The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol

Chapter 198

after finishing the stage performance, we tried to leave quickly out of habit, but the mc caught us with a smile.

“please share a few words about how you feel!”

we were so engrossed that we almost skipped the part where we were supposed to share our thoughts.

the mc extended the microphone to kang ichae, who happened to be the closest.

however, he stepped back with a grin and joined the dancers.

this is his second life.

he knew that if the featured guest received too much attention, it might not be good for the broadcast, so he stepped back on his own.

“team hohu-hohu! how was it preparing for the stage?”

“...excuse me? team hohu-hohu?”

hohu-hohu, what was that...?

what were they talking about?

kang yeonhu, surprised to be called by a team name he never created and never would, turned to the mc and then glanced at me.

when i nodded once, kang yeonhu hesitated for a moment before taking the microphone again.

“ah... actually, i’m someone who worries a lot.”

i was slightly surprised by his unexpected honesty.

“this time too, i was really worried when i had to team up with hoyun...”

“hahaha!”

thinking it was a joke, everyone from the audience to the mc burst into laughter, but i was sure of it.

that was 100% kang yeonhu’s genuine feeling.

“but later, i realized it was all unnecessary. everything was just fun.”

kang yeonhu ended his words with thanks and waved to the audience, who seemed to be high five’s fans.

as i took the microphone that was passed to me, i slowly began to speak.

“first of all, i’m aiming for the best couple award at the year-end with yeonhu-hyung.”

“ahaha!!”

“haa...”

even though he should be used to it by now, kang yeonhu let out a deep sigh as usual.

every time i teased him, the satisfying impact that came back showed that he was definitely in the same league as kim seonghyeon.

“it was an honor to work with someone i respect a lot. going forward, we will continue to work hard in our respective places.”

i glanced at kang yeonhu and smiled slightly.

“this will be the last time. next time, i’ll call you ‘sunbae’ again.”

it was a comment made with the leaked script in mind.

“hyung, i had fun too.”

everyone cheered enthusiastically, seemingly moved by the hot friendship of the two rivals.

even though we didn’t win first place, we received an armful of bouquets.

i then went down from the stage with kang yeonhu.

although more unit and event stages were prepared afterward, kang yeonhu and i could now relax and enjoy ourselves comfortably.

we moved to a place where cameras were set up to capture our reactions, and without talking to each other, we focused on reacting.

even then, kang yeonhu seemed to still be lingering in the afterglow of the stage.

after a few more performances, the special music festival came to an end.

“great job, everyone!”

when i heard the staff’s greeting signaling the end of the shoot, i dropped my business smile and got up from the chair.

“thanks for your hard work.”

i nodded my chin and was about to leave when kang yeonhu grabbed my arm and whispered softly.

“i’m really confused. seo hoyun seems like a good person.”

“sunbae, you’re surprisingly naïve.”

“...yeah, it must be my mistake again.”

when i shrugged my shoulders, kang yeonhu let out a laugh.

“see you again.”

and then he disappeared first, waving his hand with a face full of laughter.

the wh entertainment artists seemed to share a peculiar trait, much like the managers at daepaseong—slightly clueless but genuinely kind-hearted.

they were surprisingly soft-hearted.

we won’t see each other much anymore, buddy.

having fully repaid my debt to chae jeongwoo, i was now thinking of focusing on my own work again.

as i stepped into the hallway, i saw kang ichae, who had been waiting elsewhere, talking with mars’ main vocal.

i thought i might as well change my clothes first and was about to head back to the waiting room when the maknae of lea purple ran toward me.

“hoyun!!”

“yes?”

i was slightly taken aback as she, unlike the usual lea purple members who strictly maintained their distance, approached me rather closely, but i decided to wait and see if something was up.

since the filming was over, the atmosphere was bustling with everyone from the cast to the staff exchanging greetings.

a few words wouldn’t cause any trouble.

“ah, i just wanted to say thank you...”

“haha, for what?”

