Siblings Working in Business (242)
The next day…
Early morning…
Inside the NRY Entertainment office…
“Haha, did that really happen yesterday?”
“Since those two couldn’t participate tomorrow…”
“With Eun-ho and Eun-ji having all the points, PD-nim probably suggested it so they wouldn’t be left out.”
“That’s right. But they went for three times instead of four… we were planning to reject them if they asked for four…”
PD Yoo, during his break, was on the phone with CEO Park, updating him on yesterday’s filming.
“I thought they planned it together.”
“Haha, they’re fine individually, but when they’re together, their scheming is on another level. Be careful.”
“I will. I underestimated those kids and now I have a headache. Haha. Hold on a second.”
Just then, PD Yoo heard another staff member calling him and hurriedly ended his call with Chang-seok, saying he had to resume filming.
After the call ended, Chang-seok smiled proudly, like a father hearing good news about his children.
He then turned to Do-jin, who was sitting across from him, and said,
“Let’s go, Do-jin.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t let the kids push you around.”
“I’ll… try my best.”
“Ji Yeong-hee, Ye-chan’s personal manager, will also be there, so if you ask him, he’ll teach you.”
“Okay!”
The other Toxin members, except for Tae-hyun and Seung-yeon, who were on Let’s Live Together a Bit, had individual music video shoots scheduled today.
And Do-jin was officially appointed as Toxin’s manager, starting today.
After an hour-long drive, they arrived at the filming location.
‘Manager Ji Yeong-hee…’
Do-jin, arriving at the Toxin music video set, met Yeong-hee while Chang-seok was talking with Ji Ye-chan.
Perhaps because of his common name, Do-jin had imagined an intelligent, female manager.
“Yeong-hee… ssi?”
His imagination was brutally crushed.
Not only was he not a woman, but he also wasn’t the intellectual type…
To be precise, he looked like he belonged in a gang, with his imposing physique.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Do-jin, right?”
“Ah, yes. I’m Jeon Do-jin.”
And his thick saturi (dialect) didn’t help.
Yeong-hee’s hands, which he extended with a friendly smile, were large and calloused, his knuckles thick with muscle.
Even to another man, they looked strong.
Do-jin, forcing a smile, shook Yeong-hee’s hand.
“So, Do-jin, how old are you?”
“I’m, in my late 20s…”
“Aha! I’m your hyung, then!”
Yeong-hee grinned, his eyebrows raised.
“Just call me hyung.”
“Y-yes, h-hyung-nim.”
“Don’t be so formal, call me hyung!”
“Yes, hyung…”
“With energy!”
“Yes! Hyung!”
“Good! Let’s go! I’ll introduce you.”
Yeong-hee, displaying his incredible… friendliness(?), briefed Do-jin on the dos and don’ts of managing Toxin.
While Do-jin was learning from Yeong-hee, who was completely different from what he imagined…
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, after their long commute, entered their waiting room.
“Come on, no time to relax! You have rehearsals soon.”
“Yes…”
“…”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, who had stumbled out of the car like zombies, collapsed onto the waiting room sofa, practically thrown there by Seul-gi.
Eun-ho’s face was pale, as if he was feeling nauseous.
“Eun-ho, are you feeling unwell?”
“Yes, a little…”
“That’s why I told you to stop reading in the car…”
“I should have listened.”
Although Hyun-woo and Seul-gi had warned him repeatedly that he might get carsick, he had continued working on his lyrics…
It was a self-inflicted wound.
Meanwhile, Eun-ji, unlike Eun-ho, was still sleepy and tired.
“Eun-ji, wear this and sleep.”
“Okay…”
Seul-gi handed her a dress shirt and white suit pants, and Eun-ji, without even opening her eyes, took them.
Eun-ji, oblivious to the others, started undressing, and Seul-gi hurriedly held up a blanket as a makeshift changing room.
“Unnie, do I have to wear the belt too?”
“Yes.”
Seul-gi, still holding the blanket, replied, and Eun-ji, with a sullen expression, put on the belt.
After Eun-ji was dressed, Seul-gi put down the blanket and put a sponsored necklace around her neck.
“Since you’re playing the guitar today, I prepared short nails.”
“Okay.”
“Eun-ji, open your eyes for a second.”
“…”
At Seul-gi’s request, Eun-ji briefly opened her eyes, revealing only the whites.
Seul-gi, as if it was an everyday occurrence, started applying Eun-ji’s makeup while she was still asleep.
“Is it okay to sleep with your contacts in?”
“I only closed my… eyes.”
“Sure, whatever you say.”
Seul-gi, chuckling, finished her makeup and then firmly massaged Eun-ji’s shoulders to wake her up.
“Ow!”
It felt more like a pinch than a massage.
Eun-ji’s eyes snapped open, and she turned to Seul-gi.
“You’re awake?”
“No, ow. Unnie, that hurts—”
Eun-ho, wincing at her sudden whining, made a face.
Seul-gi chuckled, massaged Eun-ji’s shoulders again, and said,
“Come on, wake up. You have to play the guitar on stage today, don’t you need to practice?”
“Ow! I memorized everything…”
Just then, as Eun-ji grumbled…
It was Eun-ho, not Seul-gi, who flicked her forehead.
“Ouch!!!”
“You say you memorized it, and yet you improvise on stage and drive me crazy.”
