The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 284

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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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284

To me, Jung Da-jun was a remarkably simple and easy person to handle.
Even when he was upset and sulking, I could coax him gently, and if I tried to brush off an apology by treating him to beef instead, he’d soon dress himself and follow along, asking if we could also order cold noodles—that kind of docile kid.

“Hey, Jung Da-jun….”

But this time he was genuinely upset. Ever since he ran out and came back, he’d been dodging and evading me the moment I even dropped the last character of his name, running away.
Whenever I tried to have a conversation to smooth things over, he’d call the other members over and openly avoid me, or he’d start practice instead.

“Maknae~.”
“Jung Da-jun.”
“Da-jun.”

No matter how hard I tried to get through to him, I couldn’t exchange even a single word. To communicate anything at all, I had to go through the other members.

“S-should we practice?!”

Yet he didn’t neglect his responsibilities.
He participated in practice without fail.
Of course, the moment it ended and I tried to approach him, he’d scurry away.

Two days passed like this.
My patience had nearly reached its limit.
One morning, as Jung Da-jun habitually headed toward the practice room to leave the hotel, I grabbed his shoulder and slammed the door shut behind us.

“Hey.”
“…!”

Seeing the maknae wedged between the door and me, squirming uncomfortably, the anger that had been building began to subside slightly.

‘Calm down, Seo Ho-yoon. Be kind, be kind….’

“Da-jun, where did you learn this habit of ignoring your hyung?”

Ding!

[I’m scared!!!]

Ah, only my tone changed—the way I used to speak to Seo Ho-jin came pouring out unchanged.
I composed myself as best I could, forced a gentle demeanor, and painted a smile across my trembling lips before speaking to the Maknae.

“If you have any complaints about your brother, feel free to tell me. I’ll listen.”

Jung Da-jun, who had been fidgeting and rolling his eyes in every direction, finally seemed ready to meet my gaze—only to avert it again with a sharp turn.

“…Please don’t make eye contact with me.”
“What nonsense is that?”
“…If we make eye contact, somehow my anger will just disappear.”

I see.
I deliberately asked in an even softer voice.

“Why? Do you hate looking at your brother’s face?”
“N-no, that’s not it….”

Jung Da-jun, who had started to respond, suddenly widened his eyes and clamped his mouth shut. Then he spread both hands wide and stretched them forward, completely covering my face.

“Yes!!!”
“….”
“I hate looking at it!!”

Then, as if afraid of being caught, he bolted away and disappeared into his bedroom.
My paper-thin patience snapped. I abandoned all pretense and pounded on the door where Jung Da-jun had vanished.

“Jung Da-jun!! Stop spouting nonsense and get out here right now?!”
“Don’t be so scary!!”
“Come out now!”

But Jung Da-jun didn’t budge.
I tried to replace the rising irritation with a sigh, brushing back the annoying strands of hair from my forehead.

“I’m~ a dung rabbit bug~.”
“Sigh….”
“The maknae’s~ gone~.”

Kang Yi-chae, sitting on a single-seat sofa and watching this entire spectacle unfold, strummed a ukulele from who-knows-where while belting out a loud song beside me.
When I glared at him, Kang Yi-chae approached me with a grin spreading across his face.

“I don’t think we should practice today. How about everyone takes a break and regroups? You should head out too and clear your head, hyung.”
“….”

Why would I need to clear my head?
The moment I clicked my tongue in displeasure, my phone vibrated.

[Joo Woo-sung: Hey, wanna grab food?]

I hesitated briefly, but after staring at the firmly closed door, I left the hotel.
At a nearby cafe, Joo Woo-sung, leisurely sipping coffee while wearing sunglasses, spotted me and waved his hand.

“Why do you look like that?”
“It’s nothing.”

He tilted his head curiously, then his expression shifted into a meaningful smile.

“You fought with a member, didn’t you?”
“….”
“Let me take a guess. Hmm… Da-jun!?”

‘This guy’s like a ghost….’

Usually he’s clueless about things, but when it comes to this, his intuition is uncannily sharp.
Reading the answer from my expression, Joo Woo-sung burst into laughter like a madman.

