Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 174 - Meeting (3)

“You’re the one who stole Kang Kiyeon’s pillow during the farming experience, right?”

 

“So it was you?”

 

Kang Kiyeon, who had been listening quietly, glared. He must have suffered quite a bit sleeping without a pillow.

 

Lee Cheonghyeon’s eyes widened.

 

“How did you even see that?!”

 

“You think there’s anything in this team I don’t know?”

 

Kim Iwol was confident. He exuded so much confidence that Won Chaehee wondered if the only thing he didn’t know were the members’ resident registration numbers.

 

“It seems we have a stalemate.”

 

“They’re just picking at each other’s weaknesses…”

 

Jeong Seongbin and Choi Jeho expressed their surprise in different ways. In any case, the fans were thrilled.

 

“I really didn’t want to bring this up.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon placed his hands on his hips. His stance carried an air of determination.

 

“Hyung.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

The two men exchanged leisurely glances.

 

This pairing had great visuals. Thinking that, Won Chaehee pressed the video recording button.

 

“Hyung, you saved Seongbin hyung’s name in your contacts as ‘Spiritual Pillar Jeong Seongbin’, right?”

 

“Pfft!”

 

A huge bomb had been dropped. Screams erupted from everywhere.

 

Kim Iwol’s face, as he choked back a mouthful of water, turned as red as an apple. Jeong Seongbin’s face was even redder.

 

“You… you saw that?”

 

He even confirmed it was true. Kim Iwol’s face alternated between red and blue.

 

Then, starting from under his shirt collar, his skin gradually turned red. Finally, even his ears were flushed. It was an unusual sight for Kim Iwol, who was usually as pale as a polar bear.

 

He’d acted so professionally in front of the camera, and now she was witnessing Kim Iwol crumble.

 

“You asked me to send out the video conference link for you last time. I saw it then.”

 

“Ah…”

 

“Our Seongbin hyung must be a pretty reliable leader to you, huh? Right? I love our leader so much too!”

 

Won Chaehee’s intuition screamed that this was an extremely rare situation. She eagerly captured every frame of Kim Iwol struggling to keep his expression in check.

 

“First, let me explain. Everyone, I absolutely did not snoop on hyung’s private stuff! Hyung asked me first! He asked me to send something using his account! We don’t have our own phones yet, so we share a laptop, and things like this happen often.”

 

“Don’t you usually use your tablet?”

 

“We were on vacation in Busan then, so I didn’t have it.”

 

Then Spark briefly lamented the ‘difficulties of group life without personal electronic devices’. It was a harsh story for modern people who couldn’t live without their smartphones.

 

“We’re always logging in and out of accounts on the laptop and shared phone.”

 

“Or Seongbin hyung just relays messages for us.”

 

“Right. So, half of Seongbin hyung’s messages are ‘Joowoo confirmed!’ or ‘The maknaes confirmed!’”

 

She didn’t expect UA to be so old-fashioned. But it was better than having dating scandals or controversies because of personal phones. She was curious when UA would finally allow them to have personal phones.

 

“For the record, I saw everyone’s saved names because it was in the group chat. Mine was ‘Cutie Pretty Visual’?”

 

Laughter erupted from everywhere at the nickname that seemed to revere beauty. Kim Iwol buried his face in his hands.

 

Lee Cheonghyeon, the person involved, was unfazed. He seemed to be living up to his nickname. He made a flower pose with his hands, then wiggled his fingers and approached Kim Iwol.

 

“Hyung, am I that cute?”

 

“…….”

 

“Cheonghyeon is quite pretty, right?”

 

“…….”

 

“Maybe I’m actually meant to be the visual of this team?”

 

“Ha…”

 

Kim Iwol let out a deep sigh. His head had been hanging low for a while now.

 

Lee Cheonghyeon slung an arm around Kim Iwol’s shoulder.

 

“Well, it’s not strange that you think of me that way, hyung.”

 

“…….”

 

“You compliment my face a lot. You’re strict about skincare, but still. I would have been a bit hurt if you just saved it as ‘Spark Lee Cheonghyeon’.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon teased,

 

“But it was a bit surprising that you think of Kang Kiyeon that way too.”

 

“……!”

