Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

The stage began with a flowing piano melody.

 

Lee Cheonghyeon moved his hands as if playing an invisible piano in the air.

 

The piano sound blended into the original song’s accompaniment, and the movement naturally transitioned into choreography.

 

『A windswept field

 

A gentle sky

 

I stand there

 

Waiting for the stars to rise』

 

Lee Cheonghyeon didn’t include a single rap in this performance. Instead, he participated as a vocalist.

 

Though he was a decent singer, he must have known the risk involved after spending so much time focused on rapping. Yet, he refused to compromise.

 

When I told him there was no need to abandon his strengths for the sake of perfection, he responded:

 

‘I don’t want to be afraid of challenges.’

 

The faint smile from that time still lingered on his face even now.

 

If his falsetto wasn’t smooth, I wouldn’t have allowed it. Just this once, I‘d let it slide.

 

『You don’t know

 

How much time flows by

 

Riding the Milky Way』

 

With a gesture of slightly pushing up his glasses, Park Joowoo also flawlessly delivered his part.

 

『Why is the night sky

 

So dazzlingly bright?

 

The darkness shines

 

So beautifully』

 

I put my arm around his shoulders.

 

With my other hand, I made a telescope shape and brought it to my eye, looking up at the sky.

 

『So I have no choice

 

But to dive in

 

With a deep heart』

 

Jeong Seongbin’s eyes shone as he gazed out at the dark audience.

 

 The glitter on his cheeks glimmered against the muted tones of his vintage-style outfit, creating a mysterious and captivating aura.

 

As we performed the original song, all six members huddled together in thought or gazed collectively at the sky.

 

And as the second verse ended,

 

A part of the 3rd movement of Piano Concerto No. 5, the piece Lee Cheonghyeon himself had chosen, began to play.

 

This part also belonged to Lee Cheonghyeon.

 

He stepped to the edge of the stage and held up a plastic light bulb he had prepared beforehand.

 

Designed to open with a slight touch, the bulb burst open in Lee Cheonghyeon’s hand with the click of a switch.

 

Gold paper confetti from inside the bulb showered over his face.

 

And stage’s LED panels and floor transformed into a celestial expanse.

 

A colorful Milky Way flowed amidst the shining white stars.

 

It was the moment the star we had been searching for finally appeared before our eyes.

 

The media art that had consumed the budget of three performances shone in its full glory. Even after watching it countless times during simulations, approvals, and rehearsals, it was still breathtaking.

 

Amidst the shower of paper stars, Lee Cheonghyeon smiled brightly.

 

That expression was what convinced me to place Lee Cheonghyeon at the center.

 

It was the same smile he had when he completed this arrangement.

 

If that wasn’t joy, if that wasn’t exhilaration, then what else it could be?

 

I didn’t know what he might have discovered, but at least for now, Lee Cheonghyeon was the closest among Spark to embodying an ‘enthusiastic scientist discovering an unknown planet’.

 

I just hoped that joy would be conveyed to the audience as well.

 

Afterward, the orchestra’s accompaniment, which initially seemed unrelated, transitioned seamlessly into the next part.

 

It was time for the ballet-like group choreography, led by Choi Jeho and Kang Kiyeon, to begin.

 

‘I don’t know much about classical music, so I’m being cautious, but.’

 

‘Hm?’

 

‘This piece feels quite unique.’

 

That was what I said when I first heard the piece Lee Cheonghyeon had chosen.

 

And when he asked why, I expressed my limited understanding this way:

 

‘It doesn’t feel like any one instrument takes the lead; it’s more like they’re exchanging parts. Especially in the third movement.’

 

‘Right?’

 

What I wanted was brilliance and elegance.

 

But Lee Cheonghyeon seemed to want to say something more.

 

‘That’s why I like this piece.’

 

He gently touched the corner of the screen playing the video, as if handling something precious.

 

‘Because it feels like we’re all making music together.’

 

I wasn’t sure if Lee Cheonghyeon, now performing on stage with us, was feeling that same sense of unity he once cherished.

 

But I hoped he wouldn’t regret it.

 

I sincerely wished for him to find joy in making music.

 

* * *

 

No surprises here.

 

Spark took first place in the second competition as expected. Parthe followed closely behind in second place.

 

The atmosphere inside UA was…

 

Needless to say. It was like a festival.

 

Even the production team members, who had been grinding themselves down like millstones, congratulated us on our hard work when they heard the news.

 

The overall quality of all the stages had improved, making this round of voting more competitive than the previous one. The margins between the rankings were slim.

 

UA seemed to be proud of Spark for taking first place in such a competitive environment.

 

This was probably the last first-place ranking Spark would achieve in the IDC. The fourth competition had a special format, and the final round would include online voting.

 

Spark didn’t have much of a chance in either of those. Especially in the final round, where online voting would be introduced for the first and last time.

 

So, for now, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to let them enjoy this moment. I happily watched the Spark members receive generous praise from the staff.

 

Then, between those guys and me, the system appeared.

 

+

 

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

 

▶  Assistant Manager Kim, standing out isn’t always a good thing in society.

 

+

 

The system’s message was much shorter than usual.

 

However, it was strange. The single sentence, though only a few words long, was strangely unsettling.

 

My uneasy premonition proved correct.

