Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

To Jeong Seongbin, Kim Iwol was undeniably the most reliable member of the team.

 

There was something about him that made Jeong Seongbin feel like he could share concerns he found difficult to talk about with friends or younger members.

 

In addition, Kim Iwol was competent, talented, and even proactive.

 

Though he had started training later than the others and wasn’t naturally skilled at dancing, his relentless effort was evident as he gradually improved, leaving little room for doubt.

 

Because of that, Jeong Seongbin had never once worried about Kim Iwol.

 

Except for one thing: his health.

 

Kim Iwol’s stamina was vastly superior to the other members. Even when everyone else was exhausted after long hours of practice, Kim Iwol remained calm.

 

And it wasn’t just that.

 

While everyone else would head to bed the moment they got back to the dorm, Kim Iwol would often sit in front of his laptop before his weit hair even had a chance to dry.

 

He never missed a PT session. In fact, his trainer was sometimes shocked at how unchanging and consistent his workout routine was.

 

One day, while eating bread baked by Kim Iwol and walking to school together, his dongsaeng Kiyeon…

 

‘Is Iwol hyung a cyborg?’

 

…even said that. That was how consistent Kim Iwol was.

 

Although his dark circles got darker when he didn’t sleep much, Kim Iwol was always calm.

 

He didn’t seem particularly tired from lack of sleep, nor did he become irritable from diet restrictions.

 

Only once he excused himself early, saying he was tired while they were all monitoring together.

 

It was obvious that it wasn’t because he wasn’t feeling well. He probably had his reasons, so no one pressed him further.

 

Besides, Kim Iwol wasn’t the type to fully accept other people’s concerns about him.

 

Most of what he said was usually…

 

‘I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.’

 

‘I’m fine for now. Go on ahead.’

 

‘I’ll wrap things up when I have time.’

 

…or something like that.

 

Jeong Seongbin knew that Kim Iwol always drew a firm line when it came to work and schedules.

 

So all Jeong Seongbin could really do was occasionally remind him to take care of his health or throw in a few nagging words about getting more sleep, sometimes mentioning their younger member, Cheonghyeon, to persuade him.

 

That was why, when Kim Iwol had a nosebleed in the middle of the practice room.

 

Jeong Seongbin was very surprised but he couldn’t shake the thought that it was inevitable.

 

Everyone was shocked, but Kim Iwol was unfazed.

 

Instead, Kim Iwol calmly pressed a wad of tissue to his nose and said, ‘I’ll just plug it with tissues and keep going.’

 

Even with blood seeping through his fingers, Kim Iwol was calm.

 

The bleeding was so bad that it looked like he might have torn something.

 

Everyone advised Kim Iwol to go back to the dorm, but Kim Iwol would not listen.

 

Even after more than ten minutes had passed without the bleeding stopping, he remained determined, until Kiyeon, who rarely raised his voice at his hyungs, finally packed Kim Iwol’s things and practically dragged him out of the practice room.

 

Only after confirming that Kim Iwol was lying down on the bed in his room could everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

 

I should definitely contact the manager hyung when I wake up in the morning.

 

Jeong Seongbin thought to himself and also fell asleep in his bed. Until someone woke him up.

 

That someone placed a hand on his shoulder and shook it gently.

 

And then that person called out to him in a small voice.

 

‘Seongbin, Seongbin…’

 

The one who called his name several times was his friend and other roommate, Park Joowoo.

 

Jeong Seongbin forced his eyes open. In the dark room, Park Joowoo’s shadow was faintly visible.

 

‘Ungh… What is it?’

 

‘I’m sorry for waking you up. But… Where did Iwol hyung go?’

 

‘What?’

 

In an instant, Jeong Seongbin was fully awake, the shock feeling like a blow to the back of his head.

 

‘What do you mean? Isn’t he in his room?’

 

Jeong Seongbin sat up abruptly and asked. His eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, saw Park Joowoo’s anxious expression.

