Siblings Work in Business (19)
“They seemed like veteran singers when they were singing, but maybe that was just a special case, and this is their true nature?”
“Yes… that’s right.”
Team Leader Min Gi-ho, sitting at the table with CEO Park, looked at Eun-ho and Eun-ji with an affectionate gaze, like a grandfather looking at his grandchildren, and continued.
CEO Park also looked at Eun-ho and Eun-ji for a moment before replying.
Both of them, like true siblings…
Were staring at the steak on their plates with sparkling eyes, as if they had received a precious gift, their gazes filled with anticipation.
‘They must really like it.’
CEO Park, knowing the siblings well, thought, ‘Oh, those two,’ but he couldn’t suppress his smile.
The siblings, wanting to see more of the chef’s performance, had taken seats closest to the grill.
And the moment they brought a piece of juicy steak to their mouths with their forks…
“Hahahaha.”
Team Leader Min Gi-ho burst out laughing at their ecstatic expressions and looked at CEO Park.
“Ah, haha. Eun-ji and Eun-ho have such diverse charms.”
CEO Park chuckled along with Team Leader Min, letting out a sigh of embarrassment.
“Thank you for looking at them favorably.”
“Don’t mention it. By the way, when I first received the offer, I was honestly worried like Deputy Team Leader Jeong.”
Team Leader Min continued, mixing the spaghetti he had scooped onto his plate.
When Team Leader Min Gi-ho found CEO Park’s contact information and called him…
His initial offer was for Eun-ho’s solo song.
But then…
CEO Park had taken a firm stance, saying he would refuse unless both siblings were involved.
“I’m glad you don’t regret it.”
“Regret? What are you talking about…”
Min Gi-ho had accepted the offer reluctantly back then, but in the end, he was incredibly grateful that he had.
Especially after hearing Eun-ji’s first line.
He hadn’t planned to stay at the studio long because of other pending work…
But he ended up staying until the end of the recording, just to hear the siblings sing.
“I definitely don’t regret it, haha.”
“Joo!”
“Yeah?”
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Nothing, just… Remember I went to Ye-chan oppa’s concert… I mean, showcase…?”
“Yeah, why?”
As Joo-yeon stirred her drink with a straw, the ice and liquid clinked together pleasantly.
Joo-yeon stared blankly at the cafe table with a wistful gaze and then cautiously spoke.
“There was a song Ye-chan oppa sang with a rookie.”
“Yeah, the one you played on repeat while driving me home, ‘The clock is loud. Don’t turn your head away.’ I’ve memorized the lyrics now.”
“Haha, yeah. The title is Co-Sign.”
“Co-Sign, Co-whatever. Anyway…”
Joo-yeon’s friend waved her hand dismissively, urging her to get to the point.
“…I just really liked the rookie I saw that day.”
“Yeah, I think I’ve heard you say you like him a thousand times.”
“So I tried to find more of his songs.”
“You too…”
“You know me. Once I get into something, I go all the way.”
“I know, I know.”
“So I looked, but there weren’t any other songs or information about him.”
“Really? That’s unexpected.”
“I even called TaKa Entertainment.”
Her friend, pointing her dessert fork at the cake, looked up at Joo-yeon with wide eyes.
“You really went all the way…”
“Haha. I really wanted to find him.”
Her friend shook her head in exasperation and took a bite of the brownie cake.
“Forget about that, do you watch the drama ‘He is 1+1=1’?”
After swallowing the cool Americano and sweet cake, her friend, seemingly wanting to change the subject, asked casually.
“You know I don’t really watch dramas.”
“Watch it. It’s fun.”
“It’s probably just another typical romance drama.”
“Hey, if you’re going to say that, watch it first, idiot.”
“Okay, okay. Lower your voice! People are staring. What’s it about?”
Her friend huffed, took another bite of cake, and then continued calmly, as if the sugar rush had subsided.
“It’s about a male lead with DID, what people commonly call multiple personality disorder, and a female lead who’s an ordinary office worker. They date, and more than anything, the OST is amazing. It’s awesome.”
“Don’t exaggerate…”
“You’ve been exaggerating for weeks about making eye contact with a rookie at a concert.”
“Pfft, that’s true. I admit it.”
“Anyway, watch it.”
“Okay, okay.”
Joo-yeon smiled, putting the last piece of cake in her mouth.
And late that evening, after returning home…
Joo-yeon was sprawled on the sofa, mindlessly flipping through channels, when…
As if remembering her friend’s words, she navigated to the ‘Drama’ section and found ‘He is 1+1=1.’
—Oh Ye-jin, will you go out with me?
Oh Ye-jin, the female lead, looked at Choi Jin, the company CEO, with wide, bewildered eyes.
—If you say yes, I can definitely save you from this situation, Oh Ye-jin.
—Why are you doing this…?
—Why? Because I like you, Oh Ye-jin. What do you say? Do you want to date me and survive here? Or leave your employee ID here and go?
