The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 53

Ryu Yeoreum was flustered as she stepped into the changing room.

The swimsuit she received from Cha Soyeon was a bit—no, very—provocative.

“Was this the design?”

Her cleavage was clearly visible through the bra that exposed the underside of her breasts, and the gold chain connecting the neck string and bottoms doubled the exposure.

It was the most “risqué” swimsuit she had ever worn.

As she tied the bra strap, she looked at the mirror hanging on the wall.

“Well… it is sexy.”

A feminine silhouette spread out gracefully along her smooth neckline.

Her full chest and slim waist, normally hidden under clothes, were on full display.

She unconsciously tilted her shoulder slightly, striking a pose.

“With this much…”

It would be enough to steal Shin Juwon’s gaze.

She could lose in everything else, but she didn’t want to be outshone by Cha Soyeon in looks.

The fact that Cha Soyeon gave her such a swimsuit meant she was fully prepared for battle too.

Ryu Yeoreum adjusted the length of the gold chain to accentuate her cleavage even more.

*

As expected, the exposure of the string bikini Cha Soyeon wore was breathtaking.

Yeoreum had been embarrassed when she stepped out of the changing room, but the moment she saw Soyeon’s bikini, her fighting spirit ignited.

Cha Soyeon had already taken the spot next to Shin Juwon and was subtly initiating skinship.

Thankfully, Juwon’s gaze was still directed this way.

“As expected, she’s not an opponent I can take lightly.”

Cha Soyeon, who had erased her classy and pure image with raw sensuality, looked so alluring that she could entrance anyone.

It wasn’t that she looked sexy because she was undressed—she was already sexy, and the bare skin only added to the flavor.

“Who would believe that Cha Soyeon is wearing that?”

Even if someone secretly took a photo and posted it online, people would say it was photoshopped.

She was a top-class actress—there was no way she would wear such a bikini just to seduce a man.

“Not like I’m in a position to talk.”

Girl groups usually didn’t go for revealing concepts, unless it was specifically a “sexy” theme for their image.

Naturally, Ryu Yeoreum had never worn a bikini like this before, nor had she ever planned to.

She started to think maybe it was Shin Juwon’s influence that had undressed both her and Cha Soyeon.

Or perhaps, they’d both simply fallen for Soyeon’s provocation.

As each girl came out one by one, the area around the changing room grew lively.

From Rina to Sera, then Chie and Jeongah—Shin Juwon’s gaze continued to shift.

Soyeon whispered something in Juwon’s ear, making him flustered as she laughed.

It felt like a lovers’ playful moment, which made Ryu Yeoreum boil with irritation.

“This is better than most indoor pools. I swear, Soyeon unnie does everything perfectly when she sets her mind to it.”

Praising Cha Soyeon, she naturally sat next to Shin Juwon.

Leaning back against the sunbed, she slowly ran her hand up her calf.

It was a move to highlight her legs—her most confident feature.

• “Can’t hear the song, only see Yeoreum’s legs”

• “Haunting my dreams. I’ll never forget this, even in death.”

• “I want to cut them off and frame them.”

• “Cut this bastard instead.”

These were the kinds of comments that flooded in when she debuted.

That’s why whenever Shin Juwon visited the dorm, she always wore hot pants.

If he reacted blandly, she’d feel disappointed.

But if he looked flustered, she’d smile to herself in secret.

Just as expected, his gaze didn’t stray from her thighs and the line of her hips.

Yeoreum saw the look in his eyes and smiled triumphantly.

“Wow… Yeoreum, your legs are like… a deer’s. Seriously gorgeous.”

“Ah… th-thank you. Unnie looks amazing too.”

“Juwon, don’t sneak glances—just look. And compliment us properly. We wore this just to show you. Guys like this kind of thing, right?”

Cough~.

Juwon was clearly flustered by how blunt she was.

The atmosphere was starting to shift in a strange direction.

At this rate, it wouldn’t even be a fair competition.

*

“Guys~ Let’s play in the pool!”

At Cha Soyeon’s call, the nearby girls shouted with joy and jumped into the water.

Even Jeongah, who always frowned whenever they came to the pool because of dieting, was all smiles today.

Cha Soyeon grabbed Yeoreum’s hand, who was still sitting idly, and dragged her into the pool.

“Waves, please! The fun kind!”

Cha Soyeon urged with a childlike expression.

[Let’s make it even more fun today. Just imagine we’re playing at a water park.]

Pretending to operate a machine in one corner of the pool, she pictured the attractions of a real water park.

She let herself go, swaying with the waves that changed direction, riding the thrilling surges.

She narrowly dodged water bombs going off all around, felt the dizzying sensation of being spun around by a giant whirlpool,and had her entire body massaged by foam bubbling up like a whirlpool, until soft moans escaped her lips.

“Haa~ I don’t wanna leave! I could stay here all day!”

Rina zipped around the pool like a fish in water.

Not a metaphor—she really was that good at swimming.

“Rina, you’re insanely good at swimming.”

