After becoming certain that I had to meet my parents at least once, I made a plan of my own.

To resolve the situation of them refusing to get involved with me, I had to give them the impression that they could profit through me. So that they would come find me on their own.

To do that, I had to give off the impression of a successful celebrity in everyone’s eyes, but it took time for an idol targeting the 10-20 age group to make a name for themselves among the middle-aged.

There were many ways to drastically shorten that time, but among the means that had no moral issues and spread quickly nationwide, nothing beat commercials.

“Dramas take a long time for the final cut to come out, and long-running variety shows only start getting exposure once they’ve established themselves.”

Moreover, commercials didn’t need to be promoted by UA. That was the domain of the advertisers or agencies. My goal was to get maximum effect with minimum effort.

After deciding on the direction of my approach, I took the time to explore which advertisers to appeal to. There was no better place than the financial industry for running a massive ad campaign, but there were almost no precedents of male idols being cast, so I aimed for a place with more potential.

A field that was looking for a model with an upright image, often promoted the brand or company itself rather than a specific product, and had a large enough budget to sign a long-term contract with a platform.

After diligent research, I came to a conclusion. The path I had to take was that of a public relations ambassador or a public service announcement. The hurdle to becoming a model would be lower compared to a large corporation or a luxury brand, while the scale of marketing would expand to the regional or even government level.

Next, all I had to do was use the meme capital I already had. Taking the opportunity of being reborn as a “labor defender idol” through my past actions, I spoke my mind without holding back even as a stand-in in the “Sharing Worries Session” and I even did another WebCell special lecture. When I was invited to a MeTube variety show, I talked about the dark side of the entertainment business and ways to improve it, within a range that wouldn’t get UA stoned.

At the end of that series of actions, I...

“Hyung, did you see this? Your nickname got super long.”

“Nickname?”

“The man whose personal color is Yeouido office worker gray, the megaphone of the workers, the soul of the proletariat trapped in a young body, the one who uses two brains—Do Younghwan’s and Iwol’s, the sincere Iwol conch, the walking law firm specializing in the Labor Standards Act, the man who can’t live without labor laws...”

“That’s really long.”

...became that. It meant I had successfully established a sound image.

After my efforts, my hard work bore fruit.

“A public relations ambassador?”

“Yeah, they said you were the number one candidate!”

Ms. Jukyung said with a bright smile.

It was a real relief that it turned out well. Moreover, it was a nationwide public relations ambassador position. It would be hard to find a more perfect condition.

“The Ministry of Employment and Labor... ambassador?”

...except for the fact that I had really become a labor-union idol.

I was a little flustered. I hadn’t expected to be chosen by such a high-level institution. At most, I thought I’d be promoting a start-up support policy or a workplace bullying counseling service. I thought getting airtime on Line 2’s commute-hour subway videos would already be a win.

“It’s a trend for the government to push for youth policies these days. It seems they were looking for a young face to promote it.”

Ms. Jukyung added an explanation. It was a part I had somewhat guessed.

I didn’t look like one of those “obscenely rich celebrities,” so I wouldn’t get memes like “Yeah right, as if an idol who makes easy money from promoting this can relate,” and as a freelancer, I was a good promotional tool from the perspective of supporting young artists. Wasn’t it a casting with many good excuses in many ways?

“Looks like my face is really going to be all over the country.”

An advertisement of the caliber that the Ministry of Employment and Labor would put out would be broadcast on all media, including TV and radio. Moreover, if it was to promote a new policy, a budget of a different dimension would be involved.

“It’s a public service announcement, so the appearance fee isn’t high, but it’s an image no other idol has shown before, and it suits you well. I think it’s a great opportunity. What do you think, Iwol?”

Ms. Jukyung asked. The answer was, of course, Yes.

Adults also have dreams. And they say there’s no age limit to achieving your dreams.

“We paint a better world.”

After 30 years of waiting, a certain ordinary citizen, Mr. Kim, also achieved his dream.

“A future where labor becomes a part of life, not just a means for living.”

I had become the Ministry of Employment and Labor ambassador I had dreamed of... no, the public relations ambassador. If you wish for something earnestly, anything can come true.

“We protect your value—the Ministry of Employment and Labor.”

Actually, I didn’t wish for it that much, but I was so speechless I just said whatever. If I ever imagined appearing in ministry materials, I thought it would be as a “workplace abuse case.” Life really is unpredictable.

Seeing myself in a proper suit, cosplaying as a professional-looking office worker, felt surreal. Watching the rough cut made me lose all sense of reality.

“Where exactly is this going to show again?”

I asked Manager Chanyoung beside me, and he answered:

“The subway billboards and inside the trains in downtown Seoul, about 200 major bus stops including Seoul Station, and the elevators of the Ministry of Employment and Labor and its affiliated organizations. It’ll be on TV, too.”

“Will it only be on public broadcasting channels?”

“They said the exposure will be low, but it’ll show on other channels as well. There’s a chance it might air as a mid-roll ad on sports channels too, but that’s not confirmed.”

“You said there would be print ads too, right?”

“The posters will be officially distributed to community service centers for their bulletin boards, and a reduced version of the poster would be included in the KTX monthly magazine.”

