The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 16

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

16

“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Just do it. It’s not that hard.”

I was earnestly trying to extract some useful feedback, but Joo Woo-sung… he was a natural talent, which made it frustrating.
There was no more infuriating feedback than a talented person telling a criminal, “Just do it—why can’t you?” as if it were simple.

“Why can’t you do it? Ooh, Pick a Card—it works perfectly like that.”
“Wow, amazing.”

The moment Joo Woo-sung sang it, the members beside him erupted in applause.

‘What’s Joo Woo-sung’s talent exactly…?’

With that gift, everything must have come so easily to him… which is why he could afford to date around….
It was completely different from me. The gap was too wide to attempt mimicking him carelessly.
Emotion—what even is that? How do you do it?

“Hmm….”

Joo Woo-sung stroked his chin, then gestured to the Manager. It was a signal to turn off the camera for a moment.
The Manager hesitated before turning off the camera, and Joo Woo-sung leaned toward me and whispered quietly.

“Seo Ho-yoon. You’re good at acting. Last time in front of the sasaeng, you pretended to be close so well… Ah! That’s it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do it like when you threatened me.”

That’s a pretty specific instruction.

“You were so damn sinister back then. Like you’d devoured five cunning foxes.”
“…You’re holding a grudge.”
“Woo-sung doesn’t do that kind of thing.”

Did this bastard also have to randomly select dialogue options?
I dug through my memories of how I’d handled it back then. When I approached Lim Hyun-sung, I’d been certain, and with Joo Woo-sung, I’d naturally been confident he’d fall into my palm.
Look, right now he’s standing in front of me offering his talents for free, isn’t he?

“Go ahead, quickly.”
“Yes.”

I opened my mouth and, recalling the feeling from “back then,” sang the song willingly.

[Ooh, Pick a card, a future that becomes clearer
You’re anxious about the low odds, but there’s no need to be
It’s okay, I’ll lead you through]

“Oh, that’s it!”
“What? How did that robot suddenly get emotion in it?”
“You did it, Ho-yoon! It’s perfect—like a complete psychopath you can’t read!”
“Sounds like you’d be amazing at conning people!”

Everyone clapped from the side. They probably didn’t understand what Joo Woo-sung had just said to me, so they were speaking without grasping the situation, but all those compliments were pouring down on my performance.
I glared at them. Joo Woo-sung nodded with satisfaction.

“Hey, the Planning Team really knows you well. They even gave you the sinister guy position. Perfect!”
“Why are you showing off?”
….

I whispered quietly so only Joo Woo-sung could hear. He closed his mouth and quickly changed the subject.

“Should we try it one more time?”
“Yes, understood!”

Everyone’s focus sharpened and we began practicing. The kids didn’t have a proper trainer, but they absorbed even the single tip Joo Woo-sung had shown them like sponges, quickly making it their own.

“Stretch your arms out wide there!”
“Belt it out more! Clean up that ending note!”

Sung Ji-won’s learning speed was particularly remarkable.
All the members moved as one body, following Joo Woo-sung’s directions and finishing the song.

‘They’re good… that bastard.’

While I was assessing Joo Woo-sung, he was evaluating The Dun in return.

“This team’s not bad. Why was their debut performance so poor?”
“Thank you!”

Then,

Ding!

[Abnormal condition worsening!]

“….”

I clenched my teeth in an instant. My complexion drained to a sickly pale. Joo Woo-sung was about to push for more practice when he glanced at me and furrowed his brow.

“…I think we could do a few more rounds, but let’s take a break for now.”
“Yes, thank you!”

Perfect timing.
The members bowed respectfully to Joo Woo-sung before collapsing onto the floor one by one, while I staggered to my feet and stumbled toward the Bathroom.
With each movement, my head throbbed so violently that my vision turned yellow. I rushed through the Bathroom door, grabbed the toilet, and vomited everything.

“Ugh….”

Ding!

[Abnormal condition active.]
[Open the Quest Window?]

“Stop being so pathetic. It’s not attractive.”

