Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 92: The World's Best Photographer Competition (3)
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TL: FoodieMonster007
Thanks to the efforts of Jeong Seongbin and Mr. Jeong Seongjun, I found myself wearing a coat that made me look like a foreign actor, something I had never imagined.
"We're heading out first-!"
While I was styling Jeong Seongbin's hair, Lee Cheonghyeon beat us to the punch. They were the first of the three teams to set off.
I did not even get a glimpse of their outfits before they vanished in a flash.
Still, I had no time to get distracted. I had to show off Jeong Seongbin's full hairline to the world.
As I meticulously styled even his baby hairs with a delicate touch, his hair started to look quite impressive. All those chats with my hairstylist at the salon, picking up skills, had paid off.
"My lord, are you pleased with the style?"
"Isn't this outfit a bit too modern for a lord…!"
Jeong Seongbin laughed, looking a bit flustered. This kind of inside joke was only usable in our self-produced content.
The spArk video team, being familiar with the 'Lord of Seongbinius Castle' content, could add a footnote about it in the subtitles or even insert a reference photo. However, we could not expect that kind of treatment on a regular variety show.
You have to bring up old lore whenever you get the chance to extend its lifespan, so I make sure to drop the right keywords at the right moments. Mentioning Choi Jeho's acting to Park Joowoo on the day I used the voice-changing mic was a similar move.
Busy, busy, pouring my heart and soul into the group.
"Hyung, do you like your outfit?"
His question was filled with concern. It was actually quite good, aside from being a little extravagant.
That was probably because Mr. Jeong Seongjun had clearly laid out the dos and don'ts, and had faithfully followed Jeong Seongbin's instructions.
He does have a basic sense of style, as long as you exclude his occasional obsession with strange details…!?
It is just that his shortcomings in that area are so unique they are hard to ignore. Still, Jeong Seongbin is only human.
He is not going to bring out something like a fluorescent orange top paired with glow-in-the-dark Bermuda shorts. This was proof of that.
My team with Jeong Seongbin was the second to go. We could not even catch a glimpse of Park Joowoo and Kang Kiyeon, who were still in their room doing who-knows-what.
When we said we were leaving first, all we got was Park Joowoo sticking his hand through a crack in the door to wave goodbye.
"What on earth are those two planning?"
"Maybe they're picking out a lot of accessories?"
"Like the handmade customer appreciation t-shirts made by Yonggwang Electronics' entertainment division?"
You have no idea how tear-jerking the reviews were from the customers… no, the Sparklers who received those t-shirts. Kneeling in repentance would not have been enough.
After five years as an idol with the mission to only bring laughter to our Sparklers, I had done something so ungrateful. I planned to make it up to them with an incredible reverse tribute next time.
"Shall we get going then?"
"Sounds good!"
We left the dorm energetically. The autumn sky was a brilliant blue, and it felt like we would get some great photos.
Jeong Seongbin in a coat was a surefire success. Seated on an outdoor terrace on a bright, sunny day, he boasted visuals that were more than enough to garner countless hearts on Instagram.
I also ordered a cold drink and placed it in his hand. It was a paper cup with a sleeve, as if it were a hot drink, but the contents were iced.
The sleeve was merely a decoration to keep the large cup from looking plain.
It's annoying if steam makes parts of his clothes blurry or throws off the focus.
An ambiguous element like steam from a drink is too trivial to bother editing, yet too distracting to ignore. It does not have the same impact as concert confetti or the puff of a cold breath.
Unless you are shooting a winter-themed pictorial with an expensive, ultra-high-definition camera, it is better to avoid any steam effects when using a phone camera.
But then again, it would look visually strange for him to be holding a plastic cup full of ice while wearing a turtleneck and a coat. So this was the compromise.
"I have a question, may I ask?"
"The angle of your lips is a work of art right now, so can you ask me with ventriloquism? Don't look at me, keep your head still."
"Wuldn't a moar splundid backgrund be bettur…?"
He was asking if a more glamorous background would not have been better. Unfortunately, the concept we were aiming for was limited to 'a single photo of a stylish guy, taken casually while he was out for an appointment'.
He probably wanted to suggest a large, scenic cafe on the outskirts of the city or a well-decorated designer brand concept store. I would have to tell him after the shoot that going to places that hint at one's dating history is worse than not going at all.
Besides the background, there were a myriad of other factors to consider to produce a photo with the right vibe.
"Try bringing just one hand to your chin. Not the one with the watch. Just rest your arm with the watch on the table. It's even better if you turn your hand toward your body."
For example, any pose that blatantly shows the 'intention of showing off one's wrist by holding a cup or propping up one's chin with the watch-wearing hand' was out. People are not fools.
If you act like you are begging them to notice how expensive your watch is, they will immediately detect the underlying tackiness. It is just as bad as taking a photo inside a car just to show the logo, or cropping a profile picture so the car keys are visible in the corner.
If it is a virtue for an idol to be decked out in accessories on stage, then in daily life, you need to know how to tone it down to look stylish. That is why I deliberately had him wear the most classic and simple watch.
A selfie pose does not really suit this style either. Even if it is supposed to look like someone else casually snapped the photo, everyone knows it is a staged situation.
