Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 425 - Rural Experience (1)

The cauldron that Gu Jahan had scrubbed until the backs of his hands were blistered ended up producing an incredible batch of rice.

 

It was thanks to the pieces of wood I’d gathered while wandering around the low hills, and Woo Yoonjae’s almost god-like fire-starting skills.  The name ‘Gangwon-do’s Top 5 Rice’ certainly wasn’t earned for nothing.

 

While Woo Yoonjae and I built the hearth and seasoned the cauldron lid with oil, Gu Jahan was getting pushed around from task to task. He might have known how to make gambas by drizzling olive oil in a frying pan, but he had no talent for cooking by scavenging from a meager pantry.

 

Watching Woo Yoonjae wrestle with the fire in his work gloves, unbothered by the acrid smoke, Gu Jahan quietly headed to the outdoor tap whenever the dishes started to pile up.

 

“Mr. Iwol, what is all that stuff on your clothes?”

 

“This? Dried radish greens. There was a lot to trim.”

 

“I see…”

 

Every now and then, he looked at me with a rather complicated expression. However, I had a mountain of work to do and couldn’t spend time guessing every nuance of Gu Jahan’s feelings, so I focused on finishing my tasks first.

 

After pulling out the aged kimchi that had been sleeping in the jars to make a stew and frying radish green pancakes on the cauldron lid, a magnificent meal was complete. The table was small for three grown men to sit around, but everyone was at peace in front of the food.

 

“The rice turned out well, didn’t it?”

 

“It’s incredible.”

 

After taking a spoonful and marveling at it, Gu Jahan ended up eating two full bowls of rice. Perhaps feeling sorry for his companion, who had gotten covered in chili powder while bringing out the kimchi, Woo Yoonjae carefully tore well-fermented kimchi into pieces with clean chopsticks and piled it neatly in front of Gu Jahan.

 

***

 

The remaining dishes also became Gu Jahan’s responsibility. It wasn’t that we forced him; he volunteered to do them first. I sealed up the leftover ingredients and wiped down the table to tidy up.

 

We let Woo Yoonjae, who had worked the hardest, rest. However, it seemed staying still didn’t suit his personality; he was already out in the yard, hammering away at something with a small mallet.

 

“Is there anything I can help with, sunbaenim?”

 

“No… it’s almost done.”

 

Two long sticks were attached to the bottom of a thin wooden board. When he added thick wire—heaven knows where he got it—on top of the sticks, I realized what Woo Yoonjae was making.

 

“A sled?”

 

“The rice paddy is frozen… My grandfather used to make these for me when I was a kid.”

 

Sitting right there, Woo Yoonjae quickly fashioned sled sticks as well. In an instant, a set of adult-sized handmade sleds was complete.

 

“Let’s go ride them.”

 

Woo Yoonjae stood up, holding the sled.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Gu Jahan emerged from the kitchen, rubbing his reddened hands with a dishcloth. After hearing the explanation, Gu Jahan threw on a padded vest and shoved his feet into fur-lined rubber shoes. Earlier, when I asked if he wanted to wear a puffer jacket, he hadn’t even pretended to hear me. Yet just three hours after arriving in the mountains, he was already fully adapted to the countryside.

 

The rock-solid frozen rice paddy was filled with threshed rice straw and the roughly cut stumps of leftover rice plants. Still, there were patches here and there where the sled could glide.

 

Woo Yoonjae set the sled down on the ice and looked at me.

 

“Go ahead, ride it.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Me? I’m twenty-three… wait, no, thirty-something… hold on, should I say twenty-three? Anyway, I was not at an age where I’d scream for a sled the moment I saw a patch of ice.

 

“What are you doing? Get on.”

 

Even Gu Jahan chimed in. I suppose at this age, I have to get on a handmade sled in front of you two and go, ‘Haha, this is so much fun!’ …Right. The cameras were rolling, so I had to.

 

I climbed onto the sled Woo Yoonjae had crafted with such sincerity.

 

However, I couldn’t move forward. I’d never ridden a sled before!

 

“Dig the sticks into the ice… don’t let your center of gravity go too far back.”

 

The picture became even stranger as Woo Yoonjae pushed the back of a man like me, who was clearly unaccustomed to winter leisure activities. The sound of the awls striking the ice echoed across the vast winter rice paddy.

 

“Mr. Iwol, can I take a picture?”

 

“I’d appreciate it if you could take it as handsomely as possible.”

 

“How can I make something this funny look handsome?”

 

“An idol has to be handsome anytime, anywhere…!”

 

Despite my desperate plea, Gu Jahan half-heartedly clicked the shutter. Even without looking through his gallery, I knew his claim that he’d try his best was a total lie.

 

“Mr. Iwol, why don’t you try on the earflap hat too? I saw one inside.”

 

“…Should I go get it?”

 

“There’s a lacquered dresser in the room. It’s on top of that.”

 

They even chatted warmly among themselves about putting that roasted chestnut hat on me. I felt like I was being used just to capture a nice conversational scene between two actors.

 

Suddenly, I became a reckless child wearing a fur-lined hat, throwing my maturity out the window to ride a sled my senior had made for me. I had never felt such intense indignation.

 

“Why don’t you two try it too? Since we’re here.”

 

“How old do you think I am?”

 

So you think I am five years old when riding that thing, then?

 

When I glared at him with a smile, Gu Jahan awkwardly took the sticks. Gu Jahan, who had walked red carpets like he owned them until the end of last year, was helplessly falling apart on an ice sled. The production crew was cracking up.

