The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 269

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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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269

“PD Kim Hee-young! Could you come over here for a moment?”
“Sure~.”

PD Kim Hee-young had just returned to work after her vacation.
After Shining Star Season 2, she’d been assigned to several programs, but working with children over ten years younger than her felt like running a seasonal business—it left her feeling utterly deflated.

‘Ugh, I don’t want to work.’

The apathy had consumed her entirely at that time, and she’d thought that without rest, she wouldn’t be able to work in any capacity.
So she’d submitted her vacation request without much hope, but she’d managed to get two weeks off and take a trip overseas.
Of course, her occupational habit meant she’d kept tabs on entertainment industry developments throughout the trip.

“PD, The Dun is performing last.”
“Yes, I’ve confirmed it.”

Today was just a temporary assignment to a music broadcast before taking on a new program after her vacation.
As always, the staff moved about busily.

“I’ll double-check the camera work.”
“I think we should turn up the microphone audio a bit more.”

Yet somehow, just before The Dun’s performance, the atmosphere felt tense and sharp.

“Wow, why is it so intense?”
“PD, you didn’t see the rehearsal earlier, right? The Dun’s stage was absolutely legendary. So many fans came today… if the camera even slightly messes up the angle, we’re really going to get torn apart.”

The tension resembled what had filled the set when preparing for Black Call’s comeback stage.
For PD Kim Hee-young, who’d worked with The Dun back when they were unknown, it felt somewhat nostalgic.

‘What is this? They really have grown so much.’

She’d been surprised by the sales figures of the single album they’d released with a double title last winter, but this regular album was selling at a truly remarkable level.

“I have to say, this song is shockingly good. The buzz around our side has been absolutely insane!”

Beside PD Kim Hee-young, who was watching the Noeul fans approach the audience seating with their characteristic fierce energy—something they were famous for even among other idol fandoms—the Assistant Director continued chattering away.

“Looks like they’re really going to hit it big.”
“Absolutely. Apparently they’ve been getting tons of variety show offers too. PD Shin actually mentioned it to me in passing the other day. Especially about Seo Ho-yoon!”
“Ah, come on, he’s just….”

Even without revealing his true nature, people naturally gravitated toward him with that face and charm. And if he really put his mind to it, he had the conversational skills and demeanor to captivate absolutely anyone.

“…He has such a strong grasp of program dynamics that he reads the flow perfectly and matches the mood, yet never crosses the line with his guests. On top of that, he always generates buzz. Of course the producers love him.”

I swallowed what I was really thinking and responded neutrally.
In fact, just looking at the variety shows Seo Ho-yoon had appeared in last year, it was obvious. Especially on “Perfect Singer”—since it aired, no other cast member had generated as much of a sensation as he had.
But after hearing PD Kim Hee-young’s words, the Assistant Director glanced around cautiously before speaking in a hushed voice.

“But… it seems like Seo Ho-yoon isn’t always as accommodating and kind as he appears to be. There’s been a rumor going around lately.”
“Hmm?”
“Apparently The Dun recently did a taping for a famous talk show for their comeback promotion. You know, that one—Yang Chul-ui’s show.”
“Ah….”

My brow furrowed sharply.

“That guy….”

Yang Chul-ui was notorious in this industry for his reckless profanity. He had a habit of asking particularly nasty questions to idols, and with his poor reputation, he’d accumulated a somewhat negative image.

‘I know he’s caused quite a few scandals, yet the work keeps coming. He’s even close with our Director Kook. Damn it. Yeah, that’s how he makes his living.’

A bitter smile escaped me, even though this kind of thing wasn’t rare in this industry.

“So they were filming smoothly when he suddenly brought up Seo Ho-yoon’s younger brother—something that hadn’t been discussed beforehand. He was asking why he’d kept such a handsome brother hidden away, and since Seo Ho-yoon had never revealed he had a brother in the first place, he was implying there must be some kind of secret.”
“Damn it, that crazy bastard!”
“Right? But even then, it seemed like Seo Ho-yoon was smoothly brushing it off, until Yang Chul-ui asked if maybe there was some reason he couldn’t talk about it….”

