Siblings Work in Business (14)
「“If Eun-ho succeeds, it will be a great help to someone I owe a lifelong debt to.”」
I knew the senior was referring to CEO Park.
Toxin, the group that swept the early 2000s…
Toxin originally started in a shady, small agency run by a gangster, not TaKa Entertainment.
And CEO Park single-handedly pulled the Toxin members out of that company and connected them with TaKa Entertainment.
For those Toxin members…
Especially for Senior Ji Ye-chan, who was the leader, CEO Park was literally a lifesaver.
“Our choreography… I was a bit ambitious, so it won’t be easy to memorize it in a week.”
It sounded like a warning, but I wasn’t worried.
You never know until you try.
“I’ll do my best.”
The call ended with the senior’s encouraging words.
I leaned back against the dresser.
My legs felt weak.
[Hey, the senior asked me to perform with him at the showcase.]
I sent a KakaoTalk message to Lee Eun-ji, unable to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality.
Bang!
A moment later, I heard Lee Eun-ji’s door burst open as if it were about to break.
The house shook as if a herd of water buffalo were passing by, that’s how much force she put into each step.
Bang!
My door opened roughly.
“Showcase? What showcase?!”
“He wants me to dance.”
“You mean as a backup dancer?”
“No…”
“Hurry up and tell me! What is it?!”
My mind was still hazy.
Lee Eun-ji, impatient with my slow response, grabbed me by the collar and shook me.
I pushed her hands away and continued.
“The song I featured on in Senior Ji Ye-chan’s album.”
“Yeah, what about it.”
“He just called and asked me to perform with him at the showcase for that song.”
“You had Senior Ye-chan’s number?”
I glanced at my phone and then looked up.
“I do now.”
Lee Eun-ji looked incredibly envious.
It was clear she wanted to participate too.
But she knew better than anyone that there was no time for that.
‘At least two songs a day, sometimes up to four.’
Lately, Lee Eun-ji had been busier than me, who only listened to songs.
The reason Lee Eun-ji was churning out songs like this was ‘competition.’
It was quite common to have additional composers even if there was a member who could write songs.
There were those who acted as teachers, like Composer Bae Jin-soo, but most of them felt more like competitors.
‘Because their songs had to be chosen.’
It was the same for Lee Eun-ji.
Even though Eun-ji could write songs, the CEO still contacted composers he knew.
‘To give us better songs.’
Lee Eun-ji initially resented it, but she didn’t blame him because she understood his intentions.
On the other hand…
While Lee Eun-ji was a composer, being a vocalist was also important to her.
「“If you can’t catch two rabbits, let go of one.”」
When Lee Eun-ji missed two lessons because of composing, the CEO finally took drastic measures.
But Lee Eun-ji, wanting her song to be chosen as the debut song over others, didn’t give up.
So lately, she had been spending every minute of her day, even sacrificing sleep.
“Do it well so many people can hear it. Good luck.”
Lee Eun-ji said something that sounded like a mix of encouragement and threat and returned to her room.
I also told the CEO…
“Do well.”
As if he already knew, the CEO ended the conversation with a brief encouragement.
And two days later…
To match the senior’s schedule, I received the choreography video in advance and familiarized myself with it.
“If you just get the walking, points, and positioning right, there won’t be a problem.”
“Isn’t that… everything?”
“That’s right. If you repeat it about 100 times, you’ll get the hang of it.”
The choreographer smiled and asked, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile back.
My relatively free schedule, compared to Lee Eun-ji, was over.
‘One week.’
It was a suffocatingly short time.
Following Lee Eun-ji’s lead, I also reduced my sleeping hours and immersed myself in practice.
As the senior warned, the choreography was extremely difficult, impossible to keep up with otherwise.
And today.
At the event hall of the Seoul XX Department Store.
“If you listen to our Ye-chan’s solo song ‘LAM,’ it has that… decadent charm, right?”
—Kyaaaah!
“He filled the album with songs like that.”
—Waaaaah!
“Well, rather than me talking more, you all want to see our Ye-chan, right?”
—Yes!
“Haha, then shall we continue the talk with today’s main character?”
Did the scale of the showcase seem like a concert because of my nerves?
I understood the reporters and industry officials, but the hall was packed with fans who heard the news, for a showcase that would only last a little over an hour.
—Ji Ye-chan! Ji Ye-chan! Ji Ye-chan!
The fans’ voices combined, and Senior Ji Ye-chan’s name echoed through the large hall.
It was a loud cheer that showed his influence.
“Ye-chan is back with his solo album ‘LAM’ after a year! Welcome him with your cheers!”
—Kyaaaaaaaaaah!
After the introduction by Senior Oh Hyun, a fellow Toxin member…
The waiting room, with its thin walls, vibrated from the screams and cheers.
