The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 287

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

287

“A university festival?”

Kang Yeon-hu’s eyes widened at the news his Manager delivered the moment he returned to the Company after finishing his Radio schedule.
High Five had been running non-stop lately, riding the massive wave of success from their latest single “Reels” that had just dropped.

“Yes, it’s almost university festival season now.”
“Ah, right.”

Hearing that they’d even received offers for university festivals—a rarity for male idols—made the success of this album feel suddenly, viscerally real.

“Oh, and it seems almost all the WH Entertainment idols have received proposals.”
“…So The Dun too, then?”
“Ah, yes. They probably went. From what I heard, it was S University.”

Kang Yeon-hu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Recently, a tectonic shift had been occurring among certain idols, excluding Black Call. The primary reason was the influx of fans toward The Dun and High Five, compounded by several controversies that had erupted.

‘I heard he returned from the United States yesterday.’

After his Manager left, mentioning he had to stop by the Management Team, Kang Yeon-hu leaned against the hallway wall and picked up his phone.
He searched for “The Dun” on the Portal Website, and articles flooded the screen.

《The Dun Returns Home in Matching T-shirts… “We Get Along Well.”》

“…Wow.”

He’d known that Seo Ho-yoon and Joo Woo-sung had been photographed together by Paparazzi at a gift shop, but he hadn’t expected them to wear it so brazenly during their arrival.
Seeing all The Dun members in matching t-shirts—each in different colors, with a palm tree pattern and “Los Angeles” written prominently on the side—made him let out an involuntary laugh.

《Kang Yi-chae WH Live… Answered “IRIX” to the Question “What Do You Plan to Do Now That You’re Back in Korea?”》
《The Dun Spotted at California Amusement Park! ‘Sensational Popularity’》

“They’re doing really well. Really well indeed.”

Their chemistry was excellent, their individual abilities were excellent, and they complemented each other with perfect balance.
Moreover, The Dun’s reorchestrated performance of Connected at the IRIX new season launch had become a massive hit again, elevating their global recognition to new heights.

‘Not even once have they stumbled.’

Kang Yeon-hu leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes slightly.
It was as if a tiger had sprouted wings.
Domestically, people were praising The Dun for bringing honor to the country, and on the short-form video platform TikTok, videos mimicking the Connected choreography points were uploaded almost daily.

Comments questioning why The Dun wasn’t in the first tier, or saying they were the most eye-catching idols these days.
Reading such posts felt like a blade was pressed against my throat. That feeling didn’t change even when High Five’s performance was good.
WH Entertainment was in the midst of celebrating, saying the merger with Dae Pa-sung had been the right choice.

‘It’s still manageable.’

Rumors were circulating throughout the company that The Dun was openly targeting the grand prize with their activities.
It was mid-April now—plenty of time to turn things around.

“Brother, but you know~.”
“Yeah.”

And speak of the devil—Seo Ho-yoon and Jung Da-jun appeared in the distance, walking toward us.
Both of them had shopping bags dangling from their arms. It seemed they were bringing back gifts they’d purchased in the United States to the company.
They hadn’t noticed me yet, so their conversation continued naturally. Jung Da-jun, who had grown noticeably taller since I last saw him, kept chattering endlessly at Seo Ho-yoon.

“Remember how Ji-won said he saw a ghost while practicing at the Dae Pa-sung Practice Studio back then~! So I was thinking… don’t you think there might be a ghost in this practice room too?!”

‘What is he talking about….’

I thought if it were Seo Ho-yoon, he’d either ignore such unhelpful, pointless remarks or shut them down coldly.

“Hmm.”

But surprisingly, he nodded and responded to Jung Da-jun.

“The 8th Floor Practice Room exists. You go there often.”
“Yes!!”
“There’s a rumor that a trainee saw a ghost there four years ago and passed out.”
“…!!”

‘I’ve never done that.’

I’d been here for over a decade, including my trainee days, but this was the first time I’d heard such a thing. Seo Ho-yoon’s shameless face as he casually spouted lies was utterly absurd.
But Jung Da-jun, who had no way of knowing the truth, seemed genuinely shocked.

“You’re lying, right?! You’re messing with me, hyung?!!”
“I’m serious. Kang Yi-chae would know too—just ask him yourself.”

Looking pale and exhausted, Jung Da-jun hurriedly grabbed his phone.

