Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 83: A Mediocre Talent (1)
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TL: FoodieMonster007
"Does this mean you're going with Plan A?"
"Yeah."
"Really?!"
Lee Cheonghyeon looked like he was about to jump for joy. The corners of his mouth shot up to the sky.
Seeing his large eyes crinkle into half-moons, Kang Kiyeon asked, "Are you that happy?"
"Of course! If it weren't for you, that song would have remained unfinished! Who wouldn't be happy to see a creation come out into the world?"
"You could have passed it on to someone else later."
"That would've never happened, but even if I had sold it to someone else, I would never have been able to see it become the picture I had in mind."
When should we write the lyrics, when would be a good time to record. Seeing him excitedly rattle off his plans, it seemed like the entire song was already complete in Lee Cheonghyeon's head.
"This side of you is a bit much for me."
"What is? Did I make a mistake?"
"No, I'm saying your innate love for your work is scary. It seems to suit your aptitude, so don't even think about retiring and just keep working hard."
"No matter how hard I work, I can't match you. Unless someone is pushing me from behind, I can't push forward with perseverance like you do."
"Who else is as good at taking care of things on their own as you?"
"Until you made your decision, my heart was shaking more than when our plane hit turbulence on the way here, you know? Please don't disregard my delicate sensibilities."
Lee Cheonghyeon's shameless response made Kang Kiyeon let out a hollow laugh. Feeling awkward, Kang Kiyeon needlessly wiped the clean table with a napkin.
"Since Seongbin-hyung was the one right before me, the recording feels like a lot of pressure… but I'll be in your care."
"You say things like that surprisingly often. You don't have the type of personality to feel inferior to others, so why are you being so passive?"
"Because I do feel my shortcomings."
"Isn't it just that your specialties are different? And you don't just stop and say, 'I'm lacking, what a shame.' You try to do better. You don't belittle others' achievements as if they were obtained for free. Have some pride."
Despite being playful, Lee Cheonghyeon would become strict when it came to things like this. It was not because he was displeased.
He genuinely wanted his friend to have more confidence. This was the reason Lee Cheonghyeon went out of his way to help with Kang Kiyeon's work.
"Just look at yourself, and only think about what you have to do. Your solo activities will be a time to reflect solely on yourself."
Lee Cheonghyeon grinned.
"I'll help you so you can do just that!"
Kang Kiyeon recalled the day he first asked Lee Cheonghyeon if he had any thoughts of becoming an idol. The wandering Lee Cheonghyeon had accepted his offer, drawn by a strong desire hidden beneath a faint curiosity.
Now, it was Lee Cheonghyeon pulling Kang Kiyeon along. He presented Kang Kiyeon with a new direction and opened the door for him to take on his first challenge.
Kang Kiyeon willingly accepted his turn.
Once the song was decided, everything moved at lightning speed. The two of them neatly organized the deadlines for songwriting, recording, and mixing on their shared calendar.
"Should I contact Iwol-hyung and tell him we picked the title track?"
"We're supposed to see him at the studio later, so I'll tell him. I wonder what kind of music video concept he'll bring? I'm curious."
"I just hope it's not too profound."
"Would Iwol-hyung bring something weird? Even if, by some chance, he brings a profound idea, he'll have his reasons and a plan for it!"
"That's the problem. I'll be persuaded no matter what he brings…" Kang Kiyeon muttered with a bitter expression.
Lee Cheonghyeon slapped the table and laughed.
"Ah, and I have a favor to ask."
"What?"
"Don't prepare some big, loud celebration."
"Why!"
He had expected it, but the opposition was fierce. Lee Cheonghyeon looked genuinely confused.
Kang Kiyeon, on the other hand, was indifferent.
"It's not like I'm the first one in the team to have a solo debut… It's making a fuss."
"But it's your first solo!"
"I know the members will congratulate and support me, so I'm saying I don't need to receive anything more. The thought is enough."
"If you don't want the gesture, you tell the hyungs. I don't have the power."
"Do you think I'll fall for that? It's obvious you'll be the one making the biggest fuss."
"That's strange. Why is a blunt Muindoz so sharp?"
"How can 'blunt' be attached to Muindoz when Joowoo-hyung exists?"
"Jeho-hyung's stoicism covers up all the sharpness of the younger members."
Images of Choi Jeho's incredible antics flashed before his eyes. Kang Kiyeon could not deny it.
"Anyway, it's not that I lack confidence or feel like I don't deserve an event, so just rein them in moderately."
"I'll try suggesting it~."
"You think I don't know you're trying to gloss over it?"
"If you know, why not play along?"
Kang Kiyeon could not help but laugh at Lee Cheonghyeon's playful retort. To think he could feel this refreshed.
It was worth worrying all the way to Jeju Island and back.
After parting with Kang Kiyeon, Lee Cheonghyeon went straight to the studio. Kim Iwol had arrived first and was waiting for the studio's owner.
"Welcome. Did the talk go well?"
"Yep. A magnificent conclusion!"
"You worked hard."
Kim Iwol smiled and turned off his pad.
Lee Cheonghyeon asked as he sat down in a chair, "Right? So, where are my sunglasses?"
"I bought them, but I can't give them to you now."
"Why?"
