The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 88

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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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88

“What are you doing right now?”

Grimacing, I quickly ushered out the minors and non-smokers, then stepped inside and threw open the windows wide. Brilliant sunlight poured through, but Lim Hyun-sung seemed utterly indifferent, remaining sprawled in the chair with legs propped on the desk, idly swinging them back and forth.
Lim Hyun-sung’s personality had always felt similar to Kang Yi-chae’s, but lately their mannerisms were becoming identical. It seemed that after synchronizing their mentor-student dynamic, they were absorbing each other’s worst habits at an accelerated rate.

“With all this smoke billowing around, it’s remarkable the alarm hasn’t gone off.”
“I deliberately chose a room with a broken alarm… so I could smoke indoors…”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“It’s my building, so it’s fine. And since it’s on the first floor, if there’s a fire, I can just jump out the window.”
“Fix it now.”

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Lim Hyun-sung’s condition seemed off today. I’d always thought he was foolish, but today he was acting even stranger than usual.
After quickly opening the windows to clear out some of the smoke, it became more bearable, though it was still too early to let the other members in. I crossed my arms and stared at him.
Lim Hyun-sung, who had been steadily puffing away, lowered his legs from the desk instead of flashing his usual cocky grin, and his eyes slid away evasively.

‘…What’s this about?’

I glanced at the ashtray beside him and felt my stomach turn. Cigarette butts were piled up like a mountain, and several empty cigarette packs lay scattered around it.

“Even if you own the building, is this acceptable? Smoking indoors?”
“You’re one to talk? You smoked here too.”
“Ugh, my memory’s a bit fuzzy.”
“Is this an interrogation?”

I had smoked when threatening him before. Lim Hyun-sung, who used to grumble about how “people who quit smoking are unbearable—they get way too smug,” let out a long sigh and fidgeted with a cigarette pack.

“I don’t care… I’m going to smoke a pack, maybe two a day, and die young. I’ll live like a true artist—cool and brilliant—then kick the bucket early.”
“What?”
“This industry has a tendency to glorify the talents of people who died young. I’m going to shine brilliantly right to the end and then die. How’s that—pretty cool, right?”

‘Pathetic…’

Has all your style completely died?
I stared at him in disbelief, then sat down on the folding chair next to Lim Hyun-sung. I grabbed the armrest of his chair as he continued spinning around in dizzying circles.
I had no idea what was going on.

‘Maybe I should offer some encouragement here.’

“You can’t give up. Don’t die on me.”
“…!”
“I’m the Composer….”

Lim Hyun-sung, who had forcibly stopped his spinning, suddenly looked at me with a moved expression.

“I want to use you right up until the very, very end.”
“Damn….”

I spoke as kindly as possible, saying I wanted to drain him for as long as humanly possible, and smiled gently. Lim Hyun-sung slapped my hand away from the armrest and scooted back. I figured the jokes had run their course and the mood had been lightened enough, so I called the members who had been standing outside.
At this point, we’d exhausted all the jokes and lightened the mood enough, so we called in the members who had been standing outside.

“We’re fine!”
“It’s okay!” or “I’m fine!”

The members, including Jung Da-jun who was kind but absolutely incapable of lying, bowed respectfully to Lim Hyun-sung, who was still sprawled out like half-melted jelly, and carefully settled their weight onto the sofa.
The members, including Jung Da-jun, who is kind but absolutely cannot tell lies, bowed repeatedly to Lim Hyun-sung, who was still sprawled out like half-melted jelly, and carefully settled their bottoms onto the sofa.

“It’s a fan song. Could you take a look?”
“Sigh….”
“Sigh…”

Kang Yi-chae, who was quick to pick up on these things, noticed it too and paused as he was pulling out his laptop.
A moment later, Lim Hyun-sung rubbed his eyes and suddenly straightened up.
A moment later, Lim Hyun-sung rubbed her eyes and suddenly jerked her upper body forward.

“…Yes.”
“…Yes.”

The song, which evoked the image of a 1980s American high school setting, was composed of an intense upbeat tempo and a refreshing melody.
The song, which evokes the setting of a 1980s American high school, is composed of an intense upbeat and a refreshing melody.

“Kang Yi-chae is really a tough guy.”

After that incident, Kang Yi-chae seemed somewhat depressed, but then he suddenly locked himself in the bedroom and obsessed over classic films like a madman. Later, he and Jung Da-jun delved into 1980s American cinema, and with loud shouts of “I’m an American high teen,” “Kang Yi-chae Busters,” and “I’ll ride a burning car back to the past”—utterly nonsensical declarations—he produced that beat.
Honestly, as long as he churned out killer tracks, I was willing to tolerate whatever nonsense he spouted.

