The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 93

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

93

“What?”

I asked, but Kang Yi-chae played a few rounds of a rhythm game before tossing his phone aside with a withered sigh.

“I’m hungry….”

There was something oddly dismissive about the way he was ignoring me. I stared at him with an uncomfortable feeling when a sudden intuition struck.

‘Could this be a route to capture Kang Yi-chae?’

Ding!

[I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but it doesn’t seem to be that.]

Ignoring the System Window’s interjection, I cleared my throat and spoke gently.

“Yi-chae, you know your brother is always by your side, right?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Whenever you’re struggling, I’m ready to listen.”
“I don’t need that.”
“….”

Today he wasn’t cooperating at all. Kang Yi-chae, watching my expression crumble, smiled slightly.

“You’re ready to listen, sure…. But you don’t really understand what people actually want to hear.”
“…!”

Even after that incident, Kang Yi-chae had returned to his usual self without saying much, joking around as always. I thought we’d just moved past it….

‘Or maybe not?’

One conclusion crystallized.

‘Could this be a rift imprint?’

A team rift from solo activities? Was Kang Yi-chae unable to voice his complaints because he got caught up in the team atmosphere?

Whoosh!

I sat up and deliberately threw the script toward the corner of the Practice Room with exaggerated force. Kang Yi-chae’s eyebrows twitched.

“Should I stop?”
“What?”
“Should I not do this? You don’t like my solo activities? Yi-chae, just say one thing. Your brother will listen.”

I put on the most solemn expression as if I’d listen to anything and take charge of the atmosphere. Kang Yi-chae, who let out a hollow laugh looking quite displeased, stared directly at me—.

“That’s hilarious~.”
“….”
“~just one word~.”

He was being incredibly sarcastic.

“You’re going to do whatever you want anyway, but you’re taking credit for it like you’re being considerate.”
“…You’re hurting me, hyung.”
“It hurts because it’s true. And stop calling me hyung all the time. It’s annoying when you only do it when it’s disadvantageous for you.”
“….”

Ding!

Hahahahaha (and so on)

…Even the System Window, which had been watching my mood for days, was mocking me. This was the first time it had spammed so many laughing emoticons, and I felt somewhat—no, very—offended.
Whether I sat there dejectedly after realizing this kind of appeasement no longer worked on Kang Yi-chae or not… he picked up his phone again.

“Man… I’m really hungry.”

Kang Yi-chae rolled over while lying down, then suddenly jumped up.
Damn… Kang Yi-chae is being really prickly today. Watching this adolescence that arrived at twenty-one, I couldn’t get a handle on things, but Kang Yi-chae’s expression softened back to normal.
Has he finally calmed down?

“Let’s go grab a meal with the members.”
“What do you want to eat? I’ll treat you—not as your brother, but as me.”
“Lobster, Almas caviar, wagyu ribeye steak. And Hawaiian Kona coffee for dessert.”
“….”

No good.
He’s still sulking.

***

“Ahem! Ahem-hem!”
“Why’s he doing that again?”
“Leave him be. He wants to give a toast.”

Though his expression had softened, Kang Yi-chae kept making snide remarks, so I barely managed to reach a compromise with beef. Jung Da-jun, apparently captivated by a drama he’d watched recently, stood up while tapping a glass of soda with his fork, watching the bubbles rise and pop.
Jung Da-jun, so absorbed in a drama he’d watched recently, stood up while tapping his glass with a fork, watching the soda bubbles pop and fizz up.

“I sincerely thank all of you for coming today, and our youngest member Jung Da-jun would like to greet you.”

The brothers grilled the meat and gave a halfhearted round of applause.

“After all that struggle!! We finally received a meaningful settlement. *sniffles* I can’t tell you how moving this is…!”

I pulled a thin tissue from the box on the table and let out a scoff at the sight of Jung Da-jun wiping away his fake tears.

“Ho-yoon, you’re one to talk.”
“He’s learning from you. They say kids should be careful even about drinking water in front of people….”
“….”
“….”

After taking shots from Kang Yi-chae earlier, and now right hooks, left hooks, and jabs from Sung Ji-won and Kim Sung-hyun, I was hurting enough to comfort myself by busily stuffing beef into my mouth.
After getting hit with right hooks, left hooks, and jabs from Sung Ji-won and Kim Sung-hyun following Kang Yi-chae earlier, he was in pain, so he comforted himself by eagerly putting beef in his mouth.

“….”
“If I were to recount his shameless deeds, truly the exclamations would be endless…!”
“Just one verse.”
“Just do the first verse.”

I stuffed a piece of meat wrap into Jung Da-jun’s mouth as he was spouting off a toast.

“Anyway, cheers~!!”
“Cheers~”

I raised my cider and went through the motions halfheartedly.
Still, since it was payday, everyone was in a slightly excited mood.
Jung Da-jun asked while putting meat into his mouth.

“Hyungs! Is there anything you want to buy?”
“Not really for me.”
“Aw~, how boring~.”
“Boring is actually the best, you know?”

