The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 307

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

307

‘Shining Star’
The program I appeared in as The Dun, and the title of the drama in development for ‘Unknown Actor Tycoon’. It was set to be jointly produced by WH Entertainment and Studio Olio and distributed through a domestic OTT platform.
Now that global interest in K-POP had reached its peak, the plan was to properly capitalize on related content alongside the entertainment agency.

The overall storyline was simple.
A PD whose ideas were stolen due to pressure from above grinds his teeth and creates a new broadcast format.
A competition program that gathers aspiring singers with hidden talents and selects a winner through survival.
Initially, the protagonist rushes forward with only success in mind, but as filming progresses and he learns the stories of the contestants, he gradually empowers their dreams, passion, and youth.
Ultimately, they grow together, the broadcast concludes successfully, and the drama comes to an end.
Except for the happy ending, it was undeniably my story.

“Sigh….”

…I thought so, but there was one thing I had overlooked.
In this ‘Tycoon’ game, there existed another PD famous for competition programs.

“This is just Kim Hee-young….”

In the cafe inside the WH Entertainment Building, I tore at my hair and opened the script I’d already read through several times once more.

Seo Ui-young, a 34-year-old PD from WBC Broadcasting.
A person who despises injustice, dishonesty, and wrongdoing most, possessing unwavering principles.
Someone who practices what they believe in.

Though the character’s age was younger than the real Kim Hee-young, even younger than my actual self.

[Seo Ui-young: My only regret is this.]
[Seo Ui-young: That I couldn’t kill that salary-wasting corrupt bastard with my own hands.]

‘Words I’ve heard all too often.’

Just reading a few lines of dialogue, it was unmistakably Kim Hee-young.
Come to think of it, she was far more suited to be the protagonist than I was. If she were a character in an RPG game, her assigned class would always have been the hero.
I drained the beverage before me, swallowing down the frustration that bubbled inside my chest.
At least there was one saving grace—not even a hint of romance appeared anywhere.

‘Get your head straight.’

With no way of knowing how long the glitch caused by Min Ji-heon’s ability would persist, I had to use my time efficiently.
I closed the script and flipped through the drama proposal again.
My finger traced the brief character descriptions listed.

Sung Ju-hyun, who dropped out of high school to pursue dance and participated in Shining Star, only to face school violence allegations during the broadcast.
Ji Young-won, who couldn’t tolerate the misconduct of a large entertainment company and walked away….

Though the names had been changed, the details were uncomfortably similar to The Dun’s actual events.
My brow furrowed slightly at the unpleasantness.

‘Well, whatever….’

They’d never actually watch this drama anyway, so I just had to endure it.
I flipped through the pages carelessly and clicked my tongue.

Ding!

[But there’s no Seo Ho-yoon in here?]

Right.
No matter how carefully I searched, I couldn’t find a role that seemed to be me.
So the role offered to me was—,

“Ho-yoon, hyung!!”

Just as I was closing the script and standing up from my seat, Shin Hee-chan came through the cafe entrance, spotted me, and rushed over.

“Shin Hee-chan?”
“Wow! Why does it feel like it’s been forever?”

He really did resemble the Maknae.
Since there was no particular reason to get entangled with him, I was about to just greet him and leave when Min Ji-heon suddenly poked his head out from behind.

“Hey~.”

Shin Hee-chan’s mood seemed quite uplifted.

“There’s a scammer here.”
“You know him?”
“Quick to cut ties, huh.”

He casually plopped down beside me. His previously blank eyes had narrowed slightly—it seemed some lingering resentment from past events had accumulated.
I averted my gaze and looked at Shin Hee-chan.

“By the way, why are you here, Shin Hee-chan?”
“I have a meeting today! I ran into Min Ji-heon hyung just ahead by chance.”

He alternated his gaze between Min Ji-heon and me, then smiled brightly.

“WH Entertainment is producing a new drama with Studio Olio, you know. I’m playing the youngest cast member in it.”
“The youngest cast member?”
“Yes! I play an aspiring singer who nearly wasted years after being scammed by an agency contract!”
“….”

That’s Jung Da-jun.
I closed my mouth with a slightly weary expression.
Shin Hee-chan seemed thrilled with the good roles coming his way thanks to Dead after Hope.

