Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols - Chapter 166



Only Noblemtl

| Episode 166. Mind Control (2)

After getting help from the system, I stopped vomiting after eating completely.

I wasn’t particularly upset, nor did I lose myself in useless thoughts. I was just like when I first turned twenty.

‘I guess my mental state wasn’t bad when I returned because my memories weren’t perfect.’

If I had come back with those memories, I would have spent each day filled with self-deprecation. In that sense, the system’s choice was right. Even though I hate to admit it.

Oh, there was one thing that was peculiar.

‘Brother, would you like to eat porridge today?’

‘huh?’

Jeong Seong-bin had suddenly prepared porridge for his manager during mealtime.

I didn’t even order it as a group, just for me.

‘Why the sudden death?’

‘It seems like you haven’t been able to eat much lately. I guess you don’t have no appetite since you’re not skipping meals, but I’m wondering if you’re feeling burdened.’

‘What… … .’

‘This is vegetable porridge, and there’s also pumpkin porridge and pine nut porridge.’

I was a little taken aback by the sight of three containers of porridge, each of different types. Judging from the fact that there was no spicy jjambbong porridge, it seemed like they had only ordered items that the patients would find easy to eat.

I ate the vegetable porridge, which seemed the least burdensome, thinking about the kindness that had been shown to me.

‘If you look closely, you’ll see that this kid is quick to notice strange things.’

When Jeong Seong-bin’s parents came, he noticed that I was nervous, and I think he’s a really considerate person.

In fact, Jeong Seong-bin’s porridge therapy helped me a lot. Even though the system cured my stomach disease, if I had just eaten something every day and then vomited and then eaten regular food right away, I might have gotten sick. Jeong Seong-bin kept providing me with porridge until I told Choi Je-ho to bake only half a loaf of bread.

“Brother, our meeting!”

“Go now!”

Thanks to that, not only was I completely recovered, but I was also going out with a refreshing step to Lee Cheong-hyeon’s hellish call to have a meeting.

This meeting was special. While most planning meetings are conducted by a dedicated team, this one was led by us.

This is because the next album was a digital single containing Spark’s first fan song.

The preparations were going very smoothly. It was great to see the process progressing steadily under the leadership of Jeong Seong-bin and Lee Cheong-hyeon.

Even though there is a mountain of work to be done, how wonderful it is that everyone can do what they want to do in an environment where the conditions are right.

“The timing was similar to that of the fan club recruitment, right?”

“That’s right. The exact schedule hasn’t been set yet, but they’re looking at it around the end of October.”

Jeong Seong-bin put up a calendar on the screen. His schedule was jam-packed with no time to rest. It really made me miss the company.

Since I had been away from Spark for a while, I had some trouble getting through the schedule.

“There’s no word on hiring a lyricist. Excluding recording and promotions, there’s less than a month left, so do you think we don’t need to confirm that part?”

“We decided to write the lyrics ourselves. That’s why we prepared a demo today.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon turned on the shared drive. A file called ‘Demo_Lyrics_Reference_Guidelines_NotIncluded’ caught his eye.

“Directly? Us?”

I can’t believe it. When on earth did such an important and dangerous conversation take place?

Lee Cheong-hyeon, the person who made the shocking remark, was calm.

“Yeah. It was written in the minutes of the last meeting. You didn’t see it?”

“You put a password on the shared laptop!”

Jeong Seong-bin consoled me when I was about to collapse from a vase. No one told me about such a serious matter.

Lyrics writing? And lyrics for a fan song at that.

This can’t be happening. All I can write is job postings and proposals.

I know that you can package a small company like Hanpyeong Industry if you throw away your conscience.

A fan song with lyrics like, “I want to have a sparkler by my side for a salary of 1 billion won,” is sure to make everyone lose interest after listening to it.

On a day when dizziness was coming on, Lee Cheong-hyeon played ‘Demo_For reference only_Guidelines not included’.

The beautiful melody that Lee Cheong-hyeon painstakingly created resonated throughout the conference room. The simple composition and classical combination of instruments gave a refreshing impression.

Just listening to the song brought to mind a picture of boys in white uniforms standing under a wall with tree shadows on a late summer day.

The fact that you can picture it just by listening to it means that the song is quite complete. If you just add a few sessions and backing vocals, it will be a song that is ready for release.

‘What kind of lyrics should I put here?’

I couldn’t even get the feel of it. I couldn’t even refer to past Spark fan songs. That was a song for Spark and Sparkler at that time.

If I had known this would happen, I should have taken a writing class as a liberal arts subject. Then I wouldn’t have been so burned.

“In keeping with the purpose of this being a fan song, I hope that we write lyrics with the intention of honestly saying what we want to say to our fans rather than setting a specific concept.”

