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Series Group
Debut or Die
Type
Web Novel (KR)
Genre
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Rating(4.7 / 5.0, 513 votes)
5    84% (431 votes)
4    7% (34 votes)
3    4% (19 votes)
2    2% (11 votes)
1    4% (18 votes)
Language
Support Book (#ad)
Author(s)
One entry per line
Artist(s)
One entry per line
Year
Example: 2012
2021
Status in COO
Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
644 chapters (Completed):
-Part 1: 440 chapters (Completed)
-Part 2: 204 chapters (Completed)
Licensed
Yes
Completely Translated
No
Original Publisher
One entry per line
English Publisher
One entry per line
Release Frequency
Every 45.9 Day(s)
Activity Stats
[Graph]
Weekly Rank: #3316
Monthly Rank: #749
All Time Rank: #872
Reading List
[Graph]
On 9453 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #637
All Time Rank: #423

Description

Links are NOT allowed. Format your description nicely so people can easily read them. Please use proper spacing and paragraphs.

A student who had been preparing for the Civil Service examination for 4 years suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar body, 3 years in the past.

Along with it came a status window displaying a threat right before his eyes!

[Outbreak!]

[Status Abnormality: ‘Debut or Die’ occurs!]

A diary about the transformation of the main character, who was suddenly challenged to be an idol even though he had never been in the industry before, due to the sudden threat of death.

※Speciality: Before regressing and possessing his new body, he used to collect and sell idol’s data.

T/N: paparazzi

Associated Names
One entry per line
Debut or Die
I'll Die If I Fail to Debut
If I Fail to Debut, I’ll Get a Killer Disease
데못죽
데뷔 못 하면 죽는 병 걸림
Related Series
Debut or Die Magazine (Side Story)
Recommendations
The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol (14)
The Malicious Member is Back! (9)
While I’m Taking Revenge, I’ll Conquer The Top Idol (9)
When I Opened My Eyes I Was a Superstar (5)
After Transmigrating Into An Idol Talent Show (4)
A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset (4)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Showbiz
  2. Unreliable narrators
  3. Non romance novels that i wanna read + have read
  4. Idol Novels with Crazy Seniors
  5. Best Fruity-Bait Idol Novels

Latest Release

Date Group Release
06/12/23 Readhive c200
06/12/23 Readhive c199
06/12/23 Readhive c198
06/12/23 Readhive c197
06/11/23 Readhive c196
06/10/23 Readhive c195
06/09/23 Readhive c194
06/08/23 Readhive c193
06/07/23 Readhive c192
06/06/23 Readhive c191
06/05/23 Readhive c190
06/03/23 Readhive c189
06/02/23 Readhive c188
06/01/23 Readhive c187
05/31/23 Readhive c186
123…15
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Write a Review
87 Reviews sorted by


yumeka.hh
New yumeka.hh rated it
April 4, 2025
Status: v7c467
I'm not good at reviews but one thing I can say for sure is that this is the best idol-themed novel I've read. This was also the first one I have read, but I've also read other ones before making this review and while they were nice I have to give this one the recognition it deserves because I really wish that this would get adapted into an anime but at the same time the adaptation might be sh*t. ㅠㅠ I just hope it'll get picked up by a good... more>> animation studio.

The MC is so endearing the whole time and since the novel is written mostly from the MC's perspective it doesn't really show but he's so caring for the members too, his relationship with the other TeSTAR members is wholesome.
Spoiler

Keundal's relationship with Moondae too, it's so *cuteness aggression* how they're like siblings. And the fact that they look alike too. ㅠㅠ

[collapse]

I enjoyed the build up and how the plot grew, and the character growth was also satisfying to read about.
Spoiler

Especially with Cheongryeo/Shin Jaehyun, it's so sweet how he really cares for Kong-i (his dog). Bae Sejin's reactions to him being around/mentioned is so funny because it always seems like Bae Sejin is still wondering why on earth they didn't decide to just kill him off and bury him and cover it up someway or another. ㅋㅋㅋ

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It also has alarmingly good accuracy to how the entertainment industry works, and the MC is smart, observant, knowledgeable, and knows how to act in certain situations (though there were times where he was lost, it was still satisfying to read because we get to see character depth instead of a blank slant which is what the MC portrays himself to be in the narration (or so I think)), so there was no need for me to turn off my brain reading this. Unless you count the MTL translation because that stuff hurt my brain, but the mistranslations were hilarious out of context and I eventually got over the translation errors once it started making sense to me. I hope the manhwa is able to deliver the story well. <<less
2 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Lynnezh
Lynnezh rated it
April 5, 2022
Status: c464
I truly love this novel so much, I can assure you that is a masterpiece.

