The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol - Chapter 95

—————

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

—————

95

As if the System Window had genuinely developed emotions, it displayed its bewilderment. The interface crackled with static, like white noise.
The more this unfolded, the stronger my conviction grew that this wasn’t merely a system—it was *something* else entirely.

“….”

I deliberately endured the silence, waiting. Eventually, the System Window capitulated first. A new window materialized, text appearing within it.

[What did Min Ji-heon tell you back then?]

I’d expected it to slip away again, but it didn’t. Surprisingly, the System Window held its ground this time.
I raised an eyebrow at it.

“Why? Guilty conscience?”

[Otherwise, why would you torment such an adorable System Window? >_<]

Out of habit, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a candy.

"Didn't you hear earlier? Min Ji-heon said he's going to completely shut you down."

As I unwrapped the candy and crunched it between my teeth, the System Window crackled without responding. It seemed genuinely flustered, so I touched the corner of my mouth and smiled.

"Haha…."

Min Ji-heon shutting it down was obviously a lie.
If the system went dark every time Min Ji-heon arrived and I couldn't hear anything, then he was clearly scheming something.
But the fact that it couldn't answer immediately suggested it was lurking nearby.
However, I'd never heard anything while being around him, and it hesitated to mention it—perhaps afraid I'd catch on to something.
It simply couldn't grasp how to respond.

'Verifiable, then.'

"Why are you being so foolish…? Hmm?"

That day, there was undoubtedly some kind of effect stemming from Min Ji-heon. After that, whenever I encountered Min Ji-heon, the System Window remained silent.
So I formulated two hypotheses.
Either Min Ji-heon was severing the System with some strange ability whenever we crossed paths, or the System was deliberately hiding from him.
However, if the former were true, I would have felt that day's agony again today. But now? I'm sitting here perfectly fine, bickering with the System Window… so that's not it.
Which meant there was only one conclusion.
The System Window found Min Ji-heon extremely disagreeable and was voluntarily cutting itself off whenever he was around.

"What's bothering you so much? I'm getting curious now."

[….]

Now that I'd proven my hypothesis, it was time to cast the bait. I unwrapped another candy and popped it into my mouth before speaking.

"You're attached to me. That much is indisputably accurate… but how? What's the purpose?"

Yet the blue window only trembled, offering no response. I decided to phrase the question more precisely.

"Why did I come to this world?"

It was a question I'd been too preoccupied to ask until now. Whether it was the Main Scenario or anything else, I'd simply cleared Quests as they came, but I never actually knew why I was here. I kept moving forward with the hope that I could return to my original world, but…
The fundamental question of 'why' I was here had never been asked.

'I was so focused on looking ahead and running that I missed what truly mattered.'

The System Window wavered as if contemplating. Since I didn't expect it to answer willingly anyway, I ran my hand through my hair when suddenly a message appeared.

[That's too much…]

"…."

Sigh…

[I work myself to the bone for Seo Ho-yoon… and you're always blaming only me… Is Min Ji-heon really that much more trustworthy than the System Window you've seen from the start??]

"Just disappear."

It's putting on quite the act of being bound together by goodwill.
From the text alone on the blue window, the System Window's true intention wasn't fully readable. I clicked my tongue and closed the window. In that instant, an urgent notification popped up again.

Ding!

[Min Ji-heon
Occupation: Actor
Nicknames: Charlatan, Untrustworthy Scammer, Fraud, Pig
Characteristics: A charlatan who deceives people and extorts money from them.
Don't be fooled by appearances!! Warning!!]

"I already know Min Ji-heon's a charlatan. Anything else to say?"

[…Nothing, sir.]

"Then go surfing or something."

And I very politely raised my middle finger at it. To me, the System Window and Min Ji-heon were cut from the same cloth.
Just then, my manager arrived and opened the driver's side door.

"Phew, it's still stuffy in here. Ho-yoon, are you feeling alright?"
"Yes. I'm fine. Let's head to the dormitory now."
"Got it. Best driver is departing~."

Exhausted, I sank back into my seat. Usually, whenever I closed the System Window of my own volition, that nuisance would pop back up so persistently. I wondered if it had finally relented and disappeared quietly, but an ominous notification sound rang out.

Ding!

[Choice
-Manager Hyung, let's go for an acting award #let'sgo
-Uung Ho-yuni complete-yim yongi him.doo.reo,seo.
-Look at me. I am so beautiful & hot. Young and rich.]

