Siblings Working in Business (197)
The Eye of the Storm
[(Spoilers) In the Legally Siblings Episode 4 preview,
Same day, Same time is Rangi’s response to Ji-ji’s ‘DUO’ lyrics? That’s insane ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[What have E-UNG gone through in their lives ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[I wonder how Bit Chang-seok reacted when Ji-ji called him Dad lol]
[If it wasn’t for Legally Siblings, how would we ever hear these stories…]
[The guitar version of Same day, Same time on Legally Siblings was so good. Can we please get an official release? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ We need a music source!]
[Rangi’s low voice is amazing…]
[Ji-ji adjusting to Rangi’s singing was so touching ㅠㅠ Heartbreaking and lovely and you guys are the best ㅠㅠ Love our E-UNG]
Before the meeting, Chang-seok, scrolling through the E-FAN app, tilted his head at a post from an E% wondering about his reaction to ‘Ji-ji calling him Dad.’
“Eun-ji called me Dad?”
“Haha.”
Chang-seok chuckled and put away his phone.
He desperately wanted to watch every show his kids appeared on.
But he was currently the CEO of a trending rookie entertainment agency that had just signed Toxin, and he was swamped with work.
Moreover, things had become even more hectic with the start of E-UNG’s “TIME” album shipments, and he and his employees were at their wit’s end.
The album contents were great during planning, but…
There was a defect in one of the items, which became a problem after shipping.
His good mood vanished, and Chang-seok sighed, rubbing the bridge of his tired nose.
Just then…
A man in a black suit entered the room.
His hair was slicked back impeccably.
His skin was pale, almost sickly.
The dark circles under his eyes were even worse than Chang-seok’s, as if he wasn’t in good health.
“Sorry I’m late. The meeting ran over.”
“It’s okay.”
Chang-seok stood up briefly to greet him.
A heavy silence filled the air as they sat back down.
The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.
Chang-seok was on high alert.
But he maintained a friendly smile.
The man’s face remained expressionless, not even the corners of his lips twitching.
‘…’
Chang-seok swallowed.
His niece, who promoted under the name ‘Aeseul,’ had recently reached number one on the charts.
The CEO of DI Music Entertainment, a company actively promoting several idols, including his niece…
‘Uh Seok-bae.’
The man in the black suit before him felt like a different breed compared to the dimwitted CEO Song of TaKa Entertainment.
TaKa, despite being a mid-sized company, had been treated like a major player in the entertainment industry thanks to Toxin’s success.
Although DI Music had a similar level of influence as TaKa Entertainment, the depth of their influence was different.
‘They’re dangerous.’
They would bury anyone who crossed them and elevate anyone useful, even a speck of glitter, to the top.
Rumors circulated about their underhanded dealings… yet to the public, they maintained a squeaky-clean image through charity work and donations. A meticulously crafted facade.
Uh Seok-bae, and the company he ran, DI Music, were like that.
‘There’s nothing to gain from making a bad impression.’
Countless ambitious young CEOs had tried to exploit DI Music’s power, only to ruin their own companies.
Thanks to a combination of luck and Eun-ji’s talent, DI Music had sent several offers to buy her songs.
Eun-ji had a plethora of songs.
Chang-seok knew how profitable it would be for Eun-ji to work as a composer for others.
He had his reasons for refusing.
He wanted Eun-ji, their factory manager, to be recognized for her composing skills.
Toxin would be difficult for DI Music to touch, but…
Bringing down Eun-ho, Eun-ji, and Hwa-rang, who was promoting solo, would be child’s play for them.
That was why…
He had refused offers from other companies, even with better terms.
He didn’t want Eun-ji to be on DI Music’s bad side.
His company wasn’t powerful enough yet.
Chang-seok wanted to avoid any entanglement with DI Music, at least for now.
He wanted to wait until his company was strong enough to protect his artists…
Or at least until he had something to counter them with.
But…
Did these crazy bastards smear honey all over NRY Entertainment?
DI Music was persistent, almost obsessive.
‘How can I refuse when the CEO himself is coming?’
Damn it.
That’s how this meeting came about.
And he was even late, despite being in his own building.
“Do you have any questions?”
“I think I should be the one asking questions, haha.”
Uh Seok-bae’s lips twitched at Chang-seok’s playful provocation.
“I meant I wanted to ask first.”
A heavy silence hung in the air.
Even the bodyguards behind Uh Seok-bae seemed to be suffocating, beads of sweat forming on their faces.
“Then, since you asked, I’d like to know why you’re so interested in Eun-ji’s songs. Haha.”
As if it was the question he had been waiting for, Uh Seok-bae smiled and replied,
“Are you familiar with my niece?”
“Are you referring to Aeseul?”
“Yes.”
Why was Aeseul being brought up here? Chang-seok quickly thought.
Dark Ocean Production, Payoff, and so on…
DI Music had been relentlessly pursuing the companies that had worked with E-UNG.
They had even approached Director Kim Myeong-hun of Longing Project, who they were currently working with, and even PD Cheol-soo.
If he hadn’t heard about it from Cheol-soo after their marriage, he might have dismissed it, but at this point, it was beyond stalking, and he needed to be prepared.
