Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

It was almost 3 a.m.

 

The Spark dorm was in utter chaos. Everyone had their suitcases spread open, preparing for what could only be described as a ‘packing content’ frenzy.  Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought they were all running away from home.

 

After I pointed out that filming would be a disaster if they packed so haphazardly, Spark decided to pack in order, assigning specific filming turns.

 

“Considering the time allotted per group, we won’t need that much footage. Let’s film three people at a time, based on roommates.”

 

“Should we film our room first then?”

 

“Sure. Seongbin, can you check if Kiyeon and Joowoo have packed the essentials?”

 

A little while later, when they said they were ready, I grabbed the camcorder and headed to Jeong Sungbin’s room.

 

Three suitcases were crammed onto the narrow floor.

 

One suitcase, in particular, stood out.

 

It was fluorescent lime green, covered with cute characters.

 

“Whose is that unique suitcase?”

 

I asked, thinking it might belong to Kang Kiyeon, the manga enthusiast. Surprisingly, it was Jeong Seongbin’s. Apparently, it was something he borrowed from Jeong Seongjun. At this rate, I wondered if Jeong Seongjun even had anything left at home.

 

“What have you packed so far?”

 

“Extra clothes and toiletries. Should we pack our own pajamas, or should we bring the team practice uniform?”

 

“The dorm’s air conditioning is centrally controlled, so it might be cold. Pack one short set and one long set each.”

 

Kang Kiyeon nodded at my words and put a black tracksuit and a pair of training pants into his suitcase.

 

“I’ll pack all our vitamins!”

 

Jeong Seongbin diligently gathered the members’ vitamins. So meticulous without even being told. What would you guys do without Jeong Seongbin?

 

“Guys, packing is great and all, but can you look up for a second? Your faces are in the backlight.”

 

“Oh…!”

 

I contorted myself into a corner of the room, trying to get the best shots of their faces and luggage.

 

I hope the IDC production crew appreciates my dedication. To all the camera operators out there, hang in there.

 

I did a final check of the three boys’ luggage.

 

“Kiyeon, pack a heat patch. Joowoo, just in case, throw in some honey sticks. Seongbin, do we have a Polaroid camera in our dorm?”

 

“Yes. Should I bring it?”

 

“Yeah. We probably won’t have time to take photos, but better safe than sorry.”

 

It was better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. There was a reason why the well-prepared always survived.

 

Kang Kiyeon handled the filming for our room in return.

 

“There are seriously never any belongings in this room.”

 

Kang Kiyeon commented. Lee Cheonghyeon chuckled and shrugged.

 

“Both hyungs are minimalists. It’s nice for me—I get extra storage space.”

 

As Lee Cheonghyeon said, Choi Jeho’s suitcase was practically empty. I wondered if he’d even packed any extra clothes.

 

“Are you…a one-outfit kind of guy?”

 

“I put them in the front pocket.”

 

“All your clothes fit in there?”

 

Did he only pack underwear?

 

Well, he was 21—surely he knew how to pack properly.

 

But still, just in case, should I tell him to pack a jacket?

 

In that fleeting moment, I agonized over it countless times.

 

And then, I made up my mind.

 

“Repack your clothes in front of me.”

 

Might as well use the camera as my leverage.

 

As expected, Choi Jeho didn’t put up a fight. Brainwashing him to be docile as a newborn lamb in front of the camera had finally paid off.

 

Choi Jeho hastily packed his clothes again and left the room. 

 

When he came back, he was holding the night lamp.

 

“You’re packing that now?”

 

“Yeah. We’re filming overnight, right?”

 

“Then what about tonight? If you put it in your suitcase now, you can’t use it tonight.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Oh? Ohhh?

 

What exactly did the Manager’s daughter see in this guy?

 

Besides his exotic face, broad shoulders wider than a keyboard, perfectly shaped V-line torso, and the graceful curve from his thighs to his knees, I mean.

 

I had lived with Choi Jeho for over a year, and I still didn’t get it.

