Siblings Work in Business (52)
“Oh, there it is.”
“What kind of video is it?”
“It’s just a black screen?”
Before the busking started…
When Eun-ho suggested the Q&A through comments at Hongdae Playground…
CEO Park uploaded a one-minute video of a completely black screen to their O-Tube channel.
“Please leave comments on the newly uploaded video, asking us anything you’re curious about, requesting songs, or anything you want to say.”
Audience members unfamiliar with O-Tube looked around, wondering what channel it was.
Those who had seen the O-Tube announcement fiddled with their phones excitedly, preparing to leave comments.
“While you’re leaving comments, the next song…”
As Eun-ho spoke into the microphone, Eun-ji’s lips stretched into a wide smile.
A few days earlier…
At the NRY Entertainment dorm on the second floor…
“Lee Eun-ho!”
Bang!
Eun-ji threw open Eun-ho’s door, and Eun-ho dropped the pen he was holding in surprise.
“Ah, you scared me. Did you break the door?”
“I didn’t break it!”
Eun-ho was leaning back against the dresser, holding a notebook, seemingly in the middle of writing lyrics.
“So, why?”
“Why what?”
“…There must be a reason you came to my room.”
“Ah, right.”
As Eun-ho sighed and asked, Eun-ji added, seemingly realizing she should explain,
“On the day of our showcase, after the busking, we’re revealing ‘DUO,’ right?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s sing ‘Bang Bang’ then.”
“Bang Bang? Where in the setlist?”
“Second?”
Eun-ho’s expression hardened.
“You’re not talking about the ‘Bang Bang’ by Ariana Grande, Jessie J, and Nicki Minaj, are you?”
“That’s the one. You said we should start with ‘Last Day’ as an introduction.”
“…It’s not about the order. Hey, do you even know what the lyrics of ‘Bang Bang’ mean?”
“No? What do they mean?”
Eun-ji blinked her wide eyes, and Eun-ho’s sigh deepened.
I hadn’t paid much attention to lyrics before.
I used to sing songs without even knowing what they meant.
‘Jiky.’
The overseas artist who explained the meaning of ‘Co-Sign’ to me.
That was, until I met her.
When I went to karaoke with Jiky during her trip to Korea…
Jiky kept giggling after I finished singing “Bang Bang.”
When I finally understood the meaning of the title and lyrics, I was so embarrassed that I almost died.
“No. Let’s do something else.”
“Why?!”
“Go read the lyrics.”
As Eun-ho shook his head, remembering the incident with Jiky, Eun-ji protested.
Eun-ji grumbled, checked the lyrics, and then flinched.
Besides the incredibly high notes, the lyrics were incredibly sexual.
“I-If the lyrics are the problem, you can change them.”
Reluctant to give up, Eun-ji suggested revising the lyrics.
“Stop trying to sell me your ‘brother’ card, pumpkin. And I’m not like you, churning out lyrics like you churn out songs.”
“Still!”
“Still what? And if we use up all our energy in the beginning, how are we going to manage the rest of the performance?”
It was about the balance of the performance.
If we started too strong, we might lose momentum towards the end.
“We can’t use up all our energy in the beginning. The rest of the performance will be anticlimactic.”
“Wow, so you’re saying Lee Eun-ho can’t sing this song?”
I didn’t want to.
It was a song that required powerful vocals and was quite burdensome in many ways.
“I thought ‘the’ Lee Eun-ho would be able to belt it out effortlessly.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing, just that ‘the’ Lee Eun-ho can’t do it.”
Eun-ji made a face and pouted.
“Too bad. It can’t be helped if ‘the’ Lee Eun-ho ‘can’t’ do it.”
My eye twitched every time Eun-ji emphasized the word “can’t.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to choose a very wholesome and very slow song for our ‘Lee Eun-ho,’ who ‘can’t’ sing ‘Bang Bang.’”
“Look who’s talking.”
“What? It’s a fact.”
Eun-ji grinned and smirked.
“…Fine, damn it.”
I fell for her cheap provocation.
This was the result.
“The next song is ‘Bang Bang,’ by Ariana Grande, Jessie J, and Nicki Minaj.”
‘Interesting.’
After the first song, the reporter’s initially indifferent gaze changed.
He had seen countless rookies come and go in the entertainment industry.
But these siblings showed potential.
They seemed to be enjoying themselves despite their lack of stage experience.
As expected of CEO Park Chang-seok.
‘Not bad.’
The reporter’s first impression of Eun-ji, while listening to “Last Day,” was positive.
His expectations naturally extended to Eun-ho.
But perhaps high expectations lead to greater disappointment.
‘He’s good, but compared to the girl, he’s just ordinary.’
His skills were evident.
But his charm, or rather, the inherent difference in their talent, was a shame.
It would have been better if his voice was as captivating as his sister’s, and his visuals were already excellent.
