The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 367

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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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367

“What are you doing?”

Jung Da-jun kept his eyes on me while straining to hold Chae Jung-woo firmly in both arms, who was quietly observing the situation.

“I, I thought maybe I was a little too harsh on you, so I came back! If I’m really a repair worker, I wanted to go around with you….”
“Why, or should I report you right now?”
“Ah, no, that’s not it!”

I’d hit the mark perfectly.
The maknae, caught red-handed, shouted toward the staff member with a face flushed crimson.

“Ah, anyway, I’ll report! I’ll report you!”

Wouldn’t it have been better to just leave me and report immediately?
I wanted to argue back, but since the entire situation wasn’t over yet, I scanned my surroundings and began slowly backing away.

【A report has been received. All repair workers and ruffians, please gather at the assembly point.】

The announcement came through speakers installed throughout the area, confirming the message had been transmitted.
Then Chae Jung-woo, who had been silent until now, could no longer contain himself and burst into laughter, his upper body shaking.

“Haha, The Dun really does have great chemistry.”

He then effortlessly stood up while still holding Jung Da-jun, who had been restraining him and pressing down from above.

“But Da-jun, you shouldn’t recklessly throw your body around. What would happen if you got hurt?”
“Huh? Yes, yes!”

While Jung Da-jun was being lifted up and could only blink in bewilderment, Chae Jung-woo released his arms and carefully brushed the dust from the maknae’s clothes, then pulled his lips upward in a smirk and pressed the pointer.

“…!!!”
“And sorry, sorry.”

【Jung Da-jun is out, Jung Da-jun is out.】

Man, you idiot….
Chae Jung-woo, who had been patting Jung Da-jun’s shoulder as he wore a dejected expression from his anticlimactic elimination, turned his gaze toward me and spoke.

“—Within 5 minutes of the report, we can catch the repairman, right?”

I quickly searched for cover to hide my body, discovered a side path not far away, and bolted toward it like a madman.

【…—yes. All repairmen and villains, please gather at the assembly point.】

From the footsteps behind me, I knew Chae Jung-woo was following.
Taking a cart to the meeting location would be faster, but if I did, my movements would be restricted and I’d definitely get caught by Chae Jung-woo. I cut around the corner again, deliberately swinging my entire body violently left and right as I ran.
Just then, Kang Yeon-hu, who was heading to the meeting place from another corner, burst into view. His eyes widened as he spotted me a beat too late.

“What, what’s going on? Seo Ho-yoon, why are you running?”
“I’m being chased by Chae Jung-woo, Yeon-hu. He killed Jung Da-jun.”

I answered without slowing my pace, and Kang Yeon-hu also fell in behind me, quickly checking behind us.

“…There’s no one there?”

I turned my head to look, but he was nowhere to be seen—he must have stopped chasing.
As I caught my breath and reached the Rose Garden in front of the promised assembly point after the “report,” everyone except myself, Kang Yeon-hu, and Chae Jung-woo was already gathered.
Joo Woo-sung, who had been talking with Kim Sung-hyun, slightly furrowed his brow and asked.

“What’s up? Why are you breathing so hard?”
“Huff… gasp.”
“Cough, huff….”

I just waved my hand dismissively a few times and collapsed into an empty seat among the chairs arranged in a semicircle. Kang Yeon-hu, who walked to a spot deliberately a couple of seats away from me, sat down with an exhausted expression.

“Let’s vote quickly. Chae Jung-woo is the villain.”
“What?”

Just as everyone’s attention focused on me and I was about to explain the full story, Chae Jung-woo arrived in an electric cart.

“Hey guys~, seriously, Seo Ho-yoon was so scary….”

At the same moment, all eyes that had briefly shifted to Chae Jung-woo snapped back to me. Even now, Chae Jung-woo expertly wiped away his crocodile tears and orchestrated the atmosphere with practiced ease.

“Seo Ho-yoon made Jung Da-jun from the same group let his guard down and killed him, then reported me to frame me.”

Excuse me, what?

“I mean, that’s totally the kind of thing Seo Ho-yoon would come up with, right?”

Joo Woo-sung stroked his chin and nodded. Unable to get a word in, I glared at him for a moment before turning my head toward where The Dun was gathered.

“You guys trust your hyung, right?”
“This is actually pretty convincing though….”
“I know what you mean….”

If I had to judge the credibility between Chae Jung-woo—someone genuinely frustrating but kind and genuinely good-hearted—and Seo Ho-yoon, a person who constantly jokes, teases, and excels at deception, I would’ve sided with the former too.
Kang Yeon-hu, observing the shifting dynamics, slightly took my side.

“But just now, Seo Ho-yoon looked really urgent and was running incredibly fast… if we judge by the situation alone….”
“So did you see Jung Woo chasing after Seo Ho-yoon?”
“…No, I didn’t… but if Seo Ho-yoon were a villain, wouldn’t it be advantageous to reduce the numbers by one more? Shouldn’t he have killed me instead?”
“It’s unclear whether five minutes have passed since the report or not, or considering he might be seen since the meeting place isn’t that far away, he might not have finished me off.”

