Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols - Chapter 164



Only Noblemtl

| Episode 164. Side story. One February 14th

Hanpyeong Industries’ official closing time is 6 o’clock. Kim Iwol’s dinner appointment was at 6:30.

And the current time is… … 7 o’clock.

“Manager Kim, aren’t you going home from work? I heard it’s your birthday today!”

Likewise, Manager Hwang, who was unable to go home, looked after Kim Yi-wol with a serious expression.

That’s true. But this company isn’t the kind of company that lets you leave work on time on your birthday, right?

Kim Yi-wol thought to himself. He didn’t show it.

A message notification popped up on one side of Kim Yi-wol’s dual monitors.

The preview was locked so I couldn’t see the content, but I could tell who the sender was just by looking at it.

‘Sister, you must be really angry.’

I must have come all the way to Gangnam through hellish subway lines to buy my little brother a meal, but I’m still waiting for an hour for the wind to blow through me. There is no greater sin than this.

Only after Team Leader Nam had gone through all the data that he had passed on to him and told him to review, was Kim Yi-wol able to check his sister’s message.

Sister

[What is it?]

[I think I waited for 40 minutes in -2 degrees]

[Is this a new way to piss people off?]

me

[Sorry, I’m not done yet.]

[Outside?]

[I’ll send you a gift card, so come to the cafe.]

Sister

[Company Class X]

[Don’t worry, I’m breaking dolls in the mine friends shop]

However, my older sister didn’t rush me and ask when I would finish. This was because she had heard from Kim Iwol several times about his irregular work hours.

me

[Get out now]

After sending a short reply, Kim Yi-wol packed his outerwear. Kim Yi-wol’s pace became busier.

* * *

Gangnam is incredibly crowded on Wednesday nights. There are crowds of people everywhere, and the streets with restaurants and bars are even more crowded.

A place with lots of people on weekends and lots of people on weekdays.

Kim Yi-wol was pushed by the crowd and arrived in front of the store where his older sister was.

When I got the call, my older sister came out and was holding a white shopping bag in her hand.

“Did you buy a doll?”

“No, this is something different.”

“You said the doll would turn, but why?”

“The corner of the house is so small that there is no place to put it.”

Then my sister checked her phone. It seemed like she was looking at a map app.

I think he suggested we eat pasta. It was a compromise between Kim Yi-wol, who likes noodles, and his older sister, who likes Western food.

My sister walked with Kim I-wol for another ten minutes. When the cold wind made my face numb, they arrived at a Western-style restaurant with warm yellow lights hanging in a row on the wall.

My sister showed the information desk staff her phone screen, saying she had made a reservation through an app. After confirming their names, the staff guided the two to their seats inside.

“Did you make a reservation?”

“If I hadn’t had dinner in Gangnam, I wouldn’t have done this.”

Kim Yi-wol’s older sister had a peculiar way of speaking. She should have said, “I made a reservation in advance because I thought there would be a lot of people.” If that was her habit, then it was a habit.

While Kim Iwol filled the glass with water and set up the knife and fork, his older sister took off her scarf and placed it on the seat next to her.

And then he handed over the shopping bag he had been carrying to Kim Yi-wol.

“It’s old.”

“what?”

“Birthday present.”

Kim Yi-wol’s eyes widened.

And before I even opened the shopping bag, my eyes met with the celebrity printed on one side of the bag.

“ah…….”

“Why are you being so serious without even looking? Do you find human sincerity funny?”

“No, that kind of thing.”

A handsome man was posing in a new sports T-shirt.

It was a face that Kim Yi-wol knew.

“I’ve been seeing this face a lot at work lately. I was a little taken aback.”

“Does your company have any use for models?”

“That’s not it… … And this person is an idol.”

However, it was polite to respond immediately to a gift. Kim Yi-wol opened the shopping bag and took out the plastic-wrapped clothes.

It was a product from the same line as the one worn by the idol printed on the shopping bag, but in a different color.

“Did you buy a tracksuit?”

“Didn’t you say… that you were going to do home training?”

“That’s right.”

“Wear it when you exercise.”

My sister took a sip of the aid that came out first. The ice was rattling inside the grapefruit aid glass.

“Let’s just talk about eating.”

“I bought it because it was on sale.”

“The product the promotional model is wearing is on sale?”

“Oh, you’re being so picky.”

My older sister poked the ice with a straw. It meant that she was feeling uneasy. It would be bad for my younger brother to move his mouth carelessly at a time like this.

“Thank you. I’ll wear it well.”

“Okay.”

There was some time before the food came out. Kim Yi-wol and his sister talked about their respective companies, but soon stopped talking. The more they talked, the more tired they became.

The topic has moved on.

“Sister, aren’t you interested in celebrities?”

“Me? I only know a few actors.”

“okay?”

“You seem to know more celebrities than me. He said he knew them earlier.”

Then my older sister pointed to the shopping bag.

“I know this guy because he’s the idol that our team leader’s daughter likes.”

“Why do you know that?”

“Sometimes he asks me to find things like photos.”

It wasn’t enough to interfere with my work, so I looked for them when I had time, but it wasn’t fun to diligently search for photos of male idols I didn’t know.

“What is your name?”

“Jehorae. In the Spark group.”

“Isn’t that where Spark is? Is Lee Cheong-Hyeon there?”

“huh.”

Even my older sister, who isn’t interested in the entertainment industry, must have known about Lee Cheong-hyeon.

“He’s really handsome. Isn’t he the representative visual of male idols right now?”

“He’s handsome. Sometimes I get surprised when I look at his photos.”

