The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 47

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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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47

A billboard?

“Wow, you really don’t know, huh? Search it up on the internet on the way.”
“…Okay.”
“I’m heading out!”

Kim Hee-young said that and waved her hand breezily as she left the room. I stood there dazed for a moment before grabbing Sung Ji-won, who was staring blankly at a distance.

“Sung Ji-won.”
“Huh?”
“Did we get a billboard or something?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Sung Ji-won seemed to be hearing this for the first time too, tilting his head in confusion. I immediately pulled out my phone and searched. As soon as I opened SNS, the information appeared. While searching, a good idea suddenly struck me.
I turned my head toward the members with a smile.

“Hey, guys.”
“Yes?”
“Want to go do something fun?”

Everyone frowned, not understanding.
I waved my phone around and hummed a tune. At this unfamiliar behavior, their eyes widened.

***

“Don’t go anywhere alone for a while.”

At the Manager’s words, the noisy van fell silent in an instant.

“Absolutely! Go in pairs, and stay close to me. Got it? Huh? You got it?”

I leaned my face toward the Manager, who was confirming through the rearview mirror that the members were nodding.

“Manager.”
“Hmm?”
“You know, Express Terminal Station…”
“Whoa!”

The moment I mentioned it, the Manager jolted in surprise, his body tensing. He cleared his throat loudly.

“Ha-ha-ha. Hey guys, aren’t you hungry?”

‘The Manager knows.’

The Company was deliberately keeping quiet about it right now.
The Kim Sung-hyun controversy had grown too large, and the gaze directed at The Dun wasn’t particularly favorable, so they seemed intent on letting it pass quietly.
It looked like they planned to gather news about the billboard later and show it all at once.
It wasn’t a bad judgment, certainly…
I quietly started the engine.

“I’m hungry, Manager.”
“Oh, right? Should I grab some kimbap?”
“Would you mind?”

I smiled more gently than usual on purpose. I felt the guys around me stiffen slightly.
Our kind but dull Manager didn’t seem to notice, laughing heartily as he pulled the van over.

“Alright, guys! Wait a moment!”
“Yes.”

I nodded quietly.
The moment the Manager got out of the van and entered the kimbap restaurant, I climbed down from the passenger seat and immediately slid into the driver’s seat.
An escape.
A full-scale escape, really.
I hummed a little tune as I gripped the steering wheel.

“You’re really going?”
“Of course.”
“You’re really taking the van too?”
“There’s a perfectly functioning vehicle right here—why would I need to catch a taxi?”

Everyone’s eyes went wide. I gave Sung Ji-won a subtle signal.

“Sung Ji-won, send the Manager a gift card—something expensive. And call him too, tell him to take a break at the cafe for just an hour.”
“Got it! We can just pick him up later, right?”

Sung Ji-won was surprisingly excited.
I thought he’d try to talk me out of it, but instead he was the most enthusiastic one, already calling the Manager. The Manager’s bewildered voice crackled through the phone.

“Manager, please get some rest! We’ll be back in an hour!”

He looked like a kid getting away with something mischievous. Jung Da-jun glanced sideways at me.

“Ho-yoon hyung, your driver’s license….”
“Class 1, perfect on the written test, perfect on the practical.”
“Good.”
“Let’s go.”

And so we made our escape.
A rookie idol group’s grand escape.
With the van, no less.
By the time the Manager hung up and rushed out of the restaurant with kimbap in hand, the van had already vanished without a trace.

‘Is this really happening…?’

***

I led the members to the Express Bus Terminal. Even those who’d been anxious at first suddenly bolted forward like horses freed from their reins.
Sung Ji-won navigated constantly, eyes glued to his phone.

“This way? No, not this way?”
“Yeah, I think that’s the right way.”

Everyone had their hoods and caps pulled low, but they screamed ‘we’re celebrities’ loud and clear.
We’d barely been on air, yet the fact that we were already recognizable felt surreal….
I watched them with a warm smile before pulling Sung Ji-won back from heading into the wrong corridor.

