Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols Chapter 514 - Explosion (2)

Jeong Seongbin had told me not to look at the news, but I couldn’t help myself; I had to know how the accident was being handled.

 

Most of it was as Manager Daeyeon had told me. The only new development was that the restaurant run by the perpetrator was getting bombarded with one-star reviews… and for some reason, the narrative had spread that I had recovered from ‘critical condition’.

 

‘Anyone reading this would think I was mortally wounded. Is this one of those exaggerated articles?’

 

Feeling annoyed by the excessive sensationalism, I clicked the article only to be startled.

 

Generally, celebrities’ faces weren’t blurred in photos unless they were being kicked out of the industry for a crime. Even paparazzi shots usually just looked grainy because they had been zoomed in from far away, not because anyone had intentionally obscured their faces.

 

Yet, my face was entirely covered in a thick blur. To make matters worse, the area where my head should be was a splotch of bright red. The graininess of the photo only served to trigger a grim imagination.

 

‘So that’s why the Spark members were freaking out.’

 

The article titled ‘The Dizzying Scene of the Accident’ also included CCTV footage. It was the same angle as the road CCTV I had watched until my eyes nearly fell out. Since that specific camera perfectly captured the area in front of the crosswalk, there couldn’t have been a better piece of evidence.

 

The video showed me running in from off-screen, pulling the child into my arms, and leaping onto the hood of the car. Because it was accident footage, the video ended just before the collision, but ironically that dramatic cutoff only led to a flood of comments from people who had paused on the final frame.

 

≫ Looking at how he jumped to avoid the bumper since he didn’t know which way the car would swerve… the car was already wobbling before it even hit the sidewalk.

 

≫ In the latter part, it looks like he landed well on his back. His split-second judgment was impressive. A lot of people would just freeze in a situation like that.

 

≫ He was running straight toward the car because of the child, so it would have been hard to change direction suddenly… If he had hesitated for even a second, it would have been a truly major tragedy.

 

It wasn’t split-second judgment; it was the product of immense practice. Maybe it was because I had practiced pulling Choi Jeho once, but I felt like I had developed a knack for pulling people—though comparing the muscular center to a small child would be a huge insult to the child.

 

Next, I posted on our official SNS accounts that I was perfectly fine, apologized for being unable to participate in the concert, and promised to be there next time. I wanted to just leave a small message on BubblePop, but since my phone was smashed… I ended up announcing it to the whole world on the official account. I really wished BubblePop had a PC version, but that was probably never going to happen. What a shame.

 

Only after replying to each of my acquaintances who contacted me did I finally become a truly free man. As I lay back on my bed, I belatedly felt a dull ache in my back. My shoulders and legs throbbed as if I’d been beaten with clubs.

 

No matter how much I reflected on it, it was an insane act. I only managed it this time because I gritted my teeth and threw myself in; I couldn’t do it again. Unforeseen incidents made life unsettling, so I really hoped things would stay peaceful for a while.

 

I heated up a heating pack, warmed up my bedding, and lay back down. Soon, I heard the front door open. Lee Cheonghyeon called my name from the shoe rack. A moment later, the bedroom door flew open.

 

“Hyung!”

 

“Are you okay…?”

 

Both of them were holding bags stuffed full of items.

 

“I’m pretty sure I said I didn’t need anything.”

 

“Yeah, but we needed to buy them.”

 

With that, Lee Cheonghyeon plopped down beside the bed and rummaged through the bags. He pulled out a bottle of calming medicine, popped the cap, and handed it to me, telling me to drink first.

 

“What about you guys?”

 

“We all drank one the moment we heard the news about you.”

 

I didn’t want to nitpick with people who were clearly shaken, so I drank it obediently. Lee Cheonghyeon let out a deep sigh.

 

“How’s your body…?” 

 

Park Joowoo asked with a worried face. Even after I told him I was fine, he clearly didn’t believe me. They had grown up enough not to cry over things like this, but they weren’t at the level where they could react calmly yet.

 

Lee Cheonghyeon inspected my face.

 

“Which side was cut? The left again?”

 

“Fortunately, it miraculously avoided the hairline. I was worried my bangs wouldn’t grow back.”

 

I proudly lifted my hair to show the gauze. Park Joowoo’s face turned pale, so I quickly lowered it. But the forehead wasn’t the problem.

 

“What’s up with the back of your hand…?!”

 

“Ah.”

 

I should have worn the leather gloves I used as a stage prop during Alight. Still, since I had applied bandages properly, I didn’t get nagged too much.

 

“How did you know an accident was going to happen there?”

 

“It was a coincidence.”

 

“You don’t actually expect us to believe that, do you? Hyung, we aren’t stupid.”

 

“Is there anyone in the world who actually thinks you’re a fool, Cheonghyeon?”

 

“Don’t change the subject.”

 

Park Joowoo, standing next to him, firmly crossed his arms. They were so intimidating I felt like I couldn’t live. I couldn’t tell if I was breaking into a cold sweat because I was in trouble or if the heating pack was just that good, but I felt my back getting damp.

 

“It really was a coincidence. If I had known, would I have engaged in a 1v1 showdown with a car so desperately?”

 

“They said you were inside the cafe. Are you saying you saw the car coming from that far away?”

 

“I heard eagles have such a wide field of vision that they can practically see in every direction.”

 

“Your spirit animal stopped being an eagle a long time ago, and more importantly, you’re a human…”

 

Park Joowoo hit the nail on the head. They didn’t give me an inch to escape. I didn’t even know how they knew the situation in such detail when neither of them had been there.

