Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

“Why would you wear a gat! It’ll cast shadows on your face!”

The gats would be used for shadow-enhancing season’s greetings shoots. They were absolutely not allowed for indoor filming like IDC.

Once I dressed them in pastel tones and had them sit side by side on the sofa, they looked like a stack of rainbow rice cakes—it was delightful. I also made sure to pin the Eosa Flower Badge they received from the previous competition onto their chests.

≫ A Chuseok self-content video without hanbok?

Life truly is tough

└ If we keep holding out, they’ll wear it someday

There were so many outfits Sparkler fans once fervently wished for.

Until my voluntary leave, I’d dress them up as much as possible. Hang in there, Spark, until you’ve worn everything.

While the three non-participants looked adorably dressed and ready to watch, the three competing members embodied truly distinct styles.

I was dressed like a classic adventure, in line with the main storyline of the anime about a protagonist embarking on a journey.

I had worn ties, but it was my first time wearing a scarf, so it felt unfamiliar. I asked if it looked too much like a Boy Scout, but the stylist, as always, just complimented me, saying it suited me well.

Since I was also in charge of the intro this time, I had to take care of the props too.

When I was with Spark, Jeong Seongbin usually took care of things like this. No wonder fans were so obsessed with the ‘intro fairy’.

Lee Cheonghyeon looked every bit the dark, menacing watchdog.

I didn’t know what kind of stage he had prepared with Log, but not only were his top and bottom all black, but he also had various black harnesses and leg holsters.

He even wore red colored contacts today. They should give this guy a lens commercial.

“What are you guys, assassins?”

“If this already shocks you, you’re in trouble.”

Then Cheonghyeon casually waved something in his hand.

“Is that a muzzle?”

Dangling in his hand was a leather strap muzzle, the kind you’d expect on a large dog.

“You little punk, I specifically told you not to cover your face…”

“I know, I know! I’ll take it off after the first verse!”

“If you’re going to take it off, flip it up, not down. Don’t hurt your nose.”

There goes his chances of pulling off a refreshing vibe. That bastard would probably have said yes even if I’d given him a cyborg warrior concept.

As shocking as Cheonghyeon’s look was, Choi Jeho’s was even more over the top.

His hair, styled with wax to look rebellious, was intimidating enough on its own, but he showed off his toned muscles with a deep blue cropped jacket, wearing only a see-through top underneath. Was it even appropriate to expose teenagers to such provocative visuals?

“Did you change your hair color? Did you even have time for that?”

“Spray.”

Choi Jeho’s hair shimmered with a subtle purplish-blue under the fluorescent lights.

Once he went up on the dark stage, the color would only show up when the spotlight hit him. Not a bad choice.

Looking at these two, it felt like I was the only one embodying the peaceful protagonist of a healing exploration game. Rap and dance were truly terrifying realms.

Just in case there wasn’t enough IDC action footage, we excitedly discussed as a group which unit we were looking forward to.

After about 30 minutes of chatting, the curtain rose on the third competition.

***

The first position battle started with the rap position.

Sticky and Berion’s combination was quite good.

Both groups seemed to have decided to capitalize on their strengths of brightness and cheerfulness, choosing a singing rap song that expressed a man newly in love.

Although it had a slow tempo, the back-and-forth exchanges were sharp, and the simple concept made it easy for the audience to enjoy.

The audience reaction was also positive. Thanks to their choice of a more mainstream and accessible song compared to typical hip-hop, many people in the crowd were even singing along to the rap lyrics.

‘Berion may be hit-or-miss, but their planning is undeniably solid.’

Just as Spark consistently pushed its youthful theme, Sticky’s commitment to their lovely, romantic concept also stood out for its steadfastness.

Next up were Parthe and All Over… and they were powerful.

From their visuals alone, they left a strong impression with their gothic-style outfits and intentionally heavy makeup.

But that wasn’t all. The chemistry between the members, who had been acquainted since their trainee days, was evident on stage.

Their choice of emo rap to blend Parthe’s mythical image with All Over’s dark and intense feel was also spot-on.

The previous performance was decent by IDC’s standards, but the following performance was visually and sonically much more impressive.

Well, what can you do but blame the match-up luck?

If a stage like that had been performed in the second round, both Sticky and Berion would have scored better back then.

And Parthe wasn’t going to stay at the bottom forever.

Sure enough, after placing second in the previous round, their determination was clearly visible this time.

Excellent. This was what made it enjoyable for the viewers. A successful program meant more recognition for Spark, too.

I enjoyed watching the performance, but I suddenly thought of this team’s maknae, who must be backstage right now.

‘Lee Cheonghyeon… I wonder if he’ll do well?’