Siblings Work in Business (155)
“Is your brother married?”
“Yes.”
“Oh…”
As Eun-ji reacted…
Hwa-rang, out of curiosity, cautiously asked,
“Do you… want to get married, Senior?”
“Me? Um…”
Eun-ji, startled by the unexpected question, crossed her arms and thought seriously, a deep wrinkle forming between her brows.
“If… if… if… I meet the right person? Someone I can see myself spending my life with? Then maybe…?”
Her answer was filled with uncertainty.
“What about arranged marriages?”
“Arranged? What’s that?”
“Meeting someone through a matchmaker…”
“Ah… I see.”
Eun-ji seemed to understand after the explanation.
Marriage.
It was a topic she had never considered.
Eun-ji, although understanding the concept, hesitated before answering.
“Unnie… why would you go through all that trouble to meet and marry a stranger? I-I’m not criticizing you, I’m just curious.”
“Well, because their parents want them to, or because they want a family…?”
Hwa-rang’s explanation sounded like she was referring to someone specific. As Eun-ji tilted her head, Hwa-rang sighed and explained further,
“Honestly, I don’t know either. My brother got married early because my parents pressured him since he’s the eldest son.”
“The eldest son has to get married early?”
“Haha. It’s not a rule, but my parents were like that.”
Her parents were good people. They didn’t force anything on her, whether it was marriage or money.
“Hwa-rang, you’ll figure it out.”
Yes, they were good people. When she was younger, she used to feel a bit neglected because they had no expectations for her. But as she grew older, she preferred their indifference to her brother’s constant nagging about his responsibilities as the eldest son.
“Ah, so your brother had an arranged marriage?”
“It failed twice, but on the third try, he met a nice woman, and they seem happy now.”
“Failed… twice?”
“He got remarried.”
“I see.”
“He kept telling me to get married like him, after he found happiness. Haha.”
“Ah.”
“I was just curious about what you thought about marriage, Senior.”
“Ah, so…”
“You can ignore my question if it makes you uncomfortable!”
“No, it’s not uncomfortable. Just… I…”
Eun-ji closed her eyes, thinking.
Then, she started humming an unfamiliar melody. She often organized her thoughts through melodies and music. It was unfamiliar to Hwa-rang, who watched Eun-ji with a puzzled expression.
After a while…
Eun-ji opened her eyes and said,
“I don’t know.”
It was an anticlimactic answer after such a long pause.
“Well, because ‘parents’ want you to? That… the word ‘parents’ itself is difficult for me to understand…”
“The word ‘parents’?”
“Well, Lee Eun-ho and I are orphans. I think he remembers them, but I don’t have any memories…”
“Oh… I…”
As Eun-ji casually revealed that they were orphans, Hwa-rang froze.
“Hehe. You didn’t know? It doesn’t seem like it was obvious.”
“No, not at all…”
It was an unimaginable situation.
While she was a trainee at TaKa, Hwa-rang was forced to watch E-UNG’s videos because of CEO Song’s obsession. She had seen almost everything, from their debut busking showcase to most of their performances.
Their relaxed, confident stage presence from their debut…
…as if they had nothing to fear.
She had naturally assumed they had a loving, supportive family.
But the word “orphan”…
It didn’t match the image she had of them.
“It’s all thanks to the CEO taking care of us.”
Eun-ji smiled brightly, her smile so captivating that Hwa-rang couldn’t look away.
Eun-ji lay down on the bed, her legs still dangling, fidgeting restlessly.
“Lee Eun-ho and I used to wander around before we met the CEO.”
“…”
“Back then, people called us dirty, beggars, the ‘beggar siblings,’ orphans… wherever we went.”
Perhaps because of the alcohol, she was sharing more than usual.
Hwa-rang listened quietly to Eun-ji’s monologue-like story, unsure how to respond.
The ‘beggar siblings’…
At the restaurant, when she told CEO Park about her family…
Senior Eun-ji was leaning against Eun-ho, her head on his shoulder. Even though her face was hidden behind her hair, she seemed incredibly sad.
She had felt a pang of envy. That they had someone they could confide in, someone who understood them without words. Back then, not knowing their story, she had just felt envious. She had wondered what kind of hardships could create such a bond. But now… knowing their circumstances, she felt a mix of awe and sympathy. They were close, the two seniors. So close that they fought often, but at the same time, they were careful not to cross each other’s boundaries.
