The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 120

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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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120

…Come to think of it, wasn’t Jung Da-jun’s birthday tomorrow?
Jung Da-jun had arranged his birthday gifts in a neat line, still wrapped, and taken a selfie with them as his backdrop.

“Wow~, that’s awesome!!”

Then he began unwrapping the gifts, tilting his head in confusion more than a few times. From behind him, I gazed at the presents and felt a twinge of admiration.

‘Wow, Jung Da-jun… he’s really gotten popular.’

Seeing the occasional letters written in English or languages I couldn’t decipher, it was clear that overseas fans had sent gifts too. I crossed my arms and watched Jung Da-jun from above, his cheeks flushed red with excitement as he squealed with delight.

“Whoa! These are seriously gorgeous!”
“Right?”
“And I’ve never even seen any of these before!”

‘Of course not.’

They were all ridiculously expensive high-end brands.
Whether Jung Da-jun didn’t know the first letter of these brand names or simply didn’t care, he was too busy unwrapping, making comments like “What an interesting pattern,” “Wow, sunglasses!” and nothing else.
Kim Sung-hyun, who’d finished his ice cream, lingered nearby.
Jung Da-jun put on the scarf, sunglasses, and necklace—everything he could get his hands on.
Similarly, Kim Sung-hyun, who probably didn’t know the first letter of these brand names either—well, maybe he knew up to the first syllable—eagerly handed him more items to wear, turning our maknae into quite the ridiculous sight.

“A Christmas tree?”
“Oh! That’s actually a great idea! Should we add some lights?”
“Pfft, never mind—take a picture for me?”
“Sure! I’ll post it on our official account!”

Such an idol, our silly maknae.
After taking enough photos to satisfy the birthday boy Jung Da-jun’s approval, I left him tapping away at his phone with a satisfied expression and went to put on my sneakers to head to practice, when Kim Sung-hyun suddenly grabbed my shirt from behind.

“Where are you going?”
“Practice.”
“It’s your vacation, though? And you were up almost all night yesterday too. Get some rest.”

Well, it is vacation, but there’s nothing much to do anyway.
I deliberately avoided answering and dragged my feet, so Kim Sung-hyun clicked his tongue and called me a “workaholic.” It was rich coming from him—the guy who’d just spent three hours at the gym despite being on vacation.

“Why don’t you come with me? If we’re doing a year-end stage performance, we can’t lose our touch.”
“…You actually have a sense of stage presence, Seo Ho-yoon?”
“Do you want to die?”

Kim Sung-hyun chuckled and pondered for a moment before suddenly lifting his head with an “Ah!”

“Come to think of it, shouldn’t we be hearing about the collaboration soon? What did the Manager say?”
“It should come out around tomorrow.”

After answering that, I glanced at the corner and the Quest window popped up again.
It was a Quest that had been showing up for several days now.

[Quest Arrived!
Successfully complete a collaboration stage with a sexy concept!
Demonstrate overwhelming quality to the public.
Success: 5,000 Points Awarded
Failure: Dance Stat Slightly Decreases
(B+ ➝ C+)]

No matter how I think about it, a slight decrease in dance stat doesn’t seem right.
When I complained that raising it is so difficult but lowering it is so easy, the System Window disappeared after leaving a rude response: “Think of it like the stock market.”

‘Now that I think about it, that actually makes sense.’

Anyway, Kim Sung-hyun, who had no way of knowing I was sighing over the Quest window, slightly furrowed his brow.

“Oh, really? How did you know?”
“It seems like everything’s being finalized and information is starting to circulate.”

Besides, I’d recently gone to Joo Woo-sung’s house to see the cat for the first time in a while, and I found out right there that Black Call and White Cherry were going to collaborate.
Joo Woo-sung’s expression crumbled instantly when he received the Manager’s call.
I was still gently rubbing the cat’s nose with my fingertip—the one who only listened to me—when I asked with confusion.

“What? You were acting all calm about it.”
“…Ugh.”

Joo Woo-sung was quite shameless about it—though to date someone like that, you’d need this level of mental fortitude. He’d even done a special MC appearance at YuYu Bank with Han Chae-ri before.
So I thought running into an ex-girlfriend was nothing to a playboy, but Joo Woo-sung subtly avoided my gaze.

“Hey, running into Han Chae-ri—the one I absolutely hate—is one thing, but those members are seriously scary….”
“…?”

