Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 305: Hobby Life (1)

Choi Jeho was truly impassive. Regardless of whether Jeong Seongbin was moved or not, the guy just said what he had to say.
“Keep up the good work this year, too. Let me know if you need anything.”
The Choi Jeho who had said, ‘What do you want me to do?’ to Park Joowoo, who had come for help, was now gone. Now, he was like a proper hyung. A hyung who, though not affectionate, could be relied upon.
Jeong Seongbin nodded happily. Then he gave a gentle word of encouragement to Lee Cheonghyeon, who was sitting next to him.
Next, it was my turn to receive well-wishes. Lee Cheonghyeon, who was sitting behind me, wrapped his arms around my shoulders and leaned his chin against the back of my head.
“Iwol.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you remember what I said a long time ago?”
You’ve said so many things.
When I slightly lifted my chin and looked up, my eyes met with Lee Cheonghyeon, who was looking down at me.
“I said that when the year changes, I wouldn’t even call you hyung anymore.”
“So? Are you trying to join the eldest hyung line now?”
“No. I like being the maknae.”
“So you just want to be friends with me.”
Lee Cheonghyeon and I exchanged silly words and chuckled.
Lee Cheonghyeon held my chin with his thumb and index finger, fiddling with it, and said.
“Put some weight back on. You’ve lost too much.”
“I’m managing my jawline.”
“You were perfect in the early days of your debut.”
That was because my synchronization rate was low back then. I was still putting in a great deal of effort, but it would take more time for that form to return.
“My muscles are almost back, so don’t worry.”
“A person is not made of 100% muscle, my friend.”
Even while saying that, Lee Cheonghyeon diligently massaged my shoulders. He was such a worrywart. I should ask him to order jjolmyeon for me soon, for the first time in a while.
* * *
After the 1st-anniversary schedule was wrapped up, a true sense of quiet and peace came to the dorm. The hectic schedule, which had kept us busy without a moment to breathe from the end of the year to the beginning of the new year, had all come to an end. It was around the time winter was almost over.
Taking advantage of the reduced workload, I received a new assignment from my counselor.
‘A hobby?’
It was about creating a leisure activity unrelated to work. The reason was that I needed a corner to refresh my thoughts.
I did mention that I played the bass, but I was advised to find something else because, now that I was active as an idol, the bass could also be connected to music work.
“So? Is there anything you’ve wanted to try?”
Lee Cheonghyeon asked, pausing from tapping on his laptop.
“Not really. The only hobby I know is reading.”
“Do you like reading books, hyung?”
“No.”
The hobby I wrote on my school record was just reading. Isn’t that the case for most students in Korea?
“I haven’t really seen you do anything other than work. Bass is also not allowed, right?”
“Yeah. They told me to find a hobby where I can avoid thinking about work as much as possible.”
“You don’t have any fields of interest, and you don’t know any hobbies.”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm.”
Lee Cheonghyeon closed his laptop, stroked his chin, and pondered.
Then, perhaps something had come to mind, Lee Cheonghyeon hit his palm with his fist and said.
“How about trying the members’ hobbies together?”
And so, thanks to Lee Cheonghyeon’s suggestion, the ‘Kim Iwol Tries Out the Members’ Hobbies’ project began. The first hobby evangelist was Park Joowoo.
There was no particular reason. It was because Park Joowoo’s hobby was the most suitable to try right away.
“Today, we’re going to clean and water the plants…”
Park Joowoo said as he took out a spare apron from the dorm.
Park Joowoo’s approach to cleaning bordered on obsession. To Park Joowoo, who pursued a perfect zero-dust environment, bedding was nothing more than a fabric that accumulated dust after a day.
“Joowoo, are you going to wash all the blankets in the dorm?”
“Just the ones we use…”
Park Joowoo started the washing machine with excitement. Not joking—this was already the third load.
While the washing machine was running, we ran the steam cleaner and the dishwasher, wiped the dust from the window frames, and went up to the rooftop with a basket of pillow stuffing each and beat them until the stuffing was about to burst.
We didn’t forget to boil the dishes. We also wiped the dining table until it was shiny, spraying it with kitchen alcohol spray. We sprayed deodorizer on the members’ shoes and put a silica gel in each one.
After the work was done, we headed to the veranda. In the veranda, which Park Joowoo used as his personal space, various plants were growing.
“Each plant has its own watering schedule. The friend you need to water today is this one…”
Park Joowoo pointed to a white, rectangular pot.
“What’s its name?”
“Brilliance.”
“Is there such a species?”
“Ah… it’s Hoya Bella.”
Park Joowoo corrected his mistake a beat later. This guy must have named all his pots.
The fellow we had watered needed a pillar to grow on, so we also made a support with the wire left over from making the paper strawberry bouquet.
“Does this one bloom too?”
“Yeah. If I’ve raised it well…”
“It looks healthy. Don’t you think it will bloom well?”
By the time we repotted the soil, my work gloves were caked in dirt. I had wondered why Park Joowoo was rarely seen even when we were all in the dorm, and it seemed he was hiding in a corner, doing this by himself.
