The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 119

I thought the Gift of Memory was an ability that enhanced my own recollection.

But the true power of this Gift was ‘seeing’ memories.

Not just mine, but even the memories of others.

Since the future cannot be remembered, this ability is naturally limited to the past.

Just as Satan can see the future and past with his heterochromatic eyes, I too see the future revealed by the Gift and read past memories through it.

The reason I hadn’t been able to read the past until now was because I wasn’t familiar with the Gift.

‘So, is this how I should understand it?’

[You don’t need me to explain—you’re roughly right. As you grow accustomed to the Gift, your abilities will expand, and the scope will widen.]

‘Then, is this Dasol’s memory?’

[Yes. Watch carefully and follow along.]

Screens flash rapidly on either side of the path Dasol walks.

It’s like flipping through an album of a young girl’s growth.

Playing joyfully with friends at the playground,

Laughing with family while eating delicious food at a restaurant,

Running between desks at school, joking around with kids,

Kicking her feet while watching TV in the living room before dozing off on the sofa.

Then, the child becomes enchanted by the glamorous girl group she’d only seen on screen,

And the scene shifts—rolling on the practice room floor, breathing heavily.

Cheering during year-end evaluations, then crying in a corner after making a mistake,

Enduring the typical trainee life before finally filming a profile video in the studio.

‘She’s debuting.’

Then, suddenly, the screen distorts.

A strange place, strange men, fleeing footsteps, stairs, a disorienting scene where up and down are reversed… The atmosphere shifts drastically.

Each frame is filled with noise, as if they’re memories she wants to forget.

When the distorted scenes end, I find myself standing in front of an unfamiliar building.

Dasol, expressionless, walks inside.

As I lift my head to watch her, the memory I was seeing also comes to an end.

I’m sitting on a bench in front of the dorm.

When I opened my eyes, I was back there, and Dasol had disappeared.

The path I followed wasn’t a physical one with her—it was her memories.

Dasol had returned here after days just to show me this.

My phone rings, and the screen shows Cha Soyeon’s name.

Since it’s a video call, she probably wants to confirm my condition.

When I answer, Cha Soyeon’s stiff expression greets me.

I’m sure my face looks the same.

“Why do you think I called?”

“The whereabouts of the two who left, right? You told me not to move until we found out.”

“You look like you’ve figured something out, Juwon-ssi.”

“I went into Dasol’s memories. The Gift showed me.”

“Ah.”

“Tell me where she is. Dasol’s memories cut off while she was being taken away.”

“Meet me there. I’ll send you the location.”

The place Cha Soyeon sent was a nursing hospital in Gyeonggi Province.

A place where unconscious patients could stay long-term in intensive care.

Perhaps she had already pulled some strings, because we went straight up to the room.

Dasol lay on the hospital bed, hooked up to machines, lifeless.

“How much do you know?”

A former member said she had someone to introduce and took her somewhere.

It was a suspicious place filled with shady men.

The atmosphere turned strange, and when she tried to leave, they caught her.

The last thing she remembered was falling down the stairs while running away.

“The girl who took her there is a BJ now. She streams in Korea, then goes to Japan to sell herself when she runs out of money… Seems like she has a gangster backing her.”

Dasol was a diligent trainee, but somehow, she got involved with a ‘seemingly decent’ guy.

He dragged her into a party with his crew where they drugged her.

“If Dasol hadn’t had her accident, the other members would’ve ended up the same way.”

“How did you find that out?”

“The manager at the time was in on it. He was running around Gangnam’s nightlife scene, so I caught him and made him confess. The men involved with the members were worse than I thought.”

Of course they were.

Satan made a show of this for a reason.

“The fact that scum like that could run wild like this…”

“Han Kijin. It’s because of him and his international gangster lackeys, right? That bastard Yongho who runs a business in Japan.”

“How…?”

It was easy to infer from the conversation left in Dasol’s memory.

I could never forget Han Kijin—Satan showed him to me directly.

“Hansung Group has a dedicated team for the owner’s family. A kind of risk management team that covers up external incidents.”

As soon as the accident happened, they called the NOVA Entertainment CEO, paid for silence, and fabricated an alibi.

That’s how Dasol became a trainee who ‘lost consciousness after falling down the stairs on her way home.’

“They scrapped the debut and sent out the three who didn’t know the truth. Disbanded the group, took full responsibility for the invested money from Hansung Group… And that girl? Han Kijin played with her before turning her into a BJ.”

