The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 255

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

255

Late October of last year.

‘What am I supposed to do about this?’

On the surface, Kang Yi-chae’s expression seemed no different from usual, but internally, his mood had plummeted to rock bottom. It hadn’t been long since I’d collapsed, after all.
The playful demeanor he normally carried had vanished without a trace.

“Hyung, sometimes I find Yi-chae hyung scary….”
“I get scared of him sometimes too.”

Even though he was usually quite lenient with the Maknae, Jung Da-jun was serious enough to say this to me directly.
I sipped my chocolate frappuccino through a straw, pondering how to navigate this situation, when Lee Ji-hyun, who’d been listlessly typing at the keyboard beside me, asked slowly.

“Um, can I leave work?”
“I’ll buy you dinner.”
“Ha ha… hahahaha.”

After watching Lee Ji-hyun bang her head on the desk before promptly returning to work, my thoughts drifted back to Kang Yi-chae.
Lately, he’d abandoned all those games he used to love and was holed up in the work studio.
Wondering if there was anything that might lift his spirits, I searched for the names of games he used to enjoy on my laptop.
That’s when a particular article caught my eye.

‘…Oh.’

IRIX—the hottest FPS game in the world right now, and famous in Korea as well.
The article detailed how Caris Games, the developer of that game, was expanding the Korean server.
There was also a brief line mentioning they were preparing to release a soundtrack with a K-POP idol.

‘…This could work.’

As I scanned the article again, Lee Ji-hyun’s voice pierced through.

“Ah, this might fall through.”
“Pardon?”
“Caris Games wanted to work with Black Call, but they got rejected and are now in talks with A:STAR. The thing is, the game company’s overall producer is apparently incredibly picky. There’s been talk going around that if things get rocky, there’s a high chance the whole project will collapse.”

A:STAR.
Not comparable to Black Call, but they were a first-tier idol group doing well.
Yet the game company was being so particular about it.

“How much would a collaboration like this impact popularity?”
“Well, it would certainly get talked about domestically, but more importantly, there would be a massive influx from overseas. While not as famous as Caris Games, I’ve seen idol YouTube subscriber counts skyrocket fivefold after featuring in an OST for an animation produced by a foreign studio.”
“Hmm.”

More than ever, my mind was spinning furiously, so I replenished the depleted glucose with a chocolate frappuccino while Lee Ji-hyun continued rambling on.

“Well….”
“Yes.”
“—Actually, I happened to hear about it two months ago, so I sent an email to the IRIX customer service center, and I even managed to get the game director’s direct email address and reached out!”

She works hard.

“But they don’t seem to check it often—I confirmed again this morning and they still haven’t read it!”
“Oh dear.”

But they’re not doing their job.

‘What should I do….’

Secure Kang Yi-chae’s position and capture the overseas market too.
Kill two birds with one stone.
I thought it was perfect, but it looked like it was going to fall apart from the start.
While I was calculating alternative approaches, Lee Ji-hyun’s words continued.

“Anyway, it’s unfortunate that the opportunity hasn’t even come… Seo Ho-yoon! I really did work hard on this, you know?! Should I show you the emails as proof?”
“No matter how much you appeal, you can’t go home right now.”
“….”

The light that had briefly returned to Lee Ji-hyun’s eyes faded again, her spirit half-departed once more.
And as she habitually refreshed her company email window, she froze.

“Argh!”

I drained the Frappuccino cup as the bottom came into view, then shifted my gaze toward Lee Ji-hyun. She jabbed the Enter key repeatedly in disbelief, and eventually grabbed the laptop screen, pressing it close to her face.

“What is it?”
“Insane! This is insane! Caris Games just contacted me asking if I’m free tomorrow and if a meeting is possible!!”

I accepted the laptop she handed over and read through the email carefully.
At that moment, the only members of The Dun without scheduled commitments were Kim Sung-hyun, Kang Yi-chae, and myself.

