Chapter 217: Group Training (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 217: Group Training (2)
The gist of it was this.
They thought that since I, who they assumed only exercised for the stamina and physique required for idol activities, was the one leading the charge to participate in the sports day, I must be gunning for the championship trophy.
“Do I really look that competitive?”
“You don’t look the part, no.”
Choi Je-ho closed the lid of an empty delivery container.
But I was all about 'safety first.' I had no desire to see anyone get injured or end up in a mess because their motivation overheated.
My plan was to just participate in every event with a sincere attitude and leave it at tha—
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[SYSTEM] A work order from the ‘Person in Charge’ has arrived.
▶ Oh, by the way, Assistant Manager Kim! Check how many Welfare Mall points we’ve racked up. See if we can buy something big.
[SYSTEM] A ‘New Task’ has been assigned.
▷ ‘Idol Unity Sports Day’ Overall Victory
▷ Reward: Physical Stabilization (Synchronization decreased by 3%)
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…
“But you guys are right.”
“What?”
“I want that overall victory. Don’t forget. There is no such word as ‘defeat’ in the Spark dictionary.”
Given that the word ‘Stabilization’ was attached to it, that reward was definitely for me. Even if the 3% figure was incredibly stingy.
I’m going to use this chance to get rid of these dark circles and escape this migraine once and for all. I felt my motivation catch fire.
In the afternoon, I headed to the archery range with Jeong Seong-bin and Park Ju-woo. Even though they had only been learning for one session ahead of me, the two of them already gave off a fairly plausible aura.
Park Ju-woo even went as far as to help me put on a piece of equipment called a chest guard. It felt like only yesterday that I had rescued this kid from the swamp of harnesses; when did he grow up so fast? I was deeply moved.
“So? How is it now that you’ve tried it yourself?”
“Aiming is harder than I thought. Even a tiny bit of shaking makes the arrow go way off course.”
While the teacher showed me how to hold the bow, Jeong Seong-bin calmly explained the difficulties they had faced during the morning session.
“Have you ever shot a bow before? Which of the two do you think adapted faster?”
I asked lightly at first, worried they might feel pressured about their performance.
At that, Jeong Seong-bin placed a hand on Park Ju-woo’s shoulder and gently pushed his friend forward.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“I think Ju-woo might actually be an archery genius.”
Park Ju-woo? Can this kid even pull the drawstring? Didn’t he look like he was about to throw up while running earlier?
Before my skeptical eyes, Park Ju-woo rubbed the back of his neck shyly and lowered his head.
Jeong Seong-bin wasn’t the type to lie, but I wondered if he was just taking his friend’s side.
However, the ‘Jeong Seong-bin’s Teammate Shielding Scandal’ was brought to an abrupt end the moment Park Ju-woo pulled the string.
Thwack!
“Whoa…”
Exclamations erupted from the staff. It seemed they felt they’d captured a great shot. After all, the arrow Park Ju-woo had been practicing since this morning hit the 9-point ring dead center.
“What the? Why are you so good?”
“Ju-woo has a very stable core! There’s no micro-shaking, and above all, his concentration is excellent.”
The teacher explained, but my startled heart didn’t settle easily.
No, I heard the thud against the target! There was real power behind it! This is the same kid who was crawling along when I made him run earlier!
Leaving me sputtering, Jeong Seong-bin also pulled his bowstring. While his score wasn't as high as Park Ju-woo’s, he didn't miss the target. It was an excellent result for someone who had only learned for a short while that morning.
“You guys are really good. I’m starting to feel left out.”
“Ahaha, we practiced pretty intensely this morning.”
I knew they wouldn't slack off with Jeong Seong-bin there, but it seemed both of them had undergone much harsher training than I anticipated.
Fortunately, I wasn't scolded for my posture. On the contrary, I received plenty of praise for having a more balanced stance than even Park Ju-woo.
However, even for a 'standing still genius' like me, there was a barrier.
