The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 19

Thanks to my gift, I never forget anything I see in future visions.

The girl next to Sera was definitely one of the new members of the five-member group, Red Blossom.

Her baby-face cuteness and voluptuous figure blended together gracefully, making her the perfect “gateway idol” to charm countless men.

I placed my hand on their foreheads.

‘They’re just unconscious.’

I must have gotten used to my Healing Grace because now I could feel it the moment I touched them.

I might not be able to diagnose conditions as precisely as a doctor, but I could at least tell whether someone was in pain or not.

[You saw this girl in a prophecy, so meeting her was inevitable, but I never expected her to be in a place like this.]

‘Exactly. Once she wakes up, I need to ask what happened.’

[Are you planning to take them with you?]

I didn’t care about the cultists, but I couldn’t just leave the kidnapped women behind.

‘I was thinking about it. But I can’t just take these two and leave, right? I need to find a way to get the others out too.’

[As expected, Master never ignores those in need.]

‘That’s because I’m the only one who can help. If it weren’t for the black smoke, I wouldn’t have found this place at all.’

This place was in the middle of nowhere, deep in an unpaved area.

If I left the women here, even if they woke up later, they’d have no way of getting back.

‘I need to call Yeoreum and tell her I found Sera.’

I checked my phone screen and was shocked.

‘What the hell?!’

[What’s wrong?]

Ryu Yeoreum: 321

Cha Soyeon: 344

Those were the missed call counts.

Since I had put my phone on silent when entering the compound, I hadn’t realized they’d called over 600 times combined.

‘I get why Yeoreum would do that, but… why Cha Soyeon?’

I called Yeoreum first.

“Manager-nim!! Huuuuhuuuuhuu!!”

She picked up the moment it rang and immediately burst into loud sobs.

“Hey, Yeoreum, wait… calm down….”

I needed to explain the situation, but she wasn’t giving me a chance to speak.

Then, a different voice cut in.

“It’s me, Cha Soyeon. Where are you right now?”

Why were those two together?

“Why are you with Yeoreum?”

“That’s not the issue right now!!”

Whoa.

I didn’t know she could get this mad.

“Just tell me where you are!”

“Uh, well, I’m at….”

I told her the location and explained the situation.

Of course, I left out any details about my divine abilities and just said I had taken out the cultists myself.

“I snuck upstairs while they were fighting among themselves and rescued Sera and the kidnapped women. By the end, only a few cultists were left, so I handled them.”

It wasn’t a lie—I had fought off armed men with my bare hands, so this much was fine to say.

“So, you’re bringing Sera and the kidnapped women out, right?”

“Yes. This place is so remote that they won’t be able to escape on their own.”

“And all the bad guys are dealt with?”

“Yes. It’s safe now.”

“Then wait there until I arrive. I need to see the situation myself.”

“Wait, Soyeon, that’s—”

Click.

She hung up.

She was already on her way.

‘Soyeon’s coming here.’

[She’s obviously very interested in you, so it’s not surprising.]

‘That’s not the problem. How am I supposed to show her this place? The chapel is full of guys with cracked heads, and the lake is a bloodbath.’

[Hold on a moment.]

For once, the spirit took a pause.

[I thought about what she’ll do once she gets here. She’s been trying to hype you up all this time, hasn’t she?]

‘Yeah, she has.’

[Then you need to create an alibi based on that pattern. The situation is odd, but since there are no witnesses, just stick to your story.]

‘That’s why I said they were fighting among themselves.’

It didn’t make sense that hundreds of cultists had started a massive brawl at the exact moment I came to rescue Sera, all conveniently ending up with their heads cracked open.

But as the spirit pointed out, I was the only witness, so I could just insist it was true.

[Even if others don’t believe you, that woman and the victims will. Don’t worry.]

I couldn’t argue with that.

Based on how Soyeon had treated me so far, she’d definitely go along with it.

[I’ll restore the lake now. I was planning to leave it as is for a few more days, but oh well.]

The once-blood-red lake started bubbling violently, looking more like molten lava than water.

‘Didn’t you say you were restoring it?’

[Just one last thing. The ones who drowned are experiencing hell right now.]

‘It’s impressive they’re still holding on.’

[They won’t die, but they’ll suffer severe aftereffects.]

‘Aftereffects?’

[Extreme pain in a short period can damage the brain. Their intelligence and memory will take a massive hit.]

In other words, they’d end up as idiots.

A fitting ending for cultists.

‘I wish the ones in the chapel would suffer the same.’

[They were hit by weapons infused with divine power—do you think they’ll be fine? Their aftereffects will be just as severe.]

Good.

[Once they turn back into normal water, move some of them to the pier or the bridge. For the rest, toss them into the reeds at the far end of the lake.]

‘Why?’

[To match your alibi. Let me explain what to do next.]

*****

The bubbling water gradually settled.

The vivid red color faded, and the lake returned to its original state.

