Siblings Working in Business (198)
A few hours before the fan signing event.
4:00 AM.
“Ah, fuck.”
It was supposed to be a good day.
But it started with a string of bad luck.
Eun-ji clutched her cramping stomach and glared at the annoying bloodstains on her sheets.
Her period wasn’t due for another three days, so she had been careless.
It sometimes came early, but…
“Damn it.”
It was probably the stress from hearing about the collaboration offer from DI Music a few days ago.
‘Right.’
It was all Aeseul’s fault.
Eun-ji, radiating a chilling aura, slowly sat up.
Even Briquette, who had been sleeping next to her, belly up, was startled and hid in the cat tower.
Since she was already awake at this ungodly hour, Eun-ji gave up on going back to sleep and took a shower.
She squeezed the water out of her long hair and wrapped it in a towel.
After getting dressed, she left the bathroom.
Eun-ji headed straight for Eun-ho’s room.
Eun-ho’s room had a lot of drawers, even before they moved in.
So, things like medicine, necessities that weren’t immediately needed but were essential, were kept in Eun-ho’s drawers.
That was why…
Burst.
Eun-ji flung open Eun-ho’s door. Eun-ho, curled up on a mattress in the corner, mumbled and stirred in his sleep.
“Lee Eun-ho.”
“…”
“Where’s the pain medication?”
“…”
Eun-ji leaned against the doorframe and called out to him again.
But naturally, there was no response from someone who was sound asleep.
“Haa… ugh!”
As if expecting this, Eun-ji gritted her teeth, grabbed the blanket Eun-ho was clutching, and yanked it away with all her might.
“Wh-what the…?”
Eun-ho, jolted awake, mumbled with his eyes still closed.
“Lee Eun-ho, pain medication.”
“What? Why are you waking me up for pain medication?”
“Why do you think? Because I’m dying from period cramps, so hurry up and give it to me.”
At the mention of period cramps, Eun-ho cracked open an eyelid and immediately opened a drawer.
He knew instinctively that if he didn’t give her the medication now, it would only get worse in the next few days.
“Are you okay?”
“With what?”
“The fan signing today.”
“I don’t know, but I’ll make it work.”
Eun-ji, as soon as she received the pain medication from Eun-ho, popped two pills into her mouth.
“I’m a professional.”
Eun-ji immediately went to the refrigerator in the living room to look for water.
“Sorry for waking you. I guess I’m having a string of bad luck today.”
Eun-ji, seemingly regaining her senses after washing down the pills with water, offered a brief apology.
Although short, she was genuinely sorry.
Eun-ho, knowing her personality, chuckled and reached for his phone.
“It’s fine. I had to wake up anyway.”
Just as he finished speaking…
His phone alarm went off as if on cue.
“See?”
Eun-ho casually turned off the alarm and went to the bathroom, as if nothing had happened.
It was the start of a chaotic fan signing event day.
Eun-jeong and Ah-yeong stared at the woman with the unusually colored hair a little ways ahead of them in line.
“Ah! Never mind. It’s not her.”
“It’s not?”
“No. Like you said, it’s probably just someone with the same hair color.”
Although the person Eun-jeong and Ah-yeong were looking at wasn’t Aeseul, she was actually there.
Just a few spots ahead of them.
…Phew.
Aeseul, overhearing their whispered conversation, breathed a sigh of relief after confirming it wasn’t her.
‘I thought I was caught…’
Aeseul adjusted her short, black wig and pulled her mask up higher.
She absolutely couldn’t be discovered.
Aeseul shuddered, remembering her manager’s fury, then shook her head, trying to dispel the thought.
Aeseul was a big spender among E%.
She had collected all seven versions of the Behind the Scenes Photobook from the Deluxe Set and all 100 photocards.
She kept duplicates for her collection and distributed the rest to subtly promote E-UNG.
In short, she had bought enough to give one to every employee at DI Music Entertainment and still have some left over.
However, despite her substantial purchases, as if cursed, the albums delivered to her under ‘Uh Aeseul’ didn’t include Eun-ho’s letter or the fan signing ticket.
Although usually skeptical of such superstitions, Aeseul wondered if she had been excluded because of who she was.
So, after much pleading, she had her manager order an additional album under his name.
She couldn’t ask him to buy too many.
Not only because of the quantity, but because her manager had explicitly refused to buy more than one.
And yet…
Surprisingly, the single album ordered under her manager’s name…
…contained it.
「To. Yuri」
Although not addressed to her, Aeseul, upon receiving Eun-ho’s letter, immediately sealed it, along with the envelope, and stored it away safely.
And she kept it a secret from her manager.
Her manager disapproved of her E% activities.
Not only because he knew how stubborn she was, but also because her interests often attracted the unwanted attention of her uncle, the CEO.
This often led to unintended problems.
Aeseul, unconcerned with such matters, often complained, “Why are you so against it?”, but her manager was firm.