 

“What did you pack, hyung?”

 

Kang Kiyeon asked, walking over to my suitcase.

 

My old suitcase, the one the system threw my way, contained a few clothes, a journal, and an assortment of skincare products.

 

“This is the toner we share, this one is Joowoo’s toner…”

 

“You’re bringing two bottles of toner?”

 

“Joowoo has sensitive skin; he can’t use just anything.”

 

In the past, during one of their rare outdoor shoots, Park Joowoo had used the wrong sunscreen, and his skin had completely reacted badly. So many Sparklers had been heartbroken.

 

My finger joints had almost given out from editing that footage. I wouldn’t let anyone suffer such pain again.

 

“Your bag must be heavy, hyung. You’re packing first-aid supplies, too, right? If you don’t have space, you can put them in my bag!”

 

“Let’s say your hand is bleeding profusely right now, Cheonghyeon. What would be faster, opening your suitcase or a smaller bag?”

 

“…I’ll get a smaller bag!”

 

“Good boy.”

 

And so, with the ever-clueless Lee Cheonghyeon tasked with gathering every kind of medicine, including motion sickness pills, we finally wrapped up the packing content shoot.

 

Hoping the dorm would be close by, I confirmed the footage was safely recorded on the camcorder and then collapsed onto my bed.

 

* * *

 

The day of the retreat dawned.

 

I had a bad feeling. It started with seeing things in the morning.

 

A small number ‘3’ was floating in the upper right corner of my vision. No matter how much I rubbed my eyes, it wouldn’t disappear.

 

I wondered if it was the system’s doing, but it felt different from anything I’d experienced before.

 

‘An update?’

 

Sometimes the development team would mess up the website while doing updates. Since the person in charge of approvals was as inefficient as Manager Nam, it wouldn’t be surprising if there was a bug.

 

I couldn’t exactly head to the ophthalmologist right before filming, so I decided to ignore it for now.

 

The weather was also incredibly hot. I went to the salon and said, ‘Please put two layers of sunscreen on their faces!’ only to be told by the stylist, ‘Iwol, how about getting a tan instead?’

 

It was this kind of encouragement that led kids like Lee Cheonghyeon to roast their skin during every vacation, burning fans’ hearts and my mental state to a crisp…

 

Honestly, if the community hadn’t been flooded with positive posts the night before, I might have gone ballistic on these kids.

 

≫ Spk was legendary today.

 

Their stage was sooooooooooo beautiful…

 

└ Is this seriously a competition stage?ㅠㅠㅠ I thought it was a concert

 

≫ A fairytale-like survival performance

 

Spark’s ‘Starlight’

 

Hair, makeup, costumes, stage production, everything was perfect

 

It felt like watching a music video even though it was a live performance!

 

└ I think the rearrangement was well done. The stage was beautiful too.

 

└ I was worried because the original song was unbeatable, but my jaw dropped at the final production.

 

└ I also liked that they changed the theme from love for a romantic partner to love for a research subjectㅠ

 

≫ During the planning meeting, I had no clue what kind of stage they were aiming for

 

But they pulled this offㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

There’s no way our boys aren’t geniuses

 

If you disagree, you’re wrong

 

Thanks to these comments, I truly enjoyed monitoring the online reaction. I even shared a few in the group chat. Of course, everyone was too busy packing or passed out to check until the morning.

 

“Should we wait here?”

 

Jeong Seongbin asked the camera director, confirming the waiting location one last time.

 

Since it wasn’t a studio shoot, the broadcasting station sent a bus to pick up the teams, starting with the nearest one.

 

Since Spark’s dorm was the furthest from Seoul, we were the last to be picked up. It was a good thing we were idols and not daily commuters.

 

The bus arrived 20 minutes later than expected due to delays with the previous team. I almost died trying to fill in the blank footage.

 

The bus we finally boarded had a large banner attached to it.

