Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 426 - Rural Experience (2)

A highly trained Spark member generally stayed alert whenever there were cameras around. Thanks to that, even after lying down for a long time, I couldn’t fall asleep.

 

I didn’t dare open the door either, worried the icy wind might wake the two sleeping seniors beside me. So I quietly stayed under the blanket, staring at a stain on the ceiling.

 

After about an hour, I started to feel like I was wasting time. Among the adults who fell asleep as soon as the sun went down, I was the only one wide awake, having regained a youthful body. To make matters even worse, the sun sets early in winter! And because we were in the mountains, it set even earlier!

 

If Jeong Seongbin watched this broadcast later, he might ask why I didn’t sleep, but it was honestly unfair. It was not that I didn’t have the will to get a good night’s sleep. It was just that these people went to bed way too early. If I slept now, I’d end up waking up at 2 AM…

 

In the suffocating silence, I carefully slipped my upper body out of the blanket. Fortunately, the sunbaenims didn’t budge. I reached for my bag, pulled out my mini tablet, and lowered the brightness to the minimum. Then I grabbed my Bluetooth keyboard and slipped back under the blanket.

 

‘If I stay under the blanket, the typing noise should be muffled, right?’

 

I had no intention of working until the blood vessels in my eyes popped in the dark. I just wanted to check some backlog of Dotion notifications.

 

As I reviewed the updates one by one, I noticed something unusual. The budget assigned to the next music video had been increased to nearly double the initial budget proposal. The chat was already filled with comments from the members who saw it before me.

 

*Jeong Seongbin

[@Dam Gyehyeok Hello, Gyehyeok-nim! I was wondering if our music video shooting budget is listed correctly?]

 

Dam Gyehyeok

[@Jeong Seongbin Yes, it’s correct! Additional funds were allocated, so I’ll create a remarks column in the attached file and fill in the details later~]

 

Lee Cheonghyeon

[Are we bathing in gold dust for our MV?]

 

Kang Kiyeon

[At least one person probably should.]

 

‘They’ve been having fun.’

 

The workload of an idol was harsh for their age. Kids who dreamed of dancing and singing eventually realized, once they became trainees and debut, that they had to do many things they never expected. From somewhat related things like learning foreign languages or acting, to tasks that seemed completely unrelated. It was similar to office workers who ended up doing far more than what was listed in their job description.

 

Even so, it was hard to tell an idol, ‘The staff will handle everything, so just focus on your main job!’ My philosophy was that if you are an idol working with fans, you should at least know what you are showing them, why, and through what process.

 

Companies sell products for money, but idols and entertainment run on fans’ affection. You shouldn’t toy with people’s feelings—everything requires at least a minimum level of sincerity.

 

Because of that belief, Spark had been involved not only in visible group activities but also in planning, operations, monitoring, and data analysis. Although the degree of involvement varied for everyone, there was no part of the team’s work where a Spark member ‘knew nothing’.

 

To make people consistently engage in things they’re not naturally interested in, you need incentives. That incentive can be pressure—or reward. But based on my experience at the Hanpyeong Industry, neither worked particularly well on me.

 

What truly keeps people going without burning out…

 

The power that makes them look at something one more time and lets work penetrate deep enough into their daily lives that ideas pop up even in their downtime…

 

Park Joowoo

[@Jeong Seongbin Seongbin, should I put a reference image of a gold dust bath in the planning proposal? ( @Lee Cheonghyeon, @Kang Kiyeon)]

 

Kang Kiyeon

[@Park Joowoo hyung, that’s not it!]

 

Kang Kiyeon

[@Park Joowoo hyung, no!!!]

 

…It came from joy. All I had to do was create an environment where work could feel like play. These responsible guys wouldn’t take their job lightly just because they were enjoying themselves.

 

Even the way they carefully used tags so as not to spam unnecessary notifications showed the results. They only tagged each other when needed, while still joking around.

 

Maybe someone heard me trying not to laugh, because a hand tapped my shoulder. I pulled down the blanket and met Woo Yoonjae’s eyes.

 

“……Aren’t you sleeping?”

 

“Ah, I’ll sleep soon……!”

 

I lowered my voice so as not to wake Gu Jahan. Woo Yoonjae had his shoulders hunched too.

 

“Do you have to work until this late hour?”

 

Woo Yoonjae, looking back and forth between the bright tablet screen and me, said pityingly.

 

“It’s a hobby.”

 

I answered seriously because, if I wasn’t careful, UA might end up being reported to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem convinced.

 

“Idols are really busy……”

 

Woo Yoonjae patted me gently. It would have been great if that system skill—was it called Sunshine Smile or Fish Cake Smile or something—had activated at a time like this. My bright smile seemed to look like ‘the hope and passion of a weary youth’ to Woo Yoonjae.

 

Anyway, since I had woken up my senior, my overtime work ended there. I turned off the tablet and lay back down.

 

“Should we have steamed cabbage tomorrow?”

 

“The cabbages in the field were all frozen, though?”

 

“They probably left it there to become fertilizer. Let’s cook with what’s in the fridge.”

 

“That sounds delicious.”

 

He looked pleased, satisfied with both the breakfast menu and my reaction.

