Chapter 260: Recovery Period
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 260: Recovery Period
“What’s this?”
I asked, pointing at something attached next to the clock. Lee Cheong-hyeon answered.
“It’s a wireless receiver. Cool, right?”
“Then what exactly is the situation here?”
“What do you mean? It’s a situation where Je-ho hyung and Kang Gyeon joined forces to install a receiver in our dorm.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon was spouting nonsense.
“To be precise, we didn’t exactly join forces. Je-ho hyung did all the heavy lifting.”
“Kang Gi-yeon just read the manual.”
“That’s those two for you. They can’t collaborate for the life of them, but the end result is always amazing.”
He clapped his hands while tossing out a comment that was hard to distinguish as either an insult or a compliment toward Kang Gi-yeon and Choi Je-ho. With my slow-witted head, I couldn't even begin to guess what Cheong-hyeon was thinking.
“I guess I asked the wrong question. Why was this installed in our dorm in the first place?”
“Ah, so that’s what you’re curious about?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon grinned. He led me into our room.
Where his palm pointed—the nightstand next to my bed—a small wireless call bell was attached.
“Try pressing it.”
Cheong-hyeon said. His voice was strangely devoid of its usual playfulness.
When I pressed the button, a small ding-dong echoed from the living room. It wasn't as loud as the ones in restaurants, but it was a volume that could easily be heard throughout the dorm during the quiet hours of the night.
I walked out to the living room and saw the number 2 displayed on the monitor.
“Why did you…”
“Emergency use.”
Choi Je-ho cut me off.
“Emergency?”
“Press it if anything happens.”
What exactly did he mean by ‘if anything happens’?
Just as I was about to protest, I realized why these guys had gone through all this trouble. I also realized why Lee Cheong-hyeon had been beating around the bush.
“...And why is the number 2, of all things?”
“Because your name is I-wol...”
Park Ju-woo answered cautiously. What an absurd reason.
“We thought this would be less of a psychological burden for you, Hyung. The company paid for it, so don't worry about the cost,” Jeong Seong-bin added.
Until recently, these guys had been taking turns sleeping in Choi Je-ho’s bed to keep a sort of night watch over me. I had eventually kicked them out, telling them I was perfectly fine now.
It seemed they interpreted that as ‘I-wol hyung feels burdened by our kindness.’ This call bell was their alternative. A method they thought I would find ‘efficient.’
‘It means they want me to sleep comfortably, but call them if I need anything.’
I was so dumbfounded I couldn't even laugh. It felt more believable to think I was dreaming.
“I bought the adhesive type instead of the screw-in one. You don't have to worry about leaving marks when we take it off later.”
Kang Gi-yeon thrust the manual toward me. It was covered in dense text.
“I put the spare batteries in the drawer. It has a one-year free repair warranty,” Choi Je-ho added. Then, claiming they had already showered, they nudged me toward the bathroom.
As I headed back to the room to grab my pajamas, the monitor in the living room kept catching my eye. Once I reached my bed, all I could see was the call bell.
Do they really have the energy for this when they barely sleep three hours a day?
Aren't you sleepy? Isn't it exhausting to have spent days taking turns nursing me? Wasn't it a hassle to look all this up?
My finger instinctively moved toward the call bell. As I was fiddling with it, I accidentally pressed the button. Along with the ding-dong sound, I heard a series of loud thuds from all over.
“Hyung!”
“Hyung...!”
Jeong Seong-bin and Park Ju-woo came rushing in, breathless. Since it was the middle of the night, I made a shushing gesture, and they belatedly covered their mouths.
In the midst of the chaos, Lee Cheong-hyeon burst out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist.
“What happened?!”
“Cheong-hyeon, what are you doing?”
“I wasn't done showering, how was I supposed to put on clothes? Was it a test?”
“I pressed it by mistake.”
At my words, Lee Cheong-hyeon let out a deep sigh. I looked at his head, which was still covered in soap suds, and said, “From now on, even if you hear the bell, don't come out if you're in the bathroom. You'll slip.”
“Got it, so just go to sleep.”
Cheong-hyeon shook his head as if he were fed up and went back to the bathroom. And that was how our dorm gained a semi-permanent receiver and a wireless call bell that we could take with us even if we moved.
The gifts from UA and Spark didn't end with the call bell. On the way to work the next day, I received a smartwatch through Manager Chan-yeong.
“Starting today, we’re going to check your ECG after choreography practice.”
Kang Gi-yeon explained as he opened the box. I had to stand there and watch the smartwatch being unpacked.
“Run through the routine once and check it. If it’s within the normal range, we’ll lock in the choreography as is. If it seems like too much of a strain, we’ll modify it.”
“No, I’m really fine. The choreography isn't even that hard this time.”
“Right. Lee Cheong-hyeon, do we have to sync this app to Hyung’s account?”
Kang Gi-yeon completely ignored me and discussed with Lee Cheong-hyeon whose account the smartwatch’s ECG app should be linked to. I knew I was a handful, but these guys were really something else.
