The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 227

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

227

[Oh my god lol Take Care of Me is seriously hilarious lol]
[Definitely watching episode 2 next week lol Seo Ho-yoon seems a bit lower energy than usual but the way he casually throws things out is so cute lol]
[Jung Da-jun?? Which show is this guy from?? He was so adorable and I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw his heart rate hit 150 lol]

Take Care of Me had generated quite a bit of positive response from the public.
Delighted by this, Choi PD said that after airing episode 2 and finishing the reaction shoot at the studio, he would even film additional special clips.

“Haha! We’ll have the highest viewership this time too, right!”
“Well, congratulations.”
“Casting Min Ji-heon and then bringing in Seo Ho-yoon and Jung Da-jun as additions was a masterstroke, really!”

Watching throughout the reaction shoot, I noticed that Min Ji-heon had almost no movement when he was alone.
All he did was read books or stare quietly out the window.
Of course, there were plenty of people who would be happy with Min Ji-heon just breathing and sitting still, but Choi PD seemed far from satisfied.
In the end, he’d made good use of the footage anyway.

“I still don’t understand why Min Ji-heon agreed to appear. Haha, but I really hope I’ve opened up a variety show path for him. And for Seo Ho-yoon too!”
“Oh, PD. Please call us anytime.”
“You’ve got such great energy!”

Choi PD kept chuckling, clearly in high spirits.
Over Choi PD’s shoulder, I caught sight of Min Ji-heon’s Manager distracted in conversation with another staff member—and in that moment, I spotted Min Ji-heon attempting to slip away from his seat.

‘He’s getting ready to bolt.’

But the moment his manager turned his head back, Min Ji-heon casually lowered himself back down and played innocent.
I let out a stifled laugh before breaking into a cough.
My body was genuinely in pain, but honestly, I’d deliberately let the cough slip out rather than hold it back.

“Cough, cough!”
“Da-jun is really cute. If I’d known he was that entertaining, I would’ve called him for the reaction shoot too….”
“Hack, cough….”
“…Ho-yoon, are you dying??”
“Ugh, PD! Let go of Ho-yoon. His condition wasn’t good throughout the shoot.”

I kept my head down and coughed a few more times before slowly opening my mouth.

“…No, I catch colds every season change, but the cough is particularly bad this year.”
“Wow, Ho-yoon really has the professionalism down. Your complexion is practically white as paper, but the camera doesn’t catch any of it.”

The staff member who’d been pushing me aside during production was now lavishing me with praise.
Once the shoot went smoothly and the ratings came in well, he’d instantly changed his tune.

“Well then, I should get going. I have another schedule.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work~!”

I quickened my pace and stepped out the door.
Though I maintained a composed exterior, my head felt like someone was constantly splitting it open with an axe, and the disgust gnawed at me.
I rushed to the bathroom tucked away in the corner and gripped the toilet, retching. Nothing came up anymore—just thin, bitter bile dribbled out.

“…Damn. Nothing’s coming up.”

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and turned on the water at the sink.

The water rushed out.

I fought back another sudden cough and steadied my breathing.

‘At least I’m not coughing up blood like last time.’

My stomach kept contracting and my heart pounded violently.
Splashing cold water on my face seemed to calm it down a little.

“This is pathetic….”

I glared at my haggard reflection in the mirror, then swept my hair back.

‘This much is still bearable.’

The next schedule was a guest appearance on Rising Rookies, where Kang Yi-chae was serving as a mentor.

I decided to wait for the Manager, who had gone to pick up the other members from the dormitory, and sat on the edge of the washbasin, scrolling through my phone to find Kang Yi-chae’s broadcast.

‘Kim Hee-young isn’t the PD in charge.’

Though the show featured trainees, I’d assumed Kim Hee-young was the PD since it was a survival program about creating idols, but a different name appeared instead.
I clicked on the first round competition video, edited down to roughly ten minutes, and the screen showed the mentors offering their comments after the trainees’ performances.

[I get everything else, but K.Y.C. is seriously the most ridiculous lolol Why?]
[No matter how much they tried to compose the mentor panel with junior and senior artists, isn’t Kang Yi-chae way too young? lolol Who’s going to acknowledge a 22-year-old as a mentor? They should’ve brought someone like Black Call instead]
[tvK really can’t let go of Shining Star lol But Rising Rookies’ recognition is already shot anyway.. Even if they wanted to follow Shining Star, they can’t lolol]

Scanning the comments, I sensed some turbulence.

[This batch of trainees really seems rough… Their character is a bit…]
[When they gather in a rush, anyone and everyone shows up]
[They want to seem desperate but have no actual desperation lol]

[Male idol survival shows need to be squeezed dry, but this is beyond squeezing

I’m sorry, but I can’t wash it because there’s nowhere to wash it.

The overwhelmingly negative reception made me think that even with Kang Yi-chae’s talent, shifting the mood wouldn’t be easy.

‘I hope he’s okay.’

With the recent comeback and year-end stage preparations, he’d been grinding just as hard as I had.
His usual composure masked it well externally, but it was obvious he was overextending himself.
And yet, in the meantime, he’d taken on this broadcast appearance and prepared a mentor stage too.

‘I wasn’t paying enough attention.’

I should have looked out for Kang Yi-chae more.
Since I’d be getting makeup done again anyway, I splashed my face with cold water once more and tousled my hair.
Then my phone vibrated. I dried my hands with the paper towels provided and checked the message—it was from the Manager.

