The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 34

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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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34

“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing….”

Sung Ji-won’s eyes widened as he paused his practice.
Looking at him again, I realized he was far too talented to be wasting away in some small entertainment agency like this. His face had the makings of a popular idol, his vocals were exceptional, and he danced with the kind of dedication that marked him as one of the truly devoted—a rare breed among rare breeds.
It was all painfully predictable. He’d probably caught the eye of some major agency once, bounced around from place to place after that, and eventually rolled down to this small outfit.

‘Better to suffer heartburn here than suffocate to death in that place.’

That’s certainly what he’d said before.
Sung Ji-won knew it all too well. If he got pushed out again, there was nowhere left to go. That’s why he’d called this his last chance from the beginning.
The world was truly petty and cruel.

But there was no need to bring it up now.

“…I’m not sure about the pitch here.”
“Huh? You? What’s gotten into you, pitch machine?”
“Teach me.”

The moment I changed the subject, Sung Ji-won sprawled out on the practice room floor and began scribbling notes on the lyric sheet, explaining with passionate intensity.

“You need to nail the ending note here. It goes from la to C sharp, and a piano would be perfect for this—well, since we don’t have one, let’s just use an app to listen.”

‘An entertainment agency without even an electronic piano… what kind of operation is this?’

The more I watched, the more I had to admit he was genuinely talented. And here he was, teaching me with such enthusiasm, not a hint of reluctance….

‘…This is oddly irritating.’

As I pressed my forehead while recalling what I’d heard yesterday, Kang Yi-chae suddenly yanked the door open with a bang. Beside him stood Kim Sung-hyun, wearing a strangely satisfied expression.

“Hyung!”
“Hey, you’re going to break the practice room door. Are you going to fix it?”
“If the door breaks, we’ll just practice with it broken. It’ll be nice and breezy.”

Kang Yi-chae spoke shamelessly as he approached where Sung Ji-won and I were sitting. Then he flopped down and opened the laptop he’d been carrying.

“I touched it yesterday, right? I called composer Lim Hyun-sung and got confirmation, and she said it turned out better than expected? Of course, I got some criticism too…. But in the end, I got final approval!”
“Yeah, yeah.”

Ding!

[Passion—what’s this?]

Kang Yi-chae appeared to be working hard on something, yet at the same time he carried an ease and leisure about him. He’d always maintained the stance of a bystander, acting indifferent, but this was the first time I’d seen him so proactive.

“Listen to this. First, our debut single—Glow.”

As Kang Yi-chae played the track, even Jung Da-jun, who had been sprawled in the corner, came rushing over and perked up his ears.
The song began with a creaking sound and footsteps echoing steadily. The melody that followed carried a refreshing clarity that felt more mature than the original high-teen vibe, leaning instead toward a crisp sophistication. And as it reached the final section, it held a unique charm with a subtle twist that I found appealing.

“And second is our comeback track, Second Chance. Ah, wait—I should say ‘second opportunity,’ right? Given the concept.”

Kang Yi-chae grinned broadly and played the next song.
This one had a completely different concept. The beat that Lim Hyun-sung had maintained remained intact, but with sound effects added, it became more ethereal and wistful in atmosphere.
The members who listened to the end fell into silence.

“What, what?”

Kang Yi-chae was greatly flustered by the silence that hung over the practice room.

“Don’t you like it? Should I revise it a bit more? I thought it was decent….”
“…Yi-chae.”

At Sung Ji-won’s call, who had been lost in thought, Kang Yi-chae’s eyes widened.

“Are you… a genius?”
“Huh?”
“Wow—I never knew Yi-chae had this kind of talent.”
“Yi-chae hyung, you really picked these well. I can’t believe these are our songs.”

As praise poured in, Kang Yi-chae slowly blinked before breaking into a crooked smile. Then he giggled and placed a hand over his chest.

“Phew, I’m even scared of my own talent… At this rate, won’t I end up composing a Billboard number one hit?”
“Let’s ignore him.”
“Yi-chae always gets like this before stopping anyway.”

Everyone threw jokes at Yi-chae, who was quickly getting full of himself, but the song had genuinely turned out brilliantly.
I recalled the stat window that had appeared in my mind earlier.
Maybe Kang Yi-chae’s trait was exactly that.

“I listened to Kang Yi-chae’s arrangement first and thought about the choreography in advance. The initial movement pattern starts like this…”

Kim Sung-hyun explained while drawing lines across the paper. Jung Da-jun, who had been watching silently, suddenly raised his hand.

