The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 216

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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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216

[Title: Is Kang Yi-chae plagiarizing this song?

The melody is exactly the same as the B-side track from rookie idol Likun

Kang Yi-chae fan song video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThEDa1wN_oRB1T

Rookie idol Likun B-side track video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1kUN=Ne?W

ㅋㅋㅋ The new idol’s song will be released on July 29th, and Kang Ichae’s fan song will be released on September 19th.
I’ll make a judgment call on my own.

Since the group at the center of the controversy was still a relatively unknown rookie and the song had only been released as a B-side on their album with no promotional activities, the controversy gained traction some time after the fan song was made public.

Similar chords, similar progressions, similar melodies.
The resemblance was striking enough that anyone listening would think of plagiarism.

[Wow hahahaha it’s really the same, I can’t even get rid of Kang Yi-chae, I’m sorry to the fans who called me a genius ㅜ]
Damn, Fan gave us a fan song and the fanboys loved it so much, but then plagiarism came out (vomiting emoji)
[I-chae Kang pushes the My Face genius image and goes to hell ㅜㅜ]

The comments on the post exploded in an instant.
Moreover, the impact was considerable.

[What?? Kang Yi-chae plagiarized?]
[Is this a false accusation? Isn’t he supposed to be a genius?]

The Dun, which had been climbing rapidly in popularity, was the target of this controversy, and most of The Dun’s songs had been composed by Kang Yi-chae.
The “genius” image that had been attached to Kang Yi-chae also played a significant role.

Ah haha, I’m not going far. Take care!

[Shouldn’t we still remain neutral on this?

“It’s obviously biased, so what’s this talk about neutral gear lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol? Are you a The Dun fan?”
If the neutral faction doesn’t show up, it’ll be disappointing lol

Like dry kindling catching fire, the plagiarism controversy blazed across YouTube and SNS, endlessly reproduced and amplified.

[Famous Idol Plagiarism Scandal! What’s the Truth?]

From parasitic YouTube channels that thrived on celebrities’ scandals, adding speculative commentary, to freshly created SNS accounts that seized the moment and flaunted themselves—they all descended like vultures.
Kang Yi-chae had become their delicious prey.

At this point, even playing the piano seems suspicious lol
[No, it’s marketing? It’s obvious ㅜㅜ It seems a bit excessive, and I’m not even sure if it’s actually done well]
Even after that, he never gave it to me once lol. Kang Yi-chae hides his past so much too, and it’s weird how he pushes this mysterious image. Where does he get off with that mystery concept when idols these days don’t do that anymore lol.

[Wait, if he’s all mysterious, is the study abroad story fake too?

No, I think the past would be even dirtier than that lol
└└Ah haha ​​that’s more persuasive ㅜ I’m so disappointed]

And that controversy reached my ears as well—returning from Europe with a disrupted sleep schedule, I’d been pushing through activities without time to adjust.
A beat too late.

“What?”

On top of the existing schedule, basic training, and newly arranged Riel interview appointments, I was barely catching fragments of sleep in between. I’d come home at dawn today and managed only a brief nap before waking.
After finding a gap this morning to toss a gift I’d bought in Europe to Seo Ho-jin, this was the news I heard.

“Kang Yi-chae got called to the company.”

I heard Kim Sung-hyun’s words while still standing in the foyer, shoes not yet removed.

“Damn it, why didn’t you call me?”
“I already met with the CEO alongside him, but he said he wanted to talk alone with the Management Team… Hey, hey!”

I cut off Kim Sung-hyun mid-sentence, bolted up, and rushed out of the dormitory. I gestured for Kim Sung-hyun, who followed after me, to go back inside, then hurried toward the company.
Pressing my throbbing temples, I alternated between listening to Kang Yi-chae’s song and another track on the Community feed.

‘…It’s a dead ringer.’

It was definitely quite similar.
But there was something subtly off about it.

‘Yet it feels familiar.’

Not because it was a fan song I’d practiced, recorded, and performed countless times, but because I’d felt an uncanny sense of déjà vu from the very beginning.
I arrived at the Company, passed through the Lobby, and reached the floor where the Conference Room was located.
The moment I opened the door wide, Kang Yi-chae was the first thing I saw—his arms uncrossed, his posture awkward, his eyes wide open in surprise.

“Brother?”
“…Uh, huh? Ho-yoon.”
“Hello.”

The Manager must have been called away by the CEO again—inside the Conference Room were only two Management Team Staff members and Kang Yi-chae.
I greeted the Management Team Staff and plopped down beside Kang Yi-chae. I felt his gaze on me, but I ignored it for now and observed the situation unfolding.
The Management Team Staff member sitting to my right spoke carefully but firmly.

“Um, Ho-yoon, I think it would be better if we discussed this with just us and Kang Yi-chae for now.”

