The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 384

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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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384

Four pairs of eyes gleamed with anticipation, one pair blazed with fervent intensity, and countless others brimmed with curiosity—all fixed upon me.
I exhaled softly, reached into my back pocket, pulled out my card, and inserted it into the payment terminal.

“That’s 27,600 won. Processing payment now.”

Confusion washed across Black Call’s faces. I smiled for the camera, aware of its gaze.

“I wanted to treat my seniors.”
“…I see….”

Chae Jung-woo let out an exclamation a beat too late.

“So the person you respect most is yourself? Love myself. That’s cool.”
“Well, well. Indeed, Seo Ho-yoon.”

Jeon Sae-young played along with an impish expression, even wagging his index finger left and right.
I’d assumed Black Call would be more mature, but they were anything but. Whether it was because WH Entertainment would edit it skillfully or because their experience ran deep, their behavior was remarkably uninhibited.

“Respect? Weren’t we picking the most handsome person?”

Joo Woo-sung bounded forward like someone who’d rushed over for a card draw, jerking his head upward stiffly. Lee Han-joo tilted his head at the remark.

“Huh? What are you talking about? We changed it to the member we respect most based on Beom-hyun’s opinion earlier….”
“What? Hey! Then you should’ve picked me even more!”

Watching Joo Woo-sung thrash about in such frenzy, I could roughly piece together how he’d been lured here.
No wonder Chae Jung-woo had been holding his phone the whole time, which was unlike him.
Lee Han-joo narrowed his eyes and asked Joo Woo-sung.

“So you rushed out of the practice room because you wanted to hear that you’re handsome?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that….”

A flustered Joo Woo-sung took a step back from Black Call. Then Lee Beom-hyun strode forward and grabbed his shoulder.

“…Woo-sung, have your self-esteem taken a hit lately? You came running just to hear something like that…. Don’t the fans tell you you’re handsome?”
“…Brother, Woo-sung is so handsome~.”
“You’re totally handsome~.”

Jeon Sae-young and Lee Han-joo deliberately whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, as if to console him themselves. With his face flushed crimson, Joo Woo-sung forced himself to shout as if nothing was wrong.

“O-of course I hear it all the time! Why are you all looking at me with such pity!”
“Joo Woo-sung.”

With practiced ease, Chae Jung-woo pressed his index finger against Joo Woo-sung’s lips, silencing him.

“Stop making noise and let’s go. The more you talk, the weirder you look.”

Chae Jung-woo flashed me a smile with his eyes before taking the lead, gripping the back of Joo Woo-sung’s neck. The other Black Call members trailed behind him obediently.
Shortly after, everyone except Joo Woo-sung received their drinks in disposable cups and returned to the practice room. That guy alone grabbed a mug and quietly slipped off to a blind spot in the camera’s view to settle down.
Thinking he’d return on his own, I stopped paying attention and focused on the part-time job.

After taking orders from roughly a dozen customers in succession, Kim Sung-hyun pulled espresso shots without pause. Kang Yi-chae, Jung Da-jun, and Sung Ji-won bustled about the cafe as well.
Just when I thought the rush had finally died down, Lee Ji-hyun informed me that there wasn’t much time left before the scheduled filming.
With his composure restored, Kim Sung-hyun made a few more drinks with barely contained excitement, glancing at Joo Woo-sung. Only after the three members who had gone out for delivery returned could I finally move on to the closing remarks for this grueling self-produced content.

“Thank you for your hard work~.”
“Yes, thank you~.”

The red light on the camera went out, and the staff hurried to pack up.
Onlookers still surrounded the area, though noticeably fewer than at the beginning.
I walked to a corner of the cafe. Joo Woo-sung was already sprawled out asleep. I tapped the back of his shoulders with my fingertips.

“Hey.”

His eyelids lifted immediately, and in a half-awake daze, he slowly propped up his upper body.

“Aren’t you going back to practice?”
“Ugh… I don’t want to go back….”

This lunatic, trying to be cute now.
I rubbed my arms, which had broken out in goosebumps, and broached the subject that had been nagging at me ever since I’d encountered Black Call.

“Are you coming back next year?”
“How did you know?”
“Of course I know. You’re all hanging around together like that—who wouldn’t notice?”

They were people who had scattered in different directions for personal schedules after announcing a temporary hiatus. If Black Call’s full roster appeared together in The Dun’s self-produced content this time, rumors about a comeback next year would spread like wildfire.

“Will we edit Black Call out of this self-produced content?”
“Ah, forget it. The way Chae Jung-woo brazenly crawled in with the members even with the camera rolling—he obviously wanted to make it obvious on purpose.”

