Siblings Work in Business (128)
Thanks to the free board, the server recovered just before crashing.
By the time the connection was stable, there were less than 3 minutes left until the music video premiere.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6…
The chat counted down.
[Here we go!]
A black screen.
“I’ll go first.”
“Me too.”
“Goodbye.”
Eun-ji’s voice.
Then, two other female voices.
“Wait!”
Seo Seung-yeon reached out his hand.
The close-up of his hand zoomed out, revealing Joo Song-min, not Seo Seung-yeon.
The background was also different.
“Don’t go, please.”
Joo Song-min pleaded, his head down.
As he slowly looked up, Eun-ho appeared on screen.
“…I’m sorry.”
The three women didn’t reply.
A jingling sound, like a bell on a door.
Then, the sound of footsteps.
A woman with long hair, her face unseen, walked out of a white door.
The scene changed to a blue door in a different, more elegant-looking location, and a woman with short hair walked out.
Lastly, a woman with curly hair walked out of a wooden door, which looked like the entrance to an old shop.
The three men, who had their heads down, looked up.
Seo Seung-yeon, with bright yellow hair, sharp eyes, and thick eyebrows.
Joo Song-min, with brown hair and double eyelids.
After the two, Eun-ho’s face appeared, lingering on screen the longest.
Jet-black hair, despite the light shining on him.
Sharp eyes that seemed upturned because of the shadows, but were actually slightly downturned. Calm, deep brown eyes.
As his face appeared, a bouncy cowbell rhythm, layered over the 808 bass and snare, started playing.
Eun-ho looked towards a cup of coffee on a table, as if it was where a woman had been sitting, and then followed the women out the door.
It was a typical bustling city street.
Eun-ho, his face scrunched up in annoyance, shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight with his hand.
The cowbell stopped just as the verse began.
I long for the falling rain to hide from the sunlight
As Eun-ho walked, the sky turned cloudy, a brief shower passed, and then the sun reappeared.
Like a passing shower, like time gone by
Will this sun, risen at midday, return if it sets?
The camera, which had been focused on the sky, tilted down, and Joo Song-min was now standing where Eun-ho had been.
The sun is high, so my mood is high
As Joo Song-min’s hand touched a window, a slender, fair hand appeared on the other side, their palms touching through the glass.
Happy to see the hand beyond the window
Excited footsteps
Strong coffee aroma
The hands separated, and Eun-ho, sitting at a table in a cafe, appeared on screen.
Joo Song-min continued singing.
Cooling off in the air conditioning
Why is the way back so heavy?
The camera followed Eun-ho as he stood up and walked out of the cafe, as if someone was filming him from behind.
Even the sun is hot today
That distant figure beyond the window
As Eun-ho suddenly started running, the background blurred with his speed.
Can’t I catch you if I run?
Getting closer, her curly hair in sight
He reaches out his hand
But his fingertips fall short
Eun-ho looked up at the sky and leaned back against a chair outside a cafe.
Sitting alone, sighing
Alone again on the way back, feeling lonely
As if on cue, a waiter brought him a cup of coffee.
Eun-ho took a sip and then stood up.
The camera, unlike before, remained fixed on the cafe.
Eun-ho left the frame, and Seo Seung-yeon appeared in the same cafe.
He seemed to be on the phone, his eyes glued to the screen.
Then, he looked up at the clear sky, tears streaming down his face.
Longing for the falling rain to hide my tears
Like a passing shower, evaporated like time gone by
Will this sun, risen at midday, return if it sets?
Then, as if someone answered his phone, Seo Seung-yeon, forgetting to wipe his tears, hurriedly answered the call and ran out of the frame.
Eun-ho’s sweet voice joined in for the chorus.
The scene changed, and Eun-ho, still in his casual clothes, was lying on a bed, frowning at the sunlight streaming through the window.
I wish this light above my head were moonlight
I wish it would rain
Although Eun-ho’s voice was a soft murmur, the song gradually built up towards the climax.
I was so happy
When I left
But why now
Do I just want to cry?
His voice cracked as he hit a high note, a heartbreaking sound of suppressed sobs.
Eun-ho sat up on the bed and slowly covered his face with his hands.
I still can’t believe it
The scene faded to black after Eun-ho’s whispered climax, his mouth the only visible part of his face.
A light gradually appeared, taking the shape of the sun in the sky. Joo Song-min’s face appeared, looking up.
The sun is scorching on the hot asphalt
The screen showed the puddle Joo Song-min was looking at.
Then, the scene changed again, and Joo Song-min was painting.
