Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols-Chapter 325: The Leader's Grace is Like the Heavens

Spark’s leader, Jeong Seongbin, cherished and loved his members very much. He devoted a lot of time to looking after them.
It was no hardship. Because the members, in turn, respected him as their leader. The fact that Jeong Seongbin was smoothly acknowledged as the leader in a team with two older members was surely thanks to the members’ consideration.
Jeong Seongbin loved the members’ passion, warm hearts, and diligence, but these very qualities sometimes made him feel pained for them.
Just the other night, Jeong Seongbin, hearing the sound of a mouse scroll in his sleep, had come out to the living room to find Kim Iwol web-surfing at the kitchen table without any lights on.
‘Hyung, what are you doing?’
‘Looking for supplements. Was the mouse sound too loud? Should I switch to a silent one?’
‘No, it’s not that, but…’
Though it was a disrespectful expression to use for someone older, for a moment, Jeong Seongbin thought Iwol was admirable. Was there really a need to do online shopping in the middle of the night? Even so, since it was supplements, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
‘What kind are you planning to buy?’
Jeong Seongbin asked, trying to fight off the encroaching sleepiness. When he got closer, he saw the screen was filled with products said to be good for throat protection.
‘You and Joowoo have to use your throats a lot. And you especially have a lot of MCing to do, so I figured I’d buy one while I’m at it. There was one I used to take, but I can’t seem to find it. That one was really effective.’
As he said this, Kim Iwol tapped his temple with the palm of his left hand. It was a habitual action whenever he had a headache.
A headache was a legitimate form of pain, too. Seeing Kim Iwol act as if his migraines were just a part of his life, Jeong Seongbin recalled a conversation he’d had with Kang Kiyeon.
‘Seongbin hyung, you know the saying, ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body,’ right?’
‘Yeah.’
‘What kind of spirit do you think resides in a sleep-deprived body?’
When had they had this conversation? Was it after Kim Iwol first revealed he had chronic migraines, when Kang Kiyeon was searching for the cause of headaches?
The dull eyes that looked like they needed deep sleep more than anyone, the unceasing light of the laptop, the index finger that never stopped scrolling, and the left hand that was applying more and more pressure—all of it made Jeong Seongbin upset.
‘I have a product that was recommended to me. I’ll ask Chanyoung hyung to buy it for us.’
‘Really? I guess you would know better.’
Kim Iwol, who would rarely listen if you tried to stop him, backed down easily when Jeong Seongbin played up his expertise. Even though he was a singer himself, it was obvious he was thinking, ‘Seongbin is probably more of an expert in this area than I am.’
Jeong Seongbin didn’t want to resort to this either. But when he judged that it was more important to get his hyung to sleep, even if it meant taking advantage of his low self-esteem, Jeong Seongbin willingly endured the bitter choice—all while vowing to be sure to praise his hyung’s voice during vocal practice.
That night, the third ‘忍’ character was carved in Jeong Seongbin’s notebook.
The next morning, the moment he opened his eyes, Jeong Seongbin requested that the company clear two slots in the self-produced content filming schedule.
***
Returning to the present.
Jeong Seongbin had now come to plan a grand event for his eldest hyung, who had achieved a ‘triple crown’.
“Hello, this is Seongbin. Since this is surprise content, I’m the only one filming for now!”
Greeting the camera brightly, he briefly summarized the situation:
Three patience characters had been written next to Kim Iwol’s name, and for hyung’s healthier lifestyle, he had prepared this shoot.
“However, I’m not very talented when it comes to creative events. So, before planning the content, I’m going to get some help from someone I know.”
After finishing his statement, Jeong Seongbin called someone. The ringing didn’t last long before the other party answered.
─ Hullo.
To the person on the other end, who had a similar voice to his own, Jeong Seongbin quickly explained the situation.
“I’m filming some self-produced content right now and called because I have something to ask. The camera’s rolling, so don’t say anything weird.”
— A celebrity family phone call? I’ve always dreamed of this. Hello, everyone! This is Jeong Seongbin’s twin, Jeong Seongjun! My star sign is Aries, my blood type is B, and my favorite color is amethyst with a hint of gold pearl! Doesn’t the color just bring wealth to mind?
“I’m hanging up.”
─ No, don’t ruin my glorious MeTube debut!
Jeong Seongbin’s face twisted into an expression of sheer exasperation. The sound of Jeong Seongjun chattering nonstop leaked out from the speakerphone.
* * *
“…And that’s why I called, to see if you had any good ideas.”
Having finished his explanation, Jeong Seongbin wet his throat with the drink in front of him.
─ Events like this are most fun when you target the person’s weakness.
“Did you even hear what I said? I told you I’m not trying to prank him, right?”
Exasperation was thick in Jeong Seongbin’s voice. Jeong Seongjun burst out laughing.