He was absolutely against it.
In this situation, there was no way he would let her attend E-UNG’s fan signing.
So, Aeseul devised a plan.
「“I’m going to the bathroom!”」
「“Okay. I’ll wait for you by the entrance. Hurry back.”」
Aeseul excused herself and left the studio with her manager.
Then, in a scene worthy of a spy movie, she donned a wig and a cleaning staff uniform in the bathroom…
…and slipped past her unsuspecting manager, escaping the DI Music Entertainment building.
Afterward, she bought an outfit at a department store, a mask and a cap, and made her way here.
It felt like she had completed a mission impossible.
“We will now begin admitting people in order!”
A man’s voice called out nearby.
‘Finally! Finally! Oh my god! My heart is racing!’
Aeseul calmed her excitement and entered, following the line.
“Oh? Eun-jeong?”
“Gasp…!”
Eun-jeong covered her mouth, speechless, when Eun-ho, recognizing her, called out her name.
“There were several Eun-jeongs when I was writing the letters.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So I thought one of them might be the Eun-jeong I met at Ihan University, and you actually came.”
Eun-jeong, at Eun-ho’s smile, covered her mouth again to hide her grin.
“Did you read the letter?”
“Yes!”
“How was it?”
“I was so happy I couldn’t sleep for weeks!”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have.”
A flicker of concern crossed Eun-ho’s face.
Eun-jeong was dying inside, wishing she could capture every nuance of his expression.
Fortunately, Ah-yeong, standing a little ways back, was filming with her camera.
Eun-jeong, although disappointed, was satisfied.
“This is a reply to the letter you gave me, Oppa.”
“Oh! Thank you.”
When Eun-ho received the letter and beamed, Eun-jeong swayed slightly, feigning dizziness.
Eun-ho chuckled and pressed his hand to his forehead.
Seeing one of Eun-ho’s signature laughing habits in person, not just in videos or photos, made Eun-jeong giddy with excitement. She maintained her composure and signaled to Ah-yeong to capture the moment.
“Oppa, can we take a picture together, looking over there?”
“Sure. Where should I look?”
Ah-yeong continued filming enthusiastically. Then, after Eun-jeong left, it was her turn.
“What’s your name?”
Eun-ho asked, looking up at Ah-yeong, and her face flushed as she stammered,
“Kim Ah-yeong…”
“Oh, Ah-yeong. That’s a pretty name.”
“Th-thank you.”
Ah-yeong had rehearsed countless questions, but now, standing before him, her mind went blank.
Eun-ho smiled and tilted his head, as if asking, ‘Do you have anything to say?’
“Oh my god. I had so many questions, but I can’t remember any of them.”
“Haha. Just tell me the one you wanted to ask the most.”
“You’re handsome. I love you?”
“…”
Eun-ho seemed flustered for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“Me too.”
“M-me too, what?!”
Ah-yeong, embarrassed but determined, asked again.
“Um… I, I love you too.”
Eun-ho’s ears turned bright red, as if the word ‘love’ was too embarrassing to say.
Ah-yeong finally understood what Eun-jeong meant by ‘I think I’m going to get a nosebleed.’
But it was time for her to move on.
Although she regretted the time lost hesitating, she couldn’t turn back time.
“I’ll definitely come again if there’s another event.”
“Okay. I’ll be sure to remember you, Ah-yeong.”
As Eun-ho smiled and waved, Ah-yeong, though reluctant, made way for the next person.
After a few more people…
Eun-ho’s ever-present smile suddenly vanished.
「“I guess I’m having a string of bad luck today.”」
Eun-ji’s words from that morning echoed in his mind.
“Ah, hello.”
The fan sitting in front of him spoke, and Eun-ho, snapping back to reality, replied,
“Hello.”
He tried to regain his composure, but he seemed to be struggling.
‘What are you doing here?’
Eun-ho desperately wanted to ask.
Even with the wig and mask…
After months of being tormented by those cat-like eyes, he couldn’t forget them.
“Aeseul, what brings you here?”
If it were anyone else, he would have at least offered a polite smile.
But because it was Aeseul, his voice was cold.
“H-how? Gasp, is it that obvious?”
Aeseul, genuinely flustered, frantically checked her disguise.
“…”
Eun-ho didn’t answer and just continued signing.
He wanted to get it over with quickly.
“I’m, a, a, f-f-…”
A f-?
A what?
“Fan. I am. Since, D-D-DUO.”
Aeseul was trembling, her voice shaking.
Eun-ho, as if witnessing a strange phenomenon, lowered his guard slightly.
“Really?”
“Yes!”
Aeseul’s eyes welled up as she met Eun-ho’s gaze.
Embarrassed by her own reaction, she quickly grabbed the signed album and practically fled to Eun-ji’s line.
Eun-ho watched her go, puzzled.
‘Was she always like this?’