Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols - Chapter 167



Only Noblemtl

| Episode 167. Field work (1)

After the casting for ‘In My Office’ was announced, articles poured in from all over.

≫ Spark transfer, ‘I want to act now’… … New challenge

≫ Rowing when the water rises ‘Spark Ewol, In My Office Appearance’

≫ ‘I want to show you a mature side… … ‘ Spark Ewol’s unique transformation

Half of them were articles that were criticizing me. Since I was a hot topic until recently, they can’t say things like, “Is Kim Yi-wol going to be the next hot idol?”, but there is still a negative perception of idols acting.

Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was scanning the headlines next to me, said.

“People don’t seem to know how good of an actor you are. You’re the acting king.”

“I?”

Although he had not yet received the script and had not yet shown any audition acting, Lee Cheong-hyeon was confident.

When I asked, Lee Cheong-hyeon nodded and said.

“Hyung, you’re good at acting. That… … ‘You think they’re going to make you do all sorts of crappy things, but you answer with energy like you’re going to give it your all.’”

“Cheong-hyeon, should we have our first conflict at the dorm and then have time to resolve the internal division episode of Spark during the live broadcast?”

“You can’t say no, right? Did I see right through your heart?”

It was so piercing that it felt like a hole was left in my heart. I’m sure I raised him wrong. Or maybe he learned some weird stuff from somewhere without me knowing.

Lee Cheong-hyeon ran away, giggling. A sigh rose from his lower abdomen.

‘I think I need to get the lyrics of the fan song figured out before the script comes.’

I opened my diary, which is as precious as my life. This month was also packed with schedules.

There was also a local festival schedule, and ‘Do.Life’ was also going on… … .

for a moment.

‘Do.Life’?

“Seongbin, when did we talk about going to ‘Do.Saem’?”

“I only heard it was this month. The recording date hasn’t been set yet… … .”

“That’s it for today! How are you, Sparks?”

“Wow!”

Before Jeong Seong-bin could even finish speaking, the practice room door opened and the production team rushed in. It was a sight reminiscent of a flooding tide.

By the way, it’s 10 o’clock at night now.

You won’t be coming to the meeting at this time… … .

“Are we leaving now?”

“As expected of Lee Wol-ssi. Look how quick-witted you are.”

“Now?”

Kang Ki-yeon’s eyes grew wide.

“We… we’re in a mess right now.”

Park Joo-woo’s voice was mournful. It was fortunate that he only did vocal training instead of choreography practice, so he didn’t smell like sweat.

“It’s okay. If you go, everything will be a mess anyway.”

In the meantime, the PD smiled kindly and said.

But PD, pearls shine even when buried in mud, whereas barnacles are just barnacles even when you fish them out.

For a cicada like me, it takes mental preparation, that’s what I’m saying.

“Is there a place I should start from now?”

I could understand why Choi Je-ho was so shocked. If we left now, we could have arrived at most places in South Korea before the sun rose.

What do you usually do at night?

The environmental beautification part is already out. Is it a train track maintenance job? Or is it a PC room night job as an extension of the cafe?

While rolling the scooter, I quickly took the pouch out of my bag.

And then he gave motion sickness medicine to Park Joo-woo.

“This is definitely a long distance. Eat quickly.”

“Ugh… … .”

Park Joo-woo swallowed the motion sickness pills as if he was drinking the water of life. It seemed as if he too was feeling a life-threatening situation.

“Come on, Sparks! We have a long way to go! Let’s go!”

“yes!”

We got into the car in perfect order. There were cameras installed here and there in the car, which I don’t know when they were installed.

“What should we do when we get there?”

Kang Ki-yeon asked while putting on his belt.

“When I look at my mom, she stays in the lab until late at night if the experiment results don’t come out.”

“Is there anything we can do to help in the lab?”

For once, Choi Je-ho said something right. Here, there are no master’s or doctoral degrees, let alone bachelor’s degrees.

“Isn’t it something like squid fishing?”

“That sounds plausible… … !”

Kang Ki-yeon also gave his opinion. It seemed plausible, but Jeong Seong-bin refuted it.

“Then shouldn’t we have left a little earlier? We have to go to Ulleungdo. It’s over now.”

“How do you know when the squid fishing season is?”

“I saw it on the news.”

The announcer probably didn’t think that idols would be so eager to read the squid season article.

While we were rolling our heads, the car sped south.

This is work that needs to be done in the morning or early in the morning in the southern regions on a calm autumn day.

It’s not a job where appearance is important, it doesn’t require makeup, it’s a job that’s difficult enough to satisfy viewers, and it’s simple enough that even children can do it, and it only requires labor.

Moreover, you have to go at night, enduring a dark environment where it is difficult to illuminate.

To put it another way, you have to go at a certain ‘time’…

“It’s a tidal flat.”

“huh?”

We’re on our way to the mudflats, you idiots!

* * *

The car drove for a long time and arrived in Mokpo. It was pitch black all around. There was a salty smell.

As we were getting out of the car one by one, the PD approached us.

“You said you noticed where I was going from the middle?”

