“Team Leader Ji, how about a toast?”
“Huh?”
“A toast! Since our Team Leader has graced us with his presence at this company dinner! Co on, everyone, raise your glasses!”
The team mbers all raised their glasses at once. Ji Seongin, sitting at the head of the table, had a distinctly uncomfortable look on his face.
He glanced at Seon Guan, but she seed to have no intention of helping him out.
“Well… just this once, then.”
“Just this once! Let’s go!”
Beer glasses clinked noisily on the table. With a reluctant expression, Ji Seongin brought the cold beer to his lips. He could hardly taste the alcohol amidst the boisterous atmosphere.
But even in that chaos, one thing stood out clearly.
“Ah! This beer is so sweet today!”
Seon Guan’s face.
She was a peculiar woman. Strong-willed and determined, yet when socializing, she let down her guard completely.
‘I know Team Leader is a great person. But that doesn’t an he’s the most perfect person, does it?’
At tis, she was so bold it was almost exasperating.
‘Did you really persuade the executives? So, we’re going to start investing right away? Team Leader, you’re the best!’
And at other tis, she showered him with respect, seemingly without any ulterior motives.
‘Is it just her personality? Or is it part of her work life?’
Lost in these thoughts, he ended up attending the company dinner he usually refused, which was why he was here today.
He thought the atmosphere would be a little calr with their superior present. But sohow, Seon Guan seed even more energetic.
“Are we just going to keep drinking soju? Anyone want so somaek?”
“Ugh, Assistant Manager Seon, your somaek is terrible.”
“What? Just wait! I’m redeeming my honor today!”
Seon Guan rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward. The yellow lights of the pub illuminated her smile as she giggled while opening a beer bottle.
The somaek Seon Guan mixed was truly awful. The team mbers complained, saying there was too much soju, or too much foam in the beer.
“Somaek is all the sa. Isn’t that right, Mr. Younghwan?”
“I guess so.”
Do Younghwan, as he said this, was holding a beer glass that shimred with a tempting golden hue.
Seon Guan, who had an uncanny sense for alcohol, pointed at Do Younghwan’s glass.
“Is that beer?”
“It’s somaek.”
“I didn’t make that, did I?”
“…I mixed it myself.”
“Then can you make one? I need to see why these people are making such a fuss.”
Before she could even hand him a bottle opener, Do Younghwan flicked open a beer bottle with a spoon. Then, without any particular asuring, he poured a bottle each of soju and beer into a glass.
Holding the rim of the glass, he swirled it with a flick of his wrist, creating a perfectly mixed glass of somaek. There were no performances of banging the bottom of the glass with a spoon or dropping a shot glass into it.
“Try it.”
Do Younghwan thoughtfully wiped the rim of the glass with a napkin and handed it to her.
It was the first proper somaek Seon Guan had ever tasted.
“Mr. Younghwan! With skills like that, you should’ve been a bartender!”
“You can’t just serve somaek at a bar.”
“The taste… wow, amazing. It just slides right down!”
“Is it that good? Assistant Manager Seon, can I borrow your glass?”
“Don’t you dare steal my precious alcohol!”
It was a chaotic team. They fiercely played rock-paper-scissors over a single glass of somaek, the loser tearfully drinking soju with fish cakes, the winner savoring the heavenly somaek with satisfaction.
‘This isn’t a place I’d co back to twice.’
Even as he thought this, Ji Seongin’s gaze remained fixed on Seon Guan.
Seon Guan, drinking the somaek Do Younghwan made for her with the happiest expression in the world; Seon Guan, winning three tis in a row at rock-paper-scissors and, without a hint of surprise, demanding the next drink as if it were her due.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Ji Seongin’s face seed to be getting a little warm.
***
‘Wow, they’re actually drinking.’
I’d heard that sotis they just filled the bottles with water for filming, but I supposed it really depended on the production. It seed the In My Office team was all about realism.
It was a relief that they only started drinking around the middle takes. It would have been a disaster if they had been drinking from the first take to the last.
My common sense of not drinking while working had been completely shattered since ‘Drinker’, leaving in a state of confusion.
I didn’t want to go ho slling of alcohol. Unfortunately, it looked like I would have to sleep on the sofa tonight.
“Mr. Iwol. Mr. Iwol.”
I was thinking about whether there was any fabric refresher in the car when soone called my na.
It was one of the actors from the Ji Seongin’s team.
“Yes, sunbaenim!”
“Why are you so good at mixing somaek?”
“Huh?”
They must be talking about the Company Dinner—Somaek Edition scene, which I had to revive on the spot thanks to Ha Seomyeong’s ad-lib. If they only knew—I used to be so good at making somaek, I could’ve built a whole tower with them.
“Seomyeong sunbae said it was delicious, so I tried a sip, and it really was! What’s the ratio?”
“That was also ad-lib… ! I guess I just got lucky!”
In tis like these, you must always attribute it to luck. It wouldn’t be good if rumors spread that an idol was so good at mixing somaek that he must be a heavy drinker.
“That wasn’t in the script, was it?”
“No. I pulled it off thanks to sunbaenims’ guidance,.”
“Co on, I saw you playing it off quite naturally.”