“Hello? Yi-chae hyung! Have you ever heard about a ghost in that 8th Floor Practice Room? Huh? Ho-yoon hyung said there was one. …What? Really??”

Watching Jung Da-jun’s retreating figure as he fled while still on the phone, Seo Ho-yoon looked remarkably pleased with himself.

“Stu~pid.”

The moment I felt a strange unfamiliarity at the soft, fluffy atmosphere I’d never encountered once during my face-to-face encounters with Seo Ho-yoon,

“Oh.”

Our gazes collided.
Seo Ho-yoon’s eyes crinkled into a smile. But the atmosphere, unlike before, suddenly grew heavy.
Kang Yeon-hu quickly erected a wall of caution.
Someone with enough charm to captivate anyone in an instant was precisely the kind of person one needed to be careful around.

“…It seems you had a good trip to the United States.”
“Yes, thanks to you, senior.”

My words.
My true feelings carefully concealed, I mirrored Seo Ho-yoon’s eye smile perfectly.

“Anyway, you must be quite tired with how busy things have been since returning to Korea. I heard you were also booked for a university festival.”
“A university festival?”
“Yes. I heard about it when the schedule was delivered. We’re going to K University.”

Seo Ho-yoon’s reaction was lukewarm, as if he hadn’t received the information yet.

“—I heard The Dun is going to S University.”

In that instant, Seo Ho-yoon’s expression shifted dramatically.
And Kang Yeon-hu realized something.
The Seo Ho-yoon before him now was the real ‘Seo Ho-yoon’.

“…Is that so? A university festival?”

Seo Ho-yoon, who had been pretending to brush his chin and lips as if to hide his face, turned his head and asked back a beat too late.
The guy really knew how to make people tense. In every way.

“Um… But, Seo Ho-yoon…,”
“Tsk.”

As Seo Ho-yoon fell into thought and the silence stretched on, Kang Yeon-hu called out to him and tried again, when suddenly he burst into laughter.

“Hearing about my schedule from another group? I should probably have another talk with the management team.”
….

Before Kang Yeon-hu could say anything more, Seo Ho-yoon abruptly thrust his hand forward.
A shopping bag hung from it.

“By the way, Yeon-hu, this is a gift from my trip to the States.”
“Huh?”

As if the expression he’d just witnessed moments ago were nothing but a lie, Seo Ho-yoon smiled brightly.

“I thought of you the moment I saw it.”

Kang Yeon-hu bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to keep any hint of his uneasy feelings from showing.

“Here.”

The moment Kang Yeon-hu took the shopping bag, Seo Ho-yoon tapped his shoulder lightly and walked away with a spring in his step. Kang Yeon-hu, who had stopped in place for a moment, reluctantly took out the gift and unwrapped it slowly.

“A gift?”

He knew he treated his own group members reasonably well….
But they weren’t the kind of people to exchange gifts so warmly.
It was not a sign of tenderly exchanging oneself and gifts with each other.

“…What?”

Inside the wrapping was a badge—the kind you’d typically find at a gift shop.
Kang Yeon-hu read the words inscribed on the badge slowly.

“Do you know….”

‘Do you know.’ That was all it said.
He thought of me just from seeing this?
The moment I picked up the badge, unable to grasp its meaning, I noticed words written beneath it in Seo Ho-yoon’s neat handwriting.

[High Five? ^^]

It was a jab at the slip of the tongue a High Five member had made during the documentary filmed together at the Berlin K-POP concert—when he’d said the group felt like the center of the world after finishing their stage performance.
He still remembered that.

“Crazy bastard….”

Gripping the badge tightly, Kang Yeon-hu resolved never to associate with Seo Ho-yoon again.

***

“A university festival….”

And at S University, no less.
It was the university where Seo Ho-jin currently studied, and where I had graduated from.
Despite the Agency’s consistent efforts to suppress it, stories about Seo Ho-jin and S University still circulated online.

‘I can’t refuse….’

Even among the more prominent male idols, university festival appearances were rare. I couldn’t simply discard such a golden opportunity that had fallen into my lap.
Though it felt somewhat uncomfortable, if I was careful enough and avoided making unnecessary remarks, I should be able to pull off the performance without too much trouble.

“Sigh….”

Scratching my head in frustration, I glanced around before calling Seo Ho-jin.

