Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 91: The World's Best Photographer Competition (2)
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TL: FoodieMonster007
"spArk's mission for today is 'taking a nice, atmospheric photo of a member'! Is everyone ready?"
"Yes!"
Gathered in the living room, the members of spArk clapped enthusiastically.
The rules were simple. Each person had to style their partner coolly and take a photo that would go down in history.
It was easy to understand if you thought of it as a game of 'Make Your Avatar a Star'.
They even signed a consent form allowing the use of clothes from other members' closets. Just because their heights were similar did not mean they could share all their clothes, but as idols, their wardrobes were always expanding, so they decided to make active use of them for this occasion.
To allow for a wide variety of personal clothes and items, the shoot began at their dorm. They could have chosen a few outfits and shot in a studio, but limiting the materials risked someone thinking, 'Ah, I should've brought that!'
If they held a 'once-in-a-lifetime photo' segment and that happened, they would have no excuse if the comments section was flooded with people calling the content team clueless.
At the words that styling their partner was part of the challenge, Jeong Seongbin's face turned pale. Meanwhile, Choi Jeho, who would not look out of place plastering someone else's body in orange, was shamelessly confident.
Looking at either of them was a bleak prospect.
"Is there something like a phone-a-friend…?"
"Does anyone even say 'phone-a-friend' these days?"
Choi Jeho's sharp jab could not shake Jeong Seongbin. While spArk's casual fashion was being praised everywhere, a post had gone up saying, 'Why does Seongbin only have airport fashion and no casual outfits? Jeong Seongbin, close your eyes,' and the man himself had seen it.
He seemed to have been deeply reflecting on it since then, and now a fear that he might tarnish someone else's reputation seemed to have taken root.
"Don't worry too much. Seongbin, your taste is plenty unique…!"
Park Joowoo soothed his friend from the side. If you looked closely, he had said 'unique,' but not a single word like 'cool' was included.
Still, at the point where he did not say, 'Should we start by throwing out any outfit with more than four colors?' Park Joowoo could be called an angel.
It's not that he's terrible at dressing, but there's always one weird part that ruins the harmony…
This is why you cannot rely on a pretty face. Guys whose features do all the work for them all lack desperation.
I wish all of spArk would learn from Kang Kiyeon, a devastatingly cool-headed pretty boy who not only meticulously manages his looks but also lives and dies by his styling.
We immediately moved on to choosing partners. After a fateful draw, our one-day photo mates were decided.
Choi Jeho was paired with Lee Cheonghyeon, and Park Joowoo with Kang Kiyeon. As for the sacrificial lamb that Jeong Seongbin had been so worried about, I was the lucky winner.
"Seongbin-ah. Should I let you use your phone-a-friend?"
"Iwol-hyung, you must be getting desperate now that you're facing death, huh?"
Lee Cheonghyeon snickered.
"It doesn't really matter to me if I use it or not… but look at Seongbin's face."
At my words, everyone looked at Jeong Seongbin. Seeing his expression, which looked like he had eaten a whole tray of mugwort injeolmi rice cakes covered in bean powder without any water, they all agreed to 'provide one phone-a-friend chance during the styling session'.
"Thank you… I'll become a leader who is even more devoted to the members…"
Jeong Seongbin expressed his gratitude with a face that looked like he had come back from the dead. I was about to bow my head alongside him but stopped myself.
"Please take good care of me, hyung."
"Me too…!"
Things were harmonious between Kang Kiyeon and Park Joowoo. The atmosphere was so good that the video editors could probably add effects of flowers popping up around them.
Next to the bright and energetic idols, there were also guys who were a little too energetic.
"Am I becoming an emperor today?"
"Want me to make you one?"
Lee Cheonghyeon and Choi Jeho were having a conversation that was infuriating to listen to. If it seemed like Kang Kiyeon and Park Joowoo would not need a phone-a-friend, this pair looked like they would have to beg for one.
How could two short sentences be so irritating? If it were not for the cameras, I would have run over and disciplined them.
"Let's do our best together, Seongbin-ah!"
"Yes, hyung…!"
In any case, my partner was what mattered, so I set aside my anger toward the hooligans for a moment and firmed up my resolve with Jeong Seongbin. The guy clenched both his fists.
When faced with a task, the solution can be broken down into three main steps.
First, clearly identify the problem. The core theme of this content was to style Jeong Seongbin handsomely and take a photo worthy of the hall of fame.
To this was added the premise of 'a good vibe'. It was not just about polishing Jeong Seongbin up. The result had to be not too cold, but one that brought out his inherent charm.
The image that comes to mind when I think of Jeong Seongbin is… a cool-headed pretty boy pretending to be a warm-hearted one?
Warm, gentle pretty boys generally receive a good reception in the market. Among spArk, he is the warm one, but cover his mouth and he is suddenly the final boss.
A man like a warm iced latte (+ an extra shot), with strong authority hidden beneath a kind and affectionate way of speaking. This multifaceted, unexpected charm was Jeong Seongbin's appeal.
Second, determine what is needed to solve the identified problem. This was content filmed ahead of the album release in November.
A situation that required the optimal styling for a once-in-a-lifetime shot. spArk's member in charge of brown, whose only divine mistake was not being born with brown hair. There was only one answer that could encompass all three of these things.
"Cheonghyeon-ah, I'm borrowing a coat."
