Siblings Work in Business (66)
As I stood at the entrance of the shop, I saw a woman with ash khaki hair, a grayish color with a hint of jade.
「“They all look the same whitish color…”」
「“Are your eyes on the back of your head? Look closely. This one has a hint of jade! See? This is ash khaki! This one has a bluish tint, it’s blue! And this one has a pinkish feel, it’s ash pink! Got it?!”」
「“…I can’t tell the difference at all.”」
「“Come here. Lee Eun-ho, take a closer look.”」
Ash khaki, ash blue, ash pink.
Before the regression, these were the colors Lee Eun-ji forced me to memorize for about an hour, claiming she couldn’t tell the difference.
I shuddered at the familiar colors, a wave of PTSD washing over me.
‘She’s going to bump into something…’
The woman with ash khaki hair was walking towards the glass door, repeatedly looking back, as if talking to the director.
Just as I thought she might be in danger…
She fumbled with the door and came outside.
The problem was that there were five steep steps right in front of the Cellas shop entrance.
And as expected…
“Kyaa!”
“…”
As the door opened, the woman almost tumbled down the stairs.
She would have at least scraped her face, or worse, broken her neck or hit her head.
If Lee Eun-ji and I hadn’t caught her.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, th-thank you.”
Eun-ji asked, checking on the woman.
I just listened quietly to their conversation, finding it strange to ask the same question.
“Did you twist your ankle or hurt yourself?”
“No, thanks to you…”
The woman’s hair was covering her face, so I couldn’t see her clearly.
I finally saw her face when she looked up to thank us.
It was a very familiar face.
The person “RED CARD,” which I sang for Lee Eun-ji in the car, was written for, and someone I had a lot of history with…
“Aeseul?”
“Ah…”
Surprised by the familiar face, I blurted out her name without thinking.
Aeseul, seemingly surprised that I recognized her, looked at me with wide eyes.
Seeing her flustered expression, I awkwardly added,
“…-ssi? Right?”
“Haha. Yes, that’s right.”
Aeseul chuckled at my awkward mistake and bowed her head.
Perhaps she wasn’t famous yet.
She seemed unaccustomed to being recognized.
“Aeseul!”
“Ah, unnie. Thank you.”
Aeseul bowed her head.
Then, she ran to a woman in her early 30s with short hair and a neat suit, who seemed to be her manager.
“What happened?”
“I almost fell.”
“You’re about to debut!”
The manager’s voice was loud.
I could feel her glare on us.
Lee Eun-ji and I might have sharp eyes, but we weren’t bad people…
Not yet, anyway.
“Are you hurt?”
“No. Hehe. Those two caught me.”
“They caught you…”
The manager’s wariness seemed to ease at Aeseul’s explanation.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
The manager came over and greeted us.
Aeseul, seemingly having a schedule, gave us a short nod from afar and left.
“What was that, Lee Eun-ho?”
“What.”
The problem started after Aeseul left.
“You said you weren’t interested in female celebrities.”
“Yeah, I’m not.”
But did I ever say that to her?
I just nodded vaguely, assuming I must have said it sometime in the forgotten past.
“Then how do you know her name?”
Lee Eun-ji’s gaze held a hint of suspicion.
‘“RED CARD,” which I sang earlier, was originally a diss track aimed at Aeseul, and you used to curse her out in front of me.’
…I was about to say that, but I decided it was better to keep quiet.
“Why aren’t you coming in?! We have a mountain of work to do! Hurry up! Come on!”
“Whoa, Director…”
Thankfully, the director’s sudden appearance saved me from having to make excuses.
And the usually elegant director was unusually agitated today.
Even Lee Eun-ji seemed taken aback.
‘What’s going on?’
‘How would I know?’
We exchanged glances, trying to figure it out, but we had no clue.
Thanks to Director Kang Mi-joo’s 20-plus years of experience, Cellas shop was often booked by celebrities and wealthy clients.
‘It’s been years since I first styled ‘Toxin’.’
Those rookies, with their unique energy, had brought excitement to her monotonous routine.
Was this what they called a muse?
It had been a long time since she felt this much joy in styling someone.
Those kids appeared on TV, gradually gained recognition, and, as she had initially sensed, rose to the top.
But perhaps because she no longer saw the same energy and passion in them…
Director Kang Mi-joo’s interest waned.
For the veteran stylist, new celebrities were just cute chicks.
Young chicks who always tried their best to fly, even though they might disappear at any moment.
‘E-UNG, was it?’
CEO Park Chang-seok, who raised Toxin…
She was slightly intrigued when she heard that her old friend was back in the industry.
