The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 277

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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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277

The Dun’s two-day gymnastics stadium concert had come to an end.

[Title: The Dun Gymnastics Stadium Concert Review]

It’s been a few days and it still feels like a dream…
I guess Cho Sang-sin helped me, but I was in the front row of the concert. As soon as I entered, my heart was pounding…
I’m a Light fan, and my bias is Jung Da-jun.
In this harsh and exhausting competitive society, he’s the only baby angel who heals me..

First of all, what was absolutely insane
The Dun showed no signs of fatigue during the concert.

Especially our puppy Jung Da-jun.. even if he ran around the concert five times in a row, he’d still be fine. It was really like that feeling when a large dog never gets tired no matter how many walks you take it on.

In my mind, Jung Da-jun is just a puppy, but seeing him in person, he’s absolutely tall and incredibly handsome. There’s a reason he walks around wearing a shirt that says “Most Handsome” all the time.

Jung_Da-jun_Most_Handsome_Shirt_Screenshot.jpg

But the moment he opened his mouth

Da-jun: Noeul~~~~ I missed you guys~~~~!!!

Hahaha, you can see the tail wagging back and forth behind it…
Plus there was a talking segment in the middle where he was like, “Hello to the first floor, second floor, third floor~~”

Da-jun: I’m sorry we couldn’t make it to the third floor… I feel bad about it.
Noel: (Sigh… T_T) Da-jun, you’re my baby angel…
Da-jun: Next time I’ll fly up there!!!
Noeul: (That’s kind of scary) Eek

With Jung Da-jun, I was genuinely terrified he’d actually come flying up on a windshield wiper or something like that…

Kim Sung-hyun.. because I’ve seen him go through so much from Seo Ho-yoon, I have this image of him as a softie <3 in my mind??

Kim_Sung-hyun_Live_Capture.jpg

But honestly, seeing him in person… he's just a man… I saw him waving right in front of me and I couldn't breathe…
"No, it's not that I'm being clingy, but like, oh! So this person is a guy…!" *laughs*
But near the end he was crying quietly by himself. I'd heard Kim Sung-hyun cries often, but it was seriously so cute… I get why high schoolers are obsessed with Kim Sung-hyun now

Sung Ji-won is… seriously… just mesmerizing…
Honestly, my type is the cold, beautiful guy aesthetic, so I thought Sung Ji-won is seriously gorgeous but not my type~ but seeing him in person, this light just… WHOOOOSH!!!!! it burst out
Our eyes met right in front of me and I thought I'd become a vampire. I thought I'd just turn to ash right there
Even his speech is gentle and beautiful
It's honestly scary that he has that face and is a senior

Kang Yi-chae..
Don't say Kang Yi-chae looks scary on screen because he looks even scarier in person.. There's a reason people say he has a free pass for first meetings and rejections at the door
But watching him smile gently and pull pranks during the duet stage was so cool. There's a reason he's a popular member
This guy just feels like he's got all the star quality packed into one body

Seo Ho-yoon..
Now I understand why he's called God Ho-yoon
He was a god of fan service.
At the concert, he did everything the fans asked for
When fans held up half a heart, he'd complete the other half
He'd make heart shapes with his cheeks and wave
He even blew kisses to the upper deck seats

And that moment…

The moment that shows up as the most-watched clip on YouTube… the moment when Noeul fans' cheers sounded the most crystalline…

Seo Ho-yoon..

When he exposed his abs
I decided to call him a god

Seo_Ho-yoon_God's_Abs_Wave.gif

Even though he'd never properly shown them except for slight lifts, it was insane and it felt like religion…

That day all the Noeul fans went mad together, throwing down their placards and pulling their hair out, it was chaos… like we were true believers…

Of course, I felt the same way…

Anyway, I've been to a bunch of different cons, lol (when is K-pop escape happening), but even setting aside The Dun, cons, being in my third year, and all that—the skills were genuinely outstanding, so I really loved it.

When you see it at a concert, if the choreography doesn't match well, it can look like they're floundering (though broadcasts make it look perfectly synchronized on camera), but The Dun doesn't have that problem lolol They must practice a lot for real

Anyway, I enjoyed it lightly as a casual fan!!

└Looks like you got pretty deep into it though
Haha my words are so damn smooth and convincing lol
How did casual fans even manage to take over that area lol Noel Fans, anyway you gotta admit it's funny
└Seo Ho-yoon is truly a god of fan service
I totally agree with this
Since I am a God Stone, I am also thankful for the third floor at the end~~!! I was prepared to hear stories like this, but I can't tell you how many times I've been shaken by this place. The 3rd floor is like this too, but the kids on the 1st floor are really, really blessed..
└Seo Ho-yoon thankfully showed off his abs, and~~~!!! It was Sunday for me, and the moment I saw it, I seriously wanted to bow down]

Two university students who each liked The Dun and High Five respectively, and had even attended Shining Star Season 2 together, were chatting away in a small rented room in Seoul.