"…."

This was definitely revenge.

***

Drama filming was drama filming, and album preparation was album preparation.
To make a comeback in October, I had to record, practice, film, and shoot content all at once. I had to deal with Min Ji-heon, manage the System Window, and act on top of everything else.
Utterly exhausted, I trudged into the Practice Room out of sheer habit….

"Huh."

I caught sight of Joo Woo-sung's dopey face.
Why was he alone in the Dae Pa-sung practice room?
And how did the front desk even let him through?

'…Well.'

It was obvious without even looking. Just from the back of his head, I could tell it was Joo Woo-sung, and considering the rumors that we were close, plus his sly, grinning face—I could easily picture the front desk staff being charmed into letting him pass.
I tossed my sports bag onto the practice room floor and spoke.

"When did you transfer to Dae Pa-sung?"
"Am I insane? Why would I transfer to this dump?"
"Then why are you sneaking around here like this…."

Joo Woo-sung, already addicted to the capital of South Korea's top entertainment conglomerate, complained every time he came that Dae Pa-sung was pathetic. So why was he awkwardly standing in this dark, gloomy practice room now? That was the question.
Joo Woo-sung scratched his head sheepishly, as if even he found his own situation ridiculous.

"I've got no activities… no friends… no girlfriend…."
"Just say you're bored because you've got nothing going on."
"…Yeah, that too. I've never been without something, so I'm genuinely bored these days."

Watching Joo Woo-sung act up lately…
It wasn't that he was avoiding dating because he feared my threats—it was more that this bastard had dated everyone in the entertainment industry, and now there was literally no one left. That was my honest assessment.
Finally, everyone had escaped from this legendary disaster of a man.

"I know what you're thinking, you bastard…."
"Oh, you do? How impressive."

Joo Woo-sung glanced at me with a smirk and pulled out his phone, tapping away. I caught a glimpse—it said [Wow this junior's character is godly].

"I don't remember texting Joo Woo-sung."
"Where'd you leave your conscience, Hyun-sung?"

Joo Woo-sung grumbled and finally revealed why he'd come.

"I'm helping with your album prep, and I heard Hyun-sung and Da-jun are doing some variety show. They said they were worried about it, so I came to help. I've already talked it over with Hyun-sung."
"…."
"…Wait. Now that I think about it, my senior presence is seriously incredible, right?"

I dropped myself onto the floor, leaving Joo Woo-sung to his continued nonsense.

'When exactly did you ever care about your juniors?'

According to the rumors I'd heard, High Five—Black Call's direct junior group that Joo Woo-sung belonged to—was doing exceptionally well. The other Black Call members supposedly looked after their juniors to some degree, but Joo Woo-sung absolutely did not.
So why was he suddenly taking care of The Dun? I wondered if this was… though it sounded ridiculous…
…some kind of sabotage?

'No… that's a bit much.'

The Dun wasn't nearly at a level where that would make sense yet.
But since I couldn't think of any other explanation, I asked.

"Are you appearing on that variety show too, Joo Woo-sung?"
"No. I'm not."
"…Then why?"

So why was he even here?
Sinking deeper into confusion, I pressed further, and Joo Woo-sung—who had been awkwardly avoiding my gaze—let out a groan.

"…It's just that…"
"What."
"Lately I've been trying to get my head straight… and there's something I want to confirm…"

Just as he was about to answer, the members came rushing in.

"The cute rapper's here~ Oh!! Senior!"
"The even cuter sub-dancer's here~ Ah, Senior Joo Woo-sung, hello!"
"You were already here?!!"
"…Yeah~."

The members no longer looked flustered seeing Joo Woo-sung; they greeted him as naturally as if it were routine. Joo Woo-sung nodded in acknowledgment.
Kim Sung-hyun made no attempt to hide the [pure joy] written all over his face.

"Come on, get up. Let me see your dancing."

Joo Woo-sung nudged me with his foot as he spoke. I got up and began practicing to the beat, but the members had apparently trained like madmen while I was away filming the drama, so it was somewhat challenging to keep up.
Joo Woo-sung sat on the sofa in the corner of the practice room, arms crossed, observing the members with a sharp gaze. Soon after, he barely managed to squeeze out praise through a face that was clearly swallowing irritation.

