Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 297: A Birthday Party for One (2)

Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo sent a simple congratulatory message together.
—Happy birthday, hyung!
—Sparklers, please celebrate hyung’s birthday together too…!
In addition, they apologized about 3,000 times for calling late. I said it was fine since I had heard the full story from Lee Cheonghyeon, but the guys just wouldn’t stop apologizing.
Now, if only Choi Jeho would call, Spark would be at full attendance
Why isn’t this brat calling?
I was smiling and saying my lines, but inside I was boiling. I could almost see the suspicion of a feud between the eldest hyungs spreading from some locked account. You’re really giving me a big birthday present.
Just as I was resolving to deal with this guy after the broadcast ended, the signal I had been waiting for greeted me.
However, my expectations were splendidly off. The name on the screen was ‘Gu Jahan sunbaenim.’
“Mr. Gu Jahan… is calling? What could it be?”
I hurriedly answered the phone.
“Sunbaenim, hello. I’m in the middle of a live broadcast right now, would it be okay if I called you back later?”
While I was whispering and asking for his understanding, the chat window was heating up with the appearance of an unexpected person.
— Ah, you can’t talk right now?
“I can, but it seems you have something to say, sunbaenim.”
— I just called to say happy birthday.
“What?”
You, sir? The congratulations that even Choi Jeho hasn’t given me? Choi Jeho, you a**hole, aren’t you going to call? I’m telling you to at least leave a missed call, you son of a b*tch!
Unaware of my inner turmoil, the innocent Mr. Gu Jahan wished me a happy birthday.
— Happy birthday. Is there anything you want?
“Oh no, the congratulations are enough.”
— Don’t talk like an old man…
Oops, my inner office worker just slipped out.
— But I knew you would say that, Mr. Iwol.
If you knew, then why did you even ask?
I wanted to retort, but I held it in. I couldn’t make a scene when the fans were watching.
— So I just sent it to the company.
“What?”
As soon as Mr. Gu Jahan’s words ended, a white shopping bag was passed over from offscreen.
Seriously, why are you doing this to me! I don’t know your birthday, Mr. Gu Jahan! If I receive it publicly like this, I have to return the favor in the same way! Don’t you know I already have five birthdays to take care of?!
I swallowed my tears and received the shopping bag. The shopping bag was so big, it almost blocked the whole screen.
≫ What is it, what is it
≫ In My Office friendship is so nice to seeㅠㅠ
≫ Open it, clap, open it, clap
“Is it okay to open it on the broadcast?”
I asked, secretly hoping Mr. Gu Jahan would tell me to open it at the dorm, but as always, he didn’t give me the answer I wanted.
— I sent it so you would.
See. My predictions never fail.
“Then… I’ll open it. I’ll try to make it sound like ASMR…”
Having resigned myself to everything, I rustled open the shopping bag, and out came… another coat! Is there a rumor going around in some random community that Kim Iwol has no clothes?
“Sunbaenim, you bought me a coat last time too!”
— That was a long one. Short coats are in style these days, right?
There was no getting through to him. I felt like I was going to explode.
≫ Iwol is so loved
≫ When did he get another coat? ㅋㅋㅋ
≫ Sunbaenim has such a huge soft spot for him
≫ My bias’ junior moment? This is precious.
The viewers seemed to be just enjoying this whole situation. I was the only one who felt like I was on a deserted island.
Mr. Gu Jahan ended the call after saying we should have a meal next time. I was completely drained and tattered.
“I keep in touch with the ‘In My Office’ sunbaenims from time to time. Ha Seomyeong sunbaenim also contacted me earlier to say happy birthday. Sunbaenims, thank you.”
There probably weren’t any sunbaenims watching the live, but I bowed my head to the lens.
On a special anniversary like a birthday, people often expect related anecdotes. Memorable birthday gifts, the item grabbed at a doljabi, or even a conception dream.
(TL note: Doljabi is a Korean tradition at a first birthday party (Doljanchi) where a one-year-old baby chooses from several objects, each symbolizing a different future or career.)
A similar story had come up in Spark’s birthday broadcasts so far.
‘What did I grab? I grabbed a pencil!’
‘A pencil means…’
‘That’s right, it’s an item that holds the meaning of becoming a composer!’
‘Isn’t that what it means?’
But I, Kim Iwol, couldn’t have had a doljanchi, and the only birthday gifts I ever received were from my noona, but now I couldn’t talk about it.
I had no choice but to launch The Kim Iwol TMI Extravaganza~ Featuring Spark’s Random Chatter~. Fortunately, the fans liked it.
