Siblings Work in Business (28)
I thought it was a dream
I wished it were a dream
Why don’t you answer beyond the door
As the part transitioned into the bridge…
The bass drum resonated like a knock on the door, thump, thump.
Thump, thump.
I can’t hear your usual “What?”
I’m sad
Because this quiet, empty room is silent
Thump, thump.
I can’t see your gentle hand opening the door
I cry
Because only one of our paired things remains
The studio was filled with Eun-ho’s voice coming through the speakers.
I thought it was a dream
I wished it were a dream
Why don’t you answer beyond the door
No one could speak.
Eun-ho, visible through the window, was singing comfortably, immersed in the song.
His expression was also calm.
A cold, windy attic room
Here, I look at the moon alone
But why…
The voice flowing from Eun-ho’s lips was so sad that it didn’t match his face.
His voice alone sounded like he was crying his heart out, but his singing was so calm.
It was the dissonance that made…
Eun-ji, CEO Park, Ji Ye-chan, and even Engineer Oh Tae-jin…
Everyone in the studio choked up.
Hoping for you to come
Hoping for you to dream
As if emotions, worn down and faded, could no longer be felt, even though the mind knew it was sadness…
Eun-ho seemed to be in that state.
Right there
Right here
At Eun-ho’s last, calmly delivered lyrics, Eun-ji’s tears finally overflowed and streamed down her cheeks.
With the gentle snare drum playing like scattering pebbles, the one track Eun-ji requested was finally over.
“Done?”
Inside the recording booth…
It felt like at least a minute had passed since the song ended, but there was no response from the studio.
“Lee Eun-ji.”
I called her, asking if I could take off my headphones, but there was still no answer.
“Ah, seriously!”
“You have to answer me. Should I sing more?”
“Wait a minute.”
I finally heard Lee Eun-ji’s reply, but something felt strange.
“Hey, are you crying?”
“Fuck off.”
“Hahaha, the senior and the CEO are here, watch your language.”
“I don’t care…”
She still listened to me, though.
It sounded like she was about to curse more, but…
Eun-ji bit her lip and held back.
“Why are you crying?”
“I don’t know.”
Many thoughts flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern while singing the remade “DUO.”
But it wasn’t sad or uncomfortable.
They were just passing memories, and I quietly sang, recalling those times.
This was the only thing I could do for the song Lee Eun-ji made so well.
‘Haha…’
Ji Ye-chan chuckled, watching Eun-ho sing the unfinished guide as if it were a completed song.
‘Was it Composer Bae Jin-soo?’
He was an engineer-turned-composer who was helping Eun-ji as her teacher, but according to Team Leader Park, he mostly taught basic techniques.
Therefore, this song, “DUO,” was a testament to Eun-ji’s talent.
‘I wondered what kind of song Eun-ho would debut with that made Team Leader Park reject my song…’
Ji Ye-chan sighed in resignation, recalling the time during the recording when he offered to give CEO Park a song.
He had no choice but to admit it.
There were many singers who wrote and composed their own songs.
Of course, that was impressive in itself.
But even among those singers, not many were also involved in the arrangement.
Moreover, a trainee who wrote, composed, and arranged the song.
And ‘this’ kind of song…
‘This is cheating…’
Eun-ji’s song was amazing.
Most songs that started strong tended to lose their momentum towards the end.
Just like an appetizer that’s too delicious raises expectations for the following dishes, the same applied to music.
But “DUO” didn’t lose its momentum.
The ‘amazing’ beginning remained amazing.
Just as it started to feel repetitive, the chords changed, refreshing the rhythm, and when it returned to the original chords, it captivated the ears with a simple hook and repetitive melody.
Although it was a potentially difficult song, the simple hook did its job perfectly.
I thought it was a dream
I wished it were a dream
Why don’t you answer beyond the door
Before he knew it, Ji Ye-chan was humming along to the hook, the song already etched in his memory.
‘Eun-ho, who flawlessly sang an unfinished song, and Eun-ji, who created such a song…’
Dismissing the sudden sense of crisis, Ji Ye-chan wiped his tears and raised his head.
Eun-ho, joking around inside the recording booth…
And Eun-ji, being teased by him.
Eun-ji’s eyes were red and puffy from crying.
“So, stop crying and tell me how it was.”
“We can go home now.”
“Hahaha.”
Eun-ho burst out laughing, then his expression turned serious as he continued.
“What are you talking about? I toned down my parts for you.”
“That was toned down? I’ll just give up. Put my name only on the composition. You do it all.”
“Stop talking nonsense and sing.”
Eun-ji smiled playfully, cooling her flushed eyes.
“Go out and rest, you’ve worked hard singing a whole track.”
“You’re going to do it?”
“Yeah. If I do better, I’ll replace your parts with mine.”
“Didn’t we already divide the parts?”
“We did, but… it’s always good to have more sources, and we can switch to whoever sings better.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What do you mean? It’s the composer’s decision how to distribute the parts.”
“Ha, fine, fine.”
