Siblings Work in Business (68)
“Just… I don’t remember.”
“Haha. Dreams are like that. Did you not sleep well because of it?”
The manager asked, concerned.
But I couldn’t relate to his words about dreams being like that.
My dream was different.
The smells, the sensations, the throbbing headache from lying in the hospital bed, the IV drip in my arm…
Everything was vividly clear, uncomfortably lingering like a phantom pain.
“Um, no. I think I slept well.”
I decided to keep quiet about the dream.
I couldn’t talk about it.
Honestly, I only believed what Lee Eun-ho said because I had so many things on my mind, including the nightmares.
If I told anyone else, they’d think I was crazy.
“We’ll be there in about 10 minutes. Please wake Eun-ho up.”
“Okay.”
The scenery outside the window had changed from the highway to the city.
Thankfully, it seemed like I hadn’t slept for too long.
‘Why is Lee Eun-ho’s sleeping face like that? Is he having a strange dream too?’
Lee Eun-ho, sleeping upright next to me, had a peaceful posture, but his face was crumpled like a discarded tissue.
Looking at his face, I suddenly remembered the nightmare.
The joyless nightmare where I couldn’t reach him, even to play a prank.
I hesitated for a moment.
My mind told me to wake him up normally, but…
Instinct took over, and my hand reached out.
‘Black bean sauce, jeweled Wolverine…’
This was a rare opportunity to get revenge for all the teasing.
Lee Eun-ho was always on guard; it was rare to see him so unguarded.
I curled my three fingers, forming a makeshift weapon.
‘I shouldn’t leave any visible marks for the camera.’
Using my hardened, thickened nails from the nail art, I strategically poked Lee Eun-ho on his forehead, under his bangs, where it would be hidden.
Lee Eun-ho’s eyes snapped open.
“You crazy bitch…”
Lee Eun-ho rubbed his forehead and glared at me.
“Wow, I didn’t mean to poke you that hard…”
“What the— ha!”
Lee Eun-ho, dumbfounded, started laughing.
But I was telling the truth.
‘Seriously.’
I hadn’t meant to poke him that hard; I had lost control of my strength because I was still half-asleep.
“You little… just you wait…”
Lee Eun-ho, now truly angry, reached out, even using his rarely used dialect.
I couldn’t escape because of the seatbelt.
I tried to dodge his hand as much as possible, leaning to the side.
But the car wasn’t that spacious, and just as his long arm was about to grab my perfectly styled hair and face…
“Oppa! Lee Eun-ho is trying to hit me!”
“Huh? Eun-ho?!”
At the manager’s exclamation, Lee Eun-ho’s hand stopped just short of my face.
“Don’t fight in the car!”
The manager scolded Lee Eun-ho, seemingly not having seen what I did.
But perhaps because of our past actions…
He didn’t seem to completely believe me.
‘Blegh.’
I stuck my tongue out at Lee Eun-ho’s reflection in the window.
He was still glaring at me.
Then…
‘Gasp.’
The car had stopped at a red light, and I made eye contact with the manager, who was looking back at us.
The manager sighed deeply, then turned back to the front as the light changed.
‘He’s… not scolding us?’
If it were the CEO, he would have launched into a lecture. But the manager remained silent.
It seemed like he assumed Lee Eun-ho would handle it.
“Phew…”
Lee Eun-ho seemed to have calmed down, taking a deep breath, or perhaps just sighing.
A moment later, when the car became quiet…
Lee Eun-ho whispered to me, his voice menacing,
“Pumpkin, just you wait.”
“Ha. Ha.”
No one who said “just you wait” was ever scary—
I laughed awkwardly to provoke him, and as expected, his face crumpled.
‘Heehee.’
As expected.
Teasing him was the most fun.
I hated having him around, but I also worried when he wasn’t, I guess that’s what family is.
Toxin
The car arrived at a studio.
‘Is this… really a studio?’
Eun-ho looked at the old, four-story building with a worried expression, scanning it up to the rooftop.
There was no signboard, and it just looked like an abandoned, old building.
While Eun-ho stared at the building with concern, Eun-ji ran to the entrance and threw open the jade-colored glass door.
Creak.
The door creaked loudly, as if the hinges were rusty.
The inside was filled with the smell of dust.
“Cough.”
Eun-ho frowned and covered his nose and mouth.
Hyun-woo, concerned about Eun-ho’s coughing, rummaged through his bag, looking for something helpful.
But he seemed to have forgotten to bring anything for such a situation.
“Where should we go?”
As if the musty smell didn’t bother her, Eun-ji asked, one foot already on the stairs to the second floor.
“We have to go to the basement.”
“Ah, damn it.”
As Hyun-woo answered, still rummaging through his bag, Eun-ji snapped her fingers in disappointment.
