Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 452 - Encore Concert

The three-day, two-night trip to Daejeon could be summarized as ‘intense healing’,

 

You might think ‘intense’ and ‘healing’ contradict each other. I used to think so, too, until this trip. It turned out the concept of ‘productive rest’ actually existed in this world.

 

As soon as we opened our eyes in the morning, we polished off a whole pot of rice together. After the dishes were done and the blankets were dusted, we went for a walk on the mountain behind the house. After a quick loop around the hiker-free mountain, we visited another spot on Jeong Seongbin’s Gourmet List (this time a barley rice place), finally satisfying the leader’s long-standing craving.

 

We went to the arboretum, too. Sightings of us popped up on social media like mushrooms after rain.

 

≫ Is Spark filming something?

There’s a professional-looking photographer with them.

└ That Photographer Kim is at it again.

└ At that point, it’s basically avant-garde art

 

For the photos to upload on BubblePop, I personally selected the best shots one by one.

 

We squeezed ourselves into a narrow photo booth to take ‘Photos of our Lives’. The moment the shoot ended, everyone exhaled the breath they’d been holding and popped out of the machine like they were being spring-loaded. If I could write a review for the place, I’d ask them to widen the booths just a little bit.

 

Looking back, we did nothing but eat, play, and take photos. Yet, there was no time to rest. We tried so hard to ‘rest properly’ that we didn’t even have time to catch our breath—what an irony.

 

“So, is that why everyone came back with their cheeks sunken in?”

 

Min Jukyung burst out laughing. She had been surprised that we came back looking half-dead despite going on a trip, and when we explained, she found it hilarious.

 

“You worked hard. I’m glad you had fun, though.”

 

“Manager Daeyeon worked the hardest, really.”

 

“Mr. Daeyeon looked happier, though?”

 

She wasn’t wrong. Maybe the grilled clams were that good—Manager Daeyeon looked about three times happier when he came to pick us up.

 

Today’s schedule ended with a brief briefing on our off-season schedule and plans for the second half of the year. Off-season activity schedule… that also sounded like a contradiction, but anyway.

 

There was still plenty to do back at the dorm. We had to unpack, wash up, and catch up on monitoring. In the living room, someone had already linked MeTube and was playing the self-produced content uploaded yesterday.

 

“Where’s Cheonghyeon? Sleeping?”

 

“He said he’s studying for exams. Midterms are coming up.”

 

“It is that time of year already.”

 

I nodded as I folded towels. Then, a thought suddenly struck me. I looked to the side and saw Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo pretending not to notice as they folded socks.

 

“Aren’t you two in the middle of exams, too?”

 

“We can replace it with practicals…”

 

“But you must have midterms for your liberal arts classes.”

 

“…….”

 

“You want to stay freshmen next year because you don’t have enough credits? Planning to spend ten years in college? You know tuition is going up these days, right? You want headlines like ‘Spark Gives Up Full Scholarship… Heartwarming Gesture’ turning into ‘Spark Fails to Meet Scholarship Requirements… Revealed to Have Poor Grades’?”

 

Unable to withstand the nagging, the main vocalists joined the self-study group. Once I sat down Choi Jeho and Kang Kiyeon, who had fallen behind on assignments, it became a perfect self-study room. I sat on the sofa under the pretext of supervision.

 

‘Though my own situation is a mess.’

 

The System poured oil onto my head, which was already about to explode from the search for my sister and the appeal case. I thought it was a process where, if I did what I was told, the reward would be saving my sister. But it turned out my sister and the re-employment were just bait; they were planning to make me do something that hadn’t been revealed yet.

 

Whatever that ‘something’ was, it must be a goal so great that they had to grab me by the collar and keep me alive to achieve it. To this end, the system, capable of sending someone to the past and erasing and restoring memories, had been tempering and strengthening me for a long time.

 

At least my mental health was improving. I’d recovered enough to not consider extreme choices.

 

Instead, my physical body was falling apart. What’s the use of working hard to survive voluntarily when I’m about to get a hole in my stomach? Things were calm now, but if the synchronization rate rose again to 5%, 10%, who knew what would happen.

 

‘Is the answer really to win the Grand Prize as quickly as possible?’