When I saw the White Cherry members last time, it didn’t feel that way?
I didn’t even relay the warm words Han Chae-ri had given to Joo Woo-sung, who hadn’t done anything right.
But I spoke, recalling what Han Chae-ri and Liz had said and the warm atmosphere that had surrounded them.

“They all seemed kind. Very considerate.”
“What are you talking about? You’re talking about the same White Cherry as me, right?”

Joo Woo-sung shuddered.

“Of course their teamwork is good and they’re impressive, but… how do I put it. People have divided opinions about them. If you get on their bad side, they’re genuinely terrifying.”
“That’s probably because you did something worth having divided opinions about.”
“Ugh, I can’t breathe already.”

Remembering how Joo Woo-sung had complained for a long time in the practice room that the Black Call members wouldn’t even cover for him and he’d end up alone, I felt refreshed.
Yeah, it was about time Joo Woo-sung faced some consequences.

“Karma exists, I guess. Looking at this collaboration.”
“What are you saying? Why are you like that, worried about the collaboration?”
“No, there’s someone more worried about it than me, so it’s fine.”

Anyway, after Jung Da-jun had thoroughly checked the reactions to the photos he’d posted on the official account, he draped the birthday gift over his shoulder this way and that, snapping photos.
Since he was wearing a school uniform, I figured the fans would like it….

‘Wait.’

What time is it now?

“Hey, Jung Da-jun. Aren’t you supposed to be at school right now?”

He flinched.

Jung Da-jun hesitated for a moment before breaking into a bright smile.

“School ended early today.”
“He left early, apparently.”
“No, that’s not it!”
“He’s short on attendance days.”
“Are you joking?”

Like a nagging sister-in-law, Kim Sung-hyun quickly confessed to me.

“Wow, you said you wouldn’t tell Brother…!!”

He messed up and then—
Jung Da-jun puffed out his cheeks and glared at Kim Sung-hyun before his expression shifted to one of grievance, and he began rambling excuses.

“But I’m still taking the college entrance exam! Isn’t it impressive that I’m not dropping out and just showing up for attendance sometimes? People who want to go to university will go anyway, right? I’m completely satisfied being an idol?”
“So what?”
“…You’re the master of leaving people speechless, seriously.”

Jung Da-jun kept muttering about how I was being a Confucian boy and how his parents were fine with it anyway, but when he realized his excuses weren’t working, he started rolling around on the floor.
I grabbed Jung Da-jun and made eye contact with him.

“Fine, let’s say the attendance issue is settled. But what about your college entrance exam prep? You said you were going to take it.”
“…!”
“There’s not much time left. Get out your problem set. Let me see how much you’ve done.”
“…Brother, let me say one thing.”
“What is it.”
“I haven’t solved a single problem!”

After I flicked him on the forehead, Jung Da-jun finally grumbled and organized his gifts before bringing out his problem set.

Ding!

[You said you were going to practice?]

I’ll just take a quick look. Whatever.
I sat down listlessly and stared at Jung Da-jun’s problem set, which was so pristine it looked like he’d just bought it.

“Why is it so clean, you bastard?”
“…For collection?”
“Are you joking?”

Who buys problem sets just to keep them in a collection?
Jung Da-jun pouted and picked up his mechanical pencil, while I—still sharp from my days juggling seven tutoring sessions while in college—ground away at the problems like a madman beside him. Jung Da-jun let out a shrill cry and grudgingly worked through the questions.

Ting!

In the middle of my intense Spartan-style crash tutoring session, sanding away at Jung Da-jun’s mistakes, Sung Ji-won and Kang Yi-chae burst through the door.

“Wahahahaha!!”
“What’s with him?”
“Just Kang Yi-chae being his usual self.”

Since Kang Yi-chae’s attention-seeking mode wasn’t anything new, I responded to Kim Sung-hyun’s comment casually and tried to get back to Jung Da-jun’s problems, but something was genuinely off about Kang Yi-chae.

“Wow, this really isn’t easy, is it?”
“….”

He was laughing with his eyes glazed over, like someone who’d achieved enlightenment.

“Besides, life’s only fun when it’s not easy! Don’t you think, Ho-yoon?”
“Just get to the point.”
“Eeng~, why are you so cold today~.”
“That’s typical Seo Ho-yoon for you….”

