novelraw Chapter 155: Analyzing Other Departments’ Work (1)
Chapter 155: Analyzing Other Departments’ Work (1)
Every Sparkler knew that Spark was a somewhat strange idol group.
On the surface, all six members looked more than decent; they were incredibly handsome men.
However, a closer look revealed that each of them had… well… some rather peculiar traits.
Take, for example, Choi Jeho, the center and visual of Spark.
『There’s a scratch on the table, what should I do?』
『Didn’t we have a table mat? You’re supposed to use that underneath』
『I did, but it went through the mat too.』
Because of his ability to destroy sheet vinyl, table mats, and the table itself in one go, Choi Jeho was always treated like a servant.
Whenever firewood needed chopping, his teammates would tell him, ‘Choi Jeho, it’s finally your time to shine!’ and leave him to do all the axe work on his own.
The cold, tall center with a steely impression was reduced to a bottle opener, a firewood maker, a human compressor, and so on.And there was another member quietly growing into Servant No. 2 beside Choi Jeho.
『Kang Kiyeon, your skills have improved a lot, haven’t they?』
『I guess it’s because there’s a lot of things I want to chop.』
『That better not include me.』
Kang Kiyeon was more balanced than Choi Jeho, who had only put points into strength.
However, armed with a sharper mind, he was gradually becoming more ruthless in how he treated his teammates.
『Oh my, look at our Seongbin hyung looking so fresh!』
『Huh…?』
『He’s so cute I could die. I have to put his picture on this!』
The way his same aged-friend Lee Cheongyeon treated his hyungs wasn’t particularly good either.
Although his affection was more apparent compared to Kang Kiyeon, Lee Cheonghyeon’s way of expressing it was—to borrow the fandom’s words—a bit twisted. In other words, not normal.
Even now, Lee Cheonghyeon was folding his fiftieth paper heart, saying he would stick them on the slogan. He even remarked that using gold paper for his dear hyung was well worth it.
Once all those hearts were attached, Jeong Seongbin’s photo would end up looking like a frilled lizard.
『Joowoo, what are you going to write?』
『…I was thinking of writing “I’ll cheer you even in my death.”』
『Hmm… Let’s try to tone down the expression a bit.』
Then, there was Park Joowoo, casually making extreme statements in his usual calm voice.
Despite his generally easygoing nature, Park Joowoo had an eerie sense of fixation on certain things.
A glimpse at his all-white bedding or pristinely clean sneakers was enough to hint at his silent convictions.
『No, this isn’t the kind of slogan I wanted!』
『What kind of slogan did you want?』
『A proper slogan that asserts its presence even when captured in a group shot on camera.』
『Do those even exist?』
‘But the strangest one is still Iwol.’
Seeing him vigorously making banners, she was relieved that he seemed better, but Kim Iwol still looked distressed. Just because the slogans weren’t turning out to his liking.
Spark’s official ‘skilled drill sergeant’, Kim Iwol, who was reliable in everything except dancing, had a tendency to be fanatical about all things idol-like.
In the end, after much internal struggle, Kim Iwol finally embarked on a grand operation—changing Seongbin’s name from neon pink to neon green. It was a sight that couldn’t be seen without tears.
Creating cheer props as a group of wild young men was a constant battle.
At one point, Choi Jeho accidentally cut out a vowel backward, turning Jeong Seongbin into Jang Sangbin, while Park Joowoo’s banner was filled with such… ominous energy that it had to be discarded.
Spark’s trials and errors were vividly conveyed to the viewers.
≫ Choi Jeho, the embodiment of brute strength
└ A man who shatters everything with an innocent face… exhilarating.
└ The first-ever idol who looks like he wouldn’t be swayed even by a bowl of warm rice.
≫ Our baby Kiyeon, what do you want to chop so badly?
Just tell me, this noona will bring it to you
└ Kiyeon, don’t worry, noonas will chop it all for you
└ We won’t let a single drop of blood stain Kiyeon’s hands
└ How romantic
≫ Cheonghyeon is even more obsessive than Sparklers
└ It’s not easy to show more love for the members than Lee Cheonghyeon
≫ Joowoo is kind of like that, you know
An honor student with an obsessive streak
└ This sounds like Cheonghyeon’s nonsense but the discount version
└ Even if your characterization of him doesn’t match mine, that’s just going too far. See you in court—an endless legal battle awaits
└ I apologize, but your character interpretations are way off. I’ll be watching to see how far you go
└ = Meaning they’ll fight to the death.
└ I came with popcorn thinking it was a fight, but it turned out to be a wedding.
Certainly, real-time mentions had increased significantly after IDC. Baek Haewon’s heart was filled with happiness.
Even after discarding a banner that seemed to be fermented with love, the handmade vlog continued.
Spark, the professional idols, didn’t forget to fill the video with commentary while focusing on their work.
Kim Iwol said with a serious expression,
『If we take out a loan with Jeong Seongbin’s voice as collateral, we could buy a Han River view apartment.』
『If it’s near the Han River, wouldn’t the LTV regulations kick in and we wouldn’t get much of a loan?』
『Not a mortgage loan, a Jeong Seongbin collateral loan. Then it’s possible.』
『Right.』
Lee Cheonghyeon nodded in agreement.
“What’s LTV?”
With the mention of a word she had never heard before, Baek Haewon turned to the to SNS, the vast sea of knowledge.
≫ Right < He just said right…
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ But taking out a loan with Jeong Seongbin’s voice? LTV 90% easily possible
≫ At first I thought only Kim Iwol was crazy, but turns out Lee Cheonghyeon is just as bad
If you look closely, it’s always Lee Cheonghyeon who agrees with his hyung’s strange comments ㅋㅋㅋ
└ Their vibes kind of matchㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ When there’s weird talk and banter, it’s those two
└ Nerds
└ That’s so funny ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ Ah, our kids are totally saneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
In SNS, the cold-hearted adults were laughing amongst themselves.
