Siblings Work in Business (111)
The busy studio was transformed into a clean stage after the desks were moved.
The bright lights suddenly shifted to a mysterious red hue.
I looked up, and there were rail lights above us, which I hadn’t noticed before.
Although not as sophisticated as the ones in broadcasting stations, these portable lights seemed to have color-changing capabilities.
“Haha.”
I was supposed to be getting into character, but the bustling atmosphere made me chuckle.
The staff members were busy adjusting the lights manually with ladders.
“Fighting!”
Before the regression, I used hand microphones more often than in-ear mics.
So, receiving the microphone from Seul-gi felt… nostalgic.
The hand microphone felt surprisingly familiar and comfortable, compared to the in-ear mics I had been using during “DUO” promotions.
Lee Eun-ji, Oh Hyun, and Tae-hyun also received microphones.
I hoped our E% and Potion would enjoy the performance…
…and the special gift we had prepared after the live stage.
Since there wasn’t much choreography, we had practiced hard to deliver a flawless vocal performance, despite the limited time.
♩♩♩♩
The familiar slow cymbal sound, followed by the Wurlitzer piano, played.
The reverberating sound, and then the heavy drum beat.
I took a deep breath, calming my nerves and getting into character.
I force a smile for you, who wants to see me cry
The performance began with Eun-ji and Oh Hyun’s duet.
Eun-ji, ad-libbing, touched the corners of her lips with her fingertips, mimicking the lyrics, “I force a smile.”
Next was the hook, the only part with planned choreography.
Three monkeys dancing above my head
Eun-ho raised his hand and pointed above his head.
Eun-ji reached out and placed her hand above his empty head.
She curled and uncurled her three fingers, mimicking dancing monkeys.
What are you doing now?
Eun-ji sang, lightly tapping Eun-ho’s head with her hand.
As soon as Eun-ji’s part ended, Eun-ho swatted her hand away irritably and stepped forward.
It wasn’t genuine irritation, but part of the planned performance.
As the song continued, Tae-hyun took Eun-ji’s place.
Evening will soon greet me
Hear no evil
Eun-ho sang “Hear no evil” melodically, while Tae-hyun whispered the same lyrics, emphasizing his deep voice.
Cover your ears if you hear their voices
Eun-ji, from behind, covered Eun-ho’s ears.
It looked like their hands were touching on screen, but there was a significant gap between her hand and his ear.
She seemed to really dislike touching Eun-ho.
(See no evil)
Close your eyes if you see them
Since his left hand was covering his eyes, and his right hand was holding the microphone, Eun-ji covered his eyes for him.
(Speak no evil)
Cover your mouth lest you make a sound
He covered his own mouth for this part.
Three wise monkeys
Tae-hyun, after his short, deep rap, stepped aside.
Eun-ji took his place for the following choreography.
The wise monkey reaches out its hand
And takes a hand it shouldn’t have taken
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, like mirror images, reached out and held each other’s wrists.
Then, Eun-ho covered one eye with his hand, the other hand holding the microphone.
Who knows, maybe it will be okay
Eun-ji covered her mouth with her hand.
They were planning to have the Cloud Dance Team cover their ears during the full performance.
But Toxin, perhaps due to their experience, were quick to catch on.
Choi Tae-hyun covered Eun-ho’s ear, and Oh Hyun covered Eun-ji’s, matching the choreography.
They exchanged brief smiles of gratitude, thankfully not breaking Eun-ho and Eun-ji’s concentration.
[Wow, Eun-ji’s voice is so powerful!]
[♥♥ Ear candy!]
[This is my first time hearing Ji-ji’s live vocals, is it always this resonant?]
[Rangi is amazing, you’re a hacker ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
The song continued.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji were immersed in the performance, oblivious to the chat.
Oh Hyun and Tae-hyun, singing with them, were surprised by their focus.
Unlike the beginning, when they had intended to take it easy, they were now giving their all, caught up in Eun-ho and Eun-ji’s energy, as if it were a proper stage performance.
The unsettling part was that, despite their efforts, Eun-ho and Eun-ji became the ‘main characters’ during their respective parts.
They had initially felt awkward about trying to outshine their juniors, but…
By the second verse, they were genuinely feeling threatened and giving their all.
Pretending hides your flaws, but it’s not perfect
When the thin veil shatters, the shards will fly towards you
There were no high notes in this song.
But Eun-ho used various techniques to captivate the listeners.
Even if you cover your ears, close your eyes, and shut your mouth
Following the lyrics, he covered his ear, eyes, and mouth, one at a time.
He moved his hands gracefully, in sync with the rhythm.
What you hear, what you see, what you say
Holding the microphone, he pointed at his other ear with his index finger.
