Siblings Work in Business (112)
I smiled at Eun-ji, conveying my gratitude.
Eun-ji nodded, then gestured with her chin, as if telling me to hurry up and finish.
I nodded and continued singing, as she requested.
It was the bridge of “Footsteps,” the song about bedtime.
You walk and walk
Trusting me, who believes in you
On this path
Eun-ji joined in, harmonizing.
So that even the time only we know can’t follow us
Farther, farther away
Sleep well
May a bright star shine on your path tonight too
Hmm
I felt a lump in my throat, having put too much emotion into the song.
I took a deep breath to compose myself.
I looked up, a mix of curiosity and nervousness, wondering about their reaction.
Some people said our story was impossible, that it couldn’t have happened in this day and age.
If that were true, I shouldn’t even exist.
But I was speaking from experience.
For someone who might understand, who might relate to this pain.
But I was still worried before revealing it.
What if this was a feeling only we could relate to?
What if I was ‘strange,’ as they said?
[That’s right ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Happiness makes me anxious]
[I relate…]
Thankfully, my worries were unfounded; the chat was filled with “ㅠㅠㅠㅠ.”
Some fans, touched by “Footsteps,” shared their own stories of hardship.
Everyone had their own struggles.
The painful times they couldn’t forget, the resentment and bittersweet memories…
Reading their stories, I realized…
Everyone has their own movie, their own drama series.
Just like we did.
Each person in this chatroom had their own story.
There were also some cold, dismissive comments like “I don’t care” or “Why are they even saying that?”
But perhaps because Eun-ji and I were listening attentively…
Those comments gradually decreased and disappeared.
“Thank you to all the Potion who came all this way, and to our E% who always support and care for E-UNG.”
Looking at the comments expressing regret, I remembered the impromptu fan meeting after the last “DUO” broadcast…
The fans’ affectionate cheers and tears as they followed our car…
I shouldn’t be tearing up now, but…
The memory made the lump in my throat return.
[Wow ㅠㅠㅠ]
[I love it ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[The last song was so good…]
[I’m…]
[I don’t know, I just love everything]
[I agree, I love everything ㅠㅠ]
The ‘bait’ strategy seemed to have worked.
“We’ll be back soon with the completed versions of the songs we previewed today.”
Eun-ho, looking at the positive comments, expressed his sincere gratitude.
Unlike the planned beginning, the broadcast, having run late, ended in a slightly rushed manner.
“Then, see you next time, everyone!”
“Bye!”
Seung-yeon and Eun-ji waved enthusiastically.
“Byeee”
“Thank you for coming!”
Ye-chan and Oh Hyun just said goodbye.
Song-min waved with both hands.
Tae-hyun just held out his hand, like a statue.
And Eun-ho bowed deeply.
Then, he looked up and smiled brightly.
“Have a good night, everyone.”
With Eun-ho’s final words, the live broadcast ended.
The bustling atmosphere beyond the screen faded along with the black screen.
Same day, same time
Same day, same dream
On the dawn path I had to take
The dawn path I had to walk
“Footsteps” played as the ending song, one of the songs we previewed today.
Good night
So we can meet again with smiles
Good night
After the unexpectedly long live broadcast, it was already evening.
Eun-ji and I went to see the senior and bowed our heads.
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“Good work.”
“Thank you, Senior!”
“You’re welcome.”
As Tae-hyun replied nonchalantly…
Seung-yeon, who had been thanking the staff, ran towards us.
“Where should we go for the after-party?!”
“After-party? We just finished.”
Ye-chan, pushing down on Seung-yeon’s head, said,
“Seung-yeon is always thinking about having fun.”
“Ah, hyung, we have to have an after-party.”
“Be quiet. The live broadcast was long, the kids need to rest. If an old, boring guy like you keeps them here—”
“Okay, okay… I’ll stop…”
For a moment, Ye-chan’s usually calm and playful demeanor reminded me of the CEO.
“Eun-ho, Eun-ji.”
“Yes?”
“The medley of choruses at the end.”
“Ah, yes.”
“You stayed up all night working on that, didn’t you?”
“Gasp.”
Eun-ji, surprised, stared at the senior.
We had sent the file to the CEO, making up the excuse that we had prepared it in advance as a ‘teaser.’
But we had actually stayed up all night working on it.
We wanted to reveal more than just the hooks.
Our ambition grew, and as we kept adjusting “this part” and “that part,” the sun rose.
“So, you two should go home and rest. You still have recordings left.”
“Yes!”
“…Thank you for your consideration, Senior.”
Ye-chan deliberately changed the subject.
We were grateful for his consideration, as we desperately needed rest.
After everyone left, only our light sticks remained.
