Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 71: A Large Family
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TL: FoodieMonster007
Each year, Kang Kiyeon's aunts took turns hosting the family's holiday gatherings. Depending on the rotation, Kang Kiyeon either visited an aunt's house with his parents or welcomed guests at his own home.
This year, the Chuseok gathering was at Kang Kiyeon's house. His schedule prevented him from being there when his aunts arrived the day before, but he planned to use a short vacation to see his family on the holiday itself.
"Kiyeon is going to his parents' house?" Kim Iwol asked.
His sharp intuition completely ruined Kang Kiyeon's plan for a quiet, one-night visit. Kim Iwol, who poured his heart into caring for the members' families, was devastated to learn of the trip only the day before.
"You should've told me earlier!" Kim Iwol exclaimed. "I would've bought a gift set! I've been wanting to repay them for helping me when I was preparing for the drama!"
"You already bought them a blanket last time, hyung. Why would you buy something else?" Kang Kiyeon said nonchalantly.
He had anticipated this reaction from Kim Iwol, which was why he had kept his trip a secret. Kim Iwol was already visiting his recently-found sister for Chuseok. He was struggling to find a suitable gift, and Kang Kiyeon knew that announcing 'I'm going home too!' would just add another item to Kim Iwol's shopping list.
As expected, Kim Iwol made a huge fuss. He claimed he didn't know because no one else had marked 'visiting home' on the shared calendar. The holiday was admittedly too short for most people to travel home.
"I sent it by courier without knowing you were going," Kim Iwol lamented. "How thoughtless of me!"
"You already sent something?" Kang Kiyeon asked.
Kim Iwol collapsed as if he had committed a grave offense. Kang Kiyeon knew Kim Iwol sent holiday greetings, but this was the first year he had sent gifts. This was an unexpected move for Kim Iwol, whose first choice was always to visit in person, and whose second was to send gifts with someone going directly.
"I sent one to your parents' house when I was buying a gift for my sister's place," Kim Iwol explained. "I never imagined you'd be going yourself, Kiyeon."
"They say it takes a long time to receive packages because of the volume. Isn't it still at the Okcheon Hub?" Lee Cheonghyeon asked with concern.
His worry was unfounded.
"What do you take me for?" Kim Iwol retorted. "Sending holiday gifts early to avoid the delivery chaos is basic etiquette for a working adult."
Pure admiration surfaces. He truly is a hyung who transcends common sense.
The next day at dawn, Kang Kiyeon started his journey home. He carried a backpack designed to prevent shoulder imbalance. The trip was just a couple of subway transfers away. Most people had already left for their family homes or for travel, so the first train on the holiday was nearly empty.
Everyone was preoccupied with their own holiday plans. They paid no attention to a celebrity or any strange man boarding the same car. It was a useful tip Kang Kiyeon had learned during his many years as a trainee.
"I'm home," Kang Kiyeon announced as he opened the front door.
"Oh my goodness! Hey, Kiyeon is here!"
"Kiyeon? Right now?!"
His aunts' wel-Gawoon-ing voices immediately greeted him. Despite his late arrival, Kang Kiyeon received a hero's welcome.
"What time did you leave? How did you get here?" one aunt asked.
"The subway. I took the first train," Kang Kiyeon replied.
"You should have called your mom or dad!"
"How old do you think I am?" he said nonchalantly.
His aunts burst into laughter.
"Look at the way he talks. As if he's all grown up~."
"Kiyeon has been like that since he was little. I don't know who he takes after, being so prim and proper, my goodness."
Even though he was an adult over 180cm tall, the adults always reminisced about his past whenever they gathered. As he looked at his aunts' familiar faces, the image of a certain hyung from the dorm overlapped with them. Kim Iwol's voice seemed to be dubbed over theirs.
"Seongbin, I feel like Kiyeon has been speaking very harshly to me lately. What do you think?"
"Cheonghyeon, was Kiyeon this full of rebellious spirit during his trainee days?"
Is it impossible to escape the position of the suffering youngest, no matter where I go? Kang Kiyeon suddenly wondered. Is there such a thing as a fate to be the youngest in any group? If there is, I'll probably be called the youngest even when I'm eighty.
"What side dishes should I bring out?" Kang Kiyeon asked after washing his hands. He rolled up his sleeves and headed to the kitchen.
His dad led him not to the sink, but to the kitchen veranda. A large box, half-filled with apples and pears, greeted Kang Kiyeon.
"Iwol sent it," his dad said. "Dad sent him a thank you text."
"Aigoo…" Kang Kiyeon sighed.
"Want to wash some fruit so you can show off your member hyung to your aunts?" his dad asked, patting Kang Kiyeon's shoulder.
Kang Kiyeon carefully took out the gift from the hyung who would treat him like the youngest even at eighty. He washed the fruit in cold water and arranged them on a plate.
"Kiyeon, have some sanjeok. This is beef," an aunt offered.
"No, unni, just put a whole plate of sanjeok in front of him. Let him eat comfortably."
"If I knew Kiyeon was coming, I would have bought more jeon."
The downward-flowing love continued at the dinner table. Kang Kiyeon had only moved a few spoons and side dish bowls, but a feast he felt he didn't deserve was set before him.
"But Kiyeon, why do you always appear on TV with your shirt so unbuttoned?" an aunt asked.
"Keuk!" Kang Kiyeon choked.
"Do you think he does that for old folks like us to see?" another aunt retorted. "He does it for the kids who like celebrities! Honestly, that woman, so nosy!"
