Siblings Working in Business (225)
Suspicious
“Am I too late?”
He thought he had followed quickly, but when he ran out into the hallway, the suspicious person was already gone.
Maybe he could still see him if he went outside.
Eun-ho started running again.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!!!”
Just then…
“Hyung?”
“Why are you in such a hurry? Is something wrong?”
“Ah, no.”
Eun-ho, running frantically, almost collided with In-hyeok.
The Cloud Dance Team members seemed to have just arrived at the filming location.
“What’s going on?”
Roa and Obyeol, no, Ena, followed In-hyeok into the hallway.
“Did you see anyone suspicious running this way?”
“Suspicious?”
“Did you see them?”
Roa tilted her head at Eun-ho’s question, and In-hyeok asked the other members.
But they all shook their heads, saying they hadn’t seen anyone.
Just then, Hyun-ji spoke, as if remembering something,
“Ah.”
“Did you see them?”
“I’m not sure about a person, but I think I saw a really big cat…”
“…”
Eun-ho sighed deeply, his disappointment evident.
But then…
The word “cat” triggered a memory: the human-like silhouette he saw in Eun-ji’s room and the cat sitting on the ice cream wrappers.
“That cat.”
“Yeah?”
“What color was it?”
Eun-ho asked sharply, and Hyun-ji, slightly startled, hesitated before answering cautiously,
“Well…”
Hyun-ji closed her eyes, as if trying to recall the memory.
Something about her demeanor made him uneasy, so he asked,
“Why?”
“It’s strange… I can’t remember clearly. Unnie, do you remember?”
Hyun-ji asked Ena.
“We saw a cat?”
“Did we?”
They all tilted their heads, as if suffering from collective short-term memory loss.
Just then…
He sensed someone behind him and turned around. Hyun-woo and Do-jin were there.
“Did you lose him?”
“Ah, yeah.”
Eun-ho clicked his tongue, looking at the door at the end of the hallway, knowing it was too late to chase after him.
‘Ah.’
He had slipped into informal speech with Do-jin, out of habit.
Do-jin also blinked in surprise at his casual tone.
“Ah, sorry, I was lost in thought. Yes, I lost him.”
“Ah.”
He was glad he managed to smooth things over.
Eun-ho, looking at Do-jin and Hyun-woo, asked,
“How did you know, by the way?”
“Know what?”
“That I was chasing someone.”
“Weren’t you chasing the staff member who approached Eun-ji?”
“That’s true, but…”
Do-jin was like Eun-ji.
He seemed oblivious at times, yet he was also surprisingly perceptive, like Eun-ji, who had figured out his regression.
Even when he was pretending to be fine, smiling…
Even when everyone said, “I’m glad Eun-ho’s recovered”…
Do-jin was the only one who noticed he was putting on an act.
Even when he was secretly drinking…
Do-jin had quietly found and thrown away all the alcohol hidden in his apartment.
Although he hadn’t realized some of it was a gift from a fan.
So, considering that…
It wasn’t surprising.
“Well, it can’t be helped if you lost him. We can’t delay filming because of some shady salesperson.”
“Ah…”
“Let’s go back to filming.”
Just then, In-hyeok put his arm around Eun-ho’s shoulders.
Eun-ho brushed his arm away from his collar.
“Hyung, these feathers are hand-sewn, so Seul-gi will be mad if they fall off.”
“Ah.”
Seul-gi was a fearsome noona to the male members of Cloud Dance Team.
But the female members found her endearing.
Their contrasting perceptions were evident in their expressions.
The female members chuckled and agreed, while the male members winced.
Seul-gi usually blamed herself if their outfits were damaged during their performances.
But the Cloud guys were playful and often…
Both he and Eun-ji had damaged their outfits while messing around.
Perhaps because Seul-gi often discussed costume issues with CEO Park…
That day, the Cloud Dance Team members had to endure an hour-long lecture from Seul-gi.
Unable to bear her relentless nagging, the male members knelt before her and chanted, “We’re sorry.”
Having learned his lesson, In-hyeok quickly raised his hands in the air, as if to emphasize, ‘I didn’t touch it!’
“Haha.”
Eun-ho’s nerves, on edge because of the suspicious person, calmed down slightly.
He turned towards the set and glanced at the door.
Was it Briquette?
‘I need to ask him when I get home.’
“Haah… huff… haa…”
As the long music video shoot was nearing its end…
It was time to film that scene.
A square bathtub made of white tiles was set up in the middle of the chroma key set.
The bathtub was filled with water.
Then, red dye was added, turning the water blood-red.
“Add a bit more black.”
“Yes.”
But the color still didn’t satisfy Cheol-soo, and the staff, following her instructions, added more black dye.
As Cheol-soo intended, the slightly murky red color was closer to the color of blood.
While they were adjusting the water’s color, Eun-ji was sprawled out on three chairs pushed together like a makeshift bed, her posture completely at odds with her elegant outfit.
“They say clothes make the man, but you’re destroying yours.”
“I can’t destroy Lee Eun-ho, that punk, so this is the next best thing.”
“Destroy… seriously, you have no filter when it comes to your brother.”
“Ha. Ha. That brother of mine, seriously, I can’t even…”
Eun-ji forced a smile, then opened her eyes and glared at Eun-ho.
