The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol

“Hello, I’m the Visible Radio DJ Yu Jia.
Today’s guest is someone who has worked with me on a program before.”

At the end of this promotion, I appeared on a radio program.

Yu Jia and I weren’t particularly close, but since we were acquainted, the other members of The Dawn felt more at ease and were immersed in the broadcast.

“Today’s guest is the rising idol group, like a comet, The Dawn!”

“Hello! Rising dawn! We are The Dawn!”

Visible Radio has many advantages.
Fans could see a more relaxed and friendly side of us compared to regular broadcasts, create videos known as “taming clips,” and even perform live.

[Ohㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I’ve been waiting so long for today]

[Wow, Seo Hoyun’s clothes are bright today]

[I love the cardigan]

[What, did you give up on black clothes?]

No… I still like them…

But there was no choice.

The members knew that fans wanted me to wear something other than black, and I pleaded with the wardrobe staff multiple times that I absolutely couldn’t wear black today… Eventually, I wore slightly brighter clothes.

I don’t really know why this was so important, but…

Well… if they like it…

Yu Jia smiled happily as she looked at the chatroom filling up faster than usual.
The radio broadcast went smoothly under her skilled leadership.

“Right~! I heard you prepared songs.
Can we hear a verse from each?”

Preparing something whenever appearing on the radio was customary, so we practiced thoroughly.

“You can’t find love here, but you can put your love in.”

[?????? Is this a dream?]

[Am I really hearing Put Love from Seong Jiwon’s mouth…?]

[ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠJiwon, I love you ㅜ]

The song Seong Jiwon sang was by a foreign female artist.
The song had a sweet voice, soft beats, and lyrics with various nuances, making it a hot topic.

The chatroom was filled with sounds of fans swooning as Seong Jiwon sang the song with his attractive voice.

“Thank you.”

Seong Jiwon sang with full immersion, then blushed and laughed shyly as the song ended.

Next to him, Jeong Dajun adjusted his headset and gave a thumbs-up.

I sang a carefully-selected song and turned my head, only to lock eyes with Yu Jia.

…?

I felt a strange vibe for a moment… but Yu Jia quickly moved on with her following remark, disguising it naturally.

Perhaps because of her acting experience and years of radio broadcasting, even the fans didn’t notice anything.

[Hoyun, your song selection is fantastic.
How did you think to have a male idol sing this????

└ A Disney medley from a male idol, this is insane

└ And such a nasty personality too

└└ Ah, a princess with a nasty personality is the best]

[Ah, Daepaseong is doing well these days]

After various conversations and corners, we successfully ended the radio broadcast… Yu Jia approached me as if waiting for the camera to turn off.

“Seo Hoyun.”

“Yes.”

“It’s heartwarming to see you getting along well with your members.”

“Thanks for your consideration.
We’re doing well together.”

“Oh, my?”

Although her words were empty, Yu Jia still smiled brightly.
But then, she looked at me meaningfully for a moment, which was unusual.
She was an experienced actress who had been in the entertainment industry for years.

…She seems to be hinting at something.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Ah.”

Feeling somewhat exposed, I tried to laugh it off.
But Yu Jia seemed to realize something and gave an awkward smile.

“Um~, not yet, I guess.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing.
Just be careful with your members.”

Yu Jia left with cryptic words and disappeared to talk with the staff.

Kim Seonghyeon gestured to me to hurry up.

“Let’s go.”

“…Yeah.”

That felt strange.

We walked to the van, and everyone seemed tired as they dragged their feet.

“It’s the end of the last schedule.
Time for a break.”

“A break? Really?”

“A break?” Seong Jiwon repeated Kang Ichae’s words and tilted his head in confusion.

This was even a little scary to me.

“We have to practice.”

“…”

“Are you not releasing the next album?”

Did you want to be a singer?

Everyone was shaking with excitement.
Kang Ichae was so shocked that he clung to Seong Jiwon almost as if begging him.

“Hyung, please… stop… We’ve only been able to sleep for two hours these days.”

