Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 203: Counseling Center (3)

“You can’t see his face?”
The MC asked. Everyone on set held their breath, focusing on the fortune teller.
“It’s not the fortune of a living person. I’m surprised too. I thought he was a ghost.”
The room went beyond silence into a hellish stillness.
What on earth is wrong?
Is it because I traveled through time? Does living two lives mess up your fortune chart?
If I had known this would happen, I would have diligently checked my daily horoscope. I deeply regretted it.
If I couldn’t salvage this, my parts would be completely edited out.
I had even signed a deal to air the MISSION music video at the end of the show. But if the main subject didn’t appear? What a novel and heartbreaking situation.
I couldn’t give up on the broadcast score, so I gritted my teeth and started damage control.
“I suffered a major injury when I was young. Could that be the reason?”
“You did?”
“Yes. I don’t know much about fortune-telling, but I thought maybe that could have something to do with it…!”
The fortune teller’s eyes narrowed at my words.
Fortune teller, I am begging you. Please just let this slide.
I need the broadcast score. I’m sorry for being so materialistic. Please, just this once…!
“That could be it.”
As if reading my mind, the fortune teller rescued me from the clutches of being completely edited out. I reflected on how I had rashly mentioned ancestral spirits to Jeong Seongbin to escape a momentary crisis.
“Even if it wasn’t for that, you have a terribly unlucky fate. If that person is a flower planted in the wrong soil, you are a wildfire in the wilderness. Just looking at you, I can tell you’re destined to burn yourself out doing good deeds for others your whole life.”
“Me?”
“You think things are going pretty well for you, don’t you? That the results are better than your efforts, and that you have good luck?”
The fortune teller asked me.
I nodded. It wasn’t just for the camera — it really was how I usually thought.
“That’s your misconception. You’re the type who, if you fall backward, breaks their nose and ribs.”
The fortune teller rested her chin on her hand. I felt her gaze slowly meeting mine.
“But since your legs are fine, you’d think, ‘Oh, it doesn’t hurt to walk! That’s a relief!’ and keep going. You’re just like a candle that burns until its base melts away.”
‘I’m scared hyung will just die somewhere. Hyung might not care, but I do.’
Kang Kiyeon’s words echoed in my ears. The two voices overlapped, making me dizzy.
“You know how, when a candle burns all the way down, nothing’s left but melted wax? It’s completely melted, with no trace of its original form. After warming others and lighting their way, nothing remains of itself.”
I wanted to escape her gaze. My heart felt inexplicably heavy.
Ms. Ha Seomyeong broke the stifling atmosphere.
“Mr. Iwol works really hard. He’s the most diligent one; he even memorizes his co-stars’ lines so he doesn’t mess up the timing.”
“Oh, is it just as the fortune teller says?”
“Absolutely. Even though there’s a difference in shooting time between the leads and supporting roles, when you count waiting times, it’s not that different. But Iwol always takes care of everyone. And he’s even doing idol activities at the same time. He was preparing for a comeback while filming ‘In My Office,’ right?”
“Mr, Iwol, you can’t push yourself too hard just because you’re young! You’ll wear yourself out!”
Listening to Ha Seomyeong and the MC talk finally let me breathe a little easier.
“Mr. Jahan, say something too! You spent so much time with him on set!”
Ms. Ha Seomyeong slapped Mr. Gu Jahan’s back hard.
It was an indirect jab. She was telling him to act like a senior now after giving me such a hard time on set.
Mr. Gu Jahan, glancing at Ms. Seomyeong’s face, finally spoke up.
“…He probably read the script more than anyone. The PD really liked him from the audition because he showed up with a full analysis book.”
“M. Iwol is quite the perfectionist, isn’t he?”
“I’m not that meticulous, I just try my best to prepare what I can. It’s a bit embarrassing.”
“He’s also very polite. Not just to seniors, but to everyone around him. I think it’s just his nature.”
“Hey, Mr. Jahan, do you think that’s just his nature? It’s all because of Mr. Iwol’s hard work.”
Apparently unsatisfied with Mr. Gu Jahan’s praise, Ms. Ha Seomyeong added another comment.
The fortune teller wrote a few characters on a piece of paper with a brush and said,
“So, keep people around you. Just having matches and a candlestick doesn’t mean you’re prepared. You need people to light the candle and put it out when the time comes. Understand?”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“As if you would. You’ll probably let it go in one ear and out the other. Listen to what others say. Don’t just open your ears when you’re working, open them in your personal relationships too.”
The fortune teller chuckled in disbelief. Shamans are scary. You can’t even get away with sugarcoated words around them.
***
After that, the fortune teller rummaged through her book for a while and then changed the subject.
“I don’t have much to tell you since I can’t see anything. Instead, I’ll listen to your worries.”
“Pardon?”
“You don’t have anything you’re curious about anyway. You already know what’s going to happen. Everyone here is clinging to you for a reason. You’re not the type to end up losing out wherever you go.”