“Lee Ji-hyun, do you have any prepared materials?”
“If you mean presentation materials, then obviously not.”
“Confident, aren’t you? Then you can speak English, right?”
“I can speak Japanese.”

So that’s a no.
I tapped the table with my pen to organize my thoughts, then smiled at Lee Ji-hyun.

“Forget the presentation materials then. Just gather every scrap of relevant information you can find. Within two hours. Got it?”
“Two hours!?”

Ignoring Lee Ji-hyun’s prolonged shriek, I slipped out of the conference room and stormed into Kang Yi-chae’s work studio.

“Hey.”

He lay on the sofa with his cap pulled low over his eyes, eyes closed.

“Your hyung’s here.”
“No solicitors allowed~.”

Just as I thought—he was faking sleep.
Look at him, not even opening his eyes. Bastard.

When I turned my head, I could see the composition program still open on his laptop screen from where he’d been working. A small Windows update notification window hovered in the bottom right corner.

“Kang Yi-chae, are you sulking?”
“…No?”

That state should be fine.
The intonation, speech pattern, voice, eyes, the very aura he exuded.
I knew Kang Yi-chae’s state well when his eyes were sharp and focused.
Concluding that this level was acceptable, I decided to get straight to the point.

“Do you play that IRIX game or whatever?”
“…?”

Kang Yi-chae lifted the brim of his cap slightly and looked at me. His expression was one of trying to gauge what scheme I was cooking up this time.

“I saw news that they’re doing a K-pop collaboration there.”
“…And?”
“I heard A:STAR seniors are supposedly doing it.”

Kang Yi-chae’s eyes narrowed considerably.

“Want to do it?”

At this point, I decided to dangle the bait that he’d find most appetizing.

“If you want it, I’ll get it for you.”

No matter how talented he was, he was still just a kid in his early twenties.
With a sulking child, giving them what they want was the direct approach.

“I’m sometimes amazed. I have no idea where your confidence comes from, hyung.”
“Of course it comes from our genius producer. How long does it take you to compose a new song?”

When I casually turned the question back on him with a nonchalant tone, Kang Yi-chae—who had been making a fed-up expression—removed his cap and scratched his head vigorously before jumping up from the sofa.

“If I’m not sulking, it won’t take long.”
“By tomorrow?”
“If it’s just a sample.”
“Good.”

I deliberately clicked to extend the Windows update and shifted my gaze toward Kang Yi-chae.

“I’ll send you the materials I’ve gathered so far in two hours. Look over them and compose the track. I’m heading out now.”
“Where are you going?”
“Where else would I go?”

I flicked Kang Yi-chae’s outstretched leg and walked toward the door.

“Hey, if you manage to snatch that contract—”

I turned my head to look at Kang Yi-chae while gripping the doorknob.
And I smirked.

“You calm down.”

.
.
.

Rachel Kruger.
She worked as a director for the promotional video team in the IRIX Department and was currently on a business trip to Korea.
It was because of the newly launching Korean server and the K-POP collaboration project.
She had been devoted to a single game since childhood and built a successful career from it, but she knew almost nothing about Korea or K-POP.

“Black Call? What about Black Call?”
“I’ve told you several times! They were already exposed ages ago.”

Rachel knew about Black Call, at least.
Not that she wanted to—it had been forcibly drilled into her.
Her coworker was a fan of Joo Woo-sung from Black Call.
Every time she shouted ‘Joo-!’ and watched videos during breaks, there was no way Rachel could remain ignorant.
At one point, she’d even wondered what ‘Zoo’ meant, thinking it sounded like some kind of zoo.

‘Watching the stage performance, they were certainly impressive.’

Joo was different.
Beyond his striking appearance and dancing skills, he possessed a magnetism that pierced through the barrier of the screen and drew people in.
But even after that, Rachel never developed an interest in K-POP.
However, Luca, the executive producer known for being unique even within the IRIX Department, was someone who was passionate about Asian culture, and particularly an ardent fan of K-dramas.

