novelraw Chapter 262: Getting to Know Each Other (2)
Chapter 262: Getting to Know Each Other (2)
The individual explanations started with the younger members who needed to be picked up from their commute.
For member Kang Kiyeon, it was noted that he needed to regularly attend orthopedic and psychological treatment appointments. For Lee Cheonghyeon, the notable detail was his consistently late hours leaving the studio.
“Seongbin and Joowoo have their entrance exams in January, so once the winter break starts, they’ll just be going back and forth to the practice room and the dorm. In Seongbin’s case, since he’s the leader, he often comes to the office for communication with the company—but most of that happens online, so you won’t see him here too often.”
The papers were turned over one by one. Im Chanyoung paused for a moment at the page of Choi Jeho, who had a blunt impression.
“And this one is Jeho… our team’s center.”
Compared to the other members, the precautions were densely packed.
“You just need to remember one thing. Mentioning family matters is forbidden.”
“Ah, yes.”
“He swears a lot, so we’d like him to cut back… but one of the other members usually steps in to mediate. It’s not like he swears all the time, so just mention it only if you feel it’s happening a bit too often.”
Pyeong Daeyeon nodded at Im Chanyoung’s earnest request.“Lastly, this is the member I’d like you to keep the closest eye on.”
Im Chanyoung pointed to the profile photo of the fair and upright Kim Iwol.
“Iwol is a producing member, so you’ll be picking him up often for work-related reasons. He’s mature and good at social life, but there’s an issue, so for the time being, I’ll be mainly looking after him. Still, he recently had some health problems—if he seems even a little off to you, contact me immediately.”
“Understood.”
Only after the member explanations were finished did Im Chanyoung finally take a sip of his coffee. After drinking a mouthful of the cold coffee, Im Chanyoung let out a shallow sigh.
“Until recently, the company was in turmoil, so the kids are on edge overall. Once a rapport is formed, they’ll ease up quickly, so let’s take our time learning the work together.”
This, too, was a similar story to what Min Jukyung had said. It was to the point where he couldn’t even guess what kind of accident the company had caused to the idols. Wasn’t the company usually the one in control?
There was plenty more to hear besides the member profiles. After Pyeong Daeyeon had noted down all the schedules, Im Chanyoung stood up from his seat.
“Then, shall we go see the kids?”
* * *
“Hello.”
“Hello!”
As soon as he opened the practice room door and greeted them, six boys stood up in a flurry and greeted Pyeong Daeyeon in unison.
His first impression of the idols up close was…
‘They’re tall.’
…that was it.
Spark were all at least a head taller than Pyeong Daeyeon, who was of average male height. Only Kang Kiyeon, who was said to be the maknae, was about the same height.
‘And they’re really handsome.’
Even though he knew it was rude to judge someone’s appearance to their face, Pyeong Daeyeon couldn’t help but be impressed. He felt like he understood why the public called idols people from another world.
“I’m Jeong Seongbin, Spark’s leader!”
“I’ve been told. I look forward to working with you.”
Pyeong Daeyeon shook hands with Jeong Seongbin, who extended his hand first. He’d heard the boy was only nineteen, but his manner was formal and polite.
Pyeong Daeyeon also introduced himself to the other members.
A moderate sense of tension and distance could be felt from all of them. It was a moment where he understood Min Jukyung and Im Chanyoung’s words about them being wary of others.
The last person he greeted was Kim Iwol. Unlike the others, Kim Iwol’s attitude was consistently gentle.
“Hello, I’m Kim Iwol. I look forward to working with you.”
Clear pronunciation and a soft, calm voice.
A composed gaze, and long, dark eyelashes that stood out.
A gentle smile formed by the soft curve of his thin lips.
‘He has an aura.’
For some reason, the member standing before him gave off a sense of maturity. It also felt like he was being observed, though only for a moment.
But something else was more important.
‘Is his condition good right now? Is this actually normal?’
Im Chanyoung had specifically told him to report if Kim Iwol ever seemed unwell.
And Kim Iwol, standing right before him, looked extremely pale. Possibly the palest person Pyung Daeyeon had ever seen in real life.
Seeing as the members next to him and Im Chanyoung said nothing, he wondered if this was the standard. So Pyeong Daeyeon made sure to carefully imprint Kim Iwol’s face in his mind. So that he wouldn’t confuse his current state with when his condition was worse.
“Starting in January, we’ll be splitting you guys into two cars for transport. I know it’s a next-year thing, but start thinking about how you’d like to divide up.”
At Im Chanyoung’s words, the members stirred. It seemed the story hadn’t been relayed to the members yet.
“It’s more fun to ride in the car all together. Don’t you think?”
“That’s right…”
Lee Cheonghyeon and Park Joowoo said, sounding disappointed. Usually, people would want to ride in smaller groups for comfort.
“Realistically, it’s gonna be Iwol hyung’s car and Jeho hyung’s car, right? Our team kind of recommends older members as default options.”
“Seongbin hyung might go as the representative instead of Jeho hyung. Because we can’t trust Jeho hyung.”
Kang Kiyeon and Lee Cheonghyeon whispered. Park Joowoo squeezed his eyes shut and held back a laugh. The person in question, Choi Jeho, seemed completely unfazed.
‘They really do get along well.’
It was not easy for kids this age to be so close while living together 24/7. What they were saying was childish, but he could tell just by watching them for a moment that their attitudes were mature.