It seemed they judged the matter sensitive enough that if plagiarism was confirmed, it could create problems between the members. They wanted to speak with Kang Yi-chae alone.
But whether they branded me an uninvited guest or tried to throw me out, I had no intention of leaving.

“Is that so?”
“…No, it’s not ‘is that so.’ Earlier, Yi-chae also said he wanted to talk alone….”

I was holding my ground with just a shrug when Kang Yi-chae smiled brightly and leaned forward.

“No, it’s fine.”
“…What? But earlier you said―.”
“It’s okay to talk with Ho-yoon here. Actually, I was thinking it would be good to have one of the members present.”

The Management Team Staff member frowned slightly, bewildered, but Kang Yi-chae only tilted his head.
Then he glanced at me and added,

“Where were we? You said you wanted me to be honest, right?”
“…Yes. The fan song is quite similar to the song being compared now.”

Kang Yi-chae made a humming sound and tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table a few times.

“Do you watch all of The Dun Live broadcasts?”
“…Yes?”
“Or you could have coordinated with the A&R Team before calling me in.”

The Management Team Staff members, unable to grasp what Kang Yi-chae was saying, could only blink in confusion.
But I finally understood the true nature of that sense of déjà vu.

‘That’s it.’

I’d been wondering where I’d heard it before.

‘It’s Kang Yi-chae’s unreleased track.’

Kang Yi-chae searched for something on his phone and then played a live video.

[Don’t you think we should let our Noel hear this once?]

The Kang Yi-chae on screen wore a mischievous expression, clearly in high spirits.
Soon after, he played guitar and hummed the unreleased track he’d created, and the melody felt remarkably familiar.

“…It’s identical.”

It was the exact same melody as our fan song.
The staff member asked in bewilderment.

“When… when was this?”
“I’m not sure of the exact date, but based on the YouTube upload date, it was four months ago. It seems to be around when he was deeply immersed in work after Shining Star ended.”
“Then… was it May? That’s before both of the songs causing the current controversy?!”

The Management Team quickly verified the dates on their work tablet. It was indeed a live performance that took place before ‘Orbit’.

“When I’m not satisfied with a song I’ve worked on, I usually keep it on file and later reuse the good parts to create new compositions. I didn’t realize it would become such a problem.”
“So Kang Yi-chae didn’t plagiarize—rather, he was the one plagiarized against?”

Kang Yi-chae smiled quietly without saying a word.
The Management Team Staff members, who had been visibly tense, finally released a deep sigh of relief.

“Oh, thank goodness….”
“Haha, did you really think I’d plagiarized something?”

In other words, the song Kang Yi-chae had performed during a live stream in May had circulated across YouTube.
No matter how I thought about it, the composition was far too similar. It was as if Kang Yi-chae had channeled the song through his own body and then extracted it to create it.

However, given how sensitive the matter was, I couldn’t afford to make hasty judgments.
In any case, the one certain fact right now was that Kang Yi-chae had done nothing wrong.

‘There’s no way Kang Yi-chae would plagiarize.’

Not because I trusted his conscience, but because I trusted his towering pride.

I kept my mouth shut and listened intently to the conversation, yet I felt Kang Yi-chae kept glancing in my direction.
When I raised my eyebrows and met his gaze, he turned his head away as if nothing had happened.

“Yes, Kang Yi-chae.”

The Management Team Staff member, who had been jotting down the situation briefly on a tablet, spoke.

“We need to announce this as quickly as possible. It’s too unfair for us to let this slide.”

Just as I felt relieved that the difficult matter would be resolved swiftly,

“Ah, but the thing is, it’s an unreleased track.”

Kang Yi-chae rolled his eyes once and murmured as if speaking to himself.

“What should we do….”

In that moment, everyone grasped the meaning of his words.
It meant the copyright hadn’t been registered.

“…Ah….”

A deep sense of regret permeated the sigh.
It was likely due to a vivid premonition of overtime work and the calculation that the situation would unfold far more complexly than anticipated.
Even though it was an unreleased track, it had been publicly performed during a live stream, and the video remained on YouTube, so the false accusation would be cleared. However, without copyright registration, there was no legal validity.
Watching the staff members who had fallen silent and lost in thought, I exhaled a sigh and began to organize the situation.

“In any case, the best course of action is to announce it quickly. The longer we delay, the greater the damage to our image.”
“Yes, that’s right….”
“By now, the fans might already be aware of the song that was revealed during the live performance. Still, I think it would be good to make an announcement, even if just for promotional purposes.”

As I exchanged words with the Management Team Staff, I glanced sideways to see if Kang Yi-chae might be uncomfortable with any of this.
But Kang Yi-chae remained composed.

‘What’s going on?’

Now that I thought about it, from the moment I arrived here until now, everyone around me was in a frenzy, yet the person at the center of it all seemed the most unbothered.

“Thank you for your hard work. We’ll be counting on you.”
“Yes! We’ll contact you again soon.”

