Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 220: The Bustling Sports Day (1)

Is there anything as simple yet nerve-wracking as individual packaging?
You have to make sure nothing is missing, plan the packing order so everything fits nicely when the bag is closed, and even tie the ribbon in a way that it ends up facing the right direction.
It was just a tedious task, but I was quite skilled at it. Working at a place like Hanpyeong Industry gave you a lot of packaging experience. You had to prepare trivial company event prizes and run errands for others.
The worst part of these simple tasks was that they were boring and endless. The only reason I was motivated this time was because we were giving them to our fans. Otherwise, I’d have been staring into space while peeling OPP film by now.
Since the cookies were pre-portioned, all that was left was to pack the other snacks, six printed letters, hand warmers in case it got cold, cooling towels in case it got hot, jelly for a sugar boost… and various other bits.
Once Park Joowoo brought the cut letter paper, the packaging challenge officially began.
“Aren’t these bags too easy to tear?”
Choi Jeho complained after tearing three bags before even making one complete package.
“I told you they’re biodegradable, so they tear easily. Can you be a little more careful?”
“Still, they tear way too fast.”
“Everyone except you is doing fine.”
As I said, everyone was focused on producing snack packages, diligently following the example I had set.
Park Joowoo, in particular, was like a factory. His concentration was truly impressive. To assist Park Joowoo, who was clumsy at tying ribbons, Jeong Seongbin paired up with him and they started an assembly line.
As Jeong Seongbin tied ribbons onto the openings Park Joowoo had secured with twist ties, he muttered,
“This really brings back memories.”
“Memories?”
Did you have a packaging side job too? Did you at least get paid? I didn’t.
Jeong Seongbin continued without stopping his hands.
“When I was in elementary school, my younger brother saw a photo in an album of our older cousins wearing candy necklaces.”
“Oh, those. I heard everyone wore one of those during school plays and events, back in my sister’s day.”
Choi Jeho chimed in. Lee Cheonghyeon’s eyes widened.
“Really? I’ve never heard of that.”
“They were almost gone by our time. Anyway, Jeong Seongjun saw that photo and decided he wanted a candy necklace too… So he broke open his piggy bank—the one he was saving his New Year’s money in—and bought a giant bag of candy.”
“He ripped open his piggy bank? With what?”
“Back then, we were young, so our parents hid things like box cutters. Since he didn’t have any tools, he poked a hole with chopsticks, then hooked the hole onto the corner of the desk and pulled down on it.”
Jeong Seongbin shook his head, clearly exasperated. Lee Cheonghyeon burst out laughing.
“He came with a bag of candy as big as himself, and we didn’t know the concept of refunds back then, so we couldn’t tell him to return it. Our parents worked late, too.”
“So what did you do?”
Intrigued by the story, Kang Kiyeon’s hands slowed down.
“What do you think? If we didn’t make that necklace, he’d probably glue all the candies together. So I just taped them all together. I heard people usually string them, though.”
“Wow, you actually made it for him?”
“If you saw Jeong Seongjun peeling candy and putting glue on it, you would have made one for him too, Cheonghyeon.”
Jeong Seongbin sighed. Being the oldest must be tough.
Watching him look suddenly drained, Lee Cheonghyeon wiped away tears.
“Sometimes, when I hear stories about Sungjun hyung, I think, ‘Even twins can be this different.'”
“There must be a lot of Sungjun stories.”
“Tons. If Seongjun hyung was a MeTuber, he’d be famous by now.”
“Don’t even say that out loud. He might actually do it.”
Jeong Seongbin shuddered, stopping Lee Cheonghyeon.
“Everything’s good, but be careful with the letters. It’ll be a huge problem if one person gets two of the same letter.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than Choi Jeho pulled an extra letter from an envelope. Seriously, these guys are so high-maintenance.
* * *
Even with the short training camp, Spark had grown stronger. They’d been pushed so hard, people joked it was like Taereung National Training Center. Let’s not forget the endless kneading of thick butter cookie dough.
As a result of honing their muscles and focusing solely on exercise, Spark, already intimidating, now looked even more… unapproachable.
But this is Spark we’re talking about. A group known for professionalism, kindness to fans, and dedication to self-promotion anytime, anywhere.
“Hyung, are we seriously going out like this?”
Lee Cheonghyeon asked in a worried voice. The Spark official slogan, neatly wrapped around his neck, suited him perfectly.
“Of course. Did you put on sunscreen?”
“We’re indoors. That’s excessive.”
“How many times have I told you that human skin tans even under indoor lighting?”
At my words, Choi Jeho groaned and left his seat. For the record, Choi Jeho was strictly forbidden from wearing his zip-up today, except during the opening ceremony, oath, and closing ceremony. I told him to tie it classically around his waist.
I also made sure to roll up his sleeves. I had put some thought into how to present his forearms, fresh from the source, to the Sparklers.
