Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

Chapter 205: Return Gift (2)

‘Did he really buy this?’

Kang Kiyeon couldn’t believe his eyes.

A letter envelope was neatly placed on top of the plastic-wrapped, unopened package.

He could see ‘From: Kim Iwol’ written in the top left corner and ‘To: Kang Kiyeon’ in the bottom right, both in handwriting.

‘It’s not a company envelope.’

The UA building had envelopes for mail and registered mail. Kim Iwol usually used those.

But this envelope had a very generic design. Like something you’d buy at a stationery store.

As he picked up the envelope, he finally noticed the illustration on the front of the box. The unfamiliar design suggested it was newly released.

Did they release this as a box set too? Thinking to himself, Kang Kiyeon returned to his room with the manga box and the letter.

Setting the two items—both delivered to his door—on his blanket, Kang Kiyeon paused in thought.He decided to reply to his fans first.  They must have been curious about this comic book since last night.

Kiyeon

[Kingdom Cafeteria ~Another~ arrived.]

[Limited edition box set commemorating the release of Part 2.]

[It includes both Part 1 and Part 2.]

Kang Kiyeon diligently finished his report. He also checked the flood of replies.

Then, he turned off his phone and carefully opened the pristine envelope.

He had a feeling he already knew what it would say. Kim Iwol would have written something like ‘Ten presumed reasons why I upset you’ or ‘My justifications that you’ll have no choice but to accept nonetheless.’  He’d be lucky if it didn’t start with ‘Kang Kiyeon, listen up’.

He sighed involuntarily. Judging by the thickness of the paper inside the envelope, his prediction seemed correct.

If it gets too much, I’ll just show this to Seongbin hyung. And then turn the dorm upside down again. Kang Kiyeon made up his mind.

After taking a deep breath and confirming he had some calming pills left just in case, Kang Kiyeon unfolded the paper.

The neat handwriting at the beginning caught his eye first.

【To Kiyeon.】

The very next line contained something that defied Kang Kiyeon’s expectations in many ways.

【I heard that Kingdom Cafeteria ~Another~ came out as a limited edition box set commemorating the release of Part 2. I bought it because I wanted to show you. It includes everything from Volume 1, so it should have Part 1 too, right?

It also comes with a set of 3 limited edition postcards, but I thought the recipient should be the one to open it, so I didn’t check. Let me know if they’re missing. I have the receipt, so I can exchange it.】

It was full of talk about ‘that genre’, something he thought would never come up in conversation with any member.

Kim Iwol’s comparative manhwa shopping experience spanned an entire page.

It included details like how a paper bookmark was included, that a whole display shelf at the bookstore was dedicated to this series, and that the store gave out bonus items too.

At this point, Kang Kiyeon couldn’t understand why he was hearing all this from Kim Iwol.

【They’re also selling a separate transparent acrylic box case to protect the box. I thought it would be good for storing comic books. Let me know if you need one, I’ll measure the size for you. It’s a limited edition, so it shouldn’t get creased.

If they’re releasing a package like this, it must be a really popular comic book. I think I might read it sometime if I get the chance.】

Kim Iwol was unusually verbose. It was hard to imagine what kind of over-the-top cultural experience he must’ve had at the bookstore.

Then, the first sentence on the second page…

【I’ve been thinking about what you might enjoy doing in your free time, and I don’t know if you’ll like it.】

…caused a subtle ripple in Kang Kiyeon’s heart.

【This is my first time doing something like this.】

That was obvious. Kang Kiyeon found this side of Kim Iwol unfamiliar.

Kim Iwol was always confident when showing kindness. He always seemed to know exactly what others liked or needed, offering things with an ‘I know this is what you want’ attitude.

Sometimes it was surprising, sometimes dubious, and recently it had been starting to annoy him. He couldn’t fathom how much effort Kim Iwol put into looking after others.

And now that same Kim Iwol was making this clumsy attempt with him.

【I thought a lot about what you said.】

Despite how shamelessly confident he always acted. Like he understood everything about their relationship.

Kang Kiyeon kept reading slowly.

【I made you feel really anxious, didn’t I?】

Kim Iwol’s words were kind. When they talked in person, his expressions and tone of voice often muddied the actual content. But in writing, he could see the words and endings that Kim Iwol had carefully chosen.

He just hoped Kim Iwol wouldn’t shift the blame onto himself. That was all Kang Kiyeon wanted. If he had to wish for something more, it would be for Kim Iwol to take better care of himself.

【I wasn’t lying when I said I was okay.】

The words were written firmly, pressed deeply into the page.

【I really thought I was okay. I didn’t realize it until you told me. I guess I’m a bit insensitive. Writing it out like this is kind of embarrassing.】

Kang Kiyeon knew this too. Kim Iwol genuinely believed he was fine, so he tended to dismiss things as ‘no big deal’ without bothering to hide it from the members.

