The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 51

After reading the contract to the end, Shin Haram let out a small chuckle.

He pointed to the signature section with his finger and said,“That’s not my seal.”

“Huh?”

“I use a seal with Chinese characters, but this one is in Hangul( Korean Seal).”

So they carved just any stamp and used it without permission.

They even forged the contract.

“And I’ve never seen this contract before. No matter how clueless I am about the world, I wouldn’t stamp a contract that gives away my copyright.”

Choi Hoseok had written up the contract exactly how he wanted, made a fake stamp for Shin Haram, and used it as he pleased.

‘Looks like all the people in the composing team got scammed with contracts like this.’

It probably wasn’t just Haram’s problem.

Since I was helping him anyway, I figured I should rescue the other team members too.

“But Haram, you’re not stuttering anymore. When we first met, you were mumbling halfway through and I couldn’t understand you well.”

“Well…”

As soon as he handed in his resignation, Choi Hoseok started cursing at him.

“At first, I couldn’t speak properly because I was scared, but then I suddenly thought of you, Manager, and the Red Blossom members.

There are people who are actually waiting for my music now.

If I let myself shrink back because someone yelled at me, I’d just be going back to that hellish life again.

So I got up the courage to talk back.”

For the first time at that company, he shouted at Choi Hoseok.

He got beaten and dragged to the basement, but it felt incredibly refreshing.

“They kept beating me in the basement, telling me not to quit. My body hurt, but mentally I felt at ease. Saying exactly what I wanted to say—it felt so good.”

Ever since that moment, he had stopped stuttering.

[His free will is coming back. Last time, I only saw dried leaves, but now new sprouts are starting to grow.]

“It’s all thanks to you, Manager. I’ll work hard to write songs for Red Blossom.”

“The girls will be thrilled. It’s been over a year since they’ve released a new song.”

I smiled and popped a sausage into my mouth.

“It’s strange. I thought the inside of my mouth was completely torn up, but it doesn’t hurt at all. My eyes seem fine too…”

That’s because it’s just makeup.

*

To help the composing team, I called Doksa(or Viper).

“I was about to call you, hyung nim. I sent that bastard Hoseok to Macau.”

“Macau?”

“Yeah. Told him to blow off some steam at the casino. You know how famous baccarat is there.”

Baccarat is a card gambling game that originated in Italy.

It’s one of the most popular games in Macau casinos.

After that day, Choi Hoseok had started showing signs of a nervous breakdown, so Doksa attached a couple of sponsor girls and sent him off to Macau for some fresh air.

Doksa said he even covered all the travel expenses.

“Once a guy gets a taste for gambling with girls around, he’s done. He’ll be fully hooked in a few days.”

Once addicted like that, there’s no coming back.

They’ll find some way to mortgage their assets to borrow gambling money.

“I’m planning to strip him of everything he owns in Korea. That’s how a lot of rich guys end up broke.”

Some fall into debt so deep they’ll do anything to repay it.

Begging or homelessness becomes the least of their problems.

Middle-aged men even end up filming gay porn.

Eventually, when they die screaming on the streets, organ harvesting is waiting for them.

“He’s gonna hit rock bottom—and then some. Don’t worry. Death would be kinder.”

He was sending Hoseok off in ways I couldn’t even imagine, not even in a million years.

“So, why did you call?”

Since he started the conversation first, the purpose of my call got delayed.

“You saw Shin Haram’s contract, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Most likely, the whole composing team got screwed over the same way by Choi Hoseok.”

I told him to take care of all such unfair contracts.

Once Choi Hoseok got addicted to gambling and lost everything, the studio would become Doksa’s.

In that case, it was a good opportunity to free the people who were being exploited.

“What, are you some kind of charity worker now? Why are you worrying about people who’ve got nothing to do with you?”

Of course, Doksa and I have different ways of thinking.

If he gets the company, he’ll probably tie all the employees together and sell them off as a set.

That studio is desirable enough for multiple agencies to fight over.

But if that happens, only the exploiter changes—not the exploitation.

“This is just how I do things. You don’t have to help if you don’t like it. I’ll look for another way.”

“Ah, no! What are you saying? If hyung nim wants to do it, who am I to say no? I was just curious, that’s all.”

After showing him a miracle, he’s turned into my crazy fan.

Of course, I have no intention of taking him in.

He’s just another piece of trash like Choi Hoseok that needs to be dealt with.

[Even if you don’t take him as a disciple like the Son of God did, use him as much as needed.Sometimes, you have to do dirty work for the sake of salvation.]

‘He took in trash as a disciple?’

[There was a disciple whose job was “tax collector.” At the time, tax collectors were hated like enemies.]