“Yes, Lee Wol-hyung… … .”

“The audio director was freaking out because no one was sleeping. He told me to get some sleep since it was a long walk.”

Spark has a rule that you can’t sleep where there are cameras. Unless there is an unavoidable circumstance like motion sickness, injury, sudden illness, or a 24-hour no-sleep schedule, you must be conscious.

“How did you know when you didn’t even take a picture of the navigation? Did our script get leaked?”

“Haha, that’s right.”

My mouth is smiling, but my heart is crying. There is no filming location with worse cost-effectiveness than a mud flat.

The intensity and amount of work on the mudflats are inversely proportional. The only interesting scenes are those in the beginning where people fall over a few times, but the work speed tends to be slow because of the mud.

There’s only one thing Spark can benefit from in this shoot: a full body natural mud pack.

‘If an ordinary cast had filmed this alone, it would have obviously become a documentary, so they probably brought in a group.’

I sighed inwardly as I stood in formation, relying on the lights.

After the scene was organized, the PD started to proceed.

“So? Do you have any idea what we’ll be doing today?”

“A cockle… … A catch?”

Park Joo-woo tried to guess the correct answer.

“I saw that on YouTube. Cleaning the barnacles!”

“What is that?”

“We use a high-pressure hose to remove the barnacles that grow on the bottom of the ship. We lift the ship and… … .”

Lee Cheong-hyeon was enthusiastic about explaining how to clean the barnacles. None of it seemed easy.

‘You wouldn’t give a job like lifting a high-pressure hose to a non-professional.’

Aside from the intensity, it is a matter directly related to safety. The production team of ‘Do.Life’ was not a team that could not control such a level.

“Ah, I feel so happy because I didn’t get the right answer. It was worth worrying about the item.”

The PD smiled with satisfaction as he watched us struggling to find the right answer.

“Last time, Spark prepared for the part-time job too easily. So this time, our writers gritted their teeth and looked for the item.”

I guess the ‘Do.Life’ people hate losing. That must be why they brought us to Mokpo at 1 AM.

“Spark’s daily task today is ‘catching octopuses’!”

An item you may not have heard of often in advance.

A task that is difficult to prepare for in advance.

It is a special case that requires us to see whether or not it will be successful.

It’s perfect. That’s why my eyes are dark.

Spark is pursuing a cool idol who is not only good at everything but also gets the job done without any problems!

“But it seems like the water hasn’t drained yet?”

Choi Je-ho asked, pointing to the sea. The water surface was visible not far away.

“We will board the boat here.”

“Are you hungry?”

“They say octopuses don’t live near the coast.”

At the same time, we were given boarding documents in our hands. After filling out the items, we were each given a plastic bag.

“There are overalls, gloves, and other items inside, so you can wear them on the ship. Just put them on over the clothes you’re wearing now!”

“Wow, this is our first group uniform since our practice uniforms!”

Lee Cheong-hyeon was delighted. It seems that he is going back on the day he asked to buy practice clothes as his first friendship item.

Because we had to time the tide, boarding proceeded at a rapid pace.

The sight of him wearing overlapping gloves on the ship was quite refreshing. At least, it was something we had never seen from Spark before.

“Brother Joo-woo, are you okay with motion sickness?”

“Yeah, it’s still okay.”

“The shoulder strap got twisted by chance.”

“Thank you.”

It was also nice to see them taking such good care of each other.

Until the ship reached its destination, we reviewed our goals for the day.

“Didn’t the PD say earlier how many each person should catch?”

“Weren’t there ten?”

“Is it possible to catch ten? I’ve never caught one before, so I don’t have a feel for it.”

Jeong Seong-bin, Kang Ki-yeon, and Lee Cheong-hyeon put their heads together to discuss the topic, ‘Spark, can you catch 60 octopuses today?’

Choi Je-ho was sitting with his back against the wall, watching, drinking the mixed coffee the sailor had given him. He looks like he would adapt and survive even if you threw him here.

As we were sitting in a small space chatting about this and that, we heard the sound of a ship docking.

And as we waited according to the captain’s instructions, the water gradually receded, revealing a wide tidal flat.

“Sparks, please get off the boat now! The mud is really deep, so watch your step!”

As soon as the PD finished speaking, a loud noise was heard from the side. Choi Je-ho’s right leg was stuck in the mud up to his knee.

“You guys are here to catch octopuses for two hours today. You’ll need some tools to catch octopuses, right?”

At that moment, the staff member threw something down from the boat onto the mud.

Six large baskets woven from something like straw, presumably used to hold octopuses… … .

‘shovel?’

… … There were six shovels. And they had extremely long heads and handles.

It’s strange. When I saw it on the internet, it clearly said they were digging for clams with something like a trowel. Is the equipment for experiencing the mud flat different from the real mud flat?

The PD didn’t care whether my pupils were shaking or not. Instead, he took the sailor aside and spoke.

“Then, before we get into the real digging… no, octopus catching! Let’s watch a demonstration from a skilled expert!”

I just heard it clearly.

That guy clearly said it was a shovel!