The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 88

I waited with Cha Soyeon for the car that would take us from the underground parking lot.

Normally, we’d chat about this and that, but today was unusually quiet.

Wondering if she was nervous about meeting her grandfather, I waited silently beside her.

Soon after, a luxury sedan glided smoothly into the parking lot.

A middle-aged gentleman in a neatly tailored suit stepped out from the driver’s seat.

"You came in person, ahjussi."

"The old master sent me, saying we have an ‘impudent guest.’"

I’d heard of ‘honored guests,’ but an ‘impudent guest’ was a first.

Right from the start, this didn’t feel like it would be easy.

The door was opened for us, so Soyeon and I got into the back seat.

"Have you been working out? You look impressively sturdy."

"No, just regular physical training."

"I see. Come to think of it, the young miss has always liked men with good physiques since she was little."

Young miss…?

"Ahjussi, you’ve been talking too much lately."

"Spending all day with the old master will do that to you. What else are two old men supposed to do, hohoho."

His consistently relaxed tone and posture made it clear he wasn’t just a chauffeur.

Just who was he?

"You haven’t heard much about the young miss’s grandfather, have you?"

"No."

"She doesn’t like others talking about the old master. I’ll fill you in instead."

What I heard from the driver was nothing short of shocking.

Cha Soyeon’s grandfather was Cha Kiwoong, the second chairman of Daeyoung Group.

Years ago, he handed the group over to his eldest son and now serves as chairman of the Daeyoung Education Foundation.

Our destination was his private residence behind the Daeyoung Art Hall.

"First-time visitors usually call him ‘Chairman,’ ‘Chairman Wang,’ or ‘Chairman of the Foundation,’ but he dislikes all of those. Just call him ‘old master.’"

"Since when do you give out advice like this, ahjussi? You never cared who came to see Grandfather before."

"That’s because they only came to curry favor or ask for something. But this time, it’s someone the young miss cherishes. A little service is in order, hohoho."

"Ahjussi!"

It seemed Soyeon had spoken about me to this man too.

That meant he was someone she trusted.

I’d expected the residence to be around the size of Soyeon’s house, but it could’ve fit several of hers.

We passed through a garden that looked like a scaled-down Eden from the belly of Leviathan and entered a mansion resembling a museum.

Servants we passed bowed politely as we walked by.

After a while, we reached a room with sliding doors covered in intricate carvings that obscured the inside.

But they didn’t block the voices from within.

"Old master, this is slander! How could I ever go to such a place? I don’t know where you heard this, but it’s absurd!"

"So… you’re innocent?"

"Of course! After knowing me for over ten years, how could you doubt me? Who is it? Who’s spreading these ridiculous lies?"

"My granddaughter."

"…What?"

Right on cue, the driver spoke up.

"Old master, we’ve arrived."

"Good. Tell them to come in."

As the door opened, an elderly man seated at the far end came into view.

Though small in stature, his piercing gaze felt like it could see through a person’s very soul.

And strangely, he resembled Soyeon.

Bloodlines, I suppose.

"Pleased to meet you, old master. My name is Shin Juwon."

His eyebrows twitched before he broke into a grin.

"Hakjae must’ve told you. That man and his loose lips. Come, sit."

"Yes, old master."

I took a seat on the cushion laid out before me.

Only then did I notice the man sitting beside him.

It was Jo Yangsu, the perverted assemblyman I’d met at the bar.

His cheek, where I’d punched him, was covered with gauze.

His eyes widened when he saw me, but he quickly schooled his expression.

A politician through and through.

"Not the best first impression, but business is business. Is this man here, Assemblyman Jo, the same one you saw at the bar?"

"Yes, it’s him."

"Wh-what nonsense! How dare this bastard—"

"Quiet. You’ve been shouting since earlier. My patience has limits."

"M-my apologies, old master."

Jo Yangsu prostrated himself.

Even without raising his voice, the old man’s presence was overwhelming.

"What was Assemblyman Jo doing there?"

"He was being entertained by two members of the girl group Honey Pops."

"Y-you bastard, how dare—"

"A friend of mine claims to have seen you there. What do you say to that?"

"Lies! Slander! I’ve never even seen that bastard before! When the hell did this piece of trash—"

BANG!

The sliding door flew open with a loud crash.

Cha Soyeon stood there, flames practically dancing in her eyes.

