Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

Perhaps due to the media coverage, the situation was quickly resolved.

 

First, UA swiftly concluded the internal audit that had been dragging on. They also began a large-scale overhaul of internal regulations.

 

I heard all this news directly from UA employees. I politely declined, but the CEO and a few other employees insisted on visiting me at the hospital.

 

“I’m truly sorry, Iwol. I have no excuse.”

 

It was incredibly awkward to just lie there and accept their bowed apologies.

 

Still, I didn’t say it was okay. If they had properly evaluated Yoo Hansoo before hiring him, or if they had overcome their discomfort and fired him when the issues first arose, none of this would have happened.

 

The CEO continued to speak for quite some time.

 

“You were so competent that the company and I became overly greedy. We shouldn’t have, but we placed too much burden on you.”

 

“The company should be a place you can trust, but it failed to be. I feel ashamed that we didn’t provide that trust. At the same time, this incident made us reflect on whether we even have the capability to offer such trust. I’m deeply sorry.”

 

Even from my hospital bed, I could tell how much UA was being hammered both inside and outside the industry.

 

Demands ranged from a public apology to calls for a special law to abolish unfair practices. The small pebble I’d thrown had turned into a hailstorm striking UA.

 

So, I’d expected them to be humble in their approach, but…

 

“We’re accepting requests for department transfers within the company. Of course, we’re not just relying on volunteers—people like Jukyung and the planning team members who worked well with you will be reassigned proactively by the company.”

 

“We plan to consistently create opportunities for one-on-one meetings. The management team has only focused on contracts and compensation until now. We’ll expand the areas the company takes care of to minimize any discomfort.”

 

“Don’t worry about self-produced content anymore. We’ll hire separate staff for that. If you have any preferences for personnel or requirements, we’ll accommodate them as much as possible.”

 

…Their humility went beyond mere formality. I could feel their sincerity, and it caught me off guard.

 

There were many other follow-up measures as well.

 

From now on, whenever I needed to move for idol-related activities—such as going to the practice room—the manager would always pick me up (as a side note, the manager received a pay cut due to this incident). UA also decided to compensate members with idea fees whenever they contributed to concept planning or other creative work.

 

As I was still processing this sudden shower of benefits, the CEO asked,

 

“Can you give us another chance?”

 

I didn’t have much of a choice anyway—I was fated to stay here until I achieved my final KPI. If the conditions improved, I could only be grateful.

 

Ultimately, their goal was for us to do nothing except participate in planning and composition meetings. I couldn’t help but wonder how nice it would have been if it had been like this from the beginning, but I decided to think positively, believing that a bright future awaited.

 

Meanwhile, Yoo Hansoo was making headlines almost daily, alternating between the entertainment and society sections of the news.

 

In entertainment, he was portrayed as a corrupt power figure who habitually abused idols and industry professionals. In society, he was labeled a criminal who assaulted a young idol. The news was constantly ablaze with his scandal.

 

Occasionally, there were articles about Yoo Hansoo complaining of severe headaches.

 

At least I had painkillers—the thought that he couldn’t receive any treatment because he had no visible injuries was strangely satisfying.

 

This wasn’t the only refreshing news.

 

Inspired by Newri’s exposé, industry professionals began to report Yoo Hansoo’s misdeeds one by one, even coining the term ‘Yoo Hansoo Gate’.

 

≫ They say there are hundreds of pieces of evidence submitted by victim K alone, making it almost impossible for him to avoid a prison sentence. Did I read that right?

 

└ If he was cursed that many times, he should have spoken up sooner… poor Iwol…

 

≫ Another YHS exposé (from a junior colleague at the same company, with proof)

 

This bastard, there’s no end to his deed

 

└ What he’s doing is f*cking evil…. If he’s deliberately bullying people, those below him couldn’t have endured mentally

 

└ Fr. Stealing achievements and verbal abuse, it’s all gaslighting. I wouldn’t have lasted three months and quit right away

 

≫ Wow, but it’s also chilling that he was collecting all of this one by one

 

Did the victims plan to report him all along? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

└ If my boss was an a**hole, I would have reported him too

 

└ Is this YHS a psychopath?

 

Amidst this storm, I, the initial whistleblower and the biggest victim…

 

“You’re saying there were witnesses to the assault?”

 

“Yes, my group members.”

 

“The evidence was handed over to an employee but is now lost, so only photos remain?”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

…I had the luxury of having police officers in my private hospital room, verifying the facts of the damage.

 

Since the case had grown so large, they asked for permission to visit the hospital for a faster investigation, and I readily agreed, wanting to avoid dragging it out.

 

“Were these assaults or threats ongoing?”

 

“Physical contact, such as hitting my shoulder or head, occurred almost every time, and the threatening remarks worsened after the PD moved departments.”

 

“The abuse was mainly through phone calls or messengers?”

 

“Yes. Or he often called me to meeting rooms or the rooftop where there were no CCTVs.”

 

And I could see the officers’ faces darken every time I spoke.