‘Joo Woo-sung, why don’t you just openly suggest killing me already.’

“Still—….”
“Whoa there!”

Joo Woo-sung thrust his index finger out roughly and whispered to Kang Yeon-hu.

“You haven’t suffered enough at Seo Ho-yoon’s hands yet.”
“….”

We’ll talk after filming wraps.
The High Five members, excluding Kang Yeon-hu, seemed to genuinely believe Chae Jung-woo’s excuse, while The Dun members appeared to have reached a firm conclusion, exchanging knowing glances and nodding at each other.

“Once someone lowers their eyebrows and plays the victim like that, it’s 98 percent a lie anyway. Should we just vote Ho-yoon out first?”
“That seems reasonable.”
“Wait, guys! Aren’t you being too harsh on Ho-yoon?”

In the midst of it all, Sung Ji-won stepped forward with a choked expression, objecting.

“Ho-yoon is a fellow member—we should take his side.”
“….”
“Ho-yoon, I won’t cast my vote against you even if you’re a scoundrel! I promise.”

So Sung Ji-won also seemed to believe firmly that I was a scoundrel.
Having only reinforced the team’s distrust and lost all fighting spirit, I slumped dejectedly in my chair.
The moment I stopped making excuses, the votes were tallied quickly, and Kim Hee-young announced the results.

“Ah, ‘Repair the Amusement Park at Midnight!’ In this historic first vote, the expulsion of Seo Ho-yoon has been approved. However, how shocking——! Seo Ho-yoon was a virtuous repair worker!”
“What?!”
“Huh??”

Reactions of disbelief erupted everywhere.
Kim Hee-young raised her hand to calm them, continuing in a bitter tone.

“…Repair worker Seo Ho-yoon held precious memories throughout this amusement park. In childhood, when joyful moments arrived to celebrate, and when sorrowful times came and he needed strength, he spent time here with close friends. However, betrayed by his colleagues and losing his job, Seo Ho-yoon could no longer see this place as a happy location. Due to this bitter experience, he will never be able to return to the amusement park again.”
“Ah….”
“Seo Ho-yoon….”

Honestly, I thought that was ridiculous, but watching The Dun members lower their heads and approach me sheepishly, I crossed my legs and smirked at them.

“You guys, I can never come to the amusement park again. What should I do?”
“Ah, sorry, bro.”

Blocking the others, Kang Yi-chae grinned with a completely unapologetic expression.
Meanwhile, the voting wrapped up, and as ‘Report’ activated again, Chae Jung-woo was eliminated. However, Chae Jung-woo laughed heartily, saying it wasn’t so bad taking two repair workers with him, and offered me an apology.

“I’m sorry, Ho-yoon.”

When the game resumed, the cast scattered even faster than before.
Since he’d been marked as ‘dead’ from the start, Jung Da-jun, who had no say during the entire vote and could only watch anxiously, finally opened his mouth to the staff.

“Can the dead repair worker not do missions? I’ll stay quiet for real.”
“Well, Da-jun, I’m sorry, but it seems difficult. According to the rules, it’s not allowed.”
“Ugh, then can I just quietly follow the hyungs around? Please?!”
“No, why would you want that so badly….”
“Because it’s really, really, really rare for me to come here… I want to ride the attractions….”

They wore expressions of reluctance, but the moment Jung Da-jun drooped the corners of his eyes and whimpered pitifully, they surrendered without much resistance.

“Fine. But you absolutely can’t tell anyone! And don’t interrupt the game.”
“Yay, thank you so much! Ho-yoon, do you want to come with us?!”
“No thanks. Have fun.”

I ruffled Jung Da-jun’s hair as his eyes sparkled with excitement, then gave him a gentle push forward.

‘Youth, such youth.’

Playing required stamina, and for someone actually in their mid-thirties like me, it was exhausting. I’d rather stay beside the staff and study the latest filming techniques.

“Seo Ho-yoon, I’ll remove your microphone.”
“Sure.”

Since conversation would be impossible while the game was underway, I removed the microphone to charge the battery and avoid audio overlap until we filmed the final scenes.
After that, I conversed with the staff member who’d been instructed to wait at the “Report” meeting point. I wanted to say it had only been a few years, but the equipment and editing techniques that had emerged were surprisingly unfamiliar to me.
As the staff member continued explaining, they glanced around cautiously before lowering their voice.

“…So that rumor going around was true. Seo Ho-yoon, you’re really interested in broadcasting work, aren’t you? Why are you so curious about it?”
“You need to know about everything. Learning will definitely help me, and it’ll help me sustain my career longer.”
“Huh? Haha! But Seo Ho-yoon, you’re a successful idol—what more could you need?”