I muttered to myself and shoved my finger down my throat. After expelling everything, I left the Bathroom and turned on the faucet.
Water cascaded down as I rinsed my mouth, and when I lifted my head, I saw someone with a furrowed brow reflected in the mirror.

“….”

It was Joo Woo-sung.

“You’re holding up better than I expected.”

Joo Woo-sung leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, smirking. I ignored him and pulled out a paper towel to dry my hands.

“Pushing through pain isn’t grit—it’s just stupidity.”
“Is that a tip?”
“Sure, let’s call it that.”

Joo Woo-sung shrugged.

“What’s wrong with you?”
“Gastritis. And a cold with body aches.”
“Sounds serious. Have you been to the Hospital?”
“Even if I go to the Hospital, it won’t get better.”
“What, are you scared of the Hospital? At your age?”

I was speechless at the absurdity.
I’d already taken medicine. But because of the System Window, it had no effect. There was no way going to the Hospital would help.

“So what are you going to do?”
“Now you’re dropping formalities?”

I answered dismissively, and Joo Woo-sung let out a hollow laugh.

“I need to go back. I have to practice.”
“Why are you working so hard?”
“What?”
“I thought you’d slack off today. But you didn’t.”
“….”
“You know you’re weird, right? You don’t seem to have any passion for becoming an idol, but you’re incredibly obsessed with practice and promoting the group.”

‘That’s a pretty accurate assessment.’

Despite being distracted by romance, Joo Woo-sung had picked up decent instincts from his years as an idol.

“Hey, hey.”

I tried to ignore him and leave, but Joo Woo-sung planted himself firmly in front of the Bathroom door, refusing to budge. It seemed like he wouldn’t move until I said something.
If I’d been in better condition, I probably would’ve forced my way past, but right now my body had no strength left. I let out a heavy sigh.

‘What a pain….’

“I want to rise above this.”
“Why?”
“My luck has been terrible. But I’ll take responsibility for it anyway.”

My luck, as far as the System Window was concerned, had been abysmal.
My answer apparently wasn’t sufficient for Joo Woo-sung. His expression grew even more bewildered, but I left him behind and exited the Bathroom, heading toward the Practice Room. Joo Woo-sung hurried after me.

“What kind of riddle are you speaking?”
“Be quiet, my head is ringing….”
“You’ve got some nerve….”

Joo Woo-sung grumbled as he opened the Practice Room door. The moment it swung open, everyone flinched and stared at us in alarm.

“….”
“What’s with this atmosphere?”

As Joo Woo-sung muttered, the Manager glanced around nervously and turned off the camera. The mood felt as if we were attending a funeral.
I had a bad feeling about this.

Ding!

[Check your Quest.]

“Ho, Ho-yoon.”

Sung Ji-won stared at me with a pallid face.

“What?”
“Did you… did you see this?”

Sung Ji-won extended his phone with trembling hands. On the screen was a YouTube video—a black screen with text overlay.

‘Second Chance – The Dun.’

It was only thirty-five seconds long, but it was unmistakably our song.

“Our… our comeback song has been leaked.”
“What?”

Joo Woo-sung frowned on my behalf. Yet I, the one directly involved, remained unmoved.
No—if anything, the moment I’d been waiting for had finally arrived.

“Hey, guys, if we just talk to the CEO first, it should be fine.”
“Who… who leaked it?”
“We’ll figure that out later. For now, let’s stay calm.”

As I surveyed the murmuring members and the Manager, my eyes met Joo Woo-sung’s. His gaze pierced directly toward me.

“Why are you….”
“…?”
“Why are you smiling?”

I touched the corner of my mouth with my hand, and sure enough, my lips were curled upward.
Joo Woo-sung’s eyes wavered. At the same moment, a Quest failure alert appeared.

Ding!

[Quest Failed!
‘Prevent the Comeback Song from Leaking!’
Someone is attempting to leak your song.
Stop the leak and minimize the damage.
Success: Dance +10
Failure: Status Abnormality
As the Quest deadline approaches, the status abnormality worsens.]

