Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 152: Confirmation of Performances (1)

Idols had a lot to do besides appearing on music shows.
They had to go on variety shows, attend events, and film self-produced content.
Among them, the fans’ favorites were definitely variety shows and solo self-produced content.  Especially with proper staff!
Spark didn’t have any so-called ‘variety show gods’. They were just a group of good-looking guys who weren’t all that funny otherwise. Because of that, Spark hadn’t had many variety show appearances in the past.
‘Still, nothing beats variety shows when it comes to attracting new fans.’
To win first place on a music show, we needed to appear on as many programs as possible. No matter how great the song Lee Cheonghyeon wrote, it wouldn’t matter if no one listened to it.
I carefully scanned through the list of programs we’d been invited to. Food-related shows seemed to be trending, as there were quite a few mukbang invitations.
“Choi Jeho, can you eat a lot?”
“I can if I have to.”
“How much?”
“Probably more than you guys.”
Since that guy didn’t gain weight easily, eating a bit more wouldn’t be a big deal for him. Alright, he was set for a cooking show.
There was also a program whose main content was testing human patience… Kang Kiyeon volunteered for this one. I told him he could quit if they asked him to eat bugs or something that wasn’t HACCP-certified.
There was also a familiar program.
Challenge! Life Experience – 1 Night 2 Days
It seemed the ‘Challenge! Life Experience’ production team really liked us. Considering they wanted to take us for 1 night and 2 days.
“This time, we’ll do something other than a cafe, right…?”
Park Joowoo said.
Anything would be fine, as long as it wasn’t making shaved ice. My sister used to work at a café, and the summer shaved ice season always drove her crazy.
“If it’s a summer special, maybe we’ll be picking fruit? Like peaches or grapes?”
“They did an orchard special recently. It will probably be something like weeding a rice field.”
Kang Kiyeon and Choi Jeho racked their brains. Pulling weeds in the summer heat, huh. Just thinking about it made me dizzy.
Still, being invited back to a show we’d previously appeared on was a good sign, so we decided to accept the offer.
There was also an unexpected program. A singing program called ‘Genre-Swap of My Singer’.
It was a show where various singers came out and sang songs that weren’t their specialty, and it was a program that many people watched in clips because they could see a different side of their favorite singers.
“How did we even get a ‘Genre-Swap’ offer?”
For this kind of show to work, it needed artists that viewers were already familiar with. If an unknown singer tried a new genre, it wouldn’t feel fresh—it would just be unfamiliar.
Because of that, the bar for idols appearing on ‘Genre-Swap’ was quite high. While trot and opera singers often made repeat appearances, it was rare for more than three idol groups to be featured in a single season.
The reason for our invitation was completely unexpected.
“Newri sunbaenim recommended us. She received an appearance offer, but due to her schedule with events, she couldn’t make it, so she pushed for us instead.”
To think it was all thanks to the full support of a senior! I’d heard that the entertainment industry ran on connections, but actually experiencing it firsthand was something else. For once, I didn’t feel jealous of MYTH.
“Seongbin, do you want to try this?”
“Me?”
Jeong Seongbin was startled.
“You didn’t get to participate in the position battle, right? Go out there and show them what you’ve got.”
“But…”
His hesitation was obvious.
It was understandable—Park Joowoo had also missed out on the position battle.
Normally, I wouldn’t have suddenly asked Jeong Seongbin to appear.
But at ‘this’ point in time, with ‘this’ kind of program, I couldn’t not send him.
“Getting an apology is one thing, but revenge is a different matter.”
“….!”
“After getting revenge once, I realized something. You have to vent your anger once in a while before you explode.”
Jeong Seongbin’s face turned white as he understood what I meant.
“Hyung, are you serious?”
“I haven’t been anything but serious since I came to UA.”
I thought back to Jang Junhoo, who had bowed in apology to Jeong Seongbin—but that wasn’t nearly enough to settle things.
“You have to show them what you’re made of. Don’t you think?”
Jeong Seongbin’s eyes trembled. Then he regained his composure and took a deep breath.
“You have to do well, though. If you do, Joowoo will have a chance next. We have to let Joowoo sing rock once.”
“I’ll trust you….!”
Watching the back-and-forth between me and Park Joowoo, Jeong Seongbin finally broke into a bright smile. It didn’t seem like he had anything left to worry about.
***
As soon as Jeong Seongbin’s appearance on ‘Genre-Swap’ was confirmed, I headed straight to UA.
And I wandered around the agency endlessly. My excuse was that I was looking for something to help with, but no employee would be willing to give me work at this point.
The person I was really waiting for finally showed up around the time the employees were practically begging me, ‘Iwol, you don’t have to do anything, just sit down and have a drink…!’.
“Hello, sunbaenim!”
A loud greeting echoed through the office. Everyone inside turned to look at me.
Jang Junhoo, on the receiving end of the respectful greeting, looked bewildered.
