Siblings Work in Business (53)
“Co-Sign,” requested by Joo-yeon.
I knew the song well, having participated in it.
But Lee Eun-ji, who didn’t even know the lyrics, needed some time.
“Um, about 5 minutes should be enough.”
“5 minutes is enough?”
“Yeah. I can listen to it once and follow the lyrics.”
“…Okay.”
Was this natural talent?
While Lee Eun-ji listened to “Co-Sign,” I used the break for a short Q&A session based on the comments.
The first question…
“Eun-ji and Eun-ho, your faces look very similar! You know that, right?”
I looked to the side.
Lee Eun-ji was listening to the song with earphones on.
“Hmm.”
“What are you looking at?”
Annoyed by my staring, Lee Eun-ji frowned and glared at me.
We look alike?
“I don’t want to admit it, but do we really look alike?”
—Yes!!!
I tried to deflect the question to the audience, hoping for an honest opinion, but all I got back were confident affirmations.
“What? How does this rockfish, I mean, Oppa, look anything like me?”
Eun-ji, also feeling wronged, took off her earphones, grabbed the microphone, and exclaimed.
—Your faces! Your aura! Your height!
Eun-ji’s face crumpled at the audience’s answers.
My expression was probably similar. We both found it ridiculous.
“Let’s be clear. I’m the original, and you’re the copy.”
“Are you a bowl of gukbap? Why are you claiming to be the ‘original’?”
—Hahaha.
Laughter erupted from the audience, even though we were seriously arguing.
Their comedic timing was still a mystery to me.
“As you can see, we don’t agree on looking alike, haha.”
Arguing wasn’t a good look for us on our debut day.
I tried to wrap things up and told Lee Eun-ji to continue what she was doing.
“I was listening while doing that.”
“Ah, right. Focus.”
Eun-ji grumbled but quickly complied.
5 minutes passed quickly as I read and answered comments.
“Done?”
“Yeah.”
After the short Q&A session, we had a brief meeting for the next song.
“Let’s go with a ballad feel, since we’re using the guitar.”
“Parts?”
“You start like usual, take it to the bridge, and then we’ll do the chorus together.”
“Give me a signal if you’re going to improvise. Don’t just jump in.”
“Okay.”
It was more of a “we know what we’re doing” kind of meeting than a proper one, but it was enough.
Normally, the song would start with the playful snare and the bass drum rhythm.
But today, the only instrument was Lee Eun-ji’s guitar.
Thump, thump.
Eun-ji created a beat by tapping on the empty guitar.
‘I should have learned keyboard…’
Listening to the simpler accompaniment compared to the original, I regretted not having an instrument I could play freely like Lee Eun-ji.
“Co-Sign” by Ji Ye-chan, which we listened to every day during dance practice.
Instead of the flashy saxophone sound that should have been there, Lee Eun-ji’s acoustic guitar started playing.
‘3, 2, 1.’
I silently counted down and held the microphone.
My feelings warn me, even before you arrive
A single flower on the table looks especially red today
Unlike the original, which was sung with more power, I softened my voice to match the acoustic guitar accompaniment.
It was for the R&B ballad feel Lee Eun-ji wanted.
I want to act nice from today, no
Not yet
We’re just like usual, yeah
Just like usual
Tick, tock.
In the original, there was a ticking clock sound and a gun cocking sound effect before the chorus.
‘How is she going to replicate that with the guitar?’
We had agreed to leave the performance entirely to Eun-ji.
That’s also why I let her choose the songs.
‘I could participate, but…’
Honestly, I wasn’t confident I could keep up with Lee Eun-ji’s improvisations.
In our team, Lee Eun-ji was in charge of both composing and arranging.
I was in charge of lyrics and occasionally gave my opinions.
And Lee Eun-ji’s working style often produced better results when she improvised.
‘Whenever she meticulously planned something, it felt too forced…’
Since I was her family and knew her working style better than anyone, I left it to her.
Click, click.
Just as I was wondering…
Eun-ji lightly strummed the strings, creating a muted sound, a different interpretation of the ‘tick, tock’ sound.
It was different from the tense atmosphere of the original, but it had a soft charm.
What sound? This is a sign
My last sign, a prayer for you not to leave me
Click, twang—
“Ugh.”
As she played the ‘tick, tock’ part again, an unexpected sound came out, as if she put too much force on the strings.
Eun-ji also seemed flustered by the strange sound, pausing for a moment.
tell me baby, the clock is loud
Don’t turn your head away, um, um
Fortunately, she was good at playing it cool and continued singing as if nothing happened.
Lee Eun-ji, who usually avoided using techniques, added vibrato, as if trying to cover up the mistake.
‘I’ll start the second verse.’
Eun-ji nodded, giving me a signal as our eyes met.
I responded by moving the microphone away from my mouth, as if saying, “Do as you please.”
I want to ignore it, I want to laugh and chat
But I can’t breathe, my feelings warn me, yes
That’s what you’re trying to say
(That’s what you’re trying to say)
I added my voice softly, and Eun-ji nodded, as if she had been expecting it.
Click, click.
This time, she played the muted sound perfectly without any mistakes, and her lips stretched into a proud grin.
