The Trashy PD Has To Survive as an Idol

I confidently fixed my name tag and walked with Kim Seonghyeon.
Joo Woosung also came forward this time, participating alongside a Black Call member.

– “The archery rules are simple! Each team has two participants, each shooting three arrows, and one arrow is shot by the ace member.”

“Who’s your ace member?”

“It’s obviously me.”

“No way.”

Joo Woosung shook his head in disbelief.
When his face was caught on the screen, the fans’ cheers grew louder than before.

I knew Black Call was quite popular, but experiencing it directly was quite fascinating.

An announcer approached Joo Woosung for an interview and asked him seriously,

“Joo Woosung, you ranked first in the archery event at the last Victory is Mine, right? Can we hear your thoughts on this year’s event?”

“Ahaha, I’ll do my best this time as well.”

Joo Woosung gave a textbook-perfect answer and then locked eyes with me.
He smiled mischievously.

“At least I’ll beat that side.”

“…”

My eyebrows twitched, and the camera caught it again.
My irritated expression was displayed on the main screen, and laughter filled the stadium.
The announcer continued enthusiastically.

“These two are known as close friends in the entertainment industry, and their rivalry is burning hot~! At this point, we should also hear Seo Hoyun’s thoughts!”

“He’s a respected sunbae.”

I took the opportunity to correct the misconception, but Joo Woosung clicked his tongue.

It was just like the entertainment industry to keep picking at a topic once it was brought up.

– “That kind of talk really means they are close friends.”

– “Whenever I hear friends talking about their close friendships, I get chills.”

Despite my sincere denial, no one, including the broadcasting team, seemed to believe me.

“Joo Woosung’s goal is directed at Seo Hoyun.
Seo Hoyun, please share your goal as well! What mindset will you have during the match?”

With a lively smile, the announcer pushed the microphone closer to me.
Wondering if it would be better to be honest, considering our teasing image as close friends, I decided to go with a safe answer.

I leaned slightly towards the microphone.

“…I’ll just do my best.”

– “Wow~~! Joo Woosung is not even considered a rival by him!”

How did it turn out like that?

– “That’s the epitome of leisure, right? He’s saying, ‘I’m the only one who can be first! There’s no room for two!’ Isn’t that it?!”

– “It’s getting intense!”

Joo Woosung snorted a little and picked up his bow.
I did the same.

I heard that Joo Woosung had won first place in the previous competition and generated numerous memes, but I absolutely had to win first place this time.

I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about Joo Woosung, who wasn’t even an immediate opponent in the preliminaries.

I held the bow and tried pulling the bowstring without an arrow.
Not bad.

Just then, Kim Seonghyeon, who had just finished a brief interview with the announcer, whispered to me.

“I heard the distance is increased this time?”

“What?”

“Not 15 m.
It’s 25 m now.”[1]

“What? There was no mention of that before.”

I tried to stop my eyebrows from furrowing, but the broadcasting team kindly explained.

– “There’s something different about this year, right?”

– “Yes.
The idols have become so good at archery that they’ve broken too many camera lenses![2] The production team had to take special measures.”

– “The distance is changed from 15m to 25m! Will any idols break lenses this time~?”

“10m difference… that’s quite significant.”

Kim Seonghyeon mumbled worriedly.
Judging by the scores of the other group members who started before us, most scored only 5 or 6 points.

– “The distance is indeed challenging~!?”

– “The average score has dropped significantly! It used to be around 7 or 8 points.
Now it’s 5 points!”

Seeing that the highest score was 8 points after two groups participated, the increased distance seemed to be causing quite a struggle.

– “Joo Woosung is up!”

– “Wow, Joo Woosung is so relaxed~.
Is that the leisure of last year’s gold medalist?”

Joo Woosung smoothly walked out, waving to the fans before assuming his stance and pulling the bowstring.
When Joo Woosung’s face filled the screen, the stadium stirred.