“She was on the swim team until middle school. I guess she never told our manager oppa.”

“Huh, first time I’m hearing it.”

So that’s why she was flying through the water like that.

The girls’ impromptu swim-and-diet session lasted until sundown.

They all came out of the water, tired and hungry—only to find all the food by the pool had already been devoured.

“Unnie, I’m gonna borrow the kitchen for a bit.”

Yeoreum took the lead, rallying the girls to cook something.

She was about to be the last one out when Cha Soyeon, walking ahead, turned her head.

“That was fun. Juwon-ssi’s grace is seriously useful in so many ways.”

As she said that, she casually slipped a finger inside her bikini bottom to adjust it.

Actions like that, done so nonchalantly, were seriously bad for the heart.

*

The pool party moved on to a second round in the living room.

Chef idol Yeoreum’s daily meal quickly satisfied everyone’s hunger.

Jeongah, with her diet restrictions off, devoured food at a jaw-dropping pace.

“Unnieee~ I want to live with you forever. It’s so good.”

Cha Soyeon lined up several bottles of liquor—ones nobody even knew the names of—and kept refilling glasses.

Except for Jeongah, who was underage, everyone drank until they were well and truly tipsy.

Sera, who couldn’t hold her liquor, was the first to collapse on the sofa.

Rina and Chie followed shortly after.

Jeongah, having eaten until her limit, was already off in dreamland.

“Unnie, you’re reeeally strong with alcohol.”

“I’ve never gotten drunk before.”

With that, the last three survivors clinked glasses.

The other two still looked fine.

The problem was me.

Why is everything spinning?

Did I get drunk?

That was the issue.

Even though I accepted every drink the girls handed me, it hadn’t been enough to go over my usual limit.

But the ceiling had been spinning for a while now—something was definitely off.

Hey, can’t you do something with your healing grace?

[This isn’t an illness. The gods warned humans against debauchery, yet here you are ignoring it first, master.]

I never get drunk from this much.

But today… something’s weird.

[To perform miracles, your spirit has to work a lot, master. Normally, it only stirs waves for about an hour, but today… you pushed it for nearly half the day. That’s why it’s too much.]

‘You should’ve stopped me.’

[I didn’t know you’d play for so long. How could I stop it in the middle?]

Even if the spirit had warned me, I probably wouldn’t have stopped.

The girls were having so much fun—how could I cut it short?

In the end, after clinking glasses, I collapsed to the floor before I could even take a sip.

*

“Juwon-ssi’s drunk too. Last time he handled it so well, but today must’ve been tough.”

“Looks like it. Let’s toast between us.”

Cha Soyeon and Ryu Yeoreum looked at each other and smiled as they raised their glasses.

With the only man down, their conversation filled the gap between drinks.

Yeoreum talked about her trainee days, and Soyeon about her rookie years.

They shared stories about how Red Blossom became a “flop idol” group, how even Cha Soyeon’s dramas could fail, behind-the-scenes of exclusive contract disputes, and even the lengths she went to for certain roles.

They hit it off surprisingly well, chatting away without realizing how much time had passed.

The topic naturally shifted toward their mutual interest—Shin Juwon.

But then Cha Soyeon dropped an unexpected name.

“You know Han Sora, right?”

“Of course. Who in Korea doesn’t know Han Sora?”

“She’s close with me. If I ask her something I don’t understand, she always answers kindly. She even gives me advice when I’m struggling.”

“Wow, top actresses really stick together, huh?”

“The swimsuit I wore today? Sora unnie picked it. Yours and the other girls’ too.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, she likes that sort of thing.”

“I never knew a world star had a thing for swimsuits like that.”

“It’s not so much swimsuits—she just likes meddling in other people’s love lives.”

Though she looked composed, Soyeon’s words were getting a little odd, maybe because she was secretly tipsy.

Still, the topic was interesting, so Yeoreum perked up and listened closely.

“Maybe it’s because her own relationship is going so well that she finally has the time to worry about juniors, or maybe she’s just so overflowing with happiness she wants to spread it around—she says all kinds of things when I call these days.”

“Wait… Han Sora is in a relationship?”

Yeoreum’s expression lit up with surprise and curiosity.

Han Sora, the goddess of Cannes, the symbol of K-actresses, a Hollywood A-lister—the idea that someone had actually landed her felt surreal.

“Hmmm, where should I start…”

Cha Soyeon smiled mischievously as she considered her words.

Then, she reached over and gently stroked the cheek of the passed-out Shin Juwon on the floor.

“Actually, most of the things I ask Sora unnie about… are about Juwon-ssi.

Since I’ve been in this world from such a young age, the only men I really knew were the ones I saw in movies and dramas.”

“…”

“I don’t know how to handle a man off-screen. I want him to only look at me, to like me, to never leave my sight… but he doesn’t follow a script. It’s hard.”

The same hand that had touched Juwon’s cheek now reached out and softly pinched Yeoreum’s cheek.

“You feel the same way… don’t you?”