The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 220

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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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220

The oppressive summer heat finally broke, and October arrived with a melancholy wind.
Even as I remained consumed with preparations for year-end performances and overseas activities, along with discussions about the next comeback, The Dun’s practice sessions continued relentlessly.

Though the plagiarism incident had been resolved, the atmosphere remained somewhat subdued.
While Kang Yi-chae refrained from activities, he posted on the official fan cafe, worried that Noeul fans might be concerned.
In Kang Yi-chae’s post, which began with how much he missed Noeul, there was this particular phrase:

[Since this fan song is so precious to me, I hope it remains only a cherished memory for Noeul.]

He made no direct mention of the plagiarism.

[Dun fans… how can you not love them]
[Kang Yi-chae is seriously so cool,,,,]

As I observed these fan reactions, I found myself contemplating.

‘I’ve put Noeul fans through so much.’

Regardless of my nature to disregard others’ opinions, my profession was that of an idol. I couldn’t ignore my fans’ perspectives.
Moreover, all these incidents had erupted within roughly two years of my joining The Dun.
There was certainly a part of me that had perpetuated the strategy of drawing attention through controversy—a tactic I’d employed since my time as a PD.
I reflected on this somewhat.

‘I should keep a low profile for a while.’

Now that I thought about it, the System Window hadn’t appeared much lately. It would respond when called, but it no longer popped up unprompted like before, offering unsolicited criticism or bizarre dialogue options.
I decided to take this opportunity to lie low and remain as quiet as possible.

But as always, life has a way of flowing in the opposite direction of one’s intentions.

“What? A variety show with Min Ji-heon?”

A few days later, when the CEO summoned me to the company, I was told to appear on a variety show with Min Ji-heon.

“Just with me?”
“That’s right.”

Even if The Dun performed well at Dae Pa-sung, second only to Min Ji-heon, even if they were the golden goose laying eggs these days, the CEO would have treated me far more comfortably if Seo Ho-yoon didn’t exist. But Seo Ho-yoon was a creature so inscrutable, more unfathomable than anyone else in this industry with decades of experience.
The CEO clicked his tongue softly in displeasure.

“Min Ji-heon is a novice at variety shows, so the Management Team requested personnel to cover for him so he wouldn’t just get edited out entirely.”
“That’s me?”
“We’ve filmed dramas together, and we’ve done variety shows together too.”

There seemed to be something more to it.
I said I’d think about it and left the CEO’s office.
Then I sent a text right away.

[Me: What’s this about?]

But Min Ji-heon didn’t reply.

‘What the hell is this guy doing?’

It was a terrestrial broadcast variety show and not a bad offer for The Dun.
But I couldn’t decide to appear right away—my body had been acting strange lately.
Compared to when I was actively promoting, my schedule was definitely lighter and I was getting plenty of rest, yet I kept having nosebleeds or falling ill sporadically.
Worried the fans might catch wind of this, I was as careful as possible, avoiding live broadcasts and instead appearing only occasionally in pre-recorded and edited videos.

【Da-jun’s Chaotic Vlog Edit】

The most recent time I appeared was in a vlog that Jung Da-jun had filmed himself.

[Honestly, they didn’t even need to put Da-jun’s name in the title
Just the word ‘chaotic’ would’ve been enough for everyone to recognize it as Da-jun’s vlog]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ정다준 특) 우당탕탕 알쏭달쏭 데헷 이런 단어랑 너무 잘 어울림]

“—Europe is just so, so beautiful!! It’s my first time going, so that might be why, but our country’s nice too, but the sunset sky there was really, really amazing! I wanted to show it to our Noeul fans and, like, that’s why I filmed so hard! I think I might have talent in this direction, so I’m planning to release a domestic series someday! And also….”

Jung Da-jun’s mouth never stopped for a moment.
Eventually, while fast-forwarding at 3x speed, a black screen appeared with an apology message.

