Chapter 79: KPI Design Support Program (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79: KPI Design Support Program (1)
The system, which had been blabbering away just fine until now, remained silent for a long while.
I wasn't a very patient person. So, I pressed the system even harder.
Is my sister alive or not?
If I couldn't confirm that, then to hell with KPIs and idols.
Why on earth was I causing all this trouble, even at the expense of kids with bright futures?
My anger wouldn't subside. It felt like a fire was raging inside me.
Then, the system appeared and spoke to me. It was a single, short sentence.
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[SYSTEM] A work order from the ‘Person in Charge’ has arrived.
▶ Assistant Manager Kim, do you think this company is a joke?
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Fuck, and what if I do?
I’d had a hunch ever since the system set the ridiculous goal of making a hopeless human being like me debut as an idol.
How many people out there were better suited to be idols than me? And how many tasks would be simpler than rewinding time for the living or saving someone destined to die?
Yet, this happened only to me? To a perfectly ordinary office worker?
That led to one hypothesis.
Just as I had nowhere to turn but the system to save my sister, the system must have a reason why it needed me to be an idol. Even if it meant going through all this trouble.
So, what would happen if I—the human the system needs—deviated from the path instead of prioritizing the goal?
For instance, what if I jumped off this building’s balcony right now and wiped out all my progress before the KPI achievement was finalized?
Since the system could read my thoughts, it would know I wasn't joking.
Therefore, the system had to prove itself.
It had to prove that my sister was alive and well, and that it could interfere with what might happen to her in the future.
Unless it wanted to see its only 'Party B' die while it was busy power-tripping.
At that moment, the system flickered with static, as if experiencing interference.
Then, a new sentence appeared.
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[SYSTEM] A work order from the ‘Person in Charge’ has arrived.
▶ So, what is it that Assistant Manager Kim wants?
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Prove it.
Just like Hanpyeong Industry proved every month that they could pay my salary by depositing money into my account.
Then, a long document appeared. It was a new service.
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[SYSTEM] A ‘Welfare Service’ is being notified to ‘Party B.’
▷ ‘Party A’ shall protect ‘Party B’s’ blood relatives from external threats in all cases, except when ‘Party B’ fails to achieve the KPI.
▷ Upon ‘Party B’s’ request, ‘Party A’ shall share the current status of one of ‘Party B’s’ blood relatives (designatable once, cannot be changed after designation) within a scope that does not fall under private matters or ‘Violation of Confidentiality Agreement’ secrets.
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I wondered if it made sense to wrap this up in the word 'service.'
But at the very least, knowing my sister was safe and would remain so as long as I didn't do anything stupid put my mind at ease.
I immediately registered my sister for the ‘Welfare Service’ and requested a status update.
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[SYSTEM] ‘Welfare Service’ Usage Details
▷ Relationship: Blood relative
▷ Health Status: Good
▷ Psychological State: Good
▷ Others: Sleeping
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"Haah..."
An unidentifiable surge of emotion washed over me. I stared at the brightly glowing 'Good' indicators for a long time, then sat at the dining table with my face buried in my hands.
After all that mental anguish, I finally managed to close my eyes at 5:00 AM, only for my alarm to go off at 5:30 AM. I never realized how miserable the saying "the sun will rise tomorrow" could feel.
My head was foggy from the lack of sleep. I slapped my cheeks a couple of times to wake myself up.
After washing my face, I stood in front of the frying pan and toasted some bread, a routine I was now well-accustomed to. Just as I used to tie my tie with my eyes closed on weekday mornings, it seemed my body had learned the art of toasting bread.
As I handed out the toast to the members, I didn't forget to mention the live broadcast scheduled for that evening.
It was basically: "There are rumors about my name change going around the internet, so questions might come up in the comments. It's true that I changed it, so I'll explain if it comes up."
Except for me, most of the members were prohibited from monitoring the internet, and since my story wasn't exactly trending on social media, I expected them not to know...
"Hyung, you changed your name?!"
Their reaction was much bigger than I expected. Lee Cheong-hyeon looked absolutely shocked.
Kang Gi-yeon chimed in, saying he’d always thought the name was quite unique. I wish these guys would give this much of a reaction wherever they went.
As scheduled, the live broadcast began at 7:00 PM that evening.
The concept of the live, titled '[Spark] (2X0319) Assignment Review Presentation Begins!', was a group of students having a small after-party with a refreshed mind after successfully finishing all their assignments.
In line with the theme, all the members came in with 'no-makeup' makeup looks.
I was the only one who received 'not-so-transparent makeup that looks like transparent makeup' because my dark circles were so severe.
Staff members, I’d like to take this moment to apologize.
I didn't forget the glowing name headbands, either. At least for today's live, there was actually food in front of us.
Since we couldn't have an empty table for an after-party concept, the company had prepared one bag of snacks for each of us.
For someone like me, who used to only scavenge nuts from the Hanpyeong Industry pantry, a collection of six types of snacks was a luxurious treat. Especially considering the strict diet management we’d been under for the past few months.
However, from the viewers' perspective, this snack spread seemed very meager.
≫ Guys... is that really all the snacks you have?
