The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 112

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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112

“Hey! Give me your phone for a sec!”
“Again? No way.”
“Come on, blood relative—help me out here.”

I chased him into the bedroom, pestering my brother relentlessly. Just looking at his face made my irritation spike, but for The Dun, there was nothing I wouldn’t do.

‘Back during the Shining Star days, I was handing out flyers and candy in front of the academy, begging people to vote. So what’s the big deal now…!’

Sure, I got caught and took a beating for it, but in the end, it wasn’t such a bad thing.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll buy you chicken!”
“Take it.”

‘Damn brat….’

I muttered a curse and grabbed the phone. Last time, I’d only managed to send a text after bringing him bread. Looking at my sent messages again made my blood boil, but I took a deep breath and cleared my mind for The Dun’s imminent arrival. I needed to receive them with reverence.

“They’re coming!!”

Alone in the living room, my heart pounding, I started watching the music broadcast.
It wasn’t one of the Three Major Broadcasters, but it was their final music broadcast appearance. In other words, today was the last chance for Kill the Lights to claim first place.
Plus, only artists performing that day could be nominated, which made it even better in a way.
The track Kang Yi-chae composed this time had an incredible beat. Just watching the intro with each member’s face appearing in sequence was moving beyond words.

[Please please please let The Dun get first place guys vote once for us
But there’s only Noel fans anyway so I already voted lol]
“I’m not sure how things will change now that we’ve started the global fan voting lol”
[Black Call came back after 2 weeks and they’re not on this week’s broadcast seriously… do some work…]

“Seriously.”

Even though I’d muted the word on social media, I caught sight of a post about Black Call and felt a pang in my chest.

‘Black Call has already gotten first place so many times…!’

In contrast, The Dun had released such a masterpiece, yet still hadn’t claimed first place. With hair, makeup, and styling in perfect harmony, and a title track that was absolutely insane, how could they fail to get first when it just happened to overlap with a famous group’s release? Of course, I acknowledged that Black Call’s song this time was good, but The Dun’s track was no less impressive.
This time! Like this! They brought such a godly track to close out the Apocalypse trilogy!
And they’re going to lose first place because of some oblivious conglomerate’s tyranny??

“This is so frustrating, seriously…. Black Call needs to show some consideration.”

It was a complaint bordering on petulance, laced with 90% envy, and though I knew that once you started down this path there was no end to it, I couldn’t help but feel a bit huffy anyway.
The puppy beside me rolled its eyes and glanced at me. I ruffled the dog’s head vigorously and took a deep breath, turning my attention back to the television.
On stage, a dim, almost dawn-like light enveloped Sung Ji-won.

[Kill the Lights
Kill the Lights
Kill the Lights…]

“Kim Sung-hyun! Sung Ji-won! Seo Ho-yoon! Kang Yi-chae! Jung Da-jun! Eternal dawn, The Dun!”
“Why are you doing this again?!”

As I shouted the cheer in time with the music, I heard my brother’s voice of protest from across the room. Of course, I didn’t care one bit. If he wanted chicken, he could figure it out himself.

[Jung Da-jun platinum blonde hair ah you were just born with platinum blonde]
Sung Ji-won’s face was so heavenly that I didn’t even notice I was wearing flashy accessories lol
[Seo Ho-yoon you really keep getting… no wait I’m not saying anything or I’ll get arrested for this]

But that was that, and the moment the song properly began, I dropped my phone without even realizing it.

[I still recall,
You in that dim light
When everyone was pointing at you
You just laughed, remember?]

“Wow, what are these guys….”

I could hear their breathing clearly.

“Is this live?”

Usually for songs with intense choreography, the standard was to layer at least some backing track. On top of that, for the high notes, whether they lip-synced or sang the whole thing, there had to be some backing track so the idols could actually breathe.

[Are you guys insane????]
[Stimulate the K-pop grandma’s peripheral nerves]
[Please vote please vote]

But these people were performing live even while running across the stage. Inevitably, their breathless gasps came through the microphone for everyone to hear.

[We can definitely kill this light
Flip everything and change the game!]

“What… what is this…?”

[This week’s stage is insane]
[Why does it feel better than last week?? I mean, I already thought they were better than Ocean Trend, but if they keep improving like this, what are we supposed to do]
└The synchronized choreography is sharp, every jump and landing is perfect]
[My body is going to break;;;]

It wasn’t just The Dun’s fans who felt it—praise from other fandoms trickled in sporadically across SNS.

[You can’t leave this scheme
Burrowing in at the break of dawn
Walking relentlessly toward the end]

This was composed by Kang Yi-chae…
A fan who had become devoted to Kang Yi-chae watched with a proud expression, mesmerized, as he swung his hand like conducting a baton.

[Kill the Lights!]

At that moment, the stage lights cut out with a sharp bang. Then a narrow spotlight illuminated Kim Sung-hyun. Kim Sung-hyun lowered his gaze and gently bit his lip.

