Siblings Work in Business (45)
“Oh, what? Oppa, you’re going in the water?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Serves you right for teasing me. Hahahaha!”
Lee Eun-ji, who seemed to have finished changing, approached me, her lenses and outfit different now.
A black camisole, an unbuttoned shirt over it, a black leather skirt, and edgy high-heeled boots.
Her makeup also seemed different, but I could only tell that her lipstick was darker.
Lee Eun-ji, looking much warmer than before, came closer and burst out laughing.
“Don’t cause trouble for E-UNG by catching a cold, Lee Eun-ho!”
“Fuck off, I won’t catch a cold.”
“Right. Who was it that said idiots don’t catch colds?”
“Look who’s talking.”
“And you, what’s ‘talking’ to your older brother?”
We seemed to have had a similar conversation earlier…
‘Sigh.’
Knowing she was just teasing, I chose to ignore her.
“Alright, let’s go, Eun-ho.”
Ugh.
It wasn’t a cue to start filming.
It was Director Go’s subtle way of telling me to get in the water.
‘Fine.’
I hated disrupting work.
The pool’s walls were quite high, despite the shallow water level.
It was a carefully prepared pool for the scene.
I lifted my knees high and carefully stepped inside.
And as my feet touched the black water…
‘Shit.’
Warm… my ass.
My heart almost stopped.
‘It’s freezing!’
The unexpected temperature sent a shiver down my spine.
‘I have to lie down in this…’
The water wasn’t deep.
It was shallow enough that only half my body would be submerged.
Perhaps that’s why it cooled down so quickly.
‘Just in case…’
I took my foot out of the water, did some quick stretches, and then put it back in.
“Sob… sob…”
Lee Eun-ji, who had been watching the whole thing, was now sobbing.
Honestly, her reaction annoyed me more than the cold water.
‘It’s cold. Cold water.’
This time, I was prepared, so I wasn’t as surprised.
“Please lie down carefully, so you don’t make big splashes.”
“Okay.”
At the staff’s request, I slowly walked to the center of the pool and lowered myself into the water.
“Eun-ho, immerse yourself in the feeling, please!”
“Okay!”
I answered energetically, but I wasn’t confident.
It would have been better if I could just lie down quickly.
The feeling of the cold water slowly soaking my body wasn’t pleasant.
‘No NGs…’
I gritted my teeth and controlled my breathing.
I could feel the water soaking through to my underwear as I finally lay down in the black water.
As my head submerged, I could feel the dyed water entering my ears.
“Ready!”
As if waiting for this moment, Director Go immediately gave the cue.
“Action!”
Filming started.
Compared to the actual scene, this was nothing.
I had a dream, a dream where you disappeared
Following the lyrics of “DUO” playing on set, I slowly reached out as if trying to grab something.
So I opened my eyes, but why am I still dreaming
For a fleeting moment, I wished this were a dream.
Ah, reality hits me
I heard the sounds of other staff members gathering above me and pouring more water.
‘Here it comes.’
As the lyrics suggested, reality was about to hit me.
I closed my eyes, trying to remain calm as the black water poured down.
The black waterfall from above drenched my entire body.
If it’s a dream, let me wake up, if it’s not, let me dream
“DUO” continued playing on set.
I held my breath and submerged my head completely as the water level gradually rose.
「“Immerse yourself in the feeling, please.”」
Immerse, immerse!
I had to focus.
The camera was still rolling.
I put all my effort into controlling my expression.
If I messed up here, I’d have to change clothes and get drenched again!
“Cut! Okay!”
“Gasp… huff…”
I shot up at the faint signal from outside the water.
It felt like I had broken a freediving record, but it probably wasn’t that long.
“That was great. Eun-ho, go get cleaned up and change your outfit.”
“Huh? Do we have to film again?”
I could feel the black water dripping from my hair.
I asked, wondering if I had misheard.
“Haha. No. I meant come back in your next outfit.”
“Ah, okay…”
I was relieved that I had indeed misheard.
Just as I was getting up to leave the water…
I felt dizzy and my body started trembling uncontrollably.
‘They poured a lot of water.’
I then noticed that the water level, which had been low when I first entered, was now up to my chest.
My white shirt was completely soaked, turning a grayish color.
“Here. Good job.”
Lee Eun-ji handed me a towel as I came out of the water.
As I was wiping my face, Hyun-woo came over and wrapped me in a huge towel, like a blanket, and said,
“Let’s go get you cleaned up. You’ll catch a cold.”
As if it was urgent, Hyun-woo, speaking informally, which he normally didn’t do, led me to the shower room.
“Can you manage by yourself?”
“Yes. I feel better now.”
