The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 248

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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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248

After the “The Dun: East Sea” episode of Life Experience Field aired, communities and SNS platforms erupted with discussion about it.

[This is seriously hilarious lmaooo]

From fishing to selling.
The Dun, who had appeared disheveled throughout the fishing process, now stood in the Broadcasting Station Studio dressed neatly in a sweater and jeans—a stark contrast captured on screen.
The members then pooled their wages, and their leader Kim Sung-hyun climbed atop a unicorn figurine to deposit the money into a heart-shaped donation box.
The Dun concluded the “The Dun: East Sea” episode of Life Experience Field by performing a song to promote charitable fundraising.

【You Are Always Beautiful】

“You Are Always Beautiful.”
A clean and crystalline folk song released in the 1970s by Kim Seon-han, once a national treasure of a singer, it was so universally beloved that people often mistook it for a children’s song.

【Show me your pretty smile and bright eyes
With just that, I’ll always be by your side
Our efforts are always beautiful】

They performed it without any arrangement, delivering it plainly and sincerely.
Particularly at the song’s climax, Sung Ji-won’s refreshing yet powerful voice harmonized beautifully with Seo Ho-yoon’s understated, mellow tone, elevating the song’s charm to new heights.

【Show me your weathered hands and radiant smile
With just that, we’ll always be strong
Your life is always beautiful】

The members gazed into each other’s eyes, wearing faint smiles.

【You Are Always Beautiful】

[Am I… crying…?]

As The Dun’s deeply invested fans forgot even to gush with excitement, Seo Ho-yoon pulled something from his pocket and waved it. It was a postcard-sized piece of paper that read: “Really great experience ^^ Thank you for your thoughtfulness, PD.”

[This is insane lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol I thought that was the music show ending shot lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol]
[Ah lol lol lol the promotional bit is so cute]

When Seo Ho-yoon flipped it back over, I could see the text “PD, is this how I should say it?”

[lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol Seo Ho-yoon looks like he’s waving a carrot around]
[Ah lol lol lol lol lol lol Seo Ho-yoon is seriously so witty and adorable lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol he kept the mood light right to the end]

[In the end, everyone’s laughing and greeting the staff members lol lol The PD tries to give Seo Ho-yoon a hug but he’s so reluctant, it’s cute

└He’s the unsung hero of the Life Experience Field. Dae Pa-sung really made a great casting choice with The Dun lol lol lol lol]

The Dun was able to wrap up the program with entertainment, emotional resonance, and wit all at once.
Every time they appeared on broadcasts before, they managed to generate some buzz, but this time the response was even bigger.

[They captured both laughter and emotion at the same time, seriously;;; it was so good..
I wish we saw more broadcasts like this showing genuine kindness rather than all these sensationalized variety shows that are trending these days]
[The Dun’s songs are all intense, but it was so nice that they didn’t promote those and sang popular classics instead..]
[If my Gu Bonjin had come out like this, I would have cried so hard ㅠㅠ]

[Title: The Charity Concert’s Impeccable Sense

These guys are seriously smart
When they were working at the fish market, they got captured on screen cheerfully singing trot songs that the elderly love, coming across as wholesome and upstanding young men
And at the charity concert, they just sang universally recognized songs that anyone with South Korean citizenship would know, boosting their recognition significantly

The Dun really had impeccable sense

Seeing them sweating and covered in grime on fishing boats and at the fish market, then appearing neat and tidy in the studio, looking at each other and laughing while singing… it was somehow moving..

But I wonder if Dae Pa-sung arranged these song selections and program appearances?

└I was reading along contentedly until that last line, then my expression turned serious
Dae Pa-sung is just coasting by, they don’t have the sense to pick things like this
So it’s confirmed he was cast since PD Choi actually contacted him, and The Dun probably did the song selection too lol
└└How in the world did Dae Pa-sung even bring these guys on… it’s an eternal mystery…]

The sudden cancellation of a cast member, the PD’s new target for abduction, victims sold off to fishing boats, and idols who persevered anyway—these narrative threads woven through what was expected to be a quiet, educational current affairs program played a crucial role in igniting this explosive response.
Even those who had skipped it due to the late-night weekend broadcast found themselves drawn to YouTube clips out of sheer curiosity.
Interest continued to the full video released by the broadcasting station, and ultimately, every piece of footage from the Life Experience Field recorded viewership numbers far exceeding those of most popular variety shows.

