The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 215

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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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215

A few hours earlier.

“Whew, great work everyone!”
“Yeah, great work!”

We’d finished all our schedules in Europe and finally had several days of free time.
Before heading back, I figured I’d grab something nice for my troublemaking dongsaeng, so I threw on whatever outer layer I could find.
Just as I finished getting ready to head out, Jung Da-jun was whining to the other members about how it was Milan Fashion Week and we should all go check it out together.
In the end, we all went out to the streets and wandered around various shops.

“Ah, okay, okay.”

While we were browsing through a vintage shop, Kang Yi-chae exchanged a few words in English with the store owner, then suddenly threw his arm around Jung Da-jun’s shoulders and pulled out his phone.

“Hamster acquired.”

The black t-shirt Kang Yi-chae was wearing—with its design of a toast-colored hamster flying between various planets—fluttered particularly dramatically.

“…What?”
“Since it happens to be Fashion Week here, why don’t we hold our own fashion show? You ready, Maknae?”
“Yes sir, two glasses of wine!”

As if he’d been waiting for this moment, Jung Da-jun snapped a photo of Kang Yi-chae striking a pose and sent it to Pop Pop.
In an instant, replies flooded in not just from Jung Da-jun’s Pop Pop, but from SNS as well.

[What are these adorable guys doing]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Kang Yi-chae really hahaha]
“Lol this is crazy, so cute lol these guys really just buy whatever they want lol”

Jung Da-jun giggled as he thought of a message to send to the Noeul fans.

“How about every time you guys send me cool compliments, I get to pick out clothes for Hyung Yi-chae?”
“Sounds good, sounds good.”

I couldn’t quite understand why Jung Da-jun received all the praise while Kang Yi-chae got to wear the clothes, but the younger members simply squealed with delight.

[Jung Da-jun is literally the most handsome person in the world!!!!!]

Amid the flood of compliments, Jung Da-jun skillfully plucked out only the messages calling him handsome.

[Seems like he only wants to hear about being handsome…]
[What a legend.. lol]
[Whether it’s an idol asking to be called the most handsome or fans asking for the rainbow fur jacket hanging on the third rack from the right..]

And just like that idol-and-fan dynamic, the Noeul fans certainly hadn’t chosen any normal clothes.
Yet,

“Why!! This looks great on you too!”

After apologizing and changing clothes multiple times while browsing nearby shops, whether coordinated head-to-toe in bold solid colors or dressed in all seven colors of the rainbow, everything looked perfect on Kang Yi-chae.
Even when dressed in a t-shirt with an obscure illustration paired with a hot pink faux fur short jacket that resembled arm warmers, he carried himself with the confident poise of a model effortlessly pulling off avant-garde fashion.

[Is The Dun the king of communication?
He wears whatever fans ask him to]

[Is this what ‘metaverse’ means…

└You’ve been using that word a lot lately
└└Yeah, just learned it yesterday..]

I thought we’d wrap this up soon, but now he was strolling through the Milan streets in a fitted black spandex t-shirt topped with a spotted leather jacket, his lethal gaze piercing through the air.

“Sung Ji-won, Kim Sung-hyun.”

At this point, I tried to call over just Sung Ji-won and Kim Sung-hyun to move to a different location,

“Model! Just one look over here!!”

Ding!

[He’s been corrupted….]

Exactly.
Sung Ji-won seemed to be enjoying himself as well, keeping time with Kang Yi-chae and eagerly snapping photos of him.
Since Kang Yi-chae had bought every outfit he’d tried on, the shopping bags now filled both of Kim Sung-hyun’s hands.

“Why are you carrying them?”
“Kang Yi-chae is our model on duty today at the fashion show.”
“So the leader does have his hardships.”
“Hey, wait. Seo Ho-yoon, you’re only realizing this now?”

Ignoring Kim Sung-hyun’s grumbling, I watched Kang Yi-chae blow kisses to passersby and greet them with “Ciao!” in Italian.
Several reporters who saw this swarmed him, their shutters clicking away. Then, someone I didn’t recognize—a greeting that Jung Da-jun had been watching with his mouth covered—approached and spoke to him warmly, even taking photos together.

‘He’s running wild like a madman.’

Was this the power of Charm S-rank?
Even surrounded by influencers approaching to take photos with him, Kang Yi-chae appeared remarkably composed.
The youngest members’ fashion show seemed to be nearing its end, so I was thinking about gathering the members and heading out for food when my eyes met Kang Yi-chae’s directly.

