The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 256

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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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256

‘It won’t make any difference anyway.’

Rachel pushed her glasses up as if to ward off the encroaching headache.
She believed this presentation would be nothing but a waste of time.
No matter how famous Luca was for being an unconventional person, he was ruthlessly pragmatic when it came to business.
Even now, he’d only suggested listening out of half-hearted curiosity—there was no genuine intent behind it.

The tight schedule compressed into the morning of her brief business trip, combined with mounting fatigue, only amplified her irritation.
The man whose eyes met hers simply offered a fresh smile.

“…Ah!!”

Just then, Luca—who had been muttering that the man’s face seemed oddly familiar for some time now—exclaimed as if he’d figured something out, then leaned close to Rachel’s ear and whispered.

“That guy! I saw him in a drama! He was in Please Camera with Min. Played a completely corrupt producer!”
“…So what….”
“He was absolutely demonic in that role!”

He was absolutely thrilled, completely thrilled.
While Rachel reluctantly endured the excited chattering of a K-drama enthusiast in full fervor, the woman who had come with the man finished connecting her laptop to the projector and prepared to begin the presentation.

“We’ll begin now.”

And so the man’s presentation commenced.

“The reason IRIX is launching a new Korean server this time is—….”

The PowerPoint on the screen was impeccable—appropriate fonts and sizing, images strategically placed for easy comprehension. It was clean and immediately conveyed what the focus of the discussion would be.

Moreover, he clearly understood exactly why IRIX had decided to launch a new Korean server.
While Korea’s status as a gaming powerhouse was certainly a factor, the greater consideration was the need for provocative content targeting a new generation.
Thus, discussions had been held to collaborate with K-POP, which commanded absolute support from younger demographics, while simultaneously expanding the game’s worldbuilding.

The man continued speaking in a soft baritone, methodically emphasizing key points.

‘How exactly did he investigate to uncover information of this depth?’

Everything was there on the slide—from the news articles when IRIX first launched in its early days to the promotional content scattered across communities and media outlets.

“Luca, in a recent interview you gave, you said ‘Korea’s day and night are very different. Walking through the night streets feels like entering a new world.’ Is that correct?”
“That’s right. It’s very impressive. Every country has its own charm, but Korea was especially special to me.”

The man’s eyes widened.

“I considered that interview to be a kind of hint.”
“Ha ha.”

Rather than continue speaking, he pressed the remote for the projector.

“The Dun’s Phantom Samsara.”

The conference room lights dimmed in perfect timing, and a dark, gritty rainy night street materialized before their eyes.

“Based on Buddhism’s Six Realms of Rebirth, it carries the message of cycling endlessly through competition, determined to hunt down and devour rivals.”

The second round of Shining Star Season 2—”Phantom Samsara.”
A trendy track blending Eastern aesthetics with hip-hop melodies flowed through the speakers.

A man sat astride a matte black, ominous motorcycle, dressed in form-fitting latex leather pants and an ornately embroidered modernized Korean robe draped over a rash guard.

【Are you ready?】

The man who had been leading the presentation all along was Seo Ho-yoon.

“Lee Jung-hoon PD, you’re really a celebrity….”

Overwhelmed by the intensity, Rachel and Luca stared intently at the screen.

【Even if I turn the six-spoked wheel of fate
I’ll find you, didn’t I say?
Do you believe me now?】

The balance among the five members comprising The Dun was far better than I’d anticipated.
Each member’s individuality stood out distinctly, and the vocal parts seemed to be distributed with remarkable harmony.
Beyond that, the stage’s storytelling and immersion were equally exceptional.
The performance amid dazzling visual aesthetics felt like watching a film unfold.

‘Damn, am I really going to have to revise the contract over this?’

When I glanced sideways, Luca sat with both hands clamped over his mouth, eyes gleaming as he watched the screen.

‘The concept itself does align with the direction we’re pursuing….’

From the perspective of planning ‘Cyberpunk Korea,’ The Dun’s stage was undeniably impressive.
However, beyond mere image, we needed both the recognition that would serve as effective promotion and the skill to brilliantly showcase the IRIX Cup opening stage.
After IRIX emerged into the world and captured explosive popularity, Caris Games began hosting the largest-scale tournament directly every January, and it had naturally evolved into something of a festival.
This K-POP collaboration was scheduled as this year’s IRIX theme song.
And the opening of the IRIX Cup finals match had always kicked off with that year’s IRIX theme song.

Naturally, it was a 100% live stage, and since the IRIX Cup was held in a massive sports stadium, skill was absolutely critical.
A:STAR, being a first-tier group, had no weaknesses in execution, but The Dun’s performance still carried a rough, raw quality—as though not yet fully refined.

