The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 128

[Hwang Kyu-chan]

He is a supporting actor assigned to Team 1.

In his mid-30s, with a handsome face and decent acting skills, he’s frequently sought after for supporting roles.

Even when many actors left Mirinae Entertainment, he stayed loyal.

He has a high batting average in films, but dramas just don’t seem to work out for him.

Forget about starring in a hit—he’d be lucky if his dramas don’t get canceled early.

Desperate for ratings himself, he’s positive about this casting offer.

Though it’s a trashy drama, most of Joo Ok-seon’s works surpass 20% viewership.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Joo-won-ssi. I was moved when you appeared as the Citizen Hero Driver. Blow some of that success energy my way today, hahaha.”

I’d heard he had a good personality, but his friendliness was even better than expected.

“What do you need success energy for, sunbaenim? You’ve already got two 10-million-viewer films.”

“Movies went okay, but this is a drama. I was really hurt when the last one got canceled early. This time, I want to at least hit an average.”

“But are you sure about this? It’s a Joo Ok-seon drama. You’ve never done something like this before, sunbaenim.”

“I’ll give it a shot. These days, what terrestrial drama isn’t trashy? Joo Ok-seon’s stuff is practically classy by comparison.”

“Well, that’s a relief. I’ll call you later, so head down to the parking lot.”

“Sure.”

Studio Miracle —

The production company behind The Pyeongchang-dong Heiress.

In the meeting room sat writer Joo Ok-seon and PD Bae Jeong-il.

PD Bae Jeong-il is a veteran who has made many trashy dramas alongside Joo Ok-seon.

“Wow, the Citizen Hero. It’s really you, right?”

PD Bae Jeong-il, with his scruffy beard, grinned like a bandit.

“Yeah, somehow it turned out that way.”

I answered with an awkward smile.

“I called Hwang Kyu-chan, but an even bigger star showed up. I’m Joo Ok-seon.”

I’d heard she was the godmother of trashy dramas, so I expected a stubborn, domineering woman—but she had the gentle, bookish vibe of a literary girl.

When she offered a handshake, I took it, and suddenly, the world froze.

After a long time, the Gift of Prophecy activated again.

This time, the future it showed was unusual.

A screen taller than me appeared, displaying portal articles and news clips.

[Trashy Actress Perfect for a Trashy Drama, Caught in an Affair Scandal]

[Shin Yoon-seol’s Manager Exposes Affair—With Her Agency’s CEO?]

[Lead Actress Shin Yoon-seol’s Affair Leads to the Humiliating Early Cancellation of The Pyeongchang-dong Heiress. Shin Yoon-seol, who had an affair with her agency’s CEO, faces a major blow to her acting career. The fallout also tarnishes the previously unstoppable career of writer Joo Ok-seon…]

[…Rumors of ghostly apparitions on set and a series of safety accidents plagued The Pyeongchang-dong Heiress, which ultimately met the unfortunate fate of early cancellation.]

‘Ghosts?’

Seriously, what next?

Ghost sightings on set… safety accidents… lead actress’s affair… early cancellation…

One ominous headline after another flashed by before the filming set appeared.

The very place where ghosts supposedly roamed and accidents kept happening.

‘This is weird.’

I expected a gloomy atmosphere with staff arguing over whether to continue filming.

But the mood on set in the vision was completely different.

PD Bae Jeong-il shouted “Cut!” with a thumbs-up.

Writer Joo Ok-seon and Hwang Kyu-chan laughed while checking the script.

Actress Shin Yoon-seel smiled as she handed me a drink from a thermos.

Min Ah-young, standing beside me, snatched it and gulped it down.

‘If I’m on set with Min Ah-young…’

That means she chose this trashy drama as her comeback project.

She’d be acting alongside Shin Yoon-seol, the woman caught in the affair.

Ah-young’s participation was shocking enough, but the set was even stranger.

For a drama supposedly plagued by accidents and canceled early, the atmosphere was unbelievably warm and lively.

As the set scene faded, time began flowing again.

The meeting ended on a cheerful note, but I couldn’t remember half of what was said or heard.

Hwang Kyu-chan had decided to break his curse of starring in doomed dramas by diving into a trashy one.

But the outcome was disastrous.

‘If that really happens, I’ll lose my mind.’

Since Ah-young’s comeback project hasn’t been finalized yet, Kyu-chan is the only actor the company can rely on.

He stayed loyal even when the company was in chaos, out of respect for the CEO.

And now this loyal man is about to jump into a fire with a bomb strapped to his back.

He’s not my responsibility, but I have to stop this somehow.

