Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 280: Moving Day

As the new year began, Spark received their very first annual activity schedule. Compared to the chaotic way we used to operate—like releasing an album just because I said so—this was a huge leap forward.
As Manager Daeyeon’s probationary period ended, we also started using two vehicles.
Me and the maknaes would ride in Manager Chanyoung’s car, while Choi Jeho, Jeong Seongbin, and Park Joowoo would ride in Manager Daeyeon’s car.
At first, everyone found it a bit unfamiliar, but now they seemed pretty used to it. Riding in a car for more than four hours a day, it would be hard not to adjust.
Until early January, we were insanely busy, but things started to slow down in mid-January. During this time, we uploaded personal content we hadn’t been able to share often before.
I heard they also set things like an annual sales target… but I wasn’t very curious, so I didn’t ask.
After all, with my luck, the system would pop up and say, ‘Assistant Manager Kim, have we finished organizing this year’s target sales revenue?’. It wouldn’t be too late to look at it then.
And one of the big schedules in mid-January.
“Guys, just pack your personal stuff and get in the car!”
“Yes!”
Spark’s moving day had arrived.
* * *
The kind of moving I knew was a really tedious and exhausting process.
You’d spend days packing, carefully wrapping anything fragile, coordinating the move-out and move-in dates, making sure you got your deposit back before rushing to the new place to pay the remaining balance—it was such a hassle.
A one-person move was that busy, so I was worried just the other day about how arduous a six-person move would be, but it was truly a surprise.
“Just pack your personal valuables yourselves. The moving company will move the rest all at once.”
“What about electronic devices like laptops?”
“Daeyeon and I will pack those separately and load them.”
Everyone else was handling everything. I was so overwhelmed by this VIP treatment that I just hovered around the managers for about ten minutes, unsure what to do.
“Then do we go to the new dorm after practice?”
Lee Cheonghyeon asked. His voice was full of excitement.
“That’s right.”
“How’s the dorm? Is it better than where we used to live?”
“Cheonghyeon, you’re distracting the manager while he’s driving.”
“It’s way better.”
“Wow!”
Lee Cheonghyeon couldn’t contain his excitement and bounced around. The dorm we used to live in was nice too, but to think it was getting even better. Seeing the increased scale of investment, it seemed UA had set a high expected profit rate for Spark.
Even in the practice room, whenever it was break time, Spark kept talking about the move.
“I already picked out what drawer I’m getting.”
“Isn’t that something you should discuss with your roommate beforehand?”
“You’ll definitely like it too. I found something amazing.”
Lee Cheonghyeon was showing off his shopping cart to Kang Kiyeon, holding it right up to his face, while…
“I wish we could clean the washing machine while we’re at it…”
“Should we run a drum clean cycle? We could also call a cleaning service.”
…Park Joowoo and Jeong Seongbin were scheming ways to upgrade their new home in celebration of the move.
“Aren’t we supposed to do a deep clean when we move in?”
“Our family just did that ourselves.”
The only ones worried about the impending post-move chaos were Choi Jeho and me.
I’d done move-in cleaning myself too. To save money.
“Ah, they said they’re calling a cleaning service today too.”
Jeong Seongbin, who had heard my and Choi Jeho’s gloomy conversation, delivered the good news.
Matching practice uniforms, regular meals from the company, a better dorm.
Since regressing, all aspects of my food, clothing, and shelter were improving. It was a completely different path from the life of the 22-year-old Kim Iwol of the past. Different from the me who would just sling a bass over my shoulder and trudge to the club room on days without lectures.
‘You really never know where life’s going to take you.’
I followed Jeong Seongbin’s instruction to resume practice and walked to my designated spot.
“Let’s focus during practice. So we don’t get hurt from being too excited.”
“Yes.”
At my words, the guys answered in one voice. One way or another, they were as diligent as ever.
* * *
“Hyung, did all your stuff arrive safely?”
“Yeah.”
I hadn’t actually checked everything, but I answered roughly. My belongings were just a suitcase, after all.
Jeong Seongbin was amazed that the things that were originally in his bed had arrived exactly as they were. It seemed UA spent a lot on the moving expenses.
“But Seongbin, are you really okay with sharing a room with me?”
I asked, looking at Jeong Seongbin who was checking his closet. Jeong Seongbin turned around with wide eyes.
“Why do you ask?”
“I just thought it might be more comfortable for you to share with Joowoo or the younger ones.”
This kid was already super polite to his hyungs, shouldn’t he have some space to breathe? Besides, my belongings were just a few clothes, a suitcase, and a drawer with a call button attached—these guys insisted on putting it right next to my bed—so changing rooms was no big deal. I could just tell the fans later that we changed rooms due to circumstances.
However, Jeong Seongbin just smiled softly.
“I’m fine. Are you uncomfortable, hyung?”
“Of course not.”