My older sister took out her cell phone. The reason was that she wanted to check which members were on the show.

“Jeho is the eldest. Hey, he’s the same age as you?”

“I mean, it really didn’t turn out like that, did it?”

“Well.”

My older sister showed an unknown reaction and touched Choi Je-ho’s profile.

The face of the handsome man with thick and neat features that Kim Yi-wol had seen yesterday was enlarged.

“He’s handsome. His position is… … center? He’s 187cm tall? He’s good enough to be center.”

“If you look at the fancam, it’s huge.”

“Did you see his fancam too?”

“… … It just happened that way.”

“You’ve become a male fan.”

“Don’t say that, it’ll make you cry.”

Even at the moment of making excuses, Kim Yi-wol only hoped that his work of collecting Choi Je-ho’s data would be completed as soon as possible.

“The eldest brother isn’t the leader? That’s unusual. He’s kind of cute.”

“But he’s still a smart guy. He’s good with words.”

“That’s what it looks like. It’s exactly like the class president’s award.”

My sister nodded.

“But if there is a title above, will this younger brother be able to spread his wings?”

It seemed like the older sister was genuinely worried about Jeong Seong-bin, who had been given the important task. It was a completely different attitude from when she had praised Choi Je-ho’s visuals.

When it was Park Joo-woo’s turn to look at his profile, the pasta we ordered came out. Cream risotto came in front of my sister, and basil pasta came in front of Kim Yi-wol.

Kim Il-wol asked as he watched Do-woo prepare even the thin crust pizza.

“Why did you order so much?”

“Hey, other people order this much as a basic meal.”

“Pay half each, then.”

“Who talks about the bill before they even start eating? It’s ruining your appetite.”

My sister was enjoying her spark exploration and couldn’t stop browsing the profiles while eating risotto.

“Joo-woo… …? This is my first time hearing about this person. Judging from the fact that he’s a member, he must be good at singing. But wasn’t that guy Seong-bin a member earlier too?”

“The two have slightly different tones. Joo-woo’s is a bit sharper.”

“No matter how I look at it, Cheong-Hyeon is the most handsome. Why isn’t he the center?”

“But when I look at the stage again, I can see the title clearly.”

“Giyeon’s impression is no joke either. She’s like the youngest of the best.”

“He may look like that, but he’s polite to the members. I guess he’s a good kid.”

Kim Yi-wol added comments one by one there. He didn’t know why he was responding to each and every story about idols.

‘I never thought the day would come when I would be talking about this topic with my older sister.’

Kim Yi-wol recalled his older sister’s birthday last year.

At that time, Kim Yi-wol was a senior. His older sister was thin. It was a summer when the scorching heat seemed to be hitting only his older sister.

‘If only the circumstances were right, I would have asked you to defer your graduation.’

My older sister said that with a blank face.

I never thought that I would ever have a day off, that my college vacation would be my last break in life.

That was both a complaint and a sympathy. I said it because I knew what kind of life I would lead as I dreamed of graduating from college and getting a job at a college.

‘Now it’s time to do my part.’

It was a given. And Kim Il-wol kept his goal.

While his peers prepared for difficult exams and passed large companies or became civil servants, Kim Yi-wol earned enough money to join a decent company that did not require much of him.

And now, after half a year, Kim Yi-wol and his older sister have become a little more relaxed. That alone made Kim Yi-wol satisfied.

So maybe that’s why I pretended not to care about the idol story that reminded me of the team leader’s face just by looking at it.

Dinner was delicious. The restaurant was warm and there was nice classical music playing.

By the time Kim Yi-wol had finished his portion of pasta and picked up his coat and bag, his older sister was already at the counter holding the bill.

A cold wind blew outside the restaurant.

“Let’s split it up.”

“You buy me dinner for my birthday too. Omakase.”

“I’m going to go on hiatus starting in July, so you know that.”

It was a weekday evening. The two had to go home and prepare for work tomorrow.

It was time to part ways.

“hey.”

My older sister called Kim Iwol over.

“If you feel like the company is asking you to do something strange, just leave. Don’t be foolish and resist.”

“But wouldn’t it be necessary to work for at least two years before I can change jobs?”

“After doing crappy things for two years, would you go to another crappy company?”

My sister pretended to be serious. Kim Yi-wol smiled faintly.

“It’s not that organized yet. I’ll just think about it to the extent of building up my career.”

“Or so you say.”

The older sister snorted. It meant, “You must be foolish.” Kim Yi-wol’s older sister sometimes felt that her younger brother’s judgment was lacking. Just like now.

“Don’t bother buying it. Okay?”

As soon as he finished speaking, my sister disappeared.

I don’t know if I went down to the subway turnstile, took a taxi, or went into the bus stop.

Kim Yi-wol was left alone in the bustling city.

And then I woke up from my dream.

It was a very long time ago.

Kim Yi-wol was left in an unfamiliar lodging.

When I turned my head, Choi Je-ho, who was in a shopping bag, was next to me, and Lee Cheong-hyeon popped out from above my head to say hello in the morning.

“… … What day is it today?”

Kim Yi-wol asked. Maybe it was because it was winter. My throat was dry.

Lee Cheong-hyeon thought for a moment and then answered.

“It’s the 14th. Oh, Valentine’s Day!”

Now, no one knows that February 14th is Kim Il-wol’s birthday.

Although I’ve never felt bitter about that fact in my life, I felt unusually cold today.

‘I have to go practice.’

Kim Yi-wol, who was sitting on the bed, sat up.

It was time to work hard.