The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 292

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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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292

Ding!
Ding!
Diiing!

[Checking infamy points for Player ‘Seo Ho-yoon’.]
[Verifying….]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[Verification complete.]
[…Confirmed that infamy points exist. Minimum conditions for game start have been met.]
[Synchronizing with the real world….]

“Ugh….”

The endless alarms pierced my ears relentlessly.
I reached out to silence them, but my hand grasped only empty air. I pulled the blanket over my head and crawled deeper into its embrace.
My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, as though exhaustion had become a wave crashing over my entire body.
There was something important… something that happened. A metallic taste spreading through my mouth… Min Ji-heon’s shocked expression… and Jung Chung-yeon staring down at me….

…Jung Chung-yeon?

“…!”

My eyes snapped open instantly.
As I bolted upright, the System Window materialized before me in full display.

[Congratulations, Seo Ho-yoon! You’ve been selected as the Player for Unknown Actor Tycoon. Congratulations on your 10-year rejuvenation!]
[Seo Ho-yoon: A rising newcomer actor under WH Entertainment
Age: 25
Characteristics: Military service completed
Was a genius PD, but no one remembers him.
(※Excluding specific individuals)]
[If you fail to clear the game, you will be permanently unable to log out.]

This is insane.
Is this really happening?

“Ha… ha, haha. Hahahaha.”

I laughed absurdly while pacing around the room for a while, then splashed cold water on my face.

Me? An actor?
A rising newcomer actor at that?

Smack!

Unable to grasp the reality, I slapped my right cheek hard, and the pain registered clearly.

“It’s not a dream.”

I rubbed my flushed cheek with the back of my hand and surveyed my surroundings with a slightly calmer mind. I had awakened in the new apartment we’d moved to after Seo Ho-jin’s information was exposed. Unpacked boxes still sat in one corner of the bedroom.
It resembled the situation when I’d gone from being a 33-year-old PD to becoming a 23-year-old Idol.

‘…Seo Ho-jin.’

Yes, just like then, Seo Ho-jin might exist here too. With his memories intact.
I yanked the door open forcefully.

“Seo Ho-jin!”

But there was no sign of Seo Ho-jin.
Even checking each room one by one, he was nowhere to be found.

‘Damn it.’

I ran my hand roughly through my hair and sank onto the sofa.

“…Calm down, Seo Ho-yoon,”

I slowly retraced my memories.
Forced to become the Player of Obscure Idol Tycoon, I’d regressed in age, then received the Reality Awareness Quest—.

“Play Guide.”

—A System Window had appeared saying the Play Guide was ready.
A lengthy text unfurled with a whoosh.

[PD Seo Ho-yoon, who has been living by ruining others’ lives, has been possessed by Unknown Actor Tycoon.
Except for certain individuals, no one remembers you as a PD.]
[To escape this world and return to where you originally lived, to become an idol again, you must clear Unknown Actor Tycoon.
If you fail to conquer it, you will be permanently unable to log out.]
[Become a Korean Wave Star or a ten-million-viewer actor!]

‘It changed from idol to actor.’

Moreover, to become a PD again, I had to clear this place to return to Obscure Idol Tycoon, which I had to go through no matter what.
With trembling hands, I picked up my phone and searched for ‘Seo Ho-yoon’. Unlike the idol ‘Seo Ho-yoon’, quite a few pages of information appeared.

[Seo Ho-yoon
Talent, Film Actor
Agency: WH Entertainment
Debut: 20XX Web Drama ‘I Choose Gold Over Stars’
Award: 20XX White Tiger Film Festival Best New Male Actor (Our Little Revolution)]

The black and white profile photo, taken while wearing a black turtleneck, felt unfamiliar, as if it wasn’t me at all.

[Horror Survival Drama ‘Dead after Hope’ Seo Ho-yoon Casting Confirmed]

From news articles to various portal websites and SNS.
Combining all the information, the twenty-five-year-old actor ‘Seo Ho-yoon’ was a rising star beloved in Chungmuro, and it seemed he’d recently been cast in a new drama.

