The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 68

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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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68

I confidently adjusted my name tag and walked alongside Kim Sung-hyun. Joo Woo-sung was also competing this time, stepping forward with a Black Call member.

[Archery rules are simple! Two members per team each shoot three arrows, and one shot is taken by the ace member.]

“Who’s your ace?”
“Obviously me.”
“Unbelievable.”

Joo Woo-sung shook his head with a wry smile. The moment his expression was captured on screen, the crowd’s roar erupted—far louder than before.
I’d known Black Call was popular, but experiencing it directly felt oddly surreal.
The Announcer approached to conduct an interview with Joo Woo-sung, raising the microphone with a serious expression.

“Joo Woo-sung, you placed first in the archery division of Victory is Mine last year, didn’t you? How are you feeling about this year’s competition?”
“Ha, I’ll do my best this time too.”

Joo Woo-sung delivered a textbook answer without a single flaw, but then his eyes met mine. A mischievous grin spread across his face.

“At least I’ll beat that guy over there.”
….

My eyebrow twitched. The camera caught it perfectly. My displeased expression was broadcast across the main screen, and laughter erupted throughout the hall. The Announcer’s cheerful voice continued.

“Yes! You two are known as close friends in the entertainment industry, and the rivalry is burning bright~! At this point, we should hear from Seo Ho-yoon as well, shouldn’t we?”
“He’s a senior I deeply respect.”

I seized the opportunity to correct the record, but Joo Woo-sung clicked his tongue in disapproval.
True to form, the entertainment industry knew how to milk every bit of drama once the bait was cast.

[That kind of comment really means they’re true friends.]
[When I hear my friends called best friends like that, I get goosebumps.]

I’d spoken with genuine sincerity, yet no one—not even the Broadcast Commentators—seemed to believe a word of it.

“Joo Woo-sung expressed his ambitions toward you, Seo Ho-yoon. Now, why don’t you share your own aspirations? What mindset are you bringing into this competition?”

The Announcer pushed the microphone toward me with a bright smile. I considered whether it would be better to be honest if being stamped as close friends bickering wouldn’t damage my image, but decided to play it safe for now.
I leaned slightly toward the microphone and spoke.

“…I’ll just do my best.”

[Wow! But Joo Woo-sung isn’t even your rival!]

How did they even come up with that?

[That’s what you call confidence, right? First place is mine! There can’t be two winners! Is that it?!]
[The fire is burning!]

Joo Woo-sung snorted slightly and picked up his bow. I was in the same boat.
I’d heard that Joo Woo-sung took first place in the last competition and generated countless memes, but I didn’t care about memes—I absolutely had to take first place.
I didn’t even have the luxury of worrying about Joo Woo-sung, who wasn’t even my preliminary opponent.
I drew the bowstring once without nocking an arrow. Hmm, not bad.
Just then, Kim Sung-hyun, who had finished his brief interview with the Announcer, approached and whispered to me.

“I heard the distance got extended this time?”
“What?”
“It’s not 15 meters anymore. It’s 25 meters now.”
“What? Nobody said anything about that.”

I tensed my furrowed brow, when the Broadcast Commentators conveniently provided an explanation.

[There’s a difference from previous years, isn’t there?]
[Yes. The idols got so good at archery that they kept breaking camera lenses! The Production Crew has walked away in tears more than once. So this is a special measure the Production Crew decided on.]
[We’re changing the distance from 15 meters to 25 meters! Will we see an idol breaking lenses again this time~?]

“A 10-meter difference…. That’s quite significant.”

Kim Sung-hyun muttered with concern. His worry proved justified—most members from the other groups who went first only managed scores of 5 or 6 points.

[The extended distance is making it tough~!]
[The average has dropped significantly! We used to see 7 or 8 points regularly. Now the average is 5 points!]

Two groups had already competed, and the highest score was only 8 points, which showed they were really struggling with the extended distance.

[Joo Woo-sung is up!]
[Wow, Joo Woo-sung looks so composed~. Is that the composure of last year’s gold medalist?]

