Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 116 - First Competition: Competitive Presentation (1)

Author: LyraDhani

A healthy spirit of sportsmanship, a battle that set your heart ablaze.

 

The selling point of this stage was supposed to be the beautiful narrative of friendship that blossomed within it.

 

“Iwol hyung.”

 

“What?”

 

“I don’t know how to put this…”

 

Kang Kiyeon, who had stopped me in my tracks, struggled to find the right words.

 

“It’s okay, just tell me.”

 

“Hyung, your face is completely devoid of enthusiasm.”

 

I said it was okay, but it wasn’t okay anymore. My heart ached.

 

“During 『With List』, your smile looked really natural, you know? But why can’t you make an enthusiastic expression?”

 

That was because I faked smiles a lot at the Hanpyeong Industry, but I never showed any real enthusiasm.

 

For 『Flowering』, I could channel the emotions of an office worker leaving late on a Friday night, and for 『With List』, I empathized with the feeling of an office worker going on vacation, but this time, I couldn’t find a suitable memory to draw upon.

 

Seriously this guy Kang Kiyeon was incredibly perceptive.

 

“Does it make that big of a difference?”

 

“Yeah. The rest of us look like we’re competing in a league match, but you’re out here like it’s a friendly game.”

 

“That won’t do.”

 

The analogy hit so close to home that it gave me goosebumps. In the meantime, Lee Cheonghyeon chimed in from the side.

 

“That’s strange. You’re usually proactive when it comes to work.”

 

For the record, I’d never been truly enthusiastic since I started being an idol. I’d just been driven by work.

 

“…Is it because you lack competitiveness?”

 

Park Joowoo cautiously added his two cents.

 

“Why are you all ganging up on me over this?”

 

“It’s a very important issue. Hyung, your dance skills aren’t exactly sharp, so you have to compensate with your expressions.”

 

“Kiyeon, I have feelings too, you know.”

 

Despite my protests, they turned off the music and sat me down on the practice room floor.

 

“Was my expression that bad?”

 

“It wasn’t just bad, it was…”

 

Kang Kiyeon, as expected, never let anything slide. These bastards, if they’re just doing this because they’re tired of practicing, I won’t let them off the hook.

 

“It just feels strange, no matter how much I think about it.”

 

“What is?”

 

“Hyung, you exercise, help with company work, and stuff. It doesn’t seem like you dislike people, and you don’t seem like the type to be bothered by things, so it’s just… the lack of enthusiasm feels contradictory.”

 

I’m telling you, I’m not working because I want to.

 

This was so frustrating. But if I said the system was forcing me into this, it’d give me a penalty for revealing heavenly secrets. I was already pissed off enough because of the financial difficulties.

 

“Right. Hyung doesn’t have much competitive spirit either. When we make convenience store bets, you always volunteer to go.”

 

“Do you guys just spend your spare time observing me?”

 

“I don’t want to hear that from you.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon chuckled.

 

“Who lives their life constantly competing? It’s exhausting. Anyway, let’s just get back to practice.”

 

“But what about the enthusiastic expression?”

 

“I’ll just watch and copy Choi Jeho.”

 

That guy’s facial expressions were absolutely top-notch.

 

I asked Choi Jeho to earn his keep and learned center-worthy expressions from him.  Fortunately, copying expressions was a million times easier than learning choreography.

 

* * *

 

After enduring countless issues—from budget shortages and malicious online comments to inadequate facial expressions—the day of the first competition finally dawned.

 

+

 

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

 

▶ Assistant Manager Kim sure likes making things difficult. Why do you keep doing things you’re told not to?

 

+

 

And the system was in an uproar from the morning. It even displayed e the rule violation explanation document it had shown me before, as if to rub salt in the wound.

 

But whatever. What more could they possibly hold hostage after taking away the money that meant everything to a working person? 

 

You told me to make this team number one, didn’t you?

 

Now that I’d even dipped into my personal savings, there was nothing left to lose. Let’s fight.

 

I stepped out of the car with determination. The atmosphere, more intense than ever, was palpable.

 

I bowed deeply to the fans who had come all the way to see us off as always, and as I raised my head, I heard someone say that my antic was overly dramatic.