Did you know that last year (December 2021) it won the second place in the category of "Best novel of the year" hold at Kakaopage? Now (December 2022) it has won the award of Popular work in the drama webtoon category, Best new webtoon, Best consistent seller in the category of modern fantasy web novels, Most commented series (760 thousand comments), and Readers' favorite series.

Did you also know that the characters have their own birthdays and... more>> since the novel is so popular, there are interviews with each character (in their birthday date) and is published with offers and a raffle of special gifts for the fans in Kakaopage?

And yeah, there is a lot of fan merch, but there is also official merch!!!

It's the first idol novel that is so succesful!! Korean fans love that the author Baek DeokSoo-nim has too much knoweledge about the idol industry that it seems he/she belongs or belonged to that industry.

And I love not only that, Baek DeokSoo-nim has created well the personalities and physical and psychological struggles of each character, so you end loving and worrying for each of them. <<less
179 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Tintl
Tintl rated it
August 11, 2021
Status: c10
I'm currently really interested in producer 101 stuff like this and this is the best novel out of all the other ones ive found on novelupdates (for my healing life, holy idol, etc)

this is has realism and no plot holes so far (unlike healing life). I love the MC' predictions and understanding of the showbiz system too

also, the best part is the translation. I know really good korean stories that have such poor translations that I dropped. Kudos to BelovedEuropa for high quality and frequent translations, thank you <3~~
60 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
loveinsanity
loveinsanity rated it
August 24, 2021
Status: c16
I wish the translator don't dropped this like every Korean idol novel that I've read.

This is really interesting. It got me so hook that I tried using google lens to read it in kakao.

I wish this was made into a webtoon but it makes. me worry about the art.

(11-04-2021)

Still no update... Do I need to wait until December to confirm that its dropped or is it dropped?
45 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Sunny-Y
Sunny-Y rated it
December 25, 2021
Status: c139
It's a gem, guys.

Truth be told, I don't know a thing about idols, but after reading this novel I thought I just should adopt some group of idols as my babies, haha. This is really nice and funny to read, tbh. Even when there's some serious topics in the story, it abords it perfectly and don't take so much time on it. Personally, I love this dynamic.

MC (whose name is Park Moondae) is funny and he don't know it. When we are in first person POV at the beginning, we... more>> think he's a regular smart guy with some funny reactions at the absurdity of his situation, but when we switch to other characters POVs, he really seems to be a funny guy who does absurd things with a straight face, I love him, haha.

The group is amazing. I like how it develops and how Moondae adopts them as his babies without even realizing it. They have a precious relationship! And each one of them has their special moment.

Plus, I love the fans. I felt represented.

Well, maybe there's more things to say, but maybe I would do some spoilers so just be aware that this novel is te most wholesome, funny and cute thing in this world. Their characters will be your new babies, ma fella.

Though I read it in spanish, which have more chapters translated, I checked and Beloved Europa's translation to english is great! <<less
41 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Tintinangel_bleh
Tintinangel_bleh rated it
October 22, 2021
Status: c16
This is definitely gold! Please don't drop this : ( (The translation is good, the story is good and the characters are so cute!!! Ahyun x Moondae hehehe

P.s. Anyone have the raws for Chapter 257+??? Pls send it to meeeeee :"<
25 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Ihartkimchi
Ihartkimchi rated it
January 22, 2022
Status: c136
Extremely good! Easy 5/5 for me

I used to follow kpop religiously circa 2007-2015 and I just stopped cause I've been busy with life and the idol and fan culture is extremely accurate! It really brings me back lool

MC basically isekaid 3 years into the past in the body of Park Moondae and in a world where he presumedly doesn't exist (we don't know yet tho if this is true). He woke up in a motel room we're the og Moondae committed su*cide and the system is basically blackmaling him to... more>> debut as an idol or he will die. As the story progress, aside from the idol stuff, its really fun to see how MC works and manipulate the public since prior to being isekaid, he use to sell idol/celeb data as a part time job so he's very well versed in media play.

