The Light That Hasn't Yet Faded
I gave her a massage.
“Oppa, why did you become a manager?”
Just as I was curious about them, they were curious about me too. In moments like this, I had to open up at least as much as I’d heard from them—actually, even more. If I hid anything or put up walls, we’d never get close.
“Ever since I was little, I loved movies and dramas. The way actors performed looked so cool to me. How should I put it… it felt like they were shining incredibly bright?”
So I wanted to shine too.
“I begged my mom to let me join an acting academy. I thought if I acted, I’d shine just like those actors.”
Before I knew it, all three of them were completely absorbed in my story.
“But no matter how hard I tried, my acting never improved. After about a year, I realized it. Ah, I have no talent for this.”
It was the first major setback of my life.
“Even before I started at the academy, I had my whole life planned out. Go to the academy, get into a theater and film department in college, debut before graduation, and become a shining actor… that was the plan. But it all fell apart in just one year.”
“So what did you do?”
“What could I do? I just went to college.”
“What university?”
Lina’s questions never seemed to end; her curiosity kept bubbling up with every answer.
“Manager-nim, you graduated from Korea University.”
Huh?
“How did you know I went to Korea University?”
Yeoreum waved her hands with an oh crap expression. Her face had turned strangely red.
“Ah, that… I was just curious, so I asked the team leader and she told me.”
Why is she digging into my personal info like that?
“But I couldn’t give up on shining. So after I graduated, I decided to do a job that helps other people shine.”
“Helps people shine?”
Question marks seemed to pop up over all three of their heads.
“Yeah. The job of making talented entertainers shine. If they’re already shining, I make them shine even brighter. If they haven’t started shining yet, I help them begin. That’s basically what everyone in an entertainment agency does once you take the idols out of the equation.”
Of course, some people probably just saw it as a regular job, but if you looked hard enough, there were definitely others who thought the same way I did.
“Then… you must be disappointed taking us on. We’re not shining at all. We’re mangdol who could go out at any moment.”
Yeoreum’s voice was completely deflated. Sera and Lina’s expressions darkened along with hers.
“You didn’t listen properly to what I said. You’re not fading out—you just haven’t started shining yet. No, that’s not quite right. You are giving off light, but people don’t know it yet. So I’m going to tell them. I’m going to let them know there are kids here who are shining.”
[It's truly surprising. How can you say such cringeworthy things with complete sincerity?]
‘Shut up.’
I could see the girls looking flustered. Maybe I’d been too honest?
“Um… this is the first time a manager has ever spoken to us like this, so I don’t really know what to say. But… thank you for saying that.”
“Ugh, Oppa’s words are so touching I want to do something, but there’s nothing I can do and it’s making me so mad! The company already abandoned us!”
Lina looked like she was about to cry at any second.
“It wasn’t our fault that two members left. I wish they’d at least give us one real chance.”
It was rare for Sera to voice her own opinion. I was frustrated enough; I couldn’t imagine how they felt.
“Neither our team nor you guys are finished yet. Nothing’s visible right now, but… I’ll start by doing whatever I can. There has to be a path. A path where I can show the world how brightly you shine.”
[You’re really going all the way with the cringe, huh?]
‘You might find it cringy, but look at their faces. It worked perfectly.’
Their eyes were different now. I could feel trust—well, at least the desire to trust.
*
It was time to head back, so I stood up. That’s when I saw a red dot on Lina’s ankle. It was the same red dot I’d seen on her in the practice room on my first day at work. I’d completely forgotten about fixing it.
‘That’s the painful spot, right? I spaced out. Can I fix it now?’
[I never said it required the Grace of Healing.]
‘What are you talking about? You said it was related to a Grace.’
[It is related, but not to the Grace of Healing. That’s a mark for the Grace of Relationships.]
‘Grace of Relationships?’
[It’s a Grace that improves your relationship with the target. It makes trust, affection, and love surge forth, creating a positive effect on the bond.]
So it wasn’t something that needed healing. But then how was I supposed to use it?
[You don’t need to do anything right away. It’s more like a hint, so you can take your time figuring it out.]
“Unnie~ My ankle and calf are tight again. Can’t you give me a massage?”
Massage?
“I’ll do it before bed. We haven’t even done the dishes yet.”
“Hiiing~”
From her reaction, it seemed Yeoreum gave her massages pretty often. This was definitely a hint. Because a red dot had also appeared on Lina’s calf.
“Should I do it?”
“Oppa?”
