Siblings Working in Business (233)
Before Eun-ho’s regression…
Jikki was a fairly well-known artist in the US, receiving offers from various labels.
It would have been better for her to continue her career there, especially since she had collaborated with a famous singer and was originally from the US.
But for some reason, Jikki didn’t want to.
Even her Korean mother couldn’t understand why she didn’t want to debut in the US, despite having good opportunities there.
That was, until she talked about her younger brother.
Jikki’s real name was Gina Allen.
She had a younger brother, Jackie, three years her junior.
Jackie Allen.
The close siblings were both interested in Korea, their mother’s home country.
That interest naturally extended to K-Pop, and they were fans of Toxin, who were incredibly popular at the time.
The siblings dreamed of visiting Korea with their mother.
But that dream, unfortunately, never came true.
Gina’s brother, Jackie…
He was born with a rare disease.
No one knew at first.
It started with his fingers, then his wrists, his arms, his body gradually losing function.
Fortunately, the Allen family wasn’t struggling financially.
Then, in October 2010…
It was a day that was warm during the day but slightly chilly in the mornings and evenings.
Jackie was lying in bed, hooked up to various machines.
It was a sadly familiar sight.
But that day, Jackie was in good spirits, chattering and talking.
“Gina, this radio…”
“Yeah?”
Jackie said, holding up a small, palm-sized radio.
On the doctor’s advice, to avoid straining his eyes and brain, the radio was Jackie’s only window to the world.
Still, Jackie was okay.
The radio also had an MP3 function, so he could listen to Toxin’s music whenever he wanted, and Gina often visited him.
But Jackie had a small wish, besides visiting Korea.
“Gina, I want to hear your song on here.”
Jackie smiled playfully, holding up the small radio.
Gina chuckled and sighed.
“Haha, Jackie, but I’m not a singer.”
“Yes, you are, Gina. You can do it. And…”
“And?”
“In Korea!”
“In Korea?”
“Yeah!”
Gina smiled and nodded at Jackie’s confident tone.
Gina, before becoming a singer, was an unknown composer.
Although she received offers to become a singer because her guide vocals were good, she wasn’t interested in singing.
But even so, she said,
“Right. I can do it.”
“Yeah. You can.”
“If I become a singer, Toxin, yeah! G-Chan (Ji Ye-chan) will feature on my song.”
“And TAE (Choi Tae-hyun) will rap.”
“Yeah. And we’ll appear on Korean TV shows.”
“Gina, you’ll even win awards.”
“Win awards? Haha. Then I’ll thank you in my acceptance speech, for making it all possible.”
“You have to. Haha.”
It was a game the Allen siblings played, Gina showing Jackie the world through her imagination since he couldn’t go outside.
But the game ended that day.
That day, that moment, filled with chatter about becoming a ‘singer’…
Their parting was sudden and unexpected. And it was their last.
He didn’t even last a day.
A losing battle against an incurable disease, only getting worse, no matter how much money they poured into treatments.
They couldn’t stop it.
Three years after Jackie’s passing…
After her grief had subsided somewhat, Gina featured on a song by a famous singer.
The reason was Jackie.
Because Jackie wanted to hear her song on the radio.
She considered it his last wish and wanted to fulfill it.
Those seemingly impossible words.
Gina sought out an acquaintance, a singer and producer who had lived in the same neighborhood as them when they were younger.
He had been as unknown as she was back then.
But now, he was a famous singer, his songs reaching the top 10 on the Billboard charts.
He could have easily rejected her if he wanted to.
But he welcomed Gina’s request and even offered her a featuring spot on the song he was currently working on.
After the recording…
He was so delighted with the song they created together that he exclaimed,
“Finally, Gina Allen’s debut, which I’ve been waiting for!”
Gina shook her head at his words and said,
“No, call me ‘Jikki’ when I’m singing.”
“Jikki?”
“Yeah. If it weren’t for Jackie, I wouldn’t have become a singer.”
And so, ‘Jikki,’ although just as a featured artist, made her debut.
A few months later, after the song was released…
On the day the radio broadcast was scheduled…
Gina tuned Jackie’s beloved radio to the station’s frequency.
「“Gina, I want to hear your song on here.”」
She kept her promise to Jackie.
“Can you hear me, Jackie? This is the song we started together.”
As if Jackie was praying for her, the public’s reaction was incredibly positive.
It continued after that.
She received offers from many labels.
But Jikki refused them all for years, and during a chance interview, she mentioned wanting to promote in Korea.
Although she was called an ‘oddity’ for it, Jikki didn’t care.
Keeping her promise to her brother was more important than success.
And then, DI Music contacted her.
Knowing how highly sought after she was in the US, DI Music, in the ultimate display of humility, practically groveled before her.
Jikki gave DI Music a single condition for signing.