[Trembling fingertips turn blue]

“Kim Sung-hyun, you madman…”

Kim Sung-hyun’s only criticism had been his facial expressions.
But the way he trembled while setting explosives in the music video… and that expression just now—both naturally wrenched at the fans’ hearts.
As the lights brightened slightly, Seo Ho-yoon appeared behind Sung Ji-won.

[Just as it happened to you once
For me, it’s only this one chance]

“Ahhhhh!”

As Seo Ho-yoon’s face filled the screen, a cascade of emotions washed over me.
The kids’ faces, the lighting, the stage—everything was flawless, and I could already picture the YouTube comments that would ignite once this footage went live.

‘An idol’s greatest asset is their face…’

[Take my hand, you already know
The dawn is drawing near]

Moved to tears, I clutched my chest, and then I saw Kang Yi-chae smiling as he extended his hand to Jung Da-jun.

[And now, it turns to…
The DAWN!]

A choreography transition. Jung Da-jun seized that hand and jumped to his feet, immediately launching into a husky, live vocal with a scratchy edge to his voice.

[I can’t lose in this game—!
Let’s all burn bright]

Right beneath that, the vocal line kicked in. Seo Ho-yoon bent at the waist and belted out a soaring high note in two octaves. This progression hadn’t appeared in the previous performance.

[The moment light seeps through is where it starts—!]

“…!!”

Unable to close my mouth, I desperately tried to absorb everything through my eyes and ears, and beneath the soaring high note, Kim Sung-hyun filled the sound with a deep bass line.

[We can’t lose this game
I’ve already staked everything]

A bittersweet feeling washed over me as I realized this was the end. This music broadcast would be their final activity, and in the end, I couldn’t even give them a single first-place win….
If I’d seen this years ago, I would have mocked myself for being too invested, but my heart genuinely ached.

‘They’re doing so well, damn it…’

But then Kang Yi-chae slowly walked forward to the front of the stage. All the bittersweet feelings vanished as my gaze became transfixed.

[Ah, you’re at that end
Let’s see where we go all the way—]

“Yi-chae!!!!!”

Tears finally spilled over.
Everyone transitioned into the ending formation, and a close-up of Seo Ho-yoon’s profile filled the screen, his gaze distant. Seo Ho-yoon steadied his breathing, trembling, then moved his lips.

[Kill the Lights.]

The Dun’s logo appeared beside him, and the members’ breathless faces flashed across the screen in succession.
Immediately after, Yeolhwa’s stage began to play.
But the fan had already turned away from the screen, face-down on the floor, nearly sobbing uncontrollably.

[These guys really are genius idols… They knew the fans were upset, and they understood what this final stage meant, so they changed the stage composition like this…]
[I’ll love them forever and ever]

She wasn’t the only one crying.
After the final stage ended, the nominees for first place were The Dun and Yeolhwa. Black Call, which couldn’t perform on this broadcast, was excluded since they didn’t qualify for the nomination.

Yeolhwa had quite a following too.
Compared to before Shining Star, their recognition was incomparably higher.
I told myself I’d accept any result with composure, that it was a sign of high fan consciousness, but the irritation that had already bubbled up wouldn’t easily subside.
Digital sales, physical albums, video views, live text voting, global voting… the scores climbed dizzily. My eyes, which had been watching the screen without much hope, gradually widened until my jaw dropped.

[The Dun Global Voting: 1,402 points!]

What’s going on with the global voting?

“Wh-what?”

Moreover, the text voting had increased significantly compared to last time. Unable to keep up with how the situation was unfolding, I stood dazed until the fanfare snapped me back to attention.

[Congratulations, The Dun!]

“Kyaaaah! Kyaaaah!!!!! The Dun got first place!”

As I shrieked, The Dun members’ shocked expressions were captured on screen. Seo Ho-yoon laughed and pushed Kim Sung-hyun forward, who accepted the trophy with bewilderment, stammering slightly as he carefully offered his acceptance remarks.

[G-gosh, thank you so much. I never imagined receiving this… Getting it during our final broadcast activity makes it all the more meaningful.]

“Our two-meter-tall water dumpling… still soggy today, huh…”

[Thank you always, Noel fans.]

With those words, the beat flowed out. Kim Sung-hyun didn’t shed tears until the very end, but his trembling voice was more than enough to convey the overwhelming emotion.

[Thank you!]
[Thanks, Noel~.]

Since they hadn’t expected to actually win first place and hadn’t prepared any special promises, everyone exchanged bewildered glances before simply dancing and moving freely to complete the live performance.
Thanks to the members laughing together while still nailing the live vocals, they managed to preemptively avoid criticism like [Is that AR? Not MR?] or [These days’ idols can’t even tell AR from MR?].

‘I’m happy, but… how did we even win first place?’

After the music broadcast ended, I hurriedly checked SNS, and it was flooded not just with fan posts but with detailed analyses.

