The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 383

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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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383

A few days later, in the WH Entertainment Conference Room.

【My Boy’s Real Experience Part-Time Job Filming Location!】

The moment I sat down, Lee Ji-hyun thrust a PowerPoint presentation onto the projector screen, and I stared at her.

“What is this?”

Part-time job self-produced content felt rather stale, didn’t it?

“Is this content actually good? Haven’t we done quite a bit of part-time work already?”
“Well, most idols don’t usually work part-time jobs at fish markets, so… the vibe doesn’t overlap. The image fans want to see is a bit different too.”

Since there was nothing particularly wrong with what she said, I sank deeper into my chair as a sign to continue. Lee Ji-hyun advanced to the next slide and spoke.
Lee Ji-hyun advanced to the next slide on the PowerPoint presentation as she spoke.

“I see…”
“I see…”

Lee Ji-hyun clapped her hands lightly once to draw the Members’ attention, then continued with a brief explanation. In short, she was suggesting they film a self-produced content of a “part-time job” set in a cafe, which the fans hoped to see.

“Me, me, me! I really wanna do it!!”

Jung Da-jun was the first to cast his vote in favor of this plan. If it meant escaping the hellish year-end stage performances, he was ready to kick off his shoes and run without hesitation—even if it meant being a balloon in front of a BBQ restaurant.

“Then shall we share it?”

Just as I was about to check my slip of paper, Kim Sung-hyun—who hadn’t even unfolded his own yet—peeked at mine.
I was trying to check my scrap of paper when Kim Sung-hyun, who hadn’t even unfolded his own yet, sneaked a peek at mine.

“Oh, Seo Ho-yoon is at the cafe.”

Then he looked them over in order—Sung Ji-won, Kang Yi-chae, Jung Da-jun—and pressed his palm against his forehead.

“…I’ll just head to the Cafe on my own.”

It seemed none of them had any connection to the Cafe anyway.
I’d expected the actual filming to be postponed, but Lee Ji-hyun had no intention of letting this rare, open schedule slip away. She dressed the Members in white shirts and half-length aprons, then immediately rolled the cameras.

“Have you ever worked a part-time job before?”
“No.”
“Right, that’s fine….”

I’d done hagwon break-time special lectures and tutoring, but there would be no record of it in this world. Unaware of this fact, Kim Sung-hyun shook his head and pushed me toward the register.
While I was learning how to use the POS system from a Cafe staff member, Kim Sung-hyun was picking up drink-making techniques from the Cafe Owner. Whether he had prior Cafe experience or not, he grasped everything perfectly from just a casual explanation.

“We’re now open!”

Lee Ji-hyun shouted after finishing her briefing to the Members handling deliveries.
The moment the intentionally closed tent was pulled back, WH Entertainment employees flooded in. As I greeted them and took orders, Sung Ji-won, Jung Da-jun, and Kang Yi-chae huddled together in one corner and suddenly began whispering conspiratorially.
Then Jung Da-jun, his chin held high, walked over with long strides and quietly positioned himself at the very end of the line where customers were waiting to order.
Seeing the Maknae finally arrive right in front of me, I delivered the greeting I’d memorized.

“…Yes, customer. I’ll take your order.”
“Oh, I—! Huh?! I only have a thousand won, wait a second!”

Jung Da-jun frantically dug through both pockets, apologized to the people behind him, then scurried over to Sung Ji-won whining. Clutching a crumpled thousand-won bill in one hand and a crisp five-thousand-won bill in the other, he rushed back to the register and shouted.

“Me, me, me! Hello! I want a hot Americano! A hot Americano!”
“Customer, do you know what an iced Americano is?”
“A warm and cold Americano!”
“…Do you speak Korean?”
“Hurry up! I want a piping hot Americano!”

Watching Jung Da-jun slip into whining mode, I caught Kim Sung-hyun’s eye from where he was rinsing the blender in the back. Quick as a flash, the Leader understood my intent, filled the portafilter with finely ground beans, attached it to the machine, and extracted the espresso.
Kim Sung-hyun filled a cup with ice and water, added the two shots of freshly pulled espresso, and handed me the finished drink.
I opened a water-based marker cap with my mouth in front of Jung Da-jun and wrote on the corner of the transparent cup, then slid it toward him.

“Ho-yoon, what good is just writing ‘HOT’ on it! There are ice cubes floating all over the place!”
“That’s because you’re hot.”
“Ugh…!”

For a moment, Jung Da-jun looked ready to throw a tantrum like an elephant, but something inside him was pleased, and he shuffled backward hesitantly.
Then Sung Ji-won stepped forward. When I nodded for him to order, he reflexively smiled.

