The Trashy Pd Has To Survive As an Idol: 문찐 [139+]

Kang Ichae considered himself a pretty decent person.

And, to be fair, he was living quite a decent life.

Of course, getting here had required enduring hardship and adversity, building up resentment and anger toward the world—but these days, he was living as honestly as he knew how.

"Hyung!! What are you thinking about??"

"Just thinking that the ice cream the youngest put in the freezer was pretty good."

"You—You ate mine?!"

Again, to clarify—he himself thought he was a good person.

Good looks, decent skills, a sharp mind.

He was born lacking very little.

But it's kind of boring.

Satisfaction led to boredom.

Still, he was good at hiding things, so he maintained what most would call a wise attitude toward navigating a dull, parched life.

Then one day, someone burst into his otherwise smooth-sailing life like a glaring spotlight.

"Noeul, are you having a happy day today?"

"..."

"Haha, I'm doing well too!"

That someone was Seo Hoyun—who, for the sake of Noeul, would shamelessly lower himself by ten centimeters just to flirt on camera, whether using third person, calling himself "baby," "sweetheart," or whatever cringey pet name came to mind.

Just earlier, he'd been lying motionless on the couch, ignoring the other members no matter how many times they called his name—but the moment the camera turned on, he lit up with a dazzling smile and connected with the fans like nothing happened.

Ichae, irritated by the two-faced act, narrowed his eyes and stared at him. Hoyun peeked out from behind the camera and mouthed:

What are you lookin' at, punk?

At first, this shameless guy seemed like a bulldozer who would charge toward his goals without regard for anything around him.

It was amusing, and somewhat necessary for THE D.O.N's success, so Ichae left it alone—but the guy had all the warmth of cold steel.

Yet, on very rare occasions, Seo Hoyun acted in a way that showed he was human.

Like when Jung Dajun got hurt during "Victory Is Mine."

"I'll take full responsibility. Just come."

After that, Kang Ichae started to truly see Seo Hoyun.

The one most earnestly dedicated to THE D.O.N.

The first to step in whenever something happened to the members.

But also the one who hid everything about himself behind a wall.

He knew that, but let it slide.

Even when Seo Hoyun pulled shady stunts all over the place, Ichae didn't say anything—because it didn't seem like any of it would come back to hurt him.

Still… he's interesting.

The way Hoyun treated him was strange.

He acted like he didn't care, like he was ignoring Ichae—yet when Ichae really looked, he was actually paying close attention and looking out for him.

It was a type of person Ichae had never encountered before, and he found it both fascinating and oddly… not unpleasant.

That was, until one moment truly pissed him off.

"You stubborn bastard… can't you let it go, just this once? I'm older."

Back when they were in Japan and Seo Hoyun vomited blood into the sink of their dorm's bathroom.

Ichae was dumbfounded.

How could someone cough up blood without even being sick?

It made no sense to him, and yet, the clean medical report Hoyun showed made him feel like he was being played.

Still, he shoved the questions to the back of his mind.

Even if he asked, he wouldn't get an answer—and…

He's human too. Maybe he just has things he wants to hide.

…or so he thought back then.

[The black waves crash down

My heart pounds violently

Am I suffocating?]

But his thoughts started to shift after Shining Star Season 2.

Especially that final stage. Hoyun looked dangerously on edge.

[All the way to the end

Even if I don't know what's waiting there]

Even in that state, he tried to shoulder everything alone.

It became increasingly frustrating to watch.

And when people started treating the controversy—his own controversy—like entertainment, pretending to comfort him just to enjoy the drama… Kang Ichae was pissed.

At the same time, he reevaluated what he thought he knew about Seo Hoyun.

Our sub-vocalist…

Seo Hoyun was seriously, fucking crazy.

Not just crazy—he was fucking crazy, to the degree that profanity was the only way to adequately describe him.

He would destroy himself completely, yet never once asked for help or leaned on anyone.