“Shall we try breathing a little more slowly? Relax and take a deep breath!”
I hadn't realized it, but my heart was beating incredibly fast. To the point where I wondered if my heart rate was always this high.
Maybe it was because I’d been playing basketball all morning. Thanks to that, I wasted quite a bit of time trying to soothe my racing organs.
Even after I managed to stop the shaking, hitting the target with an arrow wasn't easy. It felt completely different from shooting a gun. I once had a 'Marksman' patch and some experience under my belt, but I guess all of that melted away during the regression. It was truly surprising how these kids were thumping arrows into the target one after another.
“Should we swap members even now…?”
“Don’t lose heart, Hyung…!”
Park Ju-woo cheered for me enthusiastically.
“But Ju-woo, look over there.”
I pointed to the arrows embedded deep in the back wall, having missed the target by a long shot. Park Ju-woo couldn't say a word. The road to the overall championship felt very far away.
“How was it running around a bit this morning? Do you think it’ll go well?”
During a break, while I was wrapping a bandage around my finger, the writer asked me a question.
Come to think of it, these kinds of programs always included interview cuts in between. Moreover, since I heard Spark were the only 'exercise maniacs' staying in a dorm for training this season, I figured they might want to get a bit more footage here, so I tried to answer as sincerely as possible.
“I’m not sure if it’ll go well, but I hope at least one of us can participate in every event. Our members are quite athletic.”
“Which events did you decide to enter, I-wol?”
“Basketball, archery, and table tennis for me. Oh, and I’m doing the relay too.”
“Aren’t you going to be too busy?”
“I like being active. I’m actually looking forward to it!”
It was true that I liked being active through exercise. I just hated the kind of physical labor like weekend hiking or carrying shelves for a Department Head.
Perhaps my sincerity got through, as the writer’s expression changed as if she were moved. My heart was actually full of ulterior motives, so I hoped she wouldn't interpret it too positively.
“What about the other members?”
“Je-ho is doing basketball with me. And I think he’ll do futsal too!”
“Isn’t Cheong-hyeon doing futsal as well? I saw him running on the field earlier.”
“Cheong-hyeon said he’s volunteering for goalkeeper. I wanted to join too, so it’s a bit of a shame.”
Since the number of participants per team was limited and I was banned from futsal anyway, I tried to soothe my regret by at least venting about it.
After a bit more interviewing, the writer threw out a final question.
“Then, what is Spark’s goal this time? Can we look forward to a victory?”
“First of all, showing the fans how hard we’re working. And coming back safely after having fun without getting hurt—those are the two! As for the victory… we’ll give it our best shot!”
“Please leave a word for the fans who will be watching this video.”
“Yes!”
The moment I looked into the camera lens with a spirited reply—
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[SYSTEM] The ‘Party B’s’ KPI ‘Achieve 1st place on a music broadcast with all 6 members of Spark’ has been confirmed.
▷ Reward: Memory Data (1)
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A system message appeared stating that the KPI confirmation was complete. I didn't even spare a glance at that crappy Memory Data.
However…
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[SYSTEM] ‘Capturing the Hearts of Potential Customers’ has been designated as the ‘Party B’s’ KPI.
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…What is this bizarre KPI? What on earth does ‘Capturing the Hearts of Potential Customers’ even mean?
I couldn't even begin to guess. Are hearts even physical objects in the first place? How are you supposed to capture them? They aren't pigeons.
As if sensing that I was completely clueless, the system appeared once again, wearing the shell of Department Head Nam.
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[SYSTEM] A work order from the ‘Person in Charge’ has arrived.
▶ The way I see it, Assistant Manager Kim, you need to target customers a bit more aggressively. So, how about you try to attract some potential customers this time? I think about 10,000 should do.
[SYSTEM] The KPI ‘Capturing the Hearts of Potential Customers’ is notified to ‘Party B.’