“It seems you’re grateful and want to work even harder.
Alright.”

“Why is everyone being like Seo Hoyun?”

“Hey, what does that even mean?”

I wrapped my arm around Kang Ichae’s neck, teasing him as we continued to the van.

To be honest, until that moment, I never expected that the reason behind Yu Jia’s words would suddenly approach so quickly.

Once all the members had boarded the car and before the engine started, the manager handed me something from the passenger seat.

“Hoyun, take a look at this.”

“Huh?”

I stared down at the item I received unexpectedly.

…Wow, it’s a script.

It was a script, something anyone who’s worked at a broadcasting station would have seen.

The title, Please Take the Camera, was obviously a sequel to the recently popular Please Serve the Cider.[1]

The manager smiled slyly and said,

“This is a script by that really famous writer, Kim Sukhui.”

“So, what about it?”

“Gasp, the writer of Please Serve the Cider?! ”

Jeong Dajun suddenly appeared, excitedly reaching out his hand toward the script.
I pushed his forehead away and glared at the manager.
Through the rearview mirror, I could see the manager was surprised.

“Hoyun, you know.”

The manager seemed to be trying to persuade me, giving hints as gently as possible.

“Your talent is too precious to waste.”

“What talent do I have?”

“…Your face?”

It took a while for the manager to come up with that answer, even after rolling his eyes around.
And there was even a question mark attached.

Nonsense.

It’s not that I didn’t understand the CEO’s intentions.

If the series became a hit and the members gained public recognition, the group would naturally be affected too.
So, in the long run, it wasn’t necessarily a bad idea.

However, we were still rookies.
I was an outsider in the middle, and it hadn’t even been a year since our debut.

…It’s too soon.

Regardless of the album promotions being over, there was no need to risk tearing the fandom apart with hasty individual activities.

“There’s a character named Lee Jeonghun there, and the CEO said it’s perfect for Seo Hoyun.
Please read it at least once!”

“I said I won’t do it…”

“Hyung! Wow! At least read it.
It’s by Kim Sukhui!”

Jeong Dajun, who had been pushed away and leaning against the chair, looked at the atmosphere and suddenly got excited again as he shoved his head forward.
At least Kim Seonghyeon, who was considerate, covered his mouth and dragged him away, signaling me with his eyes.

‘Take your time talking.’

I was grateful for that.

“Just read the script once.
It’s such a waste not to.”

“Hmm…”

“If you do well, you might really pass and get the role.”

“Do I just have to read the script?”

“Yeah, of course!”

Reading the script wasn’t tricky in the first place.
But I had to hold back on purpose and delay it a bit.

I hummed as I watched the manager anxiously tapping the steering wheel with his fingers.

“Then, please do me a favor.”

“Uh, what is it?”

“Please arrange a meeting with the planning team.”

“Huh?”

Our eyes met through the rearview mirror, and the manager looked puzzled.

“I have a plan I want to do.”

“…You guys don’t have much time left for your next album, right? When will you find the time??”

Of course, album promotions were the centerpiece and highlight for idols.
However, it would be too sad to say that that was the end for us.

It’s better without a hiatus.

If an idol was very active, they might make a comeback up to three times a year.
In other words, once every four months.

Including preparations, four months go by quickly, but in the end, fans see them only during the active month.

“We have to make time.”

During inactive months, it was vital to continuously give fans something in other ways.
That way, they didn’t have to wait that long.

The reason Lee Jihyeon had a hard time was also because of communication problems.

You have to ride the wave when it comes.

“Can I ask for it by tomorrow?”

“Um… yeah, of course! I’ll talk about it on my end first.”

“Thank you.”

From the start, it seemed the planning team would grind their teeth, saying, “Seo Hoyun is making work again,” but…

I’ll give you money, guys!

They could receive a bonus.
If they got a financial reward, their anger would quickly subside.

After finishing what I had to say, I shook the script.

“Then I’ll read it.”

My manager, fearing I might change my mind, quickly nodded.

