Siblings Work in Business (13)
“I think we can do love songs now.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
That day, we sang a total of five love songs.
When we were able to get through a whole track of even “Some,” which seemed difficult at first, with a serious attitude…
Lee Eun-ji and I exchanged silent nods of agreement, calmly accepting the wave of change that washed over us.
The most shocked by this change was the CEO.
“How, in just one day…”
Lee Eun-ji and I exchanged glances and chuckled at the CEO’s question.
Should I call this competition, or indifference?
It wasn’t that we weren’t immersed.
It was more like we were able to separate ourselves in the song from ourselves in reality.
“It just… happened.”
Lee Eun-ji, also seemingly struggling to explain, shrugged and answered.
Then…
Lee Eun-ji added in a serious tone,
“CEO, I want to rewrite ‘DUO.’”
“Huh?”
The CEO’s already complicated expression was clearly filled with growing concern.
“I’m confident I can make it even better than now. A song that suits both me and Lee Eun-ho.”
Lee Eun-ji glanced at me as she continued.
The CEO, lost in thought, remained silent for a long time.
It was at least 10 minutes before he spoke again.
“If you rewrite it, Eun-ji, your song might not be chosen.”
“…It’s okay.”
Eun-ji hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and answered.
“Okay. Then try again.”
“Yes!”
As if afraid the CEO might change his mind…
Lee Eun-ji replied energetically.
‘Eun-ho and Eun-ji can sing love songs now.’
‘Eun-ji can sing high notes.’
‘Eun-ho’s low range has become stronger.’
These three changes caused a significant ripple in their future direction.
CEO Park decided to revisit the songs and lyrics that he had reluctantly given up on because of the love song theme.
And from then on…
Unfamiliar visitors began frequenting the small office in the narrow alley.
“Another unfamiliar car today.”
As if waiting for this day…
CEO Park sent the recording of “It’s Alcohol” from that day to all the composers he knew from his A&R days, adding, “These kids are siblings.”
Meanwhile, Lee Eun-ji, hearing that the CEO had contacted various composers, showed her determination to have her song included in the album by consistently creating three songs a day.
She was completely obsessed with composing.
“How is it?”
Once with Lee Eun-ji’s songs.
“What do you think?”
And again with the songs the CEO delivered.
I spent every day buried in a flood of songs, choosing and selecting.
Showcase
During the hectic days of song selection…
“Hello!”
—Waaaaah!
“I’m Oh Hyun, the sense-maker of Toxin, and your special MC for today!”
—Kyaaaaaah!
For some reason…
I was about to have my debut stage, without Lee Eun-ji, with someone else’s song, at the hall of a famous department store in Seoul.
The beginning of this unexpected stage was last Sunday, a rare day off.
The phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Oh, Eun-ho!”
“Who…”
“Haha, surprised by the sudden call? It’s Ye-chan.”
I was planning to focus on exercise and practice today, giving my ears, which had been bombarded with new songs for weeks, a break…
But I received an unexpected call from Senior Ji Ye-chan.
“Senior…?”
“Our junior, have you been well?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve been well.”
“Well, Eun-ho, do you remember the title of the song you featured on before?”
“Yes, Sign.”
“Oh, you remembered?”
“The song was good, so it stuck with me.”
“Wow, I’m touched.”
Although I said that as an excuse, it wasn’t a lie.
Before the regression, I actually listened to that song more often than his title track because it suited my taste better.
“We decided to change the title.”
Changing the title of a song before release was common.
Informing the featuring artist about it…
Wasn’t common, but it wasn’t unheard of.
“To Co-Sign.”
Until I heard the new title, I thought that was the case.
“Co-Sign…”
At first, I didn’t think much of it.
Ah, I see.
That’s it.
‘But what does Co-Sign mean?’
I rolled the word around on my tongue, something about joint signature or joint participation.
Then I remembered.
During the busy year after the regression…
I briefly worked on a single with a rising star artist in the US.
He experienced rapid growth after receiving a ‘Co-Sign,’ and he shared his personal story, saying he wanted to capture that feeling in the song.
‘It’s not often used as an analogy in our country…’
In the industry overseas, ‘Co-Sign’ often referred to a famous artist intentionally including and promoting a promising artist on their album.
‘That means…’
When I understood, I was so surprised that I almost dropped my phone.