‘What’s a tax collector?’

[They collected taxes for the ruling class—Roman emperors and nobles.

Since they could easily embezzle funds by handing over only part of the tax, they extorted people harshly.

So many people died from their abuse that they were seen as mortal enemies.]

‘And yet he still accepted one as a disciple?’

[If anyone repents their sins, they are accepted as a disciple without discrimination. That’s because it’s God. You don’t have to do the same, Master.]

‘Of course not. Why would I need disciples?’

[Anyone you’ve saved is practically a disciple. No matter what happens, they’ll follow you.]

I was about to hang up the phone when the guy sneakily tried to set me up with a woman.

“You should stop by the bar sometime. I’ll hook you up with some really hot girls.”

I chuckled inwardly.

“If she’s hot, can you get me someone like Cha Soyeon?”

“Huh? Cha Soyeon?”

“Yeah.”

“Damn, hyung nim, your standards are sky high. How can you ask for a goddess? At least pick from among humans.”

“Then never mind.”

Looks like everyone sees Cha Soyeon as a goddess.

*****

Shin Haram brought over the songs he had composed in his spare time while working at the company.

They were all original pieces that had never been released anywhere.

Back in his ghostwriter days, Choi Hoseok’s influence and the arrangement process meant the songs couldn’t be considered purely his.

So, with these 100% original songs, the members gathered at the dorm for a kind of listening session.

I tagged along, even though I’m no help when it comes to music, just because Shin Haram didn’t want to be alone.

“I sang the guides myself, so keep that in mind while listening.”

He sang them himself, and his voice was surprisingly good—good enough to debut as a solo artist.

“The key changes are very stable. The groove at the intro is so stylish and rhythmic. The refreshing harmonies explode in the chorus, and the intricate beats are definitely the highlight.”

“The pre-chorus is really unique. The melody and chord progression feel like pop or R&B. The beat’s fun and the tempo feels just right.”

“Starting with a cappella gives it a wistful vibe. It’s an R&B track, but the rhythm changes have that Jersey club feel. You sang this one especially sweetly.”

“You used a lot of instruments, huh? The melody chords are simple, but the instrument layering is really well done. I liked the hook that repeats and then flips at the end.”

“……”

Even I, someone who doesn’t know much about music, could tell that Shin Haram’s songs were all gems.

But today’s real star was Sera, who had a deep interest in composing.

“Sera unnie, you sound like a music critic.”

Rina’s jaw dropped.

She said she’d never seen this side of Sera, even though they’d been living together for a long time.

“Forget the music critique—just the way you put it into words is amazing. Can you describe my cooking like that sometime?”

Yeoreum looked at her with admiration.

“It’s my song, but she expresses it way better than I could. How can she describe things so perfectly?”

Shin Haram praised Sera’s critique with awe and immediately sat next to her, exchanging more opinions.

He couldn’t even speak to her at first, but he’d really grown.

Somehow, the two of them seemed like a perfect match.

“Your songs are all so unique, yet easy on the ears. Just like the manager said, they really seem to suit us.”

He’s a composer chosen by the grace.

Of course he’d be a perfect match.

*****

For a whole month, she burned through gym workouts almost every day and swimming every other day.

When Jungah was too exhausted, she wasn’t brought back to the dorm but let sleep there.

I helped carry her every day and made waves in the pool.

As a result, Jungah successfully lost 9.2kg.

An incredible feat achieved in just one month.

“Rina, step up your game. You were dieting just the same, but only lost 4kg.”

“I only needed to lose 5kg in the first place! I’ve got just 1kg left—what do you mean, ‘step up’?”

Rina tried to argue, but Yeoreum, who lives and breathes ‘diet never die,’ shut her down immediately.

“Anyway, great job, Jungah. Now we can actually see the weight loss.”

Once she dropped to the low 70s (kg), her body lines began to show.

There was still some spreading in the upper body, but from thighs to calves, she was now balanced enough to be called glamorous.

Just a little more, and she could probably transition from a rash guard to an actual swimsuit.

“Your place is supposed to be really nice, right?”

“It’s got a full indoor swimming pool, doesn’t it?”

“Can’t we go swimming there too?”

“Standing—peony, sitting—peony, walking—lily.”

“What kind of proverb is that now?”

“It compares women to flowers. It means an ideal form of beauty. If all six of us, including Soyeon unnie, are in the pool, that’s how we’ll look.”

My useless pocket of trivia just got fatter again.

Jungah must’ve bragged, because now the girls all want to go to the pool.

If I imagine them playing in the water there, that’d be a serious feast for the eyes.

With a little bit of self-interest mixed in, I casually brought it up to Cha Soyeon.

“Bring everyone.”