“Why do I have to go like this?”
Kang Kiyeon asked, wearing the slogan on his head like Little Red Riding Hood.
“Because it’s cute.”
“…”
“Since my contact names have been leaked, I’ve decided it’s better to solidify everyone’s image according to my saved names.”
If Kang Kiyeon didn’t look cute, then I, who saved him as ‘King of Cuteness Kang Kiyeon’, would look strange.
But if Kang Kiyeon actually looked cute? Then people would just accept my saved name as fact. This was all part of a master plan.
I gave Park Joowoo a headband so his hair wouldn’t get in the way during archery. At least for archery, he was our team’s hope and light.
Ignoring my thoughtful gesture, Park Joowoo glanced around at the others and grumbled,
“I don’t get a slogan too…?”
“If you get first in archery, I’ll wrap slogans around your arms and legs.”
At my promise, Park Joowoo nodded and returned to his seat.
“Everyone got touch-up makeup in their pockets? Wrote your number on the name label?”
“Yes~”
I also carefully packed a small container of shade 17 foundation in my pocket. And a slightly tinted lip balm. The preparation was perfect.
“Alright, time to go show off our visuals.”
“Visuals…?”
“Just roll with it.”
They didn’t fully understand, but they still followed behind me.
It was time to show the results of our training camp.
* * *
Won Chaehee took the day off.  Maybe because she wasn’t going to the office, even getting up at the crack of dawn didn’t feel exhausting or annoying. Thanks to this, Won Chaehee happily switched between express buses and taxis, finally arriving at a familiar gymnasium she hadn’t visited in years.
The area around the stadium was crowded with the production crew controlling entry and swarms of fans. The last time Won Chaehee came to this stadium to watch ‘ISD’, she vowed never to do it again. But humans were bound to repeat the same mistakes. Like now.
It felt like half a year had passed between entering the stadium, taking her seat, and waiting for the opening ceremony. She nearly aged to death in her seat. The reality that even fangirling required stamina hit hard.
‘I wonder what the kids are planning to do.’
Won Chaehee scanned the event program. Archery, futsal, basketball, vaulting horse, sprint, relay race…
‘Are they seriously participating in every event?’
Won Chaehee couldn’t believe her eyes. But Spark’s name was still listed everywhere. She wondered if they were being exploited as rookies.
Then she heard the shout, ‘We’ll start filming in 5 minutes!’ Immediately, joyful screams erupted from one side of the stadium. Yur had appeared at the MC booth with a script in hand. It seemed Yur was the MC again this year.
The commentators were a retired athlete who often appeared on TV and Ha Seomyeong, an actor who debuted as an idol.
The first groups to enter were from MYTH Entertainment. ‘Idol Sports Day’ had a tradition of grouping teams by agency, and since MYTH had so many idols, all the artists from the same agency formed one team. The fact that all the groups had many members played a part as well.
The surprising thing was that Polo from Hellas joined solo this year.
He said he was representing his team, but idols with as much experience as Hellas rarely appeared on such physically demanding programs. Even Yur was only there as the MC, not to exercise.
But Polo was cheerful.
“Everyone here’s a familiar face, so I’ll have no problem having fun without my members. Yur hyung, watch me!”
It was a remark that showed his experience. Yur burst out laughing and waved from the MC booth.
Even by the time Team C appeared, Spark was nowhere to be seen. They were probably grouped with idols from unknown agencies. Those small agencies were useless.
Just as the Sparklers were wondering when their boys would appear, they heard the welcome announcement introducing the last team. Following that, idols in dark training suits started to emerge from the entrance.
Are they kidding? Teams A, B, and C are all wearing this year’s trendy color-blocked training suits, but Team D looks like they just came out of a charcoal kiln? Do they want the viewers’ message boards to be set on fire again with accusations of favoritism?
Won Chaehee fumed. Every Sparkler in the crowd probably felt the same.
But the Sparklers’ anger didn’t last long.
Because of the amazing physiques of their boys, who were walking at the very end of the line as the newest of the rookies.
“Spark’s physique is insane.”
Someone muttered from the next seat. Won Chaehee agreed.
Even when Spark was just among themselves, their good proportions stood out. Even standing next to Choi Jeho, famous for his golden ratio, the other members didn’t look disproportionate, only shorter.
And it wasn’t just their proportions. Spark maintained their idol aura even next to Lee Cheonghyeon, who had a national treasure-level face.
Now, Spark stood in the middle of a packed gym filled with people. Meaning there was no way they wouldn’t stand out.
Among all the male idols, they were absurdly tall, had sharp features you didn’t need to squint to see even from the second floor, and well-built bodies that showed through the black track suits.
‘Men really do look best in all black.’
Won Chaehee decided to abandon her plans to set the viewers’ message board on fire. Instead, she expressed her respect for the aesthetic sense of the ‘Idol Sports Day’ production crew.