Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 434 - Deception (1)

“Guys, are we all taking one car home today, too?”

 

“Yes!”

 

Im Chanyoung nodded and took out the car keys.

 

It was the first time since the manager staff was increased that all six members were riding in a single vehicle. The catalyst was a suggestion from Kang Kiyeon.

 

‘Seongbin hyung, would it be too cramped if we traveled in one car?’

 

‘All six of us in one car? Why?’

 

Kang Kiyeon had noted that Kim Iwol had been frequently anxious ever since he had that nightmare. He said it was obvious that Kim Iwol got restless whenever the car driven by Pyeong Daeyeon disappeared from his sight.

 

Kang Kiyeon even brought Lee Cheonghyeon as a witness.

 

‘If the members agree, I think it’s better to have everyone sit together. Whenever we’re in the car, he does nothing but stare out the window.’

 

And so, Jeong Seongbin informed Kim Iwol that they would be using one car for the time being, using the excuse of ‘reorganizing staff management policies’. Kim Iwol asked if it wouldn’t be too cramped, but he didn’t seem to dislike the idea.

 

The members, whose physiques had noticeably improved over the past few years, had to squeeze their shoulders together even after rearranging the seats. The kind-hearted maknaes voluntarily stepped up to sit in the most uncomfortable three-person row.

 

‘Putting three of the hyungs’ shoulders side-by-side is just cruel.’

 

‘I agree with Lee Cheonghyeon.’

 

Jeong Seongbin decided to squeeze in between the two younger ones. Whether it was Kim Iwol or Choi Jeho sitting between Lee Cheonghyeon and Kang Kiyeon, the space would still be tight. At least if he sat there, it would be a bit easier on the younger ones’ shoulders.

 

‘Should I sit in the back…?’

 

Park Joowoo had offered as well. But they didn’t want to ask more consideration from someone who already struggled even with the passenger seat. At the suggestion that he could swap with Lee Cheonghyeon or Kang Kiyeon occasionally if it really bothered him, Park Joowoo nodded in agreement.

 

Kim Iwol calmed down so quickly that the image of him trembling all over in the early morning felt like a dream. It seemed listening to the younger members had been the right choice.

 

“Whose concept was the set today?”

 

“Cheonghyeon, yours.”

 

“Guess I’ll be making history with my visuals.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon joked in response to Kim Iwol’s answer. Everyone let out a chuckle.

 

The set concepts were designed with backgrounds specialized to highlight each member’s birthstone. Starting with the opera house with golden lace curtains for their first broadcast, Spark built several large-scale, extravagant sets. It was the result of Kim Iwol’s passion for beautiful visuals.

 

However, Kim Iwol himself couldn’t fully enjoy the promotions. In the beginning, he was full of worry over Park Joowoo’s issues, and from the middle onward, he himself seemed unsettled. It was a feat in itself that he conducted himself without causing any rumors among the fans.

 

“Cheonghyeon, you said you’re going to school after the pre-recording, right? You can take Mr. Daeyeon’s car later.”

 

“Oh, it’s been a really long time since I’ve ridden in Daeyeon hyung’s car!”

 

As Lee Cheonghyeon bounced with excitement, the back row fell into chaos. A flattened Kang Kiyeon shrieked at him to stay still.

 

“You have a radio show in the evening. Will you have the stamina?”

 

Kim Iwol asked, looking back.

 

“I can just sleep at school, so it’s fine.”

 

“You sound exactly like Kiyeon.”

 

“Hyung, comparing me to this guy is a bit too harsh on me.”

 

“Eh? Isn’t it too harsh on me?”

 

The two of them started bickering again. They only quieted down after Jeong Seongbin smiled and told them to keep it down. Jeong Seongbin thought he urgently needed to come up with a plan for when even his words stopped working.

 

“Oh, by the way, Joowoo hyung. Do you have your bag?”

 

“Yeah, why…?”