[Manager: Ho-yoon, I think I’ll be there in about 15 minutes. Just wait a bit!]

I sent a reply saying I understood and left the Broadcasting Station building, heading down to the Staff-Only Parking Lot.
That’s when the yellow sports car I’d seen at Min Ji-heon’s place while filming “Take Care of Me” caught my eye.
I could have sworn he arrived this morning in a van with his manager, so I wasn’t sure how he’d managed to get this car here.
My head was throbbing, so I leaned against a parking lot pillar and stood still for a moment when someone appeared.

“…Oh wow! You startled me.”

It was Min Ji-heon, sipping on an iced tea while twirling his car keys. When our eyes met directly, he flinched.

“Why are you standing here alone looking so creepy?”

His fidgeting had been obvious since earlier—it seemed he was trying to sneak out without his manager noticing.

“Yellow really doesn’t suit you.”
“I know. I know, but the salesman said my face pulls it off anyway.”
“Who dared say that?”
“…The person selling it.”

I clicked my tongue softly, and Min Ji-heon pouted slightly. He added something about it being his younger brother’s favorite color, but that wasn’t my concern.

“Hey.”

Even during that brief exchange, I felt cold sweat beginning to cover my forehead.

“You know something, don’t you?”

I dropped the pleasantries and got to the point.

“I think I’m starting to fall apart lately.”

Min Ji-heon had been jumping in at perfectly timed moments while we were filming the program, covering for me.
After two weeks of that, my instincts kicked in.
This bastard definitely knows something.

“You noticed my condition and suggested doing variety together, didn’t you?”
“Aha ha…. No, that’s not it. I just wanted to let the world know how cute I am.”

Cute my ass.
I ignored him and pushed off from the pillar.

“When I think about it, you seemed to know beforehand that I’d end up like this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You told me, ‘Contact me if anything comes up.'”

It was something Min Ji-heon had said when we ran into each other at the company around the time the Performance Unit of Shining Star Season 2 ended and the final competition was approaching.
No matter how severe the stress was, I’d always found it strange that most of my memories from that period were hazy, but this time I’d completely forgotten that Kang Yi-chae was even appearing on the broadcast as a mentor.
Was this a coincidence?

‘There’s no way.’

I’d rolled around in this situation too much to naively dismiss it as coincidence.
No matter how many times I replayed it, something felt off.

“Hey, the System Window you say you see. Did something go wrong with it?”

Until now, except for when Min Ji-heon forcibly detached the System Window from me, physical penalties were only given when I took out a loan or failed a Quest.
But recently?

‘I didn’t do anything.’

Yet as if the world itself was rejecting me, symptoms identical to physical penalties appeared.
The only difference was I didn’t cough up blood in my throat—everything else was exactly the same.

‘It doesn’t feel natural.’

So based on the System Window’s statement mentioning an openly unstable state, I’d reasoned that the ERROR messages that frequently came to mind had caused an overload in my body, and everything fell into place.

“You’re….”
“Me?”

Min Ji-heon, who’d paused to choose his words, added lightly with a shrug.

“…You’re really overestimating me. I’m nothing, yet I’m acting like I’m the answer key. Why.”
“Just answer the question.”
“I just observe. If I were you, I would’ve gone home at a time like this and collapsed on the heated floor for a good sleep. At least a week’s worth.”

He casually set the half-finished iced tea on the car hood, then Min Ji-heon stepped closer.
As he did, my ragged breathing gradually began to stabilize, just like before.
Min Ji-heon, scanning me from top to bottom, spoke again.

“Don’t go to that schedule.”
“That makes no sense. I thought you’d been behaving yourself lately, but you’re still talking nonsense.”

If I’m the only one who doesn’t show my face at an event where all the other members are attending, who knows what rumors will start circulating.
Besides, I was confident I could keep up appearances while the cameras were rolling.

—Bzzzzt.

I reflexively checked my phone to find a call coming in from my Manager.

“Well then, I’ll be going—, oof!”
“Ji-heon.”

I grabbed the back of his neck as he was about to settle into the driver’s seat of the sports car with his iced tea in hand.
At my unusually gentle tone, Min Ji-heon—who’d accumulated some experience with Seo Ho-yoon—wore an expression of alarm.

“You’ll be back from the schedule around 3 a.m. We’ll see each other then.”
“No way. I’m going to sleep.”
“Did that sound like a request?”

Min Ji-heon’s brow furrowed deeply.
His expression screamed that he’d miscalculated.

“Ugh… I’m a morning person, you know?”
“I see.”
“Why are you saying ‘I see’ like that?”

He grumbled, brushed off my hand, and got into the car. Convinced that his resistance was a form of agreement, I smiled slightly.
I tapped the roof with a light thud as he started the engine.

“See you later.”
“…You’re really too much.”

Min Ji-heon took a sip of his iced tea, then let out a long sigh. He waved his hand at me as if telling me to back away, then drove the car straight out of the parking lot.
A strong intuition washed over me that I’d soon understand something.

‘Whatever it is, I’ll gather a bit more information.’

For now, I’d managed to put out the immediate fire.
Next up was dealing with that talented rapper who’d lost his mind over our health.
I was crouching down in slow motion, waiting for the Manager, when suddenly.

Screeeeeech———!

The sound of tires grinding harshly against the pavement came from behind me.
I flinched and turned my head, but saw nothing.
I was alone in this place.
Goosebumps prickled across my arms.

“…Damn, shit….”

It was a disturbingly familiar sound.

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