【We wanted to include all of Jung Da-jun’s beautiful words, but that would have made it a 10-hour art film, so we apologize for the editing.】

[hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha]
[Da-jun,
the subtitles can’t keep up with your speaking speed]
[It’s like watching a five-year-old cousin who showed up during the holidays..]

[A new top of domestic K-hip-hop appears,,,,
but even with Yi-chae’s discipline, there’s no tension

└Kang Yi-chae: ㅇㅅㅇSecond guessㅇㅅㅇ]

[Looking at the content, it’s cute
Jung Da-jun really… lives up to his name
Is it because he gives everything emotionally?
This sunlight is not good ㅜ]

Jung Da-jun appeared again, winking at the camera.

“Please have high expectations!”

A subtitle appeared over the black screen that had returned.

【And so, what was Da-jun’s final product?】

Chaotic camera work.
Subtitles lagging a beat behind.
Animation effects appearing out of nowhere.
Exaggerated BGM.

【Apparently, he tried his best….】

The result was disastrous.

[Is this shot from a retriever’s perspective?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Man, the fan song was seriously edited so well, hahahahaha.
[Jung Da-jun, who wants to come back and edit the Europe vlog..
It’s cute, but honestly, just dance instead

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

Just as Kim Sung-hyun and Seo Ho-yoon finished practice and stopped by the Planning Team Office, they spotted Jung Da-jun absorbed in editing and approached him.
The three of them huddled together around a single computer, their eyes fixed on the monitor.

[These guys are really hahaha, it’s so natural to be together, so it’s cuteㅜㅜㅜㅜ]
[Hurry up and register as a family you guys
And add me too as Kim Sung-hyun’s wife]

Seo Ho-yoon crunched on candy without much thought as he watched, but then—

“…What are you doing?”

The moment he saw Jung Da-jun’s skill level, his expression visibly hardened.

“Challenges are always beautiful, after all.”

Faced with editing that was simply unwatchable, Seo Ho-yoon chose to simply close his eyes.

“…Beautiful indeed.”

[Look at Seo Ho-yoon’s clouded eyes]
[He clearly wants to snap that results are what matter
But he’s putting on an act and keeping his mouth shut in front of Noeul]

If the camera hadn’t been rolling, Seo Ho-yoon would have already torn into the Maknae.
But with nothing more to see and feeling too lazy to stay, he was about to pat Kim Sung-hyun on the shoulder and leave when—

“Would you like to give it a try too, Seo Ho-yoon?”

Lee Ji-hyun threw down the challenge.

“I need to eat and then practice again with Kim Sung-hyun.”
“Come on, thirty minutes is nothing!”
“Brother, couldn’t you do this for us? He’s a YouTuber I’ve been really into lately!”

After watching the emotionally rich vlog-style video with a StarStar feel, Seo Ho-yoon immediately understood what Jung Da-jun wanted, but he only furrowed his brow and scratched the bridge of his nose.
Then Jung Da-jun grinned mischievously from beside him and started goofing around.

“Brother, were you scared you’d look bad in front of the Noeul fans?!”
“….”
“Is this what being scared looks like?!”

He’d only learned the worst habits from Kang Yi-chae.
Seo Ho-yoon sighed inwardly, already mentally reserving a flick to Jung Da-jun’s forehead, and gestured for him to come out with a jerk of his chin.

“…Then just ten minutes.”

After saving the vlog Jung Da-jun had created, Seo Ho-yoon pulled it back up and scanned through it, then pressed the shortcut keys several times.
Beside him, Kim Sung-hyun and Jung Da-jun threw out remarks like “It’ll probably be similar,” “What could come out of this?” but Seo Ho-yoon didn’t even pretend to listen.
Of course, as a member of the Planning Team, Lee Ji-hyun could tell from just watching his hand movements that something was off.

‘What… what is this?’

With minimal clicks and keystrokes, Seo Ho-yoon hit Export and stood up without even checking the result.

“Kim Sung-hyun, let’s go.”

Left behind, Jung Da-jun and Lee Ji-hyun waited for the rendering to finish, then clicked on the ten-minute result,

“…What??”

