Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 423 - The Guest Seats (2)

We headed toward the parking lot, maintaining an awkward distance. Thanks to leaving early and slipping through the crowds of people busy greeting each other, the elevator and the parking lot were fairly quiet for a year-end night.

 

Gu Jahan didn’t say a single word while others passed by. A suffocating awkwardness hung in the air.

 

‘I thought he was going to pretend not to know me.’

 

Before the ceremony began, I had caught his eye and given a slight nod, only to be ignored. I figured I should at least be courteous, but since it might have annoyed him, I didn’t try to speak further.

 

Yet, he had gone out of his way to call me over. It was hard to guess what he was thinking.

 

It wasn’t until we were sure no one else was around that Gu Jahan finally broke the silence.

 

“Congratulations on winning the award.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Silence fell again. The fact that no one was around actually made it more uncomfortable.

 

“If you don’t have anything else to say, I’ll be going—”

 

“I apologized.”

 

Gu Jahan cut me off.

 

“I thought it’d be no big deal. But it took longer than I expected.”

 

“…….”

 

“I couldn’t reach the ones who blocked me. I heard contacting them might make things worse. If they ever reach out and ask for an apology later, I’ll do it then.”

 

Gu Jahan spoke calmly.

 

“You were right, Kim Iwol. I guess I really did look down on people too much.”

 

He hadn’t said a word while people were passing by, as if worried about being overheard, yet now that there was no one to interrogate him, he was being excessively honest.

 

“I lived my life cutting off anyone I didn’t like, but then I realized… those people put up with me and took my calls because it was their job.”

 

“…….”

 

“…That made me feel even more sorry.”

 

Accepting an apology was the victim’s choice. Choosing to refuse contact from the perpetrator should also be an option for the victim.

 

However, when a job was on the line, when livelihoods were at stake, or when there was pressure from others, a victim might feel forced to respond. Gu Jahan had realized this on his own. The fact that he was even able to contact the victims was only possible because he was a celebrity and the the one in power in the industry.

 

“So I told them thank you. And that I wouldn’t resent them if they didn’t forgive me.”

 

“You must have been busy.”

 

“Well.”

 

Gu Jahan didn’t look proud of himself at all.

 

“The people who had to work while listening to my bullsh*t every day were probably busier.”

 

It would have been rude to add anything more. I just stood there and listened to what Gu Jahan had to say.

 

“Some said thank you for apologizing. Which is ridiculous, if you think about it.”

 

“…….”

 

“I wondered what was so great about a verbal apology, but then I realized how suffocating it must have been for them to live without even hearing that. I also worry that some people only accepted it because they were afraid I’d start acting up again if they didn’t… and that weighs on my mind too.”

 

‘Assistant Manager Kim, I already apologized on behalf of the Manager. The least you can do is accept it and move on.’

 

‘…….’

 

‘Are you planning to quit today? If your superior lowers themselves this much, you should also say you’re sorry and admit your own faults. Setting everything else aside, don’t you think you should be willing to sacrifice a little for the company?’

 

The moment you are forced to bow your head, your self-esteem is crushed without mercy. The wounds from admitting fault for something that wasn’t yours never truly vanished. It was like a permanent crease in a piece of paper.

 

Gu Jahan’s words covered those deep, old scars like a piece of tape. Rubbing correction tape over a wound someone else carved wouldn’t make it disappear, but filling the hollow space smoothed out the jagged edges of my heart.

 

“What made me think I’d just keep living without any problems? Because I never faced hardship?”

 

“I don’t think that’s it.”

 

“You’re generous. Some say I’m just acting like a guy born into a good life.”

 

Some people seek compensation from others for their difficult childhoods, while others grew up in a good environment and gave back more to others. To say, ‘You became like this because your past was like that!’ was a narrow-minded judgment.

 

“I understand now, the last thing you said to me.”

 

I remembered. The last message I had sent to Gu Jahan.

 

[Me: …If our opinions differ, I think it will be difficult for our relationship to last long.]

 

Gu Jahan stopped walking.

 

“Do you think… our opinions are the same now?”

 

His eyes, now stripped of arrogance, turned toward me. It was a gaze that lacked the aggression to push me, waiting for the conclusion I would reach myself.

 

I walked to the car without a word. Then, I pulled out a small box of cabbage juice and handed it to Gu Jahan.

 

“Yoonjae sunbaenim asked me to give this to you if I ran into you.”

 

It was a gift from Woo Yoonjae, who must have been on Gu Jahan’s apology list. When Woo Yoonjae handed this to me, saying he wasn’t sure if he’d have the chance to give it himself, I had a vague hunch that Gu Jahan must have made a move.

 

Gu Jahan hesitated before taking the box. I pulled out another package and handed it to him as well.

 

“This is a year-end gift from me.”

 

“What?”

 

“I felt bad about only receiving things, so I prepared something, even if it’s small.”

 

Gu Jahan’s eyes widened.

 

“I thought you were planning to never see me again?”

 

“It’s as I said. It would have been difficult if our opinions differed.”

 

“Then why…?”

 

Because that’s not what I wanted.”

 

Gu Jahan was the first human to prove to me that a person could change. He wasn’t a team member I had to work with, nor an employee I saw every day at the same company—he was a stranger in a relationship I could have just walked away from.

