Siblings Work in Business (46)
“Higher, higher!”
“L-Like this?”
Mid-shoot…
Lee Eun-ji was trying to lift her leg higher, as requested by photographer Jeon Myeong-hun.
“Ouch!”
She stumbled slightly in her high heels, losing her balance.
She almost twisted her ankle.
Right before our debut…
“Be careful.”
“The photographer keeps telling me to lift it higher…”
I supported Lee Eun-ji’s back with one hand.
Perhaps thanks to the strict diet and training before our debut…
Eun-ji was much lighter than when I carried her drunk on my back before the regression.
But it was still too heavy to support with one hand.
I let go of the door I was holding onto with my other hand and pulled Lee Eun-ji’s arm.
‘What if she gets hurt? Is she trying to ruin our debut?’
I almost snapped at photographer Jeon Myeong-hun.
It was a close call.
I deliberately looked at Lee Eun-ji, trying to calm myself down.
Just then…
“Now! That’s it! Hold that pose!”
Photographer Jeon Myeong-hun suddenly became excited and started clicking the shutter rapidly.
The A-cut the director displayed on the screen seemed to be from that moment.
Jeon Myeong-hun seemed to have captured that split second.
‘Were we in that pose?’
I had no idea.
It was a pose I couldn’t bear to look at sober, as if I was about to hug Lee Eun-ji.
‘This is a bit much.’
Should I tell him I don’t like it?
I seriously considered it for a moment.
But I didn’t have the chance.
Photographer Jeon Myeong-hun, seemingly in a hurry, started packing his equipment as soon as the photoshoot ended, preparing to leave.
And Director Go Tae-seo, checking his watch, suddenly exclaimed,
“Alright, that’s enough looking! We don’t have time. Let’s get ready for the next scene!”
After photographer Jeon Myeong-hun left, the music video shoot resumed.
We had four more costume changes, and the dance team also had three different outfits prepared for the choreography scenes.
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“Thank you!”
By the time we realized the long shoot was over, it was already completely dark outside.
‘We started filming when the sun was bright…’
It had been a long day for everyone: the director, the staff, the Cloud team members, Lee Eun-ji, and even Hyun-woo.
Still, I was happy that it was finally over.
Just as I was getting into the car, excited to go home…
“Huh? Oppa, you’re sitting in the back?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Huh?”
“Can’t I sit here?”
“No, it’s just that you usually sit in the front.”
“Ah…”
Right.
Usually, no matter how tired I was, I sat in the front passenger seat to keep hyung company.
I had heard many complaints from our previous manager about long drives being tiring.
‘But today, I can’t even think about keeping him company…’
Honestly, I was completely drained, ready to fall asleep anywhere.
“Sorry, hyung.”
“Huh? No, it’s okay. Why are you apologizing? Get some rest.”
Hyung’s kind smile made me feel even more awkward as I got into the back seat.
And on the road home…
Our car passed countless streetlights, driving through the dark streets.
At first, I thought I would fall asleep right away, but surprisingly, I spent almost an hour staring out the window, wide awake.
‘I should have just sat in the front like usual.’
I was tired, but too many thoughts were racing through my mind, preventing me from falling asleep.
Lee Eun-ji also seemed half-asleep when she got in the car, but…
Now, she was looking out the window, as if she couldn’t sleep either, her back against the seat.
Then…
“Oppa, are you asleep?”
“No.”
“Don’t you feel a bit… disappointed?”
Eun-ji asked, looking at Eun-ho’s reflection in the window.
‘Disappointed…’
Was there… anything to be disappointed about?
There were a few NGs in the beginning, but that was just because I was nervous.
Besides, I did well for my first time.
And during the one-take scene, I even managed to film it successfully without a single mistake.
The director and the staff were all nice, so the atmosphere on set was pleasant.
Despite the tight schedule and the potential for stress.
The photoshoot was tough, but the results…
‘Were decent, at least.’
Everything was good.
Almost too good, to the point of being disconcerting.
But…
“I guess so.”
Why…
Did I feel a sense of disappointment even after doing well?
‘It’s like…’
I felt like I could have tried more.
I was disappointed about being pressed for time.
I felt like I could have done better, and I regretted not being able to fully utilize my experience.
At least, this was Eun-ji’s first time, but not mine.
“Oppa.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s do better next time. Come up with more ideas for the music video during the meetings…”
Next time.
Those were nice words to hear.
“Yeah, let’s do better next time.”
We finished our conversation and continued looking out the window.
I thought it was a dream
I wished it were a dream
Why don’t you answer beyond the door
I hummed “DUO,” the song that had been stuck in my head all day.
“Hmm, hmm…”
Then, Eun-ji quietly hummed along, adding a harmony.
A cold, windy attic room
Here, I look at the moon alone
Hyun-woo, who had been focusing on the road, checked the rearview mirror at the sudden singing.