Let me go, they say, of you who have already left
A gentle breeze, instead of rain, comforts me
As he brushed over the reeds in the painting, the wind seemed to blow. He then took a large brush and painted the entire canvas black, covering the reeds.
Even the sun above paints the sky
In preparation for the coming night
Time started to rewind.
Longing for the falling rain that hides my tears
Like the evaporated water stains of time gone by
As if nothing had happened, the painting returned to its original state, then turned into a blank canvas, and Eun-ho, who had been lying on the bed, got up and walked back to the first cafe.
It was the same for Song-min and Seung-yeon; they returned to the moment they left through the door.
Will this sun, risen at midday, return if it sets?
I long for the falling rain that hides my tears
Eun-ho shielded his eyes from the sunlight again, but his expression, unlike before, was now wistful. His singing voice also reflected that mood.
Like the passing of time
Like the empty space you left behind
Will this sun, risen at midday, return if it sets?
The three voices harmonized.
The scenes of Eun-ho, Song-min, and Seung-yeon overlapped, synchronized with the music.
Eun-ho and Seung-yeon, separated by a white line on screen, turned their heads simultaneously and looked at Song-min, who was standing in the middle.
Is it over?
At Eun-ho’s last, whispered line, background noises suddenly filled the air.
Song-min, still frowning at the sky, muttered,
“…Should we grab a drink?”
“Sounds good.”
Eun-ho chimed in.
“Let’s go.”
Seung-yeon simply replied and reached out, his arm crossing the white line and tapping Song-min on the shoulder.
The three walked out of the frame together.
The three different doors in the background slowly closed.
The screen, now quiet, rapidly spun.
Three women were sitting in a cafe.
Eun-ji was visible between two heads. Although their faces were hidden, judging by their hairstyles, they seemed to be the same women who left the shop in the beginning.
There was no sound, as if muffled.
Then, Eun-ji smiled, as if chatting with them.
Her smile faded, her expression a mixture of relief and wistfulness, similar to Eun-ho’s expression when he looked up at the sky at the end.
The moment my face appeared in the opening scene…
I covered my eyes with my hand and lowered my head, mortified.
I looked at Lee Eun-ji, and she had also turned away, trying to suppress her laughter.
I was planning on mocking her when her face appeared, but “Hot Afternoon” was sung by me, Joo Song-min, and Seo Seung-yeon.
So, my face was constantly on screen, which was incredibly embarrassing.
I understood that I had to get used to it, but I couldn’t help feeling awkward.
I glanced at the chat, and it was filled with “LOL.”
[Rangi’s having an existential crisis from the first scene lol]
[Rangi, you look so cool lol]
Like singer, like fan.
Although some comments seemed genuine, others felt like Lee Eun-ji, putting all their effort into teasing me.
And it wasn’t just E%.
This morning…
“Huh?”
“Let’s do a live reaction video.”
“I left the beginning of ‘Hot Afternoon’ completely to you, CEO, because I couldn’t bear to watch it…!”
The CEO suddenly suggested a surprise live broadcast.
A reaction video? Seriously?
I protested, saying that “Hot Afternoon” was filled with my face and I couldn’t watch it properly.
Especially that opening scene!
That scene was a barricade preventing me from watching the music video.
“It’s okay, Eun-ho. You can do it.”
But he pushed for it, despite my objections.
“Haha, it’ll be fun!”
Even Lee Eun-ji joined in.
“Says the one who’s not in the video.”
“Wow, Lee Eun-ho, can’t you even see your own face?”
The CEO, insistent. Lee Eun-ji, teasing.
‘Ha…’
And so, here I was.
I glared at the CEO, who was sitting across from us, behind the camera.
‘Look at you.’
The CEO’s face, as I glared at him, was crumpled like a used tissue, a double chin forming.
He was clearly trying not to laugh, his muffled laughter escaping through his nose.
And then I realized…
…the CEO never expected a serious reaction from me in the first place.
Thankfully, after the initial shock of the opening scene, I could watch the rest of the video more comfortably.
The jokes we shared with the seniors during filming helped.
Will this sun, risen at midday, return if it sets?
I long for the falling rain that hides my tears
After the awkward scenes, perhaps because of the lyrics I wrote…
…I started thinking.
When we were deciding on the theme for the lyrics…
…Lee Eun-ji had suggested ‘separation.’
Writing the lyrics had been difficult.
This was a secret I would never tell, but the most painful separation in my life was the day Lee Eun-ji passed away.
‘Eun-ji herself doesn’t seem to realize…’
The lyrics for “Hot Afternoon” were about how I felt that day.