What sound? (This is a sign)
My last sign (A prayer for you not to leave me)
The clock is loud (Don’t turn your head away)
As we exchanged lines in the chorus and transitioned into the bridge…
Eun-ji suddenly stopped playing.
Just tell me it’s a lie
We’re still the same, aren’t we?
I almost faltered, hearing only my voice coming from the speakers.
‘Ah, that’s why…’
Ah— ah-ah, ah. Um—
As I sang, raising my voice, I understood why Eun-ji stopped playing.
It was a device to emphasize this part, to make it more dramatic.
Time can’t be a cure right now
If it’s not you, it can’t be a cure
And as expected…
The moment the high note ended…
The ground collapses, the world shakes
Eun-ji started playing again, emphasizing the first note.
The paused part was emphasized, and the following part was just as impactful.
Tell me, baby
The clock is loud
Don’t turn your head away
Since I took the best part, I left the ending to Lee Eun-ji.
So there wouldn’t be any complaints later.
Tell me baby
Don’t leave, baby
Eun-ji, also seeming to want the ending, utilized her strengths, her deep voice resonating through the speakers.
Joo♥
(Emoticon of someone banging their head on the ground and crying)
Joo♥
(Emoticon with heart eyes, waving a light stick)
Joo♥
(Emoticon of someone collapsing and having a nosebleed)
In the bottom right corner of the screen…
Seul-gi, bewildered by the barrage of emoticons, opened the chat window.
[Joo♥ — Yay! Arrived!
— The photoshoot picture you mentioned is on the signboard!!!
(Emoticon of someone clenching their fist and crying)]
Seul-gi scrolled up, wondering if she missed something, but that wasn’t the case.
[Seul-gi — What’s up?]
[Joo♥ — Seul-gi]
[Seul-gi — Yeah?]
[Joo♥ — I can die happy now.]
[Seul-gi — ?]
[Joo♥ — (Video)]
Seul-gi tried to download the video on her laptop, but remembering her limited storage, she took out her phone instead.
She understood why Joo-yeon was acting like this as soon as she saw the video.
Co-Sign, or whatever it was.
It was the song she had been forced to listen to countless times.
The only difference…
Was that the unnie she liked was playing the guitar and singing it in a new style.
[Seul-gi — It’s good. You filmed this yourself?]
[Joo♥ — (Emoticon of someone clenching their fist and crying) Yeah ㅠㅠㅠ I love it ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Seul-gi — Are they still performing?]
[Joo♥ — They’re singing a different song now, but this one was amazing too ㅠㅠ]
[Seul-gi — I’m jealous you’re seeing it live ㅠㅠ You’re so lucky.]
[Joo♥ — You’re the lucky one! You got your article published in the February issue!]
[Seul-gi — Nah…]
— …I just wrote it based on the data, without even seeing them in person ㅠㅠ That’s not lucky ㅠㅠ]
[Joo♥ — Wait a]
…
Joo-yeon’s message stopped abruptly.
[Seul-gi — ?
— Joo, what are you doing?]
Seul-gi, waiting for a reply, called Joo-yeon.
[Joo♥ — (Photo)]
Instead of answering, Joo-yeon sent a picture of people in black hoodies rushing the stage where Eun-ho and Eun-ji were performing.
Joo-yeon didn’t reply for a while after sending the picture.
Lee Eun-ji and I sang a total of five songs to draw a crowd.
I started feeling the strain from “Bang Bang.”
I took a sip of water to soothe my throat, but there wasn’t even a half sip left in the bottle.
Noticing my empty bottle, Lee Eun-ji casually handed me hers.
“Here.”
“I don’t drink from other people’s bottles.”
“Too bad. Don’t drink it then.”
If I didn’t want it, that was a different story.
I quickly snatched the bottle before Eun-ji could take it back.
“You…”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
I had no intention of giving it back, but I asked anyway.
“Well, I’m the one who does all the high notes. Thanks to you, I don’t strain my voice much.”
I shouldn’t have asked.
I had a bad feeling about this.
Although I participated in “Last Day” and “Bang Bang”…
In the other songs, which we improvised, Lee Eun-ji conveniently avoided the high notes, leaving them all to me.
Knowing she did that on purpose made my gratitude for the water disappear.
“Hey! You’re drinking it all?!”
“That means I didn’t do any work. I deserve this much.”
“Wow, that’s so cheap.”
“You’re cheap.”
I emptied the water bottle Eun-ji gave me.
“Please step back a little.”
“One more step back, please!”
While I was bickering with Lee Eun-ji, the surroundings became busy.
Security guards, who had appeared at some point, were slowly widening the space between the stage and the audience, which had become cramped.
The stage was being prepared for the main event.
‘Now that I’ve had some water…’
Lee Eun-ji and I got up from our seats and moved to the front of the expanded space.
As if taking that as a cue, people in black hoodies, hidden among the audience, started gathering on stage.
There were eight of them.
“Our Eun siblings are good singers, aren’t they?”
“They always run away when I ask them to go to karaoke after practice.”
“Hahaha.”
The other six members laughed at Roa and Ena’s (whose real name was Oh Byeol) conversation.
The people in black hoodies were Cloud Dance Team.
Although it was a simple stage without spotlights, the audience’s eyes were filled with anticipation.
“Let’s do well.”
“Yeah.”
Thank you so much for the updates! I’m really enjoying the story.