Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

After knocking on the door of the Parthe’s waiting room, I asked from outside, ‘Sunbaenim, may I come in?’ and received a cold reply.

 

“What?”

 

It was Song Minil’s voice.

 

The guy who almost ran into me and Park Joowoo on Chuseok, who got scolded at MYTH and vented his anger at the Han River.

 

We barely managed to get permission to enter and only then could we properly greet everyone as a group.

 

Then Song Minil got up and asked,

 

“Which agency are you from?”

 

“UA, sunbaenim!”

 

Jeong Seongbin answered energetically.

 

The atmosphere throughout the waiting room made it clear we weren’t welcome, but Jeong Seongbin didn’t seem intimidated at all. His confident attitude was commendable.

 

On the other hand, the people in this room seemed so full of themselves that they seemed to be in need of a reality check.

 

As proof of that, Song Minil said with a dumbfounded expression.

 

“They’re debuting idols too now? That’s… something.”

 

I kind of think the same way, but it’s not your place as an outsider to say that.

 

To be blunt, you don’t know if we have connections in high places, so how can you act recklessly without knowing where or how we might report you?

 

Even though our debut articles had been released, it was obvious they hadn’t bothered to check, which showed they didn’t monitor groups from smaller agencies.

 

It seemed they only saw major companies as their target to keep in check. It was not surprising.

 

While Song Minil stood there, chatting with the others and leaving us awkwardly standing, I subtly scanned the room.

 

There were two guys who giggle at Song Minil’s words, and two who didn’t care what he said.

 

And a few more looked uneasy, unable to stop him but visibly fidgeting from a distance.

 

It seemed Song Minil, who had a pretty face and many solo fans, had quite a bit of influence on the team.

 

The ones who had the most solo fans in Spark were…

 

Choi Jeho and Lee Cheonghyeon. Maybe I needed to manage these two so they didn’t get too cocky.

 

As I was wondering how to manage the good-looking men on our team, Song Minil scanned us with his eyes. Then he stopped in front of Lee Cheonghyeon.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“I’m Lee Cheonghyeon, sunbaenim!”

 

“Where did you train?”

 

“UA is my first agency!”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Yes!”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon responded, looking stiff.

 

Song Minil chuckled at that, then tapped Lee Cheonghyeon on the shoulder and said.

 

“Scared? How are you going to survive as an idol with that kind of chicken heart?”

 

If it weren’t for a jerk**s like you, he’d do just fine.

 

Every word he spoke was laced with arrogance. He hadn’t even been debuted for a year, yet his attitude was off the charts.

 

‘Why do you have to make me take Spark’s side?’

 

I desperately prayed for Song Minil’s turn to get his makeup done to come soon.

 

Fortunately, there was no unfortunate incident where we had to stand around awkwardly until Song Minil’s turn.

 

It was because one of the Parthe members got really annoyed and complained about wanting to get some sleep.

 

Thanks to that sleep-deprived person, we were able to escape the suffocating waiting room. It was a 5-minute moment that reminded me of my days at the Hanpyeong Industry.

 

I watched the Spark guys closely to see if they would complain as soon as they came out of the waiting room.

 

I had already prepared my lecture, ‘Maintaining good manners, even when you’re tired, isn’t easy. So don’t take etiquette lightly, and always put in the effort.’

 

But such a thing didn’t happen.

 

The boys exchanged glances, signaled each other to keep quiet with a finger to their lips, and then returned to our waiting room in stoic silence. A commendable attitude.

 

They sat on the sofa for about 5 minutes as soon as the waiting room door closed with a somewhat solemn look on their faces.

 

Then, Jeong Seongbin got up with both fists clenched and said.

 

“Let’s practice.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It’s almost our turn. Can we practice just a little more together?”

 

It was a praiseworthy remark.

 

He seemed inspired by the poor attitudes of Parthe’s members. Those guys were more useful than I thought.

 

“Can we practice here?”

 

Choi Jeho asked. As soon as he finished speaking, I grabbed my bag from the floor and said.

 

“I think it’ll be fine if we clean up this space a little. Let’s just adjust the arm and hand movements, leaving out the formation lines. Joowoo, can you help me out a little?”

 

“Yes. I’ll clean up this side…!”

 

“Yes. But make sure you get permission from the owner before cleaning up other people’s staff.”

 

“Yes!”

 

We cleaned up the stuff in unison and started additional practice.

 

They were already good, so how much could they improve by practicing just a few more minutes? 

 

Building this kind of habit would only benefit them in the long run. It certainly wouldn’t hurt. For now, that was enough.

 

And before long.

 

“Spark, get ready!”

 

It was Spark’s turn to take the stage.

 

* * *

 

Backstage was chaotic.

 

Many staff members moved busily and idols dressed up in fancy clothes went up and down the stage following their turns.

 

In the distance, you could hear fans cheering for their favorite idols, along with the sound of the director giving cues for filming coming and stopping repeatedly.

 

A single ray of intense purple light was visible behind the dark stage. It was the light leaking out from the stage.

 

‘I’m going there.’ Not anyone else—me.

 

If it had been about giving a presentation or making a formal apology in front of a crowd, that I could have imagined, but never in my wildest dreams did I think a day would come when I’d be singing and dancing. Life really was full of surprises if you lived long enough.

 

Yet, even in the midst of this controlled chaos, there were particular noises that caught my ear.

