The Siblings Do Business Together (17)
The official meeting began after FL, the composer of this OST, and Yoo Eun-ji, the lyricist, arrived, both employees of CK E&M Studio.
The initial atmosphere of the meeting was quite good.
“For the OST of the Friday drama <He is 1+1=1>, the title is currently prepared as a tentative title ‘Last Day’, but it can be modified to match the completed song. And this is the guide of the currently completed song.”
The demo song played by FL was a guide with clear lyrics, as the recording was scheduled for today.
“Since the broadcast is coming up soon, it’s urgent, so please take good care of it.”
It was certainly a tight situation since it was a same-day recording.
Still, there were no other particular issues.
Although it was different from the song Eun-ji had sung, for me, it was the song I knew without any major differences.
I wasn’t too worried about Eun-ji since I instinctively knew she would do well.
“I apologize for interrupting in the middle of your meeting.”
“Oh, Team Leader Min.”
“Long time no see, Team Leader Park. No, it’s Representative Park now, right?”
“Haha.”
“I might be a disruptor, but is it okay if I join in the middle?”
“Oh, we don’t mind at all.”
The atmosphere went awry from the moment Team Leader Min Gi-ho participated in the middle of the meeting for some reason.
“This is Deputy Team Leader Jeong Hong-jun.”
“Nice to meet you.”
To be precise, the problem was Deputy Team Leader Jeong Hong-jun, who entered together with Team Leader Min Gi-ho and looked quite stubborn, as much as his build.
“Although this song has a sad love atmosphere, I’m worried that it might be a bit difficult for trainees who haven’t even debuted to sing it ‘properly’.”
“Haha. You don’t have to worry about that. These kids are guaranteed to have skills.”
“Well, all representatives ‘do’ say that.”
Just from the conversation between the representative and the deputy team leader, it was clear enough that he did not welcome us.
“As you said, we will work hard to be able to sing ‘properly’.”
When Jeong Hong-jun’s unpleasant gaze flickered.
I deliberately smiled brazenly as if to show off and answered.
“You’ll only know that when you see it, trainee.”
“Hong-jun ssi, Eun-ho ssi, you too, don’t go that far.”
“Tsk.”
At Team Leader Min Gi-ho’s warning, Jeong Hong-jun clicked his tongue and threw his gaze to the opposite side.
‘Although I opened my mouth in anger too…’
I was a rookie now.
Moreover, one who hadn’t even officially debuted.
“I apologize.”
Eun-ho bowed his head first.
However, Jeong Hong-jun’s main nerve-wracking remarks were after the meeting ended.
It was the worst when everyone had left their seats and was busy preparing.
“A rookie who hasn’t even debuted… We’ll have to see it to know, so we have many concerns.”
“Haha. Yes, I understand. But please believe Team Leader Min Gi-ho’s ear. As I said during the meeting, I’m not someone who makes empty promises, so you’ll know when you hear it directly during the recording.”
“Let’s just hope Team Leader Min Gi-ho doesn’t get embarrassed when we see it. We’re not holding high expectations. Just ‘in case’.”
Even a fellow team member next to him frowned.
But no one stepped up to say that Jeong Hong-jun was wrong, as if they didn’t think he was.
Contrary to expectations, Representative Park’s face, who had been directly countering Jeong Hong-jun’s sarcasm, only had an unexpectedly leisurely smile.
Eun-ho silently admired that mental strength for a moment.
Even after Jeong Hong-jun left the conference room, Eun-ho headed to the studio first with Eun-ji to set up.
“No matter how much I try to take it positively, the more I think about it, the more pissed off I get.”
Following the composer’s guidance, we divided the parts and familiarized ourselves with the guide, but after going through two tracks.
Eun-ji, who seemed to be holding it in well, finally exploded.
“That dog-like bastard, what’s so great about him that he’s blabbering without any sense!”
“Shh, shh! They’ll hear you outside, watch your words! Lee Eun-ji!”
“Let them hear! That pig-like—!”
Smack!
“Ow, why did you hit me!”
“To make you watch your words, you idiot. This isn’t our house.”
“No, XXX, the way that XXX bastard talks is so annoying!”
Smack!
In case it leaked outside.
I grabbed Eun-ji’s head and covered her mouth again.
‘Although I grabbed her because of the situation…’
Honestly, thanks to Eun-ji’s outburst, it wasn’t like I didn’t feel relieved at all.
But this is the CK Group’s building.
‘Although we got to do it because they proposed it…’
Considering our position, we’re no different from being the weak one here.
It wouldn’t be good to be disliked by carelessly running our mouths.
As if she wasn’t unaware of the situation, Eun-ji grumbled for a moment and then continued to focus.
But perhaps because there was no place to vent her accumulated resentment, she twisted the innocent blanket and let out her anger.
I watched Eun-ji’s hand tearing at it for a moment, let out a short sigh, and tried to focus on the song again.
I barely swallowed my pride that welled up from time to time.
Just as that person said during the meeting.
We just need to show them ‘properly’.
* * *
The unfamiliar two microphones and the wider space than usual greeted us inside the booth.
Eun-ji and I naturally stood in front of each microphone and adjusted to a comfortable angle, and placed papers with each other’s lyrics on the black sheet music stand.
