The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 14

I told him not to kneel on the floor anymore.

He protested, saying he couldn’t possibly do that to a master, but when I said it was an order, he obeyed immediately.

“I’m going to tell you a few things, and you must follow them. This is also an order.”

“Yes, Master.”

“My abilities are a secret between you and me. If anyone else finds out, my powers will weaken, and your wife and daughter could revert to their original conditions.”

“Hiiik!”

Baek Team Leader slipped off his chair.

He must have been seriously shocked.

“So, this is an absolute secret. Understood?”

“Of—of course, Master.”

It was practically a threat, but I had to make sure he wouldn’t say a word.

“At work, we go back to our normal relationship. No honorifics, and you cannot call me ‘Master.’ Got it?”

“B-but, Master… I just can’t—”

“Do. You. Understand?”

“A-ah… Th-the… I mean, okay. Got it.”

“Good job. And finally—this is the most important part.”

I was about to give the final command to change Baek Team Leader’s future.

“The one who granted me this power has something they want from you.”

“From me?”

“No more honorifics.”

“A-ah… right. So, what do they want from me?”

I took what the spirit had told me and added a little extra, instructing him to live in harmony.

I told him that the gods ordered me to save him, and that I saved his family for that purpose.

The only way for Baek Team Leader to truly survive was to let go of pride and self-righteousness.

“This is what’s being asked of you. When you return to work, live this way. If you do, good things will come your way.”

Baek Team Leader’s expression shifted.

A strange mix of shock and deep emotion crossed his face.

“Why do you look like that?”

“Well… I thought you were gonna ask me to bring back Red Blossom. But instead, you’re telling me how to live better. It caught me off guard.”

“Of course, I do plan to ask you about Red Blossom. But only when you’re confident that they’ll succeed. If you’re not sure, then there’s no point in making a comeback, right?”

At the mention of work, Baek Team Leader’s face turned serious.

“When the Chairman or the Director orders a re-evaluation of Red Blossom, please judge them fairly. If you’re confident they’ll succeed, push them hard. That way, it’ll be easier to recruit new members.”

“That’s my job, so you don’t even need to ask. If I see potential, of course I’ll support them.”

“That’s enough for me.”

I thought that was the end of Baek Team Leader’s redemption arc.

But then.

[Since you’ve come this far, you might as well do more. Right now, with his level of faith, you can heal anything.]

But he doesn’t seem sick…?

[His head.]

Ah.

I stepped closer to Baek Team Leader and gently brushed over his bare forehead.

“W-wait, what are you—?”

“Take care of it from now on. And try not to dye your hair too much.”

The next day, Baek Team Leader’s hair was thick and full.

*****

300 Million Views.

The new dormitory introduction video surpassed 3 million views.

The group was still a failing idol group, but at least their name was getting some recognition.

“There are a lot of comments asking for more clips of the members, so I’m constantly uploading them on SNS. Our follower count is rising fast.”

Thanks to the video, the official SNS was active again for the first time in a while.

Since there wasn’t much to do online other than posting videos, my senior decided to manage both the SNS and YouTube channel.

Now that Baek Team Leader was on our side, talks about recruiting new members would start soon.

When that happened, I’d need to work outside—meaning I wouldn’t have time to sit and manage the accounts.

“As for the videos, since we’ve started uploading them, let’s keep posting one every week about the members’ daily lives. I’ll figure out how to cover the production costs.”

Uploading regularly wasn’t a problem, but just showing their daily lives wasn’t enough impact.

We needed more videos like the dorm tour with Cha Soyeon—something that could explode in views.

“We need a few more viral hits to convince the executives.”

This problem was unexpectedly solved by Cha Soyeon shortly after.

*

The CCTV Controversy.

It all started with a CCTV video scandal.

The footage isn’t clear since it’s taken from a screen.

Honestly, who the hell fights off a guy with a knife with their bare hands?

Upload the full version!

Since the CCTV footage was blurry, many comments demanded the full version.

As expected, trolls jumped in, claiming the video was fake.

It was a predictable controversy, but Cha Soyeon, who wasn’t used to this kind of thing, finally snapped.

“…I’m doing this broadcast because I’m upset. My manager saved my life, but so many people don’t believe it. At the end of the stream, I’ll show you the full CCTV footage, so make sure to watch. I’ll explain what happened one more time…”

This woman fearlessly started a live broadcast.

And she did it on the failed idol group’s channel, no less.

Kyaaa, my queen is live!

I never thought I’d live to see Cha Soyeon do a livestream.

What’s the connection between Cha Soyeon and Red Blossom?

She seemed close to Yeoreum in the last video.

Unnie, I’ll send you a donation!

That’s the sound of someone wiring money to Elon Musk.