He used both his index and middle fingers to point at his eyes, and then, mimicking Eun-ji, he lightly touched his lower lip with his index finger.
It was a simple choreography, but the synchronization with the lyrics and rhythm was strangely satisfying.
And perhaps because the choreography was simpler than “DUO”…
Some staff members and Toxin members were following along, enjoying the song.
Three monkeys dancing above my head
(What are you doing now?)
Evening will soon greet you
As the song reached the bridge…
Eun-ho and Eun-ji turned their backs to each other.
Then, starting with Eun-ho on the left, they moved into position.
Eun-ho’s outstretched arm moved like a clock hand, pointing towards 12 o’clock, and Eun-ji’s arm followed, pointing towards 3 o’clock.
(I’ll welcome you on the red carpet)
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, turning to face the front, moved jerkily, like broken dolls.
Following the strong bass rhythm, their upper bodies slumped, as if their strings had been cut.
Three wise monkeys
The wise monkey reaches out its hand
A moment later, as they straightened up, they continued the mirror dance from before.
Things will be okay
It was the same choreography, but their eyes, previously filled with sorrow, now held a crazed glint.
You foolishly believe that
The chilling smile that followed made sense.
Hear no evil
See no evil
Speak no evil
While Choi Tae-hyun and Oh Hyun sang…
Eun-ho covered Eun-ji’s ear, just like she had done for him.
Eun-ji covered her eyes with her microphone hand and her mouth with the other.
The wise monkey reaches out its hand
Who knows, maybe it will be okay
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, the madness from moments ago gone, smiled at each other sweetly.
I’m sorry
Actually, I’m not okay
But then…
They both raised their middle fingers at each other.
The camera angle cleverly hid their fingers behind the microphones.
Cursing on camera wasn’t allowed.
[OMG lol]
[LOL]
[And they’re singing so well while doing that lol]
[These beagles lol]
A rewind sound effect signaled the end of the song.
[Wow, amazing]
[That’s a shame]
[Is it over? ㅠ]
And this was the beginning of the small gift we had prepared for E%.
Lee Eun-ji and I picked up our microphones again.
Same day, Same time
Same day, other crime
The fans seemed to think we were about to say goodbye, but then, an unfamiliar intro played, surprising them.
On the dawn path I had to take
The dawn path I had to walk
The short preview of “Footsteps” filled the chat with “OMG.”
Eun-ji and Eun-ho, enjoying their reaction, waited for the next sound effect.
Rewind sound
After the rewind sound, we started singing again, to a different melody.
Let’s not be apart anymore
I won’t say it easily because I know its weight
We’ll be together longer
There’s not enough time because I’ve learned regret
There’s so much more to cherish
There’s so much to do together in this restarted time
Rewind sound
I almost continued singing, so immersed in the song.
If it weren’t for the sudden stop and the sound effect, I would have sung the whole song instead of just a preview.
The next melody was a calm ballad.
Unlike the other songs, this one had a playful cowbell melody in the hook.
It was one of the two songs Ji Ye-chan sent, besides “Wise.”
I long for the falling rain that hides my tears
Like the water stains that evaporated with time
Will the sun that rose at midnight return?
So far, we had previewed songs representing dawn, morning, and afternoon from the “Time” album.
The remaining songs were for sunset, evening, and before sleep.
Rewind sound
After the familiar sound effect, the melody of “Sunset,” representing sunset, began.
Eun-ho bobbed his head to the addictive rhythm created by the bass and bass drum.
Na na-na na red light
Na na-na na red night
Na na-na I’m falling apart
A fool who can’t let go even when tired
Onset, a one-shot in the blink of an eye
Rewind sound
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the fans’ “Aaaagh!” of frustration.
I hoped they understood that we were working hard and asked for their patience as we prepared for the next song.
The original plan was to include “Bang Bang” for the evening segment, but since we had already performed it, we were going to skip it.
But Eun-ji, going off-script, started playing the familiar hook of “Three Monkeys.”
Three monkeys dancing above your head
(What are you doing now?)
Evening will soon greet you
After a moment of surprise, Eun-ji started singing, and I joined in.
Rewind sound
Thankfully, it was short.
The intro to the last song, representing bedtime, was quieter than the others.
Unlike the other songs, which had drums, this one only had guitar and piano.
I chose those instruments because it was a song with minimal lyrics, expressing a lot in a few words.
I hope the end of this road isn’t what I think it is
When will this dream-like day of mine end
Let’s believe things will get better
The more I believe, the more anxiety eats away at me
Growing larger, it consumes me
That was the end of the hook for the last song.
The rewind sound effect also ended, and the music stopped.
But it felt like an anticlimactic ending, so…
I walk and walk
Trusting you, who believes in me
Eun-ji, as if reading my mind, continued singing.