Lately, he’s been listening very well.
I stroked my chin as I looked at my manager.
One more road manager was coming in.
The planning team was also carried by Lee Jihyeon, and, from what I heard, they even made an exclusive A&R team[2] like the big companies.

People really need to explode periodically.

I smiled proudly.

The company had been running in decent shape since I pushed them using the contract issue with Jeong Dajun.
I made it a point to keep nagging every time I met them.

And one more thing.

I glanced at my manager.

“Hmm, I’m in a good mood today~.”

…He is so innocent.

How much more could I take advantage of him?

I tilted my head slightly as I looked at my manager.
If our dear manager was only innocent, I would have kicked him out long ago…

Upon thinking carefully, I slyly asked.

“Manager, did you say you have a family?”

“Yes! My lovely and respectable wife, and Grace Rosie~.”

“Grace Rosie?”

“That’s the name of our Shih Tzu.”

“…”

He had a better naming sense than Joo Woosung, who named his pretty cat Nyangnyang.[3]

“But Hoyun, why are you asking??”

“Ahaha, I was just curious.”

Well, anyway, it was good.

For the things I’d ask in the future, a person with a wife (and a pet dog named Grace Rosie) was more suitable than a single person without anyone to be responsible for.

I chuckled and turned my gaze out the window.

Arriving at the dorm, I was lying on the couch.
I tried calming my mind, but Jeong Dajun was constantly fidgeting.

“…Um, Hoyun…”

“Read it.”

“Kyaaa! It’s an honor!”

Jeong Dajun rushed into his room with the script.
Under Seong Jiwon’s strong insistence, the other members dispersed into their rooms quickly after deciding to take care of their own business and go to the practice room together.

As I was left alone in the quiet living room, I whispered.

“Hey.”

[You want the stats?]

“Give me a sign if you understand.”

Did I really have to call it a stat at this age?

[Seo Hoyun, a really rude and selfish idol who always does things his way.

Singing: A

Dance: B+

Variety: A-

Acting: B-

???: ???

Charm: B+]

Did the variety skill increase a bit…?

This activity itself wasn’t bad.
It was quite an achievement compared to the growth of other people’s stats.

Dance could be left alone for now, and the remaining question marks still haven’t appeared.
I didn’t even plan to improve acting.

Should I take a shower first?

“Uh-ah!”

Even though I’d have to shower again after going to the practice room, I decided to shower first because I felt uncomfortable.
As I raised my head, Jeong Dajun was staring at me intently.

“…Hyung.”

“Wow, shit, what a surprise.”

In the meantime, Jeong Dajun had already finished reading the script and was holding it preciously, kneeling in front of me with a lost expression.

“Why, why are you doing this? Get away from me.”

“No, this is Jeonghun.
Lee Jeonghun….”

What was he talking about…?

Who was Lee Jeonghun?

Ignoring him, thinking that it would be better for my nerves, I was about to go take a shower when Jeong Dajun grabbed the hem of my clothes and stretched it out.

“Lee Jeonghuuuuun! It’s a perfeeeect match!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hyung, listen.
I’ve read up to the middle, and I swear to God, the person in this script is soooo much like you.
The personality, the way of talking, it’s just like you.”

“Get lost.”

“Kkuaak! It’s too similar! Can you see this? Look, the goosebumps on my arm!”

Jeong Dajun raised his arm to show me, but I pushed it away, uninterested.

“Please act! This is a waste of talent!”

What is he talking about….?

I didn’t have any intentions of acting anyway.

However, the following words that came out even surprised me.

“Please, I beg you, become PD Lee Jeonghun!”

What?

[1] I realized after doing this chapter that I had been somewhat inconsistent with translating this title. Please Serve the Cider is a literal translation of 사이다를 부탁해.
But a more “natural” English translation would be Please Serve the Refreshment or Please Serve the Satisfaction since Koreans often use cider (as in drinking it) to mean something refreshing or satisfying.

[2] A&R stands for “Artists and Repertoire.” They are responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists

[3] Woosung’s cat is named 냥냥이, which can be translated roughly to “Meowmeow”.