 

“There are CCTVs in the meeting rooms and on the way to the emergency exit, right? We’ll have to check those.”

 

“I recorded all the dates and times in my planner. I documented every movement for work purposes…”

 

“Oh, you did well.”

 

The typing sound of the officer recording the conversation grew faster and faster.

 

After wrapping up my testimony on Yoo Hansoo’s misdeeds, an officer asked:

 

“This is a procedural question, but if the perpetrator’s side requests a settlement, would you consider it?”

 

If I were in dire need of medical expenses and couldn’t endure a long legal battle, maybe.

 

But UA was covering everything—there was no way I’d make such a foolish decision.

 

“I…”

 

I was about to phrase my thoughts more politely—’I need to see Yoo Hansoo completely blacklisted from the industry!’—when the hospital room door suddenly burst open. Because I was lying down, I couldn’t see who had entered.

 

“Are you Mr. Kim Iwol’s guardian?”

 

The officer asked, looking towards the source of the sound.

 

‘There’s no way those people would come now, right?’

 

The officer looked at my face, then towards the door, back and forth.

 

Then, the unknown visitor spoke.

 

“I’m Hansoo’s mother.”

 

“Cough.”

 

I choked even though I’d only inhaled air. I covered my mouth, trying to suppress my cough.

 

“Excuse me, you can’t just come in here like this, Ma’am.”

 

One of the officers got up and disappeared from my view. It seemed he was trying to escort Yoo Hansoo’s mother out.

 

This was straight out of a drama. If Kang Kiyeon had popped out from under my bed shouting, ‘Surprise! It was all a hidden camera prank!’ I might have believed it.

 

The visitor was persistent. She didn’t budge despite being told she couldn’t be here.

 

“You have to follow procedure and talk, you can’t just barge in like this.”

 

“I came here to sincerely apologize…”

 

“That’s only possible if the victim consents to it, Ma’am. And this is a hospital. Can’t you see he’s still a patient? Please leave first.”

 

“Do you think I’d be doing this if I wasn’t desperate? Don’t you have children, officer?”

 

As my manager, who had stepped out earlier for the investigation, returned, the woman was ushered out of the room by two strong men.

 

But that didn’t change much. The commotion continued out in the hallway.

 

“Does this happen often?”

 

“More than you’d think…”

 

“That must be tough…”

 

The remaining officer and I, both visibly drained, waited for the situation to calm down.

 

But my expectations were in vain—the commotion refused to subside.

 

The mother kept lamenting about how Yoo Hansoo was a young man with a bright future and the pride of the family, and  and how a single impulsive mistake shouldn’t ruin his entire life with a prison sentence.

 

Damn it, Yoo Hansoo was sure lucky. Even after stabbing someone in the back, he still had family defending him.

 

Meanwhile I didn’t have anyone to sign as my guardian because they didn’t want to be involved, even though I had a head injury.

 

Just as my anger started to flare up, I heard my manager’s voice.

 

“Your son hurt someone so badly the child can’t even sit up, and this is how you act? how can you be this selfish?”

 

The manager was yelling.

 

Even without seeing him, I could tell—he was really, really angry.

 

‘He was so calm when I first woke up.’

 

Perhaps even his calm demeanor back then was for my sake. So that I wouldn’t be shocked right after the accident.

 

“Um, can I confirm that I don’t want to settle and proceed with the case?”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

If it were any other time, I might have let her in the room because I didn’t want to cause trouble for other people in the hospital.

 

I might have considered listening to her since it was Yoo Hansoo who committed the crime, not his mother. Or perhaps I would have considered settling out of pity for an elderly person who came to apologize on behalf of her son.

 

But I decided not to sympathize with them anymore.

 

Because I had people who worry for me for days and take my side.

 

“Yes. I want to proceed without any leniency.”

 

Let him deal with the consequences of his actions. Just like the day he stole the data in the meeting room.

 

And so, my long and bitter relationship with Yoo Hansoo came to an end.

 

* * *

 

While UA and I were putting out fires offline, a lot was happening online.

 

Seeing ‘Apology_final.jpg’ from UA made me grab the back of my neck in frustration, but at least they uploaded a revised statement. That was a relief.

 

Spark received praise and went viral for showing a good performance despite experiencing such internal company issues.

 

≫ It’s amazing the kids still pulled this off when the company is a mess

 

└ Teams whose stages were worse than Spark’s should honestly reflect on themselves

 

└ But the fact that there weren’t many teams with better stages than Spark’s… (no comment)

 

≫ Conversely, doesn’t that mean they can do this well even with just the members?

 

Will they start their own company later? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

└  Day 1 of supporting Spark Entertainment to be founded

 

Spark is this generation’s miracle from a half-*ssed company

 

└ UA isn’t that badㅋㅋ

 

└ From now on, UA joins the ranks of of the half-**sed company

 

└ Look at how they’re running things. How could anyone not call them half-a**ed?

 

The biggest beneficiary of this was me.

 

Following the broadcast of the position competition, public sympathy for me grew like never before.

 

≫ Watching the last episode just confirmed it for me,

 

Our baby really has low self-esteem.