It meant nothing bad was happening.
Jung Da-jun, who burst into laughter at my answer, picked up a spoon as if it were a microphone and thrust it toward Kim Sung-hyun.

“I’m thinking of paying off some of my family’s debt.”
“Huh?! Does Sung-hyun have a lot of debt?”
“Not a lot, but my family has many siblings, so there are various small debts.”
“…You’re not planning to use all of it, right?”

When Sung Ji-won asked with brief concern, Kim Sung-hyun waved his hand dismissively.

“No, no. It’s not that much—I can pay it back. I’ve owed my parents a lot since my trainee days anyway…. I’m just repaying that debt.”
“I see. What about you, Ji-won?”

Sung Ji-won pondered for a moment. Soon his fingers fidgeted, and he smiled softly.

“…I want to have a meal with my grandmother.”
“Ooh! Such a filial son!”
“Haha.”

The conversation naturally moved to the last person, Kang Yi-chae. As if it had nothing to do with him, Kang Yi-chae was stuffing meat into his mouth when he tilted his head at all the gazes directed at him.

“I don’t have anything either. Da-jun, want me to buy you something?”
“Huh?”

Jung Da-jun was startled by those words. Kang Yi-chae flipped the meat over and continued speaking indifferently.

“So… is there anything you want? Shoes or clothes?”
“Hyung, I already got my settlement. I’m good!”
“Ah, okie dokie~.”

Jung Da-jun flatly rejected the offer.
I glanced at Kang Yi-chae while placing grilled kimchi into a lettuce wrap.
There’s something off about him lately… something subtly different.
His financial sense strays just slightly beyond what a normal person would have. When Kang Yi-chae lifted his gaze and our eyes met directly, I naturally turned my head away and asked Jung Da-jun instead.

“So what are you going to use yours for, Jung Da-jun?”
“Me!”

Jung Da-jun’s cheeks flushed faintly.

“I’m going to put it in my savings account!”
“….”
“I’ve had a savings account since elementary school where I’ve been collecting allowance. I’m going to put it there!”
“….”

Everyone maintained their silence while placing meat and side dishes onto Jung Da-jun’s rice. While Jung Da-jun alone looked flustered, not understanding why, we moved on to the next topic.

“So, when does filming start?”
“In four days.”
“What? That’s incredibly fast.”
“We’ll be shooting for two months, then jump straight into promotions. What are you all going to do in the meantime?”
“….”

The members exchanged nervous glances for a moment, then communicated silently with their eyes before all setting down their chopsticks.

“Actually, about that…”
“What.”
“Well, you see~.”
“What is it.”

Why are they dragging out their words so anxiously?

“What do we do?”
“I think we can tell him now.”

When Sung Ji-won glanced at Kim Sung-hyun, he seized the moment and opened his mouth.

“Jung Da-jun and I decided to do a dance variety show.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a dance program… and the concept is really fresh. PD Kim Hee-young recommended it too. …And apparently Joo Woo-sung might be in it as well.”
“Ooh~.”

Just as I was about to clap in admiration, Sung Ji-won suddenly interjected.

“Actually, I’m singing the OST for Ho-yoon’s drama.”
“Ooh~?”
“Yi-chae composed that?”
“Wow, that was huge. When Yi-chae and Composer Chung Beom got the OST offer, he went crazy at dawn making beats, then packed samples and went pitching them.”

But why didn’t I know about this?

“In the end, I succeeded—I, the genius Kang Yi-chae. Where this talent came from is truly a mystery….”
“Don’t force a rhyme by putting an off-beat between talent and chae.”

Jung Da-jun looked disgusted, but Kang Yi-chae shamelessly added another line or two to his rhyme, then chewed the beef thoroughly, swallowed, and spoke.

“And right now I’m working on the title track and B-sides for the Regular Album Project with Composer Lim Hyun-sung. That alone keeps me swamped.”
“Ooh…?”

It’s all good. It’s all good, but….
Why is all this news suddenly pouring out like this?
I stabbed my chopsticks into the radish kimchi and asked.

“What’s with you guys?”
“….”

The members flinched in surprise.

“Are you guys leaving me out? Why didn’t I know?”
“…haha!”

The members laughed awkwardly and scratched their heads. After pushing the responsibility back and forth—”who’s going to say it?”—the speaking rights finally fell to Sung Ji-won, the team’s Buddha-like figure.

“Well, actually we’ve talked about this a lot.”
“About what?”
“We were wondering if maybe you found acting as a solo activity too burdensome.”
“….”

That much was true, wasn’t it?

“But we want you to try everything you want to do, everything you’re capable of doing.”
“Exactly! Brother! You have to try everything!”
“That’s why it’s better if we each pursue individual activities and regroup when we work on the Regular Album Project.”

The members gradually opened up about it, then burst into laughter. Jung Da-jun, who usually chattered about everything, seemed relieved to finally let out the secret he’d been holding in so tightly—the moment Sung Ji-won finished speaking, he clutched his chest and laughed freely.

