The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 92

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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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92

“What do you want?”
“…You adapt quickly, don’t you?”

The moment Min Ji-heon smiled awkwardly, his manager came rushing over in a flustered state. It seemed like his manager always arrived in similar situations with the same frantic demeanor.

“Min Ji-heon!! Hey, you punk!!”
“Ah, Hyung!”

Min Ji-heon grinned widely and raised his hand, but Manager Kim Sung-chul approached him looking flustered.

“Hey! Do you know how much my heart nearly stopped?! I thought you were disappearing again! You need to tell me before you go somewhere!!”
“Come on, how could I do that?”
“Your track record is absolutely spectacular?!”

Since I’d forcibly dragged Min Ji-heon to this coffee shop, I felt a bit guilty. Come to think of it, I hadn’t mentioned anything to my own manager either.

“Anyway, why are you with Seo Ho-yoon again? …That thing from last time—what about that?”
“It’s fine.”

Though they whispered quietly, every word reached my ears crystal clear. It seemed something had transpired between the two of them regarding the incident at the restaurant last time.

“Geez, this guy’s so oblivious, how is he supposed to survive in this world….”

‘Oblivious? Ob-liv-i-ous??’

Why were all the managers at Dae Pa-sung like this?
Did Dae Pa-sung’s hiring process have some special technique for selecting people who lacked perception or were just kind-hearted, regardless of their actual abilities?
Manager Kim Sung-chul patted his chest several times as if exasperated with Min Ji-heon, then glanced at me and cleared his throat.

“Ahem, hello there, Seo Ho-yoon.”

‘Has he lost his mind?’

What exactly is Min Ji-heon’s strength? He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t even flinch under my pressure?
I bowed my head to the Manager who greeted me, inwardly grimacing. True to form, Min Ji-heon paid no attention to the Manager’s words and simply smiled, saying whatever he pleased.

“Perfect timing, Hyung. I wanted to ask you something.”
“Sigh… What is it.”
“Have I wanted anything recently?”
“What nonsense. Why are you asking me that?”

The Manager grumbled while thinking hard, then tilted his head in confusion.

“Eating a lot of food? Exploring restaurants across the country?”
“That’s never enough… I want to taste every meal in this world before I die. They say even the ghosts of those who die eating look beautiful.”
“….”
“That actually sounds serious.”

As I watched Min Ji-heon mutter his chilling joke, the Manager suddenly clapped his hands.

“Ah! Getting rid of people who burden you? Didn’t you complain about that actor last time? You said he was too clingy.”

An actor?

“…Who?”
“You don’t remember?”

When I slightly furrowed my brow, the Manager glanced at me cautiously.

“That person who was originally supposed to play Lee Jung-hoon PD’s role in Seo Ho-yoon’s project. The one who kept following you around saying he admired you.”
“…Ah, that… that person.”

Min Ji-heon nodded and clapped his hands. I’d bet anything this bastard had completely forgotten that person even existed.
Then a glimmer of something passed through Min Ji-heon’s eyes.

‘…What’s that?’

Min Ji-heon’s lips curled upward as if a good idea had struck him.

“Hmm~, do you know that person, Hyung?”
“…Who?”
“…Why are you like this again? Are you already immersing yourself in the role??”

Kim Sung-chul’s Manager glanced at me with a cautious eye, but it seemed he was willing to let it slide. If he didn’t press the issue, I decided to play along as if I knew nothing.
Regardless of what the Manager said, Min Ji-heon paid no attention whatsoever, simply smiling contentedly.

“Lee Kang-seok—that actor really loved this script and appealed to me incredibly hard about wanting the role. …But he’s a bit much, you know? A bit… burdensome, so I recommended you to the Screenwriter instead.”

Wait, did he just sell me out not for my sake, but to avoid working with someone he didn’t like?

“…Haha, so he ended up taking a supporting role in a drama airing at the same time.”

How about I take a look at your acting? It seems you’ll need some practice before the audition….

I remembered the man who suddenly picked a fight with me in the Waiting Room. A sigh escaped my lips.

‘It was because of Min Ji-heon.’

Now knowing the unexpected culprit behind that earlier confrontation, I glared at him, but Min Ji-heon merely shrugged. Then, stroking his lips, he genuinely pondered something.

“…Hmm, should I actually help you out?”
“What?”
“I kind of like you….”

Min Ji-heon smiled brightly, then murmured the words I’d mentioned earlier—’scenario,’ ‘Quest,’ and so on.

“So that’s what it is, right….”
“….”

Then he suddenly lifted his head.

“Hyung, want to do a Quest with me?”
“…Quest?”
“Can I call it a bet instead?”

At his absurd words, I opened my mouth slightly and stared at him.

