Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 512 - Fulfilling the Promise (2)

In the morning, I checked the formations with the backup dancers in the practice room. Since it wasn’t a schedule that required intense movement, I was able to wear my protectors in advance. Otherwise, I would have had to sneak into the bathroom to strip and suit up. I kept my hat hidden in my bag, ready to be used when needed.

 

Our next schedule was a visit to the production company to carry out the final inspection of the return-gift kits that would be distributed at the concert venue. I had already checked everything from the components to the samples, but since I needed a convincing excuse to be out of the company during practice, I pestered them saying I absolutely had to see the physical items with my own eyes. Perhaps because of my track record of being meticulous, no one tried to stop me.

 

The kit, received in its finished state, was perfect. After all, I’d carefully checked every stage of the production process, so I hadn’t really expected there to be any problems.

 

However, since I came under the pretext of a review, I pretended to notice something and busily turned a box left and right. I made sure to tell the production staff, who’d been visibly nervous the whole time, that the kits had turned out great.

 

The visit ended quickly. It was already nearing 4:00 PM.

 

“Mr. Iwol, should we head back to the office now?”

 

Manager Daeyeon, who had accompanied me as a guide, asked as he started the car. I asked back as casually as I could.

 

“Manager, would it be okay if I stopped to buy a drink?”

 

“A drink?”

 

“I saw a café on social media that became really popular recently. I wanted to try it with the others since everyone’s been talking about it… But once the tour starts, I won’t have time to go out for a while…”

 

Just as I was about to add the explanation that ‘it’s a bit of a detour but technically on the way,’ the manager pulled out his phone.

 

“What’s the name of the cafe?”

 

“So we can stop by?”

 

“If someone like you, who rarely drinks cafe beverages, says you want to go, you must have put a lot of thought into it. Everyone’s been working hard practicing, so a nice drink will probably help everyone relax.”

 

Contrary to my worries, he gave permission quite easily. Ignoring my pricking conscience, I entered the cafe’s address into the manager’s phone. When I pressed the route search button, the navigation activated. A diagram of a large intersection appeared right next to the destination.

 

On the way back to the city center, the road repeatedly congested and cleared. It was exactly as I had seen while monitoring the CCTV during this time frame over the past few days. Even though we were passing the designated location at the exact time I’d anticipated, I couldn’t stop feeling anxious. The only thing I could do was rub my palms against my thighs.

 

I had no idea how many times I’d pictured this situation in my head. I’d run through the simulation dozens of times, at the very least. Every time, I imagined myself calmly reviewing breakfall techniques inside the car.

 

But reality was different. My mouth had gone completely dry, and if I let my concentration slip for even a moment, my mind would immediately go blank. I was so tense it felt as though my thoughts themselves had frozen solid. I’d secretly taken deep breaths behind the manager’s back so many times that I could no longer count them on both hands.

 

Nevertheless, the vehicle moved without stopping. Familiar signs began to appear on the surrounding buildings. It was the same scenery I had once walked through every day.

 

The destination was approaching fast.

 

“Have you decided what you want to drink? If you have a menu in mind, I’ll buy everything at once.”

 

The manager spoke as he turned on the blinker to pull over to the roadside.

 

“I’ll come with you.”

 

“Hm?”

 

The manager looked at me, surprised by my unusual response. Within Spark, I was the one who cared most about safety accidents involving crowds or technical issues. He seemed taken aback that I would personally go into a hotspot bustling with people, especially during the golden hour of the afternoon.

 

“I want to look at the menu before deciding!”

 

I knew I sounded unlike myself, but I pushed through. When I pulled my hat and mask out of my bag as if I had been waiting, the manager let out a helpless laugh and gave his permission.

 

It was 4:45 PM when we parked in the lot next to the building. Staying outside too long might attract a crowd and ruin everything, so I lingered in the car for five minutes under the pretext of taking orders from the members. Then, at exactly 4:50 PM, I opened the car door and stepped out.

 

The moment I stepped past the parking lot entrance, I saw the wide, long crosswalk. My heart pounded like crazy. A few pedestrians stood under the red light of the traffic signal. The child was not among them yet.

 

The cafe was right in front of the crosswalk. As the automatic doors opened, the manager lightly grabbed my sleeve and led me inside.

 

“What would you like?”

 

As the manager asked in a lowered voice, I looked up and pretended to scan the menu.

 

Calling it a trending cafe was a half-exaggeration to persuade the manager, but given the location, there were still plenty of customers. I could feel gazes from all over trying to confirm if I was who they thought I was.

 

“I’ll show you everything the members wanted too. It’ll be easier to order that way, right?”

 

The hand in my pocket trembled. I pulled out my phone and pressed the power button; the screen lit up brightly. I heard the sound of a customer who recognized me taking a photo.

 

4:57 PM.

 

“The kiosk is… complicated. Mr. Iwol, can you keep your phone screen on for a moment?”

 

I kept my phone on as the manager requested. From a distance, I heard a conversation: ‘Should we ask for an autograph?’

 

4:58 PM.