Eun-ho took off his headphones and replied nonchalantly.
“Engineer, please take care of me.”
Eun-ji briefly greeted Engineer Oh Tae-jin before entering the recording booth.
Engineer Oh Tae-jin smiled and raised his hand slightly in response.
It was a gesture of reassurance, telling her to trust him.
“Lee Eun-ho, how was it?”
“…The same.”
“No, it’s different.”
“I said it’s the same…”
“No, it’s not. You were a bit flat just now.”
“You’re not even listening to me.”
“Let’s go again.”
It sounded exactly the same to me.
Lee Eun-ji, saying it wasn’t right, kept rerecording like a master craftsman sculpting pottery.
It took her an hour and 40 minutes, 20 times longer than my initial 5-minute recording.
After Lee Eun-ji’s first recording was finally finished…
“I need some doubling. And if you see any parts that need layering, feel free to add them.”
“Is it okay to give directions so casually?”
“You sang exactly how I wanted.”
“I don’t think so…”
I tilted my head playfully, but I was grateful for Lee Eun-ji’s trust.
I entered the recording booth again for the final doubling and chorus layering.
If it’s a dream, let me wake up
If it’s not, let me dream
I finished the last recording comfortably, over the richer, layered track.
And that evening…
After a satisfying meal at the galbi restaurant we went to before, we returned home and went to bed.
Looking at the ceiling light with its white cover, I quietly stretched out my hand.
‘One, two…’
I closed my fingers one by one, lost in thought.
‘After the mixing is done…’
We would finish the jacket and music video shooting while the mastering was in progress.
Looking at my two closed fingers, I felt like we had more time than I expected.
‘Oh, I forgot about that.’
Then…
So immersed in the recording, I had forgotten something important.
Just like at Suwon Station Rodeo Street, this Saturday…
Lee Eun-ji was rearranging the OST for ‘He is 1+1=1’ she received from CK E&M Studio in various ways, preparing for that day.
‘It was Gangnam Station this time.’
Our second busking event was scheduled for this Saturday, at Exit 11.
If it weren’t for the unexpected heavy snow forecast the day before…
—Expecting heavy snow starting this afternoon, the city of Seoul…
Yes.
Due to the heavy snow that continued until the next day, the second busking event was canceled for safety reasons.
Lee Eun-ji and I went out to the streets with dustpans and a camera, to clear the white trash falling from the sky instead of singing into microphones.
Although it was in front of the company, it was also our home, and we had to clear the snow in front of our house.
Lee Eun-ji seemed to come out without complaint, and while cleaning, she diligently started making something with the snow she gathered.
After a while…
“Hey, aren’t you going to clean?”
“Hi, Oppa.”
“That’s creepy, what’s wrong with you?”
I seriously considered taking Lee Eun-ji to the hospital.
Because she suddenly greeted the snowman she made.
“Why…”
I approached her with genuine concern, but…
Lee Eun-ji, just like with the MIDI window, had made a fish head snowman.
And she just greeted this bizarre snowman…
“Ha…”
I sighed in disbelief.
But unlike the untouchable MIDI window, I was better at crafts than Lee Eun-ji.
A moment later…
I put all my effort into creating a perfect pumpkin, complete with eyes, nose, and mouth, resembling Lee Eun-ji.
“Lee Eun-ji, look at this.”
“Agh! That’s creepy!”
“Hahaha. That fish-man over there is creepier!”
Lee Eun-ji screamed and threw snowballs at the Lee Eun-ji snowman (pumpkin-faced snowman) I made, trying to destroy it.
“Ugh!”
But there were no winners in this fight.
Both Lee Eun-ji’s fish head snowman and my pumpkin head snowman were destroyed.
“Crazy, why did you throw that?!”
“Try getting hit by your own creation!”
Lee Eun-ji frantically threw snowballs, and when she ran out of snow, she threw the fish head snowman.
I couldn’t avoid being hit by the giant fish snowman, which was almost as big as my torso.
And my masterpiece, the well-made pumpkin head snowman, was crushed under my butt.
“I told them to clear the snow, and they…”
Eun-ho had been holding the GoPro camera throughout the fight, from the beginning of the snow clearing.
So, the video was delivered to CEO Park as is.
“Pfft, hahahaha.”
CEO Park, watching the video, sighed at their antics, but…
He soon burst out laughing at their snowman war.
—Hey, you two! You cleared it up nicely, and now you’re messing it all up again!
—We’re sorry! We’ll clean it up right away!
—Sorry!
After being scolded by a neighborhood ajumma, they diligently cleared the snow again, even sprinkling salt on the slippery areas.
CEO Park blurred the face of the ajumma who briefly appeared in the video and uploaded it to the channel without any editing.
And today, once again, he couldn’t close the internet window and kept refreshing the page.
「Cafe Part-timer30 seconds ago
I became a fan after hearing you perform in Suwon. The snowman throwing at 7:10 is cute lol」
CEO Park’s eyes widened.
It was the first comment.