Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

During the campfire session, a short segment was held with the theme of burning away past hardships and moving forward with a fresh start…

“I was happy to become close with such good hubaes! There were times we clashed, but moving forward, I want us to maintain a great relationship and grow together!”

…and Song Minil ruined the mood once again.

What clashes? He was the one who started it. That sly bastard.

As if reading my mind, the Berion members glanced at me, gauging my reaction. I diligently maintained a benevolent smile.

Other minor incidents included someone setting marshmallows on fire and another suddenly bursting into tears, lamenting the hardships of the competition. Perhaps because they were still young, the atmosphere softened more easily than I expected.

Watching them, I was reminded of the Hanpyeong Industry campfire, where everyone except the executives wanted to go home.

As I stared at the roaring flames back then, what had I been thinking?

That I want to go home?

Asking why am I living like this?

I remember being consumed by a very intense longing…

It was Park Joowoo who broke my train of thought.

“…It’s nice, all of us coming together like this.”

“Huh?”

“It feels like a real trip.”

Park Joowoo smiled faintly. It was quite unusual.

His usually expressionless face was wearing a smile, the flickering firelight reflecting on his normally cold features.

Par Joowoo, who hated noise, was enjoying the laughter and chatter. Park Joowoo, who was always shy and eager to hide, was saying it was nice to have so many people gathered…

“I guess so.”

I replied shortly and turned my head. I felt strange.

‘Has he changed?’

I didn’t want to exert too much influence on Spark. I was fine with managing their work and preventing accidents, but I didn’t want to alter the personalities of the individual members.

This made me feel oddly guilty.

“Let’s come again with the UA staff next time!”

Lee Cheonghyeon exclaimed excitedly.

I wanted to ask if he was trying to ruin the company’s employee satisfaction rating, but I held back because of the cameras.

“Where do you want to go?”

“The beach is probably the easiest, isn’t it?”

Jeong Seongbin and Choi Jeho, true leaders who never ignored their members’ words, wasted no time escalating the idea.

“That’s right. If we all go, we’ll need to rent two buses like the one we took today, right? I wonder how much that would cost.”

Kang Kiyeon added his two cents.

“Round trip to Incheon is about 400,000 won per bus, Gangwon is about 600,000 won. But generally, they charge based on kilometers rather than just the region.”

“When did you even look that up?”

“Maybe this hyung secretly wants to go on a group trip too?”

Do I? If the UA rating drops because of the company retreat, it’s all your fault.

We had a heated debate while watching the flames, ‘UA Staff Retreat: Mountains or Beach?’.

Idols planning a company retreat while wearing mosquito-repellent bracelets—I hoped this wouldn’t make it onto the broadcast.

* * *

The variety show-style retreat was brutal.

From the crack of dawn, the IDC cast had to perform a wake-up mission: dancing cutely to a trendy aegyo song.

The idols, barely awake, struggled to learn the choreography and perform the adorable dance… I didn’t know who would want to watch it, but everyone did their best.

Of course, trying your best doesn’t always guarantee good results.

I showcased my abysmal dance skills and sank miserably.

‘I need at least a day to learn this.’

‘But Iwol, you’re an idol!’

‘There are always mutations in the world!’

Why is the world so harsh to idols? I bit my lip in sorrow, but nothing changed.

“Hyung, you still haven’t passed?”

“I’m planning to skip breakfast today.”

Kang Kiyeon gave me a pitying look. Having already visited the food truck, he offered me a helping hand.

“Look. This hand gesture represents rabbit ears.”

“Oh, it wasn’t Maltese ears?”

“That’s not important, anyway. Then…”

Kang Kiyeon danced brightly and cheerfully, despite the early hour.

I, on the other hand, clumsily tried to follow along beside him.

How could anyone learn a dance just by watching it? I’d been in school for 16 years and never learned such a skill.

“Iwol hyung, still on the mission?”

“Can’t I just take over in your place…?”

Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo, who had also enjoyed a hearty breakfast, expressed their sympathy.

Gathering more than forty idols and making one office worker struggle—this was the harsh modern society. I would not forgive it.

In the end, I somehow managed to pass by peeking at the five Spark members dancing in front and mimicking them from the back row. Tears welled up in my chest as I received my meal.

As I was eating my hard-earned food, Cha Sehan, sitting diagonally across from me, spoke.

“Hyung, did you not get any mosquito bites? There were so many mosquitoes in our room.”

“We turned on the mosquito repellent. Want some lotion?”

“You carry that around?”

Of course. While I was with this team, I had a duty to protect their faces from all kinds of disasters.

And mosquito repellent was a summer essential.

There were so many mosquitoes in the Hanpyeong Industry office that I kept a personal repellent at my desk every summer. The company never bought it for me.

I handed Cha Sehan the bottle and continued eating.

Then, the small number in the corner of my vision caught my eye.

The number, which had been 3 yesterday, had changed to 2. I only noticed now, distracted by the dance.

‘Is it a countdown?’

I tried to recall what was scheduled for two days later, but there was nothing besides the final IDC competition meeting.

It seemed unlikely the system would display such a minor schedule like this.

During the break after the meal, I asked Jeong Seongbin.

“Seongbin, do we have any schedules the day after tomorrow? Besides the IDC filming.”

“Nothing else besides that.”

So, it wasn’t a schedule. Was it a new task? What grand task was the system going to give me?

‘Hey, you should at least tell me what it is so I can prepare.’

I complained, but the system didn’t show up. Lazy bastard. Just try lecturing me about attendance after this.