Rice grains almost shot out of Kang Kiyeon's nose. This was a different kind of spiciness from Kim Iwol's teasing. He tried to ignore his hot face and emptied his soup bowl, but they just fussed about how red he looked.
"My son can't even eat because of his aunts," his mom said.
"Oh? Then Kiyeon's father should go buy some more delicious things to feed his son."
"Are you trying to have a secret coffee time while I'm gone?" his dad shot back.
"You're so quick-witted. Yes, we were going to make the son of this house bring us coffee. What about it!"
The tiki-taka was relentless. It was like watching the daily life of Kim Iwol and Lee Cheonghyeon.
No wonder the members feel like family.
Fortunately, the two Kang men were permitted to join the tea time, which was accompanied by Kim Iwol's apples and pears. When asked what he wanted to drink, Kang Kiyeon requested kombucha. This drew everyone's attention, and they all asked what it was.
The topic of conversation instantly shifted to how the MZ generation was so good at finding strange new drinks.
Kang Kiyeon, who had only wanted a low-calorie drink after eating so much, ended up being praised for being trendy.
After tea, Kang Kiyeon was sent straight to his room. His mom brought out a new blanket, spread it on the bed, and pushed Kang Kiyeon onto it.
"You came here to rest, so take a nap. You've been busy lately."
"The aunts are here, I should be in the living room," Kang Kiyeon protested.
"No one will say anything, so get some sleep. You look like half a person after just one comeback."
Kang Kiyeon could only watch his mother's resolute back awkwardly. Through the crack of the open door, he made eye contact with his aunts.
"That's right, Kiyeon! Go in and sleep."
"Young people are busy with work. You have to sleep with a warm back at times like this. When else can you rest?"
"Eating and sleeping is something you only do when you're young~. Wait till you're older, you think you can just lie down right after eating?"
Laughter bloomed among them again. Kang Kiyeon squeezed his eyes shut and crawled under the covers.
Lying still in broad daylight when I'm not even sleepy is torture. Normally, this is when I'd be lightly warming up my throat for vocal practice. After a focused lesson, I'd eat an energy bar and immediately start dance practice.
Only after moving my body until I'm drenched in sweat and going back to the dorm can I end the day cleanly, like turning off the lights in a room, and fall asleep. I feel wide awake, as if all my unspent energy has gone to my head.
Kang Kiyeon considered reading a manga instead. It was a book he had read to tatters, but masterpieces offered new inspiration each time. It was certainly better than lying there listlessly. As Kang Kiyeon stealthily started to get up, his aunt's voice caught him.
"Kiyeon is not like other kids these days, is he?"
Closing the door had not muffled the outside noise much. Kang Kiyeon couldn't help but perk up at the mention of his own name. He held his breath and secretly returned to the bed.
"Why? Are you saying my son is like an old man now?" his mom asked.
"I mean he's mature, and polite. I'd never seen a kindergartener bow so perfectly at a 90-degree angle."
"Unni, how long are you going to talk about when he was in kindergarten?"
"He's sure about what he wants to do, he's stubborn, and he found his own path early on. Our Kiyeon is a good son."
His aunts often said such things even when Kang Kiyeon was present, so he had heard the same compliments dozens of times.
"You and your husband never opposed what Kiyeon wanted to do, did you?" an aunt asked.
A story he had never heard before began.
"It wasn't a common career path. How did you have the courage?"
I've always held a similar question in a corner of my heart, Kang Kiyeon thought. I didn't run towards a single dream with integrity like Jeong Seongbin, nor was I exceptionally talented like Lee Cheonghyeon, who achieved results quickly in everything he did.
When I tried to change my path, and when I worried I might not debut, my mom and dad sent me nothing but support. Their support was so absolute that it became a burden. It was then I realized that some gratitude comes with a sense of debt.
This was also why I had only held onto the question. I felt I had to live up to their expectations rather than ask nonchalantly, 'Why do you believe in me so much?'
How could they so consistently water a sprout that might bloom or might wither? Only after it had borne small but certain fruit could he dare to wonder.
"Did I have the courage?" his mom said. "The kid had it. Who lives their life doing what their parents tell them to these days? They all find their own work to do."
"But it wasn't an ordinary job. Isn't Kiyeon the only celebrity in the entire extended family?"
"When my grandson said he was doing dance, even my mother was amazed that a dancer came from our family. She would have loved to see him on TV."
His grandmother, who passed away when he was young, was always holding a young Kang Kiyeon in her lap in photos. Because of that, he knew he had grown up receiving great affection, even without any memory of it.
"That's right," his mom continued. "At first, it was nice to see him smile because we let him do the dancing he wanted. Then, when he wanted to try new things, it was exciting to see how he would grow. Later, he even did well, so it's good to see him seem to enjoy his work."
Although I don't see myself as a son who only gave my family happy memories, all they say are good things. If a stranger heard them, they would think there was no child more admirable.
"If there's one thing I wish for," his dad began.
The sound of his own heart thumping rang in Kang Kiyeon's ears. He worried it might be audible outside.
"It's that he continues to not get hurt, just like he has been. As long as he does that well, our Kiyeon is a 100-point son."
After I grew up a bit, I always wanted to provide a comfortable life for my mom and dad. After I started earning money, I tried to keep that promise to myself. At the same time, I worried if something like this could ever compensate for their hard work.
However, it seems I've at least made the two of them happy, and that makes me quite happy.