The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 240

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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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240

The Dun’s self-produced Halloween content event sparked an enormous response from the Noeul fanbase.

[Title: The Dun’s Halloween self-made content is seriously hilarious lolol

Seo Ho-yoon being the only one who knows the magic spell “Abracadabra” is insane lololololol
Have you seen Seonghyun Kim’s Abracadabra? Is it good? It’s like this ㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Seo Ho-yoon: (I know what it means)
Kang Yi-chae: (It’s funny so let’s leave it)
Sung Ji-won: (He looks happy so let’s leave it)
Jung Da-jun: (Eyes widening in shock)

And it wasn’t just funny—they even changed back into the voted outfits and performed the choreography…
Since I was obsessed with Kim Sung-hyun as an American quarterback, I would’ve been so disappointed if there wasn’t a choreography video for this
They really nailed both comedy and emotion..

└Kang Yi-chae’s “Cherry” was so touching
└└For real, Dae Pa-sung must have one otaku staff member lol. Otherwise there’s no way this would’ve happened]

They chose their most recent title track “Falling” because it matched the Halloween atmosphere perfectly, and The Dun showcased a choreography video to match.

[They took individual and group photos with the four-cut photo booth and they’re seriously so pretty…
I’d go bankrupt trying to get these

└If you get them, it’s lottery-level luck damn,, the premium price is gonna be insane
└└My precious baby lottery tickets..]

[If you guys give it away like this, what are you going to do next year,,,ㅠㅠ
Next year wear wizard school uniforms

└The Dun fans would seriously make them do it
They really give out a ton when they do giveaways]

[Title: The Dun Members Are Actually So Cute – Stories

Da-jun revealed it during a live stream

After the Halloween costume shoot (which they call a sniper party) and returning to the dormitory, they shared ghost stories, and Kim Sung-hyun, who has his own room, got so scared sleeping alone that Ho-yoon and Ji-won went to find his bedroom.

Kang Yi-chae also joined in after going to find the game console that was confiscated by Sung Ji-won, and even the youngest, who was just nosing around out of curiosity because the older brothers were making a fuss, ended up getting involved lolol
Apparently it got too cramped, so they ended up sleeping in the living room..

When someone asked Sunghyun if he was really scared with Pop Pop, he answered, “It’s to promote friendship between members..” It’s so cute I’m dyingㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋ]

[They’re so damn cute…
Excessive moe-fication toward twenty-three-year-old guys…
I should fix this…
But do I really need to? <This current state

└If we could have fixed it, we wouldn’t be doing this now
└└#TheDunIsGodsGift,,]

Kang Yi-chae frequently took Polaroid photos and uploaded them to his SNS account, and since this Halloween was so enjoyable, he uploaded a large amount of behind-the-scenes cuts from each member’s self-produced Halloween content.
Among them, Seo Ho-yoon in a school uniform, staring blankly at something in an uncharacteristic way, looked like a scene straight out of a youth film.

[Seo Ho-yoon is really too much
Just breathing makes him look like he has a story,,,]
Why does this photo look so early 2000s lol
It’s really painful because the face is too much for my taste ㅠ Damn, they debuted when I was in high school… I could have written memes like crazy]
[But seriously, I’m so curious,,
How does someone who looks like this have absolutely no school stories.. If it were me, I would’ve been happy just watching this guy walk by breathing]
[Isn’t the agency blocking it?? If they push the mystery angle, they can shut down all the staff member stories anyway]
“Lol, no controversy, problem solved right?”

The Noeul fans still wondered about Seo Ho-yoon’s school days, but the topic quickly shifted to the Halloween choreography video.
Especially Seo Ho-yoon’s dancing skills.
Seo Ho-yoon was already famous for being a perfectionist. Fans believed his seemingly modest demeanor in front of them stemmed from that very personality.

[Wow, check out the dance lines this time]

With each activity, he showed improvement in ways that made it hard to remember the clumsy Seo Ho-yoon from the beginning, and in this Halloween choreography video too, his dancing had visibly improved to the point where it was distinguishable to the naked eye.

[Seo Ho-yoon is the real deal…
Even though I looked at the improving idols that are always popping up on YouTube, honestly, I was upset because there wasn’t much change, but damn haha, it’s a huge improvement.]

I’m so curious what the heck you did to make it grow this much lol

└There’s a rumor that Joo Woo-sung helps with dance
└└Where did you even get that baseless gossip from…?
“Take it or leave it lol”

Results naturally demanded process.
But to avoid being underestimated by others, I had to maintain a composed exterior—never letting my fierce inner drive show. That’s what I’d always believed since becoming an adult.
As a result, I’d mastered the art of feigning composure, and fans saw me as simply a naturally gifted talent.
For Seo Ho-yoon, that was fortunate.