Perhaps all of them were more mature than Pyeong Daeyeon’s own peers. Didn’t a few guys at the recent alumni reunion just shout, ‘You, come out here for a bit’?
He hoped they would adapt well. Both himself and the members. Just as he was thinking that, the first meeting concluded.
Pyeong Daeyeon was deployed into the field three days later.
* * *
“Pick up Mr. Iwol?”
“Yes. I’ll sit in the passenger seat, so just think of it as practicing driving from the company to the dorm and take it easy.”
Im Chanyoung said, having sent the other members home in one go.
When they got to the editing room, Kim Iwol was packing his things. Im Chanyoung took Kim Iwol’s bag for him and asked.
“You checked everything? You happy with it?”
“Yes. I think Cheonghyeon really is a genius.”
He had stayed behind for the final check of the comeback song apparently. It was past midnight, showing serious dedication.
“You could’ve just done the checking at the dorm though. Aren’t you tired?”
“It sounds different through speakers versus earphones. Now I need to listen with my personal setup.”
“Listen just once and go to sleep. Your dark circles are coming back.”
At Im Chanyoung’s stern warning, Kim Iwol smiled. As Im Chanyoung had said, faint shadows were cast under Kim Iwol’s eyes.
As the three of them were going down to the parking lot together, a phone rang. It was Im Chanyoung’s.
“I need to take this call.”
He excused himself, and both Pyeong Daeyeon and Kim Iwol nodded.
As the elevator descended, Im Chanyoung’s call grew more serious.
“Yeah, I understand the situation… I’m in the middle of work right now, okay? I’ll call you back after I get off.”
Im Chanyoung hurriedly ended the call. It seemed something had come up. However, Im Chanyoung didn’t add any more words.
‘Should I tell him to leave first?’
Pyeong Daeyeon contemplated for a moment. But since it hadn’t come from the artist directly and he was still in the probation period, he decided not to overstep.
It was then. Pyeong Daeyeon and Kim Iwol’s gazes met.
“Manager.”
Kim Iwol called out to Im Chanyoung.
“If you have something urgent, you should head home first. If it’s okay with Manager Daeyeon, I’ll go with him.”
“Huh? No, it’s nothing urgent.”
Im Chanyoung waved his hand.
“It’s not a schedule, we’re just going to the dorm. Would that be okay, Manager?”
“Of course.”
Pyeong Daeyeon answered. There was no reason it wouldn’t be—he was supposed to drive today anyway.
After a bit of back and forth, Kim Iwol succeeded in sending Im Chanyoung off. Only the two of them were left in the parking lot.
As the car door opened, Kim Iwol familiarly got into the passenger seat.
“Wouldn’t the back seat be more comfortable?”
“Ha ha, how could I do that with the driver sitting right there?”
At Pyeong Daeyeon’s suggestion, Kim Iwol smiled affably and buckled his seatbelt. It was something you’d expect from middle-aged men, but Kim Iwol said it naturally. No wonder people said he was good at socializing.
Pyeong Daeyeon started the car and asked.
“I’m thinking of going past the post office to the main road, do you have a usual route you take?”
“What?”
Kim Iwol, who had been opening his planner, widened his eyes. It was at this moment that Pyeong Daeyeon first thought, ‘Right. Mr. Iwol is twenty-one.’
After blinking a couple of times, Kim Iwol smiled and answered.
“Whatever is convenient for you, Manager, please.”
Pyeong Daeyeon first asked if he wanted to listen to music, but Kim Iwol declined. Instead, he said to play any music the manager wanted to listen to.
‘If he’s been listening to music all day, his ears might actually be tired.’
So Pyeong Daeyeon didn’t play any music. The main road was quiet, with no honking cars.
Thanks to its location not far from the agency, they arrived at the dorm quickly. After parking the car, Kim Iwol started gathering his belongings.
Watching Kim Iwol, he remembered something he had momentarily forgotten.
“Um, Mr. Iwol.”
“Yes?”
Pyeong Daeyeon took a thin notebook out of his jacket’s inner pocket.
“I heard that, um, you can’t have caffeine.”
“Ah, yes.”
“So I did a little research…”
Pyeong Daeyeon found the page where he had written something and carefully tore it out.
“The foods people say to be careful of are slightly different for everyone. This is what I’ve found so far, but is there a good website to look up separately?”
Kim Iwol took the paper, seemingly surprised, and slowly read through the notes. Then he flipped it over once, looked at the back, and handed it back with a gentle smile.
“I only avoid about this much, too. If there’s anything suspicious, I check it separately before eating, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
Maybe he was worried Pyeong Daeyeon would feel embarrassed. Kim Iwol smiled kindly and expressed his gratitude.
He thanked Daeyeon for the ride, didn’t slam the car door, kept a proper posture, and even asked what time Pyeong Daeyeon would get home.
‘It’s not just that he’s mature… he’s genuinely good-hearted.’
Caring for others was a difficult trait to develop. Especially at a young age.
He had heard that he hadn’t been a trainee for long either, and yet Kim Iwol was truly good-natured. It made Pyeong Daeyeon, who had seen all sorts of people while working in society, feel a sense of fondness.
‘I really hope these kids do well.’
Pyeong Daeyeon, who hadn’t realized how well Spark had done in the flood of idol groups, nevertheless cheered for Spark’s success.