[♩♬♪♫]

With the other members focused behind him, Kang Yi-chae watched Lim Hyun-sung with slight tension. Even after the song ended, Lim Hyun-sung remained silent for a long moment.

“…?”

As we began exchanging glances and silent signals, her hand drifted toward a cigarette pack, then stopped. Her eyelashes fluttered once, and she spoke.

“…Not bad.”
“Oh!”
“Wow!”

The members who didn’t know Lim Hyun-sung well yet cheered simply at receiving praise from the famous Composer, but I found myself momentarily speechless watching her.
Kang Yi-chae seemed to feel the same way, but after lowering his gaze briefly, he smiled.

“We learned it all from our genius Composer here~.”
“Of course. Where else would you have learned it?”

Lim Hyun-sung responded lightly with a joke, then pointed at the Program with her finger and gave feedback. As Kang Yi-chae listened intently to every word of Lim Hyun-sung’s voice, each time he touched the computer, the track grew richer and more elaborate.
I leaned back on the sofa, watching the scene, then looked away.

‘Min Ji-heon….’

Of course I’d tried contacting him afterward, but no replies came, and whether the story about going to China was true remained unclear. I considered reaching out through the Manager or the Company, but I knew that wouldn’t lead to a proper conversation.
I ran my finger over my lips, untangling the still-knotted thoughts one by one.

Min Ji-heon definitely knows something.
Let me organize this from the beginning.
On Jeju Island and when we met at the Company, he’d said something vague about me looking “rushed.”
Afterward, he claimed he’d misread the situation and retracted it….

‘What could he have meant by rushed?’

It’s true that I’ve been stuck in this wretched game, grinding away at unplanned hardship, but this scenario clearly had no time limit for clearing it. Just a vague directive to become a first-tier idol.
Quests occasionally came with time limits, but since I’d assumed they only appeared in situations warranting them, I’d never questioned the reason.

‘…Wait.’

Did I miss something?
I’d always thought Quest rewards and failures were arbitrary, with no balance patches applied, but what if that wasn’t the case?
What if the System Window had reasons it never told me about, and Min Ji-heon, who’d figured it out, said it was urgent for me?
What if he also had limits?

“…Hey.”

Even if that were true, there were still countless mysteries unsolved. How Min Ji-heon, who knew nothing, had shown me that traffic accident in the first place, why the System Window had errored, and—.
Just as I was about to sink into a chain of interconnected thoughts, my shoulder was tapped.

“Hey, Seo Ho-yoon.”
“…Yeah.”

It was Lim Hyun-sung, standing before me with her hands in her pockets, leaning to one side. Except for me, who’d been spacing out, the members were already on their feet greeting her.

“What were you thinking so hard about that you couldn’t hear me?”
“The Composer’s curse, ma’am.”
“Damn it, seriously….”

She shrugged and was about to leave when Lim Hyun-sung grabbed me.

“Wait a minute. I need to talk to you.”
“Yes? Um, okay.”
“Composer Chung Beom! Thank you so much today~!”
“Thank you!”
“Yeah, go on inside.”

The other members quickly greeted her and left, leaving me awkwardly held back. Watching them disappear, I hoped they’d at least have the sense to grab something sweet to recharge while they waited for me.
I sat quietly on the sofa waiting, and as if she’d been waiting for the members to leave, Lim Hyun-sung plopped down in a chair and pulled out a cigarette again.

“Isn’t this pathetic? Can’t you go without it for a bit?”
“Damn it, give me a break…. Life’s so frustrating I need to vent.”
“….”

I stared at her intently. Lim Hyun-sung set down her lighter and exhaled smoke, tilting her head toward the ceiling.

“Kang Yi-chae really is….”
“….”
“Really, really, really enviable.”

It was almost like muttering to herself—words she’d tried to hold back but that spilled out anyway.
Just as I began to furrow my brow slightly, Lim Hyun-sung flicked the ash from her cigarette and turned her gaze toward me.

“—Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. I just felt like saying something to you.”
“Why?”
“…You seem a bit on edge.”
“…Me?”

No, I was actually… regaining my composure now. As I raised one eyebrow, Lim Hyun-sung looked at me and slowly narrowed her eyes.

“You always seemed a bit tense, but today it’s more… pronounced.”
“….”
“Something wrong?”

‘She’s perceptive.’

I exhaled a sigh and slid my body down onto the sofa in a half-reclined position. What could I even say here?
There’s a slightly unhinged senior at the same agency, and he showed me his trauma?
Instead of saying that, I looked Lim Hyun-sung up and down. I saw her flinch.