“No, but the atmosphere… Okay, okay, I get it.”
Eun-ji, about to make more excuses, picked up her guitar, giving up, and trying to shake off her sleepiness at Eun-ho’s cold stare.
“What was the order again?”
“…”
Eun-ho’s eyes narrowed dangerously at her sleepy mumble.
“N-no, just kidding, just kidding! It’s the acoustic version of ‘DUO’ first! See, I know!”
Eun-ji hurriedly recited the setlist, waving her hands frantically.
“…”
Although he didn’t trust her memory, he seemed to trust her fingers. Eun-ho’s sharp gaze softened as Eun-ji started playing.
Contrary to her earlier flustered state, Eun-ji played ‘DUO’ flawlessly, as if she really had memorized it.
“What’s next…?”
“Same day, Same time.”
“And then Curse after filming. Right?”
“Yeah.”
Eun-ji, now fully awake, asked, her eyes bright.
Eun-ho, finally relaxing, chuckled and replied.
A cold wind blows through the rooftop room
I’m here alone, looking at the moon
Hoping for you to come
Wishing for you to dream
After a brief practice and a short rehearsal, Eun-ji, on stage, played flawlessly, as if she wasn’t the same sleepy girl from the waiting room.
As ‘DUO’ ended, the band’s pianist transitioned smoothly into the second verse melody of ‘Same day, Same time.’
Eun-ji also changed chords accordingly.
Same day, Same time
Same day, other crime
On the dawn road I had to take
The dawn road I had to walk
Eun-ji started singing, and Eun-ho, lowering the microphone he had raised, joined in.
Good night
So that tomorrow, we
Can meet again with smiles
Good night
After the song ended…
The MC and the audience applauded enthusiastically.
Many E% seemed to be in the audience.
As if referencing the lyrics from <This Road>, ‘May a bright star shine on your path tonight’…
Some fans were holding sentimental banners that read, ‘May a bright star shine on E-UNG’s path,’ while others held playful banners that said, ‘Supporting Ji-ji.’
“Today’s guests are the sibling idols, E-UNG!”
While the MC gave a short introduction, the stage was cleared, and Eun-ho and Eun-ji sat down on the chairs next to him.
“Hello, I’m Lee Eun-ho from E-UNG.”
“I’m Lee Eun-ji.”
“Please take care of us.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
The audience applauded along with the MC, welcoming Eun-ho and Eun-ji.
“I’ve been waiting for this day.”
The MC said with a smile, and Eun-ji, her eyes sparkling, asked,
“Really?”
“Yes. I’ve been a fan since your drama OST, ‘Last Day,’ and I’m finally meeting E-UNG.”
“Thank you.”
“Wow! Thank you.”
Eun-ji echoed Eun-ho’s thanks.
“You know, I thought you two looked alike on TV, but seeing you in person, you really look like twins.”
“No, we don’t.”
“We don’t look alike.”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji denied it simultaneously.
“But you do!”
The MC, as if feeling wronged by their denial, turned to the audience and asked,
“Don’t they look alike?”
“Yes!!!”
“No, haha…!”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, looking at the audience, shook their heads in exasperation.
“Hahaha.”
There were many E%.
That meant there were also many fans holding EG Bongs, which lit up in the shape of ‘이응 (ㅇ).’ “lit : (E-ung (ng))”
Although he couldn’t see the fans’ faces clearly because of the lighting, the brightly lit ‘이응’ shapes were clearly visible when Eun-ho and Eun-ji turned towards the audience.
“Gasp…”
Eun-ho bit his lip to suppress his laughter and then spoke,
“Maybe we should have chosen a different design for the EG Bong.”
“Haha, ah, so you two personally chose the ‘이응’ shaped light stick?”
“We designed it ourselves!”
Eun-ji replied proudly to the MC’s question.
“Aha?”
Just then…
As if they had prepared for this, a staff member brought a large wooden board with pictures attached and handed it to the MC.
“Haha!”
The MC, looking at the pictures on the board, chuckled and turned it towards the audience.
It was a picture of the incredibly crude and messy light stick design sketches drawn by Eun-ho and Eun-ji.
“Seriously, why did they have to enlarge that…”
Eun-ho mumbled, his face flushing as he covered it with his hand, embarrassed by the drawings.
“What is it?”
Eun-ji finally saw the pictures on the board.
“Ahahaha! Wow, that’s amazing. How did you even get those?”
“Our production team is very thorough. Should we keep this here and continue talking?”
“No!”
When the MC, chuckling, placed the board on an easel, Eun-ho firmly refused and turned it over.
At Eun-ho’s embarrassed reaction, laughter and groans of disappointment erupted from the audience.
‘No, please don’t do that too.’
Eun-ho looked at the fans in the audience, bit his lip, and shook his head, as if pleading with them.
Just then…
“Haha.”
As if in response to Eun-ho’s plea, the E%’s reaction made the MC burst into laughter.
The E%, as if saying ‘no’ to Eun-ho’s request, turned off the ‘이응 (ㅇ)’ LEDs on their EG Bongs.
“Wow, that’s cool, haha. I’ve never seen singers communicate so directly without words. Haha.”
The MC praised the EG Bong’s design.
Thanks to the fans’ witty response, the broadcast went well, entertaining enough to help Eun-ho shed his ‘no-jam’ title.