Chae Jung-woo was certainly more skilled at managing fans than Joo Woo-sung or me.
I felt a fresh wave of amazement at how he calculated everything in that fleeting moment and acted with that intention from the start.
Joo Woo-sung, rubbing beneath his nose with his index finger, lowered his gaze and muttered.

“He’s just itching to get back on stage. He should focus on taking care of his own health.”
“…How’s practice going?”
“It’s a complete mess. It’s been so long that nothing’s clicking. We’re drilling it in, but… ah, but Lee Han-joo, that guy’s hilarious, right? He fell during choreography and then asked if he could rest while he was already down.”

Despite his grumbling tone, Joo Woo-sung’s face was flushed with joy.

‘What a coy teenager.’

Unable to hide his affection, yet complaining with his mouth.
Solo activities weren’t bad, but preparing an album with the members now felt more natural and radiant.

“We’re coming out next year, you know? You guys won’t even see the shadow of an award.”
“….”
“If you miss this chance, it’s really the end. Gosh, it’s such a shame!”

…Damn it, he’d look better if he’d just shut up with his nonsense.
Let it slide this time. This bastard’s been pulling this crap more than once or twice.
Just as I was about to extend such gracious mercy, Joo Woo-sung smirked and covered my eyes with his palm.

“Ho-yoon. Look, what do you see?”
“…I can’t see anything.”
“Right. That’s exactly your future ahead.”

Since there were still people around, I maintained my smile, gritted my teeth, and conveyed it through ventriloquism.

“I hope Black Call members get caught up in some huge conflict.”
“Sorry, but that already happened.”

Whatever he found so amusing, the guy chuckled with an expression similar to Chae Jung-woo’s, tapped my shoulder, and left the cafe.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and decided I should stop by the practice room with the kids. The year-end performance was coming up soon. As I headed toward the register thinking I’d grab another drink for everyone, I spotted Kang Yeon-hu walking down the hallway near the elevator.

‘Is it okay now?’

Since the K-POP concert held in Japan, we hadn’t crossed paths even at the company. I was about to just pass by since there was no real reason to talk, but a sudden mischievous impulse made me call out to Kang Yeon-hu.

“Yeon-hu hyung!”

Kang Yeon-hu’s hurried footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Even from quite a distance away, I could clearly see his pupils trembling.
I raised my voice even louder.

“Hyung, it’s been so long!!”

With familiar staff members scattered about handling equipment, Kang Yeon-hu—assuming we were filming—approached with the eyes of a lamb being led to slaughter. The Dun members, having already picked up on my voice, gave him a quick bow. Everyone’s faces seemed to read “Seo Ho-yoon’s at it again,” but I ignored them and curved my lips into a smile.
The Dun Members, who had already noticed from my voice that Kang Yeon-hu was nearby, bowed in greeting. It seemed as though the words “Seo Ho-yoon, here we go again” were written on everyone’s faces, but I ignored them and lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile.

“…Hello… haha, what are you doing here…?”
“…Hello… haha, what are you doing here…?”

Kang Yeon-hu deliberately replied in a composed manner and quickly shifted his gaze away.

“Ah, ah… w-what kind of filming? The Dun’s self-content? A recording?”
“Hmm, it looks like a recording?”
“Huh, does it look like a recording?”

I stood with my arms crossed, leisurely waiting for him to reach his conclusion.
The relatively small number of staff for a live broadcast, the folded tripods, and above all, the cameras with no red lights on.
For a live broadcast, there were surprisingly few staff members, collapsed tripods, and above all, cameras with no red recording lights on.

“Finished a while ago. Still, I’ll treat Kang Yeon-hu as our guest.”
“Ah, seriously…”
“Ugh, seriously…”

Kang Yeon-hu grumbled, dropping his shoulders as if he were on edge.

“Stop teasing people like that… I thought it was live and nearly had a heart attack.”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah? Really…”
“What would you like to drink?”

As I smiled casually and played it cool, Kang Yeon-hu—who had been sighing—hesitated slightly before mumbling softly.

“Chamomile tea.”

The same thing Chae Jung-woo drinks.
I tore open the expensive tea bag he’d mentioned and tossed it into a disposable cup, then filled it with hot water and handed it to Kang Yeon-hu. I thought he’d disappear right after taking it, but instead he just kept fidgeting with the cup in his hands.

“…Seo Ho-yoon. But… how did you do it back then?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean… at the K-pop concert. When I sprained my ankle.”

Then he lifted his gaze from the rim of the cup and looked directly at me.
In moments like this, his unnecessarily upright and steadfast nature revealed itself.

“Even the slightest movement would make me cry out, but after you applied that pain relief patch, I could suddenly dance without any problem at all…”

I know. I do.
When I returned to Korea, I monitored the stage while also checking High Five’s performance.
The movements Kang Yeon-hu must have repeated endlessly were clean and graceful.