“This way!”
“Isn’t it over there?”
“Right, that way.”

Everyone was buzzing with excitement, chattering animatedly or whistling as they walked. I followed slowly behind them, taking in the bustling subway station.

‘I used to commute like this every day.’

I barely take the subway anymore. The Company was so cautious about it, always warning me to keep a low profile.
After spending so much time in vans, returning to everyday life felt surreal. I paused for a moment, taking in the familiar sights, when I turned my head toward the members.

“….”
“Hyung! Hyung!”

Jung Da-jun eagerly pulled me along. And then I came face to face with an advertisement hanging on the subway wall.
A large photo of all the members, and in front of it, smaller individual photos of each member scattered about.

[We support your shining days]

“Wow….”

I thought when I actually saw it, my first reaction would be ‘Wow, that must have cost a fortune.’ But it wasn’t.

“There’s one here too!”

No, that wasn’t it.

[The Dun, please cast your precious vote for us.]

It just… felt overwhelming.
Sung Ji-won tapped me repeatedly with a flushed face. The members were smiling brightly, waving toward something in the photos.
I stared blankly at the image before moving on.

“Hey, there are sticky notes on this one?”
“Where?”
“The personal digital billboard.”
“Oh, really.”
“Did the fans put those there?”

The members murmured in disbelief that fans were actually putting up advertisements and leaving messages for them.
Kim Sung-hyun stared at the billboard with tears welling up in his eyes.
Kim Sung-hyun’s billboard, completely covered in sticky notes.

[Hyun-sung, we support you]
[We always believe in you, we fell for the kindness you showed us]
[Seonghyun oppa ㅠㅠ Oppa is my source of energy. Today too!]

“….”

It was a memo written with recent controversies in mind.
Kim Sung-hyun hung his head and remained still for a long time. His hands trembled slightly.

“You’re lucky, Kim Sung-hyun.”

I patted Kim Sung-hyun’s shoulder lightly and moved away, sensing he wanted to be alone.
Not far from there was a large screen displaying my face.
It too was covered with countless post-it notes. I found myself drawn toward the screen.

“….”

A face smiling serenely. It must have been a photo from the guerrilla performance. My hair looked neat, so it was taken before I got hit with the egg.

‘Did I really smile like that?’

I raised my hand and slowly touched the photo. There was text written below my face.

[Ho-yoon,
you are my light]

“…I see.”

I was never that kind of person.

‘I’m sorry.’

My chest tightened slightly. I read the post-it note next to it.

[Ho-yoon, I was really trying to quit K-pop but I can’t, I fell for you the moment I saw you, take responsibility for me]
[Let’s get married]

Laughter escaped my lips involuntarily.
I read the message below it too. It was written in a slightly more composed tone.

[I always appreciate how composed you are, Ho-yoon, but I wish you wouldn’t carry everything alone.]
[May your days be filled with nothing but joy and happiness!!]
[Oppa, if you have a hard time, please tell me anytime ㅜㅜ]

It seemed this time had truly been eventful. Seeing how much the fans were worrying about me made that clear.
The more I read through the messages, the stranger I felt.
It was odd that countless strangers were directing nothing but warm words toward me—not criticism, but kindness.
In my main career, the more I devoted myself, the more I was only cursed at and burdened with responsibility. But here, the harder I worked, the more unconditional love I received. It was truly remarkable.
I found myself caressing the sticky notes as if enchanted. The contents varied, the handwriting differed, the authors were all different—yet they all carried the same heart.
They all wanted me to be happy.

‘Ah, this….’

My chest tightened a little.
I took my time reading through to the very last sticky note.

[Ho-yoon, I love you so much.]

“….”

I quietly savored those words, then slowly peeled off the sticky note. From top to bottom, every single one, without missing a single note, I carefully removed them all.
It was the first time I had done something without any plan.

