The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 65

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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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65

“Oh, Seo Ho-yoon. It’s been a while.”
“Hello.”

I adjusted my name tag that had started to slip and greeted her. After arriving at the Victory is Mine hall and making the rounds to greet the members, I’d just returned from a quick bathroom break when I ran straight into PD Kim Hee-young.
Kim Hee-young, whom I hadn’t seen in ages, looked remarkably radiant.

“Wow, you’re the most handsome one here!”

…Right.

“Are you the main PD for this event?”
“No, I just got dragged along because we’re short-staffed. This damn seat-of-the-pants company….”

PD Kim Hee-young was taking a break after wrapping up Shining Star. Fair enough—she wasn’t an idol, so there was no need to chain her to back-to-back flagship programs. This time she seemed to have been pulled in as a last-minute fill-in.

“Anyway, I saw you got first place this time. My apologies for the delayed congratulations, but I really do mean it.”
“That’s all thanks to you, PD. Without your warm consideration, I never would have made it to first place.”
“Now that’s sweet talk if I’ve ever heard it.”

PD Kim Hee-young chuckled softly. I was about to exchange pleasantries and move on, but Kim Hee-young tilted her head curiously.

“But what’s going on with Joo Woo-sung?”
“Pardon?”

Did it leak?

“No, it’s just that when I arrived, the atmosphere around the other members when they looked at Joo Woo-sung seemed pretty tense. Though I don’t know the details.”
“Ah.”

So it hadn’t leaked. Instead of answering with “It’s because he lives like garbage,” I simply nodded silently, and Kim Hee-young shrugged.

“You two are close, right? If something’s wrong, look out for him.”
“We’re not that close.”

I wasn’t in a position to worry about others when my ex-girlfriend was standing right in front of me. A sudden wave of reality crashed over me, and I pressed my forehead with my hand for a moment.
One person forgetting while the other remembers… that’s truly a cruel thing.

“…I’ll head out first.”
“Mm~.”

I left PD Kim Hee-young to her oblivious state and walked briskly over to take a seat beside my members.

“Sigh…”

Jung Da-jun, who had been reviewing today’s schedule, widened his eyes and asked.

“Hyung, what’s wrong all of a sudden? Did someone get on your nerves?”

No, it’s just… reality hit me out of nowhere.
Our members beside me, pure as newborn fawns, each chimed in as if they’d heard my words.

“Who? Wait, did someone start trouble?”
“You didn’t already take someone down, did you?”
“…”
“Come on, if it’s Ho-yoon, he must’ve handled it well.”

Scratch that comment about being pure.
What nonsense were they spouting? Just as they pushed forward with their assumptions, a familiar voice cut through from behind.

“Seo Ho-yoon.”

It was Joo Woo-sung—one of the few idols famous enough that everyone recognized him even if he carelessly shoved his name tag into his pocket, and the center of his idol group.

“Oh, Joo Woo-sung sunbae, hello!”
“Yeah, hey.”

Black Call was also participating in this “Victory is Mine,” and his members stood lined up beside him.
Joo Woo-sung glanced around the venue with a distant look in his eyes and muttered.

“I really didn’t want to come…”
“Can’t blame you for that…”

You’ve dated most of the people here anyway….
Joo Woo-sung let out a sigh and slumped into his chair.
The guy who didn’t want to come, and his group tier doesn’t even match—why the hell is he even here?

“Why did you come here?”
“…To cheer on my junior?”
“Me?”
“How could that be? My direct junior group is over there—High Five.”

Joo Woo-sung gestured with his chin toward the other side. I already knew about Black Call’s direct junior group, but Joo Woo-sung showed absolutely no interest in cheering them on.

‘That’s strange.’

There’s no way Black Call would show up just to push one junior group together. But I quickly reached a conclusion.

‘Ah.’

He got bullied into it.
He probably heard that if Black Call doesn’t get booked, the junior group can’t appear on the music show. It was a tactic broadcasters used frequently.
No matter how much the broadcaster semi-coerced him… he actually came to a place where he runs into his exes every three seconds!
I was in the middle of reassessing Joo Woo-sung’s mental fortitude when he made a displeased expression.

“Why are you looking me up and down like that with such a bad attitude??”

I shrugged and turned my head away, ignoring him. Behind Joo Woo-sung, the Black Call members lined up were watching with curious eyes, waiting for an opportunity to strike up a conversation.