Seeing Eun-ho and Eun-ji singing while looking out the window, Hyun-woo smiled.
Hoping for you to come—
Hoping for you to dream
Eun-ji continued the lyrics where Eun-ho’s fading voice left off.
Her voice was still quiet, but the smooth harmony was pleasant to listen to.
Hyun-woo wanted to applaud.
But he couldn’t take his hands off the steering wheel, so he just cheered them on silently.
Silence returned to the car after the song ended.
“Pfft.”
“Haha.”
The silence was both awkward and funny…
So Eun-ji and Eun-ho burst out laughing, breaking the tension.
“Myeong-hooni hooni.”
A man approached photographer Jeon Myeong-hun, one hand in his pocket, the other waving.
“What brings Team Leader Min down here?”
“I’m here on business, of course.”
CK E&M Studio and CK Music Life Magazine, both under the CK Group, were located on different floors of the same building.
So, Team Leader Min was Min Gi-ho, the person in charge of the ‘He is 1+1=1’ OST and the one who chose E-UNG.
“You were the one who filmed E-UNG, right?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you busy?”
“I am. Incredibly busy.”
Team Leader Min put his arm around Jeon Myeong-hun’s shoulder and asked playfully.
Jeon Myeong-hun frowned in response, as if there was a story behind it.
“Really? Then why did you go?”
“What could I do? The person in charge suddenly quit, and I was his supervisor, so I had to take over.”
“Oh, responsibility~ I’m seeing you in a new light, Jeon Myeong-hun.”
“That’s creepy. Stop with the weird act and get to the point, please.”
Team Leader Min, as if waiting for those words, grinned and spoke.
“Show me the photos you took of E-UNG today.”
“Out of the blue. Why are you suddenly interested in them?”
“I’m their fan.”
Huh?
Jeon Myeong-hun let out a surprised breath and shook his head.
“Don’t lie. Trainees who haven’t even debuted…”
“You still don’t read the project reports posted on the bulletin board, do you?”
“…No.”
As if he had expected that, Team Leader Min…
Took out his phone and played a video of Eun-ho and Eun-ji’s performance at Twenties Live Bar.
“What’s this?”
He held it up to Jeon Myeong-hun, as if telling him to listen carefully.
But the noisy video sounded like nothing but noise to someone unfamiliar with them.
As Jeon Myeong-hun showed no interest, Team Leader Min put his phone away and continued,
“It’s a performance of the song they worked on with our team. I’ll send you a better version later. Listen to it.”
“No, thanks. I’m not interested.”
At Jeon Myeong-hun’s firm rejection, Team Leader Min clicked his tongue and continued,
“Tsk. So, how was the atmosphere during the E-UNG shoot?”
“What atmosphere?”
“Just the atmosphere on set, you know.”
“What do you mean? Rookies are all the same. Oh.”
Then, Jeon Myeong-hun suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.
“What? What happened?”
“Well, um…”
Team Leader Min’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he pressed Jeon Myeong-hun for more information.
“Let’s go to my office and talk instead of standing here in the hallway.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Eager to hear the story, Team Leader Min practically pushed Jeon Myeong-hun towards his office and sat him down.
Jeon Myeong-hun, forced to sit, sighed and placed his hand on the mouse.
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much, since I heard they were trainees who hadn’t even debuted.”
“Yeah.”
“But they have great proportions.”
“Right, both Eun-ji and Eun-ho are taller than average.”
“I thought it would be good if they just relaxed, but I was too busy figuring out that they were siblings during the shoot.”
“You mean you didn’t bother to check beforehand?”
“Anyway…”
Normally, Team Leader Min would have added a sarcastic remark about focusing on work.
But he was unusually quiet, and Jeon Myeong-hun glanced at him curiously.
Team Leader Min seemed disinterested in Jeon Myeong-hun’s words, his gaze fixed on the mouse as he browsed through the files on the USB.
Jeon Myeong-hun sighed deeply and turned his gaze back to the monitor.
“I found out they were siblings during the shoot.”
“Really?”
“No wonder their poses together were so awkward. But there was one moment when they relaxed.”
“When?”
Among the slowly loading photos, Jeon Myeong-hun enlarged the A-cut photo Director Go Tae-seo had displayed earlier.
“This moment.”
“Oh…”
“Lee Eun-ji, was it? The younger sister was about to fall, and the angle was perfect.”
“Ooh…”
Team Leader Min examined the photo in admiration.
It was a close-up, but with a sense of distance, capturing their sibling relationship.
Eun-ji, about to fall, had grabbed Eun-ho.
And she happened to grab his collar, but he didn’t seem to mind.
Eun-ho’s gaze, directed at the camera, was intense, as if he was angry.
And in contrast, Eun-ji’s calm, melancholic expression…