The Grace of Prophecy
I used a Grace (1)
I overslept this morning. After everything that happened yesterday, I still managed to sleep in. I really am something else.
You're quite the optimist. That kind of easygoing nature has a positive effect on your Graces.
The Divine Spirit was already chatty from the crack of dawn. I scarfed down a quick breakfast and got ready to head out. When I looked in the mirror, my face was exactly the same as yesterday. Of course it was.
Guess getting reborn doesn't automatically make you handsome.
Do you not like your face? I think it looks fine.
The Divine Spirit had just complimented me. But what exactly was this thing? Some kind of AI?
What kind of artificial intelligence can read a person's mind? Once you use your Grace, you'll see me differently. So let's get going.
It seemed pretty confident about this whole Grace business.
*
Since it was a weekday morning, Gangnam Station was relatively quiet.
You said we should go somewhere crowded.
“It’ll get busy after lunch. We just came out early.”
The thought of everyone else heading off to their jobs left a bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe it sensed my mood, because the Divine Spirit stopped urging me on.
As I kept walking, the Pine Entertainment headquarters came into view. With its distinctive design, the building had become a landmark in the Gangnam Station area. A few years back, it nearly collapsed after the Black TNT drug scandal, but after a complete management overhaul, it miraculously recovered. They restructured around their labels, strengthened their actor roster, and launched a string of successful idol groups. Now it was rising as a dark horse threatening the Big Three.
You know a lot about the company.
“I applied to their PR team. I figured I’d need to talk about it in the interview, so I did my research.”
How did the interview go?
“It didn’t. I got rejected at the document screening stage.”
…….
“You don’t have to comfort me. It’s not like it was my first or second time failing.”
Do you want to get in here?
“Of course I do. I’d love to work in the PR team of an agency like this.”
Why the PR team specifically?
“Because I can help others shine from behind the scenes.”
That’s quite different from what I expected.
“When I was little, I thought I’d be the one in the spotlight. But as I grew up, I realized that wasn’t the case. So I decided to become someone who helps others shine. And who shines more than celebrities? I can make already famous stars even brighter, and help those who haven’t made it yet find their light. That’s why I applied to the PR team—I thought I could help package them beautifully.”
How romantic.
“I guess I’ve always been good at helping people. Might as well turn what I’m good at into a career.”
Now I understand why God remade you, Master.
That was when something strange happened. Everything around me froze—except for me.
“W-what the…?”
I sensed your sincere intent. The Grace of Prophecy has manifested. While it’s active, time stops.
“The Grace of Prophecy?”
It lets you see what’s about to happen.
A screen identical to the one God had shown me appeared. The scene playing on it was… bad. Really bad.
“What the hell? She’s getting stabbed? Isn’t she going to die like that?”
Probably. She’s losing a lot of blood.
“Where? Where is she getting stabbed?”
Are you going to save her?
“Obviously. I’ll call the police. This is a murder in progress.”
But it hasn’t happened yet.
Oh. Right.
There won’t be time to call anyone. This footage is less than thirty seconds long.
Physically impossible for the police to arrive in time. “Isn’t there anything else? Something that keeps you from dying even if you get stabbed? Like a protector or something? Can’t you at least let me dodge that knife?”
If it’s just the knife, you’ll save her? Even though she’s a complete stranger to you?
“What does that matter? If I don’t know her, I’m supposed to just let her die? Then why the hell did you show me this?!”
The Divine Spirit paused for a moment before speaking again.
When the screen disappears, run down the stairs in front of you. It leads to the underground parking lot. I’ll take care of the knife.
Time began to flow again. I sprinted down the stairs the Divine Spirit had pointed out. There wasn’t a second to waste.
*
A black van was parked at the wide entrance of the underground parking lot. A man who looked like a bodyguard stepped out and opened the car door. A woman emerged from inside. She seemed uncomfortable in her shoes and paused in front of the vehicle to adjust them. The bodyguard walked ahead toward the entrance.
At that moment, a man wearing a cap pulled low over his face burst out from around the corner. He was holding something in his hand and charged straight at the woman. The glint of metal told me it was the knife from the vision.
Neither the woman nor the bodyguard had noticed him yet.
“Shit!”
Trusting the Divine Spirit, I threw myself between the woman and the man with the knife. The startled attacker slowed down and swung whatever he was holding at me.
Thud!
“Ugh.”
This crazy bastard just stabbed someone without hesitation?
“Hey! You said you’d stop it!”
Stop whining.
Huh? Something felt… off.
“It doesn’t even hurt?”
Only then did I look down. What was buried in my stomach was… a dried squid.
“What the hell is this?”
Did you really think I’d just stand by and watch you get stabbed? I was simply confirming whether your intent was genuine.
“Is this also a Grace?”
No. This is my own ability. Would you like to see one more?
The floor split open with a crack, and one of the man’s feet sank into the gap. He let out a short scream and collapsed.
“Whoa, the floor actually split.”
I parted the Red Sea. This is nothing. Now take that away from him. It’ll return to normal soon.