“Our Aeseul is a big fan of NRY’s sibling group.”
“Ah…”
Aeseul?
Sibling group?
Chang-seok stared at CEO Uh, dumbfounded, as if he’d been hit in the back of the head.
Uh Seok-bae smiled as if asking what was wrong.
His smile on his pale face was somewhat unsettling, but it was better than his previous expressionless mask.
“Th-they’re talking about our E-UNG, I see.”
Chang-seok managed to maintain a composed expression.
‘Don’t tell me he’s been going after our partners because his niece likes them.’
His mind was racing, but he carefully maintained a calm facade, knowing the potential damage to his image if he showed his true feelings.
“Since Aeseul loves E-UNG’s music and music videos, you might already know, but we worked with Dark Ocean Production for her latest song.”
“Ah, I see.”
Although he already knew, Chang-seok pretended not to and listened.
“I want to give her everything she wants…”
Giving her everything she wanted would spoil her.
“I thought she would like it if she received a song from your composer, so I contacted you, even though it’s a bother.”
“Ah…”
“Now that we’re here…”
‘Here?’
What?
“Wouldn’t it be a shame to just buy a song?”
No.
Not at all.
He desperately wanted to interrupt and retort.
But Chang-seok just smiled, holding back his words.
Making a bad impression would only hurt them.
Especially since he had explicitly expressed interest in Eun-ho and Eun-ji, they would become the prime targets.
“I’ve noticed that you’ve worked with Toxin’s Ye-chan and on OST collaborations even before E-UNG was formed.”
“Yes. That was when they weren’t as well-known…”
“I think this would be beneficial for NRY Entertainment as well. What do you think?”
What? What about?
Chang-seok looked at Uh Seok-bae, bewildered.
“Let’s work together.”
Uh Seok-bae smiled slyly, his eyes cold.
“Holy shit.”
“Don’t curse, Lee Eun-ji.”
Uh Seok-bae’s condition was for Eun-ho and Eun-ji to participate.
Whether it was an album, a single, or even a concert, DI Music Entertainment would spare no expense in supporting them. An insane offer.
The problem was, there were too many red flags, so Chang-seok excused himself, saying he would consider it.
After the meeting with Uh Seok-bae, Chang-seok relayed the news to Eun-ho and Eun-ji when they came to the company for a fan signing event meeting.
He had been uneasy because of the suspicious aspects, but he thought Eun-ho and Eun-ji would be happy.
However, their reactions were unexpected; they looked shocked.
“Who? Is he crazy?”
“Calm down. It hasn’t happened yet.”
Eun-ji, in particular, was furious, as if something had happened between her and Aeseul.
And Eun-ho’s words, “It hasn’t happened yet,” made Chang-seok even more curious.
“Did something happen between you and Aeseul? Why are you so angry?”
“Something happen?! Nothing hap-, happened, hap-, h-, h-, aaaagh!!!”
Eun-ji couldn’t finish her sentence.
It was pure chaos.
“Eun-ji, you’re going to rip out all your hair! Appreciate what you have!”
Chang-seok tried to calm Eun-ji down as she pulled at her hair in frustration.
Meanwhile, Eun-ho, seeing the chaotic scene, spotted Hyun-woo, who had just returned with coffee, and ran towards him.
“Hyung-nim, let’s get out of here.”
“Huh? But CEO Park asked for coffee—”
Using Hyun-woo as a shield, Eun-ho escaped the chaotic CEO’s office.
After the commotion, Chang-seok, realizing Eun-ho had disappeared, called him back and started the meeting properly.
“We don’t have to give DI Music an answer right away, so think about it. Let’s talk about the fan signing event.”
“Okay.”
“…Okay.”
Eun-ji, who had been fuming, calmed down instantly at the mention of the ‘fan signing event.’
“What about clearing our schedules for the week of the fan signing?”
“I’ve cleared them.”
“Oh.”
“Your schedules would be too tight otherwise, and it wouldn’t be good to ruin your image after building it up.”
“That’s true.”
“But that week will be very hectic.”
“That’s fine.”
“Okay.”
As the meeting progressed, Eun-ho and Eun-ji calmly participated, as if the previous chaos had never happened.
The day of the fan signing event arrived.
The fans in the long line all had excited expressions.
Perhaps because of the free cold drinks, small snacks, and short notes…
No one seemed unhappy.
“It’s a good thing it’s not summer.”
“It is.”
Eun-jeong, looking up at the sky, spoke, and Ah-yeong replied.
Ah-yeong didn’t have a ticket for the fan signing.
But she was able to attend with Eun-jeong, thanks to the condition that one ticket admitted two people.
Eun-jeong, unable to hide her nervousness, kept folding and unfolding her numbered ticket.
Ah-yeong, meanwhile, looked around the long line that stretched inside the building with curious eyes.
Just then…
Ah-yeong pointed to a woman with an unusual mix of light pink and light yellow hair a little further ahead.
“Huh? Eun-jeong, look over there.”
“What?”
“Isn’t that Aeseul?”
“Where?”
The woman with the unusual hair color was wearing a black cap pulled low and a black mask.
“Nah, it’s probably just someone with the same hair color.”