At this point, I wasn’t even surprised by how much the fortune teller seemed to know. I even wondered if the system was some kind of ancestral spirit that she could communicate with.
Besides that, she was basically adding credibility to the ‘Kim Iwol, the idol who sees the future’ narrative. It seemed my name was going to be floating around on sports communities again for a while.
“But you must have some worries, right? It’s impossible not to. Even if you think you’re lucky, you’re the type to carry anxieties and worries.”
Was this a counseling session just for me? I was momentarily tempted.
“Your fortune with children isn’t good. But ‘children’ doesn’t just refer to your own offspring. You’re an idol, right? Albums and such can also fall under the category of children.”
“It will be bad if that luck isn’t good…!”
“Are the people you work with much younger than you?”
Mentally, they might not be quite like nephews, but age-wise, they could pass for younger cousins. But surely they’re included in my fortune regarding children?
“Yes, you’re probably having quite a headache because of them lately.”
So it’s true, damn it.
“I apologize for using the expression ‘before you died’ when you’re still alive, but please understand it’s for easier comprehension. You had no luck with people before you died. If Ms. Ha Seomyeong lived in a mud pit, you were alone in a desert. How can anyone survive there? They can’t.”
The fortune teller showed me a paper filled with Chinese characters. She gave me a few more explanations, but I didn’t quite understand.
What caught my attention were the words that followed.
“When a person dies, they’re supposed to cross the Samdocheon River. But you went to the sea. You arrived at the place where the desert meets the sea. Right now, people are trying to pull you onto a boat, asking you to leave with them.”
“Should I get on that boat?”
“Of course. Why? Do you want to live in the desert forever?”
“Not that, but…”
“Those people will keep waiting for you under the scorching sun to persuade you. Because they’re not the type to let go easily. And you, being soft-hearted, are worried that the boat might sink if you get on, that those people will suffer because of you, aren’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“You’re someone with nothing but worries and stubbornness, how could you not be? Go apologize for making them wait, prostrate yourself, and do as your friends say. Just take the helm. You’ll see, they’ll all follow your lead without hesitation.”
The fortune teller chuckled.
She was right. Those guys had never once disobeyed me.
***
After filming the compatibility of Ji Seongin and Seon Guan using their fictional profiles, the shoot ended. While the real people themselves weren’t compatible, the new couple at Mai Assets Management apparently had a bright future. It was the perfect note to end the program on.
While the crew was packing up their equipment, someone tapped me lightly on the back.
I turned around to find the fortune teller standing there.
When I asked what was the matter, she stared intently at my face and said,
“Don’t think of your origin as just a candle.”
“Sorry?”
Weren’t we done with the fortune-telling?
“You’re still young, so I thought you might not have fully understood what I said.”
“Ah, thank you!”
“Keep your voice down.”
The fortune teller pulled me down by my shoulders. Then, whispering into my ear, she said,
“Don’t be fixated on what you can see, focus on the essence. Your destiny is to burn brightly, not to become ashes.”
Remember. You are a flame.
With those words, the fortune teller went back into her room and closed the door. The scent of incense lingered strongly in the air.
***
‘The fact that I’ve regressed can be revealed in unexpected places.’
I learned something new today. I’d have to be careful with this kind of content in the future.
Shouldn’t the system handle these things smoothly in the first place? The onboarding process was a mess. How were they going to recruit new employees like this?
…No, rather than having someone else went through this, it was better for me to remain the sole employee.
“Iwol, what are you thinking so hard about?”
The manager asked during a stop at a red light. I must have been staring off into space pretty intensely.
“I was just reviewing today’s filming. Are the others still at the company?”
“Yes. They’re organizing the fanchants right now. Once you get there, we’ll film the fanchant video and then call it a day.”
“They must be tired.”
After changing clothes and filming a few videos, it would be late at night. Kang Kiyeon would probably be asleep by the time I got back to the dorm.
‘How should I bring it up?’
Choi Jeho and Lee Cheonghyeon had said it was largely my fault, and the fortune teller had told me to prostrate myself, so I had to apologize.
But Kang Kiyeon wasn’t as soft as Jeong Seongbin. Jeong Seongbin would forgive me in a heartbeat if I just knelt, but Kang Kiyeon was likely to reject me with a cold expression, saying this wasn’t the apology he wanted.
While I was racking my brains, I spotted a large bookstore sign in the distance.
“Manager, can we stop by the bookstore for a moment?”
“The bookstore? To buy a book? Tell me what you want, and I’ll go buy it while you wait in the car.”
Gratefully, my manager offered to help—even with something outside his duties.
But this was something I had to do myself. It was to atone for my original sin.
“No, I’ll go!”
I declared resolutely. As soon as the manager parked in the building’s underground parking lot, I put on my hat and mask and dashed toward the bookstore entrance.