Jongdae liked his job. A lot. Don’t get him wrong though. Being a manager sure had its perks and privileges, while also having its charge of bad sides- just like any career choice, actually.

It was a tiring task, which he remembered he hadn’t been prepared to- clearly, working as Chanyeol’s manager, when he had his high schooler’s mindset, didn’t represent a dream job in the first place.

As a matter of fact, everything kind of started as a joke. Chanyeol knew that Jongdae was currently struggling with his professional life. So, out of the blue, he came out with this solution.

The idol’s actual manager was in a position where he was searching for someone reliable to replace him, he had said, and was willing to give his friend a try and train him for the job. Jongdae had laughed it off from the outset. His friend was way too accustomed to taking things lightly. He didn’t even have the requisite qualifications for this kind of position.

Who would, in his right mind, hire a poor student who hadn’t yet graduated high-school ? Hence, it definitely never was in his plans to become his friend’s manager. The idea itself wasn’t particularly attractive- especially knowing how annoying his friend could get, and his ability slash tendancy of driving Jongdae bat crazy. So if they had to be around each other 24/7, the latter was pretty sure their personalities would clash at some point. « Friendship and business don’t go well together. » The Cheshire-smiled guy remembered the argument he had replied in order to reinforce his point as if it was yesterday.

At that, Chanyeol had simply stated « My offer still stands. It’s up to you. » And moreover, Jongdae had still give in ; at the end of the day, a job was a job and the pay that came with it a fact he wasn’t in position to neglect. He needed the money.

Nothing really mattered at the time, because making a living portrayed a much bigger issue than his non-existent aspirations in life. He was just a jobless bum, who couldn’t do anything right with his meaningless existence, so why not ? That could perhaps allow him to pay a rent and stop living at the expense of his family. Another opportunity like this one would not appear any time soon.

Before, Jongdae couldn’t quite qualify himself as a hardworking person. But after entering the entertainment industry, he had to man-up ; starting from scratch certainly wasn’t easy, and he quickly figured out how dedication was a necessity in order to get the job done. Because hard work was the only way to achieve his goals. Rules were drastically different in the show-business, where success wasn’t determined by beauty, and not even talent. Good looks could be bought- acquired by plastic surgery, for example, and talent was only measured by diligent work.

Embracing the lifestyle of an idol and dealing with hectic schedules, while supervising the said-idol, became a day-to-day routine for Jongdae.

If not properly managed, the idol would go in the wrong direction and cause harm to the image of the company. It was Jongdae’s job to prevent that from happening. Idols were like products, put in sale, and sold to the public. They were cultural icons, public figures, shaped by their companies’ marketing teams, which only aimed to reach a wider and wider audience each time.

However, the guy hated the ones who tended to underestimate him when he didn’t even get the chance to prove his worth, the jealous ones. He hated people who judged others because of how they looked. His sole appearance shouldn’t make him less reliable, right ? To put it simply, the arrival of a young manager coming from nowhere and hired to take care of a new rising star, had surprised many, leaving some doubtful, even suspicious. Their reaction, and the comments whispered behind his back when they thought he couldn’t hear them, had only served to prove Jongdae’s conviction, that human nature is just plain mean.

From this moment on, Jongdae understood the fact that there would always be people out there more experienced or more determined than him, with more or less mixed intentions, and all of them willing to take his place for sure. That’s when he realized that he had to do better : becoming the best in every way possible became a mantra. Because he was just a newbie. Easily repleceable if needed. Trying wasn’t enough ; he hated being accountable, and he had only been able to get in there thanks to his friend’s help.

Regardless, he had to admit that if not for Park Chanyeol, he would never have gotten the chance to be hired by South Korea’s top record label : it was solely because of the taller’s ‘relations’ within the company he found himself in the position he was in, something he hadn’t quite taken into account in the beginning. When he had found himself staring at the six-story building of the music talent agency, the Cheshire-smiled guy didn’t realize in which ways what was expected from him exceeded his limits. However, Jongdae was anything but stupid, and he didn’t need a high IQ to know he couldn’t ‘take it easy’ if he didn’t want to be kicked out of his new job like a worthless good-for-nothing.

Hopefully, the manager was recruited from one of the biggest entertainment agencies in the industry, and the guy also didn’t lack skills. So, because of that, learning the ropes of the profession and acquiring experience didn’t represent such a difficult task, though keeping Chanyeol in check was sometimes easier said than done.

Nowadays, in Korea, if Baekhyun was the most reknown wedding planner in his area, Jongdae had become the most sought-after manager regarding the entertainment field. Indeed, after putting Chanyeol’s career on tracks, he had acquired people’s recognition, even from the ones who doubted him in the beginning. And everybody knew of Park Chanyeol’s exclusive manager, Kim Jongdae, the person you were most likely to find at his side at all times. They made an amazing pair, without the shadow of a doubt. When Jongdae looked back on their common success, he knew that the fame didn’t build itself in one night. They were now the nation’s hottest combination, but that wasn’t always the case. Jongdae still remembered the times when they both struggled and shared the same insecurities, before they turned into what they were presently.

But today, was one of those days when he couldn’t quite pinpoint what was on his friend’s mind. And playing the game of « Guess what are Chanyeol’s thoughts ? » proved to be more difficult than expected every time. Especially when the idol sported such a blank expression. Sometimes, in rare occasions, he managed to somehow read Chanyeol’s mood and get a grasp of what may have happened or what was going to happen that would upset him. He had learnt how to decipher a billion different expressions that this unique face could make, situations that were potentially able to disturb his friend.

He also knew the limits he couldn’t go beyond. A good manager was supposed to give the idol he was in charge of enough space and free time for himself, while coordinating that specific idol’s private matters with his professional activities. Jongdae always thought he did a pretty good job, actually. But right now, he wasn’t currently having the time of his life trying to read between the lines. He had a slight idea of where he had ed up. Chanyeol was under pressure these days and he didn’t take into account an important detail that managed to slip through the cracks, aggravating the situation. Everything started to form a tragic correlation, and from every angle Jongdae looked at, nothing was going to end well. There was no light for him at the end of the tunnel, and he didn’t know what to do to stop Chanyeol’s and his downfall. Call him a pessimist, but Jongdae had everything sorted out, and if he thought that nothing good was coming from their fragile state, he couldn’t be that much in the wrong.

Plus, it was going to rain. That was a minor fact ; Jongdae didn’t believe in superstitions, but he should have taken that as a sign from the moment he woke up. The news anchor hadn’t announced it beforehand and clouds were already accumulating in the sky, as the bright light of the outside wa