The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 315

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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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315

[Since taking on the role of Kim Woo-ho in Dead after Hope, actor Seo Ho-yoon has been on a path of success. We conducted an interview with him, and he participated with a composure and skill that belied his status as a newcomer…—.]

“Wow.”

The bustling Shining Star filming set.
Min Ji-heon, who had come here today under the pretense of grabbing food from the catering truck and had been poking around, sat down on a folding chair tucked in a corner. The moment he spotted the magazine cover on the table, he picked it up. The title blazed across the front announcing that an interview with Seo Ho-yoon had been published.
Min Ji-heon had been rejecting all the interview requests that flooded in after Dead after Hope wrapped.
As the pages rustled past the middle section, Seo Ho-yoon’s face appeared.
Dressed in a crisp black shirt that contrasted sharply with his pale, almost translucent skin, Seo Ho-yoon wore a fresh smile.

‘There’s something odd about it….’

To his eyes, Seo Ho-yoon in the guise of an actor seemed strangely out of place.
As if there existed some other garment that fit him far better.
Min Ji-heon tilted his head and turned the page.

[Over the past few months, we’ve been truly impressed by the changes in your acting. There are stories that you’ve been practically living on the filming set, concentrating entirely on your craft. What do you think is the secret behind this sudden growth?
Seo Ho-yoon: I owe a great deal to the help of my senior actors around me. In particular, I’m deeply indebted to Senior Min Ji-heon, who was practically always by my side on set. I’m always grateful.]

Deeply indebted?

[We heard that Min Ji-heon visits the new drama set frequently as well.
Seo Ho-yoon: That’s right. To the point where it’s almost annoying. (laughs) Just kidding—I’m always grateful. He’s a wonderful senior who always watches over me warmly.]

Min Ji-heon felt goosebumps rise on his arms.
When filming Dead after Hope, and even now, whenever his gaze met Seo Ho-yoon’s, a chill ran down his spine.
As if he were standing before a savage predator.

“…Is this really Seo Ho-yoon’s interview?”

Min Ji-heon flipped through the magazine cover and checked Seo Ho-yoon’s name once more.
His instinct spoke to him powerfully. Seo Ho-yoon was no ordinary person. The Lee Kang-seok abuse-of-power incident might be coincidence, but the drug bust involving the idol group and the exposure of the shell company behind the dual-contract fraud scheme—those were surely connected.

‘He looked oddly refreshed.’

At that moment, Seo Ho-yoon wore an expression of profound relief.
The thought that he too could be pushed off a cliff if he let his guard down for even a moment made him instinctively wary.
Min Ji-heon skipped past all the disgustingly affected parts and opened the final page of the interview.

[So what’s your next goal?
Ho-yoon: It’s clear.
To bring things to a proper close without regret.]

“….”

Min Ji-heon’s eyes narrowed to slits.

[Six months from now, what will Seo Ho-yoon be doing?
Ho-yoon: Dancing, probably?
Dancing? Is idol choreography a hobby of yours? (laughs)
Ho-yoon: It’s my main job. I plan to dance until my body falls apart. (laughs)

Throughout the interview, Seo Ho-yoon never lost his gentle smile. His warm and humble demeanor makes one anticipate his promising future.]

Min Ji-heon quickly closed the magazine.
Judging by how thoroughly he’d charmed the interviewer, the entire piece was nothing but praise from beginning to end.

‘Seo Ho-yoon is definitely a proper madman.’

As if he were missing something crucial, an unsettling feeling washed over him after finishing the magazine.
He’d come to meet Seo Ho-yoon, but even he didn’t understand why. He’d simply followed his instincts.
Min Ji-heon rubbed the back of his neck and turned his head.
Seo Ho-yoon stood expressionless before the camera.

“Seo Ho-yoon, since this is your final shoot, let’s make it count.”
“I’ll do my best.”

After answering briefly and grasping the microphone, the staff members’ eager gazes turned toward him.
Soon the music began to play.

