Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols - Chapter 40



Only Krnovel

| Episode 40. Health Management is also a Skill (1)

As Lee Cheong-hyeon said, “It feels real to be a member of the debut group,” debuting was slowly becoming a reality.

Above all, the biggest thing was that the group name was confirmed.

The group name, which went as far as to become a soaring pillar of fire, eventually settled on ‘Spark’.

I don’t know if there could have been a better name.

But I didn’t get involved in that part at all because the name that the parties and fans cherished back then was probably ‘Spark’.

In addition, there were various discussions, such as opening an official SNS account.

After hearing specific details about the group’s future, the atmosphere in the practice room changed in a positive direction.

I should say that the spirit has changed. It feels like everyone’s concentration has doubled compared to before.

The intensity of the practice also increased.

In the overall practice time, rest time was reduced and movement time was increased.

In the case of Park Joo-woo, who did not have good physical strength, after finishing a day’s practice, he would sit on the floor and rest for 5 minutes before going to his dorm.

In the meantime, I, who had not yet improved my dance skills, had to receive twice as much feedback as usual.

“Brother Lee Wol, get in!”

“Kim Yi-wol, the angle is not right.”

Like this.

Somehow I couldn’t get through even one verse without a hitch.

‘I said I was concentrating. Why am I like this?’

It felt like my body wasn’t keeping up. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this defeated since I first joined UA.

“Brother. I feel like I’ve been making mistakes on the same part since this morning. Wouldn’t it be faster if you just try it on your own?”

Today my daily instructor was Kiyeon Kang.

Kang Ki-yeon, who practiced the most passionately among us, was excluded from dance practice for the second day due to a slight problem with her already unstable ankle.

Kang Ki-yeon himself said that he would try to move without overdoing it, but everyone tried to dissuade him.

Since he’s the type of person who’ll learn the choreography in no time, rather than making him practice more right away, I let him be the one supervising the choreography practice, and he catches mistakes very quickly.

The problem was that I was the only one getting caught.

“Sorry. I’ll try again.”

I wiped away the sweat and apologized to the members.

There have already been many times when music has stopped because of me.

I felt like I was out of breath, maybe because I was nervous. Even though it was usually a time when I would be energetic, my body felt hot.

‘Is it because it’s summer?’

I looked around, wondering if the practice room itself was hot, but the other guys didn’t seem any different than usual.

It seems that the impatience of those who have fallen behind has manifested itself as heat. It hurts my heart.

Still, I stood up with renewed determination, and Kang Ki-yeon, who was sitting in front of the large mirror in the practice room and looking at us, asked.

“Brother, why are you sweating so much?”

“I think it shows my worries about getting cut because I can’t dance.”

“Don’t joke around.”

“Do you think my worries are a joke?”

This is always 100% sincere.

Even these days, I can’t even sleep properly at night because I’m afraid of hearing things like, “I thought about it a lot, but… I guess we should leave out Lee Wol-i” the day before my debut. This means I’m extremely worried.

I’ve come this far, and if I fail to debut right before my eyes, I won’t be able to face my older sister when I die. So I have to be sincere.

Kang Ki-yeon didn’t ask me any further after seeing my serious expression. I guess sincerity does get through.

Instead, Jeong Seong-bin came from the corner of the practice room with a towel and water and said.

“It could be because you’re nervous. If everyone’s okay, should we take a short break from practice?”

“Yeah… … Let’s just rest for 10 minutes.”

“I agree too… … !”

As soon as Jeong Seong-bin gave permission, Park Joo-woo and Lee Cheong-hyeon fell to the floor like raw eggs.

“I’m sorry. Everyone is suffering because of me.”

“If you think like that, it’ll be more burdensome. Eat comfortably, hyung.”

Then Jeong Seong-bin handed me the towel and water he had brought.

Why is that?

Looking at the incredibly kind Jeong Seong-bin, I was reminded of Manager Nam, whom I hated to even look at.

‘Are you drinking tea now, Manager Kim?’

‘Huh? Oh, yes.’

‘These days, employees are doing well, and they even have tea time while working.’

‘… … .’

‘Is it because people around me don’t pay enough attention? I feel a bit uncomfortable at work.’

Manager Nam, who had been arguing for 30 minutes over a sip of Donggulle tea while working, faintly appeared before my eyes.

I also remembered how I would leave the table for an hour, saying I was going to go get some coffee, but people around me barely managed to stop me from saying anything.

Even I drank quietly in my seat.

How can unpleasant memories be so vivid? It’s incomprehensible.

“Hyung? Are you really okay?”

“Oh, it’s okay. I’m just thinking about something else for a moment.”

“Really?”

“Okay. Thanks for the towel. I’ll go wash my face and come back.”

I just grabbed a towel and hurriedly left the practice room. When discipline was this lax, washing my face with cold water was the best.

I went straight to the bathroom, turned on the water so cold my hands were freezing, and washed my face. My mind suddenly came to me.

I poured cold water on myself until my skin felt hot, and when I raised my head, I saw my face flushed beyond the mirror. My focus was also blurry.

I knew what idol fans called these eyes.

“I’ve got frozen eyes, huh?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at myself for making such an stupid face when I was already flogging myself.