 

“The wait is going to be quite long. Now that we’ve ordered, Mr. Iwol, why don’t you go take a nap in the car if you’re tired…”

 

The manager took his card out and put it in his wallet. Two people made a move to approach us.

 

The kiosk began to print the receipt.

 

The moment ‘16:59’ was printed on the white paper.

 

Like a webpage displaying server time reaching the hour mark, my field of vision turned red moment by moment. The milliseconds glowed crimson.

 

I bolted outside. Then, I ran with every ounce of strength I had.

 

“Mr. Iwol?!”

 

Pedestrians stopped in their tracks at the sight of a person suddenly bursting out.

 

Before they could approach or speak. Before the manager, who followed me out, could grab me.

 

And, before the car…

 

“What’s with that car?”

 

“Is the driver drunk? Why’s it swerving like that?”

 

…Before it could descend upon the child like a disaster.

 

I ran for my life. I reached out my arm toward the child I had only seen in videos of the accident—the one standing straight, waiting for the walk signal.

 

I pulled the child into my embrace. The car was right in front of us.

 

Protect the child’s head with my whole body. Hold on tight so I don’t lose my grip from the strong impact or recoil. Don’t let the child’s body touch the car or the ground.

 

Can’t let my head get hit either. No fractures. The concert is this weekend.

 

Aim for the hood, not the bumper. Be careful not to hurt my legs—hit with my back. Car windows don’t break that easily. There are no bollards, but I have to bounce toward the sidewalk to avoid a secondary collision with vehicles turning right. Don’t be afraid. You know fear only makes the body stiff. Remember what you’ve been preparing for all this time.

 

I can do this.

 

As I gritted my teeth and threw myself forward, the world turned black.

 

For a split second, the whole world shook. I felt weightless for a moment, as if escaping gravity, before slamming into the ground as if swallowed by a black hole.

 

It was quiet. It didn’t even hurt. I wondered for a second if the car rushing toward us had been a hallucination.

 

Then…

 

“…Mommy!”

 

…The sound of crying near my chin brought my senses back.

 

The air was filled with screams, honking horns, and voices calling for an ambulance. When I blinked, gray paving stones came into view. The fingertips that had been cradling the child’s head were bright red. My hat lay rolling on the ground in the distance.

 

Through the strands of my hair, I looked at the blurry feet around me and asked them to take care of the child. I couldn’t tell if my voice was coming out properly. Thankfully, I felt someone pull the child away.

 

In the spot where the person who took the child had been, a pair of familiar sneakers appeared. They were the manager’s worn-out shoes.

 

The manager cleared my field of vision with trembling fingertips. I locked eyes with him as he knelt on the ground, leaning over to check on me. He seemed to be checking if my pupils were dilated.

 

“The ambulance is coming, so don’t get up…”

 

The manager tried his best to calm me down. He took a piece of cloth from somewhere, rolled it up, and pressed it against my forehead. I told him I was fine, pushed his arm away, and stood up.

 

As long as nothing was broken, it was fine. My head throbbed and my vision swam, but I could walk.

 

A familiar sedan had come to stop with its bumper smashed into the exterior wall of a building. It was the unforgettable car that used to haunt my dreams whenever I so much as happened to see it on the street.

 

As I approached the driver’s side, a silhouette moved behind the window. I pulled the handle, but the door wouldn’t open. When I brought my face closer, the dark interior of the car became clear.

 

He had been drinking since broad daylight, ignoring every visible signal. Seeing the airbags deployed in front of a man who cared so little for the safety of others that he tried to flee after a hit-and-run made my blood boil. Why was it always this kind of bastard who walked away safely from accidents? In the past, and now. Rage surged within me.

 

I slammed my forearm against the window. The driver flinched at the loud bang. Reflected in the glass, half my face was soaked black with blood.

 

In the past, he might have fled because he didn’t want a criminal record and easily threw away the responsibility he should have carried under the guise of a settlement.

 

“Get out.”

 

This time, that wasn’t going to happen. He was going to get out on his own two feet and see with his own eyes just how many people were photographing both his face and his car.

 

Two sirens with different pitches mixed together. The loud noise grew until it made my ears sting.

 

But there was only one thought in my mind: I had to get the driver out. He was the kind of person who would shamelessly try to escape the crisis if not held down.

 

Several hands grabbed my arm as I yanked violently at the door handle.

 

“Mr. Iwol!”

 

Among them was Manager Daeyeon’s hand. That familiar voice made me hesitate for a split second, and I was pulled away from the car. The manager and the paramedics dragged me—ignoring my protests—toward the ambulance and laid me on a stretcher. My forehead was pressed down hard again, making it difficult to open my eyes.

 

“Hey…”

 

My voice was pathetically cracked. Forcing the words out, I managed to speak.

 

“Please… catch that person…”

 

I also wanted to ask how the child was. If the child had gotten into the ambulance first. If no one else had said it, I had to tell them to take care of that child before worrying about me.

 

Before I could hear an answer or ask another question, the ambulance doors closed. Even through all the chaos, I could hear the child’s crying clearly.

 

Once I realized that the sirens of a police car were mixed into the noise outside, my strength gave out. It was a sense of relief that the value my sister had traded her life to protect had not gone to waste.