 

Each time I hit a KPI, I learned a bit more about the system so that was the only thing I could lean on.

 

Even so.

 

“Is everyone studying?”

 

“Cheonghyeon, do you want to join us? Jeho hyung sighs every three minutes, but it’s actually pretty easy to focus.”

 

“Kiyeon, I know your page hasn’t turned once for a while now…”

 

I had to lead these guys to aim for the Grand Prize, a height that even the 7th-year Spark hadn’t reached. And I couldn’t let them fall from that place of glory.

 

Furthermore, the System…

 

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

▶ Assistant Manager Kim still has a long way to go.

 

…said something that completely overturned my assumption that the grand prize would be the final KPI.

 

Then, after my sister’s accident is erased and my re-employment is nullified, what else do I have to do? Is there still something left even after I repay everything?

 

‘This is a headache.’

 

The System itself had been keeping its mouth shut and hiding lately. When I was distressed, it used to irritate me constantly—but now that I tried to dig into it, it disappeared.

 

I had never seen a mysterious manager type in my life, so I hoped it realized its character design was flawed and came out. System, you’re a perfectionist, aren’t you? Be like Manager Nam and just blabber about things I didn’t even ask for.

 

I grumbled a lot internally, but in reality, there was nothing I could do. Right, even winning the Grand Prize required incredible luck, so what was the point of worrying about what came after? I needed to stop counting my chickens and just look after myself.

 

“What’s up with Kim Iwol’s expression?”

 

“Did he have lingering regrets about acting?”

 

“Aren’t you guys studying?”

 

At my words, Choi Jeho and Jeong Seongbin pinned their gazes to their papers with deathly pale faces.

 

Oh dear, my head… No, Jeong Seongbin told me not to use that expression. From now on, I’d say, Oh dear, my future…

 

***

 

After the short holiday, practice hit us hard. High-intensity practice, similar to right before a comeback, was repeated every day.

 

The reason was simple. The staff for the encore concert had all been assembled.

 

“Cheonghyeon, want to rest for a bit?”

 

“No. This is a concert I sacrificed my midterms for. I can’t half-ass it.”

 

“I’m pretty sure I heard something similar before…”

 

During busy seasons like festivals or year-end events, there was barely time to breathe. Spark had been in high gear since the end of last year. It wouldn’t have been strange if someone collapsed, but everyone tightened their resolve and kept themselves in check.

 

That said, it wasn’t all harsh practice. During the breaks, we’d make bets over drinks or hold random massage coupon draws.

 

To be honest, I was going to just buy the drinks myself. I was old enough to have some shame; I had no intention of playing a cutthroat game of ‘Pop-up Pirate’ with them to get free food.

 

However, Jeong Seongbin flatly refused to let my card leave my wallet. His reason was that it lacked ‘entertainment material’ for the self-produced content. It was true that just showing us practicing wasn’t very interesting, so I had to give in to his suggestion. To summarize the ending: Choi Jeho paid.

 

We also formed new units. Although the name ‘Encore Concert’ implied bringing back the same format as the previous concert, we decided that simply recreating the previous version wouldn’t mean much in an era where online concerts are commercialized, so we added some variations.

 

As a result of drawing lines here and there to try combinations we hadn’t shown before…

 

Seongbin — Kiyeon

Jeho — Cheonghyeon

Iwol — Joowoo

 

…A rather unusual set of units was created. They were combinations you could easily see offstage, but never ones that would perform together alone.

 

The moment they were matched, Jeong Seongbin and Kang Kiyeon put their heads together for an idea meeting. Lee Cheonghyeon clung to Choi Jeho, babbling about ‘A space tour with a giant metal robot’.

 

As for me and Park Joowoo…

 

‘Guys.’

 

‘Yes.’

 

‘Are you really going with this concept?’

 

‘Yes. Give me a leather jacket.’

 

‘I like clothes with holes in them, too…!’

 

…We decided to awaken the soul of heavy metal. Park Joowoo asked me what I wanted to do, so I pushed for this.

 

Upon hearing the song title, Jeong Seongbin was the only one who realized this stage was my taste, not Park Joowoo’s. Spark’s Karaoke Machine was still going strong.

 

‘Hyung, you have to sing, too.’

