The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 178

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

178

“Starting filming!”
“Yes!!”

Ever since the System Window displayed that my reward settlement was delayed, no matter how many times I summoned it, all that appeared was [Processing—….].
If the server crashed, it should respond within 24 hours as a matter of course.
Though I was irritated, pressing the System Window about rewards or penalties wasn’t an urgent matter right now.
I had one small wish that was far more desperate and earnest than that.

“Wow, are we finally changing roommates??”

That wish was simple: a private room.
I’d thought I was easygoing enough that sharing a room with others would be fine. But living as roommates with Kang Yi-chae made me realize something.
It was incredibly nerve-wracking.

‘I never thought I’d feel this way.’

Coughing up blood, body aches, spreading family matters—
I’d hit them all.
Every time our eyes met, Kang Yi-chae, that stubborn bastard, would stare at me with a mocking expression as if he couldn’t wait to see what I’d do next, and I had nothing to say to that.

I maintained a consistent attitude of “whatever, so what,” but even that was reaching its limit.
If I missed this opportunity, I had no idea how long I’d have to endure it, so I absolutely had to seize it.

‘Okay.’

After diverting Lee Ji-hyun’s attention by speaking to her earlier, I glanced over the makeshift table set up for filming and spotted scattered papers about roommate assignments.
Skimming through the underlined sections, it looked like they’d decided to determine assignments through a ladder lottery game.
Three people could have private rooms.
The connecting lines in the middle were left blank for the members to draw, but the member names at the top and the results at the bottom were fixed.
I quickly memorized the order of results. Private rooms and shared rooms alternated down the list.
A 3 in 5 chance. Not bad at all.

“Alright then. Shall we play a roommate selection ladder game? The rules are simple. Since I’ve covered the results, just take turns drawing lines however you like on top of it.”
“Yes!”

Jung Da-jun rushed forward excitedly, and the other Members followed reluctantly behind him.

“Hey, your personality shows, it really shows.”
“Da-jun, is that a spider web?”
“How is it?! My contemporary art?!”

Arriving last and taking the final turn, I traced the path backward from where the lines would lead to a solitary room, calculating my route.
Then my eyes met Kang Yi-chae’s, who yawned widely in front of me, carelessly drew one line, and turned around.

“Hyung, what if I can’t be roommates with you? I’ll be so disappointed.”
“Yeah, that would be disappointing.”
“Haha?”

I uttered the empty words and strode toward the ladder game, surveying the entire thing carefully.
There was a tangled mess of lines that Jung Da-jun had created, but it seemed I could achieve my goal by touching just two specific spots.

Tap, tap.

Once at the very top so it wouldn’t be obvious, and once in the middle.

“Huh?! Hyung, that’s enough? Then what happens to me?”
“Once or twice is sufficient.”

I shrugged my shoulders and returned to my seat, but Kang Yi-chae’s persistent gaze followed me.
He seemed displeased about something, furrowing his brow before his lips twitched slightly.

‘Huh?’

That was the word that appeared on that bastard’s face.
I quickly turned my head and asked the other Members.

“Well then, everyone’s drawn their lines. Shall we announce the results?”

But Kang Yi-chae wasn’t one to follow along quietly.
He laughed with a snicker and raised his hand eagerly.

“Ah! Before that, can’t Yi-chae just draw one more thing?”
“No.”
“Just one little heart~.”
“It’s already done.”
“Ahahaha~.”
“Hey, hey! Hey hey! Kang Yi-chae!”

I said no!
Unable to curse because the camera was rolling, I hardened my expression in shock, but Kang Yi-chae simply rushed over and connected his line to mine, forming a heart shape on the other side.

‘Damn it! No! That’s supposed to be the same room!’

Just as I was about to call it invalid, Jung Da-jun excitedly bolted up and tore off the result sheet.
My arm, extended forward in a failed attempt to stop him, was filmed up close by the Staff Member in a teasing manner.
Jung Da-jun hummed the horror movie BGM from the shark film and connected each Member’s name to their result with a red pen.

“Ah, I got a private room.”
“Oh, me too.”

Jung Da-jun, being an only child, didn’t seem to have any romantic notions about having his own room, so his reaction was lukewarm, and Kim Sung-hyun was equally indifferent.

“Kyaa~, hyung, you shouldn’t be lonely already.”
“Get lost.”

As I was suppressing the anger welling up inside me, Kang Yi-chae teased me from beside me.

“Ah, Ho-yoon! We’re roommates.”
“…Yeah.”

At least it was fortunate that Kang Yi-chae got a private room and my new roommate was Sung Ji-won.
Just as I was suppressing a sigh that threatened to escape if I let my guard down, the camera’s red light turned off and the Planning Team said they’d cut the feed—that’s when I grabbed Kang Yi-chae by the scruff of his neck and asked.