I also really commend to author for writing a well thought out plot. The system isn't just there to be cheat sheet or a convenient plot device the way other stories are; it has an actual purpose in the plot. I also love all the side characters, all of them have their own unique personality with their own stories and they're not just there to be accessories to make MC look good. They feel alive and so vibrant that I feel so attached to them.

So anyways I think its only appropriate to say this lmaoooo

STAN PARK MOONDAE!!~ <<less
18 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
mrazikbestteacher
mrazikbestteacher rated it
May 3, 2022
Status: c287
When I first read, I was only able to read 43 chapters and I will tell you that the one hour I spent reading those chapters was great. It immediately pulls you in and the plot is quite unique. As I waited for more chapters, I indulged in fanart, spoilers, and even merch, goodness, buying fanmade merch when I barely knew anything about the story. (I was literally ready to make my own too... aiya)

(edit: I have bought more merch and I'm not going to stop lmao [restraint... more>> wheremst?]. Anyways, reading this has awakened my kpop phase, though testar will always be my first. But it's been really fun watching kpop content that when I started I totally spent a month straight binging content... and lost interest in everything else. I fell down too deep in this *sigh* Really, I feel like I'm picking up kids left and right.)

Man, I love the kids but now after being able to read more, I love the kids even more;;; Give them all pats on the head

The story is pretty fast-paced which wasn't what I was expecting but nevertheless a pleasant surprise. The main character and his friends are too wholesome, my heart dies orz The author does a great job showing development for all of them and you just can't help but cheer them on and celebrate their growth. Especially the main character, it's important to show personality and their strengths and weaknesses. He might seem to be indifferent/cold? but he cares about the kids so much... Found family trope ftw Not only does he help the kids, but they help him back and keep on reminding him that they are together and it's so beautiful to read;; And speaking about weaknesses, as for any story, having a too perfect protagonist who can do everything by themselves can destroy a plot. The main character is held back by his weaknesses despite how trivial they might be which, in my opinion, just makes him cuter LMAO

Anyways, it was also a learning experience for me as someone who does listen to kpop but has never fully understood nor has indulged in the entire culture. Like the subway ads, man, I knew about them but I guess it never sank it about how expensive they are. It's amazing how dedicated and committed a community can be and oh boy, the atmosphere created in the story feels like it. Of course, I can't really compare since I have never experienced it, but it just hits your heart and moves you. It's insane, from my reading experience, I rarely cry but the overwhelming feeling from the community made me sympathize especially when understanding from the main character's perspective.

At this rate, I might as well learn Korean or something so I can go read the raws myself;;; Anyways, give the novel a try, from what I have seen from fanart of future chapters and whatnot, this story is going to get even better. The lore is very good, yummy yummy yummy <<less
17 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
dyochlve
dyochlve rated it
August 4, 2021
Status: c9
really great start to the novel!! I've seen it around on ktwitter and it seems to be popular in the community. It might be a bit soon to call it amazing, but so far the translations have been really high quality and the writing and plot is really interesting. Really looking forward to the rest of the novel. Thanks to the translators!!
12 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
LampShader
LampShader rated it
May 11, 2024
Status: --
I'm suffering bc I really don't want to MTL but the official translation is gonna take at least 2.5 more years (but the official translation is so good). Ughhh maybe I should just pretend it doesn't exist for a while again.
11 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Pixeldrum
Pixeldrum rated it
March 23, 2024
Status: c160
Like cultivation novels, these idol novels start out fine, then turn out to be a mushy generic pile of garbage that has an overpowering MC bulldoze through all his obstacles.

Showbiz is fun to read for me. Idols have their own culture in some ways, but are celebrities nonetheless. However, when you reduce actors and idols into discrete numbers and stats, that kind of takes away from the show already. Some people act better than others depending on their condition, their compatibility with the song or show, and also who they... more>> are working with. Producers, employees, camerawork, fellow idols, editing, and actors kind of just get reduced to mere stats and numbers in Debut or die. There's some interactions and commentary on idols on social media by the fans and haters, but to be honest, they're all extremely generic one way or the other.

It's obviously fun to watch our main character climb out of a idol show, debut, and start his idol career with the rest of his team. That's because there's a sense of challenge, something to prove, and stage concepts actually matter.