▷ Secure 10,000 new fans whose ‘bias’ is Kim I-wol
▷ Auxiliary guide provided to help achieve KPI
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My vision went white.
I don't need potential customers or whatever. I don't need a guide either. I already have more than enough people who love the current, worn-out, and trivial Kim I-wol!
I finished the interview, weeping inwardly. 10,000 new Sparklers would be one thing, but 10,000 Sparklers whose bias is Kim I-wol? It was so agonizing my insides felt twisted.
In the end, I didn't open the Memory Data. I didn't even look at the auxiliary guide the system gave me. Instead, I just exercised like a madman. Perhaps my anger had been converted into energy, because I didn't feel tired even though I kept pulling the bow until 10 PM.
Unable to resist the urging of Jeong Seong-bin and Park Ju-woo, I returned to the dorm to find the futsal group spreading out blankets in the large room.
“Are we all using this room together?”
“That’s what they said. Your spot is over there, Hyung.”
Dragging a blanket, Lee Cheong-hyeon pointed to a spot by the window in the corner.
“Why am I being shoved into the corner like this?”
“Because if we let you sleep near the door, you might sneak out at night to practice.”
“…”
“For the record, those were Kang Gyeon’s instructions. Cheong-hyeon didn't say a word!”
Steam rose at the sight of Lee Cheong-hyeon looking so nonchalant.
“So. Where exactly is our dear Kang Gi-yeon, the one who gave the order?”
“He went to the next room to get more floor mats, saying we might not have enough.”
At Lee Cheong-hyeon’s words, Park Ju-woo, who was counting the mats spread on the floor, tilted his head.
“Will we be short? I think there are six here…?”
“Hyung, look at our size.”
“Ah…”
Park Ju-woo let out a groan as if he’d just realized.
If I’d known we’d be sleeping in one room like this, I wouldn't have made these guys bulk up. In trying to aim for the greater good, I ended up having to sleep squeezed into a corner.
No sooner had the conversation ended than Kang Gi-yeon appeared with a bundle of blankets. His face was bright red from the weight of the load he was carrying.
Seeing Kang Gi-yeon like that, Choi Je-ho said:
“If you were going to bring all those blankets, couldn't we have just slept in separate rooms?”
As expected, no one is better at throwing cold water on things than Choi Je-ho. It’s incredibly effective. Everyone was just gaping at him, weren't they?
“Hyung, let’s just sleep here for the sake of unity. It’s not like the world’s going to end if we sleep together for one night.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon smiled and placed a hand on Choi Je-ho’s shoulder. As if to signal him to just play along, the veins on the back of Lee Cheong-hyeon’s hand bulged.
“That’s right, none of us have bad sleeping habits anyway!”
Fortunately, thanks to Jeong Seong-bin’s energetic and cheerful mood change, we were able to pull up our blankets in peace.
As I lay down, practically stuck to the wall, I felt a sense of déjà vu. Didn't I have an experience like this not too long ago?
It was probably when we went to the countryside to film self-produced content. Not that much time had passed, yet it already felt like the distant past.
“I can’t sleep.”
“What?”
“It feels like such a waste to just sleep like this.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon muttered in the dark.
“That’s because you didn't train enough.”
“Ju-woo Hyung, cover I-wol Hyung’s mouth.”
Park Ju-woo, who had no sense of humor, clamped his hand over my face. His grip strength was no joke; I could see why he was so good at archery. Though I wasn't sure if it actually had anything to do with grip strength.
“Is there anyone here who’s so sleepy they have to fall asleep right now to be in good condition for training tomorrow?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon asked.
And no one answered. Since we usually did dance training until dawn, it was only natural.
“Then shall we play for just one hour before we sleep?”
At Lee Cheong-hyeon’s words, I felt a few people flinch.
No, do you guys really want to play at this hour?
Maybe it’s because I’m an old man at heart. I just couldn't understand them. Nevertheless, they began to crawl out from under their blankets one by one.