The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 91

"Subtly big, isn’t it…?"

She pressed down deeper than Cha Soyeon.

In his mind, Cha Soyeon’s ranking dropped a level.

"Hahng, Oppa’s scent… I don’t know why it’s so good."

Honey dripped between every word.

Her sweet voice clung stickily to his ears.

Had he heard this voice in the Garden of Eden, he would’ve plucked the forbidden fruit without hesitation.

"Uh… you’re sticking too close…"

"Don’t worry. I have manners too—how could I go ahead of the other unnie? You can take your time enjoying them first before coming to me."

Despite her words, she showed no intention of pulling away.

"Right now… I just want to feel Oppa’s scent, Oppa’s heartbeat, Oppa’s touch. That much is okay, right?"

As she spoke, she gazed at him with dewy eyes.

Now he understood why kings of old ruined their nations for women.

Afraid he wouldn’t hold back if she got any closer, he sat her down beside him and offered her beer.

Wrapped in the pleasant night air, they kept tilting their glasses.

"When I called, Soyeon unnie said it was too fast, but I think differently, y’know…"

Now that she was tipsy, her words began to slur.

Her sticky voice suited this languid tone perfectly.

"My body’s good enough to sink into… You listen to me with a smile… You give me just the right advice… You save me like a prince when I’m in danger… And you don’t ask for anything in return—how could I not like you? You’re my lucky teddy bear… How could I not love you?"

As she spoke, she drifted off to sleep beside him.

Her final words were:

"Sooo… you have to take all of me, body and heart… You already have my heart, so take my body too… Hng, you took it in my dream… It felt so good…"

Just what the hell did I do in her dream?

Though it was Saturday, he had to drop by the office often for Red Blossom’s promotions.

After taking Yuna back to the dorm, he planned to head straight to work.

Adjusting the seasoning of the soybean sprout soup in the kitchen, he noticed the clear difference from Yeoreum’s version.

‘I should ask her for the ratio later.’

Hearing clattering sounds, Yuna rubbed her eyes and emerged from the room.

Even with her disheveled hair, her radiant beauty remained undimmed.

"Sorry… Did I wake up too late?"

Even her dazed expression looked sexy—this girl was truly devilish.

"No, you woke up just in time. Feeling okay? Come try this."

Despite the chilly weather, the morning air on the rooftop was refreshing.

Since Yuna wanted to eat outside, he set the meal on the terrace.

After taking a spoonful of the hot soybean sprout soup, her eyes widened.

"It’s delicious…"

"I’m nothing special. Wait till you try Yeoreum’s version—it’s on another level."

"I wanted to eat while watching her videos. Now that we’re colleagues, I’ll just ask her to make it for me."

"Colleagues?"

"Your girlfriend."

She grinned brightly.

A girl in love expresses her feelings in the most adorable way.

(He emphasized it three times because it was important.)

"Hey, Oppa…"

"Yeah?"

"Can you interpret my dream again?"

"You had another one?"

"Yeah. I think I dreamed it early this morning…"

"Tell me."

It was a beautiful garden filled with people.

Everything was vibrant, like a scene from a festival.

Above the garden, five fairies danced.

Beautiful butterfly wings adorned their backs.

Suddenly, the massive cliff behind the garden collapsed.

Boulders and mounds of dirt rained down, burying the garden.

People screamed and fled, and the fairies vanished.

The cascading dirt covered half the garden before finally stopping.

"That’s it?"

"No, the important part comes now."

The festival-goers stared at the ruined garden in despair.

Then, from the other side, a giant hippopotamus came charging in.

Stopping before the dirt pile, it took a deep breath—

—and exhaled a tremendous gust of wind, instantly blowing away the debris.

As the garden regained its form, the crowd cheered and resumed the festival.

The vanished fairies returned, embroidering the garden in dazzling colors.

"The hippo smiled at me—it looked just like you."

"Last time it was a bear, now a hippo?"

"It wasn’t just any bear or hippo. It was a handsome bear and a cool hippo."

"Still just animals."

"Maybe one day, Oppa will treat me like an animal too."

She giggled mischievously.

This minx.

"What does this dream mean?"

"Well…"

The moment he spoke, his mouth moved on its own.

