The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 63

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

63

[Title: Today’s Failed Surprise]

It was The Dun right after finishing the fan sign event
They suddenly turned on B Live today….

(Kang Yi-chae: Today’s surprise guest is~ none other than Seo Ho-yoon hyung!
Sung Ji-won: Haha, he’s the calmest one, so I’m really looking forward to seeing him surprised.

They had no idea what was coming..
In fact, they positioned one camera in the living room specifically to capture Seo Ho-yoon’s reaction

(Seo Ho-yoon: A substitute criminal has quite the desires..
Kang Yi-chae: This guy’s hilarious~)

Hahaha do they always act like this? Ah they’re seriously so cute hahahaha
It’s obvious Seo Ho-yoon still holds a grudge against Kang Yi-chae over that aegyo exposure incident

But then Seo Ho-yoon started changing clothes
Oh my god this guy… He just barely exposed half and the abs…the defined…lines…were there… Absolutely terrifying how he doesn’t realize the danger, seriously insane
(I’ll exercise restraint)

(Kim Sung-hyun: Ahhhhhhhhhhh (frantically makes kimbap))

The best excuse!
The leader desperately tries his best to hold back!

(Seo Ho-yoon: What did you do wrong?
Seonghyun Kim: (sighing) ㅠㅠNo, that’s it..ㅠㅠ
Seo Ho-yoon: The quote came in, so tell me lol

Seo Ho-yoon would genuinely scream at times like this
This guy’s instincts are no joke

But then suddenly I spotted the camera!

(Seo Ho-yoon: …??)

The members bursting in all cheerful and oblivious!

(Jung Da-jun: You two… fought over kimbap?!)

A misunderstanding spiraling into complete chaos!

(Seo Ho-yoon: Recorded?
Members: (shaking heads))
Seo Ho-yoon: …Live?
Members: (nodding nervously….))

Seo Ho-yoon’s expression at that moment lololololololol
The final highlight

(Manager: Seo~~ Surprise!!!)

Endless obliviousness and deafening silence….

Seo Ho-yoon sighed, turned off B Live, and came back later

The B Live title afterward:
>>>>Apologies to Noeul fans.<<<
I never expected to see a title like that on B Live lololololol like what kind of controversial YouTuber is this lololol

(Seo Ho-yoon: Now, apologize to the fans)

All the members bowing their heads repeatedly

(Seo Ho-yoon: Apologize to me too
Members: We're sorry!)

~Surprise Spectacular Failure~

Lol why do these guys always film skits lmaooo
Playing around is so harmless lol
└In the meantime, I can see Seo Ho-yoon's real-life way of speaking haha. Are they really close friends?
└The Manager carelessly saying "Seo~~ Surprise~~" made me laugh so hard I almost choked
└But none of them seem particularly remorseful, especially Jung Da-jun
Jung Da-jun playfully smeared cake on Seo Ho-yoon's nose lol, and when Seo Ho-yoon glared at him, he quickly shrunk back.
└└How are we supposed to handle our golden puppy being this cute]

'That was a close call.'

Cold sweat dripped down my back on its own. If I had actually said out loud what I was thinking, I would have been torn apart.
If I'd called Kim Sung-hyun "you bastard," I would've gotten cursed out, and if I'd said something like "why do fans even like me," it would've definitely drawn all sorts of hate for playing the victim….
I barely managed to salvage the situation, ended the B Live stream, and then gave each of the other members a flick on the forehead.

"Ow!"
"That hurts!"
"Sorry…."
"…?"

I let Kim Sung-hyun off the hook. Feeling wronged, Kang Yi-chae jumped up and pointed an accusatory finger.

"What?! Why did you let Hyun-sung off?"
"Because he at least showed some human decency."
"Yeah, I tried my best too."

He'd blocked it with his blanket, after all. Looking back at it now, Kim Sung-hyun had the same terrified expression I did.

'The younger members definitely got me caught up in this.'

"Phew, I need to head to the Company for a bit."
"Huh?! You're not… kicking us out, are you?"
"Stay quiet before I change my mind."

Leaving Jung Da-jun looking pale as a sheet, I headed down to the Dormitory parking lot, thinking of the Manager who had quietly slipped away earlier while watching my reaction. I wondered if I should just take a taxi to the Company if he'd already left, but fortunately, the Manager was still standing in front of the van after finishing his call, and he looked startled when he spotted me.
I was already wondering if I should just take a taxi to the Entertainment Company since he'd left, but fortunately the Manager, who was still in front of the van after just finishing his call, spotted me and looked startled.