 

After watching the Winter Sports Specialist Woo Yoonjae perform some flashy drifts, we sat by the furnace to warm our bodies. My entire body turned mushy like a marshmallow in hot chocolate, unable to resist the heat.

 

“Is the floor warm?”

 

Woo Yoonjae, who was tending the fire, asked me as I lay sprawled out inside the room.

 

“It’s boiling hot.”

 

When I reported my status with a thumbs-up, Woo Yoonjae took off his work gloves with a satisfied look. Soon after, with heavy footsteps, Gu Jahan came in carrying a large tray.

 

“This is all the sweet potatoes we have, right?”

 

To roast sweet potatoes in the furnace, preparation was required. As Woo Yoonjae nipped off the ends of the sweet potatoes with a knife, Gu Jahan and I took them and wrapped them tightly in aluminum foil.

 

“Who’s going to eat all these?”

 

“Won’t the staff eat them too? Just holding one of these when it’s cold makes you feel warm.”

 

At my words, Gu Jahan finished wrapping the sweet potatoes without further complaint. He even picked up the pace when he heard they were honey sweet potatoes.

 

We tucked the sweet potatoes between the logs and sat huddled in front of the fire, chatting. These were men who made a living by showing their faces on screen, yet they had soot smeared all over them. It was a pity to look at, so I warmed up some towels in the microwave and handed them out.

 

“Mr. Yoonjae and Mr. Iwol, you two are very used to this. Don’t you both live in Seoul?”

 

“My family home is in the countryside.” 

 

Woo Yoonjae replied while poking at the logs.

 

“I’ve been to a similar place to film a variety show with my members.”

 

That was a lie. I was actually raised on a weekend farm. My specialties were planting tomato seedlings and setting up stakes for chili plants.

 

“The cabbage juice Yoonjae sunbaenim gave me was also made from cabbages he harvested himself at home.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes. Have you tried it?”

 

“It was delicious. I’ve been enjoying it.”

 

“If the three of us are villains, who’s the worst guy?”

 

“Chief Ko is innocent. He only did what I told him to do.”

 

“It’s the fault of the adult who’s old enough to know better. Young Master Yoonsung’s situation was mostly due to his childhood environment…”

 

“I feel like I just became the worst one.”

 

We mentioned Woo Yoonjae’s gift and talked about each of our recent villainous roles in dramas. Since this was a ‘Villain Special’, we had to talk about being bad guys at least once.

 

We delivered the first batch of roasted sweet potatoes to the staff. Since we could only cook a limited number at a time, we shared trivial stories such as first impressions and past anecdotes while waiting for the second batch.

 

“Mr. Yoonjae, have you ever seen this kid get angry? It’s no joke.”

 

“Haha, how could I ever get angry at a senior!”

 

“If so, there’s a high probability that Mr. Jahan was the one at fault…”

 

“I guess it’s settled—I’m the biggest piece of trash in today’s broadcast.”

 

“Please eat a sweet potato before your image gets any worse, sunbaenim.”

 

I quickly pulled out a sweet potato and offered it to Gu Jahan.

 

Watching the flickering flames, my muscles slowly relaxed. The sweet potatoes were delicious, too. I looked for a skewer to eat just one more, and Woo Yoonjae poked a large one and handed it to me. Roasted sweet potatoes were high in calories—

 

“You must have had a hard time attending to us, your hyungs. Eat up.”

 

—but there was no way I could refuse. I decided to run three laps around the village tomorrow morning and ate it enthusiastically.

 

Sweet potatoes even made it into dinner. Gu Jahan, who was now naturally wearing a floral cardigan and sleep socks, picked out sturdy sweet potatoes to peel, while I chopped them into chunks and tossed them into the cauldron.

 

Woo Yoonjae made fresh kimch on the side. I got caught staring because it looked so good. In exchange for getting a taste of sweet potato topped with fresh kimchi, Gu Jahan and I boiled a zucchini soybean paste stew.

 

“We sure eat well.”

 

“You have to eat well to do anything. Mr. Iwol, you don’t usually eat much, do you…?”

 

“I eat my meals regularly! I just control what I eat.”

 

“I thought Mr. Iwol was thin, but idols are all incredibly skinny.”

 

“I heard our agency isn’t too strict with dietary restrictions. So, I’m in no position to complain.”

 

Our conversation instantly caught fire with topics like ‘Essential Supplements for Men in their 20s and 30s’ and ‘Bodyweight Exercises Effective for Health Management’.

 

“Your condition takes a dive once you hit thirty. Take care of yourself.”

 

Gu Jahan gave me a stern warning. I had never been over thirty in this life, so I couldn’t even talk back.

 

I decided to do the final round of dishes. It wasn’t a ‘maknae’s fate’ kind of thing; we just decided Woo Yoonjae, who was covered in the most ash, should wash up first. Gu Jahan, whom I thought had gone for a smoke, boiled some water in the cauldron and mixed it with cold water for dishwashing.

 

After washing our faces, we lay side-by-side under a thick cotton quilt. Gu Jahan suddenly jumped up, saying he felt a draft, so we spent about 30 minutes fussing around to block the gaps in the door.

 

“Mr. Iwol, you sleep by the wall. A singer shouldn’t let his throat get cold.”

 

“The floor is warm, so it’s fine. I’ll sleep by the door…”

 

“Should I warm up a towel for you? It’ll be warm if you sleep with it under the blanket.”

 

My seniors’ consideration just kept overflowing. Amidst all this, not one of them told me to sleep with a sweet potato on my face to keep warm. It was a moment that made me realize just how extraordinary our Choi Jeho truly was.