Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 187: End of Short-Term Project

“Team Leader! No, I mean, Director! Congratulations on your promotion!”
“Thank you. I look forward to continuing to work with you, Team Leader Seon.”
The two leads shook hands. Everyone around them applauded in celebration.
A refreshing ‘cut’ sound rang out. It was the end of ‘In My Office,’ which had drawn a tumultuous love line like a stock graph.
It was a happy ending for everyone. This person and that person got promoted, got married, and Mai Asset Management rose to the top of the industry.
Not a bad production overall. Though how much the editing would support it was another matter.
Today, with the last scene filmed, the entire ‘In My Office’ production crew moved to a barbecue restaurant.
It wasn’t easy to find seating for such a large group.
Once everyone was finally settled, the chief director raised his glass.
“Alright, anyone without a glass? Hurry up and grab one!”
The tables became busy. As usual, I, the youngest, was expertly filling soju glasses when a familiar hand entered my line of sight.
Gu Jahan had sat down next to me.
I was about to get up smoothly, saying I’d go pour some drinks, when the director’s toast rang out from afar.
“I’ll start the toast. To our stocks!”
“Let’s hit the upper limit!”
As the short toast wishing for a surge in stock prices ended, the sound of clinking glasses filled the air.
This was similar to the Hanpyeong Industry’s toast.  ‘May our company go bankrupt!’. For the record, I made that one up.
Since moving seats seemed impossible, I gave up and toasted with the people at our table.
“Mr. Iwol, you worked hard on your first project.”
“Not at all, everyone took good care of me, so I was able to adapt quickly!”
The senior team members under Team Leader Ji filled my glass to the brim. They loved me too much. It was overflowing, quite literally.
‘Still, Gu Jahan is the lead, isn’t it a bit awkward that they’re taking care of me first?’
It was one of those situations where you just had to read the room, so I thought, screw it, and downed the soju in one go. The sharp scent of alcohol hit my nose.
“Indeed.”
As I carefully set down my glass, Gu Jahan spoke.
And he tilted the bottle towards me.
“Mr. Iwol, you did well.”
Words of encouragement?
From Gu Jahan? To me?
This guy wasn’t the type to care about appearances.
Until recently, he was acting like he would die if he couldn’t pick a fight with me, but lately, he’d been surprisingly trouble-free. He must have realized he crossed a line.
“What, you don’t want a drink from me?”
“Not at all! Thank you, I’ll gladly accept.”
Gu Jahan filled my glass. Three-quarters full. A perfect amount for a friendly exchange, without any malice.
“Can I pour you a drink too?”
“Sure.”
Gu Jahan emptied his remaining soju and offered me his glass. I reciprocated by filling it to the same level.
As the alcohol kicked in, the mood quickly turned lively. I was the only one stuck in a weird vibe, grilling the meat like a pro part-timer.
It was Ha Seomyeong, who came over from another table to greet us, that broke the awkward silence.
“All our team members are here! Everyone worked so hard!”
“Ms. Seomyeong, where have you been? Everyone’s here, I almost felt bad that you weren’t with us.”
“I sat with my family. Come on, family over work, right?”
“Oh, that table, they didn’t bring the son-in-law Ji?”
“Don’t even get me started. This guy’s having an affair with his work and is on the verge of divorce.”
The kind of jokes you could only make off the record flew freely around the table. Only (former) son-in-law, soon-to-be cheater Gu Jahan quietly ate his meat.
“Our maknae Mr. Iwol also worked hard! It’s sad that I won’t be seeing you often now. Do I have to wait until Spark’s comeback?”
“Then I guess we better make that comeback fast.”
“Do an 8-week music show promotion. You have to milk the drama wave.”
Ha Seomyeong said with a serious face. As expected of an industry senior. She knew how to seize an opportunity.
“Mr. Gu Jahan, would you like a drink?”
Ha Seomyeong asked her partner, with whom she’d had a lot of trouble but managed to finish the project on good terms.
“Sure.”
Everyone clapped at the not-quite-friendship, not-quite-truce shot between the main couple.
That Gu Jahan guy, he’s all grown up. Feeling strangely satisfied, I also emptied my soju glass.
* * *
The company dinner was long. Very, very long. Since becoming an idol, I’d become accustomed to Spark, a group with minors, leaving early, so it took some time to adjust to a dinner that stretched into the early morning hours.
“Mr. Iwol, you’re lasting a long time.”
“I’m pacing myself. Are you okay, Assistant Director?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
The assistant director struggled to pick up noodles with a single chopstick. It seemed another person would be heading home soon.
Honestly, I wanted to go home too.
No one was forcing me to drink. But after being told by Manager Nam to ‘U-turn back’ after leaving a company dinner early, just the thought of leaving early made me feel shackled—my body simply wouldn’t move.
The food was delicious, but I couldn’t eat too much because I was trying to build muscle. So all I could do was accept the offered drinks at a reasonable pace and make my presence known.
Considering that Jeong Seongbin was able to appear on ‘Genre-Swap’ thanks to my connection with Newri, that Polo gave me a radio appearance because he thought highly of me, and that Ha Seomyeong took care of me more often thanks to Ms. Eun’s request…
My conclusion was that I should make my face known, since who knew what opportunities might come my way.
Up to that point, things were fine. I wasn’t going to get knocked out from drinking, and the crowd had thinned quite a bit.
The problem was…
“Mr. Iwol, you’re a strong drinker.”
“Really? I haven’t had much experience with drinking parties yet, so I wouldn’t know, haha.”
“Are you going to the third round too?”
