Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols - Chapter 148



Only Noblemtl

| Episode 148. Establishing measures to prevent recurrence (1)

Jeong Seong-bin is affectionate.

He doesn’t put up a wall around anyone and is friendly to everyone.

He was very considerate and knew how to look after each person. If the person was weak, Jeong Seong-bin would hover around them and pay attention to them.

Jeong Seong-bin clearly avoided me during breakfast. He sat further away from his usual seat, and he flinched noticeably when his mother mentioned me.

I thought you might have something to say since you came all the way to my room like that, so I asked you to sit down first.

Even though they were sitting next to each other on the bed, Jeong Seong-bin barely opened his mouth.

All I can say is… … .

‘Please lie down. You must be tired.’

… … that was all.

Before I knew it, I had become the eldest brother who was so arrogant that he would only let Jeong Seong-bin, who had come to visit me, sit down and lie down. No matter how gentle his tone was, it was hard to ignore what the leader said.

My poor pillowcase is all soaked. I’ll have to wash it again tomorrow.

I put a towel between my head and the pillow and glanced at Jeong Seong-bin’s expression.

His face was dark. It may be an exaggeration, but he looked a little distressed.

“Who made our leader uncomfortable?”

“… … .”

“Tell me. I’ll show you the standard for a member who is loyal to the leader.”

As I inserted the joke, the guy turned his head towards me.

I could see her trembling lips beneath her hair.

“brother.”

“huh.”

Jeong Seong-bin lowered his head.

“sorry.”

The bed sheets were distorted and crumpled under Jeong Seong-bin’s fist.

“I knew that my brother was the type of person who didn’t do anything half-heartedly.”

“Seongbin-ah.”

“I made a fuss because I was upset.”

Jeong Seong-bin couldn’t raise his face.

It seemed like he thought it was his fault that I collapsed during the live broadcast of the finals.

It’s not unreasonable to think that way. In a situation where I accepted the offer to not participate, Jeong Seong-bin made a counteroffer to somehow get me to participate.

But I was the one who accepted. There was absolutely no reason for Jeong Seong-bin to feel guilty.

If you’re going to apologize, I should be the one who apologizes. I formed a team to enter the contest, but I ended up leaving early during the final presentation.

Nevertheless, Jeong Seong-bin seemed to be very concerned. It seemed like he thought that it was his fault that I went to the final stage and that I collapsed.

“It’s not like I can make room for you just by standing on stage, but I’m short-sighted… … .”

“Yeah, up to there.”

He cut off Jeong Seong-bin’s words as he tried to dig a tunnel.

Since I rarely interrupt others, the guy opened his eyes wide and looked at me.

“Sorry to interrupt you. I wanted to ask you something.”

Jeong Seong-bin didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he leaned slightly toward me.

“Seongbin-ah.”

“yes.”

“Except for the apologies and all, how did it feel when all six of us went up on stage together?”

Jeong Seong-bin couldn’t answer hastily. His eyes shook.

Anyway, he’s a guy who’s so transparent. He makes me feel like I have to be honest with him too.

“I was good.”

“… … .”

“We really prepared hard. I was glad that we could finish it safely. It’s an opportunity that won’t come again.”

It wasn’t just me who worked hard for the royal family.

Everyone practiced to the point of death and honed their bodies. While filming that tough survival program, they never fought or made a mistake, and they even came in second place.

The guys deserved the joy of accomplishment.

“Don’t let bad memories overshadow the things that could have been good memories. It’s a shame.”

“… … .”

“Let me ask you again. How was the final, with six people?”

I gave Jeong Seong-bin one more chance.

Jeong Seong-bin hesitated for a long time. He couldn’t even open his mouth comfortably.

But soon, he smiled and said, as if admitting that he had lost.

“It was the best.”

After that, there was nothing more to hear.

I closed my eyes, thinking I should take a breather.

Jeong Seong-bin watched me for a moment, then closed the door and left.

Outside the room, Lee Cheong-hyeon’s footsteps and the sound of Jeong Seong-bin asking if the conversation went well could be heard like white noise.

* * *

To celebrate the end of the Awakening, Spark got a short vacation.

Although it was only a two-day vacation, the Spark guys each went out looking for something to do.

First, Jeong Seong-bin was busy with various things, such as contacting the company. After appearing on A Wang-sil, he received quite a few offers to appear on broadcasts, and now that he had some free time in his schedule, it seemed like the content was being delivered to Jeong Seong-bin.

Kang Ki-yeon didn’t leave his room, saying he wanted to read comic books for the first time in a long time. I heard that his hobby was reading comic books, but he seemed to really enjoy it. He didn’t leave his bed for hours.

Park Joo-woo went to buy a used album. Hongdangmu Market had a rare item that couldn’t be bought even with money. I was worried that I would be scammed, so I sent Choi Je-ho along, but fortunately, it was a normal transaction.

And I… … .

“Brother, have you chosen all the spoons?”

“No, why on earth do I have to use a children’s spoon set as a prisoner?”

I was being pushed around by the guys who were wondering whether I should give them a red spoon or a blue spoon.

The incident started with washing dishes.

While I was hospitalized, Spark even shared my share of the housework.

Now that I’ve been discharged from the hospital, I was about to get my rubber gloves back when a few guys stopped me loudly.

I didn’t push them away and yell, “Shut up! I’m in charge of cleaning up this area!” because they looked genuinely worried.

