The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 125

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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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125

“Ahhhhhhh!!!”

Against the darkened backdrop, only the words “The Dawn” glowed on the massive screen. Naturally, the roar of fans erupted. Among the circular, multicolored light sticks of each fanbase, the distinctly shimmering inverted triangle light sticks of The Dawn’s supporters stood out in brilliant blue.
Then, as violet and blue light mingled into an ethereal glow, The Dawn gathered at center stage, forming an impressive formation that filled the screen.
All members held their heads bowed, but I could see Sung Ji-won slowly raising the microphone.
Normally, the intro would have played first.

[A miracle called you in this vast universe]

“Ahhhhh!! Kissmet!”

The year-end stage opened Kissmet without the intro, instead beginning with Sung Ji-won’s soft yet crystalline voice. The Dawn, whose recognition everyone had casually dismissed, was now being forcefully elevated by this performance—Shining Star’s final competition song, which could be called their masterpiece.
It was a tribute to Kim Sung-hyun.

“Ahhhhhhh! Let’s go!!”

Noel, a high school senior who had become a fan of Kim Sung-hyun through Shining Star, was so thrilled that she impulsively threw her cushion.
Kissmet originally began with a grand intro, but hearing only Sung Ji-won’s voice without any background accompaniment made it feel even more poignant.

[Ji-won angel has arrived holy—]
[Sung Ji-won is founding this let’s go]

[Enchanted by you, I reach out my hand…]

Then soft piano notes layered in. As Sung Ji-won slowly lowered the hand he had extended and dropped his gaze, Kim Sung-hyun, who had been standing back-to-back with him, turned and gently touched the microphone, opening his mouth to sing.

[I am so small.]

When Kissmet’s greatest beneficiary, Kim Sung-hyun, appeared, an even louder roar erupted from the TV speakers. Instead of his usual bold, resonant tone, Kim Sung-hyun spoke in a whisper.

[But you told me,
That I can be a star….]

Perhaps because the song centered on his own story, Kim Sung-hyun meshed perfectly with it even without a grand orchestral prelude.
As the tender piano introduction stretched out lengthily,
Kim Sung-hyun tilted his chin upward and narrowed his eyes, taking a moment to steady his breathing before

[Right?]

flashing a playful grin toward the camera.

Tap-tap-tap!
Boom, boom, boom!

With a crackling sound like electricity sparking, the lights ignited in rapid succession—bang, bang, bang.
The gentle piano prelude vanished as if it had never existed, transforming into pop-electronic melody the moment Kim Sung-hyun spoke. Simultaneously, white lightning streaked across the blue screen.

[Wow, this feels like a concert!]
[Wait, is this actually a concert?]
[The fact that Kang Yi-chae made this is driving me insane
└The quality from just a few weeks of studying… seriously…
└└??? Wasn’t that just a rumor?!]

Everyone was buzzing with excitement seeing Kissmet’s stage after so long. But what truly captivated the fans was something else entirely.

[Omg the members’ hair and makeup today is absolutely insane lololololololol]

As the camera panned across the members, it was clear the styling team had sharpened their knives and come prepared—everyone wore leather. All coordinated in rider jackets for cohesion, yet each possessed subtly different details.
Seo Ho-yoon’s style leaned boxy and casual, while Sung Ji-won’s was neat like formal wear, and the younger members brought individuality through unique patterns and embellishments.
…Did Kim Sung-hyun even need mentioning?
He looked as though he’d been born wearing it.

[Seo Ho-yoon in a black rider jacket with straight hair??? Oh my god!!!! No!!!! Are you kidding me??? Are you seriously messing with us?!!!!]
[Oh god Dae Pa-sung I love you]
[Is this a conglomerate? Are they insane?
If they go public I’m buying stock]
[Kim Sung-hyun looks so sharp it’s killing me—who could possibly see him as delicate and innocent?]

The performance hadn’t even properly begun, yet SNS was already ablaze with reactions.
As Kim Sung-hyun stepped back, Kissmet’s highlight section resonated through the concert hall with crystalline clarity.

