The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol-Chapter 289

“Hyung’s here, fuck.”

I kicked open the door to the studio.

This was the private studio WH Entertainment had provided to Kang Ichae, and it had become The Dawn’s new hideout. He had even moved the same sofa from the Daepaseong studio here.

As usual, the members were planted there like it was their natural habitat.

“Why are you so forceful today?”

“Because I’m in a bad mood. Hey, I bought snacks.”

“Wooah!!”

I threw the convenience store plastic bag onto the table and flopped down on the sofa.

Watching the members crowd their heads together to peek inside reminded me of what that Mr. Joo from WH once said. A hardcore individualist, he had seen us always glued together and shook his head, muttering, “Don’t you guys ever get sick of each other?”

“Did you buy the Melona I asked for... of course not. Oh. Instead you bought red ginseng drinks.”

Has he been corrupted by Jung Dajun?

At first, Kim Sunghyun used to click his tongue whenever I bought ice cream, but now, just like the maknae, he was searching for Melona.

“It’s good for you. Drink it.”

“...Alright.”

Meeting my eyes, Kim Sunghyun quietly accepted the red ginseng drink.

While I was calming my stomach with SolOnun, Sung Jiwon handed another red ginseng drink to Kang Ichae, then asked me,

“But Hoyun, why are you in a bad mood?”

“Good question.”

“Ahaha.”

I raised my index finger.

【Reels, wrap up this moment

When I speak, hit repeat....】

“Because of this.”

The BGM filling Kang Ichae’s studio was Hi-Five’s new song Reels.

Jung Dajun’s eyes sparkled as he clapped his hands.

“Hi-Five sunbaenims’ new song is so good!”

“Fuck off, what sunbaenim, it’s only a few months’ difference.”

“And Hoyun-hyung, you’re extra cranky today!”

“My point exactly.”

Ignoring Kim Sunghyun’s polite insistence that even a few months made them “sunbaenims,” I made my displeasure crystal clear.

Right now, Hi-Five was sweeping the daily charts across all three music platforms.

Those bastards... they’re doing better than expected.

Reels was composed by Lim Hyunsu.

It took Hi-Five’s signature cheerful, refreshing image, made it even more vivid, and yet kept it individual and addictive.

At first the results were only decent, but suddenly the track blew up, climbing instead of falling, and it refused to come down.

Honestly, the trajectory was better than ours, and it pissed me off.

Should’ve messed with Kang Yeonhoo a bit more.

Clicking my tongue, I picked up my phone and sent a message to Lim Hyunsu.

[Me: What’s with you, composer-nim?]

[Lim Hyunsu: What;;;]

[Lim Hyunsu: Again, why;;]

And I left it at that, letting her stew in anxiety.

[Lim Hyunsu: Why don’t you ever finish your sentences, you bastard]

“Why? Because their results are good?”

Then what else would I be pissed about?

We had momentum, but now it looks like we’ll be overtaken.

I had relaxed a bit since Black Call wasn’t promoting this year, and now look at this.

Management hinted earlier that Hi-Five would be releasing another track in summer.

Meanwhile, our comeback album was set for June.

Same company, and they can’t even keep some fucking courtesy, huh?

I was holding down the boiling irritation in my chest when Jung Dajun—who had gotten pretty hefty lately—hung off my arm like it was nothing.

“Hoyun-hyung, but aren’t you pretty close with Yeonhoo-sunbaenim?”

“No.”

Close, my ass.

When would I even have time to bother with him?

[Jung Dajun

Still training hard, our cute maknae.

Singing: B-

Dancing: S-

Variety: B+

Acting: C-

Charm: A-

???: ???]

After finishing the Icarus version of Connected flawlessly at the IRIX season launch, Jung Dajun’s dance stat had shot up to inhuman levels.

“Hey, is it your place to gossip about who Seo Hoyun’s close with?”

“True, that’s right.”

The members were well balanced in skills, and their camaraderie was still strong.

Good, obedient, well-behaved...

“Joo Woosung-sunbaenim??”

“Are they... close?”

...Maybe not exactly, but at least I’d raised them to be able to survive anywhere they were thrown.

Even fans joked sometimes that The Dawn could be dumped on a deserted island or in the desert and they’d still find a way to come back alive.

Either way, I won’t let my kids be outshined.