≫ Why did the hyungs have a runway without showing us? Let us see too
≫ So you read the social section of the newspaper first… Yeah, that tracks
≫ The babies sleeping together in the living room… so precious
≫ Hahaha so you wrapped it, but in the end, you were about to get branded three times, right? hahaha
≫ The Under Bar challenge was taught by Joowoo…? Huge shock
They liked it a lot. Thanks to that, I was saved.
However, there was still no contact from Choi Jeho. That f*cker must have forgotten. I should have written ‘call me’ on his arm. I trusted that guy too much.
≫ When is Jeho going to call?
≫ What are you doing, Jehoㅠㅠㅠ
Comments looking for Choi Jeho also started to appear one by one. Actually, they had been coming up since a while ago, but I pretended not to see them.
“Jeho is busy right now, everyone. The reason is a spoiler, so I can’t say!”
To thoroughly protect confidentiality, I had never even uttered the word ‘spoiler’ before. tonight, I swore I’d roast that Choi Jeho and end my birthday with a bang.
“How’s Seongbin as a roommate? He’s the best. But I think I get scolded about three times a day. Yesterday, too, Seongbin was quiet, so I looked to the side, and he was sitting there with a notebook…”
As I was spouting lines while managing my frustration, a knock was heard from outside.
It was unprecedented for someone to interrupt from outside during a broadcast, so I tried my best not to be conscious of it and was about to fix my gaze on the camera lens, when.
“Hey.”
Choi Jeho appeared. The chat window went wild.
≫ Omg
≫ Jeho is here
≫ Jeho♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
“What is it?”
“What do you mean what. Hello, everyone.”
He ignored my question and was busy greeting everyone. Manager Daeyeon hurriedly brought another chair.
As soon as he sat down, I adjusted my expression into something friendly and pressed him.
“How did you get here?”
“By the stairs.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
≫ Iwol’s heart is bursting again today
≫ Guys, the screen is too cramped
≫ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ our Jeho’s answers are always on point
Only the fans recognized my hardship. Regardless, Choi Jeho took something out of the pocket of his hoodie and handed it to me.
“What’s this?”
“Noona told me to give it to you.”
“From your noona?”
Did he meet his noona during the vacation too? The bundle Choi Jeho gave me was small but beautifully wrapped.
There was also a short memo written on it. It said, ‘Happy birthday! Please take good care of our Jeho!’
Carefully tearing the paper, I found a jar of vitamin gummies and another item separately wrapped.
“Why vitamin gummies?”
“She said you look frail, so you should eat them.”
“I’m not frail.”
“I told her that too.”
“And what did she say?”
“She told me not to talk back.”
All noona’s are the same, I guess. Choi Jeho and I were silent for a moment.
Just as I was about to open the other item, Choi Jeho said.
“Ah, open that later.”
“Why?”
“Just because.”
This little sh*t, really. I knew for sure that he had an extraordinary talent for getting on people’s nerves.
But since he told me to open it later, what else could I do? I sent my thanks to Choi Jeho’s noona through the screen, saying I would eat them well.
I thought he would leave since his business was done, but Choi Jeho didn’t seem to have any intention of moving.
“Come to think of it, you didn’t wish me a happy birthday this morning, did you?”
“Did I?”
“You didn’t. Only the others did.”
I was busy, but I remembered it clearly. That Choi Jeho brat, when all the other guys were congratulating me, he was just looking at the seaweed soup by himself.
“But I came here instead to congratulate you.”
“So, did you actually say happy birthday to me or not? Even the gift was from your noona.”
Our conversation, filled with a deep sense of friendship, sparked a heated reaction.
≫ Guys, the hyungs are fighting again
≫ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
≫ Is this really a conversation between twenty-two-year-olds?
≫ Seongbin, the hyungs are fighting
≫ At this point, just say happy birthday already ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
≫ The most reliable hyungs when they’re apart
≫ Why are you fighting on a good day ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
≫ Our kids are actually 22 months old
≫ Mr. Kim, whose combat power rises whenever he sees Mr. Choi
The fans happily watched our quarrel. They seemed to think that the sight of me and Choi Jeho barking at each other was a different form of friendship.
“If you’re not going to say it, then leave now.”
“Who said I wouldn’t?”
“You’re not saying it right now.”
“I can just say it.”
A childish squabble that even kindergarteners wouldn’t have continued dragged on. I couldn’t understand why he was acting like this. Since we were on a broadcast, I couldn’t pull him behind the whiteboard and ask, ‘What the hell is your problem?’
Just as I was feeling dizzy, Choi Jeho threw a glance over the manager’s shoulder.
An intrusion during a live broadcast, nitpicking my words, and now not even looking at the camera?
Just as I was about to lose my mind at Choi Jeho’s triple combo…
“Hyung, happy birthday! Even though it’s the third time already!”
“Hurry up and blow out the candles.”
…all of Spark appeared. Holding a cake with lit candles.