The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 69

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For the first time, Cha Soyeon's composed expression cracked.

Ryu Yeoreum also froze in place.

"What? You haven’t slept with him yet. Then it’s not too late, is it?"

Min Ayeong, who had crossed her legs like a villainess at some point, spoke up.

"Are you really into Juwon?"

"I came here because I am."

"Does 'being into him' mean sex to you?"

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

"Were you thinking, 'Good thing no one’s done it yet, so I can still have him late' or something?"

"Ugh, noona, even if you’re one-dimensional, that’s not it. I want to do it because I’m into him, not the other way around."

A question mark appeared above Ryu Yeoreum’s head, while Cha Soyeon gave a bitter smile.

"Your tongue’s as sharp as ever. No, you’ve gotten even better at twisting words."

"Guess not being able to see for two years sharpened my tongue instead."

Ryu Yeoreum saw visions of Cha Soyeon holding a sword and Min Ayeong holding a shield.

"Since all three of us are into Juwon, that’s a tie. But approaching him just because you want to sleep with him is out of the question. You’ve met the God too, right? Juwon is the man chosen by Him."

"Exactly. He has to be at least that worthy to have me. You’d feel the same, noona."

"Yeoreum too. She’s still a rookie now, but once she makes her comeback next year, she’ll devour the industry. She’s more than qualified to be here."

"Y-yeah!"

Ryu Yeoreum mustered her courage and chimed in.

"I know. She’s the prettiest idol I’ve ever seen. It’d be absurd if she didn’t make it big."

"And Juwon’s making it happen. Even though the company gave up, he grabbed those kids by the collar and dragged them this far."

"That’s what my man should do. I like him even more now."

"So you came here fully prepared to become Juwon’s woman?"

"Of course. That’s why I came to talk to you and Yeoreum about it."

"I get that you owe him a huge debt, but is that enough to fall for him at first sight? You never cared about men before. Why the sudden change?"

"Ever heard of imprinting?"

"Imprinting?"

"Newly hatched ducklings follow the first moving thing they see, thinking it’s their mother. That behavior is called imprinting."

"What about it?"

"I… imprinted on Juwon."

This time, question marks appeared simultaneously above Ryu Yeoreum and Cha Soyeon’s heads.

"I told you I couldn’t see for two years. I could endure the blurriness, but it kept getting darker. I was terrified—what if I went completely blind? How would I live only hearing sounds? Was life even worth living like this…?"

"……"

"Then I met Juwon. We went to the Garden of Eden, and even though the God called it paradise, I could only see it dimly. That’s when the God told me, 'He’s the man I’ve chosen, so trust and follow him.' The moment I heard that, something inside me burst."

Cha Soyeon and Ryu Yeoreum found themselves drawn into Min Ayeong’s confession.

"When I said I trusted Juwon, He fixed my eyes. The first person I saw clearly was Juwon. At that moment, I was like a duckling… so I imprinted on him."

Cha Soyeon noticed Min Ayeong’s posture had changed.

Earlier, she had been sitting arrogantly with her legs crossed, but now, as she talked about Shin Juwon, she sat primly with her hands fidgeting.

"Isn’t that… just love at first sight?"

Ryu Yeoreum, still confused, tilted her head.

"It’s much deeper than just liking someone. Right now, competing with you and noona feels meaningless. Lover? Wife? I don’t need those titles. Even if Juwon made me his slave just to stay by his side, I’d do it."

Boom!

The sound of war drums echoed in Cha Soyeon and Ryu Yeoreum’s ears.

A vision appeared—an overwhelming army marching over the hill toward the allied forces of Cha Soyeon and Ryu Yeoreum.

‘Yeoreum, she’s a formidable enemy.’

‘I know… I never even thought about being a slave.’

A silence heavier than ever settled over the living room.

"Now you know how I feel about Juwon, right? I’m joining the competition too. Are there any others besides us three?"

"No."

"Then the odds of winning Juwon are one in three."

"It’s one in two."

"Right, one in two… what?"

This time, a question mark appeared above Min Ayeong’s head.

"Noona… did you already give up?"

"Are you insane? I’d never give up on Juwon."

"Then why one in two?"

"Yeoreum and I count as one. We agreed to share Juwon instead of deciding a winner or loser."