Lina’s ears perked up and her face brightened.
“I used to give my mom a lot of massages. She always said it felt great.”
“Really? Then please do!”
She immediately spread out a mat and flopped down. Did this girl have zero sense of caution about a man touching her?
“Lina… The manager has to leave soon…”
“It’s fine. This won’t take long.”
I had studied by watching YouTube videos to help my mom. Loosening up the calves and ankles was actually pretty simple. For the calves, you just press and stroke with both thumbs. For the ankles, you press firmly with your thumb starting from the heel. The key was the pressure from the thumbs—a man’s strength had an overwhelming advantage. If I put my body weight into it, it would feel much more refreshing than when Yeoreum did it.
Just as I expected, Lina’s reaction from the very first touch was anything but ordinary.
“Hngh, haaang… hng, hiiik! Th-there… it f-feels so good.”
“Kyaaang! Hngh… hiiik. Hyaang~ Aaaah… more, more… keep going, haaaang!”
“L-Lina… you—!”
Yeoreum’s face was bright red. Sera hugged a cushion tightly, fidgeting restlessly. I never imagined such 19+ moans would come pouring out.
A little while later—
Lina lay sprawled on the floor like meat soaked in salted shrimp sauce.
“Unnie~ I’m done for. My body can never go back to how it was before…”
With those words that would cause a massive misunderstanding if anyone else heard them, she dramatically passed out. My massage must have been very much to her liking.
Thanks to that, the next day Yeoreum received a massage, and the day after that Sera lay down on the mat. In addition to calves and ankles, foot massages were added to the menu. The three of them had more spots that felt refreshed, and I got to knead their pretty feet to my heart’s content. It was a win-win.
[Master. I think you might have a foot fetish.]
‘Shut up!’
I wasn’t sure how much our relationship had improved, but I had officially become their manager and personal masseur. One more point of contact with the three of them.
*****
I stopped by the filming set while handling things for the actor team and came back carrying a prop box.
“I’m back.”
The team leader took the box as if she’d been waiting and pointed toward the conference room.
“Go in right away.”
“Who’s here?”
“You’ll see when you go in.”
Her expression looked urgent, so I quickly opened the conference room door.
“Hello.”
Inside a blinding mass of light, she was sitting there.
It was Cha Soyeon, the top-class actress.
[Whoa. For someone who hasn’t even received a Grace, that aura is incredible.]
‘Is it that big a deal?’
[It’s an aura that doesn’t lose out to a saint’s halo. Having an aura like that purely through your own ability is incredibly difficult.]
After Han Sora, the child acting genius who had dominated the scene, stepped away from domestic activities, Cha Soyeon was the actress with the highest chance of filling that empty spot. I’d only passed by her in the parking lot before, so I hadn’t realized, but seeing her face-to-face like this, her presence was no joke.
The only thing I wished she would fix was that expressionless face that showed absolutely no emotion.
“Hello.”
“Please sit. I have something to tell you.”
I sat across from Cha Soyeon.
“I’m late with my thank you. I only returned to the country last night.”
“You didn’t have to thank me. I did it because I wanted to, and thanks to that, I received quite a nice reward.”
“The signing bonus, right?”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything you want?”
“Sorry?”
“I want to give you something too, but I don’t know what men like. Do you need a car?”
“No, um…”
“Or would you like to move here? Looking at your address, your place seems quite far.”
Just like Yeoreum, why were so many people suddenly interested in my personal information?
“Or…”
When she mentioned a car I was going to say it was fine, but the moment she brought up housing, a lightbulb went off in my head. I had remembered Red Blossom’s shabby dorm. Every time I left the officetel, it had bothered me. If only there was one more room. If only there was a bathtub instead of just a basin. If only there was an island counter where I could put a cutting board. If only the living room was a little bigger…
“Could you possibly get us an officetel near the company? At minimum, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen with an island, and a living room big enough for a large TV would be perfect.”
“That’s quite specific.”
“If possible, I’d like to ask for the deposit and six months of rent. If that’s too much, even three months would be fine.”
“Why did you set a time limit?”
“Because if we can’t show something within that time, there won’t be any reason for those people to live near the company.”
“Weren’t you the one who was going to live there?”
“I like where I’m living now. The officetel I asked for will be for Red Blossom.”
“Red Blossom…?”
“It’s the girl group that Team 5 is in charge of.”
Cha Soyeon’s expression became strange.
“Why is Juwon-ssi trying to find housing for a girl group?”