Eun-ji’s paper was clean without anything written on it except for the memo dividing the parts.
On the other hand, my lyric paper was full of my own secret codes that were hard to decipher.
Eun-ji closed her eyes and went over the lyrics one more time, and I stared at the paper and scrutinized it once more.
“Okay, then let’s do a rehearsal once and start in earnest!”
“Yes.”
“Yes—.”
As if it was time to start now. Following FL’s signal, who was in charge of directing, the lonely piano solo began.
Chirp—.
After the intro section filled with just the piano passed, the first verse began with the fret noise of an acoustic guitar changing chords.
Since Eun-ji’s voice with a deep resonance was in charge of the beginning of the song, I slightly pulled my head back and only followed the rhythm with a nod.
*The Last Day we shouted as each other’s
As your approaching step rubs me, I’m suffocating*
Tap.
The moment the verse started with Eun-ji’s sensual voice full of sadness.
A pen fell on the studio table beyond the recording booth.
*The nasty word that you’re leaving rubs me
I hate myself like this too, I know it’s my greed too*
The fallen pen changed direction before reaching the talkback on the opposite side and rolled under the table.
The owner of the pen, composer FL, had a fixed gaze straight ahead as if he had forgotten the existence of the pen.
*Don’t hurt me
If you care, don’t move*
The inside of the studio stopped moving along with the lyrics Eun-ji uttered.
They were the ones who had consistently ignored us, let alone had any expectations.
Now, they were frozen as if they had been slapped on the back of the head by the trainee they had ignored, unable to utter a single word.
‘……’
In particular, the most shocked face was that of Jeong Hong-jun, who had blatantly ignored the two.
Representative Park listened to the two’s song leisurely, taking in the frozen Deputy Team Leader Jeong Hong-jun and the studio scenery like appreciating a painting.
Eun-ji finished the verse, removed her lips that had been close to the microphone, and caught her breath.
As if his awaited turn had come, Eun-ho came closer and stood in front of his microphone.
*Remember that day
The Last Day we first whispered love*
If Eun-ji’s singing was like stabbing the lyrics directly into the heart.
Eun-ho’s voice was like wiping a coffee stain with a wet rag.
He persistently spread the emotions Eun-ji had poured out wide enough to not fade from the audience’s hearts.
*The Last Day we whispered drunk in your blanket
The Last Day we shouted as each other’s*
Eun-ji in the low range.
Eun-ho in the high range.
The harmony of the two who freely moved between each other’s positions and left it to their instincts showed perfection to the point where it could no longer be dismissed as a rehearsal.
*The Last Day we shouted as each other’s
Your resentful breath trying to break me suffocates me*
Unlike the first verse that Eun-ji was in charge of, this time Eun-ho started the second verse.
Eun-ho, who was immersed in the song to the point where his closed eyelashes trembled, slowly opened his half-closed eyes.
Unlike his affectionate voice that seemed to melt his whole body, Eun-ho’s open eyes had an eerie glint.
‘Surely he can’t see anything…’
Eun-ho’s gaze was directed precisely at Jeong Hong-jun.
Jeong Hong-jun swallowed his dry saliva with a gulp, fully receiving the murderous gaze.
And he clearly heard Eun-ho’s outcry conveyed through the song.
“You’ll only know that when you see it, trainee.”
How about us who saw it as you said?
Do we still look like ‘trainees’ who lack the ability to sing ‘properly’ to you?
*My heart is so poor that it can only hold one
I know this is excessive*
Eun-ho’s outcry enveloped the entire studio along with his comfortably raised high notes.
Even Eun-ho’s high notes alone were enough to make one’s breath caught in their throat.
Eun-ji’s high notes that followed created another great harmony.
Emotions rush in like huge waves.
Most people in this studio had already listened to this OST dozens or hundreds of times to the point of being sick of it.
But.
They choke up at the song of a singer who hasn’t even debuted yet, not a veteran singer.
Even though it was a familiar song, their tear ducts didn’t cooperate as they wanted.
Even Representative Park, who thought he knew the two’s skills well by now, seemed to have not expected it this time, as he also looked at the two with surprised rabbit eyes.
*We, who are stranded, are nothing but disasters to each other*
Eun-ho finished the climax with flashy but not excessive technique.
Eun-ji took over the following relay and ran towards the end of the song.
*You know
Last Day
Don’t forget
Last Day*
As the regrettable end approached, Eun-ho and Eun-ji exchanged each other’s answers.
At the end, with a harmony that seemed to be one.
*The Last Day we shouted as each other’s
The Last Day we shouted as each other’s*
No one opened their mouths.
Because they were strongly hit by the rookie sibling trainees they had ignored and hadn’t even debuted yet, and at a mere rehearsal, not even the actual recording.
They were completely soaked in the two’s song and even shed tears.
So, no one could open their mouths.
They had no right to open their mouths.
*That Last Day*
Eun-ho’s murderous gaze had already turned into an affectionate gaze as he looked at Eun-ji.
Eun-ji also matched Eun-ho’s gaze as if drunk on the song, showing a bright smile that wouldn’t be seen normally, and spoke the end.
*Our Last Day*
Along with the end of the calmly falling piano performance of the outro.
The track stopped.
The inside of the studio subsided into complete silence.