* * *

Aside from my slightly reduced field of vision due to the countdown, the retreat ended smoothly.

Since the cameras weren’t rolling on the bus ride back, we could sit wherever we wanted.

However, unlike when we first boarded, we all got off at the broadcasting station when it was time to disperse. Why did even this have to feel like a retreat?

On the way back to the dorm, our manager, who had come to pick us up, spoke during a red light.

“Guys, are you coming to the company later?”

Even after a two-day, one-night shoot, we still had to go to the company. To practice.

When Jeong Seongbin answered yes, the manager, relieved, started driving again.

“Then stop by the office before going to the practice room.”

“The office?”

“Yeah. A lot of fan letters arrived. You have some time before the next competition, so it’d be good to read them now.”

Come to think of it, it had been a while since we’d last received fan letters.

I suddenly remembered the first time I received them. Even when I went to the post office to send mine, I thought, ‘These guys must receive a lot of letters…’ but when I actually got them, I was shocked by both the quantity and the sincerity.

Sure enough, this time, each person at least had a box full of fan letters.

For someone like me, who had only ever received utility bills and health check-up notices in the mail, I still hadn’t quite gotten used to it.

‘It feels…heavy, somehow.’

When I first received fan letters, I felt surprised, but afterward, I felt grateful.

At the same time, I felt guilty. I was working for very selfish reasons, and yet receiving such pure support, I wondered if I deserved it.

There were even more fan letters this time than usual.

Judging by the encouraging stickers and messages on the envelopes, it seemed many were sent after the personality controversy.

I settled into a corner and opened the letters addressed to me.

As usual, the letters were filled with affection, written in every available space.

【This is my first time sending a letter to an idol.

I don’t know if you’ll read this, Iwol, but I’m writing this hoping my support reaches you!

.

.

.】

【I can’t believe this is already my fifth letter ㅎㅎ

While being a Spark fan, I’m always surprised by how deeply I can love something.

Whenever I see stationery with flame designs, I buy it and write to you. It’s both painful and joyful how much Spark fills my life ^^】

【Iwol, it’s noona

.

.

.

The world is too harsh for our twenty-one-year-old tuxedo kitty, isn’t it? Noona wants to blow up the earth for that, but it’s not easy…

Still, trust the human powder kegs that are Sparklers and hang in there a little longer. Sparklers are always on your side.

Ignore the keyboard warriors who don’t spend time or money on Spark, and only listen to the sweet words. Our Iwol is an adult, so you understand what noona’s trying to say, right?

I love you, even if you look like a sea urchin with the personality of a dust bunny under a wardrobe. Wash up warm, cover yourself with a clean blanket, and sleep well!】

【To. Iwol

Iwol, you’ve been so busy filming ‘IDC’, haven’t you? Are you eating well?

I’ve lost the will to live since the company cafeteria changed the suppliers. Why did they change it? The only perk of this company was the delicious food.

Although you guys only eat chicken breast and salad because you’re on a diet, I want to see you eating delicious food today. I think it would make my heart a little happier.

Taking care of yourself is good, but sometimes eat what you want. Isn’t that why we work and live? I feel a thrill every time I see your jawline, but I still want you to be happy.

Don’t just tell your fans to eat a balanced diet, you should eat well too. Okay? I love Spark’s amazing abs to death, but a sick Spark who doesn’t eat well is a cardinal sin. Keep that in mind.】

About half were kind and affectionate letters, and the other half were filled with resolute support and love. It was hard to tear my eyes away from any of them.

After a long while, I finally finished reading and organizing the fan letters.

The others were also reading most of their fan letters by now.

Back when I was a fan at the Hanpyeong Industry, I thought idols wouldn’t read their fan letters at all, or just a few at most. But these guys diligently read every single one they received.

When they were busy, they read them in the car. If even that wasn’t possible, they used their break time.

I didn’t have any complaints about this part. Everyone read their fan letters properly.

So why didn’t they show this side of themselves to the fans sooner? Why were they like that in the past?

Just as I was about to explode in anger, Lee Cheonghyeon drew everyone’s attention.

“How do you guys store your fan letters?”

“I put them in boxes under my bed…”

“I do the same as Joowoo. I want to move them somewhere else, though, since it’s hard to take them out.”

There weren’t many other places to put them, but it seemed that Park Joowoo and Jeong Seongbin had neatly stored them under their beds.

“I got a storage box. What about you hyungs?”

“In the bottom drawer of my closet.”

“In my suitcase.”

As soon as we finished talking, Choi Jeho and I exchanged looks. Both of us had the same expression, thinking, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’.

What’s wrong with a suitcase? It was the only thing I cherished in this dorm.

“That’s good and all, but everyone be careful of humidity. Mold can grow on walls or paper during the rainy season.”

Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo’s faces paled at my words. It seemed they hadn’t thought of that.

“Or buy a six-drawer dresser and keep them in your own space. Get one that fits in the living room.”

“That’s a good idea. It’ll be easy to see them if they’re in the living room!”

Lee Cheonghyeon excitedly agreed.

The company would probably get us a new dorm once we got more popular, so we should buy a plastic dresser to make moving easier. And put dehumidifiers in each drawer.

Practice that day was more energetic than usual.  Everyone was smiling.

Now that I thought about it, it was strange. These guys, who loved their fans enough to enjoy practice after a two-day, one-night shoot and just by reading a few fan letters, why did they disband?

It was baffling. Even I found myself constantly looking back whenever I received such affection.