The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 73

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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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73

The staff members cast uneasy glances in our direction, but fortunately, they didn’t seem to have overheard the conversation. I swept my hair back and blocked the Manager’s path.

“I’m coming with you.”
“Ho-yoon, I understand how you feel, but don’t come right now.”
“No, I’m going.”

In the end, this entire situation hinged on my life. The fact that Jung Da-jun’s withdrawal meant we couldn’t proceed with the main scenario signified one thing.
The Dun would collapse spectacularly.
I watched Jung Da-jun, whose complexion had turned ashen and whose body trembled slightly. Then I assessed the remaining members.

“Then I’ll go too.”

Kim Sung-hyun stepped forward as well. Seeing his gaze turn toward me, he clearly felt sorry for always leaving everything to me. They must be panicking too.

“That’s enough. You all head in first. Didn’t you have a B Live schedule today anyway?”
“Well….”
“It’s important that people don’t find out. In that sense, it’s better if I go rather than the leader disappearing. Manager, the news hasn’t leaked to the outside yet, right?”
“I’m desperately trying to contain it.”
“You heard him? It’s crucial that this doesn’t spread. You guys give a solid cover performance at B Live today. I’ll follow Jung Da-jun and have a talk with the CEO.”

Jung Da-jun was a minor. At nineteen, he was practically a child by my standards. I couldn’t let him face that cunning CEO alone without proper support.

“Ugh….”

The Manager, who could only groan, wasn’t entirely trustworthy either. He squeezed his eyes shut.

“Yeah, Seo Ho-yoon not listening is nothing new….”

He habitually rubbed his stomach as if it ached. Though by all rights, my stomach should be the one bothering me.
I pretended everything was fine at the filming set, greeted everyone brightly, and quickly got into the van with Jung Da-jun.

“Hyung, I… I’m so sorry.”

Jung Da-jun seemed to return to reality only after boarding the van. Panic seized him, and he didn’t know what to do.

“What do I do? Am I going to get caught up in a lawsuit? No, I clearly settled things with that agency, so why now, of all times…!”
“Jung Da-jun.”
“I definitely said I was terminating my exclusive contract. They agreed and let me go without complaint, so why are they doing this now….”
“Jung Da-jun!”

I placed my palm on Jung Da-jun’s shoulder. The sharp sound made the Manager glance at us through the rearview mirror. Regardless, I lifted Jung Da-jun’s panicked face and met his gaze directly.

“Speak clearly so I can understand, brother.”
“…Ho-yoon….”
“I need to know what’s going on so I can handle it.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could resolve an exclusive contract issue. So I glossed over it with the vague word “handle,” but even that seemed to reassure Jung Da-jun, whose face contorted with emotion.

“…Understood.”

For the entire drive to the company, Jung Da-jun trembled as he recounted his story.
In summary, it went like this.
Before joining Dae Pa-sung, he had signed an exclusive contract with some small entertainment agency, even completing the paperwork, but the atmosphere felt suspicious, so he requested to terminate the contract. The other agency readily agreed to the termination, and afterward, Jung Da-jun proceeded with a new exclusive contract at Dae Pa-sung Planning.

‘The pattern is obvious.’

Hearing that story, one thing immediately came to mind: a shell company.
They sweet-talk promising but still-naive young talents into signing contracts, then get them to terminate, keeping the paperwork behind to pull a fast one later. Scammers like that were a dime a dozen in this industry.

“Brother, what do I do….”
“For now, go and tell them exactly what you told me.”
“A-and after that?”

Jung Da-jun looked at me with anxious, wavering eyes. Just as I was about to answer, the van came to a stop. We were in front of Dae Pa-sung Planning.
I sighed and unbuckled my seatbelt first.

“Leave it to me.”

What could I possibly not handle at this point?

***

The Manager entered the CEO’s Office, trying not to show it, but the CEO’s gaze was absolutely lethal. It conveyed not only ‘this guy didn’t do his job properly,’ but also the reproach of ‘why did he bring Seo Ho-yoon again?’

‘As if I wanted to bring him along!’

Internally, I wept tears of blood, but for now, I simply kept my mouth shut in front of him.
Seo Ho-yoon possessed a strange power. No matter how absurd his claims were, the situation always unfolded according to his will.

“…That’s how it happened.”

With Seo Ho-yoon beside him, Jung Da-jun seemed to have regained some stability, explaining his situation far more logically than when he’d rambled in the van. After hearing everything, the CEO’s expression darkened as if he’d stumbled upon a troublesome matter.

