Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 79: MBF (3)
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TL: FoodieMonster007
Kang Kiyeon and I spent the wee hours of the morning listing distributors of similar, locally imported products and organizing their contact information. Then, right before falling asleep, I wrote a text message with a photo of the pouch, its material, and our desired purchase price, and scheduled it to be sent at 9 AM.
"This way, we'll be able to check if anyone has it in stock when we wake up."
"…Hyung, has the company ever secretly asked you to find out-of-print items for them?"
Not at UtopiA, but it happened at Hanpyeong Industry. That company was really something else.
"Let's not get too discouraged if we don't hear back. If it comes to it, I'll finally master the sewing machine I was planning to learn."
"I don't know why that's your backup plan, but we don't have a sample. Even with the skill, wouldn't it be impossible to make an exact replica?"
"If things turn out that way, Joowoo agreed to go to Dongdaemun with me to look for fabric."
"Joowoo-hyung?"
The look on Kang Kiyeon's face as he stared at me was one of utter disbelief.
"Is it that surprising?"
"Of course it is! Joowoo-hyung has been touring for so long and just now got a chance to breathe!"
"That's why Joowoo was only assigned to Dongdaemun. If we hear back tomorrow that the pouch is in stock and the warehouse is in the metropolitan area, Seongbin is supposed to go. If it's anywhere else, we'll use a quick delivery service."
"What did you say?"
And I, a time-rich chaebol without a driver's license, was in charge of Jeju Island. What could be a more rational division of labor?
However, Kang Kiyeon did not seem to think my idea was so great. He looked like he was about to contact the spArk guys in Seoul at any moment, so I turned off the room light.
Like a true idol forbidden from using his phone in the dark to protect his eyesight and maintain a smooth brow, Kang Kiyeon could not resist and closed his eyes. He must have been tense about not finding the pouch, because he fell asleep quickly.
Unlike Kang Kiyeon, I could not sleep yet. There was something I had to do before getting into bed.
I went out to the living room, turned on the table lamp, and sat at the table. As expected, when I checked social media, a few witness accounts of me and Kang Kiyeon had been posted.
≫ Saw spArk at the airport
I've never seen a celebrity before. If they don't have a manager-like person with them, are they just traveling on their own?
└ Probably, since it's their off-seasonㅇㅇ
└ I just arrived in Korea yesterday, the curse of 'deokgye-mot' is real…ㅠㅠ Were all six of them there?
└ └└ Kim Iwol and Kang Kiyeon!
≫ Guys, I saw KKY in Jeju Island
(SNAP)
He was looking into a claw machine at an unmanned store, so I quickly snapped a photo…
The reason the focus is so messed up is because the weather was awful and the wind and rain were terrifying. I think there was one more person inside, but it was too dark to see who it wasㅠㅠㅠㅠㅜ
└ OMG he's as tall as the crane machine
└ Since the post said he went to the airport with KKY, it must be KIW?
└ I thought this was a disaster movie poster hahahaha
Thanks to our quiet departure, the harsh weather, and it being an off-season weekday, there were not many posts.
As they were well-known celebrities, it was impossible to completely block witness accounts, but since our movements were not being shared in real-time and our destination was not revealed to the point of drawing a crowd, this was a pretty good outcome.
Still, if it's Lee Cheonghyeon, he's probably already read at least one of these posts.
If it had been Choi Jeho, I would not have worried.
Unless a witness account on the level of me waving a Taegeukgi on Dokdo Island popped up, there was a high chance Choi Jeho would remain oblivious, whether I was getting battered by wind and rain in Jeju or building a tower of peanuts on Udo Island.
On the other hand, Lee Cheonghyeon, who was supposed to be unaware of the <Great Pouch Disappearance of Kang Kiyeon>, had outstanding information-gathering skills. He was also very interested in gossip about the members.
Until now, he would have been too busy with his schedule to touch his phone.
He is the type to read a book instead, complaining that in-flight Wi-Fi is frustratingly slow, so he probably did not go online during the flight either.
However, it was about time for him to check the news from Korea. If I wanted to protect Kang Kiyeon, who had come to fix this mess behind his friend's back, I had to contact Lee Cheonghyeon now.
Me: [How's the weather in Paris?]
The reply arrived quickly.
spArk's Eternal Soul: [Not bad~] [How's the weather in Jeju?]
He knew, just as I thought. His information-gathering skills are terrifying. It was a good thing I decided to face him head-on. Since it was impossible to move around without being spotted, trying desperately to hide would have gotten us caught immediately.
Me: [Bad.] [Glad we can get straight to the point.] [Could you pretend you don't know that Kiyeon and I came to Jeju?]
spArk's Eternal Soul: [Since no one mentioned Jeju in the group chat, I figured you wanted to keep it a secret.] [A secret from who, specifically?]
Me: [Kiyeon.]
Kang Kiyeon does not know that witness accounts of us have been posted online. That's because I made sure of it.
From before we even came to Jeju, I had given Kang Kiyeon a supporting role in my plan. I set the schedule and chose the destinations, so Kang Kiyeon naturally accepted his role.
True to his nature of doing his best at any given task, Kang Kiyeon was faithful to his part. He called the stores I named to ask if they were open or organized the distributors' contact information in WebCell.
Kang Kiyeon's phone was used only to carry out these tasks. This part was important.
A guy like Kang Kiyeon, the type who has to pull his own weight to feel satisfied, won't mess around when someone else is taking the lead, if only because he'd feel self-conscious.
Let us say you go on a trip with a friend. While one person is looking at a map to find the way, there are people who will check the bus schedule, and then there are those who are too busy web surfing or messaging acquaintances.
