Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols - Chapter 21
Only Krnovel
| Episode 21. Conflict of Opinions (3)
Kang Ki-yeon continued speaking with his gaze fixed on the floor.
“I’m not saying this to pass over something.”
“… … .”
“Brother Jeho, you have no motivation for group work. Don’t you know what I’m talking about?”
Choi Je-ho also seemed to have an inkling of something. It was something he could have noticed even while riding the KTX.
I haven’t even made my debut yet, but hardships and adversities are coming in like a tidal wave. Life is not easy.
While I was watching the relationship crumble like a sand castle, something occurred to me.
It was the ‘stick function’ written in ‘new job’.
Since it says function, I wonder if there is anything that can help.
I prayed in my heart and pressed the work page that appeared like a ghost right on cue.
At the same time, the members’ movements stopped for a moment as if time had stopped. A new explanation also appeared.
I read the text as quickly as possible because if I continued to waste time like this, the guys might get cramps in their legs.
+
[SYSTEM] The ‘stick function’ is notified to ‘.’
▷ Supports real-time confirmation of collaboration status between team members.
▷ Information on the relationships of members tied with sticks is disclosed irregularly according to KPI achievement performance.
▷ After selecting your team members, you can create a stick by writing an appropriate combination name.
+
The fact that this feature has been released at this point means that it will tie Choi Je-ho and Kang Ki-yeon together.
As I dragged the names of Choi Je-ho and Kang Ki-yeon floating in the air and put them into the box in front of me, an empty square was created.
+
[SYSTEM] Please enter the combination name.
[ ]
+
I wrote ‘the last line’ without hesitation.
+
[SYSTEM] Invalid combination name.
Reason: The facts are different from the combination name
+
And in an instant, it was rejected.
“why?”
Even if I asked, there was no answer.
This is ridiculous. That’s the official name that fans used to call it, so how can you reject it?
I slowly reread the reason for the rejection. Then I guessed what the problem was.
‘Did Choi Je-ho become the eldest brother because I came in?’
If you count our birthdays, I was born in February and Choi Je-ho was born in November, so strictly speaking, Choi Je-ho is not the eldest brother.
I was wondering where people would use things like Choi Je-ho’s birthday, and it turns out they use it for things like this.
After that, I wrote down more than ten combination names and got rejected all of them.
The reasons for rejection also varied.
+
[SYSTEM] Invalid combination name.
Reason: Innocent
[SYSTEM] Invalid combination name.
Reason: Meaningless and simple
[SYSTEM] Invalid combination name.
Reason: Feeling excessive malice
+
The difficulty of the judging was sky-high. It was like having to open a naming center just to draw the stick twice.
A cute nickname that was moderately original and affectionate was as contradictory as a company dinner to promote friendship.
So, I decided to put the word love in it. I think it will make you feel affection.
As I got to ‘Lovebird’, I started to feel a little cute.
But if I put in a lovey-dovey character, it was obvious that the reason would be something like ‘not an image that brings to mind’.
Those guys… … at first glance, they were far from being lovable.
At the end of the chapter I put in the final word.
+
[SYSTEM] The combination name has been confirmed as ‘Sapodungi’.
+
Fortunately, the system also recognized that the nickname was appropriate for the two prickly men.
As the pair succeeded in forming a combination, the images of each other that the two people had in mind began to appear.
+
[Choi Je-ho – I can’t tell what he’s thinking → Kang Ki-yeon]
+
I don’t know if I should be glad that it’s not something like ‘I’m not interested’.
He seemed to live alone in the world, but it seems he had some interest in his fellow trainees.
The twist was on Kang Ki-yeon’s side.
+
[Kang Ki-yeon – Sad → Choi Je-ho]
+
You said you were hurt because you had something against your brother. Isn’t that pretty cute?
It seems that Spark’s youngest member, Kiyeon Kang, is a person with a cold mouth but a warm heart.
In that case, I could understand to some extent the situation where Kang Ki-yeon was the only one holding back his anger.
Above all, if we don’t hate each other, there is hope.
I immediately turned off the stick function. At the same time, the suffocating atmosphere returned.
It seemed like Choi Je-ho was about to open his mouth, but I thought he might say something like, “I don’t know,” or “I’m not interested,” so I spoke to Kang Ki-yeon first.
“Can you tell me what part was upsetting? Then I can be more careful in the future.”
“It’s sad… … .”
Kang Ki-yeon’s eyes grew wide.
Sometimes it can be confusing when emotions are defined in clear words. I get it.
But Kang Ki-yeon soon spoke so decisively that his hesitation seemed meaningless.
“Brother Jeho, whenever I ask you to practice with a group, you say you know how to do everything, so why do you have to practice together from the beginning? Not once or twice, but every time.”
“hmm.”
“I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t like it when someone makes a mistake and the flow is interrupted, but it seems like he thinks that his role is over as long as he does well. Well, he’s not wrong… … but I don’t like it.”
Kang Ki-yeon’s words were refined and clear. The fact that his thoughts were organized to this extent meant that he had often pondered the same issue.
“Then just ask.”
“yes?”
“Choi Je-ho, why did you say no when Ki-yeon asked you to practice together?”
When the subject of the conversation shifted from Kang Ki-yeon to himself, Choi Je-ho was embarrassed.
“It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s that I can’t find a reason to do it together.”
It was a typical answer from Choi Je-ho. There are people in this world who don’t feel much excitement about achieving something.
“I understand. You just didn’t feel the need because there wasn’t anything better?”
“uh.”
“It’s natural for people to have different thoughts, but I still understand Kiyeon’s position a little more.”
“why?”
“That’s right. Is it because you’re preparing to debut in a group rather than debuting alone?”