“Hello.”
“Wait, could you be…! The benefactor who reformed our thick-headed Woo-sung hyung’s mindset?!”
“Hey! What are you talking about.”
“That’s correct.”

As I greeted them instead of Joo Woo-sung, the Black Call Leader eagerly approached and extended his hand for a handshake, offering his thanks.
Not knowing what conversation was unfolding, the fans were simultaneously awkward seeing the senior and junior groups bond so well, yet they were cheering and going wild.

“Thank you so much. I was really worried about when this guy would mature, but after meeting a noble person like Seo Ho-yoon, he’s changed like ‘my child is different now.’ What kind of magic did you cast….”
“I haven’t done anything. You’ve all worked very hard.”
“My, such virtue in consideration…! You truly have everything.”
“You’re all talking very well.”

Joo Woo-sung made a sarcastic remark, but the Black Call Leader simply smiled contentedly. He must have felt anxious too, having a playboy in his own group.

“This is Jung Da-jun, our maknae.”
“Ah, I’ve seen you often on television.”
“Senior! Hello!”

We were seated close to Black Call, and we chatted away comfortably. Before long, the competition had already begun.

[The 14th “Victory is Mine” Championship Begins!]

“Fourteen years already, huh.”
“Tell me about it.”

The opening ceremony proceeded swiftly. The national anthem rang out, fitting the concept well enough.
The fans wore expressions of bewilderment—*why here of all places?*—but I could see them reluctantly standing up with the mindset of “we can’t let our kids lose face.”
The opening ceremony concluded briefly, and the events began one by one. The first event was track and field. Each idol group would send one representative.
Our competitor was….

“Kim Sung-hyun, fighting!”

Naturally, it was Kim Sung-hyun, who stood out physically. As Kim Sung-hyun stretched his body this way and that, the Black Call Vocalist stepped up beside him.
I wrapped my arm around Kim Sung-hyun’s neck, lowered my body, and spoke earnestly.

“Kim Sung-hyun.”
“Geez, what?”
“You have to—absolutely have to—come in first.”

Otherwise, another dark history would be created for me.
After the cutesy act last time, I thought I had no more ammunition for embarrassment, but still—doesn’t everyone deserve a minimum of dignity? As I held onto him and pleaded earnestly, Kim Sung-hyun furrowed his brows.

“Seo Ho-yoon, do you want to come in first?”
“Yeah.”
“Got it.”

Kim Sung-hyun’s expression grew even more resolute.

“I have to repay the favor.”
“Hey… dude, you….”

I’m not usually the type to get emotional, but for a moment I was moved and looked at Kim Sung-hyun. Damn, there really was a reason people called him the legendary Kim Sung-hyun….

“I’ll be back.”

Kim Sung-hyun took his position at the starting line. The announcer called out the men’s 100m preliminaries and introduced each athlete. When Kim Sung-hyun’s face appeared on the screen, cheers erupted from Noel’s section.

“Woooooo!”
“Kim Sung-hyun! Kim Sung-hyun!”
“Sung-hyun’s really popular.”

I heard Sung Ji-won murmur contentedly and nodded calmly along with him.
The school violence incident from before had been resolved well, and with the editing on Shining Star turning out so favorable in the final stretch, he’d gained considerable popularity even among rival fans.
Kim Sung-hyun’s lane was number five. As the camera focused on him, the broadcasting booth naturally began discussing him.

[Wow! Athlete Kim Sung-hyun, he’s got quite the form.]
[Sung-hyun’s that guy from before, right? The good Samaritan who caught that robber on the street.]
[That’s right, to have the speed to catch a robber! This is exciting.]

Once everyone took their positions, the starting gun fired with a bang. Running for their lives, Kim Sung-hyun surged ahead from the very beginning. The broadcasting booth jumped up in excitement.

[Whoa whoa whoa! He’s fast! Sung-hyun’s fast!]
[The Dun! The Dun’s Sung-hyun is pulling ahead!]
[Whoa! Black Call’s Jung Woo is starting to catch up! No wait, Sung-hyun’s pulling further ahead! Sung-hyun’s going for it, to the finish line! And he’s—GOAL!!]
[Sung-hyun! Sung-hyun’s in first place!]

“Brother, that was insane!”

Kim Sung-hyun ran all the way through and crashed into the foam wall past the finish line. The Black Call Vocalist followed right after him and collided with him too, and they both laughed and helped each other up with playful shoves. Over there it was peaceful, but the broadcasting booth was in absolute chaos.

