The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 33

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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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33

I’m quite satisfied.

‘No need to say anything else.’

As I watched quietly, the other members all wore expressions of surprise.

“To be honest, our debut song was a flop.”
“It was a complete disaster!”
“Our recent single had such a well-produced song and got an unexpectedly strong response, so we’d definitely score points… but I just can’t stop thinking about our debut album.”

At Kim Sung-hyun’s candid remark, Jung Da-jun’s expression darkened.

“That’s right. We worked incredibly hard back then, but it didn’t work out. We practically lived in the practice room without sleeping.”
“Yeah. The Manager was really upset about it too.”
“Right. I genuinely think that song was great. And for the fans who supported us from the very beginning… I think it’ll be a wonderful stage for them.”

Kim Sung-hyun—excellent.
His delicate sensibilities shone through here. I smiled warmly at the poignant narrative that would be captured so vividly on camera.

“I’m in favor of doing the debut single too.”
“So it’s unanimous?”
“Let’s just think of a fresh concept for it.”
“A concept?”

I was watching The Dun members’ Glow stage performance.
A youthful concept of high school boys making endless advances toward their first love.
After watching it all, Sung Ji-won offered his critique.

“Ah, they should’ve worked on their expressions a bit more. I didn’t quite nail the angle of my right arm.”
“The human protractor has arrived.”

Kang Yi-chae tossed a lighthearted joke at the constantly muttering Sung Ji-won. The camera director filming The Dun couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Admittedly, the performance is weaker compared to Second Chance.”
“Right. Since it’s a competition, we need something with impact and control.”
“Are you saying we should change the concept?”
“We… seem to be lacking story. And lacking punch too.”

Ah, Jung Da-jun had hit on the core issue.

“Exactly. Actually, the concept itself isn’t the problem. I think we should keep going as is. The problem, like Jung Da-jun pointed out, is the story.”

I tapped the table rhythmically.

“It was vague. I get that it’s about first love, but I can’t picture the situation at all. Who we are, why we like the other person, why our friends are against it—I have no idea about any of it.”

Jung Da-jun furrowed his brow in an uncharacteristic way, lost in thought. We just needed to fill in what was missing. But what was missing?

“The story lacks conviction. That’s why there’s no punch.”
“…I have an idea!”

Jung Da-jun’s hand shot up.

‘Oh?’

It was all the more surprising coming from Jung Da-jun, who had hesitated to voice his opinion during the first intro stage, saying it was too difficult and rolling around on the floor.
As Kim Sung-hyun nodded, Jung Da-jun spoke with animated excitement.

“There’s this movie I’ve been really enjoying lately. It’s called Twilight.”
“Oh. I know it. That’s an older film, right?”
“Yeah! There’s a scene where the protagonist approaches the other person while hiding their true identity.”

Actually, this might work without needing Lee Ji-hyun.
Everyone leaned in, intrigued by the story.

“What if we apply that plot to this song?”
“Then we could rewrite these lyrics like this.”
“Oh, that’s good. Then for this stage, we could do choreography like….”

I watched The Dun members excitedly planning things out among themselves as soon as one concept clicked into place.

‘I was wrong about this.’

These guys don’t lack star quality.
They simply never had the environment to showcase it, being from a mid-sized Entertainment Agency.
I listened intently to even the smallest passing ideas and jotted down meticulous notes, now gazing at the polished scenario that had taken shape.

“Okay. I’m adopting Jung Da-jun’s idea.”
“Really?”

Jung Da-jun’s mouth fell open in surprise before he began pouring out ideas—what about this, what about that—his excitement overflowing.
I noted every last one of them down, then organized the schedule.

“We need to prepare the Stage performance within eight days. Since it’s completely new, we can count that time as learning the choreography, but the arrangement will need to be finished in at least two days from now.”

Should I use Lim Hyun-sung’s chance now? I was already using her so much as it was.
As I clicked my pen in contemplation, Kang Yi-chae glanced over cautiously.

“Hyung. Da-jun.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I do the arrangement?”

What was this now? I lifted my head sharply. Kang Yi-chae smiled with an uncharacteristic hint of embarrassment.

“You know how to arrange?”
“I used to dabble a bit, but I learned a lot from the composer last time. And I’ve tried it a few times on my own since then…”

So that’s why he reacted so enthusiastically to what Lim Hyun-sung said. What should I do?
I spun my pen thoughtfully, weighing Kang Yi-chae’s potential. My golden rule was always to proceed as safely as possible.
Though slightly self-conscious, hunger gleamed in Kang Yi-chae’s eyes—the face of someone desperate to try.
Kang Yi-chae’s instincts, the beautiful image that would be captured on broadcast if a member participated in the arrangement, and a small measure of trust in him.

“I think… it could work?”

As I spoke slowly, Kang Yi-chae smiled with relief.

“I don’t know when you studied this. Did you even have time for it?”
“Just, you know, a little bit here and there.”

Kang Yi-chae scratched his head. The final decision fell to Kim Sung-hyun.

“I like it too. I’m just sorry I can’t help more.”
“Come on, hyung. Don’t say things like that. I’ll pull together something really spectacular then~.”

Kang Yi-chae grinned widely and scribbled notes with enthusiasm.

“Since we’re short on time, I’ll handle the choreography.”

Kim Sung-hyun spoke with determination. Even if time weren’t an issue, it was clear that Dae Pa-sung wouldn’t spend money commissioning choreography.
Whether Kim Sung-hyun had preemptively volunteered or simply offered willingly, at least we could stop worrying about the choreography. He’d been handling it all along anyway.

“Then I need to consult with Yi-chae about how to approach the vocals.”
“I’ll organize this and pass it along to the Planning Team and Production Crew.”

