Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 252: Boasting About Looks (2)

The very loud — truly loud — skincare shoot for ‘Snow White’ Kim Iwol was a rough ride.
I felt delirious from all the praise being showered on me from every direction, like I was a baby being fussed over by tourists taking photos.
“How about lowering your eyes just a bit? In a decadent way?”
“Like there are water droplets resting on your eyelashes…  Yes, just like that!”
I had no idea what was supposedly ‘just like that’. How often in life does a person get told to look decadent? The Sparkler fans seemed to use that word all the time, though.
“The hair needs to look a bit more moist. Is there a spray bottle?”
“Yes, we’ll make adjustments!”
With one instruction from the director, my hair got wet, and so did my shoulders. At this rate, I could shoot a water park commercial right after this moisturizing cream ad — I was that drenched.
“Oh my, you’re dazzling! We’ll just slightly change the angle of your head and go with that!”
It was dazzling because the lights were strong. My clothes were already drying.
Icarus fell when his wings melted. Me? I just felt like a drying squid under the sun, slowly shriveling for the past thirty minutes. If they sold me at a rest stop, I’d be a popular snack…
When they said let’s review the shots, I trudged over to the monitor.
But what the heck?
“Oh, hyung, you came out great?!”
Lee Cheonghyeon exclaimed, slapping my back. The me in the photo looked unfamiliar even to myself.
I mean… it really looked like a pictorial you’d see in a magazine.
Usually, I was the kind of guy you’d crop out of a group photoshoot. Seeing this solo cut like this felt strange.
“In Mr. Iwol’s case, we’re going to add some effects. Remember earlier when I said we’d blur the background a bit in Mr. Seongbin’s shot?”
“Y-Yes.”
“For Mr. Iwol, I’m thinking of making it look like the person is blending with the water curtain… Hmmm, it’s hard to explain in words. Anyway, the photo came out great!”
“Ah, yes. Thank you!”
They say even if you take a weird route, everything works out if you meet the right expert.
With sincere gratitude, I bowed deeply to the director.
* * *
After that, the set became even busier. The time had come for all of Spark to show off their beauty like peacocks for the color makeup shoot.
Park Joowoo was assigned a lipstick with a lip balm feel that made his complexion look naturally healthy. When I tested it, it was ordinary, but when Park Joowoo applied it, the color came alive like cherry blossoms in spring.
“It didn’t turn out like this when I applied it. Is it a skill issue?”
“Maybe you didn’t control the amount well? Or Iwol, did you perhaps apply it as a full lip? This one looks pretty when you apply more pink on the inside with a gradation.”
The staff member said, creating azaleas around Park Joowoo’s eyes. Once this pictorial was released, Park Joowoo’s nickname would become Park Peach.
As I was checking Park Joowoo’s condition with a hawk’s eye from the side, a staff member holding the behind-the-scenes camera asked.
“Mr. Iwol, have you tried this on?”
“Iwol hyung has tried on all the products!”
Lee Cheonghyeon, who appeared out of nowhere, answered instead.
“All of them?”
“I just thought, in case fans ask for recommendations, I should know what to suggest…”
“What was your pick, Mr. Iwol?”
“‘Heart-Moisturizing Moisture Cream Set’ and ‘Warm Winter, Your Burgundy.'”
I’d thought this since my old days of searching online, but cosmetic names were really difficult.
If it were me, I would have uncreatively just taken the color code and named it something like ‘Red-A51212’.That way, customers wouldn’t even need to test the color — it’d be that straightforward. This was probably why I was not cut out for creative jobs.
Jeong Seongbin applied a velvet-textured lipstick with a fairly deep burgundy color.
His lips were bold, his eye makeup was glamorous, and with the jewel background overlapping, I worried his face might get lost in it all…
It was a groundless fear. They captured the shooting angle perfectly. I realized — for the first time in a while — that Jeong Seongbin could actually pull off a cold, high-fashion vibe.
Kang Kiyeon and Choi Jeho also looked great in their pictures. We were all worried if cool pink would suit Kang Kiyeon, but he pulled it off wonderfully. His wet-look hair and the glowy formula emphasized the moisture.
Choi Jeho, who recently caused a stir on SNS with ‘A Collection of a Certain Idol’s Lips,’ was even more so. The deep red color that accentuated his voluminous lips was a perfect match. I need to fix his lip makeup this way from now on.
And Lee Cheonghyeon was…
“Cheonghyeon, that kid is really… something.”
“I dare say, this is the best work of my life.”
…He stood before the camera, receiving high praise from the staff.
A face that would be bright as a white night even if the sun set. The majestic coldness emanating from a giant, bluely shining iceberg. Clear brown eyes that seemed ready to sprout life in the polar regions at any moment, and glitter blooming around them like wildflowers. Lips shining redder than the rising sun, and a holographic light shimmering over them like an aurora.
I immediately took out my phone from my back pocket. And squatting on the floor, I did my best to capture this scene in photos.