The question marks above Min Ayeong’s head multiplied.

Dazed, she pressed her fingers to her forehead, making a "Are you insane?" face.

"So… you’re saying the three of us would live together with one Juwon?"

"You got it."

"Did common sense change in the last two years, or did the constitution add a mandatory threesome clause?"

"We haven’t decided on sharing yet. I’m taking the first experience…"

"You’re out of your mind!! That’s not what I meant!!"

She finally exploded.

Cha Soyeon waited for Min Ayeong to calm down before continuing calmly.

"Are you really going to nitpick now?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said you don’t need titles like lover or wife. That you’d even be his slave."

"Right. If Juwon wants a slave, I’ll do it."

"I don’t want to be a slave. I’ll be his wife or lover."

"I’d also prefer wife or lover."

"Then it’s settled. Wife and lover for us two, slave for you. Since all three of us can be Juwon’s, what’s the problem?"

"Don’t play word games. Even if I become a slave, I’ll be Juwon’s only woman. Not sharing him with anyone!"

"To you, love is about possession."

"Of course. Love is about having each other. Why would you share what you love?"

"Juwon has to be shared. He’s not a man one person can monopolize."

"Why?"

"Because multiple people have seen his light. Juwon won’t just leave them be."

For the first time, the runaway train of Min Ayeong’s emotions screeched to a halt.

All three women here had seen Shin Juwon’s light.

"I saw it first, then Yeoreum, and you last. Who knows if more will come, but for now, it’s the three of us."

"……"

"Juwon calls it a fated connection. A special bond with him. That’s why we can see things others can’t and meet the God."

Min Ayeong had no rebuttal to Cha Soyeon’s factual explanation.

Because it wasn’t wrong.

"Juwon won’t abandon those connections. The God tied them, after all. Of course, Yeoreum and I will never give up on Juwon either. Once you’ve seen his light, your choice is already made. The same goes for you."

"Th-that’s…"

Still, Min Ayeong couldn’t accept it.

Multiple women for one man?

"There are people who aren’t connected by light but still share that kind of relationship and are happy. Seeing them gave me the courage to suggest sharing Juwon with Yeoreum."

"Who?"

"You might know her. Han Sora."

The unexpected name left Min Ayeong stunned.

"Don’t know her?"

"…I do. We acted in a movie together before Sora sunbaenim left for the States."

"Well, this’ll be easier then. Sora unnie is living with two others in the U.S.—one man, two women."

Cha Soyeon told Min Ayeong about the three living in America.

Since Byeon Hajin, Han Sora, and Oh Yujin were all famous celebrities, no further explanation was needed.

"No way. Those three…?"

"They met at six and were inseparable until adulthood. Sora unnie was in the U.S. for ten years, but they talked almost every day. She was only physically there."

When they became adults, none of the three chose or abandoned anyone.

"They even have a child together. They say every day is bliss."

"A… a child?!"

"They’re genuinely happy. They don’t care about weddings or being a 'normal' family. As long as the three of them are together. Ayeong, could you tell them they shouldn’t live like that?"

"……"

"Juwon won’t choose anyone, and we can’t force him to. Because the moment he picks one, his connection with the others will break. I don’t have the heart to sever the ties the God made."

As she listened, Min Ayeong recalled the God’s words in the Garden of Eden:

"I’ve never limited spouses, so multiply as much as you can. With my blessing, you should at least form a soccer team."

The God had said He never limited the number of spouses.

Seeing Min Ayeong’s conflicted face, Cha Soyeon waited for her thoughts to settle.

"…This is too sudden. I don’t know what to say. I need time to think. Let’s talk later."

"Sure. We’ll call you over to your place next time. I’ve been meaning to visit."

"Okay. And one more thing…"

"Go ahead."

"This is my first time liking a man. So there are things I want to try. Like dates. That’s allowed, right?"

Her earlier bravado was gone, likely due to the shock.

"Everything but sex is okay. That’s mine first."

Cough cough!

Min Ayeong choked at the outrageous statement.

"Um… the first kiss is mine, though."

"You already did it."

"That was when Manager-nim was asleep! It was half a kiss, so you can’t do it until I get the other half!"

Min Ayeong realized once again that these two operated outside her realm of common sense.