The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 65
He was the god who saved me.
Just like before, he was dressed in a sleek suit—but this time, it wasn’t plain white. Instead, it had floral patterns scattered here and there, a mischievous design.
“You didn’t like the clothes, did you? I added some floral patterns to match the setting.”
“Yes. I think the outfit you wore when we first met suited you better.”
“So picky.”
Laughing, he brushed his hand down his chest, and the suit turned back to white.
“Better?”
Without a word, I gave him a thumbs-up.
“I’ve been watching from above. It’s been fun seeing you save people in such creative ways. Enjoying yourself?”
“So far, yes. But… where is this place?”
“Here? It’s the Garden of Eden.”
“What?”
“Why so surprised? Did you think I’d go through the trouble of saving you just to dump you inside a fish’s belly? Ah, though I did put a guy named Jonah in there once. He just wouldn’t listen.”
He let out a hearty laugh.
“I didn’t know the Garden of Eden was inside a fish’s stomach.”
“It used to be on the surface. I gave it to the first children as their paradise. After it became useless, I stored it here.”
That’s strange.
Wasn’t it God who drove humans out?
Then wasn’t it God who made it useless?
“Um, I thought it was God who banished humans. For eating the forbidden fruit.”
“That’s right. They did what they were told not to do. But I was prepared to take them back if they ever returned, worn out.”
“Then you should’ve said something like, ‘If you repent and come back, I’ll take you in.’”
“I thought they were weak and wouldn’t last long. Never imagined they’d leave for good. Guess boredom was that unbearable.”
“You were bored?”
“This is paradise. A place without lack. Everything is perfect, with nothing left to desire. Greed? Lust? What’s the point when there’s nothing missing?”
“……”
“But once greed and desire vanished, they got bored. Turns out, perfection isn’t all that great.”
“And they never came back because they were bored?”
“Even if it’s unstable, even if they have to carry burdens, even if they suffer—they found something more thrilling. ‘Pleasure.’”
It seems they leaned toward the unstable yet exhilarating over the perfect but dull.
“I thought they’d return when life got hard, but instead, they found paradise in the very place they fled to. Since I gave them the ‘free will’ to choose, all I could do was watch.”
Hmm. It kind of makes sense, but also doesn’t.
“Now you see why paradise became useless? Still, thanks to you, visiting after so long feels nice. The scenery’s breathtaking.”
If this were a movie set, people would rave about the visuals.
“What should I do now?”
“I’ll send you back now that I’ve seen your face. It’s been refreshing to meet you in person instead of just hearing reports from spirits. Anything else you’re curious about? No telling when we’ll meet again, so ask now.”
There was something I wanted to ask God. Perfect timing.
“Back then, you called me a good person, right?”
“I did.”
“So… do you grant gifts and salvation to all good people? Or was there something else about me…?”
There are plenty of good people in the world.
Those who selflessly do good deeds, serve others, and find fulfillment in it.
If being a good person was the only requirement, there would’ve been many others chosen over me.
I wondered why I—completely ordinary except for being “good”—was chosen.
“Remember what I said after calling you ‘uncommonly good’?”
｢You’re good but not a pushover. You help the weak, refuse to grovel before the strong, and stubbornly uphold justice. Had you been born in my era, you’d have been a prophet.｣
“You had the qualities to receive the gift. Mere goodness alone wouldn’t have earned you that much.”
He looked at me the same way he did back then.
That piercing gaze that saw right through me.
“People think selfless kindness is a loss. ‘Why bother if nothing comes back?’ Even you—despite helping others so much—had no proper job and kept failing interviews until you met me.”
Even if you’re God, stop poking at sore spots.
“Yet your goodness never wavered, and your desire to help others shine at work never changed. I figured you wouldn’t waste the gift. And you’ve done excellently so far.”
He withdrew his intense gaze and grinned.
“And you’ve got quite the knack for collecting admirers, huh? I never limited spouses, so go forth and multiply as you please. When I promised Abram a great nation, he was overjoyed. You’ve received my gift—shouldn’t you at least form a soccer team?”
What, you want me to father eleven kids?
“Young lady, you heard that, right? He’s a friend I chose, so you can trust him. When you return, tell him where it hurts and believe he’ll heal you. With my gift, it’s nothing.”
Realizing he wasn’t talking to me, I turned around in shock.
