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nerolovesseongjiyuk · 11 days ago

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reblog to say i take suggestions for future chapters or requests for seperate hcs or scenarios for this specific fic!

SAJA BOYS X MANAGER! READER

- PT. 1

- CONTENTS: when you lose your only source of income, you resort to desperate measures that somehow work.

- WARNINGS: some panicking from [name], written with fem! reader in mind, but can be read as gn! reader. mentions of abductions and kidnapping, tell me if I forgot any

- NOTES: this chapter was supposed to be longer, but i need a dopamine release to keep writing for this fic lol.

As far as you know, nobody else gets to deal with man-children demons for a job, yet here you are. You, [name], are the manager for the Saja boys, unfortunately. What got you into this situation? Desperation and an empty bank account.

It was dark out, and you were on your way to the convenience store after being fired from your job, miserable but really fucking hungry. Your (now ex-) boss decided that he no longer needed as many employees to market his "miracle youth rejuvenating tea" scam, laying you and several coworkers off.

You pitifully glanced at your wallet, clutching it until your knuckles turned white. You only had enough money to cover your rent and utilities, not even food. 'Really living up to the broke, starving artist stereotype, aren't you, [name]?' you thought to yourself, letting out a deep sigh. And despite the lack of money, you decided a late-night snack was worth it to quell your anxiety for the time being.

Your eyebrows furrowed, and a drop of sweat ran down the side of your face as you realised the severity of your situation. You let out a shaky breath, forcing a leg in front of the other and making your way to the store. You crossed this path so many times before that it was just muscle memory at this point.

Finally looking up after a few minutes of walking, you noticed a poster just outside the run-down store. The paper was yellowed, presumably a bit old, with frayed edges. It was hastily taped on and It read in bold, all black letters "Manager needed, great pay, no questions". Despite the gut feeling you had, and despite knowing better, you took a picture of the phone number, keeping it in the back of your mind as a last resort.

"Wait I- no i have exp- wait!" you clenched your shaky hands around your phone, hearing a beep from the other side, your eyes wide and breath erratic at the fourth rejection this month. Money was running thin, and even though you applied for every job you could find, you always ended up being rejected for a reason or another.

"under qualified" "over qualified" "position was taken", and sometimes you just never heard back. Tears welled up in your eyes, lips trembling as you slowly put your phone down.

You really had no luck. You dragged your feet on the way to the couch, flopping over. Blank eyes stared at the TV, barely blinking or moving. Suddenly you got reminded of that weird, shady offer you saw near your favourite convenience store. Hesitantly, you reached your hand over to your phone. You stiffened 'What if the position is already taken? What if it’s a scam?' Your finger made its way to your lip, making you unconsciously bite your nail. Force of habit.

With pursed lips, you decided you really had nothing to lose.

Ringing up the number, you waited patiently but nervously for a response. Hearing a "hello" from the other side made you almost jump up in cheers, but you held back. "Hey, uh, i’m calling about the manager application?" you murmured, holding your phone like a life line.

"Perfect! We can arrange a meeting at [Adress], Tomorrow at 10am. don’t be late." and without another word, the mysterious person hung up. leaving you to process the words.

The corners of your lips went up, a buzzing feeling under your skin. You jumped up from your couch, yelling "YEAH! FUCK YEAH!" in absolute joy only to stop in realisation.

‘Why did they agree so fast? What if I wasn't actually accepted? What if this is a ploy or some kind of prank? there's no way I got accepted that fast…right?’ doubtful thoughts filled your mind, your finger finding its way back to your lips. ‘M-maybe I got lucky..? maybe it's real?’ you tried to be positive, hope wriggling itself back into your heart.

Well, you had nothing to lose anyway. And if you do get the job, you won't be living up to the broke, starving artist stereotype anymore.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Your alarm beeped repeatedly, indicating it was time to wake up. Since you wanted to make a good impression, you decided waking up at 7AM sharp to get ready was an outstanding idea the night before, but you were immensely regretting that decision as your eyelids resisted opening.

Despite the sleepiness clinging to you, you pushed through and got up. 'I am so exhausted..' you said, glancing at yourself at the mirror on your way to the bathroom. 'Huh, I look like a damn zombie..' you said, a little dejected and feeling a little bad about your appearance.

Regardless, you switched the light to the bathroom upon arriving and decided you'll try to look your best. The voice on the other side of the phone sounded like a guy, and even if they weren't you'll still try to use the power of pretty privilege if it meant getting a good paying job. (That also may or may not be a plot to kidnap you, but you had better things to worry about, like rent and your nasty, greedy old landlord.)

Shedding your clothes, you stepped into the shower, careful not to slip.

'I hope the interviewer is hot..' you absentmindedly thought, probably a little too hopeful. After showering and drying your hair, you wore the best clothes you had, which was probably not that impressive but considering you barely had any money you'd say this wasn't that bad. It was a white button up, with flowy bishop sleeves, which you tucked into straight-leg black pants, adorned with a small, golden changing hanging from on of the belt hoops to your pocket. You wore an old, but well-loved pair of leather shoes.

You fiddled a little with your hair, settling on a simple hairstyle that made you look put together. You decided to accessorise as well, using a simple gold necklace and small, flower-shaped earrings, just as a pop of colour to contrast your otherwise minimal outfit.

After dressing up, you wore a minimal amount of makeup, just some concealer, mascara, blush and lip gloss, just to look less like a zombie and more like a breathing, living human being.

