Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 224: The Bustling Sports Day (5)

During the first interview of ‘IDC’, Kim Iwol once said,
‘Doesn’t watching a sports match make your heart race? I hope you feel the same way watching our performances!’
Won Chaehee now fully understood what Kim Iwol had meant.
He was right. Sports ignite your endorphins!
“Kim Iwol, fighting!”
“Jeho, I love you!”
The fan section was a cacophony of uncoordinated cheers. There was no time to unify their chants. The Sparklers were on the verge of losing their minds from their idols’ performances.
Choi Jeho blocking every shot the opposing team attempted, Choi Jeho setting screens for Kim Iwol as he caught a pass and prepared to shoot, both of them hustling back on defense in perfect sync, Kim Iwol sinking a picture-perfect shot and instantly switching to offense again…
It was agonizing. What was the point of her existence as a homemaster if she couldn’t capture these moments?
Just try filming this with a handheld cam—I’d hire you on the spot tomorrow. Won Chaehee firmly resolved.
Choi Jeho made sense. But how could someone like Kim Iwol—who looked like he’d never seen the sun in his life—be this good at sports? Oh right, basketball was an indoor sport. Won Chaehee enjoyed the game while entertaining all sorts of thoughts. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say she desperately tried to imprint every movement in her memory.
Fortunately, Team D’s bench was near where Won Chaehee was sitting. Thanks to this, the Sparklers were able to enjoy close-up views of the Spark members wiping their sweaty faces with towels during breaks and time-outs.
“I could really go for a beer.”
Won Chaehee muttered. The head of the person sitting next to her swiveled towards her in an instant.
Did they hear? Would she be seen as a pathetic fan who was too focused on enjoying the game instead of cheering?
While all sorts of thoughts raced through her mind, the person next to her blushed slightly.
“Me too…”
With those words, her comrade turned back to the game. Are you watching this, ‘ISD’? Next year, give us an adult wristband and sell beer. Watching a match like this sober is torture.
The game became more intense as time passed. The sounds of bouncing balls and squeaking shoes filled the gymnasium.
“Shoot from outside, outside!”
D Team’s captain called out as he passed the ball to Kim Iwol. Kim Iwol dribbled a few times, found his spot, and shot. The ball swished through the net.
『Iwol is playing his role as a shooter perfectly! Was he always into sports?』
『According to his resume, his main position used to be center, but he’s adapting perfectly to this new role.』
Beyond the commentators’ praise, Choi Jeho could be seen giving Kim Iwol a resounding pat on the back.
Iwol, you were right. Sports are passion, youth, and everything.
Won Chaehee watched the beautiful match while sipping the fresh fruit juice, which was still cold, thanks to the members giving it to her in a tumbler. What an eco-friendly company.
And then, the Sparkler jumped to her feet as Choi Jeho sprinted from one end of the court to the other and slammed in a dunk with just three seconds left on the clock after conceding a goal.
What the f*ck, Kim Iwol, what’s with that sun-like smile? What’s with that captivating grin?! Exchanging dashing smiles with Choi Jeho—what’s that all about?! And after keeping a 100-meter distance ever since you got caught saving his name as ‘Center Emperor Choi Jeho’—what’s with the dramatic shoulder-to-shoulder moment now?!
Won Chaehee’s camera, which she had brought for the after-event, wept in her bag. It was a blazing, unforgettable match.
* * *
“Did something happen during your match, hyungs? We could hear the cheering all the way over here.”
Kang Kiyeon asked after joining us after finishing his sprint preliminaries. Still in our athletic gear because of the second round, we answered while being fanned by Lee Cheonghyeon.
“Nothing much. We just played with all our heart and soul.”
“Wow, the other team must have been terrified.”
A genuine reaction slipped from Lee Cheonghyeon’s mouth. That truthful little mouth, seriously.
“How’s your ankle, Kiyeon? Are you okay?”
“Yes. The floor wasn’t slippery, it was good.”
“That’s good.”
While we were exchanging a few words with Kang Kiyeon, Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo also joined us. Park Joowoo’s face was as red as a tomato, probably from some intense cheering. Jeong Seongbin had a silver medal around his neck.
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[SYSTEM] ‘Jeong Seongbin’ has been awarded with the ‘Unwavering Cheering Vocal Cords’.
▷ Effect: Reduces the strain on and strengthens the durability of ‘Jeong Seongbin’s’ vocal cords. (No expiration date, permanent)
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The glorious system notification also popped up. It seemed rewards were distributed only after an event finished completely.
Despite being the first in the team to earn a reward, Jeong Seongbin kept his head down.
“I’m sorry, hyung. The person who won first place was just too good…”
“What are you talking about? You brought our team our first medal. Should we toss you in the air?”
Jeong Seongbin immediately freaked out and refused. Such a pity—-he could’ve experienced some pretty high-altitude air with a Spark-style toss. I calculated the broadcast date in my head and asked.
“So we’ll have to watch Seongbin’s performance on the main broadcast. The ‘ISD’ airs on the day of Chuseok, right?”
“Yeah. Jeho hyung, do you want to look in the mirror too?”
“No.”
At Choi Jeho’s refusal, Lee Cheonghyeon immersed himself back in his world with the mirror.  I whispered in Choi Jeho’s ear, ‘Don’t you think you should check your appearance too?’  He belatedly borrowed the mirror and checked his face.