Min A-young was standing there, staring at me and God with dazed eyes.
“How much did you hear?”
“…From the part about this being the Garden of Eden.”
She heard everything.
“Time to go back. Don’t worry—I stopped time on your end.”
With the same smile as before, he waved his hand.
Like being sucked into Leviathan’s mouth, I was pulled away again.
When I came to, Min A-young and I were sitting on a rock.
Out in the sea, Leviathan poked just its head above the water, tentacles writhing.
Min A-young, no longer convulsing, stared at me with blank eyes.
“It was… all true. That person—no, that being… the god you met, right?”
“Yes. The one who gave me light and my gift.”
“Then… that means…”
Her eyes grew damp.
She had seen hope—real hope.
If God vouched for it, how could she not believe?
“Now, tell me. Why couldn’t you act anymore?”
Just then, something fell behind us with a thud.
Yeoreum was sitting on the ground, pointing at the sea, too stunned to scream.
She must’ve seen Leviathan too.
Wait, when did she even come down here?
“Yeoreum, about that thing—”
She scrambled up and grabbed my hand.
“W-w-what is that?! Did you summon that, Manager-nim? I heard from Soyeon unnie—she said you have incredible powers! That someone who saved her gave you amazing abilities like superpowers! That’s it, right? Right?!”
“You’re gonna pass out. Breathe.”
“Huh? Oh… s-sorry. Got too excited…”
She finally caught her breath and calmed down.
“How much did Soyeon tell you?”
Seemed like she’d shared most of it, except the specifics of my gift.
Honestly, even I don’t fully know my gift—it just manifests as needed.
No need to hide it from Yeoreum anymore.
“C-can I… start explaining now?”
Pressed by Yeoreum’s energy, Min A-young hesitantly spoke up.
Introducing Leviathan could wait—this was more urgent.
“Yeoreum, I’ll show you another gift I received. This one’s like a superpower too.”
“It’s called retinitis pigmentosa.”
A disease I’d never heard of.
“A rare disorder where proteins build up in the retina, slowly killing the visual cells. So rare in Korea that there aren’t even proper statistics. Most people don’t know about it.”
Vision deteriorates to the point of legal blindness, eventually leading to total loss of sight.
“The controversy over my acting skills started because of this. I was too shocked to focus back then. After failing three projects in a row, I quit acting.”
She’d visited specialists abroad, but it was incurable.
Once her vision degraded to where she couldn’t read, she shut herself indoors.
“I can only see vague shapes now. Like, ‘this is an obstacle, that’s a person.’”
“Unnie, so when you worked in the kitchen…”
“Yeah. I just carried ingredients, trying not to be a burden. Sorry.”
“No, don’t apologize. You’re amazing for appearing on TV despite that.”
“I only agreed because I felt bad for Producer Shin, who kept offering me roles. The concept seemed doable even with my vision.”
She looked at me desperately.
“I’m glad I took the offer. I met you, Juwon-ssi.”
Yeoreum’s expression turned odd at Min A-young’s reaction.
“Did something happen between you two?”
“What? She’s just happy because there’s hope now. Hope that she can regain her sight.”
“How? You said it’s incurable.”
“Just watch.”
I turned back to Min A-young.
“Like God said, I received a gift to heal illnesses. But it requires your faith. Faith that I can heal you. Only then will my gift respond.”
“R-really? If I just believe in you, I’ll really see again? Like before… sob… I’ll see again?”
Her voice trembled with tears.
Her clasped hands were clenched so tight they’d turned white.
“You’ll see. Just believe. Truly, that’s all you need.”
“I’ll believe! Please heal me. I’ll trust only you—please, heal me!”
She clung to me, pleading desperately.
“Close your eyes and stand still.”
After calming her, I waited for the spirit’s response.
[Deep in her heart, faith is surging. Heal her now.]
‘Light a flame in my hand. Let Yeoreum see.’
I summoned the same special effect I’d shown Team Leader Baek Ha-kyung.
[Fan service?]
‘Just touching her would be boring.’
Blue flames flickered in my palm.
The kind of high-quality special effects you’d see in blockbuster movies.
Yeoreum covered her mouth and stumbled back.
Successful fan service.
I placed my hand over Min A-young’s eyes.
Warmth flowed from my palm, spreading outward.
“Now… open your eyes.”