Siblings Work in Business (36)
We discreetly clenched our fists and shared a silent “Yes!” of joy.
And it was time to immerse ourselves in dance again.
But perhaps our bodies had awakened…
As if the previous difficulty was solely due to the sandbags, Lee Eun-ji and I were literally flying.
“Thump, thump! That’s it! Eun-ho, support Eun-ji! Your knees are better!”
“Turn there! Your gentle hand opening the door! Good job!”
Encouraged by the teacher’s indistinguishable singing and cheering, Lee Eun-ji and I passed the bridge and headed towards the hook.
“Right there! Eun-ho! You’ll hurt yourself if you let go of Eun-ji’s hand! Stay close!”
As we reached the end of the 100th track…
“Right there!”
With the teacher’s excited singing, Lee Eun-ji and I finished in a tango pose, catching our breath.
“Finally…”
“It’s over.”
I could feel Lee Eun-ji’s heart pounding against my hand, supporting her back, as if it was about to explode from exhaustion.
“Good work.”
“…”
I put strength into my arm to help Lee Eun-ji stand up straight.
“…We can finally eat tteokbokki.”
Lee Eun-ji muttered as she stood up.
‘Of course.’
I was so dumbfounded that I almost let go of her, even though I knew she’d probably smack me if I did.
Well, her heart wasn’t pounding this hard even during the 99th track.
It had been days since Lee Eun-ji, a carbohydrate and spice addict, had any of those…
It was understandable that she was excited about finally eating tteokbokki.
“Good work!”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“Good job!”
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Cloud Dance Team and the teacher showered us with applause, comforting each other after a hard day’s work.
“…I feel alive.”
A sip of cool water.
Just ‘sitting’ on the hard floor felt like I had conquered the world.
“I ordered tteokbokki!”
Just as the teacher yelled, her voice echoing through the practice room…
“Wooooow!!!”
Lee Eun-ji and Cloud Dance Team all screamed, sprawled on the floor.
About 20 minutes later…
The tteokbokki the teacher ordered arrived.
‘It looks so hot…’
I craved something cool, so I didn’t touch the tteokbokki, even after it arrived.
‘I’d rather eat less and exercise as usual than eat that and have to exercise more.’
But Lee Eun-ji, seemingly having a completely different thought, sat down with Cloud Dance Team and started eating, steam rising from the food.
“Ah, I feel alive.”
“Now?”
“Yeah. I feel amazing, like I’ve conquered the world.”
Lee Eun-ji patted her full stomach and talked about conquering the world.
“You’ll feel differently tomorrow when you think about exercising.”
“You’re supposed to empty your mind when you eat.”
“It seems like you’ve emptied your bowl too much.”
As I said that, looking at the empty tteokbokki container, Lee Eun-ji avoided my gaze, seemingly feeling guilty.
“If you worry about that, there’s no joy in life!”
“Yes, yes. At least drink this instead of cola or cider if you don’t want your muscles to explode tomorrow.”
“Ah, it’s cold!”
I held the ice-cold water bottle I just took out of the refrigerator to Lee Eun-ji’s cheek.
“Here… Hmm.”
Lee Eun-ji, about to get angry, seemed to like the cold water once she held it in her hand.
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“That was delicious!”
“Alright.”
“We’ll be going then!”
“Eun-ho and Eun-ji, go safely!”
“Yes!”
After cleaning up…
Lee Eun-ji and I took quick showers and came out, exchanging greetings in a daze.
As we stepped outside, a bone-chilling wind blew.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
“It’s refreshing.”
“That’s because you have more fat.”
“Yeah, rockfish head.”
“Whatever, pumpkin.”
“Oh?”
Lee Eun-ji rolled her eyes, exaggerating her facial expressions and hand gestures, and said,
“Sorry, I don’t speak fish. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Wow.”
Normally, I would have laughed it off as a joke, but this time, my face hardened.
“No regrets?”
“What… what regrets?”
As I spoke seriously, Lee Eun-ji flinched and stepped back.
“I saw you eat the most tteokbokki, if I tell the CEO…”
“Hey, that’s so cheap…!”
“Cheap?”
Lee Eun-ji’s face turned pale as she seemed to realize the impending scolding and the extra exercise she would have to do.
“Sorry.”
“Your words are short, little sister.”
“Sorry.”
“Aha, you’re saying sorry to the streetlight?”
“Sowwy.”
Lee Eun-ji, refusing to apologize properly, gritted her teeth and muttered an insincere apology, avoiding eye contact.
“Fucking…”
I heard her quiet curse that followed, but I pretended not to notice.
We walked through the quiet street, bickering over nothing.
“Hey, Eun-ji.”
“Yes, brother.”
Again, again.
She rolled her eyes and answered with a strange expression.
This time, I almost smacked her on the back.
But knowing Lee Eun-ji’s competitive personality, I knew it would definitely lead to bloodshed.
And if there was blood…
‘It was always me who got scolded by the CEO for not being the bigger person.’
I could clearly see it happening, having experienced it dozens of times before the regression.
“What’s our schedule for tomorrow?”
“You scheduled it, why are you asking me?”
“I know.”