At some point though, when you have your characters become successful, what's next? Drama? There's some melodrama here and there, but it's all quite stale. Characters? Like I said, the fact that a lot of characters are reduced to their stats is dehumanizing. You don't really get to know the characters in detail, and lack of perspective change doesn't help either. While there are a lot of activities with the idol group and there's definitely heart to heart conversations, when everything is low stakes and nothing really happens, I can't say I am very engaged.

Overall, there's just nothing to carry the novel past the concrete goals of debuting as an idol, and characters that work well in a competitive environment trying to prove themselves and create a career as idols slowly becomes a event log of mundane idol activities with sprinkle of melodrama garbage. <<less
11 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
kpopdump
kpopdump rated it
May 12, 2022
Status: c43
I love this novel so much because there aren't many showbiz novels out there that emphasize idol and fandom life like this one. Aside from the reincarnation part and the system, the plot is realistic and very familiar for kpop fans. 5/5

... more>>
Spoiler

After eagerly waiting for so long, I'm one of the unfortunate ones who missed the mass update (chapters 44-57) just because I was busy with real life for a few days 😭

For those kind souls who managed to get a copy of the translations for ch44-57, please message this poor fan, desperate to read quality translations even just until ch57. Translator-nim, hope you reach me out too if we got a new disc server or something, I miss our small readers community ><

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Izeru
Izeru rated it
April 19, 2022
Status: c57
First offre all EVERYONE NEEDS TO REED THIS RN 😩✋🏻IT'S A MASTERPIECE

Second of all I feel so exhausted because now that the translation dropped 😭 I tried so many things but nothing worked I'm not giving up but I hope for a team to pick this masterpiece up please
11 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
ErisFeris
ErisFeris rated it
November 28, 2022
Status: c66
Really good novel, it's easily the best one of the idol industry genre, and even if I'm just talking about "best Korean novel" it's in my top 5.

Of course, there's still not a lot of chapters out, but the 66 chapters I read were super entertaining. The characters are good the setting is realistic, the flow of the story is, too.

You can tell the author dis their research on the idol industry, it is really fun.

I recommend it a lot !
10 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Anika Ab
Anika Ab rated it
December 23, 2022
Status: c201
It's def a Gem. I truely wanted to give it 5🌟 but when the idiol show ended, it felt like excitement died out alittle.

Author knows how dark and how cruel kpop world is and they wrote it perfectly. You can feel how MC is struggling and how he solves problems bc he knows this world better than anyone else. I enjoy how his fans and netizens fight over him and I actually find it so funny.

I love side characters too and every one of them has a backstory and it's... more>> truely enjoyable that we get to know them beside MC and figure out how fake they were acting with cameras but not with MC.

Anyway if you are into kpop and kgroup I definitely recommend this. <<less
9 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
dokjaebi
dokjaebi rated it
July 29, 2022
Status: c43
soooo good I was hooked on almost every character and the relationships between the contestants gripped my neck hard it's just that amazing. Moondae is a delight and he rlly is the entire world to me. My mukbang king! Its portrayal of the idol industry and fan culture is very much spot-on 백덕수-nim is probably a fly on the walls of inkigayo hallways LMAO. Rly made me reflect on the industry's exploitative nature, and at the same time remind me of why I like k-pop so much in the first... more>> place. 10/10 would def carry around a moondae pc around in my phone case for emotional support à la horror movie children with their dolls. <<less
9 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
coolcat_neko
coolcat_neko rated it
June 15, 2023
Status: c345
Love it!

The story is amazing. The MC and other members in his group is potrayed really well.

I think I need more viewpoint of other testar member, because sometimes the MC is an ureliable narrator
8 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
lovemelikealovesong
lovemelikealovesong rated it
September 27, 2022
Status: c263
This is the first time I'm gonna leave a review in this page because I want y'all to know how I'm so in love with this novel and I'm about to finish the fan translated chapters of it upto 278 and it still update, I don't know if I can mention them here so I'll just keep it.

Once again I really love this novel! This is also probably the first time I'm gonna read an mtl after I finish the tled chaps, I really love them, especially MOONDAE ✨😭 he's... more>> my bias btw, And I ship him with Keun SEJIN AAAAHHHH I know I may be over the top but I can't help it 😭

So to those who want to read it I'm sure you're gonna love it.

