Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 84: A Mediocre Talent (2)
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TL: FoodieMonster007
"Me?"
"Who else is here?"
At some point, Choi Jeho had started watching Kang Kiyeon. The phone he had been holding was now lying face down on his chest.
"Yeah, well… I'm wrapping things up."
"Hmm."
That ambiguous sound was the end of Choi Jeho's reaction.
Is he asking for a progress report?
Completely unaware that he, too, was starting to resemble Kim Iwol and not just Lee Cheonghyeon, Kang Kiyeon poured a glass of water and returned to the living room.
"The directing is almost finished, so we'll be filming the choreography video soon."
"……"
Even with the added explanation, Choi Jeho remained silent. However, he did not switch back to his usual 'I've heard what I need to, now I'll do my own thing' mode. His gaze was still fixed on Kang Kiyeon.
He had thought he had gotten close enough to Choi Jeho to have some sort of emotional exchange, but that was a miscalculation. Kang Kiyeon could not figure out why Choi Jeho was acting so out of character.
"Why? Do I look unprepared? Iwol-hyung insisted I have to have black hair this time, so I decided not to dye it. It's not like I've been putting it off…"
The words tumbling out of his mouth sounded increasingly pathetic. They were practically excuses.
"You need to look completely drained of life. It'd be best if you looked like your body temperature was 26.5 degrees. I'm an expert in this field, you know? First, let's work on getting that dry, lifeless look in your eyes."
He recalled Kim Iwol, who had stopped what he was doing on his laptop, picked up the device, and launched into a long speech about why this album absolutely had to feature black hair. Unlike Kim Iwol, who would rattle on without needing anyone to guess what he was thinking, it was impossible to grasp the context of a conversation with Choi Jeho.
He would not misunderstand it as being ignored, but it was still hard to figure out what was going on.
Maybe if I think about this for another week, I'll figure out what he means.
Faced with a familiar pattern, Kang Kiyeon gulped down the cold water.
"Aren't you going to show me?"
"Puah!"
Faced with an unfamiliar pattern, the cold water came right back out. Kang Kiyeon had swallowed it politely, but its exit was anything but.
In the midst of it all, more painful than the stinging in his nose from choking and coughing was the sight of Choi Jeho's scowling face. Choi Jeho pulled out a couple of tissues and offered them to him.
"Thanks, but I'm going to go wash my face. Iwol-hyung told me not to let anything touch my face besides skincare products and makeup until my solo promotions are over."
Anyone watching might think his promotions had already started, but in reality, Kang Kiyeon's album had not even been produced yet. Not wanting to suffer Kim Iwol's nagging, Kang Kiyeon obediently went to wash his face, and Choi Jeho placed the tissues on the table without another word.
"What did you want me to show you? The choreography draft?"
After the commotion, the conversation returned to the point where it had been forcibly cut off. Instead of answering, Choi Jeho held out his hand.
Kang Kiyeon placed his phone, with the saved video ready to play, into Choi Jeho's hand. Choi Jeho silently played the video.
This choreography was created with an external director. Kim Iwol and Lee Cheonghyeon had recommended finding a suitable partner since the song had a different feel from spArk's usual style.
"It might be a different story if you could draw on your experience from when you did jazz dance, but that was a special stage for a survival show, not an official promotion. If we're going to create choreography from scratch, it's better to hire a specialist."
With a different collaborator, the style of the final product changed significantly. Kang Kiyeon was pleased with the finished version.
However, he could not be sure if it would satisfy Choi Jeho.
Feeling needlessly anxious, Kang Kiyeon subtly moved closer to the head of the sofa. Standing behind Choi Jeho's head, he began to explain in great detail the intention behind each part of the choreography.
"I had to ease up on the power here to make the next section stand out. It's for pacing…"
Choi Jeho did not say a word. He did not even tell him to be quiet. He just watched the video through his glasses, stroking his chin with one hand.
As time went on, Kang Kiyeon grew more and more anxious, and by the time the video passed the two-minute mark, he was completely spaced out.
Is it bad…?
A sudden wave of worry washed over him. Choi Jeho's eyes were never wrong. He might not be able to properly convey the reasoning behind his judgments, but he never misjudged.
That was what had always given his words weight. Because of that past data, Kang Kiyeon could not help but watch Choi Jeho's reaction.
But Iwol-hyung said it was fine. He's not the type of person to force himself to say something is okay when it isn't.
He might speak indirectly, but Kim Iwol was not the type to just throw something out there to see it fail.
If he had not been satisfied, he would have seriously sat Kang Kiyeon down and said, 'This is for the Sparklers. Let's review the whole thing one more time and be prepared to scrap it all and start over.'
That was why he had felt a small sense of relief when he got the okay sign from Kim Iwol. It felt like he had overcome a mountain. The only thing that bothered him was that Kim Iwol was not a dance member.
