Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 90: The World's Best Photographer Competition (1)
Day/Night Mode:
Change Font Size:
TL: FoodieMonster007
spArk's youngest member. The team's main dancer. A handsome man who looks sharp, whose hobby is reading romance comics while dressed in the fashion of a handsome non-celebrity.
A guy who looks like he would ride a motorcycle but still takes the subway to his parents' house. The shortest in height but with the biggest spirit.
A talented man who can play the guitar and is good at sports. A young man with a romantic soul, born in a seaside town, who once learned dance.
Kang Kiyeon had many attractive qualities. He had handsome features the public would acknowledge, yet touches of subculture were sprinkled in, making him seem multifaceted.
This was the exact opposite of a model student who might get a free pass at a formal meeting with the in-laws but could seem boring to some. His style, which made you want to emulate him despite his sharp looks, inspired admiration, while his sense for making even a cute sticker look cool and not childish sparked interest.
The psychology of imitation has a strange side to it. It does not automatically connect a good-looking subject with a subject one wants to imitate.
It is easy to understand using Choi Jeho as an example. Choi Jeho was the team's best clothes horse, standing out in whatever he wore, but not everyone wanted to have the same body type as that guy.
It meant that while the dance Choi Jeho performed with his body was cool, not many people dreamed of becoming the Choi Jeho of their neighborhood. Because to look as good as Choi Jeho in just a jersey, you needed ridiculously pumped-up shoulders.
Lee Cheonghyeon was similar. Just because Lee Cheonghyeon came out with a beautifully permed hairstyle, how many men would take a picture of Lee Cheonghyeon to their salon?
Just because Lee Cheonghyeon wore a sweatshirt with an adorable print on his handsome face, did that mean everyone would buy the same sweatshirt expecting a similar visual outcome?
On the other hand, Park Joowoo and Kang Kiyeon frequently appeared on accounts recommending men's styles. Jeong Seongbin was often mentioned as the epitome of the neat college student look.
It was not that the physiques of these three were common at all. I had ridden the subway to and from Gangnam until I was sick of it, but I could count on one hand the number of times I had seen men with such body types.
So why was the reaction so different? I would point to 'the presence or absence of a point that seems imitable' as the reason.
Park Joowoo was fond of a headset that anyone who listened to a bit of music would want to own at least one of. It was not so expensive as to be called a luxury item in the world of headsets, but the price was realistic enough to be a goal if you decided to save up for one.
Added to this were a sleeveless shirt and a zip-up hoodie, and the occasional fake piercings he wore on stage, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
Kang Kiyeon had his own unique hipness. For beginners whose playlists were full of rap or who wanted to style with leather but were not sure how to match it, Kang Kiyeon's daily looks were the perfect textbook.
When you saw the guitar case slung casually over his shoulder, did you not naturally imagine something like 'me, walking through a crowd with a guitar'?
Those who aimed for a clean-cut look often referenced Jeong Seongbin's airport fashion, variety show outfits, and photoshoots. By adding just a few key points here and there, they could significantly elevate the completeness of their outfits.
For example, Park Joowoo's headset was an old model he received as a gift, which gained fame as a vintage item that only those in the know would recognize. Kang Kiyeon would top off a casual style with a pair of basketball shoes, or masterfully save a potentially common look by matching a simple silhouette with a hat or a cardigan.
Jeong Seongbin owned several watches famous for their simple design and excellent technology, and enthusiasts detected this with an almost supernatural ability.
So why the long speech about the practicality of Kang Kiyeon and Omoknun2's fashion?
≫ My brother's going to college and only ever wore a uniform, so I asked what clothes to buy him. I scraped together some Jeong Seongbin pics and told him to buy basic items that look like this.
└ Jeong Seongbin is the epitome of the male college student look.
≫ Posting these for my own viewing pleasure. Dapper Kiyeon's casual outfits.
(picture)
(picture)
.
.
.
Source: spArk's Instagram
└ No. 1 man who is forgiven for putting a hamburger sticker on even though he's on a diet and doesn't even eat them.
└ When is that high-top Converse photo from? Info pls pls.
≫ For people who like Joowoo's casual style.
It's street fashion mixed with gorpcore and a hip-hop mood, but the way he wears it as a daily look without being over-the-top is so my taste. Personally, I think he and Kiyeon are the two with the best sense in spArk. If Kiyeon is fully dressed up, Joowoo is like dressed up~effortlessly chic. I prefer a more natural look, so Joowoo is my pick.
└ Calling Joowoo effortlessly chic… the bar for spArk's casual wear is high.
└ [OP] That's just compared to Kiyeon!!! Aren't all of spArk fully dressed up, except for the emperor of not dressing up?
└ └ Not dressing up.
