Siblings Working in Business (213)
The Omen
“Eun-ho.”
“Yes.”
Tae-hyun’s voice, as he called out to Eun-ho, was heavy with emotion.
Eun-ho’s reply also seemed tinged with unspoken thoughts.
But his gaze, still fixed on the medicine packet, was dry.
Tae-hyun spoke casually, as if it were nothing,
“Toxin signed a seven-year contract…”
“Uh, is it okay for you to tell me that?”
“What’s the big deal?”
“Ah, okay… what about the contract?”
What followed was even more… unsettling.
“This is our last one.”
Eun-ho, about to take a sip of his grape juice, froze mid-air like a robot with a dead battery.
“Toxin, I mean, you’re…”
“Yeah. We’re leaving. That’s right.”
“That’s…”
Eun-ho was at a loss for words.
While Eun-ho was reeling in confusion…
Fortunately…
Tae-hyun continued calmly,
“Eun-ho, you’re in charge of the ‘Connection’ project, right?”
“That’s right…”
NRY Entertainment was working on a big project.
「“The one who came up with the idea is responsible for it.”」
「“Huh?”」
A simple yet natural concept.
A project to connect the worldviews of all the artists in the company.
‘Connection.’
Following CEO Park’s decision, Eun-ho had been playing a major role in the story and directing aspects of the project.
“Are you telling me this because…”
“I want Toxin to continue, even after I leave.”
“…Hyung-nim, you’re quite ambitious.”
“Haha, I am.”
Tae-hyun was asking Eun-ho to create a story that would allow Toxin to continue even after he left.
But how was that even possible?
“You know how important you are, no, wait. What are you going to do after you leave Toxin?”
Tae-hyun, at Eun-ho’s question, smiled brighter than usual.
“You know I like classic cars, right?”
“Yes. It would be strange if I didn’t, after seeing the car you drove today.”
“Haha. That’s true.”
Tae-hyun chuckled, then looked at the night view outside the window, his eyes slightly unfocused from the alcohol.
“I’m interested in something that requires at least a few years of training in Germany.”
“What is it?”
“Being a tuner.”
“I’m sorry…?”
“Tuning cars.”
“Ah.”
It was a completely unexpected dream.
Eun-ho spoke cautiously,
“This might be rude, but Hyung-nim, don’t you think it’s a waste of your career? Wouldn’t it be better to just… hire someone…?”
“Well, my career… hmm, is it a waste?”
It was a ridiculous question…
“But I want to build them myself.”
“…”
“If I was just going to drive them, you’d be right.”
Eun-ji too…
Why didn’t people who reached the top want to stay there?
Was it because he had never reached the top himself?
He was confused.
“Oh, and this is a secret from the other members.”
“Seriously, there are more secrets?”
Eun-ho gave him a look that said, ‘Please, no more,’ but Tae-hyun just smiled and ignored him.
Toxin’s history was impressive.
They left an agency run by gangsters, endured hardships, and rose to the top.
Toxin was history.
For over 10 years…
Singers and artists, both in Korea and abroad, were emerging, saying they were inspired by Toxin.
And yet, he was leaving this brilliant career behind for something seemingly unrelated…
“My dream is to not only drive my own creations but also show them to others.”
Dream.
Eun-ho was silenced by the weight of that single word.
And he thought of Eun-ji.
It was when Hwa-rang’s song outperformed theirs on the charts.
Eun-ho, disappointed, had asked Eun-ji,
‘Aren’t you disappointed that your first number one song in this life isn’t one you sang, but one you composed?’
It was half a joke, half serious.
Eun-ji was originally a singer-songwriter, not just a composer.
He was someone who fit in, but Eun-ji was someone who belonged at the top.
He had asked out of curiosity.
Eun-ji, tilting her head, replied,
「“Not really? It’s fine. I prefer doing what I want, like now, than worrying about maintaining the ‘burden of number one’.”」
It was a very Eun-ji-like answer.
He also remembered her expression back then.
‘She already had a fierce look…’
Before the regression, she always frowned whenever she sat down.
Was it because she was burdened by the pressure?
「“I like meeting our fans, but singing is hard. I just want to be locked in my room and compose.”」
「“You’re getting too comfortable. Some people are working their asses off to get to that position.”」
「“Ahaha, you’re right. I guess I am. Ugh! Am I really getting too comfortable?!”」
It was an old conversation from before the regression.
Although a hazy memory, he vividly remembered Eun-ji’s expression as she stretched and exclaimed those words.
Eun-ji had often said that while she enjoyed composing, she wasn’t sure about singing.
It was him who wanted to sing when they came to Seoul, and Eun-ji seemed happiest when she was composing.
Eun-ji…
“Come to think of it, Eun-ho, how about you?”
“Huh? What about me?”
Eun-ho, startled by Tae-hyun’s sudden question, asked back.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Ah, I was just lost in thought… what did you ask?”
“How about you?”
“M-my dream, you mean?”
“Yeah. You siblings are famous workaholics at the company.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
“You must have something you want to achieve.”
