Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 489 - Achievement (2)

The system had finally declared that it intended to see me reach a 100% synchronization rate.

 

If synchronization meant becoming completely identical to my previous body, then what could possibly await at the end besides death?

 

On the surface, it looked as though I could choose to keep the synchronization rate where it was and continue living with the system attached to me forever. But considering that the system had always pushed me toward completing its missions, if it ever decided my progress was too slow, there was a very good chance it would shove me forward again—just like the time it unexpectedly dropped those stage lights.

 

My mind went blank. Even as I blinked, the text floating in the air remained exactly as I had first read it. It felt like being trapped in a dream.

 

‘If this was the plan, was there even a reason to keep me alive all this time?’

 

At first, I had considered the system nothing more than a cruel joke. I thought it was a psychopath playing a game using my family’s lives and other people’s traumas as prizes.

 

Later, I began to feel that the system had a clear objective. Despite placing restrictions on all sorts of things, it had helped me enough so that I didn’t hit rock bottom. Even then, I repeatedly questioned whether that, too, was simply another manipulation designed to ensure I completed its objectives. Even after realizing the system seemed somewhat favorable toward me, I never let my guard down.

 

While fulfilling my duties, I had judged that this clear objective was likely related to the human Kim Iwol rather than the system’s own amusement. This was because the actions the system indirectly induced using KPIs ultimately led to my own growth—both externally and internally.

 

That was why I had hypothesized that ‘not dying’ and ‘growing internally’ were what the system wanted. But now, it was giving me the task of perfectly synchronizing with my previous body.

 

I was confused. I couldn’t guess how to make the situation better, nor could I imagine what state I was ultimately supposed to reach. I couldn’t understand the system, which explained useless things in exhaustive detail but remained silent on the most fundamental point.

 

If the end was already decided, there was no need to drag me all the way here. My values didn’t require becoming an idol and winning a Grand Prize to change.

 

My world had certainly changed—enough to shake my entire life. But was that change worth the price of navigating so many variables? Especially for a being with such obsessive tendencies that it made me spill nosebleeds for fear that future events might leak, and consistently triggered embezzlement and safety accidents exactly as they had happened before?

 

If I had at least understood why the system was being so relentless, I would’ve felt less hopeless. I would have tried to understand the system and find a solution.

 

However, I had overlooked the fact that in certain relationships, even the attempt to understand could be labeled as ‘presumption’—especially when that relationship was strictly hierarchical.

 

I felt dizzy. The collapse of my hypothesis—that the system didn’t want me to die—threw everything into chaos. Granted, it had only ever been a theory. Even if it was an inference based on the system’s words, the system had never confirmed any of my hypotheses with a ‘yes’.

 

But I thought I had built a fairly rational theory within the limited information I had. What on earth was I missing? And would finding it even matter?

 

My strength left me. My legs gave out and I collapsed onto the floor. The system, which had appeared at eye level when I was standing, lowered itself to appear before my eyes once more. It persistently delivered its message to me.

 

[SYSTEM] A work instruction from the ‘Superior’ has arrived.

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, you received a handover at the beginning of your employment. If the company has provided the basics, the employee should naturally fulfill their duties.

 

[SYSTEM] A work instruction from the ‘Superior’ has arrived.

▶ I heard that if you give a resigning employee too much work, they’ll just dump everything and run away. People these days… they have no sense of responsibility.

 

[SYSTEM] A work instruction from the ‘Superior’ has arrived.

▶ I’m not that inflexible, you know. I’ll make reasonable accommodations, so let’s finish this on a good note. With a smiling face. Got it?

 

[SYSTEM] Additional effects following the ‘Resignation Procedure’ are being notified.

▷ As the resignation procedure progresses, the calculation of total fatigue and the resulting penalties will be suspended.

▷ The ‘Superior’s’ influence over the ‘Subordinate’ will decrease as the resignation date approaches.

▷ The ‘Superior’ will actively cooperate for the termination of the contractual relationship and a smooth resignation of the ‘Subordinate.’

▷ The ‘Superior’ will finally approve the resignation once it judges that the ‘Subordinate’ has fully understood the contractual relationship and the resignation procedure.

 

There was probably no reason to give me any more penalties. Since I was going to die anyway. What did a little nosebleed matter when my heart was about to stop?

 

I buried my face in both hands. My emotions refused to settle.

 

If this was how it was going to end, then why…

 

My hands trembled. My heart pounded.

 

But I couldn’t just stay seated forever. If the end was truly coming…

 

‘I have to move.’

 

I already knew through losing my sister how powerless a person became when they did nothing. I’d also learned that even someone who seemed destined to haunt you forever could be reduced to an insignificant figure.

 

Hadn’t I learned, during my time with this team, that anyone could eventually recover from anything? If that was true, then even if this situation looked hopeless, I had to cling to the possibility that someday a solution might appear.

 

I took a slow, deep breath to calm my surging anxiety. I carefully reviewed my situation. I asked myself if it was okay to give up like this, and I kept searching for reasons why I shouldn’t.