 

And yet, he was someone who made an effort not to let our relationship break, despite how much we clashed.

 

So I hoped. Just a little. And I waited.

 

“I just thought it would be nice if we were in a relationship where we could feel grateful for what we received and return the favor.”

 

“…….”

 

“I’m glad I’m able to pay you back. That specific item is good for the season.”

 

At my words, Gu Jahan checked inside the shopping bag. It contained a black cashmere scarf—a must-have for an actor who needed to upload frequent ‘boyfriend material’ photos.

 

Since Gu Jahan had shown me an unbelievable change, I suppose I wanted to believe in him in return. I had hoped that I could give the owner his gift before the winter ended.

 

* * *

 

“Congrats on the Excellence Award!”

 

“Congratulations, hyung!”

 

As if talking on the phone the whole way home wasn’t enough, the moment I opened the dorm door, vibrant cheers hit my ears. Even a village celebrating a top scholar in the Joseon era wouldn’t have been this noisy.

 

More importantly, you guys, stop talking about me so much on your individual BubblePops. Tell the fans what pajamas you wore while watching the awards, or which nominated dramas you’ve actually seen.

 

“Take out the trophy. Let’s see it.”

 

“Cheonghyeon, let hyung come inside first…!”

 

Park Joowoo rescued me while I was pinned at the entrance. I thought they were going to shake down my bag right then and there.

 

The surprise welcome didn’t end there. Kang Kiyeon, who had been hiding in the room, emerged holding a massive bouquet of flowers.

 

“Congratulations on Spark’s first acting award.”

 

“Thanks, but where did you buy a bouquet like this in the middle of the night?”

 

“Seongbin hyung pre-ordered it the moment your schedule for the Drama Awards was confirmed.”

 

It was a display of relentless decisiveness. When I asked Jeong Seongbin, he said he had planned to give me flowers even if I didn’t win, because being nominated was a great feat in itself.

 

Once again, Choi Jeho didn’t stop the younger members. Or maybe he couldn’t? Did I fail to give that guy, my fellow eldest, enough authority? It was too late to restore his dignity now. At this point, adding a ‘force-fed leadership’ curriculum would be faster.

 

“Do you want to see Cheonghyeon’s frame-perfect screen captures? With those visuals, you look like a movie actor.”

 

“What movie actor shows up with pink hair like that?”

 

Choi Jeho threw a jab, but Lee Cheonghyeon ignored him and thrust his phone forward. A huge photo of me was posted on Lee Cheonghyeon’s Insta account. Since there were fans who enjoyed seeing the team’s chemistry through these kinds of mentions, I decided to hold back my nagging.

 

“More importantly, we had something to do before the year ended. You guys did your homework before watching the broadcast, right?”

 

They nodded confidently.

 

Spark had benefited greatly from their annual plan this year. After experiencing budget shortages and a sudden survival show appearance at debut, spending a year with a fixed schedule from comebacks to concerts must have made them realize the importance of planning.

 

Jeong Seongbin even looked proud, saying that all the members had contributed many opinions. He looked a bit like a person who had fallen in love with work, so I felt the need to lighten the leader’s burden. Regardless, since everyone cooperated actively, setting next year’s plan should go smoothly.

 

‘It’s already our 3rd year.’

 

When the year turned, Spark’s seniority rose another level. Considering that many companies promoted employees around the 3rd-year mark, Spark was now essentially reaching the ‘Assistant Manager’ rank.

 

“I submitted my concept idea as the third one, so why is my waiting number already in the double digits?”

 

“Because Iwol hyung submitted seventeen…”

 

“Why would the man who said ‘quality over quantity’ do such a thing?”

 

Was it my imagination that the conversation between Park Joowoo and Lee Cheonghyeon felt like it carried the energy of office workers? At least to me, it did. They looked like Assistant Manager Hwang and Associate Song, going through trial and error with a trivial new task that wasn’t even worth writing in a work log—not the exhausted energy they had when doing what Manager Nam ordered.

 

“Don’t you remember what that hyung posted in the group chat? ‘If there are too many useless options, it’s a trash heap; if there are many meaningful options, it’s a jewelry box.'”

 

“So you’re saying he put in seventeen ideas to make it a jewelry box?”

 

“How many were you planning to submit?”

 

“Me? Thirteen.”

 

“Seongbin hyung, do we even need brainstorming meetings anymore?”

 

“No. We have to go through collective intelligence to filter out unexpected problems or catch ideas we missed—”

 

“Got it, so someone just go book a meeting room.”

 

“I’ll do it…!”

 

‘Assistant Manager Hwang, didn’t you install the partition the wrong way?’

 

‘Eh? Really?’

 

‘Wait, the footrest is facing up!’

 

‘It is! Why did I do that?!’

 

‘It’s because you stayed up for two nights straight. Let’s finish up and go home early today.’

 

‘Sounds good. And everyone, let’s apply to a company with an accounting team next time…’

 

‘Hahaha!’

 

Memories that weren’t perfect, but were intense and enjoyable in their own way, were being recreated. All I had to do was use that nostalgia as a foundation and keep moving forward.