After wrapping up the emergency meeting, I headed outside, and Kang Yi-chae sauntered after me, snickering beside me.

“Our Ho-yoon~.”

I was already irritated.
Kang Yi-chae swept back his bangs and tilted his head slightly to the side.

“I thought you were going to see your brother, but did you rush over here for Yi-chae instead~?”
“I took a taxi and got here super comfortably.”

I half-ignored his continued teasing and organized my thoughts.

‘Where do I even start?’

The most critical factor was public opinion.
No matter how innocent Kang Yi-chae was, once the atmosphere tilted in one direction, it was difficult to reverse it.

‘Early containment is crucial… did I miss the timing?’

“What are you thinking about~?”
“Hmm….”

‘Judging from how he’s been joking around since earlier, Kang Yi-chae’s mental state seems fine.’

“It’s nothing special—.”

I looked up and my eyes met Kang Yi-chae’s, causing me to hesitate. A strange glimmer had flickered across his gaze.
Before I could even process what that meant, Kang Yi-chae relaxed his expression and smiled.

“I’m fine, Hyung. Don’t worry too much about it.”
“You’re fine?”
“Why? If something’s wrong, will you solve it for me?”
….
“Do you even have a way to do that?”

A few methods had crossed my mind, but did I really need to tell Kang Yi-chae about them?

‘Why would I tell him directly?’

My deliberation was brief.

“No? What am I supposed to do about it?”

The corners of Kang Yi-chae’s mouth twitched as he drew a line.
Maintaining a shameless expression and playing dumb, Kang Yi-chae soon nodded his head.

“You’re right. Let’s just stick to the schedule.”

He spoke as though this controversy would fade away in no time, but I knew better.
The fall of a genius.
There was no way people would easily let go of such an entertaining and provocative topic.

“Kang Yi-chae, um—.”

And that prediction was proven right not long after we arrived at the scheduled interview location.

“There’s been quite a lot of discussion surrounding the fan song ‘Orbit.’ Would it be possible to hear Kang Yi-chae’s thoughts on the matter?”

See? They’re tearing into it right away.

“…Yes? That, that is—!”

It wasn’t Kang Yi-chae who received the question, but Jung Da-jun who shot up from his seat. His face was brimming with indignation.

“Ahahaha.”

Just as the Maknae was about to protest, Kang Yi-chae pushed him back into his seat with a laugh.

“Well, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t startled at all, but on the other hand, I’m a bit curious.”
“…Pardon?”
“Where things will go from here.”

Everyone’s eyes widened—the interviewer and all the members alike.

‘What the hell is he doing??’

“I apologize, but give us a moment!”

Before Kang Yi-chae could open his mouth again, the managers rushed over in a panic.

‘What’s going on?’

Knowing Kang Yi-chae as I did, he would normally have deftly steered the conversation elsewhere or dodged the answer with some company excuse.
Though he appeared to live as he pleased, the truth was he had a sharp sense of what could and couldn’t be said, and he knew exactly when to speak and when to stay silent.
Despite looking fine on the surface, was he really not in his right mind?

“This wasn’t a pre-agreed question, though?”
“You said we could add questions at our discretion!”

Voices rose, and the filming set descended into chaos.
Yet Kang Yi-chae alone remained perfectly calm and unhurried.

Before the interview, we’d done our research, and the results were heavily against us.
Even when fans presented the live footage as evidence, public opinion, once formed, wouldn’t budge an inch.
It seemed Kang Yi-chae’s popularity was quite considerable. There were so many people eager to tear him apart.

‘Then there’s only one way.’

Inject a different issue to capture public attention.

“Thank you for your time.”
“Yes, thank you!”

After a dramatic settlement between the interviewer and the managers, we managed to finish the interview safely by sticking to the agreed-upon questions.
Kang Yi-chae clung to the anxious Maknae, whining.

“Da-jun, Brother is really struggling.”
“W-what?! What can I do for you?”

Even pretending to be composed, it seemed to get through to him after all.
Professional in his craft and quick to read the room though he was, he was still just a twenty-two-year-old kid. It would have been stranger if he’d remained unaffected after being slandered for something he never did and possibly having his own song stolen from him.
Kang Yi-chae wiped his dry eyes and let out a whimpering sound.

“Tell me I’m the best, hyung.”
“You’re absolutely amazing and the best!!”
“Say I’m the most handsome in the world and that you love me too.”
“…That’s a bit much.”
“Hey.”

‘…Am I really okay?’

In any case, I had no intention of ending this matter ambiguously while The Dun’s image had crashed to rock bottom.
After borrowing my runaway conscience and deliberating for a moment, I pulled out my phone the instant we arrived at the van.
Then I found a number and reached out.

[Me: Do you have some time?]

He, who would normally have detested this, replied as if he’d been waiting.

[Lim Hyun-sung: Why are you contacting me now, damn it]

The person who understood this situation best in every way.

[Lim Hyun-sung: Come out right now]

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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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