Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 501 - Chat Time (1)

Clutching the suitcases containing Park Joowo’s precious gifts, Spark set off on their long journey.

 

Every moment of an overseas schedule was a hurdle in itself. No matter how thoroughly everything had been discussed beforehand, the moment you arrived on site, unexpected issues would pop up as if they’d been waiting for you.

 

However, Spark was not easily flustered. These grit-fueled idols, who had experienced everything from the disorganized work of a doomed small agency to power trips from large competitors and broadcasting stations, focused solely on finding solutions and resolving trouble regardless of the situation.

 

Being able to devote all your energy to the work itself was incredibly important when working away from home. When manpower and time were limited, wasting energy on emotions was completely unhelpful.

 

While others might gain experience by going abroad once or twice, or by splitting their time between Asian and North American tours, Spark ended up doing a full-blown world tour from the very start. Despite skipping several steps at once, Spark performed as if they were seasoned veterans. From that perspective, I’d have to say Spark’s allocation of resources for solving problems was exceptionally wise.

 

Of course, there were hardships that couldn’t be easily overlooked. For example, a Live broadcast conducted while wearing the group t-shirts on the night we successfully finished our first performance.

 

Nothing was more agonizing than checking the monitoring tablet and seeing Spark huddled together, all wearing those identical, ugly t-shirts. My face burned with embarrassment.

 

≫ Iwol’s face is about to explodeㅋㅋㅋㅋ

≫ Someone bring a fire extinguisher

≫ Our precious Spark was raised by Iwol to wear only pretty things, and now…

 

The chat was a torrential downpour. Even through the terrible video quality, everyone could clearly see that my face had turned as red as an angry emoji.

 

“Hyung, did you turn on a heater only on your side? You’ve turned bright red!”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon teased me mercilessly while fanning me with a piece of folded paper he found in the room. Unfortunately, such a weak breeze could not cool my burning face.

 

“Do you not like the clothes…?”

 

Park Joowoo looked like he was about to wilt, so I desperately launched into an elaborate explanation that I absolutely did like them, resulting in an impromptu live broadcast that practically certified Made in Korea. It was the most dizzying broadcast I’d done since the one where I accidentally spoiled the Korea-Japan match results.

 

“Don’t fan me, fan Joowo. His face is literally cooked.”

 

I might have become a volcanic eruption out of embarrassment, but Park Joowo was 100% roasted. The hot weather and the blinding stage lights had baked someone’s precious main vocal like a sweet potato.

 

Due to his constitution, Park Joowo turned red rather than tanning. To help him cool down quickly, I stuck a cute bear-shaped toner pad onto each of his cheeks.

 

“Shall I show you the text on the back? Mine says ‘Boss.’”

 

Jeong Seongbin proudly revealed his glorious title. His broad back filled the camera angle. The fans were about to go wild, but they were left speechless by the bold, grave calligraphy.

 

≫ The days when Iwol showed favoritism toward the leader are officially over

≫ The friendship between the main vocals is so intense it’s hard to handle

≫ Joowoㅋㅋ You’re friends with Seongbin, so why are you the one crowning him as the Boss? ㅋㅋㅋ

≫ Seongbin really seems to love that Joowo made the t-shirts…

 

When I finally revealed my ‘Father’ title, the chat window was flooded with ‘ㅋ’. Keeping to my ironclad rule of never bowing my head in front of a camera proved to be a huge help. Otherwise, I would have slammed my head onto the floor long ago and never gotten back up.

 

“This outfit is exclusive to today’s Live, so take a good look, everyone!”

 

“We wanted to wear these as airport fashion, but Iwol hyung was dead set against it.”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon and Kang Kiyeon poured oil on my simmering inner fire. Were they seriously planning to trample even my one remaining conviction—that Spark had to look their best in front of the reporters? Not a chance.

 

≫ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋit would be legendary if they actually showed up at the airport like that

≫ Guys, please, can’t you all wear them together just once? I seriously want to see high-res hommas photos of that

≫ Let’s cause an accident while Father is sleeping

 

But if that was what the fans wanted, then we’d probably have to wear them when we returned to Korea. I’d set up a temporary clothesline on the UA rooftop, pin the shirts from the firstborn to the sixth-born with clothespins, shake them out to dry, and take a photo against the blue sky to provide a super high-res version for their SNS profile headers…

 

My heart felt like tattered rags. When would I ever get to dress them in the cool outfits I prepared for the arrival fashion? A corner of my heart grew damp with tears.

 

* * *

 

Two weeks had passed since Spark left for abroad. Won Chaehee thought she might enter a lull period in her stanning… but Spark’s messy Live broadcasts poured out non-stop, making every day feel like a comeback week.

 

The unusual combinations of temporary roommates and the unique atmosphere that came after each concert created livestreams with an energy that could only exist during this tour.

 

『Joowo, how’s your face? Does it still sting?』

『It’s mostly gone down…!』

 

『Hyung, my apple hair won’t stay down…』

『Should I blow-dry it for you?』

 

The atmosphere in Kim Iwol and Park Joowo’s room was cozy. There was a cute charm in seeing Park Joowo trying his best to flatten his stray bangs before facing the fans, and Kim Iwol bringing over various types of headbands to help him out.

 

Jeong Seongbin’s room was a single, but true to his reputation as a well-liked leader, there was always at least one person visiting. Whenever they became a party of three, Jeong Seongbin would turn on a Live to talk about the delicious food they ate that day and the cool tourist spots they caught a glimpse of.

 

Kang Kiyeon’s room was also a single, and like Jeong Seongbin’s, members frequented it. However, the reason was a bit different. Most of the time, Park Joowoo and Lee Cheonghyeon would sneak over to open mysterious purchases they’d made behind the backs of Kim Iwol and Jeong Seongbin.