Even though I wasn’t in good condition, I had to endure it to some extent.

People can’t always be in good condition, and they may have to work even in unfavorable situations.

But what if, like Jeong Seong-bin said, I was nervous because I was the only one falling behind?

‘Then you need to come to your senses even more.’

It’s a nuisance to be nervous and hold others back while clinging to them like a piece of gum, asking them to debut with you.

I wiped the water off my face, went back to the practice room, and woke up the members who were sitting there.

“Are you all rested now? Get up. Hurry up.”

“Brother, you don’t have to rest?”

“I just washed up. I have to practice diligently to finish verse 1 today.”

“Verse 1? Can you get there?”

“Uh. So, don’t adjust the difficulty level for me, adjust it for you guys.”

It shows the tenacity and persistence of an office worker who has to rewrite a plan eight times even if it gets rejected seven times.

As if my frustration had been conveyed, practice resumed immediately. And it was very intense.

So we ended the day with passionate dancing until 10pm.

And the next day, I greatly regretted that moment.

* * *

It was one day when I was in college.

So, I take classes during the day, work as a tutor in the evening, and work at a convenience store from night until dawn.

That night, the boss who was in charge of the time slot ahead of me said as soon as he saw me at work.

‘Yiwol’s complexion doesn’t look good.’

‘Hello, boss. I guess I didn’t sleep well last night.’

‘Sleep? Why?’

‘That’s right. But I’m not sleepy at all right now, so you don’t have to worry.’

I remember speaking with the utmost care so that the owner would not feel anxious about having to entrust the store to a part-timer who looked pale.

For me, not being able to sleep was no big deal.

Because my sleeping hours were always the same and my lifestyle patterns were always similar.

So, after finishing my last task of the day, working at a convenience store, I returned to my studio and fell into a deep sleep.

It was such a great sleep that I don’t even remember the night before.

I slept so deeply that I didn’t even notice that my pillow was soaking wet with nosebleed until I woke up.

And today, several years later, I had that dream for the first time in a long time.

In my dream, I vividly remember waking up in the morning and looking at my dark pillow in disbelief.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve had such wonderful dreams.’

Thinking back to that time, I felt like my nose was a little sore. I wondered if that was why I had the dream of a nosebleed.

I unconsciously brought my hand to my nose.

At the same time, I could tell that the sore nose was not an illusion, and that the area under my nose was sticky.

And the pungent smell of iron vibrating under your nose.

‘no way.’

I raised my head, praying fervently that it would not be so.

Unfortunately, today’s pillow was also stained red here and there. And so were my fingertips.

Has anything been extremely stressful recently?

does not exist.

So has there ever been an event that caused you extreme stress?

That’s not it either.

‘Then why did my nose bleed?’

No matter how much I racked my brain while heating the frying pan, there was no doubt about it.

There was no way I was healthy. I had a health checkup every year and there was always nothing wrong.

I never got seriously ill, perhaps because I knew that my body owner couldn’t afford proper hospital bills.

In the morning, the nosebleed had already stopped. Thanks to that, I didn’t need to plug my nose, but I was so busy changing my pillowcase from the crack of dawn that I didn’t have any energy.

It was fortunate that I woke up before the alarm went off.

If I had been unlucky, I would have shown Lee Cheong-hyeon a rough morning as he woke up to get ready for school.

Since I was up early, I was baking bread in advance when Jeong Seong-bin came out from another room.

Judging from the fact that she was in pajamas, she seemed to have not washed yet.

“Brother? You woke up early… … ?”

“Yeah. I woke up early.”

I quickly pushed Jeong Seong-bin, who was trying to say hello and ask if he slept well, into the bathroom while still half-asleep and trying to follow the six commandments of lodging.

Then, this time, Kang Ki-yeon popped out from somewhere. It was such a busy morning that I didn’t have the presence of mind to care about things like my nose.

‘Well, what’s the big deal if my nose bleeds a little?’

I returned to my room after setting out a portion of toast on the table for the high school students going to school.

Since I woke up early, I thought I’d go to the practice room early.

And 30 minutes later, in the practice room.

‘under…….’

It sounds so stupid, but I realized it then.

I’m telling you, I’m suffering from summer fever.

Since I’ve never been sick in my life, I thought I was just out of shape. Until I started sweating profusely.

I had only just loosened up my body, but the moment my back became wet, I knew something was seriously wrong.

When I felt my temperature rising even when I was still, I understood why I had sweated so much yesterday.

‘Does it make you feel sick?’

It’s uncomfortable to show pain on your face.

It was because I had bad memories of that one time at Hanpyeong Industrial, when I crawled out of the bathroom on all fours because I was feeling sick and got scolded by Manager Nam.

‘Manager Kim, are you protesting that you’re sick right now? Haven’t I told you over and over that taking care of your health is also a skill?’

‘Is Manager Kim the only one sick? I’m sick too. Who doesn’t get sick while working?’

After that, I don’t even remember what the guy said because I felt sick and turned around and went back to the bathroom.

I took a fever reducer from the first aid kit in the practice room and ate it.

And before Choi Je-ho and Park Joo-woo arrived, I did my best to cool down by fanning myself with my hand.

I will endure it even if I die.

This is something I will never let slip! … …