Siblings Work in Business (158)
It was evening, the day we returned from our trip.
Eun-ho was sprawled out on the welcome mat at home when…
Eun-ji poked her head in through the doorway.
“Lee Eun-ho.”
“What.”
Her long, flowing hair looked a bit eerie.
“Hey, that’s creepy, just come inside and talk.”
“Huh?”
“Come in.”
“Oh, okay.”
Eun-ji came in and sat down quietly, which was unusual. Eun-ho, wary, asked,
“…Are you really Eun-ji?”
We had regression and a talking cat, so possession wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.
“Are you crazy?”
It was Eun-ji.
He was relieved by her usual, prickly response.
The house fell silent when she closed her mouth. Perhaps because of the absence of a certain black furball? Briquette was staying with PD Cheol-soo during our trip, at CEO Park’s request. He was apparently knowledgeable about cats and even gave Briquette its own room. So, it was a peaceful day for me, at least.
“About Unnie Hwa-rang…”
That is, until Eun-ji brought her up.
“Can’t we just rest today?”
Being by the sea had sparked many ideas, and I had written lyrics for several songs I had been struggling with.
I had written lyrics for six songs in two days, despite it being a “break.” I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I came home.
“I’m thinking of giving her that song.”
“What song?”
Eun-ho asked, sprawled on the mat.
“RED CARD.”
Did I write a song like that?
I couldn’t remember at first.
“That’s a guaranteed hit.”
“Ah.”
The word ‘hit’ made me remember. “RED CARD” was the diss track Eun-ji wrote for Aeseul before the regression, the song that made her famous.
“Worry about yourself before you start taking care of others.”
“I’ve already been there, done that.”
“…You’re so full of yourself.”
“Haha.”
Eun-ji chuckled, and Eun-ho, also chuckling, buried his face in his pillow.
“It’s your song, so do whatever you want.”
“If it’s my song…”
“…?”
Eun-ho, intrigued by her meaningful tone, looked up.
“Write the lyrics for me.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“You said you’d give it to her.”
“I said I’d give her the song. I didn’t say I’d write the lyrics.”
“Well, anyway!”
“…Ha…”
Eun-ho sighed, a mixture of surprise and annoyance.
He was too lazy to argue now, comfortably sprawled out on the familiar mat.
“Fine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. Now, leave me alone.”
“Yay! I’ll upload the song to the shared drive.”
Since we had over 40 songs… sharing them individually through messenger was too much work.
So, we created a shared drive and had been using that for our recent collaborations.
“Yeah, whatever.”
Eun-ho waved his hand dismissively, as if to say, ‘Just leave, I’m going to sleep.’
Eun-ji, having gotten what she wanted, left the room.
~♬
As soon as she left the room…
Eun-ji went straight to the front door and made a call.
“Teacher, it’s Eun-ji.”
“…”
“Can I use your studio for about two hours?”
The person on the other end was composer Bae Jin-soo, Eun-ji’s composing teacher.
A few more days passed.
In Eun-ho and Eun-ji’s studio/recording room on the first floor of the dorm…
Eun-ji was sitting on the sofa, smiling brightly, Eun-ho a bit further away. And across from them, Hwa-rang was staring at them with a shocked expression.
‘It’s not fully arranged yet, but…’
Hwa-rang was surprised because she had just heard the song Eun-ho and Eun-ji promised her.
“Did it take… about four days?”
“That’s right.”
Four days?
Hwa-rang’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between Eun-ho and Eun-ji. Four days? The song was good enough to be released right now.
The reason for their fast work pace was that it was a remake of “RED CARD,” a hit song from before the regression.
Since they had worked on it before, and it was a hit song, they had experimented with it in various ways, so it didn’t take them long to recreate it.
And it was Eun-ji, the “factory manager” of NRY Entertainment. For the fast-working Eun-ji, recreating an existing song was a piece of cake. The two hours she borrowed Bae Jin-soo’s studio that day were enough.
She removed the harsh, overly aggressive parts from the original song, which reflected her anger at the time. Then, she cleaned up the unpolished sounds from the original, due to her lack of technical skills back then. The signature siren sounds remained, but more refined, more palatable. Utilizing the expensive speakers in Bae Jin-soo’s studio, she amplified the bass, making it even more captivating.
The remake of “RED CARD” only took a few hours, including the final touches. So, the remaining three days were spent on Eun-ho revising the lyrics.