Honestly, our teamwork was solid. After so long, it felt wonderful to be in such perfect sync.
Jung Da-jun blinked his eyes wide and asked.

“Um, so what do I do then? Should I cheer you on? Run errands for you hyungs?”
“Da-jun.”

I gently placed my hand on his shoulder. It had been ages since I’d called him so tenderly, and Jung Da-jun’s eyes widened in shock.

“What are you talking about? You’re the center.”
“Huh?! Not Sung Ji-won hyung or Yoo Hyuk hyung?!”
“With this concept, it has to be you.”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about Da-jun.”
“You need to set the tone well.”

The hyungs teased him with snickering grins, but Jung Da-jun, oblivious to their playfulness, grew increasingly pale under the pressure. Then suddenly, his eyes lit up with determination and he clenched his fists firmly.

“I will… become the face of this team!”
“That’s right. You’re our team’s pride.”

I chuckled softly and scanned the finalized plan with my eyes.
We were ready to prepare the stage.

Ding!

[Please don’t do anything strange…]

‘When did I ever?’

All that remained now was the setup.

***

“Huh?”
“Hello.”

I approached the Mars members with a smile. Whether he was the center or lead vocalist, I wasn’t entirely sure.
In any case, the Marz Vocalist I’d encountered at the Broadcasting Station looked startled as I drew near and returned my greeting.

“What brings you here? I heard The Dun members already left.”
“Ah, I had something I wanted to ask you about.”
“Ask me… hmm, just speak comfortably. Aren’t we the same age? I’ll do the same.”

The conversation flowed better than expected. Or rather, I’d already known this about him, so I’d approached him in the most comfortable way possible.
I sat down on the bench beside him and offered him an ion drink can I’d brought.

“Yeah, why not. Want this?”
“Oh… thanks.”

His face screamed ‘why is he acting like this?’ Since I’d only ever greeted him in passing until now. But I’m quite friendly with people I have business with.

“How’s the planning coming along?”
“Wait, did you come to me just to ask that?”
“No. This is just to ease the tension.”
“What? Haha, you’re really straightforward.”

The Marz Vocalist’s eyes widened before he burst into laughter. He was known for his easygoing personality, and it showed. I simply smiled silently and took a sip from the can.

“So what are you going to do after easing the tension?”
“I wanted to ask you something I’m curious about.”
“What?”
“I saw you the other day. You were cursing out the Today members.”

That’s right. On the broadcast where Today took first place, it was Mars who got caught cursing.
To be precise, he’d said something like, “Those bastards—why do people even like them? Their character is completely rotten.”

“I was curious why you said it that way.”

I spoke calmly. The Marz Vocalist looked at me with eyes brimming with suspicion, clearly wondering what I was scheming.

“Why would you be curious about that?”
“I don’t like them either. I wanted to trash talk about them.”

Of course, I had a different purpose in mind. The Marz Vocalist’s eyebrows shot upward.

“Right… you practically grabbed him by the collar last time. That was satisfying, I’ll admit.”
“That senior seemed to dislike me.”
“Yeah. Well, I already know all about my bad blood with Today anyway. Everyone knows it openly.”
“Really?”

What was he about to say?

“Today’s members are famous for their rotten character. They treat their fans like walking ATMs, yet the fans just suffer in silence because they don’t want to damage Today’s image.”

Ah, really. What even is affection?
Fans who see themselves as money-printing machines, yet get dragged along by old sentiment and even cover idol songs for them… I genuinely felt sorry for Today’s fans.

“But there’s more. Those guys are club regulars. There’s no way they behave themselves there. If you dig, you’ll find even worse stuff.”

A club, Today, and….
Ah. I’m getting a sense of it.
Once you investigate a club, you can quickly tell whether it’s a ‘front’ or not.
I mentally recalled someone’s number. Just these keywords would be enough to dig up information. Anywhere you poke with a rumor, you’ll find people grinning ear to ear.
Of course, I use them well too.

“Yeah, they’re really filthy and petty bastards. Thanks for telling me.”

Mars still didn’t seem to know that Today was the designated group. But there was no need to tell him that. I was about to nod and wrap things up when the vocalist grabbed me by the chin.

“But why are you asking me?”
“Huh?”
“You’d know better if you asked Sung Ji-won.”
“Sung Ji-won is from the same agency, but he probably doesn’t know anything about Today right now.”
“No, that’s not what I mean….”

The Marz Vocalist met my gaze, glanced around nervously, and wrinkled his nose.

“You don’t know, do you?”
“….”

What was he talking about?
As I furrowed my brow, the Marz Vocalist made an awkward expression, hesitated, and finally confessed.

“…Today has sponsorship issues hanging over them. Sung Ji-won was originally slated for a major debut, but he’s famous for walking away because he hated it.”

The Marz Vocalist rolled his eyes and quickly wrapped up.

“Talk to Sung Ji-won about it yourself. That’d be better than hearing it from someone else. Oh, and don’t mention I told you.”
“…Got it.”
“Well then, let’s both do our best in the competition.”

After the Marz Vocalist left, I remained sitting on the bench for a long time.
It all made sense now—Sung Ji-won thinking this was his last chance, that face, that skill, yet he was stuck in some obscure group. It was all because of those pathetic bastards.
Whether in a parallel world or not, such social corruption still ran rampant, and irritation surged through me. I craved the cigarettes I’d quit so seriously.

“Pathetic bastards infest this industry like rats….”

Why did my mood suddenly feel so foul?
Instead of pulling out a cigarette, I downed an ion drink in one gulp and hurled the can into the trash.
I needed to talk to Sung Ji-won.

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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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