The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 252

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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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252

“Yeon-hu hyung! We’re doing the collaboration practice soon, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”

Kang Yeon-hu, twenty-four years old and leader of High Five, had been troubled lately.

‘Why did he even agree to the collaboration in the first place?’

He couldn’t fathom what Seo Ho-yoon was thinking.

“I need a break.”

Unable to focus on practice any longer, Kang Yeon-hu shuffled over to a corner and slumped down, pulling out his phone to access a portal website. The Dun’s news dominated the feed.
The story of The Dun overflowed.

At the year-end awards ceremonies held in early to mid-December, The Dun had swept up every secondary-tier award bearing keywords like “worldwide,” “overseas,” or “rookie.”
High Five had also managed to claim several awards through ups and downs, but Kang Yeon-hu couldn’t deny the truth.
Even though High Five had its ups and downs and won several awards, Kang Yeon-hu couldn’t deny it.

“To be honest, we can’t say the awards we received this time were completely without our Current Agency’s push.”

Yet the capital, manpower, and accumulated experience of a large entertainment company overwhelmed smaller agencies.
He scrolled through photos of The Dun holding trophies at the awards ceremony, then switched to SNS to check the reactions.
I scrolled through photos of The Dun holding the trophy at the awards ceremony, then went on SNS to check the reactions.

“Hyun-sung… do you cry every time you receive an award?”
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I’m so touched every time, it’s so funny and makes me cry, it’s so cute ㅠ
That poor kid must have gone through so much…
But did you see Seo Ho-yoon’s eyes go all wide and round in the meantime?

This bastard doesn’t even drool when he yawns…
I think you have dry eye syndrome.

Dry eye syndrome lol

And my chest grew increasingly bitter.

[Isn’t it weird that High Five isn’t getting awards?? Is it rigged??

└This is a sophisticated malicious comment…
Everyone knows Dae Pa-sung doesn’t have that kind of money…
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
└└Bullshit, always saying they have no money but the album sold like crazy
└Ah, High Five fans don’t think this way. Don’t get me wrong.
└└Why wouldn’t we think like that? Everyone’s pissed because nobody got awards right now]

Due to the aftermath of the survival program that took place this year, the atmosphere between fandoms remained tense.

‘A collaboration in this state.’

At least they wouldn’t get harshly criticized for having flowers blooming in their heads.
I rubbed my stomach as if soothing the sharp stabbing pain inside, stood up from my seat, and looked at my teammates.

“I’m going to grab some drinks. Does anyone want anything?”
“Oh~! I’ll have green tea!!”
“Cola for me!”

The High Five members lacked some awareness, but they were all bright and innocent.
Kang Yeon-hu had worked behind the scenes since his trainee days to ensure only such members made it into the debut lineup.
He had learned through years of trainee life that a group without control goes to ruin.
Now that they had debuted, I wanted to let my younger members walk only on a flower path, but it felt like we were driving on an unpaved road instead.
Especially when facing a variable like Seo Ho-yoon.

‘I’m still a bit uneasy.’

Since we had scheduled a discussion about The Dun and the year-end stage today, I came down to the first floor alone and pretended to grab a drink from the vending machine.
I wanted to hear beforehand what Seo Ho-yoon was thinking.
That way, I’d feel more at ease even showing my innocent younger members in front of him.
However,

“Your album did really well. Congratulations? Your music chart ranking was pretty high too.”

There was someone who had blocked The Dun’s path before I could.

‘Here we go again.’

He was the Planning Team Lead at WH Entertainment.
Kang Yeon-hu harbored no major grievances against his company, but he often found the territorial behavior of staff members excessive.
They acted that way even toward trainees and celebrities under their own agency, and there was no way he’d let this slide—especially not now when his mood was already sour—toward someone from a rival agency, let alone someone from Dae Pa-sung whom he could crush like a tin can with a flick of his finger.

“Your seasonal track certainly came out at the perfect time, didn’t it?”

The Dun, with their sharp instincts, immediately caught the subtle sneer woven into his intonation. In particular, Seo Ho-yoon already had a grin playing at the corners of his mouth, clearly amused.
Just as Kang Yeon-hu was about to step in to prevent any unnecessary trouble,

“Oh! That’s right! You all know! We really did nail the timing, didn’t we?”

Jung Da-jun widened his eyes in surprise and made a fuss, then suddenly raised his index finger as if sharing something crucial and lowered his voice.

“Actually, we released it on Christmas on purpose.”
“…Pardon?”
“Because it’s a Christmas song!!”
“…?”

Kang Yeon-hu stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded.
The WH Entertainment Planning Team Lead also lost his words in confusion.
Jung Da-jun had stated it as matter-of-factly as if explaining that a lemon contains exactly one lemon’s worth of vitamin C.
All The Dun members nearby except Seo Ho-yoon visibly turned away and gritted their teeth.

Only then did Kang Yeon-hu truly realize it anew.
That The Dun’s maknae could never be normal.

“Right… since it’s a Christmas song….”
“Hehe.”
“…Indeed, the song was very fitting for the season….”
“Exactly, right?”