Since Kim Iwol, who always said to leave medicine to the pharmacists, had completely entrusted the choreography creation to the dance line and the instructor, he knew it had passed the public appeal evaluation, but he had no idea how it would fare in a professional one.
Jeong Seongbin had received a passing grade from Park Joowoo. On the other hand, he…
"……"
…Judging by the look of things, it seemed he had failed. Choi Jeho had started watching the video again from the beginning.
A shadow fell over Kang Kiyeon's face.
"W-Where is it strange?"
Kang Kiyeon mustered his courage and asked. It was a deliberate act to invite harsh criticism.
The only reason he did something no one would willingly do was pure ambition. If he got thoroughly torn apart, it would open a path to making better revisions. To the steeled Kang Kiyeon, Choi Jeho said, "Nowhere, really."
"Huh?"
"Is there a need to touch it up any more?"
He said it with the same deadpan expression. Choi Jeho did not know how to give empty compliments.
Outside of the sugar-coated comments he had been brainwashed by Kim Iwol to say on broadcasts, he was always honest. So this had to be his true feeling, but it was hard to believe.
"Really? No comments?"
"Yeah."
Choi Jeho placed the phone squarely back into Kang Kiyeon's two hands.
"Didn't you make it like this on purpose?"
"Huh?"
"There was a phrase for this kind of thing. What was it…"
Choi Jeho, lost in thought, looked up at Kang Kiyeon and said, "Like Korean Dance, but in a way that doesn't look like traditional dance?"
As expected, Choi Jeho was never wrong. He had not included a single move that felt like traditional dance.
The mood and tempo of the music were also completely different, yet Choi Jeho had correctly identified the creative intent.
The idea had been Kang Kiyeon's. It was a suggestion to create a fresh and distinctive stage.
However, an overt reference could lead to being called unsophisticated, so he had worked hard to prevent the sentiment of traditional dance from showing on the surface. This was the part that had taken up the most time.
"I didn't want to showcase traditional dance too much, so I structured the steps and movements in a standard way… Where did you get that feeling from?"
Simply showing off in a 'Look what I can do!' manner was amateurish. Simple content was nothing more than a talent show, and it would not evoke any impression beyond 'cool'.
Faced with the very situation he wanted to avoid most, Kang Kiyeon could not overcome his impatience and asked.
Choi Jeho fell silent. It seemed like he was choosing his words.
The only comfort was the fact that Kang Kiyeon had grown enough to understand at least half of whatever Choi Jeho threw at him. After some thought, Choi Jeho said, "Breath?"
It was an answer closer to 'spitting out a word' than 'speaking'. Noticing the lack of understanding on Kang Kiyeon's face, Choi Jeho shifted his position as he lay down.
"It's not about hitting the steps and moving your body precisely on beat like in perfectly synchronized choreography. You carry the line created by the initial movement. That way, even when one move ends cleanly, it looks like it's connecting to the next pose."
Choi Jeho waved his right hand in the air. Even from that short demonstration, Kang Kiyeon understood what point Choi Jeho was making.
It was the habit he had had to discard first when he joined UA and started learning to dance, and the one he had revived for this performance.
"And your fingertips."
"Ah."
"I'm a layman when it comes to traditional dance so I don't know much, but I saw those two things," Choi Jeho added, his voice still indifferent.
Kang Kiyeon was amazed.
"For someone who doesn't know much, you saw it with perfect accuracy. Hyung, you must be a real genius."
His tone was not overly effusive. It was not like Choi Jeho was the type to appreciate being flattered anyway.
He was just purely stating his impression, but Choi Jeho asked, "A genius?"
Choi Jeho's eyes drifted toward the ceiling. After a brief pause, another question followed.
"Aren't geniuses a different breed?"
"Are they?"
He did not quite agree. If someone like Choi Jeho was not a genius, then who was?
In his entire life, Kang Kiyeon had never seen anyone in person who suited the center position as well as Choi Jeho. The only person like Choi Jeho was Choi Jeho himself.
Seeing how even Kim Iwol, who was sick and tired of Choi Jeho as a person, had given him the nickname 'Center Emperor' and accepted no arguments, it seemed Kang Kiyeon was not the only one who held Choi Jeho's skills in high regard.
"People like Park Joowoo or Lee Cheonghyeon, they seem like geniuses."
Those two were acknowledged as geniuses by everyone, not just Kang Kiyeon. The public always recognized their abilities.
A talent that others noticed even if you did not show it off. That was Kang Kiyeon's definition of a genius.
"No?"
"I think so, too."
When he agreed, Choi Jeho made a face as if he could not understand. It was a look that said, 'Our standards are similar, so why are you spouting nonsense about me being a genius?'
How was he supposed to feel about finally being able to read the inner thoughts he could not decipher at all just a moment ago?
"And Kim Iwol."
An unexpected name reached the ears of the bewildered Kang Kiyeon.
"Huh?"
Perhaps he looked foolish just standing there, blinking blankly. Choi Jeho took off his glasses and repeated what he had said.
"I said Kim Iwol is one, too."