 

“Whew…”

 

The sound of Kang Kiyeon sighing from afar.

 

“Kang Kiyeon, if you sigh too much, your luck will run away!”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon’s playful teasing, trying to ease Kang Kiyeon’s tension.

 

“Is there any water?”

 

“I think there’s some that Iwol hyung prepared earlier… …!”

 

Even the conversation between the strong-hearted duo Choi Jeho and Park Joowoo.

 

As I mentally checked everyone’s presence by their voices, the only one I didn’t hear was Jeong Seongbin.

 

Looking around, I found Jeong Seongbin silently mouthing something to himself, his fingers touching his lips, eyes closed.

 

I walked up to him and called his name.

 

“Seongbin.”

 

Jeong Seongbin jumped, startled.

 

“Yes, hyung! Do you need anything?”

 

“No, I want you to relax.”

 

If Jeong Seongbin were the type to calm himself down with mind control, I would’ve left him alone. But he didn’t seem to be that kind of person.

 

My guess was right, Jeong Seongbin smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.

 

“Uh… It’s just that, since this is our debut stage, I’m really nervous… I’m scared I might mess up.”

 

Anyone who had watched Jeong Seongbin work hard would know that fear of failure came from genuinely giving your all.

 

But there was no need for someone with that level of ability to feel pressured.

 

“Don’t worry too much. This is just one of the hundreds of stages you’ll perform in the future.”

 

“Your perspective is really something, hyung.”

 

Then Jeong Seongbin laughed weakly.

 

This guy seemed to think I was joking.

 

He’d faint if he knew that he’d been an idol for 7 years straight. And that he worked hard right up until disbandment.

 

“And this is just a side note.”

 

I leaned in and whispered softly into Jeong Seongbin’s ear.

 

“The ancestors said we have good luck today.”

 

Anyway, this wouldn’t be counted as a case of leaking secrets. It was a lie.

 

“Haha, that’s fortunate!”

 

Fortunate indeed. With just a few words, I brought out the main vocalist’s spirit without any penalty.

 

And once each member had a microphone in their hands.

 

“Spark, let’s go up!”

 

From afar, we heard a voice calling us.

 

The stage was hotter than we expected. The lights poured down like the sun from above.

 

The audience was much clearer than I had imagined.

 

I could see who was holding which lightstick, what kind of expressions they had, and so on.

 

Probably 50% of the people here were fans of a popular group that finished recording before us. The next 30% were likely fans of another group.

 

The members might be nervous, knowing they had to perform in front of an audience that wasn’t there to see them, but I liked it. I was used to performing alone without anyone listening.

 

I knew that everyone practiced with the determination to give it their all, so they probably wouldn’t have any regrets or feel the need to blame others.

 

But if anyone really felt the need to blame someone, blame the CEO who gave us a smaller budget, or blame me for taking all the showcase funds and pouring them into the music video and album. And, of course, blame the skyrocketing prices that made holding a showcase impossible.

 

Either way, we ended up with better costumes and new name tags for every performance, so it all worked out in the end.

 

While thinking about this and that, I looked around until the staff was done organizing, and then a few women in the front row caught my eye.

 

They looked surprised when our eyes met. Then they hurriedly unfolded the small slogan they were holding in their hands.

 

[♥Congratulations on Spark’s debut♥]

 

[Celebrating Spark’s Debut+first day]

 

[Let’s Only Walk on the Firework Path Together]

 

They had actually made banners just for our group. Firework Path sounded a bit intense, but…

 

I went around tapping the shoulders of the Spark members, guiding them with both hands toward the direction where the fans were seated.

 

Thanks to the delay in preparations, we managed to gather on one side of the stage where the fans were.

 

As we did a group greeting at Jeong Seongbin’s cue and waited for the members to introduce themselves one by one, I felt a little uneasy.

 

I wondered if I could introduce myself alongside the members in front of these people.

 

But I couldn’t be negligent towards fans who had waited hours in worse conditions than ours just to see us.

 

So I smiled and said as kindly as I could.

 

“Hello. I am Spark’s Kim Iwol!”

 

Then the person holding the banner ‘Let’s Only Walk on the Firework Path Together’ shouted.

 

“Kim Iwol is so handsome!”

 

“Me?”

 

For a moment, I thought I had misheard.

 

I pointed my finger at myself and gave her a chance to correct her statement, but she remained firm.

 

“Yes, you!”

 

“Th… Thank you.”

 

Those who waited for hours on site to see their idols were truly built different. They didn’t hold back on giving such excessive praise.

 

But they’d miss out if they didn’t recognize Spark’s true gem.

 

I still remember how countless veteran K-pop fans (or so they referred to themselves) lamented.

 

≫ F*ck, it’s so unfair… I can’t believe I discovered Lee Cheonghyeon so late…

 

≫ Choi Jeho, that bastard… How was this face hidden for so long? It’s one of the world’s eight mysteries.

 

If these fans didn’t take a good look at the other members’ faces today, they’d definitely regret it later.

 

So I crouched down on the edge of the stage and whispered to them.

 

“The other members are in charge of the visuals, not me. I think you should focus on their faces.”

 

“You’re handsome too!”

 

And the fan still didn’t back down. Her momentum was like that of the generals in the old Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

 

Still, I felt truly grateful. Thanks to her, I felt like I could perform today’s stage without any guilt.