How can a human face look so much like a glass bead? We’re the same humans, so why do I look like a sand flea while he looks like the smile of the Amazon?
The advertiser must be in a bind, too. There probably weren’t any B-cuts of Lee Cheonghyeon to discard.
They’d probably want to fill all the display stands with Lee Cheonghyeon. Should I suggest they just put two Lee Cheonghyeons in the ad and leave me out?
“Do we really have to take photos like this?”
Kang Kiyeon whispered into my ear.
“Of course. You hurry up and go take pictures over there too.”
I said, pointing to a corner of the set. Kang Kiyeon left with a reluctant expression.
By the time I was lying on the floor, taking photos of Lee Cheonghyeon like an 11-head-tall Greek god, his solo shoot was over.
“Hyung, what on earth are you doing! I had a hard time holding back my laughter!”
“Historic moments always require documentation.”
Because of that, my phone gallery was about to burst. I would have to check the cloud synchronization status soon, save a backup, and then wipe my phone gallery clean. So that I could take new pictures.
While we were shooting the group pictorial, our manager and the advertiser were having an intense discussion in a corner. It was only natural, having seen the full force of Lee Cheonghyeon’s visuals.
Even if some god of asceticism existed in this world, they’d still buy the ‘Shining Heart, My Red’ set on a 2+1 sale after seeing him. What advertiser would miss this?
As for hoping this ad might earn me some new fans… I should probably give up on that.
I really tried my best, but seeing these guys’ faces, it was just not going to work. It felt like trying to shatter basalt columns with a quail egg.
I should just pray that when the pictorial was released, I didn’t end up hidden behind the discount section in the spread. Or not? Would that actually be better?
With mixed emotions, I watched closely as they selected the A-cuts.
This would be displayed in cosmetics stores nationwide, right? It’d be exposed on apps, and posters would be put up too.
It felt different from when I first debuted. Back when I was just an office worker, idols were people I’d never cross paths with—unless they somehow were connected to Manager Nam, but commercials were different.
The thought that my face might be displayed on the streets I walked, in stores I might have visited…
It was a very strange feeling. At least, it was something I never would’ve experienced in a lifetime as a regular office worker.
Thinking about it that way, living could be said to be a series of truly unpredictable turns.
‘Since it’s come to this, I hope noona sees it too.’
Unlike music shows or a quick appearance on MeTube, a commercial got seen much more often.
Though she’d probably hate seeing her little brother trying to act all alluring. But still.
* * *
After the big schedule of the commercial shoot ended, my daily life was quite relaxed. It was thanks to my routine becoming mostly fixed.
All I had to do was prepare for the comeback, go for counseling, and post on Bubble Pop.
But this morning was special. Because there was something I had to do.
‘Making a CSAT lunchbox for our Team Leader.’
Actually, the CSAT didn’t mean much to Jeong Seongbin. The schools Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo were applying to apparently didn’t look at CSAT scores.
Was it like that for all practical music departments? Being someone who took the regular admission route and knew nothing, I just pretended to understand.
Still, it was a rite of passage that everyone went through, and there was no reason not to take the exam. Plus, I told him to go and also update the fans before the comeback. Articles like ‘Idols Who Took the CSAT This Year’ always got good traffic.
‘Still, we’re all off that day, so wouldn’t it be better to practice instead…’
‘Don’t worry, Seongbin. While you’re gone, Kiyeon will take care of us and make us work hard.’
‘If that’s what you want, I’ll do it.’
Encouraged by Kang Kiyeon and me, Jeong Seongbin decided to take the CSAT. It would be a tiring day, but since our leader was taking a national test, I could handle a little extra effort.
When I went to the entrance, the lunchbox ingredients I had pre-ordered the day before had arrived.
I decided on inari rice ball and egg drop soup for the menu. Since I didn’t have a thermal lunchbox, I bought one too.
While waiting for the rice to cook, I followed a recipe and started making the soup.
That was when I heard footsteps. I turned around to see Park Joowoo opening his door and coming out.
“Hyung, what are you doing…?”
“Making Seongbin’s lunchbox.”
Park Joowoo came up behind me as I was draining the inari pockets. Then he stared blankly at the inari rice ball packaging scattered in the sink.
Park Joowoo went straight to the bathroom. Then he washed his hands and returned to the kitchen.
“…What should I do?”
“What do you mean? Go back to sleep.”
“I’m already over 180cm tall…”
“Don’t you know ‘the bigger, the better’? For male idols, the taller they are, the better.”
Despite my words, Park Joowoo didn’t easily go back and loitered in the kitchen. He looked at the instructions, then found a mixing bowl and even added the seasoned vinegar and stir-fried vegetables.
“What are you doing?”
“Let’s make it together.”
“It’s not difficult, so I can do it alone. Go back in and sleep more.”
Despite my attempts to dissuade him, Park Joowoo was firm. I could feel his determination to make his friend’s CSAT lunchbox.