“Black Call would suit cyberpunk well, I think.”

It was Luca who had proposed the expansion plan for the Korean server.
One day, after seeing a neon-drenched street from a K-drama, he became utterly captivated.
Unfamiliar characters created geometric patterns, and the vibrant colors formed an otherworldly atmosphere.
What he wanted was clear at a glance, but the actual execution proved to be an endless series of obstacles.

‘Damn it, this crazy bastard!’

The executive producer was undeniably a genius.
But he was equally meticulous and meticulous, with an unwavering vision in his mind.
The new server test went relatively smoothly, but the K-POP collaboration project repeatedly fell through at the stage of recruiting idols.

“I’m not feeling it~.”

The meeting with A:STAR certainly wasn’t bad, but the moment the agency staff left, claiming there was something missing that didn’t resonate, he pouted his lips.
Luca, who had been grumbling that it had to be Black Call, slouched in his chair and muttered.

“I’m hungry and all the meetings are done, so should we go eat that budae-jjigae that even that hotel
1)
recognized as authentic?”
“What do you mean it’s done? There’s still one more left.”
“Huh?”
“Damn it! You told me to schedule one more meeting yesterday! Don’t you remember sending that email?”

As if he’d been the one casually rummaging through someone else’s emails.
Luca’s eyes widened as the memory finally returned, and he smiled brightly.

“Oh! Right. But it’s such a hassle—should we just skip it?”

The Human Resources Team’s email address flashed rapidly through my mind.
I wanted nothing more than to draft a workplace harassment complaint right then and there, but I settled for a sigh instead.
After all, there was still so much I wanted to learn from Luca.

‘I can’t quit yet. Not yet… not yet….’

As I was composing myself, two people appeared, guided by the hotel staff.

“Good afternoon.”

The man with his dark hair neatly swept back with pomade, dressed in a deep ash-gray suit with a blue undertone, radiated an unmistakable aura.

“I’m Seo Ho-yoon from Dae Pa-sung.”

The man’s English wasn’t native, but it was clean and fluent without any unnecessary flourishes.

“I’m Lee Ji-hyun.”

Hers, on the other hand, seemed a bit rusty.
The man approached with long strides and extended a large, pale hand to shake.

“Thank you for coming all the way to Korea. I’m delighted to meet you like this, Rachel.”
“Ah, that email….”

Rachel recalled Luca’s words about just leaving since it was bothersome, and her expression grew uncomfortable.

“I apologize, but it seems we’ll need to cancel today’s meeting. We’re in the process of signing a contract with another group. I’m sorry you came all this way.”
“What? Why?”
“Why what?”

The objection came from Luca instead.

“He’s handsome!”

Rachel felt a throb at her temples.
The Human Resources Team’s email address circled through her mind again.
Now her eyes sparkled as she looked at the two people standing before her, wondering where exactly she’d been hooked.

“So, Ho? Was that the name?”
“My stage name is Ho-U Ho-U.”
“….”
“….”

The woman standing beside the man suddenly coughed.
An awkward silence enveloped the hotel conference room.
Luca asked the man, who was muttering to himself sheepishly as if the joke hadn’t landed, with keen interest in her tone.

“So, Ho-U Ho-U? Could we see what you’ve prepared?”
“Of course.”
“Excuse me, did you hear what I said?”

The moment Rachel’s expression twisted slightly, the man’s eyes shifted in an instant.

“Of course. I heard you loud and clear.”

She had said the contract would be finalized with others, yet the man showed no hesitation whatsoever.
Instead, he slowly pulled his lips into a smile, as if displaying his confidence.

“You should start preparing to have the contract name changed.”
1) HORMEL FOODS CORPORATION, established November 30, 1890. A company well-known in Korea for manufacturing Spam canned luncheon meat.

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