Siblings Working in Business (174)
It wasn’t long after the second game started.
Eun-ji’s picture on the TV screen turned black and white, and a red stamp appeared.
Lee Eun-ji [Eliminated]
“Huh?”
Joo-yeon, engrossed in the show, was just as confused as the surprised Eun-ho on screen.
The screen then showed Jeong Bae-chan, now alone.
He was heading to the Dollhouse with the doll.
After a struggle with Jo Sa-rang, who appeared soon after, Jeong Bae-chan, in a dramatic slow-motion sequence, finally succeeded in returning the doll.
The picture of Everland’s Horror House turned black and white, just like Eun-ji’s.
Then, bam, a blue stamp marked “Closed” appeared.
Four locations remained.
For the regular members to win, they had to solve the spies’ locations and close them all.
The spies, unlike the regular members, received the mission to return the dolls to locations other than their real bases.
Also, the moment their base was closed…
They wouldn’t receive a direct notification like the regular members, but they would be silently eliminated.
Of course, since there were five spies, all five bases were ‘real bases.’
This was a ‘trap phrase’ the PD and writers included to conceal the fact that there were ‘five’ spies.
Thanks to this, no one except Jeong Bae-chan had any idea that there were multiple spies.
And if a spy won this second game, the prize was a ‘Vote Exchange Ticket.’
This was a mission to win the ‘Vote Exchange Ticket,’ a crucial opportunity to steal first place.
After the battle between Jo Sa-rang and Jeong Bae-chan ended, the screen switched to Ryu Seok-hyun and Seo Seo-un.
—Agh! I’ll put it down! Why are you so obsessed with the doll?!
—Let go of the doll! I’ll put it down, so let go!
Both of them were spies, but they pretended not to be, arguing about who would take the doll.
They were making ridiculous excuses and lies, trying to get the doll.
But perhaps because they were both spies…
Neither of them noticed the other’s suspicious excuses.
As they stubbornly fought, after a long while, they finally realized they were both spies.
But even then, nothing changed.
They quickly raced to be the first to place their black and orange dressed dolls, respectively.
They tried to steal or snatch the doll from each other mid-race, but it didn’t help much.
The moment the doll’s foot or any part of its body touched the Dollhouse, the game was over.
There was no second chance.
Ryu Seok-hyun and Seo Seo-un were both stamped with a bright red “Eliminated” simultaneously.
Now only Eun-ho and Jeong Bae-chan remained.
Just then…
[Who is next to Lee Eun-ho?]
[Lee Eun-ji?]
[Eun-ji is alive?]
The screen changed, and captions appeared.
Edited footage showed Eun-ho rescuing Eun-ji, rewinding time.
And even the scene of them deducing the mission and the way to win using the paper.
The scene then shifted to Jeong Bae-chan, frustrated after his fight with Jo Sa-rang.
He knew Eun-ji was alive.
Moreover, the fact that he was a spy, and that all five members were spies, was revealed.
Every action he took to gain favor with Eun-ho and Eun-ji was exposed.
But Jeong Bae-chan’s relaxed expression didn’t last long.
The moment he reunited with Eun-ho and Eun-ji…
Crack!
Lightning struck the screen showing Jeong Bae-chan, and he froze.
It was because of the two ball-jointed dolls Eun-ho and Eun-ji were holding.
One doll wore a yellow dress, the other a blue one.
—Wh-what are those? Where did you get them?
—Uh… Sunbae, don’t you know what these are?
Eun-ji asked, looking at the bewildered yet shamelessly acting Jeong Bae-chan with an incredulous expression.
His recent acting practice seemed to be paying off, as his audacity was truly impressive.
If she hadn’t known about the hit drama he starred in later, she might have been completely fooled.
—Don’t you know? I saw you take this when you abandoned me…
—…
Just then, as Eun-ji pressed him suspiciously…
Eun-ho pretended not to know, and since there was only one thing to do anyway, he handed Jeong Bae-chan the doll with dark blue eyes and a yellow dress.
The other doll Eun-ji was holding had brown eyes and a blue dress.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji knew that the game would end if they placed the dolls.
But they pretended not to know and asked Jeong Bae-chan after arriving at the Dollhouse,
—How does this work?
—You just put it down like this.
Thinking there was no harm since it wasn’t his doll anyway, Jeong Bae-chan placed the doll in the Dollhouse.
Ding.
A group message notification sounded.
Jeong Bae-chan checked his phone and shouted in disbelief,
—Wh-why am I eliminated?!
Just then, Eun-ji burst out laughing, “Hahahaha!” and suddenly struck a strange pose.
—If you ask why you’re eliminated!
—Hey, do we really have to do this?
Eun-ho asked Eun-ji, appalled.
—Hurry up! Like a pro!
—Haa…
Eun-ho let out a deep sigh as if the world was ending, then mirrored Eun-ji’s pose and shouted,
—It’s only right to answer you!
It was a famous line from a nostalgic cartoon.
Jeong Bae-chan stared blankly at them, dumbfounded.
Eun-ho’s face was as red as a beet.
Jeong Bae-chan’s base doll had blue eyes and a blue dress.
The doll Jeong Bae-chan placed had blue eyes but a yellow dress.
Meanwhile, the dolls Eun-ho and Eun-ji had had slightly dark brown eyes and blue dresses.
