The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol

[Title: Joo Woosung’s SNS Spring?

I’m not a Black Call fan, but isn’t Joo Woosung famous for not posting videos of himself? Fans are always crying about it, but suddenly, a video of Joo_Woosung_and_the_Kitty.gif was posted last night.

It_seems_like_you_like_me_more.gif

Who is this person??? As far as I know, there are no trainees like this in Black Call’s agency. Is he just a regular person?

└ Seems like a regular person.

└└ Oh really?? But his face doesn’t look like a regular person’s?

└└ Okay.

└ At least among the rookies announced by the agency, there are no trainees like this, lol. Hey Woosung… Can you please post your face? ㅋㅋ

└└ ㅋㅋㅋ This is crazy, for real…]

[Title: Joo Woosung Posted Another Video on SNS! Why is he suddenly posting so many videos????

Fans asked him to post his face, so he did ㅋㅋㅋ He suddenly changed his ways ㅋ Joo_Woosung_and_the_Cat_Picture.jpg

trainee_feeling_gloomy_after_being_teased.video.

But this time, he took a picture with that trainee? Regular person? They seem to get along really well, lol. Cute.

└ I know!!! He’s a member of DPS Entertainment.

└└ DPS??? Sorry, I’m not knowledgeable. Please tell me what that is.

└└ The Dawn (lit later)

└ Who is that anyway?? I heard of them before, but not really.

└└ ㅠㅠ I was passing by… I’m a fan of The Dawn… He calls himself Hoowoo. He didn’t debut due to health reasons, but he did record some songs with them. They are hardworking kids, so please look kindly upon them…

└└ Oh… (subdued) Sorry. Fighting!]

[Title: I heard from a friend (sorry)[1] that Joo Woosung and Seo Hoyun from The Dawn are close. I’m a big fan of The Dawn, but I went crazy when I recently saw Joo Woosung (sorry, I’m not one of his fans) on SNS.

Let me sort it out for you:

1. The Dawn’s debut album seemed to have failed, but they still have a handful of fans.
2. Seo Hoyun, who appeared with Joo Woosung on SNS, is a member of The Dawn but has never appeared on an official stage.
3. Joo Woosung and Seo Hoyun are strangely close friends; I don’t know where they came from, but I suddenly became interested in them. Seo Hoyun’s face is like a fox and rabbit, and he’s more to my taste than I expected. ㅋㅋㅋ I heard they will soon make a comeback, and I’m looking forward to it.

└ Thank you, Speed Wagon!

└└ Not at all!

└ Oh, thank you.

└ But I’m not really interested in it. ㅋㅋ I feel like The Dawn is trying to ride on Joo Woosung’s popularity.

└└ Tsk, it’s not like Seo Hoyun was the one that did it. Joo Woosung himself posted it. What’s the problem? ㅋㅋㅋ

└└ Yes, yes, they seemed close friends. I feel like they’ve known each other for a long time.

└ Black Call fans are going crazy over the flood of new photos of Joo Woosung and struggling to handle them. Plus, they’ve never seen anyone get along with Joo Woosung so comfortably, except with this member from The Dawn ㅋㅋㅋ

└└ Yeah, I’m really grateful to this friend. It’s the first time I’ve seen Joo Woosung’s cute side. So adorable! ㅜ]

[The Dawn’s comeback, is it noise marketing?]

[The trainee who appeared on Joo Woosung’s SNS, is it the company’s strategy?]

“Hoyun-hyung!”

I collapsed on the practice room floor and lifted my phone to check the situation. To some extent, I seemed to be a hot topic in online communities and social media. Of course, I was also getting criticized, but it wasn’t bad for viral marketing.

The planning and choreography were roughly organized, and the dance routine, practice schedule, and vocal parts were distributed. There were now about three weeks left until the showcase.

This level of firepower isn’t enough.

Now, it’s time to start preparing for other things. I put my smartphone away and looked at Kang Ichae.

“Hey, why?”

“Drink this.”

Kang Ichae threw a water bottle at me. I drank the water gratefully as I was on the brink of dehydration. Kang Ichae muttered.

“Why are you practicing so roughly, hyung? Do you even sleep properly?”

“I am sleeping.”

“You’re lying! Hyung only sleeps three hours a day! And in the lounge, too.”

