Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

Chapter 147: Fourth Competition: Final Announcement (3)

Crises always arrived unexpectedly.

It happened during rehearsals too. A performance I had nailed during practice suddenly felt overwhelming.

That was when the pain became unbearable. If the Spark guys had noticed, they would have pulled me out even right before the live broadcast, so I didn’t let it show. But as I waited backstage before going on, I felt like I was about to lose consciousness.

Just three minutes, what was so hard about enduring that?

And I really did it. Without any mistakes, I saw the slogans the fans had brought to cheer on Spark, and I perfectly completed the final image.

That must have been my limit. Even though I knew it would make a broadcasting accident, my body wouldn’t move.

After that, my memory was hazy. When I regained consciousness, I was in the hospital again.

As the serious conversation around me started wrapping up, I opened my eyes.

“Um…”

“Iwol, you’re awake!”My manager, who had been sitting by my bedside, immediately stood up.

I took a deep breath and asked the first question on my mind.

“Manager, is Idol Dynasty Chronicle over?”

“Idol Dynasty Chronicle? They’re probably tallying the votes now.”

“Then can I watch the broadcast?”

This was the program I had pushed myself to the brink for, determined to see it through to the end.

He pretended to be stern and said no, but my manager knew how dedicated I was to Idol Dynasty Chronicle.

After some pleading, I was finally allowed to watch the live broadcast on my manager’s phone.

All the contestants were on stage, waiting for the ranking announcement.

In the small screen, I saw the Spark guys huddled together.

『The moment has come to put a period at the end of this long history. Right now, we will reveal the rankings for Idol Dynasty Chronicle!』

Yur’s voice reached my ears, but my gaze was fixed on only one place.

‘I wonder if they did well in the interview.’

It hadn’t been long since they saw me coming out of the operating room. So I was even more worried.

Could those mentally fragile guys hold it together until the end on such a big stage?

Could they manage their expressions well enough to avoid controversy even if their ranking plummeted in the final vote after consistently performing well throughout the program?

Everyone probably knew in their heads. That Parthe would win.

In the past seasons of Idol Dynasty Chronicle, the online votes directly reflected the debut seniority, and among them, Parthe had overwhelmingly led the votes.

Anyone familiar with survival programs—viewers and contestants alike—must have anticipated this outcome.

Much less the contestants themselves, who would have shared amongst themselves how much their agencies had invested in the show.

They must be feeling resentful. Still, they shouldn’t let it show.

『In 6th place, thank you for your hard work, Berion.』

Knowing how hard the Spark members had prepared, and how naive they were, my heart ached for them.

As the 5th, 4th, and 3rd places were announced in turn, Spark offered their heartfelt congratulations. But when only Spark and Parthe remained, they started to look nervous.

Some might say their humility was just an act, but I knew better. Their humility was real. They expected Parthe to win, but they hadn’t even considered that they themselves might rank so high.

But they couldn’t show any disappointment. The moment they let it slip, they’d be attacked from all sides.

When it was their turn, they just needed to say thank you, acknowledge the fans first, and promise to keep working hard…

『In 1st place… Congratulations, Parthe!』

With a pop, confetti rained down. Bringing the trophy, Yur approached Parthe, who were embracing each other. After all, the highlight of a competition program was the final ranking announcement and the winner.

『Winning group Parthe, please share your thoughts.』

Amidst the confetti covering the screen, I saw it clearly.

Park Joowoo, who was standing near Han Gawoon, smiling brightly and briefly hugging him the moment the ranking was announced.

And Jeong Seongbin, gathering the members together with a genuinely joyful smile.

The five members on screen were smiling sincerely, applauding Parthe.

I stared blankly at them.

What were they so happy about?

They knew, too. That they had done well in every performance so far.

With all they had poured into this, feeling disappointed was natural.

Why did they look so relieved?

My eyes felt hot. Just a little.

…If only I hadn’t rushed to appear on the first season of Idol Dynasty Chronicle just because I desperately wanted to win a music show.

If I had waited until my recognition was a little higher, if I had released a few more albums and appeared on other programs.

Then I could have given them the ranking they deserved.

I should’ve endured the headache a little longer. Should’ve lasted just a bit more on stage.

Then I could’ve at least patted them on the back and told them they’d done well.

I couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

With the arm that wasn’t hooked up to an IV, I covered my eyes. My eyelids felt heavy.

“I’m sorry…”

I murmured quietly. I meant it.

* * *

Thankfully, when I opened my eyes again, I saw the familiar wooden ceiling.

Whoever had carried a 183cm guy back to the dorm, I owed them my thanks. I just hoped it was one of the many healthy individuals overflowing in this dorm.

I checked the date on my phone beside my pillow.

It was the day after Idol Dynasty Chronicle ended. I seemed to have slept just the right amount.

