The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 28

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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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28

[Hello, let me greet you once more
I know you’re wavering
After all, you were always meant to come to me]

“Ugh… and we drew this one?”

The Manager continued muttering under his breath.
We held onto that slip of paper and gathered in the Dormitory, listening to the song repeatedly with our heads bent together.
Sung Ji-won spoke slowly.

“It’s fine. We’ve already memorized all the songs anyway.”
“Right, since Joo Woo-sung taught us everything.”

That was true. Joo Woo-sung had revealed both the first mission and all the songs, and we’d spent the time listening to all five tracks repeatedly, preparing as thoroughly as we could.
The problem was that the song we’d drawn had the lowest recognition among them all.

[Maybe I can’t do it anymore
I might have already lost
Still, I gather my courage once more and walk forward]

“…It’s not bad, it’s really not bad….”
“But it doesn’t have that knockout punch.”

The more I listened…
It lacked that addictive quality.

“Was this song popular?”
“No, it didn’t chart. It’s a B-side track, and Like Girls didn’t have much recognition back then.”

Like Girls was in their seventh year since debut, having remained unknown for the first four years before one member went viral on a variety show and catapulted the group to stardom.
The video of all the members crying tears of joy after their first win, calling for an encore, was still famous across various SNS platforms.
It was touching, truly a wonderful group, but….
The problem was that the song was a B-side from their spectacularly failed debut album.
Kang Yi-chae rubbed his chin.

“Wait… could it be that all five of our lottery picks had this song in them?”
“What?”
“No, it’s possible, right? Out of the list I got from Joo Woo-sung, only this song stood out. If they were really going to push Today properly, they would’ve given them solid White Cherry tracks, and handed us all this stuff instead.”

It was a persuasive argument.
Thinking back to how bitter Kim Hee-young’s expression had been, such manipulation could very well have happened.

“Sigh….”
“If that’s really what happened, that’s infuriating.”
“Hey, the PD probably had no choice either. The pressure from above was that intense.”

Right, Kim Hee-young probably had no choice either.
For the first time, Kim Sung-hyun looked good to me for saying something sensible.

“It’s got a cheerful vibe though. The concept is pushing your unrequited love to confess their feelings.”
“It has a cheerleader feel to it.”
“If we go with a cheerleader concept, it might work well?”
“Hyungs… we still have one more lottery pick left.”

Then Jung Da-jun thrust another crumpled piece of paper at us.

“What do we do about this one, hyungs?”
“….”

As the lottery slip unfolded neatly in Jung Da-jun’s hand, the text [Peter Pan] was revealed.
It was ambiguous at best.
It would’ve been better if it was The Little Mermaid or Cinderella instead. At least those two are famous enough that the concept would be clear.

“Peter Pan is about Wendy meeting Peter Pan and leaving for Neverland, right?”
“I’ll be Tinkerbell. Who wants to be Peter Pan?”
“I want to do it!”

Everyone seemed to be speaking seriously, but no particularly good ideas were emerging.
Jung Da-jun, who had been racking his brains, collapsed.

“Hyung, hyung… I’m not smart enough to do something like this.”
“Hey, who says their brain is any good?”
“But you hyungs are smart… I’ll practice hard… If Sung Ji-won hyung tells me to roll, I’ll roll…”

And then Jung Da-jun actually began rolling across the dormitory floor. Kim Sung-hyun’s eyes grew cold, and Sung Ji-won let out a deep sigh.

‘Actually, the song’s recognition isn’t really the problem. If we’re covering something, a less well-known song would be better anyway.’

A cover song’s popularity didn’t directly correlate with our own. In fact, if done well, there were plenty of opportunities to make a comeback.
But the real issue was…

“Well, you see.”

Sung Ji-won stroked his chin once.

“A bright and cute song would match well with Tinkerbell’s concept… but there’s one problem.”
“Isn’t it multiple problems?”
“…Yi-chae, well, that’s true too.”
“Sung Ji-won, what do you think it is?”