At the restaurant, watching them…
She felt like she was witnessing their unique dynamic, a strange and fascinating world.
Perhaps because she also had an older brother…
…she couldn’t help but compare her relationship with her brother to theirs.
“Hmm…”
Eun-ji, meanwhile, was still thinking about Hwa-rang’s question about marriage.
“Marriage… wanting a family… hmm…”
Perhaps because she had never experienced it…
She couldn’t imagine it.
“I don’t know.”
“…”
“After all, they’re still strangers. Even Lee Eun-ho, after all these years, I still don’t understand what he’s thinking…”
That jerk.
Hwa-rang coughed awkwardly at the harsh word, pretending not to hear. Eun-ji, staring at the ceiling, continued,
“Even my only family is like that, how can I trust someone else? For life?”
Hwa-rang was taken aback by her unexpected answer and didn’t know what to say. Then, Eun-ji sat up on the bed and continued,
“Unnie, in a way, the CEO is like a father to Lee Eun-ho and me.”
“Yes? Oh, I see.”
The CEO is like a father?
Did she mean it figuratively? Or was there an actual connection?
“If… if… just if… the CEO suddenly told me to marry someone…”
Hwa-rang gulped nervously, waiting for her to continue.
“No, no matter how I think about it, I would probably just fight back.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Of course! It’s not their life. Why should I listen? I don’t want to! I… I want to marry music. Hehe.”
“Haha…”
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Eun-ji’s speech was peppered with informal language.
‘Marry music…’
Hwa-rang felt a sense of relief, as if Eun-ji had voiced the answer she had been searching for.
She laughed.
Their late-night conversation continued, Hwa-rang sharing many things with Eun-ji, who was a comforting presence, a good listener who offered sincere empathy.
Hwa-rang opened up about her struggles over the past seven years, things she had kept bottled up. It was the first time she had shared such personal stories with anyone.
“I was just a high school senior who loved singing and dancing, with no talent or connections.”
Hwa-rang’s brother, Ho-rang, hadn’t initially disapproved of her pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.
But for seven years, they walked different paths. Ho-rang often told Hwa-rang that he was sacrificing a lot for their family, for their parents. And true to his words, he had agreed to an arranged marriage, pressured by their parents. But he couldn’t make it work and went through two divorces. Then came his third marriage.
“He seemed to like his new family, so now, he wants me to give up on being a trainee and get married like him.”
“It’s like Lee Eun-ho telling me to get married.”
“Haha, it is.”
“Ew! I can’t even imagine. That’s worse than the CEO telling me to.”
“Haha, I felt the same way.”
“And unnie, you want to succeed through your work, not through marriage, right?”
“Yes.”
Through her work. In other words, through her music. Even as she said it, Hwa-rang felt insecure about herself. And Ho-rang knew.
「“Still not confident after seven years of training?!”」
She had heard that often after turning 25.
Hwa-rang resented him for saying such things.
Ho-rang also found Hwa-rang frustrating, a younger sister who couldn’t seem to get her act together.
So, they often exchanged hurtful words.
She had no right to complain; she had hurt him just as much as he hurt her.
“Lately… I’ve been wondering if he’s right.”
“What?!”
“He was right about B&C failing, wasn’t he? Haha.”
Their relationship had become even more strained after B&C’s disbandment.
“I feel like… I’m a failure…”
Hwa-rang’s lips were smiling, but her eyes were filled with tears.
Eun-ji pulled her into a hug.
“Unnie, it’s okay.”
Perhaps because of the height difference…
…Hwa-rang, pulled by Eun-ji, felt small and protected in her embrace.
Eun-ji patted her shoulder and whispered,
“It’s okay. Your seven years of hard work haven’t gone to waste, they’re still there, as your skills. I saw it.”
“…”
“It was TaKa’s CEO’s fault, and that guy you were with, not yours. You did well.”
“Sniff…”
Eun-ji was now crying too, patting Hwa-rang’s back. Hwa-rang, touched by Eun-ji’s empathetic words, which seemed to understand her unspoken feelings, burst into tears, all her pent-up frustration and sadness from the past seven years pouring out.
“When I saw your performance, you were shining.”
“Sob…”
“You’ll be successful, unnie. I’ll make sure of it.”
Eun-ji smelled faintly of alcohol, despite having showered.
But the scent, mixed with the shampoo fragrance, was strangely comforting, like a well-aged whiskey.
It was a warm, intimate comfort, like being alone with a bartender in a bar late at night.