 

There was still too much left to do. Even just looking at this year alone, the schedule Spark had to handle was a mountain. I had initiated many things to make up for the setbacks of the previous year. I didn’t want to tell them that all six of us would handle it for a while and that eventually only five would remain.

 

‘Let’s find a way.’

 

I needed time. I had to buy time to find a breakthrough, by any means necessary. I decided to believe that if I clung to it, a way would somehow open up. Just as it had until now. How many of the KPIs the system ordered were actually realistic? I’d achieved all of them so perhaps this wasn’t completely hopeless either.

 

Since everything would end if I gave up anyway, I might as well push back enough to have no regrets. I intended to keep going until I had done everything I possibly could.

 

I no longer hid under the covers as I used to. Instead, I organized the words the system had spat out.

 

The fact that the contractual relationship could be terminated meant the system had no intention of staying attached to me forever. Since it said the final KPI achievement was faster than it expected, there was still time. Furthermore, because the system wasn’t entirely perfect… there might be a hole to exploit. If the system were flawless, it would have controlled my emotions from the start or forced me to accept the given situation. Considering even the system took a long way around, a loophole wasn’t an unrealistic idea.

 

The system still exerted influence over me, but that range would gradually decrease. It would no longer manipulate others’ emotions or hold my sister or anyone else hostage.

 

As long as the system wasn’t actively pushing me forward anymore, I had at least avoided the worst possibilities. For now, that was enough.

 

Everything I’d desperately wanted when I first returned to the past had been achieved. My sister was safe, and Spark endured the dark period without being ruined by scandals. Just acknowledging that the situation was better than before provided a small measure of comfort.

 

And…

 

‘If one of the system’s goals is indeed to reconstruct my mental state, there must be a reward that follows if I endure without collapsing.’

 

Therefore, I decided not to conclude that synchronization was definitely the end. I kept my mind open and decided to prepare for various possibilities. That seemed healthier than obsessing over a single interpretation.

 

I took a deep breath and pulled out the journal planner I had used when I first returned to the past, rather than this year’s journal. Then, I did my best to firmly write down the direction I would take. To make sure I didn’t stop.

 

* * *

 

The rules I established for achieving a safe resignation were as follows:

 

First, discard negative thoughts as much as possible. Strive to see the situation objectively.

 

Second, even if a hypothesis is wrong, do not get swept up in emotions by obsessing over it. Focus only on correcting facts and adjusting direction.

 

Third, if my mental state crumbles, step away from the situation for a while. Do not get prematurely anxious, keeping in mind that there is time until the deadline. Even if the synchronization rate is only 10% away from the threshold…

 

It went without saying, but a clear head and a healthy mind didn’t materialize the moment I made these resolutions. When I lay down to sleep, I felt melancholy, and at times, it felt as if I could see the numerical value of the synchronization rate floating before my eyes.

 

Whenever that happened, I tried my best to divert my thoughts elsewhere. I did whatever work came in. If time opened up in between, I studied composition or went to the action school. Not because I was trying to overwork myself; it meant I was putting in effort to forget my anxiety.

 

Although these actions were meant to maintain a pleasant and sturdy life, some members didn’t view my diligent routine very positively.

 

“Is something bothering you lately…?”

 

Yesterday, Jeong Seongbin asked if I was stressed, and today, Park Joowoo came looking for me.

 

“Nothing like that. I sleep just fine. Seongbin can testify.”

 

My ‘Let’s see who wins’ mindset actually had a good influence on my life. It was the result of burning with determination during the day and being stubborn at night with the mindset of ‘I want to be a good-looking ghost, so I’m going to get some sleep.’

 

Unable to argue with my answer, Park Joowoo smiled awkwardly. His eyes, which were innocent despite his sharp nose and eye shape, and the corners of his mouth that I couldn’t tell if they were turned up or not, stood out to me.

 

I’d do my best, and I’d struggle until the very end. But if the end really came, the person I was most worried about was Park Joowoo. Especially since he was the one who cried the most when I injured my head.

 

I didn’t want to make Park Joowoo, who had barely accepted the parting from his family over a long period, experience another goodbye so soon. He had overcome it once, so he would do better next time. In fact, he was more mature about those things than I was. Even so, my heart went out to him.

 

“Joowoo.”

 

“What?”

 

“Now that promotions are over, is there a song you want to sing?”

 

As I asked, I mimed playing a bass guitar. Park Joowoo’s eyes widened.

 

“Are you going to play for me…?”

 

“If there’s a song you want.”

 

“There is…!”

 

Park Joowoo rushed out in a flurry. Then, he returned with his phone at lightning speed.

 

“Have you ever heard this band’s song? It’s a team that started busking in Daehak-ro recently. The melody is really good, and when I listened to it, the bassist personally…”

 

Park Joowoo spoke rapidly with a flushed face. I smiled and wrote down the band’s name and the title of the song. Before we knew it, the two of us ended up turning it into personal content called ‘The Story of Forming a Makeshift Band’. Showing off our unexpectedly good chemistry, Joowoo and I wrapped up January on a high note, having a great time together.