The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 70

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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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70

[Oh! Jung Da-jun has fallen!]

Though Jung Da-jun’s position was distant, all the members panicked and began sprinting toward him. Jung Da-jun lifted his head slightly, and our eyes met.

“Jung Da-jun, stay still!”
“….”

If he was injured, it would be a disaster.
Future activities… well, that mattered too, but if he suffered any aftereffects, who would take responsibility for Jung Da-jun?

“…!”

But of course, it was Jung Da-jun.
Even though he clearly heard my words, his eyes wavered as he glanced back and forth between the finish line and us, then suddenly sprang to his feet. He always answered obediently, but when it came to actually listening, he was hopeless.

[Jung Da-jun is up! The athlete has gotten to his feet!]

He picked up the baton that had fallen and immediately resumed running.

[Ah! Jung Da-jun doesn’t stop! He gets right back up and keeps running!]
[Is this what true professionalism looks like?]

‘Professionalism, my foot!’

Though he’d briefly fallen behind from the tumble, he stubbornly held onto first place. Jung Da-jun beamed as he crossed the finish line.

“Brothers!”

[The Dun takes first! Despite the fall, The Dun never gave up and sprinted to victory!]

“Jung Da-jun!!!”

But I was furious.
In the roaring stadium, I shouted at the top of my lungs. Nearly everyone there must have heard me. But I didn’t care.
I strode forward and grabbed Jung Da-jun, who lay sprawled across the finish line, gasping for breath. Still unable to get up, Jung Da-jun spoke with a flushed face.

“Hyung! We got first place…!”
“I told you to stay still!”

I’d had a bad feeling about something. I turned away from Jung Da-jun, whose eyes had gone wide with shock, and removed the sneaker from his injured ankle.

“Ugh….”

It was swollen and red as expected. Watching it turn a dark purple before my eyes confirmed the injury was serious.

‘Damn…!’

His form had seemed off—he must have ignored the pain and just kept running. The other member who’d come running also looked at Jung Da-jun and pressed his forehead.

“Where’s the Medical Team?”
“I called them. Just now.”
“Then why aren’t they here?”

I couldn’t hide my irritation toward the Broadcasting Station. Jung Da-jun urgently grabbed my arm.

“Ho-yoon Hyung! What Medical Team? I’m fine.”
“….”
“I’m really fine, Hyung. You said you wanted to get first place.”

Hearing those words, frustration welled up in my chest.
I had so much I wanted to say. I’d told him to run slowly if the ground was slippery, that we didn’t need first place, to just take it easy.

“Uh, well….”

I swallowed the words that had risen to my lips, pushing them back down. Jung Da-jun smiled while wincing in pain, trying to read the mood.

“Haha, really, I’m really fine.”
“….”
“It’s not bad enough to worry about….”

Jung Da-jun’s shoulders drooped dejectedly. The Medical Team continued to dawdle, and only after I helped him walk over there did they give him a cursory examination before tossing a spray bottle at him.

“It just looks like a light swelling. I’ll just spray it and we’ll be fine.”

‘…Seriously.’

“What did you say?”

It wasn’t just me who found this absurd—Sung Ji-won and Kim Sung-hyun’s faces hardened instantly. Kang Yi-chae spoke bluntly.

“Just spray it? The kid can barely walk properly.”
“He’s fine. His muscles are just startled, that’s all.”
“Unbelievable.”

Kim Sung-hyun exhaled a sigh of exasperation.

“If someone’s injured, you come straight to us. Just staring blankly and saying something like that—does that count as treatment? If that’s the case, why are we even here?”
“Whoa, whoa, Hyung!”

Jung Da-jun hurriedly stopped Kim Sung-hyun, pulling him back as he spoke.

“I’m fi~ne, really. It’s okay, so please stop….”
“….”

Kim Sung-hyun’s neck was flushed with anger, but seeing Jung Da-jun, he simply turned his head away and closed his mouth.
Was he really fine? Truly?
I bent my knees and met Jung Da-jun’s eyes directly.

“Jung Da-jun.”
“…Yes.”
“Let’s go to the hospital.”
“Hyung, then we won’t be able to film our competition’s ending….”

He meant we should hold back to avoid any potential backlash. The fact that even the tactless Jung Da-jun was saying this meant we were definitely in an excited state right now. We were, but.

“If we leave without filming the ending, people will criticize us…. They’ll say we didn’t finish.”
“….”