She wanted to collaborate with Toxin.
DI Music agreed.
Jikki had been steadily gaining popularity with her digital singles, so they had to get her onboard before it was too late.
But there was an unexpected problem.
At the time, Toxin was signed to G-MISIC, the company run by Ji Ye-chan.
And Ye-chan, citing the members’ break period, rejected DI Music’s offer.
He kept refusing, giving various excuses, for years.
Since they couldn’t sway him with money, DI Music found him incredibly difficult and annoying to deal with.
But they had made a deal, and Jikki was continuing her solo career, so…
DI Music had to find another way.
And then they thought of Park Chang-seok, Toxin’s hero.
The CEO of NRY Entertainment.
Since they had a history, DI Music subtly asked Chang-seok to help them connect with Ji Ye-chan.
Chang-seok, seizing the opportunity, instead proposed a collaboration between Jikki and an NRY artist.
Chang-seok’s reasoning was sound: if they collaborated with one of his artists, and the result was successful, it would be easier to persuade Ye-chan.
DI Music cautiously approached Jikki, who was promoting solo.
They promised her that ‘although the first collaboration would be with another artist, they would make sure she could work with Toxin later.’
And that ‘if she wasn’t satisfied with the collaborating artist after the meeting, they would consider the deal with NRY void and try again with Toxin.’
Jikki, impressed by DI Music’s determination, trusted them and accepted the offer.
And a few weeks later…
Jikki, accompanied by a DI Music representative, went to the meeting with NRY.
She had no expectations.
It was just a stepping stone to working with Toxin.
“Hello.”
The moment she met Eun-ho…
Perhaps because she had experienced it before…
She knew.
“Welcome to Korea. I’m singer, Lee Eun-ho.”
Although his English was a bit awkward, Eun-ho seemed to be making an effort to greet Jikki, whose Korean wasn’t fluent.
Touched by his consideration, Jikki smiled and shook his outstretched hand.
“Call me ‘Jikki’.”
“Nice to meet you, Jikki. I look forward to working with you today.”
“Me too.”
The moment Eun-ho realized Jikki’s Korean was fluent…
He switched to a more comfortable greeting.
‘Your Korean is very good.’
‘You have a nice accent.’
‘Your eyes are beautiful.’
‘Your hair color is unique.’
She liked that he didn’t say any of the usual, generic compliments she had been hearing since arriving in Korea.
Although it might seem surprising, her nickname, ‘oddity,’ wasn’t entirely inaccurate.
Since her mother was Korean, she considered herself Korean as well.
So, she wanted to be treated the same as everyone else, without any special consideration.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason she liked Eun-ho.
She was drawn to the familiar air of weariness about him.
‘He seems to have gone through similar pain to what I experienced back then.’
It was just a feeling during their first greeting, not a certainty.
Just then, the DI Music representative spoke,
“I’m sorry to hear about your sister.”
“Ah, yes…”
“May she rest in peace.”
“Thank you.”
A moment later…
Jikki realized her initial impression of Eun-ho had been correct, based on the DI Music representative’s condolences.
‘When Jackie passed away…’
She had also received many condolences.
Of course, she was grateful.
She was grateful for their condolences, but she wasn’t ready yet.
And she resented them for it.
It felt like if she opened the door to Jackie’s room, frozen in time, she would hear his voice, “Gina, welcome home.”
It felt like Jackie would be there, in his bed.
She wanted to live in that delusion.
But their condolences and well wishes only pulled her back to the harsh reality.
Because she had experienced that time…
That’s why…
Instead of offering empty condolences, Jikki chose to remain silent, offering Eun-ho a quiet respect.
As if sensing her silent consideration, Eun-ho smiled faintly.
The meeting continued in a positive atmosphere.
After the meeting, as they left the room…
The DI Music representative asked Jikki,
“Jikki, how was it?”
“I hope it will be a healing experience for both of us.”
Jikki said, thinking of Eun-ho.
Perhaps because of her quiet murmur, the DI Music representative asked with a puzzled expression,
“Sorry, can you say that again?”
“I said it was ‘good.’ I want to work with him.”
“Phew, that’s a relief. NRY said the same, but Lee Eun-ho is a talented musician, so it will be a good experience for you, Jikki.”
That was the story from before the regression.
“Jikki!”
The ‘Let’s Live Together a Bit’ members exclaimed in unison.
“Are you sure about Jikki? This is your last chance. You can’t change it after this.”
Just then, as PD Yoo gave them a final warning…
Eun-ji, pointing her index finger at the sky dramatically, shouted,
“Yep~ I’m not changing it!”
“Jjom.”
“—yo!”
“Hahaha.”
Even the staff and members burst into laughter at the hastily added honorific.
PD Yoo, biting his lip to maintain his composure, called out towards the staff bus,
“Please come out!”