I Used a Grace (2)
“Mom goes to church,” the chairman said.
“I know. You sometimes accompany her when she attends, don’t you, sir?”
“Only when she complains about her legs. I escort her. I don’t go on my own two feet.”
“Why the sudden talk about church?”
“A few years ago, the Pope visited Korea. There was a mass at Yeouido, so I took Mother along. We were lucky enough to see him up close.”
“Really?” Head Yoon asked, clearly intrigued.
“He looked like nothing more than an ordinary old Western man. But his presence… it was overwhelming. An aura you couldn’t approach. A sense of oppression. Like standing before a massive wall. There was simply something about him that commanded respect.”
“You’ve always been good at sensing that sort of energy, sir.”
“True. I trust my instincts. I’ve never had a successful deal with anyone who gave me a bad feeling. Strangely enough, the intuition is usually spot on.”
“What did you sense from that young man?”
“Exactly. That’s why I brought up the Pope. The energy I felt from him was even greater than what I sensed that day. So I told him to come to the company. I couldn’t let him slip away.”
“Was it that strong?”
Chairman Park nodded and leaned back against the sofa.
“I want to confirm exactly what I felt. He seemed eager to join, so once he’s in, watch him closely. If I keep calling him in, the other employees will assume he’s a parachute hire.”
Seeing the chairman’s serious expression, Head Yoon fell into thought.
“Don’t we have openings for road managers? That position has high turnover.”
“I think sending him to Team 5 would work. Chan-hyuk mentioned he needs more people.”
“Team 5? The one with Red Blossom?”
“Yes. Quite a few staff members have left that team.”
“Why does that team have such high turnover? Is there a problem with the team leader?”
“The staff are fine. The problem is Red Blossom itself.”
Chairman Park sighed and settled deeper into his chair.
“It’s a shame. If not for that incident, I was planning to push one more album.”
“It would be difficult with the current members. Even I don’t know what to do. We can’t keep feeding them false hope, but no clear solution has presented itself.”
Chairman Park tapped his fingers on the desk—a habit of his when weighing a decision.
“The PR team has no openings at the moment. If a position opens in Team 5, I’ll bring it up.”
“Fine. Send him to Team 5. We should fill the spots that actually need people first.”
“I’ll do that. It might be tough at the beginning, but experiencing something like this as a new hire could be very beneficial for him.”
“Let’s hope so. Though, Head, you’re acting rather unusual.”
“In what way?”
“You’ve never meddled in personnel matters before, just as I dislike parachute hires. What suddenly made you take an interest in that young man?”
“He intrigues me.”
“You find him intriguing?”
“Yes. From the bodyguard’s account, he only realized it was Cha Soyeon afterward. He blocked a knife without even knowing who she was. I don’t believe in unconditional goodwill, but that man risked his life with no expectation of reward. It defies my understanding. So I want to observe him.”
“That part surprises me as well. Which is why I want to see how far his goodwill extends.”
“I’ll look into it as thoroughly as possible.”
*Achoo!* Is someone talking about me?
*****
I arrived at Pine Entertainment early in the morning, resume in hand. After explaining my purpose at the information desk, they issued me a temporary pass and directed me to the HR department. Unfortunately, my sense of direction has never been great.
They definitely said the fourth floor.
If you see someone, ask for directions. The building is wider than it looks.
Got it.
As I walked along, I spotted what appeared to be a practice room. The hallway wall was made of glass, offering a clear view inside. Someone was fiddling with the audio equipment. Even from the side, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Her proportions were perfect for a model or idol—elegant lines, long deer-like legs, and a body built for the stage.
Whatever wasn’t working had her tapping irritably at the audio unit. She looked like she could use some help.
You can’t just walk past someone in trouble, can you?
It’s not difficult. She probably just plugged something in wrong.
I knocked on the window, but she didn’t even glance my way. Incredible focus.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
“What’s not working?”
“Kyaaaaaack!”
She instantly put distance between us and plastered herself against the wall. Her concentration was impressive, but her reflexes were on another level.
“W-who…?”
I suddenly had no idea how to introduce myself.
“Ah, um… I’m not a suspicious person… I’m a prospective new employee… I was just passing by and you looked like you were struggling, so…”
“Prospective new employee?”