"Sigh… Seo Ho-yoon is handsome, and his body is amazing too…."
"Yeah, seriously incredible, man."
"He has abs…."

Despite having opposite personalities, they actually thought that's precisely why they got along so well.

"High Five's new song turned out great~. I really liked Yeon-hoo."
"Don't bring up Yeon-hoo…."
"Why?! Did Kang Yeon-hu mess up?!"
"No, it's just… whenever I think of him, tears come out."
"You're really severe about this…."

Though she called herself a fan of The Dun, through her friend's countless stories, she knew that High Five had essentially reached their current position through Kang Yeon-hu's sheer force of will.
Whenever her friend thought of Kang Yeon-hu, she'd unexpectedly sniffle.
Noel realized this was always how it went and felt indifferent. She sprawled out on the bed and scrolled through her phone looking for reviews of The Dun's concert.
Then, a post caught her eye.
She quickly tapped the title to check the full content.

[Title: Everything was great, but I was disappointed with The Dun's concert

because I didn't have a seat

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
You can feel the bittersweet emotions in such a short post lol
Next time we really gotta do it at Gocheok lol. Seriously, next time open it up at a bigger venue.
└└Even Dae Pa-sung couldn't have imagined it would get this big
But I didn't know either
That I wouldn't have a seat…
Hahahahahaha… ugh… it's funny but I can't laugh

As their scale grew rapidly, posts from disappointed fans who'd missed this concert kept popping up.
After confirming it was nothing serious, Noel returned to the list and let out a small sigh.

"This album really is insanely popular. Seems like tons of people couldn't make it to the concert. I went though."
"Are you a sociopath?"
"But… I'm a little worried."

Hairy, a High Five fan, tilted her head as she watched Noel brush off the retort and murmur seriously to herself, lost in thought.

"What if they start doing overseas tours now that their popularity's gone up? And I keep hearing rumors about Dae Pa-sung being acquired, which makes me even more anxious…"
"Nah, they wouldn't push them that hard, would they? You think they don't know what matters right now?"
"Our Pa-sung, I mean, that CEO Jung Kyung-jo bastard is completely clueless about the idol market!"
"Huh??"
"Should've known back during Pop Pop!"

Noel suddenly jumped up and shouted "Kyung-jo, please get your act together!" before quickly composing herself and plopping back down on the bed.

"…Hey, surely… even Dae Pa-sung wouldn't just sell them off to anyone, right?"
"Phew, I really envy you guys at times like this, man. At least being a major company means you don't have to worry about stuff like this."
"Well… that's true."

"Of course, WH pulls stupid stunts regularly too," Hairy added in a melancholic tone.
Their eyes met for a moment, and they both let out a deep sigh simultaneously.
A brief silence hung over the small room when Noel suddenly gasped dramatically.

"Oh my god~~!! Ho-yoon must've gotten hurt after the concert! He went to the hospital for ankle treatment!! What do we do about our angel…"

A sighting report had surfaced of him visiting the hospital the day after the concert. Hairy, offering only a brief "Hang in there" to comfort Noel, who was clutching her chest in dramatic concern, finished boosting the High Five music video views on YouTube and logged into SNS.

[Insane! What the hell is this?

https://entertain.never.com/read!!oid=001=WH_DaePasung
WH Entertainment Acquires Dae Pa-sung. Black Call, The Dun, High Five Under One Roof]

I couldn't help but scream upon seeing the linked article at the top of the feed.

"What the hell?!!!!"

Startled by my cry, Noel jerked his head up and pressed against my side, demanding to know what was wrong.

"Oh my god!!! Fuck!!"
"Ahhh!!"

Hairy clicked the article link with trembling fingers.

《…—WH Entertainment has acquired Dae Pa-sung Entertainment.

CEO Jung Kyung-soo announced, "Even with the acquisition, Dae Pa-sung will operate independently under WH Entertainment's systematic support."

While WH Entertainment is establishing a multi-label system and pursuing artist IP expansion and overseas expansion, some industry experts added their opinions, speculating, "Wasn't this acquisition actually a move to bring in Min Ji-heon, known as South Korea's greatest Korean Wave Star, to strengthen WH Entertainment's historically weak actor management division?"

(Continued below)

—….》

My blood pressure shot through the roof before I'd even finished reading the article.
Between the two of us struggling to contain our fury, Noel spoke first.

"…Are we screwed?"
"Probably…."

***

I was currently inside the massive, gleaming WH Entertainment Building.
It was my first time here since Shining Star Season 2.

"Wow, this is really nice."