As the topic shifted to work, Lee Eun-ji answered seriously, as if she hadn’t been joking just moments ago.
“I don’t remember the song title.”
“It’s ‘Small Hands.’”
“Small Hands? Is that the song from the ‘Cat Footsteps’ session?”
“Yeah.”
“Our second single?”
“Yeah, but the CEO said he’ll decide after listening to the guide and seeing the lyrics. So, we don’t know yet if it will be a B-side, the title track, or scrapped.”
‘Small Hands.’
It wasn’t CEO Park’s style to prepare for the next album while working on the current one.
He usually focused on one thing at a time and delivered it perfectly.
‘Strike while the iron is hot…’
So, it wasn’t a song for our debut album, but…
「“You know I’m not the type to talk nonsense. Trust me and support us.”」
Let’s prepare for the next album while working on the single debut.
I was the one who suggested this tight schedule to the CEO, putting on a thick face.
“Are the lyrics out?”
“Yeah, yesterday. The teacher is really looking forward to it.”
“Composer Bae Jin-soo?”
“I only came up with the initial melody, he did all the arranging.”
“Aha.”
Composer Bae Jin-soo.
I mostly heard about the song through Lee Eun-ji.
I knew he became Lee Eun-ji’s teacher through the CEO’s introduction.
But tomorrow would be my first time meeting him.
“What’s he like?”
“The teacher?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm…”
Lee Eun-ji frowned, as if thinking, then after a long pause, she answered.
“He’s… a very sentimental person?”
Small Hands
“I’ve heard a lot about you. Eun-ho, right?”
“Yes. I’ve also heard a lot about you through Eun-ji.”
“Really? Haha. I’ll be glad if Eun-ji didn’t just curse me out.”
“Haha, of course not. I heard you’re a good person.”
The next day, I went to the studio where Lee Eun-ji usually worked for the first time.
“Please take care of me today.”
“Likewise, Eun-ho.”
Composer Bae Jin-soo scrutinized me.
Although we exchanged greetings with smiles, my first impression of him wasn’t very positive.
“You look a lot like Eun-ji.”
“Haha, Lee Eun-ji looks like me. I’m the original.”
“Are you a bowl of gukbap (rice soup)? Why are you claiming to be the ‘original’?”
Lee Eun-ji, standing beside me, grumbled.
“Haha, calling your brother ‘you’? That’s not right, Eun-ji.”
“…Yes.”
As I glared at Lee Eun-ji, Composer Bae Jin-soo spoke up for me.
I was so surprised by the unexpected support that I couldn’t help but stare at him.
Honestly, I was even more surprised by Lee Eun-ji’s quiet response.
Eun-ho looked at Composer Bae Jin-soo again with wide eyes.
He discarded his initial negative impression.
‘A sentimental person.’
I understood why the CEO chose him as Lee Eun-ji’s teacher.
Composer Bae Jin-soo, despite his seemingly stiff appearance, had a very gentle tone.
“Shall we sit down? Let’s listen to the song first and then talk.”
“Yes.”
Following Composer Bae Jin-soo’s lead, Eun-ji and I sat down on the sofa.
He clicked the mouse a few times and played a song from the [Meow Meow] folder.
‘Oh…’
The “Cat Footsteps” I heard before was a bit too much compared to the song Lee Eun-ji made before the regression.
It felt more like a mountain god’s footsteps than a cat’s.
But with Composer Bae Jin-soo’s touch, the song became more nuanced, like a charming, tactful cat.
A clean piano melody, a bass drum and snare adding to the rhythm…
And thanks to Lee Eun-ji’s distinct color, it had a jazzy pop feel, a very charming song that sounded like it belonged in a bar.
“The lyrics added to this…”
The lyrics seemed to have been written by a separate lyricist, and they gave the song a different feel.
But there were a few parts that bothered me as I listened to the guide with the lyrics.
The desperate plea for love was good.
The lyrics had a ‘pretty’ vibe.
But perhaps because I lacked the experience of desperate longing…
It didn’t suit ‘our’ taste at all.
It seemed like I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, as Lee Eun-ji also spoke up after the song ended.
“About the lyrics, teacher.”
“Yes?”
“Is it possible to change them?”
“Why? Don’t you like them?”
“I do, but they feel too much like begging for love.”
Composer Bae Jin-soo didn’t seem offended by Eun-ji’s criticism, perhaps because they were comfortable enough to share their opinions openly.
Lee Eun-ji asked for my opinion sincerely.
“Lee Eun-ho, what did you think?”
“I also felt a bit uncomfortable with the begging part. The ‘Please don’t leave me’ part, for example.”
As I pointed out the specific part that bothered me, Lee Eun-ji’s face lit up, as if saying, “That’s it!”
Composer Bae Jin-soo seemed to think for a moment, then nodded.
He brought a few blank sheets of paper and handed them to us.
“I believe a good song comes from the singer’s empathy with the song, so would you two like to write the lyrics yourselves?”
“Write the lyrics?”
“Even just the general feeling is fine. I can tell the lyricist to write in that style.”
“Ah…”
I readily accepted the paper, while Eun-ji hesitated for a moment.