“just for everything. thanks to you, we were able to finish the shoot safely. thank you... and, um... i feel like i’m being a bit nosy, but...”

she swallowed nervously and looked around before lowering her voice.

“...be careful.”

“sorry?”

“ah, not you, seo hoyun! um... there are some bad rumors going around about seong jiwon. it’s about his former agency. there’s no evidence, and it’s just a rumor, so it died down quickly, but...”

“really? i had fun too.”

he grinned as he unbuttoned his shirt one by one.

“oh, guchan-hyung said something. he said you’re really something. he thought you would have done well even if you started with a major agency from the beginning.”

“did he say that?”

“yeah.”

he slipped his arms out of the black short-sleeved t-shirt.

honestly, i was curious too.

why did kang ichae come to daepaseong?

as i brushed back my tousled hair, kang ichae tilted his head.

“it’s really curious. knowing how talented you are, why would you join daepaseong?”

“to do the dawn.”

“...why?”

i had no choice because of the system.

“i can’t do it without you guys.”

otherwise, the quest wouldn’t progress.

his eyebrows twitched at my words.

pretending not to notice, i opened the waiting room door.

“let’s just go home.”

kang ichae followed a half-beat later, chattering that he wanted to tell jeong dajun too.

walking cheerfully in step, the chatterbox asked,

“how long do you have to practice to have those lines come out so smoothly?”

“it’s just natural talent.”

he seemed to mistake it for a compliment, but i was too lazy to explain, so i let it be.

***

[wanna sing with me?

god-tier program, no arguments accepted]

[kang ichae is seriously amazing, how could they create such songs?]

[yeonhu came up with the american bar concept and wrote the lyrics so passionately ᅲᅲ and then kang ichae added the ex-lover concept, instantly giving it a storyline... sigh...]

even after the program wanna sing with me? ended, it continued to receive rave reviews.

the solo stage released on youtube also garnered a high number of views.

most reactions were about how heartwarming and healing it was to see everyone working hard in their own spaces and helping each other rather than competing.

[yeonhu seems to genuinely enjoy it so much, it makes me happy watching ᅲᅲ]

[1:41 why does seo hoyun smile in such a heart-fluttering way...]

[“hyung, i had fun too,” the timing of the comments was insane.........]

moreover, while it was true that seo hoyun brought kang ichae on board with the expectation of gaining some popularity, the attention he received far exceeded that.

[2:52 kang ichae is seriously something elseᄏᄏᄏᄏ

└when the featured part came on, i was blown away]

[the guy who chews gum like ‘eh~ wheh~ neh hehe’ = the guy who raps, “still thinking it’s just a coincidence, your naivety stays the same”

yes... amazingly, they are the same person...]

[a genius at his main job, driving me insaneᅲ i love how he’s so playful off stage too, aaah]

the stark contrast between his usual demeanor and his stage presence garnered immense appeal.

and this was the same for seo hoyun.

his actions, done thoughtlessly as always, but when combined with a smile full of charm and some guilty remarks, struck people’s hearts directly.

[seo hoyun’s forbidden list

no smirking

no eye smiles

no guilty remarks

no wearing black clothes to look cool

no calling the maknae “bang bang”

no teasing people in a heart-fluttering way

no staring intently with your arms crossed

no liking sweet things when you look like you only drink americanos

no being sweet if you’re not going to date me.

└ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏisn’t the last one just what you wanted to say?]

initially, it was just something fans laughed about, enjoying seo hoyun’s actions and the way he spoke.

[what clothes was seo hoyun wearing at this time??]

[where are their training suits from?]

[the cap ᅲᅲ so cuteᅲᅲ]

however, gradually, various people began to mimic his clothes, his accessories, his way of speaking, his every action.

[wait a minute]

especially during a special broadcast music festival, people began to closely mimic seo hoyun’s words, gestures, and the way he smiled.

[wait a minute, fuck, hold on]

had they truly known his genuine character, such things wouldn’t have happened so easily.

[is there a seo hoyun syndrome going around...]

a small disaster occurred in south korea.

[1] reminder that the warning was the anti-love doll.