So, a pose where you are pretending to take a selfie while being hyper-aware of your jawline? Everyone knows the phone screen would be blank, so what is the point?
So I told Jeong Seongbin to just look wherever he wanted. Instead, I was the one moving all over the place to find the right angle.
"I've taken the photos of you not looking at me, so look at me now. Give me a friendly smile! Just a smile! Don't let your eyes crinkle into half-moons!"
My passionate directing started to draw laughter from the directors who were filming. Regardless, I kept taking pictures of Jeong Seongbin diligently.
"Mm, this came out great!"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Starting tomorrow, you're going to invade everyone's algorithms and be all over their Instagram feeds."
While I lavished him with praise, my hands were busy marking the A-cuts as favorites. I told him I had taken my fill of photos, so he should ask for any poses he wanted.
As he tidied up the table, he said, "I've already taken mine."
"When?"
"On our way here!"
"Did you take a picture of me kneeling on the ground pressing the shutter?"
"You didn't even let me touch my phone, what are you talking about!"
Jeong Seongbin exclaimed with a baffled expression. Hearing that, I realized he was right and readily agreed.
"They said Jeho and Cheonghyeon's team finished their shoot and are already back. Joowoo and Kiyeon are moving from their first spot to the second."
Jeong Seongbin reported the situation after checking his phone. One team had meticulously dressed, gone out, and moved to another location to shoot, while the other team had gone out at a speed that made you doubt if they had even put on clothes, finished their task, and were already back.
The two groups' patterns of behavior were worlds apart.
"I'm scared to see the results."
Did my sincerity get through? Jeong Seongbin let out a laugh.
For a while after we all gathered, the dorm was in chaos. It was because Choi Jeho had a pizza blanket wrapped around his lower body, and Lee Cheonghyeon was draped from the neck down in a comforter.
"What is this disgraceful behavior in front of the camera?!"
"It's a strategy to aim for a surprising twist. It's intentional and I can guarantee a definite effect, so I'd appreciate it if you'd respect it."
Lee Cheonghyeon spouted that nonsense with a serious face. Since we were in front of the cameras, I could not nag him too much, so I held it in.
Damn it, if only there were no eyes watching…
"Seongbin, you want to cover up with something too? As the leader, you should be treated well."
"If Seongbin-hyung covers up any more, won't he collapse from the heat?"
"That would be a problem. I'll treat you preciously."
After filling the audio with nothing but jokes for ten minutes, the last runners arrived. Park Joowoo, with a suit jacket draped over his arm, and Kang Kiyeon in a mustang jacket, showed their faces.
For the amount of time they took, their visuals were rather simple.
Some might ask how a mustang jacket could be simple, but for Kang Kiyeon, an outfit without stitching and a hand without rings is no different from a temple stay.
"Why are you two dressed like that?"
As soon as he came in, Kang Kiyeon also pointed out Choi Jeho and Lee Cheonghyeon's appearance.
"What if it turns out this is their concept…"
Park Joowoo said something horrifying. If that were the case, I would send my camera directors home early and go have a flower-viewing party by myself behind the sofa.
"How should we decide the presentation order? Draw lots?"
"Let's play ladder."
While the staff transferred the photos to display on the monitor, we followed Choi Jeho's suggestion and played the ladder game with fiery eyes. Park Joowoo and Kang Kiyeon's team was first, Choi Jeho and Lee Cheonghyeon were second, and Jeong Seongbin and I were last.
"I'll present first."
Kang Kiyeon slowly got up and straightened his clothes. Then he stood straight next to the monitor and politely clasped his hands.
"The photo of a lifetime I took of Joowoo-hyung is… this."
A vertical photo of Park Joowoo filled the screen. It showed him taking a cup from a drink tray, with the exterior wall of the UtopiA company building in the background.
"Ah… isn't this a bit too ordinary?"
Lee Cheonghyeon chimed in, clutching the tightly wrapped comforter even harder. Choi Jeho also looked unimpressed.
However, I could immediately see the true value of this photo.
It was because of the rough-around-the-edges vibe from Park Joowoo. He was at the company, but on the terrace, not in the office.
His sleeves, which would have been neatly down indoors, were rolled up to his forearms as he picked up a drink.
This… this is the senior colleague who sent me on a twenty-minute walk away from work under the pretext of a drink run!
I had clearly told Kang Kiyeon, 'No one at the office looks like a desirable man.' When all you want to do is smash everything and go home, how could anyone possibly look cool to you?
However, there were rare exceptions.
"A boss who discreetly gives you time to catch your breath during a busy day and even takes responsibility for you… doesn't that give you a good feeling?"
…A person who gives you a break was, indeed, a good person. I am not talking about the break time guaranteed by labor laws, but that one moment of unexpected leisure that arrives like welcome rain, along with the words, 'Why don't we all grab a snack before we continue?'
That alone was enough to melt an office worker's rage like snow. At that moment, I felt like I could give my heart and soul to the Park Joowoo on the screen.
"Where did you pick up such a dark concept?"
I asked in a trembling voice. Kang Kiyeon smiled and replied, "'Act On's Jo Yonghan."
A name as nostalgic as the memories of my office worker days came to mind. I was helplessly persuaded by Kang Kiyeon's presentation.