The Assistant Director glanced around once more before leaning in slightly toward me and whispering.

“…The moment he heard the question, Seo Ho-yoon stopped laughing abruptly. This guy who’d been grinning the whole time.”
“…What?”
“Then when he smiled slightly again, he just spilled out all the dirt about Yang Chul-ui! Well, it wasn’t like he mentioned it directly—more like he circled around it and made a pointed jab… but the skill was incredible, right? How does Seo Ho-yoon even know stuff like that?”

Seo Ho-yoon?
Yang Chul-ui getting schooled was satisfying, but it was an episode that didn’t fit Seo Ho-yoon at all.
He was the type to brush off anyone’s nonsense without seeming to care on the surface. If anything, like in Shining Star Season 1, I’d expect him to do something behind the scenes….

“…Is he upset?”

The Assistant Director answered my unintended mutter.

“I’d say it’s more like he drew a clear line, wouldn’t you? Like, don’t spout nonsense. Yang Chul-ui seemed furious, but since Seo Ho-yoon threw it out so lightly like a joke, he couldn’t really push back… so it just ended there. Anyway, that’s why Seo Ho-yoon’s family became pretty much a forbidden topic.”
“Hmm…. Well, the staff must’ve felt satisfied.”
“Exactly.”

The Assistant Director shrugged with a smug expression, and Kim Hee-young let out a small laugh.

“Plus, I don’t think Seo Ho-yoon will suffer any real damage from this. In this industry, power goes to whoever’s popular, right? And they’re already saying ‘that place’ might acquire Dae Pa-sung soon….”

Around that point in the conversation, The Dun took the stage.
The Noeul fans’ cheers filled the space.
As the members waved, another round of applause erupted.

‘Hmm…?’

With minimal makeup that accentuated his natural features and wet-styled hair, Seo Ho-yoon somehow looked decadent.
A white silk shirt with a long cloth draped around his neck—relatively simple attire—yet with each movement, the lines of his body became visible, only enhancing his presence.
But the reason Kim Hee-young tilted her head in confusion was something else.

‘He looks different from usual. Like his condition isn’t great. I wonder if he can pull off the stage.’

Something seemed off about Seo Ho-yoon.
Even though he was smiling when his eyes met the members’ or when he looked at the fans, he seemed to be in poor condition.
But that was only for a moment,

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The moment the music started, the atmosphere shifted a complete 180 degrees.
Seo Ho-yoon stood at the center of the stage while Kang Yi-chae and Jung Da-jun, positioned on either side, each extended one hand forward to cover his eyes.
The camera zoomed in rhythmically, moving toward Seo Ho-yoon.

【Can you save me?】

As the first verse began, Kang Yi-chae’s index and middle fingers parted, revealing one of Seo Ho-yoon’s eyes.

“…!!”

An intense gaze pierced through the camera as if devouring it, and when he tilted his head with fluid grace, the wide shots shifted dramatically.
Walking forward through the path that opened before him, Seo Ho-yoon pulled his lips into an alluring smile.
Kim Hee-young had to retract her earlier thoughts.
The emptiness that had surrounded Seo Ho-yoon was gone, replaced by a dazzling brilliance that commanded everyone’s attention.

【Whisper your faith to me
Just as you promised me
La- La- ah】

As if burning himself to shine.
Then, Kim Sung-hyun, who had been mirroring Seo Ho-yoon’s choreography from behind, stepped forward, and they grasped each other’s arms, spinning together.

【Can you hold me?
Embrace me with your warmth】

Now at the center, Kim Sung-hyun bounced his hips to the beat, lifting his shirt slightly before lowering it again.

“Kyaaaaaaah!!!”

For just a moment, as his defined abdominal muscles were revealed, the Noeul Fans’ screams shook the entire set.

