The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 15

Rumors spread throughout the company that Team Leader Baek Hakyung had changed.

“That fighting rooster actually complimented another team leader during a meeting. I almost spit out my coffee.”

“I heard the Visual Team sent the wrong draft, and she just laughed it off and said it was fine. Someone from the AR Team said they’d never seen her smile like that before.”

“Maybe there’s something weird about that wig. Like, if you wear it, the world suddenly looks beautiful or something.”

“A wig? Wasn’t it just her natural hair color coming back?”

“What are you talking about? Since when does dyeing your hair back make it that thick and full?”

Baek Hakyung was faithfully following my orders.

And she had become my most passionate supporter.

“I analyzed their first and second album promotions. I came in after the second album was released, so I don’t know their history at all.”

“What do you think?”

“The first album wasn’t bad, but the timing was awful. They debuted when Rosegreen and Prominence were making a comeback. If it were me, I wouldn’t have chosen that debut window.”

Rosegreen and Prominence were top-tier girl groups with massive fandoms.

No matter how much the company pushed them, newly debuted Red Blossom couldn’t compete with those two.

“The second album was a total failure in terms of production.

The album had no theme, and the storytelling was ridiculously immature.

And I don’t know what was wrong with the Visual Team—those beautiful girls were shoved into the weirdest concept.

Avant-garde has its limits, you know?”

She had a positive assessment of the three remaining members.

“Summer is more than good enough to be a main dancer. I even looked up her monthly evaluation videos—her dance lines are insane. She won’t lose to anyone when it comes to dancing.”

“Sera being stuck in a flop group is a waste. If Red Blossom were even a second-tier group, she’d be considered the best vocalist in girl groups. You don’t find a voice like that just anywhere.”

“Rina is a Korean-American, so I thought her Korean rap might be weak, but after listening to the second album, I realized she’s got real talent. That girl’s tongue is a natural gift.”

She also advised adding at least one more sub-dancer or sub-vocalist.

According to the vision I saw through Prophetic Grace, the future Red Blossom had five members.

Somewhere out there, two members were waiting to be found.

“The real problem is how to find them….”

[You remember their faces. If you saw them in a vision, you’ll eventually cross paths with them.]

“That’s the weird part. I only saw them for a moment on screen, but I can recall their faces so clearly.”

At first, I thought I’d forget quickly since they flashed by so fast.

But the more time passed, the clearer their images became.

One of them was another visual member like Summer, but with an even better physique.

The other had a baby face but a glamorous body—she’d be perfect as the ultimate fandom magnet.

I could recognize them instantly if I saw them on the street.

[That’s also a grace.]

“Seriously?”

[Yes. It’s called Memory Grace. It’s a passive ability, so you didn’t realize it. You’ve transcended normal human memory—anything related to your prophetic visions will never fade.]

Another convenient ability.

So once I see the future, I’ll never forget it?

This is turning into a cheat skill.

[Don’t get cocky. Your abilities only manifest when your intentions are pure, and when you truly dedicate yourself. You can’t just use them however you want.]

I wasn’t planning to use them for myself anyway.

As long as I could help my artists shine, that was enough for me.

*****

“You’re here.”

“Welcome, oppa!”

Rina was the first to run over and greet me.

This house was great in every way, except the distance from the entrance to the living room was annoyingly long.

They had invited me over for dinner, so I stopped by the market to pick up a few things.

Since Cha Soyeon was covering the filming expenses, my bonus was untouched.

I planned to keep restocking the fridge for these girls, who barely had any income.

“Give me the grocery bag.”

From the kitchen, Summer walked over, taking off her apron.

She was wearing a cropped top that barely covered her stomach and dolphin shorts.

Even though she was at home, she was dressed way too casually.

I was still a guy, after all.

“Your outfit seems a bit… short.”

I couldn’t help but comment.

“So what? You’re just our manager.”

Wait, what?

Was she saying she didn’t see me as a man?

As I watched Summer walk back into the kitchen, Rina whispered beside me.

“She only dresses like that when you come over. Aren’t her legs pretty?”

“Yeah, they’re pretty.”

“Gasp! You answered without even a second of hesitation!”

“She’s pretty, so I just said it. Why would I hesitate to state a fact?”

“Hmmm, you’re unexpectedly bold in moments like this. But you could use a little more awareness.”

She mumbled something about wearing dolphin shorts herself and walked away.

I was just being honest.

Why would I need to be cautious about that?

[………]

On the living room sofa, Sera was sitting with a tablet, tapping away.

Judging by her focus, she was probably working on a song.

Rina had told me her compositions were incredible, but she still refused to let me hear them.

“Hello, manager oppa.”

She greeted me, then quickly hid her tablet.

She really didn’t want to show me.

As she turned her head away to avoid eye contact, I noticed a red dot beneath her eye.

“That’s a sign from the Grace of Relationships, right?”

[Yes, it’s a hint to help strengthen your bond with her.]

Among the three, Sera was the one who found me the most difficult to approach.

Rina was a social butterfly, friendly like a golden retriever.