“Hyung!”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t understand your drawings, hyung.”
“…Ugh, fine then. Get up. I’ll show you directly.”

Kim Sung-hyun sighed deeply, pushed the paper and pen aside, and began demonstrating the dance himself. One by one, two by two, we started following Kim Sung-hyun’s movements, and soon everyone was syncing up the choreography.
And the whole time, I was getting thoroughly scolded by Kim Sung-hyun.

“Seo Ho-yoon!”
“Seo Ho-yoon, I told you that’s not your spot!”
“Seo Ho-yoon!”
“…I know my name is Seo Ho-yoon.”
“If you know it, then come over quickly when I call.”
“Ugh…”

It seemed Kim Sung-hyun had caught Sung Ji-won’s practice-obsessed disease. I answered dutifully and practiced persistently, but I still hadn’t satisfied Kim Sung-hyun.
Well, my base stats were like this anyway.

[Viewing Seo Ho-yoon’s stats.]
[Seo Ho-yoon
An unknown idol appearing on Shining Star. Recently gaining a burst of popularity.]
[Vocals: A
Dance: D+
Entertainment: B+
???: ???
???: ???
Charm: B+]

What changed?
It went from D- to D+.
A very small improvement.

“Why isn’t it working?”
“Maybe it’s because Ho-yoon doesn’t have much stage experience?”
“Huh?”
“Well, performing on stage feels different, doesn’t it? It could be that he lacks the sense for it because he hasn’t had enough real experience.”
“But that doesn’t mean he can just go on stage right now either.”
“That’s true, but….”

Hey, System Window… give me a hand here. Please….
Just as I was thinking that, I heard a chime—ding!—for the first time in ages.

[Quest Arrived!]
[Pathetic!
A surprise gift from the System Window, taking pity on player Seo Ho-yoon. Hold a surprise guerrilla concert and recruit five hundred audience members.
Success: Dance D+ → C-
Success: Dance D+ → C-

I jumped up.
I shot to my feet.

“Guys.”
“Hey, everyone.”
“What?”

Everyone looked at me with puzzled faces.

***

[Everyone, today at 7 o’clock, The Dawn will be performing a guerrilla performance at Hosan Park in Sangyo-dong!
[Everyone, today at 7 PM, The Dun is launching a guerrilla performance at Sanho-dong Hosan Park!
I’m looking forward to seeing you all there!

“Let me check the microphone there!”
“I’ll check the microphone over here!”

To promote the suddenly caught guerrilla performance, group photos and promotional slogans were posted on various social media, and they were spreading at an alarming rate.
After posting group photos and promotional messages across various social media platforms to publicize the hastily arranged guerrilla performance, the posts spread at an alarming pace.

“Seo Ho-yoon, are you ready?”
“Seo Ho-yoon, are you ready?”
“Ah, yes, Ji-hyun. Thank you for accommodating such a sudden request.”

The words ‘If you know, don’t do it’ were written all over my face, but I just ignored it.

‘Is Lee Ji-hyeon good at her job?’

As soon as I barged into the office and started speaking, I was able to easily get staged by not only promoting on social media but also contacting all the venues without any hesitation.
The moment I burst into the office and broached the subject, without a hint of hesitation, she not only handled the social media promotion but also contacted all the relevant venues and successfully secured a stage with remarkable efficiency.

“It’s true. If everything goes well today, I’ll definitely tell the CEO and ask him to give me a bonus.”
“Seriously. If things go well today, I’ll make sure to tell the CEO and get you a bonus.”

What are the chances that an idol who has just started to make a name for himself will actually receive a bonus even if his representative tells him about it? I also knew Lee Ji-hyun, who was also at the end of Daepaseong. However, it seems like he doesn’t hate me for trying to take care of him, even though he says a single word can repay a thousand-nyang debt.

When I saw Jihyun Lee slowly raising the corner of her lips and concentrating on her work again, I smiled and looked around. Everyone was busy looking at their parts in the waiting room, which was made into a tent.
Watching Lee Ji-hyun’s lips curl up slightly before she refocused on her work, I chuckled and glanced around the hastily assembled tent waiting room. Everyone was absorbed in reviewing their parts.

“The Dawn, are you ready?”
“The Dun, are you ready?”

As we slowly gathered together, Seonghyeon Kim glanced at me.