"Manager, shall we head to the company?"
"Yeah, uh…."
"Let's go together."
"What are you planning to do?"

I fastened my seatbelt and gazed ahead, but the Manager kept glancing at me nervously. What was that about?

"Every time Ho-yoon says he's heading to the company, I'm absolutely terrified…."
"Have I caused any incidents or accidents?"
"…."

After answering like that, I paused to think for a moment.

"…Have I?"
"Ho-yoon! Please, this time! Let's just keep things qu-iet!"

The Manager's nagging continued endlessly, but since the company was close to the dormitory, we arrived quickly. I was about to head straight to the CEO's Office as the Manager suggested—keeping things "quiet"—when I ran directly into someone coming out of the office.

"Oh…."

It was Min Ji-heon.

"Hello."
"…."

Min Ji-heon remained silent for a long moment, then rubbed the back of his neck.

"Wow, I got confused for a second there…."

Confused about what?
I couldn't help but stare at Min Ji-heon without managing my expression. He smiled faintly and asked.

"Looks like you've climbed up."
"Yeah, well."

Even meeting him again, he felt like bad news. However, this was the company, and there was no point in making things obvious—it would only cause trouble. So I gave him a bland response. Judging by his disinterested expression, he didn't have any real business with me anyway.
But contrary to my expectations, Min Ji-heon murmured something.

"You told me to contact you when you came to Seoul…."
"…."
"I don't even have your contact information…."
"…I apologize. If it's urgent, you can reach out through the company."
"Ah, that's a bit of a hassle…."

What is this guy really…?
Min Ji-heon, who had been scanning me from head to toe, obediently stepped aside and made way.

"…Ah, never mind. Now that I think about it, it doesn't seem that urgent after all… Please, go ahead. Manager, nice to see you too."
"Min Ji-heon! Hello!"
"Yeah."

Min Ji-heon, still looking dazed, answered in a deflated voice before walking away.
No matter how I look at it, something feels off….
Anyway, I was trying to move past it when the Manager made a fuss.

"Are you close with Min Ji-heon?"
"Not at all."
"But Ji-heon spoke to you so familiarly?"

I shrugged as if I had no idea, and the Manager tilted his head in confusion. Since we're both lead actors at the same agency, the Manager had seen Min Ji-heon before, but witnessing this unfamiliar behavior seemed to have left him bewildered.

Well, I had something more pressing than that. Before the members developed a strong dislike for me and the teamwork fell apart completely, I needed to resolve the settlement issue.

'Now, how should I approach this?'

I knocked twice lightly and opened the CEO's Office door. The CEO, whom I hadn't seen in a while, was clearly living well off the money we'd been making—his face gleamed with prosperity.

"Oh, if it isn't our Ho-yoon!"
"Haha. Hello, CEO."

'Since when am I your Ho-yoon?'

I put on my business smile and approached.

"First Ji-heon, now Ho-yoon too—what kind of day is this?"
"Min Ji-heon came by earlier."
"Right, I called him to talk about something. That guy's always so blank—I can never tell what he's thinking."

The Manager grunted as he set the trophy he'd brought onto the table.

"This is nothing—we'll be bringing home plenty more of these."
"Still, we should see the real thing at least once. Let's display one in the CEO's Office. I can't believe The Dun has grown this much… performing this well."

'As if you raised us from nothing.'

I raised my middle finger internally while keeping up appearances with a smile and nodding along.

"The results this time were quite good, weren't they? The music, the variety shows, and as far as I know, we're still in negotiations for commercial endorsements too."
"Absolutely. We really hit it big this time."
"So here's the thing."

As I leaned forward to bring up the main topic, the Manager visibly tensed. But the CEO raised his hand before I could speak.

"Ho-yoon, I know what you're thinking."
"Sir?"
"When you suddenly come find me like this, there's only one reason. You want to renegotiate your contract, right? But I already modified yours…."
"Ah."

I smiled faintly.

"Half right, half wrong."
"Hmm?"
"Not mine—the members' contracts."

This was something I'd been thinking about for a while.
Contract modifications weren't something you could just whine about and get changed immediately. My situation had been special. Back then, I'd brought Blue Tiger's songs and used media play to temporarily boost my own recognition, but the members hadn't shown much yet.
But now, with the Shining Star championship and a first-place finish—even if not on the Three Major Broadcasters—it was worth bringing up.
If the teamwork fell apart right when we were taking off, the CEO wouldn't benefit either. If I played this right, the timing and circumstances made it worth a shot.