Thwack!

The arrow soared in a parabolic arc.

– “Wow, Joo Woosung got 9 points! 9 points!”

“Well done.”

I nodded my head and looked closely at him.
The other Black Call member scored in the 7-point range, but we quickly moved to the finals because the other groups’ scores were somewhat lower than usual.

– “Are the members of The Dawn who were previously excluded from playing in e-sports now stepping forward?”

– “Did they regain their energy earlier by eating ice cream?”

“Isn’t that kind of… random talk?”

“Exactly.”

Kim Seonghyeon and I shook our heads and went against Team Nightmare.
We decided Kim Seonghyeon would shoot first, and I would be the second shooter.

Kim Seonghyeon took his stance and slowly raised his arm.
Cheering voices were heard from where the Noeul fandom was.

Pishung!

– “8 points! It’s 8 points!”

– “Ah~, as expected from Player Kim Seonghyeon, he’s got great physical strength! I hear people saying he’s only bad at games~.”

“…Ah.”

Kim Seonghyeon chuckled while pulling the bowstring after hearing the commentator’s words.
Maybe his concentration was disrupted because the next arrow he pulled scored 7 points.

“Kim Seonghyeon, get it together!”

“I’m sorry!”

Kim Seonghyeon, responding with a spirited answer to my sharp voice, pulled the last arrow.
The last arrow flew in a parabolic path and hit the 8-point mark.

– “But it’s still player Kim Seonghyeon! What’s the current score now?”

– “The Dawn has 23 points, and Nightmare has 19 points!”

– “Wow, if they do well, they might catch up.”

Considering the point gap, it wasn’t a bad score, so I patted Kim Seonghyeon’s back as he came back.

“Good job.”

Then it was my turn.
I picked up the bow and took my stance.
Although I had practiced quite a bit, it was still a little burdensome with everyone’s eyes on me.

A Nightmare member I had seen quite often during the Shining Star days spoke up.

“Did you guys practice?”

“A little bit.”

“Ah, I couldn’t practice much because of our busy schedule…”

“Really?”

He said he couldn’t practice because of their schedule.
The Nightmare member’s words didn’t seem to have much ill will, but it seemed like he was trying to lay the groundwork for a low score.

But it was still somewhat intimidating.

I attached the arrow to the bowstring and replied.

“That’s a shame.”

The surrounding noise died down.
Even though the distance had increased compared to practice, I thought I could hit it.
I raised the bow and pulled the bowstring as I lowered it.
The camera focused closely on us.

‘Hyung, did you join any archery clubs in high school?’

‘No.’

‘What? Are you sure it’s your first time?’

‘I told you it’s my first time.’

The memory of my members getting excited during the first practice flashed through my mind.
Even the trainer was.

I released the bowstring.

Pishuk, the sound of the bow shaking as the arrow pierced through the air and shot forward.

Pop!

It hit exactly the center of the target.
The commentators jumped up.

– “Wowwww!”

– “Player Seo Hoyun just got 10 points, 10 points!”

– “This is the first 10-point shot after the distance increased!”

It turned out I had quite a talent for archery.

Screams poured out.
Looking at the open-mouthed Nightmare player, I calmly said to him,

“It’s a shame you couldn’t practice because you were busy.”

Ding!

[Seo Hoyun (23, regressed): baits people in a breathtaking way, has a bad-tempered personality.]

Do you get it now?

***

10 points, 9 points, 9 points, 9 points.

I hit all the shots consecutively and casually waved my hand.
Without calculating the total score, it was obvious that Nightmare had lost.
I returned, gave Kim Seonghyeon a high five, and drank water to wet my throat.
The other members were cheering in the distance.

“Seo Hoyun! Seo Hoyun!”

“Milky-skinned aegyo machine Seo Hoyun!”

Should I kill them…?

Yeah, guys.
I’ll be first place here for you.
I quickly calculated my chances as I passed the archery preliminaries and semi-finals.

