Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

+

 

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from your ‘Superior’ have arrived.

 

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, you can land this deal, right? I’m trusting you, so I won’t check in.

 

[SYSTEM] ‘New task’ has been assigned.

 

▷ Preserve the concept

 

▷ Reward: Exp (20)

 

+

 

Even the system was backing me up.

 

Yoo Hansoo’s idea must be that terrible.

 

As someone who didn’t miss out on the exp points given to me, my determination to protect my plan became even stronger.

 

‘Assistant Manager Kim, have you lost your mind? Why are you recklessly suggesting we cancel the year-end party? If you’re going to just let young people do whatever they want, why even work for a company?’

 

‘Assistant Manager Kim is good in everything, but the problem is that you lack affection. If you keep cutting down ideas with cold realism every time, who’s going to feel motivated to pitch anything?’

 

‘Hey, Assistant Manager Kim, why don’t you handle that? You love using shortcuts, don’t you?’

 

In the past, I had challenged my superiors and never met a good end.

 

But now, I had no place to retreat. I had to face this head-on, even if it meant putting everything on the line.

 

‘Then… Where should I start?’

 

It was the first time in a long time since graduating from high school that I had to use my brain.

 

* * *

 

Yoo Hansoo’s new plan didn’t pass easily.

 

Of course, it wouldn’t. It lacked solid reasoning and originality.

 

In addition, the company must have expected performance from Yoo Hansoo, so it was difficult for that subpar proposal to get approved.

 

Still, for someone like Yoo Hansoo, who had been a producer for over ten years, being asked to improve a proposal created by a trainee must have been a blow to his pride.

 

Perhaps that was why Yoo Hansoo shifted his approach to nitpicking my plan instead.

 

“Iwol, haven’t you considered that the references here are too weak? Can you share your source materials with me?”

 

“Why is this part connected like this? Write it out more clearly. So that people understand it just by reading it.”

 

…And so on.

 

I was already swamped with practice, and being called in three times a day was downright irritating.

 

If it were during the Hanpyeong Industry era, I would have edited the sheet and given it to him since I was getting paid for it.

 

Since Yoo Hansoo was adamant, saying things like, ‘You’re still inexperienced, so you might have come to the wrong conclusion. Let me review the raw data and give you feedback,’ I just handed over the 3,800-rows spreadsheet. Go ahead and analyze those statistics until your eyes pop out.

 

However, there were limits to how much I could fend off Yoo Hansoo with petty tactics.

 

I needed a secret weapon to maintain my small and precious concept no matter what nonsense Yoo Hansoo spouted.

 

Thanks to this, I ended up living like a shut-in, monitoring comments on Jang Junhoo’s ugly-as-sh*t music video until 5 AM and summarizing the rise and fall of youth concept idols throughout history.

 

“Aren’t you sleeping, hyung?”

 

“I’ll sleep later.”

 

“The sun is rising coming up…”

 

So what if the sun was rising? Spark was about to rise up in this industry as soon as they debuted.

 

I never thought I’d pray so earnestly for Spark’s success in my life. Life was so unpredictable.

 

Sometimes Choi Jeho would approach me with a serious expression.

 

“Your dark circles are no joke.”

 

“I know. I’ll look into a clinic that’s good at fat redistribution.”

 

“Can’t you just get some sleep?”

 

Even if I did, I’d probably have a nightmare where Yoo Hansoo would email me, ‘Could you summarize the lyrics of last month’s music chart TOP 100?’. So why bother?

 

At times like these, I was grateful for my ability to function on less sleep than most. It allowed me to keep going, even with minimal rest.

 

It was a bit of a shame that I wasted this precious ability on the Hanpyeong Industry.

 

‘…But should I still take care of my dark circles?’

 

My hand, which was typing, unconsciously moved towards the area under my eyes.

 

I hadn’t been aware of it since I didn’t see my own dark circles, but people had been saying that they’d gotten darker.

 

It hadn’t been long since both Jeong Seongbin and Lee Cheonghyeon scolded me about this.

 

If I neglected it any further, I’d probably get pelted with twice as many stones, accused of dragging down Spark’s collective looks. I’d rather pass on that.

