Chapter 41: Health Management is also a Skill (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 41: Health Management is also a Skill (2)
‘If there’s a system that raises stats, shouldn’t there be one that restores energy?’
I chewed on the jjolmyeon, which tasted like nothing—perhaps because my nose was blocked—and pondered the thought.
If it was possible to artificially enhance a person’s physical functions, then a similar mechanism for recovery should exist.
The system couldn't possibly be unaware of how much blood, sweat, and tears went into practicing to become an idol. Its methods of awarding points and its overall processes were strictly focused on raising an idol capable of debuting.
Therefore, there had to be a safeguard for when an idol reached their physical limit and couldn't complete their required practice or faced an insurmountable situation.
It had brought a living person back to the past with their memories intact; surely it had prepared that much of a contingency plan.
I forced myself to finish the rest of the jjolmyeon while waiting for the system to appear. As expected, the silent system finally manifested.
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[SYSTEM] ‘Party B’ is notified of the ‘Additional Labor Support Service.’
▷ If you wish to perform additional labor but find that physical limitations are hindering the achievement of your KPIs, this service provides support to ensure smooth additional labor.
▷ Upon activation of the support service, Fatigue is reduced by 20. The deducted Fatigue will be returned to ‘Party B’ upon deactivation of the service.
▷ ‘Party B’ may designate the start and end times of the service.
▷ Physical side effects may occur due to various reasons, such as prolonged use of the service, excessive accumulation of Fatigue, or if the temporarily deducted Fatigue exceeds a certain level.
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It was exactly the function I needed.
Compared to the ‘Violation of Confidentiality Agreement,’ which warned that side effects could lead to death, this was hardly worth worrying about. At least this didn't explicitly say I could die.
After the service guide, the familiar resume appeared. This time, however, a new category called ‘Cumulative Fatigue’ had been added below ‘Cumulative Experience Points.’
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.
.
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— Attendance Management: 18/20
— Organizational Adaptability: 10/20
Cumulative Experience Points: 0
Cumulative Fatigue: 40%
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Perhaps thanks to the medicine I’d taken, my cumulative fatigue wasn't that high. If 20% was shaved off, I’d feel almost normal.
Without hesitation, I imagined pressing the service activation button.
The system window glowed brightly once more.
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Cumulative Fatigue: 20% (Labor Support Service in effect)
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The fatigue level dropped the moment the service began.
The effect was immediate. My fever vanished, and the tension in my shoulders seemed to melt away.
“Hyung, is that jjolmyeon really that delicious?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“No, it’s just that your complexion suddenly got better the moment you started eating it.”
“Did they sprinkle protein powder on the noodles or something?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon and Choi Je-ho started spouting nonsense about my face, noting how much better I looked.
“Choi Je-ho, I didn't know you were capable of such a brilliant idea as putting protein in food. I’ll keep that in mind when I make toast.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Despite my kind consideration, Choi Je-ho just got cranky. I try to play along, and he gets an attitude.
Come to think of it… I can manage myself by looking at the system, but what about these guys? What if they suddenly collapse?
Looking at these kids who had been on a low-salt, low-calorie diet for much longer than I had, an ominous thought crossed my mind.
Their cardiovascular health might be better than mine, but at this point, I couldn't help but worry about malnutrition. Not long ago, Kang Gi-yeon was caught dancing his heart out while hiding an ankle injury.
If UA actually checked the members' health while pushing them to lose weight and practice, I wouldn't have to go this far. But in an idol market where the only feedback is “lose as much weight as possible and practice until you can’t anymore,” expecting such care was absurd.
Just in case, I asked them.
“Do you guys get health checkups?”
“We get them every year at school,” Kang Gi-yeon, the current high schooler, answered.
“I don’t mean just measuring height and weight. Oh, and by any chance, did you guys get laminates?”
“I didn't. As far as I know, none of us did,” Jeong Seong-bin said.
“I heard people often get them during their trainee days, though…” Park Ju-woo added.
Since everyone’s oral health was fine, that was a relief.
The group is so taciturn that there are a million things to worry about. I’m tempted to install a suggestion box in the dorm.
Was the age for national health checkups 20 and up? I should probably take them to a clinic soon to check their basic vitals.
I was lost in thought about the time I used to schedule employee health checkups back at Hanpyeong Industry when Lee Cheong-hyeon asked me a question.
“Why the sudden talk about health checkups?”
“Just because. I’m saying this just in case, but take care of your own bodies. Your bodies are your assets. Got it?”
“Did you hear that, Kang Gyeon?”
“What about me?”
“Iwol-hyung is worried about you, telling you to take care of your ankle, Gi-yeon!”
“Is that really how you heard it?”
He really has a talent for taking a perfectly straight point and twisting it into something else. Well, it wasn't exactly what I meant, but as long as they got the gist.
It would be ridiculous for me to say all that and then skip practice using my condition as an excuse.
I forced myself to finish the jjolmyeon, which felt more stiff than chewy, and made sure to clear the empty bowl.
“Everyone, what content are we filming today?”
“‘Introduce Our Members!’”
With an energetic response, we clapped enthusiastically.
The last schedule of the day was filming self-produced content.
Considering UA’s track record of failing to provide proper push once a group actually debuts, this was the "Planned by Kim I-wol, Directed by Kim I-wol, Sponsored by UA" content we were filming in advance.
‘I almost fainted when the company suggested we go for a natural, no-makeup look since it’s pre-debut.’