“Um, well… I’d like a vanilla latte without the vanilla syrup and—.”
“Yes, just a latte.”
“—and your number. Haha.”
“Ji-won, I’m upset with you.”
“Oh, yeah, sorry….”

Watching Sung Ji-won pout over something so trivial, I clicked my tongue inwardly and hastily scribbled my number on the corner of the receipt and tossed it to him. Blinking, he accepted it and immediately approached Kim Sung-hyun with a proud expression. I could see Kim Sung-hyun looking confused, asking why he needed something he already knew.

‘I’ve managed to get past Sung Ji-won well enough.’

I shifted my gaze to the last person, my tension unrelenting.
Kang Yi-chae, leaning against the wall, was watching the entire situation with an expression of clear displeasure. He leisurely pushed himself off and moved slowly, scanning me from head to toe before curling his lips into a smile.

“Ooh, this cafe’s pretty nice.”

Kang Yi-chae spoke with a languid grin.

“So I’ll have a white mocha shake base with java chips—half blended, half whole on top—mocha syrup with five pumps, and add hazelnut syrup with four pumps… Oh wait! Actually, make the hazelnut syrup three pumps instead. My tastes have changed a little recently, you know~.”
“…How will you be paying?”
“Card.”

He pulled out a character coin purse that Jung Da-jun had forced him to buy during a trip to Japan, and flicked a card out of it with a smirk.
Just as I was about to relay this suspicious order to Kim Sung-hyun with reluctance,

“Order up. White mocha sha—….”
“Ehe~y.”

Kang Yi-chae leaned over the counter almost as if he were about to vault it, grabbing my arm.

“I’d really like that tall guy over there—no, I’d prefer the guy who took my order to make it~.”
“Sir, we cannot assign a specific staff member to prepare your beverage.”
“Ho-yoon’s brother should know how difficult it is to make what he usually drinks.”

This real troublemaker. Watching the staff scattered throughout the space diligently filming, I ground my teeth and mentally raised my middle finger before trudging over to Kim Sung-hyun.

“…What are you doing right now, Seo Ho-yoon, the man who can do anything?”

Even as I held the filter holder—all I had to do was insert it into the coffee machine—I was still fumbling around, and Kim Sung-hyun let out a long, exasperated sigh.

“I’m displaying my humanity.”
“Regardless, your words….”

One way or another, I managed to complete the beverage exactly as Kang Yi-chae had ordered. Though Kim Sung-hyun had done about 90% of the work. As a final touch, I tried to add whipped cream, but nothing came out. After shaking it and pressing the button, it finally exploded, splattering cream across my hands and face.

“Here’s your order.”

Thud!

I set down the cup looking like Santa Claus, my eyebrows furrowed, and Kang Yi-chae—who had been watching my ordeal and giggling with the Maknae the whole time—blurted out his response.

“You drink it, hyung.”
“Pardon?”
“My life tastes bitter, so even an Americano is sweet enough for me.”

Damn it—so my life is cotton candy pink?
While I downed the lukewarm iced coffee in one gulp, having taken so long to make it, Kang Yi-chae picked up the steaming Americano Kim Sung-hyun had prepared and casually disappeared with Jung Da-jun and Sung Ji-won.
I kept chanting to myself that we were in the middle of filming, staring after them as they left, when Kim Sung-hyun jabbed me with his elbow.

“Hey, there’s no way Kang Yi-chae would drink something like that. You’re the only one who drinks something this sweet.”

Then he took the empty cup from my hand and walked it over to the sink.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and turned my head forward to take the next order, when murmurs spread among the staff, and soon a familiar voice reached my ears.

“Hello, what are you filming? Oh, Seo Ho-yoon?”

The person who appeared through the crowd was Chae Jung-woo.

“What are you doing here?”
“I’m working a part-time job.”
“A part-time job?”

Chae Jung-woo chuckled as if amused. In the moment Kim Sung-hyun, who had spotted him a beat late, hastily peeled off his red rubber gloves and bowed at a ninety-degree angle, other Black Call members began appearing one by one.

“Wow, it’s Seo Ho-yoon?”
“Oh, Kim Sung-hyun’s here too. How have you been?”

Even if they were just WH Entertainment employees, a single member of Black Call would have drawn lingering glances from passersby, but with four of them—Chae Jung-woo, Jeon Sae-young, Lee Beom-hyun, and Lee Han-joo—milling about, even the customers who’d come in seemed to instinctively maintain a distance, as if an invisible barrier had been drawn around them.

“But… um, what about Joo Woo-sung sunbae?”