“Hey, Seo Ho-yoon!”

In an instant, I staggered, my vision spinning. The Quest Window wavered too, and my body collapsed.
Everyone panicked and rushed toward me.

“Seo Ho-yoon, snap out of it!”

[Quest has failed.]

My vision flickered. My legs trembled, and like an old television screen abruptly going dark, my consciousness simply cut out.
It was my first Quest failure ever.

***

‘When I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me.’

Ah, I’d always wanted to use that line.
I grabbed my head, which felt considerably clearer, and surveyed my surroundings. A Quest window hovered beside me, emanating a soft blue light.

[Quest Failure Penalty time has expired.]

Some time must have passed.
As I stirred and sat up with effort, I noticed an IV line in my arm. Along with it came the reappearance of a long scar I hadn’t seen in ages.
This had to be the Emergency Room. I was searching for my phone to check the time when I spotted Seo Ho-jin sleeping below me.

“Seo Ho….”

I tried to call out, but my voice wouldn’t cooperate.
How was I supposed to wake him up?
Too lazy to bother, I grabbed the phone sitting on the small drawer beside the hospital bed and dropped it onto his torso. Seo Ho-jin jolted awake with a startled gasp, his body trembling.

“Hyung, you’re awake!”
“Hey. I need some wa—”
“Hyung, you’re up!”

Seo Ho-jin rushed toward me in a frenzy. I’d meant to ask for water, but he was clearly out of his mind right now.

“I was so worried about you, hyung. I didn’t know what was going to happen….”

Looking closer, I could see his eyes were swollen. Exasperated, I asked in a hoarse voice.

“Did you cry?”
“No, I didn’t.”

Ah, I think I understand. Seo Ho-jin only has me left as family in this world, so he’s clinging to me.
He’d severed ties with all his relatives long ago—they were all worthless—and our parents are gone. What else does he have? Only me.
If I died, he’d truly be alone. The thought was both pitiful and suddenly made my shoulders feel unbearably heavy.

“Just get me some water.”

Seo Ho-jin let out a long sigh, his worry seemingly lifting. He looked a bit sulky, but I was too tired to bother consoling him.

“Damn….”

I muttered a curse, aware of how embarrassing my own fussiness was, and pulled water from the refrigerator. After wetting my throat and checking my phone, I realized I’d been unconscious for roughly half a day.

“I’ll call the Doctor for now. Tell him you’re awake, hyung.”
“Yeah….”

Seo Ho-jin shuffled out reluctantly.
Two in the morning. Well, at least I could still make it to the music video shoot on time.
I lay back down and checked the messages on my phone.

24 missed calls
278 messages

…What the hell?
I checked them with a bewildered feeling.
First, I looked at the missed calls. Seo Ho-jin, Seo Ho-jin, Manager, Manager, Lim Hyun-sung, Joo Woo-sung, Lim Hyun-sung, Lim Hyun-sung, Kim Sung-hyun…. And the members had called from all over the place.
I ignored them for now and moved on to the messages. It looked like they’d opened a group chat at some point.

[Kang Yi-chae: Hyung you good???]
[Sung Ji-won: You must’ve pushed yourself too hard..]
[Jeong Da-jun: Hoyun hyung ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Why aren’t you waking up yet ㅜㅜ]
[Kim Sung-hyun: We’re heading out with the Manager for a bit. Call if anything comes up]

‘Oh….’

I was swept up in an odd feeling.

‘…These softhearted bastards.’

It had been a while since someone other than Seo Ho-jin worried about me like this. Just as I was about to send a reassuring reply, my phone rang.

[Sucker 2]

Why’s this guy calling?
I answered the phone without hesitation.

“Yes, this is Seo Ho-yoon.”
[…Uh, hey. You okay?]

Joo Woo-sung’s awkward voice came through. I leaned back against the pillow and gave a casual response.

“I’m alive.”
[Control your temper….]
“What do you want.”
[This is really annoying….]

I ignored him. I was about to tell him to hang up if he had nothing to say, but Joo Woo-sung rushed to continue.