‘What’s this about?’

He whispered something to the people around him, then walked straight toward me.

“Hyung, want to try a fun social experiment?”
“No. This has already been interesting enough. I’m good.”

I hastily rejected the proposal with a bad premonition, but Kang Yi-chae, as if he hadn’t heard me, casually draped his arm across my shoulder and raised his phone, pretending to take a selfie.
Naturally, the reporter who’d been photographing Kang Yi-chae immediately turned his lens on me as well, and the influencers who knew him followed suit, their attention shifting.
As my expression began to sour and I stammered in protest—

“Seo Ho-yoon, I’m so incredibly happy to see you!”

I’d been pushed alone into a private party at a luxury brand famous even domestically in Korea, and it was after running into Joo Woo-sung.

‘Sigh…’

I shook off his grip and asked.

“Why are you here, Joo Woo-sung?”
“I’m an ambassador here. What about you—why are you here?”
“….”

Admittedly, my situation made far less sense. For some reason, Joo Woo-sung—whose face was already perpetually polished—looked even more impeccable today.
Only then did Joo Woo-sung seem to notice my appearance, giving me a puzzled look.

“Wait, hold on. How did you even get in dressed head-to-toe in black like that?”
“With my face and nerve. Why?”
“…Ah, haha. You heard that?”

It was painfully obvious he was trying to brush off his disadvantage with a smile.

“Anyway, that’s not the important part. Look over there.”

As my eyes narrowed, Joo Woo-sung hastily changed the subject and jerked his chin over his shoulder.
I only glanced sideways, but it was crystal clear that the designers, models, and other industry professionals around us had their eyes locked firmly on Joo Woo-sung.
They all appeared to be drinking, conversing, and enjoying the atmosphere, but the reality was far more cutthroat. I could feel the fierce determination to snag Joo Woo-sung tonight at any cost.

“…Oof.”
“Right?! Right?!”
“Where’s your manager?”
“If I had my manager, would I be worried? They said no entourage allowed here.”

I clicked my tongue softly.
It was unfortunate, but—.
I scratched my ear.

“Can’t you handle it yourself?”

I hoped he’d figure out how to survive on his own.

“Just manage it yourself. Fighting.”
“Hey, hey! Wait! I’m scared!”
“Stop being dramatic. I’m leaving.”
“These people are too aggressive! They keep saying my clothes are pretty and then casually—casually touching me!”
“….”

…What the hell is this guy?
What exactly does he want from me?
Where did all the dating techniques I’ve built up over the years go to waste?

“Woo seong, long time no see!”

Just then, a model approached Joo Woo-sung.
He was smiling, but it was clear he was trying to appeal to me with that “look at this!” energy.

“Take care.”
“Hey!”

Of course, I saw it as a good opportunity and tried to slip away. Or rather, I attempted to.
Joo Woo-sung quickly made excuses for me, apologized profusely in English, and followed me around—but failed.

“You know what you get if you stick with me?”
“Obviously. You look so damn intimidating that people are scared of you.”
“Fair point.”

He had a point.

“Then why don’t we just go out together?”
“I can’t. My contract won’t allow it right now.”

No matter what I said, nothing worked.
As I was thinking about how to shake off this annoying guy, Joo Woo-sung added urgently:

“Hey, I’m not asking for much. Just talk with me for an hour. I’ve helped you so much!”
…
“I’ll buy you dinner!!”

I was about to dismiss him and leave, but I scanned the surroundings again.
Though I’d stumbled in here by chance, looking at it from another angle, this was a place I could never have entered at my original level. In other words, an incredibly valuable opportunity.
I spotted several people whose presence naturally drew everyone’s attention, much like Joo Woo-sung.

“Hey, do you know that woman over there?”
“Who?”
“The one in the deep navy two-piece suit.”
“…Oh… what was her name again? Ah! Designer Lee Sung-jin.”
“And the one next to her?”
“That’s probably Riel Editor-in-Chief.”

I’d heard of both of them.
I quickly formulated a plan in my head and spoke to Joo Woo-sung.

“Alright. I’ll keep you company for exactly one hour, so you’d better do your part well, Joo Woo-sung.”

At my sudden offer to stay, Joo Woo-sung’s eyes narrowed, but I swiftly put on a warm smile.
Then I patted Joo Woo-sung on the back and moved slowly forward.

