Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols - Chapter 12
Only Krnovel
| Episode 12. Monthly Evaluation (3)
UA’s monthly evaluations are conducted in the order of good performance in the previous evaluation.
I was assigned to the last turn because I had no evaluation record.
Although it was my first time participating in an evaluation, I knew the person who had ranked first in the evaluation at the end of last month.
“Then shall we start with Joo-woo?”
It was Park Joo-woo who would become the future main vocalist of Spark.
Park Joo-woo had a rather strange character since his debut.
≫ He sings well, dances well, has a kind face and a good personality. What can’t this guy do?
└ If you drop it in the middle of the COEX Dalmadang Library, you probably won’t be able to find it home.
└ Isn’t this too much for our fool?ㅠㅠ
└ Put your hand down and speak.
└ (smile)
The atmosphere that was created by both a cool air and a languid impression was something that was rarely seen in a nineteen-year-old boy.
Among the stubborn Spark guys who had to say something even if it meant dying, Park Joo-woo was in the position of watching the members with an indifferent expression.
In the idol world, no matter how sincere your reactions are, if you are seen as not being proactive, you are bound to get criticized.
For a year after his debut, it seemed that Park Joo-woo would not be able to escape this controversy.
If Park Joo-woo’s singing was only mediocre.
『It was a night when everyone took out the alcohol they had been saving… … .』
Park Joo-woo began singing along to the music of famous bands that any student who played a band instrument at least once during his school days would have inevitably heard.
Even amidst the strong band sound, Park Joo-woo’s voice shone.
What’s the big deal about technique? Well, not making a single mistake is technique.
By the way, his English pronunciation was also perfect, because this song was Park Joo-woo’s favorite song.
Even though it was an amazing level during practice, I couldn’t help but be amazed by Park Joo-woo’s singing, which he did his best at.
The teachers did not spare their praise for Park Joo-woo, who finished singing neatly and greeted them. The face of the representative sitting in the middle was also filled with satisfaction.
Of course. If I were a shooter, I would have already soaked three sheets of tissue paper with tears.
“Joo-woo is really outstanding. I think his skills have improved since last time. Can you feel it too?”
“……thank you.”
“She has a talent for choosing songs that fit her vocal tone well. Song selection is a skill, but she also has a sense.”
After this, the evaluation of Park Joo-woo was full of praise.
But the ending wasn’t all that heartwarming.
“But from now on, I want you to practice more conceptual songs. Like I said last time. Got it?”
“……yes.”
“You worked hard. What’s next?”
A slightly bitter look appeared on Park Joo-woo’s face as he took over for Choi Je-ho.
‘It’s a matter of taste.’
Park Joo-woo, who looks like a cotton ball, had a taste in music that was quite different from his appearance.
That guy is a rock band music fanatic with a rock spirit flowing through his bones.
However, while Park Joo-woo was active, we could only see him singing rock music in cover content. And even then, that was when Spark was in its second year.
The reason why Park Joo-woo put down the rock music he loved so much for a while was revealed during a live broadcast one day.
‘Juuya, cover a RoseD song…? I like RoseD too, but I need to practice to cover it. I can’t quite get the old feeling… I think it’s because I changed my singing style.’
Park Joo-woo concluded his story by saying that he would practice hard.
And then a few months later, they actually covered that band’s hit song and uploaded a video.
But the day never came when Park Joo-woo sang his favorite songs on stage or in front of people.
Considering the incredible concepts Spark has worked on in the past, it’s not hard to guess why.
‘It didn’t fit the image of an idol that UA was pursuing.’
Unlike when he was preparing to become a solo singer, Park Joo-woo, who started his career as an idol trainee, would have had a much more limited range of styles of songs he could sing.
In addition, Park Joo-woo was the member of the team who could hit the highest notes. It was clear that the company would not have easily allowed him to sing rock music that puts extreme strain on his vocal cords.
I glanced at Park Joo-woo, who was sitting next to me with a lifeless face like blanched spinach.
Even I, who had to find Park Joo-woo’s faint voice and write the subtitles for the fan video with difficulty, felt a little sorry for the guy’s complexion.
I spoke quietly enough for only Park Joo-woo to hear while Choi Je-ho prepared the music files.
“I like that song too.”
“… … ?”
“You really sang well. I enjoyed listening to you.”
Park Joo-woo, who had a puzzled expression on his face, suddenly lit up at my words. Although it was only based on Park Joo-woo’s usual shine.
‘Haven’t you been told over and over that you’re good at singing?’
As I racked my brain over the unexpected reaction, I was soon able to find the answer.
Among Sparks, there was no one whose taste in music matched Park Joo-woo’s.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that it might be quite lonely to sing every day without any colleagues who shared the same taste.
The following assignments by Choi Je-ho, Jeong Seong-bin, and Lee Cheong-hyeon were all excellent.
In a way, UA, which delayed its debut for two years with members of this level of perfection, was also amazing.
“Next, Kiyeon.”
When he heard Kang Ki-yeon’s name, Lee Cheong-hyeon shouted ‘Fighting’ with his mouth.
I also shook my fist in support, as a disciple.
“after.”
Kang Ki-yeon took a deep breath.
