The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut Chapter 1

I blankly stared at the spotlight shining above my head.

 

‘It’s hot…’

 

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead, hidden beneath my hair.

 

I wanted to wipe the sweat away, but I held it in and stared straight ahead.

 

Countless light sticks were sparkling in the dark like starlight in the night sky.

 

A woman holding a light stick in one hand and a heavily crumpled cheering banner in the other was waving it enthusiastically at me.

 

A familiar phrase was written on the banner.

 

[You Must Debut! Genius All-Rounder Idol Kim Chowol]

 

There were tens of thousands of people gathered here alone.

 

Including those watching the broadcast, millions of eyes were on me, but none of it made me feel much of anything.

 

‘I’m bored.’

 

I just wished for everything to end quickly.

 

“Thank you for waiting.”

 

After drawing out the suspense for a long time, the MC finally spoke.

 

“We will now announce the 1st place winner of ‘EX-Class K-POP Idol’!”

 

The bright spotlight above my head turned off, and a tension-building sound effect echoed through the venue.

 

“Whether it’s vocals or dance, the highly anticipated 1st place who captured the viewers’ hearts as an all-rounder idol is…!”

 

Flash!

 

The spotlight above my head turned on. 

 

I squinted reflexively at the pouring light.

 

“Congratulations! Trainee Kim Chowol!”

 

“Kyaaaak! Kim Cho-wol!”

 

“Chowol! Congratulations on 1st place!”

 

“Sob… Chowol… Congratulations so much…”

 

The people in the audience began shouting over one another.

 

Some screamed, some spoke calmly with trembling voices, and some sank into their seats, sobbing.

 

Sweeping my gaze across the audience, I thought to myself.

 

‘I actually got 1st place.’

 

I had anticipated this day would come, but now that it was reality, it felt strange.

 

My stomach fluttered and there was a ticklish sensation in my chest, causing me to unknowingly fidget with my hands.

 

‘I thought I’d never feel this way again.’

 

As I nibbled on my lip, the smiling MC approached and handed me a microphone.

 

“Congratulations on first place, Trainee Kim Chowol! Let’s hear your thoughts immediately!” 

 

Taking the microphone, I found it hard to speak.

 

‘What on earth am I supposed to say here….’

 

As I gripped the microphone tightly, unable to say a word, the MC looked slightly flustered and checked my expression.

 

“Trainee Kim Chowol? You must be so surprised that you’re speechless!”

 

The MC, assuming I was nervous, joked lightly.

 

Hearing the laughter ripple through the audience somehow calmed my nerves.

 

‘Let’s do what I can do.’ 

 

Bracing myself, I brought the microphone to my lips.

 

“In approximately one minute, a terrorist attack will occur.” 

 

The people who had been cheering for me just moments ago froze.

 

The viewers watching me through the broadcast were likely having a similar reaction.

 

“Many people will die and be injured. Those of you here, and those watching the broadcast…”

 

The flustered MC stuttered as he asked, 

 

“T-Trainee Kim Chowol? What are you saying…”

 

“It is already too late to run. This isn’t an attack you can just outrun. Evacuate to the nearest shelter. And wait for rescue while hoping that shelter is safe. That is the best… no, the only way to survive.” 

 

Ignoring the people staring at me with trembling eyes, I continued.

 

I had done everything I could.

 

‘No, not yet. I have one more thing left to do.’

 

I pulled the corners of my mouth up as far as they would go.

 

For this final moment.

 

Flashing the smile that my fans loved the most, I said,

 

“Thank you for supporting someone as lacking as me. Please, I pray that even one more of you survives.”

 

BOOM!

 

As soon as I finished speaking, a deafening roar rang out. 

 

The people in the audience blankly stared above my head.

 

Monsters were pouring out of a massive, perfectly round black circle that resembled a black hole.

 

The monsters that fell onto the set instantly tore apart the spotlights and the ceiling that had been illuminating me with their sharp claws. 

 

“Kyaaaak!”

 

A belated scream tore through the air as someone finally realized what was happening, and the collapsing stage set crushed me.

 

‘Damn it.’

 

Just how many times has this been? 

 

Before a death that had repeated countless times, I slowly closed my eyes.

 

*    *    * 

 

Dozens, hundreds, thousands of times.

 

I thought about where this tragedy began.   

 

Was it when I first dreamed of becoming an idol after seeing a top-tier boy group’s year-end performance in elementary school? 

 

Or was it when I unexpectedly passed an audition for a small-to-medium agency I applied to on a whim, starting my trainee life without knowing a thing?

 

Or maybe it was when I lacked the skills and was cut from the debut lineup, yet couldn’t give up on my dream, so I joined an idol survival audition program?

 

Whatever the reason was, it didn’t matter now.

 

Among 100 trainees, the top six selected by viewer votes would debut—the idol survival audition program ‘EX-Class K-POP Idol’ was the last resort I chose to become an idol after being cut from my agency’s debut group.

 

The concept and evaluation methods were a bit unique, but I can talk about that later.

 

In ‘EX-Class K-POP Idol,’ which I entered thinking it was my final chance, I failed to debut.

 

I couldn’t even debut at a tiny agency; there was no way I could debut by beating out 100 other trainees. 

 

My five years as a trainee weren’t completely in vain, as I managed to survive until the final live broadcast stage—but that was it.

 

There were no miracles for someone like me, who lacked skill and charm. 

 

Only the 1st place announcement remained.

 

Not having been called as a candidate for 1st place, my debut was completely crushed. I stood in the back, out of the spotlight’s reach, clapping for the trainees who would debut.

 

Beside me, I heard another trainee who had failed to debut sniffing back tears.

 

I didn’t cry.

 

This was because a sense of hopelessness outweighed my sadness. 