Something he wanted to achieve?
What he wanted was…
“Number one…?”
“Number one?”
“Yes.”
Tae-hyun tilted his head and frowned.
“What are you talking about? You don’t seem to care about chart rankings if you want to be number one.”
“…Did I not?”
When Eun-ho asked, genuinely surprised, Tae-hyun, his voice slightly slurred from the alcohol, replied with a smile,
“Those who really want to be number one are more driven. Their ambition is palpable, not just in their music.”
“Do we not seem ambitious?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Ah…”
Eun-ho, seemingly slightly shocked, put down his fork.
The salad he had been eating was now devoid of meat.
“You, you, finish all the vegetables too.”
“I will.”
He chuckled at Tae-hyun’s sudden nagging.
Tae-hyun continued talking about Eun-ho’s ambition.
“You siblings have different ambitions.”
“If not rankings, then what?”
“Just… singing?”
Ah.
Eun-ho’s eyebrows twitched.
It wasn’t wrong.
No, it was more like he saw Eun-ho better than Eun-ho saw himself.
“Ye-chan told me something the day he worked on a song with you two.”
“What did he say?”
“That you two are crazy about music.”
Haha.
Come to think of it, that seemed right.
He said he wanted to be number one, but he wasn’t really interested in the rankings themselves.
He just wanted to sing, and he did.
Although writing lyrics for Eun-ji’s songs was challenging, he enjoyed the process of creating their music together.
He covered the areas where he was lacking with Eun-ji’s help, and Eun-ji always provided him with options tailored to his preferences.
He simply enjoyed every step of the process.
‘…’
Ironically, having realized this, he felt lost.
He had thought he was moving forward towards ‘number one,’ but…
It turned out he wasn’t.
But he wasn’t sure if he wanted to change his approach now…
‘Do I have to?’
He was already happy.
He was already content.
“Why did you think you wanted to be number one?”
Tae-hyun, continuing to pour himself another glass of wine, now on his fifth bottle, asked.
His hand, pouring the wine, seemed unsteady.
“Um… H-hyung-nim, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I was going to stop after this one anyway.”
“Ah…”
He really should stop…
But Tae-hyun had already filled his glass.
“So, the reason I wanted to be number one…”
He started to answer the question when…
“Hyung-nim!”
He told him to stop drinking…
His fears had come true.
Tae-hyun lost his balance and slumped forward.
If Eun-ho hadn’t quickly grabbed the wine glass from Tae-hyun’s hand with one hand and supported his head with the other…
…he would have seriously gotten a concussion.
‘Wow, that was close.’
But he hadn’t managed to prevent a spill.
Wine splattered everywhere.
At least he didn’t knock over the entire glass.
Eun-ho sighed and carefully placed the wine glass on a clean spot.
Then, he moved the empty, sauce-stained steak box Tae-hyun had almost face-planted into.
After that, he gently laid Tae-hyun’s head on the table.
“You know I just saved you…”
He knew it was like talking to a brick wall, but he still wanted to say something, remembering the heart-stopping moment.
“Haa…”
Eun-ho looked at the table where they had just eaten.
‘…I guess I should clean this up.’
Since Tae-hyun bought him dinner, it was only right for him to clean up.
His hair, somehow disheveled, bothered him.
Eun-ho brushed it back, rolled up the sleeves of his long-sleeved t-shirt, and grabbed a nearby paper bag.
He separately washed the sauce-stained dishes in the sink before carefully placing them in the bag.
Perhaps because it was an expensive apartment, the garbage disposal was conveniently connected to the sink.
‘Hmm.’
Just then…
Eun-ho picked up his salad bowl and hesitated in front of the sink.
「“Eun-ho, finish all the vegetables too.”」
Tae-hyun’s voice echoed in his head.
‘S-sorry, Hyung-nim.’
He usually tried not to be picky — or so he thought — but the steak was fantastic, and the weird red lettuce in the salad was so bitter and unappetizing…
Eun-ho, glancing at Tae-hyun, who was asleep on the table, discreetly scraped the leftover vegetables into the garbage disposal.
Then, feeling slightly less guilty, he continued cleaning.
When he was done, all that remained was the sleeping Tae-hyun and the wine glass, still more than half full despite the spill.
“This…”
Eun-ho picked up the wine glass, then put it back down.
‘He’ll take care of it tomorrow.’
Now, only Tae-hyun remained.
‘Should I move him…?’
He just thought about it.
Eun-ho looked around and saw a blanket draped over the sofa.
He felt obligated, as a junior, to at least do this much.
He draped the blanket over Tae-hyun and returned to the living room.
Now that he was done cleaning…
「“You can sleep in that room later.”」
Tae-hyun had shown him the room after they finished playing the game, but Eun-ho preferred the living room.
‘Falling asleep surrounded by the night view isn’t an everyday experience.’
Eun-ho lay down on the sofa.
The TV in the middle partially blocked the view, but the windows were large enough that it didn’t matter.
And so, Eun-ho ended up staying over at Tae-hyun’s place.