The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 175

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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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175

“You’re really going to drink?”
“What, you want me to fake it?”

While the other Members were busy opening snacks and setting up the table, Jung Da-jun kept hesitating as he stared at the endless rows of bottles.
It seemed he was worried because I’d been radiating a cold atmosphere lately.

“What do you want to drink? I just grabbed whatever was available.”
“Wow, there’s really a lot?”
“Let’s eat and drink ourselves to death today.”

Come to think of it, this was the longest break I’d had since arriving here. Not that I’d intended it that way.
At this rate, it was obvious the next activity wouldn’t be properly prepared, and we needed this time to relieve stress and open up to each other.

“I’ll… just drink a little.”
“Huh? Really?”

The moment he turned eighteen, he’d confidently brought out his ID and bought a can of beer by himself, sipping it proudly. Of course, he’d made a face of disgust at the taste and thrown the rest away.
At Sung Ji-won’s question, the youngest just nodded with his lips pressed firmly together.
Though his eyes were darting around, suggesting his curiosity was still there.

‘Do I really have to be like this even at the dormitory…’

But seeing Jung Da-jun’s face made the decision easy.

I tapped Jung Da-jun’s leg lightly and whispered softly.

“Hey.”
“W-what?”

Sensing something suspicious, Jung Da-jun flinched and took a small step back. I raised the corners of my mouth wickedly.

“Want to see something fun?”

I’ll liven up the mood a bit.

.
.
.

Whoooosh!!

“Whoa!! Awesome!!”

After shaking the beer bottle and pouring it into a glass, the soju glass tumbled perfectly into the beer glass with a splash.
I wiped the moisture from my hands and smirked.

“Your cheers are too quiet.”
“Hyung! That was seriously so so so cool!!”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“Wow~!! Ho-yoon is the best!!”

Jung Da-jun, too absorbed in staring at me with sparkling eyes, bounced up and down with his mouth agape.
His cheeks were flushed red and his speech was slurred—he was thoroughly drunk. I pushed the youngest, who kept clinging to me and whining for an encore, toward Kim Sung-hyun, but the Leader was already far gone himself.

“Hyung! Teach me!!”
“Huh? I’m not Seo Ho-yoon though?”
“Oh wait, that’s right!? This is Shining Hyun?”
“Me, do I shine?”

I left the two of them giggling at each other.
Jung Da-jun picked up a half-eaten, cold hot bar with both hands and mimicked Kim Sung-hyun’s final remarks.

“We five will always be together.”
“…??”
“Five minus one is… zero, so….”
“…Jung Da-jun…!!”

Even drunk, he seemed embarrassed about the teasing.
Kim Sung-hyun, his ears completely flushed red, gritted his teeth.
Either way, it was lively—felt like The Dun at their usual best.

“Those two are really stuck together and causing a ruckus….”

I’d sent Jung Da-jun off, and Kim Sung-hyun had left too.
Now only two remained.
I decided to skip over Sung Ji-won, who was laughing brightly while mixing baijiu and soju with an innocent expression, and instead set my sights on Kang Yi-chae, who was giggling at Jung Da-jun and Kim Sung-hyun.

“Lift your glass. I’ll pour for you.”
“Huh~? No, I’m fine.”
“Opportunities like this don’t come often.”

I was measuring the angle while swirling the soju bottle back and forth, but Kang Yi-chae dodged with a suspicious reluctance.

‘What’s this?’

He’d always been right beside me at the Shining Star Season 1 after-party.
As I rummaged through my memories, I suddenly realized something.

“…Ah.”

Back then, he hadn’t even touched alcohol to his lips.
I hadn’t noticed because he’d acted like someone completely drunk even while stone-cold sober.

“You guys drink together~. I’m just enjoying watching from the side.”

The moment I realized that, my eyes gleamed.

‘This is my chance.’

I wasn’t usually the type to force someone who claimed to dislike drinking, but the person in question was Kang Yi-chae. A mischievous urge to get back at him for all the grief he’d caused me bubbled up.