Their eyes widened.
At the same time, the screen turned black again.

【This is the vlog opening Seo Ho-yoon edited in ten minutes.】

Morning sunlight broke through as the river’s shimmer glowed red.

【In Berlin】

Thick bacon sizzled and crackled as it cooked, and golden toast topped with a soft-boiled egg filled the screen.
The scene transitioned, revealing Sung Ji-won in a German bookstore, examining an English novel in his hands.

[What is this…]

The Noeul fans were utterly bewildered.

[What the heck is this?]
[Wasn’t that from Retriever’s perspective just now?
Why did it suddenly jump to Notting Hill
1)
like that?]
[Was I at the bookstore with Ji-won that day?]

Even after the video ended, the Noeul fans continued buzzing with speculation.

[Seo Ho-yoon’s refined aesthetic is unreal..]
[What is this idol.. probably has around 270k subscribers… I wanted to keep them to myself, but why are they acting like some newly trending YouTuber lately…]

[Though he was the man searching for blood sausage soup in Europe…

└Wasn’t it soft tofu stew?
└└Kang Yi-chae’s testimony
└└Seriously, he’s so fake…]

Ho-yoon should’ve made a vlog about sundae soup for me haha

Though it was Jung Da-jun’s chaotic vlog editor, the top comment on the YouTube video was: ‘Even if Seo Ho-yoon filmed himself eating blood sausage soup, he could totally recreate it as a European aesthetic vlog.’
Upon seeing this, Lee Ji-hyun’s eyes lit up as she called Seo Ho-yoon over again.
For some reason, Seo Ho-yoon, whose complexion looked slightly paler than usual, opened his eyes drowsily upon hearing what Lee Ji-hyun had to say.

“…Yes? Blood sausage soup?”
“Yes. A blood sausage soup vlog.”
“…The Noeul fans really want something like that?”

The fans genuinely wanted to see their beloved idol eating blood sausage soup, beautifully packaged in that vlog aesthetic?

“…Well, I understand.”

But Seo Ho-yoon accepted the proposal.
His principle was to fulfill whatever the Noeul fans asked of him.

【And so Seo Ho-yoon even filmed it that evening and edited it himself.】

This time, the opening video was slightly longer than the one Seo Ho-yoon had edited before.

Soft background music accompanied a steady camera pan across the menu board, displaying items like “Soondae-Gukbap,” “Soondae Hot Pot,” “Add Vegetables,” and “Extra Noodles.”
Neatly arranged side dishes, utensils placed in perfect alignment, and Kim Sung-hyun in a red apron, waiting reverently for his soondae-gukbap.

【Soondae-Gukbap VLOG】

Even the English title matched the atmospheric mood perfectly.

[hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha]
You crazy bastards lol

The fans erupted in laughter, marveling at how our Seo Ho-yoon had pulled off another masterpiece.

【Add ‘Vegetables and Noodles’】
【One More ‘Soondae’】

Then came the subtitles that Seo Ho-yoon had poured his heart into crafting.

【Today I came to have a meal with Sung-hyun.】
【He was amazed at how gracefully I dance.】

“You know, Seo Ho-yoon.”
“Huh?”

[Insane that he’s not explaining it verbally and just using subtitles
This guy really knows his vlogging]

At the bottom corner of the screen, I caught a glimpse of Seo Ho-yoon’s hand expertly mixing rice into the soondae-gukbap and sprinkling black pepper over it.

“You’re improving, but… why is it taking so long? What more can I possibly do for you?”

【The leader is praising his student’s progress.】

[Wait, but the audio and subtitles don’t match]
[hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha]

“Sung-hyun, I appreciate it, but you don’t need to do anything else for me.”
“What?”
“You’re adorable just breathing.”
“Let’s eat!! Come on, eat!!”

Kim Sung-hyun tossed his spoon down.