After reluctantly agreeing to write the lyrics…
Eun-ho woke up early one morning and listened to Eun-ji’s new version of “RED CARD,” which had been uploaded to their shared drive. He wasn’t surprised by Eun-ji’s speed.
On the first day…
Eun-ho contacted Hwa-rang and learned about her past through a long text message.
And another day passed.
On the second day…
Eun-ho struggled.
He read and reread Hwa-rang’s message, but he couldn’t write the lyrics. Perhaps because he was trying to write from Hwa-rang’s perspective…
He was struggling.
He even gritted his teeth so hard that his gums ached.
「“Leave the interpretation to the singer. You just do what you always do.”」
The answer came unexpectedly quickly, thanks to the CEO’s words during their trip.
“Let’s hear you sing it first. You listened to the guide track, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“You didn’t just listen, did you?”
Eun-ho asked jokingly. It was just a joke, but…
Unlike Eun-ho, Hwa-rang jumped to her feet and stood at attention, as if she was in the military, and yelled,
“No, absolutely not!”
“O-Okay.”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, taken aback, tried to calm her down, but it didn’t seem to work, as Hwa-rang marched towards the recording booth, her limbs moving stiffly. Eun-ji chuckled and sat down in front of the monitor.
“Unnie.”
—Yes!
“You’re doing well. You’re good.”
—…Thank you, Senior. I won’t disappoint you.
I had intended it as encouragement, but Hwa-rang’s eyes seemed filled with even more determination.
Eun-ji, seemingly satisfied that her words had the desired effect, smiled and took her hand off the talkback button.
Then, the familiar yet more refined intro to the remake of “RED CARD” began playing.
Eun-ho closed his eyes, nodding along to the richer bassline.
The intro ended, and then 3, 2, 1.
It was time for the first verse.
Although Hwa-rang had looked nervous entering the recording booth, her voice was steady and confident.
Let me greet you once again
Look back at me, returning like a wave
That girl back then, that was me
The playful, almost mischievous beginning was Eun-ho’s story. The year after Eun-ji’s death before the regression. Although it was a short time compared to his life, it was a period of immense growth. The lyrics reflected his feelings from that time, overshadowed by Eun-ji.
At first, that was the intention. But as he continued writing, he realized he had changed. He was no longer burdened by someone else’s shadow. He tried to stand beside her, to walk alongside her. And as he did, he became the reliable presence Eun-ji had wanted him to be. He had found the family he longed for.
「“What does your name mean, Hwa-rang?”」
My name uses the characters for ‘fire’ (火-Hwa) and ‘wave’ (浪-Rang), not the more common character for ‘flower’ (花-hua). Since it wasn’t a common name, people often commented on it being ‘unique.’ But Eun-ho just said, “Thank you,” and didn’t say anything else.
And a few days later…
…I received the lyrics he wrote.
“Wow…”
At first, I was just impressed. Then… I felt a surge of emotion, a sense of comfort.
I had debuted as B&C.
And I knew what B&C had done to E-UNG. I had taken away their stage, forcing them to halt their promotions. I was from TaKa Entertainment. I was E-UNG’s enemy.
‘I didn’t do it intentionally, but…’
I had come here shamelessly, asking for a place in their company, asking for a song.
What if I were in their shoes?
I briefly considered it, and the answer came quickly.
‘I wouldn’t be so kind.’
I was emotional, impulsive, the type to destroy everything in a fit of anger.
And that was far from being a ‘good person.’
So, if I had asked for a song, knowing they couldn’t refuse… I probably would have mocked and teased them.
But they didn’t.
Eun-ho simply sent me a picture of the lyrics with a short question: “What do you think?”
As soon as I received it… I stared at it, speechless, my breath catching in my throat.
I understood why he asked about the meaning of my name.
「“Look back at me, returning like a wave”」
「“Set fire to your name”」
I was touched by his thoughtfulness.
And that thoughtfulness fueled my passion for the song.
Even if that smirk burns me
Set fire to your name
Drawn on faded, messy paper
The tip of my pen writes
I sang, pouring all the emotion I felt when I first read the lyrics. The incredibly beautiful melody composed by Eun-ji, and the thoughtful lyrics by Eun-ho… I was comforted by their gift, and I sang, hoping that this song, just like it comforted me, would comfort others.
Now
The value you created
The change is your new future
This is a gift for you