Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

A whirlwind of thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant.

 

From ‘Was my planning really that immature?’ to ‘How much was the cancellation fee for the music video location?’, the thoughts kept expanding endlessly.

 

A suffocating silence dominated the table, making it difficult to even pick up a side dish.

 

Only the CEO and Yoo Hansoo seemed unfazed.

 

“Why? Isn’t it fine as it is?”

 

“It’s too weak and common. The high-teen youth concept for a debut is too cliché now.”

 

At first glance, it sounded right. There were numerous groups debuting with a youth concept.

 

But I had clearly presented points of differentiation in my proposal.

 

Including potential concerns and ways to address them.

 

‘Did he only read the first page of the proposal?’

 

It was entirely possible.

 

That was exactly how Manager Nam used to work. What a useless person.

 

Whether I was cursing him internally or not, Yoo Hansoo continued his passionate speech without concern.

 

To summarize, he argued that Spark should pursue the image of a skilled ballad boy group with a mature image.

 

It seemed he had picked up a discarded initial concept proposal for Spark from somewhere.

 

I felt as if a horde of ice fairies were rushing towards me on an express train.

 

I couldn’t even touch the food when someone poked my leg. It was Lee Cheonghyeon.

 

Lee Cheonghyeon’s face was alternating between pale and green

 

His face seemed to say.

 

 ‘Hyung, say something!’

 

He must be freaking out, having created a song with 50 or 60 metal fanfare, only to face a change of direction to become winter boys.

 

Still, I couldn’t open my mouth rashly.

 

Setting aside complicated issues like age or hierarchy, there was an unbridgeable gap between me and Yoo Hansoo—the difference between a non-specialist and a hands-on practitioner.

 

Even if Yoo Hansoo said ninety-nine pointless things, if he made one valid point, it was worth considering.

 

The knowledge gained on-site was vastly different from what you learned by just studying.

 

Moreover, it seemed Yoo Hansoo intended to arrange UA’s initial concept in his own way.

 

If so, I couldn’t ignore his opinion. I always had to remember that I could make wrong choices too.

 

‘Let’s observe for now.’

 

I could always create an opportunity to intervene. I’d keep a close eye and step in if he started talking nonsense…

 

“I’d like the outfits to be more distinctive too. You know, like ‘fashion ahead of its time’? Something modern with distinct points tends to give a sophisticated impression.”

 

F**k.

 

Maybe I should just scrap everything now.

 

* * *

 

After the meeting with Yoo Hansoo, the atmosphere among the Spark members was incredibly gloomy.

 

Seeing them all with ‘I’m upset’ practically written on their foreheads made me feel conflicted as well.

 

“What did you guys think of the new PD?” 

 

Lee Cheonghyeon asked. But no one answered.

 

“No, why aren’t you saying anything? Am I the only one who’s taking this seriously?”

 

I assure you, I am probably the most serious one here.

 

If the plan got scrapped, I might have to give up all the proficiency and experience points I’d gained from planning work. That was why my hands were shaking so much.

 

“Let’s just wait and see for now. The PD said he has a plan in mind.”

 

“But everyone in the company liked the concept Iwol hyung set up, so why…?”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon’s emotions were growing increasingly intense.

 

To prevent it from escalating further, I gently warned him.

 

“Lee Cheonghyeon, didn’t I tell you not to badmouth other people carelessly?”

 

“But it’s just us here now!”

 

“It’s the same even if it’s just us. It’s best not to talk about others if you can help it.”

 

I could understand his frustration, but nothing good came from discussing company matters within the company itself.

 

Lee Cheonghyeon seemed displeased, but he kept his mouth shut, perhaps agreeing with my point.

 

“The CEO has suggested that the planning team, the PD, and I have a meeting soon, so I’ll assess the situation then. Until that time, don’t worry too much about the concept.”

 

“…”

 

“I know it’s an issue you can’t help but worry about. If things seem to be going in a strange direction, I’ll try to stop it somehow.”

 

When I said this, the members all looked at me. Among them, Park Joowoo asked,

 

“…How?”

 

“There are plenty of ways. I could beg on my knees, or lie down at the door and tell them to step over me if they want to go with that plan.”

 

Then, Choi Jeho chimed in.

 

“Would that even work?”

 

“If I get stepped on and then head to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, it might.”

 

After sharing a tip I learned firsthand at the Hanpyeong Industry, I fell into contemplation.

 

I wondered how I could extract only Yoo Hansoo’s practical experience.

 

But all this was pointless worry.

 

A few days later, Yoo Hansoo’s tiring presentation completely changed my mind.

 

Yoo Hansoo, who had requested the materials I used for concept planning, called the planning team and me together precisely two days later.

 

Even the PPT title was grandiose. The title was ‘Reconsideration of New Group Spark’s Plan’.

 

I thought that forward-thinking aspect was something to admire… but then.

 

“Considering the image of UA as a company, we need to emphasize that they are more of a ballad idol group.”

 

“To establish an impression of them as a skilled idol group, it’s essential to focus on their vocal abilities. Right now, there’s too much emphasis on dance practice.”

 

For the entire 40 minutes, Yoo Hansoo’s comments didn’t stray from this scope.

 

Since when were we a ballad idol group?

 

Since joining UA, this was the first time I’d heard such a thing. If that was what they wanted to do, they should lock me in the vocal practice room right away.

 

And what, only vocal ability counts as a skill? Does dance skill not matter? Are we just going to bring six chairs to every music show and sing while sitting down?

 

My blood pressure rose the entire time I was listening.

 

However, the planning team was listening to Yoo Hansoo’s opinion quite seriously.

 

I understood their feelings. Yoo Hansoo’s view might effectively make Spark look like a ‘UA-style idol’.