 

It broke me when he asked if Br’s MY wished to be teamed up with someone else instead

 

But, come on, look at how Iwol took on all the difficult parts (not trying to diss MY, will ignore any nonsense). Iwol was a UA trainee for a reason… even if their form is a bit outdated, they’re a ballad powerhouse…

 

He’s only a bit clumsy at dancing, his singing is at the level of other groups’ main vocals, and it’s only natural that he’s not good at dancing considering his short training period

 

On top of that, he’s been working, planning, monitoring, and getting chewed out this whole time. That’s just too much…

 

From today on, if anyone calls Iwol a klutz, I’ll kill them all, for real

 

└ Spark’s main vocal line might be insane, but Iwol’s vocals are solid too. A lot of times when I thought, ‘Oh, this part’s nice’, it turned out to be him.

 

└ When the other kids said Iwol was always in the practice room, I only thought it was admirable, but the fact that it was all because of gaslighting… F*ck… I’m so mad I could cry

 

≫ All the bastards who trash-talked Kim Pep and called him a klutz, bow your heads

 

Especially that fandom ^＾anti-fans^^^malicious commenters^^^^ who were laughing together back then

 

Did it feel good to bash my kid to boost your oppas?

 

Isn’t it amazing that a kid who was living 48 hours a day by dividing 24 hours into pieces did this well?

 

Now that everything’s exposed, y’all suddenly have nothing to say? Hilarious.^_^

 

Yeah, just keep your mouths shut. If I see one more person dragging my boy, I swear I’ll really kill you all

 

└ Kill them 2222222

 

└ Kill them 33333333333333

 

└ Like singer, like fan; Is their social skills completely gone?

 

└ This comment above came at the wrong person first and is pretending to have great social skillsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Touch some grass, idiotㅠ

 

≫ I’ve been dying of frustration with all the hate posts, malicious commenters, and trolls

 

I was about to lose my mind over all the baseless hate and trolls

 

Y’all don’t know a damn thing. No one saw what he was going through behind the scenes, yet you judged him based on what little you did see

 

Iwol, from now on, just look at pretty things with those pretty eyes of yours.

 

└ Iwol, don’t look at those things, just ignore it

 

≫ Iwol, if you keep this up, you’re only going to end up as the ultimate idol

 

People keep babying you, telling you you’re beautiful, and now you probably think the whole world is at your feet

 

Well, you’re right. Everything you say is correct, and everything is yours

 

Just keep living exactly how you want, okay? Love you to death

 

└ Love you

 

└ Love you, love you, love you

 

└ Love you, Iwol!!!!!!!!!!

 

└ Love Spark ㅜㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠㅜㅜㅠㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠ

 

└ Love you♡

 

└ Spark, walk only on flower paths♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

 

Somehow, I had become the resilient idol who endured gaslighting and harsh criticism while still doing his job diligently.

 

My fingers almost caught fire from posting on Bubble Pop, ‘Everyone, I’m really okay and I had fun working! Now the company said they’ll help me a lot! Don’t worry! And thank you so much for all the compliments!’

 

Meanwhile, there were also efforts to completely destroy Yoo Hansoo, who had been on the verge of getting kicked out of the industry.

 

Someone had dug up every single post from Yoo Hansoo’s social media. Not that it was really ‘digging’—his accounts were all public.

 

≫ So, what exactly is producing?

 

To my beloved hubae’s question, I…

 

After much contemplation, I answered like this:

 

.

 

Isn’t it the creation of life?

 

The creation of life?

 

.

 

My hubae doesn’t understand yet

 

The true meaning of my words

 

How sublime the value of this profession is

 

How much effort a producer must make…

 

To give birth to a single life

 

.

 

.

 

Every day,

 

I create a world

 

A world that must be destroyed

 

for the one being born

 

Thinking of Demian

 

≫ Did you see XXX’s SNS post, the pretentious text?

 

What a pretentious, cringeworthy mess. Seriously, he seems like a total socially inept freak;;;;

 

└ Oh, look at him trying to be Demian or whatever ㅋㅋ Did he even read it

 

≫ Ugh, everything that surfaces is disgusting

 

Seriously, there’s no end in sight, it keeps coming out.

 

≫ Ugh, crazy bastard

 

Doesn’t even know his place… I guess he did that kind of thing because he didn’t know any better

 

As a result, Yoo Hansoo’s melancholic photos and embarrassing self-absorbed writings spread nationwide.

 

Ultimately, he became someone who couldn’t even lift his head in public. His trial was still ongoing, but prison time seemed inevitable. Once he got out, he’d probably be better off bulk-buying masks for his own safety.

 

‘So now I don’t have a boss… right?’

 

Yoo Hansoo was out, they said they’d arrange the team separately.

 

The members only needed to give their opinions when they wanted to, so it was practically the same as not having a boss above me!

 

Finally, after more than 10 years of office work life.

 

I had a workplace without a boss.

 

My heart pounded with excitement. That night, I fell asleep feeling completely at peace.