‘They’re skilled, though.’

The beat that had been climbing sharply toward its crescendo suddenly subsided, and Seol’s melody rang out in the quiet before the video cut off.
It seemed they’d trimmed it midway to finish the presentation within the timeframe they’d sent via email.

“Is this stage lip-synced?”
“It’s live.”

Now that I thought about it, hadn’t Korean idols been said to be accustomed to live stages?
According to my research during this project planning, that was indeed the case.
It was hard to believe they could maintain such powerful movements while singing without a single wavering note, but the serious man’s demeanor didn’t feel like deception.

“Hmm….”

Nothing could suit IRIX’s intended aesthetic better than this.
A distinctly Korean sensibility permeating the air. An exotic atmosphere. Warriors tearing into their competitors.

‘Besides, Luca absolutely loses his mind over stuff like this.’

Of course, I held faith that Luca wouldn’t make his choice based on personal preference alone.
Just from the PowerPoint presentation and stage footage, it was clear enough that The Dun was a strong group.
But aside from not having officially stamped approval with A:STAR, the situation was nearly a done deal.
Moreover, A:STAR had far greater public recognition.

Rachel decided to ask Seo Ho-yoon a light question to refresh the atmosphere.

“Ho-yoon, are you good at games?”
“…Ah, haha.”

After a brief silence, the man smiled gently.

“Of course, I do enjoy them.”

The woman sitting in front of the laptop suddenly glanced at the man.
Luca, who had been quiet all along, opened his mouth.

“What kind of game—”
“But in our team—”

However, the man seemed not to have heard, advancing to the next slide.

“—there’s someone who loves games even more than I do.”

Luca and Rachel saw a familiar screen they’d witnessed countless times before.
It was an IRIX profile, with a grand, ornate rank emblem surrounded by shimmering aurora light along its outer border.

“This is our group’s main rapper, Kang Yi-chae’s IRIX rank.”
“…!”

That rank only the top one percent could reach.
It was already impressive enough on its own, but wondering if there was more prepared, Seo Ho-yoon snapped his fingers with a sharp click.

“He drew inspiration from IRIX to compose a track, and though it’s only the melody so far, we’d like to showcase it here.”

The woman, who had somehow taken the projector remote, quietly pressed the button.
Then melody flowed through the conference room.
A beat that was gloomy yet grand, sweeping through with ferocity.
Moreover, it was layered with sound effects from IRIX itself.

‘This is actually pretty good?’

I’d heard he liked IRIX, and even if we released the track right now, it wouldn’t feel out of place at all.

‘He really put effort into this work.’

Unaware that this was the result of just half a day’s work after receiving IRIX’s information, Rachel listened to the song with full concentration.

“The Phantom Samsara we showed you earlier was also composed by the same member. He’s prepared several more sample demos for us.”
“…!!”

And then came a succession of melodic flourishes.
Continued logical explanations.
The more Rachel and Luca listened, the more entranced they became, as if under a spell.
Luca furrowed his brow and rubbed his forehead, while Rachel’s eyes gleamed sharply as she pushed her glasses up.

“Our understanding of IRIX, the image that suits the game perfectly, and above all, our solid capabilities.”

The man smiled like a victor.

“What reason could there be to hesitate any longer?”

.
.
.

[Me: Success]

I sent a text to Kang Yi-chae.
After finishing discussions with the IRIX executive producer and the promotional video team director about working together, we decided to draw up the formal contract a week later. Dae Pa-sung needed time to review the contract.
After returning to the company with Lee Ji-hyun and heading back to the dormitory, I decided to stop by Kang Yi-chae’s work studio to show off a bit.

‘This guy is doing so much for me.’

Of course, I’d caused him mental anguish with my health issues, but it bothered me that he hadn’t even replied to my text.
Skipping the usual knock, I skillfully pushed open the work studio door,

“Hey, Kang Yi-chae—.”

With a loud bang, fireworks exploded, and the sound of a piano suddenly filled the air.

“Ooh― Ooh― Ooh―.”

Dum-dum, dum-dum~.

Red hair beneath a neon lime-green hoodie.
From the front, from the side, from behind—Kang Yi-chae radiated such raw charisma that it practically dripped off him as he pressed the piano keys and smiled at me.

“The top 1% beauty of IRIX presents this to you.”

As I silently took in this absurd scene, Kang Yi-chae spoke in a melodic voice.

“Seo Ho-yoon is a god.”

Helium-filled balloons floated throughout the center of the work studio, with flower petals scattered sparsely across the floor.
Behind it all hung a large pamphlet that read: “Congratulations! IRIX Contract Secured!”

