Siblings Work in Business (24)
“Greetings! I’m Lee Eun-ho of E-ung!”
“And I’m Lee Eun-ji!”
“Please take care of us!”
Lee Eun-ji, Lee Eun-ho.
Hearing their names, the meaning of the mysterious team name “E-ung” seemed to click.
The atmosphere around the stage lightened compared to when Eun-ji and Eun-ho first appeared.
Eun-ho raised his head and brought the microphone closer to his mouth.
“Every Friday, we, E-ung, will…”
“Remember!”
“…announce the location of our performances like today through NRY Entertainment’s Minsta, Twitter, and Facebook!”
“Please show us lots of love!”
With Eun-ji’s timely interjections, I finished the promotion smoothly.
As we bowed our heads in greeting…
Not everyone reacted positively.
“Ah, what the. I thought someone famous was here.”
“He’s handsome, but I don’t know who he is.”
“This is boring. Let’s go.”
Some seemed disappointed.
They turned away, saying they didn’t know us.
I had expected this reaction, but it still stung to see it firsthand.
The longer we talked, the more the audience would dwindle.
‘Let’s start right away.’
I signaled to Lee Eun-ji.
Lee Eun-ji nodded briefly and sat down without further ado.
She picked up the guitar that had been prepared and settled into a comfortable position.
“Is she playing the guitar?”
Perhaps they had assumed Eun-ho would be playing the guitar.
Some of the audience members seemed surprised.
♪♬♬♬
Lee Eun-ji showed off her impressive arpeggio skills, as if to prove them wrong.
The dreamy, unfamiliar melody sounded vaguely familiar.
‘Ah, this.’
It was the melody of “Alice,” the new song Lee Eun-ji had played for me recently.
Various notes bounced around like wandering through a forest.
As the seemingly scattered melodies combined, a sensual jazz piece with a mystical atmosphere was created.
“Oh…”
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
Applause erupted from the audience as Lee Eun-ji’s brilliant performance ended.
However, some turned to leave, thinking it was over.
‘It’s just the beginning.’
We couldn’t let them go, not after we finally managed to capture their attention.
I signaled to Lee Eun-ji, and she nodded, starting to play again.
The fret noise from Eun-ji’s fingertips stopped the departing audience members in their tracks.
‘One, two.’
Since this performance was to promote the drama ‘He is 1+1=1,’ our first song was agreed to be “Last Day.”
However, there were no other conditions.
The arrangement was the same.
‘She was already good, and now she’s put in the effort…’
This wasn’t just because she was my sister, but a tribute to Lee Eun-ji’s talent.
Lee Eun-ji freely rearranged “Last Day” in various ways.
Thanks to that, the rearranged “Last Day” had a richer melody and emphasized our unique style.
Eun-ji’s fingertips moved busily, and the brilliant acoustic guitar performance began.
And from then on…
People who hadn’t been interested started to pay attention.
‘3, 2, 1.’
As the intro reached its end…
The Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
Your approaching footsteps make me breathless
This part was originally Lee Eun-ji’s during the recording.
But today, I took the introductory part.
The hateful words, “I’m leaving,” that shatter me
I hate myself like this, I know it’s my greed
Before Lee Eun-ji’s touch, “Last Day” was a calm, somewhat melancholic ballad.
But with her touch, it completely changed, only traces of the original melody remaining.
As if she could freely play and improvise whenever and wherever she wanted…
Unlike “Alice,” which she played earlier, it was rearranged with a pop-like atmosphere.
Don’t hurt me
Don’t move if you care about me
Just as the first verse ended…
Remember that day
The Last Day we first whispered our love
A relaxed acoustic piano melody and a bright brass instrument sound burst through the speakers like fireworks.
Eun-ji naturally layered her guitar over the background music and continued singing where I left off.
Our Last Day whispered, drunk on your scent
That Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
Eun-ji’s hands were busier than mine, which only held the microphone.
But she didn’t make any mistakes.
We’re already trapped on each other’s islands
It’s hard to even breathe
Even when I improvised and threw in ad-libs…
Like siblings…
You know
Last Day
As if reading my mind, Lee Eun-ji naturally responded to my ad-libs and harmonized with me.
The audience members swayed their heads, enjoying the music.
Thankfully, they seemed to have completely forgotten about leaving.
My heart is too poor to hold more than you
Lee Eun-ji and I, also immersed in the song, reached the climax of the second verse.
