Siblings Work in Business (105)
Wise
The next day…
As the day broke, PD Kim Cheol-soo, the staff, Eun-ho and Eun-ji, Hyun-woo and Seul-gi, and Oh Hyun and Choi Tae-hyun, who were featured in the song…
…all followed CEO Park, who was sporting neon-colored shorts over black leggings, up a mountain path.
They were heading to the filming location they had been discussing.
The filming location for the “Wise” music video was a rocky area at the top of the mountain behind the pension.
Following CEO Park up the long trail behind the pension, they finally reached the rocky area.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji helped the staff carry the heavy equipment up the steep path.
When they reached the top, they all collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
“Isn’t this invigorating?! Haha!”
“…”
Everyone glared at the energetic CEO Park, who was the only one enjoying the view from the top. They were annoyed because of what he had said last night.
“Isn’t the filming location at the top of the mountain? I don’t want to waste all my energy first thing in the morning.”
“Well, it is at the top, but there are stairs, so it’s not that hard. And the fresh mountain air is so good for you.”
CEO Park had dismissed PD Cheol-soo’s concerns with a wave of his hand.
And now…
‘He said it was a short climb…’
He wasn’t lying.
The stairs were just… very steep.
Too exhausted to complain, they just focused on catching their breath.
“We worked hard to get here, so let’s make this count.”
PD Cheol-soo, catching his breath first, said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Good thing I only did the base makeup…”
Seul-gi said, looking more exhausted than when they left the pension that morning.
She wiped the sweat from Eun-ho and Eun-ji’s faces and touched up their makeup.
Seul-gi’s judgment to not have them wear their outfits during the hike had been a wise decision. She had brought an oversized t-shirt for Eun-ji to change in, like a makeshift changing room.
As Eun-ji emerged from the t-shirt, everyone, having caught their breath and enjoying the scenery, turned their attention to her.
Green, sky blue, gray, white, light pink, apricot…
The flowing, hippie-style dress, with its watercolor-like Indian patterns, was refreshing and airy.
The light pink and apricot colors also brought to mind cherry blossoms in spring. The apricot-colored sandals, provided by a sponsor, completed the look. She wore simple rose gold earrings that matched the dress.
“Oh!”
CEO Park clapped, impressed by Seul-gi’s styling. They had agreed that Seul-gi would take over the styling after this song, and this was a great start. He was glad he chose her.
“Whew!”
Eun-ji, freed from the oversized t-shirt, walked around the rocky area, enjoying the breeze. The strong wind at the summit billowed her dress, creating beautiful silhouettes.
Hyun-woo, who had brought a camera to film behind-the-scenes footage, was already filming Eun-ji.
But as if Hyun-woo’s camera wasn’t enough, Seul-gi, being a fan, also took out her phone and started filming.
Eun-ji’s preparations were done. Next was Eun-ho.
Seul-gi considered finding a similar shirt for him, but the ones they received looked too gangster-like, so she chose light-colored jeans, paired with a loose, flowy shirt similar to Eun-ji’s dress.
The combination wasn’t bad. But the jeans seemed…
…a bit too restrictive.
He needed a sense of freedom.
So, she ripped the jeans, adding white sneakers with a sky blue logo, also sponsored.
For Oh Hyun, a short-sleeved white shirt, sky blue shorts, and sky blue sneakers with a beige logo.
Choi Tae-hyun wore a long-sleeved white shirt, light beige pants, and ivory sneakers with a black logo.
The outfits were done.
Next was makeup, and Seul-gi, unable to handle it alone, brought in an expert: Director Kang Mi-joo from Cellas.
After much discussion, they decided on a natural, almost barefaced, makeup look for Eun-ji.
To add a bit more impact for the camera, they added a triangular jewel near her right eye, giving her a mystical aura.
Eun-ho also had a round jewel near his left eye to match Eun-ji’s look.
Director Kang Mi-joo also insisted on styling their nails, and before their hike…
Seul-gi changed Eun-ji’s nail extensions to watercolor designs, similar to her dress, following Director Kang’s instructions.
Seul-gi raised her hand, signaling to PD Cheol-soo that they were ready.
PD Cheol-soo clapped and announced,
“Let’s start filming!”
A few weeks passed since the music video shoot.
A hidden feature on E-FAN was unveiled.
[Live Chat]
It was a feature that allowed fans to chat while watching the music video and other E-UNG videos.
[What’s this?]
[What is this feature?]
[Wow, what’s this?]
[Shining CEO Park must have created a real-time public chat room himself ㅠㅠㅠ]
[A CEO who’s more into fan culture than the fans themselves lol]
[Amazing! Exciting!]