‘Sung Ji-won.’
=Let’s do this.

Sung Ji-won, who’d had all sorts of dealings with Kang Yi-chae recently, flashed a playful grin at my glance.

‘Yeah!’
=Yeah!

Then he tapped Kang Yi-chae’s arm beside him.

“Ahaha, Yi-chae, just have one drink with your brother.”
“…What?”

Support had arrived.
I didn’t miss the moment when Kang Yi-chae was momentarily flustered by Sung Ji-won’s uncharacteristic behavior, quickly filling a glass myself.
From Sung Ji-won’s angle, he could clearly see what I was doing, yet he simply wore a gentle smile.

“The alcohol content isn’t that high. I’d like to toast with Yi-chae too.”
“Come on, Kang Yi-chae. Sung Ji-won is saying that—just have a drink.”
“….”

In that moment, we were two snakes in a pit.
The existing rapper watched us snickering and furrowed his brow, sensing something was off.

“I don’t want to.”
“If Yi-chae doesn’t want to, there’s nothing we can do….”
“….”
“Are you still really angry with me?”

When Sung Ji-won deliberately looked down with a wistful gaze, Kang Yi-chae ground his teeth.

“Ugh, I hate this combination.”
“Why?”
“…If I drink, you’ll stop bothering me, right?”

Ultimately, as if giving in to the obvious setup, he let out a deep sigh and downed the glass in one go.

“Our Yi-chae drinks well.”
“Why is soju so bitter?”
“Isn’t it because you haven’t had it in a while? Want some water?”
“Really?”

A lie.
That was Lian O high-proof liquor. Forty percent alcohol.

And five minutes later.

“Ah….”

Kang Yi-chae stood with his face flushed red, expressionless as he pressed his forehead with the back of his hand, the smile completely gone from his lips.
He looked exactly like a delinquent.

“You… people… this is 38 degrees, you idiots!!”
“Pfft. Hey, you’re not just misreading it because you’re drunk, right?”
“Seo Ho-yoooon…”

An enraged Kang Yi-chae spat out casual speech in rapid bursts. But I coolly brushed it off.
I even caught Kang Yi-chae as he stumbled while trying to get up and head to the bedroom. Of course, I was giggling the whole time.

“You happy? Happy now?? I told you I can’t handle alcohol.”
“Yeah, yeah, I was wrong, hyung.”
“Mr. Seo, you’re annoying…”

I tossed the mumbling Kang Yi-chae, his eyes half-closed, into the mass of Kim Sung-hyun and Jung Da-jun.

“Oof!! He’s heavy!”

At first they complained and got irritated, but soon enough they were making a ruckus playing around.

“Hyung, hyung! Want to play Halli Galli??”
“Halli… Galli? Where?”
“Huh? You don’t know? Haven’t you played it with friends?”
“Hey, I don’t have friends, so I don’t really know about stuff like this…”

As the alcohol took effect and drowsiness crept in, Kang Yi-chae mumbled and rubbed his eyes.
Just as they say, drunken words reveal sober thoughts—his true feelings were spilling out.
Hearing this, Jung Da-jun clenched his fists tightly.

“Yi-chae hyung, I’ll be your friend! Hyun-sung hyung, please be our delinquent’s friend too.”
“Of course! Kang Yi-chae and I are friends!!”
“Uh…”
“No, no, you don’t need friends. I’ll teach you! When five fruits come out, ring the bell fast! Really fast, tap tap tap, and that’s it. You can do that even without friends!”
“Really?”

Kang Yi-chae perked up, suddenly sitting upright.

“You can really do it without friends?”
“Kang Yi-chae, I’ll show you.”

Kim Sung-hyun grabbed Kang Yi-chae’s arm and led him toward the kitchen. They sat across from each other at the dining table. Jung Da-jun followed and quickly dealt out cards one by one. Soon, the sound of laughter and playful banter erupted around the bell.
Sung Ji-won, who had witnessed the entire scene, burst out laughing.