 

+

 

[SYSTEM] ‘Subordinate’ is being notified of a Violation of Regulations.’

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

▷ If actions deviating significantly from established history are discovered, ‘Subordinate’ will be deemed to have violated the Duty of Fairness.

 

▷ Depending on the extent to which ‘Subordinate’ has changed history, sanctions can be imposed by utilizing the environment ‘Subordinate’ is in.

 

[SYSTEM] Sanctions against ‘Subordinate’ for ‘Violation of Regulations’ have been issued.

 

▷ Content: Reporting of reputation score

 

▷ Reason: Participation and performance in ‘Idol Dynasy Chronicle’

 

+

 

That night, my name began to be plastered all over various online communities.

 

Along with the dishonorable words ‘team bullying’ and ‘workplace harassment’.

 

* * *

 

It seemed everyone had a reputation score. Like ratings in job searches. That was probably why I once received that message about good attendance leading to a good evaluation.

 

And the system seemed to be able to flag and hide reviews of a person’s reputation, like a company could do with customer reviews.

 

Up until now, I hadn’t done anything to warrant complaints. So, my reputation shouldn’t have been bad.

 

However, after that ‘Reputation Score Report Processing’,  just like a company’s review page after good reviews were removed, only negative posts about me began to surface.

 

≫ Am I the only one who feels like Kim Iwol is overly strict about discipline?

    

└ For #1ㅋㅋㅋ , it’s not like Iwol glared at them or anything. The kids just saw him and fixed their posture on their own. Why are you blaming Iwol?

 

└ Then how do you explain #3ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 

└ Typical blind defenders: they run away when faced with valid points.

 

≫ But honestly, I had a bad feeling about him even before the disrespecting seniors controversy came up.

 

Maybe it’s because he’s the oldest and part of the producing team

 

Jeong Seongbin is the actual leader, but he uses his speaking power to control the team atmosphere.

 

└ For real, you don’t know how f*cking annoying it is unless you’ve experienced it yourself

 

└ He’s always keeping the other oldest line, Choi Jeho, in checkㅋㅋ I’ve always disliked how he acts all smug around Jeho.

 

≫ The members always say he’s the one who nags the most, but honestly, does he even have the qualifications to nag anyone?ㅠㅠ

 

Iwol, look at your fancam views……

└ The kids were sending out an SOS.

 

└ Is the difference in fancam views that big?

 

└ They’re similar, but Kim Pep is consistently among the lowest.

 

└ Isn’t it normal for non-dance or non-center members to have lower fancam views?

 

└  ㄴㄴ No, that doesn’t matter.

 

└ Fancams are for watching dancing, how can it not matterㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Are you stupid?

 

The reaction was disastrous. Some points felt so reasonable that even I was somewhat convinced.

 

I was ready to quietly bow out, but the system seemed determined to keep me in the thick of things…

 

Still, up until then, things were fine. From the moment I, of all people, became an idol, I knew I wouldn’t hear good things.

 

But this was only the beginning.

 

The situation rapidly deteriorated starting that night.

 

While planning the lineup for the third competition—focused on positional battles—based on instructions from the Idol Dynasty Chronicle team, the dormitory phone rang.

 

The person who called at 4 a.m. was our manager.

 

─ Iwol, are you looking at the internet? The public opinion is pretty bad right now… You might want to check.

 

I told him I’d check and call him back, then hung up.

 

Social media was a complete inferno.

 

≫ UA insiders have long said that KIW has a bad attitude.

 

He’s known for ignoring staff and doing whatever he wants, and looks like it’s finally exploded now

 

I heard the CEO heavily favors him

 

└ I heard he had a lot of friction with the PD too.

 

└ Seeing as he debuted after only a year of training, it’s clear he’s getting special treatment

 

≫ Why do you think he got solo variety shows instead of the leader or the center, you idiots?

 

He’s clearly receiving special treatment, while your faves are being sidelined. Face reality, people.

 

└ Every time I see things like this, my heart aches for the other members… It’s so frustrating that they are being discriminated against just because of political maneuvering, even though they’ve trained much longer and are more talented.

 

└ You’re telling meㅠㅠ My bias said he really likes the members, so I can’t say anything, but I just wish everyone got their fair shares… ㅠㅠㅠ

 

The posts ranged from near-accurate leaks about internal company dynamics to exaggerated accusations about solo variety show appearances. These combined to create a narrative that seemed almost plausible.

 

It wasn’t like I went on a drinking show alone just to boost my PR score.

 

No, Choi Jeho really should have gone on that show instead, f*ck…

 

I grabbed my head and read a few more posts.

 

The reckless controversy was a big problem, but the manager wouldn’t have called me at dawn just for this.

 

After several more minutes of scrolling, I stumbled upon a different kind of issue—one I hadn’t even considered.

 

≫ Fans praise Kim Iwol for being a model student, but the funny thing is he acted like a total delinquent in school ㅋㅋ

 

He was exempted from all group activities like school trips, and even though he wasn’t ranked high enough, he got a special study room that only students with good grades could use.  There was a lot of talk about special treatment.

 

He came from a rich family, and the teachers really doted on him.

 

He knew he was superior and was a complete mf jerk. He didn’t even talk to his classmates.

+ Graduation album proof attached

 

It was the first time in my life I’d faced accusations of preferential treatment.