Episode 127. I Praise My Colleague
"I'm back."
"Huh? Hyung, you're back early……?"
Bak Juu, who had been stretching in the living room, approached me as I returned home. He even took my backpack and kindly moved it to my room.
"They said they have to clean the air conditioners at Greenline, so the building had to be emptied. That's why I finished early."
If it had been any other excuse, I would have somehow managed to fudge it and hold out, but I couldn't bring myself to complain about air conditioner cleaning.
An air conditioner that hasn't been maintained is no different from garbage.
The wind turns lukewarm when the refrigerant runs out, water leaks when the drain pipe rusts, you have to change the batteries for every single remote, and it stinks when mold grows inside…….
I still vividly remember water pouring down from the ceiling like a waterfall, and washing my hair in the mop-wringer sink. Back then, I really thought I had come to a water park instead of an office.
And to the executives of Hanpyeong Industries who still didn't get the air conditioners fixed, I hope you all suffer from the heat this year.
While I was lost in those damp memories, Gang Giyeon poked his head out from the kitchen.
"Welcome back. Have you eaten?"
"Not yet. What about you guys?"
"We ate chicken breast. Shall I warm one up for you?"
"No, I'll do it."
At my words, Gang Giyeon simply nodded and went back into the kitchen.
But something was strange.
I mean, just now, Gang Giyeon came out of the kitchen, and…….
"Giyeon."
"Yes?"
"Did you get taller?"
My gaze didn't drop as low as usual, you know?
"Me?"
Gang Giyeon pointed at himself with his finger.
He seemed a bit flustered, but what did I care? He might have grown taller—what was the big deal?
"Hey guys! Someone bring me a tape measure!"
"Hyung, aren't you just seeing things?"
"No way."
"You think I've retouched how many group shots of Spark? My eyes are insole detectors, you brat."
At my shout, Jeong Seongbin scrambled to bring a tape measure.
"How should we measure this? Should I mark the wall at Giyeon's height first?"
"This is a leased house. Don't mark it with a pen; stick an index label there."
Then I Cheonghyeon fetched a rainbow-colored index label from the stationery box he had set up on one side of the dormitory living room.
"Why in the middle of the night……? We can measure his height at the company tomorrow."
"You don't know how much I've staked my life on your height?"
I slapped a grumbling Gang Giyeon against the wall and retorted.
Taking that chance, I Cheonghyeon carefully stuck an index label where the top of Gang Giyeon's head touched the wall.
While Jeong Seongbin and Bak Juu worked together to pull the tape measure, I prayed to the entire universe.
Please, I beg you. Let that bastard grow taller.
I really worked hard. I made him take fitness classes, made sure he ate proteins, carbs, fats, and calcium, and put him to bed early. Though it wasn't with my own money.
What crime did the Sparklers commit to have to cut their SNS headers diagonally because of him? What crime did Gang Giyeon commit to have his upper body cropped and shifted upward?
I'm already anxious because I've been relying on this team for so long; if I can't even raise his height, I'll have no face to live.
Please, just let him pass 175cm. I'll make him drink milk five times a day from now on.
God, Buddha, Grandfather Dangun, please…….
"Whoa. Gang Gyeon, he hit 176?"
And so, my desperate prayer was answered by I Cheonghyeon's single remark.
* * *
The next day, Gang Giyeon was officially recognized as having grown, acknowledged as 176cm even by a height-measuring machine.
And while Gang Giyeon himself stayed still and did nothing, I went around bragging on fan cafes and messengers that Gang Giyeon had grown taller.
"Is Gang Giyeon's height that good?"
Choe Jeho, who had been watching me for a while as I was intoxicated with joy, tossed out a remark sharply.
"Of course. If Giyeon hadn't said he didn't want it, I'd have massaged his legs and then some."
Work can generally be done as one wishes, but something like height is up to luck.
It's something that might not yield results no matter how hard you try, so it's natural to feel proud when that effort finally pays off.
There was still time before Gang Giyeon's growth plates closed. Though I couldn't repay him with dance, I intended to repay the debt at least with his height.
'I wish he'd grow to exactly 180cm.'
In just one or two years, Jeong Seongbin and I Cheonghyeon would naturally surpass 180cm. If Gang Giyeon joined them there, Spark could obtain the title of all members being 180cm or above.
A tall group is great. Their faces are like frozen ponds as well, so wouldn't it be fine to push forward with their physical appeal?
As I was contemplating deeply and trying to write five packs of low-fat milk on the daily necessities list, something felt off.
Should I say Choe Jeho didn't seem to be in a very good mood?
That brat was rarely in a good mood, but it wasn't often that he so visibly showed he was in a bad mood.
Surely the biggest guy in the team wasn't jealous just because the youngest had grown a bit taller.
"How's the competition prep? Going well?"
Choe Jeho, who had been lying on my bed, flinched.