“What is this….”

My head throbbed painfully. I propped my head up with one hand while searching for another term with the other.

The Dun

…doesn’t exist.
‘Kim Sung-hyun’, ‘Sung Ji-won’, ‘Kang Yi-chae’, ‘Jung Da-jun’.
I searched for each name in the search bar, but only different people came up. When I tried calling the numbers I remembered, I either got a message saying the number didn’t exist or some random person answered.

‘Damn it.’

This meant one of two things.
Either The Dun never debuted in this world, or these four people didn’t exist at all.
I then searched for ‘Joo Woo-sung’.

[Joo Woo-sung
Singer
Agency: WH Entertainment
Group: Black Call]

“…He’s still here?”

I checked a few more names.
They were all the same. It was as if this world had been surgically cut of everything related to The Dun and the idol Seo Ho-yoon.
…And Seo Ho-jin doesn’t exist either.

“…Could this be the Unconscious Mind?”

…I couldn’t be certain. I’d only experienced it once, so I couldn’t recognize patterns or establish a template.
Besides, the System was far too unstable. Errors popped up constantly.
This time too, after meeting Jung Chung-yeon, things ended up like this….

Ding!

[This is reality, not the Unconscious Mind!]

The System Window appeared just then, refuting my words.
My eyes looking at it couldn’t have been anything but cold.

“…So I really did fail and become an Unknown Actor Tycoon?”

The Dun that I built with my blood and sweat disappears?
To return as an idol, I have to become an actor?

[…Yes.]

The blue windows retreated from my vision as if tiptoeing away.
I drew a deep breath and called out to it as if exhaling.

“…Hey.”

And in a careful, quiet voice, I conveyed my thoughts on the current situation.

“…(beep—) Do you really want to (beep—) die? After all the hell I’ve been through, who do you think you are to (beep——) waste all this time, wasting it like…. When you just said you’d reset (beeeep) I should’ve (beeeep) destroyed you then (beep—)…. (beep—). Right now (beep—) give me my brother and the members back, I’m putting you in the washing machine right now and (beeeeeep—————) shake you out before I’m done!!!”

[….]

The System Window reappeared thirty minutes later, having vanished like scattering sand.

[Let me explain once more….]

I sat on the sofa with my legs crossed, picking at my ears as I listened to what it had to say.
Apparently, numerous beta servers were created before the Obscure Idol Tycoon was built.
Most were disposed of after testing, but they failed to completely erase a few of them. A glitch occurred in the system due to my meeting with Jung Chung-yeon,
1)
and I got caught up in it properly and fell here, it explained.

[In conclusion, you can return!]

The System Window flickered with blue light for emphasis.

[—But the error needs to be fixed.]

There was a caveat, but as long as I could return, that was enough.
I asked what I judged to be the next most important thing.

“Is the flow of time here the same as where I was?”

[No, well… if I calculate it, roughly, one month here is about one day there?]

After weighing various possibilities for a moment, I narrowed my eyes and gazed at the System Window.

“So all I need to do is fix the error?”

[Yes! I’ll correct it right away. There shouldn’t be any major problems!]

“Then I can go back, and the members are safe?”

[Of course!]

With answers to my questions secured, I smirked and returned to my bedroom, collapsing onto the bed.

[Huh? What are you doing??]

“I needed a break anyway, so this works out. If you just fix the error, I can go back. I’m going to rest for a bit.”

[What?]

As I pulled the blanket up to my neck and made a gesture to sleep, an urgent alarm sounded.

[What about your schedule as an actor??]

“Screw it.”

The blue light trembled violently, then immediately spewed out a lengthy message.

[No, no, wait a moment!]
[No matter what the glitch is, the System’s fundamental premise doesn’t change!]
[If you don’t correct the error and complete Quests to gain recognition, you could be trapped here!]
[Some of the experience you built as an idol will carry over, so you won’t start completely unknown—it’ll be easier than last time!]
[Since it’s the beginning of the Quest, it won’t be that difficult! Let me show you an example.]

