Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 35: Experience! The Scene of a Breakup (1)
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TL: FoodieMonster007
While Jeong Seongbin ran around for his successful solo debut, a lot also happened to spArk. There were so many issues that Choi Jeho spouting nonsense on BubblePop didn't even count as an incident.
This happened a few months ago, right around when promotions for 『A Story That Cannot Be Told』 were ending.
The biggest issue that arose was the discussion of Park Joowoo's overseas expansion. It wasn't a contract for a full-fledged debut like last time. It was a one-off collaboration offer, and I heard he accepted after thinking about it for only two days.
The auspicious news arrived late. Park Joowoo, not wanting to add unrelated news to his friend's journey, kept his mouth firmly shut. If Lee Cheonghyeon hadn't come to work to mix Jeong Seongbin's title track, I wouldn't have found out until much later.
"I didn't want to avoid it this time… so I worked up the courage. I'm really sorry for deciding this out of my own greed."
"Joowoo, why are you explaining yourself? You don't have to!"
Despite seizing such a good opportunity, Park Joowoo was gloomy. I sat him down, intending to at least hear which discerning artist had contacted him, but he was as restless as someone dragged into a hearing.
Because this guy wouldn't speak properly, we ended up having an interrogation session for about 30 minutes. At first, he said it was nothing special, so I thought it was just a featuring. I praised him profusely, saying it was rare to get such an offer from a foreign artist, but the more he explained, the stranger it sounded. Only after persistently prying did I get the information that it was a formal collaboration offer and that they were scheduled to perform on stage together.
"Right! I could understand if you were apologizing for not telling us sooner!"
"I'm sorry for that too…"
"It's fine, don't be sorry! You said you did it for Seongbin Hyung's sake! I'll let it slide since it's good news!"
Overcome with emotion, Park Joowoo and Lee Cheonghyeon hugged each other. Kang Kiyeon watched their emotional embrace with a sour expression. He looked like he had a lot to say, but I didn't bother asking since I felt like I already knew.
"I want to apologize to Kiyeon too… I'm sorry."
"Me? Why?"
"At a time when you should be focusing on preparing your album, I unnecessarily made the atmosphere more chaotic…"
Around this time, the company building was running so crazily that it was beyond just having no rest; there was no normal daily life. It had been a long time since Jukyung started leaving work late. It was because just as Jeong Seongbin's solo and spArk's next single were in their final stages, and Kang Kiyeon's album production was about to begin in earnest, Park Joowoo's contract issue blew up.
No matter how well the work was divided and outsourced, there were definitely elements that required the touch of our existing staff. If it hadn't been a situation where the other party was leading the entire process from the song to the music video, with Park Joowoo just adding his voice, the team would have been working 24/7.
Although they said overtime pay was given out promptly, there were certainly people in the world who would rather not work overtime and not get paid for it, and I'm the kind of person who fears employee resignations more than anything in the world. So I was extremely worried that the recent harsh work schedule might ignite the desire to quit in our company's members.
Fortunately, not a single person from the dedicated spArk team left, even amidst a schedule as grueling as our debut year. Sadly, it was because companies outside of Utopia were even worse.
Team Leader Min Jukyung's heartfelt message put my mind at ease, at least a little. [Don't worry, Iwol] [I'd rather be buried here than move to another company in the same industry] [Instead, if a story that seems like I wrote it goes up on Concern Sharing Group, just pretend you don't know]. I was also busy attending various meetings one after another. You could say the company was in complete disarray.
Still, at least there's no SYSTEM, right?
Whenever it felt like life was getting busy and work was piling up to my chin, I would recall the mercilessly pouring KPIs. Compared to the days of walking on thin ice, this was the best work-life balance I could ask for.
The members were also walking a tough road, not on thin ice, but on an unpaved one. Park Joowoo began preparing for the collaboration by listening to the collaborating artist's album tracks. While finishing up Jeong Seongbin's album work, Kang Kiyeon quickly choreographed the signature dance for spArk's next album and attended meetings for his own album, which had just begun.
Lee Cheonghyeon… began preparing for his final exams. He even whined that he would take a leave of absence next semester no matter what. Since I couldn't help him write his reports, I just made sure the fridge was stocked with his favorite drinks and organized his work and notes every day.
Naturally, Choi Jeho took on the task of completing the choreography for the title track of spArk's summer single album, while I handled the other miscellaneous tasks. spArk, who used to shout about having more fun than anyone once May came, ended up being incredibly busy this May, with no time to even breathe.
After a long journey, the leader's solo activities came to an end. The original plan was for two weeks, but it was extended by one week because the chart rankings were much better than expected. Lee Cheonghyeon, who had finished his final exams, sang his heart out in the practice room, exclaiming that summer break was the best.
"June is such a beautiful month. May was hell."
"Cheonghyeon, you looked really exhausted."
"Just me? Look in the mirror, we're all zombies. I'm so proud that our members didn't miss out on BubblePop even while being this busy."
"I'm telling you, Lee Cheonghyeon has gotten weird because of you, Kim Iwol."
Lee Cheonghyeon was the one rolling on the floor, but Choi Jeho nagged at me for no reason. It was unfair, but I kept my mouth shut because he really did seem a bit like that.
