The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 89

This wasn’t the face of someone who felt the aura of a saint, like Team Leader Baek Hakyeong.

For ordinary people, not those who’ve seen the light, the emotion evoked by a saint is reverence and fear.

But there was no trace of that in Cha Giwoong’s expression.

Which meant there was a disqualifying reason preventing Cha Soyeon from becoming an actress.

Suddenly, I remembered the first time I met Cha Soyeon in the parking lot.

Even when a madman charged at her with a knife, she was eerily calm.

No—I couldn’t sense any emotion on her face at all.

“It seemed like she struggled to express her emotions.”

“You noticed well. That girl has a psychological defect—she has difficulty expressing emotions.”

I thought it was a temporary condition caused by the shock of losing her parents.

But even years later, Cha Soyeon still didn’t show her emotions.

With her looks being what they were, she became like a doll with a single fixed expression.

“The doctor called it alexithymia.”

Alexithymia is a psychological condition where one struggles to recognize and express emotions.

They find it hard to articulate their own feelings and can’t empathize with others’ emotions.

Without emotions, imagination is lacking, and they have no sense of dreams or fantasies.

All of this becomes a fatal weakness when acting.

That’s why Cha Giwoong opposed his granddaughter’s acting career.

Because it was obvious she’d only face frustration.

‘This isn’t an illness, is it?’

[No. The god intentionally dulled her emotions.]

‘Why?’

[Because otherwise, she would’ve gone insane. She was more emotionally sensitive than anyone when it came to acting talent. But she watched her parents die right in front of her. Even though the god saved her, the memory of the accident haunted her, and it must’ve been mentally exhausting.]

‘Dulling the emotions of someone who wants to act seems a bit harsh.’

[But you’ve seen the future where she overcomes it. Like now.]

In the end, Cha Soyeon overcame her dulled emotions through acting.

She acted out every sensation and expressed them more brilliantly than anyone in front of the camera.

‘Now that I think about it, she’s truly incredible. How did she manage to convey those subtle emotional shifts…?’

[That’s why I said she’s the woman closest to the ideal emotions the god created.]

“She was so stubborn that I let her try. I thought she’d quit once she realized it herself.”

Cha Giwoong continued.

“She soon realized she couldn’t properly convey emotions. I thought she’d quit then, but instead, she started mimicking emotions. She watched dramas with crying women and cried along, imitated laughing scenes, and even got angry while watching the screen—she learned every emotion needed for acting, one by one.”

“Now, she’s better at emotional acting than any other actress.”

“I know. That’s the result of relentless effort since childhood. I let her keep practicing, curious how far she’d go, and then she even won awards at film festivals.”

As he spoke, his smile was unmistakably that of a doting grandfather.

“But she still doesn’t express emotions in daily life—though that changed a few months ago.”

Then he looked at me.

“After she met you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Whenever she talks about you, she shows emotion. It was surprising—she never cared about men before, yet here she was talking about one. That’s why I invited you here.”

I knew her expression softened when talking to me.

But I didn’t realize it happened when she talked about me to others, too.

“Assemblyman Jo has done enough that even a slight media leak will easily bring him down. Money issues? There’s hardly a politician untouched by them, so I was willing to overlook it—but messing with young girls is unforgivable.”

Hearing those words from Cha Giwoong meant Jo Yangsu was as good as finished.

“Do you plan to keep making her shine?”

“You’ve seen the interview footage.”

“How could I not? Soyeon kept playing it while guarding it like a treasure. I thought it’d be boring, but your ideas were unique enough to make it worth watching.”

No matter how much she likes me, forcing him to watch the footage is a bit…

“I don’t believe in goodwill without a price. In that sense, your actions were refreshing. I don’t know how long it’ll last, but it seemed worth keeping an eye on. That’s why I asked if you’d continue.”

“I plan to keep going until everyone believes goodwill without a price exists. Everyone around me already does. If I keep this up, won’t everyone else start believing too?”

“Hahaha, how long do you plan to live, saying things like that? It’ll take centuries at least.”

[The god’s son tried the same thing with twelve disciples. But even after 1992 years, 42% of the world’s population still doesn’t know the god’s son ever came to this world. It’ll probably take even longer for people to recognize your goodwill.]

‘Is that so?’

[It is.]

It doesn’t matter.

