The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 101

The last thing I saw was the scene of Sera and Jeong-ah trying to run toward me in tears.

Fortunately, people nearby held them back, preventing them from reaching me.

‘Good. I’m not dying, so don’t worry.’

[It’s dangerous. Please rest for a moment.]

‘Huh?’

My vision darkened, and everything was swallowed by the void.

‘No matter how dangerous it was, you’ve never put me to sleep before…’

And with that, I lost consciousness.

I heard the sound of something pouring down, but nothing touched my body.

How much time had passed?

When I opened my eyes, my surroundings were pitch black.

A cramped room—no, it was more like a sealed box.

‘A rice chest?’

Now I’ve even become Crown Prince Sado.

[It’s the Ark of the Covenant.]

‘The Ark?’

[The sacred chest that held the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, given to Moses by God. It’s a holy relic symbolizing the covenant between God and His chosen people. I borrowed it temporarily since it was just the right size for you to fit inside.]

Suddenly, I was sharing a space with the Ten Commandments.

‘Is it really okay for me to be inside something that important?’

[The covenant was already fulfilled by God’s Son, so it’s not really necessary anymore. More like a keepsake? I didn’t have time to grab anything else in a hurry, so just hurry and dodge next time, okay?]

‘I would’ve dodged if I hadn’t slipped. Who knew I’d get caught on a wire?’

[No matter how well I do, I can’t cover for your mistakes, Master.]

‘Sorry.’

Honestly, I got cocky, thinking it’d be fine since I had a divine spirit with me.

[You don’t have to apologize to me, but this time, it’s going to hurt a bit.]

‘Hurt? I feel fine.’

[Look at your left arm.]

Following the spirit’s words, I lifted my left arm.

‘Aaaah! Wh-what is this?!’

My left arm was gone.

No, it was still there, but only a faint silhouette was visible.

It looked like the special effects for an invisible man in a movie.

‘Why is it like this? Where’s my arm?’

[Think of the Ark as a protective barrier… Your left arm didn’t make it inside in time and got crushed under the debris that fell. I had to put you in quickly, so there was a ‘slight’ miscalculation.]

‘That’s not slight! What about my crushed arm?’

[Fractures, acute bleeding, muscle tears, severed nerves—nothing too serious. Stop exaggerating.]

‘How is that not serious? I can’t use my arm now!’

[Why are you making such a fuss when you have the gift of healing?]

Oh.

[Your body is like a high-precision machine, so I can’t just patch you up like other people. It’ll take time, and it’ll hurt in the meantime.]

‘How long?’

[Two days.]

‘That long?’

The kids’ comeback is right around the corner. If today counts, that’s three days wasted.

Even though Onyu sunbaenim is here, I want to take care of it myself.

[God’s Son took three days to resurrect. Two days is nothing.]

That was dying and coming back to life.

[Anyway, everything’s spilled out now, so I’ll put the Ark away. If you stay awake, it’ll hurt a lot, so go back to sleep.]

‘Wait! What about the others—’

My eyes closed again.

The spirit’s last words lingered in my ears.

[Thanks to you, everyone’s safe. Even in this state, you’re still worrying about others—that’s so like you, Master. Rest well. This time, the reward will be special.]

It’s noisy.

“Huuu… What do we do? They said he might not be able to use his arm again.”

“Unnie… If you keep crying like this, you’ll faint again. Seriously…”

“Ugh… Sniff… I-it’s my fault, sob… Hic… Wh-what do we do…?”

From the voices, it was Yeoreum, Rina, and Sera.

The two sniffling in the back must be Chie and Jeong-ah.

‘Yeoreum knows about my ability, yet she’s crying like this.’

[When you see someone you love hurt, emotions take over logic. Yeoreum will probably keep crying like this until you wake up.]

‘What about the other girls?’

[Yuna cried until she collapsed, and Ayoung is taking care of her. Soyeon didn’t come.]

Cha Soyeon didn’t come?

She shouldn’t have any other schedules today.

Surrounded by seven girls—what kind of hospital room is big enough to fit them all?

‘I can’t figure out the right timing to open my eyes.’

I was about to ask the spirit for more details when a sharp pain shot through my arm.

Someone must’ve pressed on it—this is unbearable.

“Aaargh…!!”

Instantly, the room fell dead silent.

The crying that had filled the room vanished in an instant.

I cracked my eyes open and made a pained expression.

The intense stares of seven pairs of shocked eyes were overwhelming.

“My arm hurts. Sorry, but… could you not touch the cast side?”

I forced a weak smile.

They wouldn’t know I don’t even need surgery.

“Hic… Sniff… Ugh… Hic…”

Tears started flowing again from all directions.

Tears of different sizes and shades streamed down their cheeks.