【Our youth that will never come again
Whatever I don’t care
Come here before I devour you】

Next, Jung Da-jun pushed off the ground and executed three consecutive sharp turns in succession.

【You promised on the day a shooting star fell】

Then I raised my right hand, drawing a parabola from upper left to lower right. The movement looked like the exact moment a shooting star fell, just as the lyrics described.
The beat was clearly not pure, yet it felt pure.

Beside him, Sung Ji-won rotated his hand like the hands of a clock, then suddenly stopped. As if something had broken.

【Our dawn that will never come again
I don’t care even sky falls
Come to me before you change your mind】

Instead, he drew a circle with his arms and twisted his body, then raised both hands in prayer and lifted his head.

【You promised me on the day the Milky Way poured down】

And as he collapsed as if falling, Kang Yi-chae leaped over him and took the stage.

【Spinning around you like something’s broken
How can I live without you?
I will never change】

Kang Yi-chae rotated his hand beside his head, rapping with his voice half-trailing.
As if expressing his precarious emotions.

【Anyways, always love you
in perfect way】

Just as the performance reached its climax, back dancers in black clothing entered the stage in perfect formation.
Amid the constant, orderly changes in movement, The Dun members moving between the expressionless back dancers seemed lost and wandering, as if caught among real pedestrians on the street.
Like people desperately seeking help in a world too busy to notice them.

【Can you hold me?】

With the lyrics flowing from Seo Ho-yoon’s lips in close-up, the dance break began.

“Wow….”

Boom!

Stage effects erupted, followed by the chorus.

【Hold me warmly
The way you did before
La- La- ah】

Sung Ji-won’s harmony, pitched an octave higher than Seo Ho-yoon’s voice, layered perfectly over his.

【Can you save me?
Whisper your faith to me】

As the song drew to its close, the members rolled their feet in sync with Jung Da-jun’s gesture of winding the music box backward.

【Just as you promised me】

Slowly returning to the opening formation,

【La- La- ah】

Once more, the members’ hands intertwined, shielding each other’s eyes. For a moment, the tableau resembled a scene from a masterpiece painting.
The instant the stage ended, an explosive roar erupted from the audience seating.

“Insane….”

PD Kim Hee-young had seen the music video for this song before.
But she had never felt such a thrill watching it.
The concept oscillating between decadence and innocence, the choreography formations structured like a musical.
Elements that could have easily clashed instead harmonized beautifully, each one enhancing the others.

“…That was insane.”

At PD Kim Hee-young’s inadvertent exclamation, the Assistant Director also swept her arm enthusiastically, praising The Dun.

“Wasn’t that amazing? I almost became a fan myself!”
“….”
“It’s hard to tell just from watching, but apparently they embedded meaning into the choreography…. The Camera Director put so much effort into the camera movements because this is supposed to set a new legend, you know?!”

The Dun that PD Kim Hee-young remembered and The Dun before her now were utterly different.
She had always believed they were talented from the start, but she never anticipated they would transform this dramatically.
A change of this magnitude in just one year was almost impossible to believe.

PD Kim Hee-young quickly removed her headset and pulled out her phone. The Assistant Director, who had been chattering excitedly beside her, looked flustered and asked.

“Huh? PD, where are you going?!”
“Securing talent!!”
“What??”
“After the first-place announcement, clear some time so I can have a quick word with Seo Ho-yoon!”

Even someone like me, who had grown apathetic about everything lately, felt my heart racing like this—there was no way The Dun’s album wouldn’t blow up.

“I’d grab them by the pant leg if I had to!”

Whether it was The Dun alone or the entire idol industry as a whole.
They would undoubtedly make history.
That’s what PD Kim Hee-young believed.

***

As the first-place announcement approached, I let a subtle smile play at my lips.
I could tell from the way all eyes were converging on The Dun.

“Congratulations! The Dun!”

Our album this time is absolutely killing it.
So let me brag about it one more time.

‘Joo Woo-sung, you bastard, take a look.’

Aren’t our guys just overflowing with talent?

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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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