With a record-breaking number of concurrent viewers, the fact that Cha Soyeon was doing a livestream at all became a huge topic.

And thanks to the CCTV footage shown at the end, both I and Red Blossom gained massive recognition.

Does Pine Entertainment only hire elite managers?

He must be an MMA coach—this is legit.

WTF, how do you deflect a knife like that right in front of you?

Show the manager’s face!

Do a live!

The spirit had refined the footage to look even more dramatic than an action movie.

And since the viewers thought it was real, the impact was much stronger.

Requests for me to appear on a livestream flooded in.

“So, since things turned out this way, you’ll have to appear in the next livestream, Juwon.”

Cha Soyeon’s confident voice came through the receiver.

She spoke as if it was obvious that I should be there.

“Why me?”

“Because it completes the narrative.”

“Narrative?”

“The CCTV footage is the climax. You need to step in at the end to bring the story to a proper resolution.”

Typical actress—she’s treating this like a drama.

“If you say it yourself, people will truly believe it. Or are you planning to keep making me look like a liar?”

“That’s not it, but I’m just an ordinary person. What would I even do? I’ve never done a broadcast like this before.”

“I heard everything from Yeoreum. You attended acting school for years because you wanted to be an actor. You should be comfortable in front of a camera.”

What the hell?

Since when did my past become public knowledge?

“Anyway, I’ll call you every day until you agree to do it.”

Cha Soyeon turned out to be surprisingly persistent.

She actually called me every day, lecturing me for 30 minutes about why I had to join the livestream.

By the third day, I surrendered and agreed to appear.

*****

The Interview Livestream.

The livestream was set up as an interview, with Cha Soyeon acting as the host.

“Hello, this is Cha Soyeon! It’s my second livestream.

By now, you might be wondering whether this is Red Blossom’s channel or mine, but don’t forget—I’m just a guest!

Red Blossom doesn’t have a new song yet, but they’re a second-album group, so please listen to their music…”

She even promoted Red Blossom.

That alone made my appearance worth it.

“…Now, let’s introduce today’s main guest—the star of the CCTV footage! Since we can’t clap in a livestream, welcome him in the comments!”

At her cue, I stepped into the frame.

“Hello, I’m Shin Juwon, manager of Red Blossom.”

The comment section exploded instantly.

Damn, is that physique real?

Yeah, I see how he blocked the knife now.

The guy who attacked was an idiot.

He pulled a knife on him?

Thanks for saving Soyeon!

Dude takes up half the screen LOL.

“Isn’t he reliable? When he blocked the knife and twisted the attacker’s arm, he looked like a superhero.”

‘Did you alter her memories, spirit?’

[Nope. She probably couldn’t see clearly at the time. Now she’s just piecing things together from the footage. Seems like she’s trying to hype you up.]

Even this broadcast felt strangely in my favor.

Not that she had anything to gain from it.

Even though I was pushed into appearing, I didn’t have much to say aside from explaining the situation.

Maybe expecting this, Cha Soyeon turned it into a Q&A session.

“Now that you all know the CCTV footage is real, drop your questions in the comments! I’ll pick them in real-time!”

The comments flooded in at blinding speed.

Behind the camera, Red Blossom’s members and the PD monitored the chat, highlighting easy questions for me to answer.

“No, I didn’t realize it was a knife at first. If I had, I would’ve run away with Soyeon.”

“…I was just lucky. He didn’t seem to be skilled with knives.”

“What I said in the video is true. I wanted to be an actor, but I wasn’t good at acting. So, I became a manager instead—I wanted to help talented people shine.”

“I’m not an athlete. I’ve always been big, and I’ve kept up with exercise. Uh… no, I don’t bench 500kg.”

“There’s no reason for someone living alone to have such a big apartment. My place is connected to the rooftop, and it was remodeled, so it’s comfortable. Sitting outside at night, grilling sausages, and drinking beer is amazing.”

At that last comment, I heard someone swallow hard beside me.

I glanced over.

Cha Soyeon was staring at me with envy.

‘What the…?’

*

An Unexpected Invitation.

The livestream lasted over two hours—longer than expected—because there were so many questions.

After it ended, I was stretching my neck when Cha Soyeon spoke up.

“Do you really live in a place connected to a rooftop?”

“Yes. It’s like a small studio on the roof. You don’t know what a rooftop room is?”

“This is my first time hearing about it.”

“Well, I guess someone like you wouldn’t have a reason to live in one.”

“So… if I go there, can I really grill sausages and drink beer?”

“Why would I lie about that?”

“That sounds… delicious.”

Why is she so interested in this?

She could just drink wine in a penthouse with a skyline view if she wanted.

“Hmm… We should do a housewarming party first. After that, I want to visit your place. Invite me.”

Why, though?