 

“You saved Kang Kiyeong’s name as ‘ King of Cuteness ^[1] Aigoo, it’s a pun. King of Cuteness→Wang Gwiyoun. Sounds similar to Kang Kiyeon’s name. ’…”

 

“Let’s stop. I lost.”

 

Kim Iwol declared, covering Lee Cheonghyeon’s mouth with an antibacterial tissue.

 

Unfortunately, in the time it took him to pull out the tissue, the damage was already done. He must have been delayed by the naive thought that he shouldn’t touch Lee Cheonghyeon’s face with his bare hands.

 

Kang Kiyeon covered his mouth with his hand and muttered.

 

“King of Cuteness?”

 

Hearing Kang Kiyeon’s muffled voice, Lee Cheonghyeon broke through Kim Iwol’s tissue barricade and shouted.

 

“He saved Kang Kiyeon as ‘King of Cuteness’!”

 

Kang Kiyeon’s face flushed like a boy who’d just received a confession.

 

The fans went wild. Requests poured in for the other members’ saved names.

 

“Everyone, are you curious?”

 

Kim Iwol, now drowning in embarrassment, asked in a resigned voice.

 

“Totally!”

 

In such situations, idols had several options. First, a war of nerves. Second, pretend not to hear and change the subject. Shift the blame to the member who started it and kill the mood.

 

But Kim Iwol didn’t let go of the microphone. The fans had faith that Kim Iwol would do anything they wanted.

 

“Then I guess I have to tell you.”

 

His voice was full of resignation. It also sounded like he was surrendering to fate.

 

“Joowoo hyung’s was really funny. Hurry up and tell them, hyung.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon slung an arm around Kim Iwol’s shoulder and stood leaning against him.

 

They said that Spark never hung their heads for long in front of fans. True to that, Kim Iwol quickly lifted his head. However, his hand still covered his flushed cheek.

 

“19-Year Vintage Metal Marbles Park Joowoo…”

 

Now Kim Iwol was practically whimpering.

 

“So, are you going to update Joowoo hyung’s nickname every year? 20-Year-Old, 21-Year-Old, like that?”

 

“Don’t ask.”

 

Kim Iwol gently pushed Lee Cheonghyeon away with a miserable expression.

 

Cheonghyeon only grinned as he staggered back for show. Won Chaehee passionately captured the scene with her camera.

 

“Still, hyung, I’m really happy.”

 

“Why? Because you’re Cutie Pretty Visual?”

 

“No.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon smiled the most innocent smile in the world.

 

“Because our oldest hyungs are so close.”

 

“……!”

 

“Who would have guessed? Hyung saved Jeho hyung as ‘Center Emperor Choi Jeho’. As expected, Jeho hyung is number one in hyung’s heart, right? Cheonghyeon is so touched by your friendship that he might cry.”

 

Through the lens, she saw Center Emperor Choi Jeho freeze. Kim Iwol had perished gloriously.

 

She found out later that ‘Center Emperor Choi Jeho’ had been trending in real-time since the middle of the fan meeting.

 

It was a beautiful friendship.

 

* * *

 

After Kim Iwol’s spectacular display of public embarrassment, Jeong Seongbin regained control of the situation. The atmosphere didn’t settle down easily, but the audience eventually quieted down.

 

“Actually, everything up until now was just the appetizer, right?”

 

Jeong Seongbin addressed the members.

 

It had felt more like a full-course meal though. Perhaps because it had been a while since she last used her long lens camera, Won Chaehee’s arms were starting to ache.

 

“Since everyone’s probably tired from taking pictures, and it would be a shame to only see us through your camera lenses, we’ve prepared some content for you to relax and enjoy with your eyes and ears! So, please put down your cameras and phones for a moment!”

 

In other words, this was no-leak segments. Won Chaehee wasn’t new enough to misunderstand.

 

Of course, some people still didn’t put down their phones.

 

However, it was a pointless act. The lights in the venue went out completely.

 

Then, the beam projector turned on.

 

‘Is it a fan VCR or something?’

 

If that was the case, people would want to record it even more. At the very least, they’d try to capture the audio.

 

Still, she didn’t want to be scolded by security for doing something she wasn’t supposed to do at a fan meeting of a relatively new group. Won Chaehee decided to just watch the video.

