The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 361

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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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361

“I’ve looked after you since the beginning… and now you’re going to turn your back on me when my career is on the verge of collapse because of dating rumors?”

He’d already forgotten—this guy had dated plenty of times.
And I’m his blackmailer, you bastard….

I didn’t bother firing back, just stayed silent, when Jeon Sae-young and Lee Han-joo whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“Seo Ho-yoon’s looking at Woo-sung with such disdain right now….”
“Our hyung is seriously an embarrassment no matter where you take him.”
“Hey, we can all hear you.”

Damn, I guess it showed.
I slowly raised my hand to brush my chin, then opened my mouth.

“…I don’t think your career will actually end.”
“W-well, that may be true, but… there will be damage!”

I swept my narrowed gaze over Joo Woo-sung.
There was only one reason I’d helped Joo Woo-sung in “Unknown Actor Tycoon.”

‘He looked unstable.’

Like someone who felt nothing at all, the exhaustion that enveloped him seemed precarious.
And it looked terribly out of place on someone naturally blessed with brilliance.

‘Should I help him willingly? No.’

There would be damage, as he said.
But it wouldn’t be significant. WH Entertainment would contain it adequately, and the truth would come out with time anyway.

“I’m supposed to make my solo comeback at the end of the year—what am I supposed to do, huh?!”
“Sigh….”

…Well, fine.
A guy who’s genuinely trying to change his ways and pursue idol work—I couldn’t refuse to help him once. Except….
Anticipating the conversation would drag on, Kang Yi-chae slipped to the side and quietly texted The Dun Members.

“You’re absolutely sure you’ve never met even once? These pictures look pretty intimate.”

As I pointed to one of several photos to double-check, Joo Woo-sung waved his hand dismissively.

“No way. These are all photoshopped.”
“Hmm, I see. Well, setting that aside—if they’re composites, each company will handle it. I don’t think I need to get involved.”

As I’d mentioned, it seemed odd for me to meddle in work that his agency should handle anyway.
At that, Joo Woo-sung’s lips pouted out as if genuinely hurt.

“I wasn’t expecting you to actually solve it. But at least you should pretend to care, right? Look at everything I’ve done for you.”

So that’s what this was about—trying to show off his generosity.
I clicked my tongue inwardly while plastering on a business smile.

“Senior Joo Woo-sung.”
“What!”
“I believe life is more beautiful precisely because it has its ups and downs. Think of this situation as part of that process.”
“So you’re basically telling me to take a fall.”

I jabbed Kang Yi-chae in the ribs with my elbow as he stood beside me, perfectly articulating my true thoughts.

“Well then, Yi-chae and I should get going. Fighting, Senior!”

I bowed respectfully and turned to leave, but Joo Woo-sung raised one eyebrow and spoke curtly, arms crossed.

“You won’t lift a finger unless there’s profit in it, seriously…. So what, you’ll do a variety show appearance? Then you’ll help?”

Wait, did you hear the tone of that?
I furrowed my brow slightly, and behind Joo Woo-sung, Jeon Sae-young and Lee Han-joo started snickering.

“Didn’t you say everyone from WH Entertainment is gathering to film a variety show anyway…?”
“Right. And it’s funny how he’s always calling Seo Ho-yoon whenever he has no friends, acting like he’s doing charity.”
“Are you guys on my side or not?!”

Joo Woo-sung, who had been seething, let out a heavy sigh and muttered in a small voice.

“It’s frustrating, but I really want to do right by the real fans… I don’t want to disappoint them….”
“Hm….”
“Oh… You have such a commendable heart?”

Unlike Jeon Sae-young and Lee Han-joo, whose eyes had grown slightly warmer, I watched the scene with a disapproving gaze.

“…Seo Ho-yoon.”

A voice tinged with awkwardness called out to me.
Chae Jung-woo, standing a few paces away, gestured with a gentle smile. As I approached, careful persuasion followed.

“Could you perhaps help us keep in sync? After examining the articles carefully, I think things would settle faster if you helped clarify the situation.”
“Mm.”
“It’s not a major issue, but if a member takes a hit during this prolonged hiatus, it could affect the entire group. And if you don’t mind, could you appear on my radio show again? The response was really good last time.”

That final proposal was likely a reward for my cooperation.
He really knows how to handle people.
I paused to think it over from different angles, then deliberately cleared my throat a couple of times before speaking loudly.

“…Hmm, a radio show? With The Dun as a whole?”
“Yes, I’ll confirm and get back to you. But you don’t need to worry.”

Chae Jung-woo met my eyes and smiled confidently.

“When I say something, it usually happens.”

I immediately turned my head toward Joo Woo-sung.

“When are you free today, Woo-sung?”

