Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 454 - Frustration (2)

A vibration that shook the ground passed. Choi Jeho opened his eyes and got up. The scene was chaotic, a cacophony of screams mixed with the screeching of malfunctioning audio equipment. The noise was so deafening it felt as if it were coming from another world.

 

“Kim Iwol.”

 

Choi Jeho called out to the man who had pulled him, Kim Iwol, who was lying on the floor just like him. Kim Iwol’s unfocused eyes turned toward Jeho.

 

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

 

Kim Iwol asked.

 

His expression and voice were dry and hollow, the exact opposite of the desperation he had shown when reaching out his hand. That frantic energy was nowhere to be found.

 

“No.”

 

“I see.”

 

Upon hearing the answer, Kim Iwol muttered like someone who had lost his soul.

 

“That’s how it should be.”

 

Jeong Seongbin and the other members rushed over from the opposite side. Managers and security guards sprinted up the stairs from both sides of the stage.

 

Someone took the still tightly gripped microphone and turned it off, someone grabbed shoulders to check for injuries, others cleared away broken lighting equipment, while announcements echoed around them—everything surrounded them in a dizzying blur.

 

Even as he was being helped up, Choi Jeho’s gaze remained fixed on Kim Iwol.

 

The lifeless eyes and the sense of dissonance, as if he were drifting away from the world—Choi Jeho had witnessed this once before.

 

‘That’s… because I hid the container.’

 

It was the day Kim Iwol’s family had come to the company. The Kim Iwol who had incessantly muttered incomprehensible words was exactly like the man standing here now.

 

‘Why? Just why?’

 

After coming down from the stage, Kim Iwol slumped down powerlessly. He couldn’t stand up on his own, so the members had to support him on both sides. Kim Iwol couldn’t answer anyone’s questions.

 

In the hospital and in the car on the way back, Kim Iwol remained silent. Without even saying he was going to bed first, he disappeared under his blankets as soon as he arrived home.

 

***

 

Kim Iwol’s head was filled with thoughts of his sister.

 

From the moment he ruined everything with his own hands, he began to drag out and lay bare every memory he possessed, as if punishing himself.

 

He retraced everything he had received from his sister, carving the thoughts into his brain like driving in iron nails. He lashed himself relentlessly for what he had done.

 

Like a man trying to scoop up spilled water, he scraped at the floor of regret with his bare hands. Until his hands were scarred and bleeding. Yet, nothing could be undone.

 

Outside, it was pitch black. The world was as quiet as if it were asleep. When he was left alone with no one around, life became as silent and dark as this room.

 

Kim Iwol opened the door and stepped outside. He kept walking wherever his feet led him. He moved along the streets where not a single car passed, and only the traffic lights blinked, his footsteps heavy and rhythmic.

 

Even as he passed large buildings and several signs, his legs did not ache. His foggy mind slowly began to clear. The sound of his heartbeat echoed loudly in his head.

 

He already knew where this road ended. He had walked it before. The streetlights would turn off in time for the approaching sunrise, but he remembered the path so vividly that he could find it even in the dark dawn before the sun rose.

 

A familiar landscape began to appear.

 

The night view of the Han River came into sight.

 

Kim Iwol passed judgment on his pathetic self. He had returned to the past with great effort, but he had ultimately failed.  He hadn’t grown at all from the version of himself who once asked his dead sister whether he should keep living like this. It was his own complacency that let things drag on this far, when it should have ended long ago.

 

He couldn’t do anything anymore. He was so exhausted that even the strength to struggle had run dry.

 

So now, he decided to correct his mistake. He knew the answer, so all he had to do was execute it.

 

Kim Iwol’s hand gripped the railing. The familiar texture and the cold metal could not stop him.

 

Just as he put strength into his arms to lift himself—

 

“Excuse me!”

 

A strong force snatched his other arm. His body, losing its balance, lurched. Rough hands grabbed his clothes and pulled him away from the railing.

 

“Sir, please calm down for a second! Let’s talk…”

 

The buzzing voice gradually became clear. It was a voice he had heard before.

 

Kim Iwol’s eyes met the man’s.

 

“…Mr. Iwol?”

 

Polo stood before him, looking half-in-doubt.

 

“What a coincidence! I just realized I left some clothes at Yur hyung’s house, so I was just on my way to get them.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Polo spoke, pretending to be nonchalant. In truth, he had just gotten off work after finishing a radio schedule.

 

It was pure luck that a man about to jump came into his view while he was driving, exhausted from a long meeting. Polo had pulled over abruptly and ran like his life depended on it to grab the man.

 

The moment he realized the identity of the person, Polo was deeply shocked. To think that Kim Iwol, whose accident news was plastered all over the entertainment articles, was here instead of the hospital or his dorm. If it weren’t for that characteristic cool and dry impression, Polo wouldn’t have believed the person he caught was actually him.