He was just curious. Why Kim Iwol push himself so hard.

And Kim Iwol answered Kang Kiyeon’s question.

【I thought that’s what I was supposed to do.】

The smooth flow of the sentences suddenly felt broken. Perhaps Kim Iwol had spent a long time agonizing over this part.

【I believed that, since I was always telling you guys to work hard, I had to put in just as much effort myself. I didn’t want to make anyone worry. Everyone else was holding it together through tough times too.

I also thought that since I’m the oldest, I should hold myself to different standards than you all.】

There was a long, whited-out mark on the following line. He couldn’t tell what Kim Iwol had tried to write.

Instead, written over the whited-out area was a short, ‘Don’t get sick.’

【I meant it when I said Spark wouldn’t be the same without you.】

The neat handwriting trembled slightly.

【I’ll try to change. Just give me some time.】

A lie.

Kang Kiyeon couldn’t trust Kim Iwol. Even the promise to try would ultimately be for Kang Kiyeon’s sake, his fellow member.

Nevertheless, if it meant Kim Iwol would start taking care of himself even a little…

He was willing to pretend to watch over Kim Iwol’s change.

* * *

It had been 19 hours since I sent Kang Kiyeon his heartfelt letter of apology.

I hadn’t received any response from him. Not even a glimpse of him today.

‘He didn’t throw the book away, though.’

Just in case the gift had been tossed in the recycling, I had checked the paper bin on the veranda. Thankfully, there was no sign of the familiar-looking packaging.

Then what was the problem? I hadn’t written anything apologetic and I made sure to leave out all the leading, self-assured tone. I had repeatedly written and erased in a notepad and only transcribed the final version neatly!

Maybe I should have included something like ‘Future improvement plans’ in the letter. I had tried to be sincere in a situation that called for a formal apology, and it had all gone wrong. Typical.

‘Should I try adjusting the negative emotion perception?’

Out of all the reasons Kang Kiyeon had called me inhuman, this was the one thing I could fix immediately.

If the system hadn’t blocked my emotions, back when Kang Kiyeon had gotten upset, I would have prioritized Kang Kiyeon’s well-being over noticing the similarities between Spark and myself. Kang Kiyeon would have been at least a little less panicked back then.

‘Can’t I adjust the limit of negative emotion perception?’

As I asked inwardly, the system appeared.

+

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

▶ You should actively utilize your benefits. The company is investing in you, after all.

+

If you invest twice, the group will disband, you as*hole.

Thankfully, the system didn’t tell me to just give up on the support altogether. Instead, it displayed a long scroll bar that allowed me to adjust the perception level.

As I dragged the scroll to the right, a message appeared saying that a certain range matched the initial default settings.

I quietly recalled when I had first returned to 9 years in the past.

Back when I was called a strange hyung, but not someone with problems.

I reset the threshold to the level it had been when my emotional dampening first started. Turning it off entirely would’ve just had me spiraling like when I first unlocked the memory data.

After pressing the apply button, a heaviness settled in my chest. I closed the system and lay down on the bed.

“Why are you lying down already?”

“What’s the point of someone like me being up and about?”

“You must be really tired. Go to sleep.”

Choi Jeho’s indifference stung more than usual today. As a form of protest, I turned my back to him.

I was about eight items into mentally drafting the ‘future improvement plan’ when Lee Cheonghyeon came into the room.

“Is Iwol hyung already asleep?”

“He’s out of it. Talking nonsense and all.”

“Like that’s anything new.”

My roommates were all too harsh. At this moment, I truly envied Kang Kiyeon. His roommates were Jeong Seongbin and Park Joowoo. It was only natural to give the maknae, who needed comfort, roommates with good personalities, but I was still envious.

“Anyway, if he’s sleeping, I’ll give him the book tomorrow.”

“What book?”

Choi Jeho asked back.

“A comic book. Kang Kiyeon told me to lend it to him. He said hyung wanted to read it.”

“What?!”

I threw off the covers and sat up. Lee Cheonghyeon shrieked and stumbled backward.

“You startled me! You weren’t asleep?”

“Of course I have to wake up if our Kiyeon is lending me a book.”

“So you do realize how much you’ve messed up.”

Lee Cheonghyeon clicked his tongue and handed me the comic book. It was Volume 1 of Kingdom Cafeteria ~Another~.

“Did Kiyeon say anything else?”

“No. He just suddenly gave it to me while we were chatting, so he didn’t say much other than to lend it to you.”

“I see… Thank you.”

I repeatedly stroked the pristine cover of the comic book. I had a feeling I’d be ending my day a little differently than usual.