“Are you some kind of Napoleon, hyung? You only sleep for three hours a day?”

Kang Ichae stuck out his tongue as Jeong Dajun groaned. I ignored them as I didn’t have the energy to respond.

Seong Jiwon, who had just entered the practice room, looked at me worriedly as if he had heard what was being said.

“Um… Hoyun’s dance has improved, but…”

“…”

“It’s still not enough… Why? How can I improve more?”

“Jiwon-hyung… Do you think he’s possessed by a dead ghost who can’t practice?”

Jeong Dajun trembled. I was also scared and used my arms to steady myself.

Seong Jiwon wasn’t really someone to take on lightly. I thought he was fragile, but now his eyes were rolling back, and he was not focused on anything but the comeback stage.

Kim Seonghyeon came in next and played the music, trying to adjust the stage movements some more.

After we finished distributing the parts, we modified the choreography slightly so that each member would stand out more in their respective parts.

“Ooh, pick a card, the future becomes clearer,

Don’t worry about the low chances, there’s no need,

It’s okay, I’ll lead you.

 Say it once more, it’s the beginning for us,

I will come back every time,

Don’t be afraid of this strange feeling,

No need to worry,

I’ll lead you.”

As we continued to sing and dance live, after about three times practices, everyone was so exhausted they collapsed on the floor.

“Are we going to die before we even get to perform on our comeback stage?”

“… Do you want to rest a little? It’s almost lunchtime.”

Seong Jiwon finally gave the okay. Jeong Dajun quickly got up.

“Let’s go to the convenience store, the convenience store!”

“I’ll pay for everything. Get ready~!”

Jeong Dajun pulled out a thousand won bills.

“I received my allowance!”

“…”

“The hyungs will pay.”

“Oh, we can at least buy ice cream!”

These days, you can’t buy much with a thousand won…

Kim Seonghyeon, Seong Jiwon, and I looked at each other in disbelief and comforted each other before we left.

When we arrived at the convenience store in front of our agency, the youngest members were so excited that they jumped around.

“I’m going to buy cup noodles and eat them in three bites!”

“Are you a newbie? You have to put cheese in the spicy chicken flavor.”

These kids…

It felt like I knew why Seong Jiwon and Kim Seonghyeon had become more mature.

Kim Seonghyeon silently cared for the younger members, and Seong Jiwon handed me a ramen cup. The five of us crowded around a table in the convenience store, eating cup ramen together, when suddenly someone tapped me lightly on the shoulder.

I turned around to see a woman wearing a mask, fidgeting nervously. She held out her phone to us.

“Oh! Are you Seo Hoyun by any chance?”

“…? … Yes.”

“Wait, wait. Are these all the other members of The Dawn! My friend is an even bigger fan, so… Would you mind waiting a moment?”

“A fan?”

Seong Jiwon’s eyes widened. I hoped he wouldn’t say anything.

It seemed like this person was filming us with a camera. Thankfully, Seong Jiwon just nodded vigorously with a smile on his face.

“Yes, of course. We’ll wait.”

“Thank you!”

They would have probably reacted the same way if there wasn’t a camera. Technically, we were also celebrities, but they looked at her as if normal people recognizing them were more fascinating.

… Hey guys. You’re still celebrities, you know?

Even the contestants on competition programs were not this unpopular. It’s a bit… heartbreaking.

“You’re Seong Jiwon, right? I’ve known you since you were a trainee! How are you so handsome? Why are you so tall?”

“Haha, thank you.”

“How old are you, noona?”

Kang Ichae was the first to speak kindly. The woman was shy but answered his question.

While it was true that we had to be careful with our words, I wasn’t worried about Kang Ichae. He was good at reading situations.

“…?”

I gave a vague answer and looked away, but then I saw a strange scene outside the convenience store.

A grandmother clutching her bag firmly was strolling along. A masked man trailed several paces behind her, casting cautious glances around and giving the impression that he intended to snatch her purse away.

“Hey.”

“What’s up?”

I alerted Kim Seonghyeon. He immediately turned his head and looked where I was looking, then his face hardened.

We put down the food we were holding. The man suddenly rushed in and snatched the grandmother’s bag.

“Oh dear, oh dear! It’s a thief!”

There are still such robberies these days!

Crazy bastard.

I furrowed my brow deeply. I couldn’t believe it. I never imagined this would actually happen.