If Kang Kiyeon had been the latter, he would have found out about the witness accounts long ago. However, he has the type of personality that wants to lend a hand whenever someone else takes the lead, so that did not happen.
Thanks to that, even though all the Sparklers found out Kang Kiyeon was in Jeju, he was the only one who did not know.
Kang Kiyeon would flip out if he found out. I would have nothing to say even if he caught me having this conversation and called me a traitor.
Still, what can you do? Your friend uses his brilliant mind for nothing but searching the group's name online. Blame your weird friend, not me.
spArk's Eternal Soul: [Is he that worried that he had to go clear his head without even telling me?]
The one silver lining was that Lee Cheonghyeon had not figured out the purpose of our Jeju trip. If he had figured that out too, Lee Cheonghyeon should not be an idol. He should go to a country where opening a detective agency is legal and show off his skills.
No, he should still be an idol. I will correct myself.
He should have worked a two-track career, moonlighting as a detective.
spArk's Eternal Soul: [Okay~] [If you buy me a pair of tangerine sunglasses while you're there, I'll act like someone who doesn't even know the 'J' in Jeju!]
Lee Cheonghyeon readily agreed. It was a considerate gesture, meant to put his worried friend's mind at ease.
spArk's Eternal Soul: [But I have a question.] [What should I do if Jeho-hyung cluelessly mentions Jeju in the group chat?]
Just like the guy who had been freaked out by Choi Jeho's unpredictable behavior on Jeong Seongbin's graduation day, Lee Cheonghyeon was being very thorough. I maturely reassured my younger brother who was in a foreign land.
Me: [Pretend you didn't see it.] [I'll handle it quickly before you have a chance to reply.]
spArk's Eternal Soul: [Hahahahahahahahahaha]
Our secret conversation ended with Lee Cheonghyeon's huge laugh.
I left a message telling the guy in a faraway land to hang in there, and then I also went to my room to prepare for tomorrow's schedule.
The next day's sun was supposed to rise brightly… but it did not. The sky was full of clouds, and the day remained overcast.
The rain had lessened to a drizzle, but it was still coming down. We were surely being punished for searching for fake tangerines on an island covered in real tangerine fields.
There was no good news in our text messages either. At least there was one place that said they had a similar product left, so we scheduled a visit and went to get breakfast.
We deliberately sought out a local hotspot, only to find it filled with middle-aged men who had come at the crack of dawn for a hangover cure. They were all focused on their gukbap, meant to soothe their soju-ravaged stomachs, and paid no mind to two unrelated out-of-towners.
The grandfather sitting across from us was not likely to post something like 'spArk's Kang Kiyeon came to eat yukgaejang' on social media, so I took off my hat and ate in peace.
After our meal, we browsed the novelty shops that were just starting to turn on their lights. I bought the tangerine sunglasses Lee Cheonghyeon had asked for, and also some tangerine hairpins he had not.
"…Are you going to wear them, Hyung?" Kang Kiyeon asked hesitantly.
His expression relaxed when I told him I was buying them as props for a photocard shoot. What a monster born of the idol industry.
Out of spite, I impulsively bought six identical hairpins in the color #FF6600, something I would never purchase with my own money in my entire life.
"That's Kim Iwol."
"Isn't that Kang Kiyeon next to him?"
"Holy crap."
Since we were moving around when everyone else was awake, we were spotted by tourists diligently following their travel itineraries. On behalf of a very flustered Kang Kiyeon, I took the pen from a fan who approached us for an autograph.
Then, before she could ask, 'I heard you guys came to Jeju yesterday, oppa?' I asked for her name.
"If you're going to post a photo online, could you please wait an hour before you do? We're going to be moving on soon, and we promised our manager we'd just quietly get some fresh air and head back!" I asked as I handed back the paper, now signed by Kang Kiyeon as well.
The student nodded.
"Of course. Embargo, embargo."
The student even made a mischievous face, bringing her index finger to her lips. It was a reaction that proved she had watched all of spArk's self-produced content.
Thanks to our thorough security measures, we were able to pack our things and leave the accommodation without getting held up. It seemed like the timing would work out if we stopped by one warehouse, had lunch at the airport, and then departed.
After we caught a taxi, Kang Kiyeon let out a small sigh.
"Why? Feeling empty because we haven't had any results?"
"No. It's a sigh of relief that the schedule is ending without any major trouble."
"Was there a situation you were worried about?"
"Like the news of us coming to Jeju spreading and Lee Cheonghyeon finding out and contacting us. It seems like he still doesn't know."
He found out yesterday, Kiyeon-ah.
Still, seeing him this worried made me think I did the right thing by shutting Lee Cheonghyeon's mouth. How commendable, his effort not to do anything that would disappoint his friend.
The taxi drove for a long time before arriving at a warehouse in a remote location. The owner, whom we had spoken to beforehand, opened the door to a container for us.
"I was going to dispose of these a long time ago, but I just piled them up and forgot all about them."
As if to prove the owner's words, every plastic wrap covering the boxes was caked in dust. The thick plastic film looked white.
When I rubbed the plastic with my finger, the dust clumped together like eraser shavings.
I set an alarm, taking into account the travel time to the airport and the time needed for check-in procedures. The time limit was three hours.
If we could not find the pouch within that time, we would have to go back empty-handed.
"Kiyeon-ah, you ready? We have to clean up any mess we make, so let's be careful while we search."
I informed Kang Kiyeon of the ground rules and held out a pair of work gloves. He obediently took the gloves and put them on.
With our masks on, the great exploration of someone else's warehouse began.