The hesitant guy looked at me once, then leaned back against the bedhead.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Are our kids particularly the type to accommodate others well?"
He's cutting out all the context again and talking.
What am I, a psychic? Like I'd know the full story just from this.
Still, I could roughly guess. He must be butting heads pretty badly with All-Over.
But I couldn't act as his interpreter forever, so I decided to play dumb until he spoke properly.
"You can tell just by looking. The kids are kind."
"Ha……"
"Why, what's going on?"
Choe Jeho ruffled his hair roughly.
"What the fuck do you mean you're in the dance position but can't even follow the choreography?"
"Maybe they're just slow to pick things up? Once they learn it, they might do well."
"It's different. That wasn't a movement of someone who knows how to use their body."
A seasoned pro must be able to tell that just by watching. I, who didn't know shit about using my body, chose to just listen quietly.
"They don't even come up with ideas, and when opinions are given, they whine that it's hard. If that's the case, why even have meetings or practice?"
"Right. If that's how things were, you must have barely made any progress?"
"Those bastards looked like they'd take a million years just to memorize the choreography, so I choreographed everything except the dance break."
"Good work. So starting tomorrow, group practice?"
"They want to do individual practice for three days, what the…… Shouldn't we at least see the formation before choreographing the dance break? It's not like we're performing on separate stages; what's the point of just memorizing it individually, fuck. And what takes three days to learn choreography?"
Choe Jeho shouted, sounding frustrated. Then he buried his head straight into the pillow.
"What's wrong. Mr. Choe Jeho, you didn't used to think group practice was that important either."
"That's in the past."
He let out such a deep breath that I could clearly see his shoulders rising and falling as he lay face down on the bed across from me.
"You liked practicing with Spark?"
At my question, Choe Jeho's back flinched.
When he raised his body, his face, pressed red against the pillow, was revealed.
Fuck, did you smash your nose? You're forbidden from sleeping on your stomach from now on.
"Hey, compare what can be compared."
"They say the old official is the enlightened official."
His bristling appearance was a little amusing.
But this was also, to some extent, an intended experience.
It was true that Choe Jeho was the ultimate center who could rightfully be called the 'Center Emperor,' but a team doesn't succeed just because one person is good.
Until now, Choe Jeho had been able to exert his presence thanks to the surrounding members sufficiently supporting him.
Gang Giyeon made Spark's stage a group's stage rather than a Choe Jeho solo show, and Jeong Seongbin and the other members balanced things out beside him.
In the past, it seemed this wasn't always done properly, so the stage was sometimes messy, but not now. The current Spark looked like everyone was skilled, and within that, Choe Jeho soared.
I thought he needed to know that fact too.
If he knew how precious members were, he wouldn't get silly ideas like leaving the team to find himself and debuting solo…….
"Isn't it basic to ask how to do something if you can't? I don't know why they immediately try to change the choreography the moment it gets even a little complicated."
"The choreography must have been quite difficult."
"What, so they plan to dance basic moves their whole life? Back in the day, Jeong Seongbin practiced even while crying."
"Right, you're one of those 'back in my day' types."
Now Choe Jeho was almost running wild.
It was unfortunate that his draw luck was bad, but it seemed he was getting the experience I wanted him to have in spades.
After fuming for a while, Choe Jeho looked at me and asked.
"You said that last time, right? That if I'm pissed, I can do whatever I want."
"When did I say that? I said you should do everything you need to do and say what you want to say."
At my words, Choe Jeho furrowed his brow.
Then he thought about something quietly before opening his mouth again.
"Is the ranking important for this stage?"
"The ranking isn't important, but doing well is important……"
"I know, you said that all that matters is that I look good to the fans."
It was something I'd said before Ahwangsil started, and he remembered it well.
"If the ranking isn't important and the broadcast image isn't important, I want to do what I want."
"What?"
"I'm saying I'll do what I want. Those guys' behavior is disgusting, so I'll say whatever I want minus the cuss words, and run the progress my own damn way."
I stared at him silently.
He looked back at me like that and added briefly.
"I'll do my part well."
No further answer was needed. I told him to do so, smirked, and vacated the room.
* * *
During the ensuing practice period, I sang to my heart's content.
First, Bak Juu took charge of the mornings, so I became more relaxed. Jeong Seongbin took over checking the refrigerator.
The two of them worked together so seamlessly that I just had to eat the salad or chicken breast they gave me.
When I went to work at Greenline, I greeted the security guard—a young man so refreshingly polite that he always welcomed me gladly—and diligently practiced with the Berryon members…… but.
"Hyung, want to eat this? Manager hyung bought it from Thailand this time!"
"Hyung, what's your phone number? We didn't exchange numbers when we first met."
"Hyung, how does Spark hold idea meetings?"
These guys…… when did the distance between us shrink like this?