Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

I’m screwed.

 

I was the one who pushed for us to enter IDC, and now, because of me, we might not even make it to the announcement stage. I have no idea what went through my head.

 

‘An eight-week recovery period, with total fatigue reaching 95%… Does that mean I almost died?’

 

Suddenly, the system’s messages, which had been bothering me until recently, came to mind.

 

+

 

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

 

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, why are you doing things I didn’t tell you to do? Don’t you have any work? Should I give you more?

 

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

 

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, you’re making things unnecessarily difficult. Why do you keep doing things I told you not to?

 

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

 

▶ Assistant Manager Kim, standing out isn’t always a good thing in society.

 

+

 

At that time, clearly…

 

‘Who’s going to die if Spark leaves IDC? Will the flow of the heavens change?’

 

…I thought like that.

 

But it turned out I really almost died. The countdown was a warning.

 

Looking back now, I could see that the system wasn’t entirely hostile toward me. At the very least, it hadn’t completely abandoned me when I faced a crisis. It even had follow-up measures in place, like the four major insurance plans.

 

Furthermore, based on the recent system message, it seemed the penalty imposed during IDC was intended to prevent this incident.

 

Finally, all the puzzle pieces seemed to fit together.

 

The abnormally reduced budget, the unusually large amount of negative reactions even considering the malicious editing, and the recent character controversy that even led to demands for my removal.

 

Although it wasn’t directly stated, the penalties and countdown were constantly pushing me to leave.

 

Does this mean I should stop doing anything the system doesn’t explicitly ask me to do?

 

But then again, during the Challenge Life show, there hadn’t been any restrictions or penalties. This meant that not everything was strictly divided into ‘things you can do’ and ‘things you can’t do.’

 

‘And besides… how am I supposed to get to number one by only doing what I’m told?’

 

I didn’t even know how many KPIs I had left to meet, so I couldn’t afford to hesitate.

 

Only one thing was certain: Ignoring the system’s warnings wouldn’t end well for me. Finding the loopholes, however, was my new challenge.

 

Why did it have to go this far just to turn me into an idol?

 

My head was spinning. My thoughts were so tangled they felt like they were about to explode.

 

‘Damn it.’

 

Thinking about unsolvable problems drove me crazy. I shut my eyes.

 

If only I could switch off my thoughts with a simple click.

 

But my unresolved thoughts lingered in my head like grease floating on a pot of cold bone broth.

 

Whatever. For now, I should just be grateful that I wasn’t dead.

 

There would be plenty of time to think later, but the IDC’s finals were just around the corner.  This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

 

‘Wasn’t there something else below the industrial accident insurance explanation?’

 

When the industrial accident insurance explanation first appeared, I was too panicked to read beyond the most obvious words. But thinking back, it felt like there had been more written at the bottom.

 

I opened the industrial accident insurance explanation again.

 

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[SYSTEM] ‘Subordinate’ is notified of ‘Four Major Insurances – Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance.’

 

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▷ During the ‘Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance’ period, ‘Subordinate’ can choose one of the following: ① Pain relief from work-related injury, ② Rapid recovery from work-related injury (varies depending on the severity of the injury).

 

▷ Insurance benefits are limited to one-time use.

 

+

 

The system had said it would take two weeks to recover from the injuries I sustained at the time.

 

If two weeks was all it took for a head injury, now that I’d had surgery, I should be able to heal in even less time.

 

‘Since the finals are postponed anyway, I can just say I made a miraculous recovery and go up on stage.’

 

While I was at it, I wanted to build some muscle as well, so I deactivated the work support service.

 

Leaving it on would prevent muscle growth. This was my chance to reset my fatigue levels and come back stronger than ever.

 

As I stared at the part about being able to change benefits, a new message appeared.

 

+

 

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

 

▶ You can’t stack benefits, you know? Just because something looks flashy on the outside doesn’t mean it’s all good, so pay attention to the substance too. Good luck!

 

+

 

Then, 3 seconds later.

 

The same headache I had experienced hours ago returned with a vengeance.

 

‘F*ck, with my body this XX up, no wonder those guys worry, XX, XX, XX…’

 

My head was filled with nothing but curse words. This was the first time I had experienced this since chemical warfare training.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Jeong Seongbin visited the hospital room with Choi Jeho.

 

Looking pale and haggard, I greeted them as best as I could.

 

“What’s up with your face?”

 

This guy’s picking a fight with my appearance. Is he trying to show off how handsome he is?

 

“Are you in a lot of pain, hyung? You look really unwell.”

 

Take a look at Jeong Seongbin. He said the same thing, but in such a gentle and affectionate way.

 

“I’m fine. Thanks for coming, both of you.”

 

I wasn’t fine at all, but if they found out, they’d nag me to death. So I mustered all my acting skills to look composed.

 

“Actually, what I wanted to discuss today…”

 

“Sorry to interrupt, hyung. But there’s something I wanted to say first.”

 

Surprisingly, Jeong Seongbin cut me off mid-sentence. When I told him to speak his mind, he hesitated for a moment, then spoke firmly.

 

“Hyung, we’ll handle the final competition on our own.”

 

It was a completely unexpected statement. These guys were actually taking a step towards being a five-member group, Spark, of their own initiative!

 

I had thought the only way to prevent Spark from withdrawing from IDC was for me to recover as quickly as possible, convince everyone I was fine, and get back on stage.

 

But these admirable guys were telling me to rest and that they would handle the stage themselves.

 

I almost burst into tears of joy, but I held back. My head already hurt so much that I was on the verge of tears. If I let my guard down, both my tear ducts and my wounds would burst open.

 

“Are you sure you can do that?”

 

“Are you in any position to worry about that? If we tell you to rest, just rest.”

 

Even Choi Jeho kindly advised me to rest.