.
.
.

‘Hmm.’

I reviewed the last quarter’s Dae Pa-sung financial report and statistical data, then casually searched for fan reactions to this Halloween self-produced content.
It wasn’t bad, and the overall atmosphere was quite positive.

‘Not bad.’

So I decided to adjust the direction of the plan I’d mentally laid out to maintain this state.
While entertainers inevitably become subjects of scandal, it seemed like the Noeul fans had suffered too much since debut.
I couldn’t guarantee similar incidents wouldn’t happen again, but at least I could provide some aftercare.

“Seo Ho-yoon… could you take a look at this?”

Just as I finished organizing my thoughts, a dying voice came from beside me.
It was Lee Ji-hyun, slouching like a half-zombie, her fingers tapping away at the laptop keyboard.

“Yes, what is it?”

It sounded vaguely like a curse, but I pretended not to notice and simply turned my head to look at the screen.
There was text reading “20XX The Dawn Market Analysis Report.”
In summary, it described an idol group with plenty of mistakes but one that performed well for fans and had entertaining stage presence.

“I’m sorry there’s been so much controversy.”
“Never mind that—look at our recognition.”

Lee Ji-hyun continued, scrolling through the data.

“After Shining Star Season 2 ended, we’re slightly below High Five. We’re a mid-tier group still building our foundation. That’s where The Dun stands right now.”

That was our current position.
Black Call’s dominance was so overwhelming that an ambiguous tier-1.5 category had emerged, but The Dun hadn’t even reached the fringes of that yet.

“So what should we do?”
“…You sound like a university professor asking a question without giving a clear answer.”

Lee Ji-hyun, who had been muttering something like “What do you think?” let out a deep sigh.

“If I knew, we’d already be on the Billboard by now.”

I chuckled at that remark.
It was something people in the entertainment industry said all the time.
When someone becomes a hit, the question inevitably follows: “Why are they so popular?”
There are clear reasons for failure, and roughly identifiable reasons for moderate success, but when something becomes a massive hit, no overwhelmingly obvious reason appears.
That’s why even people who’ve spent decades in this industry can’t predict what will take off, so they keep churning out idols with new concepts.

And yet,

‘I can at least grasp the general direction.’

After all, there aren’t zero commonalities among successes.
Lee Ji-hyun, who had been quietly observing me, suddenly blurted something out.

“You just need to ask Kang Yi-chae to help secure one hit song somehow.”
“Lee Ji-hyun, that’s the kind of obvious answer a CEO would give.”
“…You’re a genius at provocation, aren’t you? Fine, let me be honest then?”
“Yes, please.”

Lee Ji-hyun bit her lip once, then picked up a whiteboard marker and uncapped it. She then listed a series of characters on the board that looked like some kind of demonic incantation.
I had to spend considerable effort verifying that those words weren’t cursing me for dumping work on her.

“I’m not saying this just because The Dun is under our company, but they excel at communicating with fans and produce an abundance of original content. If we exclude exceptional cases like Chae Jung-woo or Joo Woo-sung, they’d probably rank around 1.5 tier in terms of pure skill. The worldview embedded in their album? I, Lee Ji-hyun, who’ve spent most of my life as an otaku, crafted it—how could it be lacking? Unless it’s just a matter of personal taste.”
“Yes, well….”
“So what’s missing then?”

Lee Ji-hyun tilted her head and snapped her index finger up, her eyes sparkling.

“Mass appeal.”

According to Lee Ji-hyun’s explanation, aside from the handful of existing fans who remained, the people who initially flowed in were veterans who’d been rolling around in K-pop for years. They were drawn to The Dun’s worldview, which perfectly targeted that niche sensibility.
The group had built momentum steeply after Shining Star Season 1, and solidified their fanbase even further through the Apocalypse trilogy.
Now, having weathered even the spicy flavor of Shining Star Season 2, The Dun’s fandom had become nearly unshakeable.
Lee Ji-hyun added, almost muttering, that they really needed to treat Noel well.

“Anyway, people who like K-pop are already obsessed with fan activities, so there’s no way they wouldn’t know Seo Ho-yoon or The Dun. But if you asked random people on the street? How many would know The Dun? How many members could they name besides Seo Ho-yoon?”
“If I knew them, that’d be lucky enough.”
“Exactly. Plus, their overseas fandom is relatively weak too. The OTT platform that aired Shining Star was blocked in some countries except Japan and Europe. These days, new groups sprout up every time you blink, and unless you’re looking to nurture a group from scratch, people don’t bother seeking out unknown groups.”