I pressed the back of Kang Yi-chae’s neck—that harbinger of disaster—while directing my gaze toward Sung Ji-won.
After quickly scanning the proposal, Sung Ji-won let out another sigh as if the earth itself were sinking.

“It doesn’t match our concept.”

That’s right. That’s the answer.
Until just recently, we were the Revolutionary Army and Government Army soldiers who regressed upon suicide—suddenly bringing a bright concept would only please the existing fans, but our group image would inevitably blur.
As idols who needed to captivate not just our secured fanbase but the general public as well, it wasn’t exactly a wise move.

“We’re already lacking in recognition, so initially we need a song that can clearly establish our group identity.”
“Right…”
“But what we received was a bright and cute Tinkerbell concept!”

Jung Da-jun, who had been still, suddenly rolled across the dormitory floor again. Watching him sweep up all manner of dust, Kang Yi-chae muttered under his breath.

“Why buy a robot vacuum when we have Jung Da-jun?”
“Are you saying I’m garbage, Hyung?”
“No, I’m saying you’re a vacuum that cleans garbage really well.”
“Both of you, quiet. You’re killing my concentration.”

The noise was making it impossible to think. No matter how skilled I was at planning, I couldn’t come up with a fresh, compelling idea for this disaster.

Just then, Sung Ji-won’s phone buzzed with a low hum.

“What is it?”
“Uh… it’s an unknown number. Hold on, sorry.”
“It’s fine. Go ahead and answer!”

Sung Ji-won tilted his head uncertainly before picking up anyway. Since it wasn’t a private military number or anything sensitive, I let it slide.
But then Sung Ji-won’s face went rigid.

“…Yeah.”

‘Who is it?’

Kang Yi-chae whispered to Kim Sung-hyun. When Kim Sung-hyun gestured, Sung Ji-won caught on and switched to speakerphone.

[Hey, Sung Ji-won. Still haven’t changed your number?]

It was Yoo Hyuk.

[How’s the concept meeting going?]
“Um… what?”
[Ha ha, why do you sound so dead? Anyone listening would think the world’s ending.]

Predictable. So predictable.
I rested my arm on the sofa and clicked my tongue. That bastard knew we’d drawn the short straw and was calling to rub it in our faces.

[What did you guys get?]
“Our senior from Like Girls—’Want You.'”
[Hmm… what was it again? Never heard of it?]

He was being sarcastic. If I recorded this and leaked it, the Like Girls fans would tear him apart, but Yoo Hyuk was too full of himself to watch his words.

[We picked White Cherry Lemon Love, you know? I’m so excited! It wasn’t just popular in Korea—it was huge overseas too, right?]
“….”

Two deep, pronounced creases formed between Sung Ji-won’s brows.
At this point, Yoo Hyuk—who was notorious among the members for being a live wire—seemed almost impressive in his ability to irritate Sung Ji-won.
Of course, the other members’ faces weren’t in a position to judge either.

[Ah, but we’re short on time, you know? How are we supposed to practice such intense choreography in just four days? You guys have it easy~. It looks simple.]

When I glanced at Kang Yi-chae, who was listening quietly with his chin propped up, he flashed a bright smile and waved the recording screen around.

‘Wow, Kang Yi-chae is thorough.’

I would’ve recorded it too if I were him.
I gave him a thumbs up and continued listening to what Yoo Hyuk had to say.
Yoo Hyuk seemed determined to keep needling Sung Ji-won relentlessly.

[Lucky you, so lucky. We have so many schedules we don’t even have time to practice, but you guys probably have plenty of free time, right? You’re at an advantage, aren’t you?]
“Mm….”
[This puts us at a disadvantage, doesn’t it? I envy your members, you know?]

Sung Ji-won wore a calm smile.
Even though it was the same smile he always carried, it felt like I was seeing his face for the first time.

“Yoo Hyuk.”
[Huh?]
“I didn’t ask.”

Silence fell.

“Do you have nothing to do? Let’s practice.”

—Click.