Bubbles rose to the surface, and bodies started floating up one by one.

[Now, move them.]

I ran across the water, picking them up one by one and tossing them into the reeds.

If I had to swim or use a boat, it would have taken forever.

At times like this, having divine abilities was incredibly convenient.

I scattered a few of them across the pier and the bridge.

Every single one of them had a pale face twisted in agony.

When I spotted the cult leader, I made sure to throw him in the most visible spot on the pier.

Just as I finished dealing with the lake and took a moment to catch my breath, I saw lights approaching from the entrance.

It seemed Cha Soyeon had arrived.

‘That was fast.’

I checked my watch—it had taken her less than three hours.

It took me over four to get here, so at this speed, she might as well have flown.

*

“Oppa! There’s so much blood on you!!”

“Manager-nim! Are you okay?”

“You didn’t just finish things up—you fought, didn’t you?”

Yeoreum and Rina had followed her.

Besides them, there were two large men—bodyguards, from the looks of it.

But they weren’t the ones I had seen at the company before.

“I borrowed them from my grandfather for a bit. They’re trustworthy, so don’t worry.”

Who the hell was her grandfather to lend her guys like these?

They were clearly martial arts experts.

Yeoreum and Rina started patting me down, checking every inch of my body.

It was like they were inspecting a prized possession for scratches.

“Huuuuh, what do we do? You’re scratched here.”

“Oppa! Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“I’m fine, so back off a little. I can’t even talk properly with you two fussing over me.”

Sniffling, they moved next to Cha Soyeon.

“How did you find this place?”

The questions the spirit had predicted were starting to come.

I recalled my prepared alibi and began explaining.

“I couldn’t get in touch with Sera’s mother, so I went to check on her.

But no one was home.

I asked around at some long-standing shops in the neighborhood to see if anyone knew where she was.”

Like an investigator, I asked about her whereabouts and eventually found out which church she attended.

When I visited, I realized it wasn’t a normal church—it was Jinsaenggyo, a cult.

I staked out the area and saw a group of men and women moving.

I followed them, and they led me here.

I waited until nightfall and then snuck past the poorly guarded barbed wire fence.

“They were all gathered on the second floor for some kind of service, so I searched the upper floors while it was empty.

Then, I heard screams from downstairs—it was absolute chaos.

I waited until things quieted down, then went down to check.

Most of them were already down, except for a few stragglers.

I took care of the rest.”

“Who are these people here?”

“They were trying to escape but fell into the lake. When I stepped outside, some of them were thrashing in the water, struggling to swim. Then they sank. So I fished them out.”

“Why would you go through the trouble for trash like them?! You should’ve just let them drown!”

“Yeah! Manager-nim, you’re too nice for your own good.”

I wondered what kind of expressions they’d make if they knew I was the one who beat them all down.

“Juwon, you really go all out when it comes to Red Blossom. It’s impressive.”

“I was just lucky. I came here to find evidence that this was a cult so I could report them to the police. I never expected Sera to be locked up here.”

“You care about Red Blossom so much that even luck is on your side, Juwon.”

Cha Soyeon put a positive spin on it, making the story flow much more smoothly.

“The building you mentioned—is that the one over there? Let’s go.”

She wanted to see what had happened for herself.

*

When they saw the carnage inside the chapel, Yeoreum gasped and covered her mouth.

Rina, standing next to me, gagged.

Even Cha Soyeon, who was always expressionless when the cameras weren’t rolling, scrunched her face.

“The guys at the entrance—I took them out. But the ones inside? They fought each other. Looks like some kind of power struggle.”

I kept it vague, but the sight was overwhelming enough that none of them asked further questions.

We walked across the chapel and up to the floor where the kidnapped women were being held.

“This is practically a hotel room. Juwon, these women….”

I nodded silently.

For the first time, emotion flickered across Cha Soyeon’s face.

Her expression remained neutral, but I could tell—that emotion was rage.

I led them to the cult leader’s room.

“Sera!!”

“Unnie, Unnie!!”

Yeoreum and Rina rushed to Sera, crying as they shook her.

But no matter how much they called her name, she didn’t wake up.

“Stop shaking her. She just fainted—there’s nothing wrong with her body. We’ll take her straight to the hospital once we’re back in Seoul.”

“We can’t leave yet.”

“We’ve seen everything.”

“I called the police. They’ll be here soon. Juwon, you’re a witness.”

“I can give my testimony later if needed. Right now, Sera is more important.”

“The police aren’t the only ones I called.”

“…What?”

“I contacted every major news outlet. I made sure they’ll all come.”

Cha Soyeon’s eyes gleamed.

“A brave citizen who exposed a cult that deceived people, stole their money, and assaulted women—that’s who you are, Juwon.”

She was determined to turn me into a hero.

“You’re the responsible manager who risked everything to rescue your kidnapped artist, even rushing into a dangerous place like this. You deserve to be a hero, Juwon.”