 

‘Me, too?’

 

Because Park Joowoo was so adamant, I even added ‘Vocal Training from Hell’ to my schedule. I felt like my vocal cords were going to rip trying to keep up with a vocalist who had no limits, but I accepted it as my destiny.

 

***

 

The second concert ended with great success. The response was great too.

 

≫ First Con vs. Encore Con

What’s the Sparkler’s choice?

└ You can’t beat the emotion of the First Con. But the Encore Con is a total endorphin rush.

└ First Con. Because I couldn’t go to the Encore Con. I’m so jealous.

└ Emotion: First Con. Fun: Encore Con.

 

≫ Aaaaaahhhh the first concert didn’t have the Emperor Fox unit!!!

How can you just drop this with no warning~~~!!!!!

└ I thought the sexy hierarchy was settled with the Eldest Line’s Underbar, but then this sexy rap suddenly comes up… I’m happy.

└ Choi Jeho and Lee Cheonghyeon rapping lyrics about a power struggle over me? Who can resist that

└ I turned on the video to listen to the song, but found myself just constantly increasing the resolution.

└ Cheonghyeon doing his main job is a total legend T_T. How does a 20-year-old male have this much talent?

 

≫ It should be illegal for Jung Seongbin to cover his forehead

If he puts his bangs down, he should be fined 5 million won each time.

Kiyeon, thank you~!

└ A huge thank-you shoutoutㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Exposed-forehead Jeong Seongbin is a real man

└ And I highly praise Kang Kiyeon for coming out with bangs down.

└ I didn’t realize it because I always called them our group’s ‘Soft-Handsome Guy’ and ‘Maknae’, but I realized after seeing the previews… Being the leader of a Cold-Handsome group and having a Strong-Vibe Delinquent look isn’t for everyone…

└ Seeing the leather gloves and shoulder holster, I became a burst firework.

 

≫ Did I come to an idol concert or a rock festival?

└ Miheon-nim ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋThe hairㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Waiting for the Angel-Clay unit stage reviews… I trust Sparkler’s loyalty…

└ Don’t wait for me. I’m scheduled to pass out in 3 seconds.

└ I knew you’d end up like this the moment I heard Kim Iwol came out in a black muscle-fit tee.

 

≫ .

 .

.

The long-awaited BREAKING

A world of rock-maniacs served up by a hardcore rock fan.

When I saw the leather pants + walkers + dangling chains, I thought, ‘Oh, they really went for the visuals’, but the song was even crazier

Both suited the smoky makeup so well. The smoky I know is a panda with smudged eyeliner, but I learned for the first time that beautiful smoky exists. Maybe it’s because I’m from the generation that drew eyeliner with mechanical pencils

└ The generation that drew eyeliner with mechanical pencils…?

└└ [OP] Why? You find me funny, too?

 └└└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ F*ck, you’re scaryㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Did they keep the smoky makeup for the rest of the stages???

└└ No, they wiped it off and redid it while other units performedㅋㅋㅋ

└ Kim Iwol is a truly fascinating person. How is that the same man who was screaming while watching his members on a deserted island?

 

≫ I love everything about this photo.

(Photo)

└ White bass… sweat on the jawline… pale skin… veins… fingers… the shine of the walkers… the lighting…

└ Someone please fix that bass to Kim Iwol’s shoulder. I’m begging you, please.

└ I knew Park Joowoo’s high notes were killer, but I never imagined Kim Iwol’s low notes. Kim Iwol, please take care of the low parts yourself, don’t just give them all to Jeho every time.

 

≫ Interested in Spark’s concert.

I’ve never been to an idol concert, but it looks fun.

└ There are a lot of clips floating aroundㅋㅋ but tickets are hard unless you get fanclub presale

 

The interest generated by the concert videos, the addictive songs, word of mouth, etc.—Spark’s stage drew reactions from various angles.

 

And for those who couldn’t get tickets but couldn’t give up on seeing them live…

 

≫ Spark May Festival Calendar (Final version as of XX day)

└ Thanks.

└ Thanks.

└ Can outsiders enter the newly added event?

└└ Yeah, I’ll add an explanation.

 └└└ Thanks, you’re a godsend.

 

…their attention turned to public events open to everyone.