Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 39: An Idol's Word Is Worth a Thousand Gold (1)
Day/Night Mode:
Change Font Size:
TL: FoodieMonster007
The last 'Concern Sharing Group' outing was tough. I got so invested that my eyebrows nearly shot off my face. It was one of those times I felt completely burned out from overthinking.
Since it was a variety show, we played a balance game to lighten the mood. It was a new segment. I burned a lot of calories here too, racking my brain and role-playing scenarios in my head.
"Between 'a nice colleague who's bad at their job' and 'a colleague with a bad personality who's good at their job', who would you all choose?"
"It's the latter, obviously. What about you, Iwol?"
"The nice colleague who's bad at their job. If they're a truly good person, they'll get good at their job eventually, even if they're slow. Good people try hard because they don't want to be a burden."
It's rare for anyone to be good at everything from the start. Everyone makes mistakes. A person can change completely based on what they learn from those mistakes, how they solve them, and the lessons they carry forward.
It was the same for spArk. The guys weren't bad at their jobs, but they grew tremendously through sheer effort and a desire to help the team.
Everyone has a newbie phase. The more soft-hearted someone is, the harder that period becomes. They blame themselves heavily if they cause more work for their seniors or mess up the schedule. They try relentlessly not to make the same mistake twice. Since we were all starting from scratch, there was no reason not to choose a good person.
"Someone who's good at their job but has a bad personality knows how great they are, so they don't easily change. In terms of potential for improvement, I'll go with the nice colleague."
"Iwol, are you sure you're an F? Shouldn't you retake the MBTI test?"
The recording ended with the 'Kim Iwol MBTI Manipulation Theory'. I decided to post teasers for the broadcast, so I asked today's passenger the same question. Choi Jeho, a T to the bone, gave a surprising answer.
"The one who's good at their job and has no manners."
"I didn't say they had no manners. What's your reason?"
"You just don't have to see them after work."
I asked if he wasn't worried about the emotional toll, though I knew he wouldn't be. He said it didn't matter at all.
"You can just ask them why they act like that. Or ignore them."
"Right. Make sure you always go to the broadcast station with Seongbin."
"Do you think I'm a real idiot?"
I gave him a vague "of course not."
I'm just upset he doesn't recognize my kind heart. I just want my friend to not get cursed out wherever he goes.
I fastened my seatbelt without a word. Choi Jeho spoke to me again.
"Hey, Kim Iwol."
"What is it, oh-so-smart and socially adept Choi Jeho?"
I replied, signaling that I didn't see him as an idiot. The guy sighed so hard the car seemed to deflate.
It's X this and X that, I can't live. What a picky bastard.
"I'm changing my BubblePop profile picture today, right?"
The work talk ended my internal badmouthing. Choi Jeho held out his phone. The screen showed a black flower blooming on a silver stem.
"Yeah. The picture is right, too."
We were preparing a small event for the album promotion that the members could do themselves. We naturally got the company's approval first. The plan was to provide some fun alongside the individual teasers by using profile pictures that matched the new album's concept.
A rather unfortunate story came from this. Kang Kiyeon, the first to change his picture, caused great concern because of the dark and meaningful image.
≫ Did Kiyeon get hit with chuunibyou?
The silvery leaves and black iris created a strangely ominous visual. Kiyeon loved comics full of flower drawings. Speculation arose that his fandom had grown too large for him to control, even showing on BubblePop.
spArk's Eternal Will [Can't just one more person change their profile pic today?] [Everyone's worried I've caught the 'artist disease'!]
Me [Endure it, Kiyeon-ah] [Your sacrifice will pay off tomorrow]
spArk's Eternal Vocal [Cool…]
spArk's Eternal Will [Joowoo-hyung is the worst]
The next day, Lee Cheonghyeon changed his picture, and Kang Kiyeon thankfully cleared his name. In reality, the fans weren't that worried by then.
≫ Guys, think about it
Let's say Kiyeon really did suddenly catch the plague. You think ○○ would just let that slide?
It's definitely a spoiler, don't worry └└
└Right, if it wasn't, Mr. Kim would have already cracked his phone password and changed the profile pic back
≫ It's not that we didn't trust you, Kiyeon
They say late-onset chuunibyou is scarier, so we were worried about that
└ So the conclusion is that you didn't trust him, right?
My image was a bit concerning, but it was a happy ending. As the members' profile pictures turned black one by one, the fans' SNS profiles gradually turned black too.
≫ The concept photos and everything are so dark…
What on earth could the next concept be…
└Hmm… In my opinion, it doesn't seem to be a youth concept
└Who doesn't know that, dude
≫ Lee Cheonghyeon really got a flower that's just like him
[Hyacinth, which appears in the myth of a beautiful boy with stunning looks] Not surprising
└Did someone fax the UtopiA office saying Lee Cheonghyeon's face isn't what it used to be? lol They keep bragging about visuals the whole world already knows about
└If you were the company and had Lee Cheonghyeon, you wouldn't brag??