[Hello?]

Seo Ho-jin’s voice came through before the dial tone could ring twice.

“What are you doing?”
[Huh? I’m in class.]

…He answered that quickly even though he’s in class?

“Aren’t you going back in?”
[Oh, oh? No! I’m in class, but we’re just gathering by groups to decide on our project topic, so it’s fine!]
“…Ah, so you’re deciding on the topic by groups?”

A suspicious, fishy smell wafted through the line.
But I decided to convey the important matter first.

“I’m going to perform at your university festival this time.”

[Huh? Really? When….]

Seo Ho-jin, who had been speaking excitedly in surprise, suddenly clamped his mouth shut. He must have sensed my cold demeanor even through the receiver.

“Don’t come.”
[…Yes! Of course not. I was planning to bury myself in the library and study anyway.]

Some grumbling sounds played in the background, but he wisely refrained from asking why. Since I had him on the line, I decided to confirm the matter that had been worrying me most.

“There aren’t any people pretending to know you or clinging to you, right?”
[No.]
“…What about relatives?”
[Relatives?]

The moment I threw out the word I’d been reluctant to speak aloud, Seo Ho-jin’s laughter leaked through—the kind that comes from genuine bewilderment.

[Of course not. Haven’t we cut ties with our relatives and stopped contacting them for a while now?]
“…Yeah, that’s right.”

Something felt strange.
Around the time I became famous as a PD, our relatives had clung to us with desperate eagerness.
They were people who had gone mad over the insurance money—our parents’ life insurance—so there was nothing surprising about it.

…But not right now, he said.

‘…How strange.’

Was there something I had overlooked?
As my mind grew increasingly muddled, Seo Ho-jin spoke in a voice that seemed oddly excited.

[But hyung, isn’t this your first time coming to our school?]
“….”

For a moment, I couldn’t say anything at all.

[Um, when you come, would you take a photo with me for a bit? We’ve never even taken an entrance ceremony photo together.]
“…Seo Ho-jin.”

I rolled a brief sigh inside my mouth, then returned to my usual demeanor and replied to him.

“You’re the one who said you weren’t even planning to come to the festival—what photos are you talking about?”

Then I deliberately added with a playful tone.

“Besides, I’m busy, man.”

I hung up the phone, ignoring Seo Ho-jin’s whining about how disappointed he was.
Beyond the windows of the WH Building, the Han River flowed serenely.
The scenery was so tediously familiar and unchanging, yet it felt absurdly distorted simply because someone’s memory had shifted—and that struck me as darkly amusing.
I was collecting points diligently, but I still had nowhere near enough to alter Seo Ho-jin’s memories.

Ding!

When I suddenly stopped walking and stood still, the System Window’s alarm chimed.

[Don’t worry too much. Everything will work out.]
“….”
[I’ll make sure to help you make that happen.]

I gazed quietly at the rippling water that sparkled as sunlight reflected off it, then moved my feet again.

“It’s not you….”

There was a way to restore Seo Ho-jin’s lost memories,
and the relatives who had been raging like beasts had finally quieted down,
and there was someone helping me live again.
Perhaps that’s why I sometimes found myself thinking this.

“I’m going to make it happen.”

Wasn’t this world excessively kind to me?

***

The full video of IRIX’s new season launch aired on YouTube, and The Dun rapidly rose to prominence within the K-POP fandom.
The concept itself—centered on the image of humans challenging their limits—was compelling, but The Dun’s stable live performances, exceptional dancing, and Jung Da-jun’s radiant visuals played a significant role in their surge.

[My baby… looks so happy… ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Damn, it’s so warm… I’m losing it..]

In particular, Jung Da-jun’s expression in the final close-up became a massive talking point.
Just as fans were captivated and floundering in the newly arranged Connected, news broke that The Dun’s self-produced content would be airing as a variety show on cable television.

[The Dun Variety Show ‘OUR TIME’ Teaser]

Not long after, a brief thirty-second teaser aired.

[The production crew doesn’t give The Dun any missions.]
[They naturally produce comedy sketches on their own.]

Following the subtitle in bold font, a study lined with stacks of books appeared on screen.

“Hello, everyone.”

There sat Jung Da-jun, wearing a beret and a gray scarf draped around his neck, his expression grave and dignified.

“I’m Jung Da-jun, K-POP Professor.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————