Chapter 80: KPI Design Support Program (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: KPI Design Support Program (2)
‘It’s over.’
It was a stroke of luck that I hadn't stood up from the sofa yet. If I had, my legs would have given out, and I would have collapsed right there.
Does this mean I can finally recover my memories of my sister?
Can I prevent her accident now?
And does this mean I can get a job at a company other than Hanpyeong Industry?
My mind went blank. Fearing I might have misread the words, I blinked hard and reread the text on the system interface over and over, making sure not to miss a single syllable.
No matter how many times I checked, the message remained the same.
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[SYSTEM] ‘Party B’s’ KPI ‘Debut as a 6-member boy group’ has been confirmed.
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My heart hammered against my ribs.
At the same time, I began frantically planning my next steps.
First, I should tell the company I want to leave before the next batch of self-produced content goes up. That way, they can edit me out of the footage from the next video onward.
As for the penalty for breach of contract, I should be able to cover it somehow if I sell off all the stocks I’ve been sitting on. If that’s not enough, I’ll work three part-time jobs or even sell my hair if I have to.
I need to get out quickly so Lee Cheong-hyeon can use the space where my bedding was for his work laptop or luggage. I’d better find a gosiwon to stay in as soon as possible.
Just in case, I planned to hand over a USB to the planning team containing the concept drafts, idea lists, and handover notes I’d been organizing bit by bit.
‘I’ll just polish up the keywords that came up in today’s live broadcast and give it to them. And then...’
I glanced at the kids, who were watching videos of their own performances with sparkling eyes, before looking away.
It would be best to tell them as soon as possible, too.
It felt like the right thing to do—telling them before I even spoke to the company. They were the ones who had suffered the most because of my addition to the group, and they were the ones whose images would continue to take a hit because of me.
The thought that leaving early would be better for the team than staying and dragging them down was the only thing that gave me any peace of mind.
I was waiting for the right moment, thinking, ‘Just after this part...’ or ‘Just after this verse...’ when the system flashed again.
I was already on edge, so I checked the system irritably, wondering why it was acting up now of all times.
What was written there was utter nonsense.
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[SYSTEM] A work order from the ‘Person in Charge’ has arrived.
▶ I saw the results this time, and it looks like Assistant Manager Kim managed to pull his weight, more or less. Well, I suppose even Assistant Manager Kim has to earn his paycheck. Try a bit harder on the next task.
[SYSTEM] ‘Party B’s’ KPI has been set to ‘Achieve 1st place on a music broadcast with 6 members of Spark.’
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What kind of bullshit is this?
I already achieved the KPI, didn't I? Why is this popping up again?
I stared blankly at the system window before re-checking the ‘Performance Reward’ section I had seen earlier.
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[SYSTEM] A ‘Performance Reward’ has been designated following ‘Party B’s’ completion of the final KPI.
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So, it clearly said that once the KPI is achieved, a reward is given...
At that moment, my eyes locked onto one specific word.
‘Final?’
As far as I remembered, the word ‘final’ hadn't been in front of the ‘Debut as a 6-member boy group’ KPI.
With a sinking feeling that I was well and truly fucked, I summoned the system again.
The screen changed once more. It was a window containing information related to the KPIs that I hadn't seen before.
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[SYSTEM] ‘Party B’ is being notified of the ‘KPI Progress Status.’
▷ 1st Stage: Debut as a 6-member boy group
▷ 2nd Stage: Achieve 1st place on a music broadcast with 6 members of Spark
▷ (Remaining stages hidden)
.
.
.
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Fuck.
Fuck, does this even make sense?
Are they really tricking me with this kind of shitty wordplay?
I was so dumbfounded I couldn't even speak. My mind went blank again, but for a completely different reason this time.
I trembled with a sense of futility and desolation.
So, you’re saying I have to achieve God-knows-how-many KPIs before the ‘final’ one even shows up?
And I only get the final reward after completing all of them?
And here I was, playing right into their hands, working my ass off to prepare for a goodbye I wasn't even allowed to have?
Rage surged through me. I wanted to rip the system apart and throw it in the trash.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
While I was mentally firing off every curse word I knew in rapid succession, someone shook my arm and asked.
It was Choi Je-ho.
“Hyung, are you okay? You look pale.”
Then Jeong Seong-bin asked with a worried expression.
Come to think of it, the living room was quiet. The performance video had been paused at some point.
“Hyung, were you trying to go to bed early because you’re tired? Did I hold you up for no reason?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon scratched his head, looking awkward.
“It’s understandable that you’re tired. We’ll clean up and head in too, so go ahead and get some rest.”
“I’ll turn off the living room light right away...!”
Kang Gi-yeon and Park Ju-woo each added a word in turn.
The system needs to at least be realistic.
I’ve already rained on these kids' parade enough just by being here. If it weren't for me, they could have incorporated high-difficulty choreography and gone viral as ‘the rookie boy group with the most brutal synchronization,’ or they could have been soaring as ‘the talented idols with a lineup of all-heavenly vocals.’
