Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 96: The Coffee Truck, From Planning to Payment
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TL: FoodieMonster007
Ever since the rookie idol group spArk debuted, Kim Iwol was usually the first to try new activities. Starting with his appearance on 'People Who Drink', which broke the ice for his solo variety show career, he began showing his face here and there.
Exceptional eloquence and a noticeable wit were Kim Iwol's greatest strengths. Industry insiders who had spoken with Kim Iwol all said the same thing, "I can't believe he's a rookie."
He was the eldest hyung who was quick to read the atmosphere and knew how to lead the set smoothly, a model student whose actions were flawless, and a smooth talker who never ran out of things to say. Perhaps because of this, Kim Iwol often heard that he seemed to have a lot of life experience, even from his early debut days.
The company had immense trust in Kim Iwol. In fact, it would have been stranger not to trust such a talented individual.
From UA's perspective, Kim Iwol was a dependable member they could send anywhere without worry. He was not afraid of the camera, yet he was not careless or reckless.
There was no better skill for being a celebrity.
Even as a trainee, Kim Iwol had made a good impression on the staff. "He's not the type to cause trouble anywhere he goes."
This trust, combined with Kim Iwol's proactive nature of making work for himself, allowed him to expand his territory day by day.
Filming a drama was part of this expansion. Although acting lessons were essential for idols in this era, they did not actually expect them to shine from their rookie days.
It was to prepare for when an offer came for a role that just needed a big name or a pretty face. Both the company and the trainees knew the inside story.
In such a situation, Kim Iwol received an audition offer. He did not just receive it. He even landed the role.
According to his manager, Lim Chanyoung, the staff's response was not bad either. His good memory in acting class had often earned him praise, but praise alone did not guarantee skill.
Kim Iwol coolly shattered those concerns.
The work was by no means easy. The on-set hazing was so severe that Jeong Seongbin once caught Kim Iwol, who rarely complained to his younger members, venting about it.
Some on set resented having an idol in the cast, and it showed.
It was a fate that idols who entered the acting world had to endure, but from the younger members' perspective, it was not easy watching their hyung take the lead and face this on their behalf.
"How can we boost our hyung's morale?"
One day, when Kim Iwol was away for filming, Lee Cheonghyeon gathered the members in the living room and asked.
"Compliments…?"
"Taking good care of our looks…?"
Jeong Seongbin and Kang Kiyeon each offered an opinion. Lee Cheonghyeon thought it over carefully before speaking.
"We can only compliment him after the show airs, and our looks… honestly, I think we're already working hard enough."
"Even if we do well, Jeho-hyung resets everything."
"What about me," Choi Jeho chimed in, but Kang Kiyeon said no more. Just a few days ago, Kang Kiyeon had witnessed Kim Iwol nagging Choi Jeho relentlessly about his cleansing routine.
"Then what about encouragement? Couldn't we do that before the show airs?" Jeong Seongbin asked, proposing a second plan that fixed the flaws of the first.
"Right. They say compliments make even a whale dance, so wouldn't cheering him on have a positive effect? That hyung is more of a shark than a whale, but let's try something!"
From the next day, it became a daily routine for those at the dorm to gather and offer words of encouragement whenever Kim Iwol left for work. Whether there were few of them or the whole group, they would crowd the doorway to see him off.
Kim Iwol would wave with a bewildered look on his face and leave. Lim Chanyoung, who came to pick him up, tilted his head a few times but did not seem to mind.
However, this was not enough. Considering how much Kim Iwol had given to spArk, both materially and emotionally, he deserved something more.
"If we go to the set, we'll just be a bother. What would be good…"
As Lee Cheonghyeon sat in front of his laptop with a gloomy face, someone placed an arm on his shoulder. He felt the soft texture of the sleeve.
Only Park Joowoo wore clothes of this material.
"How about… a coffee truck?"
Within that soft-spoken voice was a keyword that made his eyes light up.
"That's it!"
Lee Cheonghyeon's eyes sparkled. He instantly gathered all the members into the living room.
Thus began the grand project of sending a coffee truck to the set of 'In My Office'.
"Send a coffee truck?" Jeong Seongbin asked again. The culture of sending coffee trucks as support was familiar to him.
A quick search revealed posts saying that coffee trucks were often sent to drama sets for actors.
"I'm for it!" Kang Kiyeon said, looking a little excited at the thought of planning an event. The only one with no reaction was Choi Jeho.
"Hyung, what's your opinion…?" Jeong Seongbin asked, glancing cautiously at Choi Jeho. Even though they had debuted, Jeong Seongbin still found Choi Jeho a bit difficult to approach.
Both of the eldest hyungs had personalities that were not easy to deal with, each possessing a different kind of wall. Choi Jeho's wall was more distinct than Kim Iwol's and stood right in front of you.
It was not easy to speak while facing it.
"I don't know."
On top of that, Choi Jeho was a man of few words.
Does he not like the idea of a coffee truck? Or does he not feel like doing something together? The guessing was entirely up to Jeong Seongbin.
Still, if it can give Iwol-hyung strength, I want to try anything…!
It had not even been a year since their debut, but Kim Iwol had already been through so much. He had faced a barrage of public criticism and even underwent surgery for a severe injury.
Experiencing this series of events, Jeong Seongbin was filled with many regrets. He should have stopped his hyung from going to buy drinks alone, or he should have gone with him.
He should not have been swayed by his hyung's words that they would do fine on their own and should have let him rest properly. The thoughts were an endless chain.
