Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 273: Year-End (1)

“Guys, you have to be on your toes today. Got it?”
“Yes!”
We got out of the car with a resounding answer. From the car that parked behind us, Manager Daeyeon and the stylists unloaded a pile of suitcases.
Today, the day of the Music Festival, was also the day Spark would perform in front of the largest audience since their debut.
Just in case, I had packed plenty of calming medicine and brought the entire first-aid kit from the dorm. I also didn’t forget to check my total fatigue level.
The waiting room we arrived at after thorough preparation was very small.
Still, satisfied with having a private waiting room, I was helping the staff push in the luggage when someone ran over, waving their hand from a distance.
“Iwol hyung!”
It was Yeo Seongchan from Berion.
“Long time no see. How’ve you been?”
“Not good. Why’s the year-end schedule so brutal?”
Perhaps thinking there was nothing to hide between us who shared a similar schedule, Yeo Seongchan gave a very honest answer.
“CEO Moon looked like he was about to lose his mind soon. How did Spark manage to do promotions and year-end stages at the same time?”
“We lost our minds early on.”
“I see I’ve asked a useless question.”
Yeo Seongchan also greeted the Spark members and returned to his own waiting room. After seeing him off and entering my waiting room, the members were gathered in a huddle.
“What are you doing?”
“We were looking at our setlist.”
Jeong Seongbin turned the paper toward me. On the paper, the cast and the duration of their performances were written in detail. I don’t know who did it, but Spark’s turn was already highlighted.
Of course, ours stood out to us because it was our stage, but aside from that, what really stood out was Parthe.
“They really are on another level, huh, those seniors.”
Even though I omitted the subject, the guys understood my words perfectly.
From the opening stage, the ‘IDC’ cast special stage, to the group’s solo stage, their appearance time was nearly double that of other groups.
They usually gave the opening to rookies. It seemed they had to split even that and gave it to Parthe. Since all the cast members would be on stage for the ending, it meant Parthe would appear at least four times.
‘They must have been incredibly busy too.’
You could call it pitiful in its own way. It was annoying, sure, but even if Spark took time away from Parthe, we had already pushed ourselves to the limit—there wasn’t much more we could show anyway, so I decided not to add any more words.
Switching from ‘commute look’ hair and makeup to ‘special stage’ hair and makeup took a long time, especially in such a cramped waiting room full of people and stuff. The place looked like a street market.
“They say the setlist has already been leaked, do you think it’s true?”
While killing time with Bubble Pop, Kang Kiyeon brought up a surprising rumor. Back in the day, I used to wait for setlist leaks on SNS and forums, but now it was my setlist being leaked. The broadcasting station’s security was as terrible as ever.
‘If it leaked, then there’s probably spoilers already.’
Sure enough, the internet was on fire.
≫ The Music Festival setlist is out
Spark has two stages!!!
└ Omg that was fastㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ I was worried they’d get cut after one verse, but they’ve got a full 3-minute solo stageㅠㅠ  What a relief
≫ Spark’s special stage is coming
Something big is coming
└ I thought the whole show would be boring, but there’s a big event like this in the middle
└ Ordering chicken now
≫ They’re from the same IDC group, but look at the screen time difference, are you for real
You bastards, don’t you know who carried the IDC viewership ratings?
└ The view count says it all but they still pretend not to know… hope season 2 flops
≫ Who is PK CR? Seriously, never heard of them
Are they a girl group?
└ Seeing as STK and BRN are covering a girl group, they must be a girl group. The three of them grouped together
└ They named the girl group cover ‘New Arrange Stage’…? So lame
└ But how did SPK get a song from such an unknown group?
The internet was terrifying. The speed of monitoring couldn’t keep up with the rate posts were popping up.
And…
“Do I really have to go on stage like this?”
…My face was terrifying too. The makeup was so thick it looked like a Beijing opera mask.
“If we don’t go this far, your face will really be washed out, Iwol.”
“……”
“And if your features get washed out again this time, a fax will be sent to the company.”
“……”
I had nothing to say.
After making my hair white, my makeup had been consistently intense. The reason was that my features would be washed out under the lights.
Once, in winter, I tried lighter makeup, trusting the soft natural daylight. SNS went wild that day.