─ I’m saying you have to put Iwol hyungnim in a dilemma. If you do it half-heartedly, you’ll be the one getting played, you know? Hyungnim is no ordinary person. I don’t think he’s the type to just quietly go along with whatever you do for him.
There was some truth to Jeong Seongjun’s explanation. Kim Iwol would play along while the camera was rolling, but once it was off, he would undoubtedly spend a good 30 minutes just nagging.
‘Seongbin, if you were going to plan something like this, you should have told me beforehand. You have school to attend, you need to use your time efficiently. Next time, just give me a brief outline of the idea, and I’ll…’ and so on and so forth.
“Then what should I do?”
Persuaded by Jeong Seongjun, Jeong Seongbin asked as he opened his journal planner.
— What’s hyung weak to? Not what he hates. You know how some people get all gentle whenever they see a puppy.
“Hyung doesn’t have a weak spot.”
─ I figured.
Nothing was easy from the start. That was, until something suddenly flashed through Jeong Seongbin’s troubled mind.
“He’s weak to compliments.”
The memory of Kim Iwol suffering during their informal speech time was vivid. But at the same time, it was something Kim Iwol needed.
─ He’s the type to praise others endlessly but gets shy when he’s complimented himself? What a contradictory person.
“And he’s also weak to being treated. He gets super flustered whenever he receives a gift or anything.”
There was more than a few times Kim Iwol had bickered with Gu Jahan over the phone, arguing about returning clothes.
Kim Iwol never accepted anything easily. The bass he received for his birthday was likely the first and last thing he’d ever accepted without a fuss.
─ He’s the perfect type to mess with! Why were you even worrying when you have such a perfect subject?
“I told you I’m not trying to mess with him!”
Jeong Seongjun laughed gleefully every time Jeong Seongbin got flustered. For a brief moment, Jeong Seongbin regretted calling this guy.
— For my older brother who’s terrible at rebellion, this younger brother will bestow a golden tip. Take notes.
But even a clown had his uses.
Jeong Seongjun came up with a highly sophisticated ‘healing event that pranks hyung while also supporting his rest and being entertaining for the broadcast’—something Jeong Seongbin’s brain could never have conceived. The pen in Jeong Seongbin’s hand moved busily.
***
A sweet violin melody woke me. Neither my taste nor Seongbin’s was this classical.
Did Lee Cheonghyeon learn a new instrument? I hadn’t heard a single word about it, but with that kid, it wouldn’t be strange for him to learn anything, anytime, anywhere.
His spirit of self-improvement was commendable, but it was morning. Early morning, even—before my alarm had gone off. Playing an instrument at this hour was unthinkable in a multi-unit building.
‘Lee Cheonghyeon isn’t the type to be inconsiderate about noise between floors.’*
Just as I was about to get up to calm the unstoppable musician, I felt that something was strange.
For music being played in the living room or a bedroom, the beautiful melody was coming from too close to my head. And we didn’t even have bunk beds anymore.
My eyes snapped open, and after the brightness settled, I saw Jeong Seongbin standing at my bedside.
Dressed in a suit similar to a tailcoat, wearing white gloves, with his hair perfectly styled.
“What the…?”
For a moment, I was almost confused, wondering if I was still half-asleep. With him wearing black like that, I even thought, Did I end up in the afterlife again? If my grim reaper wasn’t Manager Nam but Jeong Seongbin, that would be quite a luxurious ending, but still.
It was too real to be a dream; the violin was racing towards the climax of the piece. In Jeong Seongbin’s hand was a phone playing ’50 Classical Pieces to Soothe the Mind’.
It must have been early, but the room was as bright as if the lights were on… and there was a camera. So the lights really
were
on.
And, unlike I expected, the sun was up too. Could Jeong Seongbin have turned off my phone alarm beforehand? Why would he go through such a hassle?
With an elegant flick of his wrist, Jeong Seongbin turned off the music. The hairstyle, with his forehead half-exposed and neatly finished with wax, was very distracting. Just what time had Jeong Seongbin gone to the salon?
Towards the very confused me, Jeong Seongbin bowed at the waist and said.
“Good morning, Young Master.”
“What did you say?”
I couldn’t believe my ears. Jeong Seongbin avoided my eyes. On his arm, bent at a 90-degree angle, hung a white towel folded with sharp creases.
What’s the point of hanging the towel so elegantly when it has ‘UA 10th Anniversary Commemorative Towel’ written on the bottom?
“What’s going on, Seongbin?”
“Shall we proceed to breakfast? It has been prepared.”
Jeong Seongbin was not giving me a straight answer. I was seriously starting to wonder if he might have borrowed ‘Kingdom Another’ from Kang Kiyeon.
However, I soon realized my judgment was mistaken.
The tips of Jeong Seongbin’s ears and the nape of his neck were bright red. Which meant that, at the very least, he wasn’t doing this because he was enjoying it.
The camera was rolling, Jeong Seongbin was acting weird. In the midst of the chaos, I fumbled to get up and headed for the living room.