“—Especially, Shining Star! I got the script on the first day and found it so entertaining that I read the whole thing overnight! And the very next day, I grabbed the management team director’s pant leg and begged to do this project! They were actually advising against it, saying I should take something with a bigger role. Anyway, we finished casting smoothly and even completed the script reading not long ago! Well, there’s a slight problem though….”
“What is it?”
“One of the confirmed cast members got injured, so they’re urgently searching for a replacement actor.”

I see.

“Anyway, I think the new person will probably start filming right away.”

As I listened quietly, Shin Hee-chan, who had been glancing around, leaned his upper body forward slightly and whispered softly.

“But, Ho-yoon hyung. That character in the drama that needs to be filled—it’s completely obvious who they based them on.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, see.”

Shin Hee-chan swallowed hard and lowered his voice.

“There’s a character named Kang Ji-sung, and based on my guess, I think the model for him is Joo Woo-sung from Black Call.”

Spot on.
The idol of idols, the celebrity among celebrities, the star of entertainers.
Kang Ji-sung—a character seemingly lifted directly from Black Call’s Joo Woo-sung.
Joo Woo-sung, who had originally been a mentor on Shining Star Season 2, had been transformed in the drama into a role as Kang Ji-sung—an acquaintance of PD Seo Ui-young who frequently appeared to offer advice to the contestants.

“He was completely charming. If Kang Ji-sung and Seo Ui-young get tangled up in a romance here, the ratings will skyrocket….”
“The screenwriter will handle that.”

I was firmly against it.

“…Oh, ah, yes. Right. I got ahead of myself.”

As I gathered the script while watching Shin Hee-chan scratch his head with an awkward smile, I heard Min Ji-heon’s voice drawling out the end of his words.

“Woo-seo….”

A sharp instinct pierced straight through my skull.

“Well then, I should get going—I’m busy….”
“Do you know each other?”

This bastard had caught onto something.
I tried to stand quickly, but Min Ji-heon’s words came out first.

“No?”

Not too fast, not too slow.
A measured tone.

“Mm. Really?”

I answered casually, but Min Ji-heon’s eyes widened as he let out a laugh.
At this rate, he’d soon deduce the fact that I came from somewhere else entirely.
Despite the chilling atmosphere he exuded, Shin Hee-chan clung to Min Ji-heon without hesitation, whining pitifully.

“Brother, Min Ji-heon! Could you give me some acting tips? When I first got the role, I was happy about it, but now that I’m facing it head-on, I can’t figure out what this character is thinking. One moment they seem carefree, and the next they’re impossibly mature….”

A fool is a fool, after all.
But I didn’t add anything. I thought Min Ji-heon would just brush it off too, but surprisingly, he opened up readily.

“Try imagining you’re that person.”
“Huh?”
“That’s the easiest way for me.”

Having started that way, Min Ji-heon turned his gaze toward me.

“What kind of family did they grow up in? How did they come to like this food? What’s the origin of this behavior? Things like that.”
“Oh! That’s actually pretty good!”
“When you immerse yourself, the answers come surprisingly easily. Why that person did what they did too.”

And he wore a meaningful smile, resting his chin in his hand.

“Why their personality became so twisted, why they use people so easily, why they’re indifferent to others’ thoughts….”
“Huh??”
“Isn’t that right, Ho-yoon?”

Well, what could I do.
I decided to leave before Min Ji-heon’s ridiculous acting lecture could continue any further.
It wasn’t a role difficult enough to need his help anyway. I already knew plenty about the character.

Someone with strong pride in their profession and overflowing confidence in their abilities.
A human bundled with talent, beloved by many, yet lost in emptiness and unable to look around at their surroundings.

After nearly two and a half years of being attached to him, I’d already grasped all his habits.

“Huh?!”

Just as I was about to leave, Shin Hee-chan’s eyes widened as he belatedly spotted the Shining Star script and proposal in my hands.

“Ho-yoon, why do you have the Shining Star script? Are you appearing in it too?”
“Yes.”
“Is it a special appearance?”

I swallowed the remaining drink in my glass, which sloshed at the bottom, before answering.

“No.”

The role that came my way was rather amusing, to be honest.

“Kang Ji-sung.”

It was Joo Woo-sung.

***

Tap tap.
Tap tap tap tap tap.

“I’m not nervous or anything….”
“Please, stop bouncing your leg!”