“Well, yes, I am supposed to be joining… but I haven’t met with HR yet…”
She glared at me with narrowed eyes. It should be illegal for someone to look that beautiful even when angry.
Have you never spoken to a woman before? Why are you stuttering like that?
It’s because after my discharge I’ve been job hunting and haven’t been around women for a while. I had a girlfriend before joining the army.
If she had been an ordinary girl, I wouldn’t have stumbled over my words. But meeting someone this unrealistically beautiful had me tense before I even realized it.
If you’re going to help, do it quickly. You still need to get to HR.
She was right. I couldn’t keep them waiting on my first day.
“What’s the issue? No sound coming out?” I asked as I walked over to the audio equipment.
“……”
She still refused to leave the wall, watching me like a wary stray cat. Apparently she had no intention of accepting help.
I didn’t have time to argue.
“Sorry for bothering you.”
I apologized and turned toward the door.
“…The sound keeps cutting in and out. Yesterday a few taps would fix it, but today there’s nothing at all.”
She finally explained the problem.
I returned to the unit, checked the connected audio jack, and pressed play. No response. It wasn’t a connection or user error.
As I continued fiddling with it, the girl cautiously drew closer. A faint spark of hope appeared on her face.
I wanted to help, but this was beyond my ability.
In response to Master’s sincere desire to help, the Grace of Healing has manifested.
Grace of Healing?
It is a Grace capable of healing any ailment.
Why would that appear now? This is a machine. A broken machine!
The machine is in pain, is it not?
Are you not viewing God’s precious Grace too narrowly?
Wow. The range on this thing.
Place your hand on the afflicted area.
When I laid my hand on the deck, I felt a faint flow of energy.
Like this?
You need do nothing more, Master. The machine will signal you once it is healed.
As I kept my hand in place, a voice came from behind me.
“Are you actually fixing it? You’ve just been holding your hand there the whole time.”
Suddenly, a bright, cheerful intro began playing from the speakers.
The girl’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at me.
“I-it’s working!”
A bright smile bloomed across her face, and I felt my heart drop straight through the floor. How could anyone be this beautiful?
Put your hand over your heart. It looks like you might faint.
That’s not an injury!
As she jumped for joy, I noticed a small red point of light on her ankle.
What’s that red dot? On her ankle.
The Grace sometimes highlights the affected area like that.
So that was where it hurt. I was about to heal it when I heard the door open.
When I turned, a man was standing in the doorway.
“Shin Juwon?”
“Yes? Yes, that’s me.”
“What are you doing in here? The desk called us ages ago. We’ve been waiting.”
He must have been from HR. I had taken far too long.
“I’m sorry. I’ll come right now.”
As I tried to leave the practice room, the girl hurried after me.
“Um…”
When I turned back, she bowed politely.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I really thought you were some suspicious person.”
“Ah, no… it’s fine. We’ve never met before, so that reaction makes sense.”
“Thank you for fixing the audio. I’ve never seen anyone repair it that way.”
It was my first time fixing anything that way too, so I simply smiled.
Still, that red dot on her ankle kept bothering me. Once I officially joined, I’d run into her again. I could heal it properly then.
Out in the hallway, the employee glanced at me and asked, “Did you live abroad?”
“Huh? No, I didn’t.”
“Really? Then how are you so good at English?”
What was he talking about?
“You were speaking English with Lina earlier. Your pronunciation was completely native.”
*
As I followed the employee, I spoke to the Divine Spirit.
What is he talking about? Did I really speak English with her?
When another language is heard, it is automatically converted so Master can understand it. It is a passive ability, so you would not have noticed. The same applies when you speak.
Whoa, it can do that? Is this also a Grace?
Yes. It is the Grace of Tongues. This is a fundamental ability granted to anyone who receives a Grace.
So it works with languages other than English too?
The Grace you received has existed since the dawn of time. It predates the foolish humans’ construction of the Tower of Babel, so it is naturally unbound by any language.
I pulled out my phone and opened YouTube. I searched for an opera performance and hit play. It should have been in Italian, yet… every word came through in perfect Korean.
Oh my God.