[You showed me the way!]

It was a new arrangement by Kang Yi-chae.
Boom, boom, boom—the drums kicked in with the backing track, and the lights flashed brilliantly.

[Ooh, Yeah, You showed me the way!]

The ornate melody suddenly diminished as if the music were playing underwater, and simultaneously the lights plunged into darkness. The camera slowly zoomed in on The Dun’s members, who had turned their backs to Kim Sung-hyun as if shielding him, catching their breath.
In that instant, Seo Ho-yoon, standing at center, twisted one corner of his mouth upward.

Boom, boom, boom!

[Yeah-, You told me that I can be a Star]

As if to say he was about to show them what he cherished.

Boom, boom, boom—crash!

The background sound exploded outward. As The Dun split apart to both sides beneath the dazzling lights,

[Lift your head and open your eyes from the dust!]

…Kim Sung-hyun burst through the center.

“You crazy bastards!!”

Even as Noel hugged the cushion again and wept uncontrollably, Kim Sung-hyun paid no mind, striding forward with long legs toward the front of the stage while securing his in-ear microphone with his hand.

[Everyone warns me
To be born, I must dive into the storm
It’s fine, I made my mind, I want to meet you]

Since it had been rearranged for the year-end stage performance, everything had been re-recorded. After the Kill the Lights release, Kang Yi-chae had leveled up his composition and arrangement skills so frantically that he proposed new attempts without hesitation.

“Change the lyrics? Is that even possible?”
“Seriously, it’s been half a year since our Shining Star ended?”

Kang Yi-chae hummed while tapping his feet, which he had carelessly propped up on the desk.

“Let’s adjust the rhythm carefully and tweak it bit by bit. To match our current situation.”

So we decided to release a year-end stage version this time.
Behind Kim Sung-hyun, who spat out each syllable of the lyrics with precision, Jung Da-jun spun toward the camera.

[Ah- You have witnessed
I burned out, and here I am in the end
I knew it, we were right]

Only then did Noel’s members notice the lyrics had changed from before, their eyes widening in surprise. That’s when Kang Yi-chae, whose grapefruit-colored hair and black leather jacket complemented each other perfectly, burst onto the stage.

“Wow, that guy really does have a dazzling presence….”

[You see, the stars gather
Diving into the storm, enduring gravity]

Yet it was so similar that only The Dun’s fans would notice—otherwise, it was easy to overlook.
Kang Yi-chae wrinkled his nose and swept his hair back.

[Ah, it’s really nothing special
Anyway, that’s the path leading to you
Birth of a Star….]

‘The changed lyrics are seriously fire….’

Especially with the year-end atmosphere, memories of everything I’d experienced over the past year flooded back, drawing me deeper into the performance. The melody stretched deliberately, and the electric guitar sound erupted powerfully.

[Yeah, this is Kismet!]

Then the camera switched, and Seo Ho-yoon’s part began. The high school Noel fan who became devoted to The Dun through Kim Sung-hyun, our protagonist who’d been waiting with his neck practically craned all day—Seo Ho-yoon took the stage, and the highlight of this performance truly began.
As always, he showcased stable technique even in the live performance, flicking his fingers toward the camera.

[You and me here (Yeah, right here)
Brilliant light bursts forth
Don’t miss it, This is Kismet]

Next, Sung Ji-won lifted his voice endlessly in falsetto!

[Ah- This is Kismet!]

“Kyaaaaaaah!!!”

Even as the pre-recorded backing vocals burst forth powerfully from behind, Sung Ji-won’s high note pierced through them all.

[The moment a star is born]
[The fate that we cannot deny!]

The two of them harmonized, and new lyrics emerged—at that moment, the screen behind them erupted once more. With it came the voices of all five members ringing out.

[Running toward you]

Noeul didn’t know it, but this was the harmony that Seo Ho-yoon had drilled relentlessly with Sung Ji-won during practice.

[I want to say it with pride—
Because of you, I became a star]

“This is… insane…!!”