The sound of fabric rustling echoed loudly through the conference room at Studio Olio. Despite the Assistant Director’s plea, Director Joo Hyung-chang couldn’t stop his leg from bouncing. It was a hastily arranged meeting to address the headache that had been plaguing him recently.
He hadn’t anticipated needing to replace an actor due to injury.

‘I never thought we’d have to swap out the actor because of an injury.’

From the start, the character specifications assigned to this “Kang Ji-sung” seemed unreasonably demanding.
The role required someone with refined, elegant features and handsome looks, combined with dance skills at an inhuman level, and who could sing well too.

“Damn it! Where am I supposed to find an actor like this!”
“Director, here we go again.”

It was unreasonable.
The appearance could be managed well enough. An actor who danced decently and sang well? The musical theater world was overflowing with them.
But when you added the element of whether they could capture that idol essence within all these conditions, there were no viable options left.

The actor who had been confirmed for “Kang Ji-sung” had been reluctantly persuaded after the Main Writer expressed dissatisfaction, saying the actor didn’t match the image she’d envisioned.
Thrust back into casting hell once more, Director Joo genuinely wanted to cry.

“Let’s just drop all the dancing and singing requirements. I’ll do my best to match the visual at least. There are so many handsome actors with that idol-like look these days.”
“Ah, well, actually, I’ve been keeping an eye on an actor….”
“Who?”
“Someone who looks completely like a cat and is super cute!!”
“….”

A few weeks ago, when the Main Writer met me on business, he was too busy spewing praise for someone, flecks of saliva flying.
How could anyone dance idol choreography so well, how handsome his face was, overflowing with natural talent and charisma, perhaps he was a trainee, this and that, blah blah blah.

That someone was none other than Seo Ho-yoon.
When the role I had valued most suddenly became vacant, the Main Writer grew somewhat dispirited, but soon began pestering Director Joo to propose the role of Kang Ji-sung to Seo Ho-yoon.

However, realistically, the chances of Seo Ho-yoon accepting this drama were slim.
Rumors circulated quietly that after Dead after Hope, Seo Ho-yoon had been rejecting every script that came his way—perhaps he wanted to rest.
Just as the production crew began searching for alternative candidates, with only the Main Writer asking if we shouldn’t make one more attempt, WH Entertainment suddenly reached out.
And today was the day I had arranged to meet Seo Ho-yoon face-to-face.

“But why did Seo Ho-yoon suddenly change his mind?”
“Who knows? How would we understand what goes on in his head? This industry is full of such capricious people….”
“Ugh, that stings my pride. If I weren’t this screenwriter, a rookie actor like this really wouldn’t….”
“Gasp, Director! Shh!”

While Director Joo and the Assistant Director were whispering as they waited for Seo Ho-yoon, there came a knock, and the conference room door opened.

“Hello. I’m Seo Ho-yoon.”

Seo Ho-yoon greeted us with a gentle smile, his hair now dyed a deep brown instead of the black he had worn in Dead after Hope.
Director Joo, who had been frowning and grumbling just moments before, sprang to his feet with a bright expression.

“Seo Ho-yoon! Ha-ha! Welcome, welcome.”
“Ha-ha, yes.”

There simply weren’t any suitable replacements capable of pulling off the role of Kang Ji-sung.
Director Joo, seasoned in this industry, could readily feign enthusiasm for anyone if they were what he needed, regardless of his personal feelings.

“Seo Ho-yoon, I apologize for calling you on such short notice.”
“Not at all. If anything, I’m sorry for replying so late.”

‘The atmosphere feels good, actually.’

Seo Ho-yoon set down the guitar case he had slung over one shoulder and took a seat.
Judging that he should build rapport, Director Joo posed a casual question.

“It’s gotten late—have you eaten? You should have a proper meal.”
“Me?”

Seo Ho-yoon’s lips curved into a gentle smile.

“I had kimchi fried rice.”
“Oh, kimchi fried rice! That’s delicious!”

Just as I was about to shift the conversation to the project, Seo Ho-yoon added something more.

“Yesterday too.”
“…Huh?”
“The day before that too.”

In this moment, Seo Ho-yoon recalled Min Ji-heon’s advice.

“The day before that as well….”
“….”

To portray a character, first act like that person.
Seo Ho-yoon was faithfully embodying Joo Woo-sung.

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