└sry, my bad
≫ Looks like a song that tastes like iron is coming
Let's go, Joowoo
└A group that has consistently served refreshing concepts since debut, but suits an iron bat better than anyone
└They say Hellebore is poisonous
└ I knew it
≫ I was so surprised to see the profile pic change
The younger members all got one flower. Intuitive, but why are you the only one with an army of petunias covering an iron wall? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└lolololol
└At first I thought it was a picture of something dripping lol
≫ I was curious who chose the flowers, but the moment I saw Choi Jeho's was a Western tulip, I had a gut feeling it was Kim Iwol's doing. How can a tulip's nickname be 'Emperor Tulip'…
└The flower's name is even more extra, 'Eternal Emperor'
└Where did he even find a flower like this
└Sparklers who thought it would be a rose at best, we reflect on our actions
└First time seeing a tulip that looks like that;;
≫ Looking for the Sparkler who sent a BubblePop asking if he chose a pansy to match with Panda's name.
I'm not a weird person, I just want to have a serious one-on-one conversation in a cozy place. Please leave your contact info in the comments. Quickly.
└ Iwol is on there now going, 'It might not be a pansy~?!' Guys, hurry up and send him a BubblePop saying the viola is so cute lololol
└He shaped the stem into a ring and the flower's meaning is 'sincere love'…? What is he trying to pull right now?
The fans naturally found it unfamiliar. Metallic objects had never appeared in any of spArk's previous concepts. It didn't even look like our album to me. It must have been even more jarring for people who received this without warning.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" Jeong Seongbin asked from the passenger seat.
"I was contemplating the groundbreaking points of the new concept."
"Haha…"
A hesitant laugh came from the front.
He must be anxious.
Today was the long-awaited reverse 『MISSION』 music video shoot. I couldn't forget the comment Jukyung had added to the proposal.
[Use less fabric for the clothes]
That sentence perfectly understood the comeback's purpose. Of course, someone who just went through a breakup wouldn't wear a full three-piece suit. You have to unbutton a few buttons.
I didn't know what my own outfit would be, but I prepared thoroughly. I polished and scrubbed my face to prevent any blemishes. As for the five guys, I scrubbed them… no, I gently polished them until they shone.
I planned to bravely wear whatever they gave me. I would become a sad man openly showing he'd gone through a breakup, something an idol's fate would never normally allow.
Park Joowoo received his outfit and was speechless. He grabbed the jacket's shoulders and spread it open. The garment practically split in half, both front and back. There was no inner shirt.
"The reverse 『MISSION』… who was it that mentioned it?"
Park Joowoo's eyes turned to the youngest members. His unique gray eyes looked like a smog-filled sky. Lee Cheonghyeon and Kang Kiyeon stared into the distance, feigning ignorance.
"I'll forgive you since your body is well-built…"
Park Joowoo received an outfit that split open wider than a pair of scissors, but he generously forgave his younger members. They had come close to promoting as a four-member group this season.
The youngest members also paid the price. Lee Cheonghyeon got a see-through inner shirt that revealed his silhouette, paired with a bolero. Kang Kiyeon received a jumpsuit with a zipper down to his solar plexus. When he asked how far to unzip it, I asked if he'd already lost his touch and pointed to the exact spot.
"We're going to perform on a music show in these outfits at least once, right? Won't this get flagged by the censors?"
"We'll change the details for the music show, so don't worry!"
The stylist gave a confident thumbs-up.
It's not like I wasn't worried, and I wasn't wrong to be.
The members seemed to think it was unfair that only Jeong Seongbin got an untorn t-shirt and pants without slits for the second time, but once Jeong Seongbin came out wearing his clothes, the complaints vanished. The tight, slim-fit t-shirt was merely woven fabric designed to show the shadow of his abs under bright lights.
Jeong Seongbin stealthily covered his stomach with his forearm. His forearms, cracked like an old tree, looked good with the black leather gloves.
"Once we get our makeup done, everyone's going to look really scary, right?" Lee Cheonghyeon said. His eyes were not shining.
I wanted to tell him he's already scary without makeup.
"It's pretty normal, considering what I was worried about," Choi Jeho, the sole survivor, reviewed after getting his outfit.
Kang Kiyeon objected, asking if something was wrong.
"There's no way Jeho's outfit is the most decent. Isn't there a hidden surprise zipper?"
"Maybe they thought it'd be boring to push just one concept too hard…?"
"No, I think they're just aiming for a different kind of buzz. He's shown a lot before, too."
The guys' eyes went wide at my words. They seemed to need an explanation, so I began my commentary.
"It's a material that wrinkles easily, right? When you wear it and move, the back will stretch flat, and the edges will crease, making it stand out. This kind of clothing looks good when it's crumpled."
I grabbed and released the waist as I spoke, and everyone nodded. Only Choi Jeho's eyes were blank.
"From this position, if you fix your lower body and turn around, like this…"
I made eye contact with a video team staff member mid-demonstration. The camera in their hand made me feel suddenly embarrassed.
"You're… not going to edit this out, are you?"
The day in the waiting room on our first payday flashed before my eyes. I had made so many weird comments then. The staff member smiled brightly and gave me a thumbs-up.
Looks like this won't be edited out either.