“That… that crazy bastard.”
Just how interesting could it be?
Joo-yeon, starting to watch the drama with a slightly twisted sense of anticipation, started cursing out loud around the middle of the first episode, excessively immersed in the drama.
But Oh Ye-jin, the female lead, due to her difficult family situation, accepted Choi Jin’s playful confession after much deliberation, to avoid being fired from her job.
“Oh my.”
Although the beginning was rough, Ye-jin’s relationship was different from the atmosphere of the confession.
The drama didn’t explicitly reveal the DID from the start.
However, it hinted at it through various ways, such as the male lead’s 180-degree change in personality and his inability to remember certain shared experiences.
「“It’s about a male lead with DID, what people commonly call multiple personality disorder…”」
Joo-yeon remembered her friend’s words and realized.
‘I got spoiled.’
Although she was spoiled, the drama was still interesting, so Joo-yeon continued watching.
Oh Ye-jin gradually fell for Choi Jin’s unexpectedly serious and affectionate personality, which was different from when she received the bewildering confession.
Even Joo-yeon, who initially cursed at the male lead, Choi Jin, was eventually captivated by the sweet atmosphere and fresh emotions.
The peaceful romance suddenly intensified towards the end of the second episode…
When Choi Jin looked in the mirror after showering.
Choi Jin’s calm face suddenly contorted fiercely, as if he were a different person.
—Crash!
Suddenly, Choi Jin had a seizure and smashed the mirror by throwing a cosmetic product at it.
—I asked her out as a joke, why are you, Jun-i, enjoying it?!
Joo-yeon had moved down to the floor, leaning against the sofa in a comfortable position, completely immersed.
When the payment window popped up, Joo-yeon, seemingly annoyed, quickly paid for a monthly subscription and moved on to the next episode.
A cool can of beer and sweet peanuts had appeared beside her.
—Ye-jin.
—Yes?
—…I really like you.
—Me too. I really like you too…
Unlike the suspicious ending of the second episode, the third episode began with a sweet and affectionate scene similar to the second episode.
But only for a moment.
Choi Jin buried his face in Ye-jin’s chest and whispered.
Ye-jin looked at him with loving eyes and hugged him, responding to his childish behavior.
‘Oh my. Wow, is it okay to show this kind of scene?’
Although it was a cable channel, Joo-yeon’s hand, reaching for the peanuts, froze midair at the steamy bed scene.
‘It’s a waste of alcohol.’
The two leads in the drama were whispering sweet nothings to each other in a nice hotel, with expensive wine, intoxicated by each other’s presence.
Joo-yeon glanced at her beer and then turned her attention back to the TV.
Chirp, chirp. Morning came after the steamy night.
Just then…
The suspiciously calm BGM, as if signaling the beginning of the story, stopped.
Ye-jin woke up and made eye contact with Choi Jin, who was sitting beside her, looking at her.
In a typical romance drama, this would have been a sweet scene, but perhaps because of the quiet atmosphere…
It was an unsettling peace.
The two exchanged morning greetings with bright smiles.
At least, that’s what Ye-jin thought.
Until Choi Jin opened his mouth.
—Ye-jin, let’s break up.
Ye-jin gasped in disbelief.
The man who had suggested a vacation to a warm place just a few days ago.
The man who had said he loved her just last night.
—Don’t joke around.
Ye-jin spoke calmly to him, who felt like a different person.
But Choi Jin just smirked at her.
—Does it look like I’m joking?
Then…
The Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
Joo-yeon, reaching for her beer while cursing at the escalating tension, suddenly froze.
Huh?
Perhaps because of the previously quiet atmosphere…
「“…more than anything, the OST gave me goosebumps.”」
Just as her friend said. She felt chills all over her body.
Meanwhile, Ye-jin, the female lead, sighed as if resigning herself to something and asked him,
—I must be dreaming. Otherwise, you’ve gone crazy.
—I’m crazy?
—Yes, completely.
As Oh Ye-jin spoke firmly, Choi Jin frowned.
Ye-jin got out of bed irritably, picking up her clothes, and replied.
—Well, thanks to you, I had quite an experience, so we’re even. Fine, let’s break up.
Ye-jin put on her clothes, her mind too disoriented to distinguish front from back.
Then, she grabbed her bag from the table and headed for the hotel door.
Choi Jin followed her, giving her an unwanted send-off.
Your approaching footsteps make me breathless
The hateful words, “I’m leaving,” that shatter me
Contrary to the calm music, Ye-jin roughly put on her shoes and opened the door.
Then, Choi Jin, who had been leisurely watching her, added calmly,
—Oh Ye-jin.
—Do you still have something to say?
—Yes.
Don’t hurt me
Don’t move if you care about me
—You don’t have to come to work from today.
—What?
—You’re fired, as of today.
The male vocal suddenly appeared, coinciding with the drama’s climax.
The moment Joo-yeon heard that voice…
She almost spilled her half-empty beer on the carpet.