The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 77
“Um… Seongja-nim.”
“…….”
I thought it would take a few days for him to contact me, but Chief Jang Tae-ho called within less than a day.
He said he slept soundly, unaware of anything, and was truly grateful.
Since he insisted on meeting, I went to his apartment.
If we met at the broadcasting station, word might get out between the chief and the road manager.
Looking at the cross hanging on the living room wall, I understood why he called me "Seongja" (Saint).
“Is there… some issue with how I address you…?”
“Both the address and your posture are problems. Why are you kneeling?”
He gestures for me to sit on the sofa while he kneels in front of it.
It reminds me of Team Leader Baek, and my head starts to throb.
“You’ve seen my business card, right?”
“Yes, it says you’re from Fine Entertainment’s Artist Team 5…”
“I’m a road manager who’s only been working for three months. What would people think if the KBC Variety Department Chief kneels before an agency manager?”
“They’d find it strange.”
“If you know that, then why are you doing something so odd?”
“That’s exactly why I’m worried. I can act like this when it’s just the two of us, but I don’t know how to behave when we meet outside.”
Wrong—his entire way of thinking is different.
“Enough. Sit on the sofa. Otherwise, I’m leaving.”
“Wh-what! I’ll sit, so please… don’t go, Seongja-nim.”
With a flustered expression, he sits across from me.
Just like with Team Leader Baek, I explained how to treat me.
No "Seongja," no honorifics, no kneeling.
Treat me the same as anyone else from another agency.
Having a precedent made it easier to explain.
“But how could I dare… when you saved my life…”
I easily suppressed this minor rebellion with a light threat.
“Chief, you’re the type of person evil spirits easily cling to. Who knows what might attach itself next time? But if you don’t listen to me, will I help you again… or not?”
At this, the chief turns pale and flattens himself on the floor.
“Aaaah, p-please don’t abandon m—no, don’t abandon me. I’ll do anything, anything!”
As expected of a smart man, he immediately switched to the tone I wanted.
“Good job. Just keep it like that, and I’ll help when needed. It’s uncomfortable for me, so just speak comfortably.”
“Ugh, th-thank you. This is my first time in this situation, so I don’t know what to do.”
He takes a moment to gather his words.
“You called it an ‘evil spirit’—what exactly is it? Something like a demon from scripture?”
“I don’t know the details either. The one who gave me this ability called it that, so I just followed. What clung to you was the ‘Spirit of Suicide.’ It drives people to despair and makes them kill themselves.”
He flinches at the word suicide.
“Why did something like that attach itself to me?”
“How would I know? I only saw it after it had already latched on. Think of it as an accident. Accidents can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. You just happened to be in an accident where the Spirit of Suicide clung to you.”
He keeps asking questions—who gave me this ability, why I received it, how I use it. If I kept answering, it’d never end.
“I get that you’re curious, but I can’t explain everything since I received this ability from someone else. Just think of it this way: there are evil spirits, you’re prone to being affected by them, and I happen to have the ability to exorcise them, so I helped. Honestly, I’m getting a bit tired.”
When I show my annoyance, he finally swallows his words.
“Sorry. It’s just… I went through something unbelievable. From now on, I’ll just remember that you’re my savior, Juwon-ssi.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Finally, it’s over…
“So let me repay you. I’ll do anything I can.”
…or so I thought.
“Repay me?”
“Yeah. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve died. I wouldn’t have held my grandchild, never seen my wife again, lost everything I’ve built, and been dragged away by that freakish thing. You stopped that—how can I just sit still?”
He clasps his hands together as if praying.
It feels like being confessed to by a middle-aged man, and it gives me goosebumps.
“Then, just correct one thing for me.”
“Correct? You’re not asking for a favor?”
“It’s something that should be corrected, so I’m asking for that.”
I tell him what PD Hyun Jeong-il said.
SN Entertainment had been bullying small agencies with absurd demands.
CP Lim Hyeok-pil, under SN’s orders, blocked their artists from appearing on music shows.
Innocent singers couldn’t perform because of agency politics.
“That bastard Lim Hyeok-pil…”
He listens while rubbing his forehead, then curses the CP.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll call PD Hyun tomorrow, hear the whole story, and wring that bastard’s neck. What era does he think this is, pulling that kind of crap?”
He promises to reinstate the small agency’s singers as before.
“That’s settled. What’s next?”
“There isn’t anything.”
“What?”