“Okay. After you shower, your clothes are on the rack next to the shower room. Just put them on in order.”
As I showered with warm water from the portable water heater, I finally regained my senses.
After coming out, I changed into the clothes prepared on the rack, following the order.
Unlike Lee Eun-ji, who was wearing a camisole and an unbuttoned shirt, I only had a plain white t-shirt and black jeans.
‘Is this it?’
The outfit seemed too plain, so I looked around, and as expected…
There was a uniquely designed, asymmetrical shirt with the number 2 on a different hanger.
I put it on like a jacket, and the plain outfit felt a bit more stylish.
Unlike Lee Eun-ji, who wore boots, I had black shoes with slightly higher heels.
“Eun-ho, over here!”
“Okay.”
As I came out, shoes on, the makeup staff were waiting with curling irons and brushes, their eyes sparkling.
I sat down, and in the blink of an eye, my flattened hair was neatly styled.
Perhaps because I had showered, I received a more intense makeup look than before.
“Put these on.”
“Okay.”
The staff member handed me new lenses.
I vaguely remembered hearing that we had a lens advertisement deal. I removed the plastic packaging, and they were bright yellow, flashier than the brown ones from earlier.
After struggling to put them on, just as I was about to leave, thinking I was finally done…
“Wait, wait! Eun-ho!”
“Yes?”
The costume staff member stopped me.
Three necklaces were placed around my neck at once.
“There!”
Oh…
I was surprised by the three necklaces, but…
The stylist was a professional; although it could have been too much, they added just the right amount of flair to the otherwise plain outfit.
“Now, go do your best!”
After briefly thanking the staff who helped me, I headed back to the set.
Photoshoot
“You’re here?”
“Yes. Are the models ready?”
“Well, Lee Eun-ho is changing after the water scene, and Lee Eun-ji is ready to shoot.”
One of the reasons for the tight schedule was the CK Music Life Magazine photoshoot.
Thanks to finishing on time without any major NGs…
They heard that Jeon Myeong-hun, a famous photographer from CK Music Life, had arrived.
When Eun-ho returned to the set after changing, Eun-ji’s photoshoot was already in full swing.
The set was filled with the rapid clicking of the camera shutter and photographer Jeon Myeong-hun’s voice.
“Good. Lift your chin a little higher! Yes! No, no! More intensity! That’s it! Focus on your fingertips!”
As I approached the set, I saw Lee Eun-ji posing with the door.
Posing as if entering through the open door…
Leaning against the doorframe with a melancholic expression…
Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed like they were capturing the story of the music video.
“Oh! Oppa’s here.”
As if hearing Eun-ji’s mutter, photographer Jeon Myeong-hun’s sharp gaze shot towards me.
“Hurry up! We’re short on time!”
I rushed to the set at the photographer’s urging.
“Raise your arm.”
“Like this?”
I awkwardly posed and joined the photoshoot.
“Closer, closer! There’s no chemistry!”
“They’re siblings.”
As the photographer kept suggesting poses that seemed a bit too intimate, I started feeling uncomfortable.
The lighting director, also seemingly sensing something strange, whispered to him,
“Even if they’re siblings, look at each other more affectionately! Don’t glare at each other as if you’re about to fight!”
It seemed like he had misunderstood.
“What do you expect with faces like these?”
“Lee Eun-ji, I told you to watch your language.”
Then, Lee Eun-ji muttered quietly, her voice just loud enough for me to hear.
I couldn’t ignore it, so I gave her a light warning.
After that, Eun-ji seemed to be making an effort, biting her lip to suppress her frustration, even when she heard irritating comments.
“Stay like that! Relax! More, more! Relax!”
It seemed like we were relaxed…
But photographer Jeon Myeong-hun’s voice occasionally rose in volume, as if dissatisfied.
Although I was used to singing, I wasn’t used to photoshoots, so we probably took hundreds of shots.
‘If it were before the regression, I would have asked to check the photos…’
If there was something wrong, we needed to see it to know what to fix, but perhaps because we were rookies…
Photographer Jeon Myeong-hun didn’t give us any time to check, saying we were short on time.
“That’s it. Thank you.”
After the rushed photoshoot, Lee Eun-ji and I finally got to see the photos.
The initial shots were a mess.
“Oh, this one’s good.”
“Wow.”
“Ooh.”
The staff members who were watching the photos with us exclaimed in admiration.
Then, Director Go Tae-seo displayed the A-cut photographer Jeon Myeong-hun had chosen on the screen.
“That—”
“Ugh.”
Lee Eun-ji shuddered at the sight of the A-cut.
I also saw the A-cut and felt a headache coming on.
‘That’s from ‘that’ moment!’