Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 487 - New Year (3)

Until the joint stage of Spark and Berion began, Baek Haewon had been lying lazily on the sofa. She spent her time scratching the sofa cushions, grumbling about when ‘her boys’ would finally come on.

 

But the moment the caption ‘Berion × Spark’ appeared, she bolted upright. She had already seen it in the leaked cue sheet, but a fan’s heart was not so easily calmed.

 

Spark in military-style uniforms, with all their hair slicked back, transformed Baek Haewon into a wild beast. She forgot every human language and could only scream.

 

“Kim Iwol, have you lost your mind?!”

 

If crazy was meant as a compliment, then her bias idol Kim Iwol must have been crazy every single day. He was always, constantly, forever flawless—well, except for that one time in their self-produced content where he sat cross-legged acting like a department manager and kicked off his dress shoes.

 

Every time Kim Iwol rolled his shoulder, the chains hanging from his epaulettes and buttons flashed gold. Whenever those chains settled neatly across his chest with a metallic swish, Baek Haewon found herself jealous of mere pieces of metal.

 

‘How does an outfit fit someone that perfectly… His arms and thighs look like they’re about to burst through it…’

 

Baek Haewon was helpless in the face of such an overwhelming physical presence. A well-defined waistline? 100 points. Black combat boots wrapping tightly around ankles that almost peeked out from under perfectly tailored hems? 100 points. The camera’s slow descent and the sharp, straight silhouette of his pants once again filled every Sparkler with pride.

 

When Choi Jeho and Kim Iwol stood side by side—one with a thick, bold T-zone and the other with a slimmer yet sharper one sharing the same screen—she wanted to run onto the balcony and scream into the night.

 

However, she couldn’t follow through. Baek Haewon was turned into a stone statue by the solo shot of Lee Cheonghyeon that followed immediately.

 

The ending—where the whole group turned around, tilted their heads at an angle, and rested both hands on their waists—left a deep lingering impression. Baek Haewon shook her head and clapped. For the first time, she truly felt that every streaming subscription fee she had paid over the years had been worth it.

 

A brief snack break followed. Having exhausted all her energy screaming, Baek Haewon watched the stages of younger idol groups and suddenly realized that every face looked familiar.

 

≫ Spark made me watch music shows all year, so there isn’t a single group I don’t recognize.

 

Because she had tuned in to see Lee Cheonghyeon hosting as a temporary MC during Spark’s hiatus, she knew everyone. Thanks to that, the time Spark wasn’t on screen wasn’t boring.

 

└ At that point aren’t you basically a producer?

 

Baek Haewon responded to this undeniable remark by sending a meme of someone crying with their fist in their mouth.

 

“Why aren’t you eating the popcorn? Can I have some?”

 

Baek Haein, her sibling, walked through the living room and reached for the tub of popcorn she had brought from the cinema, which was still covered in plastic.

 

“If you touch it, you’re dead.”

 

“Right. Because you’re not eating it, now it’s a robbery?”

 

Baek Haewon quickly threw the cushion she had been scratching to defend the tub and hugged the popcorn bucket protectively. So, this is the trial that comes when Spark is successful enough to appear at the end of the show, Haewon thought, swallowing his tears.

 

In the end, the popcorn was opened earlier than planned. She couldn’t deny Baek Haein’s remark: ‘You won’t even eat it once Spark comes on anyway; you’ll just be having a fit’. Pitying the muggles who didn’t know the glory of Spark, Baek Haewon recharged her sugar levels with caramel popcorn.

 

“Why does Spark come out so late? I thought they were popular.”

 

“The more popular you are, the later you perform.”

 

“Why?”

 

“So the viewers don’t switch the channel, obviously.”

 

Baek Haein squeezed himself into the remaining space on the sofa. Baek Haewon told him to get lost because it was cramped, but it didn’t work.

 

Just as the two were engaged in a fierce battle for space…

 

The pre-recorded stage ended, and the screen transitioned to the live stadium. An electronic sound echoed, and flickering static noise appeared on the giant displays.

 

The colorful lights that had been scattered between black and white moved along the cracks in the image, slowly finding their places. As the frequency of the electronic sounds increased, the speed at which letters were formed accelerated.

 

Thunderous drums mixed with heavily processed guitar sounds. The intro of ‘Dreamer’, which had been soft and peaceful in the music video while showing a tranquil school, had been remixed into something resembling a live band performance at a school festival.

 

The camera captured a full shot of the venue that Baek Haewon didn’t give a damn about. The fan section, waving lightsticks and screaming, took up three-quarters of the monitor. From a distance, the members could be seen appearing on stage.

 

“I don’t care how many people showed up! Just show me the stage!”

 

Baek Haewon roared. As if hearing her command, the broadcast showed Spark walking toward the front of the stage from a lift, maintaining a V-formation. Their intense styling left her speechless.

 

It started with Jeong Seongbin, who had silver chains from his leather choker draped down inside his shirt; followed by Park Joowoo, who wore white mascara—something few would dare attempt—with a face chain draped over his features; and Choi Jeho, wearing burgundy eye makeup and deep red contact lenses.

 

On the other side of the formation, Kang Kiyeon was captured with purple stage makeup as flashy as Jeho’s, with a scratch in his eyebrow; Kim Iwol had dark shading around his eyes and matte lips the color of dried rose petals; and Lee Cheonghyeon was shown with blue glitter dusted over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. Seen together, Spark’s styling was unmatched, centered around Choi Jeho and Lee Cheonghyeon.

 

A beeping sound like a warning signal rang and stopped. All the stage lights cut out. The group name and the title ‘Dreamer’ appeared as captions.

 

The members’ makeup was reminiscent of their roles in the music video. For example, Choi Jeho, who had played a vampire, wore black clothing paired with red-toned makeup.