Kim Seonghyeon and I immediately kicked open the convenience store door and ran out to catch the bastard thief.

“Stop right there!”

“Get lost!”

After hearing our footsteps rapidly approaching, the thief glanced at us and began to run even faster.

However, we were not ordinary people. We were the proud idols of South Korea. With our daily dance practices and workouts until dawn, we had more stamina than the average man.

“Stop!”

Kim Seonghyeon, who was particularly skilled in physical activities, quickly caught up to the thief.

“Got you!”

“Hey, Kim Seonghyeon!”

I was one step behind, so I kicked the man’s hand as he was about to pull out a knife.

With a cling, the knife fell to the ground. Kim Seonghyeon looked at him, and his face turned pale, but he clenched his teeth and held the thief tightly.

“Ow ow ow! Let go, you fuckers!”

“Are you insane? Where’s your conscience?”

“Kim Seonghyeon, hold him tight.”

I helped Kim Seonghyeon by kicking the thief down. I looked back at the spot where the old lady was, and, fortunately, Seong Jiwon and Jeong Dajun were already helping her up.

“Grandma, are you okay?”

“Oh, thank you, thank you….”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine… I’m more worried about you, young men.”

“We’re fine.”

In addition, Kang Ichae was inside the convenience store making a phone call, waving his hand frantically. It seemed like he was calling the police.

Soon after, we heard police sirens.

“Wow, the South Korean police are fast.”

“Let me go!”

“Stay still, you punk.”

I muttered as I pressed down on the thief’s nape.

I looked around to see if the police had arrived and saw a woman still holding her phone, staring at us blankly. As I turned my head, my eyes met with Kim Seonghyun’s.

“…”

We both thought the same thing.

Wait, what if…

***

“Oh dear, that was close. I saw him following me after I withdrew money from the bank. He even followed me to a place without CCTV. It would have been a disaster if it weren’t for you young men.”

After handing the thief over to the police, they praised us several times.

I glanced at the old lady. It seemed like she wasn’t injured.

“Thank you, young men. I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”

“No, it’s nothing, Grandma. It’s just what anyone would do.”

“This is the money our daughter sent us. She saved it bit by bit for my medical expenses… Without this, I wouldn’t have been able to get treatment. I’m really grateful.”

“That was really close.”

Seong Jiwon murmured with sympathy. From what I could gather, Seong Jiwon had a soft spot for the old lady. His eyes were glued to her, and he seemed deeply concerned.

I nudged Seong Jiwon.

“Let’s stop and go. Grandma needs to rest too.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was holding you up.”

“I’m the one who should apologize for taking up your time.”

The old lady kept bowing her head. Seeing her reminded me of my grandmother, and I suddenly felt strange emotions.

I politely said goodbye and led the members out once the situation was resolved.

“Wow, we really did a great job.”

“Kim Seonghyeon almost got hurt. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Seo Hoyun protected me…”

“Right. We don’t have much time left before our comeback, so be careful.”

“Hey, come on. It was cool, wasn’t it?”

“Being cool isn’t everything.”

Seong Jiwon playfully hit Jeong Dajun’s head. Jeong Dajun complained while holding his head, but he couldn’t deny the sense of accomplishment among the members.

“You all did a great job.”

“Even Hoyun seems happy.”

I, too, felt a sense of accomplishment.

There was something else to look forward to.

Kim Seonghyeon probably noticed it as well.

After returning to the practice room and practicing for a few more hours, the manager suddenly opened the door and entered.

“Guys!!”

Just as I expected.

“Oh, you scared me.”

“Guys, you caught a thief! Why didn’t you tell me!”

The excited manager grabbed Jeong Dajun’s shoulders and shook him. Jeong Dajun, unable to understand the situation, held onto his dizzy head.

“Well, we were going to tell you later. But how did you find out?”

“You guys are a big hit right now!”

“What?”

“The news of you catching the thief has been posted online, and now we’re trending in real-time searches!”

Bingo.

The manager shoved the internet article right in front of our faces. I slowly read the sparkling title on the screen.

[Ordinary Male Idol Group Caught a Thief Today]

… The title was quite convincing.

Among the members with disbelieving expressions, Kim Seonghyeon and I locked our eyes again.

For now, we just grinned.

[1] Hearsay

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