"…Not bad."

After watching the entire routine, Joo Woo-sung sprang to his feet and corrected the members' dance lines. It was remarkable how quickly they absorbed his feedback, despite it being just a few brief comments.

'But… what about me?'

My dance practice had been neglected lately because of acting. Once Joo Woo-sung finished correcting the other members' movements, he suddenly whipped his head toward me.
And as expected,
he proceeded to relentlessly torment me.

"What have you been doing all this time? Just acting?"
"Come on, please! Just a little!"
"Hey, forget it, forget it. Just give up."

He said, accompanying his words with
I caught my breath and glared at him.

"You just came here to mess with me, didn't you?"
"Ah, you caught me."
"…."

I ground my teeth and hurled curses at Joo Woo-sung while calmly following his lead. I swore to myself that I would become more popular than him and mock him for it. I'd show him what I was capable of during my PD days.
But for now, seeing my pathetic self, Joo Woo-sung could only laugh.
However, at that moment, Joo Woo-sung merely sneered at me, a mere underling.

"…."
"Do it again, you bastard."
"…Yes."
"…Oh, what's gotten into you today?"
"Wow, this is seriously intense…."
"Wow, this is really intense…"

Only after dancing several more times did Joo Woo-sung finally turn away with a reluctant "Alright, that's enough." As I stumbled weakly toward the corner, Joo Woo-sung—proving that mentoring his juniors wasn't mere lip service—began offering advice on the entertainment-style choreography that Jung Da-jun and Kim Sung-hyun had created as a pair.
My suspicion that he came to pick on me just because he was bored was gradually turning into certainty.
'…But what was that guy really doing just now?'

As I barely managed to moisten my parched mouth with water, Kim Sung-hyun and Jung Da-jun began dancing the paired choreography they'd arranged to match the entertainment concept.

I barely moistened my parched mouth with water when Kim Sung-hyun and Jung Da-jun started dancing to the choreography they had paired up to create for the variety show.

[♫♪♫♪]

It was b-boy dancing set to an intense hip-hop beat.
The two of them had clearly choreographed it with meticulous care—the movements were flashy and snapped perfectly into rhythm with every beat. Lying on my back with my gaze fixed on their performance, Sung Ji-won settled down beside me.

"They're really good, aren't they?"
"Yeah…."
"I think they'd improve even more if Joo Woo-sung looked over it."

Maybe so….
Joo Woo-sung, despite his appearance, had incredibly high standards. No matter how hard we prepared, he'd barely blink before saying something like "not bad for the effort." So I braced myself for disappointment and turned to look at Joo Woo-sung….

"…."

His expression was peculiar.

'…What's wrong?'

"That's all for now!!"
"Um, um… how was it, senior?"

The dance line members, breathing heavily and flushed with excitement, asked the question. Only then did Joo Woo-sung snap back to attention, rubbing the back of his neck.

"…Yeah. You put it together well, hmm…."
"Really?!"
"Yeah, come here. Let's just fix this one part."

And Joo Woo-sung strode over and demonstrated it himself. He clearly didn't earn his popularity on looks alone—he was genuinely impressive.
Watching him, I picked up my water bottle again and took a sip.

'That's strange.'

Lately, both Lim Hyun-sung and Joo Woo-sung seemed to lack energy.
After everything was done, I was annoyed watching the members bow politely to Joo Woo-sung, but as they returned to practice, Joo Woo-sung walked toward me.
He looked like he was in a foul mood.

"Hah…. I checked and now I'm even more annoyed."
"…?"
"Damn it, I need to go."

Where to?
But Joo Woo-sung merely ruffled his lustrous dark brown hair and immediately picked up his phone to search for something. Glancing over from beside him, I caught sight of airplane tickets.

"What are you doing?"
"None of your business."
"…Did you get soaked by Dae Pa-sung again today?"
=Being rough about it?
"Damn it, I really did snap out of it, okay?"

He seemed genuinely determined to keep his mouth shut, so I was about to lose interest when Joo Woo-sung, worried he'd been too harsh, fidgeted with his phone while stealing glances at my expression.
I was purely amazed by his gullibility.
In the moment I was thinking that both Joo Woo-sung and Lim Hyun-sung were the best in South Korea at worrying about the very people they'd threatened and being soft-hearted,

"Oh, that's right."