“I knew Seo Ho-yoon was truly ruthless, but I didn’t know it would be to this extent.”
“I knew Seo Ho-yoon was reckless, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”
“Sometimes in this world, you have to take the plunge.”
“Well, we get to perform, so it’s all good for us.”

Jeong Da-jun pursed his lips. His face was pale.

“I went out and there was no one there, right? I guess ten people came, right?”
“When I went out, there wasn’t… surely at least ten people showed up, right?”
“Hmm….”
“Remember when we did that guerrilla performance after releasing our debut single? Did about ten people come then?”
“Yeah, and half of them were just passersby.”

Seong Ji-won smiled quietly. The public relations team was busy taking pictures of that smile next to her.
Sung Ji-won smiled gently. The Promotion Team was busily filming that smile from beside him.

“Put your hands together.”
“Put your hands together.”
“Right. …But we still haven’t decided on a chant, have we?”
“Just do something quick, let’s at least get in the mood.”

Jeong Da-jun pouted his lips and grumbled. We were secretly surprised that Jeong Da-jun knew the word ‘fist-crawling’.
Jung Da-jun pouted his lips and grumbled. We were secretly amazed that Jung Da-jun even knew the word “makeshift.”

“Alright, fighting!”
“Let’s go, let’s go, fighting!”

Hair spray followed the members until the moment they left the tent.
Hairspray clung to the members even as we exited the tent.
Once outside, a microphone was passed through the bustling atmosphere, followed by instructions from the staff guiding us to the stage.

“Waaah!”
“Waaaah!”
“You guys!”

A lot of people were filling the park. The staff members who were hastily deployed were also seen sweating as they tried to stop them.
Countless people filled the park. Hastily deployed staff were sweating profusely trying to hold them back.

This is… .
This was….
Not five hundred people.

“….”

Seonghyeon Kim quickly came to his senses and comforted us. I quickly put the microphone to my mouth and bent down.

“Hello, this is The Dawn!”
“Hello, we are The Dun!”

After everyone finished greeting each other, Seonghyun Kim moistened his lips with his tongue as if he was nervous.

“It’s cold today, but thank you for gathering here.”
“It’s cold today, and we’re grateful you’ve gathered here like this.”
“Honestly, we weren’t sure if you’d come like this. We were really surprised.”
“Earlier, Jung Da-jun was saying maybe ten people would show up….”

Jeong Da-jun’s complexion turned pale and he stopped Kang I-chae.
Jung Da-jun’s face went pale as he tried to stop Kang Yi-chae.

“A lot of people came… I’m just sorry that I don’t have many songs to show you today.”
“You’ve come in such great numbers… I’m sorry we don’t have many songs to show you today.”
“It’s fine! It’s fine! We just need to see your faces.”

I laughed at the words coming out of the audience.

“As for rice… I’m Korean, so I eat well three times a day.”
“Well… since I’m Korean, I make sure to eat three meals a day properly.”
“My hyung is always nagging me. He tells me to make sure I eat, you know.”

of course. No matter what you do, you have to eat and eat.
Of course. No matter what you’re doing, you’ve got to eat properly.

“We are eating well. We hope our fans will also eat well. Then, we will show you our comeback song Second Chance.”

When the topic of Second Chance came up, it was filled with cheers. We bowed and went back to plan our route.
The moment Second Chance was mentioned, cheers erupted. We bowed and moved into position for our choreography. By now, it felt like I’d heard this beat thousands of times. The audience probably couldn’t see it, but Kim Sung-hyun was mouthing along to the fan chant.
Kim Sung-hyun, Sung Ji-won, Seo Ho-yoon, Kang Yi-chae, Jung Da-jun.
Sung Ji-won, seeing him, giggled, and the moment the first verse began, he grinned and launched into the performance.

“Seongjiwoeoeon!”

[This ringing feeling in my head, in other words.]

The slogan, “I am back,” was clearly met.
I had returned, and everything fell into perfect sync.

[You can never miss this opportunity]

Seong Ji-won came back and this time it was my turn. There were cheers that were perhaps even more breathtaking than during the music room.
Sung Ji-won stepped back, and now it was my turn. The roar from the crowd was somehow even more breathtaking than during the Music Show.

[You feel anxious because of the low probability, there is no need to be]

“doesn’t exist!”

[Because I will lead you]

It was a moment that would become a highlight. Suddenly, the music that was playing crackled and cut off. Seonghyun Kim’s face hardened.

‘shit.’

Acoustic accident.
A sound system failure.

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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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