Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 416 - Concert (3)

The next note was just as sharp as the last.

 

“‘I condemn the act of eating chicken breast steak on a so-called cheat day.’ What do you all think?”

 

“Isn’t it fine since it’s technically a regular meal?”

 

“No, chicken breast is definitely not a ‘cheating’ meal.”

 

Choi Jeho’s simple-mindedness clashed with Kang Kiyeon’s logic.

 

“Did you write this?”

 

“I didn’t, but the point is that food that shows up when you search ‘diet food’ can’t be the same as a cheat meal.”

 

Amidst the heated confrontation, Kang Kiyeon finally stood up and began a passionate speech.

 

“Honestly, everyone agrees, right? They might taste similar, but they aren’t the same.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Kiyeon, Iwol is a non-picky eater, so he won’t understand if you put it that way.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon chimed in. Park Joowoo, who had a fully refined palate beyond just being a foodie, agreed with Kang Kiyeon.

 

“So. You’re saying you want to eat a real steak?”

 

“How would I know? I didn’t write the note.”

 

“You’re saying it really wasn’t you?”

 

Choi Jeho sent a suspicious look. But Kang Kiyeon stayed confident. There wasn’t a hint of a lie on his face.

 

Observing the situation, Kim Iwol’s gaze turned toward Lee Cheonghyeon.

 

“Cheonghyeon.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Was the soybean hamburger steak not good either?”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon silently turned his back on Kim Iwol.

 

“Then why did Kang Kiyeon react like that?”

 

“He must have been thinking the same thing deep down.”

 

Kim Iwol kindly explained to the confused Choi Jeho.

 

“I think our team lacks gourmets. Do you guys not find joy in the act of eating? Aren’t you happy when you eat something delicious?”

 

As if he’d given up hiding it, Lee Cheonghyeon suddenly jumped to his feet.

 

“A cheating day once a month is fine! I’m not asking to increase the number of days. But shouldn’t we be able to eat freely for one day—no, for just one meal?”

 

“It’s not like we force you to eat a specific menu. It’s a free meal.”

 

“How can we order pizza when you guys are all eating chicken breast and calling it a ‘free meal’?!”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon clutched his chest while looking at Jeong Seongbin, as if asking how he could even dare utter the words ‘free meal’.

 

More importantly, one free meal a month? Baek Haewon was reminded once again that these idols were extremely strict about self-management.

 

“You can just order it.”

 

“Jeho, we have a conscience!”

 

“I really don’t mind.”

 

“I know! I know you guys won’t care! We do!”

 

Choi Jeho and Kim Iwol took turns driving Lee Cheonghyeon crazy. Kang Kiyeon mumbled in agreement with Lee Cheonghyeon from behind.

 

“I… want to eat something delicious sometimes, too…”

 

“Joowoo.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Soft tofu stew does not count as the ‘party food’ that Kang Kyeon and I are demanding.”

 

“Ah…”

 

“That’s right, Joowoo. You can eat soft tofu stew on any regular day.”

 

Kim Iwol comforted Park Joowoo. The fact that Joowoo considered soft tofu stew a cheat meal felt surreal. Memories of ordering spicy tteokbokki just to celebrate ticketing success flashed through Baek Haewon’s mind.

 

“So, Cheonghyeon wants everyone to eat something delicious together on cheating days, right?”

 

“Something delicious by the maknaes’ standards.”

 

“Right, delicious by the maknaes’ standards. What do you think, Iwol and Jeho?”

 

“I’m a non-picky eater, so I’ll follow the others’ opinions.”

 

“Ah, hyung!”

 

“‘Hyung’? Cheonghyeon, we’re classmates here.”

 

While Jeong Seongbin was trying to moderate, Kim Iwol and Lee Cheonghyeon clashed head-on. It was a full-on chaotic argument.

 

“Just tell us what’s delicious to you guys. That’s the only way we can decide.”

 

Choi Jeho stepped in to mediate. Lee Cheonghyeon cleared his throat and spoke clearly, like a student at a speech contest.