Wow this is crazy, like when the global voting weight went up in the final broadcast, The Dun happened to be getting pretty popular overseas lolololol I love it so much, now who’s gonna tell The Dun they’re unknown anymore, they’re on a total upswing lol
└ㅇㅎ, it’s awesome;; The Dune’s popularity has increased, and the number of acquaintances has increased.
I guess I can finally stop hearing about burglaries at empty homes now lol ah this is so great!!!!!
I just heard from a local lol, and it seems like Shining Star and Please Camera’s Netflix Japan release is pretty huge. Apparently Kill the Lights merch (illegal) is already flooding Koreatown.

“Wow, so that’s how it happened~.”

While I was happy to come in first, I was confused on the other hand, but as I carefully read through the thread of posts that followed, I found myself nodding in agreement.
The posts noted that until our last activity, we had similar recognition to Yeolhwa and were expected to struggle, but The Dun had now captivated not just domestic but international fans through abundant content and a distinct worldview.
The music broadcast had significantly increased global voting weight in consideration of K-pop’s worldwide popularity, and the fact that Shining Star aired on Netflix Japan seemed to have played a role in the voting as well.
Moreover, many overseas people were accessing K-pop through YouTube these days, and I suspected that the Kill the Lights music video’s reputation for being cinematic, combined with the trend of overseas YouTubers making reaction videos to it, had contributed to this result.

[Dae Pa-sung’s been doing well lately
└Don’t get it twisted
Lol sorry, I’m totally high right now and just talking nonsense haha my bad
[But seriously that was a good call
Who asked for an extension… ㅠㅜ]

․
․
․

And Seo Ho-yoon, the one who’d suggested the extension, was currently getting drained in the van by the youngest members.

“Rappers have tongue twisters as basics, you know?”
“Give it a shot~.”
“The soy sauce factory manager is Manager Kang, and the doenjang factory manager is Manager Kong! Wahaha!!”
“Whoa!! I wanna try too!!”

The worn-out office worker was running out of stamina against the youngest members who were bouncing around like puppies.

***

“That’s why! Soy sauce egg rice obviously needs soy sauce—why would you put gochujang in it? The name is soy! sauce! egg rice!”
“Why not gochujang?”
“Our maknae’s gonna end up mixing ketchup in there too. Thanks for the weird food certification.”
“I’ve tried it before?”
“Seriously?”

‘How the hell did we go from tongue twisters to soy sauce egg rice….’

The kids had taken first place, so adrenaline was coursing through them excessively. I was trying to organize my thoughts in peace, hunched over with my eyes closed, when Jung Da-jun, our team’s baby bird, shook my shoulder.

“Ho-yoon hyung! Are you team gochujang or team soy sauce?”
“Whatever works.”
“That’s so mean!”

I brushed away Jung Da-jun’s whining head and picked up my phone. At the top was a message from Kim Hee-young filled with congratulatory clapping emojis. Joo Woo-sung had sent one too, and Seo Ho-jin as well. And… Lim Hyun-sung had messaged too.

‘…Lim Hyun-sung’s a bit unexpected.’

I sent back a thank you message with a strange feeling. Meanwhile, Min Ji-heon had also messaged.

[Min Ji-heon: Congrats]

‘I really hate this….’

I ignored it without hesitation. The image of Min Ji-heon, nearly crying after losing to me, whining about being curious about my end, suddenly came to mind.
How much does he know? How much is he hiding?

‘Both of them are the same.’

I pressed my brow and turned my gaze toward the window. I had completely suppressed the trauma again. Now, even without looking at my phone, I no longer felt nauseous when boarding the van like I used to.

‘…It’s just ancient history.’

When I turned around at the feeling of someone tapping my arm, Sung Ji-won, whose makeup had been removed and gave him a youthful appearance, smiled and spoke.

“If you’re going to sleep, want to switch seats? Get comfortable.”
“It’s fine, I’m okay.”
“Then at least wear this.”

Sung Ji-won offered me the cap he was wearing. I didn’t bother refusing and took it, putting it on immediately.
With my vision obscured, things did feel considerably more comfortable.
I rested my chin and continued my thoughts with my eyes closed. If Min Ji-heon knows, then I can approach him again at that time.

‘Until everything becomes certain, I should probably delay pursuing the other members too.’

That’s right. If I continue pursuing them without knowing something, I’ll only fall into the System Window’s intentions as is.
I quietly finished my thoughts and closed my eyes when the system chimed.

Ding!

[Quest Arrived!]

In the darkness of my vision, the blue window that only I could see rippled. It had clearly read the timing like a ghost.
It was telling me to stop messing around and just complete the quest.

[Let’s go on a variety show!
Original content, exclusive variety show, anything works!
Show us Seo Ho-yoon’s variety show talent >.<
Success: 8,000 Points Awarded
Failure: If you don't appear within 2 weeks, permanent stamina debuff]

It was trying so hard to manipulate me. But the more you're suppressed, the more your rebellious nature flares up. I let out a quiet laugh and smoothed my lips.

"How cute…."

Where am I now, and who am I supposed to be picking a fight with?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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