The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 61

"Wow, this is... girl group members really are on another level."

Shin PD and the staff, who we met at the ferry terminal, clapped like seals.

Though I’d chosen comfortable clothes over style since we were filming on an island, the girls’ visuals were still unmatched.

Especially striking was Yeoreum’s tall, refreshing figure, her hair fluttering in the sea breeze.

After filming the scene of us greeting each other at the terminal entrance, we immediately boarded the ferry.

"Juwon-ssi, this isn’t your first time filming, is it? The hardest part for non-celebrities is acting natural in front of the camera."

"I practiced acting in front of the camera a lot when I was trying to become an actor, Manager-nim. This is nothing."

Yeoreum chimed in proudly beside me.

"Oh, right, right! I saw you in that interview with Cha Soyeon. So that’s how you became a manager?"

"Yeah."

Shin PD had started speaking casually to me since the pre-interview, probably because I’d relaxed.

Being on friendly terms with a star PD wasn’t so bad.

"Hehehe, I’ve got a good feeling about this one. Three girl group members, Ayoung’s stunning visuals, plus a devoted manager joining in—and Park Sunbae’s commentary is the cherry on top."

Shin PD laughed like a mad scientist, shrugging his shoulders.

"It’s not confirmed yet, but I don’t think two episodes will cut it. I’m gonna push for four with the CP. So, Yeoreum, keep cooking up delicious meals. And Juwon-ssi, you better focus on fishing, hahaha."

Hearing that only made me more nervous.

[Don’t worry, I’ll help you.]

‘How?’

[You’ll see when we get there.]

I didn’t know how, but suddenly, I felt reassured.

Considering how the spirit had helped me so far, catching a few fish would be nothing.

Sera struggled a bit with seasickness, but we arrived safely at the dock.

From below, houses lined the mountain slopes, and a massive breakwater stretched beside the pier.

They said it was built large because typhoons often passed through here.

As we walked up the path, we found a guesthouse remodeled from an old school.

While we’d be staying at the set halfway up the mountain, the staff would lodge here.

"Juwon-ssi, come down at night. We usually have drinks after filming."

"Sounds good."

A few minutes further up, a house with a wide yard came into view.

Its red roof made it stand out.

On one side of the yard, a wooden platform was set up for guests to sit.

Yeoreum and the girls went inside to check out the kitchen, while I moved the luggage to the porch.

"That must be the vegetable garden over there. I’ll go see what’s growing."

As Park Seungho walked toward the garden, the cameraman immediately followed.

After putting the luggage in the room, I stepped out into the yard and opened the storage shed.

Firewood was neatly stacked on one side.

Since they wanted a camping vibe with real firewood, I’d even looked up how to chop wood online.

As I was fitting an axe into a log of the right size, someone approached.

It was Min Ayoung.

"I thought you’d be in the kitchen."

"Yeoreum told me to rest while she cooks. She’ll put me to work later."

A red dot glowed on her lips.

‘A Bond of Fate.’

[That’s right. In her case, the bond with you is ‘conversation.’]

‘Conversation?’

[The more you talk, the deeper your bond becomes. You’ll need it later, so get closer through conversation. Since she’s someone with a visible bond, it’ll be easy.]

Basically, I needed to engage her in talk.

"Want to watch me chop wood?"

"Can I?"

"It’s not that interesting, but sure. Hold on."

I grabbed a plastic chair from the shed and handed it to her.

After hesitating, she sat down.

Her movements seemed oddly stiff.

So I chopped wood while Min Ayoung watched from the side.

"I saw your interview with Soyeon unnie."

"You call her ‘unnie’? You must’ve been close."

"We’re only a year apart, and we often ran into each other at broadcasting stations since we were active around the same time. I’ve even been to her place."

Though the media painted them as rivals, they seemed to get along fine.

"You said something back then—that you couldn’t become an entertainer, so you ended up helping them shine instead... Was that true?"

"I’ve been asked that over a hundred times."

"But it’s true, right? Everyone wants to shine themselves, not make others shine. I wondered if you had some other motive."