I know this is excessive
We, stranded, are nothing but disasters to each other
You know
Thinking of it as our last chance, we showed off all our skills.
It was a feast of trembling voices and brilliant techniques.
The background brass and piano had already stopped, but we didn’t have time to care.
It felt like the music was still playing, as if we had brass and piano inserted in our throats.
Eun-ji’s voice resonated through the speakers, her low tone as if she had swallowed a bass.
Even though the instruments had stopped playing, the two continued playing with their voices.
They played with the notes as if they were toys.
After how long?
The two finally looked at each other with playful smiles, as if having stolen the audience’s souls.
Last Day
Don’t forget Last Day
It was just the two of them, but it was no less than an impromptu performance by a veteran jazz band.
But perhaps for them, it was just a simple, playful harmony.
The Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
That Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
That Last Day
As the song ended, silence fell over the center of Rodeo Street, despite the large crowd.
After a long moment, Eun-ho lowered the microphone.
As if finally realizing the song was over, the mesmerized audience members slowly came back to their senses.
Clap, clap…
Small applause started from one person and gradually spread.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
The slow clapping turned into cheers mixed with whistles, showering Eun-ho and Eun-ji.
We bowed our heads, expressing our sincere gratitude to the audience who stayed.
Eun-ji, seemingly surprised by the unexpected applause, blushed and bowed deeply.
Then, feeling a bit excited, we continued the performance with covers of two other OSTs.
「“Please do come. It would be a great encouragement to have you there, Composer.”」
Payoff knew that Lee Eun-ho’s request was insincere.
But how good could insignificant trainees be?
Payoff came to Suwon Station today, intending to point out the flaws in their performance and completely shut down their complaints.
Just as he entered the underground shopping mall connected to Rodeo Street…
Payoff listened intently to the conversation of the passersby in front of him.
“Hey, hey, there are these super handsome twins performing at the center of Rodeo Street.”
He immediately knew who they were talking about.
‘Handsome twins.’
The girl and the pretentious guy were indeed handsome.
However…
‘The problem was that their skills didn’t match their faces.’
Payoff snorted, thinking about Eun-ji and Eun-ho, and exited the subway entrance.
But the moment he stepped onto Rodeo Street…
I know this is excessive
Payoff started to doubt his judgment that ‘the twins weren’t skilled.’
We, stranded, are nothing but disasters to each other
You know
Like a sturdy tree bearing good fruit, a clean yet brilliantly soaring high note.
It was a skillful performance with a captivating voice, making him regret hearing it so late.
Honestly, if it weren’t for the familiar voices of the siblings, he would have wanted to ask them to sing his songs right then and there.
Last Day
Don’t forget Last Day
Could it be?
He shook his head repeatedly, wanting to believe it wasn’t true, but his ears didn’t lie.
Payoff quickened his steps.
He wanted to confirm the owners of these voices with his own eyes, hoping it wasn’t who he thought it was.
‘Ah…’
He had hoped it wasn’t them, but…
Sitting on the flimsy chairs in front of the stage were the jet-black hair and sharp eyes, mirrored images of each other.
The Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
Another voice blended in naturally, like a vine wrapping around a sturdy tree.
Lee Eun-ji’s vocal range, although she was a female singer, was on the lower side.
It was a thick voice.
Payoff, who preferred clear, bell-like voices, had judged her voice as ‘not his style at all.’
The Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
That Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
The end of the song.
An affectionate farewell that signaled the ending.
However, Eun-ji’s deep voice stuck to Payoff’s ears like glue.
That Last Day
That Last Day
A clear tone was layered over Eun-ji’s deep voice.
It was Lee Eun-ho’s voice.
‘Was his voice always like that…?’
Payoff closed his eyes tightly in dread.
At the same time, dong—
A bell rang in his head.
Not a bell of blessing, but a bell signaling his end.
He didn’t want to think about it, but it came to mind involuntarily.
‘If Producer Park had been here, it would have been different…’
Inside the studio, he was the king.
「“Composer, about this part… Eun-ji has better damping than me, so I think she can express the feeling better here… Could you give her a chance?”」
「“Composer, while layering with a machine isn’t bad, can we try layering it ourselves? The details…”」
「“I can reach this high note. You don’t have to cut it or use autotune, so could you give me a chance?”」
The countless “Could we…” questions Lee Eun-ho had asked flashed through his mind.
Back then, he had closed his ears and eyes, thinking that unskilled trainees were giving him unsolicited advice.
The throne in the studio belonged to him, the director.