At the firm answer, Lee Cheonghyeon's eyes went wide. Kim Iwol shrugged with a nonchalant expression.
"If I give them to you now, it's the same as advertising that we went to Jeju Island. Don't you think we need to maintain the secret by delivering them indirectly after some time has passed?"
"So you're telling me to wait indefinitely?"
"I'll give them to you around the time we shoot the pictorial for the summer page of the season's greetings calendar, so don't be too upset."
"Aren't you a total scammer? This is a fraudulent contract!"
"I even bought a tangerine hairpin as interest, so calm down."
Having been promised a high-interest compensation, Lee Cheonghyeon quietly backed down. Then, he reported the results of the meeting.
"It has been peacefully decided to go with Plan A."
"Is it really peaceful? Did you reach a conclusion that satisfies everyone without any concessions?"
"A complete peace achieved through communication. A miraculous consensus. A meeting worthy of being recorded in history."
"Impressive. Is that why you so confidently wrote the deadlines on the shared calendar?"
As expected, Kim Iwol had read all the notifications. There was no need to explain the future plans.
Kim Iwol turned his pad back on. Seeing him busily tapping the screen, it seemed he was reconfirming the overall schedule.
Lee Cheonghyeon waited for his hand movements to slow before speaking.
"But there's one request from Kiyeon."
"What is it?"
Kim Iwol looked up from the screen. Lee Cheonghyeon relayed Kang Kiyeon's message as requested.
"He'd like us to go easy on celebrating his album."
"Then what do you think will come out of my mouth?"
"That 'member discrimination is a sin'?"
"You know me well. Are you relaying this message 'simply because you were asked to,' or 'because from a friend's perspective, it seems like it would lessen Kiyeon's burden'?"
"'Because I was asked to.' I also think member discrimination is a sin."
As if satisfied with the answer, Kim Iwol nodded.
"I'll consider a way to celebrate the happy occasion without making Kiyeon feel burdened. The most important thing is for the person involved to be comfortable."
Despite acting tough as if he would not listen to such a trivial request, Kim Iwol readily accepted his younger member's opinion. Hearing that he would find a compromise, Lee Cheonghyeon's heart felt much lighter.
"Will the planning be okay? We took up too much time."
"I can meet the schedule. I wasn't just playing around."
"You had a contingency plan?"
"I'm not that resourceful, so I just got a head start on my own."
Kim Iwol manipulated his pad a few times and turned it so Lee Cheonghyeon could see. The split screen showed photos with completely different atmospheres.
"When you don't know which one will be chosen, you just have to prepare both versions. Right?"
"Scary… Did Seongbin-hyung say he has no intention of buying a notebook again?"
"He said his heart is too kind, so out of consideration for his 'hateful' twenty-six-year-old self, he won't. We're really blessed with a great leader."
Kim Iwol clapped his hands with a proud expression. A cheerful sound echoed through the studio.
"Alright! Let's talk while listening to the title track!"
People often use the expression 'roasting beans over a lightning fire' when things are handled in a hurry.
And Kang Kiyeon felt his recent schedule was like 'roasting a firecracker over a lightning fire.' He was so busy that sparks seemed to fly before his eyes.
There was no time to catch his breath.
spArk in their early debut days was just this hectic. Back then, from Kang Kiyeon's perspective, the schedule had not felt this tight. It was merely a state of slightly struggling.
However, trying to consider the song selection, lyrics, album concept, promotions, and so on made his head incomparably more complicated. He would lie in bed, close his eyes, and when he opened them, it was already morning.
By the time preparations were nearly finished, he was literally on the verge of collapsing.
How did Seongbin-hyung prepare for this while doing team activities…?
He once again marveled at the leader's diligence. It was not just Jeong Seongbin who was amazing.
Lee Cheonghyeon, who had breathed a sigh of relief once the title track was decided, entered the final stages of finishing the songs for spArk's next album. Kim Iwol was handling both Kang Kiyeon's solo and spArk's album, working on two tracks simultaneously.
Park Joowoo, even after finishing his 『SYNDROME』 activities, appeared on various broadcasts. Once he had created a nationwide sensation, his schedule locations and media outlets became global.
Thanks to that, he had to go in and out of the dorm so often that the threshold was wearing thin.
"Hard to see your face, huh?"
Only Choi Jeho was in the dorm when he returned after a late practice.
"You're busy too, Hyung," Kang Kiyeon replied, substituting a greeting with a bow of his head.
Choi Jeho was lying on the sofa with an earphone in one ear, looking at his phone. It was a very familiar posture to his housemates who lived in the dorm with him.
"What are you looking at?"
"Drafts."
His voice was indifferent. Choi Jeho's gaze was still fixed on his phone.
With Kang Kiyeon preparing for his solo activities, Choi Jeho was put in charge of choreographing spArk's next comeback song. Kang Kiyeon felt uneasy, as if he had dumped the hard-to-communicate-with Choi Jeho onto the choreographers, but so far, he seemed to be doing a decent job.
If something had been going wrong, Kim Iwol would have already been viciously on Choi Jeho's case.
Should I get a glass of water and then wash up.
He was extremely thirsty after using his body all day. As he headed for the refrigerator, Choi Jeho called out to him.
"Are the preparations manageable?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected concern, Kang Kiyeon was flustered.