 

“Stir-fried spicy chicken with extra fried rice, Shabu-shabu with extra kalguksu noodles, pasta with extra noodles and shrimp, double-sized jajangmyeon with a large sweet-and-sour pork, and an extra order of self-made rice balls when ordering tteokbokki. Also, permission to order a dessert soybean paste stew after eating cold noodles.”

 

“Isn’t that too many carbs?”

 

“Iwol, I’m talking here.”

 

Park Joowoo’s face turned pale at the endless parade of menus. It looked like he was imagining eating all of it.

 

“I did feel that was lacking too…”

 

Jeong Seongbin joined in with an awkward smile. Kim Iwol wore a shocked expression.

 

“Were you guys such big eaters?”

 

“It’s not that we’re big eaters. This is just normal for most people. You’re the only one who treats jjolmyeon as a special meal.”

 

“I see Jeho… eats that much too. I see.”

 

Kim Iwol understood immediately. The discourse surrounding cheating days ended with full respect given to the maknaes’ opinions.

 

After that, more notes revealed all sorts of pent-up frustrations within Spark. ‘If you upload a new document to the shared folder, please remember to grant editing permission’, ‘Thanks for putting air freshener in my shoes after borrowing them, but I’d appreciate it if you told me you did—I’ve washed them three times and they still smell like lilacs’, and so on… every single one was incredibly trivial.

 

“This is the last note. I’ll read it!”

 

Jeong Seongbin pulled the final slip from the box.

 

“‘I see some people skipping a few seconds during stretching; let’s fill the full time. Skipping a few movements won’t dramatically increase our practice time.’”

 

“The tone sounds like Iwol.”

 

“Didn’t Iwol write the shared folder note earlier?”

 

Kim Iwol shrugged. Only the members were left in confusion. Lee Cheonghyeon interrogated Choi Jeho.

 

“I’m asking just in case, but Jeho, you didn’t ask Iwol to ghostwrite for you, did you?”

 

“Who would ghostwrite a note for a concert?”

 

“A concert? This is a class meeting.”

 

At Cheonghyeon’s words, Choi Jeho laughed in disbelief.

 

“Is it… Seongbin?”

 

“Seongbin wouldn’t say something this blunt. Our Seongbin is so nice.”

 

Kang Kiyeon stood up for Jeong Seongbin. Clearly, the leader was well-liked. As for the older members’s popularity within the team, Baek Haewon wasn’t sure.

 

“I agree that stretching properly is important. You can never do too much warm-up.”

 

Even while smiling, Jeong Seongbin sided with the note’s author. His diligence showed even in these small details.

 

“Still, the message is warm. It’s about caring for your friends’ health.”

 

“Kiyeon, are you mocking me for criticizing the cheat day thing?”

 

“I can’t even say anything around here.”

 

The members bickered incessantly, even though no one had written a note to put anyone else down. Seeing them fight over nothing made them look like perfectly normal students.

 

“Everyone, you remember your classmates’ opinions, right? Next meeting, let’s have the person who wrote each note explain their reason directly. That’s it for today’s meeting!”

 

Fortunately, the class meeting ended on a bright and heartwarming note. As soon as Jeong Seongbin finished his closing remark, the school bell rang.

 

The ‘next meeting time’ probably referred to this exact time at tomorrow’s concert.

Just as Baek Haewon was praising herself once again for succeeding in ticketing for both days…

 

“Hey, push the desks!”

 

“Let’s clean up quickly and go!”

 

The members moved the desks and chairs to the edge of the stage. The staff waiting out of sight took the partially cleared furniture away.

 

It was rare for idols to carry props themselves, especially at a concert.

 

‘Are they doing that to keep the concept alive?’

 

While Baek Haewon was wondering, the giant black curtain covering the back of the stage fell…

 

And magnificent band instruments appeared.

 

≫ The only reason IDC exists is to produce Speaker

It was a sh*t show, but we have to give them credit for this.

└ I disagree. The fact that Speaker’s debut stage was that show pisses me off

└ Both the post and the comment are right.

 

≫ People who haven’t seen ‘Speaker’: Why does this video have so many views?

People who have seen ‘Speaker’: Why does this video have so few views?