Kim Sung-hyun muttered quietly beside me.
Kang Yi-chae made a beeline for the sofa and flopped down on it. Sung Ji-won, who followed him in, seemed to share the confusion and scratched his forehead awkwardly before speaking carefully.

“Guys. Our collaboration stage has been decided.”
“Oh~? With who?”
“Lia Purple sunbae.”
“…Huh?”

Lia Purple—was he talking about that idol group that nearly got injured during “Victory is Mine” last time? I didn’t know much about them, but I remembered being impressed by how well the members looked after each other.
…But a collaboration with a female idol group?
I weighed the possibilities for a moment, then quickly shifted my thoughts and reached a conclusion.

‘Well, it should be fine.’

It was true that mixed collaborations with limited experience could easily create noise, so caution was necessary—but we weren’t the only ones doing it.
Some fans might feel lukewarm about it, but it was a fairly steady event overall.
I also judged that Noel’s solid mental fortitude, which I’d seen online earlier, couldn’t be shaken by this much.
Kim Sung-hyun seemed to share similar thoughts, asking calmly without much hesitation.

“The song’s already been decided?”
“Of course!”

At that, Kang Yi-chae, who had been motionless with his face buried in the sofa, suddenly jerked his head up and broke into a goofy grin.

‘Wait!’

I sensed something coming. Kang Yi-chae was about to do something crazy.
I quickly dodged to Sung Ji-won’s side, and sure enough, Kang Yi-chae, having lost his target, suddenly twisted his upper body and lunged.
He grabbed Jung Da-jun’s neck and yanked him close, opening his mouth wide as if to bite his cheek!!

“Our maknae’s cheeks, so plump~.”
“Kyaaaah!”

Jung Da-jun, whose only crime was standing right in front of Kang Yi-chae, yelped in terror and rolled across the floor, barely escaping.
I was just as startled watching from the sidelines.
Is Kang Yi-chae insane, seriously?!

“Are you—are you—are you crazy?! Ugh!!”
“Wahaha!”

In his haste to roll away, Jung Da-jun didn’t see where he was going and—bang!—smacked his head right into the sofa leg.

“Ow, my head, it hurts….”
“Ahhh! Yi-chae’s lonely~, give me a hug~.”
“Wow, I seriously seriously seriously hate you!!”

As Kang Yi-chae extended his hand again toward Jung Da-jun, who was cradling his head and groaning, Jung Da-jun’s expression hardened and he slithered backward like a loach, putting distance between them.
Then he frantically rubbed his cheek where Kang Yi-chae had almost—but not quite—made contact.
Watching this unfold, Kang Yi-chae calmly rested his chin on his hand and hummed along to a melody I’d heard somewhere before.

“Let me bite, bite~”
“Ugh… Why is Yi-chae like that? He’s lost his mind.”

I pressed Jung Da-jun’s mouth shut with my hand as he was turning into Kang Yi-chae, and wiped his reddened cheeks with my sleeve to soothe his whimpering.

“Ho-yoon seems to have lost his mind too today… He’s being so affectionate.”
“Hey, watch your words.”
“Yes…”

I pressed Jung Da-jun’s cheek as he grumbled, thinking of hashtags like ‘#Kang_Yi-chae_Explain_Yourself’, and responded, but my true feelings were different.

‘Thanks for being my sacrificial lamb, Jung Da-jun…’

After all, I had managed to escape.
Kang Yi-chae’s humming continued throughout.

“…I feel like I’ve heard that melody somewhere before.”

Sung Ji-won, noticing Kim Sung-hyun tilting his head, spoke with clouded eyes and a measured tone.

“The actual lyrics are like that too.”
“…There are actually lyrics like that?”

Then Sung Ji-won let out an awkward laugh.

“‘Let’s spend this night.'”

…Ah.

“…That one?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“….”
“….”
“…Don’t tell me?”
“Yeah.”
“…As a mixed group?”
“Yeah, as a mixed group.”

I asked again in disbelief, but Sung Ji-won simply nodded with a solemn expression, his lips sealed shut.
My mouth fell slightly open.

‘Let’s get through this night.’

A senior from Lia Purple’s agency had gone solo and achieved massive success, gaining considerable recognition from the public….
Sticky, laden with unmistakable implications… a song with a sexy concept.

“Wahahahaha!”

Dae Pa-sung….
Have you lost your mind?

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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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