The dissonant sobbing spread throughout the room.

When I said my arm hurt, they hesitated to come closer, only crying harder.

Yeoreum staggered over to my uninjured right side.

“I don’t care what happens to your arm. From now on, I’ll be your arm, Manager-nim… Sniff.”

She buried her face in my chest.

I’ll be fine in two days!

One by one, they cautiously approached, asking if I was okay.

Sera and Jeong-ah, who had been at the scene, couldn’t speak and just cried.

Only when Min Ayoung came over did I manage to have a coherent conversation.

“Now I understand why Soyeon unnie said she couldn’t let her guard down. No matter how much good you do, what’s the point if you come back hurt like this? They said you might need several more surgeries.”

With fractures, muscle tears, and severed nerves, that made sense.

I wonder what the doctors’ faces will look like when I’m perfectly fine in two days.

‘Suddenly recovering would be suspicious too. They’re probably scheduling surgeries.’

[Talk to Soyeon when she comes. She’s the one who arranged this place.]

‘Really?’

Now that I think about it, I don’t even know which hospital I’m in.

This room is suspiciously spacious for seven people to fit comfortably.

I asked Min Ayoung, the only one still composed.

“Where is this? What kind of hospital room is this big?”

“Daeyoung Hospital’s VIP room. Soyeon unnie arranged it.”

No wonder the room is huge.

A truck carrying construction materials and waste had spilled its load, and I was found in the gaps between steel beams.

Miraculously, I survived in a space just big enough for one person.

My left arm was crushed under the debris and had to undergo emergency surgery.

“They said your arm isn’t in a condition to be relieved about yet… but it’s a miracle for now.”

She bowed her head, then whispered in my ear so the others wouldn’t hear.

“You can fix it, right? You healed my eyes, after all.”

I smiled and nodded.

Only then did her expression relax as she lightly tapped my uninjured shoulder.

“Don’t scare me like that. I don’t know how Soyeon unnie deals with this every time.”

Her grumbling face was incredibly cute.

Finally, Yuna grabbed my arm and burst into tears.

She was saying something, but her sobbing made it impossible to understand.

She was crying so hard she kept swaying, as if dizzy.

Min Ayoung looked at her sympathetically and supported her.

“This won’t do. Since Juwon-ssi is awake, I’ll take her home. I’ll explain everything on the way, so don’t worry.”

Yuna knows about my gift, so it’s fine to tell her the truth.

The Red Blossom girls also seemed exhausted, so I told them to go home for today.

After they left, I called Yeoreum over and whispered to her.

“You know about my gift, so why cry like that? My arm will heal, and I’ll be discharged, so don’t worry.”

“B-but… I hate seeing you hurt, Manager-nim. Even a monk can’t shave his own head—what if you can’t heal yourself?”

Did she pick that up from Chie?

“It’ll take longer than for others, but I’ll definitely heal. Don’t worry, I’ll leave the hospital perfectly fine.”

“Then… that’s a relief.”

She peeked into the hallway to confirm no one was there, then locked the door.

She came closer and kissed me without asking.

Careful not to jostle my arm, she pressed her lips against mine, then slipped her tongue in.

A kiss where we barely moved, sharing emotions, felt even hotter.

And so, with gratitude and relief, we exchanged tongues and saliva.

Alone in the hospital room, I picked up my phone and searched for news.

It was plastered all over the portal’s front page.

[This is the CCTV footage of the collision between a truck and a passenger car. The truck, swerving sharply, overturned and was pushed to the edge of the bridge. The stacked materials came crashing down in a dangerous scene—coincidentally, a busking variety show was being filmed below the bridge at the time…]

[…According to eyewitnesses, just before the materials fell, Shin Juwon, the manager of the girl group filming, evacuated the people. Shin Juwon suffered arm injuries from the falling debris and is currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.]

The anchor’s clear narration stuck in my ears.

The footage was slightly blurry from the CCTV, but the rest was as crisp as a movie clip—some scenes even had the intensity of an action film.

It looked like they used drone and broadcast footage.

The headlines were no joke either.

[Major Traffic Accident in Cheonggyecheon… 8-Ton Truck Collides with Passenger Car and Overturns]

[Construction Materials and Waste Turn Area into Chaos… Busking Variety Show Site Overwhelmed]

[Zero Fatalities in Major Accident… Girl Group Manager’s Incredible Crisis Response]

[Civilian Hero Saves Countless Lives… Has History of Busting Cults]

‘Called a civilian hero again.’

I chuckled and kept reading.

Too engrossed, I didn’t hear the door open.

“Juwon-ssi…”

Huh?

I looked up to see Cha Soyeon staring at me with an expressionless face.

Her cold gaze betrayed no emotion.