It was around then that Ichae realized:

If this keeps up, he's going to get himself seriously hurt.

After that, Kang Ichae calmed his anger and started observing Seo Hoyun more closely, testing what might work with him.

Because rushing things only ruins them.

Whenever Hoyun wore a dissatisfied expression, Ichae would go over and poke at him subtly. Hoyun always responded, and that gave Ichae a bit of relief.

But through numerous experiences, Ichae gradually came to understand.

Seo Hoyun had never once told the truth to the person directly involved.

'He was better in the beginning.'

Back then, he would at least blatantly warn Kim Seonghyeon about malicious edits or scold Jeong Dajun to speak properly.

Who knows what kind of change of heart he went through?

These days, he just smiled slyly in front of the members, and before anyone realized it, things were somehow resolved. That happened more than once or twice.

'Even if I tell him, he won't listen anyway.'

Then the plagiarism scandal broke out.

"Ichae-ssi, did you really plagiarize?"

First, rage surged within him. Then came a bitter laugh.

But then, the thought that this might be the perfect timing to lay a trap for Seo Hoyun crossed his mind.

'Is this a chance?'

Lifting his head from its bowed position, Kang Ichae gave a bright smile to the management team employee.

"You mean the unreleased track?"

Maybe.

'It is a chance.'

Because he could use this to fix Seo Hoyun's bad habits.

---

"What?"

Seo Hoyun's face, already pale, turned even whiter as if he had just heard a really bad joke.

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you delusional? I looked up your name, and it wasn't there."

"Where did you search?"

"Copyright association."

"That's why it wasn't there."

Kang Ichae replied while observing Hoyun.

"I registered it in the U.S."

Only then did Seo Hoyun's expression become worth looking at.

"Not many people know this. It's just a habit of mine. I register all my personal practice songs that aren't for release in the U.S. You know home recordings can also be copyrighted, right?"

"Don't bullshit me. I searched for Kang Ichae and nothing came up."

"I use a stage name."

"…!!"

Kang Ichae slowly continued.

"I only registered the copyright in the U.S., but I didn't know how to transfer it to an official release, so I checked with a lawyer, and it took some time. Thankfully, it's possible."

What the hell is this guy talking about?

That expression was written all over Seo Hoyun's face.

"The legal effect is valid, apparently. But realistically, if I were to sue, it'd take forever and be a massive headache. Still, it's enough to calm the controversy."

"Why… why didn't you say anything?"

"What if I had?"

"…What?"

Kang Ichae fiddled with a candy wrapper from the pile stacked on the table.

"If I had announced it right away, sure, the controversy would've been shut down quickly. But it might have dragged on. If I made a fuss without being sure and then things flipped later, it'd only make things harder for the Noeuls."

Kang Ichae, like Seo Hoyun, was extremely sensitive to public perception.

In situations like these, the more you flail, the worse your image gets, and eventually, people just lose interest. The opposing composer would just pull similar stunts again over time.

It wasn't that he responded late. He waited to deal with it thoroughly and properly.

"Now that it's confirmed, I'm going to post the official notice."

Among everything Kang Ichae had done so far, there was only one truly inappropriate action.

Not telling Seo Hoyun any of this on purpose.

"Let me ask you instead. Why didn't you tell me?"

"…There was no need for you to know."

"It's my issue."

For a moment, Seo Hoyun was speechless.

"Be honest. If I had told you back then, instead of sharing your plan, wouldn't you have just gone, 'Guess I wasn't careful enough hiding it,' and hidden it even deeper?"

"..."

Kang Ichae had come to a firm conclusion after spending time with Seo Hoyun.

This guy could never be persuaded through a normal, peaceful conversation.

He was the type who had to experience things firsthand to understand.

So just like Seo Hoyun used him to bait Lim Hyunsu, Kang Ichae baited Seo Hoyun with himself in return.