***

[Guys??? Where did the sticky notes go?]
[Wait, they’re really gone]
[Wow, didn’t the administrators take this away? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠNo, we were going to collect it later on our own ㅠㅠㅠI guess it wasn’t properly announced.]
[Aw, what a shame.. I was enjoying reading those]

The fans reacted in real time.
The Home Master, who had featured Seo Ho-yoon’s photo as the main image, couldn’t hide her disappointment either. Still, she couldn’t publicly air the sticky note situation and turn it into a public issue.

‘The kids are already dealing with controversy as it is….’

It was better not to invite unnecessary trouble. Still, it was a shame.

‘I should ask the Supporters about it later.’

I refreshed my timeline, smacking my lips, when suddenly everyone’s posts were flooded with tears.

“Huh?”

What’s going on? What’s happening?
My heart sank in an instant.
God, I was terrified that some sudden reaction meant a scandal had erupted.
I steadied my heart and slowly parsed the context. Then I saw a video that had been posted.

[There is no video on the community page. Hoyun is taking a post-it note.]

“Haaah….”

I couldn’t believe it. I watched as Seo Ho-yoon, his cap pulled low over his head, slowly and carefully peeled off the sticky notes one by one.
What’s with the jeans outfit?
No, wait—what’s with taking the sticky notes?

‘Ho-yoon…!’

I covered my mouth. I couldn’t see Seo Ho-yoon’s face, but watching him take each one so carefully brought tears to my eyes.

‘Oh, my boy….’

There probably wasn’t much written on those sticky notes, right?
From what I’d glimpsed passing by, they were all messages of encouragement, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.
Everyone had just written words of support and love.
I felt oddly touched.

“Why did you take these? There’s nothing special here…. I’ll keep them for you later.”

[All the other kids took it too ㅠㅠ I guess they all came to see it together]
[Is Kim Sung-hyun crying right now??]
[No way, really?]
It seems like they’re hanging their head down and holding back their tears.
[There’s nothing bad written on the sticky notes, right???]
[No, not that I know of.. He’s probably just getting emotional..]
[Oh nooooooo Hyun-sung oooooo Hyun-sung we’re sorry oooooo]

“Wow, Kim Sung-hyun’s side is going crazy too.”

People say personality-based marketing doesn’t work, but Kim Sung-hyun was already famous among core fans for being genuinely kind. He always stayed behind to take care of his fans individually.
And then, finally, chaos erupted.
Kim Sung-hyun’s fans, who had been holding back their emotions, broke down the moment they saw him cry.

[How can someone cry over a single sticky note and people still call it school violence?! Fuck this shit!!!!! Stop twisting the narrative!!!]
[This guy was silent and kept going even when he had zero popularity at debut, even when people gave him zero reaction. I’ve never seen him cry before. He must be going through something really hard right now… Sung-hyun, I’m really… I’m so sorry.]
[Honestly, the editing has been unfair from the start. When they react to Today, it’s always edited badly. But when they react to Nightmare or Refined, the editing is really good (even though it was still edited). If I were in his position and Today was involved, I’d be frustrated too.
└Why?? Does Today have something going on??
└The Dun, I think]

Though they tried to keep it quiet on private accounts, the backlash was too strong and eventually spilled over into the Community.

[Title: There’s definitely a reason for Kim Sung-hyun’s reaction, right?

Kim Sung-hyun is famous for taking care of the Nightmare members too. That’s why Nightmare fans like Kim Sung-hyun. I think there’s something between Kim Sung-hyun and Today.]

[Title: Is it because of Sung Ji-won?

Sung Ji-won was originally supposed to debut with Today, right? After it fell through, things must have gotten awkward between them.

└Please don’t suddenly bring up Sung Ji-won’s situation.
I’m sorry, I can’t laugh at that.

[Title: But seriously, why though??

Kim Sung-hyun’s expression really wasn’t good.

Don’t pay attention to that school bully, lol

And as those posts accumulated, they eventually gave birth to a popular thread.

[Popular Post][Exactly why Kim Sung-hyun hates Today – explained]

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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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