Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols – Chapter 483 – Merry Christmas (1)

Author: LyraDhani

Needless to say, becoming a Tier 1 boy group didn’t suddenly change the world.

It didn’t mean we were automatically nominated for a Grand Prize, either. It just meant we had finally reached the level where we could actually aim for one.

‘Our stats are more than enough to satisfy the conditions, but… I can’t be certain.’

There wasn’t an idol group more talked about than Spark this year. We started the year with decent results from Bright, and by year-end, we successfully hit it big with both Dreamer and Alight. Calling it decent was an understatement; every comeback had surpassed the last, making each release a new career high at the time.

The fact that there were no real rival groups also played a part. After about half of the promising groups of our generation were swept away by drug scandals and power-trip controversies, there wasn’t a team that could be directly compared to Spark.

It also helped that Spark paid little attention to industry conventions. While other agencies calculated the most advantageous comeback timings for their idols, UA and Spark showed a momentum of deploying as soon as we were ready.

Nobody could accuse Spark of deliberately overlapping promotions with rivals or ‘snatching wins from an empty house’ like a coward. We had comebacks every quarter; who had the time to worry about timing?

As a result of working like draft animals, every measurable index—from broadcast points to brand reputation—was overwhelmingly strong. So far, so good.

The problem was that year-end award shows were businesses built around voting. Since votes meant money, everyone was frantic to make a big score. One might argue that the odds increased because they split the awards into categories like ‘Digital Grand Prize’ or ‘Performance Grand Prize’, but the reality was not so easy.

The criteria were ultimately determined by the organizers. The evaluation process wasn’t transparent. Events advertised as annual reviews would sometimes only count results through autumn. Others would include opaque ‘judging’ categories that could easily overturn massive vote gaps. Even the saying ‘anything is possible with overwhelming firepower’ had become a thing of the past.

‘Just last time, Spark had the best response and stats, yet another team took the Grand Prize.’

So, I decided not to get my hopes up too high. If not this year, then I would aim for next year. A Grand Prize wasn’t something just anyone received. For now, I chose to be satisfied with the fact that the Grand Prize was finally within our sight.

However, being satisfied and working hard for the year-end music festivals were two different matters. Nothing was more important than carving out a presence at an event where all the idols gathered.

In the end, what mattered most was being good at your actual job. That was why I gathered Spark for daily strategy meetings to plan the perfect countdown stage.

In the midst of this, I got a message from Berion. It wasn’t particularly surprising. Ever since the stage accident, the Berion members had been taking turns sending me well-wishes.

The intervals were so regular that I wondered if they had a rotation system. I told them I was doing fine and they didn’t need to worry, so now they were asking about work.

Seongchan sunbaenim

[How do you feel about a Berion x Spark collaboration stage for the Yeomyeo Grand Festival?]

[Might you be too busy for it?]

[You shouldn’t call it ‘Yeomyeo Grand Festival’ too.]

Apparently, because Berion belonged to a larger company, they had secured extra stage time beyond their own performances. For us, it was an offer we had no reason to refuse. Regardless of whether Choi Jeho’s image took a hit, the collaboration with Berion was finalized without any issues.

Since we were both idols in the middle of active promotions, it was hard to find time to meet frequently. Therefore, we opened a group chat to plan the stage and actively shared ideas.

Cutie Pretty Visually Lee Cheonghyeon

[How about wearing floral shirts and doing a ‘Nostalgic Memories’ retro concept stage? Handsome guys and flowers are a winning combo, right?~]

[Cheonghyeon.]

Seongchan sunbaenim

[Complete the look with pinstripe wide-leg dress pants!!!!]

Yeongyu sunbaenim

[Stop.]

…And so the leaders of each team had to sit their members down for a mental training session before returning to the meeting. I had temporarily forgotten that the amount of mischief increased exponentially with group size.

‘I can’t really scold them since it’s technically about work.’

It wasn’t like they were just talking nonsense, either. They argued that we could evoke nostalgia on a year-end stage, which had a wider age range of viewers than usual music shows, while showing a new side to our existing fans, and that for an ‘event’ stage, it was better for more people to be able to enjoy it…

Everything they said was right. It was just annoying to listen to. So, I decided to take comfort in the fact that bell-bottom pants weren’t on the list of candidates.

Rehearsals were held at UA. While the Green Line practice rooms were nice because they were spacious, they weren’t used exclusively by Berion. UA’s practice rooms, on the other hand, belonged almost exclusively to Spark, excluding the vocal rooms. Since we could use them day and night, we coordinated the schedule so that Berion would visit us at set times.

After rolling the members around like that…

“What’s the date today? The 9th?”

“Isn’t it the 10th?”

“It’s the 16th…”

“The 9th passed ages ago.”

…Everyone lost their sense of time. As long as we remembered the deadlines while living our hectic lives, it wasn’t a major issue.