“So it’s a game that actually needs friends, huh?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Was there a more wholesome drinking session in the world?
Watching them play like children was amusing, and somehow it put my mind at ease.
As I sat there with my chin resting on my hand, lost in thought, Sung Ji-won poured alcohol into my empty glass.

The liquid splashed softly.

“You worked hard, Ho-yoon.”
“….”
“You’ve been through a lot emotionally.”

Instead of answering, I studied Sung Ji-won’s face and asked.

“You fought with Kang Yi-chae?”
“Just a difference of opinion.”

Everyone else didn’t see it that way….
Sung Ji-won brushed back the hair that had slipped down over his forehead and smiled softly.
He always carried a gentle atmosphere, but now he seemed even more content.

“Still, they’re all really good people. We can respect whatever each of us does.”
“…Yeah.”
“I’m happy to be a member of The Dun with you all.”

Sung Ji-won filled his glass to the brim with vodka and tossed it back in one gulp.

“I hope you feel the same way.”

The corners of Sung Ji-won’s eyes curved upward.
He had never brought up my family matters with me.
Yet at the awards ceremony, he’d embraced me and wept as if it were his own tragedy.
Instead, he chose to simply stand beside me until I could be okay.

“Let’s take our time.”

Look, he’s still like that even now.
I barely managed to lift the corners of my mouth.

“I need to clean up a bit. You’re done drinking, right?”
“Yeah. Leave me be. Let’s do it together later.”

Leaving Sung Ji-won to his laughter at my appearance, I got to my feet.

*Creak.*

I slipped through the curtains and stepped out onto the Balcony, settling myself onto the chair placed there. It was one Da-jun had brought when he’d gotten the Dormitory and was deep in the throes of interior design.
I opened the front pocket and pulled out the pack of cigarettes and lighter that Lim Hyun-sung had given me at the drinking session.

Thin menthol. I could feel the malicious intent wishing for my smoking cessation to fail.
I took one out and placed it between my lips.
But without lighting it, I simply flicked the lighter repeatedly, sparks dancing from its flame.

“Sigh….”

I’d held out well until now.
Along with the thought that I was getting a little tired, an urge arose to smoke just one.
All I’d need to do was light it and draw on the filter.

*Creak.*

“Whoa! Brother!”

But that thought didn’t last long.
Da-jun opened the Balcony door with wide eyes and pointed his finger at me.

“No way!! You’re the worst!!”
“Hey, hey. Keep it down.”
“After holding out all this time, why are you doing this?!”

The youngest, thoroughly intoxicated, swayed and couldn’t even keep his body steady.
With stumbling steps, he clumsily stepped inside several times, and just as Da-jun’s gaze turned toward closing the Balcony door, I quickly tossed the cigarette behind me and pulled out a lollipop stick from my pocket.

“Da-jun, look. This is a candy stick.”
“Huh… Oh? I guess it is?”

What’s the big deal?
Jung Da-jun tilted his head a few times before slowly approaching me.

“Are you okay, hyung? I’m honestly… confused whether you’re Seo Ho-yoon or Ji-won hyung or Hyun-sung hyung or Yi-chae hyung.”
“Really? You’re pretty confused.”
“That’s what I’m saying—isn’t it weird?? Plus, Yi-chae hyung is absolutely wasted right now!”

You’re wasted too, you bastard.
Jung Da-jun, who’d been mumbling, shuffled his feet rhythmically.
Then he slid down with his back against the wall, buried his head in his knees, and started nodding off.

“Hey, go to bed.”
“…I’m not sleepy.”

Like fathers who insist they’re not sleeping when you try to turn off the TV because they look like they’re dozing off, this guy kept stubbornly resisting even when I nudged him with my foot, and I was wondering how to drag him to bed when Jung Da-jun suddenly lifted his face, rubbing his eyes with his hands.