By then, Joo Woo-sung’s eyes had already narrowed with suspicion.
What. Why. Are you scheming something.

***

[Wow Joo Woo-sung Dating Rumor]

Rumors of Joo Woo-sung and the actress dating spread like wildfire.

[LOL Fuck, I knew that would happen, I should have hidden it better. Woosung, he said he was a homebody and he made a big image out of it, but then he brought his girlfriend to his house and lived with her. LOL]
[It’s a bit sad to see these guys insisting that it’s a legend ㅜㅜ that they’re really overly immersed in.]
[While you’re putting up your blood shields, your oppas are sucking your money dry and going on ♡dates♡ with their girlfriends~~]
[Looking at the photos, it’s definitely
Joo Woo-sung, smiling contentedly]

The photos used in the article were all remarkably well-timed. Yet upon closer inspection, something felt subtly off.
Fans speculated they might be photoshopped, but they couldn’t find the original source anywhere.

[Damn, Woo-sung really isn’t like that]
[So frustrating. Even if he denies it, they call it a blood shield. How is he supposed to respond to this?]
Finding the original source is damn hard. This seems like a secondhand account.

Just as Bloy fans were losing hope of quelling this absurd rumor,

[Ho-yoon: (photo)]
[Ho-yoon: Noeul, hello.]
[Ho-yoon: Have you eaten?]

A Pop Pop message from Seo Ho-yoon appeared on the feeds of Noeul fans who were actively engaging as usual.

Seo Ho-yoon’s photo is the highest majesty.

Looks like someone took this for me?? They really got a good shot.
└└ㅇㅇ It’s kind of a hot Starstagram stㅋㅋ]

[Ho-yoon in black with so much cat hair on him]

Among those who saw it, a few who had been following the WH Entertainment lineage could immediately identify the location just from the wallpaper and sofa cushions.
They quickly logged into their private accounts and exchanged information.

[Wait, isn’t this Joo Woo-sung’s place?]
[Oh, so he’s with Joo Woo-sung]

Until now, Seo Ho-yoon had rarely been the first to reveal personal connections through SNS, Pop Pop, or livestreams.

[Seo Ho-yoon and Joo Woo-sung are really close]

[There were some instances before too—occasionally during Seo Ho-yoon’s unofficial schedules, white fur would get stuck on his clothes and everyone would ask what it was

“People were saying that’s why Seo Ho-yoon was meeting a woman, but it turned out Joo Woo-sung was talking about Nyang-nyang at his place lol”

But on this day, as if he’d made up his mind, Seo Ho-yoon didn’t hesitate to mention his relationship with Joo Woo-sung.

[Ho-yoon: Oh, you mean the fuzz?]
[Ho-yoon: It’s cat fur. When I wear dark clothes, it tends to stick pretty easily…]
[Ho-yoon: Sorry. I should’ve cleaned up and taken the photo more neatly.]

The Noeul fans were delighted by Seo Ho-yoon’s coy response, but when the Bloy fans saw the screenshots circulating, they sensed something fishy and their eyes gleamed with suspicion.

[Wait a minute… Looking at SHY’s photo, there’s a ton of cat fur all over it, but Sim Jung-yoon doesn’t have any. Isn’t that weird? When I visit my friend’s place who has a cat, fur gets all over my clothes

└Oh right;;]
└That’s true. If he’d actually gone to the house, Nyang-nyang’s white fur should’ve shown up on his clothes… Why didn’t I think of that?]

[We need to dig into Seo Ho-yoon too, not just throw Joo Woo-sung under the bus]

From that moment on, Black Call fans began systematically excavating and documenting everything—The Dun’s official YouTube channel, their Twitter accounts, SNS, Pop Pop, everything.

[Wait, Joo Woo-sung’s outfit in the article photo with Sim Jung-yoon… it’s identical to what Seo Ho-yoon was wearing in the workshop prep vlog uploaded on The Dun’s YouTube channel
So you’re saying Joo Woo-sung was in the Practice Room, lol.

└Oh yeah!!! Joo Woo-sung sent a Pop Pop message at that time saying he was with Seo Ho-yoon, and the timing matches
└If you look at the selfie Joo Woo-sung sent at the time of TLQKF, you can see the time on the wall clock in the practice room haha]

After meticulously organizing everything by time, they cross-referenced it with Black Call’s official accounts and the posts Joo Woo-sung had occasionally uploaded.

[Aaaahhh I even found the original photo before compositing it ㅅㅂ These are all composites uploaded by foreign fans ㅜㅜ The compositing was really good. What editing program do you use? Let’s use it together ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋ]

Once fan sightings were factored in as well, alibis for every single time slot mentioned in the articles were established.
Aside from a few minor personal schedules, he’d been with Seo Ho-yoon for almost everything.

