The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 302

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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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302

“Hello!”

The next day, I entered the filming set with a bright, radiant smile spreading across my face.

“Seo Ho-yoon, you look like you’re in an amazing mood. Did something happen?”
“Haha! It’s because I got to see the Camera Director so early in the morning.”
“Seriously, this guy’s a corpse without his nerve. Today’s the scene where you meet your younger brother, right? I’ll shoot it spectacularly. Look forward to it.”
“Yes. Thank you.”

As time passed, my reputation circulating on the internet became increasingly remarkable, so every staff member I encountered greeted me with greater warmth.
The Manager following right behind me was constantly anxious, busy trying to gauge my mood. It seemed WH Entertainment had quietly tried to contact Lee Kang-seok to handle things discreetly, but it hadn’t worked out well.

I shook my head, stopping the Manager who was about to tell me he’d speak to the company about taking a harder stance.

“Just leave it alone.”
“But he keeps posting stuff like this?!”

The Manager’s phone screen displayed Lee Kang-seok’s personal StarStar account. With only a black image attached, posts were piling up—things like “Even when it’s hard, I just have to work hard” or “What an unjust world.”
It was his roundabout way of taking shots at me.

“Wow, this place is full of MSG.”
“Ho-yoon….”

Watching the Manager’s face crumple, I let out a snort of laughter.
Every time Lee Kang-seok posted his pathetic emotional appeals, the public churned out all sorts of theories about me and Lee Kang-seok.

[Seo Ho-yoon had an intense look from the beginning, didn’t he?]
Haha, but watching Kim Woo-ho’s role, it seems like he’d charge in regardless of seniority.
[Actors always say it’s about image management]

A tiny minority frequently clicked their tongues at Lee Kang-seok for posting similar content so often, but the vast majority debated the whereabouts of my supposedly vanished manners.

And though I hadn’t mentioned it to the Manager, Lee Kang-seok had somehow obtained my number and even sent me a text message.

[Lee Kang-seok: Seo Ho-yoon]
[Lee Kang-seok: The more time passes, the worse this becomes for you, don’t you realize?]
[Lee Kang-seok: If you acknowledge your mistake now as a junior and apologize, I can forgive you generously as a senior.]

I naturally ignored him.

‘If only his personality matched his talent. Where does he come up with such brilliant lines?’

The more he flailed about, the better it was for me.
Once attention concentrated and he became the center of controversy, the vultures who made their living exposing celebrities’ true colors would swarm in to dig for the truth.
Those around me looked at him with pitying eyes, but I only felt exhilarated and delighted.

‘And the rewards are quite generous too.’

Complete the first filming.
Air the first episode.
Appear on a variety show.
Achieve 10 percent viewership ratings, and so on.

Quests kept stacking up one after another, and thanks to that, I’d accumulated quite a few points.

Ding!

[Seo Ho-yoon would probably survive even if stranded on a deserted island….]

I flicked away the System Window spouting nonsense with my finger as I stepped out of the waiting room,

“Hello, Seo Ho-yoon!”

The actor playing Kim Woo-hyung greeted me warmly.

“Wow, we’re finally filming together!”
“Oh, hello.”

Shin Hee-chan.
A rising actor who’d been actively working in web dramas, climbing the same path as Seo Ho-yoon.
Someone I’d heard about through the grapevine even during my PD days—he had an approachable face and a solid reputation in the industry.

“How are you doing these days… I mean, are you holding up okay?”

Glancing cautiously around, he hesitated before speaking.

“…Since that person is a fan of Min Ji-heon, the rookie actors who film with him tend to experience similar incidents…”
“I see.”
“This time seems particularly severe, so I’m worried…”

With his brows furrowed, Shin Hee-chan glanced at me.

“…It seems like it’s worse because Seo Ho-yoon is close with Min Ji-heon—”
“We’re not close.”
“…Ah, haha, well. I just hope you don’t worry too much about it.”

He scratched his slightly flushed cheeks and laughed sheepishly.
There was something oddly familiar about that expression, so I stared intently at Shin Hee-chan’s face.

“Everyone on set knows Seo Ho-yoon is a good person, and rumors like this naturally fade with time.”

…The resemblance to his character was almost uncanny.
Before the other person could notice something was off, I quickly averted my gaze and curved my lips into a smile.

“Thank you.”
“Wow! Brother, you’ve got great mental fortitude.”

After already calling me brother, Shin Hee-chan followed behind me, later asking if it was okay to call me that. He was somewhat like Da-jun.
A bit like Jung Da-jun, actually.

“Anyway, let’s do great on today’s shoot!”
“I’m counting on you too.”

Today’s scene was the long-awaited reunion between Kim Woo-ho and his younger brother, whom he’d been desperately searching for.

