The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 12

“Baek Hakyung.”

That was the name of the A&R team leader.

“He joined when there were still two A&R teams, so he doesn’t know much about Red Blossom. Another team leader was in charge of them.”

After the second album flopped and some A&R staff left, the two teams naturally merged into one.

The previous A&R team leader also left the company around the same time.

“Baek Hakyung only cares about commercial viability—how well something will do in the market.

Since Red Blossom’s second album failed and two members wanted to leave, he had no reason to care.

When he already has three successful groups, why would Red Blossom even catch his eye?”

If we could get this talented leader—who the Director had practically scouted personally—on our side, it would be a huge advantage.

I looked him up.

He had built a reputation as a hitmaker before transitioning into producing, leading multiple idol groups to success.

He even ran his own studio, though it didn’t seem to do well, as he had joined Pine Entertainment a year ago.

“Is he someone you can reason with?”

“Not really. He’s undeniably skilled but extremely stubborn. If things don’t go his way, he’ll even go against the Director or the Chairman.”

“I actually like that. At least he doesn’t play office politics. If he sees potential, he’ll push hard for it.”

“Just be warned—he’s got a sharp tongue. But he’s not a bad person, so don’t take it too personally.”

He was the type to focus only on his work, with little interaction with other teams.

He was deeply devoted to his wife, whom he met during his indie band days.

He had one daughter, born later in life.

That was all the information I could gather on Baek Hakyung.

“There’s no divine gift for persuading stubborn people?”

[Divine gifts respond to situations and your sincerity. They’re not something you can just summon at will.]

So, I’d have to face him head-on and see what happens.

*****

You have to be careful when making a choice, but once you’ve decided, you shouldn’t hesitate.

Feeling like I had learned enough about Baek Hakyung, I headed up to the A&R team’s office.

“I’m here to see Team Leader Baek Hakyung.”

“Where are you from?”

A tired-looking employee raised their head to ask.

“I’m the manager of Red Blossom. Team 5.”

At the mention of Team 5, they frowned.

Their expression said, Why would you be here?

I didn’t care. I scowled right back.

Maybe it was my size, but they flinched before heading off.

Sometimes, having a big frame came in handy.

A few moments later, an even more exhausted-looking man approached.

He seemed to be in his early 40s, with thinning hair that looked like it was on the verge of full baldness.

If he was losing hair, why had he dyed it?

That couldn’t be good for it.

“You’re Team 5’s manager?”

“Yes. I’m Shin Juwon.”

“Wait a minute… you’re the one who saved Soyeon, right?”

So, the rumors had reached here too.

“Yes, that’s me.”

He looked me up and down, then gave a small nod.

Maybe I looked like someone who could block a knife.

“So, what do you want? Team 5 shouldn’t have any reason to come see me.”

He didn’t even bother hiding his annoyance.

I got straight to the point.

“We want Red Blossom to make a comeback. I was hoping you could help. Not immediately, but when we recruit new members, I’d like you to put in a good word with the Director and the Chairman.”

Even if we got the higher-ups interested, the final decision would rest with the working-level staff.

And the most influential person among them was Baek Hakyung.

“Red Blossom?”

“Yes.”

“They haven’t disbanded yet?”

Wow.

The manager of the group was standing right in front of him, and he still said that?

This was beyond just having a sharp tongue.

“No, they haven’t disbanded yet.”

I swallowed my irritation and pressed on.

“We have a plan to recruit new members. Plus, we recently released a video—”

“Get lost.”

“…Sorry?”

“I said, get lost. Do you think we have time for this crap? Look around. Can’t you see everyone here working themselves to death? If you say one more word of that nonsense—”

His phone rang.

When he saw the caller ID, he quickly answered.

“Oh, yeah. Take Minji and go ahead. I’ll be a bit late. Okay, I promise I’ll be there.”

His face was still tense, but his tone was much softer than when he was speaking to me.

It sounded like a call from his family.

After hanging up, he turned to say something to me.

But before he could, everything around us suddenly froze.

*

“Why isn’t the screen changing?”

The gift of prophecy had activated, but no vision appeared on the screen.

[The deity upgraded it because watching on a screen reduces realism. Please wait a moment.]

Even divine gifts come with after-sales service, huh?

As I was thinking that, my surroundings changed completely.

“Whoa, this feels real.”

I stood in the middle of an intersection.

A car in front of me was completely crushed beyond recognition.

Ominous tire marks streaked across the road.

Firefighters were tearing apart the mangled door to pull people out.

A woman and a child, both covered in blood.

Neither was conscious.

The scene shifted again—to a hospital ICU.

Outside the door, Baek Hakyung was clutching a doctor, sobbing uncontrollably.