[How is he running so fast?]
[This is incredible, incredible! It wasn’t just luck that he caught that robber!]

“U-U-Bright-Call Kim Sung-Hyun!”

The Dun members danced excitedly. The camera caught them, and while the other members danced, I alone stayed quiet with my fists clenched tightly.
If the preliminaries were this good, the finals were as good as won. Kim Sung-hyun beamed brightly and waved toward the camera and Noel’s section.
I clasped my hands together and prayed earnestly.

“Brother, what are you doing?”
“I’ve set out water and I’m praying.”
“Where did you set the water?”

I left the bewildered members behind and trusted Kim Sung-hyun like a god. Please, please, you bastard.
While waiting for the other competitors’ preliminaries, Kim Sung-hyun went to the fan seating area and chatted briefly before returning with a noticeably fresher expression.

[Wow~, Kim Sung-hyun looks in even better condition than before~!]
[But this time won’t be easy. Mars took the gold medal in the men’s 100m track and field event last time.]
[What was Mars’s record then?]
[It’s listed in the all-time records here. It’s ranked 3rd all-time!]

A member of Mars walked out casually. That record was faster than Kim Sung-hyun’s from earlier.
Even though I wasn’t a participating athlete, I was tense and on guard, yet Kim Sung-hyun politely bowed repeatedly in greeting. The broadcasting booth caught this and marveled.

[Even in this situation, he greets! Is this what an idol is?]
[No, no. This is a warning. He’s measuring the angle of his bow to gauge how light and flexible his opponent’s body is.]
[Such profound meaning!]
“…Hmm.”
“That’s a stretch.”

The broadcasting booth spouted nonsense, but it didn’t matter. I still held my hands clasped together, desperately hoping Kim Sung-hyun would win.

[Ah~, The Dun members are cheering so hard.]
[Look, over there—Seo Ho-yoon is already holding his hands tightly in prayer.]
[Such touching teamwork!]

I almost shed tears.
Because my life is so twisted.

[Men’s 100m finals beginning now.]

Everyone took their positions at the starting line. Kim Sung-hyun’s expression hardened again. Simultaneously, the starting signal rang out with a bang.

[They’re off!]

Kim Sung-hyun exploded forward with terrifying speed. With each blink of my eye, he seemed to fold space itself, advancing with breathtaking velocity. His tall frame and long limbs gave him a noticeably faster speed than before.

[Ah! It’s Maz Camel and Park Bing, Park Bing!]
[Wow, Camel’s faster. No, wait!? The Dun’s Kim Sung-hyun is making his move right now, Kim Sung-hyun, Kim Sung-hyun!]
[Shouldn’t this guy be a track athlete instead of an idol?!]

The broadcasters’ excited voices filled the entire stadium.
Kim Sung-hyun ran like a madman until the very end. Right up to the finish line, Maz’s Camel and Kim Sung-hyun remained neck and neck. Park Bing’s race extended to the finish line, and Kim Sung-hyun crashed into the foam wall again, collapsing onto the ground.

“Who, who’s in first?”
“I think it’s Hyun-sung hyung?”

[First place is—!! The Dun’s Kim Sung-hyun! The record is none other than the all-time record for Victory is Mine!]

“Whoa! An all-time record!!”

The venue erupted. Kim Sung-hyun, who had been lying there gasping for breath, sprang up with a radiant smile. He looked after the members from the other groups, then rushed over to where his teammates were.
Ah!
I raised Kim Sung-hyun well!

“Hey! I got first!”
“Wow, Sung-hyun, you’re the best~.”

While Sung Ji-won greeted Kim Sung-hyun with bright laughter and applause, I clenched my fist and made a small “nice” gesture.

“You saw that!”
“You did great!”
“Right on!”

I grinned widely and patted Kim Sung-hyun’s back enthusiastically. Kim Sung-hyun immediately rushed toward the fan seating area with an excited, flushed face. Noel cheered and welcomed Kim Sung-hyun.

“Look at him going straight to the fan seating area…. Is this what they call… the legendary Kim Sung-hyun?”
“Your group doesn’t have a Kim Sung-hyun, does it?”

Kang Yi-chae and Jung Da-jun murmured with proud expressions. My face wasn’t much different, so I had no intention of arguing back.

Ding!

[You happy?]

Even using casual speech.

[‘Victory is Mine’ Quest
1st Place Count 1/3]

Two more times. Just two more.

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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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