Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 500 - Insolent Brats

Whenever idols went abroad or to other provinces for performances, fans were curious about everything. From their roommates to their travel pajamas and every single item in their suitcases—everything became new fan content and fresh fuel for fandom.

 

It would have been great if we had diligently filmed such content during our last group trip, but unfortunately, we didn’t record any videos then. So this time, before the tour even began, we decided to gather every camera UA had and film a series called ‘Spark’s Overseas Tour: From the Preparations Onward’.

 

The first topic was roommate selection. We gathered in the meeting room to review the room reservations and bed types for each country and discussed how to split the rooms.

 

“So in Bangkok, two people stay in single rooms?”

 

Choi Jeho, staring intently at the PPT, asked.

 

“Should we play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets the single rooms?”

 

At Kang Kiyeon’s suggestion, Park Joowoo yielded his spot, saying he was fine even if it wasn’t a single room. Lee Cheonghyeon also volunteered for a double room, claiming he’d be bored alone.

 

Choi Jeho and I were part of the ‘any room is fine’ faction. Consequently, the last two remaining, Jeong Seongbin and Kang Kiyeon, ended up with single rooms. No one opposed the idea of letting the leader and the choreographer get some proper rest. The parties involved didn’t seem particularly thrilled, but if they were disappointed, they had no one to blame but their own lack of reflexes.

 

On the other hand, there were rooms that triggered fierce competition. When it was revealed that in the Singapore accommodation, only one of the three double rooms had a double bed instead of twin beds, everyone gritted their teeth and played rock-paper-scissors.

 

Sleeping together was no big deal. We had slept side-by-side under blankets at Park Joowoo’s aunt’s house just fine. No one in Spark really cared about that. The problem was that, unlike the floor where you couldn’t fall off, bed space was limited. It was obvious that one of these broad-shouldered men would end up plummeting to the floor.

 

“I’m not confident I can win, so can we at least leave Jeho hyung out of this?”

 

Kang Kiyeon suggested in a gloomy voice. With everyone’s consent, we decided to assign Choi Jeho a room with twin beds first for the sake of public safety.

 

For the main vocal’s rest and condition, we also guaranteed Park Joowoo his own space. While he had adapted to multi-person rooms through dorm life, we considered that sharing a single bed might be too much for him.

 

After an intense rock-paper-scissors showdown among the rest of us, the owners of the double bed were finally decided. The leader and the choreographer, who had each been assigned single rooms in Bangkok, would now affectionately share a double bed in Singapore.

 

“Kiyeon, I’m counting on you.”

 

“Yes, hyung…”

 

Jeong Seongbin and Kang Kiyeon shared a heartwarming handshake of friendship. We gave them a sincere round of applause, wishing them nothing but a peaceful path to sleep.

 

* * *

 

The next content after roommate selection was ‘Packing for the Trip’. Following Jeong Seongbin’s instruction to gather in the living room with our suitcases in an hour, Spark scattered to their rooms and came out carrying their luggage.

 

“Before we check, let me ask in advance. Jeho, did you pack a night lamp?”

 

“No.”

 

There was a monumental change: Choi Jeho was finally able to pack like a rational human being. For a moment, I felt a surge of pride that he had done something so sensible, but then…

 

“I packed this instead.”

 

…Out came a bundle of LED string lights that Lee Cheonghyeon had gifted him, and my heart immediately cooled down. It was hard to keep a straight face. I only hoped that one day Choi Jeho realized how much patience it took for me to calmly say, ‘Please actively utilize the indirect lighting features already in the hotel room’.

 

We opened the bags in order of age, according to the standard procedure. My luggage had nothing special… or so I thought, but there was one item the guys reacted to.

 

“What is this?”

 

Jeong Seongbin asked, fiddling with a packaged item. I’d already removed most of the packaging so no one would mistake it for product placement, but he was still carefully covering the brand name with his hand.

 

“It’s a portable travel clothesline. They say you can set it up even in narrow spaces.”

 

“Are you planning to do laundry there?”

 

Kang Kiyeon looked back and forth between my clothes and the clothesline.

 

“I don’t have much luggage, but I hate it when laundry piles up.”

 

“Doesn’t the hotel have washing machines?”

 

“It’s faster to just hand-wash them while I shower. I bulk-bought this with Joowoo.”

 

At my words, Park Joowoo pulled a clothesline out of his own suitcase. Lee Cheonghyeon was greatly indignant and demanded that a clause stating ‘Bulk-buys must be conducted in the group chat’ be added to the dorm rules. Kind-hearted Jeong Seongbin obediently wrote Lee Cheonghyeon’s request on the whiteboard.

 

“A journal planner and a work tablet. I’m putting the tablet in my backpack, so only the journal goes in the suitcase. That is all.”

 

“Your luggage looks like a businessman’s heading out on a work trip.”

 

Everyone agreed with Choi Jeho’s summary. I didn’t deny it because I figured an idol’s tour and a salaryman’s business trip were pretty much the same thing.

 

Aside from the LED bulbs, Choi Jeho’s suitcase was practically empty, leaving me staring at the half-vacant luggage in disbelief.

 

“If that’s all you’re bringing, why even take a suitcase?”

 

I asked out of pure curiosity, and his answer was astonishing.

 

“My sister gave me errands to run at the duty-free shop.”

 

All that vast space was for errands. A list of snacks from around the world requested by Choi Miho was revealed. There were even photos attached next to the snack names. It was revealed through a heartwarming story that his roommate, Park Joowoo, had searched for them and pasted them on one by one.

 

Jeong Seongbin’s suitcase looked exactly like what you’d expect from an idol leaving the country. It was a proper mix of sophisticated casual wear and travel items. Thinking it was strange for Jeong Seongbin to have ‘sophistication’, I asked who picked the clothes, only to find out that Jeong Seongjun had provided input.

