t call anyone”
—“......”
“Don’t tell them I’m alive or that we’re in contact or any of that”
They probably know, but just in case...
—“Don’t worry about that”
“......”
This situation must be fucked if he’s talking like this
His voice continued quickly
—“And until the next event”
...Until what?
But I heard no more
—“......”
Silence
“Shin Jaehyun?”
I turned toward the phone—and realized the faint glow had died
“...!”
Fuck
I immediately reached out, groping the floor where the phone had been
Soon my hand found a sharp, angular fragment
“Ugh.”
A stabbing pain cut into my knuckle. It burned
Damn
I wrapped my hand in my costume as best I could and flipped the fragment over
“......”
The phone was smashed to pieces. It must have been crushed by falling steel
So that’s why the call dropped. Honestly, it was amazing it stayed connected this long
...Which meant
Face the truth
No matter what this fucked scenario was, I’d failed to clear the status ailment
...And all communication with the outside world was completely cut off
I bit my tongue
Find another way, find another way
First—hearing
...What happened?
I strained to catch any outside sounds. Only a low rumble remained
Clearly not just the stage—probably the ceiling had collapsed too
Then—movement
Move fast
Before it happens again. I hauled myself up
My side hurt. My previously broken rib must have cracked again
Or maybe I’m imagining it
I hoped the latter
Anyway, I could at least stand, but...
Something’s scraping my head
I felt cold metal brushing dangerously close above me—probably debris from the stage rig
“Ha.”
I closed my eyes and waited a moment. Though anxious, I needed to orient myself
When I opened them, night-adapted vision revealed the full shape
“...!”
The stage area was a wreck
Steel beams had collapsed so utterly that nothing remained of the stage. All around me, hanging steel and ceiling debris blocked any exit
And where I was stood: just outside the opposite backstage door
I’d slid and rolled across here, narrowly escaping the collapse
“Phew.”
I’d assessed the situation. Further observation would yield nothing useful
Move
Staying here meant another beam could fall any second
At least my limbs seemed mostly unhurt
My back felt odd, but I could still move
I steadied myself and headed toward the opposite backstage corridor
What I needed to find was
A definitely safe place
Obvious safe spots wouldn’t do—they might trigger gas leaks or something absurd
Somewhere I could predict the kind of accident I might face
And
I had to be alone 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
I had to move away from everyone else
If I got pulled in, I’d lose the slim control I had left
“......”
So I couldn’t stay here
Once the shock wore off and people realized the stage had collapsed, they’d swarm this corridor. I needed to keep moving
I chose to circle the backstage edge and head for the emergency stairs. Though the lights were out, I could see the green glow of the exit sign
“Huff.”
Using a sweat-slick hand, I opened the emergency-exit door
After a moment’s hesitation, I ran upward
Descending could bury me if the upper floors collapse
So up the stairs, fast...
Creak
An ominous sound from behind
No way
But over that creaking came a mechanical tone
[DING—DNG—]
A bell. A PA announcement echoed through some speaker
[“Attention, audience members. Due to unstable ground conditions, a safety incident has occurred. Please proceed via the emergency stairs as directed by staff...”]
I stopped climbing and spun around
The upper corridor
People would flood down the stairs. Better to duck into the hallway
I climbed just one more flight, exited the stairwell, and stepped into the corridor
My hair stood on end
Thud
My footsteps echoed unnaturally loud
Next—
A bone-chilling sense of dread and irrational fear returned
Fuck—!
I clenched my teeth and bolted
Screech—CRASH!
A deafening roar as the floor beneath me collapsed without warning
I knew why
This is above the stage
The most unstable spot of all
And since this corridor was used to store materials by the station, no one was usually here
No one should be
They chose this on purpose...!
It’s okay
I can do it. I can do this
I envisioned the station’s layout in my mind
I’d avoid restrooms and major support pillars—they’d be designed for extra weight
If those collapsed, everyone inside would die together
This is hell
A thousand fans sat in the audience
“Ugh!”
Dust, air, and fragments sprayed around me
Where I ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) needed to go...
[Storage Room 303]
There
Not directly above the stage!
Instead of foolishly yanking the door, I threw my weight against it
Then
CRASH!
The room shook
Fuck
Damn you, you fucked-up system
I let the falling equipment crush me, then clung to the heaviest, sturdiest object I could find—some kind of shelving unit—pressing it against my head
The cacophony and shaking continued; objects large and small battered my arms and hands
How long had it been?
“Hah—ugh.”
The noise and tremors at last ceased
I blinked repeatedly to clear my vision. I was gasping for air
First I checked the object in my white-pale hand... it was metal, a combination of solid panels and pipes—likely a shelf. It had torn from the wall, exposing the dark void beyond
I turned my head
The door I’d entered through had jammed shut in the shaking
“......”
It wouldn’t open
“Hah.”
I realized I was trapped in this tiny storage room. And then
Clatter...
A marker pen rolled into a corner
It’s tilted
The entire room was slanted, twisting toward the stage. It must be hanging precariously
“...hah.”
I was trapped in a smaller, more unstable space than the stage
I couldn’t move
Clinging to the metal shelf, I tried to accept reality
An hour ago—no, just minutes ago—my only goal had been to nail one stage performance
Now look at me
I’d survived twice before, but now a crazed supernatural force—determined to kill me—was hunting me
“...ugh.”
Pain flared through my body. But stronger than the pain was... helplessness
I don’t know
How much longer could I hold out?
I had no information
“......”
Actually, there was a way to reach someone else
I knew
Geundal
Even without my phone, I could call into her chat window
She might even know something—she could access the status screen...
But the question was whether I could risk opening it now
What if it triggered some bomb switch, bringing the next ‘absurd event’ faster—or a more certain death sentence?
So I wouldn’t call. No matter what
“......”
But still...
I relaxed my grip on the shelf and bowed my head
The cold metal cooled my forehead
Maybe giving up is better
Logically, if everyone here dies and I die, what’s the point of this bullshit?
If the scale grows, human casualties will skyrocket
You idiot
I’m on death’s door—how could I care for others? It’s laughable. But if you have any conscience, you can’t ignore it
They’re not strangers, they’re people I’ve spent years with
And
...they’re all fans
A thousand fans sat out there cheering me on. This was hell—an environment practically designed to make me give up
I exhaled deeply
The shelf glistened with blood from the cut on my palm
...heavy
I closed my eyes
Kept my mouth shut, bowed my body completely
Silence—like a void
How much time passed?
“...excuse me?”
“...!!”
A human voice
I lifted my head
The first thing I saw was a glow
Beyond the torn wall, where the metal shelf had ripped away, a soft yellow light shone through
And a moment later I realized what it was
A lightstick
“Mu-Mundae?!”
The fan who’d been sitting in the audience moments ago had found me through the gap in the wall