“Phew! Finally said it. We were planning to tell you earlier, but… we missed the timing.”
“Yeah.”

Now I understood how the situation had unfolded. My eyes met Kang Yi-chae’s at that moment. I understood why he’d said and acted the way he did.
I took a long drink of water and let out a deep sigh.

“…Yeah, thanks.”
“…!”
“You all thought about this carefully… I’ll go and do my best.”

Everyone’s eyes widened, and suddenly they started piling side dishes onto my rice bowl. Just like what Jung Da-jun had received earlier.

“Ho-yoon, don’t you like this?”
“Brother! You know mushrooms grilled in meat fat taste the best, right?”
“Let’s balance the nutrition. Here, wraps. Eat your vegetables.”
“All of you, back off.”
“Okie dokie~, your grumpiness today is totally okay~.”

It struck me anew. Though it seemed like I was carrying everything alone, the truth was I relied on them for so much. Kim Sung-hyun and Jung Da-jun always carefully crafted the choreography, Kang Yi-chae composed the music, and Sung Ji-won managed the team.
I only stood out in the visible parts.
Even so, if they wanted me to rest easy on the foundation of their efforts… sometimes it felt good to fade into the background and take it easy.

‘Man, I really do go on and on about wanting to ride the bus, don’t I.’

I shrugged once and quietly ate my rice.
Kim Sung-hyun placed more meat on my rice bowl and chuckled softly.

“Eat plenty, and I’m looking forward to the drama. PD Seo.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
I never thought I’d hear Kim Sung-hyun call me PD.

***

[Ho-yoon’s first shoot is today omg I’m so nervous]
[Seriously I’m more nervous than preparing for my master’s thesis defense what do I do
What do you mean what do I do, forget the thesis and go all in on Seo Ho-yoon
└Ah you absolute fanatic lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol]

Four days later, the drama had already wrapped its initial shoot, but today was my first filming day.
As I stepped out of the van and walked inside, staff members were moving equipment around after finishing the previous scene.

“Hello.”
“Seo Ho-yoon, hello!”

After exchanging greetings with the staff, I looked around and noticed that most of the other actors seemed to be wrapping up, as if the previous scene had been the last footage they’d be shooting today.
Just then, Yoo Ji-a, who was passing by, spotted me and gave a light greeting.

“Is this your first shoot today?”
“Hello, Senior Yoo Ji-a.”
“I was going to say you must be nervous, but…”

Yoo Ji-a giggled.

“You don’t seem like the nervous type, Seo Ho-yoon. Fighting.”

I laughed awkwardly. Yoo Ji-a really is perceptive.

‘Yeah, if I’m being honest, it’s less about being nervous and more about wanting to nail this.’

After looking around the filming set a bit more, I sat at a prepared table and was having my hair done by the Hair Stylist when Min Ji-heon, who had confidently claimed the title of the character I wanted to dominate this year, suddenly appeared.

“Seo Ho-yoon~!”

Still, he was careful with his honorifics on the filming set. Min Ji-heon looked around the set with a leisurely gaze. Despite what people said about him—that you couldn’t tell the difference between humans and ghosts—his eyes were remarkably clear.

“It looks different seeing it here~.”
“…Yes.”

I gave a lukewarm response, but Min Ji-heon didn’t seem particularly interested in conversation—he just slumped into the chair positioned beside me. After a moment, a Staff Member approached and spoke to Min Ji-heon.

“Min Ji-heon.”
“….”
“Min Ji-heon!”
“…Oh, sorry.”

Min Ji-heon answered a beat late, as if his mind had been elsewhere. The Staff Member, clearly accustomed to this, simply delivered the explanation and left. Min Ji-heon then scratched his cheek and slouched back into the chair again. He looked like a sloth, so without thinking, I spoke to him.

“…Do you always have trouble listening?”
“…Is that what you meant to say? Somehow it feels like your eyes are insulting me….”
“Let’s prevent excessive self-consciousness and reclaim a healthy life.”

I wanted to show him that pointless narcissism prevention article too. Min Ji-heon laughed awkwardly.

“Well, it’s not that I listen poorly….”

Min Ji-heon cracked his neck once or twice. Then he tapped the armrest of the chair with his fingers as he spoke.

“It’s safer to ignore it once or twice first.”
“…Why?”

Min Ji-heon had been somewhat antagonistic, but he didn’t seem like the type to abuse his position. Curious, I asked, and he murmured with a distant look in his eyes.

“Sometimes, very rarely, something happens….”
“….”
“If I accidentally acknowledge it, they’ll seriously chase me all the way home. Appearing in my dreams trying to steal my energy or take over my body is the bare minimum. There was even one time I almost got properly possessed….”

The atmosphere turned heavy. I couldn’t believe it, so I just moved my lips and asked.

“…Is that real?”
“Yeah. Ji-heon’s life is pretty tough too….”

Min Ji-heon, with his slightly drooping eye corners, looked genuinely exhausted, so I decided to tolerate his third-person speech just this once.

“But… do you sometimes look like that too, Hyung?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————