“A perfect crime.”

“It was, until we found out.”

Did Dasol appear before me to tell me this?

“How is she now?”

“They say she’s unconscious. Not brain-dead, but she won’t wake up.”

I had seen the soul of that very Dasol.

This must be the Gift of Spirit Discernment.

Now, I can see not just evil spirits but benevolent ones too.

“Why did she appear? Did she think you could do something for her?”

She must have been drawn to the Gift.

Not just the burdened, but even souls gather around me.

“I’d rather you didn’t get involved, Juwon-ssi. They’re worse than you think. I’ll ask my grandfather to crush them group-to-group.”

“That’s not the method Satan wants. I told you—this is a test right now.”

I had explained Satan’s test to Cha Soyeon.

If Satan’s prophecy holds, Han Kijin is after something of mine.

“If you want me to step back, find that BJ girl for me. She’s an accomplice—if you make her talk, this could be resolved surprisingly easily.”

“I was already planning to meet Yuna.”

“Why Yuna?”

“They trained together for about a year. Yuna was at Mirinae first, then transferred to NOVA Entertainment for better conditions. They promised to debut her faster, I guess.”

Strange.

“Her personal info’s all gone, and her residence keeps changing. I’m checking if any trainee friends are still in contact.”

Is this how it connects to Yuna?

Did Dasol appear before me to ask for something?

Was Yuna the link between me and Han Kijin that Satan mentioned?

My chest feels tight.

No matter how I look at it, this is a bad sign.

I call Yuna, but she doesn’t answer.

Normally, the phone never rings more than three times.

I fly back to the dorm with Cha Soyeon.

I don’t know how I managed to drive in this state.

When I open the door, Eseo’s eyes widen as she stares at us.

The two youngest are supposed to be at home today, so only Yuna and Eseo should be in the dorm.

“Where’s Yuna?”

“Uh, unnie? She said she had plans and left.”

Without realizing it, I grab Eseo’s shoulders.

“What plans? What did she say?”

Eseo trembles under my gaze before bursting into tears.

Only then do I snap back to my senses.

“Ah, s-sorry.”

As I watch Eseo cry in Cha Soyeon’s arms, a guiding light appears outside the window.

The Gift of the Guidepost, appearing at the worst possible time.

When I step outside, it stretches long along the roadside.

[Remaining distance: 61.2 km]

A van is parked in the company lot.

If I floor it, I can get there in under an hour.

As I move to leave, Cha Soyeon grabs me.

“Where are you going? You don’t even know where she is.”

“I can see the path. I told you—I have a Gift that guides me.”

“Then, let me come with you. I can’t let you go alone.”

“I’ll send you the location when I arrive. Comfort Eseo and follow me. Having you there won’t help at first. This isn’t something words can fix.”

I feel the Gift of Supernatural Strength surging within me.

Cha Soyeon must feel it too, because she lets go of my hand.

“You’d go even if I told you not to, right? Because you have to save her, like the others.”

I saved Sera and Chiedo like that.

Yuna and Eseo are no different.

She knows she can’t stop me because I’ve always done it this way.

“I’d have done the same if you were in trouble. So trust me this time too. Since God spared me, I’ve never lost once.”

I grin and turn to leave, but she grabs me again.

“Just save Yuna and come back, Juwon-ssi. I’ll erase that bastard and Hansung Group myself.”

“I will.”

I sprint to the company parking lot.

If our suspicions are correct, Han Kijin won’t live to see tomorrow’s sunrise.

Because I won’t let him.

“You’re taking her to Gapyeong?”

“Yeah, she came out surprisingly easy. I sweet-talked her a bit and put her to sleep. We can just leave her at the villa, right?”

“Kehehe, good. Drop her off and grab whatever’s in the room. You know the number, right?”

Han Kijin, drooling, makes a call.

“Yeah, it’s me. Gather the guys. Tell Yongho to come too. Bring a few extra, just in case.”

He gestures to the driver.

“Hey, turn the car around to Gapyeong.”

He keeps making calls, rounding up more people.

This is what Han Kijin always does when he gets his hands on a woman he likes.

He wants to indulge first, then generously toss her to his underlings.

He gets off on crushing women until their bodies and minds break.

Today’s woman is top-tier, so the thrill will be immense.

“Fuck, just thinking about it gets me hard.”

But Han Kijin isn’t the only one heading to Gapyeong.