‘Why was the set’s atmosphere so good?’

The outcome and the process were completely mismatched.

The Gift of Prophecy always shows me a jumbled mix of futures—one where I intervene and one where I don’t.

This time, one must be the future to avoid, and the other, the one to pursue.

‘If Ah-young gets tangled up in this, it’ll be a disaster.’

In the future where the affair is exposed, Kyu-chan becomes a two-time victim of early cancellations, and Ah-young’s comeback is ruined.

To prevent this, Shin Yoon-seol must be removed from the project.

‘But how?’

How do I tell them to replace an actress when nothing’s happened yet?

Given the set’s atmosphere, removing her might not even be the right solution.

The conflicting visions only deepened my dilemma.

First, I looked up Shin Yoon-seol and her agency.

‘This is The Kingdom of Animals.’

The agency CEO’s wife is also an actress—and supposedly Yoon-seol’s best friend.

There were even interviews where they called each other inseparable sisters.

What’s worse, the wife is currently pregnant with their second child.

So the CEO had an affair with his wife’s best friend—while she was pregnant.

If this gets exposed, forget the drama—there’s no coming back from this.

Ghosts and safety accidents are one thing, but the affair must be dealt with first.

Rather than agonizing alone, I figured it’d be better to brainstorm with Cha So-yeon and Min Ah-young, so I called them in.

“I don’t want to work with her.”

“I don’t want to work with you either, unnie.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You called us here for a threesome, right?”

I’m going insane, seriously.

“How does the light on my back look right now?”

“It’s calm. It usually flickers when you’re excited, but this is weird. A threesome doesn’t excite you?”

“Should we make it a foursome? Should I call Yeoreum?”

“Is ‘I never even considered a threesome’ not an option? I didn’t call you here for that.”

Neither of them hid their disappointment.

Since when was this something to be upset about?

“The Gift showed me the future again yesterday after a long time.”

I started with my meeting with Joo Ok-seon.

I recounted everything the prophecy revealed without holding back.

There’s no point lying to these two anyway.

“That can’t be right.”

Cha So-yeon was the first to speak up.

“What part?”

“About Yoon-seol unnie. She’s too kind. She’s not the type to have an affair.”

“I agree with unnie. I’ve worked with her before—she’d never do something so shameless. Yoon-seol unnie in an affair? That’s ridiculous.”

So-yeon and Ah-young’s observational skills are far from ordinary.

Yet both of them defended Shin Yoon-seol.

They insisted she wasn’t the type to cheat.

Then what the hell was the future I saw?

“More importantly, I’m more interested in the fact that I’ll be acting with Joo-won-ssi! My man and I, sharing the screen!”

Ah-young’s attention had already shifted.

“If we lock eyes on set, we’ll end up having sex in the van, hehehe.”

“Wipe your drool before you talk.”

So-yeon’s glare was icy.

“About the future Joo-won-ssi saw—it changes based on our actions, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then let’s film with Yoon-seol unnie. That affair you saw must have some backstory. She’d never covet another woman’s man.”

“I agree. If we’re close by, we can intervene if something goes wrong.”

That makes sense.

With Kyu-chan’s potential hit and Ah-young’s comeback on the line, scrapping everything isn’t the answer.

It’s better to identify the root cause and eliminate the risk entirely.

“Let me see the script. No matter what, I need a role that pulls me in.”

I handed Ah-young the synopsis and scripts for Episodes 1–2.

After reading the story and character descriptions, she burst out laughing.

“Joo-won-ssi, have you read this?”

Of course I had.

The female lead is the troublemaking daughter of a chaebol family who loses her memory in an accident while traveling.

The male lead, who saves her, believes she’s the reincarnation of his childhood sweetheart who died of an incurable illness—because they look identical.

“Turns out they were twins separated at birth. Zero logic, pure trashy setup.”

The chaebol heir she was engaged to shows up with gangsters in tow to drag her back to Seoul.

But the male lead, a farmer living in the countryside, wipes them all out in seconds.

Turns out, he was a legendary special forces soldier who grew disillusioned with war and went into hiding.

The drama was packed with absurd twists, but the over-the-top execution made it perfect for turning off your brain and enjoying the ride.

By Episode 2, it was a rollercoaster that left viewers guessing.

“Still… it looks fun. If Yoon-seol unnie’s the female lead, find out more about this other chaebol daughter who has a crush on the male lead.”

You’d think she’d avoid a trashy drama, but after hearing about the future I saw, she agreed without hesitation.

Now, all that’s left is to prevent the lead actress’s affair from blowing everything up.