Separate from Spark’s endlessly spinning schedule, however, there was something I needed to take care of. Right on time, I received a message from the person I was to meet secretly.

Manager Daeyeon

[Should we be ready by 8 PM tonight?]

After sending a quick reply, I casually dropped the news to Jeong Seongbing.

“Seongbin, I’m going out for a drive with the manager later.”

During our hiatus, the managers used various methods to manage the mental health of me and the other Spark members. This included drives or night walks. Since there were always eyes watching during the day, they wanted the members to at least get some fresh air after dark.

In my case, participation in this ‘mental recovery project’ had been borderline mandatory. Whenever I was stuck in my room staring at the walls or returning from the hospital, the managers would always make sure to drive me around the outskirts to sightsee.

Since I would be accompanied by a trustworthy person, and this was something that had happened occasionally before, Jeong Seongbin didn’t find it strange. He even told me to have a good trip.

After openly announcing my outing, I saw off the Spark members’ car driven by Manager Chanyoung. Then, I got into an empty car with Manager Daeyeon. A filming cam was installed inside the vehicle.

After sitting in the passenger seat and buckling up, I took a pre-prepared envelope out of my bag and handed it to the manager with both hands.

“This is the transportation fee for today.”

“What? You don’t have to give me this. You know we get overtime pay.”

“It’s a separate token of my sincerity.”

The manager refused flatly. If I hadn’t insisted that he had to accept it for us to go around as much as I planned, he looked like he would never take it.

Knowing this would happen, I gave it to him specifically in front of the camera. Since battery and time were limited and we couldn’t bicker forever, the manager maturely took a step back.

“Hello, Sparklers. I’ve come out now to procure Christmas presents for the members.”

Last time, Lee Cheonghyeon and Kang Kiyeon had prepared a surprise Christmas Santa event without warning, making their hyungs look like the most shameless people on earth who couldn’t act their age. This Christmas, I prepared this as a way to get revenge for that time. It was the ‘Santa has waited 730 days for this day’ project.

I thought about including Choi Jeho in the planning, but decided against it. Watching my birthday live, I realized he had zero talent for surprises. I’d be lucky if he didn’t just ruin the atmosphere, so I decided to just give him a gift too. After all, a younger brother by nine months was still a younger brother. I hope he was grateful for his hyung’s vast generosity.

“I heard that a while back, a limited number of setting books for the manga Kiyeon likes were released. Apparently, the author personally signed the first edition copies. I recently saw a listing for an unopened new product, so I decided to trade for it today. Kiyeon once said he was sad he couldn’t get one because he became a fan too late. Normally, Kiyeon would have seen the sales post faster than me, but I guess he missed it because he’s been busy lately.”

Additionally, because I couldn’t get cream soda, I went around looking for it like a haunted man. I joined every second-hand trading platform and turned on all keyword notifications.

Since some sellers required proof of fandom, I even studied ‘Kingdom Another’. I also learned that asking for a character’s MBTI was a trap question because the author had never officially revealed them…

The seller asked if I wanted to buy some fair-limited goods as well, so I said I would. That long-awaited trade day was today. Clutching the envelope with crisp new bills, I got out of the car in front of a police station—the place where I could best prove to the other party that I wasn’t a dangerous person.

Fortunately, the trade ended successfully. I even received a lot of extra freebies. I brought the hard-earned goods close to the camera, introducing them one by one. I didn’t forget to thank the seller.

Next, I stopped by a Yugwa shop inside a market. The reason we were able to visit even though the shops should have closed long ago was largely due to Woo Yoonjae. The owner had apparently received a personal request from him and kindly offered to accommodate us at a convenient time.

(TL note: Yugwa is a traditional Korean snack.)

After careful selection, I put together a gift box containing three types of yugwa for Park Joowoo that were ‘not too strong in ginger scent, but had a fluffy texture and were light to eat.’ I added a box for each of the managers and requested delivery to UA.

“Ah, Mr. Iwol. The sneakers have arrived, too.”

“Really? I got some kind of text earlier, so that was from Nidas.”

Spark’s practice shoes wore out quickly. It was like that even though we replaced them constantly. So, I took this opportunity to get a pair for everyone in the group. The shoes were actually the real presents, and the rest were just bonuses. It wasn’t hard to choose since I knew everyone’s design tastes and sizes.

“Apparently, Mr. Jeho tried opening the box because he thought he needed to post a sponsored-wear photo. The staff barely managed to stop him by saying they weren’t sponsorships but shoes the staff bought for themselves.”

“When did he even see those?”

He really didn’t look like it, but he was remarkably diligent about work. Nidas must be thrilled to have a model so eager to promote their products.

“Ms. Jukyung said they were hers, but Mr. Jeho asked her if she wears size 280 shoes…”

“That must have been very awkward…”

I vowed to apologize to Ms. Jukyung once the Santa event was over. Even giving out gifts turned out to be harder than expected.