Waiting for my turn with the dance team, I felt like my heart was about to explode along with the shaking walls.
Even at the peak of my career, I didn’t have a fanbase this large.
‘I can do this. Don’t make a mistake.’
Just as I was trying to calm my racing heart…
“It’s been a while, everyone.”
—Kyaaaaaah!!!
The cheers, already loud, became even louder at Senior Ji Ye-chan’s greeting.
And then…
‘Ah.’
Suddenly…
I realized that this huge cheer wasn’t for me.
The reality hit me hard thanks to the amplified cheers at the senior’s voice.
「“Do it well so many people can hear it. Good luck.”」
I didn’t know Lee Eun-ji’s encouragement, which sounded like a threat, would be comforting here.
‘No one in this hall expects anything from me.’
That fact, rather than discouraging me, fueled my fire.
It wasn’t fair for him to have all these fans to himself.
Perhaps it was jealousy, or ambition.
But I was going to show off that ambition on stage today.
“Now, let’s listen to the highlight of the album and have Ye-chan introduce the song himself.”
After Ji Ye-chan’s title track “LAM” performance…
“Track 1, ‘LAM,’ we just listened to it and talked about it a lot, so let’s listen to Track 2 now.”
Following Oh Hyun’s lead, the highlight of Track 2 echoed through the hall.
My feelings warn me
Yes
That’s what you’re trying to say
After the verse that started with Eun-ho’s voice…
Tick, click.
The chorus of “Sign,” which used the sound of a clock with a gun cocking sound effect, followed.
What sound
This is a sign
My last sign
A prayer not to leave me
Tick, click.
The clock is loud
Don’t turn your head away
As the highlight ended and the lingering sound of the song faded…
Ji Ye-chan slowly raised the microphone and continued.
“The theme of this song is expressing one’s whole heart, even though they know today is the day of separation.”
“I heard the ticking sound is not a clock but a gun being cocked, is that right?”
“Haha, yes, that’s right. Because I don’t want to believe that it’s time to face this separation.”
“Is it obsession?”
“Yes. A twisted desire to tie someone down, even by force, because you’re consumed by emotions. Yes.”
“So, you expressed that feeling with the sound of cocking a gun?”
“That’s right.”
“Is there any part in Track 2 that you’d like us to pay special attention to, Ye-chan?”
Ji Ye-chan smiled, making eye contact with Oh Hyun.
“As you heard, there’s a friend who sang the verse and bridge. His name is Eun-ho…”
“Oh, the one who sang ‘That’s what you’re trying to say’ just now?”
“Yes. When Oh Hyun sings it, it doesn’t have that catchy feeling.”
“Ah, that’s why I’m the sense-maker.”
“Haha.”
“So, let’s move on from Track 2 and go to the next song…”
The long talk about the album tracks continued.
After a long while, it was finally time for Eun-ho’s last performance, the one he had been waiting for.
“Now, I’ll say goodbye. This has been MC Oh Hyun, with Ji Ye-chan’s solo album ‘LAM.’ And lastly, Ye-chan’s Co-Sign.”
—Kyaaaaaah!
While Oh Hyun’s closing remarks continued, the backstage became busy.
“…I’ll take my leave now! Thank you!”
With Oh Hyun’s goodbye, all the lights went out, and an eye-catching intro video started playing.
As the purple Toxin light sticks swayed, the stage lit up.
“Eun-ho, don’t be nervous.”
“Yes, Senior.”
Senior Ji Ye-chan casually said that and walked onto the stage first.
I was nervous, but not worried.
‘One week, it was a short time, but I did my best.’
While the senior, who went on stage first, showed off his smooth dance moves to the intro music…
The saxophone, signaling the start of the verse, rang out.
Although it wasn’t my stage, it was my first performance since returning to this time, the start of my second debut.
My feelings warn me
Even before you arrive
A single flower on the table
Looks especially red today
The moment Eun-ho started singing and stepped onto the stage…
A few of the swaying Toxin light sticks stopped moving.
I want to ignore it
I want to laugh and chat
But I can’t breathe
My feelings warn me
Making a gesture of clutching his throat, Eun-ho intentionally focused his sharp gaze on the spot where the light sticks had stopped moving.
He couldn’t clearly see the fans’ faces because of the lighting.
But he could clearly see their sparkling, focused eyes.
So he held onto them.
I’m looking at you too.
So…
Look at me, not the senior.
Yes
That’s what you’re trying to say
As he finished the verse, he smiled at the fan who hadn’t averted their gaze, as a gesture of thanks.
As if forgetting to wave their light stick…
The fan, whose gaze he had met, covered their mouth and kept looking at Eun-ho.
“Who is he?”
At that moment, that fan wasn’t the only one staring at Lee Eun-ho.
“No, never mind who he is, find out which agency he’s from, right now.”