“You’ve been had.”
“….”
“Hah, this is blatantly an attempt to extort breach-of-contract penalties. Including media blackmail….”
“C-CEO.”

At the CEO’s words, Jung Da-jun was startled, even stammering. However, the Manager tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand.

“Da-jun is still a minor. Exclusive contracts with minors should be voidable, shouldn’t they?”
“Hah… I wish it were that simple.”

At those words, Seo Ho-yoon’s eyebrows twitched. He, who had remained silent except for greetings, finally spoke.

“Was the seal affixed?”

The CEO glanced at Seo Ho-yoon and clicked his tongue.

“It was.”
“And they have the seal certificate and family relation certificate?”
“What kind of person in practical affairs would bother with all that? But there are phone records. These are scary people. They even recorded it and sent it by email.”

Confirmation. If this even went to court, they would undoubtedly argue that the exclusive contract was valid. The phone call with Jung Da-jun’s parents at the time of signing would be used as evidence.

“…Hmm.”

Seo Ho-yoon fell into deep thought. Jung Da-jun alone couldn’t keep up, his eyes just rolling about.
The CEO sighed heavily while still explaining things for Jung Da-jun’s sake.

“Da-jun, typically contracts signed by minors without parental consent can be voided. But in your case, you had consent. There’s a contract with a registered seal. Your parents gave consent and affixed their seal. They weren’t physically present at the signing, but they consented over speakerphone while on a call.”
“That’s not true! I called multiple times back then. They’re claiming those calls count as recorded consent during the contract signing. Even during consultations… my parents both work, so they couldn’t make it.”
“Da-jun, you can’t lie and say you’re scared. If a contract was signed through a minor’s deception, it can’t be cancelled.”
“I’m not lying!”
“….”

As Jung Da-jun’s voice grew louder with indignation, Seo Ho-yoon glanced at him. The CEO’s hands trembled, and though he shook his head firmly in denial, he swallowed back another sigh that threatened to escape at the sight of Jung Da-jun’s vehement rejection.

“And they never gave you a contract termination notice either. They just destroyed it while pretending to terminate it. Absolute bastards.”

The CEO winced slightly at cursing in front of Jung Da-jun, but seeming to have lost all his strength, he merely rubbed his forehead.

“So they can claim they’re the victims while saying you knowingly signed an exclusive contract with them. You got completely blindsided.”
“….”

Jung Da-jun’s face contorted. Seo Ho-yoon examined the contract on the table carefully before asking.

“What conditions are they demanding?”
“Ho, Ho-yoon.”
“They’re not actually planning to take Jung Da-jun and have him work, and if this were heading to court, they would’ve already sent a notice. Since they don’t want to go that far, they’re trying to extort penalty fees.”

Seo Ho-yoon spoke calmly, analyzing the situation. The CEO let out a hollow laugh.

“They haven’t stated their conditions yet.”
“…Are they dragging this out to raise the price?”
“Exactly. They’ve got their hooks in deep.”

Money would solve it, that much was certain. But knowing that Dae Pa-sung expected Jung Da-jun to be a major prospect, they’d likely demand an astronomical sum—impossible to predict how much they’d bleed them for.
At the edge of my vision, Jung Da-jun’s fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white.

“The fans will be exhausted waiting….”
“The next activity will be delayed, at least.”

Just as the CEO and Manager began discussing their concerns about the scheduled activities, Seo Ho-yoon, having finished organizing his thoughts, touched the corner of his mouth and casually dropped another bombshell.

“We proceed as scheduled.”
“…What?”

Seo Ho-yoon tapped Jung Da-jun’s hunched shoulders—as if to say, if you’ve done nothing wrong, stand tall.

“Four days.”

‘Hmm….’

The CEO found it absurd, yet strangely, an unspoken expectation bloomed within him—that somehow, if it was Seo Ho-yoon, he could resolve this.
This rookie idol who spouted nothing but preposterous claims had consistently delivered results that left everyone’s jaws on the floor.

“I’ll extract Jung Da-jun within four days.”

It was still madness.

***

‘Damn it, why are we delaying for anyone’s sake?’

Some fans might wait patiently like azaleas in bloom. But if this drags on indefinitely with nothing but lawsuits and no activities, who would remain? And how could we recover the prime years slipping away?
Under these circumstances, the fanbase shrinking was inevitable.

‘We have to act now.’

A buzzing, annoying mosquito must be swatted immediately, right then and there. Better than waking up the next morning to see your skin swollen and red, grinding your teeth in frustration.
In that sense, mosquitoes and con artists shared something in common—the moment you spot them, you have to crush them in one go.

