Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 463 - Action

Finding something to do during a break was no easy task. Even after spending ten hours a day glued to a composition program, I still had time left over.

 

[Things to do on vacation]

[How to make the most of your vacation days]

[How to become known for using vacation days well]

…

 

Searching through results didn’t help.In this age of hyper-productivity, everyone was focused on career-improvement projects they had to accomplish during their precious holidays. With how limited my options were, none of it was really something I could follow.

 

If you asked what I used to do when I took paid leave at the Hanpyeong Industry…

 

‘I just stayed home as an on-call standby worker, damn it.’

 

For some office workers, holidays have no meaning. There were countless employees carrying laptops into cafés, countless people unable to mute company messenger notifications.

 

So, would I have been able to rest easy just because I took a day off? I lived with my phone attached to my hip from clock-in to clock-out, never knowing when Manager Nam might call. Needless to say, my computer was always on, too.

 

Even after coming to UA, there were barely any days where I truly did nothing. Unless I was lying down sick, I was usually doing something. The holidays weren’t even that long to begin with.

 

Then, I was suddenly thrown into a world of rest. An incomplete freedom where digital civilization wasn’t allowed. I was flustered and lost, like a new employee on their first day.

 

“…That’s why you want to tag along to the action school?”

 

“Do you need more supplementary explanation?”

 

At my words, Choi Jeho looked reluctant and expressed his disapproval.

 

“Just go follow Kang Kiyeon and take some lectures. Didn’t he say he was signing up for some online course?”

 

“WebCell? I’m already good at that.”

 

“Why does he want to learn that?”

 

“No clue. He was watching the WebCell lecture I uploaded yesterday too.”

 

Choi Jeho’s brow furrowed like an accordion. Seeing as his face was filled with a genuine lack of understanding toward Kang Kiyeon, I couldn’t utter a word about my grand plan to film a Part 2 of my webcell lecture specifically for Kiyeon.

 

“When Cheonghyeon and I went to deliver pancakes, they said they ran a trial program. Are they not doing that anymore?”

 

“They are. But…”

 

“Oh, I see. You’re embarrassed to have a friend follow you around at this age. Fine, I’ll take the hint and visit separately.”

 

“Sigh…”

 

Choi Jeho let out a sigh deep enough to pierce the floor.

 

“Look, I don’t want to get an earful from Jeong Seongbin, okay?”

 

His firmly crossed arms reflected his displeased mood.

 

“Go get permission. Then I’ll take you.”

 

“That’s a tough condition. Can you give me a generous preparation period?”

 

Choi Jeho left, telling me to do whatever I wanted. After that, I began to appeal to Jeong Seongbin as pathetically and submissively as possible.

 

The slouch of my posture was inversely proportional to the level of Jeong Seongbin’s strictness. The more I lay sprawled out on the bed, the more generous Jeong Seongbin became toward me. I exploited this fact thoroughly.

 

“Seongbin, I’m so bored.”

 

“Do you want to play a game?”

 

“I’m tired of doing things sitting down. I’m getting the jitters.”

 

I really was getting restless. I didn’t have time to feel stifled while we were traveling because we were running around excitedly, but just going back and forth between the dorm and the gym wasn’t enough to burn off my energy.

 

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t as if Jeong Seongbin was interfering with my life in every way. Stay away from work for a while. Avoid excessive physical activity. Those were the only two things he demanded.

 

But what exactly was left in my daily routine after removing those? Playing bass in my room was fun, sure, but the days felt way too monotonous. My peaceful daily life is cracking! How can they not respect the nature of an extrovert!

 

With the active help of the members, I tried everything from manga cafes to watering plants, but I still hadn’t found a perfect hobby. It only made me realize how desperately Korean teenagers needed opportunities to explore hobbies and career experiences.

 

Jeong Seongbin looked at me as I lay on the bed and said.

 

“If you’re going to the gym, I’ll go with you.”

 

“Didn’t you say you had muscle pain from doing legs yesterday? Can you even go today?”

 

“……”

 

Every time Jeong Seongbin entered the room, I muttered nonstop.

 

“I feel like my head would clear up if I could just go and loosen up my body once.”

 

“Watching Choi Jeho and Cheonghyeon do it made it look really fun.”

 

“Once activities start again, I won’t even be able to dream of it…”

 

Unable to take it anymore, Jeong Seongbin finally raised the white flag after three days.

 

“I’m sure you’ll check thoroughly, but please double and triple-check the safety equipment. Make sure to mention the head issue in advance. And be careful not to get swept up in the atmosphere and do any excessive stunts.”

 

“Seongbin, shouldn’t you be saying those things to me, not Choi Jeho?”

 

Even though I was the beginner, Jeong Seongbin spent all his time grilling Choi Jeho instead. The funny thing was that Choi Jeho actually took Jeong Seongbin’s nagging to heart. When I talked, he wouldn’t even listen through the bridge of his nose. Ridiculous bastard.

 

Anyway, I finally managed to set foot in Choi Jeho’s action school.

 

It reminded me of when I’d followed him to Jang Junhoo’s music video set. Back then I’d gone all the way there just to monitor whether Choi Jeho was doing stupid things… Thinking about it now, all I could feel was that I’d really experienced every kind of nonsense imaginable.

 

“This team really is handsome in person, huh?”