 

“He gave them to me bundled as top-and-bottom sets.”

 

Calling them just sets was an understatement; they were full outfits including inner shirts, vests, pants, belts, socks, and even shoes. It was clear just how much effort Jeong Seongjun had put into making sure his older brother would look good in photos.

 

“Hyung, you haven’t been home recently. How did Seongjun hyung coordinate this?”

 

“Video calls…”

 

They even had remote meetings. To ensure Jeong Seongjun’s passion wasn’t in vain, Kang Kiyeon and I decided to take turns checking Jeong Seongbin’s work look every morning.

 

A plushie came out of Park Joowoo’s bag. The pillow he used to pack as a set was gone. It was the precious pillow he’d even stuffed into his backpack when he went to the deserted island. It seemed the harsh environment and the gym had made Park Joowoo strong enough to survive with just a doll.

 

“The clothesline I bought with Iwol hyung, laundry soap, pajamas…”

 

“Sounds like you’re going to have the best sleep ever.”

 

My praise made him beam with pride. I wondered why someone who never ate late-night snacks had packed instant ramen, only for him to explain that he’d brought a few in case the members started craving spicy food, earning heartfelt admiration from everyone.

 

Lee Cheonghyeon’s suitcase was absolutely packed with clothes and accessories. I honestly wondered whether he’d even remembered to pack underwear, but I kept my mouth shut because if I asked, Choi Jeho would definitely rummage through someone else’s suitcase and pull out their underwear without the slightest regard for the camera.

 

“And the grand finale…”

 

With a solemn expression, Lee Cheonghyeon reached into his clothes. When he lifted them, a massive amount of sheet masks was revealed.

 

“Skincare products!”

 

“This is the perfect travel suitcase. It should be featured in textbooks.”

 

I lectured the others to follow Cheonghyeon’s example. I also took this opportunity to hand out the member-customized sheet masks I had prepared in my sub-bag. Spark stuffed the masks into their suitcases without a word.

 

There was also plenty of extra space in Kang Kiyeon’s suitcase. I asked if he also had errand missions, but he replied that no one had asked him to buy anything—he’d simply left room because there were lots of snacks he wanted to try. Quietly, I called out to Jeong Seongbin.

 

“Seongbin.”

 

“Yes, hyung. Kiyeon, Jeho hyung—you two are only allowed to go snack shopping if Iwol hyung comes with you.”

 

Having learned a lesson from the Overspending Duo on the last trip, Jeong Seongbin quickly handled the traffic control. With this, the Merciless Card Slasher and the Bottomless Luggage Cart were now under my control.

 

Just as we were about to wrap up the shoot, Kang Kiyeon, who was staring blankly at the six suitcases, tilted his head and spoke.

 

“But you know…”

 

“…?”

 

“Is Joowoo hyung the only one among us who packed pajamas?”

 

It was just as Kang Kiyeon said. While Jeong Seongbin and I had packed separate casual clothes for live streams, Park Joowoo was the only one who packed clothes specifically for sleeping.

 

“The hotel has robes.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon nodded at Choi Jeho’s remark. I had planned to sleep in the hotel robe as well, partly to reduce the amount of luggage on a long trip. I’d already checked beforehand that every hotel had robes, so there was no risk of any unpleasant surprises.

 

“Now that you put it that way, it feels a bit iffy. Should I pack one set?”

 

As Lee Cheonghyeon hesitantly stood up, for some reason, Park Joowoo hurriedly grabbed his arm.

 

“Wait…!”

 

Then, Park Joowoo disappeared into his room. A moment later, he emerged carrying an armful of something pure white. Park Joowoo sat down, checked the writing on the plastic wrapping, and handed out a bundle to each member.

 

“What is this?”

 

“Looks like clothes.”

 

Exchanging a word with Lee Cheonghyeon, I tore open the packaging and saw a white short-sleeved shirt. It was soft enough to feel it was pure cotton just by the touch. When I pulled the shirt out, black text in Gungsuche font asserted its presence against the white background.

 

[Firstborn]

 

“Huh?”

 

For a moment, I doubted my eyes. I blinked three times, but unfortunately nothing changed.

 

As I lowered the shirt I had spread wide, I locked eyes with Choi Jeho opposite me. Even upside down, the word printed on his shirt unmistakably read [Second-born].

 

“When we went on our trip, Seongbin treated us to floral shirts.”

 

“He did.”

 

Jeong Seongbin nodded. Perhaps as a leader’s perk, the back of Seongbin’s shirt also said [Boss].

 

“That was fun and nice, so I prepared some too…”

 

These… family reunion T-shirts.

 

I was speechless. Before my eyes, the unshakable friendship between Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo shattered into pieces. There simply weren’t words strong enough to describe the crime of following your friend into ordering bizarre matching shirts.

 

I stared blankly at the sequence t-shirts assigned to everyone. The front alone was shocking enough, but the backs were truly something else. When Lee Cheonghyeon, who had apparently already put his on at some point, turned around, I nearly fainted at the sight of [Cutie Pretty Visually] emblazoned across the back.

 

Dread washed over me like a wave. With trembling hands, I flipped my shirt over. Then, I faced the title given to me.

 

[Father]

 

For the first time since returning to the past, I found myself desperately craving soju. It felt like only an entire bottle with a red cap could quench this thirst

 

In the distance, Choi Jeho flapped his t-shirt. The moment I saw the italicized [PIZZA] on the other side, I almost burst into tears.

 

Lee Cheonghyeon’s excited shout, ‘It’s like the matching t-shirts families wear on vacation! I totally love it!’ echoed in my ears like an omen.