They actually strapped the smartwatch onto my wrist and checked my heart rate after practice. They only let me go after carefully reading how to interpret the results and comparing them to my data.
“I’ve never received such VIP treatment in my life.”
A hollow laugh escaped me. It was an unexpectedly extreme level of care.
At that, Jeong Seong-bin, who was looking back and forth between my wrist and his phone screen, looked up at me.
“Hyung, anyone should receive this much help.”
“...”
“It’s a health issue, of all things. We don't think it’s excessive, so please don't feel too burdened.”
Seong-bin stood up with a refreshed expression, straightening his knees.
“Shall we rest for five more minutes and then practice again?”
I was fine to start practicing again right away. I was truly okay. As long as I was working as an idol, the System would protect me.
Still, it felt rude to worry these guys any further.
“Let’s do that.”
I had to listen to the leader; what else could I do?
Time flew by at a breathless pace. During that time, Spark worked until their feet were practically smoking.
Because of the pre-release track, there were twice as many stages, music videos, and photo cards to prepare for than usual. Thanks to that, we had to change clothes countless times, transforming into the elves from a leather workshop one day and fairy tale protagonists the next.
The schedule was tight. Because we had pushed back the timetable for my sake while still needing to secure a minimum promotion period, we decided to open the comeback announcement and album pre-orders simultaneously. No matter how we looked at it, there was no other date to release the teasers.
My hair follicles were also very busy. Following Park Ju-woo, it was my turn to go white-blonde. I thought my scalp was going to burn off.
‘Ju-woo, my head stings. Is this normal?’
‘It was like that for me too...’
Then Park Ju-woo handed me a bottle of conditioner. It was the brand I had ordered for him when he bleached his hair. I felt twice as annoyed.
I thought I’d only have hair this color at my eightieth birthday party. I still flinch in surprise every time I see myself in the mirror.
‘I liked having black hair during "Winter Night."’
Up until the pre-release track "Winter Night," the most flashy dye job I had ever done was the gray hair for "With List." I thought that would be the greatest rebellion of my life.
But they say humans are foolish creatures who cannot see even an inch ahead. I crumbled helplessly in the face of this comeback.
Because of the concept, the other guys also had to bleach their hair at least three times. Except for Choi Je-ho, who kept his black hair, everyone’s head looked like cotton candy.
“You know, our heads look like a flower garden.”
“Is that supposed to be a good expression?”
Kang Gi-yeon asked with a look of disgust at Lee Cheong-hyeon’s muttering. It didn't seem like a good thing, but I thought there was no better metaphor.
And then, a day in late November arrived.
“Guys, this is our new manager, Mr. Pyeong Dae-yeon!”
A new manager had been assigned to Spark.
“Hello, I’m Pyeong Dae-yeon. I look forward to working with you.”
A man of average build bowed and introduced himself. Everyone except Choi Je-ho swallowed hard.
To understand the full story, we need to go back a few days.
For the first time in a long while, Spark was summoned to the meeting room for a full group meeting. Since we rarely got called in unless it was group-related business lately, we headed to the meeting room bickering over things like, ‘There’s no way it was okay to buy smartwatches with company money,’ and ‘No, we definitely got permission.’
When we entered, Ju-gyeong was already sitting there. Manager Chan-yeong, after confirming we were all inside, closed the door and joined us.
Ju-gyeong knew how busy we were. The fact that she wanted to speak to us in person rather than through a messenger meant the matter was that important.
‘Is she resigning?’
A sense of dread washed over me. Cold sweat ran down my back.
“Uh, um... do you guys want something to drink?”
Even the signal that the conversation would be long appeared. Sirens blared in my head.
No. This company is finished without Ju-gyeong. You promised me a salary increase for the employees and a restructuring of the rank system, Representative! I shouldn't have trusted a shitty little agency like this!
Just as my heart was about to drown in tears of blood, Ju-gyeong clasped her hands together.
Please don't apologize. Please don't say you're leaving the company at the end of next month.
You’re the one who brought me here, Ju-gyeong. You can't leave until I do! Nobody leaves before me!
I wanted to shove my fist in my mouth and cry, but I couldn't. Ju-gyeong finally spoke with difficulty.
“Guys.”
“Yes.”
“The thing is... we’ve found a new manager for you.”
Ah, so you’re not resigning?
What a relief. I feel like I’ve just been born again. I feel like I could accomplish anything right now.
Unlike me, who was inwardly relieved, the guys next to me were stiff. They looked quite displeased.
‘Well, I guess it’s not exactly welcome news.’
It wasn't that long ago that Hong Un-seop did those insane things. We had only just found some stability after kicking him out, so it was bound to be uncomfortable to have someone new coming in.
However, we couldn't go without hiring a manager forever. The reason we had hired Hong Un-seop in the first place was because we were short-staffed.
“Will this person be... trustworthy this time?”
Jeong Seong-bin asked cautiously. He surely knew that you never really know a person until you deal with them.
At Seong-bin’s question, Ju-gyeong gave an awkward smile.
“Well, he’s a classmate of mine.”
“What?”
That was shocking news. I felt the cold sweat coming back.