Siblings Work in Business (17)
The meeting officially began after FL, the composer for this OST, and Yoo Eun-ji, the lyricist, both employees of CK E&M Studio, arrived.
The initial atmosphere of the meeting was quite good.
“The OST for the Friday drama ‘He is 1+1=1’ is currently titled ‘Last Day’ as a working title, but it can be changed according to the finished song. And this is the guide for the currently completed song.”
The demo song FL played was a guide with clear lyrics, as the recording was scheduled for today.
“Since the broadcast is soon, we’re in a bit of a hurry, so please do your best.”
It was indeed a tight schedule for a same-day recording.
But there were no other particular problems.
Although it was different from the song Lee Eun-ji sang, it was the same song I knew.
Lee Eun-ji wasn’t too worried because she instinctively knew I would do well.
“Excuse me for interrupting your meeting.”
“Oh, Team Leader Min.”
“It’s been a while, Team Leader Park. No, you’re CEO Park now, right?”
“Haha.”
“I might be interrupting, but do you mind if I join in?”
“Not at all.”
The atmosphere turned sour when Team Leader Min Gi-ho joined the meeting midway, seemingly having something to discuss.
“This is Deputy Team Leader Jeong Hong-jun.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
More precisely, the problem was Deputy Team Leader Jeong Hong-jun, who came in with Team Leader Min, and looked as stubborn as he was large.
“This song has a sad, romantic atmosphere, so I’m a little worried if trainees who haven’t even debuted can sing it ‘properly.’”
“Haha, you don’t have to worry about that. Their skills are guaranteed.”
“Well, all CEOs ‘say’ that.”
Just from the conversation between the CEO and the deputy team leader, it was clear he wasn’t welcoming us.
“As you said, we’ll do our best to sing it ‘properly.’”
When Jeong Hong-jun’s unpleasant gaze landed on me…
I deliberately smiled brazenly and replied.
“We’ll have to see about that, trainee.”
“Hong-jun, Eun-ho, that’s enough.”
“Tsk.”
At Team Leader Min Gi-ho’s warning, Jeong Hong-jun clicked his tongue and looked away.
‘I spoke up impulsively, but…’
I was a rookie.
Someone who hadn’t even officially debuted.
“I apologize.”
Eun-ho bowed his head first.
But Jeong Hong-jun’s real provocation came after the meeting…
When everyone was busy preparing, after the staff had left.
“A trainee who hasn’t even debuted… We’ll have to see, but we’re quite worried.”
“Haha, yes, I understand. But please trust Team Leader Min Gi-ho’s ears. As I said in the meeting, I don’t speak empty words, so you’ll know when you hear the recording.”
“If Team Leader Min Gi-ho isn’t embarrassed after the recording, that will be fortunate. We’re not expecting much. Just in case.”
Even his own team members frowned at his words, but…
No one stepped in to defend us, as if they agreed with Jeong Hong-jun’s words.
Meanwhile, contrary to expectations, the CEO, who had been directly countering Jeong Hong-jun’s sarcasm, maintained a leisurely smile.
Eun-ho briefly admired his composure, but…
After Jeong Hong-jun left the meeting room, he headed to the studio with Lee Eun-ji to prepare for the recording.
“No matter how hard I try to be positive, I’m getting pissed the more I think about it.”
We divided the parts and familiarized ourselves with the guide under the composer’s direction, but after two runs…
Lee Eun-ji, who seemed to be holding back, finally exploded.
“Who does that son of a bitch think he is, talking to us like that?!”
“Quiet, quiet! They’ll hear you outside, watch your language! Lee Eun-ji!”
“Let them hear! That pig-like bastard—!”
Smack!
“Ouch, why did you hit me?!”
“I told you to watch your language, idiot. This isn’t our house.”
“But that bastard’s condescending attitude pisses me off!”
Smack!
Worried that someone outside might hear…
I smacked Lee Eun-ji’s head and shut her up again.
‘I smacked her because of the situation, but…’
Honestly, I felt a bit relieved by Lee Eun-ji’s outburst.
But this was the CK Group building.
‘Even though we received an offer…’
We were still at the bottom of the food chain here.
It wouldn’t do us any good to make a bad impression by saying the wrong thing.
Lee Eun-ji, seemingly aware of the situation, grumbled for a while and then continued to focus.
But as if she had nowhere to vent her pent-up frustration, she took it out on the blanket, twisting and pulling at it.
I watched Lee Eun-ji’s fidgeting hands for a moment, then sighed briefly and tried to focus on the song again.
I swallowed my rising pride.
As that person said during the meeting…
We just needed to show them what we were ‘properly’ capable of.
Inside the booth, two unfamiliar microphones and a wider space than usual greeted us.