The staff members laughed it off as if I’d made a funny joke. I simply smiled and deflected with curious questions about this and that.

“Ugh, playing the villain is exhausting too. I tried to catch Kim Sung-hyun, but he was so fast I lost him right in front of me.”
“What? Hyun-sung lost him?”

As time passed, eliminated players began appearing one by one. They were all members of High Five or Black Call, so I decided to leave before getting caught up with them.

‘The members are doing surprisingly well.’

It wasn’t for nothing that the Noeul fans joked that those guys could survive even if thrown on a deserted island.
I informed the Assistant Director beforehand, then moved away. There was a hill with a railing installed some distance from where we were. Despite not being particularly high, it offered a panoramic view of the amusement park. However, with electricity out in several places, it was difficult to spot any signs of people.
As I calmly surveyed the area below, someone suddenly called out to me.

“Um… hyung… I’m here….”

It was Min Ji-heon, of all people.

“Thank you for your hard work, Min Ji-heon.”
“I’m not wearing a mic. Just talk naturally.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”

Words spoken in daylight are heard by birds; words spoken at night are heard by mice. What nonsense.
Pretending ignorance, he shrugged and stepped closer.
Despite being eliminated—which is what being here meant—he looked impeccably groomed from head to toe, suspiciously so.

“You were eliminated?”
“Yeah, I was playing as a villain and got caught red-handed by three people while trying to take out Jeon Sae-young. Got dragged away right after. Ha.”

Min Ji-heon showed no regret about the game, making a playful slashing motion across his neck with the edge of his hand. Then he leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance. A cacophony of noise drifted from all around.

“…Looks like the game’s wrapping up soon.”

Watching lights flicker like Christmas tree bulbs from every direction, he murmured. I found myself staring at the scene too, when suddenly laughter erupted beside me.

“My, look at Seo Ho-yoon’s expression. Are you regretting being eliminated early? Why do you look so wistful?”

This guy’s spouting nonsense again.
He grinned as if he’d caught onto something good.

“You know what’s been weird about Seo Ho-yoon lately?”
“What would that be, senior?”
“You don’t seem to lack energy, but something about you has become subtly… softer, I guess? Like someone who can see the end in sight and has let their guard down a little?”

Min Ji-heon turned around and leaned his back against the railing, his lips curling into a smirk.

“Why, is it time to return to your original world?”

…This bastard’s greatest problem was that he knew far too much about me.
With Seo Ho-jin’s memories in shambles, it was ironic that Min Ji-heon—that irritating bastard—was the only one who understood my situation with any objectivity.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and was about to ignore his words when,

【Ah—, ah—. Microphone test.】

The speakers attached beside the darkened streetlight emitted a burst of static noise before spitting out Kim Hee-young’s voice.

【All WH Entertainment artists, thank you for your hard work. Kang Yi-chae from The Dun has successfully repaired the carousel as the final task, and all amusement rides are now operating normally.】

It was a broadcast announcing the end of the game.
Simultaneously, lights blazed on throughout the darkened surroundings.

【——The Repair Team wins!】

“Wooow—!”

The cheers of the cast members mixed with the applause of the staff members, echoing through the air.
Brilliant lights sparkled and danced, the massive Ferris Wheel turning slowly. From the spinning Carousel came the hopeful theme song of the amusement park.

“With such a beautiful place like this, you must be disappointed to leave, right?”

I spoke while slowly taking in the view before me.

“…Yeah, I guess I would be.”

Min Ji-heon seemed surprised—as if he hadn’t expected such an answer to his own question. I removed my hand from the railing and brushed my hair back.

“Let’s head back now, senior. We need to wrap up the shoot.”

Min Ji-heon, who had been blinking blankly, suddenly spread both arms wide. Then, in an exaggerated theatrical tone, he cried out:

“…Seo Ho-yoon, see these beautiful, brilliant lights? I rented this entire amusement park for you.”

Damn it.
I conveyed my curse through a glare, and I heard Min Ji-heon’s laughter echoing from behind me.
I descended the hill with quick strides and headed back toward where the staff members were gathered. Just then, some familiar-looking members came into view, recognized me, waved their hands excitedly, and rushed over.

“Ugh! Tonguuuuu!!”
“Oh, Ho-yoon~!”

They must have had so much fun that their beautifully styled hairstyles were all messed up.
Jung Da-jun was the first to cling to me, wrapping himself around me as he chattered away.

“Aww, Hoyun hyung, where have you been!! Did you see that?! Our repairman team won! Our team was all repairmen, it’s awesome!”
“Man, you should’ve seen Kang Yi-chae. Yi-chae was seriously amazing. I thought he was filming a spy movie by himself.”
“Hah, Yi-chae really is terrified of his own abilities….”
“Ho-yoon should’ve been here too! It was so much fun!”
“Enough.”

Next, the other members also joined in and chatted loudly.
The other members chimed in one after another, their voices overlapping in cheerful chatter.

“I had fun too.”

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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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