Siblings Work in Business (65)
“Can you sing them for me?”
My face hardened.
“Here?”
“Yeah.”
“For you?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t want to.”
As I answered firmly, Eun-ji, seemingly sensing my mood, tried to persuade me.
“Dishes.”
I just raised my middle finger in response.
Eun-ji gritted her teeth, then thought for a moment and raised two fingers, adding to her offer.
“Cleaning.”
Clean your own room first.
I shook my head, looking at hyung’s back, who was focused on driving and talking on the phone.
“Can’t you just sing one song?”
“No.”
“You’re so stubborn. It would be good for you too, Lee Eun-ho, not just me, if it helps with my composing!”
She wasn’t wrong, but I still didn’t want to do it.
Mainly because it was Lee Eun-ji.
“Then just one verse!”
One verse…
That was better than a whole song.
“Dishes, cleaning, and one verse?”
Eun-ji, after a moment of hesitation, finally gave in and made an OK sign, seemingly too curious to refuse.
‘One verse…’
What song should I sing?
As I pondered, looking at Lee Eun-ji’s blank expression, a song came to mind.
Before I regressed, Lee Eun-ji’s straightforward personality was a hot topic.
Her unpolished character made her a gem in variety shows.
However, that same unpolished nature also made her many enemies.
Around that time…
A singer named Aeseul released a new song with lyrics dissing Lee Eun-ji.
Wandering waste, let unnie teach you
The glass shows you, wow, you forgot your worth!
Look what you’ve done!
You’re a weed, I’m the weed killer prepared for you
I’ll burn you to the roots, I’m a fortune teller
Lee Eun-ji hated making a big deal out of small things.
So, naturally, I thought she would just let it go this time as well.
It was the same when I dealt with malicious commenters for her.
Lee Eun-ji kept her distance, saying I was being excessive, even though I handled it fairly.
So, I assumed she would just let it go.
And I was proven wrong exactly four days later.
Four days later…
Eun-ji released a surprise song on her O-Tube channel.
Perhaps because the challenge came in the form of a song…
“RED CARD,” one of Lee Eun-ji’s hit songs and a response to Aeseul.
It was one of my top 5 favorite songs by Lee Eun-ji.
It wasn’t just me who liked the song; “RED CARD” was covered countless times on O-Tube and remained popular for a long time.
As a result…
Eun-ji even won an award at the year-end awards ceremony.
「“I was able to receive this award entirely thanks to Aeseul. Thank you for throwing such good bait.”」
Lee Eun-ji gave a bold acceptance speech, targeting Aeseul.
The result of the honest song, “RED CARD.”
The honest lyrics and the positive outcome greatly influenced Eun-ji’s future songwriting direction.
‘Although she hasn’t experienced that yet…’
I wondered if this could also be a source of inspiration for Lee Eun-ji and help our E-UNG.
Remembering the rough trap beat and the nostalgic melody, I sang “RED CARD” for the first time in a while.
This should be enough, so here’s a gift
Take two, yellow card
I’ll do what I have to do
Just take my gift
OUT, OUT, a red card signaling the end
“RED CARD” had a completely different vibe from the song Lee Eun-ji was currently working on.
Back then, Lee Eun-ji struggled and learned on her own.
So, it was a song that strongly expressed herself, created in a fit of anger.
Is this how you want to communicate?
Baby, look what I did
You look great
That twisted smirk, so smug
My twisted heart doesn’t want your cheap understanding
Lee Eun-ji was looking at me with even brighter eyes than before.
I hated to admit it, but I was weak against that gaze.
It was a habit.
This should be enough, so here’s a gift
There are no more gifts to give now
OUT, OUT
A red card signaling the end
When the red siren rings, this is where we end
I won’t even see you off
Goodbye, baby
When we were young, playing concert…
When I auditioned with Lee Eun-ji’s songs…
When I felt embarrassed or discouraged and wanted to quit singing…
My only audience was Lee Eun-ji.
Lee Eun-ji always looked at me with that gaze, as if fascinated, whenever I sang, and I always sang for this one audience member.
So, before I knew it, I had sung the entire song, even though I was only supposed to sing one verse—although I started from the second verse.
“Amazing… goosebumps.”
“Since you sang the whole song, you have to do the dishes four times, not two.”
Lee Eun-ji’s impressed expression instantly turned sour.
“Wow, Lee Eun-ho, you’re so good at killing the mood.”
“Kill… if you don’t watch your language, I’ll tell the CEO.”
“Go ahead! Why four times? We agreed on two.”
“You heard me.”
“Heard what?”
Lee Eun-ji asked, tilting her head.