As I'm quite certain that those who WANT to read it must be someone INTERESTED in an entertainment industry genre kinda-like because there's no way someone is gonna read smth if they're not interested.

Since there's no way I can review the author's way of writing through fan tl or mtl, all I can say Is that the plot is so good that you'll sacrifice your brain to read an mtl like me, just like what I'm about to do.

Spoiler

In the current arc I'm in MOONDAE ✨ 🐶 already overcome his system abormality.

They also received the daesang award (artist of the year)

There are so many happening and even if I want to say it all, I can't because summarizing it is beyond my capability.

And in as you know MOONDAE isn't someone that gets attached easily but if you're curious if he will ever warmed up YES HE WILL.

THERE WILL BE MANY WHOLESOME MOMENTS IN MIDS OF CRISIS JUST LIKE WHAT I READ YESTERDAY NIGHT ABOUT THEIR ADVENTURE IN AN ISLAND THAT IMMEDIATELY TURN INTO HORROR HAHAHAHA, I'M SURE YOU'LL HAVE SO MUCH FUN!

BUT ofc there will be many angsts but as I said they overcome it that it made me cry so much with happiness.

And just last spoilers on one of my favorite parts of the novel I read so far.

MOON-PUPPY (Moondae) appeared in Mask King Singer! This it's a lil different in the novel but it was so much better!

I also like the part where all of them cried at the stage, especially MOONDAE that he cried even in the second day of their concert because of their fans and ofc I also cried so hard at that time.

Well that's all, LOVIEWER HERE 4EVER!

TAKE YOUR STAR! THEY ARE TeSTAR! ⭐

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8 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Cessimon bun
Cessimon bun rated it
April 20, 2022
Status: c57
I'm actually so glad that this novel has been updated again T^T I always come back to this page every week since january for new updates hsksb I coincidentally found this while looking for new reads here in novelupdates and I couldn't have been more glad to discover this gem <33

The first ever idol-themed novel I've ever read and it did NOT DISAPPOINT. The story line's fantastic, the characters- ugh I just really love their friendship :"> when I first saw this kind plot, I became a little hesitant at... more>> first since I'm not really much of a k-pop fan myself. H-o-w-e-v-e-r, it kind of piqued my interest now considering the plot is actually well-made and very fun.

Hoping for more updates in the future <33 I even created this account just to appreciate and give a review for this series aahhhh <<less
8 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
eiei
eiei rated it
June 16, 2023
Status: c576
It's an amazing story.

Moondae, the MC, is the type that I really like; cool smart kind and sacrificial. Other characters also have interesting and unique personalities, especially the main casts, ... more>>
Spoiler

TeStar's members + Cheongryeo and ori. Moondae

[collapse]
, like they're so good you can't help but love them all.

The story is based on the everyday life of Moondae being an idol, it's slice of life that have some unexpected events at times to keep the story interesting, (it's just that those unexpected events are so grand, sometimes it made me thought to myself as to why these ppl who just wants to do their job have to go through all these supernatural shits...) anyway, it is so entertaining and fun I can't stop reading it. <<less
7 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
apple_saucey
apple_saucey rated it
January 1, 2023
Status: c90
So, uh... I’m not very good at giving a review but here is a rundown of what I can remember:

It’s important to note that sometimes the MC is not narrating a scene (I guess you could say that there are different given viewpoints of certain scenes?)

The MC is a smart, critical thinker - he seems a bit apathetic, but really, he cares about others (along w/ the need for survival) - but there are some sweet moments where his actions contradict his quiet exterior

His past life plays a huge... more>> role in the story (lengthy to explain, but in summary: photographing idols and selling their photos for “customers”) - his knowledge is important for a lot of moments, in a way

Characters are great - I’m not exactly THAT trusting of certain characters, but well... the debut lineup for TESTAR is really, really good... there are characters that are more aware and observant than others, throwing the MC off-guard in return (satisfying, if you ask me)

Overall, I give a rating greater than 10/10 ;]... it’s an enjoyable read, pretty chill - includes some drama, but it’s usually solved by either the MC or another character

Sorry for the poor writing skills + short review but personally, this is a chill and enjoyable read for me <<less
7 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
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