It looked like my face was really going to be plastered everywhere. What would those people think when they saw the face of the son they had kicked out?

When you got curious about things like this, you could just use a search portal. If you put in search terms that a normal person might think of, like “public relations ambassador salary,” “public relations ambassador benefits,” “public relations ambassador activity fees,” etc., you could get a rough idea.

Most articles said that although ambassadorships were technically honorary, in practice, they were often accompanied by substantial appearance fees.

When they realized that the child they threw away was making money and making a name for himself, they would be the ones to re-establish the contact they had cut off. With a low, friendly attitude.

They wouldn’t fail to predict the butterfly effect, even if only a few contents said it made money. Once their minds started turning, they’d start calculating my potential value.

“I don’t think the effect will come immediately with just one ad, but still.”

You can’t be full on the first bite. For now, I was satisfied that the first button had been luxuriously fastened, and I decided to set a more thorough bait based on this good environment.

What would those people say when they saw me? “I need to get paid for raising you”? “You’ve succeeded beyond what you deserve”?

I thought for a moment and then stopped. Because I had promised Jeong Seongbin with a pinky swear that I wouldn’t repeat bad thoughts. There were plenty of better things to spend my time on.

≫ Congratulations Kim Iwol on becoming the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s Public Relations Ambassador

No lie, it’s real

(Photo)

└ The way he’s all dressed up in a suitㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋso annoying but cuteㅠㅠㅠ

└ The Ministry of Employment and Labor’s muse, Kim Iwol

└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ I knew this might happen but seeing it for real feels weird

└ My own little labor consultant has become a world-class celebrity

≫ An article is out

“Spark’s Iwol Appointed as Ministry of Employment and Labor’s Public Relations Ambassador... An Unconventional Move”

└ An unconventional move, indeed

└ As expected of the man who made us memorize “dial 1350 without an area code for counseling”

└└ But he’s an idol...

≫ Specs of the newly appointed Ministry of Employment and Labor Public Relations Ambassador

Can tie a manual necktie

Has practical skills to create school record templates

Uses over 20 WebCell shortcuts

Holds a record of creating a Docean page in 10 minutes

Debuted on OTT as an office worker actor

Set program record viewership by acting as a resigning employee

Provides free public workplace consultations

And lastly

Has experience in conducting multiple lawsuits due to labor disputes

From now on, if Iwol makes another complaint, you’re dead too, UA. If you don’t want to become a defendant, act right.

└ Totally agree with the last lineㅠㅠ If you don’t want to be on the cover of a dispute casebook, do it right.

└ A person who’s been writing a shady planner since before he even got his ID card... his birth is different from ordinary people.

└ How’s any regular employee supposed to compete... I feel deprived just reading

└ Labor-silver-spoon

└└ What the heck is a labor-spoonㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ It’s absurd and funny how his career looks so consistent when you write it out like thisㅠㅠㅠㅠ

After the fact that I had become the public relations ambassador for the Ministry of Employment and Labor was announced, a flood of passionate reactions poured in from all over.

Some said the concept acting was getting old, others thought it was simply funny. Thankfully, most fans took it as “You don’t see idols like this every day.”

As for the opinions telling me to tone down the concept, I could handle that by drawing a strict boundary between ambassador duties and idol work. In the first place, I had no intention of making a bigger fuss after landing the ad. I didn’t want viewers to feel fatigued from being overexposed to me.

I’d achieved my goal, so now I just needed to wait for my image to circulate properly while preventing it from spiraling into something weird.

“No matter what, the most important thing will be the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) next comeback.”

I frantically pressed the left and right arrow keys, checking the calendar. According to the annual plan, I had to start planning the album right away to release the next album at the right time and prepare for the concert at the end of the year.

I opened my notepad to see if there were any good ideas among the ones I had saved, when Jeong Seongbin’s phone vibrated.

“Hyung, can I take this call?”

“Huh? Go ahead.”

Jeong Seongbin, who had asked for permission, bowed his head and answered the phone.

“Yes, hyung.”

Since Jeong Seongbin always called upperclassmen “sunbae” or “sunbaenim,” the fact he used “hyung” meant the caller was a manager. There were no other older people Jeong Seongbin was close enough to to talk to on the phone.

Given the timing, it was probably Manager Chanyoung. He still handled most urgent matters and emergency notices.

Without realizing it, I had rudely guessed who was on the other end of someone else’s phone call. I was about to reflect and focus on my laptop again when Jeong Seongbin answered.

“The members? They’re all at the dorm.”

Verbally, they told us not to wander around at night, but UA rarely cracked down hard on Spark. Not only were the Spark members not the type to go around causing trouble, but after their debut, their schedule became so tight that once you put them in the dorm, you didn’t even need to monitor them; they would just go into their rooms on their own.

And to suddenly do a surprise room check on Spark like that?

I had a bad feeling. Something was wrong.

“...What?”

Jeong Seongbin’s voice grew louder. His face was filled with bewilderment.

“Yes, yes. I’ll tell the members right away. Yes, I understand.”

I could feel it. The energy of the schedule being messed up.