The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 56

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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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56

If there had been subtitles, they would have read something like: [Why is my sister appearing here…?]
Yoo Ji-a delivered what was clearly a scripted line provided by the Production Crew with a perfectly composed expression, then tossed her hair back and strode forward with confident steps. Her acting was genuinely exceptional.

“Wait, that’s…!”
“The top of K-hip-hop, Yoo Ji-a!”
“It’s been a while, everyone.”

I had no idea what to say anymore and didn’t even want to try, so I clamped my mouth shut. But Joo Woo-sung’s eyes rolled around before he asked Yoo Ji-a a question.

“Senior, what are you doing here?”

In that instant, the ceiling suddenly opened and a tray plummeted down toward Joo Woo-sung.

Crash!!

“Ow!”
“…What, what is this?”

Joo Woo-sung groaned and looked up at the ceiling.
This wasn’t some kind of tray-dropping game show… At the same time, a screen descended in front of the blackboard, and large subtitles appeared.

[Production Crew: Joo Woo-sung—Hyperfocus failed!]

“Hyperfocus?”
“Why did I get hit…?”

As Joo Woo-sung muttered in bewilderment, Yoo Ji-a let out a soft laugh and tapped her own head demonstratively.

“This ‘world’ has rules that must be followed.”

What’s going on?
Why is she emphasizing certain keywords like that?

“If you fail to interpret your character or commit to the hyperfocus, you get hit with a ‘penalty.'”

So why…?

“Hehe.”

Yoo Ji-a laughed with a “hehe.” No matter how much it was a variety show, I couldn’t believe she could commit to the hyperfocus so thoroughly—there was definitely a reason Yoo Ji-a had succeeded.

[Production Crew: Your score increases when you hyperfocus on the setting!]

Ding!

[I must be insane…]

Even the System Window was flustered.
I’d never seen anything like this before. I blanked out for a moment, then quickly scanned the directive that appeared on the screen and read through my character setting that came to mind.

“Seo Ho-yoon. One of the Four Great Kings. Cold-hearted and serves as the brain among the Four Great Kings… Has a painful past.”
“That’s right. By the way, I’m the cool type.”

Yoo Ji-a said it out loud herself. Joo Woo-sung forgot all about hyperfocusing and was so embarrassed by me, the “brain,” that he’d already been hit by a tray for the second time.

“…You’re really impressive.”
“I don’t want to be bound by the standards you all set.”
“…”

I had to stay out of this. I didn’t want to end up like Joo Woo-sung, getting hit by a tray falling from the ceiling.
Joo Woo-sung was deeply flustered by his assigned setting—a womanizer with a light but painful past. He must have struck a nerve.

“Ho, Ho-yoon! Is it true you staged a rebellion against your superiors last time?”

My Desk Mate, who’d gotten up from the floor and sat back down, made a fuss about it.
A rebellion…?

“…Against, which one of them?”

There were too many to keep track. Yoo Ji-a marveled at my genuine confusion.

“Seo Ho-yoon, you’re really shameless. How are you just accepting that?”
“I’m genuinely confused about this.”

Yoo Ji-a and Joo Woo-sung whispered beside me before getting smacked with a tray.

[Production Crew: Yoo Ji-a and Joo Woo-sung, both failed hyperfocus!]

“…S-so, Ho-yoon! Even if life gets a little tough, you’re still coasting to first place on this test, right?”
“A test?”

My Desk Mate looked like he was about to lose his composure at my shamelessness, but he channeled his professional spirit and carried out his assigned role.
What is this now?
At that moment, as if on cue, the Homeroom Teacher walked in.

“Alright everyone, time for the test! Put away your books.”
“A test?”

As Joo Woo-sung asked in bewilderment, my mind raced. Another directive appeared on the screen.

[Seo Ho-yoon, if you place first, I’ll give you bonus hyperfocus points!^_^ Fail and there’s a penalty!]

“Come on, hurry and hand out the test papers!”

A penalty?
I accepted the test paper with a bewildered feeling.
I picked up a pencil and skimmed through the test, and my head spun slightly. It was a College Entrance Exam subject from the official curriculum.

‘They’re basically telling me to fail.’

“Hmph.”

As I was contemplating what to do, Yoo Ji-a suddenly stood up and flung open the classroom door.
The startled Homeroom Teacher’s eyes widened as he shouted.

“Yoo Ji-a! Where are you going!”
“Something like this doesn’t suit me—someone who can go anywhere as long as there’s wind and sky.”
“Yoo Ji-a! Hey!”

[Production Crew: Yoo Ji-a’s ‘Free Spirit’ hyperfocus successful!]

‘Geez.’