“If you develop acting skills good enough to surpass that actor, and our drama’s viewership rating comes out higher…. If you satisfy both of these conditions….”

Min Ji-heon smiled brightly.

“I’ll tell you something I know.”

‘…Have I lost my mind?’

How could I possibly outshine an actor through acting alone?
Beyond that, viewership ratings weren’t something I could control. No matter how excellent the script or how skilled the actor’s performance, ratings were inherently dependent on a degree of luck.
I lit a double-wick candle, but Min Ji-heon remained utterly unfazed.

“…Setting aside the ratings, how can you possibly judge that my acting surpasses his?”
“I’ll be the judge. I’d prefer if you won at least a rookie award, but unfortunately there’s no suitable awards ceremony at this moment.”
“Based on such vague criteria? What if Min Ji-heon changes his mind later?”
“Ah, that’s a bit disappointing, isn’t it?”

The corners of his mouth, which had been perpetually raised even slightly, dropped in an instant, and Min Ji-heon spoke with the most serious tone I’d heard from him yet.

“I don’t joke around when it comes to acting~.”

In Min Ji-heon’s eyes—which always seemed opaque except when he was acting—there gleamed an actor’s distinctive arrogance and confidence. I tapped my fingers against the table rhythmically, weighing the conditions I currently possessed.

‘I’m… at a disadvantage.’

First, did I have any leverage to coerce Min Ji-heon?
The answer was no.

Second, what if Min Ji-heon went back on his word?
It was uncertain, but my instincts told me he wasn’t lying. Artists with that glimmer of madness in their eyes didn’t lie within their domain.
…Lim Hyun-sung was an exception.

Third, was this Quest nonsense worth whatever answer Min Ji-heon would provide?

“What will you do?”

I lifted my gaze from where it had been cast downward and looked at Min Ji-heon.
The System Window remained silent. Previously, it had displayed warnings telling me not to act, not to meet Min Ji-heon, but now it was completely mute as if broken.
That must mean there was something it truly wanted to hide.
Therefore, the answer was….

“…You.”

Naturally, I had to extract something from this bastard.

“Back out, and you’re dead.”

I was fully prepared to wring Min Ji-heon’s neck if he didn’t keep this vague promise.
The moment Min Ji-heon heard my answer, he stood up briskly as if his business was concluded.

“I don’t want to die, so I won’t back out.”
“….”
“Call me if anything comes up, yeah?”
“Ha….”

Min Ji-heon tapped the Manager on the shoulder to leave, though the Manager had been glancing oddly between us.

“Well then, let’s work hard on the drama with Ji-heon going forward.”
“…Yes, I’ll do my best.”

Manager Kim Sung-chul lowered his gaze briefly, then raised it again before following Min Ji-heon away with those words.
Left alone, I watched their retreating figures and found myself crushing the plastic cup in my grip without realizing it.

***

“Oh! Ho-yoon’s here. Why didn’t you answer your calls?”

‘Was busy dealing with Min Ji-heon’s nonsense….’

When I returned to the Practice Room, Sung Ji-won was apparently still practicing, greeting me with a bright smile while drenched in sweat. I tossed my bag down carelessly and responded.

“Did I miss your calls?”
“Yeah, me and the guys called a ton.”

What was I supposed to say to that?
When I gave him a questioning look, Sung Ji-won obviously changed the subject.

“Never mind that for now. How was the script reading today?”
“It went fine.”
“Hmm….”

Sung Ji-won narrowed his eyes as he studied me. With everything that had happened lately, his instincts were practically supernatural. Deliberately ignoring his gaze, I pulled the script straight from my bag and asked.

“So why did you contact me?”
“Oh… I was planning to tell you when everyone was together.”
“Where did the others go?”
“They’re practicing in the Recording Studio! We need to get started on the next comeback track~.”

They certainly live diligently.
Truth be told, I wasn’t particularly curious about Kang Yi-chae. That guy had already recovered mentally, so it was obvious he’d be holed up in the Dormitory or Lim Hyun-sung’s Work Studio, mutually hyping each other up—saying things like “we’re the best,” “we’re geniuses”—while working together.

I’d already broached the subject of acting lessons with the Manager on the way back. The Company’s finances had improved considerably anyway, so they’d readily agree to this much.

‘Acting ability….’

No matter how I thought about it, the standard of “better acting than Lee Kang-seok” was far too vague.

‘I need something undeniable—something that would force Min Ji-heon to change his mind.’

As I was rubbing my chin, wondering if there was a more certain method, Sung Ji-won kept hovering around beside me.

“Ho-yoon, Ho-yoon. …Hey.”
“…What? You look like you’re in a good mood?”
“Haha, does it show?”

Sung Ji-won laughed, looking slightly embarrassed, then flopped down beside me.

“Um, today’s our settlement day.”
“…!”