“How did you know you got a private room, you bastard? You didn’t even see the result sheet.”
“Ah, hyung. I didn’t know. Who could figure out something that complicated?”
“Then?”

Kang Yi-chae squinted his eyes as if amused and grinned mischievously.

“I just didn’t like the way you were acting, so I added another stroke.”
“….”

So Kang Yi-chae really was a delinquent.
And one with surprisingly sharp instincts at that.

.
.
.

[Wow, the reality show teaser already dropped on YouTube]

While The Dun adjusted to their new dormitory and I resigned myself to accepting my fate, the exclusive concert date and reality show premiere for Shining Star Season 2’s winning team were fast approaching.

[This is getting intense… imagining the recorded song choreography reveal, imagining the Black Call cover reveal]
[Can you do something cute for me? ㅠㅠㅠ What if you really want to see me put a headband on Kang Yi-chae?]
[The person who cries while reading letters at the concert <- Kim Sung-hyun

└Will Seo Ho-yoon cry too
└Let's just aim for next life]

Though the reality show was important, fans were frantically refreshing their browsers for the first exclusive concert ticket sales.

"Ah damn it lol, if you announce it 2 months in advance, what's the point when ticket sales are so rushed just 1 month later?"
[What are you talking about? My ex-boyfriend's group gave a month's notice]

While everyone cursed Dae Pa-sung's management, the long-time fans who'd been supporting The Dun since their debut before I joined could only smile knowingly.

[You guys don’t know about the devastation yet haha; If tvK wasn't here, these bastards would have announced 2 weeks in advance and made tickets available 3 days in advance…]
[Kyaaaa don't say such horrifying things]
That makes sense.

The fans settled their racing hearts with the concert hall reservation site and time-check webpage each open in separate tabs.
And the moment ticket sales opened, the Noeul fans calmly clicked their mice.
But then.

[Wait]

The vast majority never even made it to payment—their screens froze, or a "503 Service Unavailable" error crashed the site entirely.
From what I could tell, the whole thing was over in three seconds.

[Oh my god, I can't believe that's it???????]
[Seriously]

I grabbed my phone in desperation, but it was useless.
While the Noeul fans who'd missed out on the first concert clutched their heads in despair, those who'd fought through the fierce competition couldn't suppress their trembling smiles.
As winners and losers divided within the fandom in real time, SNS erupted with discussions about the reality show.

[I wonder what these kids will do… I don't really watch idol variety shows;;]
Just go to trendy spots, do pretty things, and honestly, even just lying around is fun because your face is interesting.

If it were The Dun's own YouTube content that only fans watched, we could've loaded it with concept from episode one. But we couldn't do that for a variety show airing on tvK.
So Dae Pa-sung's Planning Team decided to introduce The Dun members in a way that would be easy for first-time viewers to approach.

Param pa~ pa.
Para pam~ pam~.

[Hey]

A real documentary special.

Hahahahahahaha

It was a human interest theater show.
After the intro music faded, footage of the dormitory appeared, and Sung Ji-won's calm voice flowed in as narration.

【The Dun's day has begun.】

Then the members passed by one after another, with brief profiles appearing in Gungsuh-style subtitles below.

Mouth-man-leader, Dumb-guy, Practice-machine, Old-school-rapper, Puppy-dog.

Sung Ji-won's question continued.

【Q. How are your relationships with the other members?
A. I really love my hyungs!
A. Aha, I'm satisfied too~.】

As the younger members giggled in response, the screen dissolved into a new scene showing Jung Da-jun sliding across the floor of the new dormitory and tackling Kim Sung-hyun, while Kang Yi-chae was fooling around with Seo Ho-yoon.

Crash, bang, bang!

【Ahhhhh!】

Hahaha dude, but the cutscene lol
Hahahahahaha kids are always just banging into each other every single day hahahahahaha

【Ah~, I've been using a private room lately, so I'm really really lonely?】
【Don't come. Absolutely don't come.】

[Seo Ho-yoon ㄹㅇ I guess he was aiming for solitary confinement… Kang Yi-chae is making fun of him so he's clenching… hahahaha]

Since it was the first episode, it started with the dormitory move and simple games, but as the content dug deeper, it turned out to be quite packed with material.

[Wow, in the interview when they asked Kang Yi-chae and Jung Da-jun how much they earned from composing, they just said enough to live comfortably

└They must have made a ton of money.. just looking at Humble Confession…]

【Could you support yourself by raising elephants?!】
【(laughs) Of course, about ten of them.】

The Noeul fandom was buzzing at Kang Yi-chae's cool, young and rich vibe, when suddenly he swept his hair back and poked Jung Da-jun's cheek.

【But it seems like Jung Da-jun eats about that much too.】
【…!! N-not that much, okay?!】

Hahahahahaha Da-jun is so mad lol
[He's jumping around saying it's not that much… but Da-jun, you've been eating a lot lately…]
[Didn't you grow taller??]