“Come on, tell me something funny. Try to smile a bit.”
“…But there’s a model on your upper right staring at me so intensely it’s terrifying.”
“Haha, that’s not scary. Isn’t that Joo Woo-sung’s specialty?”

I could feel Joo Woo-sung glaring.
I poked his side to signal him to relax his expression.

“I never really had a specialty like that, and I’ve quit everything now. I’ve decided to dedicate my entire life to being an idol.”

To the guy muttering about living happily with Nyang-nyang, I whispered quietly.

“Half the people passing by are your exes.”
“Seo Ho-yoon, do you actually want to die?”

Unable to raise his voice, Joo Woo-sung ground his teeth instead.
By this point, we were just laughing at each other, but the words we exchanged were quite vicious.

“Ho-yoon, as your senior, I’m genuinely worried. How do you plan to live your life with that temperament?”
“My, don’t you see I’m doing well? Well enough that Joo Woo-sung is asking for help.”
“Sigh…”

The guy who gave words but received blows came back for round two.

“That’s why you don’t have any friends!”
“Just me?”
“…No. Me too.”

As he readily admitted this and pressed his lips shut, I sipped the cocktail the server had handed me and surveyed the interior of the party venue. I still had some distance to cover before reaching my target.
At that moment, Joo Woo-sung muttered.

“Fashion terrorist. A guy who knows nothing but black. Designers will do nothing but sigh when they see the clothes you wear.”
“You curse so cutely.”
“…A muse? More like someone who can’t even get a business card.”

That was an insult too.
As I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief, Joo Woo-sung glanced at me and opened his mouth again.

“So… Shadow, or Yoon Hee-eon or whatever—is that what you are?”

The timing was abrupt.
I briefly wondered if he’d deliberately picked a fight just to ask this, but then I recalled how Joo Woo-sung had treated me so far and deleted that hypothesis.
Despite being overseas and in the middle of a party, the noise around us was considerable, but he had lowered his voice considerably.

‘It’s strange that he’s asking so straightforwardly now.’

For Joo Woo-sung, who knew well that I would stop at nothing to rise, this wasn’t something he couldn’t have figured out.
I neither confirmed nor denied it aloud, simply shrugging my shoulders.

“The way you suddenly showed up at my place last time and all—I really can’t figure you out.”
“….”
“Honestly, things have been going well so far. So why are you pushing so hard like this?”

I downed the rest of my cocktail in one go.
Then I exchanged my glass for a fresh one from a server circulating with a tray full of drinks. The person I’d been targeting was drawing near.

“Hyung, you’re really interested in me.”

Joo Woo-sung’s brow furrowed slightly.
I brushed it off with a playful laugh.

“Come to think of it, you just said I’m someone who can’t even get a business card.”

I leaned in close to Joo Woo-sung’s ear and whispered softly.

“Did you see that?”
“…?”

I brushed past his shoulder and deliberately collided with someone who was approaching at just the right moment.

“Oh!”

I’d instinctively pulled my hand holding the drink back, so only my right sleeve got slightly wet. The timing was so perfect that it looked as though the other person had bumped into me.
The other person apologized in surprise.

“I’m so sorry!”
“…Ah, okay, okay. Woo-sung, do you have a handkerchief?”
“…Oh, you’re Korean?”

My deliberately thrown Korean words made the other person’s eyes widen.
I noticed their gaze naturally shift to the person behind me.

“…Um, Woo-sung… aren’t you that idol….”

They didn’t seem to know my name.
The other person hesitated for a moment, then made an apologetic expression.

“Your clothes got wet. I’m so sorry. I should have been paying attention.”
“Haha, it’s fine. I’m just glad I didn’t spill it on Designer Sung Ji-won.”
“…You know me?”
“Of course.”

Joo Woo-sung had told me about twenty minutes ago.
I answered smoothly and extended my left hand to offer a handshake.

“I’m Seo Ho-yoon. Seo Ho-yoon from The Dun.”
“Ah!”

I’d recognized them immediately, but they hadn’t known my name, so they seemed a bit embarrassed. Still, their response to the greeting was quite enthusiastic.
People like this were easy to talk to.
They were so accommodating about trivial matters because they felt guilty about being rude.

“Was Ho-yoon on the original invitation list?”
“I happened to get the opportunity. I was really fortunate. Thanks to that, I even got a chance to meet Designer Sung Ji-won.”
“My, what nerve you have.”

