Siblings Work in Business (152)
“Here are your clothes.”
“Thanks.”
As Eun-ji handed him the clothes, Eun-ho, surprised by her unexpected behavior, asked,
“What are you doing?”
Eun-ji smiled sweetly and pulled the clothes back.
Then, she held out her empty hand.
“Money.”
“You… give me the clothes first—”
“Do I look like an amateur?”
“…”
A crack appeared on Eun-ho’s smiling face.
Hwa-rang, who had just entered the house, looked back and forth between them, bewildered.
“I’ll give it to you, just give me the clothes…”
“Pay up first, boss.”
“Are you seriously being this stingy with family?”
“That’s what family is for.”
“Wow, so that’s how it is.”
“You started it.”
“Hey, have I ever broken a promise?”
“Yes.”
“…Damn it.”
Eun-ho cursed, smiling.
Well, he had tricked her more often than not, especially before the regression.
“Transfer it first.”
“Fine, give me your phone.”
“…”
Eun-ji just stood there, smiling, as Eun-ho asked.
“I’ll transfer it. Give me your phone.”
“Additional fee.”
“Huh?”
As Eun-ho glared at her, Eun-ji’s fake smile widened.
“Fine, 1,000 won.”
“1,000 won? That’s not even enough for gum these days.”
“Can’t you just give it to me?”
“No.”
“You’re so stingy.”
“I learned it from someone.”
Eun-ji retorted, maintaining her fake smile.
“3,000 won.”
“5,000.”
“4,000.”
“5,000.”
“Damn it, fine. Just bring it.”
“Okay~”
Eun-ji, no longer stubborn, quickly retrieved Eun-ho’s phone and returned.
“Who taught you how to do that?”
“Do you really not know?”
Eun-ji retorted, looking at him intently as he took his phone.
“You little…”
“Takes one to know one.”
Eun-ji flipped him off.
Eun-ho quickly unlocked his phone and opened his banking app.
“Transferred.”
“Oh.”
Eun-ji checked her phone.
[55,000 won deposited. Now get lost ㅗ]
Ignoring the insult, Eun-ji smiled brightly and handed Eun-ho his clothes.
“Payment confirmed.”
“Seriously…”
Eun-ho sighed and took his clothes.
Hwa-rang, stuck by the entrance because of the bathroom’s awkward location, had witnessed the entire sibling squabble.
At first, she had been bewildered by their fight, but after spending a few hours with them, she seemed to have gotten used to it.
‘They’re close…’
Although one might not describe it as “close”, siblings bickered because they were comfortable with each other.
‘My brother…’
Hwa-rang’s expression hardened, a hint of sadness in her eyes, as she thought of someone.
She had a brother.
But unlike Eun-ho and Eun-ji, they barely spoke, let alone joked around like that. She remembered holding her brother’s hand and going out together when they were young. When did they become so distant, like strangers? All they ever talked about now was… work.
「“When are you going to get your act together? Give up on being a trainee and get a real job. If you haven’t debuted by now, you’re not cut out for it.”」
Not playful banter like Eun-ho’s, but a harsh, angry lecture.
She wanted to tell him that she didn’t want to give up, but she couldn’t. He wouldn’t understand.
In his mid-20s…
Her brother had a stable job and was even married.
So, how pathetic must she have seemed to him, clinging to her dream of being a trainee, even working part-time jobs after being dropped by her agency?
“Hey, Lee Eun-ji.”
“What.”
“Catch.”
Eun-ho tossed a folded 10,000 won bill at Eun-ji.
“What’s this?”
“I found it in my pocket.”
“Thanks, Oppa!”
“Yeah, you only call me Oppa when you want something.”
“Isn’t that what older brothers are for?”
“Haha.”
Eun-ho grinned and then, mimicking Eun-ji, gave her the middle finger.
‘Haha.’
Hwa-rang chuckled, watching them.
‘Ah.’
Then, she suddenly realized.
That day, when she first visited NRY Entertainment…
The office had been buzzing with activity, the passionate staff members creating a warm atmosphere despite the chilly, rainy weather.
But when the siblings entered, bickering…
Everyone stopped working for a moment and watched them, like an audience watching a show.
They chuckled, and then, as the fight ended and the siblings started talking to her, they all went back to work.
That atmosphere had left a strong impression on her.
Passion was like fire; it couldn’t be sustained without fuel. People got tired, and their concentration span was shorter than they thought.
That’s why breaks were important.
Breaks were fuel, boosting productivity.
At NRY Entertainment, E-UNG were both the driving force and the fuel, the source of breaks.
Watching them, she understood why.
The siblings had an intimidating aura, difficult to approach.
