Chapter 228: Review Time (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 228: Review Time (1)
A day in the life of Spark is busy. And my day is a little busier. After all, I’m the only one besides Jeong Seong-bin who’s officially capable of monitoring everything.
Even though we didn't have to run to music shows now that the "MISSION" promotions were over, I still had to check the reactions to the footage being released.
Aside from the shared sheet where we monitored and recorded Spark’s broadcast segments, I used to have a personal file where I collected feedback... but Kang Gi-yeon deleted it.
"I crossed the line by touching your medicine bottle last time, so I won't tell the other hyungs about this file. In exchange, don't ever collect stuff like this again."
Gi-yeon’s expression had been so grim that I just agreed. And so, the many criticisms and insults directed at "Kim Peps" were permanently purged from the recycle bin.
Today was the day to check the community reactions for Act on, which had been released in the evening. I hadn't been able to see the real-time reactions because we were in a meeting for the new song, but just as I was about to look for some reviews, the Spark brats logged into an OTT platform and turned on the broadcast.
"Aren't you guys going to sleep?"
It was 2:00 AM, but the guys were just coming out of the shower one by one, showing no intention of heading to their rooms.
"We have to watch Act on! Weren't you going to watch it too, Hyung?"
"I wasn't planning on watching the whole broadcast. I was just going to check the reactions."
"Aw, where's the fun in that?"
With that, Lee Cheong-hyeon plopped down on the sofa. Choi Je-ho’s legs, which had been stretched out across the cushions, were ruthlessly crumpled.
"...It feels like watching a movie."
"Right? I want popcorn."
Park Ju-woo and Jeong Seong-bin also sat down below the sofa, side-by-side, hugging cushions. Wait, why is everyone gathering so naturally?
"Iwol-hyung, come here quick. We're starting."
"Gi-yeon, I thought you said you wanted to grow to 180cm."
"It’s a lost cause for today anyway. The meeting ended at dawn; what difference does it make if I sleep now?"
Gi-yeon didn't back down for a second as he picked up the remote.
Fine, have it your way.
I squeezed into the corner of the sofa and opened my laptop. Along with the opening theme, the title Act on filled the screen.
≫ Wow, the set design is so historically accurate lol
It literally looks like they ripped our office out and put it there
And Jo Yong-han really looks like an assistant manager from the team next door
└ Yeong-hwan...!
└ Who's Yeong-hwan?
└ The name of the character Jo Yong-han's actor played in another drama lol
└ Isn't him pounding on the keyboard as soon as he arrives the peak image of an office worker starting their afternoon shift? Hahahahaha
≫ There's quite a bit of psychological warfare this time
Maybe because the communication method this season is the company messenger, it feels like real political maneuvering
It's fun to see them subtly picking at each other lol
In the midst of that, who brought a real department head here?
└ Team Leader An Jo-yong is for real lol. His way of speaking is identical to my CEO
≫ Wow, how are they going to pull off the Seong Sil-han "study abroad" character?
Does he have to type in English on the messenger?
└ Seong Sil-han: Why this trial for me
└ Hahahahaha
≫ Anyone watching Act on in real-time?
Let's deduce the target together!
└ Based on the first round of scouting, Yu Yeon-seong?
└ So-mun-nan
└ So-mun-nan
└ I say Yeong-yang-ga... he's got such a big mouth that he's actually suspicious
└ One vote for Yu Yeon-seong
"This hyung is doing that over there, too."
"Cheong-hyeon, is there a thorn in your words?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon grinned widely at my remark. I think he was trying to annoy me, but the "shimmering light" effect from the System was so incredible that I could only marvel at it.
At that moment, the booth I was in appeared on screen.
『I’m the one who resigned.』
Thanks to the light from the monitor, my face glowed with an extra layer of villainy. Anyone watching would think I held a deep grudge over being fired.
≫ No, but he only found like two hints and he already knows he's the target?
Just by seeing the login failure and the file dates?
└ It'd be hilarious if he wasn't the target and was just drawing massive aggro lol
└ Holy sh*t lol. I predict a total chaos fest
≫ Excuse me, Kim Iwol-ssi, what exactly do you do for a living?
I thought he was looking for something because he was putting so much effort into organizing scrap paper, but he was sorting them by date hahahahahaha
└ Our boy has a bit of an obsession with organizing, but he's a hard worker
└ Seong Sil-han is the "hard worker" character
└ Ah, please lol
The camera panned across various participants. Some were finding their employee numbers to unlock cabinet padlocks, while others were reading various documents, all set to suspicious background music.
And finally...
≫ (Spoiler) Wow, the Act on target
It really is Jo Yong-han
He even deduced he was the one who resigned right at the start, and he actually was
└ Am I the only one who thought the target would be the Chairman's kid and kept looking for expensive stuff on the desks?
└ Above commenter, don't ever go to an escape room
...The scene showed me discovering a resignation letter among the scrap paper.
"So you finally decided to leave that trashy company?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon asked, pretending to tear up. I didn't answer.
Even after finding the resignation letter, Jo Yong-han didn't stop. I remember hesitating a bit when I saw the gray seal back then, but it seemed they edited out the middle bits for dramatic effect. Thanks to that, I looked like a mole burrowing into scrap paper on screen.