The conversation flowed smoothly, and the Riel Editor-in-Chief, my second target, joined in as well.
Ten minutes later,

“Ho-yoon, you’ve got decent visuals. Good presence, easy to talk to. How about next time—a meeting perhaps? Oh, it’d be great if Joo Woo-sung joined too.”
“I’d be honored.”

I easily pocketed the two business cards I’d been after.
Joo Woo-sung, suddenly thrust into the conversation, forced his trembling lips into a smile.
After wrapping up the cheerful exchange, I led Joo Woo-sung toward a corner of the party venue.
I flashed him a bright smile while displaying the business cards pinched between my index and middle fingers, watching his tired expression.

“Tsk tsk.”
“….”

A “tsk tsk” that meant: So who was the one saying they wouldn’t get any business cards earlier?

“…I take back what I said. I’m glad you’re so dedicated to your idol career. Otherwise, you’d make a good con artist.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Well, we’ve done what we came for. Let’s head out.”

Crisis becomes opportunity at the most opportune moment, and opportunities accumulated steadily become solid stepping stones on the path to success.

“Excuse me, Seo Ho-yoon, it hasn’t even been an hour yet?”

Joo Woo-sung complained about getting business cards in just ten minutes, muttering something about “just one ten minutes”
1)
even as he quickly followed behind me.

***

[Looks like The Dun has a Riel schedule lined up]
What’s with the sudden Riel?

After completing all their European schedule and taking a rest, The Dun had safely returned to Korea not long ago.
Noeul fans had been vigilant about overseas tours every day, but this was unrelated to that—a completely unexpected, previously non-existent schedule suddenly appeared.
Moreover, rumors circulated that Lee Sung-jin, who worked as a lead designer for a renowned overseas luxury brand, had sent a gift to Seo Ho-yoon.

[It’s nice, but… why…?]
[Why on earth…?]
[When did we ever get even a hint of something like this…?]

Though I was bewildered by events unfolding without context before The Dun had even seriously attempted global expansion, the Noeul fans were delighted nonetheless—after all, it was good news for The Dun.

On YouTube, a paparazzi shot of Seo Ho-yoon and Joo Woo-sung strolling through the streets in conversation was warmly edited and uploaded.
The comments were plastered in English.

[I love the way they smile and talk to each other! So affectionate :)]
[They both look unbelievably model-like!]
[Hahaha Ho-yoon and Woo-sung’s friendship continues even in Milan]

Though they appeared to be laughing, they were actually bickering childishly over what to have for dinner.

[Isn’t that the day of Kang Yi-chae’s fashion show? Seo Ho-yoon’s outfit is identical??

└Our Ho-yoon wears all black and basically the same thing every day…
└└Ah! That makes sense
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[Joo Woo-sung is seriously hilarious, showing he has no friends even when he goes overseas

└Why??
└└(photo) Goes all the way to Milan just to hang out with Seo Ho-yoon
Lololol these guys are really true friends lololol

But the one who became the real hot topic was undoubtedly Kang Yi-chae.

[How idols play at fashion week pretending to be ordinary people.jpg]

His star power shone so brilliantly that he could pull off any random piece of fabric like it was a new F/W collection item.

[There are so many photos of Kang Yi-chae’s street fashion taken at fashion week lol it’s so funny

“This is literally legit street fashion lol”
These are all clothes he bought off the street and wore
Hahahahaha

“What’s with someone next to him taking photos of Sung Ji-won so damn hard lolololol”

[Kim Sung-hyun is hilarious lol. He doesn’t understand his girlfriend’s department store shopping at all, but he’s the type to wait patiently without saying anything]

└Damn, I want to marry Kim Sung-hyun before he knows what’s going on
[It’s impossible because of Seo Ho-yoon, who absolutely hates romance…]

Moreover, the scene of him playing piano while drunk went viral once more, and Kang Yi-chae’s name dominated various communities and SNS for an entire week.

[Wow, Yi-chae is truly a genius…]
[I love it so much ㅠㅠㅠ My child is good at composing music, is good-looking, and even dresses well… ㅠㅠㅠ What should I do?]
[And he even went overseas to release a fan song… Sigh… These kids really make taking care of Noeul their default… I love it…]
[This fan song is also really good and well chosen ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ Kang Yi-chae is a true genius]

Just as Noeul’s pride soared to the heavens, it suddenly plummeted back down to earth.

[Title: Isn’t this song by Kang Yi-chae plagiarized?]

It was because of a sudden suspicion that had emerged.

1) Lyrics from the song “10 Minutes” released by Lee Hyo-ri on 2003.08.13.

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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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