Debut or Die!

After another failed Korean civil service exam, 29-year-old Ryu Gunwoo passed out from a night of heavy drinking. Upon waking, he realizes that he has somehow inhabited the body of Park Moondae, a high school dropout who was attempting suicide on his 23rd birthday—three years before the last date Gunwoo remembers.

Despite the changes to his identity and place in time, Moondae is most alarmed by the game-like status window that he can manifest. A list of performance skills and the ominous words "Debut or die" stare at him, but he lacks both the talent and inclination to become an idol. Nonetheless, spurred on by the dwindling 365-day deadline, he recalls an opportunity to debut in a short time: the controversial and extremely competitive survival audition show, Idol Incorporated.

Unenthused but pragmatic, Moondae soon proves himself a remarkably creative contestant who is capable of devising strategies for nearly every challenge thrown his way. While he races to improve the abilities required to actually stand on stage—simply to avoid death—he may gradually discover a passion for performance that makes his enduring life worth living.