[Title: Man, I’m really into this group

After watching this, I went back and found all of The Dun’s solo variety appearances

Some people were saying they must have aimed for this knowing it would do well, but who could have predicted the Life Experience Field would get these kinds of viewership and click numbers?
Honestly, the kids are already killing it on variety shows right now—they didn’t need to do an educational program like this lol

They just genuinely wanted to experience real life work, and because they gave it their all without holding back, it turned out great

└If any other group had gone, it wouldn’t have become this much of a hot topic lol The Dun keeps smiling through everything, so it’s both entertaining and touching
└└These are kids destined for big things… honestly, after three days of filming they must have wanted to curse, but laughing it off shows insane mental fortitude
└Da-jun eating that lasagna too—that’s some serious mental strength..
└└lololololololol Da-jun didn’t leave any food on his plate lolololol
└PD Choi really has a good eye for people and picked them well
└└Right? The fact that Seo Ho-yoon and PD Choi have a connection from that Europe documentary is hilarious.. PD Choi is pretty well-known in the documentary world, so I wish they’d make this kind of thing a regular series instead of just special projects
└The viewership numbers are insane as it is lol At this rate, the cast member who cancelled must be kicking themselves lol]

The cooking program that Da-jun appeared in, despite bringing together plenty of famous faces with serious production values, remained trapped in poor viewership ratings.
The fans of the idol who appeared enjoyed it, but it failed to win over the general public.

[Title: Alert: Ordinary people are starting to know about The Dun

The Dun has these uniquely crazy people living there so incredibly hard… and I’m starting to realize that!

Maybe it’s because the general public has a lot of sympathy for celebrities who work hard but live hard, so the response to this life experience site was really goodㅠㅠ
Just mention their name and everyone knows!!

Not long ago, people who asked ‘The Dawn’ if it was Deodeok finally know The Dawn ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

They’ve even memorized the names of the other members, not just Seo Ho-yoon!!!

└Even the quiet-looking ones each have their own kind of madness, so the impact really stuck
Sung Ji-won, who looks so gentle he could sing trot with fish prices in the lyrics.. Kim Sung-hyun, who filleted that massive flatfish in an instant.. Kang Yi-chae, who was giggling with the Cafe Owner like they’d known each other for twenty years.. and Da-jun, who couldn’t give up on weird food..
└└How can you not like a person who looks like he doesn’t know anything about hardships, dragging a net from a boat, singing a trot, and doing business like that? Besides, he’s really nice to adults ㅠㅠ
└The Life Experience Field five-part series started off so perfectly lol The next guests are going to be nervous lolololol]

Ultimately, everything unfolded

[I really want to root for these guys]

exactly as Seo Ho-yoon had foreseen.

***

Choi Ji-hoon PD: Seo Ho-yoon, you really hit the jackpot, haha!
[PD Choi Ji-hoon: The reviews are genuinely excellent]
[PD Choi Ji-hoon: Riding this momentum, I think we might even reach Jung Kyou… Anyway, it’s all thanks to you doing so well. Thank you^^]

I tapped out a reply to the text from PD Choi.

[Me: I had a great experience thanks to you, PD]
Next time, don’t call me haha
[PD Choi Ji-hoon: If a special project comes up, let’s meet again^^]
Me: Haha, yes, please.

I was glad I’d reached out to PD Choi.
I’d intended to probe gently while Jung Da-jun’s schedule was disrupted, but I never expected to land such a big catch.
The production crew thought I’d been innocently hooked, and they worked The Dun hard in return.
Well, as grueling as it was, the payoff was worth it.

‘The response is solid.’