 

‘I woke up and thought I’d check on him to see if he was bleeding again, but his bed was empty I thought maybe he said something to you before he left.’

 

Jeong Seongbin had never heard anything of the sort.

 

He immediately kicked off the blanket and headed to the other members’ rooms.

 

Just as Park Joowoo had said, one of the beds on the first floor was empty.

 

Some might say that it wasn’t unusual for a grown man to step out late at night.

 

But the Kim Iwol that Jeong Seongbin knew was the type who would never do anything that went against the rules.

 

For him to leave without saying anything meant there had to be a reason.

 

Jeong Seongbin hurriedly went to the living room and picked up the phone. Then he called the manager.

 

If Kim Iwol had gone to the hospital in the middle of the night, the manager would have accompanied him.

 

However, Jeong Seongbin’s expectations were dashed, and after the beep sound stopped, the manager’s voice, who seemed to have been in a deep sleep, was heard.

 

‘…Hello?’

 

‘Uh, hyung….’

 

‘Is that you, Seongbin? Why are you calling at this hour?’

 

Hearing the drowsy voice, Jeong Sengbin was taken aback.

 

He tried his best to remain calm and apologized for the call, explaining that he suddenly forgot his schedule for tomorrow, and then he hung up the phone.

 

Watching him kneeling in front of the living room cabinet during the call, Joowoo asked,

 

‘…Manager hyung doesn’t know either?’

 

‘Yeah. It seems hyung went out alone.’

 

Struggling to hide his anxiety, Jeong Seongbin nervously bit his lip

 

He kept thinking about Kim Iwol’s pale face and the blood streaming down his hand that he had seen during the day.

 

At that moment, Park Joowoo, who was watching Jeong Seongbin, said.

 

‘I’ll go around the neighborhood… He might have gone to the convenience store to buy medicine.’

 

‘Huh? No, I’ll go. You should rest.’

 

‘Seongbin, you have to go to school tomorrow. I can sleep in before practice.’

 

With that, Joowoo headed toward the door. Jeong Seongbin suddenly remembered a time when Joowoo had been seriously ill with a high fever.

 

At that time, Kim Iwol had run outside in the middle of the night without hesitation. Perhaps that was why Park Joowoo felt the need to be proactive now.

 

At the same time, he remembered what Kim Iwol had suggested to the team for his sake.

 

‘Let’s at least pair up in teams of two while we’re in the company.’

 

…Those words.

 

Jeong Seongbin rose to his feet. Then he left the dorm with Park Joowoo.

 

The two of them ran around the neighborhood for quite some time.

 

They went to every convenience store they could find and even went to the emergency room of a nearby hospital.

 

They asked if a tall man named Kim Iwol had ever been there, but the only answer he got was ‘No.’

 

‘He didn’t go out to buy medicine…?’

 

Park Joowoo muttered, trailing off. It was already past midnight.

 

At that moment, something flashed through Jeong Seongbin’s mind.

 

It was a question Kim Iwol had suddenly asked him a while ago.

 

‘Let’s say if you train hard for a week, you’re guaranteed to see results. Will you follow my lead?’

 

‘Guaranteed?’

 

‘Yes, definitely.’

 

One week. And since then, Kim Iwol had been diligently making sure that the members practiced for five hours straight.

 

And Kim Iwol himself had been putting in nearly 15 hours of practice each day.

 

‘Joowoo.’

 

‘Huh?’

 

‘I think I know where hyung is.’

 

Jeong Seongbin ran straight there.

 

When Park Joowoo asked where he was going, Jeong Seongbin didn’t stop moving and just answered that he was going to the practice room. Park Joowoo seemed surprised but didn’t question it further.

 

As he picked up his pace, Jeong Seongbin hoped that the practice-obsessed hyung wouldn’t actually be in the practice room.

 

And he prayed that it wasn’t just because of a revelation from his ancestors that Kim Iwol persisted in practicing until the end.