≫ It’s not easy to live as Iwol homma
If I save my boy, the members die
If I save the members, my boy is nothing but a wandering soul
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋis the 2nd picture also Iwol? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠㅠ
└ He looks more like a certain… spiritual entity than a person
≫ I’m just raising and lowering the brightness like someone playing red light, green light
└ It’s one of two things: either let Iwol pass on to the next life or make eye contact with Jeho in the dark
So today, too, my face was plastered with pink. The heart sticker attached under my right eye was quite cute. You better not get washed out by the lights, I’m worried about you.
Looking to the side, Jeong Seongbin was also getting a lot of blush.
Up until ‘ISD’, he had looked like a young master drunk on rice wine. Now, the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival, four months early, was in full swing on Jeong Seongbin’s two cheeks.
“Choi Jeho, are you wearing the inner shirt?”
“I’m wearing it.”
From afar, the troublemaker answered in a sullen tone.
“What about Joowoo? Are all your nail tips on?”
“Yeah, I put them on as soon as I got here…!”
After checking all the people of interest, my makeup was also finished. I went and sat next to Lee Cheonghyeon, who was diligently taking selfies on the waiting room sofa.
“Did you get anything worth uploading?”
“‘Worth uploading?’. That’s a funny thing to say. Today’s Cheonghyeon never misses.”
Lee Cheonghyeon held out the screen. The pink curtain cast under his hydrangea-like hair was splendid.
“Pass.”
“Okay!”
Lee Cheonghyeon shouted with joy. After everyone’s grooming was finished, we gathered at Manager Chanyoung’s call and took a group photo.
Three hours until we could repay our teacher’s grace. My heart was pounding.
* * *
“Eun!”
“You really came.”
Oh Eun smiled, hugging her colleague who ran into her arms as soon as the front door opened. The appearance of her friend, who confidently said, ‘Didn’t I tell you I don’t make empty promises?’ was just like the old days.
“You’ve been well?”
“Of course.”
Although they kept in touch often, it had been a while since they met in person. Perhaps because she was really happy to see her, Ha Seomyeong hugged Oh Eun again.
“We barely see each other, don’t we?”
“We had a video call after ‘In My Office’ ended.”
“A video call and meeting in person are completely different.”
As she said that, Ha Seomyeong shook the bag she was holding.
“I’m going to have a drink, you’ll join me, right?”
“If there’s one for me.”
Ha Seomyeong exclaimed, ‘Of course I do!’ and took out a can of Oh Eun’s favorite drink. Oh Eun also smiled, looking at the very familiar brand name.
After the group disbanded, they had almost stopped contacting each other, as if by some unspoken agreement.
It wasn’t because they disliked each other. Everyone just felt awkward with the situation.
‘I thought we would be together forever.’
Oh Eun still remembered the words Ha Seomyeong had said, crying, on the last night of their disbandment.
A few months after that, the members started contacting each other again. The group chat with everyone had disappeared, but they would call each other in small groups, and occasionally meet up to catch up.
Among them, Oh Eun and Ha Seomyeong were the ones who contacted each other the least.
Because Oh Eun had left the entertainment industry and Ha Seomyeong had stayed. Because Oh Eun continued to sing and Ha Seomyeong had stepped down from the stage.
Naturally, the two of them drifted apart, with no reason to meet up or to join a gathering organized by someone else.
They still thought of each other as friends, but that friendship existed only in feeling—not in physical presence or regular contact. That kind of relationship existed, too.
The two had maintained the same distance all along. Until Oh Eun contacted Ha Seomyeong first.
Eun
[Seomyeong]
[How have you been?]
The two met at a bar with private rooms for the first time in a very long time. They leisurely shared their recent news and drank their favorite alcohol and drinks.
By the time the second appetizer they ordered arrived, Oh Eun had broached the subject with difficulty.
‘I heard you’re starting a drama?’
‘Yeah, an office romance.’
‘An idol from my company got a role in that production too.’
‘I saw the article.’
Ha Seomyeong took a swig of her beer.
‘He’s a polite and hardworking kid. If you meet him… and you like him, and if you think he’s having a hard time, could you look out for him a little?’
Oh Eun was honest. She didn’t know how to beat around the bush.
‘Our Eun, the first thing you say after meeting for the first time in years is to ask a favor for your student?’
‘…Sorry.’
Ha Seomyeong liked Oh Eun who sang on stage. The Oh Eun of that time shone even if no one was watching.
Although she herself had come down from the stage, Oh Eun had never put down the microphone.
