Siblings Work in Business (74)
Within the ‘E-FAN’ application, users can accumulate ‘EG Points’ through various activities, from simple daily check-ins to purchasing merchandise and albums.
One of the activities users can participate in using these ‘EG Points’ is messaging, specifically sending messages to us and receiving direct replies.
“Wow.”
“Amazing.”
Eun-ji and I couldn’t help but express our amazement at the numerous features.
Among them, what I liked the most was…
‘Oh, the ‘E-UNG Fan Verification’ menu.’
Besides ‘serial number registration,’ the CEO had meticulously implemented a system that displayed various information, such as the order in which fans were verified.
‘How did he develop this so quickly?’
I remember suggesting this not too long ago, but even with sufficient capital, the technology…
‘Hmm.’
Well, he probably hired someone competent since he had the money.
But since this was a platform for communication, the CEO would have to manage all these features himself. How was he going to do that?
Just then…
“Managing all of this along with everything else is a bit too much for me to handle alone.”
“I can imagine. Managing O-Tube, the app, our schedules, and even our styling…”
Even as I said it, I was amazed by how much the CEO had been doing.
Around this time before the regression, Lee Eun-ji was already a star.
If the CEO was working this hard even back then, when Lee Eun-ji was busy…
‘Wow.’
Perhaps this was the reason I couldn’t pay much attention to him, even though I craved attention back then. I felt a little guilty now.
“Haha. So, I hired some staff. There are a lot of talented people out there.”
“Oh…”
“I think… I hired about seven people.”
The CEO said, as if proving my worries were unnecessary.
But wait a minute.
‘Seven people?’
My assumption of two or three at most was shattered.
Looking back and forth between the CEO and the first floor living room, my doubts grew.
‘Is that even possible?’
The NRY Entertainment office was a renovated house, a little less than 30 pyeong (approximately 1000 sq ft).
In other words, it was small for a company.
Especially compared to the new, multi-story building from before the regression, where dozens of people worked.
‘Hyung, the CEO, and seven more people in this space?’
The largest room, the master bedroom, was currently the CEO’s office.
And it was already filled with two desks, Hyun-woo’s and the CEO’s.
Seven more employees in this small office…
‘It’s going to be incredibly cramped…’
The CEO, as if reading my mind, smiled and continued nonchalantly,
“So, I’m planning to renovate the first floor into your studio and practice room.”
“Huh? Then where will you and Manager oppa work?”
“The second floor is your dorm.”
“Huh?”
Lee Eun-ji tilted her head, making a strange noise.
“Then where’s the company?”
“We’re moving.”
“Oh! Where to?”
As Lee Eun-ji asked with sparkling eyes, the CEO suddenly walked towards the window.
He smiled brightly and pointed at a commercial building across the street…
No way.
“It’s good to be close. That building seemed empty, so I bought it.”
He said it as casually as if he had bought a pack of gum from a convenience store…
I turned to look at Lee Eun-ji, and she looked dumbfounded, as if her soul had left her body.
My expression was probably similar.
I was suddenly grateful to PD Kim Cheol-soo.
If I hadn’t heard about the CEO being a real estate mogul, I would have been even more shocked.
“W-What? H-Huh? What the…?”
Lee Eun-ji, seemingly regaining her senses, made strange noises as she looked back and forth between the CEO and the building outside.
“Ah. Haha. Ha…”
I think I had a similar reaction back then.
[CEO — The fan app is approved on the app store.
— We need to film a promotional video to add to the dance video before the kids go to the broadcasting station tomorrow.
— Tell them to go to bed early.]
[Hyun-woo — Yes.]
[CEO — Hyun-woo, you’ve worked hard today.]
[Hyun-woo — Thank you!]
[CEO — Right. Tell Eun-ji not to turn on her computer, and Eun-ho not to touch his notebook. They should go straight to bed.]
[Hyun-woo — (Emoticon of a soldier dog saluting) Yes, sir!]
[CEO — Send them home right away. You don’t have to reply anymore.]
I instinctively typed “Yes,” then deleted it.
Hyun-woo looked away from his phone.
He put his phone in his chest pocket and checked on Eun-ho and Eun-ji through the rearview mirror.
‘Oh…’
Eun-ji was asleep, her head tilted back, eyes rolled up, for some reason staring at the ceiling.
Eun-ho was also asleep, his head slumped forward on his notebook.
His hand, still clutching the notebook tightly despite having dropped his pen, was a sight to behold.
Hyun-woo, startled, looked at them carefully, then smiled and woke them up.
“We’re here. Go inside and get some sleep.”
Eun-ji woke up first.
Perhaps because her eyes had been half-open, she asked Hyun-woo, her eyes still closed,
“…Are we here?”
“Ahem, yes.”
Hyun-woo gave a short reply, trying to suppress his laughter, Eun-ji’s sleeping face still fresh in his mind.