We no longer had to wander the country performing at nameless events. We’d grown beyond that. Our revenue split was solid, thanks to how I’d locked it in early.

Still, before I disappeared, I wanted to build a stronger foundation. At the very least, I had to make sure the boys could keep eating after me.

“Haa....”

Kang Ichae, who had been looping Hi-Five’s new song again and again, collapsed onto the desk.

“...I can’t do it.”

He traced circles on the desk with his finger, muttering.

“I’ve honestly thought about it for 24 hours straight.”

“Did you think about it even in your sleep?”

“But seriously, not lying, I just can’t think of anything. I think this is the end for me.”

Kim Sunghyun’s jab went completely ignored as Kang Ichae started digging his own grave.

Declaring his inspiration dead, he even asked us to put up a gravestone for him. The members’ reactions:

“Isn’t today trash day?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Hyung, can we go buy Melona later?”

“Give me some attention~!”

Recently, Kang Ichae had been swinging between being upbeat, sulky, and whiny.

But since we’d already experienced the same thing back during Shining Star Season 2, nobody took it too seriously.

He made fake sobbing noises for a while, then sniffled and called for me.

“Hoyun-hyung....”

“What.”

“Can you just throw away all the unreleased songs I sent you last week?”

This kid usually had high self-esteem, confidence, and a solid “fuck it” mentality.

So why did he always crumble when it came to Lim Hyunsu?

“Why don’t I have any talent?”

“If other people heard you say that, they’d cry.”

“Other people?”

Brushing off Kim Sunghyun’s comfort, Kang Ichae sighed deeply and muttered under his breath.

“Besides Lim Hyunsu, every other song people put out these days....”

“......”

“...they all sound like trash.”

“Hey, just toss him out. His character’s not fully developed.”

Kim Sunghyun, finally fed up, spat it out unfiltered.

The maknae quietly nodded in agreement, while Sung Jiwon switched the song to one of Kang Ichae’s tracks.

“Ichae, I really like your songs.”

“Jiwon-hyung...!”

“What the hell? Did being roommates make you two that sentimental?”

“I don’t know... but it’s disgusting.”

Kang Ichae gazed at Sung Jiwon with watery eyes and threw his arms around him.

“Jiwon-hyung’s praise is so sweet... but Hoyun-hyung, give me honest feedback.”

I restarted the song he’d been working on. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“Hmm.”

Listening quietly, I stopped the track as the chorus hit, then looked him straight in the eye.

“This sounds like you lazed around all day gaming, then half-assed it for ten minutes and turned it in.”

“...!!”

“...!”

“What the?! But I didn’t even tell you... how did you know....”

“Creepy!! How did you figure it out, Hoyun-hyung?? Did you put a CCTV in Ichae-hyung’s studio?”

His mentor was Cheongbeom—what else could he have possibly learned.

Didn’t even need to check to know.

The members, rubbing their arms like they had goosebumps, shook their heads and stood.

“Alright, we’ve coddled him enough, let’s go.”

“Yeah, leave him alone and he always produces good stuff eventually.”

“...You guys still call yourselves hyungs?”

“Hey, Ichae-hyung, we’ll buy ice cream!”

Without hesitation, Kim Sunghyun, Sung Jiwon, and Jung Dajun left. Only I, with proposals still to review, was left behind with Kang Ichae in the studio.

Kang Ichae turned off the computer, unwrapped a candy, popped it into his mouth, and stared at the ceiling.

“I need a muse.”

“Muse, my ass....”

“Will you be my muse?”

Kang Ichae, who constantly demanded attention without pause, was starting to get on my nerves. Maybe I should have just run away with the others—I regretted staying.

In the end, as he sprawled across the sofa whining and expanding his territory, I offered him my solution.

“Make money your muse.”

At that, Kang Ichae’s eyes reddened, and he bolted upright.

“Hyung! How can inspiration come from money?! How could you even say that? You’re too materialistic!”

“The person you respect, Cheongbeom, said that.”

“Ah... ahhh, that’s a famous saying.”

“......”

This bastard... could it be he actually likes Lim Hyunsu more than me?

I turned off my tablet and, as if melting, reached into the right pocket of his pants and pulled out his phone.

“Eh? What are you doing?”