"…Why did you do it?"

"You did it too."

Kang Ichae answered plainly.

"Not to say something like, 'I'm just giving back what you did to me.' I just wanted to show you something."

"..."

"That if we had just talked everything out openly from the start, we could've solved things a lot faster."

They might have drawn public attention but extinguished the fire just as quickly.

Even now, several strategies came to Kang Ichae's mind—some of them wouldn't have required dragging Cheongbeom into this at all.

And if he could think of that much, Seo Hoyun, who was far more seasoned at this sort of thing, surely could've done better.

Seo Hoyun shut his eyes tightly for a second, then reopened them and roughly swept back his hair with a deep frown.

"Honestly, I screwed up."

Lowering his gaze slightly, Kang Ichae pressed his lips together before speaking slowly.

"I didn't think you'd go that far for me."

If he had known Lim Hyunsu would get involved, he never would have kept it from Seo Hoyun.

He had figured Hoyun might contact her, but he didn't expect such a bold move.

From the start, Kang Ichae had struggled to understand.

Why someone as naturally talented as Lim Hyunsu would do something so wrong. And yet she was now bearing all the consequences.

'The composer isn't someone I need to worry about.'

Cheongbeom, who hadn't been crushed by despair and continued to push forward, was strong.

The other members were too. They might hesitate for a moment, but they kept walking ahead without stopping.

But Seo Hoyun… he wasn't so sure.

He was like a runaway train with its brakes broken.

If someone even seemed like a threat to The Dawn, he would charge straight in—regardless of whether his own body shattered in the process.

And so, Kang Ichae felt even more strongly about this:

There would come a time when he, too, needed someone's help.

"Thanks for clearing my name. The copyright stuff will be wrapped up soon, so I'll go through a lawyer."

Kang Ichae stood from his seat and added in a low voice,

"But you do know you made a mistake too, right?"

He was referring to the Lim Hyunsu situation.

Seo Hoyun remained silent.

After watching him for a moment, Kang Ichae smiled faintly and left the studio.

Left alone, Seo Hoyun threw away the tissue he'd been using to stop his nosebleed and collapsed into the chair Kang Ichae had been sitting in moments ago.

"…Damn."

The whole time Ichae had been speaking, he'd been replaying everything in his head, trying to figure out where it all went wrong.

He picked up one of the candies Ichae had been fiddling with earlier.

Inside was a small, neatly folded piece of paper.

> [Hyung, still… thank you, and sorry

♡ If I get compensation money, I'll give it to you. Don't get mad ♡

– From pretty, handsome, and lovable Ichae]

"…Shit. The student has surpassed the master."

He must've known Hoyun used candy instead of cigarettes.

At this point, all Seo Hoyun could do was laugh.

He unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth.

"My head's still ringing. Unbelievable."

He couldn't even be angry, knowing this "betrayal" came from a place of care.

Lost in thought, Seo Hoyun pulled out his phone and searched his contacts.

[Lim Hyunsu]

He hesitated a bit, then sent a message.

[Me: Composer-nim]

[Me: Are you really mad?]

The reply came surprisingly fast.

[Lim Hyunsu: *middle finger emoji* s]

[Lim Hyunsu: Bastard. I was gonna ignore you for like six months.]

[Lim Hyunsu: But whatever. I was the one who messed up first.]

As he was wondering how to respond, another message came in.

[Lim Hyunsu: Strong Woman Traits™]

[Lim Hyunsu: Owns up to her mistakes like a champ]

"What the hell?"

Where was she picking up this weird stuff?

Seeing she wasn't in such a bad state after all, he shoved his phone into his pocket and started heading back to the dorm.

Then came another buzz.

[Lim Hyunsu: Weak Man Traits™]

[Lim Hyunsu: Seo Hoyun]

"...."

Seo Hoyun stared at it and burst into laughter.

There was nothing he could say.

This time, it was his complete and utter loss.