But their behavior was… ordinary, like any other siblings, playful and a bit rough.
Seeing them joke around like this made them seem more relatable, more human.
‘They look like they were raised in a privileged environment…’
But at the same time, they seemed to have gone through a lot…
The more she observed them, the more curious she became.
“Where should we go for dinner…?”
“Dinner!”
As CEO Park started discussing dinner plans, Hwa-rang raised her hand and exclaimed,
“I know a good place!”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji looked at her with anticipation.
“I heard you like meat, but since we’re by the sea, I thought seafood would be good, so I looked for a place…”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji chuckled, watching Hwa-rang, who was rambling despite trying to sound articulate.
“We like anything, as long as it’s good.”
Eun-ji said, reassuring the flustered Hwa-rang.
“Hwa-rang-ssi, you’re not very good at hiding your nervousness.”
“Ah…”
Hwa-rang’s ears turned slightly red, realizing she had been caught.
“That’s your charm, unnie.”
Eun-ji’s words made her ears even redder.
“L-Let’s go!”
Hwa-rang quickly led them outside. Since they were driving, they took CEO Park’s car.
Eun-ho was wearing light blue pants and an ivory linen shirt, with a thin gray hoodie over it.
He didn’t seem to care much about fashion, just wearing whatever was comfortable.
Eun-ji, on the other hand, was wearing ripped denim shorts and a black tank top, with a similar thin gray hoodie as Eun-ho. She was also still wearing the moonstone necklace Seul-gi gave her.
After parking at a nearby public parking lot, they got out of the car.
The streets were crowded, probably because of an upcoming festival at the nearby beach.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji pulled up their hoodies and put their hands in their pockets.
They walked behind Hwa-rang, their similar outfits and gait making them look like twins.
Hwa-rang, glancing back, chuckled silently at their identical appearance, despite their hidden faces.
CEO Park, as if understanding her amusement, smiled and followed Hwa-rang.
Despite their hidden faces, their tall stature and similar aura drew attention.
“Welcome!”
Even the restaurant owner paused for a moment, a look of admiration on his face, recognizing their celebrity aura.
‘My kids are something, aren’t they?’
CEO Park, proud of his well-raised “children,” puffed out his chest and cleared his throat.
The young owner, snapping out of his daze, asked,
“Table for four?”
“Yes.”
As Hwa-rang replied, the owner led them to their table. The restaurant, chosen by Hwa-rang, had partitions between tables for privacy. It was both a seafood and grilled shellfish restaurant.
“3 servings of assorted sashimi and 3 servings of assorted shellfish. And a bottle of soju, please.”
CEO Park ordered, and the owner bowed his head cheerfully and left.
“Can we drink if we’re driving?”
“We’ll call a designated driver.”
“Ah.”
Eun-ho asked, and CEO Park, after answering briefly, turned to Hwa-rang.
“So, Hwa-rang-ssi, what about you? Do you like alcohol?”
“I’m… indifferent.”
“Well, even if you’re a lightweight, you must be better than these two. We won’t drink too much, just enough to have a good time.”
Hwa-rang initially thought, ‘They must be heavy drinkers,’ since CEO Park sounded almost boastful.
But she was quickly disabused of that notion.
As soon as the assorted shellfish and sashimi were placed on the grill…
“First shot, bottoms up!”
Eun-ji exclaimed.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, despite the small amount of alcohol, were already showing signs of intoxication, which made Hwa-rang stare at them in disbelief.
She hadn’t imagined they would get drunk so easily.
And Eun-ho was even worse.
After just one shot, or rather, one sip… barely half a glass… he was as drunk as Eun-ji.
“Hmm.”
Hwa-rang looked at Eun-ho and Eun-ji with a bewildered expression.
They both looked tipsy.
“These two are lightweights.”
CEO Park explained to Hwa-rang.
They looked like they could easily handle two bottles of soju, but they couldn’t even finish one glass…
‘They’re… cute.’
Hwa-rang found this unexpected side of them charming.
“So, Hwa-rang-ssi, should we do a background check on you?”
“A background check…?”
Hwa-rang burst out laughing at the serious word, which didn’t fit the lighthearted atmosphere.
“I’m just kidding. Tell us about yourself, Hwa-rang-ssi. About your family, your life…”
CEO Park glanced at Eun-ho and Eun-ji, then turned back to Hwa-rang and continued,
“It might be helpful for your work.”
It might be helpful for songwriting.
She immediately understood the underlying meaning.
So, Hwa-rang willingly shared her personal story.
“My family is… well, quite ordinary. I have a younger brother, a mother, a father, and an older brother…”