└ Fact: The view count trend has already surpassed survival show levels

└ Everyone who used to stan 90s rock bands gathered here; of course, the views are high ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ A 19-year-old writing a song with that kind of vibe is already insane, but then a 20-year-old vocalist woke up all those buried fans in their coffins ㅋㅋ

 

≫ If they release two or three more songs like ‘Speaker’, wouldn’t it be possible for Spark to start a ‘Band-dol’ syndrome?

We know they’re good at their main job, but hasn’t there been no band with this much buzz lately?

└ Totally possible.

└ Might be hard because some members aren’t majors in music

└└ Looking at how they reached this level in just a year, it’s not an impossible stretch in the long run.

 

≫ Why Speaker is a masterpiece:

It knows exactly which points make people’s hearts race.

The sentiment of that era rushes in from the intro.

And I wasn’t even born in that era…

└ That last line ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Agreed. It brings up a nostalgia I never had.

└ That’s why it’s getting the backing of the 30s and 40s generation ㅋㅋㅋ

└ Meanwhile, the fact that 10s and 20s don’t call it old proves it’s a legend.

 

≫ Guys, Speaker started riding the global algorithm.

Don’t be defeated by English comments

Let’s show them the power of Koreans

└ don’t lose

└ What is this guy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

Her heart began to race. With every step Kim Iwol took toward the white bass, her heartbeat echoed in her head. A wide shoulder strap settled over Kim Iwol’s white school shirt.

 

Park Joowoo set the microphone stand he dragged from the back in the center. Somewhere along the line, he must have taken off his shirt; he was now wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt, a thin leather belt, and school trousers.

 

Choi Jeho, his tie loosened, struck the snare.

 

≫ The drums, more than anything else, have a crazy sense of rhythm

A one-year-old rookie learned this level of rhythm??

It’s like the heavens destined him to play drums; I’m not even jealous.

Since the power supports it, the sound comes out great… ㅋㅋ He lacks nothing in terms of natural physicals.

 

Blue veins bulged over the pale back of Kim Iwol’s hand as he gripped the chords. Lee Cheonghyeon, with both sleeves rolled up, placed his hands on the keys.

 

≫ The keyboard and bass are the masterstrokes.

Even though the song itself is a masterpiece and the vocals are inhuman, the reason this rookie band can maintain balance is because the melody and bass are being carried by basically pros doing a power show

The song demands a lot of skill, and the vocal range is huge, so the amount of notes and support needed is insane, yet they play it perfectly live in a band style.

While the keyboard feels slightly textbook (just enough to feel humanly possible, you wouldn’t think he’s a person who changed genres…), the bass is, as the critics say, at a level that ‘devours the pros’.

There’s a saying that the bass carries the band, and at this level, they’d usually be snatched up the moment they stand out.

 

Jeong Seongbin and Kang Kiyeon plucked the strings as if in sync.

 

≫ I always teach students starting the guitar to prioritize the basics, and the guitarists here show exactly why

If you overdo it or obsess over speed, accuracy drops.

Just seeing them faithfully fulfill their roles without missing a note makes it hard to believe they’re beginners… It’s by no means an easy song.

It was a good choice to place two guitars and clearly define their roles, as the guitar could easily become weak compared to other sessions.

 

Tangled people

Seething noise

Piercing through the gaps

A snapping sound

 

The accompaniment was loud enough to burst the ears. The lighting was so intense it felt like it would burn the eyes.

 

I’ll shout until it’s heard

Pay attention now

 

Park Joowoo pierced through that clamor with a voice that sounded like scratching a steel chain against an iron wall.

 

I’m speaking

If you won’t listen

 

≫ Do we even have a vocalist like this in our country…?

I can’t believe it even while listening.

I was even more dumbfounded hearing he’s twenty.

Logic isn’t needed in front of overwhelming talent.

 

Park Joowoo gripped the microphone in the stand tightly.

 

Baek Haewon saw it clearly. The voice Park Joowoo pulled up traveled through the veins of his neck and spread to the tip of his chin.

 

speak louder

The only way is to play harder

 

If music had a color, the highlight of Speaker would be crimson.

 

Like Park Joowoo’s flushed face, like a lighthouse that never goes out even on a dark blue sea.