Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 468 - Cool Time (1)

“I heard everything.”

 

“Gasp! Iwol!”

 

Jukyung jumped in shock at my sudden appearance.

 

Did I still look that scary? I had been getting ‘camera massage’ for three years now. At this point, I should probably accept that I just didn’t have the natural qualities of an idol…

 

“We’re really not going?”

 

“Of course not. It’s a rest period. Once you make a comeback, you’ll be working so much you’ll miss having a break. Why start already…?”

 

“Even if it’s a show where we don’t have to dance and just need to sing?”

 

I partially agreed with Jukyung’s words. Once you live as a working adult with no vacations, you realize just how precious rest really is. However, having heard the name of the program, I had to resist.

 

Jukyung’s defense was equally stubborn. I stood my ground in the hallway, facing off with Jukyung until Jeong Seongbin came to retrieve me.

 

“Why can’t you just stay still?”

 

Choi Jeho clicked his tongue at me.

 

“I also think I’ve been overdoing it lately. That’s why I’m reflecting on myself.”

 

“By being dragged away and lying down facing the wall?”

 

“The longer I stay lying down, the faster Seongbin’s anxiety dissipates.”

 

Learning 101 ways to soothe a superior’s anger was an essential survival skill in professional life. Even if that jerk, Choi Jeho, looked down on my crisis-management skills.

 

“Hyung, are you okay…?”

 

Perhaps misunderstanding my behavior as being dejected, Park Joowoo came up behind me and spoke softly.

 

“I’m perfectly fine. I just think it’s a shame you guys are passing up such a great opportunity.”

 

As the demand for live performances increased, MeTube channels centered around live music started popping up everywhere like mushrooms after rain. Among them, a few channels managed to establish themselves in the brutal MeTube market with solid subscriber bases.

 

The channel ‘Living,’ which had sent an invitation to Spark, was the pioneer of these live channels. With high-quality audio, experienced session bands, and artistic cinematography, ‘Living’ had enjoyed consistent popularity ever since its launch.

 

Raw live performances without a single track of AR were always a hot topic of debate in the idol world. One side argued, ‘You expect them to dance and sing the chorus too?’ while the other fired back, ‘It’s not just the chorus—they blatantly use AR for their own parts too’. The arguments were always fierce.

 

In such a market, live videos where skill was laid bare became an excellent gauge of talent. Sure, there were always comments claiming the pitch had been edited, or that the singer hadn’t been able to show their real skills… but regardless, the fact that people could at least gauge an average level made it interesting.

 

There were almost no claims that Spark couldn’t sing. Years of performing had already proven Spark’s abilities. In every concert, MR-removed video, and radio live, Spark displayed their impressive vocal volume and mechanically polished pitch without fail.

 

Usually, ‘downplaying’ followed such talented idols. It went something like this:

 

≫ It’s hilarious seeing Sparklers overhyping Spark’s skills

Back in the day, raw live singing was the standard,,

If second-gen seniors put them in their place once, they’d come to their senses immediately

 

Is it necessary to get upset over a single comment?

 

Yes. If nothing else, that comment deserved my wrath. I might let it slide if someone mocked Choi Jeho’s casual fashion or my love for all-black outfits, but belittling Spark’s skills was an insult.

 

‘Why do people ignore the possibility that both seniors and juniors can be good?’

 

‘Living’ was also a channel where both those seniors and juniors appeared together. From the hottest idols to nostalgic singers, legendary ballad singers from the karaoke charts, and stars of the indie band scene—renowned figures showed off their skills there.

 

There were no interviews or commentary whatsoever. The only sound was the band’s accompaniment and the singer’s voice. If Genre-Swap was a crossover world experience hosted by the broadcasting industry, ‘Living’ could be called a front-row home concert.

 

Imagine Jeong Seongbin, Park Joowoo, and Lee Cheonghyeon appearing there. Even Choi Jeho and Kang Kiyeon, who were often overshadowed by their dancing, more than held their own anywhere else.

 

What other stage could suit those guys this perfectly? They’d already proven their performance skills through choreography videos and challenges—it was about time for a vocal flex showcase.

 

‘Considering the existing subscribers weren’t exactly welcoming toward idol episodes, I thought it would take much longer before Spark got their turn…’

 

The more I thought about it, the more it felt like a waste. I pressed myself closer to the wall to swallow my frustration.

 

“…Should I try talking to Seongbin?”

 

“Really?”

 

I was surprised by Park Joowoo’s sudden offer of kindness. It was even more surprising because he rarely went against Jeong Seongbin’s opinions.

 

“You just look too pitiful, hyung…”

 

As it turned out, it was a sympathy vote. It took Park Joowoo a full 30 minutes to eventually persuade Jeong Seongbin. Having a soft-hearted leader really helped at times like this.

 

“Does it hurt you to just rest?”

 

Choi Jeho clicked his tongue. I had a lot to say about that, too. If the last broadcast we did before going on break hadn’t been ‘Unmanned Rest Area,’ I wouldn’t have gone this far.

 

If Spark hadn’t become the ‘primitive idols of the jungle’, I wouldn’t have been this desperate. And it wasn’t just ‘Unmanned Rest Area.’ Because of the ‘Bossam Marathon’ and the matching six-man floral t-shirts, Spark had become Northern Grand Duke idols who looked fine on the outside but were missing a few screws on the inside.