I endured it even when I couldn’t even touch the laundry. It was a little bit of a guilty conscience to not do housework and just rest, but it was actually comfortable. If it came down to it, I could just do something else.

but……

“Why would you buy a new one when you have perfectly good spoons and chopsticks? And even something like this?”

“Our spoons are old and heavy. If we want to focus on getting better, we need to stop wasting energy on unnecessary things. Plastic seems like the perfect lightweight option!”

… … This was a bit different. No, it was more than different; it was excessive.

I blankly stared at the screen that Lee Cheong-hyeon was flipping through.

The 5,690 won ‘Pororo Children’s 3D Handle Spoon Set’ passed by my eyes in different colors.

“Are you kidding?”

“I even got a discount coupon?”

Lee Cheong-hyeon was more sincere than anyone else.

I looked around, but everyone was turning away from me. Did that mean everyone in this room had agreed to use my spoon as a prisoner? I couldn’t believe it.

Lee Cheong-hyeon really paid for a set of sky blue spoons with Choi Je-ho’s help. He was delighted that he even got a discount on the shipping fee.

I had a burning desire to say something, but I held it back. Right now, I was too weak against Spark. I couldn’t manipulate them with such a weak heart.

“after…….”

I took a deep breath and ran to my room. Then I turned on my laptop and slowly crawled into bed.

If you’re typing away on your laptop in the living room, you shouldn’t leave here for at least 30 minutes… … .

『spArk’s Treasure House

Please enter your password.』

… … .

who is this.

Who put a password on a public laptop without notice!

* * *

“Brother, are you angry… … ?”

“no.”

“You seem angry… … .”

“No way. I’m amazed by your passion.”

I squeezed and ate red ginseng with a dejected expression next to Park Joo-woo, who was busy checking my mood. It was the second batch of health food left behind by Jeong Seong-bin’s mother.

Even after the laptop, I suffered from all kinds of hardships. I was bothered by people from all sides.

Later on, I got to a point where I couldn’t tell if I was having a hard time because of the aftereffects of my injury or because I was upset about those guys.

I admit it honestly. These guys were so thorough that I wondered if they were just thinking about doing something while I was sleeping.

That makes me even more angry. Why were these guys who could agree on things so well so impatient in the past because they couldn’t stay apart?

‘Brother, we’re going to practice.’

‘Then me too… … .’

‘Just rest and let me know if you need anything!’

‘No, I’ll just go and sit… … .’

‘I’ll be back!’

Even these guys left me behind and went to practice. Jeong Seong-bin ignored my words like a knife and ran away.

In the end, I had to just sit on the bed and listen to the hard rock album that Park Joo-woo had brought me.

I wish someone would steal just one bass from UA so I can loosen up my hands while I play.

Oh, and I also did a thorough check of the system. It’s not often that I get a chance to look up into the sky with peace of mind.

It felt like I checked my resume for the first time in a million years.

I had neglected it for a while because I didn’t see any signs of my stats going up, but there have been some changes.

+

Performance Evaluation (100)

─ Vocal proficiency: 11(▲)/20

─ Dance proficiency: 9/20

─ Self PR: 17(▲)/20

─ Attendance Management: 18/20

─ Adaptability within the organization: 15(▲)/20

─ Accumulated fatigue: 10%

+

Let’s say my vocal skills have improved. I sang hard.

What about your PR and adaptability within the organization?

‘Looking at the fact that his PR went up because of the drinking clip going around, it seems like it went up because of the Han Yoo-soo issue… … What about his adaptability within the organization?’

While I was worrying, the system appeared.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from ‘Manager’ have arrived.

▶ I guess the atmosphere of Manager Kim’s team is good these days? It would be great if that teamwork leads to results. Do you know what I mean?

+

I guess that meant I was getting along well with the Spark guys.

That’s really… … It’s gone up a lot… … .

Other than that, nothing has really changed. Before I became an idol, they were impatient because they couldn’t fry me. Now, they seem to have realized that I can’t do X and are just leaving me alone.

How much longer is left until we achieve our KPI of #1 on a music show?

Once that’s done, what will be the next KPI?

What if they ask me to hold a fan meeting? Or even a concert? Can I take responsibility for all of that?

I gave up after worrying about this and that. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s something I have to do when it comes to it.

Instead, I decided to think positively, like what I should do when I meet my sister.

‘Should I tell you to go on a trip abroad? I think Manager Song said there was a place he liked.’

I also remembered the one-day classes that were on the list of workshop candidates. There were classes on making things like accessories like bracelets, as well as items like pottery and candles.

If it were my older sister… … she would always say things like she wanted to burn everything, so it would be good to tell her to go make candles once a week.

Or maybe you remember hearing that one of your older sister’s friends was a golfer, and that she told you to try golf.

‘I heard it costs a lot of money. I should have asked people how much it costs.’

All the things my older sister liked were good value for money. Things like bungeoppang sold in the winter, a quick bet at an outdoor baseball practice field, and the arboretum we visited every season.

I also didn’t dislike things that could make me happy in small ways, but when every part of my life is made up of ‘only’ such things, it can sometimes get boring.

Wouldn’t it be okay to have at least one person you truly love?

Something that you can enjoy without being constrained by time or money, just for fun.

I took my diary and wrote my goals in small letters on the last page.

At least let my sister do one thing she wants to do.

I felt proud even though I only set a goal.

It’s the first time. I thought of my older sister, but I felt more anticipation than guilt.