Joo Woo-sung walked out with fluid, natural movements, waved once to the fans, took his stance, and drew the bowstring. As his face filled the screen, the arena stirred with anticipation.

Twang!

The arrow traced an arc through the air.

[Wow, Joo Woo-sung scores 9 points! 9 points!]

“Nice shot.”

I nodded thoughtfully, observing his technique carefully. The other Black Call members had merely managed scores in the 7-point range, but thanks to the overall decline in performance across other groups, we advanced swiftly to the finals.

[The Dun is sending out the team that was eliminated from the esports event?]
[Did they recover their stamina while eating ice cream earlier?]

“They’re just… saying whatever comes to mind, aren’t they?”
“Tell me about it.”

Kim Sung-hyun and I exchanged bewildered glances as we stepped forward. Our opponents were Nightmare. We’d decided that Kim Sung-hyun would shoot first, with me going second.
Kim Sung-hyun took his stance first and slowly raised his arms. Cheers erupted from the section where Noel’s fanbase was seated.

Whoosh!

[8 points! He scored 8 points!]
[Ah~, as expected, Kim Sung-hyun has excellent physicality! The commentators are saying the only thing he can’t do is gaming~.]

“…Ah.”

Kim Sung-hyun drew the bowstring again, but upon hearing the broadcast commentators’ remarks, he let out a hollow laugh. His concentration seemed to have wavered, and the arrow he shot scored only 7 points.

“My apologies!”
I’m sorry!

At the sharpness in my voice, Kim Sung-hyun answered with vigor, then drew his final arrow. The arrow flew in an arc and struck the 8-point zone.

[Still, it’s Kim Sung-hyun! What’s the current score looking like?]
[The Dun has 23 points, and Nightmare has 19 points!]
[Wow, if they play well, they might actually catch up.]

Given the gap that had opened up, it wasn’t a bad score at all, so I patted Kim Sung-hyun on the back as he returned.

“Good work.”

Now it was my turn. I picked up the bow and took my stance. I’d practiced quite a bit, but with everyone’s eyes on me, I felt a little pressure nonetheless.
A Nightmare Member I’d seen fairly often during the Shining Star days spoke to me from beside me.

“Did you get some practice in?”
“A little.”
“Ah, I’ve been too busy with schedules to practice much….”
“Is that so?”

Too busy with schedules to practice. Since it came from a Nightmare Member, there didn’t seem to be much malice behind it… it just seemed like he was laying groundwork in case his score came out low.
But it was still a form of psychological pressure.
I nocked an arrow on the bowstring and replied.

“That’s too bad.”

The murmur around me died down. The distance was a bit longer than during practice, but I felt I could make the shot. I drew the bowstring as I raised and lowered the bow. The camera focused intensely on me.

‘Brother, did you do archery club in high school or something?’
‘No.’
‘What? You’re doing this for the first time?’
‘I’m telling you, it’s my first time.’

I remembered how the members had stirred when I first went to practice. Even the trainer had been surprised.
I released the bowstring. With a sharp whistle, the bow trembled as the arrow pierced through the air and shot forward.

Thunk!

It struck precisely in the center of the target. The broadcast commentators jumped to their feet.

[Wooooow!]
[Seo Ho-yoon just scored 10 points, 10 points!]
[This is the first perfect 10 since the distance was increased!]

I had a genuine talent for archery, it seemed.
Cheers erupted from the crowd. I spoke flatly while watching the Nightmare Member stare at me with his mouth agape.

“Too busy to practice, huh? That’s unfortunate.”

Ding!

[Seo Ho-yoon (23, Rejuvenated) — catching incoming provocations with remarkable finesse, quite the temperamental character]

Now you understand?

***

10 points, 9 points, 9 points, 9 points.
I hit consecutively and waved my hand with ease. Without even calculating the total, Nightmare had obviously won. I returned and gave Kim Sung-hyun a high five, then moistened my throat with water. In the distance, the rest of the members were cheering.