It was a welcome addition, and it also boosted YouTube views.
A few days later…
The teaser for “Wise” was released on various websites and apps.
Since the only prior announcement was about the upcoming live broadcast with Toxin, the sudden teaser video confused some people.
The most enthusiastic responses, of course, were in the E-FAN chatroom.
The teaser began with a 10-second countdown, like an old movie theater, despite the active chat: 3, 2, 1.
And at zero…
[This is a surp—]
The chat went silent as the last message was cut off mid-sentence. Everyone seemed glued to the video.
The opening scene, from a low angle like an animal’s point of view, showed a hand pushing through grass, then reaching a rocky area. A woman with watercolor-like patterns on her clothes was walking away, her back to the camera.
A slow cymbal sound joined the sounds of wind and rustling leaves.
♩♩♩♩
A dreamy, ethereal melody played on the keyboard, and then…
…the camera quickly moved past the woman.
As her feet entered the frame, the music stopped.
The camera slowly tilted upwards, the movement shaky and unsteady.
Eun-ji’s sharp gaze met the camera’s.
She smirked and spoke.
What are you doing now?
Eun-ji raised her foot and shattered the screen.
Evening will soon greet me
Eun-ji’s chilling voice was followed by Eun-ho’s gentle singing, as the screen turned black, shattered.
The song didn’t continue.
The next scene was a close-up of lips. A fingertip with a watercolor design pressed against them, as if to silence them.
Shhh.
That was it.
As the screen faded to black, the familiar E-UNG logo appeared, painted with brushstrokes, followed by the music video release date.
[What did I just watch?]
[♥♥ Our Ji-ji]
[♥♥ So pretty]
[Wait, do curse words turn into hearts here?]
[Huh? Really? ♥♥♥♥! They do!]
[Speechless… so good… is this part of the MV?]
[I don’t mind Ji-ji looking down on me like that…]
[Calm down, sir]
[Dangerous preference, but okay]
[This is making me feel things]
[Is this on YouTube?]
[Yes, it’s trending!]
[Wait, I just realized!]
[Holy shit ♥♥. This is that day!!!]
[[MV]E-UNG – Wise]
The live chat feature proved its worth on the day of the music video release.
[10]
[9]
[9]
[8]
[888]
[6]
[7]
[66]
The fans counted down together, their excitement palpable.
[Almost there]
[It’s starting]
[♥♥ I’m so excited]
[My heart’s about to explode!]
[2]
[2]
[1]
As the countdown reached one, dozens of “1” messages flooded the chat.
Perhaps due to lag, or the sheer number of messages… the “1”s continued appearing even after the video started.
The video opened with Eun-ho, Eun-ji, and the Toxin members sitting together in the makeshift studio at their company, waiting to watch the music video.
Their live broadcast with Toxin was scheduled after the music video premiere.
[A rat?]
[A hamster?]
[So cute!]
[Aww, so fluffy!]
The music video began with a cute animation, different from the teaser. The unexpected animation style drew mixed reactions from the fans.
A small, white creature in a cage cowered as a giant shadow loomed over it.
A hand reached in and grabbed the creature.
It was thrown somewhere, and when it opened its eyes, it was in the grassy field from the teaser.
The scene transitioned from animation to live action.
It was the same scenery from the teaser.
From the small creature’s low perspective…
A soft, rhythmic cymbal and a gentle Wurlitzer piano melody played, like tiny footsteps, as the camera quickly panned across the tall grass.
Then, it encountered a woman.
Just before the camera met Eun-ji’s sharp gaze…
…a distorted sound, followed by the thumping 808 bass, like a heartbeat, filled the air.
Eun-ji picked up the small creature.
Then, the wind blew.
The scene changed.
Eun-ji was now dressed similarly to Oh Hyun.
Eun-ji and Oh Hyun sat side-by-side on a white swing set.
As the verse began, Eun-ji stood up abruptly, her neck tensed as if she was shouting.
But her lips were silently mouthing the lyrics.
Oh Hyun looked up at someone and pointed accusingly, as if comparing Eun-ji to that person.
Careless words become chains that bind him
Will these words choke you? Will they strangle me someday?
Eun-ji was smiling at Oh Hyun, but her eyes looked tired.
I smile because I’m afraid of the daggers you throw, smiling
I force a smile for you, who wants to see me cry
Oh Hyun, his hair disheveled as if in frustration, walked away.
Only after he left did Eun-ji’s forced smile disappear.
She sighed and looked up at the sky, and the camera followed her gaze downwards, revealing Eun-ho.