“Go away, Lee Eun-ho. I’m irritable.”
“No. These are the only chairs.”
Eun-ho pulled out the chair Eun-ji’s legs were resting on.
As if expecting it, Eun-ji’s legs didn’t fall but slowly lowered as she adjusted her position.
Just as Eun-ho, annoyed, reached for another chair…
“Don’t even think about it. I’ll hit you.”
Eun-ho flinched.
He withdrew his hand and sat down on the chair he had just pulled out.
He would have usually teased her more, but Eun-ji’s mood was noticeably darker than usual.
“You really don’t want to get in the water, huh.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Eun-ji shielded her eyes with the back of her hand, as if the bright lights were too much.
“You were making fun of me when I had to do it.”
“Well, that was then.”
Just then, Eun-ji, seemingly feeling wronged, sat up abruptly and said,
“And that was before you told me about your regression. You didn’t remember anything, you jerk!”
“You need a mouth transplant, not a wardrobe change.”
Eun-ji smiled and flipped Eun-ho off at his nonchalant reply.
“Yeah, this mouth…”
Her nails, decorated with glittering jewels, sparkled under the lights.
“…says fuck you.”
“Haha.”
Eun-ho was about to return the gesture, then, as if a mischievous idea came to mind, he grabbed Eun-ji’s middle finger and stood up.
“What—!”
Eun-ji’s surprise was short-lived.
“Gah! Huff.”
She instinctively punched Eun-ho in the stomach.
Eun-ho’s plan to either pretend to bite her finger or bend it back was thwarted by her swift punch.
“Ugh.”
Eun-ho clutched his stomach and doubled over.
“Th-that’s what you get for messing with me.”
Although Eun-ji spoke brazenly, she looked at Eun-ho with concern.
“Hey, Lee Eun-ho, are you okay?”
“Ugh…”
Did she hit him too hard?
“Lee Eun-ho?”
“Ugh, it hurts.”
“Did I hit you in a bad spot?”
Eun-ho, covering his face, slowly straightened up.
And when he removed his hands, revealing only his middle finger…
Eun-ji’s worried expression turned cold.
“Ah…”
“Did you think I was actually hurt?”
Thwack.
Eun-ji kicked Eun-ho’s shin.
“If you’re not hurt, you should be.”
“Ow, that actually hurt.”
“Hmph.”
Eun-ji, scoffing, walked towards PD Cheol-soo.
It was time to start filming.
Eun-ho, meanwhile, smiled, watching her go.
His stomach actually did hurt from the first punch.
It was so forceful that he felt nauseous for a moment.
But the second kick to his shin was just a light tap.
“She’s worried after hitting me.”
He pretended he wasn’t hurt, not wanting to escalate the situation.
When Eun-ji was about to cry like this, even he, as her older brother…
He remembered Eun-ji as a child…
「“Waaah, Oppa, it huuurts.”」
He remembered Eun-ji crying, her front teeth missing, her pronunciation unclear.
It was the same back then.
He wasn’t hurt because of Eun-ji, but he had a bad cold.
A single pill would have cured him, but it was hard to come by back then, and he ended up suffering.
Eun-ji had cried, tears and snot streaming down her face.
Although she was annoying now that she was older, he found her childish antics back then endearing.
Before the regression, he wouldn’t have cared about her concern and would have continued teasing her.
‘I thought she changed as she grew up.’
When Eun-ji passed away…
The Eun-ji in her diary was still the same Eun-ji from back then.
‘Perhaps because of that…’
When someone was always there, you might think it wouldn’t matter if they were gone, but after losing her, he realized…
So he thought…
He didn’t want her to worry about him.
‘Although it’s too cheesy to say out loud.’
Just then, as he was lost in thought…
Eun-ho’s eyes widened as if he had a eureka moment.
‘Oh, should I use this for the next song’s lyrics?’
“Jeong-shin-il!”
“Ah, hold on!”
“We’re about to start! Hurry up!”
Eun-jeong and Shin-il were sitting in a cafe near Ihan University, a laptop between them, solemnly waiting for 7:00 PM.
After performing on stage as E-UNG’s partners during the university festival…
They hadn’t really kept in touch, despite attending the same university.
That was, until the “TIME” album was released.
After the fan signing, Eun-jeong was browsing E-FAN when…
She saw a picture of Eun-ho sitting on a sofa amidst scattered bottles.
She didn’t even want the poster.
She just wanted that photocard.
Desperately.
Eun-jeong rummaged through her photocard binder and, with a heavy heart, chose two of Eun-ji’s photocards.
What choice did she have?
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Eun-jeong posted on E-FAN, her heart aching,
[(A picture of Eun-ji in her hippie outfit from the “Wise” MV shoot, looking at the scenery)
(A close-up of Eun-ji from the “Hot Afternoon” MV shoot)
Trading for Lee Eun-ho’s sofa shot from the “This Road” and “Hae-ga” MVs.]
└ Would you be willing to meet in person?
She thought it would take hours, but a reply came in a little over 10 minutes.
Although slightly nervous about meeting in person, she replied, figuring it would be fine.
└ I’m near Ihan University. Would you be able to come here?
└ Oh? I also go to Ihan University. Should we meet at the usual meeting spot?
That day…
Eun-jeong found the perfect fangirling buddy.