And with that, Sung Ji-won hung up the call.
The Manager, the members, and even I froze.
That kind, gentle Sung Ji-won….
The Sung Ji-won who always considered others no matter what he said….
This was the first time I’d ever seen him speak so firmly.

“Ugh….”
“Sung Ji-won, what are you doing?!”

Everyone burst into laughter, slapping the dormitory floor.
I bit back my own laughter and nudged Kang Yi-chae repeatedly.

“Hey, Kang Yi-chae. We can’t use that entire recording file.”
“No way, I was just trying to catch him slipping up, but I never expected Sung Ji-won to do that!”
“Sung Ji-won said… ‘None of your business.'”
“…How does that even turn into that?”

Everyone abandoned all pretense of composure, rolling around and cackling uncontrollably.
Sung Ji-won, who had cut things off so decisively moments before, was now visibly embarrassed.

“Ow, my cheeks hurt….”
“It’s even funnier because Sung Ji-won is so unexpected.”
“I think he picked it up from Hyun-sung.”
“Hey, why am I getting dragged into this?”

Just as I was putting Kang Yi-chae in a headlock as punishment for his teasing, something suddenly clicked in my mind.

Unexpectedness.
A distinctive charm that stands out all the more vividly through contrast precisely because people didn’t know it existed. That’s what unexpectedness truly is—the power to captivate because it catches people off guard.

‘This could paint quite a picture.’

I picked up the lottery slip that Sung Ji-won had set on the floor when he took the call.
As I stared at the slip marked [Peter Pan], ideas and strategies suddenly flooded in like a dam bursting.

“Sung Ji-won, thank you.”
“Huh? For what…?”

I placed the slip decisively on the table and gestured; Kim Sung-hyun immediately brought over paper and a pen.
Then I began pouring out ideas like a madman.

“Alright, that’s it. We’re done.”
“Hyun-sung is at it again….”

Jung Da-jun muttered under his breath.

“Just listen for a moment.”

The guys who’d seemed reluctant at first grew increasingly excited as I spoke.
After pouring out our thoughts for a while, we finally grinned at each other.

“Let’s call Lim Hyun-sung.”

***

[Huh? You guys picked what?]
“Like Girls Want You.”
[Oh~! That one.]

True to form as a composer, Lim Hyun-sung immediately grasped what I meant.
Once I switched to speakerphone, the members—especially Kang Yi-chae—listened to Lim Hyun-sung’s words like devoted disciples.

[The melody actually came out pretty well. It’s just the arrangement that fell flat. It’s a shame, really. Don’t you think it could work with just a little tweaking?]

He’d taken the bait.

“Hmm.”

A brief silence hung between us.

[…Hey, you’re not seriously…]

I grinned and drew out my final words.

“…Blue Tiger’s youuuurs.”
[Ah man, what is this, again. You’re making me so uneasy.]
“Oh, genius composer.”
[No way, no way, I’m not doing it!]
“Lim Hyun-sung’s youuuurs.”
[I’ve got something urgent—I’m hanging up!]

And so Lim Hyun-sung ended the call,

[Me: ^^]
[Me: ^^]
[Me: ^^]
[Me: ^^]
[Me: ^^]
[Me: Is this all there is between us?]
[Me: Is there nothing more?]
[Me: ]
[Me: ^^]
[Me: Was I the only one imagining things?]
[Me: Can’t we be more than just… favorable to each other?]
[Me: It hurts… really…]
[Me: In the end.. I again.. phew…ㅠㅠ]
[Me: Do I have to act like I did back then?]
[Lim Hyun-sung: You’re absolutely insane]
[Lim Hyun-sung: Stop it]

In the end, Lim Hyun-sung had no choice but to call me back.
She growled threats about how she’d hold this debt over my head for a long time to come.
Fine, fine.
And so The Dun obtained what I wanted by blackmailing Lim Hyun-sung.
A fairytale ending, truly, an absolutely blissful one.

․
․
․

Three days after we threw ourselves into practice,
we arrived at the filming location for Shining Star’s first recording.

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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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