I’ve been roommates with Choi Jeho. You’re nowhere near as hard to live with as he was. Though he’s gotten a lot better these days.
“Is there anything else you’d like me to take care of?”
This was the side of Jeong Seongbin that made me uneasy. The kid couldn’t relax.
“Seongbin.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“I’m twenty-two this year, right? And you’re twenty.”
“That’s right…?”
“I’m a full-fledged adult, and if I need anything or have a request, I can always actively speak up. Whether it’s to you or to someone older. So stop walking on eggshells, okay?”
At my words, Jeong Seongbin smiled and said he understood. I couldn’t tell whether he was being sincere or not. Haha.
After checking our respective belongings, we took some time to look at each other’s rooms.  It was Lee Cheonghyeon’s idea, and we all ended up joining in.
Choi Jeho and Park Joowoo’s room was as simple as could be. Besides the basic furniture, all they had were their bedding and music CDs. Meanwhile, only the area around Choi Jeho’s bed was lit up with small lights.
“You put those up?”
“Cheonghyeon came by earlier to check if I was putting them up.”
Choi Jeho grumbled. When he pressed the button, a soft orange light enveloped Choi Jeho’s bed.
“Nice mood.”
At my comment, Lee Cheonghyeon wiped imaginary tears and laughed.
On the other hand, Lee Cheonghyeon and Kang Kiyeon’s room had a lot of things. As if they had deliberately decided to match it to their tastes, the room was full of stuff.
“Where are you guys going to put all this?”
I asked out of concern, and they said they had ordered a set of storage cabinets. Should I be worried about these guys’ financial sense? Should I make them play market with fake money? I felt like they needed to realize how important a month’s salary worth of emergency funds was.
“So, speaking of which, is there anyone who wants to use the alpha room?”
Lee Cheonghyeon asked us. When everyone shook their heads, he asked if they could use it, so I told him to go ahead and use it.
“To make it into a small studio… is it a bit too small?”
“If you do that, only the equipment might fit, and Cheonghyeon might not be able to get in.”
“Can you even call that a studio?”
Park Joowoo, me, and Choi Jeho had a serious meeting as we watched Lee Cheonghyeon excitedly take something to the alpha room. In the end, the alpha room simply became the maknaes’ treasure trove.
The move officially ended when we propped the whiteboard with the house rules on top of the drawer under the TV.
“They say you’re supposed to eat jjajangmyeon on moving day.”
“Cheonghyeon, you do know how many calories are in that, right?”
At my words, Lee Cheonghyeon confidently walked to the refrigerator.
“That’s why I secretly ordered it! Konjac jajangmyeon!”
I was utterly dumbfounded by the six servings of konjac jajangmyeon in plain sight. We didn’t eat it since it was night, but the next morning, we were able to start the day by eating the konjac jajangmyeon Lee Cheonghyeon had prepared.
* * *
Publicly listed companies submitted disclosure s every quarter. These s included revenue, net profit, operating profit, and explanations of the reasons behind fluctuations in sales and where operating profits were generated.
The s of the entertainment business showed a slightly different aspect. In addition to the regular disclosure s, they announced through earnings presentations which artists would make a comeback and when, how much revenue was generated through a certain singer’s concert, and what the future expected profits were. Instead of a company’s business, it was the artist, and instead of a project, it was the activity details that were listed.
UA wasn’t a company large enough to be listed, so they had only planned to the extent of adjusting the schedules that could be managed internally.
However, starting this year, the method completely changed. The comeback and activity schedules of all their artists, including Spark, were fixed at the end of last year.
There could always be changes, but just having a guideline would prevent a situation where schedules get tangled up within the company like during Ms. Newri’s time. In that sense, this change was very satisfactory.
Ms. Min Jukyung’s explanation continued.
“So this year, Spark will…”
Annual schedule review. That was the reason I was currently in the dedicated team meeting with Jeong Seongbin.
Thanks to the successive year-end stages, the KPI achievement was right before my eyes. So I wasn’t in a hurry, but I came anyway because I got anxious if I didn’t how things were going. The other guys had entrusted their right to speak to me and Jeong Seongbin.
‘Two comebacks in a year.’
Compared to last year, the album release cycle had become much longer, but external events had increased. There were also quite a few variety shows where appearances were confirmed.
It was good that our popularity had increased, leading to more opportunities for external activities. But it was troublesome if the company itself was trying to shelve Spark. The trauma of that one-year and two-month blank period still lingered for me.
Lee Cheonghyeon would need time to make songs too, so should I settle for this much this year? My thoughts grew complicated.
‘It would be nice if someone got a fixed spot on a variety show. Or is there a way to bring in more fans somehow…’
As I was seriously looking at the screen, I saw a schedule marked in red in the first week of December.
[Concert]
It was a concert that Spark had only managed to do when they were in their 5th year.