It was unexpected praise.
I suddenly recalled what Jeong Seongbin had told a few days ago.
‘There will definitely be more and more good people around you, hyung.’
I actually got words of encouragent from Spark.
I thought I would…
I thought I would hate them terribly for the rest of my life.
“Thank you for saying so. I will continue to work hard for the remaining episodes as well!”
“Just how much harder are you going to work? Anyway, you’ve worked hard today. You must have drunk a lot because of the many NGs, so ask your manager to buy you a hangover cure before you go!”
Hangover cure? We had so in our dorm refrigerator.
The guys had bought five bottles for before I went on that Drinker show.
Not one five-pack—each of them individually bought a bottle.
No one in our dorm drank alcohol, so after opening one out of courtesy on the day of filming ‘Drinker’, the other four were still sitting there, untouched.
It would be troubleso if those guys were included among the ‘good people’ around .
I waited outside for a long ti until my manager arrived at the filming location.
Lost in deep thought, I didn’t even hear the honking of his car.
***
While I was sleeping, I heard a rustling sound above my head.
The mont I peeked out from under the covers and opened my eyes, I t the gaze of an unfamiliar figure.
“Gasp!”
“Gah!”
We were both startled. The only difference was that they clamped a hand over their mouth, while I clenched my pillow,
I couldn’t get my revenge on Choi Jeho last ti, but I will definitely get this intruder…!
“Iwol, it’s !”
“Ah, PD-nim?”
The identity of the intruder turned out to be a PD from the UA video team. The PD looked around and whispered before putting a finger to his lips.
Suddenly, sothing crossed my mind.
“Is today the reality show filming day?”
When I asked in a hushed voice, the PD silently nodded.
No wonder the observation caras were here. This was exactly why I kept asking them to unlock my laptop password and open the shared calendar!
I almost attacked an innocent PD with a pillow. The poor guy was already struggling with an early-morning shoot—I nearly added to his misery.
After installing a cara in the corner of the ceiling, the PD said as he ca down,
“Iwol, you should get so more sleep. We have to film you waking up anyway.”
“Yes, I understand.”
…I said that, but I was completely wide awake. So I decided to just pretend to sleep.
Today’s self-fild content concept was ‘Showing Spark as they are.’ The goal was to show everything from Spark’s bare faces, which had been veiled until now, to the detailed corners of the dorm, and their entire daily routine.
I couldn’t understand the desire to watch every move soone made, but now I could. I read a famous quote recently.
≫ I want to fangirl over Spark down to their peach fuzz
Compared to peach fuzz, I can show my daily routine any number of tis. As for the peach fuzz… wouldn’t that be possible if science and technology developed a bit more? Around our 6th anniversary, we might be able to have a ‘Guess the mber’s Peach Fuzz’ quiz show at a fan eting
While I was having these useless thoughts, I heard the cara installation team discussing placent locations. I quickly opened the door and went out.
“Excuse , I have a question.”
“What is it?”
Since this was a reality shoot, fans would expect sothing really honest and natural.
From the beginning, it bothered to act like, ‘Yawn, what a bright and sunny morning!’.
“Would it be alright if I changed the concept to waking the mbers up?”
My proposal was easily accepted. Thanks to that, I was able to grab the handle of a frying pan and turn on the stove, very familiarly and for the first ti in a while.
This familiar grip, the feeling of soft bread. This was daily life.
***
‘What kind of self-content will be uploaded this week?’
Baek Haewon twirled her pen excitedly at her desk.
Her anticipation was even higher because UA had recently conducted a survey asking, ‘What content do you want to see from Spark?’. Thankfully, it wasn’t Iwol who had planned that survey, otherwise eggs, or maybe even ostrich eggs, would have been thrown at the company building.
‘Whatever it is, I hope it’s f*cking aweso.’
Baek Haewon, who had earnestly written ‘Casual Speech Ti’ in the survey, suddenly stood up.
It was because of an SNS notification.
≫ @spArk_official
Want to visit our dorm?
There’s not much to see…
Just six guys being together…
But we’d love for you to be our first guest!
[Spark] 2X09XX Co Visit Our Dorm ep.1
‘Is this highly provocative wording for real?’
She had noticed an increase in older Sparkler fans, especially since the IDC incident. Even so influential homasters who had left fandoms were starting to dip their toes back into Spark content.
Baek Haewon, who believed that a certain level of order was necessary in a fandom, welcod the influx of older fans.
Just look at the situation now. While she was simply hoping to watch the youngest mbers talk casually to the older ones, noona fans were already breaking down the dorm’s front door!
‘Shall we go and fangirl like crazy…?’
Baek Haewon readily stood up from her cold chair.
Then, sitting in the most comfortable position on her soft bed, she turned on her fully charged tablet and logged into Tube.
The thumbnail was packed with content: Iwol in a black short-sleeved T-shirt and sweatpants, Jeho shaking off his jacket with a grimace, Seongbin stretching, Kiyeon mopping the floor, Cheonghyeon’s back as he typed on his laptop, and Joowoo watering a plant.
They’re all dood. I’ll take screenshots like crazy today. Baek Haewon smiled mischievously.
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