The CEO took light stick #3 for production, and it seemed like he also took #2 because of the similar design.
And there was the head of light stick #1, the transparent sphere with the E-UNG logo, slightly detached.
I looked at the logo inside the sphere, then turned to the CEO and asked,
“CEO.”
“Why?”
“Can I take this?”
“What for?”
“I like the sphere, so I thought I could put it on a lamp.”
“A lamp?”
“Yeah, like a mood light.”
“Do whatever you want.”
I wanted to take something as a souvenir, and this was perfect.
I happily took the head of the broken light stick.
“A mood light…”
The CEO seemed lost in thought.
“Hmm, releasing a mood light as merchandise…”
That’s how their second merchandise item, to be released along with the light stick, was decided.
Time Bomb
After the live broadcast and seeing the seniors off, Eun-ho and Eun-ji finally headed home.
I hope the end of this path
Isn’t the end I’m thinking of
On their way back…
Eun-ji kept repeating the last lyrics they sang.
When will this dream-like day of mine end
The more I believe, the more anxiety eats away at me
Growing larger, it consumes me
Perhaps because it was sung by Lee Eun-ho…
Perhaps because it was written by him…
Whenever she repeated his lyrics, the fact that he had regressed bothered her.
The fact that he had witnessed everything made her feel even more uneasy.
Why didn’t he talk about it directly? If he didn’t want to talk about it, he shouldn’t have hinted at it at all!
Why did he keep subtly including it in his lyrics, making her worry?
‘Tsk.’
But she didn’t want to bring it up directly either.
It felt… weird.
So, she pretended not to know, acting cheerful and carefree. It was the only thing she could do for Lee Eun-ho without burdening him.
She followed Lee Eun-ho, stepping on his shadow.
Worrying about him alone was enough worry for two.
She had to live without thinking too much.
“Don’t you think so, Lee Eun-ho?”
“Think what?”
“Don’t you agree?”
“Agree with what?”
“It’s a secret.”
“…Are you sick or something?”
Lee Eun-ho turned to her with a bewildered expression.
Eun-ji walked past him and headed towards the front door.
“Why is she acting like that?”
She smirked, hearing Lee Eun-ho’s exasperated voice behind her.
“Lee Eun-ho.”
“Rangi.”
“Barber shop.”
“Pine tree.”
Then, Lee Eun-ho, looking at her legs, said,
“Moo-da-ri (thick legs).”
“Yeah, your face.”
“Gasp! You think I’m handsome?”
Lee Eun-ho gasped dramatically, then put his hand on his chin and said,
“Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m ‘pa’ (green onion) -chyeot-neun-de (hit, or obsessed with).”
“Why are you like this?! That’s disgusting.”
Eun-ji shuddered at his terrible joke.
Lee Eun-ho, seeing her reaction, chuckled.
“I’m not doing it.”
“Haha, why? Why not?”
“I said I’m not doing it!”
“Haha. Don’t yell, you’ll wake the neighbors! What is it? I won’t tease you. Why did you call me?”
“It’s nothing. Forget it.”
I was going to talk about the lyrics, but after his “green onion” joke, I lost interest.
His joke ruined everything.
His still-grinning face only annoyed me further.
After arriving home…
While Lee Eun-ho was showering, I sat down at the keyboard, wanting to play something.
Sol. Sol. Sol.
I just kept pressing the same key.
The melodies in my head were all jumbled up.
Not feeling like playing the keyboard, I rummaged through my drawer and took out a black notebook with a white ‘protruding’ symbol.
I took it out to write in my diary, but…
This notebook…
I couldn’t write in it these days.
It reminded me of the one Lee Eun-ho always carried…
It just… didn’t feel right.
The live broadcast was fun, and it had been a good day, so why did I feel so… off?
I had been wondering about it, and then, as I looked at my phone, I realized the reason.
「♥—3」
That was it.
No wonder my appetite had been fluctuating wildly for the past few days.
“Ugh, I feel so much better.”
Just then…
Lee Eun-ho came out of the bathroom, wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts.
“Hey, I’m going out for a bit.”
He was wiping his wet hair with a towel, probably going to the convenience store.
“Oppa.”
“What do you want?”
“Chocolate.”
“…”
Lee Eun-ho’s hand, drying his hair, froze.
“Your offer.”
I smiled tiredly, and he seemed to understand, as if this was a monthly occurrence.
Lee Eun-ho thought for a moment, then said,
“Two dishwashing sessions.”
“Just one. Don’t be so stingy.”
“Really? Then three sessions and I’ll get you painkillers from the pharmacy too?”
“Painkillers too?”
“Yeah.”
“Deal.”