Regardless of whether they were being managed well, it was problematic to show such a lack of effort for a video fans would eventually watch. I’d seen them film the process of removing makeup during live streams later on anyway. They could reveal their bare faces then.
“Remember when we filmed the profile photo shoot? Those photos are finally out!”
This meant the final versions of the concept photos for the debut album title track—the photos that would be registered on portal sites—were ready.
Unfortunately, I heard it took quite a while to edit them because the real-life visuals of a few members, including Lee Cheong-hyeon, didn't translate well to camera.
‘I briefly considered joining the support staff when I heard the news.’
But I figured if I grabbed the mouse, I’d turn the kids into sparkling, shimmery princes, so I ultimately decided against it. I learned that subway advertisements are made by practically grinding and polishing people's faces.
Anyway, to celebrate the release of our long-awaited first profile photos, we decided to film content where we introduced each other while looking at the pictures.
I had pushed for this strongly, arguing it was perfect for showing a so-called ‘close-knit image.’ If I let them introduce themselves, they’d be too embarrassed to speak for even a minute, so I was making them introduce someone else instead.
In a society like Korea where modesty is a virtue, it’s always easier to praise others than to promote yourself.
As long as they were idols, they’d have to get used to showing themselves off, but for now, my goal was to nurture them so they wouldn't run away before debut.
“We decided to write and introduce the person next in age order. Who should go first?”
“I think the leader should start.”
“Me…?!”
“Yes, you.”
Jeong Seong-bin looked startled at my words.
He has to spend seven years with these incredibly quiet guys. If he’s going to act as their leader, it wouldn't hurt for him to practice being the first to do everything.
“Take your time. We can be a bit more detailed with the editing points for our own content anyway.”
I gave Jeong Seong-bin time to prepare and neatly organized the materials in front of me.
Each member was supposed to create the other person’s profile with their own unique flair. Not just the content, but the visual aids as well.
‘D-do we have to make those professional panels you see on TV ourselves?’
‘I’m not asking for something that professional. If you want to make it on a board, search for foam board. Or just use poster board.’
Even if it was clumsy, seeing them put effort into preparing it themselves would better evoke the image of relatable students. The editing could handle the professional touch.
‘The point is to find a way of explaining that feels natural to you. Whether you write it in a school notebook or draw in a practice log. Just make sure it’s clear you did your best.’
I said I’d nurture them, but I had no intention of letting them skip out on the promotion experience. Since they were destined to enter the era of self-PR anyway, it was much better to make mistakes in a small, not-so-cute self-produced video than on a TV broadcast.
Whether they were convinced by my words or not, the guys had spent the last few days at the dorm racking their brains and struggling, yet they didn't complain. It was an excellent attitude.
“Then I’ll go first! I’ve organized mine into cue cards like this.”
Having finished his mental preparation, Jeong Seong-bin pulled out a stack of small yellow papers cut like music show scripts. Lee Cheong-hyeon asked,
“Hyung, do you usually write things like that?”
“I’ve been using them to practice my lines since we decided to film this…”
Seong-bin gave a sheepish smile. A flustered Lee Cheong-hyeon gave two thumbs up to Seong-bin, who was nervously flipping through his cards.
The ‘5 Questions and 5 Answers about my same-age friend Ju-woo’ that Seong-bin prepared was quite substantial. His introduction was exactly what I had requested: trivial details that wouldn't break their image.
For example…
“What was Ju-woo’s childhood dream?”
“Didn't you say you were originally preparing to be a singer?”
“It’s a dream from when he was much younger. Like, kindergarten age?”
“I know! A dinosaur!”
“A confident guess, but incorrect!”
…Questions like that.
For the record, the answer was a shooting star. He wanted to make a wish on a shooting star, but since he never saw one, he decided he wanted to become a shooting star himself. No one got it right, so Park Ju-woo had to tell us himself.
The member introductions continued smoothly after that.
Park Ju-woo, who often leaves memos on Post-its, brought a whiteboard covered in Post-its listing words and reasons that came to mind when he thought of Lee Cheong-hyeon.
One memorable expression was ‘Prince of the Forest.’
“Did you make me a prince because I’m handsome?”
“It’s more like Sleeping Beauty… Cheong-hyeon, you’re that. The Prince of the Forest who sleeps well.”
“He really doesn't wake up once he’s out.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon brought a drawing titled ‘The Kang Gi-yeon Algorithm Collection for Quick and Easy Personality Analysis.’ He had made four different versions.
“Isn't that your composition notebook?”
“Ha… inspiration struck so suddenly, I couldn't help it.”
We were all impressed by the brilliant organization that seemed to map out Kang Gi-yeon’s thought process perfectly. In particular, the part that said ‘He likes it when you show interest in the games he’s playing!’ was quite useful. It was a presentation that highlighted their friendship.
Next was Kang Gi-yeon’s turn to introduce me.
‘Did he write it like a practice routine summary? I don't really do anything else.’
Contrary to my low expectations, Kang Gi-yeon’s expression was more solemn than usual.
With a rustling sound, he pulled out a large sheet of white paper. Seeing the large chart drawn on it, it seemed my guess was correct…
‘Wait, what is that?’
I momentarily doubted my eyes. Specifically, at the phrase written neatly next to my name.
“Then, I will introduce Iwol-hyung.”
I couldn't let this slide. I immediately raised my hand and asked.
“I have a question. Why is the scary phrase ‘Polite Ruffian’ written next to my name?”
A ruffian?
What did I ever do!