Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 30: The Boss's Rise to Success (2)
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TL: FoodieMonster007
Every idol has a selling point. An individual's unique traits become keywords used to appeal to the market, separate from the group's image.
Companies usually assign these keywords at first. "You, push the model student image!" is a classic example.
Unfortunately, UA knew nothing about this. In our early days, I gathered online hashtags to create temporary appeal points. As spArk's recognition grew and the members appeared on air more, their individual characters became more distinct.
A prime example was spArk's face, Center Emperor Choi Jeho. He earned the titles 'Variety Show Emperor' and 'Stage Genius' because he was hilarious when he needed to be funny and brilliant at his main job.
He also got tagged with his 'imperial authority' hitting rock bottom. Even with that shackle, Choi Jeho boasted record-breaking fancam views, proving that skill isn't underestimated even with a comical image.
I was the opposite case. My image as the 'top instructor' and 'textbook' of the idol world plummeted on variety shows. I started being called a 'madman with clear eyes' even when I sat perfectly and said sensible things.
My Fortune-Telling Octopus image remained solid, even a year after I removed the SYSTEM and stopped making uncanny predictions. As rumors bred more rumors, Kim Iwol became embroiled in mysterious hearsay even when he had done nothing.
≫ He was always grinding his teeth, saying he'd make his younger members taller, and then they all became a 180cm+ group. Kim Iwol's wishes come true
≫ Kim Iwol used to go running by the Han River all the time as a trainee, but now he can't because there are too many running crews. lol.
≫ He mentioned Hanwa an unusual number of times, and in the end, Hanwa made it to the fall baseball season…
Individually, these were all nothing. The members were in their growth period, so it wasn't strange they grew taller, though Choi Jeho's growth was unexpected. Running crews increased nationwide, and sports have winning and losing streaks, right? Even if the leap period is a bit long.
The issue that actually got people hooked was…
≫ The Fortune-Telling Octopus who casually mentioned Gamseong Electronics about 5 years ago on a variety show when asked if he invested in stocks. And the current Gamseong Electronics stock price chart (Photo)
└Gamseong Electronics is one of our country's leading companies, so if you bought and held it, it was bound to go up eventually―I'm sick of this forced hype.
└└When he bought Gamseong Electronics, the stock price had hit rock bottom and was in a dark age for several years. What do you mean forced hype?ㅋㅋㅋ He succeeded in buying the dip, so his returns must have been sweet.
└He should have gone to business school…
≫ The most jealousy-inducing thing is that Fortune-Telling Octopus's fans bought gold.
They said they started buying it because they found some fan-praise comment funny, and now the price has gone up over 200% from back then. A human Hampyeong Golden Bat.
└I'm forty and I'm going to try being an idol fan for the first time in my life.
└What else did Fortune-Telling Octopus tell people to buy?
└He never told anyone to buy anything. It just slips out in passing, so you have to listen carefully. People only discover it later.
└This bastard's the real deal. He's not a fraud.
…That was all, but because of my past remarks and a few screenshots, the 'Kim Iwol is a Fortune-Telling Octopus' theory sold like hotcakes. I couldn't enjoy it, so I was just trying to accept it.
Lee Cheonghyeon became a star worthy of his reputation, ranking first in the idol brand index. He conquered fashion, jewelry, and beauty, and even global food and beverage brands, truly becoming a walking conglomerate. Gold at least has a supply. Lee Cheonghyeon, however, became a celebrity with added rarity, as there is only one of him in the world.
His advertisements resembled works of art more than mere photoshoots. Now, there was the spectacular sight of Lee Cheonghyeon appearing one after another on electronic billboards in cities abroad. In reality, the human conglomerate himself was dizzy from managing his school credits. The dedicated spArk team handling his ad offers must have been just as frantic.
Park Joowoo hit it big with views for every cover song he released. This led to invitations from various live channels, where he filmed tons of collaboration videos. His professionalism was so strong that if fans reacted to even a single verse he sang, he would return with a full version as long as he had the strength. This cycle of song requests and new videos created a constant increase in buzz.
Kang Kiyeon was reborn as a style icon for men in their twenties. He had a peculiar habit of having a different iEuro boom each season. At one point it was his dance lines, then his mature atmosphere, and now his fashion was a hot topic.
His features grew sharper each year. His uniquely mature manners and a body with no room for cellulite created a perfect trifecta that drew attention.
Thanks to this, Kang Kiyeon received high praise as a prime example of a late bloomer. He proudly showed off his handsome face, which had finally caught up to his age. In other words, he shot a lot of photoshoots and commercials.
Jeong Seongbin, of course, was also on a roll. He was a born leader who skillfully controlled the five members of spArk, who were like a pack of large, people-loving, high-stamina wolves. He was also the indispensable main vocalist for spArk's rollercoaster-like songs, which had no room to breathe and no slow parts.