 

I had never not bowed 90 degrees to my fans. It must have been a fan from another group, but I couldn’t help but feel awkward.

 

“Don’t be discouraged, my babies!”

 

Thankfully, I was able to shake off the discomfort thanks to the fans’ cheers.

 

Song Minil, your fans treasure you this much, yet you feed on their resentment?

 

I couldn’t understand nor did I have any desire to. I just hoped that people who hurt others eventually faced the consequences.

 

And so, the bastards Spark stepped into the studio with their spirits high.

 

The performance order for the first round of the competition was determined by drawing lots.

 

Considering the program’s name was Idol Dynasty Chronicle, couldn’t they have done it in a more creative way? Even a game of tug-of-war would have been more fun.

 

And why the random order when the point was to perform switched songs?

 

Normally, they’d pit groups performing swapped songs against each other, wouldn’t they? The setup left a lot to be desired.

 

“Anyone want to go out and draw lots?”

 

“Such a task should be performed by the elder of the household.”

 

And so, I was the only one overly immersed in the program’s concept. I even addressed our esteemed leader with the honorific title of ‘elder’.

 

Jeong Seongbin, who inadvertently became an elder, went out alone and drew a lot. Our turn was fifth.

 

“But, wow, everyone looks so cool. Their outfits are really stylish.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon admired from next to me. I nodded in agreement.

 

“Maybe we should try a flashy concept next time too.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“You know Madangnori [1] , right? I’ll even wear a lion mask for you.”

 

“No, thanks, hyung. I like things the way they are now.”

 

With that, Lee Cheonghyeon turned his gaze away. See, why say things you won’t even get credit for, you punk?

 

* * *

 

Unlike the self-PR stage, from the first competition onward, all teams could watch other groups’ performances from their respective waiting rooms.

 

It was a relief to avoid having to be constantly aware of others’ reactions while trying to focus on watching the performances.

 

The first performer was Berion, who had put on a good show last time.

 

Berion covered the title track of Sticky, a group with a concept of sweet, friendly, and almost-but-not-quite romantic guy friends.

 

However, this time, the quality wasn’t that great.

 

It was hard to pinpoint the exact cause. After all, many factors had changed between the last shoot and today.

 

Unlike the self-PR stage, which was an internal evaluation, this time there was a large audience, and there might have been issues trying to put their own spin on a song not originally meant for them.

 

‘Did I misjudge them as a rising star?’

 

It was a bit disappointing. Once again, my HR experience at the Hanpyeong Industry proved utterly useless.

 

On the other hand, Sticky, who performed third, actually did quite well. They took Berion’s song, whose main weapon was freshness, and presented it with a romantic concept of confessing love.

 

After watching the performances back-to-back, something stood out.

 

“The sunbaenims really prepared a lot, didn’t they?”

 

“Hyung, you felt that too?”

 

Kang Kiyeon asked back. Sticky’s main vocalist was now even pulling a bouquet of flowers out of thin air with a magic trick during the song.

 

It was the same with Berion. While their ideas weren’t as good as before, they showed signs of attention to detail in small gestures, face stickers, and other minor aspects.

 

‘It seems they did some monitoring at least.’

 

Of course they did. None of the agencies representing the groups here lacked manpower like UA did.

 

Besides the psychological warfare between fandoms, reactions to IDC varied.

 

One common focus was evaluating the entire program, including all six groups:

 

≫ IDC Quick Review

 

How should I put this… it’s not super interesting

 

First of all, you can feel that all the participants are very conscious of each other.

 

I understand they don’t want to be edited badly

 

But it feels like it became too artificial because of that

 

I think expecting group chemistry and friendship is out of the question

 

Just focus on the performances

 

≫ Is IDC live?

 

The audio sound seemed live

 

└ Yeah, seems live

 

└ It would be funny if they lipsynced after promoting it as a ‘level playing field’ competition.

 

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ  it would be legendary no-swag if true

 

While everyone else was all about ‘Let’s get along!’ and ‘I want to make good memories!’, the fact that the underdog group Spark gave penalty points to all groups except Berion must have been baffling.

 

With reviews like this floating around, everyone must have sensed it.

 

Delivering a solid performance was the only way to survive.