“Well, if the sunbaenims go, I’ll go too!”
…This Gu Jahan guy had been needlessly sticking to me.
I couldn’t understand why he was doing this. It made me uncomfortable.
‘He’s clearly been drinking a lot.’
His face was beet red, and he kept casually striking up conversation, but I couldn’t read his intentions, so that made it more irritating.
‘If I ask him if he’s going to the third round, he’ll probably make a fuss about why I’m calling him my senior, and if I don’t ask, he’ll probably complain that I’m ignoring him even though he’s asking me a question…’
A total lose-lose. I was just about ready to fake being drunk and pass out when Gu Jahan suddenly went quiet.
After a long pause, Gu Jahan spoke.
“Follow me.”
With that, he left the restaurant.
I thought he’d turned over a new leaf, but was he calling me out to scold me again? Or to threaten me to never set foot in the industry again?
Honestly, I didn’t care. After dealing with Deputy Nam and Yoo Hansoo, I wasn’t afraid of anything anymore.
I told Ha Seomyeong, ‘Jahan sunbae called me, I’ll be back in a bit’, and went outside.
Gu Jahan, who was smoking, saw me come out and asked,
“Do you smoke?”
“No.”
“You look like a chain smoker.”
I’d heard that a lot. More people actually said I looked like I’d smoke cigars. Not sure what the difference was, but whatever.
After hearing that I didn’t smoke, he stubbed his cigarette out on the ground.
Just then, a van pulled into the alley.
The passenger side window rolled down, and someone poked their head out.
“Mr. Jahan, did I keep you waiting?”
“Not really. Just open the door.”
It must be Gu Jahan’s manager.
He probably planned to put me in the car and dump me somewhere.
I really should’ve signed up for that jiu-jitsu class sooner. Or followed Choi Jeho to action school or something…
“Mr. Iwol.”
Unlike me, who was hesitating and trying to assume a defensive stance, Gu Jahan leaned into the car.
He rummaged around inside and then handed me something.
“Take this.”
It was a neatly packaged shopping bag.
‘Is this like, fill this with cash if you don’t want to be forced onto a deep-sea fishing boat or something like that…?’
But there was something inside.
I opened it cautiously and saw a set of clothes, a top and bottom, wrapped in plastic.
“Why are you giving me this…?”
“You ruined your pants.”
I suddenly remembered that day. The day Gu Jahan gave me those ridiculous errands, and I ended up soaking my pants with leftover drinks.
Looking inside the heavy shopping bag, I asked,
“There’s a top too?”
“The employee said it was a matching set. Just take it.”
So, is this an apology? Is he saying sorry for making me run errands that day?
“I was going to give it to you when you were leaving, but you, little punk, just keeps drinking like a champ.”
So that was why he was interrogating me about going to the third round.
I figured he wasn’t the type to stay long at a company dinner, so I had wondered why he was still there.
It looked expensive, but I didn’t say that out loud. I didn’t want to be modest about a gift I was receiving as an apology.
“Yes, I’ll wear them well.”
“Okay.”
Gu Jahan replied, looking away. He seemed embarrassed.
He had a quick word with his manager, saying he’d be right back after saying goodbye.
Meanwhile, out of habit, I picked up the cigarette butt Gu Jahan had stubbed out.
“What are you doing? That’s dirty.”
“It’s okay, it’s a habit.”
Ideally, the one who threw it should pick it up. But I didn’t want to be the kind of person who ignored a potential fire hazard either.
Gu Jahan’s face turned bright red, like he’d been burned.
“Give it to me.”
“Huh?”
“Give it! I’ll take it and throw it away myself!”
Gu Jahan snatched the cigarette butt from my hand. Then, fuming, he went back into the restaurant, and after what must have been a very brief farewell, he came back out 30 seconds later with his coat.
Without another word, Gu Jahan got into the car and left.
I stared blankly at the shopping bag in my hand.
I received an apology from a person who wasn’t facing a promotion, public scrutiny, or fear of repercussions. A sincere apology, of his own volition.
‘So there are people who can reflect on their actions.’
I was surprised. It was a strange feeling.
But it wasn’t unpleasant.
It would have been a beautiful and happy ending if the story ended here, but unfortunately, my ill-fated relationship with Gu Jahan didn’t end in front of the barbecue restaurant.
Jeong Seongbin, who was knowledgeable about clothing brands, turned pale as a sheet upon recognizing the price of the clothes I received.
“Is this an expensive brand? I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s very expensive. It’s a brand that came to Korea a couple of years ago. Just one pair of socks from this brand costs…”
After hearing his muttering, I immediately called Gu Jahan.
And in one breath, I said, ‘Yes, is this Mr. Gu Jahan? About the pants I wore that day—they were just regular pants, but what you gave me looks like it’s lined with gold. I’m not the type to covet expensive things, so I’ll return them.”
I figured he would have bought something reasonably pricy, considering my situation as a celebrity. Since I was the one receiving the apology, I didn’t think I needed to grovel and say, ‘Oh my, such nice clothes…’
But this was too much. The price went way beyond what I was comfortable with. If I didn’t set the record straight now, it’d come back to bite me later.
─ I knew you’d do this, so I removed all the tags. Just wear them.
“If you give me your account number, I’ll…”
— What, so you can pay for those pants? Would you even wear them after that?
I wouldn’t. Maybe I’d make Choi Jeho wear them for his commute.
─ Go sleep.
The call ended.
Leaving behind the lingering smell of alcohol and a set of expensive new clothes, ‘In My Office’ came to an end.