 

『If you’re going to reveal it on a livestream anyway, what’s the point of opening it in secret?』

『At least we won’t get scolded right this second.』

『Sparklers will protect us…』

 

In the first place, no one actually thought they could hide anything from Kim Iwol’s eyes, and as expected, the Sparklers could not protect Park Joowo.

 

≫ [Artist_Iwol] Joowo, I’ll see you in the room later!

 

The younger members trembled like aspen leaves at the sight of Iwol hyung appearing in the chat. The little rebellion ended as a minor incident when Park Joowo later posted on BubblePop that ‘we all promised to go to the night market together’.

 

Without question, the room with the highest endorphin levels belonged to Choi Jeho and Lee Cheonghyeon. It was as if fate had planned it—their room number was exactly 1205. From the start, the second-born and the fifth-born rode a wave of destiny, shocking Sparklers with a bold move unprecedented in Spark’s history.

 

『How is it? Is it working?』

『I think it’s coming through?』

 

The fearless young men showed an extraordinary side by turning on a Live while wearing nothing but single bathrobes. Won Chaehee had opened the stream after receiving the notification, only to be greeted by water droplets glistening along exposed collarbones, nearly causing both of her eyes to pop out.

 

≫ Choi Jeho, cover up

≫ Lee Cheonghyeon, cover up

≫ No, don’t cover up! Don’t cover up! Button up! No, don’t! COVER UP!

≫ Who told you to turn on a Live right after washing? If you keep this up, you’ll only end up as world-class idols

≫ Someone please turn off the Live notifications on Iwol and Seongbin’s phones

≫ Please don’t let this end in a forced shutdown, I’m begging you

 

The two briefly explained the story behind why they were broadcasting in only robes.

 

『We planned to sleep in the robes, so we didn’t bring pajamas. If Joowoo hadn’t handed out those T-shirts, we’d all have had to do the first livestream in robes too.』

『Iwol hyung would have definitely made us wear our street clothes, though.』

『You think so?』

 

Won Chaehee, who also didn’t bother with separate pajamas if a robe was available, understood their sentiment. It was definitely surprising to see idols doing this… but compared to idols getting photographed wearing shorts and dragging slippers around while sneaking out for cigarettes or to meet their girlfriends, idols quietly staying inside their hotel rooms in bathrobes were fifty million times better.

 

『Everyone in the chat is telling us to lock the latch so Iwol hyung can’t get in.』

『He doesn’t have a keycard. If we don’t open it, he can’t get in, right?』

 

In the middle of the two men talking comfortably, a knock broke through. It was a gentle sound, but the volume was quite loud.

 

『It’s the tiger. The tiger is here.』

 

Lee Cheonghyeon clicked his tongue and vanished from the screen. Choi Jeho stared blankly in the direction Lee Cheonghyeon had disappeared. With the sound of the door opening, the audio became crowded.

 

『Sparklers, hello! It’s Iwol! I am truly sorry for intruding while you were having a private moment…!』

 

Kim Iwol’s voice could be heard beyond the screen, while only Choi Jeho remained visible.

 

『What did you write on that paper?』

 

Choi Jeho, furrowing his brows, picked up the glasses that were on the side table. Apparently, Kim Iwol had come carrying a sheet of paper with something written on it. Meanwhile, the viewers went wild over the fact that they were now seeing ‘Robe Jeho: Glasses Ver’.

 

『It’s nothing.』

『What do you mean ‘nothing’? You wrote ‘CLOSE YOUR ROBES’ in giant letters.』

 

Audaciously, Kim Iwol had tried to act like a sweet colleague visiting the members for the sake of the Sparklers, while behind the scenes, he was trying to enforce a dress code for their chests with a sketchbook sign. However, Kim Iwol’s grand plan went down the drain due to Lee Cheonghyeon’s bright and bubbly exposure.

 

『You’re revealing my secret operations to the whole world? Cheonghyeon, the moment we move accommodations, I’m sending you straight to Seongbin’s room.』

『No! I don’t want to go to bed at 1 AM!』

 

Among Sparklers, Kim Iwol was famous for holding a grudge. The rumor that ‘Kim Iwol’s grudge is longer than his height’, which had circulated quietly among veteran Sparklers, became official after the ‘Santa has waited 730 days for today’ content was released.

 

Sure enough, Kim Iwol declared he would impose a harsh punishment on Lee Cheonghyeon for the sin of revealing his handwritten sign. Lee Cheonghyeon sat down next to Choi Jeho and vented his grievances.

 

『We did live together, so why are you only picking on me? This is unfair. I’m lodging an official protest.』

『Because Choi Jeho didn’t reveal my secret to the outside world. If it weren’t for you, the Sparklers would’ve just gone, ‘Oh, Iwol’s here~’ and moved on.』

 

Leaving the psychological war behind him, Choi Jeho, who had been calmly reading the chat, spoke up.

 

『You want Iwol to show his face too? I don’t think he can.』

『Choi Jeho, wait…!』

 

Panic was evident in Kim Iwol’s voice. A shadow flapped hurriedly in the corner of the screen. Choi Jeho continued, unbothered.

 

『Because he’s also wearing only a robe. He’s in no position to talk about others…』

『Hey!』

 

Lee Cheonghyeon rolled around on the bed, laughing his head off. Kim Iwol’s desperate yet deeply contradictory attempt to stop the members from broadcasting in their natural state while rushing over wearing nothing but a bathrobe himself was immortalized on video forever.

 

『Seongbin, I’m sorry…』

 

Unable to ignore the Sparklers calling for him, Kim Iwol ultimately showed his face on camera. The sight of Kim Iwol clutching the collar of his bathrobe with a devastated expression while publicly apologizing to the leader became an unforgettable legendary moment destined to be remembered for years to come.