Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 45: Family Invitation Event (2)

Back when I had served as Department Head Nam’s human diatomaceous earth bath mat for several years, the people in the HR Team used to say, "I-wol, you’re really good at hiding your emotions."

That was because no matter how much Department Head Nam cursed at me or threw documents in my face, I always attended to that bastard with an unwavering attitude.

It was hard to believe that my secret technique, 'The Art of Not Showing Shitty Vibes'—a skill even those experts at reading the room acknowledged—had been seen through by a mere nineteen-year-old like Jeong Seong-bin.

Pretending to ask casually, I took the mug from Jeong Seong-bin and rinsed the inside as I spoke.

"Did I look nervous to you?"

Perhaps believing that I wasn't actually upset by my parents' surprise visit, Jeong Seong-bin answered in a lighter voice than before.

"Yes. Oh, I don't mean it showed in your expression or the way you talked!"

"If it showed in things like that, my nickname would become 'Dead Fish Eyes' as soon as I debut."

"Gasp..."

Jeong Seong-bin's mouth snapped shut in surprise.

What’s wrong with 'Dead Fish Eyes'?

If an idol fails to manage their facial expressions without a good reason, shouldn't they be prepared to hear that?

Still, I needed to know exactly what gave me away. That way, I wouldn't make a stupid mistake elsewhere.

"Then what made you think that?"

I watched Jeong Seong-bin’s expression while pretending to focus on the dishes.

I didn't sense any uncomfortable air of him trying to hide something.

"I wonder?"

"What?"

"I’m not really sure what exactly made me feel like you were nervous, Hyung. I guess it was just a feeling."

What a deflating answer.

It made me feel like an idiot for worrying even for a second that I might have let it slip somewhere.

Though, it was much better than actually doing something stupid. I said with a much lighter heart, "Being perceptive is good, but don't spend too much time walking on eggshells around others. It’s exhausting."

"I'll keep that in mind. Oh, right, Hyung! Can I just send a text to my mom asking if she got home okay before I help you clean up?"

"You think there's no one else but you to clean up here? Just go and send your text."

Jeong Seong-bin insisted on getting my permission for something so trivial.

Contacting his mom, huh?

That was something I couldn't even imagine. To begin with, I didn't even have their contact information in my phone.

Thinking that I should ask the next person whose parents visit if they’ve contacted them to see if they got home safe, I finished wiping the moisture off the sink.

'Assistant Manager Kim! Book a pension in Jeju Island for me. Somewhere with lots of parking and a view of the sea.'

'A pension, sir?'

'Yeah, yeah. Big enough for a family of three. Check my vacation schedule and book it accordingly.'

'You're taking a vacation, sir? When...?'

'I just submitted the request. You can get it booked within today, right? I asked around, and they say the rooms go fast if you don't grab them early.'

Department Head Nam used his annual leave freely, while I couldn't even attach a single day to a public holiday.

Once that man took a vacation, he’d easily take four or five days in a row.

And taking care of the logistics for those vacations was entirely my responsibility.

One day it was round-trip flight tickets, another day it was accommodation, and yet another day it was theme park reservations.

I had to prepare a meticulously planned full course just for Department Head Nam.

It was a relief if it was just domestic travel.

On days when Department Head Nam planned an overseas trip with his family or a golf tour ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with his alumni, I had to stay in the office until 10 PM, racking my brain over the choice between Saipan and Guam—places I had never even been to.

Because of that, I often thought it might have been better to just get a job at a package tour agency.

Of course, such idle thoughts were wiped clean by the complaints from the 'customer' once he returned from his vacation.

It was then I realized I had no talent for planning package tours.

'Assistant Manager Kim, how is it that I could only see the gloomy sea from the room? I paid extra for an ocean view, but I didn't see a clear sea once during the whole trip.'

'Sir, that's because the weather in Jeju Island at the time was...'

'And why didn't you make a reservation for that hairtail restaurant I mentioned? I waited for twenty minutes before going to another place. Are you going to compensate me for my time, Assistant Manager Kim?'

'As I mentioned last time, that restaurant doesn't take reservations...'

'Seriously, Assistant Manager Kim, your work processing is so frustrating. You're lucky it's me; if it were anyone else, they would've been swearing at you already. You know that?'

"I don't know, you bastard...!"

I woke up with a curse that was practically a scream. It had only been two hours since I lay down. The dream was so vivid that I was panting.

Was it because I had been searching all over the place for music video locations? My dreams were incredibly foul.

I was worried that if I ever encountered a third person with the surname Nam, I might actually foam at the mouth and collapse.

I was pissed off, but now that I was awake, it seemed unlikely I’d fall back asleep.

Cursing Department Head Nam, who clung to me like an evil spirit and tormented me even after I had traveled nine years back in time, I struggled out of bed.