【There’s a moment that you feel】

Not only Ha Seo-yeon, who had been reading the script, but also Shin Hee-chan, who was chatting with the staff, Director Joo, who was leading the shoot, and even Min Ji-heon—
All of them found their eyes unable to leave the moment Seo Ho-yoon opened his mouth.

【Glory comes up as light
Dawn comes down as end】

A low, resonant tone that seemed to scrape from deep within his throat.
A voice that stretched forth without a single flourish, pure and direct.

【I won’t say that I will miss you
That’s too selfish, I know…】

He really was exceptional.
Seo Ho-yoon’s performance stirred such thoughts even in me, someone with little particular interest in music.

‘He really is an idol.’

When standing still, his impression was difficult to approach, yet the slightest lift at the corners of his mouth transformed the entire atmosphere.
He seemed well aware of such things and knew how to use them skillfully.

‘No wonder people lower their guards and gradually soften around him.’

Min Ji-heon exhaled quietly.
There was a reason his younger brother, who rarely even answered calls due to his hectic life, was always singing Seo Ho-yoon’s songs.

【You won’t say that I will miss you
That’s way too ideal, I know…】

What exactly was his true nature?
As I pondered briefly, an exclamation rang out.
Seo Ho-yoon, who had finished the shoot in a single take, was descending to the monitors for review.

The moment Director Joo gave his approval, cheers erupted from the staff once more.
And as always, the bouquet presented to the final actor of the shoot was placed in Seo Ho-yoon’s arms.
Min Ji-heon rose to his feet and continued to observe Seo Ho-yoon intently.
With each step Seo Ho-yoon took, the staff members called out to him.

“Seo Ho-yoon, you’ve worked so hard! Thanks to you, the filming set was always filled with joy and happiness! Thank you!”
“I’m going to miss Kang Ji-sung so much without him here. It’s such a shame this is the last time.”
“Thank you for saying that.”

Seo Ho-yoon, greeting them in return, seemed to be in higher spirits than usual.

“Let’s work together again if we get the chance!”
“…Haha.”

But at the words that followed, my body stiffened, and I laughed a beat too late.

‘…Why?’

“…I’ll think about it.”
“Aha, so you’re still the top star Kang Ji-sung, huh~?!”

Seo Ho-yoon was heading toward the entrance of the filming set. Min Ji-heon glanced at his manager. He still seemed busy talking with Director Joo.

“Seo Ho-yoon, um…”

Approaching closer, sensing there might be a moment to talk,

“Whoa!”
“Hey.”

Seo Ho-yoon pressed the back of my neck and whispered softly.

“Did you bring a car?”
“Yes, huh??”

Even in this bewildering situation, I nodded earnestly in response.

“Ji-heon, lend your car to your brother.”
“…What?”
“The car.”
“Why? Where are you going without your manager?”

Seo Ho-yoon curved his lips gently without offering a specific reason.

“I need to ask you for a favor.”

Min Ji-heon suddenly understood.
He realized why he’d felt compelled to keep coming back to this filming set, despite his curiosity about Seo Ho-yoon being nothing more than a passing interest with nothing more to uncover.
Min Ji-heon reluctantly extended the car keys with a slow hand.
Seo Ho-yoon snatched them up quickly and laughed like a satisfied cat.

“Thanks. Where’s the car?”
“…Follow me.”

As he led the way, he heard footsteps following behind him.
They slipped quietly out of the filming set and headed toward the underground parking lot.

“Wow.”

Seo Ho-yoon whistled when he saw his own red sports car parked neatly in the corner.

“Looks like you’ve been making good money. Driving something nice.”
“Please take good care of it….”

He wanted the keys back, but his instincts kept signaling him not to. As his resolve crumbled and his eyes squeezed shut then opened again, Seo Ho-yoon was already pulling open the driver’s door.

“By the way, is your agency pushing you to do some publicity?”
“Publicity?”
“You know I won’t say anything more, yet you—busy as you are—keep showing up at the filming set day and night.”

Min Ji-heon closed his mouth with a click.

