Episode 176. Fan Meeting (5)
At the sudden question asking for the password to the shared dorm laptop, the members’ gazes turned toward Kim Iwol.
Kim Iwol, who was receiving everyone’s undivided attention, remained brazen.
“Yeah, what’s the password?”
At Kim Iwol’s nonchalant demeanor, Lee Cheonghyeon and Kang Giyeon's pounced on him like hawks.
“Did you attach this, Hyung?”
“When?”
“I attached it so I could report you to the Sparklers. You guys didn’t tell me the laptop password.”
“Sorry, but if you try to steer the conversation that way, we won’t back down.”
Lee Cheonghyeon crossed his arms and stood at a standoff with Kim Iwol. Kim Iwol stood tall with his back straight, while Lee Cheonghyeon stood crookedly with one leg crossed, striking quite the picture.
“I’m the only one who can’t see the meeting minutes right now.”
“What are you going to do looking at meeting minutes? I told you to just rest.”
“Are you trying to turn me into an idle noble?”
From the fan seats came no small number of shouts: “Iwol, be an idle noble! Work less, earn more!”
“Let’s split sides while we’re at it. People who think we should tell Iwol-hyung the password, stand on Iwol-hyung’s side. Opponents, stand on my side!”
“You’re going to fracture the team like this?”
Kim Iwol spoke as if dumbfounded. When more than half the members moved to Lee Cheonghyeon’s side, he grew even more bewildered.
“Seongbin-ah, after all I’ve done for you, you’re doing this to me?”
Kim Iwol said with a despairing expression. Yet Jeong Seongbin was firm.
“Please think of this as the way we cherish you, Hyung.”
“You should’ve seen your face just now.”
It definitely wasn’t an expression born of cherishing someone. If forced to describe it, it was the face of someone who would order another person thrown into some underground dungeon.
Still, claiming to be a friend, Choi Jeho remained by Kim Iwol’s side.
Kim Iwol turned to look at Choi Jeho standing behind him.
“Why are you…?”
Not that Kim Iwol felt particularly reassured.
Choi Jeho wore an expression that didn’t seem to come from deep thought, either.
“If we don’t keep telling you the password, you’re just going to borrow another one from the office.”
“…Did you hear?”
“Yeah.”
Choi Jeho answered as if he had long since grown tired of this. It seemed he had overheard Kim Iwol asking a company employee to borrow another laptop.
He had only heard rumors that Kim Iwol was ruthless, but he hadn’t known it was to this extent. Had a ghost who died from being unable to work possessed him?
Only after the members and fans had thoroughly ganged up on and kneaded the unhinged hyung did Kim Iwol cancel his resolution to rent a new laptop.
If only their team manager bastard worked even half as much as Kim Iwol. Won Chaehui’s heart ached, but she decided to enjoy the present happiness without a care.
* * *
“Oh right, did you see the self-cam content we posted recently?”
“I saw it!”
Won Chaehui had seen that self-cam too. It was the Spark episode where they went to a daycare.
With cute children appearing in short clips everywhere, she couldn’t not watch. The tall men floundering after them were simply a bonus.
But the Spark members themselves seemed surprised.
“Really? You’re telling me you saw the daycare self-cam?”
“Yeah!”
“How?”
How else—on MeTube, of course…
Both members and fans were left in the dark. Then Jeong Seongbin pointed at the projector.
“This behind-the-scenes video—you’re sure you saw this?”
It was a thumbnail she was seeing for the first time. It read: “Spark’s Gut-Busting Daycare Adaptation Story — Behind the Scenes Edition.”
“No, I haven’t!”
“First time seeing it!”
“Play it right now!”
Are these guys teasing the fans? The Sparklers resolved to scold them with epic reactions.
Soon, the played video was a chaos show in itself.
“Customer, which pin would you like me to decorate you with?”
“Is there still space left on my head to put one…?”
Starting with Park Juu, who looked like a cactus, his presence was extraordinary. Even amid that, his reason for choosing a pin was delicate.
“Then since it’s autumn, how about chestnuts….”
“No. I’ll go with watermelon!”
…Of course, he was rejected by all of them by Director Park, the hair designer (age 5), but he still got to experience choosing.
The person sitting two seats over bit her lip tightly, clutching a chinchilla doll in her hands. It seemed Park Juu was her bias. Before long, a watermelon hairpin would be stuck on that chinchilla doll’s head.
Still, it was nice to see him trying his best to play with the children despite his introverted personality. Especially in the scene where Park Juu retied one side of a child’s hair whose hair tie had come undone, groans erupted from all around.
And Jeong Seongbin? Fans who had only ever seen the leader’s gentle side had to witness a Seongbin who was strict with the children, and the deep rift of children who, unlike Spark’s adults, refused to listen and turned away.
“Teacher, I don’t like you because you keep scolding me!”
“But if you don’t brush your teeth, you’ll get cavities….”
“I don’t like brushing teeth either!”
Jeong Seongbin sending rescue signals with his eyes was rather pitiful. The process of such a Jeong Seongbin becoming a master of childcare was utterly fascinating.
He was kind by nature. The children caught on to that heart of his fairly quickly. When one of the children said he wanted to grow up and be like the teacher, both the Seongbin on screen and the Sparklers off screen had choked back wrenching sobs.
But the highlight of the daycare self-cam was undoubtedly Choi Jeho.
Won Chaehui dared to think so. No one would have expected Choi Jeho—who spoke in clipped sentences even with his own members—to communicate smoothly with children.
“Teacher’s legs are long too~ and hands are big~!”
The child was actually talking about Choi Jeho’s hands and legs, but the camera was locked on his face. It was as if someone had cast a spell: “The face… film the face intensively…!”