“…Um, hyung, I actually didn’t tell you because I was scared of getting in trouble, but I called Seo Ho-jin hyung before.”
“…”
“I was worried something bad might happen.”

Even under my weary gaze, Jung Da-jun yawned casually.

“Yawn… I know you’re the kind of person who’s not afraid of anything in this world, hyung… but when you’re like that, it scares the people watching you.”

I understood what he was trying to say, but the sentences with gaps in between were disjointed and fragmented.

“And…”

I wasn’t sure if he’d even remember what he said once he sobered up, but regardless, Jung Da-jun pushed through to the end.

“You don’t have to take me on a roller coaster…”

I fidgeted with the lighter in my hand.

“Jung Da-jun.”

There was no answer.
He’d fallen asleep.

“Jung Da-jun, you awake?”

I called out several more times, but got the same result.

“…Damn, he falls asleep fast.”

Really, what’s changed about him since a year ago?
As I thought that, I recalled the Unit competition and retracted the thought.
Jung Da-jun had changed.
Just as the others had.

“What’s the big deal…”

Click.
Click.

In the darkness, light flared and died in repetition.

“…Da-jun.”

I muttered while mindlessly repeating the motion.

“I’m afraid too.”

Of a possibility more terrifying than anything else.
My greatest fear, and my deepest secret.
Perhaps more frightening than my parents’ accident, more than the recurring nightmares, more than Seo Ho-jin’s anger.

Something I could never tell anyone, ever.

How could I ever reveal it?
That I’m terrified I’ll go mad because my younger brother might still be left behind in the world I came from.

Seo Ho-jin exists here, remembering me.
But if that’s not all—if Seo Ho-jin remains there alone, searching for me, if my absence becomes a wound for him—
Every time I thought of myself living well here alone, having irresponsibly abandoned that child, I became infinitely afraid.

I want to go back.

“….”

And I wanted confirmation.
That I’d been worrying over nothing.

“Sigh….”

I wiped my face. I must have drunk too much today.

‘What a pathetic mess….’

With a sigh, I set down the lighter and crumpled the cigarette pack in my grip. The urge dissipated as easily as if it had never existed.
After a moment’s hesitation, I picked up my phone and sent Seo Ho-jin a text.

[Me: Did you eat?]

Despite the late hour, a reply came immediately.

[Little brother: Yeah]

Then why did he ask me to contact him?
Just as I was about to turn off my phone, another message from Seo Ho-jin arrived.

[Little brother: Miss you]

I paused for a moment.
He’d never said anything like that before.

[Little brother: But honestly you’re so annoying I don’t even want to see you]

“Pfft.”

I rubbed my forehead and chuckled, then sent a reply.

[Me: Just pick one, you brat]
[Me: And your brother’s face is priceless]

After reading the simple messages a few more times, I tapped Jung Da-jun’s shoulder as he dozed beside me. Since he still showed no signs of waking, I pinched both his cheeks.

“Da-jun, get inside and sleep.”
“Ugh….”
“Now.”

Whether from pain or exhaustion, Da-jun rubbed his cheeks with his hands, eyes still closed as he stumbled unsteadily inside.
With the unwelcome visitor gone, I remained alone and opened the veranda window. Despite the early dawn hour, summer had crept in unexpectedly—the air was thick and heavy with humidity, clinging damply to my skin.

“It’s hot.”

In the distance, the sky began to blush with deepening crimson.
It all felt far too vivid to dismiss as mere game mechanics, too real to consider it finished once the scenario concluded.

‘I need to go back.’

My current self—my arm occasionally grew numb, my breath sometimes caught in my throat, and my runaway conscience kept returning unbidden.
Yet nothing would change the fact that I’d continue living as an indiscriminate wreck.
The family photos that had vanished from my phone’s gallery stirred a faint longing within me.

“Bastard.”

It didn’t matter.

“I miss my brother too.”

I intended to see this through to the bitter end, no matter what.

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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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