"Piece of trash? Did you just call Juwon-ssi… a piece of trash?"

Her face was demonic as she advanced toward Jo Yangsu, but the driver intercepted her.

With practiced ease, he grabbed her arm and guided her out.

"Let go! Let me gooo! I’ll rip every hair out of that bastard’s head!"

"Hoh~ The girl’s been acting strange since she met you."

"I… I’m sorry."

The apology slipped out before I could stop myself.

"We’ll talk about you later. Let’s wrap this up first. One says he met you, the other says he’s never seen you. How should we decide?"

Jo Yangsu kept ranting about injustice, his anger boiling over.

He spent the entire time cursing me, trying to twist the narrative.

A masterclass in political blame-shifting.

I listened quietly before pulling out my phone.

I wasn’t staying silent because I had nothing to say.

I had a secret weapon to finish him in one blow.

"Care to listen to this?"

I played an edited audio clip.

"This is why I love young ones. Ahh, that plump baby fat… I’m going crazy. Daddy’s gonna wreck you later, just wait, kehahaha."

"You a virgin? Daddy’ll make it painless. Once it’s in, you won’t be able to get enough, trust me. You’ll beg for it, keke."

"Your album sales… TV appearances… One word from me, and it’s all fixed. So later, got it?"

The vulgarities kept pouring out, each filthier than the last.

Jo Yangsu turned pale and lunged for my phone, but he was no match for me.

Cha Kiwoong let out a disbelieving chuckle.

"Assemblyman Jo, I had no idea you were so… talented."

"O-old master! Th-this is… fake! Deepfake! AI can make anything these days! I never said any of this!"

Even now, he kept denying it.

A textbook corrupt politician.

"Take that story outside. Let’s see how far it gets you. Hakjae~"

The door opened, and bodyguards dragged Jo Yangsu away.

He pleaded desperately, but Cha Kiwoong didn’t so much as blink.

"Peace and quiet. At my age, noise is exhausting."

Only the two of us remained in the spacious room.

"Where’d you get that? You didn’t have it from the start."

"One of the members recorded it. She said she records suspicious attendees at fan meetings too."

"I see. Soyeon asked for help, so I would’ve handled it even without evidence. But with this, I don’t need to step in. Give it to Hakjae later."

"Yes, old master."

He paused, choosing his next words carefully.

"Soyeon doesn’t talk about me, does she?"

"No, I only heard about you on the way here."

"Thought so. No one seems to know she’s my granddaughter."

"She’d mention things her grandfather did for her sometimes, but she seemed reluctant to talk more, so I didn’t ask."

"Good. You’ve got decent intuition."

"Thank you."

"Soyeon is the daughter of my youngest son, born late in my life. The age gap is so wide, my eldest brother could’ve been her grandfather."

That would make the eldest brother the current chairman of Daeyoung Group.

Three brothers, with Soyeon being the daughter of the youngest.

"Truth is, I wanted to pass the group to my youngest. He was the brightest of the three. But then he went and fell for some actress, insisted on marrying her. There was already an arranged match lined up."

A classic chaebol family drama.

Soyeon’s father refused, choosing love over duty.

"Then he ran away. Said he didn’t need Daeyoung Group. I thought, ‘Let’s see how long you last.’ But the fool went ahead, married her, and even had a daughter."

Cha Kiwoong sighed, staring into space.

Was it resentment toward his defiant son?

Or regret for not accepting his love?

"Then I got the call. A car accident. Both my son and his wife. Only my granddaughter survived, they said."

A true miracle.

A life that should’ve ended, spared by divine will.

"I saw Soyeon at the hospital. The look in her eyes then… I’ll never forget it. Empty. Hollow. Like a doll’s. I couldn’t believe a child could have such eyes."

After losing her parents, Soyeon was registered under her uncle’s household.

Officially, she became a fourth-generation chaebol heiress.

"In elementary school, she came to me and said she wanted to be an actress. Couldn’t escape her mother’s blood, I guess. I objected, but her stubbornness was her father’s through and through."

So that’s where Soyeon got her iron will.

"You don’t like entertainers, do you? You opposed her mother’s marriage too…"

"I opposed my son’s marriage because of that, but Soyeon’s different. Actually, you might’ve noticed… or not? Nothing strange about being around Soyeon?"

He looked genuinely curious.

What was he getting at?