“Oh my, our Ho-yoon got upset because his member won’t listen?”

While I’m even supporting them in California, my kid hits a rebellious phase—how could I not be angry?

“How did you know?”
“Come on, I can tell just by looking at your face.”

Joo Woo-sung seemed to relish my discomfort, becoming even more insufferable than usual.

“That’s right, that’s right. Wow, even the great Seo Ho-yoon has moments like this. Just eat something and cheer up.”

Joo Woo-sung, who had been giggling, suddenly leaned forward and draped an arm around my shoulder, then whispered directly into my ear.

“And take a look behind your left side.”

I brushed off Joo Woo-sung’s arm and glanced sideways as if adjusting my clothes, spotting a man in a black cap pulled low, concealing his camera behind a large bag while feigning indifference.

A paparazzi.

No matter how popular The Dun had become, in a situation like this, he was far more likely following Joo Woo-sung than me.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just eat and leave before any rumors start?”

Watching how skillfully he positioned himself out of sight, how he pressed the shutter with practiced ease without even checking the angle, it was clear he was an experienced paparazzi hunting for a genuine scoop.
I regarded him with indifference, but a stubborn defiance suddenly welled up inside me.

“No, let’s make this day absolutely unforgettable.”
“Huh?”

I snatched Joo Woo-sung’s sunglasses and put them on, smiling brightly.

“You’ve been caught.”

.
.
.

‘Joo Woo-sung and Seo Ho-yoon came to the United States together.’

The paparazzi’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
It made sense that The Dun was here for the new season launch stage of IRIX, and they had scheduled various other shoots as well.
But Joo Woo-sung was different. No matter how many times he checked, there were no scheduled events for him.
The fact that he had come to Los Angeles secretly without even bringing his manager reeked of something highly suspicious.
Though it was only early April, he was confident he would land the biggest scoop of the year right here.

‘In most cases like this….’

It involved the opposite sex.
Using acquaintances as a shield to enjoy secret dates.

‘Joo Woo-sung has quite the reputation for meeting women, after all.’

The delighted Paparazzi carefully tailed Joo Woo-sung and Seo Ho-yoon.
The two strolled down the Los Angeles streets in casual attire—t-shirts, jeans, slacks.

‘There’s definitely something here!’

He measured the distance cautiously and fired off rapid shots.
Checking the photos as he took them, their bare faces gleamed with an almost ethereal radiance, as if enhanced by filters.

“I want to check this place out.”
“Okay.”

Just as he thought the moment was approaching its climax, they entered a building.

“Huh?!”

He rushed after them, but inside was nothing more than an ordinary gift shop.

‘No, they could have arranged to meet here.’

The Paparazzi switched on his recorder and circled around them.

“—Why are you wearing something so drab?”
“Black looks nice, doesn’t it?”
“It’s gloomy. Wear something brighter.”

Yet Joo Woo-sung and Seo Ho-yoon were merely debating the color of a t-shirt printed with “Los Angeles” next to a palm tree.

‘…Right, I should buy a souvenir to commemorate coming to LA.’

The two left the shop with armfuls of t-shirts, purchased banana smoothies, and sipped them leisurely while discussing where to explore next.

“What about the art museum?”
“Not really.”
“This guy has no sense of atmosphere.”

Various locations were mentioned, but Joo Woo-sung and I had such starkly different tastes that we bickered once more before deciding to visit each place one by one.
After following him around for roughly two more hours.

“I’m telling you this is the right way! Why do you keep insisting on something that doesn’t even make sense?”
“Yeah, your dancing skills.”
“Your photography skills, hyung.”
“Yeah, next cut… wait. What’s wrong with my photography skills?!”

‘Why are we fighting so childishly?’

This was already the seventh time I’d witnessed it.
Something trivial would instantly escalate into a quarrel.

‘Joo Woo-sung and Seo Ho-yoon’s discord?! Their desired paths diverging differently….’ I’d considered writing an article with such a sensational headline, but I could already envision the public’s backlash once they read the actual content. It seemed pointless, so I was debating whether to drop it when Joo Woo-sung suddenly sprawled out on the street and started snapping photos of me.
I was wondering whether to give up around this point since it didn’t seem like anything would come out, but Joo Woo-sung just lay down right there on the street and kept taking pictures of Seo Ho-yoon.