I just need to win first place in archery… and one more first place in the final relay race.

Kim Seonghyeon was there, and I was confident in running.
So, on the other hand, it meant…

I had to win first place now.

– “Finals! It’s the archery finals!”

– “Wow, The Dawn’s rise this time is really terrifying.
In fact, The Dawn couldn’t participate in Victory is Mine during their debut year, so this is their first appearance.
Yet, they are conquering everything from athletics to e-sports and now archery!”

Joo Woosung came up, fiddling with something.

“Hey, Seo Hoyun.”

“It’s so embarrassing….”

The Black Call member behind him looked very disgusted, but Joo Woosung didn’t seem to care.

“You practiced a lot, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I practiced a lot.”

– “Ah~! The two archery aces are having a conversation!”

The commentators seemed curious about our conversation but couldn’t hear us from there.

Joo Woosung chuckled and patted my shoulder.

“Let’s take it easy, Hoyun.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re really rude today.”

Joo Woosung’s lips turned into a frown, but I didn’t back down.
This might just be a matter of pride for you, but I’m putting my life on the line here.

– “Wow! We can’t hear their conversation, but their expressions show an intense energy battle!”

– “The two are best friends.
They can’t lose in this kind of thing.”

That’s not it.

“Seo Hoyun, don’t you have any friends?”

“Stop introducing yourself and sit down.”

“…”

Joo Woosung grumbled and sat down in a chair.

Kim Seonghyeon, who grabbed the bow first, scored not bad points.

– “The Dawn’s Kim Seonghyeon is still stable! 8 points, 7 points, 9 points!”

– “Black Call is no pushover either! 8 points, 7 points, 7 points! The total score is 24-22! The Dawn is slightly ahead!”

“Please get ready now!”

“Yes.”

It was time for me to get up and go.
I was getting ready with Joo Woosung when suddenly, the script seemed to change, and the announcer came in for another interview.

“Seo Hoyun, can I get an interview? What do you expect your total score to be?”

“I don’t have any expectations, but I’ll do my best.”

“Ahaha, what a textbook answer!”

I didn’t want to be caught on a technicality, so I answered appropriately.
It seemed my response wasn’t what the announcer wanted, so they turned to Joo Woosung.

“What about Joo Woosung?”

Joo Woosung, who had been checking his bow, looked at the announcer and seemed to think of something.
He came up quickly as if an interview at this time was sweet.

“As if it’s a pleasant thing.”

“I’ll also do my best, but….”

“…?”

Joo Woosung looked at me.
Ominously.

What are you looking at?

I glared back, and Joo Woosung showed a suspicious smile.

“If Hoyun loses to me, he’ll be completely.
Embar.
Rassed.
Completely.
Embar.
Rassed?”

“…”

Shit…

My expression soured.
Joo Woosung’s display of aegyo was so unusual that fans were already screaming and shaking their slogans like crazy, but… this was clearly a deliberate action to unsettle me.

That bastard!

“If I win first place, I’ll be so.
Thank.
Ful.
So.
Thank.
Ful~!”

Joo Woosung didn’t stop at one verse.

He even did a visible wink at the camera, humming away as he walked off.
Following him, my sulky face was caught on camera for the second time.

– “Wow, was that a variation of Seo Hoyun’s aegyo just now?”

– “Yes! Seo Hoyun’s expression is full of life right now! His fingertips are slightly trembling?”

– “Joo Woosung just effectively shook Seo Hoyun’s mental state! It’s quite crafty but a great strategy~!”

Even the commentators admired this “crafty and effective strategy.”

[1] 15 m is about 49 ft or the length of a school bus.
25 m is 82 ft, a little bit less than the length of a basketball court.

[2] During the idol archery competitions, they usually put a camera at the bullseye to capture the action from the target’s viewpoint.
Obviously, if someone hits the center, the camera lens breaks.