The Siblings Do Business Together (13)
“I think love songs will be fine from now on.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
That day, we sang a total of five love songs.
When we were able to run through one track with a serious attitude, even for <Some> which seemed difficult at first.
Eun-ji and I exchanged nods signifying silent affirmation and calmly accepted the wave-like change that came upon us without a word.
The one who was most shocked by this change was the representative.
“How, in just one day…”
At the representative’s question, Eun-ji and I glanced at each other and grinned with a chuckle.
Should this be expressed as competition, or should it be expressed as not paying attention?
But it wasn’t that we weren’t immersed.
Should I explain that we became able to separate myself in the song and myself in reality?
“It just worked.”
As if it was also difficult for Eun-ji to explain, she shrugged her shoulders and answered.
That’s when it happened.
Eun-ji added with a composed posture.
“Representative, I want to rewrite ‘DUO’.”
“Huh?”
Worry and concern flooded the representative’s face, which already looked complicated.
“I’m confident I can produce a much better version than now. A song that suits both me and Lee Eun-ho.”
As if to convey what she meant, Eun-ji glanced at me and continued.
The representative, lost in thought, was silent for a long time.
After at least 10 minutes had passed in silence, the representative’s mouth opened again.
“If we overturn it, Eun-ji, your song may not be fixed.”
“…It’s okay.”
Eun-ji hesitated for a moment but soon nodded and answered.
“Okay. Then try it again.”
“Yes!”
As if worried that the representative’s decision might be reversed.
Eun-ji answered vigorously.
* * *
‘Eun-ho and Eun-ji became able to sing love songs.’
‘Eun-ji can do high notes.’
‘Eun-ho has also become strong in the medium-low range.’
The three changes had a big impact on future directions.
Representative Park thought that since things had turned out this way, he would also take another look at the songs and lyrics that were unfortunately missed before because of the theme of love stories.
And from then on.
Unfamiliar guests began to frequently visit the company building in the narrow alley almost every day.
“Another unknown car came today.”
The representative acted as if he had been waiting for this day.
He circulated the recording of <Suliya> from that day to all the composers he had known during his time as an A&R, adding the words ‘these kids are siblings’.
Meanwhile, upon hearing that the representative had contacted various composers, Eun-ji expressed her determination to include her songs in the album and steadily produced three songs a day.
It was a truly composition-crazy appearance.
“How is it?”
Once in a song made by Eun-ji.
“How about this?”
Once again in a song delivered by the representative.
Buried in the pouring songs, I continued the daily routine of selecting songs over and over again.
* * *
Showcase
During the days of being preoccupied with song selection.
“Hello!”
—Waaaa!
“The special one-day MC in charge of sense for Toxin! It’s Oh Hyun!”
—Kyaaaaa!
I don’t know why right now.
At the famous XX department store hall in Seoul, I am about to have a debut stage with someone else’s song that wasn’t even planned, without Eun-ji.
The beginning of the unplanned stage was last Sunday, a rare day off that came.
The phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Oh, Eun-ho ssi!”
“Who is…”
“Haha, you’re surprised by the sudden call. It’s Ye-chan.”
To give my ears, which had been listening to new songs non-stop for several weeks, a break, I was planning to immerse myself only in exercise and practice today…
Senior Ji Ye-chan suddenly called me out of the blue.
“Senior…?”
“Our junior, have you been doing well?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve been well.”
“By the way, Eun-ho ssi, do you remember the title of my song you participated in before?”
“Yes, it’s ‘Sign’.”
“Oh, you remembered?”
“The song was good, so it was memorable.”
“Wow, I’m touched.”
I made that up, but it wasn’t a lie.
In fact, before the regression, it was a song I often listened to because I liked it more than senior’s title track.
“I decided to change the title of that song.”
It was common to change a tentative title before the release.
Delivering that to a junior who featured…
It wasn’t common, but it was a reasonable topic.
“To ‘Co-Sign’.”
Until I heard the changed title, I thought that way.
“Co-sign…”
When I first heard it, I didn’t think much of it.
Ah, I see.
Just that.
‘But what did ‘Co-sign’ mean?’
I rolled the word meaning joint signature or joint participation on my tongue.
Then I remembered.
During the busy year before the regression.
I had briefly worked on a single song with a then-rising star artist from the United States.
He had received a ‘Co-sign’ and grew rapidly, and he wanted to capture those emotions in a song, so he shared his personal story.
‘Although it’s not often compared to this in our country…’
Co-sign was often used in the industry, especially overseas, to refer to a famous artist intentionally including an artist they want to promote in their album to publicize them.
‘In other words…’
When I understood, I almost dropped my cell phone out of surprise.