“Seo Ho-yoon, what are you saying right now! You’re not thinking of stepping in yourself, are you?”
“That’s not the important part right now. What matters is whether we can bury this quickly or not.”

I brushed off the Manager’s shock without a second thought.

“If we drag our feet, all the fans will abandon us. We need to handle this while they’re still in the dark and before any articles break.”
“….”
“CEO, we had no choice but to wait for conditions anyway, didn’t we?”

The CEO hesitated, then nodded.

I was irritated that I had to go this far for the Agency, but still—if no one else could handle it, then I had to step up.

“You just keep waiting as you have been, CEO. That’s all you need to do.”
“…Do you know someone on their side?”

The CEO seems to think I have some backing he can trust. As if I’d know anyone at that entertainment company. I don’t….

‘He’s jumping to conclusions on his own, so there’s no need for me to correct him.’

“I’ll contact you again.”

I tapped Jung Da-jun on the shoulder as he sat there with his head bowed, unable to speak, looking utterly dejected.

“Let’s go.”
“….”
“Hurry.”

Somehow the situation felt identical to a few days ago. Jung Da-jun, who had been staring at me blankly, bit his lip hard before jumping to his feet. He bowed respectfully to the CEO, but still looked aggrieved.

‘Sigh.’

Just before stepping out the door, I turned my head back.

“Don’t forget to renew the contract.”

The door slammed shut.
I strode ahead briskly, and Jung Da-jun hurried after me from behind, hesitating a step back and gauging my mood.

“Ho-yoon… I’m, I’m sorry….”
“Forget it.”
“….”

He was completely deflated. Jung Da-jun knew this was all his fault.
This is why I hate scams. The victim is the one who got defrauded, yet people just keep repeating “you should have been more careful” while pointing fingers.
I needed to make some behind-the-scenes arrangements again, so I was about to contact Kim Jae-yeon when I heard Jung Da-jun’s voice calling out from beside me, small and withdrawn.

“Hyung.”
“What.”
“Hyung, do you… believe in me?”
“What?”

‘What kind of random question is that?’

I was hurrying because there seemed to be so much to handle to resolve this quickly, but I couldn’t ignore it. I stopped in my tracks and turned around. Jung Da-jun stared at me with a face that looked like it would crumble into tears at the slightest touch.

“Even if I were your brother, or even the CEO, I would’ve thought the same thing… that Jung Da-jun lied because he couldn’t handle the aftermath.”
“….”
“But it’s really not, brother.”

Jung Da-jun’s still-clenched fist trembled visibly.

“Really… I didn’t lie.”

Watching Jung Da-jun’s shoulders slump in dejection, I suddenly saw my own past reflected in him.
Having no one in your corner is truly agonizing. With no backing, no ability, all the blame falls on me for shouting without proof. I remembered how much I’d gritted my teeth and struggled alone within that despair.
I let out a long, weary sigh.

“Jung Da-jun, do you feel wronged?”
“…Yes.”

Even as I clicked my tongue, I opened the Item Shop. I’d accumulated enough points from the previous quests to find something useful here.

“If you feel wronged, ignore everyone making a fuss around you and live with confidence proportional to your innocence. Eventually it’ll be forgotten, or the truth will come out.”
“….”
“But when your heart still aches, when enough time has passed yet you lie in bed and just remembering it makes you feel so wronged and miserable—there’s exactly one way to resolve it satisfyingly.”

I quickly scrolled through the Item Shop. And then one item caught my eye—perfect for this moment.

[‘Let’s Get Close’
An opportunity to know people’s true hearts!
Tea leaves that make people answer honestly as if drunk.
Points: 10,000
※Warning: The consumer may experience impaired physical function similar to intoxication]

‘This should work.’

“What is it?”

Jung Da-jun asked hesitantly. Without hesitation, I purchased the item and approached him, draping an arm around his shoulder.

“You just need to prove you’re right.”
“…?”
“Simple, right?”

Jung Da-jun found it equally absurd, and even the tears that had been dangling precariously at the corners of his eyes vanished. Regardless of his reaction, I gazed at my reflection in the lobby glass doors and swept my bangs aside.

“Da-jun.”

Glancing over it casually, I could see it looked a bit rough. After going through all this, I found it so ridiculous that laughter bubbled up naturally.

“So, how does your brother look with his bangs swept up? A bit lighter and dumber, right?”
“…Huh?”

Jung Da-jun, unable to grasp my meaning immediately, contorted his eyebrows. Regardless, I let out a light laugh.
Yeah, I like it.
I look like a street punk.

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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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