“…Publicity? That’s harsh. I just came.”

Especially today.

‘Why does it feel like I won’t see him again?’

An inexplicable anxiety crept up from behind him.
He approached Seo Ho-yoon in the driver’s seat, bent his waist slightly, and met his gaze.

“Seo Ho-yoon.”
“What?”
“I don’t particularly like you, though.”

Seo Ho-yoon sitting in his car looked oddly familiar to me.
As if I’d witnessed something like this before.
Or perhaps I’d sensed this moment would unfold, and that’s why it felt so familiar.

“Wherever you go, Seo Ho-yoon, you’ll do just fine.”

Seo Ho-yoon’s eyes widened in surprise, then a moment later, he let out a soft chuckle.

“Why does everything you say sound so anxious, no matter what it is?”

He set the bouquet down on the passenger seat, then pulled out the Shining Star script and a pen from his bag.
Opening the pen cap with his mouth and speaking in halting pronunciation, he called out my name.

“Min Ji-heon.”

A minor role with brief screen time, short lines.
Yet the script was worn and tattered.
It was a glimpse of how seriously Seo Ho-yoon took this role.
As Min Ji-heon, someone who genuinely loved acting, I couldn’t deny that this side of Seo Ho-yoon wasn’t half bad.

“I don’t like you either, for what it’s worth.”

Seo Ho-yoon’s signature was inscribed on the front cover of the script.

“But the version of you here is worth watching.”

Here?
As he handed it to me, Seo Ho-yoon’s eyes curved into crescents.

“Come find the car yourself. It should be in a parking lot near the Express Bus Terminal.”
“What?”
“Ask my Manager—he’s kind enough that he’ll probably give you a ride if you ask nicely.”

He’s just leaving my beloved car somewhere?

“Bye~.”

Before he could even mount a rebuttal, Seo Ho-yoon left nothing but a parting greeting and slipped out of the parking lot with remarkable driving skill.

Vroom.
Vroooom.

“…Is this real?”

Left alone, Min Ji-heon muttered in a daze.
When he belatedly turned his gaze to the script in his hand, a brief message was written there.

See you again soon, Noel.
I miss you.
-Ho-yoon

Along with a rabbit sign.

“…So it’s a rabbit because he hopped away?”

What’s with Noel?
Min Ji-heon lowered his head and pressed his palm to his forehead, then let out a hollow laugh.

.
.
.

“Min Ji-heon really does have uncanny intuition.”

I let out a small exclamation as I stopped at a red light.
Despite giving off no hint whatsoever, he had treated me as though I were someone about to leave.

The morning after returning to Korea from Japan, a System Window appeared indicating that the error had been completely fixed.
Since I was already here, I figured it was best to finish what I’d started, so I continued with the remaining filming.

‘At least it wasn’t as long as I’d feared.’

I looked down at my hands gripping the steering wheel.
There was no trembling whatsoever.
The greatest benefit I’d gained from being here was having plenty of time to organize my thoughts calmly. Thanks to that, my heart didn’t race even when I got behind the wheel.
So I decided to test drive once, and fortunately, it went well.
Besides, I drove just fine back when I was a PD—old habits don’t disappear.

‘This is how I fix things, one by one.’

As I pulled into the paid parking lot near my destination, all the tension drained from my body.
Leaning my back against the seat, I finally noticed my palms had grown damp.

“…Phew.”

I steadied my slightly quickened breathing from the tension and pulled out my phone. I needed to send Min Ji-heon the location of his precious car.
This was being incredibly considerate, if I do say so myself.
Just as I was about to turn off the engine and head outside, a notification from the System Window chimed.

Ding!

[Thanks for the drive.]

Was that the navigation system?

[But what are you doing here? You could just head back right now.]

“Hmm.”

I scanned my surroundings.
This place, where people hurried back and forth, was the Express Bus Terminal.

“There’s something I want to check before heading back.”

A single billboard that I’d thoughtlessly overlooked at the time, yet had lingered in the corner of my mind ever since.

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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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