 

“I wrote down what you asked for on paper. Take it before I forget.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon pulled an L-shaped file out of his large backpack. The file passed through Kim Iwol’s hands and was delivered to Park Joowoo in the passenger seat.

 

“What’s this file? It’s not another meeting I don’t know about, right?”

 

Kim Iwol narrowed his eyes. Since finding out that he was the only one unaware of the line distribution issue, Kim Iwol had become somewhat obsessed with the idea that he might be missing something.

 

“It’s for Genre-Switch. It has nothing to do with you, hyung.”

 

Despite Lee Cheonghyeon’s explanation, Kim Iwol didn’t easily drop his suspicion. Only after Park Joowoo smiled and clarified that it was true did Kim Iwol slowly lean his back against the seat.

 

“Joowoo hyung asked me to look over a few lyrics. That’s all. Satisfied now?”

 

“He discussed lyrics with you? Not Seongbin?”

 

“Because the lyrics are in English…”

 

“Ah.”

 

Park Joowoo’s indirect jab made Jeong Seongbin look sad. Kim Iwol also shut his mouth tight.

 

“I’m sorry, hyung. Basic conversation is one thing, but writing or translating lyrics is too much…”

 

“No, being able to do free talking like you is already impressive, Seongbin!”

 

Kim Iwol hurriedly made an excuse. Choi Jeho laughed at him mercilessly.

 

‘I just hope we can maintain this kind of atmosphere.’

 

Jeong Seongbin sometimes wondered if he was asking for too much. Compared to when he practiced under the bullying of a senior artist in a company with no experience running an idol business, or when they worked under a terrible producer, their current life was more than he deserved.

 

Creating results that don’t disappoint fans and growing step by step. Without retreating or stagnating. Everyone was looking forward. Even if there were obstacles, they cleared them and kept moving.

 

Jeong Seongbin truly liked the direction the team was taking. But at the same time, even knowing it might be asking for too much, he found himself wanting something more.

 

He supposed he needed to find the answer to that ‘something’ to provide motivation. Something that could carry them through when a crisis came—one that couldn’t be overcome by the younger members’ consideration or the hyungs’ jokes. Or when someone grew more exhausted and wounded than now, slowing their steps.

 

‘I always thought you were the most suitable person to be the leader among us.’

 

At the very least, he wanted to live up to the trust Kim Iwol had shown him from the very beginning.

 

Jeong Seongbin steeled his heart. There would be plenty of work to do for the group in the future.

 

* * *

 

≫ The set is legendary levels of pretty

UA definitely knows how to spend money.

└ I cursed so much because the schedule was aaaaaall pre-recordings, but I’m embarrassed now because the sets are so luxurious…  I just stared at it in aweㅠㅠㅠㅠ

└ I’m so glad Iwol didn’t bring back a crumbling computer repair shop concept.

└ But now I feel like that would have been okay in its own way too.

└ Vintage, retro, everything would fit them perfectly ㅋㅋㅋ Iwol, let’s ride a time machine once

 

≫ To everyone who said they made the set photos their wallpaper

What did you use to capture it?

No matter how I try to take a screen cap, there’s always a person in the frame ㅠㅠ

└ Fan Cafe!! Iwol edits them and posts them after the broadcast.

└ Gosh, so that’s why there are shots of just the set without people… I thought someone combined several screenshots.

└ My baby even makes muggle-safe wallpapers for us…

 

≫ Lee Cheonghyeon, the masterpiece that finally became reality

(Photo)

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ I laughed so much seeing this choreo ㅋㅋㅋㅋ The eldest hyung actually became part of the frame to turn Lee Cheonghyeon into a painting.

└ Knowing the whole ‘turn Cheonghyeon into a masterpiece’ narrative makes it even funnier, but when they zoom in on him it’s not funny anymore… my mind just goes blank

└└ If you watch the MV reaction videos, everyone is going ‘Wow…’ at this part ㅋㅋㅋ

└ Whoever gave Lee Cheonghyeon odd-eye lenses, please accept my bow.