I don’t know how long I’ll live, but if I keep shining light where I can, more people will believe in goodwill than now.

That’s enough.

“What do you think of Soyeon?”

“She’s the best actress.”

“Not that. Are you going to stay just her fan?”

Cha Giwoong sighed.

Seems I misunderstood his intent.

“She’s an amazing woman. Beautiful, sincere about acting, meticulous about self-care, doesn’t discriminate despite being a star—it’s hard to find flaws in her.”

I quickly adjusted my answer to what he wanted.

But this time, it still wasn’t the right one.

“Who in Korea doesn’t know that? I asked how you feel about Soyeon! Is that so hard?”

It was a question I wanted to avoid, but now I was cornered.

If I dodged any further, he’d probably get angry.

“I know Soyeon sees me in a good light. I, too, have feelings for her. But right now, I’m still far from being worthy of standing by her side. All I can say is that I’m striving to become a man who deserves her.”

It wasn’t just Cha Soyeon.

I wanted to become a man worthy of Ryu Yeoreum and Min Hayoung, who also have feelings for me.

For the first time, I felt a desire beyond just making them shine.

Realistically, having all three by my side might be impossible.

But no matter who I end up with—or even if all three leave me—the effort I’ve put in will remain.

If that helps me become a better version of myself in the future, it’s worth trying.

It’ll also help me make others shine.

“‘Not worthy’… I think I can fill that gap for you.”

“You, sir?”

“Yes. Right now, you’re just a manager, hopelessly inadequate for Soyeon. So, how about this? I can make you the head of a usable entertainment company right now. Want to give it a try?”

[This reminds me of the three temptations the god’s son faced in the wilderness from Satan. But I trust you’ll choose wisely.]

‘I know without you telling me. I don’t wear clothes that don’t fit.’

[Good thinking.]

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not ready for that yet. I’ve only been at the company for four months. I want to climb step by step, gaining experience. Even as a corporate employee, I want to reach the top—but on my own. That’s the only way it’ll last.”

“In what lifetime? In this world, using family or connections is the norm.”

“Making others shine isn’t the norm either. I think Soyeon likes that about me. If I started taking the easy way, she’d probably dislike it. So I’ll just take your kind intentions to heart.”

Hearing this, Cha Giwoong burst into laughter.

“Good. If you’d taken the offer, I’d have kicked you out. This is more like the man Soyeon took an interest in. Keep climbing—I’ll be watching. I won’t help you the way you expect, but if it’s something completely unrelated like this, come to me for advice. Don’t go through Soyeon.”

Luckily, my answer was close to what he wanted.

“Thank you, sir.”

Guided by Cha Soyeon’s hand, we went upstairs.

The room was slightly larger than my rooftop.

There were two sunbed-shaped recliners, and half the ceiling was a skylight, revealing the sky.

“Sit here.”

Lying on the recliner and gazing at the sky through the skylight was perfect.

“This is nice. At night, it must feel like stargazing on a rooftop.”

“Right? That’s why I had the ceiling opened. For when I can’t go to Juwon’s place. Of course, I planned to bring you here too.”

Wait, she had this made to recreate my rooftop?

“If you were going to open the ceiling, why not do it at your place? You have a second floor.”

“I did my second floor first. But the elevation was too low—it didn’t feel like a rooftop. This place is behind the museum, much higher than my house. So I made it here.”

It was a room Cha Giwoong gave his granddaughter, though she barely visited once a month.

But after opening the ceiling, she started coming often, and even Cha Giwoong grew fond of it.

Somehow, she scored points with him over something absurd.

“What did you talk about with Grandpa?”

I explained everything—from driving out Jo Yangsu to my thoughts on Cha Soyeon and Cha Giwoong’s offer.

If I added or omitted anything clumsily, she’d notice immediately.

After listening, she climbed on top of me, pressing her body against mine.

She nuzzled my neck, breathing softly before lightly biting.

I couldn’t focus with her soft chest rubbing against me everywhere.

“Our Juwon said such sweet things to Grandpa? You’re so cute, I could die. Why do you keep making my heart race like this? I love it so much, really.”

As she spoke, she rubbed against my thighs.

This… is dangerous.

“Uh, Soyeon. If you keep this up, I might get excited…”

“Of course you should! If you don’t react after all this, I’ll be disappointed. Hurry up and grow already.”

What on earth is this woman saying?!