To be honest, none of my broadcasts had received poor responses so far, but this one significantly boosted my recognition.
As for proving my skill in my main work, that would come through the upcoming album and programs.
The fandom seemed worried we were overworking ourselves, but once the explosive spotlight fell upon us, their lips curled upward in unmistakable delight.
Then, a staff member’s voice rang out.

“We’re about to start filming―.”

Now that I’d laid a solid foundation, it was time to execute what I’d truly been aiming for.

“I think it would look better if we moved that sign a bit more to the right.”
“Camera setup is all done!”

In truth, The Dun was at a stage where we should have been aggressively releasing albums and promoting. Yet we spent roughly half a year quietly preparing for this reason alone—to execute the two-step advance we were about to undertake.
I could see the broadcasting staff moving busily around the music video filming set.

“Ho-yoon, just a moment!”

Just as I was about to head toward the set, the costume, hair, and makeup artists stopped me in my tracks.

“Your skin is so fair and luminous that anything looks good on you, but since this is a music video for a Christmas single album, wouldn’t white suit it better?”
“Mm… you have a point.”

The Dun’s Christmas special single album.
It was a seasonal song we’d been anticipating ever since Black Call released their Christmas album.

“The atmosphere definitely calls for it. Do we have that white knit over there?”
“I think slightly covering hair with natural waves would work better. Let’s remove the eye makeup entirely and emphasize the lips more, shall we?”

Dissatisfied with the styling that had been originally planned, they replaced my entire outfit from head to toe.
The moment I was finally released, Lee Ji-hyun approached me quickly, jotting notes on her tablet.

“Seo Ho-yoon, do you have a moment to talk?”
“If our MVP wants to talk, of course I can make time out of nowhere.”
“Oh my…”

Already swamped with preparations for the coming year, and now juggling this tight schedule while conceptualizing and executing the entire project.
As always, Lee Ji-hyun was the one who put in the most effort this time as well.
She shook her head in exasperation at my comment.
Then she immediately explained the crucial elements of this album again, emphasizing the gestures and meanings that needed to be captured on camera.

“I’m really looking forward to how this album will be received.”
“Really?”
“To be honest, The Dun has risen higher than my calculations predicted—it’s almost frightening. How does everything unfold exactly as planned? How did you get such incredible luck with the program?”
“Was it really just luck?”
“…Yes. That’s a wise answer to a foolish question.”

Lee Ji-hyun let out a small sigh and spoke again.

“But don’t forget that this album is truly experimental. You know seasonal songs carry significant risks in many ways.”

Rather, since it’s a seasonal song, it’s worth trying.
I simply smiled quietly, but Lee Ji-hyun read my expression keenly and frowned slightly.

“…You know, if this album captures mainstream appeal like Seo Ho-yoon said while also targeting fans, it might work. It’s experimental, though.”
“Yeah, well.”

I didn’t believe this song would necessarily be a massive hit.
Still, shouldn’t I verify various things before entering the main game? Like how pitchers check the umpire’s strike zone with the first batter in the top of the first inning.
I spoke leisurely.

“There needs to be some risk for it to be fun.”

Besides, I had a powerful card in Kang Yi-chae.
When I shifted my gaze to the corner of the filming set, I could see Sung Ji-won and Kang Yi-chae deep in conversation about the music video.
As I mentally calculated various things while watching him, Kang Yi-chae happened to turn his head toward me, and our eyes met. He gave me a confident wink.
He looked incredibly self-assured.

“Phew.”
“Yes?”

Leaving Lee Ji-hyun tilting her head with a bewildered expression, I waved my hand and tossed the wink back to him.
It would’ve been nice if Kang Yi-chae had been just a bit less perceptive.

A few days later, the special single album poster image was revealed to the world.
Beneath a magnificent, towering Christmas tree that shone brilliantly against the pitch-black night sky, there was a photograph of a boy looking up at it with a smile. A long, dark shadow stretched behind the boy’s back.

[The Dawn 【Christmas Again?】]

It was a double-title Christmas album.

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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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