Ever since Shining Star Season 2’s Performance Unit, Jung Da-jun had shed some layer and now let everything roll off him easily.
Of course, Kang Yeon-hu had no way of knowing these inner workings.

“Ahem, well.”

The WH Entertainment Planning Team Lead, releasing an awkward cough, sneered once more.

“Well, I’ll cheer you on to keep up that momentum, okay?”
“Oh!! Yes! Thank you for the warm support!!”
“….”

Yet Jung Da-jun remained bright and cheerful.
Burdened by an inexplicable sense of unease from that response, the WH Entertainment Marketing Team Lead eventually left the room.
Watching his retreating figure mutter to himself, ‘Did I get played?’, Jung Da-jun suddenly shifted his expression and whispered.

“…Wait. That wasn’t encouragement, was it?”
“Krkrkr….”

Even with both hands covering his mouth, Kang Yi-chae couldn’t suppress the laughter escaping. His body trembled as he murmured, ‘Encouragement, krkr, thank you….’
Sung Ji-won patted Jung Da-jun on the back.

“No, you did well. You did well.”
“Right, what else would it be but praise! We should just accept it as is~!”
“Yeah. You did well. So what do you want for dinner?”

The Leader, shifting the topic to dinner selection with resigned nonchalance, and Seo Ho-yoon, quickly losing interest as the situation smoothed over. The five of them together felt so natural.
Their presence together was utterly effortless.

Then, turning his gaze directly toward Kang Yeon-hu, Seo Ho-yoon greeted him warmly.

“Hello, Senior Yeon-hu.”

He seemed to have known from the start that I was here.
At times like this, he really does seem like a good person.

‘No, get a grip.’

Hadn’t Seo Ho-yoon pretended to treat Jung Won-ha from TEW well too?
TEW, still seemingly active, had sunk even lower than before appearing on Shining Star.

“…Hello.”
“Ah! Senior!”

The other members who spotted me rushed over and bowed respectfully.
For a moment, the friendly staff member’s assessment of The Dun—that they were kind, considerate, and worked hard at everything—came to mind. At that time, Kang Yeon-hu had doubted whether the group the staff was describing as ‘The Dun’ was really the same one he knew.
He would have understood if they’d said they were tough and strong-willed, but kind and considerate?

“Thank you for coming to the company. Please come this way.”

Kang Yeon-hu let out a small sigh before guiding The Dun to the practice room.
After that, he exchanged brief introductions with High Five and immediately proceeded with the collaboration meeting.
From this point on, Kang Yeon-hu had to truly focus.

“This is the song our company wants.”

It was “Heart on Fire!”—a song with a concept that exuded raw masculinity, released by a famous first-generation male idol group under WH Entertainment.
The choreography amplified allure through restrained movements paired with an addictive melody, all wrapped in a rough and sexy atmosphere.
It was a song most male idols went through at some point, and even Joo Woo-sung had covered it before.
Naturally, it favored artists under WH Entertainment.

“If there are no particular issues, I’ve already mapped out the stage movements, so I’d appreciate it if we could work together on this. Of course, we’ll need to arrange it a bit for the collaboration stage.”
“Oh, that sounds good.”

Seo Ho-yoon was the first to agree to the proposal.

‘What? Why is this so easy?’

Everyone continued the discussion harmoniously, but only Kang Yeon-hu remained on guard, his senses heightened.
Then, as expected, Seo Ho-yoon spoke again.

“But we’ve also prepared something in advance.”
“…What is it?”
“Would you like to hear it?”

No, I don’t want to hear it.
That was my honest feeling. However, unable to refuse outright, I hesitated as Seo Ho-yoon seized the initiative.

“Love and Heart.”

At the song title that followed, Kang Yeon-hu’s eyes widened.

“…!”

Seo Ho-yoon smiled with confidence.

“What do you think? It’s good, right? I think doing both songs together would work well. The titles are similar too.”

Love & Heart.
It was a song in a genre that couldn’t possibly fail on a year-end stage.

‘He’s really something else.’

Just as Kang Yeon-hu kept his mouth firmly shut, neither affirming nor denying, the High Five Junior Member posed a question.

“I really love that song! But don’t Heart on Fire and Love & Heart have completely different vibes? I’m worried whether we can connect the choreography smoothly.”
“It’s simple. Just do it like this—whoosh, boom-bam, bam-bam—and shift the formation, and you’re good.”
“Whoa! Wait, hyung, are you a genius?!”

Kim Sung-hyun sprang to his feet without even having time to prepare beforehand, demonstrating the choreography transitions with such ease. The High Five members erupted in cheers.

“We can connect the song at this bridge, and if we layer in this kind of sound in the second half, it should work~.”
“That could actually work?!”
“Sounds good, right?”

Once Kang Yi-chae joined in, the docile High Five members—everyone except Kang Yeon-hu—were instantly captivated by The Dun, nodding along obediently.

“So we’ll go with these two songs?”
“Sounds good, sounds good!”
“….”

Even scrutinizing with intense focus, I couldn’t easily find a reason to object.
Seo Ho-yoon’s lips curved gently upward.