The gift of dream interpretation.

"An important place for five people collapsed due to a natural disaster. The crowd’s despair means their expectations were met with disappointment. The giant hippo represents an immense power capable of restoring what was lost—it’ll appear when needed."

At that, his mouth closed.

Like last time, it foretold a problem and its resolution.

‘I thought I wasn’t using prophetic gifts anymore? Couldn’t You just show me this normally?’

[How would I know the divine will? Seeing how things keep changing, He must be bored lately.]

Tch, what a carefree god.

"Who are the five people?"

"No idea. Since it’s your dream, maybe someone around you?"

"Five people… The only thing that comes to mind is Red Blossom. With two new members, it’s five now."

"True."

But Red Blossom suffering a natural disaster? Not in his memory.

They’d halted all external activities until their comeback.

"If a landslide happens like in the dream, can you handle it? Rocks and dirt falling everywhere and all."

She mimed something crashing down over her head.

If she did that on a variety show, viewers would melt.

"I’ve stopped a typhoon before, but a landslide? No clue. If I’m meant to solve it, a way will appear."

"Will the one who gave you your powers help?"

"That’s how it’s been so far."

"I’m excited. I wonder what ability you’ll show next."

Her eyes sparkled like a child discovering a new toy function.

Once Red Blossom’s comeback was officially announced, the album name, schedule, tracklist, trailer, concept photos, highlight medley, and music video teaser would be released sequentially.

This promotion would last about three weeks.

"We need to completely redo the music video."

On the rooftop, Team Leader Baek Hakyeong discussed promotions with him.

Since he didn’t always attend promotion meetings, he sometimes caught up like this.

"If only their second album’s MV had been decent, they wouldn’t have flopped so hard. Love Connect eventually charted in reverse, after all."

He’d never forget the comments from viewers who checked out the MV during its resurgence:

— tfw the song’s wasted
— What were they thinking?
— The girls are pretty but they made them look like beggars
— How did they not feel ashamed filming this?
— I’d usually blame my lack of taste but this is just…

Baek explained that when talentless people pursue avant-garde, this is the result.

"Studios 1 and 2 do decent work, but they’re used to boy groups. Their default style is powerful—it doesn’t fit this concept."

"Then what do we do?"

"Find another place. The director said as long as the budget’s approved, we can handle it."

Perhaps because they favored him, the company spared no expense for the album and MV despite Red Blossom’s past failures.

The tracklist was excessively generous—now, only the MV production remained.

These days, music is as much about visuals as sound, making MVs crucial.

YouTube views have long been a metric for popularity.

Trailers, main MVs, performance videos—the categories have multiplied.

"So I called in a favor. Since we’re doing this, let’s make Red Blossom shine like stars in the sky, kuhahaha!"

Baek’s enthusiasm was almost frightening.

But for him and the girls, nothing could be better.

"So, where is it?"

"Mackerel Kidnappers."

That B-movie ad agency?

Mackerel Kidnappers Office —

He accompanied Team Leader Park Chanhyuk to meet director Lee Jooyoung, the company’s head.

Since he’d oversee the MV shoot, he attended from the production meeting.

"How do you know Team Leader Baek Hakyeong?"

"We worked on a few ads together. He’s got a temper, but his skills are undeniable—that’s why I kept collaborating. Who else would put up with him?"

If this man endured pre-reformed Baek, he must be… a saint.

"He’s got few friends, and I’m the oldest among them."

If he’s the one who lasted longest against that attitude, he must be a good guy.

He’d have to get closer to him.

"He called asking for a silhouette-style MV."

Silhouette was the girl group that represented Fine Entertainment before Chairman Park Beomjun arrived.

They debuted around the same time as Black TNT, but while the latter became infamous for drug scandals, Silhouette enjoyed a long, clean run.

Director Lee played their music video on a large screen.

Seeing it after so long brought back memories.

"It’s the only MV Hajin and Sora filmed together. Back then, Sora caused a huge stir—comments still pour in. Wonder what those two are up to in the States."

The only music video featuring Byun Hajin and Han Sora together.

As a Hajin fan, he’d watched it immediately upon release—but it was Han Sora’s beauty that left him awestruck.

What expression would Director Lee make if he knew they were raising a child together in America?