“Seo Ho-yoon! Seo Ho-yoon!”
“Milky-skinned charm machine Seo Ho-yoon!”

‘Should I kill them….’

Yeah, you guys. I’m getting first place here for you. As I advanced through the archery preliminaries and semifinals, I’d already calculated everything quickly.

‘Win first in archery… and then just one more first place in the final relay race.’

Kim Sung-hyun was here, and I was confident in running, so conversely speaking….
It meant I had to secure first place right now.

[The finals! This is the archery finals.]
[Wow, The Dun’s momentum is really terrifying. Actually, in the year The Dun debuted, they couldn’t appear on Victory is Mine, so this is their first appearance. But despite it being their first time, they’re already competing across track and field, esports, and archery!]

Joo Woo-sung came sauntering over.

“Hey, Seo Ho-yoon.”
“This is really embarrassing….”

The Black Call Member behind him looked utterly pathetic, but Joo Woo-sung didn’t seem to care at all.

“You were pretty good out there.”
“I practiced a lot.”

[Ah! The two archery aces are having a conversation!]

The Broadcast Commentators were curious about our exchange, but they couldn’t hear us from where they were.
Joo Woo-sung chuckled and gave my shoulder a couple of light pats.

“Let’s take it easy, Ho-yoon.”
“Sure.”
“You’re being extra cold today.”

Joo Woo-sung’s smile faltered, but I wasn’t about to back down either. For you, this might just be about honor, but I’m risking my life out there.

[Wow! We can’t hear what they’re saying, but judging by their expressions, there’s an intense battle of wills happening between them!]
[They’re best friends after all. Neither of them can afford to lose in a situation like this.]

That’s not it.

“Seo Ho-yoon, do you… not have any friends?”
“Stop introducing yourself and sit down.”
“….”

Joo Woo-sung grumbled and took his seat.
Kim Sung-hyun, who picked up his bow first, recorded a respectable score.

[The Dun’s Kim Sung-hyun, still rock solid! Eight points, seven points, nine points!]
[Black Call is no pushover either! Eight points, seven points, seven points! The score stands at 24 to 22! The Dun is pulling slightly ahead!]

“Please get ready!”
“Yes.”

I was just about to stand up and head out when Joo Woo-sung and I were preparing. Suddenly, as if the script had changed, the Announcer came over to conduct another interview.

“Seo Ho-yoon, could we get an interview? What’s your prediction for the final score?”
“I don’t have a prediction, but I’ll do my best.”
“Ha ha, that’s a textbook answer!”

I didn’t want to give her any opening to criticize me, so I kept my answer measured. Unsatisfied with my response, she turned her attention to Joo Woo-sung instead.

“What about Joo Woo-sung?”

Joo Woo-sung checked his bow and, spotting the Announcer, seemed to remember something as he strode toward us with long steps.
As if he resented the timing of this interview.

“I’ll do my best as well, but….”
“…?”

Joo Woo-sung looked at me. Ominously.

‘What’s he staring at?’

I met his gaze with a defiant stare, and Joo Woo-sung flashed a suspiciously playful smile.

“If Ho-yoon beats me, you’ll be done. You’ll be done?”
“….”

‘Damn it….’

My expression darkened. Since Joo Woo-sung’s aegyo was rare, the fans were already delighted, shrieking and waving their slogans frantically—but this was clearly deliberate provocation meant to shake me.

‘That bastard?’

“If I take first, I’ll be done. I’ll be done~!”

Joo Woo-sung certainly didn’t stop at just one verse.
He even winked at the camera before humming and walking away. My darkened expression appeared on camera a second time.

[Wow, was that just now a variation of the aegyo Seo Ho-yoon used?]
[That’s right! Seo Ho-yoon’s expression right now is absolutely…! There’s killing intent! His fingertips are trembling slightly, aren’t they?]
[Joo Woo-sung very effectively shook Seo Ho-yoon’s mental state! It’s quite underhanded, but it’s a very effective strategy~!]

Even the Broadcast Commentators were impressed by this “underhanded yet effective strategy.”

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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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