 

It read, ‘~Let’s go to the Baekjung Nori Festival~’…

 

It seemed they wanted to do something befitting the title ‘Idol Dynasty Chronicle’, even if it was a little late for a simple team-building activity. The timing was a bit off, but it would roughly coincide with the broadcast date of the episode.

 

Getting on the 45-seater bus, I saw it was nearly full. Oddly, there were empty seats scattered here and there.

 

‘Is it assigned seating?’

 

Sure enough, there were small pieces of paper on the seats.

 

I had two ears, but it felt like I’d need five ears to keep up with the nonsense these five would spout in their respective seats. I was already tired.

 

But if it was assigned seating, I’d rather sit with Parthe or All Over.

 

Of course, the seat next to Song Minil was empty.

 

Why him of all people? If it were Han Gawoon, we could at least talk about music.

 

As I inwardly cursed my luck, someone far away waved a hand.

 

“Iwol! Your seat is here!”

 

It really was an All Over member. And not just any member, but the one who formed a unit with Choi Jeho and the member who would go to jail in the future.

 

For a fleeting moment, I wanted to scream that I had severe motion sickness and collapse on the floor.

 

The bus quickly became lively.

 

The paired-up cast members were busy chatting.

 

Even Choi Jeho was deep in discussion with someone.

 

And…

 

“Iwol, would you like to drink this?”

 

“No, thank you. I appreciate the offer, though.”

 

…Only All Over’s Seo Yunseop and I were engaged in a hellish game of avoiding eye contact.

 

It was a sin to keep your mouth shut in front of the camera. I knew that.

 

But this a**hole got caught doing drugs! Not just using, either—he’d be caught distributing to his teammates!

 

I’d rather get scolded for staying quiet than risk being associated with a potential drug cartel in ‘Idol Destiny Chronicle’.

 

It was not time yet, but honestly, I was suspicious of what might be in that drink right now. I’d rather eat dry crackers without water.

 

“What do you do to relieve stress, Iwol?”

 

“I don’t really get stressed much.”

 

Typically, you’d return the question out of politeness, but I wasn’t going to. Because this person would soon relieve his stress with drugs.

 

Since I was already labeled as the rude guy who didn’t greet senior groups properly, what difference would it make to add another charge of spacing out in the corner of the bus? So I stayed quiet. Then Seo Yunseop spoke again.

 

“I heard Cheonghyeon composes for Spark?”

 

“Yes. He’s also handling the arrangement for the competition pieces.”

 

“Really? That’s amazing. Isn’t he still young?”

 

He was amazing, indeed.

 

Even though he had a musical background, Lee Cheonghyeon’s growth was astonishing. Every time others acknowledged this, it only reinforced how brilliant he truly was.

 

But compared to those achievements, the kid was still…

 

“He’s quite young.”

 

A few rows over, I could see the round top of Lee Cheonghyeon’s head. He was chatting excitedly and laughing brightly with the person next to him, whom I couldn’t see.

 

“It must be a lot of pressure to compose at such a young age.”

 

“Fortunately, he seems to be enjoying it for now.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yes.”

 

How many idols who composed music would find it didn’t suit their aptitude, anyway? I didn’t want to bother being polite, so I just answered like that. He should be grateful I managed to keep smiling and maintain basic social decorum.

 

Despite my half-hearted responses, Seo Yunseop persistently continued the conversation.

 

“Still, creating music can’t be easy. Inspiration isn’t infinite, you know. Right?”

 

“Haha, you’re right.”

 

I didn’t know much about creativity, so I wouldn’t know.

 

And honestly, I wished he’d stop taking an interest in our group members…

 

‘Wait a minute.’

 

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

 

I looked back and forth between Seo Yunseop next to me and Lee Cheonghyeon, who was smiling a few rows away.

 

Then, a rumor I had briefly skimmed over flashed through my mind.

 

≫ Is it true that LCH is a drug addict?

 

The case was filed against him, but the results came back negative, so the matter was quietly dropped.

 

However, it was the issue that once led to Lee Cheonghyeon being removed from all advertisements.