[In front of XX Department Store.
On the way to Gangwon Province Shelter, Min Han-jun’s group is surrounded by Infected. As they eliminate the Infected one by one, a familiar voice calls out from somewhere.]

“Over here!!”

Among the shattered windows and crumbling buildings, the department store stood with its display windows completely smashed.
Just as I fired an arrow and pulled Min Ji-heon back by the nape of his neck to keep him out of the Infected’s reach, a loud voice cried out from behind.

[It was Kim Woo-hyung’s voice. Kim Woo-ho’s gaze wavered.]

“Over here! This way, quickly! One moment of carelessness and you’re dead!”

I could see Shin Hee-chan urging on those who had fallen behind during their escape, making sure everyone got through. Just as he was about to flee after sending the last person ahead, an Infected lunged at him from behind.
The moment Shin Hee-chan’s eyes widened in shock,

Splat!

“Ugh, ha, ha….”

The Infected’s head burst, and crimson droplets sprayed in all directions.
Through Shin Hee-chan’s blood-stained vision, I came into focus—breathing heavily, gasping for air.

“…Hyung, brother.”

Seeing Shin Hee-chan call out to me in a daze while sitting collapsed, I dropped to my knees to meet his gaze.
As if confirming this was real, I clenched my trembling fist once, then opened my mouth as if nothing was wrong.

“You idiot, seriously….”

Then I tossed the bow to the ground and crawled on my knees toward Shin Hee-chan.

“Can’t you break that habit? Why didn’t you run away quickly instead of helping someone?”
“…Brother?”

My hands moved of their own accord.
I ran them over his face—his eyes, nose, mouth—checking to make sure he wasn’t injured.
Shin Hee-chan called out to me again, his tone bewildered.

“…Are you really my brother?”

Only after confirming that my younger brother was safe did I wipe my face dry and let out a relieved sigh.

“Yeah. It’s me, you bastard.”

Judging that things were progressing reasonably well, I waited for Shin Hee-chan’s next line,

“…Uh, uh….”

All I heard was nonsense.
When I glanced up, Shin Hee-chan was staring at Director Jung with a flustered expression.

“Cut!”

Director Jung finally called for a stop, and I asked Shin Hee-chan.

“…Hee-chan, why didn’t you deliver your line?”
“Uh, no, well, that is, I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”

Shin Hee-chan quickly scrambled to his feet and bowed repeatedly to me and the staff, apologizing profusely.
But the person Director Jung actually called out wasn’t Shin Hee-chan, who’d flubbed the take—it was me.

“Seo Ho-yoon, hold on a moment.”

Director Jung was monitoring the footage. Beside him stood Min Ji-heon, looking disheveled with an ice cream already in his mouth.

“Something doesn’t feel like Kim Woo-ho.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, it’s not just me feeling it, right?”

Looking at the playback on screen, there didn’t seem to be anything particularly wrong, but Director Jung nodded in agreement with Min Ji-heon’s assessment.

“Listen, Seo Ho-yoon.”

As I stared at him with a frown, Director Jung spoke in a cautious tone.

“I’m going to ask you something, so don’t take it the wrong way.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Do you… have a child?”
“…What?”

What kind of question is that to ask a twenty-five-year-old newcomer with a bright future ahead?

“A hidden child, or maybe one you’re raising due to circumstances.”
“….”
“Or a nephew?”

As my expression grew increasingly dark, Director Jung let out an awkward laugh.

“I was just asking to be sure…. In this industry, you never know what might happen, right? It felt so realistic that I wondered if it was actually based on real experience.”

Director Jung tapped the monitoring television with the script.

“Isn’t that a good thing, then?”
“The direction is a bit off. The emotional weight is too heavy.”

Director Jung pinpointed the exact moment where I hesitantly caressed Shin Hee-chan’s face.

“In the drama, Kim Woo-ho and Kim Woo-hyung are only two years apart, but look here. It almost feels like Kim Woo-ho has just found a child he lost decades ago.”
“….”

A child he lost decades ago….
Confronted with a blind spot I hadn’t even noticed myself, I couldn’t say anything, but he continued his explanation.

“They’re close, sure. I mean, they lost their parents in their early twenties and had only each other to rely on.”
“…Yes.”
“Even so, they should fit within the framework of a typical sibling relationship. If it’s expressed too excessively, viewers might find it burdensome or awkward, so I’d like you to keep that in mind while acting.”
“…Yes….”

Burdensome….

“Let’s take a break and dial back the emotion a bit. I know it’s tough near the end, but let’s push through just a little more.”
“…Thank you.”

Noticing something was off with me just giving brief answers when I usually moved around briskly, Director Jung suggested taking a break.