“I….”
“….”
“Quit smoking, remember?”
“Ah, shit. I totally get it. Okay.”

The shameless Lim Hyun-sung nodded frantically. Watching her stubbornly puff away even in front of someone struggling with quitting, I couldn’t help but laugh. I covered my mouth and widened my eyes, and Lim Hyun-sung clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“Don’t laugh like that, you’re getting attached.”
“Guess I already am.”
“Right? If you were me, wouldn’t you be? I’d rather it went out for good now.”

But I want to see you for a long time.
Lim Hyun-sung took one more drag and stubbed out the cigarette roughly against the ashtray, then reached for her cigarette pack to pull out another one, when her phone suddenly buzzed.

“uh?”

I felt like I had done most of my business, so I said hello and was about to quickly escape this raccoon den, when Lim Hyun-soo muttered when he saw the caller on his cell phone.

“It’s Heeyoung.”
“It’s Hee-young.”

Heeeeeeyoung??

“Heeyoung, what’s going on? I’m done texting.”

What kind of bullshit is this?
What kind of nonsense was this?

“…PD ​​Kim Hee-young?”
“…Kim Hee-young, the PD?”

Lim Hyeon-soo, who was replying with a grin when he closed his mouth, seemed to have sensed something suspicious, and looked at me with a question mark on his face.

“…Why are you upset?”
“…Why are you upset?”

What reason do I have to be upset?
What reason would I have to be upset?

“Why do you think I’m going to swear at you??”
“Why, you look like you’re about to curse me out??”
“….”

I felt dizzy for a moment and touched my forehead.
I felt a sudden vertigo and pressed my forehead.
I really just wanted to stop hearing about that side of things now, but why was I stuck as a nobody who couldn’t even block her contact….

“I’m sorry, but you can’t be together~. I’ve been really close with Heeyoung these days. Have you heard? Best Friend?! B.F.F! ​​I guess it’s not easy for someone like you to be in a relationship… The last time I saw Joo Woo-seong, I heard he was threatened by you too, so I’m afraid he’ll also be involved in a three-in-one pot.”
“Sorry, but I can’t let you in~. Hee-young and I are super close these days. Have you heard? Best Friend, right?! B.F.F! A nobody like you can’t just waltz into that kind of relationship… And when I saw Joo Woo-sung the other day, he said you were blackmailing him one hundred percent, so I was thinking about bringing him in too to make it a trio.”
“Tch….”

Hyunsoo Lim chuckled and motioned for me to get out. I was already planning on going, though!
Lim Hyun-sung laughed and waved me away dismissively. I was planning to leave anyway, anyway!

“Hyung!! Here, here!”
“Hyung!! Over here!”

As he strode outside, Dajun Jeong barely waved with a bunch of snacks on his side. And Seong Ji-won next to me offered a Java Chip Frappuccino.

“Java chips, caramel drizzle, mocha syrup, and espresso whipped. I thought you might want to drink something sweet today.”

I’m glad the members have good sense.

“thanks.”

I took the drink and took a sip. As soon as the party came in, my annoyance subsided and I became more calm. Seong Ji-won blinked and asked cautiously.

“…But Ho-yoon.”
“…But Ho-yoon.”
“What.”
“Why are you irritated?”

***

Even while Seo Ho-yoon was already ruined (due to his own fault) and was upset about a relationship that could never be reversed… The work was really hard. Thanks to this, a video was quickly uploaded to The Dawn YouTube.

The teaser was uploaded without the slightest warning or even a hint from B Live. The moment the Nouls opened their eyes wide and clicked on the video, a teaser of about 20 seconds unfolded.

The video begins with Jeong Da-jun picking up a letter in front of a cabinet.
The video begins with Jung Da-jun picking up a letter in front of a cabinet.
Kim Sung-hyun shooting a basketball into the hoop, Sung Ji-won deliberating in front of a flower shop and plucking a rose to present, and Kang Yi-chae leaning against an old motorcycle chewing gum—they followed in sequence.
The monotonous and refreshing beat transforms at a certain point into the distinctive upbeat music of 1980s America. Yet Kang Yi-chae, who maintains a refined beat that appropriately blends contemporary sensibilities and fits the trend, clearly possesses the talent that would make Lim Hyun-sung jealous.

The purple light shone brightly on her thin, voluminous hair, and the slightly raised corners of her eyes were folded playfully.
The purple light shone brilliantly on my fine, voluminous hair, and my slightly upturned eyes crinkled playfully.

A short highlight played, and the song title appeared on the black screen.
A brief highlight played, and the song title appeared against the black screen.

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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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