"Please adjust the settlement ratio in the members' contracts to match mine."

The CEO looked slightly surprised, took a sip of his tea, and then spoke.

"I didn't take you for that type. When did you get attached to the members?"

'…Hmm.'

"Or is it not that you've grown attached, but rather you're worried that later on, if your contract terms are different from the others', it might give someone a reason to nitpick?"

He'd hit the nail on the head. Accurate, sure—but hearing it spoken aloud like this from someone else's mouth made it sound so damn annoying that I could only laugh.

"I don't think you need to wonder about my intentions."
=In other words, you just go ahead and modify the contract.

The CEO's eyebrows twitched slightly—he understood what I meant.

"Fair point. Well… I was planning to bring it up anyway. If your terms are different from everyone else's, it'll be easier to explain later."

When did he start actually doing his job?
He wasn't just coasting on the title of CEO. He had decent instincts after all.
Things seemed to be progressing smoothly, but I couldn't let my guard down until the contract was completely revised.

"Yes, thank you."
"Once it's revised, let's go over it again with all the members."
"Yes, I appreciate it."

It's going too smoothly, which actually makes me a bit uneasy.
Whenever things go this well, something always blows up.
Sure enough, the CEO casually asked.

"Ho-yoon, by the way…."
"Yes."
"When opportunity knocks, you have to seize it with both hands. From what I can see, you get a lot of opportunities. You've got great visuals, excellent vocal technique, and high recognition… so various offers have been coming in."

It's a nice thing to say, but why does it sound so irritating coming from him?
I closed my mouth with an expression that said "just get to the point already" and stared at him, so the CEO cleared his throat.

"You're not thinking of…."
"I'm not interested."
"…I hadn't finished speaking yet."
"I have no interest in acting."
"…Fine, lay down the mat."

When I cut him off so decisively, the CEO gave up.

"Anyway, why don't you want to do it? It's a great opportunity to boost your recognition…."
"I think now is the time to focus on group activities."
"No, think about it again. We used to do actor management, remember? If we really wanted to, we could push you and leave Min Ji-heon in the dust."

'Don't lie to yourself….'

That fierce Min Ji-heon from earlier was already a national actor. In dramas, he was the kind of performer that even the coldly pragmatic Jung Da-jun would praise, saying "Oh, his acting is really something." The very definition of a "trusted actor."

'The only flaw is that he's got a bit of an intense personality.'

"I don't think I have the talent that Min Ji-heon has, sir."
"That's unfortunate…."
"I'll postpone it for next time."

My idol career was finally taking off like I'd just sprouted wings, and the moment a mid-tier newcomer tried to stand out through solo activities, controversy was inevitable.
The inflammatory headlines would probably go something like this.

[Seo Ho-yoon desperately wants to act but his skills are pathetic.txt]
[If you’re going to do this, just say you want to be an actor from the beginning~ haha]
[Yeah~ he clearly hates being an idol, that's why his expression looks so sour]

…It was far too plausible.
Just imagining my mediocre acting skills being posted all over YouTube and the Community made me cringe.

"Hmm… what a shame, what a shame."

The CEO's disappointment was written plainly across his face, but since I'd made my strong objection clear, he seemed to accept it without trying to force the issue. That was the one redeeming quality of this company.
They let you do your own thing.
They just left you alone.
The downsides?

'Everything else.'

At least Lee Ji-hyun was a real gem.
She was so sharp and quick-witted that I wouldn't mind keeping her around indefinitely….

"I'll be going now."

I bowed respectfully and stood up.

'But why suddenly ask me to act…? It's not like they know my hidden trait has awakened.'

Something felt off. No matter how I thought about it.

'Objectively speaking, wouldn't Sung Ji-won be a better fit?'

Especially considering appearance alone—Sung Ji-won seemed more suited for acting, with that handsome yet gentle visuals that could shift his face depending on the role. I tilted my head in confusion, but I'd missed the timing to ask about it.

"Ah, I'll talk about our Kim Sung-hyun for a moment."
"Yes."

'Just as I thought.'

I clicked my tongue as I left. He'd show respect in front of me, then have the Manager twist my arm behind closed doors to convince me.

'Well, that's something the Manager will have to handle.'

I ignored the Manager's desperate S.O.S. signal and walked out. As I exited the CEO's Office and made my way down the hallway, I ran into someone unexpected.
It was Min Ji-heon, tapping away at his phone.

"Ah…."

Upon spotting me, Min Ji-heon shoved his phone into his pocket and asked.

"You came out faster than expected?"

As if he'd been waiting for me.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————