Lee Eun-ji and I naturally stood in front of our respective microphones, adjusting the angles, and placed our lyric sheets on the black music stands.
Lee Eun-ji’s paper was clean, except for the notes about part distribution.
On the other hand, my lyric sheet was filled with my own secret codes.
Lee Eun-ji closed her eyes and went over the lyrics once more, while I stared at the paper, scrutinizing it.
“Alright, then let’s do a rehearsal and then start the actual recording!”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
As if it was time to begin, FL, the composer in charge of directing, signaled, and a melancholic piano solo began.
The intro, filled with the piano melody, passed, and the first verse began with the fret noise of an acoustic guitar changing chords.
Since the beginning of the song was Lee Eun-ji’s part, with her deep, resonant voice, I stepped back slightly and followed the rhythm with just nods.
The Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
Your approaching footsteps make me breathless
Click.
The moment Eun-ji’s voice, filled with sensually heightened sadness, began the verse…
A pen dropped on the studio table beyond the recording booth.
The hateful words, “I’m leaving,” that shatter me
I hate myself like this, I know it’s my greed
The fallen pen, before reaching the talkback button on the other side, changed direction and rolled under the table.
FL, the composer and owner of the pen, seemed to have forgotten its existence, his gaze fixed forward.
Don’t hurt me
Don’t move if you care about me
The studio fell silent, following the lyrics Eun-ji sang.
Those who had ignored and had no expectations for the trainees…
Were now frozen, as if struck dumb, their disregard for the trainees completely overturned.
‘…’
The most shocked expression was that of Jeong Hong-jun, who had openly dismissed the two.
CEO Park leisurely listened to their singing, taking in the scene of the frozen Jeong Hong-jun and the rest of the studio, as if appreciating a painting.
Eun-ji finished the verse and took a breath, moving her lips away from the microphone.
As if his turn had finally come, Eun-ho stepped closer to his microphone.
Remember that day
The Last Day we first whispered our love
If Eun-ji’s singing pierced the heart with the lyrics…
Eun-ho’s voice was like meticulously wiping away the spilled coffee stains with a damp cloth…
Spreading the emotions Eun-ji poured out across the listeners’ hearts, preventing them from fading.
Our Last Day whispered, drunk on your scent
That Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
Eun-ji took the low notes.
Eun-ho took the high notes.
Their harmony, freely moving between their respective ranges, following their instincts, was so perfect that it couldn’t be considered just a rehearsal.
That Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
Your resentful breaths, trying to break me, make me breathless
Unlike the first verse, which Eun-ji started, the second verse began with Eun-ho.
Eun-ho, immersed in the song, his eyelashes trembling, slowly opened his half-closed eyes.
Unlike his gentle voice, which sounded sweet enough to melt everything around him, his open eyes had a chilling glint.
‘He definitely can’t see anything…’
Eun-ho’s gaze was fixed precisely on Jeong Hong-jun.
Jeong Hong-jun, meeting his murderous gaze, gulped nervously.
And he clearly heard Eun-ho’s cry conveyed through the song.
“We’ll have to see about that, trainee.”
How do we look now that you’ve seen us?
Do we still look like mere ‘trainees’ who can’t sing ‘properly’ to you?
My heart is too poor to hold more than one
I know this is excessive
Eun-ho’s cry, along with his effortlessly soaring high notes, enveloped the entire studio.
Eun-ho’s high notes alone were enough to take one’s breath away, but…
Lee Eun-ji’s following high notes created another grand harmony.
Emotions surged like a giant wave.
Most people in this studio had heard this OST countless times, to the point of being sick of it.
But…
They were moved by the singing of a trainee who hadn’t even debuted, not a veteran singer.
Even though they knew the song, their tears wouldn’t stop.
Even CEO Park, who thought he knew their abilities well, seemed caught off guard this time, staring at the two with wide, surprised eyes.
We, stranded, are nothing but disasters to each other
Eun-ho finished the climax with skillful yet not excessive techniques.
Eun-ji took over the relay and ran towards the end of the song.
You know
Last Day
Don’t forget
Last Day
As the poignant ending approached, Eun-ho and Eun-ji exchanged lines.
At the end, they sang together in perfect harmony.
The Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
That Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
No one spoke.
They had been thoroughly struck by the performance of the sibling trainees they had dismissed, and it was only a rehearsal, not even the actual recording.
They were completely absorbed in their singing, even shedding tears.
So no one could speak.
They had no right to.
That Last Day
Eun-ho’s sharp gaze softened as he turned to look at Eun-ji.
Eun-ji, also seemingly intoxicated by the song, met Eun-ho’s gaze and smiled brightly, a smile she wouldn’t normally show, and sang the final lines.
Our Last Day
With the final, calming piano notes of the outro…
The track stopped.
Complete silence fell over the studio.
Woohoo!! I lob my children