Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols - Chapter 69



Only Krnovel

| Episode 69. Business Etiquette Training (2)

Kang Ki-yeon doubted his ears.

Not only was his gentle voice and warm gaze strange, but the conversation topics that Park Joo-woo chose were exactly the kind of topics that would come up at a fan signing event.

It was so natural that it seemed like he had memorized the entire script, but there was one problem.

This is because Kim Yi-wol rarely wears accessories.

‘Aren’t you going to ask me again if I’m paying attention…?’

Kang Ki-yeon, surprised, hurriedly checked Kim Yi-wol’s hand.

As if his worries were in vain, Kim Yi-wol had a really thick silver ring on his left ring finger.

It was a fashion ring that their manager, Chanyoung, often wore. It seemed like he had borrowed it for today.

Kim Yi-wol said shamelessly, still maintaining a happy tension.

“Oh my god, how did you know I got a new ring?”

“It goes so well with your hands… … Did you buy it recently?”

“Oh, I prepared it to wear today.”

It was unbelievable.

Park Joo-woo and Kim Yi-wol never thought that the day would come when they would hear people say things like, “I wore this for you,” or “It suits you well,” when it comes to silver accessories.

For a brief moment, Kang Ki-yeon worried that today might be the day the Earth would perish.

After that, Park Joo-woo and Kim Yi-wol had a meaningful conversation for three minutes, even with a timer turned on.

Finally, when the timer alarm went off, Kim I-wol stood up, clapped his hands, and said,

“You don’t have to practice anymore, Joo-woo. Go home.”

“Really… …? Thank you, hyung.”

“Brother! What about me? I worked hard too!”

“Lee Cheong-hyeon, you got a deduction for not voluntarily taking care of the doll hat while Joo-woo was giving his comment.”

Lee Cheong-hyeon could no longer stand Kim I-wol’s cold attitude and retreated.

At that moment, all the members of Spark except Park Joo-woo thought.

I felt bad about sleeping in the bed at the hotel today.

The ominous feeling was not wrong.

Kim Yi-wol appeared as an angelic fan, but in an instant, he turned into an evil spirit and caught the members like a rat.

It reached its peak when it was Choi Je-ho’s turn.

‘What’s with the silence? You don’t want to talk?’

‘No, just a moment… … .’

‘Do you think it’s funny that I made up 20 questions to talk to you and practiced outside the door so I wouldn’t get chewed out? Did you relax because I said Cheong-hyun is handsome in front of you and you thought I was a fan of Cheong-hyun? Are you not a fan of Spark or yours?’

The feedback was toxic up until then, but it was especially toxic for Choi Je-ho.

Choi Je-ho also criticized him for speaking harshly, but Kim I-wol did not give in.

‘Do you not know that you are not affected by such words? And others will say even worse things. If there is something that can be fixed in advance, improve it before the problem occurs.’

Choi Je-ho clicked his tongue. It must be because there was nothing wrong with what Kim Yi-wol said.

But the head and the mood are separate issues.

Choi Je-ho frowned. You could see that he was holding back a sigh.

Kim Yi-wol quietly looked at Choi Je-ho. And when Kim Yi-wol opened his lips again, Kang Ki-yeon became very nervous.

What are you trying to say this time?

I told you not to frown, so you can’t stand it? Or, if you don’t want to do that, then just hit me?

Either way, I couldn’t imagine the practice room atmosphere getting any better.

But what came out of Kim Iwol’s mouth was completely unexpected.

‘It’s not like you don’t have any questions for your fans. Why are you keeping your mouth shut like that?’

Kim Yi-wol was clearly convinced. It wasn’t a guess.

Kang Ki-yeon quickly exchanged glances with his colleagues sitting next to him. No one seemed to understand what was going on.

However, Choi Je-ho just looked at Kim I-wol in a crooked manner.

Then, after a few seconds, he spoke in a nervous tone, roughly ruffling his hair.

‘No, my older sister told me not to go around asking useless questions.’

‘Your older sister?’

‘I hate those kids who ask weird questions at school or work, I always come home and scold them. I especially nag them to keep their mouths shut… … Ha, just thinking about it makes my head hurt.’

Are you calling that an excuse now? Kang Ki-yeon was shocked.

Now, there is no doubt that Kim Il-wol’s lightning will strike. And they will turn to ashes and float through the air in the practice room…

‘Aha. I see what you mean.’

… … ?

Kim Yi-wol, who had been listening quietly, nodded while touching his chin.

Was Kim I-wol tolerant enough to understand that kind of explanation?

Kang Ki-yeon couldn’t figure out in what context Kim Yi-wol understood Choi Je-ho’s thoughts.

And that question was resolved in the ensuing conversation.