“Wow, that’s infuriating. You try taking one.”
“Wow, that’s so annoying. Let me take a picture of you.”

Then I gestured for him to strike a pose and halfheartedly pressed the camera button.
Then she gestured to Joo Woo-sung to strike a pose, and half-heartedly pressed the camera button on her phone.

“…Wow. Hey, shouldn’t you have become a photographer instead of an idol?”

Joo Woo-sung, who was flipping through the photos that Seo Ho-yoon had taken, let out a quiet exclamation of admiration.

“So you do find me useful sometimes.”
“Is this how you say thank you, hyung?”
“Is this how you say thank you, brother?”

…incredibly pointless to report on.
There was absolutely nothing worth salvaging.

“What are they doing right now?”

Stripped of the label “celebrity,” they were simply high school students on a school trip.
Just as the Paparazzi was preparing to abandon the scoop and leave, Joo Woo-sung glanced at his phone and suddenly jumped to his feet with a start.

“Hey, hey! I need to go somewhere urgently.”
“Where?”

‘Joo Woo-sung, I knew I could count on you!’

The Paparazzi quickly pulled his camera back out from his bag and tailed the two of them.
With visions of bonus pay dancing in his head, he arrived at,

“Ta-da.”

a Korean restaurant in Los Angeles.
Joo Woo-sung grinned widely, holding a beautifully plated kimchi fried rice topped with a perfectly soft-boiled egg.

“A hidden gem for kimchi fried rice.”

To come all the way to Los Angeles only to find a hidden gem for kimchi fried rice.
Faced with Joo Woo-sung’s obsession with kimchi fried rice, the Paparazzi lost all motivation.
At that moment, Seo Ho-yoon, seated across from Joo Woo-sung, calmly spoke while taking a spoonful of blood sausage soup with rice.

“Hyung, I like that you never change.”
“You’re saying that while eating kimchi fried rice?”

The Paparazzi quietly left the restaurant.

“…Why did I even follow them?”

He muttered dejectedly, having captured nothing but photos of Joo Woo-sung and Seo Ho-yoon gleaming as brightly as any Homma fan.

***

[Title: Joo Woo-sung and Seo Ho-yoon Paparazzi Shots in California

Idols_drinking_banana_smoothies.jpg
Seo Ho-yoon_taking_photos_of_Joo Woo-sung.jpg
Idols_eating_kimchi_fried_rice_and_blood_sausage_soup_in_Los_Angeles.jpg

Apparently, the only thing they managed to capture was a photo of Kim fried rice.

└What kind of comedian duo are they? LOL
The paparazzi clearly went out to get scandal shots, but the best they could get was a photo of Joo Woo-sung eating kimchi fried rice—that’s hilarious.
└Why is Woo-sung even in LA in the first place?
└└I guess Woosung went on vacation haha. The other members of Black Call are also on vacation so I guess I saw him.
└└Oh, I heard you were going to get some dance training last time, but this time it overlapped with The Dawn. What a coincidence.
Lol they’re real friends, I totally agree lmaooo
Seo Ho-yoon’s unenthusiastic expression while watching Joo Woo-sung eat kimchi fried rice lololololol

I chuckled as I read the community post from the link my manager back in Korea had sent me.

[Manager Kim: Ho-yoon, what on earth are you doing out there?]

I replied that the members and I had decided to take the day off, and then Joo Woo-sung showed up with beer and squid.
We were on the terrace of the hotel suite room where Joo Woo-sung was staying. I stretched out lazily in an empty chair, propping my feet up.

“Hey, want a beer?”

Joo Woo-sung shook the bottle he’d been sipping from. When I extended my hand, he handed me a fresh one.

“You look like you’re in a good mood. Do you have some hobby of regularly messing with people or something?”
“Yeah.”

I smiled brightly.

“Can’t you tell from the fact that I’m hanging around with my brother?”
“….”

What, why, what.
If you glare at me, so what.

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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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