I twisted the arm of the man flailing on the ground until he dropped the squid. The dried squid that fell to the floor transformed back into a knife. Several bodyguards came running over. In an instant, they surrounded the man and subdued him. The cracked floor had already returned to normal.
Only then did I turn to look at the woman standing in front of the car.
Huh? It was Cha Soyeon. A top-tier actress that no one in South Korea could possibly fail to recognize. I had just saved the nation’s first love.
*****
“What? Soyeon was attacked?”
Park Beomjun, chairman of Pine Entertainment, shot up from his seat.
“It seems some guy charged at her with a knife in the underground parking lot. If a passerby hadn’t stopped him, it could have been disastrous.”
Division Director Yun Sangho answered with a grim expression. Chairman Park’s face grew strangely subtle at those words.
“You said he had a knife.”
“Yes.”
“And someone blocked it? Who?”
“I just received the report myself, so I’m not entirely sure. They said they brought him upstairs. Should I call him in?”
“Of course. Bring him up right away.”
As Director Yun turned to leave, Chairman Park called him back.
“Who was the guy with the knife? Why did he attack Soyeon?”
“I’ll look into it. The police took him into custody, and Team Leader 1 went with them. I’ll contact him.”
“Alright, got it.”
*
They sat me down in the conference room and then no one came in. Did I do something wrong?
That woman from earlier was a bit strange.
“Was it her expression?”
Yes.
It had been a vicious kitchen knife that would give anyone chills just looking at it. If she had seen the knife on the ground, she would have known exactly what kind of horror she had narrowly escaped. A normal woman would have been trembling or crying and running away, but Cha Soyeon’s reaction had been… off.
How could she have no expression at all?
Exactly what I was thinking. I couldn’t read any emotion from her. I almost wondered if she was even human.
She had simply stood there staring at me with an indifferent face. When the bodyguard approached, she gave me a slight nod and walked into the building. I was genuinely curious how someone could remain completely unfazed in a situation like that.
Someone’s coming.
A friendly-looking middle-aged man opened the door and smiled at me.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve been getting calls from everywhere…”
He extended his hand for a handshake.
“I’m Yun Sangho, Division Director of Pine Entertainment.”
A division director? That was a very high position, wasn’t it?
“Hello. I’m Shin Juwon.”
I shook his hand and bowed. A polite greeting was always a good way to break the ice.
“Nice to meet you. If you have time, would you come upstairs with me? Chairman Park is waiting for you.”
“Chairman Park…?”
“Yes. Chairman Park Beomjun would like to meet you.”
Wow. I save an actress and the chairman himself comes out? It gave me a sense of just how important Cha Soyeon was to the company.
Director Yun led me up to the top floor.
*
“Have a seat. I thought it would be right to greet you face to face.”
“Thank you, Chairman.”
“How did you even think to block a guy charging at you with a knife? I don’t think I could have done that.”
“I saw a suspicious man running toward someone, so I just instinctively stepped in. I didn’t even know he had a knife. If I had, honestly, I probably would have hesitated.”
I gave the answer I had prepared while waiting in the conference room. I had expected to talk to a manager or team leader, but the chairman was questioning me personally.
“Still, that was impressive. These days, people tend to ignore what happens to others and just go about their own business. Thank you. If it weren’t for you, our Soyeon could have been in real danger.”
His sharp features had put me a little on guard, but I liked how considerate and comfortable he was in conversation.
“What do you do for a living? You have a strong build—are you an athlete?”
“No. I’m currently preparing for employment.”
“A job seeker, then. Do you have any particular place in mind?”
“I’ve applied to various places, but I haven’t received any good news yet. I’m still submitting applications.”
“I see. By the way, what do you think about working here? I’m not saying this just because I’m the chairman, but this seems like a pretty good workplace.”
When I made a troubled expression, Chairman Park asked again.
“Why? Not interested?”
“It’s not that. I actually applied here before and got rejected.”
Both Chairman Park and Director Yun’s eyes widened. Their faces clearly said, What kind of coincidence is this?
“You applied to our company?”
“Yes. A few months ago, I saw a job posting for the PR team and applied, but I was turned down.”
“Well, this is…”
Chairman Park crossed his arms with a troubled look, then carefully studied my face again.
“We discard rejected resumes immediately, so it won’t be in the PR department. If you’re still interested in working here, bring your resume and come back tomorrow. If you don’t show up, I’ll assume you’re not interested. Take the day to think it over.”
He added that even if I didn’t join the company, he would still show his appreciation.
“But is it okay to rehire someone who was already rejected?”
“There should be a position for a righteous person willing to risk his life to save someone. However, if you want to stay with the company long-term, you’ll need to prove that you’re capable, Mr. Shin.”
He was giving me the ‘employment’ reward, but whether I survived here would be up to me. If I couldn’t perform, they could cut me at any time.
This is the kind of bonus God was talking about. You can accept it.
I had been hesitating, but the Divine Spirit drove the point home.
*
After Shin Juwon left the room, Director Yun Sangho asked,
“Chairman, what’s gotten into you? You don’t like parachute hires.”
“I just got a feeling.”
“A feeling?”
“Yeah. That young man… he has a different kind of energy about him.”