The scene on screen flashed back to when Eun-ho and the PD made a ‘deal.’
—PD-nim, I correctly guessed that there were five spies, so I should get the S-grade hint, right?
—Right.
—Is the hint about who the culprit is?
—…No.
—Haha, well, it’s better if it’s not. Can I ask you one thing instead of getting the S-grade hint?
—Yes.
The PD thought it was a decent deal.
—Is the doll’s clothing the criteria, or the doll itself?
—What do you mean?
—I want to see if Jeong Bae-chan will be eliminated if we switch the clothes between the doll from the spaceship base and this yellow dress doll.
That’s what he thought, before he knew what Eun-ho and Eun-ji were planning.
The PD was momentarily speechless.
Since no one had ever tried something like this, there was no established rule.
‘But it seems like it would make for an interesting scene on the broadcast…’
The PD pondered.
—…You’ll find out if you try.
The PD gave a vague answer but couldn’t meet Eun-ho’s eyes.
Eun-ho seemed to have gotten the answer he wanted just from the PD’s expression.
—Thank you.
Eun-ho smiled brightly and thanked him.
This was the result.
The picture of Future City on the screen turned black, like the other bases, and a blue “Closed” stamp appeared.
Jeong Bae-chan’s picture also turned black and white, and an “Eliminated” stamp appeared shortly after.
Not only that, but as Eun-ho and Eun-ji returned the doll that was originally wearing the yellow dress to the Dollhouse, Choi Su-min, who hadn’t even appeared on screen, was also stamped “Eliminated.”
But there was a twist.
—To call this Lee Eun-ho and Lee Eun-ji’s victory…
Since there was something unsettling about it, the ‘Vote Exchange Ticket’ was given to Choi Su-min, who survived until the end, concluding the second mission.
Voting time arrived.
When the previously undisclosed prize was revealed, Eun-ho and Eun-ji were genuinely impressed.
‘A Hanwoo beef set!’
They had to win this.
Their fighting spirits ignited.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji voted for each other, as hinted.
But they had to pay the price for getting revenge on Eun-ji’s elimination during the broadcast.
Choi Su-min’s game-changing Vote Exchange Ticket.
—I’ll exchange with this person.
—Aaaagh!
Jeong Bae-chan, the only one who knew Eun-ho and Eun-ji’s exact scores, groaned.
Choi Su-min, as if to prove she knew nothing, chose the card that said “Lee Eun-ho.”
Eun-ji gave Eun-ho a 1-point vote, and Eun-ho gave Eun-ji a 3-point vote.
Therefore, the winner was Eun-ji.
—Today’s winner is E-UNG! Lee Eun-ji!
Ryu Seok-hyun announced the results and handed her the Hanwoo beef set.
—Thank you!!! Kyaaaah!!!
Everyone burst out laughing at Eun-ji’s delighted scream.
With the screen showing exploding confetti, the Change Partner “E-UNG” episode, which had become a legend in many ways, came to an end.
Success
—Change Partner will begin shortly.
‘Shortly,’ they said, but the commercials alone were 10 minutes long.
There would be more commercials after the intro…
“…If I get ready and settled now, it’ll start right on time!”
Joo-yeon finished cleaning up her shop, which still smelled new, and quickly fried a handful of french fries.
She dumped the finished fries into a random bowl and generously sprinkled mozzarella and cheddar cheese on top.
The cheese couldn’t withstand the heat of the fries and melted into a golden puddle.
She placed the cheesy fries on the single table in the shop, quickly grabbed a can of beer from the fridge, and sat down.
The moment she opened the can…
Click, hiss—
“Oh!”
Perhaps because she rushed, the beer foamed up, threatening to overflow.
Joo-yeon quickly brought the can to her lips and gulped down the beer.
“Ah!”
The refreshing taste washed away the day’s fatigue!
The shop she opened with her severance pay and savings.
She took out a small loan to give herself some leeway, but it was a stable start, nothing too risky.
Although it was a small shop with only one four-seater table, sales weren’t bad, honestly.
This was thanks to the many customers who ordered online and through social media, rather than visiting the shop in person.
‘She should be here soon…’
And today was even more special.
Seul-gi was visiting her shop for the first time since it opened.
Seul-gi, being E-UNG’s stylist, had also been incredibly busy lately with their upcoming first mini-album, “TIME.”
“It’s about to start. Is Seul-gi running very late?”
Just then…
The alley where her shop was located became noisy.
A moment later…
“I’m here!”
Seul-gi shouted as she entered the shop.
“You’re here?”
Joo-yeon greeted Seul-gi warmly and ushered her inside.
“I came empty-handed today.”
“It’s okay. I know you’ve been busy. Just you coming here is a gift to me.”
When Joo-yeon said this with a smile, Seul-gi beamed and continued,
“I knew you’d say that. Although I came empty-handed, I brought a gift-like presence for our angel Joo-Joo!”
“Huh?”
Just then…
“Hello, Unnie!!! Kyaaah! What? This shop is so cute!!!”
“Lee Eun-ji, be quiet. Calm down. Joo-yeon, it’s been a while.”
Joo-yeon, completely surprised by Eun-ho and Eun-ji’s sudden appearance, slowly covered her mouth…
And fainted, her eyes rolling back in her head.