≫ There are six people, so there are only six snacks? Tell me it’s not true.
≫ If UA is being stingy with the snacks, shake your Photochips.
Comments expressing outrage that only six bags of snacks were present for Spark's first-ever snack-related live started pouring in.
The broadcast remained heartwarming, thanks to the boys smiling and explaining that they don't usually eat snacks often.
Well, except for the part where Lee Cheong-hyeon, who hadn't seen the comments, almost gave Jeong Seong-bin a heart attack by trying to shake his Photochips in excitement over the rare snack party.
Next, as it came time for each member to give updates on their lives, comments about the name change started appearing one by one, just as expected.
≫ Did Iwol change his name?
≫ Is his name Iwol because he was born in February (Iwol)?
≫ Please tell us why you changed it!
I gathered and read similar questions together, hoping to satisfy the viewers' curiosity while also ensuring more time was allocated to the other members.
"There are a lot of questions about my name change. It's true, and I chose the name myself!"
"You chose it yourself, Hyung?"
Kang Gi-yeon asked, sounding surprised.
Sorry. I only told you about the name change today, so I guess my explanation was lacking.
"Yeah. Some of you guessed it, but I did name myself Iwol because I was born in February! I changed it because I heard changing your name can bring better luck."
In the past, everyone understood the reason for a name change when I put it that way. I’ve never been more grateful for the existence of fortune readings.
Park Ju-woo, who was listening beside me, complimented it, saying it was a unique and good name.
In reality, I had gone to apply for the name change because I was sick of the name 'Kim Hyo-il,' but since I hadn't decided on a new name yet, I just hurriedly pulled it from my personal info.
Meanwhile, Jeong Seong-bin nodded vigorously, saying, "Luck is important. Of course, of course."
It seems that guy is under the misunderstanding that I changed my name after receiving a revelation from my ancestors.
To divert the attention away from myself, I changed the subject by asking the other members about the origins of their names. While they were talking, I checked the comments.
≫ You guys worked so hard until the last broadcast! ♡
≫ 6 snacks and recycled headbands... the frugal idols of this era.
≫ Our Je-ho's physique is insane... Je-ho, please measure your shoulder width.
≫ Lee Cheong-hyeon's face saved the country again today.
Fortunately, comments like 'UA being stingy with snacks' were no longer visible. It was much better for the reactions to focus on the live itself.
'Choi Je-ho's shoulder width... Lee Cheong-hyeon's face...'
I memorized as many keywords from the comments as possible before returning to the ongoing conversation.
The rest of the content wasn't much different from what we had planned. It mostly consisted of where we bought the stage props, and what we liked or felt was lacking during our activities.
As the live was nearing its end, Jeong Seong-bin read one of the comments.
"Oh, there's someone here who says they checked us out for our visuals but stanned us after seeing our performance. Could you tell us when you saw our stage?"
"You're going to watch it before you sleep today...?"
At Park Ju-woo's question, Jeong Seong-bin smiled brightly and answered, "Yeah."
Was I in that performance a lot? I hope not.
I’d feel too sorry for that person if the video that made them a fan was low-quality because of all the blurring on my face.
"They say it's the day Je-ho Hyung broke the ballpoint pen! If we're going to watch it anyway, let's all gather in the living room and watch it together later!"
Lee Cheong-hyeon said, full of excitement.
Even though everyone except Choi Je-ho was biting their lips to hold back their laughter, I couldn't find it in me to smile.
Still, I did my best to look happy. I took great care to make sure I didn't ruin the atmosphere of the live.
When night fell, the boys really did gather in front of the TV. It was to watch the performance video that the fan said had made them a 'stan.'
For the record, I had intended to skip out.
Since we didn't have many days left together, I wanted to give the five of them a chance to make a memory together.
However, my grand gesture of consideration went down the drain.
"Hyung, if you're not going to sleep, watch it with us! The oldest can't just skip out!"
That's because that brat Lee Cheong-hyeon caught me. I’d been calling him by his proper name lately because his skin had been looking good, but starting from this incident, I decided to call him 'that brat Lee Cheong-hyeon' for the time being.
Inevitably, I sat down next to Choi Je-ho, who had taken a corner of the sofa.
He also looked uncomfortable, hugging a cushion. Yeah, I'm sure you're not exactly used to this situation either.
"Is everyone sitting? I'm starting the video!"
At Jeong Seong-bin's signal, the video began to play.
Deep blue lights poured onto the stage, and the six members in formation were captured on camera.
The guys reacted loudly every time someone appeared on screen. Then, they showered each other with praise.
'This is uncomfortable.'
Was it because I had spent so long monitoring Spark's videos by myself? This moment of watching a screen where everyone appeared together felt so incredibly foreign.
The feeling of discomfort grew every time I was shown in a close-up. It was an indescribable sense of dissonance.
Unable to bear the awkwardness any longer, I was about to get up, saying I’d go to bed first.
And at that moment.
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[SYSTEM] ‘Party B’s’ KPI ‘Debut as a 6-member boy group’ has been confirmed.
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The notification I had been longing for—the KPI approval—popped up.