‘Damn it, how could I forget!’

I’d completely slipped my mind on such important news. As a capitalist-obsessed South Korean commoner, I quickly pulled out my phone.

“Have you checked?”
“Haha, not yet. I don’t even know how much… The Manager said there’s a statement, but I haven’t received it yet.”
“Do the others know?”
“Yeah. We decided to check together when they get back… Oh.”

Just then, my phone buzzed. The Manager posted in the group chat: “Settlement processed, check now!!”
The moment our eyes met, the Practice Room door burst open with a bang.

“Brothers!!”

Jung Da-jun was the first to rush over. Behind him came Kim Sung-hyun, a cap pulled low over his head, his face drained of color as if possessed by a ghost, trudging forward with heavy steps.

“Did you… check the settlement?”
“…Wait, we agreed to look together when you got here!”
“Oh! Sorry. I mean, my fingers were trembling so much…! But that’s not the problem!!”

Jung Da-jun came sliding in, dropped to his knees, and performed an elaborate ceremony of blowing kisses.

“I’m so happy to be an idol! I’ll dance until my bones wear away, thank you so much!!”
“….”

Just how much did Jung Da-jun receive to be making such a fuss?
Even the kindhearted Sung Ji-won ignored him.

‘Why is he being so dramatic….’

I sighed and opened the banking app, and Sung Ji-won pulled out his phone beside me.
It had been a while since I’d looked at my pitifully empty account. Every time I checked it, I got so frustrated I wanted to smoke….
Even if I opened it now, how much could we have earned from six months of activities? I’d heard we’d broken even, but I figured it was probably only around two million won.

“….”

But when I opened the account, I doubted my eyes for a moment. Sung Ji-won seemed to be experiencing the same thing. I quickly began counting the digits.

“One, ten, hundred….”
“Brother!!”

While I was blinking in surprise at the amount, Jung Da-jun clung to me. Still young and encountering such a large sum for the first time, his face was filled with pure joy.

“Brother, this is insane! Absolutely insane!!”
“Yeah, yeah… it really is.”

I looked at my phone again, unable to believe it. We’d broken even, and since we weren’t charging training fees, the amount was certainly possible.

‘Wow…. Still.’

It was far from the appearance fees I’d been offered back when I was at my peak, but…
This much money in just half a year.

“Insane. I’m going to earn way more going forward.”

Kim Sung-hyun, who had been quiet the entire time, shuffled over weakly and slumped against the wall with his back, then wiped his face with both hands. Then he buried his face in his knees and spoke in a trembling voice.

“Seo Ho-yoon….”
“What, Dumpling?”
“Ah, please….”

Kim Sung-hyun, who had been annoyed at my teasing, finally asked.

“Going forward… do I not have to apologize to my parents anymore?”

‘Ah.’

About half a year ago, I had boldly thrown those very words at him when I first walked into this practice room.
Something about not wasting the company’s money, about family….
I let out a soft laugh.

“I have a lot to apologize for.”
“You were the one who said it.”
“Back then I was all doom and gloom, so it made sense, ow!”

As I added it playfully, Kim Sung-hyun lightly hit me with the hat he was wearing. But it actually hurt.
The two of us were bickering when Sung Ji-won suddenly jumped up and made a phone call.

“Hey, Grandmother! Yes… it’s Ji-won. Yes yes, I’m eating well.”
“I want to call too!”
“Oh, right… me too.”

At that sight, everyone got up, grabbed their phones, and headed outside. Left behind staring blankly at the closed door, the System Window came to mind.

Ding!

[Aren’t you going to call?]

“What for.”

[To my younger brother.]

“Pfft, that’s enough.”

He’d probably worry first, asking if it was hard bragging about earning so much money.
As I sprawled out on the practice room floor, the door opened again. It was Kang Yi-chae, who practically lived with gum in his mouth. Today he was chewing away with the same vigor as always.

“Hey, what’s up?”
“Did you check your settlement payment?”

‘He’s being oddly carefree about this.’

Kang Yi-chae had probably received the most among us members. Considering how many songs he’d produced, the figures might be in a different league entirely. But Kang Yi-chae just gave a slight nod.

“Yeah, I saw it.”

‘Yeah, I saw it?’

What’s with that response?

“So that’s why everyone’s so excited? Like puppies seeing snow for the first time.”

Kang Yi-chae was being oddly indifferent.
Wasn’t this an absurd amount for a first settlement? No, even by normal standards, it was certainly not an amount you could casually touch.
Yet Kang Yi-chae didn’t seem to care much about the settlement, flopping down beside me and opening a rhythm game app on his phone.

“Did the script reading go well?”
“Of course.”
“I see….”

After a long silence, Kang Yi-chae added matter-of-factly.

“Something happened, didn’t it.”

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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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