 

Polo glanced sideways. Kim Iwol sat in the passenger seat, looking completely hollow. After confirming Kim Iwol’s seatbelt was fastened, Polo tilted his phone and sent a message.

 

[Hellas] Captain

 

Me:

Hyung

Hyung hyung

Please look at this quickly

Hyung, can I go to your place with Mr. Iwol right now?? Even if you can’t, please say yes just for me this once, consider it saving a life.

I’ll explain everything later. I was so flustered I just said I was on my way to your place.

 

[Hellas] Captain

Sure. How long will it take? What should I say when you arrive?

 

Me

20 minutes.

Just say I left my clothes there.

Thanks, I’m really sorry.

 

[Hellas] Captain

It’s fine. You seem really shaken up, so drive carefully.

 

“We’re leaving now.”

 

Polo stepped on the accelerator. Kim Iwol silently closed his eyes.

 

***

 

“I told you to pack your things carefully before you left.”

 

Yur greeted the two guests exactly like ‘someone who had been with Polo until just moments ago.’

 

“It’s been a while, Mr. Iwol.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Kim Iwol bowed his head. The moment Yur saw those hollow eyes, he vaguely understood why Polo, who rarely made sudden requests, had brought a junior to a member’s house out of nowhere.

 

“Mr. Iwol, why don’t you stay the night? There won’t be many taxis at this hour, and it seems a bit awkward to call your manager.”

 

Kim Iwol refused the offer immediately. His response felt more like an automated reply than a willful answer. To Yur, who had seen many colleagues break down during his long career, Kim Iwol was someone who absolutely should not be left alone.

 

“Don’t be like that, just stay for a night.”

 

“…….”

 

“We agreed to have a meal together anyway. I’ll treat you to breakfast tomorrow.”

 

Kim Iwol couldn’t refuse any further. He didn’t even seem to have the strength to.

 

Yur handed Kim Iwol a set of fresh clothes as if he had been waiting for it. Then he ushered Kim Iwol into the bathroom. Once the door closed and the sound of the shower was heard, Polo lowered his voice.

 

“Hyung, I’ll stay too—”

 

“Chaejun, you should go. You must be tired finishing so late.”

 

“How can I? I’m the one who barged in at such early hour.”

 

Polo’s face was filled with guilt.

 

“You were shocked.”

 

“…….”

 

“Go rest. I’ll contact UA.”

 

Polo couldn’t argue with Yur’s words. There wasn’t a single member who could hide their inner thoughts from Yur.

 

With Yur seeing him off, Polo reluctantly took his leave. Once the front door closed, Yur looked toward the bathroom where the water was still running, then obtained Spark’s manager’s number through his own manager.

 

Since he was asking for the contact information of a group that had just been in a major accident yesterday, the reply arrived swiftly. In the meantime, a long message from Polo explaining the situation also arrived.

 

Yur called Im Chanyoung, Spark’s manager. He persuaded and stopped the man who said he would come immediately. In a situation where it was unclear whether Iwol’s abnormal state was due to the company or the accident, he couldn’t rashly let him face a company employee.

 

The Spark members were younger than Kim Iwol. Furthermore, they were also victims who were at the scene of the accident yesterday. It was not advisable to entrust an unstable hyung to colleagues who needed stability themselves.

 

“I’ll look after him for now… I’ll contact you again in the morning.”

 

— Yes, I’ll be waiting. Please call anytime. I’m so sorry and thank you.

 

The call ended there. Kim Iwol stepped out of the bathroom with his hair dripping wet. He stood still in the hallway like someone who didn’t know what to do.

 

“Mr. Iwol.”

 

Yur, sitting on the living room sofa, called out to him.

 

“Would you like a drink before bed?”

 

To Kim Iwol, who said anything without caffeine was fine, Yur handed a cup of warm chamomile tea. Kim Iwol just stared at the steaming tea. Instead of rushing him to drink, Yur moistened his own throat with his own.

 

Kim Iwol’s hair and long eyelashes cast sharp, grey shadows over a face that looked as if it had been finely carved with a chisel. His straight nose and brow line gave off a noble and intellectual aura. His fair, blemishless skin gave the impression of an aristocrat in a piece of art.

 

However, despite all these handsome features making up Kim Iwol, the most striking thing about him was his unique gaze. His deep, dark eyes looked as if they could see through people, yet they held a vast sense of compassion.

 

Seeing those eyes lose their light was heartbreaking. Yur silently tilted his teacup.

 

“…Sunbaenim.”

 

Iwol’s voice was dry and raspy. It was hard to imagine it belonged to the same person who sang with such a clear and solid tone.

 

“Have you ever–”

 

Kim Iwol continued very slowly.

 

“-been in a situation where there seemed to be no escape… a situation where there was no way to run away?”

 

It was a question like a dark wave, harboring something somber deep beneath the surface.