Siblings Working in Business (220)
Karma
「“He had some fights with her brother and, well, they had a thing.”」
The rumors about Eun-ji’s school violence started when Jo Kwang-soo twisted the story to hide the fact that he was the one bullied by her.
Ho-rang relayed what he heard to Hwa-rang — that Jo Kwang-soo and Eun-ji had a “thing” — and Hwa-rang relayed it to Eun-ho and Eun-ji.
You shouldn’t spread rumors without knowing the facts.
Jo Kwang-soo learned that lesson the hard way.
Perhaps because they weren’t the brightest…
Jo Kwang-soo and his accomplices were charged with spreading false information, defamation, and insult.
“It was because of the alcohol!”
Jo Kwang-soo tried to use alcohol as an excuse, claiming he hadn’t intended to harm the plaintiff, but it was futile.
The mountain of evidence submitted by Eun-ho’s side refuted his claims without a word.
After hearing from Chang-seok, Eun-ho thought back to the day he met Jo Kwang-soo again in front of the restaurant.
And he remembered someone.
[Me ― Tae-hyun hyung]
[Tae-hyun ― Yeah]
[Me ― Do you remember that employee who cursed at me the day we went to the pension?]
Tae-hyun seemed to be thinking, as his reply came after a few minutes.
[Tae-hyun ― Yeah]
[Me ― Hyung, you said you filmed it, do you still have the video?]
[Tae-hyun ― I think so]
[Me ― Could you send it to me?]
[Tae-hyun ― Okay, hold on.]
Eun-ho, after receiving the video file from Tae-hyun, burst out laughing, hearing Jo Kwang-soo clearly yelling, “You little fucker!!!”
‘They say you should always be careful with your words and actions.’
Because the words you spoke could become a knife aimed at your throat.
It was the video of the moment Jo Kwang-soo, unable to control his anger, shouted at Eun-ho.
“Now we need to find someone who was in the same class as Eun-ji…”
Since they were busy preparing for their single album release and focusing on practice, they decided to use the E-FAN app to find people.
「Searching for students who attended XX Middle School in XX County, enrolled in 2008.」
An announcement appeared on E-FAN.
Perhaps thanks to their large number of fans in their 20s…
Contrary to Eun-ho’s worries, it was easy to find people, thanks to a classmate who was an Eun-ji fan.
Eun-ji’s classmates, who remembered Jo Kwang-soo barging into their classroom, were furious upon hearing that he was now accusing Eun-ji of school violence and being a bully.
They sent a statement to NRY Entertainment, detailing the incident, saying they hoped it would help.
Along with the statement, there was a rolled-up piece of B4 paper and a short note asking for it to be delivered to Eun-ji.
“What’s this?”
“One is a statement from her classmates hoping to help with the lawsuit, and the other, I don’t know.”
Chang-seok, suppressing his curiosity, handed Eun-ji the rolled-up old paper.
Eun-ji, back home, casually unrolled the paper.
It was a simple piece of drawing paper.
Filled with drawings and messages.
「I hope you read these letters when you come back.」
「Eun-ji, although we haven’t known each other for long (OTL)…」
「Eun-ji, I was so scared when that senior from 3rd grade barged into our classroom ㅠ Thank you for protecting us.」
「Eun-ji, you were the hero of Class 2-1! I wanted to be friends with you, but I’m sad you suddenly disappeared…」
「I hope you come back healthy next year, Eun-ji, even if we’re not in the same class ㅠ^ㅠ」
Eun-ji’s eyes widened as she read the messages, and tears welled up.
“What…”
Her voice cracked, despite her attempt to sound nonchalant.
The densely written messages were from a roll of paper, messages left by her classmates before they moved on to the second grade, after Eun-ji disappeared.
The roll of paper was filled with messages of gratitude for Eun-ji, who had bravely defended them against a scary bully senior, and concern for her after she disappeared.
And the last message, seemingly written more recently, was clearer than the others, which had faded with time.
「Hi, Eun-ji, my name is Kim Na-eun. I don’t know if you remember me…」
It was a letter from Na-eun, who was the class president back then.
Na-eun explained that she, along with her classmates, created the roll of paper after Eun-ji disappeared, hoping to give it to her when she returned, even though she wasn’t there at the time.
「I wanted to give this to you no matter how long it took, and I’m glad it’s finally reaching you after all this time. ^-^」
Eun-ji, touched that Na-eun had kept the roll of paper for seven years, carefully rubbed the emoticon with her thumb, as if to make sure it was real.
The E% classmate Eun-ho mentioned was Na-eun, the class president back then.
Na-eun’s letter continued, explaining that she recognized Eun-ho and Eun-ji from the music video they appeared in with Toxin…
And that she had also bought their “TIME” album…
Na-eun ended the letter by saying she was sincerely cheering for them, for ‘Eun-ji, the hero of our class.’