Every year injuries occurred and articles were written, yet the floor remained slippery.
People would tumble and fall, then jump right back up—and somehow that was praised as “professional spirit.”
The Medical Team would stare blankly, then dismiss it as nothing, waving them away.
Jung Da-jun had to endure all of it.
Everything—down to the tips of my hair—ignited my rage.

“You….”
“….”
“Don’t worry about any of that.”

I bent my back toward Jung Da-jun.

“Get on. Quickly.”
“Hyung, really, I’m fine…!”
“That’s enough.”
“….”
“I’ll take responsibility for everything, so just come.”

I gestured to Sung Ji-won, who helped support Jung Da-jun onto my back, careful not to touch his ankle. I straightened up, carrying him.

“Tell the Manager to have the car ready.”
“Already done, Hyung.”
“Good work. What’s the nearest hospital from here?”
“I’m looking it up right now. Just a moment.”

As the situation escalated beyond expectations, the arena grew chaotic. Only when someone was being carried away and shouting did people realize something was wrong. Jung Da-jun whispered nervously to me.

“Ho-yoon, we’re leaving so loudly like this… what if it’s nothing serious?”
“Then we’ll be lucky.”
“….”

With that, Jung Da-jun fell silent. At least he stopped chattering nervously, which was a relief.

“Ho-yoon, I’ll go brief the fans for a moment and be right back.”
“Sure, I’m counting on you.”

Everyone knew what they needed to do, which was fortunate. As I adjusted Jung Da-jun’s position and turned to leave, Kim Hee-young followed alongside me.

“Seo Ho-yoon!”
“…Ah, PD.”
“Not that way—the nearest exit is over there. Follow me.”
“…Yes.”
“Quickly now. I’ll handle things here.”

PD Kim Hee-young guided me with a worried expression, apologizing as though it were her own fault despite being hastily brought in herself. I bowed my head in gratitude.
As I left the stadium and headed toward where the van was parked, the System Window automatically displayed the Quest completion.

[‘Victory is Mine’ Quest completed.
You have claimed first place in the ‘Victory is Mine’ event three times.
(First place finishes by group members also count.)
Success. 3,000 points awarded.]

Under normal circumstances, the System Window would have burst into confetti, but it remained quiet except for the notification—as if it were reading the room.

“….”

It had started with a light heart, but ended in a thoroughly frustrating finish.

***

“In conclusion!”

Jung Da-jun beamed with radiant brightness.

“I’m absolutely fine and dandy.”

I reflexively reached to flick Jung Da-jun’s forehead for his bravado but stopped myself.
Hold back. He’s a patient.

“There’s no fracture, but you have ligament damage.”
“Come on, it’s just a little stretch.”

Sung Ji-won quietly inserted an apple into Jung Da-jun’s mouth.

“Da-jun, just stay quiet.”
“…Yes.”

The doctor said there were no fractures, but I’d need a cast for about two weeks. Jung Da-jun complained about it at first, but it was far better than dealing with lingering aftereffects later.

“Brother, you’re getting a ton of calls.”
“I’ll take them later.”

Calls kept coming in from everywhere—the CEO, my Manager, Joo Woo-sung, and others. Jung Da-jun, who’d been anxiously watching me since the injury, asked hesitantly.

“What did the CEO say?”
“He told me to rest.”

That was a lie, actually. I wanted to stay beside Jung Da-jun, but Sung Ji-won gestured at me.

“Ho-yoon. Go take the call.”
“Yeah, hyung. The phone keeps ringing—it’s driving me crazy.”
“…Understood.”

With Sung Ji-won and Kang Yi-chae here, stepping away for a bit seemed fine. I knew it wasn’t a serious injury, after all.
I took a breath, stood up, and walked into the hallway to make a call. Not to the CEO, but to PD Kim Hee-young, who should be at the filming location.

[Hello?]
“PD, it’s me.”
[Oh, Seo Ho-yoon. Hold on, hold on. Things are still a mess here.]
“…I’ll call back later. Sorry about that.”
[I’m the one who should apologize. I’m always the one saying sorry. I’ll call you back.]

It wasn’t Kim Hee-young’s fault, yet her voice was heavy with remorse. I hung up feeling deflated and checked the text that had come from Joo Woo-sung.

[Joo Woo-sung: Da-jun’s okay, right?]
[Joo Woo-sung: Things wrapped up fine here too. Vibes are good~]

Joo Woo-sung was probably trying to reassure me, but the gossip would definitely spread.

‘We didn’t film the ending and left. They’ll say we didn’t finish it.’