 

These were the instructor’s first words upon seeing me. I was nervous being the next one after Lee Cheonghyeon, but the long gap of time saved me.

 

While doing warm-up exercises, I even received compliments for having excellent basic physical strength.

 

“It’s embarrassing because stamina is the only thing I have to brag about.”

 

“He won’t fall over easily no matter what you make him do.”

 

Choi Jeho also vouched for my endurance. If you take away my endurance, I’m practically a corpse… No, why are there so many extreme expressions in the world? Was I especially prone to negative idioms? I urgently needed to improve my speech habits.

 

“Is there anything you wanted to try while you’re here, Mr. Iwol? There are many types of action. There’s wirework, and there’s using tools like wooden swords.”

 

As the friend of star student Choi Jeho, the instructor generously offered me a wide range of options too. And I had a very specific move I wanted to learn.

 

“Car stunts!”

 

A black vehicle speeding fiercely toward the protagonist.

 

In a dead-end street with nowhere to run, the protagonist leaps onto the hood to minimize the impact!

 

“So you’re saying you don’t just want to hang onto the car body, but you want to try rolling and falling?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“What kind of stunt fall is that? Just do something normal.”

 

Choi Jeho threw cold water on the idea.

 

“Since this isn’t an actual shoot, it would be possible if we use a filming vehicle and keep the speed slow, but for safety’s sake, it’s best to practice first before challenging it. You need to master the break-fall properly. Especially if you have to be careful with your head.”

 

“I see…”

 

“Just follow Jeho when he comes. I’ll tell whoever has free time to look after you.”

 

“Thank you!”

 

The instructor readily extended the trial period for the one-day visitor Kim Iwol. While Choi Jeho was coordinating moves for a fight scene, the instructor even taught me how to roll on the floor safely.

 

“The entertainment industry usually gives off the impression that they’re insensitive to injuries, but it seems UA cares a lot about safety.”

 

The instructor remarked as the special lecture concluded.

 

“Is that so?”

 

Considering all the accidents that had happened at UA so far… I didn’t exactly want to agree.

 

But maybe that was how it looked from the perspective of people working in the field? Everything in the world was relative, after all. So I didn’t strongly deny it.

 

“When they said Mr. Cheonghyeon and Mr. Iwol were coming, a staff member from the company made a very strong request. They asked to prioritize safety over getting active shots. Usually, it’s the opposite.”

 

Since Ms. Jukyung was usually the one who handled the booking contacts, the staff member mentioned here was probably her. The comment that it was usually the opposite left a bitter taste in my mouth.

 

“Mr. Jeho’s also become more interested in first aid lately. He was always diligent about learning things, but I think the company policy’s had a big influence.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Whenever we have safety training scheduled, he comes diligently without fail. Even when I ask if he’s not busy with his schedule, he doesn’t say much, just looks grumpy.”

 

The instructor laughed out loud. But I couldn’t laugh.

 

The car ride back was quiet. I agonized dozens of times over whether to speak to Choi Jeho or not.

 

“Hey, you…”

 

As I struggled to open my mouth, Choi Jeho looked back at me. His gaze was incredibly indifferent.

 

‘You haven’t developed a trauma, have you?’

 

I wanted to ask, but the question got caught in my throat. It was even harder to ask when that might have started.

 

Honestly, I hoped I was just overthinking things. After all, Choi Jeho looked perfectly fine.

 

“…When are you going again next time?”

 

“Whenever I’ve got time.”

 

Choi Jeho answered dismissively. He really, truly looked completely unaffected.

 

***

 

The path of creation was long and arduous. The progress on the ‘make a topline’ homework that Lee Cheonghyeon had assigned me was converging toward zero.

 

“Creation is an agonizing and difficult task.”

 

“Hyung, you’re good at planning ideas. Is it different from that?”

 

“It’s on a different dimension.”

 

At my words, Kang Kiyeon stared blankly at Lee Cheonghyeon, who was doing a joyful shoulder dance in front of his laptop. He looked as if he found it hard to believe that sight was someone in the middle of a grueling task.

 

“Cheonghyeon’s on another level. Comparing gods and humans is far too cruel.”

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

‘As if’ was written all over Kang Kiyeon’s face. I saw it clearly.

 

“Is there a genre you want to write? Joowoo hyung seemed secretly curious about it.”

 

“Joowoo?”

 

Park Joowoo had shown unusual interest even when Lee Cheonghyeon first started composing. Back then, it was because he still carried lingering feelings about bands, but this time I wondered what the reason was, so I casually asked.

 

“Singing a song written by a member… It’s cool, isn’t it…?”

 

He was simply curious about what kind of song he would end up singing. It was a reason that was nothing if not pure.

 

“Even if it might not make the tracklist?”

 

There was no guarantee that a song would be included in the album just because a member composed it. Even Lee Cheonghyeon himself had always had to win title tracks through blind evaluations.

 

Park Joowoo’s answer to my hypothetical was straightforward.

 

“Because a singer doesn’t only sing songs that go into an album.”

 

Honestly, I was surprised. If Park Joowoo’s desire for a band was once a small ember, it had now become a flame that had grown in size by swallowing everything that could serve as firewood. I felt like I understood why the word ‘passion’ (yeol-jeong) used the character for ‘heat’ (yeol).

 

What must I swallow to bring warmth to my lukewarm life? Hearing Lee Cheonghyeon’s voice shouting that he had made it, I fell into thought.