“You are an angel…. Angel~ Rabbit~.”

Kang Yi-chae hummed an impromptu song, as if demonstrating what a waste of talent truly looked like.

“Tch….”

Just as he turned around, having decided that leaving was the answer, Kim Sung-hyun blocked the door with a sly smile and gestured with his chin.

“Where are you going? I need to see how far that goes.”

As Kim Sung-hyun pointed, Yi-chae’s letter was appearing line by line on the beam screen—the same one they used during meetings with the Members to discuss song concepts from time to time.

Right now I’m so overwhelmed with emotion that I can’t help but write you this fan letter.
I’m so overwhelmed with emotion right now that I’m writing a fan letter to Hyung.

“Ooh~, even your curses are beautiful~.”
“Oh, even your curses are beautiful~.”

♡IRIX really????♡
I could go on forever listing all the annoying things about you, Hyung, but honestly, your abilities are so incredibly impressive and cool that I can’t help but be proud♡
Even if I were to list out every single annoying thing about Hyung one by one, there’d be no end to it, but still, his abilities are so genuinely impressive and cool that I can forget about all that stuff, even if just for a moment♡

“Please, just say it. Stop giving me the creeps.”
“Why? Is it hard now that you’re experiencing it firsthand?”

I pressed my fingertips against my furrowed brow.
Kim Sung-hyun, who had been recording the entire spectacle on his phone, was grinning with genuine delight. Seeing Kang Yi-chae’s lips twitch as well, it was clear both of them had mischief on their minds, not sincerity.

“You are my~ wow wow wow~ the lead vocalist causing chaos again~.”
“….”

I’d even secured a contract for him, and this is how they repay me?
I could only watch their antics unfold in silence.
After the piano piece ended, I was finally released. Completely drained, I stripped off the uncomfortable jacket and shirt, tossed them aside, grabbed a hoodie that had been lying around on the work studio sofa, collapsed onto it, and raised my middle finger at Kang Yi-chae.

“Aw~.”

Look at him, not even fazed, laughing sheepishly.
No matter how I looked at it, that guy seemed like he could survive on a deserted island without breaking a sweat.

“Hey, why didn’t the Maknae participate? He’d be thrilled about something like this.”
“His birthday’s coming up soon. The timing works out perfectly, so we’re pretending to be on bad terms to surprise him.”
“Why is our group like this?”
“Seo Ho-yoon, you really don’t get it?”
“….”

Why should I know?
I clicked my tongue and reached for some candy scattered haphazardly on the nearby table, unwrapping it.

“Anyway, hyung, thanks so much! If there’s anything you want, just say the word! I’ll buy it for you!”

After plinking away at the piano a bit longer, Kang Yi-chae decided he needed to show Jung Da-jun a disgruntled expression and headed to the dormitory. Kim Sung-hyun approached me, still recording on his phone.

“Anyway, you worked hard. If there’s nothing you want, is there anything you’re hoping for?”
“I just want to smoke a cigarette.”
“…I can’t use this part in the video.”
“Then money.”
“Just forget it.”

Kim Sung-hyun grumbled as he turned off the camera app and lowered his phone.
I slowly sat up and pulled Kang Yi-chae’s laptop toward me—it was still carelessly open and haphazardly left on the table.
Isn’t it too reckless that the work studio door locks automatically when closed?
The update still hadn’t gone through.
I naturally hit extend and habitually logged into the community to search for reactions.

[Title: Sighting of SHY

I saw SHY coming out of the XX Hotel Conference Room today. What’s going on??
He was dressed to the nines today

└Huh, was it a self-camera shoot??
└└Not sure;;>
└I thought he was going to work
└└Work lol lol lol lol lol lol lol]

A sighting post had already been uploaded.
They seemed completely unaware that there had been a meeting related to IRIX.
The fact that I’d caught wind of what was being discussed with A:STAR in the middle of it all….

‘Maybe it’s better to keep it secret?’

I rolled my head around and searched further by weaving together several keywords, but things remained quiet for now.

“Or we could give it to him on his birthday, so just keep it in mind.”
“That works. Things are going to get busy now anyway, so let’s just share our sincerity in small ways.”

IRIX contract, composition and lyrics, concept discussion, music video shoot, live stage preparation.
On top of that, a regular album was also in the works.
The Dun was going to be swamped.

As I was giving Kim Sung-hyun a casual response, a community post appeared.

[Title: But doesn’t The Dun have any live controversy?]

Controversy.
The appearance of a word I loved made my lips naturally curl upward.

“This is exciting.”

Birthday gifts seemed like the sort of thing that would naturally roll in on their own when the time came, without me having to lift a finger.

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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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