When I stepped into the living room, the mood lamp Choi Je-ho had left on was glowing faintly.

Relying on the dim green light, I sat at the dining table with the shared laptop and let out a sigh.

If this wasn't voluntary overtime, I didn't know what was.

The silver lining was that the location scouting was almost finished.

Since I had to match the budget I’d overheard by prying into the Planning Team, I couldn't push for an overseas location like the group Parte, but there were several quite decent spots.

Moreover, unlike my time at Hanpyeong Industry, when I asked for quotes at UA, I could confidently say to the rental companies, "Could I get a quote first?" This was a revolution in the world of expense processing.

'Sir, it's a discount period right now, so we need to pay immediately. How would you like to handle the payment?'

'About that. Just put it on your card for now and charge me all at once later.'

'Excuse me?'

'I can't exactly give you my card's PIN, can I? Do you expect me to do a text verification every time you make a payment?'

Compared to the days when I had to prepay for Department Head Nam's trips with my own money, the current environment was incomparable. I was more than satisfied with this.

If I were the person in charge, I would have submitted the proposal and finished all the negotiations, but I was merely the one making the suggestion.

My role was to organize and report the expected drafts, unit prices, and the possibility of sponsorships.

In other words, my job ended right here.

After pouring in about another hour, I was able to schedule the email to be sent to the Planning Team.

Then, the System glowed brighter than the mood lamp.

+

[SYSTEM] A 'New Task' is pending approval.
▷ Content: Music Video Location Scouting

+

Now that the work I’d been holding onto for days was finished, I felt relieved. I even felt a bit of a buzz.

'Since I still have some focus left, should I look into the costume concepts more?'

Thanks to the Labor Support Service, my remaining Fatigue was still at 40%.

After a light stretch, I tapped away at the keyboard until the laptop battery was nearly drained, searching for all sorts of outfits.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but there was something that didn't go as I expected.

The problem was that it was strictly 'my problem,' different from Jeong Seong-bin’s wandering or Lee Cheong-hyeon’s running away.

I stared at the large mirror covering the gym wall for a long time.

A body that was significantly thinner than I remembered myself being nine years ago caught my eye.

'Muscles just aren't building.'

It was strange that there was such a noticeable difference in physique compared to my past self, even while wearing clothes.

Although I wasn't doing part-time manual labor now, my activity level should be roughly similar since I was dancing day and night and exercising on top of that.

Under these circumstances, it was hard to accept the fact that I was gaining less muscle than before.

What on earth was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason? Was it because I was eating healthy?

Now that I received support for food expenses from UA, I ate salads and chicken breasts, whereas back in college, I always ate high-calorie ramen or instant foods.

If it were a dietary issue to begin with, the difference should have been in fat, not muscle.

It was problematic if my muscle mass wasn't increasing despite diet control and exercise.

If I didn't have a certain amount of strength to back up the choreography, it could give the impression that I was half-assing it, depending on the viewer.

≫ All the other members are dancing like their lives depend on it, but look at him being all floppy lol. It looks like someone forced him to debut, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looks like he hates being there.

└ I heard they practiced the debut song for half a year lol. Did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he hibernate by himself for six months?

└ I’d understand if the choreographer gave him different moves and he only realized it three days before debut and had to cram.

└ LOL, if that’s the case, I’d have to acknowledge it.

I couldn't afford to be a nuisance on a debut stage that would serve as someone else's portfolio.

To avoid that fate, I had pushed for more PT, thinking I needed to build my body, but the results were sluggish.

Then, a thought occurred to me.

It was the explanation I saw when the Additional Labor Support Service first appeared.

'I’m sure there was something mentioned about side effects.'

As I tried to recall the details, the manual I had seen back then reappeared before my eyes. The item I was looking for was at the very end.

+

[SYSTEM] 'Party B' is notified of the 'Additional Labor Support Service.'

▷ If you wish to perform additional labor but feel that physical limitations are hindering the achievement of KPIs, we provide support to ensure smooth additional labor.

.

.

.

▷ Physical Side Effects may occur due to various reasons, such as prolonged use of the service, excessive accumulation of fatigue, or when temporarily deducted fatigue exceeds a certain level.

+

No, if this system was designed for a successful idol debut, shouldn't it leave out these kinds of side effects?

I hadn't turned off this service once since I started using it.

So, if the side effect of muscles not building had occurred, it was highly likely that it fell under the case of prolonged service use.

'Should I turn this off only when I exercise and turn it back on when I'm done?'

From what I remembered, my current Fatigue was 40%. The fatigue deducted through the support service was 20%.

A total of 60% seemed like it would be average for a modern office worker. Most Korean office workers were in a state similar to zombies, after all.

I clicked 'Yes' to the question of whether I wanted to terminate the service.

Then, the System disappeared with a message saying that the changes were being applied.