【Hyun-sung is really shy.】

Subtitles like “Beautiful Development” and “I’ll work harder as Ho-yoon” appeared beneath a remark that was clearly not praise, no matter how you looked at it.

[Seo Ho-yoon teasing Kim Sung-hyun is seriously addictive…
But I love it too lol

└lololololololololololololol
└lololololololol me too]

[You could just show your face and that would be enough, but you have to be funny too? You’re killing me]

When the video had about a minute left, Seo Ho-yoon switched to the selfie camera.
Though his face appeared bare of makeup, his skin was pristine and luminously pale—almost ethereal—which only deepened his delicate, innocent aura.

【Thank you for watching, Noeul.】
【You all worked so hard today. I hope you spend your days filled with nothing but laughter and happiness.】

He squeezed his eyes shut in a smile and waved awkwardly, as if unfamiliar with the selfie camera.
Then the video ended with the words “The End.”

[Seo Ho-yoon really knows supply and demand
Makes you laugh the whole time, then shows his face at the end—what a terrifying idol

└Truly the behavior of a popular member
Though the comment is a bit like the New Year emoticons our aunts send
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAh wow ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

[Pop-Pop is really such a good son, and besides… ㅜ
Noeul, be happy
Stay strong today too
I’ll always support you! < Seo Ho-yoon's three-part catchphrase that he uses every day is so cute I could die..

└Seo Ho-yoon guiltyㅠㅠㅠ!!!]

Noeul fans were always confused.
Whether Seo Ho-yoon was a good person or not.

Anyone who has ever been a fan of someone—or rather, loved them—keeps their attention and gaze fixed on that beloved figure, and in doing so, inevitably comes to know them well.
What kind of person they are.

So the Noeul fans also thought, "We love Seo Ho-yoon, but he's definitely got quite the personality." His temperament had even begun to spread by word of mouth overseas.

[Is he the K-Style bad boy? He's really sweet to the Noeul fans! (laughing emoji)]
[I wonder what the other members think (dying laughing) (dying laughing)]
[Is it true that Ho-yoon is really called an angel in Japan? Or is he actually that angel Lucifer? HAHA]

Domestic fans who saw him were amazed.

[Foreign Noeul fans are way more into the cute characterizations than we are
They call Seo Ho-yoon Lucifer

└Whether it's a bunny or Lucifer, it's all the same anyway..
Hahaha, oh my bones are aligned!

While fans whispered approvingly that as long as there were no controversies and he treated them well, it was fine, a rumor spread that Seo Ho-yoon would appear on a variety show with Min Ji-heon.

[Seo Ho-yoon is doing a variety show with Min Ji-heon??]

Even though it was just a rumor, everyone was stirred up.

[What?? Just Seo Ho-yoon?]
[Why..? Does Min Ji-heon have no friends like Joo Woo-sung?
No, I heard Min Ji-heon at least has some connections]
[Please Camera…? Then shouldn't Yoo Ji-a appear too?]

In particular, a small group of fans who, even after a year had passed, still clung to "Please Camera" and continued their fandom, burned with the most excitement.

[A drama that keeps feeding us plot twists even a year later, how about that]
[서호윤 제발 나와서 딱 한 번만 이정훈 피디 몰입해서 연기해줬으면 ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ]
It looks like Ho-yoon's true self seems to really like Seo Ho-yoon lolololol

For Noeul fans, the fact that a successful actor was close with the idol they supported wasn't a bad thing at all.
Then,

[OMG The Dun Jelly Revolution appearance confirmed!!]

News broke that The Dun would be appearing on a YouTube channel specializing in interviews with idols and actors.

[Ah, Jelly Revolution's schedule went haywire, so The Dawn suddenly appeared in his place haha. Ah, believe it and watch it haha. It's good to see Hoyun after a long time. ㅜㅜ]

But the Noeul fans had no idea.

【EP.184 Could It Be Madness? The Dun Too? (Sneak Peek)】

That the brief sneak peek video on YouTube would turn into such a complete circus.

1) A melodrama/romance film released on July 3rd, 1999.

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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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