“My mother goes to church.”
“I know. Sometimes you go with her, too.”
“Only when her legs bother her and she needs a ride. I don’t go on my own.”
“Why are you suddenly talking about church?”
“A few years ago, the Pope visited Korea. There was a mass in Yeouido, so I took my mother there. By some stroke of luck, we got to see him up close.”
“Really?”
The department head’s eyes lit up with interest.
“He looked like just an ordinary old Western man. But… the aura around him was incredible. It was this overwhelming presence — like an insurmountable wall. It wasn’t something you could easily approach.”
“You’ve always been sensitive to that kind of energy.”
“Exactly. My instincts about people are usually spot on. Every time I ignored that gut feeling and did business with someone who gave me bad vibes, it never turned out well.”
“What did you feel from that kid?”
“That’s why I brought up the Pope. The energy I felt from him… it was even stronger than what I felt back then. Something massive. I couldn’t let him slip away.”
“That serious?”
Chairman Park nodded, leaning back into the sofa.
“I want to find out exactly what that feeling was. The kid looked like he wanted to join the company — once he’s in, keep a close eye on him. If I call him up too often myself, the other employees will think he’s just some parachute hire.”
The department head grinned mischievously.
“I think there’s a better way.”
“A better way?”
“If we’re talking about Pope-level vibes, aren’t we looking at someone like a saint or a messenger of God?”
“That’s right.”
“And those kinds of people… they always attract trials and tribulations. Problems follow them wherever they go, and they solve them — often with a little divine intervention along the way, right?”
“Go on.”
Park’s interest was clearly piqued.
“When this kid joins, let’s give him some of those trials. If the energy you felt is real, then the challenges our company faces should be nothing to him.”
“And what kind of ‘trials’ would those be?”
“Plenty. Failing projects, underperforming groups, teams on the verge of being shut down… there’s no shortage of problems if we look for them.”
“Is our company really in that much trouble?”
“We expanded too quickly — too many labels, too many teams. I’ve mentioned before that we need to start trimming things down. Let’s drop him into one of those problem areas and see what happens.”
“And if we do?”
“If he turns things around, then you were right about him. If not, well… he’s just a regular guy. Isn’t that what you want to find out?”
Park fell into thought.
It was a bit of a stretch, but the logic was hard to deny.
“We’ll have kept our promise to hire him — and department assignments are the company’s decision anyway. A little trial by fire could be good experience for a newcomer.”
“You really do have a silver tongue. I can never win against you in an argument.”
“Then I’ll take that as approval and move forward.”
“Do it. But this is strange.”
“What is?”
“You hate getting involved in employee placements just as much as I hate parachute hires. What’s got you so curious about this kid?”
“I’m intrigued.”
“By him?”
“Yeah.”
The bodyguard said the kid didn’t even know it was Cha Soyeon.
He had no idea who she was — and still threw himself in front of a knife.
I don’t believe in selflessness without a price, but this guy risked his life without expecting anything in return.
That doesn’t make sense to me.
“I want to see what kind of person he really is.”
“Same here. I want to know just how far his kindness goes.”
“I’ll keep a close eye on him.”
*
“Achoo!”
Was someone talking about me?
*****
Early the next morning, I headed to Pine Entertainment with my resume in hand.
When I explained my visit at the information desk, they gave me a temporary pass and directions to the HR department.
But… my sense of direction wasn’t exactly my strong suit.
“They definitely said the fourth floor… right?”
[Ask someone if you see them. This place is bigger than I thought.]
“Yeah, yeah.”
As I wandered, I passed what looked like a practice room.
The walls were glass, so I could see inside — where someone was fiddling with the audio equipment.
Even from the side, she was stunning.
A delicate, picture-perfect face.
A perfectly sculpted figure with long, graceful legs like a deer’s — the kind of body made for modeling or idol work.
She kept tapping the poor audio equipment in frustration — clearly something wasn’t working.
[You really can’t just walk past someone in trouble, can you?]
“It’s not that hard to fix, right? It’s probably just a loose connection or something.”
I knocked on the glass window, but she didn’t even glance my way.
That’s some serious focus.
I decided to just walk in and speak up.
“Is something not working?”
“KYAAAA!”
She jumped back so fast it was like she teleported, pressing herself flat against the wall.
Her reflexes were just as impressive as her concentration.
“Wh-Who…?”
I hesitated.
How was I even supposed to introduce myself?
“Uh… I’m not some suspicious guy! I… I’m an incoming employee. I was just passing by and thought you looked like you needed help…”
“Incoming… employee?”