Grabbing your keys and your bag, you made your way to the address on foot. It wasn't that far from your apartment, so you decided to just walk there instead.

‘The weather is nice today,’ you noted, looking lazily around, a trinket or a stray cat catching your eye every once in a while. The road to the building you were supposed to go to led you through a homey neighbourhood, with a bunch of houses and trees.

You inhaled deeply as the breeze passed by, ruffling the sleeves of your button-up and tickling your cheek. Even if you didn't get the job, the day was nice enough to cheer you up.

Arriving at the place, it was a huge tower, spanning over what you would guess to be more than a dozen stories high. You didn't catch a glance of anyone else around. A drop of sweat ran down your neck, clenching the strap of your purse. 'Maybe my gut feeling was right..' You almost turned to go back home, realising maybe this wasn't worth it. Only to hear a masculine voice behind you.

"Ah, you're here! Come on in!" feeling a hand on the small of your back pushing you toward the building, you almost yelled until you saw who the culprit was.

It was a black haired man, around his twenties. He looked awfully handsome, with sharp, piercing brown eyes. He looked at you with a charming smile, shutting you up immediately.

His outfit was surprisingly casual, white sneakers, jeans, and a sweater with a collar of a button up peeking out from underneath.

You were still a little suspicious about the area, as it looked mostly empty.

“Ah, and don't worry, nobody has been kidnapped or abducted here!” The man chimed in with a smile, giving you a thumbs-up. Sweat collected on your palms, the corners of your lips immediately going down. Does this guy think this is reassuring?

‘This is so suspicious, a red flag, no, a black one! What am I doing? Is this a death wish?’ you grimaced. You stiffened and stood in place, only to feel his hand give you a gentle push. Snapping out of your daze, you noticed him staring at you. “Are you okay? let's get a move on,” he almost commanded, his voice assertive with a fake sweetness to its tone.

Deciding that you had no other choice, you just went along.

"o-okay..!" you managed to stutter out, your stiff body walking with his guidance. You realised after the fact that he was the one who answered the phone yesterday, his voice smooth and recognisable.

The mysterious man guided you to what would be a usual K-pop agency, except this one was empty despite how pristine and new it looked.

"So, uh, what exactly is the position I'm applying for? I mean, what type of manager?" You nervously asked, fiddling with the hem of your sleeve. Your question made the man stop and turn around to look at you. "An idol group manager, of course," he answered with a smile that almost looked cunning.

"Oh, and it's Jinu, by the way."

"Ah, nice to meet you, Jinu, I'm [name]."

Despite the informality, you had a feeling that it probably wasn’t that big of an issue.

You gulped, just letting him lead you to the elevator. With an apprehensive look, you followed behind. On your way over, you admired the interior. Despite the emptiness, the place looked spotless and almost lived in. The ceilings were high, with a bunch of doors leading to you-dont-know-where. You scrunched your face 'How in the hell does such an expensive building appear out of nowhere, yet there’s nobody inside?' you thought, right before bumping into Jinu's back.

With a small gasp, you apologised, "I'm sorry!" You stumbled on your words a little. 'fuck, I'm already messing up. You looked down in embarrassment, your cheeks burning.

Feeling a finger under your chin, your face was lifted.

"Don't worry about it." He reassured, nodding his head in the direction of the elevator. Almost forgetting to walk, your knees felt weak as you hurried your way towards him. You stood awkwardly by his side. Standing stiffly and fixing your posture.

‘Damn you, pretty boys!’ you cursed in your mind, subtly clenching your jaw.

‘This guy thinks he’s a manhwa male lead, but damn it, does it work’ you huffed in frustration, not believing you were affected by the gesture. He was definitely doing this to win you over or something, so you get Stockholm syndrome when you’re abducted- okay, you’re getting off track here.

After a couple of minutes, you reached the door where the interview was supposedly going to be held. You followed him down a hallway to a spacious room. The floor looked more like a living area rather than a corporate building, but that was the last of your worries.

You sat down in front of Jinu, awaiting his questions.

"So", he began ", I’ll be asking you a few questions, I'm hoping you can answer them, most people failed", he said with a chuckle, his tone a bit threatening.

The colour drained out of your face immediately, managing to just nod in reply.

"First, can you keep secrets?"

With a grimace, your head recoiled back. 'Who asks that as the first question in an interview? Isn't he supposed to ask for qualifications? Despite the oddness of the question, you answered nonetheless.

"Yes, I think so” Your answer was laced with nervousness. “I used to work in marketing, so I have experience in having to keep some new product secrets for months or even years at a time," you replied as confidently as you could, trying to keep your speech clear.

“Great! Next, are you willing to move in and work closely with the idols?"

'Is this guy trying to hire a homekeeper or a manager?' A drop of sweat ran down your face for what you could swear was the fourth time today. 'But I guess I could...My landlord is too greedy' you scoffed at the thought of him.

"Yes, I am"

"Third, are you comfortable with overtime? Paid, of course"

"yes”

After a few more questions, Jinu informed you that you would start work tomorrow, which caught you off guard. Wasn’t there more to this? Like a second interview or something?

You were sure there had to be more, but you couldn't complain as you finally got a job. You sighed deeply as you stood up, bowing to Jinu and turning around to go back to your apartment and crash.

“Don't forget to pack, part of the agreement is moving in!” he said in an almost flat tone, lacking any warmth. Not that you noticed, anyway.

You froze in place, remembering that detail.

Shit.

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