[Wow, Joo Woo-sung…]
[He literally only meets with Seo Ho-yoon]
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
[Damn it, what the hell is this friendship]

I just dug through the Drama Production staff at StarStar and found out lolol the rumored boyfriend/girlfriend is actually an actor/actress who was even filming the drama in Bali at that time

└Wow hahahaha this dating rumor is really absurd hahahaha
The truth revealed by cat hair lol

As the situation transformed into a laughable incident, SNS real-time trends were flooded with “Joo Woo-sung dating,” “cat hair,” “what is this,” “Seo Ho-yoon Pop Pop,” and more.

[Woo-sung… 5252… Plus, looking at the timeline now, they all just went to WH to practice…]
[Damn, those garbage reporters who picked up the composite image]
[OK, we’re blocking all of them now, we got PDFs of all those bastards, let’s sue them and squeeze money out]

And so Joo Woo-sung’s dating rumor gradually faded away.
Meanwhile, within Black Call’s fandom, Seo Ho-yoon’s favorability and reputation steadily climbed.

[Seo… this guy is kind of like Joo-sung’s guardian spirit or something?]

In an instant, countless private account retweets flooded in and the post was quickly deleted, but the word “guardian spirit” had lodged itself firmly in the hearts of Bloy fans.

[Seo Ho-yoon is a ‘god’…]

.
.
.

I, monitoring the situation from Joo Woo-sung’s place just in case, replied earnestly to messages from fans before tucking my phone into my pocket.
Then, looking at Joo Woo-sung still pouting, I casually tossed out a comment.

“How’s my junior who wrapped everything up in half a day?”

Joo Woo-sung sprawled across a single-seat sofa and spoke sarcastically.

“You’re absolutely amazing.”
“Nice having such a talented junior, right?”

Well, WH Entertainment isn’t a major agency for nothing—even without me stepping in, they would’ve handled it just fine on their own.
I simply scattered a bit of bait to help things resolve a little faster.
The longer these situations dragged on, the worse it was, and if we’d released an official statement, even people who’d quieted down would start suspecting we were hiding something.

Despite having stepped up to help, Joo Woo-sung remained sulky and pouty for some reason.

“Well, where did your thanks go?”
“I’m sooooo grateful.”

I shook my head with exaggerated reluctance, then scooped up Nyang-nyang, who had been loitering around my feet.
Even stretched out like a spring, the cat purred contentedly, rubbing its face against my neck. I felt the warmth of its body and let out a soft chuckle.

“But you said we’d do a variety show together.”
“Hm? It’s not confirmed yet. We need to coordinate with the company.”
“Ah… but Joo Woo-sung, doesn’t WH have any of your exes? It’ll be awkward if we run into them during filming.”

I tickled Nyang-nyang’s chin as I asked, and Joo Woo-sung’s eyes blinked rapidly.

“Well, I guess as long as it’s not meeting multiple people at once, it should be fine?”
“…”
“It was fine when you met Ha Seo-yeon and Han Chae-ri, wasn’t it?”

But an ominous silence followed.
I narrowed my eyes and stared directly at Joo Woo-sung.

“…What? Are there more?”

Yet Joo Woo-sung didn’t answer this question either.

“Don’t tell me it’s not two, but three…”
“…”
“…Four?”
“…”

I immediately got up and headed toward the entrance. Nyang-nyang, who had been lounging on my lap, startled and bolted toward the dressing room.
Joo Woo-sung, fidgeting with his fingers while avoiding my gaze, hurried after me.

“Seo Ho-yoon, where are you going?!”
“I’m leaving because this is disgusting.”
“Hey! Hey! No, it’s not like that! Don’t think what you’re thinking! Don’t imagine weird things! I swear on my life I’ve never dated anyone and never brought anyone home!”
“Yes, I see.”
“It’s just… a slightly awkward vibe? But I never hit on them first or anything, and there are just a few people who developed feelings for me one-sidedly, so I thought it’d be a bit! awkward if we ran into them again… You, you! Really! Stop looking at me like that! I’ve reformed and I’m living my life dedicated solely to being an idol! Is it a sin to be popular even when I’m just standing still?!”

Get out of my way, you crazy bastard.

“I haven’t met anyone in the past three years, seriously—.”

—Bang!

I shoved the guy who kept making endless excuses and slammed the door shut.
As I left the apartment, mentally offering Chae Jung-woo and Bloy some hollow consolation, I muttered under my breath.

“Maybe that bastard should just retire right now.”

Ding!

[I agree this time.]

I brushed the cat hair clinging to my black hoodie away, reaffirming my resolve.
Even if I went back to being a PD, I wouldn’t cast Joo Woo-sung again.

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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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