Just as Noeul, brimming with emotion, was about to shed tears at a stage that satisfied both sight and sound,
Seo Ho-yoon in the center tilted his head slightly.
Then he lowered his gaze toward the glowing blue light sticks of Noeul, taking in everything that had happened in less than a year.
The vast landscape visible from the stage—what it truly meant to him—neither the viewers nor Noeul could possibly comprehend. And that was because

[Didn’t I tell you?]

Seo Ho-yoon simply smiled.

[Hold on and follow me.]

Seo Ho-yoon returned not alone, but to The Dun’s formation. As he rejoined the five members, violet and blue lighting intertwined, then pulled him into Kismet’s climax.

[You show me the way!
Now I’ll become the light to show you the path
I will dance all night to please you!
Until the star’s heart grows cold]

“Ah….”

Noeul clutched at her swelling chest and watched the stage until the very end. She’d originally planned to record everything on her phone, but today she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from The Dun’s members.

[I will sing all day only for you]

Kim Sung-hyun and Seo Ho-yoon’s eyes met, and they exchanged a quiet laugh. Then they decided to bear fruit worthy of Kissmet, which had bloomed under Shining Star.

[It’s okay, I’ve already made up my mind
I’m going to burn bright until the very end…]

The camera clung to them relentlessly until the final moment. After four minutes on stage, his damp black hair clung to Kim Sung-hyun’s forehead, and sweat trickled down his jaw. He offered a faint smile as he held the ending shot.

He looked happy.

[Because you told me,
That I can be a star.]

He sang the final verse, identical to the previous Kissmet performance, and the lights cut out. Even after the stage ended and the screen went dark, the fan sat there, dazed for a moment.

“Ah, right.”

Only then did she calm her racing heartbeat and quickly grab her phone.

[Ah…]
[Okay guys, I’m not going to cry..
I’m not..
I’m not…]
I’m not doing it…
[Seriously insane…

“This is crazy… for real…”
For Noel fans, it was a stage impossible to watch without being mesmerized. Four minutes of nearly the same quality as the Part 2 opening stage had ended, yet fans still lingering somewhere within Kissmet clutched their chests and called out to The Dun endlessly.

It was a stage that, if it were Noel, one could only watch as if entranced. Four minutes of quality nearly matching the second act opening had ended, but fans still lingering somewhere in Kismet clutched their chests and endlessly cried out for The Dun.

During Shining Star, if you grit your teeth and come out on stage to survive… , This is because the members are now more relaxed and have grown up even though the so-called ‘cheeky spirit’ is flowing.

[No, that’s okay too…
[Well, that’s true too..
But today,,, really,,, what is it,, what is it…?
What’s their vibe… Did something happen to them…?

The reason I grew is because I had a lot of work to do over the past year.
The reason for their growth was that an incredible amount had happened over the past year.

What’s up with the kids… Did something happen to them…?
I’m completely clueless but totally obsessed with it.
└I’ll handle the dog fights..
The reason I’ve grown is because there was really, really, really a lot of work over the past year.

Since Seo Ho-yoon was already working hard, there was no way the Noeuls would know that they didn’t have to do it.
[Be happy, you guys..]
I’ve only ever heard pretty words my whole life.. only seen good things.. eaten well..

└└I’m already complaining about it too…]

There was no way they could know that Seo Ho-yoon was already working hard enough that Noel didn’t need to do anything.
In any case, I waited quietly for the next song to begin, but no more music flowed from the speakers.
High school senior Noel shot up indignantly.
but? I have no money to save haha
“What?! Are you serious?! Is that it?”

[Ugh, I was already annoyed when I saw the cue sheet
and they’re really only doing one stage…]
[Dae Pa-sung, snap out of it and somehow pressure the broadcasting station into giving us more!!!!

└It’s funny but it’s not]

High school senior Noel, who had only known that The Dun was performing at the year-end stage and hadn’t properly reviewed the leaked cue sheet, finally discovered through SNS that it was just one song, and began tearing at her hair while cursing the agency as the typical incompetent Dae Pa-sung.
That was when it happened.

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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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