 

But it would contradict the original goal of creating traditional idols. Everything would go back to square one…

 

Tears flowed down my heart. I could already hear the sound of my exp points being taken away.

 

The planning team leader, who had been silently listening to Yoo Hansoo, placed the printed materials on the table and asked,

 

“So, PD-nim, what do you think would be the best approach?”

 

Then Yoo Hansoo flipped to the next slide, asking us to look at it first.

 

On the white slide were Jang Junhoo’s recent album cover and a graph showing a significant upward trend.

 

“As the planning team knows, I participated in planning Jang Junhoo’s music video this time.”

 

I was wondering why that as*hole’s album was showing up here.

 

The unexpected connection gave me a headache.

 

“As you can see, the view count trend rises very steeply from a certain point. Considering that the rate of increase typically decreases over time unless it goes viral, it’s clear that an effective concept plan contributed to the content’s longevity.”

 

How does that even connect?

 

It seemed Yoo Hansoo thought anything that came out of his mouth automatically became valid.

 

It was true that unless it went viral, it was difficult for content with a rapid increase in views or an upward trend to show.

 

But the premise itself was wrong. Jang Junhoo’s music video went viral because of Choi Jeho.

 

Even just in online communities, you could often see Choi Jeho’s name.

 

≫ Found out who the male lead in Jang Junhoo’s MV is

 

He’s a UA trainee named Choi Jeho

 

20 years old this year and a dance member

 

Said to be the oldest among the trainees

 

└ Wow, I thought he was an aspiring actor

 

By the way, during the monitoring process, I didn’t see a single comment about how this new song was particularly good or how the MV direction was great.

 

The story didn’t have much to write about either. It was just about a guy going through a miserable everyday life due to the sadness of a broken heart.

 

So, that upward trend was all thanks to Choi Jeho.

 

‘Trying to take credit for someone else’s work, are we?’

 

Moreover, Jang Junhoo’s music video had only been released recently, so it was hardly suitable evidence for whether a concept contributes to the longevity of content.

 

I had plenty more to say, but it felt like a waste of breath.

 

Perhaps taking our silence as a sign that we were paying attention, Yoo Hansoo continued,

 

“Don’t you think that maximally referencing and correctly adopting successful cases is a way to reduce risks that could occur in new businesses? That’s what I think.”

 

I was impressed. You had to be so shameless to make a living.

 

How could he so confidently label that ordinary breakup story as a success case?

 

As the listener, I was troubled, but Yoo Hansoo, the person doing the talking, was as relaxed as a professional. It made my head spin.

 

“So that’s why we should continue pushing for a ballad idol concept. Please look at the next slide.”

 

With that, Yoo Hansoo moved to the next slide.

 

The new slide displayed a poorly photoshopped image of a wide grassy field with a group photo of unknown men.

 

Under the picture, there was a small title.

 

It read, ‘Emotional Boys, Staying in Winter’…

 

Yoo Hansoo said many more things after that. But I didn’t bother listening.

 

* * *

 

After the meeting, when I returned to the practice room, the Spark members gathered around me.

 

The first to speak was Lee Cheonghyeon.

 

“Hyung! How did the meeting go?”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon looked at me with his hands clasped together.

 

Park Joowoo, looking back and forth between Lee Cheonghyeon and me, muttered,

 

“…I don’t know the details, but it seems it didn’t go well.”

 

Instead of answering Park Joowoo, I had the guys sit on the floor.

 

Then I explained the situation as concisely and clearly as possible.

 

“…So the conclusion is that we might become emotional winter boys.”

 

Silence fell over the practice room after I finished speaking.

 

I know what you’re all thinking. You’re probably thinking that the simple winter boys concept that UA initially proposed would be better.

 

Once again, it was Lee Cheonghyeon who broke the silence first.

 

“Does that even make sense? If there were a solid reason, I could understand, but is the entire justification for the concept just that we’re debuting in winter?”

 

“From what I heard today, that seems to be the case.”

 

“The concept is too weak. Does this mean we can only be spring boys, summer boys, and autumn boys in the future?”

 

“When you all become adults, they’ll probably go with something like, ‘Boys Become Men.’”

 

“Then we might become men every quarter…”

 

For some reason, Choi Jeho said exactly what I was thinking. Lee Cheonghyeon’s expression, which had been indignant, turned to despair after hearing my words.

 

Putting aside Lee Cheonghyeon, who looked upset, I looked at the other members and asked.

 

“What do you guys think?”

 

“Us?”

 

“Oh. If you like it, say it honestly. That way we can decide the direction for the future.”

 

Choi Jeho immediately answered my question.

 

“I don’t like it.”

 

“Why?”

 

“If we’re going to go with a ballad idol concept, then what’s the point of having me and Kang Kiyeon in the team? Wouldn’t it be better for Park Joowoo or Jeong Seongbin to sing one more line instead of me?”

 

“What? Why are you dragging me into this?”

 

I could hear the spark of conflict reigniting among our little rascals. They really can’t go a day without fighting, can they?

 

“I don’t think the concept itself is bad. But if you’re asking whether the PD’s concept is better than the one hyung wrote, then no, it’s not.”

 

“…I prefer the concept hyung planned too.”

 

Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo’s opinions were the same as Choi Jeho’s.

 

They weren’t just trying to curry favor with me by saying they preferred my idea. After all, there was no reason for these guys to try to please me, the biggest klutz in the group.

 

Finally, with Kang Kiyeon also siding with me, Spark’s opinion was unanimous.

 

Putting aside how I felt about Yoo Hansoo’s presentation, if the guys had wanted the emotional winter boys concept, I would have at least considered it positively.

 

‘But now that it’s come to this, I’ll make sure that winter boy concept hibernates for good.’

 

I made up my mind firmly.

 

As if responding to my determination, the system appeared, my field of vision brightening.