Quest Arrived!
‘Begin preparing for a drama as an actor!’
You’ve been thrust into a supporting role in a drama through nepotism.
Before entering the ‘Dead after Hope’ drama, listen to a briefing about your assigned role.
Meeting with the PD and other staff members…

I waved my hand dismissively over the new window that appeared.

“Nope, I’m not doing it.”

I closed my eyes and added dismissively.

“Just figure it out yourself and fix this mess.”

[No! We need Seo Ho-yoon’s cooperation!]

The constant annoying beeping made me sit up irritably.

“Hey, what game company damages a player through an error and then makes demands like this?! Just quietly offer compensation and clean up your mess.”

I clicked my tongue and was about to lie back down when the hesitantly flickering entity sent another message.

[…The points you’ve earned here can be used even after you return.]

My body froze. I lifted my head and waited, and the next words came through.

[And please read the Quest all the way through.]

Quest Arrived!
‘Begin preparing as an actor for the drama!’
You, thrust into a supporting role in a drama through nepotism.
Before entering the ‘Dead after Hope’ drama, listen to an explanation about your assigned role from the PD and staff members.
Meet with PD and staff members 0/1
※Time Limit: 23:59
If you exceed the time limit or fail, you cannot return to the Idol setting server.

A time limit?

“Damn it.”

The curse slipped out naturally.

“Are you insane? This is an error too, right? You can just fix it, can’t you?”

The System Window whined that it couldn’t do anything about it either, and if I didn’t complete the Quest and gain recognition, I could be trapped here forever. It even said there was a possibility of negative effects on my body if I didn’t perform the Quest.
My head throbbed again.

[Please cooperate just a little. When you think about it, it’s not really a bad proposition.]

“….”

[Since time flows differently in the ‘Idol’ server and the ‘Actor’ server, it’ll be a great opportunity to accumulate points.]

Curses spilled from my lips like a chant, but unlike moments ago, I couldn’t bring myself to tell them to go to hell outright.
Points were too useful, and they could become the means to recover Seo Ho-jin’s memories.

Ding!

As if sensing my hesitation,

Actor Scenario Arrived
Begin?
Yes/No

The Scenario Quest window appeared at the right time to announce the start of the game.

[You really don’t do it?]

“Just shut up.”

Earlier, Lee Kang-seok existed.
And Yoo Hyuk was there too, wasn’t he?
Plus Min Ji-heon on top of that.

My head was tighter than when I was concentrating on studying, and I quietly pursed my lips.

“……hey.”

If some of the experience I gained as an idol had been reflected in my career as an actor, all the things I did to people around me would have been nothing.

“What happens here, what happens when you return to being an idol?”

[…] Why do you ask such an anxious question?]

“answer.”

The guy who was reluctant to answer disappeared like smoke, as if sighing, and slowly engraved letters.

[…] … There is nothing left.]

“People’s memories too?”

[yes. All activities that take place here can only be remembered by Seo Ho-yoon.]

Laughter suddenly burst out.

“No matter what I do, when I get back, no one will know….”

I think I did a good job of living a good life.

“Start the actor scenario.”

[AUTO: Main scenario starts.]

How quiet was I during my time as an idol?

[Why, why are you smiling like that? Are you sure you haven’t lost your mind?]

This was an opportunity arranged by God who took pity on me. So that you can run wild.

“Baby.”

Meanwhile, I collected points and looked into what was wrong with the system. The timing of Jeong Cheong-yeon’s appearance was a bit strange.
While I was at it, I could accumulate points, dig into the system’s flaws. The timing of Jung Chung-yeon’s appearance had always felt off.

“Did you see what I can’t do?”

—You can just shake off the ones you don’t like.

1) Glitch is a term that refers to a temporary malfunction in which excessive spikes or overshoots occur in the analog amount output as the digital amount input from the DA converter changes. It refers to a phenomenon in which a device moves between values ​​other than the originally intended value for a short period of time under a specific signal pattern. Nowadays, it also refers to minor flaws or errors.

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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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