He stares at me incredulously, but there’s nothing else.
“There’s a nice, well-located building. How about this?”
“A car? I really want to give you one.”
“Money? I have land I can liquidate right away.”
No matter how much he insisted, my answer didn’t change.
The ability was given to me freely, so I don’t expect compensation.
Why do people struggle to understand such a simple principle?
“What do I do if you keep refusing? Wait, you said Fine Entertainment, right? Who do you manage? I’ll make sure they get pushed hard—just tell me.”
“Chief, you shouldn’t do that. You were furious about SN’s bullying—how is this any different? This is favoritism, another form of bullying.”
“I’m not taking someone else’s spot—just filling an empty one. How is that bullying? It’s a common courtesy for high-rated entertainers.”
“I don’t have any artists to push in. If there’s a music show appearance, we’ll meet formally. Just don’t bully us like SN did.”
“Wow, even when I’m offering, you’re like this.”
“Other people I’ve helped never asked for special treatment. At most, they gave personal advice or introductions. If you really want to repay me, do it personally like that.”
He stares at me silently for a while.
“Juwon-ssi, you’re a really unique person. Others are desperate to get in my good graces.”
“I know you’re an impressive person, but I received my ability from someone even greater. Once you get something that big, lesser things lose their appeal.”
“Hahaha, so you’ve already got everything?”
“Something like that. I don’t feel lacking.”
“Alright, fine. I won’t give you special treatment. But I’ll repay you over my lifetime—ask me for personal help anytime. I’ll come running right away.”
And like that, I gained the trust of a ‘great’ person at the broadcasting station.
The aftermath was something I heard from PD Hyun Jeong-il.
“After being erratic for over a month, he suddenly came to his senses. Did you introduce him to that famous shaman aunt of yours?”
“No. I checked, but her schedule was booked for a month. It’s a place frequented by high-profile people, so even her nephew can’t get priority.”
“Wow, she must be incredible. Anyway…”
After calling PD Hyun and understanding the situation, Chief Jang Tae-ho summoned the small agency CEOs.
In the meeting room, he personally apologized and meticulously reviewed the bullying incidents.
Once enough evidence was gathered, he went after everyone involved, starting with CP Lim Hyeok-pil.
Suspensions, demotions, pay cuts, disciplinary hearings—every possible punishment was used.
“He was always strict, but that time, he was like the Grim Reaper. Most of CP Lim’s line producers were wiped out.”
He also met with SN Entertainment’s CEO to protest the bullying and demand corrections.
He threatened retaliation if they didn’t promise to prevent recurrence.
“He gathered the music show PDs and told them to prepare to proceed without SN’s artists. I had a lot of pent-up frustration, so I immediately agreed.”
I don’t know SN’s internal situation, but it seemed like Executive Kim Tae-sang’s doing.
Bullying small agencies in petty ways was exactly his style.
SN Entertainment Executive Office —
Kim Tae-sang, tense after being scolded by the CEO, takes a deep drag of his cigarette.
“That fucking bastard, how dare he talk to me like that after all I’ve done for this company?”
His expression shows no intention of backing down.
“He must’ve done it because of Kai’s agency.”
Yang Seok-dae, sitting beside him, speaks up.
“Chief Jang Tae-ho went on a rampage. Lim Hyeok-pil and his underlings were all wiped out. Looks like we’ll have to go head-to-head with KBC.”
“If you’re handling KBC, should I take care of Kai’s agency?”
“You? How?”
“I heard they got funding from Viper Investments. They don’t know it’s our turf, so it’ll be easy to move.”
“Take them over?”
“Yeah. There’s a girl there I can use.”
“Kai?”
“Why would I use an in-house kid? The girl group.”
He opens MUTube and shows a video.
“What about them?”
“See the young-looking one in the middle? Assemblyman Kim is drooling over her.”
“That lolicon bastard, why does he go crazy over girls like that? We hooked him up with a trainee before.”
“He’s bored with one-night stands—wants to sponsor her now.”
“Hmm, politician sponsorships are risky. Remember how many got wrecked during #MeToo?”
“That’s why we take over the company first, ensure complete silence, then proceed. It’s hard to refuse Assemblyman Kim’s requests.”
“Ugh, that pervert. Handle it yourself.”
“Got it. Just show your face when the time comes. He’ll be disappointed if you’re not there.”
“Fine.”
Kim Tae-sang answers with an annoyed look and lights another cigarette.