 

Besides the meal talk, we shared a bit more conversation. Maybe because it was night, the conversation got deeper. Things like his long years as an unknown supporting actor. Since Woo Yoonjae himself probably hadn’t had many places to talk about it, I listened to his calm words attentively.

 

“How have you been lately, Mr. Iwol?”

 

“I’m the same as usual. Every day is becoming more and more enjoyable.”

 

Life was still tough as always, but if I was laughing more and work was fun, that was already a pretty a good life, wasn’t it? At least, I thought so.

 

“Can I ask you something?”

 

“You can ask five things.”

 

I wondered what kind of question he was hesitating over, and then…

 

“…How is the search for your older sister going?”

 

…A subject came up that was just as difficult to bring up as his acting career.

 

Considering the path the ‘Exclusive Report’ team had shown me so far, the reason for the question wasn’t hard to guess. They probably wanted to create opportunities to mention it wherever possible. Naturally, it was not a story suited for a music broadcast.

 

“No real progress. I’ve been a bit busy with work.”

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

I did find out one thing through the System while drinking at the dorm.

 

At that time, my voice wouldn’t come out when I was trying to state my sister’s age.

 

‘…Years old?’

 

‘I’m not sure. Around seven to nine… years old. Yeah.’

 

My sister and I were eight years apart. That basic fact hadn’t changed.

 

“She’s eight years older than me. Quite a gap, right?”

 

And this information could now be disclosed thanks to the recent events.

 

My mother and father, who were accused of infant abandonment, personally revealed to the world when they gave birth to and abandoned my sister in order to claim that the statute of limitations had passed. They might avoid punishment for that, but the evidence would work against them in the domestic abuse case involving me.

 

“If your sister finds her younger brother, she’ll think he’s so precious.”

 

“Are you on good terms with your sibling, sunbaenim?”

 

“No, not exactly……”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean!”

 

We covered our mouths with our sleeves and laughed quietly.

 

“Since you’re tall, Mr. Iwol, wouldn’t your sister be tall too?”

 

“She might actually be closer to average.”

 

“Really?”

 

“It’s a hunch.”

 

I passed it off as a joke, but it was the truth. My sister said with her own mouth that she was exactly ‘average height’. Since the average value changed depending on the time period, I guessed that the System’s restrictions might not kick in here, and I was right.

 

“And I don’t think we look very much alike.”

 

The description of appearance, which fell under subjective impressions, also passed safely. What a dumb system. It probably didn’t recognize that the fact that my sister and I didn’t look alike was clear enough to be considered objective.

 

“It would have been nice if you had at least a baby photo.”

 

“I know, right.”

 

Is there anything else that is as specific as age and height, yet can be explained indirectly?

After some thought, I carefully added.

 

“…My sister was born in autumn.”

 

My sister loved her birthday. Even in my eyes, her birthday suited the person herself. Clear skies, early autumn before the cold winds set in.

 

‘The price of roasted chestnuts in our neighborhood went up.’

 

‘To how much?’

 

‘Ten thousand won for three bags.’

 

‘Everything goes up except my salary.’

 

A season with warm memories, even if not sentimental.

 

If this scene was broadcast, and if my sister discovered me somewhere and contacted me, just as my mother and father found me…

 

If the day comes when we meet again……

 

I hope that day is in autumn.

 

* * *

 

The morning of the last day began with Gu Jahan’s interrogation. He asked what the two of us were whispering about all night, so I told him to check the broadcast.

 

Washing our faces with icy water turned all three of us red like tomatoes. For Gu Jahan, who was whining that his bangs had frozen, I worked hard to dry and style his hair with a hairdryer.

 

For breakfast, we had steamed cabbage as decided the night before.

 

“Mr. Yoonjae, what did you put in the ssamjang?”

 

“I just put in a few seasonings that were in the kitchen, that’s all.”

 

Even Gu Jahan was impressed; Woo Yoonjae’s ssamjang was… really delicious. I even wrote down the recipe so I could make it for the Spark members if we ever had a meat dinner. If Woo Yoonjae started a ssamjang company, I would sign up as a member of the online mall and keep buying it until I became a VIP reguler.

 

Woo Yoonjae and Gu Jahan took the used blankets out to the yard to shake them out. Since fans of the two of them probably hadn’t seen many scenes of them shaking blankets while wearing gloves, I asked the production team for their understanding, took out my phone, and diligently took pictures. After getting the best shots, I swept the wooden porch and finished up neatly with a mop.

 

“You know.”

 

“Yes.”

 

While I was wiping dust off places that the elderly couldn’t reach, like warehouse shelves and the tops of wardrobes, to show my gratitude for using the location, Gu Jahan spoke to me.

 

“It feels like we came here to play, not to film.”

 

That’s because you didn’t pay any attention to the cameras at all…

 

Meanwhile, idol Kim Iwol was busy worrying about his puffy face showing on camera. I woke up and rubbed my face about 30 times under the blanket. If he lived a life 24 hours a day with Twinkle Super Hot Stars, Gu Jahan would understand my heart.

 

Except for that……

 

“I had fun too.”

 

…It was an enjoyable recording. It would be nice to come here with the Spark members next time.