I pulled three mid-tone brown single long coats from Lee Cheonghyeon's closet. I chose the one with a semi-oversized fit and returned to our designated spot, where I found Jeong Seongbin in deep thought.
Regardless of whether the model was serious or not, I had my own job to do, so I held the coat up to his back to check the shoulder line.
For the inner shirt, I chose my favorite black turtleneck. I planned to go for the win with a look that featured his green eyes shining from under a cleanly exposed forehead, and a soft-lined brown coat warmly enveloping a chic, all-black outfit.
"Hyung, can I borrow some of your shirts?"
While I was in the middle of choosing socks, Kang Kiyeon came to borrow clothes from me.
"You can, but I only have plain, office-worker-like shirts. Is that okay?"
"That's what I need."
"Are you planning on sending Joowoo to the office? Keep in mind that no one looks like a desirable man at work."
Instead of answering, Kang Kiyeon disappeared with an armful of shirts. In an instant, half of my closet shelf was empty.
While I was deliberating between a pair of dark blue denim pants and dress pants on the bed, Jeong Seongbin picked up his phone with a determined look.
"I'm using my phone-a-friend!"
The person on the other end was his younger brother, Mr. Jeong Seongjun, whom Jeong Seongbin only trusted in times like these. He placed a notepad, already half-filled with writing, and a pen on the desk and made the call.
He also turned on the speaker function.
[Yeees.]
A voice identical to Jeong Seongbin's, but with a lazy drawl one could never imagine coming from him, answered. Forcing a smile, Jeong Seongbin stated his business.
"I'm in the middle of a mission right now and I have to style Iwol-hyung, but I'm clueless, so I decided to use my phone-a-friend. What should I do to create a nice, atmospheric look?"
[Then shouldn't you have called earlier?]
Mr. Jeong Seongjun's attack landed perfectly. The corners of Jeong Seongbin's mouth, still raised in a smile, trembled. It was a critical hit.
[Where are you getting the clothes? Are they provided?]
"We can borrow from each other's closets."
[Hyung-nim already dresses neatly, so if you go with his usual style, you probably won't get that 'good vibe' reaction. It's more of a mature, senior-like adult male style, you know.]
For a thief who had just stolen a coat from his dongsaeng's closet, it was excessive praise. While holding up pairs of socks to the seated Jeong Seongbin's ankles to check the color, I called out, "Thank you, Seongjun-ssi!"
Lee Cheonghyeon, who was passing by, saw me and burst out laughing.
[If you have something in mind, tell me. Let me hear what kind of image you want to create.]
"I want to emphasize that mature man vibe you just mentioned. The Sparklers like Iwol-hyung's older, more mature side, and since it's autumn… I think it would be good to use an outer coat."
[Older, you mean like a handsome middle-aged man? Or the sophistication of someone in their late 30s?]
"Around mid-to-late thirties!"
It seemed Jeong Seongbin had a blueprint of his own. What was densely written on the notepad was not a grocery list, but keywords related to my outfit.
[So it's okay if he looks even older than his actual age?]
"Yeah. As long as it's not like, twenty years older?"
[If you count the years he's lived, he's probably around that age anyway.]
While I was trying to count how old I might actually be, Mr. Jeong Seongjun fired off orders so quickly it was doubtful he was even breathing.
[Look for a trench coat that has a tech nylon feel. Not the soft wool kind, but the crisp, rustling kind. It's good if it has a waist strap and wide lapels.]
"What's a lapel?"
"The collar on the front of the coat, like on a shirt."
From down at his feet, I gave a makeshift explanation, forming a triangle with my thumb and forefinger. Thankfully, Jeong Seongbin understood immediately.
[For guys with broad shoulders and a built chest like hyung-nim, a double-breasted coat, the one with two rows of buttons, looks good, but he might be thinner than he looks on screen, so it might be better to have him try it on before deciding?]
"Buttons… two rows…"
[And no messy stuff attached to the back for 'functionality,' like a hood.]
"He's so firm…"
Jeong Seongbin diligently jotted down the strict instructions. The surprising thing was that just by listening to Mr. Jeong Seongjun's item suggestions, I could roughly picture what my future self would look like.
Jeong Seongbin's phone-a-friend ended with an impassioned plea to please not make me wear ankle socks and sneakers. The guy took the note, which was like a secret strategy pouch from Zhuge Liang, and went off on a coat hunt.
After a long intermediate process, it was time for the third step, the final combination and finishing touches. I hung the clothes I had gathered from here and there on hangers to check their shape and prepared some hair wax.
As soon as Jeong Seongbin returned, my plan was to sit him down, slick all his hair back, fasten a classic watch on his wrist, and drag him to a quiet, cozy cafe on the outskirts of Seoul.
But… surely Choi Jeho isn't only using clothes from his own closet?
You could overlook Park Joowoo, who had a decent number of clothes to use on Kang Kiyeon, and the youngest members, who had large wardrobes to begin with.
I had already been to Lee Cheonghyeon's closet, and Jeong Seongbin had gone 'farming' for clothes too, so why had Choi Jeho not shown his face at all? I mean, Jeong Seongbin and I had more neat items that would suit Lee Cheonghyeon than he did.
"Jeho-ya, you're not just using your own clothes, are you?!"
Trembling with anxiety, I shouted toward the room that Lee Cheonghyeon and Choi Jeho were using as a changing room. Instead of Choi Jeho's denial, only the sound of Lee Cheonghyeon's laughter burst out from beyond the door.