In the midst of that, a voice that was ninety percent breath and ten percent raw instinct pierced through from behind.
“So fucking handsome, damn….”
Even though it was someone else’s muttering, Won Chaehui nearly nodded. When Choi Jeho brought a tail comb and hairpins and styled the children’s hair similar to his own, one could see nothing but his forearms. She was starting to get confused whether this was a fan meeting or an eye clinic.
The Flower Class Superstar Kang Giyeon's and the Flower Class Maestro Lee Cheonghyeon were outstanding too. What are people in the world even doing, not taking commercials with children and Spark….
“The babies are so tiny.”
The last to appear was Kim Iwol.
At the same time, Kim Iwol displayed a spectacular sight of stumbling and dodging among the running children, unable to take a single proper step.
Lee Cheonghyeon, who was watching the video with them, burst into laughter.
“Hyung, what the hell were you doing walking around like that?”
“I was afraid I’d bump into them.”
“Well, the kids were so small.”
Hearing such words come from the mouth of a 183cm man was simply too good.
After that, Kim Iwol continued using all sorts of expressions from the corner of the camera, never stopping his commentary on the tiny beings.
“I’ll wipe what’s on your face, so wait a moment. …Oh my, your cheeks are so soft. I was surprised.”
“I saw earlier, he held such a tiny cup with both hands. His hands are totally baby hands.”
“Why are you wearing a handkerchief around your neck? So you don’t drool? …Aah, so you don’t catch a cold? You’re all babies.”
“Is this a snack tray? Oh no, it’s so cute.”
Kim Iwol gushing like this wasn’t a day or two thing. But since that had always been directed at fully grown men, the main expressions were “handsome” or “carved by the gods.”
But a Kim Iwol going around with “cute” stuck to his lips? This wasn’t something you saw often.
Because they could feel Kim Iwol genuinely found the children cute, the fans watched Kim Iwol’s “Aren’t our kids the cutest?” talk show with warm satisfaction.
“Ah… I wish he’d just commute to the daycare every day….”
Leaning back in the comfortable chair, Won Chaehui thought seriously. She was so happy she could cry.
* * *
Starting with games and doing this and that, before they knew it, it was time for the fan meeting to end.
“Sparklers, what do you do after the fan meeting ends? Do you have to go somewhere right away?”
“We booked this venue with plenty of time to spare….”
Kang Giyeon's and Park Juu spoke of overtime with nonchalant faces. Looking at their expressions, they really didn’t seem tired at all. It wasn’t for nothing that Spark showed pride in their practice volume at Ahwangs.
Only the fans, who had planned to spend time at their regular gathering after the fan meeting waving the cotton dolls they had group-ordered, shed tears of joy and sorrow simultaneously.
“How long does it take to get home? Is it okay if we hold you back too long?”
“Unnie has her own car, so stay as long as you want!”
Was that the person who’d been throwing those punches? Now, to Won Chaehui, everyone felt like professional straight-punchers.
“By the way, it’s about time….”
Won Chaehui checked the time.
It was time for that thing to come out.
“Then let’s talk and hang out a little longer. Is that okay?”
The moment Jeong Seongbin tried to pull his chair toward the end of the stage, all the lights in the hall went out. It was part of the surprise event prepared by the fans.
“Huh?”
The flustered members’ voices carried through the microphone.
You’re surprised, you brats. Well, anyone would be flustered if all the lights suddenly went out.
At that moment, Kim Iwol’s voice was heard.
“Everyone, it seems a problem has occurred. Moving around together in the dark could be dangerous, so please remain seated for now. Staff, please check the outside situation.”
Kim Iwol’s voice was calm and composed.
“If anything happens, we will guide you out immediately, so please wait a moment? We will resolve this as quickly as possible. Sorry for startling you.”
Though he seemed to have taken the microphone away from his mouth, Won Chaehui clearly heard him telling the members, “Don’t panic.”
And the resolution was made very quickly. The surprise VCR prepared by the fans began playing.
‘Congratulations on Spark’s First Fan Meeting VCR
(P.S. May be clumsier than Iwol’s productions)’
“What is this?”
Choi Jeho asked in a disgruntled voice.
“It’s a gift!”
At the fans’ answer, the members gathered one by one in front of the projector.
Numerous photos and cheering messages passed by with the instrumental of Spark’s debut song.
‘To the best eldest hyung Iwol, thank you for always being Spark’s roof♡’
‘Spark’s identity is you, Jeho! Spark shines because you exist!’
‘Thank you for being a leader fans can trust and rely on. I love you, Seongbin.’
‘Juu, I start and end my day with your voice! Let’s sing forever!’
‘Cheonghyeon, the most dazzling in the world, may your future shine brighter than you!’
‘Our Giyeon's, the last treasure the team can’t be without, don’t forget that everyone cherishes you.’
When the video ended, the lights came back on in the venue.
“Guys, I love you!”
Cheers burst from the audience.
The expressions of the members turning around said more than words could.
—
Profile
Name: Kang Giyeon's
Birthday: December 29
Birthplace: Incheon Metropolitan City
Height: 176cm
MBTI: ISTJ
Nicknames: King Cute Kang Giyeon's, Confirmed Northern Grand Duke, Ice Tanghulu, Model Delinquent
Likes: Comic books, delicious food, running
Dislikes: Sad movies, injuries, people who can’t communicate
Motto: Today’s efforts create a better tomorrow
Favorite food: Bunsik
Preferred scent: Store-bought fabric softener
Favorite music genre: Hip-hop
Favorite sport: American football
Body part he’s confident in: Abs
Unique habit: Sometimes watches from behind alone while the members are practicing