Suddenly, Lim Hyun-sung's words flashed through my mind.

"Lim Hyun-sung the Composer contacted you, didn't they?"
"…Huh? Chung Beom?"

As if he'd finished whatever he was doing, Joo Woo-sung set down his phone and suddenly lifted his head with a face that looked like he'd been hit with a direct reality check. Then he tilted his head in confusion.

"Uh… ah, I think something like that happened?"
"A gathering?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"

He took another sip of water, then closed the cap and wiped his mouth.

"Don't go to that."
"…???"

Just as Lim Hyun-sung had done, Joo Woo-sung now stared at me with a face full of question marks.

"Why? Is there something there for you?"
"No. I'm just saying this for your sake, Joo Woo-sung."
"For my sake? What do you mean by that…?"

I quickly denied it with empty words, but only at times like this did the perceptive Joo Woo-sung murmur softly.

"Who's in that gathering? Shining Star's Kim Hee-young, the PD, and Chung Beom—just those two, right? I didn't want to go because it's a meeting where you all trash talk me… oh."

Joo Woo-sung's eyes widened as if he'd suddenly realized something. His face grew increasingly irritated.

"Hey, shit…."
"…."
"You think I hit on every XX chromosome carrier, you bastard?!"

But true to his scatterbrained nature, his suspicion had wandered in an entirely different direction.
What nonsense is this now….

"I'm not like that with Chung Beom! And how many times do I have to tell you I've made up my mind??"

That's not it at all.

'God, what am I supposed to do with this bastard Joo Woo-sung?'

I'd said it simply because I didn't want to hear gossip drifting in. Since I'd have to keep running into Joo Woo-sung anyway because I needed to work with him… wouldn't the three of us meeting casually lead to endless rumors?
Unless something major happened, I'd have to face Kim PD again during Shining Star Season 2 anyway, but still, I'd mentioned it hoping to minimize personal contact from now on. Yet today, the usually sensitive Joo Woo-sung had misunderstood something and was making an absolute fuss about it.

"Are you actually living in the 21st century? Is this some Confucian rule about men and women not sitting together? Seo Ho-yoon, you should've been born as a scholar in the Joseon Dynasty."
"No, that's not what I was thinking."
"What do you mean no? It's written all over your face. How could you even think of pairing me with Chung Beom? You're not…."
"Are you insane?! No! Joo Woo-sung, you're the narrow-minded one. You're making wild accusations based on one thing I said. I'm not saying I haven't changed my ways—I'm saying don't go because that gathering is where people trash talk me!"
"Then I definitely have to go. With how I am around women, I'll make sure to show up to that gathering and seduce all the sisters."
"Hey! Are you crazy? You only do that kind of thing at clubs!"
"Hey? Crazy? Are you talking to your senior like that right now?!"

As I fumed and bickered with Joo Woo-sung in the corner, the members practicing in the distance stopped singing and stared blankly in our direction.

"…Why is Ho-yoon like that?"
"Is Seo Ho-yoon… losing it?"
"Is something wrong with you today, hyung??"

Yeah, I've lost it….
Feeling a wave of embarrassment at showing this side of myself in front of the innocent Jung Da-jun, I apologized first, ignoring the murmuring members and pressing my brow.

"…Ugh. Okay, I know. I didn't do anything wrong, but I'm sorry anyway, okay? That's not what I meant."
"You're even apologizing to a junior and thanking them?"

Joo Woo-sung, who had steeled himself to properly address the Idol situation (as if that would actually help), seemed to have thoroughly misunderstood and was being sarcastic with a sharp edge. At his words, I nearly choked up again but managed to suppress it.

'How am I supposed to clear up this misunderstanding? Tell him Kim Hee-young is my ex-girlfriend?'

That would be insane. I absolutely couldn't say that.
I stared quietly at Joo Woo-sung, who seemed to be wrestling with his conscience over his colorful romantic history, muttering to himself, before speaking.

"…Why don't we grab a meal with the members after this?"
"Get lost."
"You like kimchi fried rice, hyung."
"Kimchi fried rice my ass…."

I even pulled out information I'd learned from that common knowledge quiz, but he was already thoroughly sulking. Watching Joo Woo-sung mutter about definitely going to that gathering, I let out a sigh.
Yeah….
Yeah, Joo Woo-sung, congratulations on finally living right….

—————

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

—————