 

The difference was that in the music video, Choi Jeho hadn’t shown his angry back muscles quite this vividly when he turned around. But he was doing it now.

 

“Aaagh!”

 

The glossy leather harness crossing over his spine put Baek Haewon to the test.

 

Meanwhile, Jeong Seongbin, despite being dressed more modestly compared to his hyungs, made things difficult for people by emphasizing bold points. When the light reflected off the chain hanging straight inside his black shirt, Baek Haewon had to swallow many words while staring at Seongbin’s Adam’s apple, which looked even paler under the glow.

 

And then there was Kang Kiyeon. The turtleneck wrapping around his upper body was made of thin material, revealing his shoulder muscles and biceps exactly as they were. Even though the colors were bold, his features were even flashier, so it didn’t feel excessive. The fact that Kang Kiyeon’s eyebrows were purple was more important anyway. Their precious boy had eyebrow slashes and decorative piercing pieces attached!

 

The bold makeup combined with even bolder outfits to create perfect synergy. The venomous styling reminiscent of Alight was just as flashy and impactful as their masks.

 

For instance, Park Joowoo was usually one of the members Kim Iwol kept bundled up—since Kim Iwol only ever seemed to skimp on fabric for Choi Jeho—but he was now in a provocative fashion, wearing only a vest under a jacket on his bare skin, exposing his chest and neck. Not to mention his shoulders were visible every time he moved.

 

Meanwhile, Lee Cheonghyeon managed the remarkable feat of pushing ‘Cheonghyeon’s outfit’ into the real-time trending topics alongside ‘Spark’. Viewers across the country seemed to be competing over who could praise his appearance most enthusiastically.

 

Sparklers desperately wanted to join this flow, but the scars from being defeated by Kim Iwol in the past were deep, so instead they contributed by posting reaction memes and clips of Kim Iwol obsessively praising his younger members on broadcasts.

 

And then, Kim Iwol…

 

The moment Baek Haewon saw Kim Iwol, she seriously agonized over what words to use.

 

His upper body, filled with lean muscle, and a leather chest guard that wrapped tightly from one shoulder to just below the chest, created a flawless line. Since they had put high-waisted pants on a guy with legs that were already long, his lower body looked two meters tall.

 

His eyes and clothes were all black, but there was a touch of red on his lips that felt devoid of warmth. That point made Kim Iwol stand out even among the flashier members.

 

Iwol, you can’t come out like this when you didn’t even give us variations for praising you. If you were truly a top-tier idol who cherishes and loves Sparklers, wouldn’t it be right to give us a heads-up so fans have time to write their simping posts in advance?

 

No, Iwol, you were always consistently diligent; it was the fault of me and us for letting our guard down. You did nothing wrong, Iwol. You are the best. You are… a person truly obsessed with beauty.

 

His hair, dyed black again for the final broadcast, was becoming soaked with sweat. If the impression of Spark until now was that they gave their best in everything, Spark in this promotion felt desperate. You could feel them pouring every ounce of their energy into every minute, every second.

 

Spark wasn’t the type to plaster a sign saying ‘Look how much we suffered’. However, fans could guess through their conversations and communication on BubblePop that Spark had lived in a practice hell all summer.

 

And the results of that effort poured onto the stage without restraint.

 

Having your artist’s skills recognized was the ultimate joy for a fan. Spending all your voting rights every day on various apps was a chore even after years of doing it. Yet watching the people you loved receive awards on screen erased all those hardships instantly.

 

Spark was a team that always made their fans feel proud. Sparklers didn’t have to force themselves to over-praise them. Without excuses or exaggerations, Spark always gave their best to their fans and never neglected their main job.

 

They were always the same.

 

『The winner of the prestigious Artist Grand Prize is…』

 

The only thing that had changed…

 

『Spark!』

 

…was the fact that they were finally receiving the reward befitting their efforts.

 

Baek Haewon bolted up from her seat. She was just as shocked as the members themselves. She was too stunned to even leave a post on social media. Even as she watched Spark embrace and pat each other on the back as they went up to the stage, she couldn’t believe it.

 

Jeong Seongbin, having received the trophy, stood before the microphone. Tears kept flowing no matter how much he wiped them away. The eyes of the next speaker, Lee Cheonghyeon, were also brimming with tears.

 

Choi Jeho, who calmly expressed gratitude to fans and those around them and told the members they worked hard, and Park Joowoo, who yielded the acceptance speech spot to the maknae, were captured on screen one by one. Kang Kiyeon bit his lip hard and held back a sob that was about to burst, finishing his comments haltingly but wonderfully.

 

The camera followed the members from a high angle as they bowed deeply and returned to their seats. In the aerial shot, Kim Iwol was walking with a strange expression before tilting his head up.

 

Like someone in discomfort, Kim Iwol furrowed his brows. As if the lights were too bright, he covered his squinting eyes with the back of his hand. His lips trembled. After taking a deep breath and looking into the distance, Kim Iwol lowered his head.

 

The eldest hyung, who hadn’t cried once at their debut stage, their first #1 win on a music show, or during fan meetings and concerts.

 

The perfectionist, whom the younger members said rarely felt satisfied with his own good work and refused to acknowledge his achievements because he had such high goals.

 

The bias who had kept his promise to never show a disheveled side from the moment of debut until now—finally cried.

 

Baek Haewon could tell he was trying his best to hold it in, but it wasn’t working. For the past three years, Kim Iwol was the person she had spent more time watching than anyone else in her life.

 

The younger members, arriving at their seats, discovered Kim Iwol following behind them in tears. The members wrapped themselves around one another in a group embrace. Until the camera turned back toward the MC, Kim Iwol never managed to lift his head.