Even though he was whining, he really did look exhausted. It seemed better to show him a more concrete example.

Among the members, excluding me, they used each other’s phones almost like public property. So I unlocked it easily and searched for the banking app.

“Look at your account balance and calm down, idiot.”

“Wait, hang on....”

But as Kang Ichae suddenly jumped up in a panic, his forehead smacked against my chin with a loud thud.

“Argh!”

“Uwahk!”

Clutching his head in pain, he quickly lifted his gaze to check on me.

“Hyung, I’m sorry!”

This damn rock head...

A sharp pain surged from my jaw. I clenched my mouth shut and turned my head to endure it when—

“...Huh?”

I froze.

Right before our heads collided, I had absentmindedly drawn the lock pattern on his phone—and the banking app opened right up on the screen.

And then...

“...You...”

Ding!

[?????????]

No...

No, what the hell is this?

“...Why do you have an extra zero?”

“.............”

When Kang Ichae saw the banking app screen in my hand, his expression stiffened as if a shameful secret had been exposed.

Since we were in the same group, we all had a rough idea of how much each member earned.

Of course, everyone knew Kang Ichae made more since he wrote and composed many of The Dawn’s songs.

But considering what I’d heard of Lim Hyunsu’s income, and the countless conversations I’d had with her, the amount displayed here was excessive.

‘What the hell?’

There was one more zero than I had expected.

Snatching the phone back belatedly, he tossed it far away with an awkward laugh.

“—Come on, it’s not that much. Maybe you saw it wrong?”

“My eyesight’s 1.5.”

“Good thing my hyung has good eyesight then....”

When I was thirty-three, I couldn’t even recognize people’s faces without glasses from all the constant monitoring and editing. Thanks to this rejuvenated body, my eyes were sharp again.

Realizing lies were useless now, Kang Ichae scratched his head in frustration.

I had suspected he might be from a wealthy family since he studied abroad and could play several instruments.

‘Why’s he acting like this?’

It wasn’t exactly a flaw or stain, yet he kept glancing at me nervously.

I narrowed my eyes slightly and grabbed his shoulder.

“As your close hyung, I’ll ask you just one thing.”

“...What is it.”

“Kang Ichae, you...”

I could feel his nerves tightening like wires.

I spoke slowly.

“You’re not out there scamming people, right?”

“...What?”

“You know, those guys who swindle money using their celebrity name.”

Kang Ichae, mouth agape, let out a long sigh, then looked at me with an exasperated gaze.

“How did the conversation get there?”

“Well, you, Kang Ichae, keep looking guilty.”

“There’s a reason for that... anyway, it’s not that!”

He kept repeating it wasn’t true. I patted his shoulder lightly.

“If I know what you did, I can either help you or clean up after you.”

“What?”

“So, tell me. Did you sell the group’s name?”

“Ugh, seriously!”

He sprang up and paced around the studio anxiously before sitting back down.

“...It’s just... it just makes me uncomfortable, that’s all!”

Uncomfortable? From having too much money?

I raised an eyebrow, arms crossed, showing I didn’t buy it. He let out a deep sigh and added—

“I wasn’t born lacking anything.”

“......”

“No, really. I own some land under my name... damn, why am I even telling you this?”

Running his hands roughly over his face, he pushed his hair back.

“Then prove it’s not a scam.”

Without affirming or denying, he waved me over and went to the computer. Rebooting it, he opened his cloud drive and pulled up scanned documents.

“This is under my name.”

In that moment, the image of Kang Ichae—always a kid, twelve years younger than me—completely vanished.

As he clicked, endless documents scrolled past. The system window watching along with me couldn’t stop expressing its awe.

[Wow......]

“This one, and this one. See the dates? All from before I debuted. Even if I wanted to scam, I wasn’t famous enough then.”

[Uwaa......]

The frantic clicking of his mouse suddenly stopped.

“...Ah, wait.”

“......”

“...Now that I think about it, you’re just messing with me, aren’t you?”

What started as me trying to pry a bit into his guilty conscience had long since blown away.

I put on the kindest smile I could muster and rested a hand gently on his shoulder.

“...Ichae.”

His eyes wavered.

“...What.”

“Hyung—”

Our rapper wasn’t just a silver spoon.

“—At least buy me an ice /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ cream first.”

He was a diamond spoon.