“Good work, hyung.”
“Go inside and rest. The CEO said you have a shoot before your schedule tomorrow.”
“What shoot?”
“A promotional video for the app. So he said you should both go straight to bed without working on anything.”
“Okay.”
They agreed readily, but…
Hyun-woo looked at Eun-ho and Eun-ji with a worried expression as they got out of the car.
He knew better than anyone that they wouldn’t listen.
‘Will they… be okay?’
Hyun-woo slowly started the car after Eun-ho and Eun-ji reached the middle of the alley leading to their dorm.
And a moment later…
After Hyun-woo’s car disappeared from the end of the alley…
“Lee Eun-ho! Hey! Hurry up!”
“Why is she yelling when we’re almost home?”
Eun-ji, now wide awake, called out to Eun-ho, who hadn’t arrived yet.
‘Why is she waiting at the front door when she could have just gone upstairs?’
Despite Eun-ji’s urging, Eun-ho walked towards the door at his usual, unhurried pace.
“Hey! Hurry up and come here!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
Eun-ho sighed and approached Eun-ji.
“What… huh?”
Eun-ho, who had thought it was nothing, was startled when he saw what was inside the gate.
“Wow.”
Now he understood why Eun-ji had yelled.
The first floor had looked normal this morning.
But it was late evening now, after their schedule.
The first floor was a complete mess, like an abandoned building.
‘It kind of reminds me of the dilapidated house we lived in when we were young.’
It was a nostalgic sight.
But Lee Eun-ji’s face was pale.
“He could have at least told us! The CEO!”
Aha.
‘That’s why.’
A mischievous smile spread across Eun-ho’s face.
Now he understood why she had called him so urgently.
Very.
Clearly.
“Gasp!”
“Holy shit! You scared me! You bastard!”
I gasped at the sight of the messy first floor.
Lee Eun-ji, genuinely terrified, turned to me with wide eyes.
‘I thought she was going to hit me.’
Her eyes looked like she was about to throw a punch.
But I couldn’t back down now that I had started.
“L-Lee Eun-ji! L-Look!”
“Wh-What? Wh-What is it?!”
I almost burst out laughing when her voice cracked.
I quickly composed myself, preparing for the crucial moment.
Lee Eun-ji’s face was pale as she looked around.
But she still avoided looking at the demolished first floor.
One.
Two.
Three!
Now!
I had been waiting for this!
I placed my hand on Lee Eun-ji’s shoulder, who was completely frozen in fear.
“What do you mean ‘what’? It’s a prank! Haha…?”
“…”
“Huh?”
I expected her to scream or punch me, but something completely unexpected happened.
“Uh, oh, L-Lee Eun-ji! Eun-ji! Hey!”
Lee Eun-ji’s eyes rolled back, and she…
…collapsed on the ground.
‘Shit.’
Just as I started thinking, ‘Is she dying?,’ thankfully, her eyes fluttered open.
“Lee Eun-ho…”
“Yeah?”
Then…
It happened so fast.
Lee Eun-ji grabbed my hair, as if it were handles, and a moment later…
I saw stars.
It was like the sun suddenly rose in the night sky.
“Ugh.”
By the time I realized I had been headbutted, it was too late.
My head throbbed, as if my skull was cracked.
“You fucking bastard! I thought I was going to die! You asshole! This isn’t funny! Fuck!”
“…Ugh.”
I had nothing to say to her string of curses.
I knew I would get yelled at.
But was her head made of rock?
It hurt more than being hit by a stone.
“What are you two doing?”
Just then, a familiar voice, one that shouldn’t be heard at this hour, came from the end of the alley.
Lee Eun-ji stopped yelling and turned her head in surprise.
I knew who it was just from the voice, so I just rubbed my aching forehead, my head down.
“Eun-ho, are you hurt?”
The CEO, worried because I wasn’t looking up, approached and called my name.
“C-CEO, why are you here at this hour?”
Lee Eun-ji, seemingly aware of her guilt—although it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t played a prank—asked, avoiding eye contact with the CEO.
“I had the first floor demolished today. I wanted to check on it after my meeting.”
“Ah, I see.”
Lee Eun-ji replied awkwardly, her voice trembling.
Judging by her reaction, she didn’t care why he was here, she was just trying to avoid a lecture.
“What are you two doing at this hour? Why are you fighting in the street?”
Of course, Lee Eun-ji’s plan failed.
“That’s because—”
Oh.
Lee Eun-ji’s sickeningly sweet voice made me want to cover my ears.
I slowly raised my head.
I wanted to see the CEO’s expression, but I should have just stayed down.
Despite Lee Eun-ji’s attempt to appease him, the CEO was glaring at us.
His gaze seemed to be saying, ‘Give me a valid explanation.’
‘This might not work…’
My forehead was no longer throbbing.
I also wanted to avoid a two-hour lecture out here, so I cautiously spoke.