 

‘How am I going to make a living now?’

 

While others were studying to go to college, I spent all day dancing and singing. 

 

My effort was not rewarded, and my dream was crushed. 

 

‘Should I study? Or should I learn a trade? Maybe my history as a trainee will help me get a job in the entertainment industry….’ 

 

As all sorts of thoughts muddled my head, something boiled up inside my chest. 

 

I bit my lip hard.

 

Finding a way to make a living?

 

Honestly, I wasn’t worried about that.

 

I survived five years of a grueling trainee life; I could surely find one way to make a living. 

 

The real reason I felt so bleak and devastated was…

 

‘I want to be an idol.’

 

Even though I thought I had done everything I could, I still couldn’t give up on my dream of becoming an idol.

 

“Thank you, everyone!”

 

The emotional 1st place trainee was bowing repeatedly to the audience, finishing his acceptance speech. At that very moment.

 

A massive black hole materialized in midair, and monsters poured out.

 

“Kyaaaak!”

 

The monsters that spewed from the black hole instantly ravaged the stage set and began attacking people.

 

I watched the ceiling of the set collapse over my head and lost consciousness.

 

My efforts meant nothing, my dream was out of reach, and in the end, I was dying having achieved absolutely nothing.

 

With that thought, I closed my eyes.

 

“Trainee Kim Chowol, you’re up next. Get ready.”

 

When I opened my eyes, I had returned to the moment just before the first stage of EX-Class K-POP Idol. 

 

Once I accepted that this was reality, not a dream or an illusion, a thought struck me.

 

‘Could this be an opportunity?’

 

The thought suddenly occurred to me that this might be another chance given to me, who could not give up on the dream of debuting.   

 

Bracing myself, I worked incredibly hard to achieve my dream.

 

The 2nd turn. I ranked 17th.

 

My skills had improved slightly, but the barrier to debut was still high.

 

During the final live broadcast stage, the monsters appeared.

 

When I lost consciousness and opened my eyes again, I was back to right before the first stage.

 

The opportunity hadn’t been a one-time thing.

 

The 3rd turn. I ranked 14th. 

 

My skills improved significantly, but I still failed to debut. But it was fine. I had another chance.

 

Next time, I would definitely get a higher rank. If I keep climbing step by step like this…

 

The 4th turn. I ranked 11th. 

 

The 5th turn. I ranked 9th. I received a single-digit rank for the first time. It wasn’t much further now. 

 

The 6th turn. I ranked 13th. What? What was the problem? No, it’s okay. Let’s try again. 

 

The 7th turn. I ranked 8th. The 8th turn, I ranked 11th. The 9th turn, the 10th turn…. 

 

Right around the time I gave up counting my regressions, I placed 5th.

 

I had finally achieved my dream.

 

My heart pounded with hope and expectation.

 

I thought a bright, shining future lay ahead of me.

 

However, no such future awaited me.

 

“Kyaaaak!”

 

I watched the monsters attack people and thought to myself.

 

‘Where did this all go wrong?’

 

The monsters that appeared after the final live broadcast stage ended and the debut lineup was confirmed.

 

I had assumed the monsters’ appearance was merely a mechanism to give me an ‘opportunity’ to achieve my dream.

 

Therefore, I thought they would naturally disappear when I achieved my dream and no longer needed the ‘opportunity.’ 

 

But that wasn’t it. 

 

Even when I debuted, the monsters appeared, and I died and returned to the moment before the first stage. 

 

Nth regression.

 

I had no choice but to accept it.

 

An opportunity to achieve my dream?

 

I wanted to beat up my past self for having such naive, optimistic thoughts.

 

There was no way something like that existed.

 

But I didn’t lose hope.

 

Surely there would be a way to escape this tragedy. 

 

It was then that a hypothesis crossed my mind.

 

‘Could it be that I need to debut in 1st place, not just 5th?’

 

I have no idea what kind of mental gymnastics led me to that conclusion, but at the time, it felt quite convincing.

 

I repeatedly regressed in order to take 1st place.

 

XX regression, ## regression, && regression…

 

As the regressions piled up, my spirit began to break.

 

Would taking 1st place really free me from this damn cycle of regression?

 

If I just debut, if I just take 1st place… what if all these thoughts are merely my own assumptions, and I can never escape this cycle of regression? 

 

I was right.

 

No matter what rank I achieved, the outcome remained the same.

 

The moment my 1st place acceptance speech ended, the monsters appeared and I died.

 

‘It hurts…’

 

I slowly opened my eyes under the debris of the collapsed set.

 

The fact that I was just giving my 1st place speech on a glamorous stage felt like a distant dream.

 

My head was spinning, and my vision was blurry.

 

Every inch of my body throbbed in agony, as if every bone had been shattered.

 

But the pain wasn’t what mattered right now.

 

‘What should I do now?’

 

I had tried everything I could to escape this repeating regression.

 

If I die even if I debut, die even if I take 1st place, and die in the end no matter how hard I try…. 

 

‘Should I just quit being an idol and run far away?’

 

Yes, let’s do that.

 

I’ll abandon this idol dream and leave without ever looking back.

 

If I shut myself away in a deep mountain or a remote rural village, maybe I could survive just once. 

 

Feeling my approaching death, I slowly closed my eyes once more.

 

It was then.

 

Cutting through the pounding rhythm of my own heart, an unfamiliar notification sound rang in my ears.

 

—Ding!

 

Opening my eyes slightly, I saw a translucent window.

 

[You have met the conditions to unlock the Main Quest.]

 

[Unlock Condition: Take 1st place in EX-Class K-POP Idol.]

[The Main Quest is unlocked.]

 

My slowly closing eyes snapped wide open.

 

I had returned to right before the very first stage of EX-Class K-POP Idol.