“…The medicine must have worked really well, huh?”

My answer seemed to displease him, as wrinkles formed across the bridge of his nose.

“Do you think I’m an idiot? I’ve tried all sorts of things myself, but nothing worked… What on earth was it really?”

I stared at Kang Yeon-hu for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“This is kind of embarrassing.”
“…What?”
“Is this one of those trendy new ways to confess?”

Kang Yeon-hu looked bewildered, as if he didn’t understand what I meant.

“My junior sprayed some pain relief on me, and just like that, the pain vanished…or so the saying goes. Well, it’s certainly more creative than the usual ‘thanks for helping, so spare some time this evening’ routine, don’t you think?”
“W-what, what, what?”

Embarrassment and shame flooded Kang Yeon-hu’s face, turning it crimson in an instant.

“No, no, no! That’s not what I meant. It’s just… something felt off about it. It looked like an ordinary spray on the surface, but I couldn’t find the brand anywhere….”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“…That’s it! It’s my fault for asking Seo Ho-yoon about it!”

Kang Yeon-hu scratched the back of his head vigorously, unable to hide his discomfort.
He was undeniably intelligent and quite perceptive. The problem was that he was far too rational.
Because of that, he could easily reach near-correct answers, but the moment something deviated from common sense, he struggled to approach the problem.
Moreover, whenever I pushed him with boldness, he’d quickly grow embarrassed and clam up, making him easy to handle.

“…Anyway, I… I’m grateful.”

He scratched at his flushed cheeks.

“Thanks to you, everything went well. Whether it was a placebo effect or whatever. Either way, the result was good.”

After bowing, Kang Yeon-hu grabbed his chamomile tea and turned to leave, but then he spun back around to ask.

“By the way, none of our members passed through here, right? You know it’s dangerous to mention High Five in The Dun’s self-content at a time like this, don’t you?”
“Well, I suppose my thoughts will change depending on your attitude, Kang Yeon-hu.”
“….”

***

By mid-November, “Let’s Go on a School Trip” Part 1 finally aired.
Even under WH Entertainment’s strict censorship, Kim Hee-young’s brilliant editing produced a masterpiece of entertainment.
As a result, reviews and reactions about the program poured in across various communities and SNS.

[Title: Did you guys watch Let’s Go on a School Trip

Let’s Go on a School Trip had so much drama and trouble

I’ve been out of K-pop for a while anyway, so whatever… It’s a big clash of boy groups, my heart’s racing―! I was getting all hyped up about it.
I watched it with the feeling of ‘let’s just peek at someone else’s misfortune’…

Huh?
It’s more harmless and surprisingly cute.

└I feel the same way
└I like that there’s a next episode too. PD Kim really knows how to milk WH for all it’s worth, haha
└The kids are really adorable, hahahaha

[Title: A lot of people are probably going to bash this variety show

But I think it’s cute…
I’m really looking forward to the next part coming out next week..

└Me too.. I was ready to trash it when it came out, but it turned out to be unexpectedly decent…
└A lot of people were criticizing the male idols for goofing around there, saying they had no sense, but should the kids just sit there like stone statues? Come on, idols are people too
└└They’re just doing what their company tells them to do…
└This is just a guideline.. The kids are not showing off, so there is at least less noise. We have to keep them in check for as long as possible ㅜㅋㅋㅋ
└└That’s the fate of popular idols…
└└Actually, sometimes it’s kind of thrilling..
Hahahahahahahahahaha

[Title: They really used Black Call well

They didn’t just pair High Five with The Dun for editing—they featured Black Call with each group a lot
Since there’s such a huge skill gap between them…
They captured it well so it doesn’t feel awkward, with Black Call seeming like juniors they admire and respect, haha

└I haven’t seen Bloy fans bash them much over this, haha
└ㅇㅇAnd ㅂㄹㅋ Fans are thankful for just coming out since there is not enough content right now ㅠ I want to grab him by the collar and force him to come on stage, but this is because Jungwoo is hurting..
└└Chae Jung-woo’s image management is so good that people who bash him are really rare, hahahaha. He’s basically taking a whole year off because of it
└└What nonsense is this? When did WH confirm anything? It’s not like that, yet you’re spouting speculation like it’s fact, haha
└The editing was really good… for real..]

Meanwhile, there was one team that garnered the most attention from the public.

[Title: I don’t know idols, but I watched the school trip episode

The Seo Min-gang-ju Team is insane

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
Haha, that’s exactly what I’m saying haha
└Man, just looking at their team name makes me laugh]

It was none other than the Seo Min-gang-ju team – Seo Ho-yoon, Min Ji-heon, Kang Yeon-hu, and Joo Woo-sung.

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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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