Jeong Seongbin was busy beside us, praising his hyungs for working so hard. Honestly, if we're talking about who suffered the most, it would have been Jeong Seongbin.
That guy diligently participated in group practices even while running around for events. If he had to miss a session, he would get a video to study beforehand and catch up on his own. Thanks to Jeong Seongbin's efforts, we were able to drastically shorten our choreography practice period.
"If we're coming back in July with this song, it's going to be more suffocating than during 『Flare』."
Kang Kiyeon's voice was full of worry as he wiped away his sweat. The thought of performing on stage at a summer event already made me dizzy.
spArk's new album was heavily armed with venom. There was a sad story behind why we ended up rolling around and sweating buckets in the middle of summer.
The incident began with an interview Lee Cheonghyeon and Kang Kiyeon did for a fashion magazine. When asked if there was a style they wanted to try during their future spArk activities, Lee Cheonghyeon answered like this.
When spArk was promoting the song 『MISSION』, all the younger members were minors, so only the two oldest hyungs wore very hot outfits. We, on the other hand, were all covered up. I'd like to try a reverse 『MISSION』 someday.
In the world of spArk, which pursued a refreshing, youthful concept, 『MISSION』 made history with its unique outfits. The high-budget, noir-style music video was one thing, but as Lee Cheonghyeon said, the fact that we showcased unprecedentedly daring outfits was a big deal.
At a time when a change in style was needed, we had introduced a refined sexy concept, considering the team's situation where the majority were students. It's strange to think that the guys who were high school students pulled it off, even though we had set the direction as a mature, suit-wearing sexy concept—only Choi Jeho and I coolly showed some skin. When I think back to that time, my exposed spine still feels cold.
And so, 『MISSION』 was created with my bare-chested crop jacket and Choi Jeho's bare-chested harness. It means we squeezed out all the sexiness from my back and stomach, and Choi Jeho's chest.
Even after that, we occasionally dared to show a little skin, but nothing ever overshadowed the flower tattoo and the crop top. That's how strong the impact was; 『MISSION』 was constantly mentioned, and Lee Cheonghyeon just added fuel to that fire.
≫ When is reverse MISSION coming
Sparkler will wait forever for reverse MISSION. Since Sparkler is waiting, what can we do? We have to bring them reverse 『MISSION』.
That's why we decided to challenge a high-stimulation sexy concept, hotter than the sun. Wouldn't you say you can only be called a true hot guy if you make the viewers hot too?
The top priority was to build our bodies. Even with thorough management regardless of peak or off-season, we had to separately tailor our visuals to be suitable for promotions. Bulking up isn't always a good thing. I meticulously checked myself in the mirror to ensure my lower body was sleek, not sluggish, and that while my shoulders could be broad, my biceps and sides didn't get too thick. There was nothing more detrimental than ruining your proportions by building too much muscle.
The muscle definition of spArk, cultivated even in normal times with only freeze-dried snacks, deepened enough just by slightly increasing physical activity. This amount of exercise could be more than filled by choreography practice. Still, with the goal of not getting worn out in the summer heat and completing the promotions until the very last broadcast, we lived at the gym as a group.
Thanks to that, all of spArk went from 'post-deposit' looks to 'well-paid post-deposit' looks. The thought that no matter who took their shirt off, the visuals wouldn't be disappointing, put my mind at ease.
As a personal task, there was intense training. Dancing 'coolly' required a much more difficult skill than just memorizing and mimicking the dance.
"Why do I look so sloppy when I do the same moves as you or Kiyeon?"
"That's because you're only comparing the static poses. The difference comes from how you apply strength and weakness when connecting the movements."
"I try to be mindful of it, but…"
"It's because you're not used to the way you should apply emphasis."
Since I had some time, I asked for advice on my concerns and ended up getting a ton of one-on-one tutoring from Choi Jeho. Choi Jeho, whose explanation skills were rock bottom when he was a trainee, had improved his teaching after coaching a klutz for a few years and having some meetings with his younger brother.
"You're physically stronger than Kang Kiyeon, right? But the fact that it's less obvious you're using strength means you're using it the wrong way. They say people with a shorter reach have an easier time with control, but that doesn't apply to you either, so practice is the only answer."
"Are you saying I'm just strong and clueless?"
"You know it well."
"To think the day would come when I'd hear this from you, it's the end of the world."
He was now capable of giving this kind of high-level special lecture. In the past, he would have just nagged, asking why I couldn't do it!
Even though the day of Earth's doom had arrived, where I was called clueless by Choi Jeho, the practice continued. After finishing the supplementary study, we held a high-level discussion about the outfits we would be wearing.
"Who do you think is the most suitable successor for the bare-chested harness?"
"Do I have to answer?"
I chose Park Joowoo as the successor to the bare-chested crop jacket. I could have given plenty of reasons, but Choi Jeho wasn't curious at all. Just as I was feeling disappointed that the opportunity to speak had vanished, a vibration went off.
Manager Daeyeon [Is practice over?]
[If you're finishing up, please pack your things]
It was a message signaling it was time to go home.