To conclude, Kang Ki-yeon’s assignment was good.
However, it was far inferior to what Kang Ki-yeon himself showed in the practice room. Even considering that he was unable to show off his specialty, dancing, due to a few days off from practice due to an ankle injury, it was the same.
If I, a layperson, could notice it, it would be even clearer to experts.
And it seemed that Kang Ki-yeon knew that fact better than anyone else.
“Giyeon-ah.”
“yes.”
“We all know what you’re good at.”
Kang Ki-yeon’s shoulders flinched slightly. This was probably because he anticipated what would follow.
“But you have to do well on the test to be able to say that it is your true skill.”
It was feedback that was even more damaging to Kang Ki-yeon because it was not a wrong statement, and it was also the words that were most deeply engraved in the mind of the perfectionist guy.
“You can do it while relaxing. There aren’t many people your age who can dance and sing as well as you.”
“thank you.”
“Thank you for your hard work. Let’s do better next time.”
It was obvious that each and every warm word was engraved into Kang Ki-yeon’s bones.
Lee Cheong-hyeon diligently ruffled the hair of Kang Ki-yeon, who was sitting with a stiff expression.
As far as I know, Kang Ki-yeon’s habit of getting nervous in important places was going to last quite a long time. Because in the What’s in My Bag content, there were only four types of Cheongsimhwan.
But now was not the time to worry about Kang Ki-yeon.
“Now, Yiwol, shall we try what we’ve prepared?”
My nose is blocked.
If I didn’t want to get cut from UA today, I had to get my act together.
“This is your first evaluation. Wasn’t it difficult to prepare for it?”
Perhaps out of consideration for me as a new member, there was an ice-breaking session that was different from the other members.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the receiving end of consideration, rather than playing a role of relieving tension.
“Everyone helped me a lot. Thanks to them, I gained some confidence.”
“It’s only a little bit, but it doesn’t seem like you’re nervous?”
“I’m really nervous inside.”
The teachers laughed, probably taking my words as a joke.
This one’s serious. I’m prepared to go around every intersection in the country and hide out until my sister shows up if I get cut off here.
I’ve prepared as much as I can. All I have to do is show what I’ve built up so far and I’ll do my best.
And I’ve never made a mistake in this situation before. I try not to make mistakes.
“I prepared ‘Sitting by the Window.’”
The three teachers sitting in front of me looked surprised. Only the president seemed to be happy to hear the song.
That was understandable. “Sitting by the Window” is a ballad that’s been around for a while, so it wasn’t a song that many people my age listened to.
The prospective sparks also had faces like they were hearing about it for the first time, except for Jeong Seong-bin.
“It’s good to have a wide spectrum. I’ll listen to the song.”
I played the accompaniment according to the signal of teacher Oh Eun, who teaches vocals.
As lyrical music began to flow, I took a deep breath and focused on the song.
“I thought about it for a long time.”
“Sitting by the Window,” sung by a male singer in his late 30s, is a song filled with deep regret for the time he unknowingly lost.
Thanks to the gentle development unique to ballads, singing this song did not require Korean-style high notes or great technique.
It is a song that seems to depict simplicity in words, and it has a clearly structured introduction, development, turn, and conclusion.
In order to give the impression that this song was ‘sung well’, diction and vocalization had to be intact.
These are the basics I learned in vocal class for the past three weeks.
I am confident that I can embody what I have learned.
Thanks to my sensitive ears that could tell the condition of Manager Nam just by listening to his voice, I was able to match the pitch by squeezing each note out in real time by striking the keyboard every time the sound was played.
The same goes for establishing an evaluation strategy.
Setting up grading criteria is something that Hanpyeong Industries has become tired of. After living as a human resources team dog for three years, you will be able to recite poems based on the human resources performance evaluation references in your head.
By applying this, it was also possible to reverse-calculate which algorithm would be used to establish the evaluation criteria.
Because you can extract keywords from the assignments given in class, group them by item, and create a grading sheet. It was a method I often used during exam periods in school.
I can bet my brick phone that the error rate between my predicted and actual score sheets will be less than 5%.
After figuring out the problem, I focused on the items that would be included in the grading criteria. The strategy was to not receive bonus points, but not to receive deductions.
Of course, there were some difficult parts. The most representative one was drawing a calm emotional line that matched the emotional lyrics.
The disparity between the song that would come from a hand that had lost its grip and a twenty-year-old appearance was palpable even without looking in the mirror.
So I spent a lot of time reflecting feedback on understanding the song.
It’s a deep reflection on what I truly regret.
The thing I regret most in my life is joining Hanpyeong Industries. However, if I had sung the song with that kind of mindset, it would have been a song full of social criticism and satire.
Instead, I recalled the past when the open recruitment process that I had completed after two weeks of overnight work was overturned by Manager Nam’s one word, “I don’t understand.”
The past work hours have all become trash, and the related work remains like dregs.
That moment when the deadline is approaching and the progress of the work has dropped to 0%.
“It’s disappearing, leaving me behind. Everything―.”
I put into song the raw and empty feelings that a man on the verge of success suddenly feels.
I confess. I almost cried while singing.
『―The wind is dying down.』
And so the nearly 4-minute song ended.
Without a single mistake.