“Well, I mean, I will be… once I find someone from HR. I haven’t met them yet…”
She stared at me with wide, suspicious eyes.
Honestly, it was unfair for someone to look that beautiful even when they were angry.
[Have you never talked to a girl before? Why are you stuttering so much?]
“I’ve just been busy preparing for jobs since I finished my military service, okay? I did have a girlfriend before I enlisted.”
If she had been just an ordinary girl, I wouldn’t be this flustered.
But she was unrealistically gorgeous — it was hard not to be nervous.
[If you’re going to help, hurry up. You still have to get to HR.]
Right.
It wouldn’t do to be late on my first day.
“What’s the issue? No sound coming out?”
I approached the audio equipment, trying to focus.
“…….”
She still didn’t move away from the wall, watching me like a wary kitten.
It didn’t seem like she actually wanted my help.
And honestly, I didn’t have time to stand around convincing her.
“Sorry for bothering you.”
I turned toward the door.
“…The sound keeps cutting in and out. Yesterday, a few taps would fix it — but today, nothing’s working.”
Finally, she spoke up.
I went back to the audio deck, checking the cables and pressing the play button.
No response.
So it wasn’t a connection or control issue.
As I fiddled with the settings, I noticed her inching closer, a hint of hope in her expression.
I wanted to fix it for her — she’d come here early to practice, after all.
That kind of dedication deserved support.
[Your sincerity’s showing. You really want to help her.]
“Of course. She’s obviously hardworking — you want to do what you can for someone like that.”
[Because of that sincerity, you’ve awakened the Gift of Healing.]
“The… Gift of Healing?”
[It’s a divine gift that lets you heal what’s broken.]
“Why would that show up now?! This is a machine — it’s not sick!”
[It’s broken. Isn’t that kind of the same thing?]
“…What?”
[You’re thinking too narrowly about the power the gods granted you. Put your hand on the machine’s ‘wound.’]
I rested my hand on the deck, and I did feel a faint energy.
“Is… this really all I have to do?”
[You’ve done your part. The machine will let you know when it’s healed.]
As I kept my hand there, I heard her voice behind me.
“…Are you really fixing it? You’ve just been holding your hand there this whole time.”
At that exact moment, the speakers crackled to life — and a bright, upbeat intro burst from them.
Her face lit up in pure joy, and my heart nearly stopped.
“It’s working!”
Her smile bloomed so beautifully that I felt my knees go weak.
[Steady yourself. You look like you’re about to pass out.]
“This isn’t illness! It’s just—!”
As she bounced happily in place, I caught a glimpse of something — a small red mark on her ankle.
“What’s that red spot on her ankle?”
[Sometimes the Gift highlights places where pain lingers.]
So… that must mean her ankle’s hurting.
As I was trying to fix the equipment, I heard the sound of the door opening.
When I turned around, a man was standing at the entrance.
“Shin Juwon?”
“Yes? Uh… yes.”
“What are you doing here? The front desk called, and we’ve been waiting for you.”
He must be from the HR department.
Looks like I took too long.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll come right away.”
As I started to leave the practice room, the girl suddenly followed me.
“Um…”
When I turned to look at her, she bowed her head politely.
“Sorry about earlier. I really thought you were some suspicious guy.”
“Oh, it’s… it’s okay. I mean, you didn’t know me — that’s understandable.”
“Thank you for fixing the audio. I’ve never seen anyone fix it like that before.”
Well, to be honest, I’d never fixed anything like that before either.
I just smiled awkwardly.
Still, that red mark on her ankle kept bothering me.
I figured I’d get the chance to fix it after I officially started working here.
As we walked down the hallway, the HR staff looked at me curiously.
“Did you live abroad?”
“Huh? No, I didn’t.”
“Really? But your English is so good.”
What?
“You were just speaking English with Rina back there. Your pronunciation was completely native.”
*
Following the staff member, I quietly spoke to the spirit.
“What was that about? I was speaking English?”
[When someone speaks a different language, it automatically translates so you can understand it. It’s like a passive skill — you won’t even notice it happening. It works the same when you speak.]
“Wait — I can do that? Is this another gift?”
[That’s right. It’s called the Gift of Tongues. It’s one of the basic abilities given to those who receive divine blessings.]
“Does that mean I can speak any language?”
[The gift you received has existed since the beginning of time — long before humans foolishly built the Tower of Babel. Naturally, it isn’t bound by language barriers.]
Curious, I pulled out my phone and opened YouTube.
I found an opera performance and hit play…And every word came through in perfect Korean.
Oh my God.