‘Damn….’

I crouched in a corner of the filming set with my head buried in the script.
I mindlessly reread the black text that wouldn’t sink in, and then turned on my phone to take a breather.
There were countless messages from my Manager. I scrolled past them and accessed the portal website to search for my name and Lee Kang-seok.

‘As expected.’

The controversy had entered a new phase.
Just as I thought I’d get through it without issue,

“Seo Ho-yoon.”

A languid voice drifted down from above.

“Want some?”

Min Ji-heon held a Frappuccino generously topped with whipped cream. When I waved my hand to decline, he quickly brought the straw to his own lips and plopped down beside me.

“What is it?”
“Senior, I heard this from the Main Writer.”

Wondering what nonsense he was about to spout, I tore my eyes from my phone and looked at Min Ji-heon.
He often struggled emotionally with the volatile character he’d taken on, but in front of me, he always acted composed.

“Apparently, the Kim Woo-hyung role was originally supposed to be a child. About ten years younger than Kim Woo-ho.”
“….”
“But as they developed the story, I needed to appear with him early on, and he needed more presence… there were also censorship concerns, so they ended up changing him to an adult.”

Min Ji-heon’s face turned toward me.

“But just now, Seo Ho-yoon was acting like he knew that original setting.”

And the corners of his eyes crinkled.

“Interesting, right?”
“Not really.”
“Do you have a younger brother?”

Anyway, this guy’s intuition was sharp as hell.
I’d thought Min Ji-heon here was someone I could easily handle, so I didn’t take him seriously, but he was indeed a capable one.

“I have a younger brother too.”

I know.
I even signed an autograph for him.

“We only share half our blood. But it was really something, you know? I used to really hate babies. But after meeting my brother, my perspective changed.”

Min Ji-heon stirred his Frappuccino with the straw.

“A tiny baby, no bigger than my palm, wiggling those little fern-like fingers while looking at me and smiling…. That’s when I first realized that warmth actually has a scent, you know?”
“Yeah.”
“Come on, listen seriously. I felt this overwhelming affection pouring out toward the world.”

I remember it vividly too.
That moment when I first met Seo Ho-jin.
The day my slightly gaunt mother came carrying a small bundle.
That instant when the bright red, wrinkled baby grasped the finger I extended with surprising strength.

Min Ji-heon blinked slowly, as if recalling that time, then continued.

“So that’s how I am. When someone says they have a cherished younger sibling, it bothers me. It’s a bad habit of mine—I just automatically assume that person is a good person.”
“….”
“Your acting just now, Seo Ho-yoon, had that quality too.”

There’s a hint of affection in the way Min Ji-heon looks at me.
Only then did I vaguely understand why this bastard started helping me in Obscure Idol Tycoon.
I sat quietly listening before blurting something out.

“…I really am a good person though.”
“Huh?”

Min Ji-heon tilted his head slightly, then burst into laughter.

“Pfft, that was pretty funny.”

I got up from my seat and lightly kicked Min Ji-heon’s foot.

“Ji-heon, don’t show your teeth like that.”
“…Yes.”

Truth be told, a slight irritation welled up inside me.
Because I’d actually sympathized a bit with what Min Ji-heon said earlier.

…Uncomfortably so.

***

[Actor Seo Ho-yoon, why did he have a confrontation with Lee Kang-seok
Why did you pick a fight with Lee Kang-seok?

└Not confirmed yet
It looks like it was almost a done deal lol
└Looks like they really did fight in that old interview lolol I’m just curious how they fought]

[Isn’t Lee Kang-seok originally a very gentle image?? I think he will be good to his juniors too… Did Seo Ho-yoon just ignore him?]

[I’m most frustrated that controversy has tainted a drama I love. I really love Kim Woo-ho, but I keep remembering Seo Ho-yoon’s scandal and it’s frustrating…

└Why do people even write stuff like this? Nothing’s even come out yet, stay neutral
└└”Stay neutral” — people like you are the worst]

As viewers’ affection for Kim Woo-ho grew, attention on Seo Ho-yoon intensified, and the controversy burned hotter.
Past interviews he’d done, roles he’d taken, or even a casual word a colleague had mentioned about him—all of it was exaggerated and spread around.
When everyone’s focus was fixed on how terrible Seo Ho-yoon was, what kind of awful things he’d done,

Anyway, tell me why Lee Kang-seok is so addicted to StarStar right now lol I’m so curious how Seo Ho-yoon got him into it lol

└If you know that much, weren’t you at the Filming Location? But now I’m curious too lol]

A single post set the community ablaze.

[Title: I think I know why Seo Ho-yoon ignores Lee Kang-seok haha]

The moment Seo Ho-yoon had been waiting for had arrived.

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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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