I felt a sudden rush of energy through my previously sluggish body.
“Senior, I know this might seem like I’m being presumptuous, or… overly self-conscious, but is the reason you changed the title to that…”
It could be wishful thinking.
To avoid choking on my own anticipation, I asked directly.
“Oh, I didn’t know you knew the meaning…”
With Senior Ji Ye-chan’s reply, I gulped down the imaginary bowl of kimchi stew in front of me.
Even when I fell in love for the first time, my heart didn’t pound this loudly. It throbbed painfully.
“Presumptuous? Eun-ho, you can be more confident. None of the juniors I’ve chosen have failed to gain recognition.”
Listening to the senior’s confident words, I wondered if I deserved such treatment.
Honestly, I sang in the recording studio that day with the intention of stealing Senior Ji Ye-chan’s song.
‘But the senior readily gave it to me, like a kind older cousin giving a cherished figurine to a younger cousin who’s throwing a tantrum…’
Was he a saint?
Perhaps because I couldn’t act like him…
I had to ask directly.
“Why?”
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
I, especially us siblings, knew that better than anyone.
From the very bottom of the capitalist world, we had experienced firsthand how much labor was required to live like human beings.
The CEO was the same.
In exchange for our food, clothing, shelter, and education…
‘The NRY Entertainment contract was also fairly compensated.’
So, this too…
It was too much of a gift to simply be because ‘the senior liked me.’
“Even if you help me, Senior, I’m still a rookie, so it won’t be of much help…?”
I could have just gratefully accepted it, but I couldn’t shake off the suspicion that there was more to it.
Besides, if there was a price to pay, I wanted to know what it was, so I ended up asking.
“Hahaha. Ah, Eun-ho, you’re amazing.”
“I apologize if I seemed rude.”
“Rude? You should have just accepted it without a word, saying ‘yes, yes,’ when an adult offers you something!”
“I apologize.”
Although his voice was playful, I couldn’t ask if he was joking.
Then, the senior on the other end of the phone chuckled and continued.
“Just kidding. I don’t know about others, but I like people like Eun-ho, who are straightforward. I like your guts.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you? As you said, Eun-ho, it’s not free. I’m a businessman in the music industry, not a volunteer.”
“Yes. I don’t like free things either…”
I don’t like free things.
This was largely due to my childhood experience.
I stole from a bakery to save Lee Eun-ji, who was starving.
「“Little thief, let’s have a talk.”」
That’s when I first met someone who treated us like human beings.
It was the owner of the bakery.
「“For a few pennies, Kim makes little kids like these work?”」
I started working at the bakery after getting caught stealing.
Some people pointed fingers at the owner, but to us, he was the one who taught us about the world.
He gave us fair wages for our work, and thanks to him, Lee Eun-ji and I didn’t starve.
That winter was particularly cold, but we survived.
Before the owner closed his bakery and left, he said,
「“Eun-ho, don’t like free things.”」
He told us sternly that liking free things was the same as coveting what others had.
「“Everything you receive without paying a price can later consume not only what you have, but also yourself.”」
It was a faded memory, to the point where I could no longer picture his face.
However, his words were clear.
‘It was the biggest pillar that kept us from going astray.’
And that pillar remained firm even now, even after I turned back time.
So, I couldn’t just accept the senior’s gift without any worries.
“What do I have to do?”
“Since you asked, okay. I’ll be blunt.”
My hand holding the phone became clammy with nervousness.
“Appear at my showcase in a week.”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t help but ask back in surprise, even though I knew it was impolite.
“I’m planning to perform Co-Sign at the end of the showcase.”
“Will that be enough repayment?”
“It’s enough.”
No matter how I thought about it, giving a rookie a chance to perform on stage was a huge opportunity.
In a way, it felt like I was becoming even more indebted to the senior.
“If Eun-ho succeeds, it will be a great help to someone I owe a lifelong debt to.”
“Ah…”
What goes around comes around.
Repayment seemed to be the same.
“Oh, and Eun-ho, don’t take the showcase lightly.”
What did he mean?
Just as I was wondering…
“I never said I only wanted you to sing.”
The senior’s playful tone felt like a light blow to the back of my head.
“Our choreography… I was a bit ambitious, so it won’t be easy to memorize it in a week.”