The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 43

“Don’t change the subject and just answer me.”

“I don’t answer pointless questions.”

“You’re saying jumping on me is pointless?”

“Why are you twisting my words like that?”

The conversation was veering off again.

I was clearly talking about Jeongah’s exercise.

“You said it was pointless.”

“I didn’t say jumping on you was pointless. I said asking that kind of question is pointless.”

“So if it’s not pointless, then it’s meaningful. A double negative means a positive, right?”

I got caught.

Two negatives do make a positive.

“Aren’t you going to admit it?”

“…Fine. You’re right, Soyeon. Jumping on you is not pointless. So please stop asking questions like that.”

I answered quickly, trying to steer the topic back to Jeongah’s workout.

But Cha Soyeon had no intention of returning to that.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“Isn’t that usually done on a bed?”

“Sigh… I’m not the kind of guy who jumps on women on beds.”

“Then what? On a sofa?”

Cha Soyeon and I were sitting on a sofa right now.

“Why are you assuming I’d be the one jumping on you in the first place?”

“Because I’m wearing clothes that are easy to jump on, and you just said jumping on me isn’t pointless. That means it makes sense for you to do it, doesn’t it?”

She kept repeating herself so much that I lost track of what I could even refute.

Was this some kind of elaborate trap to lure me in?

“Ah, um… So, Soyeon, you’re definitely attractive enough that someone would want to jump on you. 

Any guy would admit that. 

But you asking me to do it—that’s something that needs to be thought about more carefully.”

“Why does it need to be thought about?”

“When a woman looks at a man and thinks, ‘I hope he jumps on me,’ it usually means she’s really fallen for him. But I don’t think that’s the case with you and me.”

It felt like the right time to get serious, so I brought it up.

“I think you’re not interested in me—you’re drawn to the grace and aura that He gave me. 

That power saved your life, and now a man appears who carries that same energy. 

Of course you’d feel a connection. 

But I think you’re mistaking that interest for affection.”

“…….”

“And that’s not good for me either. If a top star shows interest in me but it turns out it was just because of my ability, how do you think I’d feel? So you and I shouldn’t take this lightly.”

[That’s a very you-like conclusion, Master. Any other guy would’ve just gone for it.]

‘I’d regret it later. If this isn’t real affection, how am I supposed to face Cha Soyeon from then on?’

Maybe it got through to her, because she stared at me without saying a word.

Her face was blank, but her eyes held conflicted emotions.

An awkward silence settled before Cha Soyeon finally spoke first.

“…Alright. I won’t take this lightly anymore. I’ll figure out properly whether I really like you or not.”

“Thank you for thinking that way.”

“But… if after thinking it through, I find that I do really like you…”

Cha Soyeon’s eyes sparkled.

“…Then, you must be the one to jump on me. Otherwise, I’ll do it myself.”

Her overwhelming gaze left me with no choice but to promise.

*

“Hiding Jeongah from the company was a smart move. 

If the Chairman or the department head had found out, they would’ve never let her start losing weight. 

They don’t acknowledge processes unless they’re guaranteed to show results.”

“Knowing Jeongah, she wouldn’t even step foot in the company building full of strangers.”

“Then she’ll need to work out somewhere without people around.”

“Exactly.”

“Come work out at my place.”

The basement had nearly all the exercise equipment one could need.

I looked around, once again impressed by the scale of the mansion.

“I don’t really use anything except the treadmill and spinning bike. They’re just sitting there anyway—let Jeongah use them.”

There was a direct way down to the basement without passing through the front door, so she could just come and go for workouts.

It was a relief to find such a perfect place when there weren’t many options for exercising.

“What about swimming?”

“I’m thinking of finding a pool I can use early in the morning or late at night. It’s hard to find somewhere I can swim alone.”

“Follow me.”

I followed Cha Soyeon and was surprised twice.

Once because the space behind the house was much larger than I expected.

And again because there was a swimming pool there.

“Why is there a pool here?”

“It was already here when I bought the place, so I don’t really know.”

She said she had no use for a pool at home, so it had just been sitting unused.

But it had clearly been maintained like a garden—the pool and its surroundings were spotless.

“This should be good enough, right?”

“The size is perfect, but it’s getting chilly to be in the water. Maybe it’ll be better if it’s heated?”

“Leave that to me. Just give me a few days.”

Since it would take some time, we decided to stick to using the gym in the basement for now.

*****

I went grocery shopping according to Rina and Jeongah’s diet plans and headed to the dorm.

Rina, who usually came out to greet me first, was nowhere in sight.