I pulled out my phone and checked SNS again. Real-time trends were flooded with combinations of words like Dae Pa-sung, acquisition, merger, WH, and The Dun.
The quoted posts beneath the article links were filled with all manner of harsh language.

[One family, one rice pot—shut the fuck up and speak sense]
[Fuck you Kyung-jo you dont deserve to be DPS CEO]
[No, this seems way too heated. Everyone calm down;; They're strangers anyway, the label was just acquired, and it seems to be purely an investment matter]
[Are… the heads at WH shot in the head? Get Black Call to make a comeback]
[What's going to happen to Yeon-hu…]
Poor Hapa… damn, WH is crazy.
"What, why are you talking about Dae Pa-sung like he's a money-eating hippo? Dude, how much money did The Dun make this time lolololol. Isn't it not as popular as High Five these days? Some people's comments are ridiculous."
[Fuck, don't use High Five as a stepping stone. The Dun isn't even first-tier, yet they have zero conscience or morality]
[they are NOT family]
[Just normally, their heads are weird (laughs)]
The Dun is producing anyway, so it's fine. WH wanted to expand into actors too, which is why they acquired Dae Pa-sung. They're just trying to grow the company size, and they probably won't interfere with his activities.
It's so damn funny watching people turn on their happiness mode lol

'This is ridiculous.'

The chaos was truly unparalleled.
I clicked my tongue softly.
Guided by the WH Entertainment security team that had come to meet us, I passed through triple-layered security alongside the Manager, two Road Managers, several Planning Team staff members, and the members, heading toward the pre-arranged location.

"…Seo Ho-yoon, is your ankle okay?"
"Yeah."

Fortunately, the condition wasn't as severe as I'd feared.
Even though the pain persisted after using the item, it hadn't worsened the ankle further—just a slight ligament strain.

Ding!

[Your recovery rate is truly monstrous.]

I'd always been blessed with good health.
I didn't think it warranted a cast, but I couldn't ignore the doctor's recommendation and the Manager's fussing. I also remembered Kang Yi-chae's worried eyes.
When I returned from the hospital, the members' gazes weren't kind. They made a fuss, saying they wouldn't trust my word about my condition next time.

'If they don't believe me, what can I do about it.'

"Grab me if you want to grab me."

Kim Sung-hyun, the most responsible one on the team, kept checking here and there, still worried about me.

"Want me to carry you, Hyung?"
"…."

I pretended not to hear such remarks anymore.
He grabbed my arm and supported me.

"Oh! Seo Ho-yoon, you came with a cast on? I feel terrible about this."

As we entered the meeting room, the WH staff greeted us with apologetic expressions.
From their appearance, it seemed they were having quite a difficult time on their end as well.

"Hello, I'm Jung Sun-ui, the WH Management Team Lead."

Mid-to-late thirties—by my original age, he seemed to be around my generation.
The man who introduced himself as the WH Management Team Lead continued with a slight smile.

"—This merger may appear to have proceeded hastily in the public eye, which is why there's been quite a bit of talk… but I don't believe it's anything to worry about. It will all settle down eventually."

After The Dun's members, along with the Planning Team and managers, took their seats, the discussion began. Today's meeting was about idol management—specifically The Dun—and the direction we would take going forward, excluding actor management.

"To be frank with you, while we've acquired Dae Pa-sung under a multi-label system, I can't guarantee there will be zero interference. This is still a business, and we must prioritize profit. I trust you understand this much. However, the Planning Team and Management Team members from Dae Pa-sung who have been coordinating with us will be reorganized as a dedicated team exclusively for The Dun."

The Dun's identity would be maintained as much as possible, and WH Entertainment would provide the same museum facilities, official merchandise shops, training PT, and personal injury management staff, among other benefits.
Additionally, the office would be relocated to the WH New Headquarters.

"Really? We can receive all of that?"
"Of course. After all, we're one family now, aren't we?"

'Damn, WH really is WH for a reason.'

Not a single one of the mentioned benefits was something Dae Pa-sung had been providing.
As the Management Team Lead of WH Entertainment—a company known as a prestigious male idol agency and one of the top three entertainment companies—he explained everything methodically with both confidence and appropriate courtesy.

'This is better than I expected….'

It was starkly different from Dae Pa-sung's ad-hoc approach.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

The WH Management Team Lead, having finished his explanation, asked with a gentle smile.

"Of course."

Whether it was Dae Pa-sung Entertainment or here, I was confident I could manage the planning somehow. After all, I'd been picking apart Dae Pa-sung's Planning Team and creating reasonably satisfying concepts up until now.
But there was one thing that had always been unsatisfying.
That one problem a mid-sized agency could never escape, no matter how hard they tried.

"You're curious about something, aren't you."

I smiled knowingly and leaned my upper body forward. The most important thing in modern society, after all.

"Capital."

Money.

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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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