 

If the result of that realization was an overall improvement in the stage quality, I welcomed it.  Sure, they were trying to stand out with flashy antics, but better to shine in a field of flowers than in a wasteland.

 

“Yeah. The ideas are really fresh. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the sunbaenim teams’ performances.”

 

I smiled as I replied to Kang Kiyeon.

 

Just then, the screen showed Sticky finishing their interview and leaving the stage.

 

『Are you enjoying yourselves, everyone? Thanks to your enthusiastic support, Idol Dynasty Chronicles’ first competition is heading into the second half. Next up is… Idol Dynasty Chronicles’ eldest group! Parthe, please come out!*

 

Parthe, who had chosen to cover Spark’s song, appeared, wearing black cloaks and moving in perfect synchronization.

 

The rest of our group, who had been touching up their makeup or adjusting their outfits, quickly gathered in front of the monitor.

 

『With the rival groups revealed in the previous performance, Parthe’s rival group has also been automatically revealed. What song has Parthe prepared for today’s first competition?』

 

『We’ve chosen…』

 

It must be 『With List』. There was no other Spark song Parthe could handle

 

In the first place, Spark only had four songs, and we performed our debut song for the self-PR stage.

 

Two others were B-side tracks, which were not suitable for performances because they focused solely on audio production. In other words, they were incredibly difficult to sing.

 

With Jeong Seongbin’s Pacific-wide vocal range and Park Joowoo’s sky-high notes, the tracks’ range fluctuated like Manager Nam’s mood.

 

If they lowered the key, they’d have to enter a cave in the intro, and if they just sang it as was, they’d need waterfall training, so Parthe, a performance-focused group, wouldn’t have any choice but to go with 『With List』.

 

『We’ve prepared Spark’s ‘With List’!』.

 

See? I was right.

 

The moment Parthe announced their song, I winked at Kang Kiyeon.

 

Earlier this morning, I had declared to Kang Kiyeon, ‘This is just a hunch, but if Parthe sunbaenim chooses 『With List』, you won’t make a single mistake today’. His face lit up as he turned to look at me.

 

With Mr. Yur’s announcement that Parthe’s stage was starting, the screen went dark.

 

Soon, the lights came on, accompanied by the background music of an amusement park, eerily arranged as if to fit the backdrop of a horror game.

 

『As I opened my eyes

Even the morning sun was perfect…

On this day』

 

The opening lyrics were turned into a narrative-style rap, setting the tone with whispered lines.

 

『Yes, the day we’ve been waiting for』

 

“Looks like they rewrote the lyrics to match their concept?”

 

“Really. It must have taken a lot of work… They’re amazing.”

 

Jeong Seongbin reacted to Kang Kiyeon’s words. Having rewritten all the lyrics himself for the self-promotion stage, he probably knew exactly how much work that required

 

But Seongbin, these guys will list the name of MYTH’s lyricist in the credits. Ours will have our real names appear in full.

 

In other words, Jeong Seongbin’s comment could be edited into a subtle diss. It seemed we were going to have another heated debate online.

 

Parthe’s storytelling was thorough.

 

The original With List—a yearning for leisure—was transformed into a desperate prayer to save the world from evil.

 

With a large number of members and backup dancers, there was a lot they could express through choreography.

 

『Oh, divine one, we beseech you

Grant this land

A single miracle…』

 

Tremendous special effects followed the song.

 

This level of grandeur was necessary to overshadow Lee Cheonghyeon’s top-line melody. Although the climax felt flat after being toned down, it wasn’t a bad decision.

 

Taking a quick glance at the Spark members, they were fully focused on the screen.

 

It wasn’t surprising—they were probably overwhelmed by the scale. After all, we’d be performing with just six members today.

 

But was there any reason to worry?

 

After watching Parthe’s performance, I felt confident.

 

We might lose the online vote, but when it came to the live audience, we’d come out on top.

  • 1. Madangnori: Traditional Korean outdoor participatory performances by common people.
Author's Thoughts

Hi, everyone, the update will change from 4 chp/week to 5 chp/week.

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Comments (5)

  1. Thank you for your hard work. I hope the increased chapters aren’t too much of an increased workload.

  2. Thanks to you, I can read Iwol and Spark’s history🙏🙏Thank you so much