Was she playing some kind of game by herself?
Eun-ho stared at Eun-ji, puzzled.
Unlike the wary Eun-ho, Eun-ji, unafraid, headed straight for the basement, as Hyun-woo instructed.
“Hey, hey, Lee Eun-ji.”
Eun-ho called out worriedly, but Eun-ji had already turned the corner and was standing in front of a door.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“…I am.”
Eun-ho sighed and followed her downstairs.
The source of the dust smell seemed to be here. As we turned the corner, the space under the stairs was filled with worn-out cloth, flooring materials, and rugs.
Seeing the familiar studio materials, Eun-ho finally relaxed his guard and stood in front of the door with Eun-ji.
“Whoa.”
“Woooow!”
As the door opened, a completely different scene unfolded before them.
While the other walls were covered in the familiar chroma key green, one wall was decorated with a three-dimensional, European castle interior.
So this was why we came all the way here for a short, one-hour shoot.
“Oh, you’re here!”
The staff, seemingly already prepared, were busy moving equipment and lights around.
A staff member, spotting Eun-ho and Eun-ji, called out, and a woman with a calm demeanor approached them and greeted them.
“You must be tired from coming all the way here. I’m Kim Cheol-soo, the PD in charge of today’s shoot.”
Eun-ho suddenly remembered Yeong-hee, Senior Ji Ye-chan’s manager, whose hobby was flower arrangement.
Momentarily flustered by the name, Eun-ho, realizing he had missed the timing for a greeting, quickly bowed his head.
“Ah, I’m Lee Eun-ho from E-UNG. Pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Lee Eun-ji. Pleased to meet you!”
PD Kim looked them up and down, then smiled brightly.
“Ye-chan told me to look forward to this, and you two are definitely photogenic.”
Ye-chan?
A question mark appeared on Eun-ho’s face at the unexpected name.
Eun-ji, who had been following Eun-ho’s lead, looked up at PD Kim.
‘Wow, the PD has a chic aura.’
One was wondering why Ye-chan’s name was mentioned, and the other was impressed by the PD’s unexpected charm, despite her initial intimidating aura.
PD Kim, seemingly amused by Eun-ho and Eun-ji, smiled and added,
“It seems CEO Park didn’t tell you. He asked Ye-chan if he knew anyone who could help with the filming, and Ye-chan recommended me, so ta-da, here I am.”
“Ah…”
Eun-ho, speechless at the unexpectedly detailed explanation, nodded awkwardly.
“So, you don’t have a stylist, right? Well, you two look fine, but just in case, there’s a temporary waiting room over there. Get ready and come back in 10 minutes.”
“Okay!”
“Okay!”
Following PD Kim’s instructions, the two went to the waiting room and checked their outfits.
“We only have two hours, so let’s start filming quickly. Oh, Manager?”
“Yes?”
“I heard you have another schedule right after this, is that correct?”
“Huh? Ah, yes, that’s right.”
PD Kim turned to Hyun-woo, who was staring blankly at the two.
Hyun-woo, seemingly not expecting to be addressed, answered in surprise.
PD Kim, satisfied with his answer, smiled and turned back to Eun-ho and Eun-ji.
“Our staff accidentally ordered a few extra lunch boxes, can you two eat them?”
“Huh?”
I wondered what he meant by “can you eat them.”
“I was wondering if you were on a diet…”
“No! We can eat!”
“Really? Phew, that’s good.”
PD Kim smiled at Eun-ji’s enthusiastic answer.
‘Food!’
There was a reason for Eun-ji’s excitement.
Eun-ho had at least eaten a sandwich at the shop, but Eun-ji, whose preparations took longer, hadn’t had a proper meal yet.
‘Oh, food!’
Eun-ho also preferred rice over bread, as sandwiches didn’t keep him full for long.
And of course, a proper meal with side dishes and soup was even better than kimbap.
The word “lunch box” was enough to motivate the two.
“If we finish filming early, shall we eat together? It would be better to have a proper meal and leave comfortably, rather than eating in the car.”
“Yes!”
“Sounds good.”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji visibly brightened.
PD Kim, surprised by the unexpected effect of the lunch boxes, handed them the storyboard.
“Here’s the storyboard. Since you seem well-prepared, I’ll explain it quickly.”
“Why do you keep stumbling during this step?”
“I learned it wrong at first, and it’s become a habit.”
“Let’s focus.”
“Okay.”
Kim Cheol-soo was impressed when they started rehearsing.
‘The CEO didn’t raise a sly fox like Ji Ye-chan for nothing.’
These siblings were definitely talented.
‘But they seem a bit… unpolished…’
He thought, but it seemed like they weren’t putting in their full effort during rehearsal.
Once the actual filming started, Kim Cheol-soo was speechless.