“This kind of song is a guaranteed win.”

Something felt off.
Very off indeed.
Kang Yeon-hu grew deeply uneasy about the year-end stage.

.
.
.

Both High Five and The Dun had schedules packed to the brim.
Whether it had been different before, the joint practice time allotted to them for this performance was merely half a day.

“So this is possible….”

Yet The Dun absorbed everything in just two hours and left the WH Entertainment Practice Room.
The remaining High Five junior members chattered away with innocent excitement.

“Wow, those group hyungs are awesome.”
“Hey, we’re around the same age anyway, so why call them hyung? But Hyun-sung really is cool. Joo Woo-sung is obviously even cooler, of course. Still… even as a guy, he’s seriously impressive.”
“Da-jun is really charming.”

Kang Yeon-hu pressed his throbbing forehead with the heel of his hand.
I’m relieved it ended quickly, but how fast did they pick up the choreography? Isn’t that abnormal?
No one else seemed to notice that part, as if only I found it strange.
Settling my complicated thoughts and stepping outside to cool my head, I headed toward the vending machine area when I spotted Seo Ho-yoon standing at the end of the hallway—apparently he hadn’t left yet.

‘I should avoid him.’

His posture, as if waiting for someone, sent a chill down my spine.
But it was already too late.

“Kang Yeon-hu~.”

At Seo Ho-yoon’s bright smile, I stiffened completely.
Through several experiences, I’d learned that Seo Ho-yoon was far more dangerous when he smiled like that.

“…Seo Ho-yoon.”

I threw out a compliment while suppressing the twitch threatening to overtake me.

“I really enjoyed watching the variety show. I caught it live.”
“Oh, you even made time to watch it?”

I didn’t say much, so why does he already seem irritated?

“…But why were you waiting here?”
“Because it seemed like you wanted to talk to me?”
“….”

At this point, I wasn’t even surprised anymore.

‘What is this….’

Kang Yeon-hu decided not to hedge around and get straight to the point.

“The collaboration—why did you accept it? I thought Seo Ho-yoon would cut it.”

In truth, WH Entertainment had been forced into the year-end stage performance due to the broadcasting station’s heavy-handed demands.
That’s why High Five, who looked reasonably presentable on the surface despite the complicated circumstances of the agency’s artists, had been selected.
If Dae Pa-sung had refused, the agency might have suffered losses, but The Dun would have been protected.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what Seo Ho-yoon is thinking.”

In other words, there was no real need for this collaboration.
Kang Yeon-hu simply asked directly.

“If we do this collaboration, nothing bad happens to High Five, right?”

From what I saw today, there was nothing particularly strange.
Last time on the variety show, the results turned out well too.

“Hmm….”

As Seo Ho-yoon remained silent without answering, confusion swirled through Kang Yeon-hu’s mind.
I sighed and pulled a drink from the vending machine, when Seo Ho-yoon’s calm voice reached my ears.

“My head’s going to explode, senior.”
“….”
“You think too much, senior.”

You’re the one making me overthink!
The words rose to the tip of my throat, but I forced them down.
Seo Ho-yoon took the drink I hadn’t even touched yet and opened the cap.

“I’m curious too. What exactly do you think of me that you’d say something like this?”
“….”

Half crazy?
There was something unsettling about how perfectly he packaged his personality. Moreover, there was something unsettling about how difficult it was to read what he truly thought.

“It seems a bit gloomy.”
“Pfft….”

At the blunt remark, Seo Ho-yoon choked on his drink.
I thought he’d be offended, but instead he burst out laughing and giggled for quite a while.

“Man, that’s hilarious?”
“…Well, that works. I was getting fed up anyway.”

Even under Kang Yeon-hu’s scrutinizing gaze—arms crossed—Seo Ho-yoon remained composed. He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and spoke.

“I like your honesty. I might’ve actually enjoyed it if Kang Yeon-hu had been at Dae Pa-sung.”
“I absolutely would not have.”
“Ha, how cute.”

Despite being younger, Seo Ho-yoon treated me like I was much younger than him.
When Kang Yeon-hu’s expression turned weary, Seo Ho-yoon only grew more radiant, smiling with satisfaction.

“This gloomy junior will take his leave now.”
“Please leave our company quickly.”
“Yes, yes.”

Seo Ho-yoon waved his hand languidly, the corners of his mouth lifted.

“Let’s work well together, senior.”

After he left, Kang Yeon-hu collapsed into a chair near the vending machine and stared blankly for a long time before realizing that Seo Ho-yoon hadn’t told him anything at all.

“That guy really….”

It had been a long time since I’d been so thoroughly manipulated by someone, and my mind felt completely muddled. Anxiety washed over me repeatedly.
When I shuffled back to the practice room shortly after, the High Five Junior Member looked at me with a worried expression.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”
“…I need to get my head straight.”
“Huh? Um… okay.”

Otherwise, I’d truly be robbed blind.
High Five still had a long way to climb.
I couldn’t afford to be held back in a place like this.

Days of relentless practice passed,
and finally, the day of the QBS Music Festival year-end stage arrived.

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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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