 

However, what greeted Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo in the basement of UA was a bright light spilling out from the practice room, where the lights had definitely been turned off.

 

When Jeong Seongbin opened the door, he saw Kim Iwol standing there, drenched in sweat, looking as if he felt refreshed.

 

* * *

 

I looked at Jeong Seongbin’s face, then at the clock on the practice room wall.

 

“What are you doing here at this hour? Did you come here alone?”

 

As soon as I finished speaking, Park Joowoo’s head appeared over Jeong Seongbin’s shoulder.

 

So, the two minors ventured out together at night. These kids were asking for a scolding.

 

Just as I was deciding whether to reprimand them for sneaking out without a word or praise them for sticking together, Jeong Seongbin’s expression turned serious.

 

“Hyung, is that important right now?”

 

For once, there was a rare frown on his face.

 

“Do you know how surprised we were that you’re gone? And why are you in the practice room at this hour when you’re not feeling well?”

 

Only then did I realize that these guys had come all this way because of me.

 

It was regrettable that I’d been found out, but since I had already fulfilled the practice hours, I wouldn’t lose anything by going back now. I said as I closed the cap on my water bottle.

 

“Sorry. I thought you were all asleep. I was just about to head back…”

 

“No, I don’t want to hear an apology!”

 

Jeong Seongbin’s voice echoed in the practice room. He shouted in frustration.

 

“You were bleeding so much, but you kept saying you were fine, and you didn’t listen when I told you to go to the hospital! What if it’s something serious?”

 

“Seongbin, it’s just a nosebleed…”

 

“Most people don’t bleed so much from just a nosebleed that they soak their clothes or stumble while walking!”

 

Jeong Seongbin didn’t back down an inch. He must have been really disturbed by the sight of my blood-soaked shirt.

 

But I really didn’t need to go to the hospital. My nosebleed wasn’t a health issue, it was a penalty from the system.

 

Besides, in the past nine years of health check-ups, I’d never once had any significant issues. There was no way I’d suddenly develop something serious now.

 

I was at a loss as to how to explain this. I was just grateful that Park Joowoo was trying to stop Jeong Seongbin, even if the attempt seemed awkward.

 

Despite Park Joowoo’s dissuasion, Jeong Seongbin didn’t stop.

 

“We came together because you told us to go in pairs. We’ve filled all the practice hours and done everything you asked us to do. So why are you not following the one rule you set about telling us if something’s wrong?”

 

“I didn’t mention it because I wasn’t actually sick. Who would expect a nosebleed?”

 

“If Cheonghyeon or Kiyeon were in your shoes, would you say the same thing? That it’s just a nosebleed, no big deal, and to keep practicing?”

 

Jeong Seongbin was even more persistent than when I got hit by Yoo Hansoo.

 

I sighed softly inside. I didn’t want to argue with a kid.

 

“Seongbin, you would have done the same thing back then.”

 

“…What?”

 

“I mean practice. You said you’d keep at it, even if it didn’t guarantee results.”

 

When I’d asked him if he’d work hard under the assumption he’d see results, Jeong Seongbin had definitely replied like that.

 

And as expected, Jeong Seongbin, who had a good memory, immediately remembered the conversation at that time.

 

I didn’t miss this opportunity and continued talking.

 

“I did it because I thought it would definitely yield results. I wanted to prepare as much as possible before the comeback. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

 

“But you didn’t mention that it’d involve this kind of strain.”

 

“That’s just a matter of handling conditions differently. Is there anyone among the members who doesn’t practice to their limits right now?”

 

“Why does that ‘limit’ apply so harshly only to you? It’s true we’re all doing our best, but we don’t all practice as much or sleep as little as you do, because you’re looking out for everyone! But why does only hyung…”

 

“Seongbin, you’re not seriously asking that, are you?”

 

I shrugged my shoulders and said.

 

“I’m doing this because I’m way behind you guys.”