Overall everything was hilarious and entertaining, but the killing point of episode one was Sung Ji-won's calm and subtly unhinged questions.

【Q. Is Jung Da-jun an elephant?
A. …!!
Hahahaha lol lol lol lol lol lol lol (collapses)

[Hey, I'm falling down and crying. I'm crying. I'm crying. I'm crying.]

Like a stream of consciousness, the question that burst out without context made the Members who were caught off guard burst into laughter despite their efforts to hold it in.
Jung Da-jun was too busy being indignant, and Kang Yi-chae was sputtering so much that he missed his chance to respond.
Taking that as an opportunity, the subtitles quickly turned Jung Da-jun into an elephant.

After that, the Members of The Dun, who had calmed down a bit, started a recreation game.
Seo Ho-yoon maintained his expressionless face and swept through the recreation game without missing a single beat, clapping steadily.

Clap, clap.

【Seo Ho-yoon.】
【Bunny bunny, bunny bunny】
【【Carrot, carrot】】

When his name was called out and the Members attacked in unison, Seo Ho-yoon passed through with remarkable composure.

[Wow, I didn't think he'd know this kind of recreation game]
[So damn cute… bunny bunny…]

[Seo Ho-yoon… really pushing the rabbit appeal

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ아 진짜ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

The fans who had been laughing it off gradually became bewildered as the game progressed.

[What is this guy?]

The reason was that Seo Ho-yoon knew every single game name that was mentioned.
The fans, who couldn't have imagined that Seo Ho-yoon, a former entertainment PD, had stayed up all night learning games with his colleagues, simply thought the rabbit was ruthless. As if he hated losing so much.
Moreover, his shamelessness was second to none in the world.

【Shining Star ribbon guy, I'll roll the dice.】
【Seo Ho-yoon, aren't you really embarrassed??】
【Hyun-sung, are you disappointed that you couldn't be called the Shining Star abs guy?】

Seo Ho-yoon made a gesture as if he were brushing his neck with his hand and flipping his hair back, then dominated the entire world's capitals in the Monopoly game.
The tension gradually escalated, and Members appeared arguing that it was their own territory.

【Ji-won! You said you'd give me that land!】
【Da-jun, when did I ever say that?】
【…!!】

[아 시발ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ부루O블 할 때 서로 너무 우겨서 앞으로 말할 때 앞에 아잉누구누구는무서워 붙이래

Sung: I have a question
Sure, go ahead haha
Sung: Isn't this rule way too favorable for Seo Ho-yoon and Kang Yi-chae?

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋpack width]

[Next to them, Hyung and Yi-chae
"Aing Ho-yoon is scary, that's my land, give me the money right now"
“I’m asking Lee Chae to take care of itㅠ”

└This is real strength and weakness…]

With only five minutes remaining of the thirty-minute reality show, there wasn't a single moment devoid of madness.
Fans felt their hearts swell with warmth as they shared their impressions on SNS.

[Ah, it's way cuter and funnier than I expected… so healing,,,,]
It's just got this subtle madness lurking in it lol

We'd made a strong start. If this quality held steady, the newly arrived Noeul fans would settle in smoothly, and I judged that we might even attract additional new viewers—right at that moment,

【Episode 2 Preview】

The next preview began.
The camera slowly panned upward from below as a man stepped out of a gleaming black sedan.
Sharp and composed in a deep gray suit with a subtle blue undertone, a white dress shirt, cufflinks barely visible beneath the sleeves, and a Patek Philippe watch extorted from a first-tier idol's manager, paired with a striped necktie in navy and purple.
Beneath hair neatly swept back with pomade sat a straight forehead, and glasses rested on a prominent nose bridge.
Seo Ho-yoon closed the driver's door, wrinkled his nose, and habitually adjusted his glasses before pressing his phone to his shoulder.

【I think we have discussed this before.】

Lee Ji-hyun, the concept fanatic from hell, had insisted that Seo Ho-yoon absolutely must conduct the call in English for this scene, so he was acting reluctantly.
As Seo Ho-yoon glanced at his watch by lifting his wrist while heading toward the company, Jung Da-jun's voice overlaid the scene.

【Ghost Seo—Planning Team Lead Has Arrived!】

With nothing particular to say, Seo Ho-yoon simply spouted random English and moved about.

【We have Dajun elephant in our company.】

However, the Noeul fans barely registered Seo Ho-yoon's words at all.
They were simply dizzy.

[Damn]

The stimulation was far too intense.

[Planning Team Lead Seo, damn!!!!!!!!!!!]

The logo was etched into the side profile of Seo Ho-yoon walking slowly down the hallway.
A steady concept that always worked in this arena.
The perfect environment for Seo Ho-yoon to legally captivate people.

【Part 2 – The Durn Electronics】

The office version had returned.

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