 

The screen showed someone’s hands playing a piano in a sunlit music room with green leaves visible through the window.

 

『I remember you,

 

The one who watched over me』

 

A warm melody, fitting the color palette of the screen, filled the air.

 

The scene shifted to a classroom, where a hand wrote something small in chalk on the corner of the blackboard.

 

The sound of chalk tapping on the blackboard was incorporated into the accompaniment along with the acoustic guitar.

 

As the person turned, a name tag that read ‘Park Joowoo’ was visible on their clothes.

 

Park Joowoo’s characteristically scratchy voice, almost a whisper, added depth to the song.

 

『At the end of my drawing,

 

It was always you

 

To meet you,

 

I drew even in my dreams

 

You, us』

 

A hand bouncing a basketball, a hand solving problems in a workbook, a hand fiddling with a pen held in the mouth, a hand locking a classroom door…

 

The crowd, which had become momentarily noisy, thinking it was a new song, quickly quieted down.

 

The lyrics appearing on the screen revealed that this was a fan song.

 

『This hand that wondered

 

If someone would hold it

 

I carefully reached out

 

With a trembling heart』

 

Jeong Seongbin’s delicate falsetto flowed smoothly.

 

Jeong Seong-in, who had been solving problems in a workbook, looked towards the window.

 

『You held it

 

That warm hand

 

I wanted to hold it forever

 

And run』

 

Kang Kiyeon’s hand, about to lock the door, gently grasped the old lock.

 

Even though he wasn’t a main vocalist, Kang Kiyeon’s vocals were smooth. Even Won Chaehee, who wasn’t yet fully biased, could tell. It hinted at the amount of practice he put in.

 

The screen changed again, shifting to a gymnasium with the squeaking sound of shoe soles.

 

Choi Jeho, wearing a white t-shirt and gray sweatpants, engrossed in playing basketball, filled the screen.

 

『Even though I erased and erased,

 

And took many detours,

 

Still, you know,

 

Won’t you listen to me?』

 

The melody was so low that it was hard to tell if it was a question or a statement, but this made it feel less like a request and more like gently inviting the listener to sit down.

 

Choi Jeho’s basketball bounced on the floor again. With the rising basketball, the scene transitioned upwards.

 

Lips holding a pen were highlighted again. As the camera zoomed out, Kim Iwol, looking at a notebook, was revealed.

 

Kim Iwol held the pen in his mouth, rested it on his lips, and twirled it with his fingers.

 

Then, hesitantly, he wrote something.

 

『This heart

 

Tell me it’s okay to give it to you

 

Let me give it a name』

 

The notebook was zoomed in on.

 

It was a page with the word ‘like’ written on it.

 

『Love』

 

The drum beat became stronger.  More instruments joined in, enriching the melody.

 

And finally, it gradually faded.

 

『Let’s sit side by side

 

And watch the bright night sky together』

 

The crackling sound of lit sparklers filled the space left by the fading guitar.

 

The sound of crashing waves and the gentle pressing of a few piano keys blended together like paint.

 

『This moment

 

Let’s never forget』

 

Two lit sparklers burned down on the screen.

 

Then, the screen went dark.

 

‘I’m doomed.’

 

In the darkness, Won Chaehee realized something.

 

She had just fallen head over heels.

 

―

 

Profile

 

Name: Park Joowoo

 

Birthday: September 22nd

 

Birthplace: Daejeon, South Korea

 

Height: 181 cm

 

MBTI: INFP

 

Nicknames: 19-Year-Old Vintage Metal Marble, Human of Dawn Mountain Fog, Fluffball, Sloth, Limited-Time Sniper

 

Likes: Bands, microfiber blankets, cleanliness

 

Dislikes: Spicy food

 

Motto: Let’s all be happy together

 

Favorite Food: Yogurt

 

Preferred Scent: Unscented

 

Favorite Music Genre: Rock

 

Favorite Sport: Billiards

 

Most Confident Body Part: …Biceps?

 

Unique Habit: Wearing headphones with no music playing

• 1. Aigoo, it’s a pun. King of Cuteness→Wang Gwiyoun. Sounds similar to Kang Kiyeon’s name.