Jeong Seong-bin organized the content. Then, with about 30 minutes left before the conference room reservation time, we decided to each brainstorm.

I also wrote down a few words that came to mind on the graph paper at the back of my diary.

Gratitude, thanks, sparkler, cheer, benefactor, grace, light, debt… … .

Wrong. This is all I can write, ‘Sparkler, the benefactor and light of Spark, thank you for always supporting me. I will repay this favor like a debt.’ And it will confidently rise to the top of the worst idol fan song lyrics.

Actually, the first word that comes to mind when you think of sparkler is… … .

‘affection.’

… … But. I don’t have the confidence to write and sing this. That’s why I didn’t write it down.

I raised my hand and asked, racking my brain.

“When is this due?”

It seemed like it wasn’t going to be an easy task to complete.

To me, who was clutching at my head, Lee Cheong-hyeon answered as if asking me something so obvious.

“So sad.”

“Okay… … .”

* * *

With the songwriting assignment coming up, our study homework has also been put off a bit.

Because of this, every night after practice, we had to wait for the god of creation who never came with a piece of paper from our respective rooms, kitchens, or living rooms.

While there was Jeong Seong-bin, a sincere person who would create dozens of simple configurations and repeat combinations, there was also Choi Je-ho, who would sit with his pupils wide open in front of a blank sheet of paper.

If I had to choose between the two, I would definitely choose the latter.

“How much did you spend?”

Choi Je-ho asked. I answered in a hoarse voice.

“I didn’t use any of them.”

“What’s going on?”

“I guess I don’t have any talent for creating.”

How can humans be so helpless? It was lamentable.

I didn’t want to die alone, so I asked Choi Je-ho about the progress.

“you?”

“I wrote two lines.”

“Isn’t it half-written?”

“I’m going to erase everything now.”

The area under Choi Je-ho’s eyes that was visible under his glasses was dark. Yes. You were also a person who was awkward in expressing yourself except with your body.

But even I, a believer in experts, couldn’t actively recommend hiring an expert this time.

It’s a fan song… … There is no dilemma like this dilemma.

While I was writing and deleting the text repeatedly, the manager came to the dorm.

It was such an unusual occurrence that we were all a little surprised. We wondered what had happened again.

“Is Yiwol here?”

“Yes, what’s going on?”

The manager’s face came to mind. Only ominous thoughts came to my mind.

What is it? Is it work again?

But UA hasn’t been giving me any work lately?

Could it be that the company accounting numbers are not correct? I’ve almost forgotten accounting. Will this help?

The tension was gone. The manager smiled brightly and shouted.

“You passed the audition!”

“yes?”

Something completely unexpected came out.

“Audition?”

An audition where you say, “I don’t know” and run away after finding an error in historical accuracy like an obsessive viewer?

For a moment, I almost forgot what kind of audition it was. There must have been one or two things that happened after the ‘In My Office’ audition.

That’s absurd. Are you saying that there weren’t that many people in the world who could play the role of a jaded office worker?

However, I have no intention of being casted like that. While idols’ acting careers may be a plus for the idols themselves or their agencies, it is a complete minus for the fandom atmosphere, public reputation, and the people working in the field.

It’s not that I don’t understand that atmosphere. No matter how much it’s the circumstances of an adult, I wonder if the people in office would be happy about that.

One of the things that UA did well in the past was not letting Spark act. When they filmed a music video for Silyeon with Lee Chung-hyun, they probably got a rough idea. That if they had to, they would bring in a visual that was worth a thousand years and make him a target of criticism.

This time, I also agree with UA’s past policy. Besides, what’s the point of standing out more here?

I really appreciate your kind words, but after seeing the audition, I feel a deep sense of my personal lack of ability, so I must say that I would like to decline your company’s offer…

+

[SYSTEM] ‘New task’ has been assigned.

▷ Appeared in the drama ‘In My Office’

▷ Reward: Dance proficiency increases by 0.16% per appearance (additional points accrued upon appearance in previous rounds)

+

“This is impossible… … . This is truly an honor!”

I wonder what acting and dance skills have to do with each other, but I guess it’s good.

Is it possible to raise dance proficiency that doesn’t increase no matter what I do? And that too by working hard on supporting characters who only have a few lines of dialogue?

‘In My Office is a 12-part series, so it’s possible to raise the score by almost 2 points.’

It was a free opportunity, so of course I had to accept it. I’ve been an idol all my life like this.

Besides, this fan song is a digital single, but a mini album is planned for the next one. I heard that the dedicated team is putting their heart and soul into preparing it, so I can’t be the only one doing the wooden doll dance of joy on the side.

In that sense, this compensation was just right. I decided to adapt to reality.

The members surrounded me with emotion. Everyone congratulated me.

Wait, kids. I’ll be back as a dancing machine.