I thought of Manager Nam, who had said that he didn’t know how important group culture is in social life, and a chill ran down my spine.
I tried my best to choose my words so as not to resemble that image.
“It’s hard to build teamwork just by debuting. If Choi Je-ho’s first priority is to improve his skills, Ki-yeon might have considered additional elements like teamwork to be important as well.”
“Then it’s not important for an individual to build up their skills?”
“That’s important, but I’m saying this because your skills aren’t at a level where a few group practices will do any good.”
“… … .”
“So, when Kiyeon asks you to practice together, how about thinking, ‘Oh, she wants to do something together?’ How wonderful. Talk to your hyung first.”
“Is it so unusual that you would talk to me first?”
“If you’re curious, count how many words you say to your members a day.”
Then Choi Je-ho’s expression became strange.
Oh, that last sentence was a joke.
“Yes, bro. Since Kang-Kyeon is an only child, he doesn’t often ask his elders to play with him, so that’s why!”
“I didn’t mean to ask you to play with me. Don’t twist it.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon skillfully wrapped up the atmosphere that was suddenly becoming serious. Both of them were quite special today.
The ‘Why do you say that?’ incident that suddenly began like that ended with the manager’s visit to the practice room.
It was only after I returned to the cramped, stuffy vocal practice room after a long fight that I finally calmed down my shocked heart.
‘Surely we don’t fight like this once a week?’
It was horrible to even imagine. Rather than going through all this trouble every time just to get 20 experience points, it would have been much better to receive the Ganggiyeonpyo special training for three weeks in a row.
Fighting is 100 times better than going into a slump like Jeong Seong-bin.
How did I end up in this group that is like a light in the wind?
I seriously thought about whether the ‘producer member’ that was decided as my job title might actually be a ‘mental producer member’.
But from next time on, there will be no conversation or gathering.
At that time, I will make sure that the parties involved resolve it by saying, “Oh, that’s how it was.”
* * *
The conversation time that I thought was barely enough to put out the spark brought about an unexpected change.
Although it was only a small amount, the members started talking to each other a little more than just greeting each other.
Even this morning, Choi Je-ho… … .
“Are you baking that bread because of teamwork?”
… … he asked. It was such an unexpected question that I almost burned all my bread.
The one who led this atmosphere was Lee Cheong-hyeon.
Lee Cheong-hyeon, who originally had a tendency to be the only one who was excited, sensed that the tense atmosphere had loosened up a bit and opened his mouth like a fish in water.
“Hey, aren’t you hungry?”
This was the third time this guy had asked if I was hungry since he came home from school and came to the practice room.
“I’m hungry. I was already thinking about what to eat for breakfast tomorrow.”
“Even so, I’ll just eat bread or noodles!”
That’s true, though.
I’m twenty years old, and my body is at its peak eating age. But I can’t help but be hungry if I only eat bread for breakfast and salad for lunch and dinner.
“Do you guys eat lunch? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you take a salad.”
“Oh, I don’t eat lunch during the semester.”
“what?”
It was shocking to think that these guys were suffering like that without me seeing them.
However, Lee Cheong-hyeon calmly complained that he did not eat the food that was served to him normally.
“Because the practice time is reduced, the amount of exercise is also reduced. If you eat the same as usual, you will gain weight.”
“No… …. Does that mean you don’t eat at all?”
“That’s better than having your weight checked and being criticized.”
Then Lee Cheong-hyeon sighed.
“But UA doesn’t weigh themselves very often. Big agencies are really strict with their management.”
“Aren’t you on the thin side among your peers?”
“Hey, bro, no matter what, idols can’t be of standard weight.”
The more I listened to Lee Cheong-hyeon’s words, the more disturbed I became.
Clearly, Spark has always been consistent throughout its seven years of operation.
This is what is called a ‘well-maintained look’.
However, as human eyes are sensitive to change, they also become insensitive to things that do not change.
When you see people whose height and weight haven’t changed for 7 years, you start to think, ‘Maybe that’s just how they are.’
In that case, their efforts would naturally be erased.
‘No matter what, I have to feed them.’
After moving around all day and only eating salad, you’re already feeling low on energy, and you skip one meal on top of that?
This is something that should not happen in a country where people eat rice.
It was strange to manage my weight when my debut was still over a year away.
You should think about feeding him something to make him grow taller. How important is height to male idols?
I know it’s hard to manage, but shouldn’t there be some sort of priority?
You can lose weight later, but if you miss the growth period, your height is gone.
“We’re all just trying to eat and live, but what is this… … .”
“Of all the expressions I’ve seen on your face lately, this is the most serious you’ve seen… … .”
Then wouldn’t it be serious if high school students were starving?
Moreover, even Hanpyeong Industry gave us a lunch break.
Of course, I had to give it to him by law, and even then, I had to eat it within 10 minutes because I had to deliver lunch to Manager Nam.
No fan in the world would want their idol to go around without eating.
Because I’ve never seen a sticker design for a tribute lunch box that didn’t include the words, “Don’t go hungry!”
Suddenly, I remembered that Spark had debuted 7 years ago, as a delicate, high-teen boy with a style that really didn’t suit me.
‘Did you deliberately go on a more severe diet to achieve that delicate boy concept?’
I looked around at Lee Cheong-hyeon in front of me and Choi Je-ho and the three others beyond him.
Unfortunately, for a young boy, he had a frighteningly cold side.
Even these guys, who are born with good bones, have a body type that doesn’t show unless they lose weight to an extreme.
‘I need to think about the concept… in advance.’
Something that suits them as much as possible.
Above all, the concept is that you don’t have to wear a skinny school uniform.