Siblings Work in Business (94)
It felt like we went to the company when the sun was still up, but it was already evening on our way home.
Three monkeys dancing above my head
What are you doing now?
Evening will soon greet me
Eun-ji walked two steps ahead of Eun-ho, humming “Wise.”
The alley was dark due to a broken streetlight.
Perhaps still excited from the live broadcast, Eun-ji showed no signs of her usual fear of the dark.
Eun-ji stopped and looked back, a wide smile on her face.
“It felt like having fun, even though it was work.”
“It did.”
“I’m looking forward to the light stick.”
Eun-ho nodded and smiled in response.
“Oh, right. Lee Eun-ho.”
“What.”
“I have a question.”
“Don’t bite. It hurts.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nevermind.”
Eun-ji frowned and tilted her head, confused.
Failed jokes only become worse with explanations.
Eun-ho, knowing that, looked away towards the broken streetlight.
“Ah. Wow—”
Eun-ji, finally understanding, glared at Eun-ho with a shocked expression.
“Just ask your question.”
Eun-ho, feeling guilty, quickly changed the subject.
“Um, during the broadcast earlier, you asked about… the past, is it okay to call it the past? Um… the future, compared to now!”
“Before the regression. Ah, good timing.”
“Huh?”
“It might sound weird to others, so let’s call it ‘that time.’”
“Oh, okay. Before the regression! Didn’t you have a girlfriend ‘that time’?”
“Yeah.”
Eun-ho, tired of telling her to use honorifics, just answered.
He didn’t seem to like the topic either, as he replied curtly and walked ahead.
Eun-ji hurried to catch up.
“That person, you know…”
“No.”
“Hey! Stop playing word games!”
“Just ignore it.”
“Right. Anyway, that person… was she Aeseul-ssi, by any chance?”
Eun-ho stopped abruptly.
Eun-ji also stopped and stared at him.
“How did you even come to that conclusion?”
“Oh? Was I wrong?”
Should he answer or not?
Eun-ho stared back at Eun-ji, thinking.
‘She specifically mentioned her name, so she must have a hunch.’
If that’s the case, hiding it would be awkward, and he hated the trouble that came with lying.
Eun-ho sighed and answered.
“You’re right.”
“Wow!”
Eun-ji gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.
“How did you know it was Aeseul?”
“A hunch?”
“Don’t give me that.”
“It’s true! We’ve met other celebrities since our debut, haven’t we?”
“We have.”
“But Aeseul-ssi was the only one Lee Eun-ho reacted to.”
“…Did I?”
“Yes, you did.”
By the time they started walking again, they were almost at the dorm.
“Why did you break up?”
“Why do you even care?”
“Oh, so you did break up.”
“I was asking why you assumed we broke up in the first place.”
“It’s obvious.”
“Why is it obvious?”
Damn it.
I was falling into her traps, despite trying to avoid them.
“You said I was a bad guy, so I must have been on the receiving end of a lot of curses during the breakup, right?”
“‘On the receiving end’… you and your dramatic phrasing. You always have such a keen sense for useless things. Whatever.”
Eun-ho clicked his tongue and walked up the stairs to the second floor.
“It’s not useless to me. It was a hunch, and I was always right.”
“A hunch… damn it. I should have pretended not to know.”
“You already said it.”
Eun-ji grinned.
Annoyed by her expression, Eun-ho pushed her face away and took out his keys.
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“How you met Aeseul-ssi… ah, never mind.”
Eun-ji’s face paled slightly.
His ex-girlfriend being Aeseul… ew.
“That sounds disgusting. I don’t want to hear it.”
She wasn’t interested in that, no matter how curious she was.
Eun-ho, putting his key in the door, looked at Eun-ji with a dumbfounded expression.
“Jumping to conclusions when I don’t even intend to tell you anything.”
“I’m not curious about how you met, just tell me why you broke up!”
“No.”
“I’m curious. Now that I know this much, you should tell me.”
“No, I shouldn’t.”
“Ah, come on, tell me!”
“…”
Eun-ho ignored her whining and opened the door.
The aluminum door rattled loudly.
Eun-ji, watching him, took a deep breath and yelled,
“Tell meeeeee!”
“The whole neighborhood can hear you, you crazy woman!”
As Eun-ho turned around with a startled expression, Eun-ji, seemingly having anticipated his reaction, smirked and took another deep breath.
“Tell—”
“Fine! Damn it.”