She couldn’t not help Oh Eun, who had endured for so long and was now sending the students she had taught well out into the world.
‘You know I trust you a lot, right?’
‘Yeah.’
‘If he comes to the filming set and is being rude or something, I’m going to tell on him right away, okay? When that happens, you have to believe me, not your idol friend!’
‘We’ll see.’
‘What?’
At Oh Eun’s answer without a moment’s hesitation, Ha Seomyeong let out a sound of exasperation.
‘Our Iwol is also very upright in his conduct.’
‘Hah…’
The smile Oh Eun had shown then was now also on her face now as she watched TV.
On the TV, the student Oh Eun had entrusted to Ha Seomyeong was singing his teacher’s part.
“Who wore that cat headband before? Was it Saehee?”
“That’s right. They’re both vocals, so I guess Iwol decided to wear it.”
Ha Seomyeong couldn’t take her eyes off the screen. The junior who, until recently, had been wearing a suit, bowing his head, and delivering blunt lines, was now on screen with sparkling glitter on his face and a fresh smile.
“Our hubae is a genius idol. His talent is extraordinary.”
“Right? Iwol prepared this stage too.”
“Tell UA to pay a lot of money and hold onto Mr. Iwol tight. Got it?”
“Got it.”
Oh Eun smiled slightly. But Ha Seomyeong was serious.
“What do you think as our main vocalist, Ms. Oh Eun? Is the main vocalist of the 2nd generation Pink Carrot excellent?”
“Excellent, and then some.”
As soon as Oh Eun finished speaking, a series of high notes that seemed to tear through the sound system came in. It seemed they had lowered the overall key slightly but kept the ad-libs in the original key, and had compensated for the resulting empty space by adding effects and a second guitar.
“Seeing his gentle face, he’s definitely our Eun’s student.”
“Joowoo isn’t prickly like me.”
“Oh dear. Look at you taking his side.”
Ha Seomyeong cackled with laughter. She even shed tears when the center, which had been her position, came forward.
“How tall are all the Spark members? Or is it just that their proportions are insane?”
“They’re tall. Including the heels, the center is probably over 190cm?”
“How can he dance like that, then? Is that level of body control even possible?”
Now that she had started acting, Ha Seomyeong could finally see Choi Jeho’s strengths. Even as a fellow center, she recognized how his complete immersion made emotions visible, and how he could dominate a stage with sheer presence.
To take an unfamiliar style of choreography and make it so completely his own that it drew admiration—that was no small feat.
“…A center really is a center.”
Ha Seomyeong tried to recall if she had been a good center. Had she been able to change the mood with the melody, to overwhelm the audience with her expressions like that?
‘I was very lacking.’
Ha Seomyeong once again mulled over the answer she had come to years ago. Oh Eun rested her head on Ha Seomyeong’s shoulder.
“I liked having you as our center.”
“……”
“The group name was tacky, and the clothes… now we call it retro for the sake of it, but back then we were criticized for being two steps behind the times. Even if we didn’t succeed in the end.”
Glittering pink cubic zirconia came into the eyes of the two people leaning back on the sofa.
The necklace swaying between Kim Iwol’s two collarbones, above his turtleneck, and Choi Jeho’s bracelet with pink jewels on a silver base were occasionally captured on screen.
And on the very center of Kang Kiyeon’s choker, on Lee Cheonghyeon’s eight-or-so rings, on Park Joowoo’s nail tips and hairpins, and on Jeong Seongbin’s tie pin.
Sparkling, shining, pink cubic zirconia, which Ha Seomyeong and Oh Eun used to wear every day, were attached.
“That’s a sign of gratitude, they said.”
Oh Eun said. Ha Seomyeong turned her head towards her.
“A gift to say that they were able to create this stage thanks to their sunbaenims.”
Oh Eun’s gaze was on Ha Seomyeong.
“Seomyeong.”
“……”
“We were always proud that you were our center.”
So don’t feel sorry.
Oh Eun said.
The daggers, which she thought had all rusted and disappeared, the ones that said ‘If the center doesn’t succeed, the group has no future’, melted away.
“I miss the members. Don’t you?”
At Oh Eun’s words, Ha Seomyeong clinked her beer can, saying, “I know, right?”.
On her phone, a text message glowed, ‘Unnie! Did you see that Eun unnie’s group covered our stage?!’