She sure knows how to slip away.
Yoo Ji-a said what she needed to say and vanished in a flash. The fact that even the Homeroom Teacher didn’t stop her meant that must be Yoo Ji-a’s “hyperfocus” in action.
Joo Woo-sung rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought for a moment, then folded his test paper into a paper airplane and tossed it to the Homeroom Teacher.

“Joo Woo-sung! Are you treating the exam like a joke?”
“Teacher.”

Joo Woo-sung jolted up from his chair.
Then with long strides, he walked closer to the teacher, meeting his gaze. Even as the teacher flinched backward in surprise, Joo Woo-sung pressed in close, propping one arm against the blackboard as he stood.

“Why… why are you doing this?”
“Teacher, why do you always wear the same shirt every day?”
“Huh? Oh, no, that’s not…”

The teacher flustered and began rambling, “This one just came out today…” when Joo Woo-sung pressed his index finger to the teacher’s lips, then winked with one eye and lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile.

“Cute~.”
“….”

Seriously, these people….
For reference, the teacher was just an ordinary middle-aged man you’d run into at a neighbor’s house. He half-heartedly brushed off the compliments he kept hearing, and when Joo Woo-sung giggled, the teacher snapped back to his senses and scolded him.

“Hey, hey! Don’t fool around and hurry up….”
“I’m not fooling around.”

Joo Woo-sung lowered his gaze slowly, then lifted just the corners of his mouth in a slight smile—as if he knew exactly when he looked most charming.

“When does work end today?”
“….”

[Production Crew: Joo Woo-sung’s ‘Playboy’ Hyperfocus successful!]

‘This guy’s insane… ruthlessly talented….’

Being a top-tier idol isn’t something just anyone can do….

“Yes! Ho-yoon, I’m heading out first, bro.”

The Teacher stood frozen with his mouth agape, unable to utter a word. The moment Joo Woo-sung checked the screen, he waved his hand, humming a cheerful tune as he strolled out of the classroom.
The actors remaining in the classroom all stared blankly at the spot where Joo Woo-sung had been, their faces etched with exhaustion.
I was the only one left.

“S-Seo Ho-yoon! What are you doing? Hurry up and solve the problems!”
“I don’t do trivial things like this.”
“Stop fooling around and solve it already.”
….

Perhaps it was better to take the hit first. Going first seemed to be the right move. With Yoo Ji-a and Joo Woo-sung having already made their exits, my impact had naturally diminished.

Ugh….

I sighed and picked up my pencil. It seemed I had no choice but to solve this test to match my genius concept.
I quickly skimmed through the problems front and back.
A college entrance exam English section. Fortunately, I remembered how to solve it to some degree. But me….
This was a bit of a dilemma.

‘Should I solve it earnestly? Or not?’

If I established an intellectual image here, how much negative attention would I draw going forward? Or would it actually backfire even worse in the worst-case scenario?
Drawing attention was good, but how much buzz would it actually generate?

‘…To not lose to those ruthless people, I have no choice.’

After weighing various conditions, I nodded to myself.
I twirled my pencil, wrote my name, and began solving problem one with steady scratches across the paper.

***

“Wow, this is really difficult.”

Choi PD examined the submitted test papers alongside Yoo Ji-a, who had finished first. Seo Ho-yoon had turned in his test and was conversing with Joo Woo-sung.
Choi PD chuckled with feigned nonchalance.

“Right? It’s from the college entrance exam two years ago.”
“How are we supposed to solve this?”
“Ha, solve it? I brought it as a punishment. It’s a hazing ritual, you know.”
“But that seems way too targeted at Seo Ho-yoon.”
“Seo Ho-yoon’s a variety show rookie. He needs to go through the initiation rite. For the punishment, how about we make him wear a fake mustache and write his name with his butt?”
“On an idol…?”
“It’ll be cute, won’t it!”

‘Has my sense of humor gone off?’

Choi PD winked. Yoo Ji-a, who had been raising her eyebrows, glanced sideways at Seo Ho-yoon.
I’d felt it when I saw him at Shining Star last time, but he was an unusual junior. He was unusually composed, and PD Kim Hee-young treated him with the kind of care you’d give to a sore thumb.

‘Good mental fortitude, shameless, sharp eyes. He’d probably be decent at acting too.’

Yoo Ji-a sipped her coffee while covertly observing Seo Ho-yoon. Whether her junior wore the mustache or not didn’t matter to her, but she was gauging his potential.
She was subtly curious whether this thick-skinned Seo Ho-yoon had any intention of challenging acting later on.

‘It’s probably overstepping, but… should I ask him about it sometime?’

“PD! Choi PD!”
“Yeah, yeah, you got the results?”

The staff member who had gone to grade the submitted test papers came running back, breathing heavily. Choi PD seemed delighted at the prospect of finally getting to tease a rookie idol, grinning mischievously.