└└ They aren’t neon colors but a subtle purple-blue, so it’s even prettier! Speaking of which, guys, Iwol told us to buy gold because the price of gold went up.

└└└ Gold is cheapest right now. I bought a tiny grain of gold at debut and the price has almost doubled.

└└└└ Dope.

 

≫ Spark’s new choreo shows its true value in the wide shots

In Iwol’s part, they look like tall retail store employees, then in Kiyeon’s part they stretch their arms and fingers to form a tree

Using a member’s back as a table.

★★★★★ Lee Cheonghyeon Frame ★★★★★

└ But you have to see Choi Jeho blowing a breeze at Jeong Seongbin’s finger like blowing out a candle in a close-up.

└ Add Joowoo grabbing the hand that covered his eyes from behind and revealing his pupils.

└└ Why would you even bother to comment on something so obvious?

└ The dance lines and direction are totally perverted (in a good way), but they restrained the movements and expressions to keep it from feeling too much. Well-balanced.

 

***

 

‘Bright’ received positive reviews from many angles. In particular, there were many posts praising the visual aspect. Even in the keyword analysis results, the word ‘aesthetic’ held a large weight alongside ‘musicality’ and ‘public appeal’. Associated imagery included maturity, luxury, and sophistication.

 

‘I can consider the brand image to have changed to some extent.’

 

It was perfect for a ‘Brand Image Improvement Proposal’ portfolio. If someone at UA actually used this material to successfully change jobs… I would send them off wishing for a happy future, but I’d be crying tears of blood. A year has passed, so they must have raised salaries, right? I believe in you, CEO.

 

While one phone delivered this kind of good news, there was also a thing flashing in front of my eyes, distracting me.

 

[SYSTEM] A work instruction from the ‘Superior’ has arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, do you think ignoring reality will change anything?

 

For the past few days, the system had been pestering me more persistently than an annoying fly. Specifically, it started from the moment the synchronization rate increased. At first, I didn’t notice because I was too overwhelmed, but once I realized it, I saw that it had been repeatedly displaying similar messages.

 

[SYSTEM] A work instruction from the ‘Superior’ has arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, how long are you going to keep denying reality?

 

[SYSTEM] A work instruction from the ‘Superior’ has arrived.

▶Can someone who works in society afford to be this weak?

 

It was so annoying that I scrolled back to see which comment had been the starting point. The very first message the system sent was this:

 

[SYSTEM] A work instruction from the ‘Superior’ has arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, are you still afraid of death?

 

It sent this right after I found out the news about Park Joowoo. If the system had a physical form, today would have been the last day for both of us.

 

The system seemed to have both a strangely considerate side that tried to take care of me, and a completely inhuman side. That was why I had tried not to waste emotional energy reacting to everything it said.

 

Afraid of death? Of course, I wouldn’t be okay in a situation where someone next to me could die…

 

My thoughts stopped for a moment. Something clicked rapidly into place.

 

At one point, I thought the system was threatening me using my sister as leverage. I assumed that any concern it showed for my condition or safety was just to keep me functioning well enough to meet KPIs, and that if I failed, I would just fall back to the Hanpyoung Industry and that would be the end of it.

 

But if the system was truly perfectionistic, why would it care about my mental state, which had nothing to do with achieving KPIs? Whether I felt pain or was emotionally unstable shouldn’t matter, as long as I completed the mission, right?

 

Even if it was for maintaining work efficiency, it still didn’t add up. If that were the case, it should have provided a way to control the synchronization rate that interfered with activities. Just like it gave me ways to reduce accumulated fatigue, even with side effects. Unless it couldn’t stop the synchronization…

 

Aha.

 

You… in some way or another…

 

That is to say, including the voluntary way—you can’t interfere with ‘my death’, can you?