Eun-ho, quickly covering her mouth with his hand, yelled in exasperation,
“I’ll tell you, so shut up! It’s embarrassing!”
“Okay, tell me.”
“Ha…”
Eun-ho sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead, looking at Eun-ji’s smug grin.
“Why did you break up?”
“The usual reason. Why do you even ask?”
“I doubt Lee Eun-ho, Mr. Patience himself, broke up for a ‘usual’ reason.”
Eun-ji’s knowing smile suggested she hadn’t guessed Aeseul as his ex-girlfriend purely based on a hunch.
Eun-ho, bothered by her expression, messed up his hair and said,
“It’s just… I’m not the relationship type, and she knew too much, whether because she was obsessive or just curious.”
“About us?”
“Yeah.”
“How much did she know?”
“Flatfish.”
Eun-ji’s eyes widened at the random fish name.
Then, her face darkened as she seemed to understand.
“Was it because of—”
“Again with the nonsense. It didn’t happen, and it won’t happen.”
“But!”
“No ‘buts.’ As I said on the broadcast, I’m not interested in dating anyone.”
“Still.”
“Enough with the ‘still.’ You’re overthinking things, just like back then. Now, come inside if you don’t want to sleep with bugs, you idiot.”
Eun-ho took off his shoes and went inside.
Eun-ji, seemingly wanting to say more, quietly closed the door.
The unsettling noise subsided as the door closed.
Past
Long before I told him about the regression…
…around the time we met the bakery owner…
After gaining our trust, he took us to the place we were supposed to live. Before we went there…
…we prepared to part ways with him.
I had heard the adults mention something about legal guardianship, but knowing that the owner had to close his bakery, I kept quiet.
“I’m not worried about Eun-ho, he’s obedient…”
“Don’t worry.”
“I’m more worried about Eun-ji. Please don’t fight and take care of each other.”
“I don’t want to go! I don’t! Why?! Is it because I’m not obedient? I won’t fight with Lee Eun-ho either!”
“Eun-ji, sometimes there are separations you have to accept, even if you don’t want to. Behave and listen to Eun-ho.”
Eun-ji cried.
She cried because she didn’t want to go, but when I said I would go, she followed me.
I received treatment, as required, and we moved around to different places.
We were transferred due to various incidents or uncomfortable situations.
I could put on a smile even when I was upset, but Eun-ji’s personality was a problem.
Her emotions were transparent, and she was wary and aggressive towards people.
I tried to be different from Eun-ji, but I was often told that I was ‘too obedient,’ ‘lacked spunk,’ or ‘wasn’t cute.’
But it didn’t bother us because we didn’t open up to anyone except the bakery owner.
We ignored threats and pity and didn’t rely on anyone, so it wasn’t that difficult.
The last place we were transferred to was an orphanage affiliated with a church.
There, we met a nun who knew the bakery owner, and she contacted him for us.
But for some reason, he didn’t want to see us again.
Instead, he sent a donation and told the nun, ‘Please take good care of them, they’ve had a hard life.’
He only relayed a short message through the nun: “Be happy.”
We spent our middle school years there.
It wasn’t easy.
Many kids looked down on us when we first started elementary school.
But thankfully, no one physically bullied us.
Eun-ji was always a head taller than other kids her age.
Her height and broad shoulders were part of the reason, but her temper was the main factor.
‘She growled at everyone like a rabid dog…’
It was a time when others had to avoid her if they didn’t want to be bitten.
Time passed, and I became a middle schooler.
Around the time I became taller than Eun-ji.
I was still a loner, but my school life was uneventful.
Until a certain annoying person started bothering me.
“Oh, is that menthol?”
“Give me one, and I’ll give you this.”
“Okay.”
School bullies are common.
They were always looking for easy targets.
“Hey.”
There was a group of six smoking in the bathroom.
I was about to leave after using the restroom when Jo Kwang-soo, the school bully, called me.
“Keep watch outside.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you deaf idiot. Go and keep watch.”
I did as he said and went outside.
“Those idiots only listen after being cursed at.”
I overheard Jo Kwang-soo muttering before the bathroom door closed.
His words were ridiculous.
I went outside to go back to the classroom.
Whether they didn’t know or just let it slide…
Jo Kwang-soo and his gang were lucky enough to avoid being caught by the teacher that day.
It was surprising they weren’t caught, with the strong smell of cigarettes.
“Hey, you beggar. Good job slipping away.”
He praised me for doing a good job, even though I hadn’t done anything.
That’s when Jo Kwang-soo started targeting me.