I had also gotten quite close to Summer.

But even though I saw Sera just as often, she always kept a certain distance.

It likely had something to do with the dark energy the spirit had mentioned, but I didn’t have any concrete clues yet.

This seemed like the perfect opportunity, so I stepped closer.

The mark under her eye was covered with makeup, but… it was definitely a bruise.

“What happened to your eye?”

“Huh? W-What do you mean?”

“The mark under your eye—it’s a bruise. Did something happen?”

“Oh, t-this?”

She was visibly flustered.

Something was definitely up.

“It’s nothing. I just bumped into something. It doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

“You hit yourself hard enough to leave a bruise, and you’re saying it’s nothing? Let me see.”

“I said it’s fine!”

She yelled and ran into her room.

Her overreaction only made it more suspicious.

When I turned around, Summer and Rina were frozen in place.

Judging by their expressions, they had no idea either.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have noticed if it weren’t for the red dot.

“We need to talk.”

*

“Has Sera been acting strange lately?”

“Not really… except after she visited home this weekend. She’s been sleeping early and waking up late, though.”

She was avoiding people by limiting her time outside her room.

Since she had a separate room, it was easy for her to distance herself like this.

“Wait, what do you mean she has a bruise? Is Sera unwell?”

“That’s what I want to know. She looked fine the last time I saw her.”

During last week’s live broadcast, she didn’t avoid eye contact.

Which meant.

The bruise didn’t happen here—it happened at Sera’s home.

“Her father passed away from an illness, right?”

“Yeah, before she made it into the debut lineup. She actually wanted to quit being a trainee, but then she heard her dad’s last wish—he wanted to see her on stage. So she pushed herself even harder.”

I never knew it was a deathbed wish, but I did remember her saying she wanted to succeed for her late father.

Suddenly, a conversation with Rina resurfaced in my mind.

“…We work part-time to help Sera out. Her mom keeps giving money to the church, so Sera has to cover her younger siblings’ allowances.”

I had completely forgotten about that—this could be a serious issue for Sera.

“Tell me more about you guys helping Sera financially.”

Summer’s eyes widened.

“Rina, you…!”

“B-But, unnie… We didn’t have to keep it a secret from oppa too, right?”

Summer had wanted to keep this hidden until the very end.

“I’m not asking for every personal detail. But if it’s about money, it could become a problem later when the group starts full-scale activities. If we can fix it now, we should.”

“I’m sorry… You’ve already done so much for us, I didn’t want to bother you with this too….”

“It’s not a bother at all. Just tell me. You said Sera’s mom keeps giving money to the church, right? That part doesn’t make sense. A real church wouldn’t demand that.”

[God desires faith, not money. If a place demands money first, then it’s not truly serving God. It’s most likely a cult.]

“Sera doesn’t talk about it much, so we don’t know the details. Honestly, we’re not even sure if it’s a real church. She just wanted to give some spending money to her younger siblings, so we’re helping her a bit.”

“Hmm… then I’ll have to ask Sera directly.”

That wouldn’t be easy.

She hadn’t even told her closest friends properly.

There was no way she’d open up to me so soon.

[You really want to help that child, don’t you?]

“Of course. If I don’t help them, who will?”

[Your determination has activated a new Grace—the Grace of Discernment.]

“Grace of Discernment?”

[It allows you to distinguish between true faith and false beliefs. With this, you won’t need to ask her directly.]

“How do I use it?”

[First, you need to go to the source of the false belief. I’ll guide you once you get there.]

“Got it.”

The next day, I obtained Sera’s home address from the company and went there.

If the false belief was connected to her mother, then this house might hold some clues.

But then.

“What… the hell is that?”

[That’s the mark of false belief—a visible trace of corrupted faith.]

Black smoke was seeping out of the house, extending in a certain direction.

The way it twisted and writhed made it look incredibly ominous.

[False beliefs always leave traces. The Grace of Discernment allows you to see them. Follow the smoke—it’ll lead you to the source. It’s not far, so walk there.]

I got out of the car and followed the trail on foot.

After about ten minutes, I arrived at a small commercial building.

The black smoke led directly to a door on the second floor.

“It’s locked.”

[Wait… There’s no one inside. Try opening it again.]

I turned the handle again—this time, it opened easily.

“It was definitely locked a second ago.”

[During the Ten Plagues, God opened every door in Egypt. This is nothing in comparison.]

“Wait, so you can just pick locks?”

[Only when it aligns with your good intentions. You can’t just ask me to open random doors.]

Figures.

*

I thought it was an office, but the interior was set up like a church sanctuary.

Rows of long pews, Bibles scattered on the seats, and a large cross hanging on the front wall.

“Isn’t this… a church?”

[No. The place is filled with wicked energy. Figure out what’s going on, then leave quickly.]

The spirit sounded uneasy.

I carefully walked between the pews, checking my surroundings.

Finally, I reached the pulpit at the front.

Something was sitting on it—a small signboard.

I leaned in to read it.

“Jinsaenggyo Songpa Branch”

“Jinsaenggyo?”