Like the professional workers they were, the staff immediately turned their attention back to their monitors.
However, the sudden drop in noise and the heads subtly peeking over partitions made it clear that everyone’s attention was still on me.
‘Moreover, the words ‘workplace harassment’ have already been imprinted twice in their minds.’
Once when they first learned of Jang Junhoo’s harassment, and again when I ed Yoo Hansoo.
Having heard about workplace harassment twice already, UA employees were bound to associate any slightly suspicious behavior with bullying.
So, what would they think if I greeted a senior artist as if I were a rookie soldier ing to a superior?
Jang Junhoo stood frozen, unsure of what to do.
He had probably planned to come into the office around this time, grab a busy management team member, and shower them with flattery. Unfortunately for him, today he’d be having a conversation with me instead.
“Sunbaenim, are you busy today by any chance?”
“Why do you ask?”
“There’s something I really wanted to ask you! If it’s not too much trouble, could you spare me some time?”
Even as I spoke, a few staff members continued to eye us with suspicion. Jang Junhoo must have sensed it too.
“…Alright. Is there an available meeting room?”
A staff member guided us to a meeting room with translucent glass walls.
It seemed everyone was genuinely worried that I might get beaten up. Since Jang Junhoo had a habit of getting physical, I appreciated their concern.
I glanced at Jang Junhoo, his face crumpled in displeasure.
But this wasn’t nearly enough.
For everything our leader went through, you’d better be ready to shed some real tears of blood.
***
“What do you want?”
Jang Junhoo asked, crossing his legs.
“You only act submissive to Seongbin. I guess you don’t consider snatching my phone and threatening me as harassment?”
“You little…”
Jang Junhoo stopped himself mid-curse, seemingly aware of the CCTV.
“So what? You want an apology too?”
“No. I’m fine as long as Seongbin receives a proper apology.”
In other words, your previous apology wasn’t enough.
“So what do you want me to do?”
Mentioning Jeong Seongbin seemed to calm Jang Junhoo down a bit. He must have realized this wasn’t a situation where he could act carelessly.
“It’s nothing much. Seongbin is going to be on a music variety show soon, and I thought it’d be nice if he had some invisible support from you. You’ve spent so much time holding him back—why not give him a push forward for once?”
“Hey!”
“Sunbaenim. How about we speak with mutual respect, human to human, while I’m still using honorifics?”
I stared intently at Jang Junhoo.
“After talking with the police, I realized that titles and hierarchy don’t matter when giving testimony.”
“…….”
“We haven’t reached that point yet, and we won’t, right? Let’s keep this civil.”
Jang Junhoo bit his lip. He seemed irritated as he messed up his hair and almost slammed his hand on the table, stopping himself just in time.
I waited patiently until he finished his little tantrum.
“….What kind of support?”
As Jang Junhoo raised the white flag first, I brought up the topic I had prepared.
“Your debut song—it’s a masterpiece, isn’t it?”
“Hey.”
“It would be meaningful and nice for your cherished junior from the same agency to sing it, right?”
“You little…!”
Just as Jang Junhoo was about to yell, I saw several figures flinch beyond the translucent wall of the meeting room. They looked ready to barge in at any moment.
Unfortunately for him, UA today was different from the UA of the past.
There was no Yoo Hansoo to gang up on a junior with. No production director pulling shady backroom deals. No sycophantic staff agreeing with everything he said. No one.
With the watchful eyes of the employees at my back, I looked directly at Jang Junhoo and said,
“What do you think, sunbaenim?”
“…….”
“Of all the meager considerations you could offer, this seems like the one that would hold the most value.”
Jang Junhoo was silent. I could practically see the gears turning in his head.
Of course, he’d be panicking.
Jeong Seongbin was more skilled now than Jang Junhoo was back then. Jang Junhoo would be the one who knew this best.
‘His career will be ruined.’
For Jang Junhoo, who had continued his career on the reputation of his debut song, losing the prestige of that song was a massive blow.
Moreover, he would be greatly affected by the title of ‘Veteran Ballad Singer Defeated by a High School Idol Vocalist’.
“I think it would be good if you could cooperate with the official music release as well. Since we’re in the same agency, negotiations should be smooth!”
Jang Junhoo, his face flushed red, glared at me and asked,
“You really think he can perform my song properly on stage? After taking years of verbal abuse from me, like you said?”
That’s right. You tainted the most crucial years of his life. For years.
“You know better than anyone, sunbaenim. Seongbin has always been good.”
So, it’s time for him to step on you and rise above. By completely overshadowing your brightest moment.
“And you talk like I’m pulling some kind of elaborate scheme… but Seongbin agreed to this too.”
I could still see Seongbin’s bright, untainted smile as if I had just seen it a moment ago. The thought made the corners of my lips twitch upward.
“So you don’t have to worry about him. He’s grown up just fine.”
Of course. Not just anyone can be the leader of Spark.