But I’m supposed to just keep hitchhiking on their success? Indefinitely?
I had gritted my teeth and forced my way into the debut team, telling myself I’d thrown away my conscience. I hated Hanpyeong Industry like hell, and I wanted to save my sister no matter what.
But I didn't have the confidence to keep using these kids over and over for my own selfish desires.
They weren't the only ones whose lives were riding on this team.
My chest felt tight. I couldn't bring myself to meet the five pairs of eyes looking at me.
“...Sorry, I think I’m just a bit tired. Don't mind me, you guys keep watching.”
And so, I ran away.
I pulled the covers over my head and tried to sleep, struggling not to hear the sound of them quietly tidying up the living room.
Naturally, I didn't sleep a wink.
The only saving grace was that Choi Je-ho and Lee Cheong-hyeon were sleeping in late to celebrate the end of our promotions.
I spent the entire night listing the pros and cons of staying in Spark.
There were roughly two pros.
On the other hand, the cons were endless.
.
.
.
And above all, it felt like an insult to the future fans who would come to love a five-member Spark.
I didn't even need a mirror to know my dark circles were deep.
I trudged out into the living room.
Out of habit, I went to toast some bread, but then I thought that bread was a luxury for a piece of shit like me, so I just sat at the table and opened my laptop.
Just then, a message from the manager arrived on the PC messenger.
[Manager Chan-yeong]
[Guys, organize your ideas for self-produced content and post them here by the end of the day~]
It was about the individual content we were supposed to prepare and upload during the off-season to showcase each member's charm.
When we were planning, I had come up with example themes for the other five, but I hadn't even considered my own. The content filmed now was supposed to be released after my withdrawal was announced.
“Sigh...”
I let out a deep sigh and rubbed my face.
To achieve my initial goal, I had to stay in this team no matter what. And I had to aim for even higher goals.
To make matters worse, time wasn't infinite.
In the original timeline, Spark got their first #1 win in their fourth year. Their performance was quite good after that, but they had struggled until then.
Considering I had to prevent my sister’s accident which would happen in a few years, I needed to secure as much time as possible. I never knew when the system would play another trick and stab me in the back.
The conclusion was that I had to make this group hit #1 as soon as possible and finish every single hidden KPI.
If I were capable of that, would I have spent my life as Department Head Nam’s lackey at Hanpyeong Industry?
Maybe it was because I’d been so angry since yesterday, but my head was starting to throb.
‘Number one... Number one, huh.’
Like a machine, I searched ‘Idol #1’ on a portal site.
News about idols who had recently taken first place on music shows flooded the screen. It was a formidable lineup.
And Spark was supposed to break through that and take first place? With a dead weight like me attached?
Yeah, absolutely not.
A hollow laugh escaped me. I could imagine the five of them reaching #1 sooner, but I couldn't picture a scenario where Spark took first place with me included.
My gaze soon drifted back to the manager’s message.
Before worrying about the distant future of a #1 win, this was more urgent. I hadn't thought about my own content at all because I’d been so focused on leaving.
But would anyone even want to watch my content in the first place?
A talentless male idol who does heavy base makeup to hide dark circles, makes name headbands at dawn, and whose only special talents are memorizing subway maps and guessing the star ratings of ‘Occupation Planet’? Even I wouldn't want to watch that.
I tried to recall any interesting content I’d seen while monitoring Spark’s previous videos.
I failed miserably. I had momentarily forgotten that even their fans admitted they were a ‘no-fun’ group.
‘Maybe I could do a... Study With Me?’
I wanted to go for a ‘Let’s study for finals together!’ vibe, but since the person inside was an old man who had graduated high school ages ago, it was obvious that would be boring too, so I scrapped the idea.
I was confident in coming up with material for others. If it was for Spark, I could come up with twenty things for each member to do.
But if you asked me what I should do alone, I was speechless.
While I was racking my brain, I heard a door open. I looked back to see Kang Gi-yeon coming out, yawning.
“You’re up early. I thought you’d sleep in.”
“I just woke up. You’re up early for a Saturday too.”
“It’s a habit.”
Seeing the laptop open, Kang Gi-yeon asked what I was doing so early. I started closing the browser tabs one by one as I answered.
“The manager asked us to decide on our self-produced content, so I was thinking about it. Have you decided?”
“I’ve narrowed it down to a few candidates based on the list you gave me. I was actually going to ask you about it later. Do you have time?”
“Sure. But I’m the problem.”
“Why?”
Kang Gi-yeon pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down.
“I can’t think of anything suitable.”
“Didn't you find ten ideas for each of us?”
“When it comes to doing it myself, nothing feels right.”
After listening to me, Kang Gi-yeon spoke without much hesitation.
“Hyung, you can just do that.”
“What?”
“‘Ask Me Anything.’”