Kim Sung-hyun, a devoted fan of Joo Woo-sung, glanced cautiously around before asking in a small voice.

“Oh, he’s in the Practice Room. Woo-sung hyung usually locks himself in there and doesn’t come out. Says it’s a hassle.”

At Jeon Sae-young’s answer, Kim Sung-hyun’s eyebrows dipped slightly. I was about to change the subject to lighten the mood when Chae Jung-woo suddenly held up his phone.

“…What are you doing?”
“A fancam.”

At this moment?
I wanted to say something, but as a junior with no authority, I could only furrow my brow slightly before relaxing it again.
Meanwhile, Jeon Sae-young, who’d been stroking his chin while scanning the menu, interjected with a smooth tone.

“Handsome hyung, what’s good here? Give us a recommendation.”
“It’s a purified water specialty shop.”
“Ahahaha, quite the joke.”

It seemed like the entire WH Entertainment workforce had assembled just to see Black Call—spectators were gathering in increasing numbers. It was obvious that once they left, orders would flood in like a tidal wave.
I genuinely hoped they’d show the courtesy of group ordering and stick to one menu item, but Jeon Sae-young, Lee Beom-hyun, and Lee Han-joo, who’d been chattering away, ordered three different drinks that were complicated and time-consuming to make.
Chae Jung-woo, who’d been texting on his phone beside me, paused and spoke.

“I’ll just have a warm chamomile tea, please.”

At least Chae Jung-woo had some conscience.

“Yes, I’ll ring it up.”
“By the way, when do you get off your shift? Want to grab a drink after~?”
“I’m planning to never clock out.”

Black Call burst into laughter—the kind that seemed too juvenile for their age.
Then Chae Jung-woo leaned toward Lee Han-joo and whispered something in his ear. Lee Han-joo’s eyes widened, and he nodded before draping an arm across Jeon Sae-young’s shoulder with a mischievous smile.

“If you pick the most handsome member among us, we’ll pay with that person’s card!”

Part-time work is seriously tough….
One wrong choice and I’d be heading straight for disaster, so I was contemplating how to escape this situation when Lee Beom-hyun spoke up urgently before I could.

“Wait, Jeon Sae-young, Lee Han-joo! Calm down! This is a question that could put Seo Ho-yoon in a difficult position! We’re filming right now, remember.”

That Lee Beom-hyun. A man with his head on straight—.

“How about asking who among us is the most respected person instead?”

—doesn’t exist.
Though I didn’t know him well, the fact that Lee Beom-hyun was a Black Call member made him an exceptional person from the start.

“Ooh! That’s a great idea?!”
“Good, I agree! That’s absolutely perfect~.”

You bastards.
I’m already exhausted enough.
Once the flood of orders slowed down because of Black Call, Kim Sung-hyun—who had no desire or will to stop the respected senior—brazenly settled down beside me and watched with a smirk.

“What are you doing, Seo Ho-yoon? Hurry up and pick one.”

Four cards were laid out in a row on the counter table.
I casually waved my hand back and forth, pretending to keep time with them. Then I just grabbed one at random.

“Ohhh!”
“Yesss!!”

At the same moment, Lee Beom-hyun’s face flushed red, and exclamations burst from the mouths of the other Black Call members.

“Wow, truly Lee Beom-hyun is the best~.”

It must have been Lee Beom-hyun’s card.
Lee Han-joo clapped loudly and made a fuss about it.

“Seo Ho-yoon says he respects our Beom-hyun~. The most in our company~.”
“Seo Ho-yoon, ah, I had no idea….”

Jeon Sae-young and Chae Jung-woo chimed in with their support as well.
If I’d had scissors right then, I would’ve cut up every single one of those black cards and hurled them to the ground.
But the real answer was to handle this troublemaker as quietly and quickly as possible.
I swallowed my sigh and let it pass without expression.

“Yes, please wait up front….”

Or rather, I was trying to let it pass.
The moment I gathered the cards to finish the payment—

“Wait!!!”

Crash!

A figure burst through the crowd and slammed against the counter table, breathing heavily.

“Gasp, cough, huff….”

The person who lifted his head was Joo Woo-sung, his hair disheveled from dance practice.

“Without me, you’re about to drink a beverage absolutely loaded with…crap?”

Did he just curse?
While the Black Call members giggled and laughed openly, Joo Woo-sung glared at them sharply, pushed Lee Beom-hyun’s card aside, and pulled out his own from his wallet, extending it to me.
Then he met my eyes and spoke each word deliberately, with emphasis.

“You know whose card you should pick, right?”

Damn it, can’t I just pay with my own card?

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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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