In other words, the public imprinted on Jeong Seongbin in a 'specific position'. A viral meme made his face and name widely known, but Jeong Seongbin's own specific strengths were less exposed compared to the other members.
In the same position was Park Joowoo, praised by critics for a vocal tone unlike any other in the idol scene. As the leader, Jeong Seongbin often used his screen time to organize comments and moderate, rather than giving individualistic answers like the other members could.
Needless to say, all of spArk was powerful in the looks department. If Jeong Seongbin had been a definitive 'warm handsome man', he would have stood out by contrast. Sadly, Jeong Seongbin's features also had a very low 'temperature', but since he didn't exude an overwhelmingly sharp wind like Choi Jeho or Kang Kiyeon, he was often dismissed as a 'cold handsome man of a different type'.
Unfortunately, in the entertainment industry, a unique personality stood out more than a kind one, and a loud voice stood out more than a neat one. The Sparklers who loved Jeong Seongbin might have become his fans because they liked this side of him, but among members who each had five screws loose, his appeal points might have been relatively lacking.
Why was I suddenly saying all this when I always praised Jeong Seongbin as the best boss?
Because this was the exact problem Jeong Seongbin had worried about during his solo album preparations. I didn't think it was an issue, but Jeong Seongbin was serious.
"Should I say I'm anxious that at this stage of my career, I don't have a clear personality or specialty?"
His voice was so full of diffidence. I wondered what he was going to say, and the main point floored me.
"Seongbin, I never dreamed you'd be worrying about something like this."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. Seongbin, you're…"
I stopped myself. I was about to call him spArk's one and only leader and high-class mental pillar, but I shut my mouth.
Those words were ultimately an extension of his role, not something that stemmed from Jeong Seongbin's personal specialty.
Jeong Seongbin seemed to sense my words trailing off and smiled faintly.
Honestly, there were a million things I wanted to say. That in this dry modern society, his unchanging kindness was a precious quality. That because he also had mature consideration for others, the team members were able to rely on him.
I wanted to climb onto the rooftop and shout that spArk would be half-ruined if he didn't sing, and that it was all thanks to him that our team could release ballad-style songs.
However, that wasn't what Jeong Seongbin wanted. He didn't want praise that didn't convey the true feelings of an old eldest hyung who sounded like an answering machine, but wanted to feel a clear sense of purpose as an idol!
So I waited patiently. I encouraged him with all my might, telling him it was time to assert himself, and laid the groundwork for him to get the spotlight. I launched an offensive of support for my younger member who was passive in his self-PR.
Making a single album required countless decisions. During that process, I prayed every day that Jeong Seongbin would make choices he was satisfied with. I did this while massaging the shoulders of the breadwinner heading to work and taking his bag when he came home.
"Do you think 'pathos' is impossible with my face?"
"What could possibly be impossible with your face, besides a kindergartener full of childlike innocence? Still, if we have to be specific, 'loneliness' would suit your personal color better than 'pathos', but since I think the fans classify you as the 'widower' type, if you really want to become an 'autumn man', how about asking the expert in breakup acting, Choi Jeho, for advice?"
"Please breathe when you talk, Hyung."
When Jeong Seongbin occasionally asked for advice, I would give him breathless answers.
"How can I overcome being unfashionable?"
"Just don't film the music video in your casual clothes."
".….."
"…Should I go out and buy a notebook?"
After such an arduous process, the final product was finally here. In the meantime, I also desperately clarified that I wasn't dissing his casual fashion style. When I told him it was my belief that a music video had to look like money was spent on it, he pretended to believe me.
Jeong Seongbin had left early for his real-time comeback live stream. We turned on the stream on the dorm's smart TV and waited for the music video release.
『An episode I remember from preparing for my solo?』
Jeong Seongbin skillfully led the broadcast by himself. I couldn't be prouder of him as a leader.
spArk gathered on the sofa and floor, their hands moving busily. Park Joowoo mechanically pressed 'like'. Lee Cheonghyeon took screenshots of every new piece of content and uploaded them to BubblePop.
Cheonghyeon ♥ [When should I unbox the album???? I'm so curious]
[Didn't you see the photos beforehand???]
[Normally when we release a group album, we see all the unedited photos and make selections]
[But this time Seongbin-hyung said it was a secret and didn't show usㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
"Cheonghyeon-ah, the BubblePop notifications keep coming."
"You can be so calm because you know how the album will turn out. Should I personally switch your phone to silent mode for you?"
"It's fine. This is my first time seeing the final version too. I didn't even see the music video's storyboard."
The moment Lee Cheonghyeon turned his head, my phone vibrated again. It seemed this would continue until the broadcast ended. I held back tears and switched it to silent mode. I had left the vibration on in case Jeong Seongbin called. Now I was stuck holding my phone for the whole broadcast.
"Oh."
Choi Jeho, the only one of the five focused solely on the TV screen, reacted.
"He's unboxing the album."
"Oh!"
A dazed sound escaped my lips. On the screen, Jeong Seongbin reached for the album on display.