Echoes of Asael: A Manager's Second Chance

The Start Of Second Live

"Don't you wish to return to the past?"

My voice broke through the stillness of the midnight street, punctuated only by the distant hum of a passing car. I chuckled softly, the warmth of blood seeping from my chest a stark reminder of mortality's embrace.

In this twilight moment, with life slipping through my fingers, can time truly be rewound? Death looms ever nearer.

"It's not impossible," she insisted, her arms enveloping my fragile frame in an unexpected embrace. Though her face remained a mystery in the shadows, her words offered a glimmer of hope, a fragile lifeline in the darkness. Was this genuine salvation or a fleeting illusion, playing upon the fragile threads of my hope?

"I'm not playing games, Manager. I'll assist you. Just answer: yes or no."

Could it be true? Amidst the uncertainty, a spark of hope ignited within.

"I yearn for life."

Her smile, a beacon in the night, seemed both unfamiliar and strangely familiar. "Then let it be so, but remember, Manager, do not squander this opportunity. Live."

With a final breath, I surrendered to the night, closing my eyes to the world for the last time.

...

I slowly opened my eyes, welcoming the gentle rays of light filtering through. My head throbbed mercilessly, leaving me unable to steady myself.

"Miss, are you alright? Why are you sitting here?" A voice interrupted my daze, accompanied by a gentle touch on my shoulder. The speaker, a guy sporting black glasses and a hat, looked like an artist trying to remain incognito.

An artist?

I instinctively grabbed his arm, startling him. He withdrew, clearly taken aback by my sudden action. I returned to sitting on the ground.

"I-I'm sorry! You startled me by pulling my hand like that!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with surprise.

"Ah, my apologies. But... can you tell me what building this is?" I inquired, attempting to gather myself.

"You don't know?" he asked incredulously.

I smiled. It's not that I didn't know; I just needed confirmation that this wasn't all a dream.

"This is the AZ Entertainment building, one of Korea's most renowned entertainment companies after the Big 3. Are you sure you don't recognize it?" he explained proudly.

"By the way, you're an artist under this company too, aren't you?" I guessed.

Upon hearing my assumption, he hastily adjusted his hat and pulled out a mask from his pocket, quickly donning it. I couldn't help but smile at his spontaneous gesture. It was clear to anyone that he was an artist incognito.

"Don't worry! How about you give me a tour inside? Since you're also an artist with this company," I suggested.

"Sorry, but outsiders aren't allowed inside," he murmured.

"Oh, about that..." I almost forgot. I rummaged through my handbag and produced a name tag. My name, Kim Soojin, was written on it, along with my title: Manager of ASAEL. I showed it to him.

"What the heck? You're the manager for the new female K-pop group?! Why didn't you say so earlier?" he exclaimed, pulling off his mask in surprise.

"Alright, let's not waste any more time. Shall we go inside?" I proposed eagerly.

...

This is all real. Absolutely real. Not a dream.

After excusing myself to go to the restroom, my hands quickly turned on the faucet above the sink, and I immediately splashed my face repeatedly.

I wiped away the tears pooling beneath my eyelids. The event where I lay on the cool street, blood seeping from stab wounds in my chest, seemed like an unimaginable fairy tale. I quickly unbuttoned my shirt. I still needed to make sure if the horrifying ordeal I had just experienced was indeed real or not.

Nothing. Not a single trace or scar indicating my chest had been stabbed. A dream? But what I remembered was waking up and finding myself in front of this building. My mind began to recall something. I quickly rummaged through my bag and retrieved my cell phone. After the screen lit up, my eyes quickly caught the date displayed on it.

[16/05/2022]

"This date..."

Yes, I remembered. This is the most significant date in my life. The day I got my first job, even as the Manager of a K-pop Girl Group. It was a dream I had cherished since my youth.

"But... I was fired two years later? W-what actually happened?"

My thoughts tangled once again. I was still in a dilemma, whether to believe or not believe, in the life I had lived before, or the one now?

'Don't you wish to return to the past?'

A voice echoed in the depths of my memory.

'I'm not playing games, Manager. I'll assist you. Just answer: yes or no.'

Yes, I remembered the voice and the tone of this sentence.

'Then let it be so, but remember, Manager, do not squander this opportunity. Live.'

...Was it because of her? Was it because of that woman, that I was given a second chance at life? But why?

After pacing for a few minutes in the restroom, I began to clasp my hands together, as if in prayer.

"Oh God, if it is indeed Your will to give me a chance to redeem my past life, I-I will not regret it! Thank you, thank you so much!" I exclaimed loudly.

I would never regret it. This time, I needed to truly live as I should.

"But, first! I need to meet my future group later. And, I've already thought of the first solution!"