“…How is it? Do you feel a little more at ease?”
Park Joowoo asked.
“I feel like the environment is being purified.”
Don’t they say that looking at green stabilizes the mind and body? That was exactly how I felt right now. Or maybe it was just the washing machine humming away in the background.
Park Joowoo and I delivered the bedding, which had been dried, to each member. Then, after a refreshing shower, we sat on the living room sofa, turned on the air purifier, and watched the indoor air quality change from bad to good while drinking warm milk. It wasn’t a bad experience.
In the evening, I watched a musical movie with Lee Cheonghyeon in the living room. It was the first time I had watched something other than Spark’s faces on the dorm TV.
“You chose a surprisingly famous work.”
I said, looking at the screen. The Phantom of the Opera was displayed.
Lee Cheonghyeon asked.
“What did you think I would choose?”
“A philosophical movie that a normal person like me would have a hard time understanding.”
“A classic is always a masterpiece, no matter when you watch it.”
While Lee Cheonghyeon was preparing the movie, I turned off the lights in the living room. I didn’t forget to turn on a night light just in case Choi Jeho came out of his room.
Jeong Seongbin, who had heard that we were watching a movie, even brought salt-free popcorn that he had fried himself.
Although we were perfectly prepared, watching the movie wasn’t all that smooth.
“Cheonghyeon, if the god of rap offered you guidance, would you follow?”
“Would I? Do you think I’m ten years old, hyung?”
“Hyung, could you abandon a teacher who made you a prima donna for the sake of love?”
“I’ve never been in love or been a prima donna, so I don’t know. But from the moment he kidnapped her, I think the Phantom is a criminal, not a teacher.”
We couldn’t play the movie for more than 5 minutes. We pressed pause nonstop and had a heated debate.
The debate wasn’t productive either. From the middle of it, a random conversation ensued, as if we were competing to see who could bring up the most useless topic.
“Remember that scene where the chandelier fell? If they messed up the shot, would they have to drop a brand new chandelier every time?”
“Wouldn’t that cost too much?”
“How does that mask stay on without falling off?”
“Maybe they glued it on over the face makeup?”
And then, at the very end…
“The visuals are amazing, though.”
“Can’t our music videos be like this?”
“Cheonghyeon, that’s The Phantom of the Opera you’re talking about.”
“Do you think Joowoo hyung can hit a high note with the same pitch as Christine?”
“What song are you planning to give Joowoo?”
“I haven’t thought of anything, but I’m curious.”
…that was what happened. As for the visuals, it might be possible if we could get a huge budget from UA, but it wouldn’t be too late to talk about it after we got the budget, so for now, we decided to keep our expectations low.
Through this process, it took a total of 5 hours to watch one movie. I didn’t know that watching a movie was such a tiring activity. My mouth and eyes both hurt.
“How is it? Do you think it’s suitable as a hobby?”
“I am not sure. But I think it’s a good activity in terms of reproducing ideas.”
At my words, Lee Cheonghyeon turned on all the lights in the living room.
“That won’t do! You’re looking for a hobby to not think about work!”
With those words, watching movies was eliminated from my list of hobby candidates.
* * *
A few days later, I made time to go out with Kang Kiyeon. Our destination was a comic cafe. My goal was to read the entire series of Kingdom Cafeteria ~Another~.
“I’ll just read KCA but what are you going to read?”
“I have a lot to read.”
Kang Kiyeon said calmly. As soon as the elevator doors opened, his eyes sparkled. I could even see the glint in his eyes between his hat and mask.
We circled the store, looking for the largest space that wouldn’t be cramped even for the two of us. Then we settled in a place in the corner, like a second-floor attic.
“What would you like to eat, hyung?”
Kang Kiyeon asked. The menu was as dense as web-cell data.
Moreover, everything was high in calories. It was food I couldn’t even imagine Kang Kiyeon eating.
“The calories seem really high…?”
“You said you were going for a ride with Jeho hyung tonight anyway.”
Saying he would just order something if I couldn’t choose, Kang Kiyeon placed the order. His ordering just wouldn’t end. A kid who wasn’t usually like that just kept ordering from the menu.
I tried to hand him my card, but he went ahead and paid himself. Just like that, I’d become the jerk who let a kid who hadn’t even graduated high school cover both food and drinks.
“What’s your account number?”
“It’s fine. Considering all the things you’ve bought for me.”
I hurriedly sent a transfer message through online banking, but Kang Kiyeon didn’t accept it. Instead, he left to find a comic book, heading to the pink corner.
When he came back, he was holding about five familiar comic volumes.
“It’s a nuisance to bring too many at once, so read this first. It’s the first part.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll look at some books and bring them over. You go in first.”
While I was cooped up in a corner of the room, Kang Kiyeon came and went frequently.
Once the comic books, blankets, and the food we had ordered were all ready, Kang Kiyeon took off his shoes and entered the small room. We had to bend our legs quite a bit, but it was cozy in its own way.