└ └└ lololol
It was because the members who released solos received significant attention not just as a team but as individuals, making themselves known for more than just their music. People became interested not only in their music but also in their style and tastes.
Having a 'photo of a lifetime' or two go viral was a common occurrence. Such photos would be mentioned a few times on variety shows, leading to talks like, 'That was my prime~.'
However, it was a different feeling altogether when outfits that idol fans had been searching for were edited and spread across blogs and social media. An item that Sparklers had once caused to sell out would belatedly become a public pick and sell out again, and there were many posts searching for discontinued items or clothes.
The individuals themselves had become the trend.
≫ Celeb Recommendations by Style That Are Realistic to Copy
<spArk's Kiyeon> A master of combinations who can perfectly conquer the rider mood & jacket coordination.
The textbook example of styling that elevates an outfit with a single accessory.
Even pulls off retro American casual with a perfect fit, emphasizing a sophisticated charm!
If you don't want to be told you look like you're wearing work clothes when you wear workwear… then right now ≫
Within this flow, Kang Kiyeon was particularly noticeable. The guy who had made an impression with 『When I was ()』 firmly established his character through his solo activities.
The image of a wandering, melancholic artist had a way of stimulating a certain part of people's hearts. It was a principle similar to how high-note-exploding breakup ballads, which sound as if one has experienced a once-in-a-lifetime separation, dominate karaoke charts, even though not everyone has a movie-like romance and breakup.
The fact that his style was so cool was also a big factor. If Park Joowoo and Jeong Seongbin represented free-spirited and casual styles respectively, Kang Kiyeon wore eye-catching clothes that not just anyone could pull off as if he were born in them.
It did not take long for Kang Kiyeon, who already had a considerable influence on men in their twenties and thirties, to rise as a fashion icon.
≫ Vote for your boyfriend or guy friend's casual style preference, as seen in spArk
- The dandy, mature man is the best. 2. The athletic, sporty type ※ Must be waxed if wearing shorts. 3. The epitome of neatness (cardigan in fall, sweater in winter are a must).
- No long explanation needed. A man who looks good even in denim on denim. 5. Old money look with dress shoes. 6. Leather artisan.
└ "Must be waxed if wearing shorts" lolololol That's right, unwaxed men shouldn't wear shorts.
└ Short and sweet, 'Leather artisan'.
[ Kang Kiyeon is a leather artisan, for real. Vintage leather, mix-and-match, leather collars, he slays them all… ]
Kang Kiyeon's album was released in October, the peak season for leather when you could not wear a leather jacket at any other time. The fleeting autumn weather, the fashion boom, and his schedule that had him appearing on various channels all aligned, causing Kang Kiyeon's outfits to spread like wildfire.
Dozens of posts from Sparklers about 'Kang Kiyeon lookalikes' popping up on campus were uploaded daily.
I've never been one to not row when the current comes. Idols must seize opportunities for a revival when they arise. This was even more true in an age with so much content, where it is easy for fans to drift to other groups or genres.
"So, I'm going to have to raid your gallery."
That is why I went to Choi Jeho first. After explaining the situation and holding out my palm, the guy obediently handed over his phone.
…Honestly, he was not that obedient. He sighed a ridiculous amount.
When I said we should make Kiyeon a star, I just got sass about how he's already a star. That is why I am going to make him a bigger star, you punk.
Choi Jeho's gallery, organized by the One Day Maknae Errand Center, was a veritable gold mine. With only the A-cuts left, selection was easy.
The usual me would have agonized for twenty minutes over which photo was better even if the only difference was a slight change in facial angle. However, since trends pass by so quickly, I had to act fast, and in that respect, the pre-sorting done by the youngest members was a huge help.
The photos of Kang Kiyeon, selected with the favorites function, were first sorted by season, then a second time by style. Then, to ensure no photo was buried and all were highlighted, I uploaded them in a storm with time delays.
≫ I was grateful you shared Seongbin's photos, and now Kiyeon's too.
Thanks, Iwol. We can ask for the other members too, right?
And please tie Jeho up in front of the members and have a photoshoot session (selfies included).
≫ Kang Kiyeon is like a much younger man one moment and an older brother the next. My heart is having such a hard time with his wavering.
Just pick one, please. Don't you feel sorry for the Sparklers playing these 'vs.' games?
Seeing the fans so happy made me very happy. Kang Kiyeon, who was enjoying the boom, did not show it, but he diligently looked up and read every post where Sparklers mentioned him.
They like it this much, shouldn't we do something more?
One must always listen to the fans' needs. Considering the comeback next month, releasing more content did not seem like a bad idea, and now, with everyone's visuals at their peak, was the perfect time to take more pictures.
On a sunny autumn day. spArk's 'Take the Coolest Photo of Your Colleague' contest was held, following this very trend.