I’d known this would happen, and maybe holding back would have been the right call, but seeing Jung Da-jun with his swollen ankle, looking dejected and anxious, I couldn’t help but feel irritated….

‘It’s done. The milk’s already spilled.’

There’s no point dwelling on it—the result won’t change.
I ran my hand through my disheveled hair and turned back toward the hospital room, but I could hear hushed voices coming from inside.

“Hasn’t Ho-yoon changed a bit?”
“…?”

What? Why are they suddenly talking about me?
I leaned my back against the wall beside the hinged door, raising an eyebrow. Sung Ji-won and Jung Da-jun chimed in agreement with what Kang Yi-chae had said.

“…Yeah, you’re right. Something’s different.”
“Yeah. I think so too.”

Deciding there was nothing more worth hearing, I walked in briskly and crossed my arms with a sharp gesture.

“What about me?”
“Huh?”
“Oh!”

The three of them inside visibly flinched. Sung Ji-won and Kang Yi-chae turned to look at me, their faces flushed with embarrassment.

“We’ll go grab more vitamin drinks!”
“Hyung! Hyungs! What is this—you’re leaving me behind?”
“We’ll be right back~!”

Sung Ji-won and Kang Yi-chae bolted without a second glance. They looked exactly like people caught gossiping and making their escape. Only Jung Da-jun, stuck lying in bed with a cast, wore a pitiful expression.

“Hyung….”

I sighed and pulled a chair over to sit down.

“So now you’re gossiping about me too?”
“Hyung, we’ve been doing that from the start!”

Jung Da-jun exclaimed cheerfully. When I raised my hand, he quickly waved it off.

“Just kidding, just kidding!”

What could I expect from these guys? I picked up the knife Sung Ji-won had abandoned and started peeling an apple. I was willing to let it slide this time, but Jung Da-jun’s satisfied gaze made me uncomfortable.

“What’s with that look in your eyes?”
“Haha, no, I wasn’t talking behind your back. …I was just saying that you’ve changed, hyung.”
“Changed how?”
“Well, it just seems like… you’re prioritizing the members over work now. That’s the feeling I get.”

Even as he spoke, embarrassment and awkwardness colored his features. He scratched at his flushed cheeks.

“So I was happy about it. That you were thinking of me too.”
“…”

How terribly I had behaved toward him.
To be honest, if Jung Da-jun had been just anyone else, I might have let it slide.
But he was a member who had worked alongside me these past few months, who had suffered through it all with me.

‘No, that’s not it. That’s not the real reason.’

More than anything, Jung Da-jun was too young, and he reminded me of someone.

“…”

With nothing to say, I simply kept my mouth shut. Then Jung Da-jun suddenly let out a theatrical cough and mimicked what I had said moments earlier.

“Don’t worry me and just lean on me. No matter what anyone in the world says, I’ll take responsibility for everything. Kyaa~, I was genuinely moved in that moment.”
“When did I ever say something like that?”

No matter how hard I searched my memory, I had never tried to sound that cool. Besides, there was quite a bit of exaggeration mixed in.
As if Jung Da-jun had ever caused me worry. Yet he always knew how to never leave things at just one verse.

“Isn’t it a drama line? ‘I’m worried about you, Jung Da-jun.'”
“Jung Da-jun’s been making up scripts since earlier…”
“Hehehehe!”
“Just eat an apple. Here, an apple.”
“Wow, is it a bunny apple??”

I stuffed an apple into his chattering mouth, just as Sung Ji-won had done before. When was the food coming anyway? The kid must be hungry.
Even as Jung Da-jun threw out such frivolous jokes, I could see the slight anxiety beneath the surface.
Sure enough, what he casually tossed out next was this:

“I’m going to get a lot of hate.”
“….”

He was prepared to take the blame.
I exhaled deeply and gently stroked Jung Da-jun’s head. I couldn’t let him suffer unjustly alone.

“I’ll have food sent over later. Make sure you eat it.”
“Instead of the hate?”

Jung Da-jun asked with a slight smile.

‘Idiot.’

There was plenty of hate that Jung Da-jun deserved… in fact, there was a lot of it.
I couldn’t shield him from all the criticism that would come his way because of this mess.
But the one who actually caused this wasn’t us—so how could we just take all the blame and the hate without fighting back?
I tapped the armrest of the hospital bed rhythmically, my gaze lowered.

“Yeah.”

Let’s see what we can do about this….

“Instead of the hate.”

I’m pretty damn good at getting my hands dirty when I need to.

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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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