‘The annoying people you mentioned are people who are noisy or uninteresting seniors and juniors, right?’

‘uh.’

‘It’s disgusting when someone talks to you with impure intentions and keeps nagging you when you say no.’

‘yes.’

In short, Choi Je-ho’s older sister, who was tired of the repeated approaches, gave Choi Je-ho a special order, saying, “You shouldn’t live like that. In particular, keep your mouth shut because it’s dangerous.” Choi Je-ho is trying to faithfully carry out that order.

‘I wasn’t just sitting there thinking about it. I spent a long time wondering if this was a good question.’

‘I like that one. But the reason you said that is because the other person asked you a question with malicious intent. Are you a b*stard who harbors malicious intent toward your fans? Or are you going to say whatever you want on set without being able to tell the difference between heaven and earth? Just do this.’

‘Why does it continue like that?!’

‘Or, speak with gratitude, sincerity, and interest. If you feel like you’re crossing the line, I’ll stop you.’

Then, the two of them continued practicing for the autograph session as if nothing had happened. And they did so with a very serious attitude.

Kang Ki-yeon thought that the eldest brothers were out of their minds. However, he was relieved that no fight broke out, and was thankful that Choi Je-ho was a person who knew how to ask questions in a gentle and proper manner.

* * *

I was standing in the middle of a familiar campus.

Students busily walking around, the pouring sunlight, the raucous laughter from afar, and even the pleasant heaviness felt on one shoulder.

As I walked into the student union building, I saw the club room, which was where people stayed the longest after the classrooms in the school.

As always, the seniors’ chatter could be heard loudly beyond the door.

As I opened the door and went in, my seniors, as usual, motioned for me to come in.

Even though it was a band club, the meetings were long. They talked as much as they played their instruments.

And everyone was interested in the youngest, who was not cute.

‘Yiwol, what did you want to do that made you come to the business department?’

I came to college, but I didn’t study hard, and I spent all day tutoring and working part-time at a convenience store.

Other than that, it seemed like people thought it was quite strange that I was just playing the public bass in the club room.

But I have never thought deeply about the future. People who are struggling to survive in reality become short-sighted.

I answered, opening the bass case.

‘Shouldn’t we apply to any place that will accept our major?’

‘Aren’t you thinking of taking the civil service exam?’

The senior asked again.

News of students in the department struggling to prepare for the civil service exam was heard almost every day.

I didn’t have time to prepare for months or years, nor did I have living expenses, and I was so busy that I would just collapse when I got home. It wasn’t a place I could afford to go.

So I smiled awkwardly and answered.

‘Anyone can become a civil servant.’

‘Hey, don’t put pressure on the kid. He should go on an audition show like Ennet and become a singer.’

‘Aren’t you the one who’s putting the most effort into it?’

The one in charge of vocals didn’t even come to the club room, but the seniors surrounded me and drove me around.

While doing so, we passionately discussed how far I could go if I went on an audition program and what songs I should choose to increase my chances of winning.

After talking like that for a while, the seniors always reached almost the same conclusion.

‘Hey, it’s okay. Yiwol just needs to go out for now. Don’t worry.’

‘Lee Wol-ah, even if you debut later, you shouldn’t forget me, right?’

‘If Lee Wol becomes a top star because of you, he will probably say in an interview that he overcame the oppressive military discipline of his seniors and grew musically.’

‘What are you talking about? It’s all because of you.’

In the meantime, I didn’t have much to say.

All I could do was set up the bass that my senior, who had graduated from Cosmos, had passed down to me perfectly.

After finishing preparing for the ensemble performance as usual, the moment came when we were about to start practicing.

The alarm went off at my bedside. At the same time, my eyes opened.

The wooden ceiling still in front of my nose told me that what had just happened was a dream.

It’s funny. The memory is so vivid that it appears in my dreams, but right now I can’t even enter that club room.

‘The funniest thing is that I actually debuted.’

Although it didn’t seem like he would become a top star, his long-awaited debut date had arrived.

Instead of the oppressive military discipline of their seniors, they grew up with unfair contracts that drained people of their blood through the system.

The system guy showed up at the crack of dawn, as if he knew that today was the contract expiration date.

+

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from ‘Manager’ have arrived.

Manager Kim, you know today is the deadline for your performance evaluation, right? Don’t feel too pressured. If Manager Kim has done well so far, his evaluation will be good, or else… … it’ll just go a little bit. I hope it goes well. Don’t forget that I’m always rooting for Manager Kim.

+

Did you think I’d get mad again if you said something like that?

Sorry, but you were wrong.

Until yesterday, I had been practicing my debut song, fan signing, and fan meeting routines like crazy, so now I was looking forward to my debut.

Come, sweet debut.