[I was worried I’d worked you too hard and made you collapse. It’s been bothering me.]
“That’s not it.”
[…I see.]
“Is that all? Then I’m hanging up.”
[Ah, no. That’s not it.]

Why is this bastard like this?

[I called because I wanted to ask you something.]
“What is it.”
[Did you know about the leak incident?]

I remembered how Joo Woo-sung’s gaze had fixed on me before I collapsed.
I remained silent for a moment before speaking. Since he wasn’t a member and I had leverage over him, it didn’t matter if he knew the truth.

“I knew about it.”
[Why did you let it happen? You could have easily stopped it.]
“Why do you think.”
[…You’re being curt?]
“I wanted to generate buzz.”

I sighed as I spoke.

“I got a Blue Tiger track and wanted to capitalize on the momentum—so I used the leak incident for more noise marketing.”
[….]
“Do you know what the reaction has been?”
[Yeah, people are saying the song is good. Articles are coming out steadily. Blue Tiger already has high recognition anyway. Your fanbase is growing little by little too….]

Joo Woo-sung answered with a deflated tone.
It was adequate. The current situation wasn’t bad, but I didn’t have the energy to pick up my phone and check the response myself. I was grateful that Joo Woo-sung at least gave me an objective picture of the reaction.

“That’s good then.”

The necessary conditions were falling into place.
A solid song, adequate buzz, and members with fundamental skills—this was how stardom was manufactured.
All that remained was the showcase and producing appropriate content.
I mentally ran through the calculations in my head.

“Thank you for telling me.”
[Uh, yeah. Seo Ho-yoon.]
“Yes?”
[I… I cursed you out so much in my head. I’m sorry.]

What was he talking about? Joo Woo-sung sighed through the receiver.

[I really thought you were a con artist without passion or talent, just stepping on people’s backs to get ahead. …That was harsh of me. Sorry.]
“It’s fine. I saved your number as ‘Sucker.'”
[Do you have a death wish?]

There was plenty I could’ve said back, but I held my tongue and listened to what he had to say.

[Anyway, I was wrong. You work hard. Really, you’re willing to do whatever it takes to claw your way up.]

Joo Woo-sung must be in his fourth or fifth year now as an idol. He seemed to be at that point where complacency sets in.
It made sense—everything withers eventually. No matter how popular you are, the entertainment industry is ultimately hollow.
Joo Woo-sung seemed to be a case of that.

[Your members work so hard too… seeing the kids like that, I wonder what pathetic thing I’m doing right now.]
“Joo Woo-sung.”
[Huh?]
“Is this a Cathedral or something? Why are you suddenly confessing?”
[You disrespectful bastard…]

My flippant remark made Joo Woo-sung grumble, but he laughed anyway. I hadn’t meant to make him laugh.
I glanced ahead and saw Seo Ho-jin returning with the Doctor. Joo Woo-sung’s laughter faded, and he spoke to me.

[Just… keep fighting.]
“…”
[Take care of yourself.]
“…Okay.”

I hung up with an odd feeling. Back when I was a PD, I’d occasionally cast Joo Woo-sung and tormented him for the program, or perhaps it was his sharp instincts—as keen as his remarkable talent—that made him dislike me. Yet now, unexpectedly, we’d developed a friendly rapport.

‘…Should I just change the name before saving it?’

I pressed my phone screen repeatedly. Just as I was about to speak to Seo Ho-jin, who had returned with the Doctor, a sudden commotion erupted from the entrance. It was the members.

“Hyung Ho-yoon!”

Jung Da-jun, his face streaked with tears, approached with the other members desperately trying to hold him back.

“Hey, hey. This is the Emergency Room. Keep it down.”
“Hyung, you’re alive!”
“Guys, be quiet! Ho-yoon, I’m sorry!”

Even Sung Ji-won, who was trying to restrain them, was gradually raising his voice. The Doctor, who had been staring blankly at him, asked me.

“Are they your friends?”
“No, they’re strangers.”

Embarrassed, I covered my face and pretended not to know them. …The excuse didn’t work very well.

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