They were the ones who always said they left their five-year-old selves at home because they were ten years too heavy to carry around. Baek Haewon felt deeply betrayed.
After scouring the internet, she learned that LTV was Loan-To-Value ratio related to mortgages, but Baek Haewon still felt like she didn’t fully understand her idols’ conversation.
The only conclusion she could draw was: ‘To keep up with Spark’s humor, I need to study real estate’.
Of course, that didn’t mean the video was filled with only nonsense.
Even amidst the artisan spirit battle, which told viewers to compromise with reality, there was a heartwarming moment.
『Iwol hyung, do you have anything else to cut?』
Kang Kiyeon, who was focused on cutting something away from the camera, came to the living room and asked.
When Kim Iwol said there wasn’t anything, Kang Kiyeon picked up a bundle of sheet vinyl and went back to the kitchen table.
『Why are you two working over there? Come here and make them.』
『We’re coming now.』
Kang Kiyeon, who had his back to the living room, answered casually.
Following that, Kang Kiyeon was briefly captured in the corner of the screen, hiding the cutter knives he and Choi Jeho were using behind the trash and going into the room.
One camera followed Kang Kiyeon inside.
Kang Kiyeon opened a small toolbox in the corner of the room.
Well-organized tools were visible beneath his sleeve.
Blades, screwdrivers, small pliers, and such.
‘Oh my, why is Kang Kiyeon so thoughtful…?’
Kim Iwol himself seemed oblivious to the fact that Kang Kiyeon and Choi Jeho were purposely standing in the kitchen, only bringing him the pre-cut materials. That made it even more touching.
Only after turning the living room into a mess did Spark’s slogan-making come to an end.
『I believe our Seongbin will do well. Let’s show them the leader’s spirit!』
『I hope you get good results for all your preparation. Fighting!』
『I’m so proud that my friend is standing on such a wonderful stage. Congratulations, and I’ll cheer you on hard…!』
『Don’t do too well without me. I’ll be jealous. You know I love you, right? Our hyung is the best! Do well!』
『Don’t be nervous and do well. Leader, fighting!』
The members’ heartwarming cheers played during the post-credit video.
Baek Haewon, for the first time in a long time, enjoyed a moment of returning to the world of her pseudo-family, the place that felt like home.
* * *
Even during their off-season, idols never truly rest.
They performed at local events, made appearances on various MeTube channels or variety shows, and kept up with their schedules in one way or another. The rest of the time was spent in self-practice.
Originally, they had planned to push out a digital single around this time, but…
‘The company will fully support you this time! Don’t worry!’
…UA said they would take full charge of the pre-production work, so they had nothing to do. These days, all I had to do was sit in on mid-stage meetings.
Of course, just because the official work disappeared didn’t mean there was no work at all. There was a pile of overdue English worksheets, data backups, and missed PT sessions.
While I was organizing my tangled schedule, a memo caught my eye.
Acting Class Readjustment Needed.
‘Right, there was this too.’
Idols in modern society had to be able to do everything. That ‘everything’ included acting.
UA spared no expense in supporting our education, including acting classes for better expressiveness. I still remembered the hell I went through being stuck between Choi Jeho, a natural genius at emotional expression, and Lee Cheonghyeon, whose learning abilities were sharper than a sponge.
‘Come to think of it, hasn’t no one in Spark actually pursued an acting career?’
Idols acting was always a hot topic. Among all the controversies that Spark had stirred up, ‘branching into acting’ was one of the few they had never touched.
If no one planned to seriously pursue acting, maybe canceling the lessons wouldn’t be a bad idea. It felt like wasting money and time on something they could learn sufficiently from their dance teacher.
But little did I know, these acting classes would come back to haunt me in the most unexpected way.
“A drama audition?”
The CEO and manager dropped a bombshell on me, a guy whose only acting experience was drunkenly mimicking the department manager.
To summarize their story:
A drama was about to start production, but casting was difficult because it was written by a rookie writer. As the roles of the main and supporting actors decreased and casting was continuously delayed, the possibility of broadcasting decreased, and the production company hurriedly ramped up casting efforts. To make up for the low-profile lead, they considered casting an idol to secure at least some dedicated viewers. Due to budget constraints, they wanted an idol who would accept a low fee, but since the role had very little screen time and paid poorly, even that was proving difficult. Amidst this, I received an audition offer, and the company asked if I would like to audition. The end.Even after I summarized it, I still couldn’t accept it. My mind kept denying reality.
“It’s just an offer, so you don’t have to accept it. Iwol, your condition is the most important.”
Just as I was about to decline, saying, ‘Then, I’ll…,’ something flashed before my eyes.
No way.
No freaking way!
At this moment!?
+
[SYSTEM] ‘New Task’ has been assigned
▷ Participate in the drama ‘In My Office’ audition.
▷ Reward: Memory Data (1 piece)
+
Holy sh*t!
“So? Do you need time to think it over?”
“I’ll do it.”
The system told me to. My personal condition was no longer relevant.
Furthermore, the reward was memory data. I didn’t know what format it would be in, but for me, whose head was full of more holes than volcanic rock, it was a much-needed reward.
Just auditioning would be fine. Knowing the system, if it was going to give me more drama-related tasks, it would have set the new task as ‘Pass the audition’ from the start.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’ll do my best!”
“You don’t have to try that hard. I’ll let them know you’ll be attending the audition, then?”
With autumn, the season of change, just around the corner—
It was time to prepare for a thrilling new job interview as an office worker.