It felt like blood was rushing to my body, which had been sprawled out lazily until just now.
“Senior, I know this might seem like overthinking or self-consciousness, but the intention behind changing the title like that…”
Just in case it’s a misunderstanding.
To make sure I didn’t choke, I asked clearly.
“Oh. I didn’t know you were aware of the meaning…”
At the same time as senior Ji Ye-chan’s answer, I gulped down the kimchi soup in front of me in one shot.
My heart was pounding so hard it hurt, even though I had never felt this way when I fell in first love.
“What self-consciousness, Eun-ho ssi, you can be a bit more confident. Among the juniors I’ve picked, there hasn’t been a single one who wasn’t recognized by people.”
While listening to senior’s confident story with a smile, I suddenly thought, can I really receive this kind of treatment?
Honestly, on that day in the recording studio, I sang with the determination to snatch senior Ji Ye-chan’s song.
‘But senior, like giving a cherished figure to a cousin who was throwing a tantrum asking for it…’
A bodhisattva?
Maybe it’s because I can’t act like senior.
I had no choice but to ask bluntly.
“Why?”
There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
I, especially we siblings, knew that better than anyone.
To live like a human being at the very bottom of the capitalist world, we had personally experienced how much labor we had to pay.
The representative was like that too.
In exchange for providing us siblings with food, clothing, shelter, and education…
‘We paid accordingly for the NRY Entertainment contract too.’
So, this time too.
It was too much of a gift for simply ‘liking me as a senior’.
“Even if you help me, senior, I’m a rookie, so it won’t be of much help to you…?”
I could have just said ‘thank you!’ and accepted it, but I couldn’t shake off the suspicion that there must be something more.
Moreover, if I had to pay a price, I wanted to know what I was paying for, so I ended up asking the question.
“Hahaha. Ah, Eun-ho ssi, you’re amazing.”
“I apologize if I seemed rude.”
“Rude, you say. When an adult says they’ll give you something, you should just say ‘yes, yes’ and accept it without a word!”
“I’m sorry.”
Although there was a hint of playfulness in his voice, I couldn’t bring myself to ask if he was joking.
At that moment, senior burst into a light laugh over the phone and continued.
“I was just joking now, but unlike other guys, I like people like Eun-ho ssi who are clear about giving and receiving. I like your guts.”
“Thank you.”
“What thanks, as Eun-ho ssi said, it’s not free. I’m someone who does business with music, not volunteer work.”
“Yes. I’m also not the type to like freebies…”
I dislike freebies.
This was largely due to childhood experiences.
I had stolen bread from a bakery to save Eun-ji, who was gasping from hunger.
“Little thief, let’s have a talk with this ajussi.”
At that time, I met the first person who treated us like human beings.
It was the owner of that bakery.
“How much is that worth for President Kim to exploit such young children?”
I got caught by the bakery owner for stealing and started working there.
Some people pointed fingers at the owner, but to us, he was the one who taught us about the world.
He gave us fair compensation for our work, and thanks to the owner, Eun-ji and I didn’t starve.
Despite the particularly cold winter that year, we were able to survive in the world without freezing to death.
Before the bakery owner closed his business and left, he had said something.
“Eun-ho ya, don’t like freebies.”
Liking freebies is like liking other people’s things, he coldly told us young children.
“Everything you receive without paying a price may one day devour not only what you have but you yourself.”
It was a memory so faint that I couldn’t even recall his face anymore.
However, the owner’s words at that time were still vivid.
‘Because it was the biggest pillar that kept us from going astray in life.’
And that pillar is still firm even now, even after going back in time once.
So, I couldn’t comfortably accept senior’s gift.
“What should I do?”
“Since you brought it up like this, okay. I’ll also get straight to the point.”
My hand holding the phone is getting sweaty, perhaps because of nervousness.
“A week from now, perform at my showcase.”
“What?”
I had to ask back loudly, knowing it was rude, at the unexpected proposal.
“I’m planning to do a Co-sign stage at the end on the day of the showcase.”
“Will that be repayment?”
“It’s enough.”
No matter how I think about it, giving a rookie an opportunity to stand on stage is a big deal.
In a way, it felt like I was going into more debt to senior.
“If Eun-ho ssi does well, it will be a great help to someone I owe a lifelong debt to.”
“Ah…”
The world goes around.
Repayment seemed to be like that too.
“Oh, Eun-ho ssi, don’t take the showcase lightly.”
What does that mean?
I was about to have doubts.
“I never said to just do the vocals, right?”
I felt like I was slightly hit in the back of the head by senior’s playful tone.
“Our choreography. I was quite greedy, so memorizing it in a week will definitely not be an easy task.”