“Oh right, hyung. How’s my lip color? I applied another layer of that ‘Cool & Shower Ash Deep Pink 032’ you mentioned.”
“It’s blended, so it’s hard to tell. Try applying it on its own later. It looks better than before, though.”
“Really? Not easy, huh. Maybe we should get a group personal color test sometime.”
“We don’t need to. We all know it’ll be Northern Winter Blizzard Cool Tone.”
“There’s such a thing…?”
Park Joowoo, unable to follow our deeply technical convo, asked in a small voice. Of course not, Joowoo. How could there be? You’ll be twenty next year, you can’t be fooled by this kind of stuff.
While we were chatting away, Jeong Seongbin was struggling to tie Kang Kiyeon’s jacket around his neck like a cape.
“Hold still… Hmm, this looks cute!”
“Cute?”
“It matches the slogan, it looks good.”
“…”
Like Little Red Riding Hood from a fairy tale, Kang Kiyeon looked even more adorable. Although, because of the color of his training suit and slogan, he looked more like a dark, revolutionary cape warrior.
Kang Kiyeon wasn’t heartless enough to reject the leader’s kindness. He just slumped his shoulders a little.
* * *
After that, Spark continued to dash around the gymnasium.
I went from archery to table tennis to basketball, and the other members went from one event to another while constantly delivering snacks and drinks to the fans. I could confidently say that we were the busiest people in the gymnasium after the camera directors.
By the time I returned after winning a bronze medal in men’s doubles table tennis with a third-year senior, the Sparklers looked like snowmen.
“Guys, we’re full.”
“Just in case, we brought insulated bags. If you’re full, don’t force yourself to eat, but please take the desserts with you. The expiration dates are on the bottom of the packaging!”
This was all because Choi Jeho had insisted on ordering a hefty 1.5 servings per person, saying, ‘It’s better not to give anything at all than to give too little.’
It would’ve been fine if it was just 1.5 servings of the main meal. But with 1.5 servings of snacks, desserts, and even a light dinner, our fan section turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet.
With Jeong Seongbin, who knew everything about idol merchandise, and Kang Kiyeon, who understood the depths of fans’ needs, the amount of goods was also mountainous.
It started off like a picnic, but now the Sparklers looked like long-term residents of the gym.
“We have so much luggage…”
“We’ll give you a large reusable bag when you leave. It has fabric handles, so your hands won’t hurt while carrying it.”
I replied with a smile. Seeing how those guys escalated things, I had prepared everything in advance. I was so proud of myself I could cry.
However, the fans’ expressions seemed even more resigned. Somehow, it looked like a mixture of joy and weariness.
What should I do? They say that nothing works better for listless and energy-depleted Sparklers than handsome Spark members.
I quickly checked the time and looked at each of the gymnasium entrances. I saw a billiard table being brought in through the opposite entrance.
‘Perfect!’
Sparklers, you’ve waited long enough.
I’ll soon present you with the greatest visual show on Earth.
* * *
‘They have billiards this time too.’
Lee Cheonghyeon said, looking at the list of events the ‘ISD’ organizers had provided.
‘Are there even that many idols who know how to play billiards?’
‘There might be.’
At my response, Choi Jeho, who’d been lounging diagonally on the sofa, took the event list from Cheonghyeon and scanned it. Then he handed it back.
‘I think bowling would be more common, though.’
‘But Kiyeon, wouldn’t the staff have to reset the pins every time someone gets a strike?’
At Jeong Seongbin’s words, everyone bit their lips. Making the staff reset bowling pins in a venue with hundreds of people? If I were on staff, I’d clock out by noon.
‘Does anyone know how to play billiards?’
Choi Jeho asked, sitting up. Most shook their heads. Surprisingly, Park Joowoo raised his hand, saying he’d played a few times with his uncle. Though it was just casual pocket billiards.
‘We need someone who can learn the rules quickly. Even if they can’t rank high, they need to know the rules.’
Starting with Jeong Seongbin’s comment, they began offering their opinions one by one. Someone said they looked it up and apparently billiards requires good physicality,
then someone else added ‘Who among us is especially lacking in that?’ and another added, ‘Whoever that is shouldn’t be going on ISD, they should be sent to boot camp’, to which I muttered, ‘Cheonghyeon, that wasn’t a jab at me, was it’… and so on.
I quietly observed them and thought.
If we spend every single moment just doing sports, will our fans really enjoy it?
Sure, maybe they’d enjoy seeing our faces. I’ll make sure they do.
But is it really right to keep showing them the same boring training outfits for hours on end?
After much deliberation, I came to this conclusion:
‘At least one of us needs to put on a show.’
Unfortunately, although I was often mentioned as Spark’s brain, if you had to choose the smartest person in Spark, it would undoubtedly be Lee Cheonghyeon. And billiards was a mind game.
It also seemed like a good opportunity to showcase his growing height. A 180cm tall man wielding a cue around a billiards table. Wouldn’t that be a striking image?
‘Cheonghyeon.’
‘Yeah?’
‘You’re not participating in anything other than futsal and the relay, right?’
Lee Cheonghyeon nodded and said, ‘That’s right.’
‘Do you want to learn how to play billiards?’