When I entered the living room, I saw a chain looped through the refrigerator handle in the kitchen.

“What’s going on here?”

Yeoreum silently pointed to a corner of the kitchen.

Rina and Jeongah stood there with tearful faces, holding their hands up.

“Can’t you two behave?!”

“Eek! We’re sorry!”

Yeoreum was seriously scary when scolding the younger ones.

“What did they do?”

“They raided the fridge in the middle of the night. It’s already the second time. I let it go once, but they did it again, so I’m scolding them now.”

She claimed to know exactly what was in the fridge.

And the fact that she remembered everything in there was even more impressive.

“They went over by 2,700 calories! Do you know how hard I’ve been working to help them lose weight?”

Three days of effort had gone to waste.

She warned that if it happened again, they’d be fasting.

[Fasting is a declaration of will—a choice to focus on God by refraining from even life-sustaining actions.]

‘What Yeoreum’s doing has nothing to do with religion. It’s punishment.’

[Humans are strange. Turning the duties of the faithful into a form of punishment.]

‘There are people who deliberately don’t eat to lose weight. For them, it’s not punishment. But for Rina and Jeongah, it definitely is.’

While I was having this exchange with the spirit, Yeoreum walked over.

“For now, we’ll stick to the meal plans you gave us, Manager. I think it’s too hard feeding only those two differently.”

“Yeah. We always get scraps while you three eat delicious stuff,” Rina jumped in, seizing the chance to counterattack.

“Sera eats less than both of you to begin with. There’s barely any calorie difference between her and Chie. And unlike you two, she doesn’t blow 2,700 calories in one go!”

“Eek!”

Yeoreum roared, and the two could only lower their heads in silence.

“You don’t have to go that far, though.”

“It’s fine. Sera already eats small portions, and Chie said she’ll join in out of guilt. I’ll use this chance to lose some weight too.”

“You? Lose weight? You’re already so slim.”

Her face flushed red and she quickly turned her head.

Guess she gets shy from compliments.

“Sera should be fine, but if the two of you are struggling, let me know. I’ll buy you something from outside. That’s okay, right?”

I whispered to Yeoreum, making sure the others didn’t hear.

Her face lit up as she whispered back,“Replace rice with alcohol, please. I haven’t had a drink lately because of the kids, and I’m craving it.”

“Alright. Just say the word.”

“You promised.”

Her beaming smile looked especially bright.

*****

“You can use the pool now. Bring Jeongah over.”

When I brought Jeongah to the pool, there was something like a small fortress built there.

It had a steel frame, with walls and a ceiling made of opaque materials in a modern design.

There was a changing room and a shower, and with the heating on, it was warm and humid like a greenhouse.

“You did all this in a week?”

“It’s a temporary structure. If I had more time, I would’ve built a full indoor pool.”

I really couldn’t keep up with this woman’s scale.

“Jeongah, go change into your swimsuit. Starting today, you’re on the swimming workout plan.”

She hesitated, then went into the changing room.

I figured she’d feel embarrassed being the only one in a swimsuit, so I changed too.

I wore ordinary swim trunks, and Cha Soyeon was in a bathrobe, so I couldn’t tell what kind of swimsuit she had on.

“I’ll take it off later, so bear with it for now. I don’t want Jeongah to feel out of place.”

Not that I was especially eager to see, but.

Soon after, Jeongah came out in a rash guard.

After a short warm-up, she got into the water.

Embarrassed, she stayed far from me and wouldn’t come closer.

Cha Soyeon sat on a sunbed, watching the two of us.

[The workout doesn’t seem very effective.]

‘I was thinking the same thing.’

She’d been stuck in her room for two years, and her body had grown sluggish and heavy.

She was doing her best to paddle her arms and legs, but all she could manage was a slow back-and-forth across the surface.

Sure, it would help her lose weight, but not as much as we’d hoped.

[You’re thinking… of waves…]

The spirit who read my mind spoke.

‘Yeah. I was thinking about the wave pool at a water park. When the waves hit, she’d have to keep moving with them, so it’d be like automatic exercise.’

[It’s not waves, but I can summon a storm.]

Huh?

[The son of God once calmed a storm on the Sea of Galilee for his disciples. If He could calm it, He could wake it up again too, right?]

‘Oh, that’s an interesting method.’

[To get through a storm, she’d have to move much more than with waves, so it’ll be even better for losing weight.]

‘What do I need to do?’

[Just picture the kind of storm you want in your mind. I’ll make it happen.]

And so, to help Jeongah lose weight, I decided to summon a storm.