 

“It’s a huge relief that nothing was broken or fractured. It was a real stroke of luck. You know that, right?”

 

“I agree. I can even promise I won’t do it again.”

 

“I’d prefer if you didn’t just stop at ‘can’ and actually made the promise. Now that we’ve seen your condition, lie down.”

 

The interrogation ended quickly. I made sure Lee Cheonghyeon left before lying back down. Park Joowoo didn’t return to his room; instead, he unpacked the medicine I got from the hospital and organized it one by one.

 

“…Were you very startled?”

 

When I asked while gauging his mood, he gave a bashful, awkward smile.

 

“No.”

 

“…”

 

“Uh, well… actually, I was.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.”

 

It actually had been intentional, though…

 

Park Joowoo said everyone had been so shaken that they couldn’t do anything for nearly two hours. They only began to snap out of their panic after hearing it wasn’t a fatal accident. Even then, the anxiety didn’t completely vanish, which was why they kept messaging the group chat whenever they had a spare moment.

 

“I think it’s amazing that you found the courage to do something so difficult in a dangerous situation. I’m proud of you. But… I hope you don’t forget that this was a very lucky case.”

 

His voice was a mixture of worry and a stern reminder.

 

“I don’t want to see anyone getting hurt anymore.”

 

For a moment, I saw my former self reflected in him. Ever since my sister’s accident, I had developed a tendency to overreact to the minor pains or deaths of those around me.

 

Surely Park Joowoo had that side to him as well. In fact, looking at him before and after the Genre Switch project, he might be even worse than me. That made it painfully clear just how serious he was being.

 

“I understand.”

 

“Promise me.”

 

I locked eyes with Park Joowoo.

 

Hmm.

 

“Okay.”

 

I’ll try, but I might not be able to keep that promise.

 

* * *

 

Being excluded from the performances suddenly gave me a lot of free time. After blasting myself with heating packs and diligently receiving physical therapy, the muscle pain vanished, leaving me with a healthy body and plenty of time.

 

So I tagged along to every practice session and rehearsal. It wasn’t the kind of wound that would reopen from moving around a little, so as long as I didn’t overdo it, there wasn’t a problem.

 

Normally, the guys would have told me to rest at the dorm, but this time they were quiet. It seemed having me come back with head injuries twice while they weren’t around had made them anxious. So, I just sat quietly in front of the mirror, watched their modified formations, and gave feedback.

 

Just as announced beforehand, the concert went on without me. I still went to the venue, though. I attended with the mindset that it was only right to greet the fans who came. Although I couldn’t join the stages, I appeared as a one-day MC during the talk segments to show my face.

 

The week after the accident, I had my stitches removed. For safety, we decided I would sit out the performances for one more week.

 

Seeing that I really wasn’t badly hurt, the Spark members and the company staff slowly returned to their usual selves… or so I thought.

 

The first sign of an abnormality was detected in Kang Kiyeon.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Kang Kiyeon, who had no external schedule, was heading out with the manager. When I asked, the answer was the hospital.

 

“Are you hurt?”

 

“No. Just a consultation.”

 

Kang Kiyeon brushed it off as if it were nothing. Feeling uneasy, I asked Lee Cheonghyeon what was going on, and he looked troubled.

 

“Mmm… Kiyeon probably didn’t tell you because he was thinking of you. I don’t know if it’s really my place to say.”

 

“I need to know so we can coordinate the formations or choreography to avoid overexertion. I always tell you—injuries grow twofold if left alone.”

 

At my words, he hesitated before speaking.

 

“He’s definitely not injured. He said his anxiety has been creeping back up lately. He started going as a preventative measure before things get twice as bad, just like you said, so don’t worry too much.”

 

“I’m glad if it’s not serious, but…”

 

As I retraced recent events, wondering what could have caused Kang Kiyeon to feel anxious again, Lee Cheonghyeon stared at me fixedly.

 

“Hyung, could you just take what I’m about to say at face value without over-interpreting it?”

 

Even after saying that, he spent several more moments cushioning his words. Only after repeating himself with disclaimer after disclaimer did he finally get to the real reason.

 

“You remember that Kiyeon is weak to unpredictable situations like mistakes or voice cracks, right?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And he was uncomfortable with cameras and excessive attention.”

 

Indeed. And the biggest recent unpredictable situations that drew massive camera focus and attention were…

 

The lighting equipment falling during the outdoor performance, and my traffic accident.

 

Noticing that I had grasped the underlying meaning, Lee Cheonghyeon gave a bitter smile. He worked hard to lighten the burden on my heart.

 

“No one thinks it’s your fault, hyung! Because it really isn’t. But whenever something happens, you have this habit of blaming yourself. It’s just that so many bad things happened one after another that it became overwhelming. None of it had anything to do with you. If anything, you were the victim who got caught up in it, so people are worried about you.”

 

“…”

 

“Kiyeon didn’t tell you because he didn’t want you to feel that way. The reason I’m rambling like this is because I don’t want you to misunderstand.”

 

He went on to explain that ‘Bad luck can strike anytime’, and ‘It’s not like he was hurt or struggling as much as you, it’s purely part of mental care to manage his mind and body’.

 

“Going to get treatment yourself when you need it is mentally healthier, right? You agree?”

 

I knew Lee Cheonghyeon was right, and I understood that some accidents truly couldn’t be prevented.

 

But because I knew that in some parts, there was clear intentionality on my part, I found it hard to agree with him.