I could hear every word of their conversation, clear and vivid.

The situation was utterly hopeless.

Then, my surroundings changed back to the office, and time resumed.

“I told you to get the hell—”

His expression shifted as he suddenly took a step back.

“Why is he reacting like that?”

[He felt your divine gift. For ordinary people, divine power evokes ‘awe and fear.’ He’s afraid of you now.]

“Perfect timing, I had something to say anyway.”

“Team Leader.”

“Uh… w-what?”

His attitude toward me had completely changed.

“Please make sure your wife doesn’t drive this afternoon.”

“…What?”

His face twisted in shock, as if wondering how I could possibly know that.

He started to say something more but shut his mouth.

He was still overwhelmed by my presence.

“But if she has no choice… don’t stay at the hospital too long. And call me, no matter what. I want to help.”

I handed him my business card and left the office.

“I can’t stop this accident, can I?”

[How did you know?]

“Because time resumed too quickly. If you don’t tell me when or where the accident happens, I can’t prevent it. Since there was no need to inform me, time must have skipped ahead.”

[You’ve gotten smarter after a few experiences. Yes, that’s correct. For that man to be saved, the accident must happen.]

“Saved?”

[He’s trapped in arrogance and self-righteousness.

He loves his family deeply, but that love is nothing more than possessiveness.

The deity desires harmony among humans, but he sees harmony as something to be imposed.

That stubbornness will ruin his life.]

That didn’t make sense to me.

If a talented person refuses to lose, wouldn’t that just lead to more success?

That’s exactly the kind of employee companies love.

[His exterior is tough, but inside, he’s incredibly fragile. If setbacks pierce him a few times, he won’t be able to endure. The best-case scenario is that he becomes a broken shell of a man. Worst case? He takes his own life.]

“That serious?”

[Yes. I can see his future if you don’t intervene. And ending his life won’t free him either. The deity does not forgive those who choose their own death.]

So, even in the afterlife, there would be no peace for him.

“So, I just have to break his stubbornness?”

[Yes. But you don’t have to do anything. The accident will bring him to his knees before you. Arrogance and self-righteousness are best cured by submission. He must surrender to you in order to be saved.]

This was starting to feel like I was becoming some kind of cult leader.

But saving a life came first.

*****

Baek Hakyung sat at his desk, staring at the business card the Team 5 manager had given him.

“I’ve never felt anything like that before… What the hell is that guy?”

His life had always been one of absolute confidence.

He was always the best, and he had never once considered the possibility of losing to anyone.

If he didn’t like someone, he didn’t care about rank—he would confront them head-on.

Stepping on incompetent fools was only natural.

“This isn’t the time for distractions. I need to tear that visual director apart in the next meeting.”

Focusing on work, he quickly forgot about the Team 5 manager.

*

In the middle of a meeting, his phone rang loudly.

An unknown number.

Normally, he wouldn’t answer, but something felt… off.

A strange sense of unease.

So, he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Are you the guardian of Seo Yoori?”

“Yes. She’s my wife. What is this about…?”

“This is Oseong Hospital…”

The phone nearly slipped from his hands as his legs gave out.

A truck had crossed the center line and crashed into her car head-on.

Her injuries were severe.

He couldn’t even think about driving—he hailed a taxi instead.

The trip from the company to Oseong Hospital took about an hour.

For Baek Hakyung, it felt longer than eternity.

Oseong Hospital .

The 10-hour-long surgery drained him completely.

When the doctor finally emerged past midnight, his expression was so grim that Baek Hakyung didn’t even need to ask.

Hearing the devastating news in the doctor’s sorrowful voice, he collapsed on the spot.

His wife was declared brain-dead, and his daughter was left paralyzed from the waist down.

The hospital promised to do everything possible for her rehabilitation, but to Baek Hakyung, it was nothing more than a comforting lie.

For three days, he neither ate nor drank, staying by his wife and child’s side.

Yet, nothing changed.

His daughter’s cries for her mother were unbearable.

It was pure hell.

“Why is this happening to me…?”

He cursed a god he didn’t even believe in.

He had done nothing but work hard, and yet, he was given this as his reward?

His mind was drowning in despair—until a face from three days ago surfaced in his thoughts.

“Don’t stay at the hospital too long. And call me, no matter what. I want to help.”

A man he had met for the first time that day had told him he would be at the hospital.

Could that really be a coincidence?

Baek Hakyung picked up his phone and called a team member.

He told them to find the business card sitting on his desk and send him the number.

A moment later, the phone rang as he dialed.

The Team 5 manager answered after a few rings.

“Hello.”

Baek Hakyung gripped the phone tightly, his voice trembling.

“…How did you know?”