“…Ah.”
She was happy.
So happy.
Eun-ji’s ordinary teenage life had been cut short after middle school.
The time she spent worrying about her brother more than herself.
The time she wanted to wear a school uniform but took it off as soon as she put it on.
But she had no regrets.
Thanks to that decision, she met a wonderful CEO and was now making the music she loved.
However, before the regression…
To be precise, even before Eun-ho’s regression, Eun-ji secretly longed for the missing parts of her school days.
When she left her studio one morning…
Seeing middle school students rushing to school…
Seeing students in uniforms eating tteokbokki together at a street food stall after school…
It was an everyday life she couldn’t avoid seeing, even if she didn’t want to.
And every time she saw it, she couldn’t help but think ‘what if.’
It was a sense of longing.
‘What if Lee Eun-ho and I went to school instead of taking the GED?’
Her suppressed longing finally erupted at the sight of the old roll of paper.
Her vision blurred with tears, Eun-ji, furrowing her brow, reread the messages her friends had left on the old drawing paper, savoring each word.
Sniffle, sob…
Briquette, who was in the room with her, watched Eun-ji reading the roll of paper with a warm gaze, giving her space and allowing her to enjoy the moment in silence.
Just as Eun-ji was finishing reading…
Burst.
The door to her room flew open.
It was Eun-ho.
Eun-ho, who had opened the door while reading a notebook, looked at the teary-eyed Eun-ji.
“Hey, Lee Eun-ji, the bridge in the song we worked on today—”
Eun-ho froze, as if he had encountered Medusa.
Then, the corners of his mouth twitched mischievously.
‘Here we go again.’
Briquette, sensing what was coming, quickly hid in the corner of the cat tower.
As expected…
“Wow— Lee Eun-ji, you…”
“Get out! You punk!”
The moment Eun-ho opened his mouth, Eun-ji yelled and kicked the door.
“What?! Why are you crying like a baby?!”
“I’m not crying, you bastard!!! Mind your own business and get out!”
Slam!
Despite the door slamming shut, Eun-ho opened it again, undeterred.
“What d—”
“Get out!!!”
Eun-ji yelled at the top of her lungs.
“Hey, hey! Lee Eun-ji! Wait!”
“Get out! I said get out!”
Not only was she embarrassed about being caught crying, but her red face made it even harder to hide.
“Ah, wait! I have something to say!”
“Tell me later!”
“It’s important!”
“What?!”
When Eun-ho spoke with a serious expression, Eun-ji hesitated and asked,
“…What is it?”
“…You…”
“Don’t waste my time, tell me quickly before I break your face, and get out of my room.”
Eun-ho shifted his weight, as if about to run, then said quickly,
“You look ugly when you cry.”
And then he darted back to his room.
Eun-ji reached out as if to grab him, but her hand missed his hood.
“You little bastard!!!”
Bam, bam!
Eun-ji pounded on Eun-ho’s door with her fists and feet.
…It was just another day in their noisy lives.
Jo Kwang-soo’s claim that he ‘had no malicious intent’ was proven false not only by the video Choi Tae-hyun filmed, but also by the fake news website he created, which was discovered during the investigation, leading to harsher penalties.
And thanks to the statement from Eun-ji’s classmates, the situation unfolded exactly as Eun-ho had planned.
「“After resolving the issue internally, we could sponsor people with similar experiences and use the perpetrator as the face of the campaign.”」
As the situation was resolved…
“I think it’s time to reveal the truth, don’t you think?”
“I agree, the timing is perfect. You’ve worked hard, Eun-ho.”
At Eun-ho’s suggestion, CEO Park, as promised, brought up the collaboration with CEO Uh, signaling the start of their plan.
The story that had been brewing within E-FAN was finally released to the public through a reporter CEO Park was close to.
「E-UNG, “Strong Response” to Leaked False Article about ‘School Violence’”」
「Sibling idol duo ‘E-UNG’ and ‘school violence’? NO! Classmates reveal heartwarming old roll of paper」
「Eun-ji’s ‘bully rumor’? Middle school classmates’ statement! “Not true”」
As the dam broke, a flood of articles poured out.
Chang-seok’s reporter friend, eager for a scoop, with Chang-seok’s help, found Eun-ho’s former homeroom teacher and conducted an interview.
「Eun-ho’s former homeroom teacher’s interview: “A kind child who quietly helped his classmates”」
「Sibling idol duo’s ‘bully rumor.’ Were they actually the victims?」
「Testimony from Jo’s former homeroom teacher: “Despite two school violence committee meetings, Jo continued to bully the sibling idols, including Lee, for years in the same class…”」
「Shocking past of sibling group ‘E-UNG’ revealed! “Did this really happen in 2000s Korea?”」
Although a considerable amount of their past was revealed in the process, since the timing was right, Eun-ho and Eun-ji calmly accepted the situation.