 

I almost snapped at Choi Jeho, but held back. I didn’t want to speak harshly to someone who might have developed trauma because of me. Instead, I answered as gently and indirectly as possible.

 

“As idols, we have a duty to regularly show fans our coolest sides.”

 

“Saying that while sprawled out on the floor doesn’t really help your case…”

 

A gaze full of pity fell upon me. I shamelessly stared right back. Choi Jeho shook his head and walked away, leaving me there.

 

***

 

Until recently, Baek Haewon’s life had been incredibly dull. The hiatus season that arrived in the middle of summer was cold and harsh.

 

Baek Haewon and her fellow fans gathered on the Sparkler timeline—which was no longer small—sharing warmth over old content like they were reheating old soup.

 

≫ Strange… isn’t old content supposed to taste richer the more you simmer it?

Why do I keep looking for the next meal?

└ That’s because you’ve been grilling, stir-frying, stewing, and deep-frying every Spark crumb for 24 hours straight whenever it drops. Have a conscience, will you?

└ Ah, no wonder;; My bad.

 

If she had known it would be like this, she would have paced herself with the Bubble messages. The only thing comforting Baek Haewon was the consistently uploaded self-produced content. Honestly, it was terrifying wondering just how many videos they’d filmed before entering hiatus, but those carefully aged, pre-scheduled homemade videos were also the only thing that could soothe her thirst.

 

Just as the lonely and desolate summer was coming to an end, Spark arrived along with the autumn rain.

 

≫ Even if summer fades, the heat remains │ ‘spArk’ BAND Live [Living]

 

‘Wait, when did they film this?’

 

The most recent guest uploaded on Living had been a singer who’d just released a new album. Seeing how the promotion schedule and content release date usually went hand-in-hand, it didn’t seem like they would have filmed Spark’s content far in advance and released it much later.

 

Just as Baek Haewon suspected, the members’ hair colors had faded slightly. But thankfully, there was no ugly yellow-blond in sight. The members whose hair had been on track to fade into bright blond had toned it down into calmer shades instead. There was absolutely no way Kim Iwol would’ve left their dull, lifeless bleached hair untouched.

 

‘Blue-purple Kim Iwol is insane.’

 

The intro hadn’t even started, but she couldn’t unpause the screen. She wanted to trap Kim Iwol and his blue-purple hair inside the screen forever.

 

When Sparklers teased Kim Iwol about his civilian clothes being ‘All-Black Iwol’, it was only half a joke. For someone with a ‘Grim Reaper Cool Tone’ like Kim Iwol, black really, seriously suited him. Even those who claimed black looked good on everyone admitted that ‘some people are just born for black’ after seeing Kim Iwol in a suit with his hair slicked back.

 

That same Kim Iwol was now wearing a black silk shirt and slacks, fiddling with the handle of a standing mic. Maybe he’d left behind his usual habit of neatly buttoning even his cuffs back in Animation World, the sight of his sleeves rolled up to his elbows left Baek Haewon deeply unsettled.

 

His jawline, tapering into the shadows, contrasted by the bright lighting, stood out even more. The shadow starting from his eyelashes had long since held Baek Haewon captive in front of Kim Iwol. Kim Iwol, God of Shadows, Genius of Shadows, Master of Shadows, Blessed by Shadows…

 

People said Spark in dress shirts could even bring runaway fans back home, and Baek Haewon, who hadn’t even left, was being dragged along with her heart held hostage. Showing them floral shirts not long ago and then pulling this now was beyond unfair. It was downright evil. His polished shoes gleamed as brightly as Kim Iwol’s future.

 

Baek Haewon took a deep breath and played the video. Then she stopped it again after only two seconds. She couldn’t move forward without taking in every single detail of the members’ styling as they stood side-by-side.

 

Choi Jeho with two shirt buttons undone; Jeong Seongbin wearing ‘Geek Chic’ glasses that fit him perfectly; Park Joowoo, who somehow found incredibly hip-looking wide ripped jeans; Lee Cheonghyeon, wearing a plain but perfectly fitted cardigan; and Kang Kiyeon, with his hair neatly slicked back with wax, made Baek Haewon want to cry.

 

≫  Lee Cheonghyeon’s cardigan is so cute.

If I search for this, it’ll probably be 100 million won, right?

└ Thankfully not 100 million won, apparently it’s only 1 million won~

└ Wow, that’s so cheap ㅠㅠ Cheonghyeon, I’m happy you’re a muse for a luxury brand, but I’m also devastated

 

Appearing in high-quality music content and becoming a model for a cool clothing brand—the fact that her idols had grown so much hit Baek Haewon in many ways.

 

It felt like a waste to let a 10-minute video fly by in a single rush of endorphins. With the same care used to savor the very tip of an ice cream cone first, Baek Haewon clicked open the video description.

 

≫  Neither the Sparks nor the music will fade ♪♬ spArk’s Living Setlist is right here ▼

chapter 1. 00:10 Flowering

chapter 2. 04:29 On A High Note

chapter 3. 09:37 Bright

 

It was a lineup fans had practically been chanting prayers to hear in band versions.

 

Baek Haewon solemnly found her earphones and put them in. She even turned the volume up beforehand, afraid she might miss even a single note if she played the video too soon.

 

After steadying her breathing, after mental preparation that had somehow lasted longer than the video itself, Baek Haewon finally pressed play. A refreshing yet rhythmical sound vibrated in Baek Haewon’s ears in a brand-new form.