≫ Iwol-ah, stop digging through the scrap paper
There won't be any scrap paper left...
└ Iwol's love for scrap paper that doesn't stop even after finding the resignation letter
└ ???: This is how you can use scrap paper at the office, but you must check if there's important information on the back before using it.
└ When was this said?
└ Just passing through—it came out in the Spark self-produced content, the UA Exploration episode! Check 12:38
≫ Why isn't Jo Yong-han opening the cabinet?
It's driving me crazy, it's such a basic hint
└ That's what I'm saying. He seemed sharp at first, but now...
≫ Where are all those backseat-driving b*stards who said it was frustrating that Jo Yong-han wasn't opening the cabinet? Hahahaha
└ For real lol. As soon as Jo Yong-han saw the cabinet lock, he went, "Since I resigned, I probably already cleared out my stuff... but I'll check anyway," then tapped it, heard the hollow sound, and immediately ignored it. That was f*cking hilarious
└ In the first place, the target's goal isn't to find more clues but to avoid getting caught by others. Why are you btching about him not playing detective? Do you guys even know the rules of Act on*???
Looking through the posts, I realized something.
Even if someone threw out a negative opinion about my immediate actions, the atmosphere could shift as time passed or misunderstandings were cleared.
If my feedback file were still alive, I probably would have written something like: 'Be sure to meticulously follow the basic directorial requirements requested by the production team.'
And I wouldn't have paid much attention to the posts after that, since most of them were praise.
'Haven't you heard that being like that doesn't look good?'
Choi Je-ho’s words echoed in my mind. So, I decided to look a bit more at the reactions of people enjoying the program. Keeping a balanced perspective.
The reactions from the community and the viewers—referring to the Spark brats sitting next to me—reached a fever pitch when Jo Yong-han found the real resignation letter.
≫ No, but what did this company throw away so much in the scrap paper box?
I thought this hint was easy, but look at all those shredded bits between the papers hahahahahaha
The Act on production team must have been out for blood
└ Jo Yong-han, who is sitting there taping those scraps together one by one, is no ordinary psycho lol
└ Right, he's totally a "dead-eyed" lunatic
└ In the middle of that, the fact that he says a "good office worker" should throw shredded paper in the general waste is the f*cking highlight
≫ Whoa, the real resignation letter appeared
;;;;;;; So the one from before was a fake?
└ It's chilling how they show a flashback to compare the official seals. That means he kept looking for the real one after seeing that, right?
≫ The first resignation letter said the reason for leaving was "personal reasons"
But the real one says "workplace harassment"...
If he hadn't found this, it would've just been a target playing X-man, but one resignation letter turned it into the revenge plot of the century
└ True, the vibe changed instantly
≫ Jo Yong-han is a truly scary person
On the messenger, he's like "ㅠㅠ If you find anything, could you please share it? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ" while his hands are busy piecing together a destroyed resignation letter
└ The epitome of a "strong aura"
└ Hahahahahaha
└ Right, those kinds of people are the scariest lol
"Hyung! Teach me that too!"
"What?"
"The secret to not getting scammed in a harsh company!"
Lee Cheong-hyeon said, his eyes sparkling.
Wait until contract renewal season. You'll find out whether you want to or not.
"Did you... get scammed big time while working a part-time job or something?"
Choi Je-ho, who was watching the broadcast, chimed in.
"Securing original documents is a must. If you can't preserve the original, you print two copies and use a cross-stamping seal. Don't you know?"
"I don't."
System, you can't bring me the document security manual I made back when I was at Hanpyeong Industry, can you? I organized that incredibly well. If necessary, I’d have to comb through my brain during the off-season to reconstruct it.
As the participants' monologues were cross-edited, the broadcast became even more interesting. I was the only one lost in thought in front of a large, empty whiteboard.
The viewers were framing this image of me quite magnificently.
≫ It looks like Jo Yong-han has finished assessing the situation
After visiting Yeong-yang-ga's room, he doesn't seem to be focusing much on the messenger chat
└ Yeah... everyone else is re-reading the messenger because they don't have a clue
└ Isn't it just because he's the target?
└ Then he should be trying to find commonalities to pretend he's not the target, but Jo Yong-han isn't really doing that... I have no idea what he's thinking
≫ The highlight is when they pick the eliminated person and face off
The way he glances at the other participants—his gaze is no joke
└ Everyone in the Silence Room asking how old Jo Yong-han is lol. Well, yeah, Jo Yong-han-ssi doesn't exactly seem like a twenty-one-year-old kid
└ The person playing Jo Yong-han is twenty-one?!
└ No wonder it became a hot topic in the Silence Room
≫ People really do have an "aura"...
I feel drained just watching him through the screen. I definitely never want to cross him
└ Fr, he's someone I'd want to stay on the good side of for life
As the broadcast progressed, "Jo Yong-han-ssi" was becoming an employee no one wanted to work with.
I’m sorry, everyone. I actually had a pretty decent reputation back at Hanpyeong Industry. Probably.
And just as Jo Yong-han’s reputation was about to hit rock bottom.
The camera zoomed in on me as I began writing a hit list, one by one, on the whiteboard.