So the point was they needed to expand their fanbase both domestically and internationally, and build their mainstream appeal.
It was roughly similar to what I’d already concluded.
Know yourself and know your enemy—victory in every battle.
While preparing the next album, I’d assessed the group’s condition and explored the requirements for climbing to the first tier.
If there was any way to make it happen, I was prepared to do it.
I opened my mouth again, reviewing the barely legible characters scrawled on the whiteboard once more.

“You know about the ‘Perfect Singer’ program coming back this time, right?”

Lee Ji-hyun turned around, capping the whiteboard marker, her eyes widening.

“Of course I know it. Isn’t it that broadcast that scores singers with precision, like grading how well they sing? I heard they’re rebooting it lately…. Wasn’t the last season kind of underwhelming?”
“Well, yeah, somewhat.”

Season 1, which had aired during the peak of singing variety shows, had been a massive hit amid critical acclaim. The next season, however, lost some momentum due to the panelists’ artificial reactions and forced attempts to extract emotion from the narrative.
In the meantime, starting last year, they’d flooded the market with advertisements and articles promising a comeback, but with the public still lukewarm, the program had been shelved multiple times before finally emerging as a “reboot” by year’s end.
Every time I caught a glimpse of it, I’d click my tongue in regret at seeing a well-made broadcast being buried in ash. However, it maintained consistently high recognition across Asia, and after the rights were exported to the United States two years ago, it had considerable popularity there as well.

‘The program’s nationwide viewership statistics weren’t terrible either.’

Particularly, in several states across America where the K-pop boom was surging, it even commanded respectable viewership ratings.
Having researched that far, I took a chance and called Lim Hyun-sung. As expected of a hot composer, I learned she was appearing as a guest.

“The format is quite unique, isn’t it?”
“Right? I thought they’d done everything under the sun.”

The rebooted Perfect Singer’s format seemed like it would receive vastly different reviews depending on the cast and editing.
However,

“But I’m thinking of appearing on it.”

Moderately familiar yet fresh, and funny too.
A program that could be accepted when someone at my level expressed interest in appearing.
Right now, Perfect Singer seemed like it could be a better opportunity for me than the top-tier variety shows, if I played my cards right.

“Only Seo Ho-yoon will be appearing? Not Sung Ji-won?”
“Yes, just me.”
“Hmm… Are you confident about this?”

No need to belabor the point.
Lee Ji-hyun, who had hesitated for a moment, spoke firmly in a cautious tone.

“If you rush in recklessly, you’ll only damage the image you’ve carefully built. I’ve watched it occasionally myself, and since the scoring is done by a machine, they grade incredibly precisely. There are so many accomplished singers appearing, and if you’re not careful, you’ll just get compared and hear nothing but negative comments… Wait, you’re not even listening.”
“I’m listening.”

In truth, I’d already memorized all of it, so I let it all go in one ear and out the other.

“I’ve already asked the management team to look into whether I can appear. Lee Ji-hyun, please gather all relevant information before they contact you.”
“Ah, yes… Well, I understand. But….”

Lee Ji-hyun scratched her head and asked.

“What are you thinking?”
“What do you mean?”
“According to what I heard from the management team this time, all the members are currently discussing broadcast appearances individually….”

Excluding Kang Yi-chae, who was already mentoring on Rising Rookies, Kim Sung-hyun was set to appear on a parenting variety show soon, and Jung Da-jun was scheduled for a cooking program.
And Sung Ji-won….

‘That’s important.’

I’d hold off on him for now.

“This list isn’t everything, but don’t some of these broadcasts seem a bit off? It would look better if we postponed individual activities and timed them so we could all appear together.”
“No, we’re going with this as is.”

I’m too pressed for time to worry about appearances.

“Lee Ji-hyun, remember what we discussed earlier?”
“Huh?”
“What’s The Dun lacking?”
“Public recognition… international awareness….”

As Lee Ji-hyun spoke those words, she suddenly seemed to grasp something. She woke the laptop that had entered sleep mode and hurriedly opened a portal website.
Moments later, Lee Ji-hyun stared at me with tired eyes.

“…These are all programs that make waves overseas.”

I smiled faintly.
Being confined to a hospital room wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
After all, it gave me plenty of time to think things through.

“Not a bad list, right?”

I plan to finish everything within next year.

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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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