So, when he requested a last-minute booking, she even gave him a preferential time slot.
It was a favor that also stemmed from her curiosity about these ‘E-UNG’ chicks.
Kang Mi-joo hadn’t realized it, but she had high expectations.
She hoped they would become her muse, just like ‘Toxin.’
‘Kids.’
Her first impression of them was disappointing.
Their confidence in an unfamiliar environment was commendable, but they didn’t have the same energy or seriousness as the Toxin members.
Her impression remained the same after seeing a few of their performances.
‘They’re good for trainees.’
That was it.
It was the same when she saw the video of their street showcase a few days ago, introduced by a part-timer at her shop.
‘Not bad for rookies.’
That was all.
That was until she saw their performance on Music Bank, properly lit and filmed.
“My pretty! Come sit down! Everyone, get ready!”
At Director Kang Mi-joo’s clap, the staff’s movements became even more frantic.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, looking around with bewildered expressions, were led to their seats.
“Today, we’ll use square parts to emphasize Eun-ji’s eyes, and create a fox spirit vibe with reddish-brown eyeshadow—”
Director Kang Mi-joo continued excitedly, explaining the concept for today.
But Eun-ji was overwhelmed by the numerous hands working on her face.
“For Eun-ho, we’ll match Eun-ji’s look, but with a contrasting deep navy blue—”
Eun-ho was also overwhelmed.
“Eun-ji, your hands are expressive. Everyone, hurry up! We’re short on time!”
She had initially applied the nail tips as a service.
But Director Kang Mi-joo, remembering yesterday’s performance, was now certain.
‘This child is inspiring!’
Following Director Kang’s enthusiastic instructions, five people were busy working on Eun-ji’s hair, makeup, and even her nails.
‘…That must be suffocating.’
Eun-ho, having finished his preparations early, was watching Eun-ji with a sympathetic gaze, munching on a sandwich provided by the shop.
Thankfully, the results of the frantic preparations were evident.
“Wow.”
Nails with red jewels on a black base.
Eun-ji, after changing into her outfit, finally had time to look at herself in the mirror.
“Damn, I look amazing.”
Eun-ho, who had been dozing off, instinctively opened his eyes at Eun-ji’s exclamation.
“Lee Eun-ho, you too. Ooh, you look good today.”
“…Good? What?”
Despite his nonchalant reply and sigh, both Eun-ho and Eun-ji looked great in their outfits and makeup today.
Eun-ji’s point color was red, and Eun-ho’s was blue, with black accents in both outfits, creating a balance between the two.
“You two were beautiful on stage yesterday.”
As she restyled Eun-ji’s slightly disheveled hair…
Director Kang Mi-joo explained why she was so excited today.
‘Beautiful.’
Perhaps because it wasn’t a common compliment…
Eun-ho and Eun-ji exchanged awkward glances, then looked at Director Kang Mi-joo.
“I was proud to have styled you two, shining under the spotlight.”
Sssss—
I couldn’t answer, having to hold my breath because of the strong hairspray.
Director Kang Mi-joo, not expecting a reply, left as soon as she finished, before the hairspray mist even settled.
As it was time to leave…
Hyun-woo, who had briefly left for another errand, returned to Cellas.
“Are you ready—”
“We’re ready! Let’s go.”
“O-Okay. L-Let’s go.”
Hyun-woo looked startled as he made eye contact with Eun-ji.
We learned the reason for his surprise after getting in the car.
“You looked so sloppy this morning, it’s strange seeing you all dressed up.”
Eun-ji tilted her head, as if she didn’t understand, but I did.
A black frill blouse that revealed her shoulders, tight dark blue skinny jeans, and black knee-high boots.
Just like Hyun-woo, I also found it hard to believe that this was the same sister I saw every morning, sprawled out like a corpse with messy hair.
Unlike Eun-ji’s casual outfit, I was wearing a black suit.
The only distinctive features were the deep navy blue color of the shirt and the unbuttoned front.
I had initially thought about buttoning it up because it felt awkward…
「“Don’t touch it! That’s the point!”」
…But I remembered the stylist’s words, her fierce glare.
“You said we have several schedules today, right?”
“Yes.”
Hyun-woo, after the car stopped at a red light, rummaged through his bag and took out a small notebook, handing it to the back seat.
“Can I just look at this?”
“Yes. Look at today’s date in February.”
I found today’s date in the February section, following his instructions.
[11:00-13:00 Promotional dance video filming]
Promotional dance video?
No wonder they put so much effort into our outfits and makeup.
“Wow.”
I couldn’t help but exclaim at the long list of schedules below.