The reporter clicked his tongue and took a picture.
The reporters weren’t interested in the O-Tube promotion.
They could always contact them later for questions.
“The next song is ‘Bang Bang,’ by Ariana Grande, Jessie J, and Nicki Minaj!”
The reporter looked up at the familiar intro of “Bang Bang.”
Jessie J, who participated in “Bang Bang,” was a famous pop singer known for her explosive vocals, ability to hit high notes in the mid-3rd octave, and stable live performances.
‘They’ll probably lower the key by two.’
Even women struggled with this song, let alone a man…
The reporter took out his notepad and jotted down a sentence for his article.
[Lee Eun-ji, deeply captivating. Lee Eun-ho, relatively lacking, but shows potential.]
Just then…
The reporter’s pen stopped at the end of the sentence.
She got a… hourglass
A clean, clear high note hit the reporter like a ton of bricks.
but I can… all the time
It was the original key.
And not a strained high note, but a relaxed one, as if he could go even higher.
The reporter, still stunned, looked up.
He looked at Eun-ho.
High notes didn’t automatically make a song good.
Being able to hit high notes didn’t necessarily mean being a good singer.
But it was an important skill in creating a good song.
It provided a sense of release, a cathartic feeling.
A gradual build-up to an explosive climax.
High notes were important in the pop market.
While some people didn’t like them, many valued the climactic high notes.
It seemed like Lee Eun-ho took Jessie J’s part…
And Lee Eun-ji, his younger sister, took Ariana Grande’s.
Lee Eun-ji, with her seductive, whispering voice, received the baton from Lee Eun-ho.
You’ve been… swing your bat
Lee Eun-ho, taking over the song again, showed off his skills, rivaling even the original singer, Jessie J.
See… be bad to you
You need a… blow your mind, yeah—
The vibrato that naturally blended with the falling notes and his crisp pronunciation…
The two combined created a sound that felt more like an instrument than a voice.
Bang bang!
Open the door!
The hook, sung by both of them, was as catchy as the title.
As the repetitive hook played twice, the audience started chanting “Bang Bang” along with them.
The reporter’s anticipation grew.
‘Who will sing Nicki Minaj’s rap part?’
His curiosity didn’t last long.
As Eun-ho continued the second hook with even more impressive skills…
Do you know what we’re talking about?
Lee Eun-ji’s voice blended in perfectly with the beginning of Nicki Minaj’s rap part, as if it had always been hers.
Lee Eun-ji, whispering with her naturally deep voice, her sharp eyes lowered, looked like a succubus, if such a creature existed.
The reporter shook his head, dispelling the dangerous thought.
‘So, the younger sister is taking Nicki Minaj’s rap part.’
Just as the reporter thought that…
It’s ‘E.G’ full throttle, It’s oh, oh
Surprisingly, it was Eun-ho who started.
The beginning was the same as the original.
Until the part where ‘Micki’ should have been, replaced by ‘E.G,’ short for E-UNG.
King E.G dominant, prominent
We’re Eun-ji and Eun-ho
We’ll make it ourselves
Instead of the original’s suggestive lyrics, Lee Eun-ho delivered a calm, charming rap with new lyrics.
Then, the bridge and the familiar hook returned, and the song ended with a cheerful brass sound.
—Woooow!!!
The reaction after “Bang Bang” was explosive.
The awkwardness after my first rap performance was something I had to deal with.
“Wow, Lee Eun-ho, you’re good at rapping!”
As I was holding my cold hands to my burning ears, Lee Eun-ji yelled teasingly,
“Everyone! Lee Eun-ho wrote these rap lyrics!”
“Lee Eun-ji, please shut… be quiet…”
I wanted to tell her to shut up, but I couldn’t curse into the microphone, so I toned it down.
I hadn’t learned how to write lyrics or rap.
I tried my best to study, but…
“Why! You did well.”
I was embarrassed.
Mortified.
“It’s my first time rapping and writing rap lyrics, haha. How was it, everyone?”
Lee Eun-ji, completely ignoring me, asked the excited audience.
Although it sounded like she was asking, “Wasn’t my brother great?”, judging by her grin, I knew she was teasing me.
Despite that, loud voices from the crowd were heard over the chatter.
—It was good!
I had been worried about the lyrics, and I even slurred some parts while trying to fit them into the rhythm during the performance.
Although I managed to cover up the mistakes, I couldn’t fool myself, which made me even more embarrassed.
—You did well! Really! It was awesome!
A few audience members with loud voices gave me their enthusiastic approval.
If it weren’t for them, I probably would have avoided rapping for the rest of my life.
I managed to calm my embarrassment and looked up.
“Thank you.”
As I bowed my head again, the audience responded with applause.
I felt a lump in my throat.
“It’s E―G! Hahaha!”
…Until Lee Eun-ji started imitating my rap part in an exaggerated way.