 

I wiped my dry face with both hands.

 

I longed for the cozy bed I’d have nine years from now.

 

Fortunately or unfortunately, the mishap of me getting double stones for appearance issues didn’t happen.

 

That was because I was attacked by a triple overtime from Yoo Hansoo before that.

 

Yoo Hansoo would summon and work me like a dog as soon as individual practice time started. It was clear and simple harassment.

 

I felt thankful that I had to turn in my phone to the company and couldn’t receive personal calls.

 

If I hadn’t learned in advance from Manager Nam, I wouldn’t have been able to endure it with my weak mental state.

 

Yoo Hansoo’s sarcasm was now…

 

“The CEO’s really too nice. Do you even realize how lucky you are to have landed at this agency? At other places, they wouldn’t even bother looking at such sloppy documents.”

 

…It had gotten to that point.

 

Judging from his skill, it seemed he had reached a similar level as Manager Nam.

 

I agreed with Yoo Hansoo to some extent.

 

How many companies would actually pay attention to a trainee’s proposal?

 

But I wasn’t the only one benefiting from a generous CEO, was I?

 

Even someone like him was making a living under that same CEO.

 

Nevertheless, I had to smile brightly and answer, ‘Yes, I think I was lucky too.’

 

It wouldn’t do me any good to get on a producer’s bad side. It was a bitter reality.

 

“PD-nim, it’s almost time for group practice, can I go back now?”

 

“What? It’s that time already?”

 

Yoo Hansoo checked the clock on the office wall. Then he told me to wait a moment and left the room.

 

After a little over 10 minutes, Yoo Hansoo came back with a thick stack of papers in his hands.

 

Yoo Hansoo handed me the papers, still warm as if fresh from printer, and said,

 

“This is the draft of the plan I talked about when we all had dinner together the other day.”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

“Now, imagine you’re actually planning this, and organize it with statistics and references like you did with your planning document. If you do a good job, I might even bring it up in the meeting.”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

So now.

 

You’re telling me to clean up the planning document you wrote half-assedly?

 

And you’re saying this as if you’re doing me a favor?

 

For the first time in a long time, I felt blood rushing to the back of my head.

 

This irritation… it made me feel alive.

 

“What are you waiting for? Go practice already. You’ve got to move quickly to survive in this industry.”

 

Is there any industry where you can move slowly and still survive, you f*cktard?

 

With a bright smile, I shouted, ‘I’ll be going now! Thanks for your hard work!’ and left the office.

 

As soon as I closed the office door, I burst into laughter.

 

Worried that I might look creepy laughing alone in the hallway, I covered my face with the documents I received from Yoo Hansoo while laughing.

 

“Ah… What should I do about this?”

 

There were many companies in the world. And there were several garbage bosses in each company.

 

So there was no need to be happy or sad about someone like Yoo Hansoo.

 

“But I really hate people who try to steal credit.”

 

This time, Yoo Hansoo was in the wrong.

 

Of all people, why did he have to resemble Manager Nam?

 

* * *

 

If it goes well, it’s my doing, if it doesn’t, it’s your fault.

 

There was no better way to describe Yoo Hansoo than this.

 

For Yoo Hanoo, the success of group projects, group contests, and collaborations was all thanks to him.

 

Right after graduating from a prestigious school known for its directing program, Yoo Hansoo jumped right into the industry. It was a position connected by a senior from the same school.

 

Although it wasn’t a place suitable for such an outstanding talent, it wasn’t a bad environment for gaining first social experience.

 

When peers who joined at the same time were dividing and taking on odd jobs, Yoo Hansoo did nothing.

 

He was a talent who had been recognized and brought in through a reliable person, and the other peers were not.

 

‘See, you should’ve started on the right foot.’

 

Yoo Hansoo thought that as he looked at his peers.

 

In reality, he lacked the ability to work for a long time, but it didn’t matter.

 

Instead, Yoo Hansoo had the audacity to snatch ideas from peers, juniors, and sometimes even seniors who were being sidelined in the broadcasting world, in the blink of an eye.

 

To him, it wasn’t stealing.