“How many points did Seo Ho-yoon get? If he just guessed, he should at least get 30, right?”
“Well, that’s the thing…”
“What? Is it worse? If it’s really bad, we can just edit the score. Looking ignorant is the worst image for celebrities anyway.”

‘Then why did he make him solve the college entrance exam English in the first place…?’

The staff member grumbled inwardly, but that wasn’t the important part.
Yoo Ji-a, sitting nearby, was casually sipping her coffee when she spat it out at the staff member’s next words.

“Seo Ho-yoon got 97 points! He only got one 3-point question wrong!”
“…What?”
“He’s first place! First among all the extras too!”

Choi PD, who had frozen like a computer buffering, suddenly snatched the paper. At the same time, he confirmed the name written neatly in the right corner.

[Seo Ho-yoon]

“…??”

While Choi PD stared at the test paper with an expression of disbelief, Seo Ho-yoon and Joo Woo-sung, who had been conversing in the corner, quietly approached to check the score.

“May I take a look as well?”
“…S-Seo Ho-yoon.”

Upon seeing the score written as 97 points, I remained composed, merely glancing at the back of the paper before letting out an embarrassed laugh.

“I got this one wrong. What a shame.”
“….”
“That was quite difficult.”

In that moment, everyone on the filming set shared a single unified thought.

‘What the hell is this guy…?’

***

“Seo Ho-yoon, shouldn’t you be going to university right now? What about studying instead of being an idol?”

Joo Woo-sung asked seriously from beside me, being annoying about it, so I raised one eyebrow and met his gaze.

“I’m fine.”

I’ve already been.

“Why! What a waste of that brain.”
“I just filmed it well.”
“Wow, even humble about it…. Annoyingly cool….”

Do you know how difficult it is to pass the PD Public Recruitment? I studied so hard my nose bled. Over a decade has passed, so it would be reasonable to forget, but as I solved the problems, the memories came flooding back.
It’s laughable to adopt a genius concept just because you got one college entrance exam subject right, but when someone completely unexpected does it, they become the talk of the town.

“Seo Ho-yoon, did you perhaps prepare for the college entrance exam?”
“Even you, senior? Why are you like this?”

Even Yoo Ji-a asked with a serious expression, which meant my act was working perfectly. Joo Woo-sung kept snickering beside me the whole time.

“What was your ranking in school? Top of the entire grade?”
“Please stop asking. Is it a holiday or something?”
“Why don’t you enter a competition for leaving people speechless?”

As Yoo Ji-a and Joo Woo-sung made a fuss beside me, I only glanced at the PD.
We’d definitely secured enough footage.

***

[Title: New Variety Show ‘Hyperfocus Master’ Clip ‘With Wind and Ten Million, We Can Go Anywhere ◟( ˘ ³˘)’

Yoo Ji-a: I don’t want to be bound by the standards you guys set….
Seo Ho-yoon: (hollow laugh)
Joo Woo-sung: (shocked) (hit by the tray again)

Who can hyperfocus the most?!

└We had to split it into three parts because of low stamina (Likes 2195)
└└The secondhand embarrassment is killing me, I’m taking deep breaths while watching
Hahahaha oh my god hahahaha
Looks like PD Choi has been sharpening his knife since that last failure. This new variety show is seriously fresh and hilarious lol
└└Joo Woo-sung is just so cute, he basically carried it…
Yoo Ji-a lolol she dodged the exam like a ghost because of the wind and cloth lolol ah I really hadn’t seen her like that before but with this variety show she’s just become a familiar unnie image (313 likes)
└Joo Woo-sung can’t hyperfocus at all, I thought his laugh threshold was too low, but he just screamed during the work mentioning (Likes 1283)
└└First, let’s start slowly with our lawsuit

[Title: ‘Hyperfocus Master’ Clip ‘Didn’t Know Seo Ho-yoon Was This Scary….’

(The Four Great Kings’ brain solved the college entrance exam English)
PD Choi: What should be the punishment for Hoyun? Haha
(A moment later….)
Choi PD: 97 points…?
Seo Ho-yoon: (glance) Too bad.
Choi PD: ???
Seo Ho-yoon: That was tough, haha.
Staff Members: ?????

(※Attached is a photo of Seo Ho-yoon’s completed test paper)
(※I swear there was absolutely no cheating/script/dictionary usage. If false, I’ll submit my resignation)

└Seo Ho-yoon… I didn’t think he was like that, but he’s kind of scary
└Video ranked #1 for “Don’t show your parents” (3041 likes)
└└??: Even celebrities study like that while making money! Right?
└└Ah! That’s just a script~!
└Seo Ho-yoon has looks, talent, and brains… but I, Kim Je-eun of the Gyeongju Kim clan, 24th generation, don’t have any of that (411 likes)
└└Kim Je-eun, go wash your feet and get some sleep
└More bitter than the video itself lol
└└I’m getting existential dread. I hope the no-script thing is fake]

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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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