I gave a short but intense recap—from my school days dreaming of acting, joining Fine Entertainment, meeting Red Blossom, to now preparing for their comeback.

I delivered it all in a calm voice, pouring my soul into the ‘performance’ to give Shin PD the emotional soundbite he wanted.

This would become the moving story fueling Red Blossom’s comeback.

At least Min Ayoung in front of me looked genuinely touched.

"Yeoreum must feel so secure with a manager like you by her side... I’m kinda jealous."

"We’ve still got a long way to go. The comeback hasn’t even happened yet."

"With how devoted you are, how could it not succeed? It’ll work out."

"Thanks for saying that."

"I think this is what Shin PD meant by ‘healing.’ Just feeling that energy like things will work out makes me happy."

"It’s only a few days, but while we’re here, I’ll give you all the energy I’ve got. Take it and succeed too, Ayoung-ssi."

"I’d like that."

She smiled, but there was a hint of loneliness in her expression.

After stacking the chopped wood, I grabbed a fishing net and rod.

They said if I followed the trail down the cliff, there was a great fishing spot.

"The view is amaaazing~"

The sound of a drone followed from above.

Later, with background music and captions added, it’d look like a serene scene of an angler strolling leisurely.

Down below, waves crashed against the picturesque cliffs.

I tossed the net where the current was just right and cast my line elsewhere.

After two location changes with no bites, the float refused to move.

"Fish don’t bite as much when the cameras are around," the cameraman joked encouragingly.

Still, I needed to catch something to save face with Yeoreum.

‘You said you’d help me fish.’

[The time has come. Just wait.]

‘What’s coming?’

Suddenly, everything around me froze.

‘The Bond of Prophecy?’

[No. I paused time briefly because there’s someone here.]

‘You can do that too?’

[You think the time freeze right before the Bond of Prophecy activated was its doing? That was me.]

I’d assumed it was part of the Bond’s effect, but it was one of the spirit’s miracles.

‘But why stop time—’

I couldn’t finish.

Because something enormous was rising from the sea below the cliffs.

A colossal whale.

‘Wh-what the... what is that?’

[It’s Leviathan. A sea monster that brings chaos, tamed by the god as a pet.]

‘A pet?’

[Watch.]

Tentacle-like appendages sprouted from its fins, stretching toward me.

They looked like the long arms of a giant squid from documentaries.

Stopping before me, it gently brushed my cheek.

A bit slimy, but the softness wasn’t bad.

[It loves the god’s blessings. It sensed yours and reacted warmly. Think of it as a water puppy.]

The whale’s gaze was tender.

I felt no malice or hostility.

[Scriptures describe it like a crocodile, but this is the form the god imagined. Earth has something similar, right?]

‘Yeah. We call them whales.’

I’d have to check what the scriptures said later.

[It’s been sent to help with this salvation. Use it well until it’s time to go.]

‘How?’

[It’ll react on its own when the time comes, so no need to worry. For now, you need to fish, right?]

‘Right.’

[Hold its tentacle and think of the fish you want. It’ll herd them for you.]

I pictured a red snapper and grabbed the tentacle.

Having watched snapper fishing videos on MTube, I easily imagined a fresh one.

Leviathan took the tentacle and began skimming the water’s surface.

Spray flew everywhere like a fish farm before converging at one spot below the cliffs.

[Leviathan herded the snappers. Cast your line there.]

‘But it can’t stay here. The cameraman and drone are watching.’

[Those without blessings can’t see it.]

‘Then why stop time?’

[You were freaking out earlier. If you started flailing at nothing, wouldn’t the cameraman find it weird? I can edit footage, but memories are harder to manipulate.]

The spirit was more meticulous than I thought.

As time resumed, I moved to the spot and cast my line.

"Feeling good about this one. Make sure you get the shot."

With snappers herded there, something had to bite.

One hour later—

I’d caught ten.

The cameraman, who’d been amazed at the first two, looked downright terrified by the end.

I could’ve caught more, but wrestling snappers was unexpectedly exhausting.

"Got a good shot, right?"

The cameraman nodded blankly, utterly dazed.