 

He was just presenting ideas that he had processed to the best state at the appropriate timing!

 

Unfortunately, by the time people started to speak up, all he had to do was present his own version of the work.

 

If he just hired one good outsourced worker, he could quickly improve the quality of his portfolio.

 

He would bring in someone else’s plan. Then, when he felt like rumors were about to start, he would hire someone to come up with a new plan. He would get a new gig with that idea. Then, he would collaborate with someone else’s idea again…

 

As this cycle continued for over 10 years, Yoo Hansoo’s algorithm began to get a little tangled.

 

And in the end, it degenerated to this extent.

 

‘I’m a capable person. I’ve been working continuously for a time long enough for mountains and rivers to change, haven’t I?’

 

As his stolen ideas piled up, so did the rumors surrounding him.

 

Of course, Yoo Hansoo dismissed such things as nonsense. After all, he had a well-crafted career to back him up.

 

But even he was starting to feel burnout.

 

He was tired of constantly having to prove himself.

 

So, Yoo Hansoo made a choice.

 

A company that was new to the idol business and thus not savvy about entertainment planning.

 

A company that wasn’t particularly rumored to have a high firing rate.

 

A company where the idol-related department hadn’t been established yet, so he could expect to lead a new business.

 

He decided to take a new step at ‘UA’.

 

When he saw the photos of trainees affiliated with UA with such goals in mind, Yoo Hansoo felt inspiration surging.

 

He would make these unpolished gems shine with his abilities!

 

It was a challenging task, but Yoo Hansoo was confident.

 

While waiting for the inspiration to strike, Yoo Hansoo sketched out his ideas.

 

He subtly incorporated the plans he claimed to have initially conceived, so as not to overly surprise the agency with his groundbreaking ideas.

 

He even thought of words of encouragement to give when first meeting the trainees who hadn’t debuted yet. After all, kids that age need advice from someone in the industry.

 

After making such thorough preparations and entering UA, the first thing handed to Yoo Hansoo was a planning document.

 

[Spark Mini 1st Album Concept Plan]

 

It was baffling. Hadn’t he come here to plan the A to Z of the group called Spark?

 

The CEO’s next words were even more absurd.

 

“Our trainee did everything from planning to organizing and PT. I hope PD Hansoo can work with him to improve the album’s quality. He’s only been a trainee for a short time, so he has a lot to do besides planning.”

 

Yoo Hansoo felt like he had been scammed.

 

When he went home and belatedly checked the offer letter, he realized the CEO’s words weren’t far off from what the letter had promised.

 

He had only focused on the company’s name and the mention of a new business unit, failing to pay attention to the details.

 

Annoyed from the start, Yoo Hansoo read the first page of the plan.

 

He didn’t read beyond that, as content that could be compressed into one page was written in lengthy detail afterwards.

 

After reading the paper, Yoo Hansoo’s impression was very simple.

 

‘It’s cliche.’

 

Youth? How many idol groups debut with a concept other than youth?

 

The CEO’s words also irritated him.

 

He didn’t ask to ‘mentor’ this guy but ‘ work together’ with him.

 

Was he seriously expected to collaborate with some kid who was still wet behind the ears?

 

But soon he decided to generously let slide the CEO’s mistake.

 

Didn’t they say it was their first time in the idol business?

 

Anyone could make mistakes if they didn’t know better.

 

Yoo Hansoo figured he could make the CEO and thet trainee Kim Iwol realized through his ablities that they were underestimating the idol market.

 

Yoo Hansoo requested a general meeting two weeks after joining the company.

 

While preparing for the meeting, he focused on brainstorming and left the rest of the work—data collection and analysis—to Kim Iwol, who would send materials day and night for him to review.

 

The plan was to show the stark difference between the proposal Kim Iwol had spent a month on and the one Hansoo had crafted in just two weeks, proving the gap between a rookie and a seasoned professional.

 

Thinking about that made him motivated. Yoo Hansoo gave his best as if he had returned to his undergraduate days.

 

And now.

 

“Oh, wait a moment. PD Yoo, are those graph numbers correct?”

 

In the middle of his presentation, which should have been fine according to plan, the CEO interrupted and asked a question.