‘No schedules today… should I sleep some more?’

After all the emotional exhaustion from yesterday, I felt drained. I needed rest.

But in a shared living space, privacy was a luxury.

Just as I was about to drift off again, someone opened the door and came in. And they called me in a very soft voice.

“Hyung, are you asleep?”

“I’m not.”

“Oh my god, you scared me.”

Lee Cheonghyeon flinched and stepped back.

“Is your body okay?”

“Yeah. I feel much better after sleeping.”

“Really? Your complexion does look a bit better.”

Unusually, Lee Cheonghyeon didn’t argue with me. He just observed my complexion.

“…Yesterday―”

“If you’re going to say you’re sorry you couldn’t be there for the ending, you don’t have to.  I don’t want an apology from someone who’s sick.”

“…”

“Don’t say it to the other members either. It’ll just give the hyungs more wrinkles.”

Sharp little brat.

At least he didn’t sound resentful. He really was too soft-hearted.

“Producer Yang said he’d like to have a meal with all of Spark sometime.”

“Why?”

“As a substitute for the after party. We didn’t go to the official one.”

Since one of the members was taken to the hospital, they must have come straight back. It was probably their first afterparty, so I felt a little sorry… No, never mind. There was nothing good about learning how to handle company dinners too early.

“Come eat if you’re up.”

“No, I want to sleep more. You guys eat.”

“Really? Alright.”

Surprisingly, Lee Cheonghyeon readily retreated.

Then he shouted towards the living room.

“Ma’am! Iwol hyung says he’s going to sleep more!”

…Ma’am?

“Ma’am? Do we have a guest?”

“Seongbin hyung’s mother is here. She made samgyetang because we need to eat nutritious food.”

“Why are you only telling me this now!”

So that was what the chicken broth smell was.

How could he casually say, ‘This hyung is sleeping in and won’t even eat the food Seongbin’s mother made~!’ to the person who had been watching my and Jeong Seongbin’s chaotic idol journey!

I hurriedly changed into clean casual clothes. Then I ran out of the room, smoothing down my messy hair with my hand.

“Auntie, you’re here?!”

“Iwol, you’re up? Did you wake up because of the noise I made?”

“Of course not. How have you been?”

“You’re not in a position to worry about others. Goodness, look how much weight you’ve lost. Eat and then go back to sleep. Okay?”

Before I could say anything else, Jeong Seongbin’s mother went back to the kitchen. I took the opportunity to quickly wash my face in the bathroom and came out. The guys were each occupying a ttukbaegi at the dining table.

As I awkwardly sat down, she placed a steaming ttukbaegi in front of me.

“Do you eat samgyetang, Iwol? I heard from Seongbin that you’re not picky.”

“Of course, I love it!”

Actually, I didn’t really like it. If I had to specify, I didn’t like having hanbang baeksuk with company colleagues by the valley. The seating was so uncomfortable that I couldn’t tell whether the stew was going up my nose or my mouth.

‘But this…’

Two whole ginseng roots, two whole chicken legs, not separated.

Food prepared solely for me, not something I had to awkwardly share while being mindful of others.

“Did you guys all get ginseng too?”

I asked, noticing that some bowls didn’t have any. Lee Cheonghyeon answered.

“We all had one each. Seongbin hyung’s Mom gave you two because you’re a patient.”

“That’s right, you need to eat a lot to get better quickly. Iwol, there’s glutinous rice inside too. Eat it all. I showed off my skills today.”

“Yes, thank you…!”

With that Jeong Seongbin’s mother left early. Even after seeing her off, steam was still rising from the ttukbaegi.

I slowly sipped the broth, spoonful by spoonful. I carefully ate the chicken and finished all the rice. For the first time, I thought samgyetang was delicious.

* * *

When I came out after washing up, I found Choi Jeho in the living room, which was unusual. 

Normally, he’d be in his room, wearing earphones and glued to his phone.

At a glance, it seemed like the only difference was that he had moved to the living room sofa. Since he was doing the same thing as always, I didn’t bother talking to him.

I left Choi Jeho and went into my room, only to find Jeong Seongbin standing awkwardly between the beds. 

He wasn’t the type to casually enter someone else’s room, so this was definitely suspicious.

As I shot him a questioning look, Lee Cheonghyeon, who had been talking to Jeong Seongbin from the top bunk, spoke in an exaggeratedly stiff tone.

“Oh, right. I was supposed to play a game with Kang Kiyeon.”

Then he quickly climbed down from the bed and dashed out of the room. What a terrible liar.

I heard the door close behind me. Jeong Seongbin’s gaze wandered somewhere on the floor. A long silence followed.

So, what could our dear leader possibly want to say to me after going through the trouble of chasing out both his hyung and dongsaeng?

Drying my damp hair with a small towel, I asked,

“Shall we sit and talk?”