His gratitude was as great as his guilt. Jeong Seongbin, who was still finding his footing as a leader, was keenly aware of his own immaturity.
However, at the same time, he wanted to grow to meet the expectations of Kim Iwol, who had told him, "If we were to pick a leader from our group, I think you're the most suitable."
Jeong Seongbin gave himself a pep talk. I am the leader. If I have something to say to the members, I should be able to say it! Swallowing once, Jeong Seongbin mustered his courage and asked, "What, uh, part of it… don't you like?!"
It was not cool like a charismatic idol leader meme. It was a complete mess.
He stuttered through the single sentence, and his voice cracked. Jeong Seongbin wanted to cry a little.
Choi Jeho's completely unfazed expression made it even more humiliating.
If he says he doesn't see the need for us to do it together, like during practice, I'll have to ask him to join in just this once since Iwol-hyung has been through so much. It's not an obligation so I can't force him, but since we're members, we're family…?
In that short moment, Jeong Seongbin's mind was already assuming Choi Jeho would give a negative answer. He had seen Choi Jeho and Kang Kiyeon fight over a similar issue, so the thought came to him automatically.
Just as Jeong Seongbin was agonizing, Choi Jeho spoke in his characteristically indifferent tone. "He only drinks lukewarm water. Do you think he'll be happy about a coffee truck?"
Jeong Seongbin had momentarily forgotten that the group's second-eldest hyung was no ordinary person. Nobody became spArk's Center Emperor for nothing.
So this is how extraordinary you have to be to get saved as 'Emperor' in Iwol-hyung's phone. Jeong Seongbin genuinely thought so.
"So you're not against sending something to Iwol-hyung, right?" Lee Cheonghyeon asked again for confirmation. Choi Jeho nodded.
"The menu… I think we can choose from a list."
"Then natural mineral water."
"Why not just send a whole case?"
"Yeah, let's send that."
Lee Cheonghyeon burst out laughing at the straightforward agreement. Choi Jeho wore an expression that seemed to say, 'I told you to do it, so what's the problem?'
In that moment, something Kim Iwol had said in the past flashed through Jeong Seongbin's mind.
"Putting everything else aside, Seongbin-ah. Do you think there's anyone else on our team who's fit to be the leader besides you?"
Just last year, Jeong Seongbin had genuinely believed that either Kim Iwol or Choi Jeho should be the leader. Kim Iwol, who possessed both leadership and drive, or Choi Jeho, who was exceptionally talented and not easily swayed by others.
He did not think he would have much opposition to either of them.
However, now. After seeing Kim Iwol drinking soju with a straw on a drinking show and Choi Jeho genuinely believing they could send plain water with a coffee truck, his thoughts had changed a little.
If he stood by and did nothing, bundles of 1.5L water bottles would be sent to his eldest hyung's first drama set.
Since I've taken on the role of leader… I have to work hard…!
Did Choi Jeho know that he had given his younger member a tremendous amount of motivation?
He almost certainly did not. In any case, Jeong Seongbin, with renewed determination, gained the courage to push forward with the 'Send a Coffee Truck Plan' more actively.
After that, they divided the roles smoothly. Park Joowoo looked into the truck companies, and Kang Kiyeon drew up a quote.
Jeong Seongbin wrote the text for the banner and X-banner to be hung on the truck. Lee Cheonghyeon was in charge of the photos for the cup holders and image editing.
Choi Jeho took on the tasks involving money, like contacting the company and checking the quote. While checking the quote Kang Kiyeon had prepared, he went ahead and paid for it himself.
When they offered to send him their one-fifth share, Choi Jeho seemed puzzled.
"You guys are paying me?"
"You were planning to pay for it all, hyung…?"
"You think I'd ask high schoolers to pay?"
"What are you talking about? If we knew you were going to pay for it all yourself, you should have said so during the meeting!"
Jeong Seongbin was aghast. Following the attempt to send plain water with the coffee truck, it was hard not to feel a heavy sense of responsibility in front of the hyung who he thought was going to cover 100% of the cost.
After some twists and turns, Jeong Seongbin was able to pay Choi Jeho a portion of the coffee truck's cost.
The secretly prepared coffee truck successfully arrived at the filming location. As soon as the company owner's text arrived saying the truck was there, Kim Iwol called using Lim Chanyoung's phone.
[You haven't even been paid yet, where did you get the money to do this? You must be busy, who had the time to order it…]
It was all worry, from start to finish. Kim Iwol's expression was so vivid it was as if he were right there.
The nagging was much longer than usual. His bewilderment was also palpable.
He was so skilled at doing things for others, but he seemed unaccustomed to receiving them.
[Thanks. I'll enjoy the drink.]
Coming from that Kim Iwol, the words of gratitude had the power to touch one's heart.
For someone who had nagged the members so much, Kim Iwol sent back some pretty cool proof shots. Among the photos he sent, one showed only the coffee truck, without his face in it at all.
"Looks like hyung liked the truck, right?" Lee Cheonghyeon said with a laugh, organizing the photos.
That afternoon, Jeong Seongbin received a BubblePop message from the Sparklers saying 'Iwol's profile picture changed'. When he checked the app, Kim Iwol's BubblePop profile picture had indeed changed.
The photo, cropped to show only his shoulders so as not to spoil his drama costume, still showed the coffee truck behind him. Jeong Seongbin could not help but smile a little.
Translator's Note: I caught up! For now…