 

This was a momentous occasion. I decided to mark today as my second birthday.

 

“Thanks for your consideration. You guys will definitely look more amazing without me.”

 

“….Huh?”

 

Even though their planning was poor in the past, the Spark members always performed their roles incredibly well. This time, I had spoon-fed them the idea, so they should be able to pull it off brilliantly.

 

‘Is this the first time Spark will show the audience a proper five-member performance?’

 

If they nailed this stage, the impact of my eventual departure from the group would be softened.

 

By then, people might start saying things like, ‘Spark didn’t really need Kim Iwol after all’.

 

“It’s an important stage, so make it count. It might actually be better this way. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”

 

Instead of wasting a ton of time memorizing the damn choreography, it might be better for a klutz like me to work on my laptop here.

 

The others wouldn’t have to adjust to my dance skills either. And if we excluded the budget for my costumes and props, they’d have more money to use.

 

I was about to ask Jeong Seongbin if he could bring me a shared laptop, but his expression looked strange.

 

“’It’s better this way’? What do you mean, hyung?”

 

“I mean, the quality will be higher if it’s just you guys. It was a good call to let you and Joowoo rest during the last position battle. Or maybe Kiyeon could take more parts this time…”

 

“Wait a minute. I don’t understand why you think that way, hyung. Why do you think it would be better without you?”

 

“I told you last time. Do I really have to say it twice?”

 

Jeong Seongbin’s expression hardened.

 

“So, if there’s a spare laptop, could you bring me one? And my journal too. I think I left it next to my pillow.”

 

“…No, just rest while you’re hospitalized.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“We’ll figure out a way for you to participate, even if only briefly. Just focus on recovering as quickly as possible before the final competition.”

 

I didn’t know why he suddenly changed his attitude, but Jeong Seongbin was resolute. His mood had visibly soured.

 

“He’s been given an eight-week recovery period. There’s no way he’ll be discharged before that.”

 

Choi Jeho interjected. But Jeong Seongbin didn’t budge.

 

“There must be a way for all six of us to perform. So let’s drop the idea of hyung sitting this one out.”

 

With those words, Jung Sungbin bowed politely and left the room. I gestured for Choi Jeho to follow him quickly.

 

“System, can’t you show them a video of Spark performing as a five-member group?”

 

If I could just show them that once, Jeong Seongbin wouldn’t say things like that.

 

But the system was merciless.

 

+

 

[SYSTEM] Work instructions from the ‘Superior’ have arrived.

 

▶ Be realistic. Assistant Manager Kim, you really have a knack for trying to cut corners, don’t you?

 

+

 

The dizziness I had been suppressing in front of them came rushing back.

 

Here I was, in pain, with no paid sick leave, and Jeong Seongbin still scolding me. Life felt so unfair.

 

* * *

 

“You want to include hyung’s part in the latter half?”

 

Lee Cheonghyeon was shocked by Jeong Seongbin’s announcement. Park Joowoo and Kang Kiyeon’s expressions weren’t much different.

 

“What’s wrong? Did the conversation with hyung not go well…?”

 

“That’s not it.”

 

That was all Jeong Seongbin could say in response to Park Joowoo’s question.

 

The members had waited a long time in front of the operating room before finally seeing Kim Iwol. But when they did, none of them could speak.

 

His face, difficult to recognize due to being covered in blood, his lips scabbed from being bitten, and the numerous IVs stuck in the back of his hand.

 

Even the word ‘injury’ felt too mild to describe it. Everyone was reminded of death as they looked at Kim Iwol.

 

Park Joowoo, who had been holding back his tears, cried non-stop until he heard that Kim Iwol was recovering stably. Lee Cheonghyeon, who had been alternating between crying and stopping himself, wailed as soon as Kim Iwol opened his eyes.

 

Fortunately, after Kim Iwol passed the critical point, the members returned to their dorm, each lost in thought.

 

And the next day, Jeong Seongbin gathered the members.

 

“Yesterday, the manager hyung said that if it was too hard for us, we could withdraw from IDC.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“I want to know what you all think. Just share your thoughts honestly.”

 

Jeong Seongbin already had a desired outcome in mind. He had even spent the entire night thinking about how to persuade the members if they disagreed with him.

 

However, that worry turned out to be meaningless.

 

“This is the program Iwol hyung tried so hard to persuade us to join. He’s not someone who likes giving up halfway. I think we should see it through to the end.”

 

Everyone agreed with Kang Kiyeon’s words. Unanimously.

 

“Even if he’s discharged after eight weeks, hyung will still need continuous treatment. The five of us will have to handle the stage. Is everyone okay with that?”

 

Jeong Seongbin double-checked. The members, who had spent just as much time agonizing over it as he had last night, agreed once more.

 

So they resolved to lessen hyung’s burden, to do their best to ensure he could focus solely on his recovery without worrying about them.

 

‘It’s an important stage, so do your best. Maybe this is for the better.’

 

And yet, why were those words so infuriating?

 

At that moment, Jeong Seongbin saw an image of Kim Iwol practicing alone late at night, overlapping with the current Kim Iwol.

 

‘I’m doing this because I’m much lacking compared to you guys.’

 

Jeong Seongbin clearly remembered Kim Iwol’s words.

 

Words so absurd that anyone at UA would find them preposterous.

 

Even during his argument with Kang Kiyeon, when Kim Iwol had thanked them for being considerate to him, it hadn’t sat well with Jeong Seongbin.

 

Wasn’t that much only natural? They were fellow members, they had shared joys and sorrows, and he was the hyung they relied on the most.

 

“About Iwol hyung.”

 

Jeong Seongbin voiced what he had been pondering over for a long time.

 

“Don’t you think his self-esteem is abnormally low?”