“You said one verse, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I sang the entire second verse. Understand?”
“You crazy bitch, you sang it!”
“Then you should have covered your ears.”
“Excuse me?”
Lee Eun-ji chuckled in disbelief, staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.
I deliberately turned my head and looked out the window, avoiding her gaze.
Just as I thought she might throw something at me, I asked preemptively,
“So, what gave you goosebumps?”
“…”
Simple-minded little sister.
Forgetting her anger, Lee Eun-ji fell into thought.
“The melody of the song you sang… it has a very similar part to a song I was working on but gave up on.”
A similar part…?
“I didn’t tell you, but it was surprising that you sang that, and I was also surprised that I could make that kind of song too.”
Besides songs like “RED CARD,” Lee Eun-ji’s musical range was like a sponge.
She absorbed everything when learning, and when working, she kept only what she needed and discarded the rest.
And if she needed it again, she would reabsorb what she had discarded.
Eventually, she made everything her own.
But that wasn’t what bothered me right now.
“That song you gave up on before, why did you give up?”
“Huh?”
I was suspicious.
Lee Eun-ji’s evasive behavior, as if avoiding my gaze, deepened my suspicion.
“What is it? Tell me.”
“Well…”
Lee Eun-ji hesitated for a long time, then cautiously spoke, as if it was related to me.
“It seemed like… a difficult song to write lyrics for…”
“What?”
Eun-ho’s face contorted in anger.
But it didn’t last long.
“Why do you even care?”
Eun-ho quickly regained his composure, his expression returning to its usual calm and languid state.
Only then did he ask Eun-ji,
“Well, you could still write them.”
“Hey, Lee Eun-ji.”
Eun-ji tried to brush it off as a joke, but Eun-ho’s voice was cold.
His gaze was also chillingly cold.
“Composing and arranging are your domain.”
“Yeah, that’s true…”
“I’m not a genius like you.”
“I’m not a genius ei—”
“Just listen.”
“…Yes.”
Eun-ho took a deep breath and continued calmly,
“If you leave the lyrics to me, it’s my domain. I’m the one who decides whether it’s possible or not.”
“…”
“Don’t just give up and stop working on a song because you think the lyrics are difficult, unless the song itself is shit.”
It was an invasion of territory.
It might seem like a childish fight to others, but I was angry because I was the one responsible.
‘Who are you to decide my limits and make me give up?’
Eun-ji, seemingly admitting her mistake, lowered her head.
“Sorry.”
At her timid apology, Eun-ho sighed nonchalantly.
“Just remember that. It’s not too late to decide after you at least let me hear it. Don’t do that again.”
“Okay.”
The situation was resolved, for now.
“Yes, then I’ll see you later. Yes, yes.”
Meanwhile, Hyun-woo, who had been preoccupied with a phone call with the broadcast staff, tilted his head, noticing the tense atmosphere between Eun-ho and Eun-ji.
At first, he thought they were bickering about a new song, since he was focused on his call.
It was a strangely empty conversation, lacking any substantial content.
But then…
‘Is it the new song they’re working on?’
Eun-ho sang an unfamiliar song.
Although the lyrics were difficult to relate to, the melody was incredibly captivating.
It sounded like R&B, but also rap/hip-hop…
It was a ‘delicious’ song, even to Hyun-woo, who wasn’t musically inclined.
The interspersed singing rap added flavor to the song, like seasoning.
It was light, yet detailed and well-made.
‘It’s a fun song. I hope it’s released as a single.’
By the time Eun-ho finished singing, Hyun-woo’s curiosity had evaporated, replaced by the thought, ‘I want to hear it again.’
He felt particularly drawn to it because it was Eun-ho and Eun-ji’s song.
They often discarded songs midway, so even good songs sometimes didn’t see the light of day.
“Why do you even care?”
“Well, I, I could still write them.”
“Hey, Lee Eun-ji.”
Hyun-woo’s thoughts about the song quickly vanished at the ensuing argument between Eun-ho and Eun-ji.
The atmosphere was colder than usual, lacking their usual playful banter.
Hyun-woo, wondering if he should intervene, kept checking on them through the rearview mirror.
It was because of CEO Park’s words, telling him to let the two resolve their issues themselves unless it was a physical fight.
「“If they never fought, it would be a problem, but since they fight often, they know how to make up, so leave them be unless they’re in front of the camera.”」
The atmosphere, instead of calming down, was becoming more tense.
This seemed different from their usual playful bickering, should he be worried…?
Hyun-woo felt uneasy, unable to easily intervene.
“Sorry.”
“Just remember that. It’s not too late to decide after you at least let me hear it. Don’t do that again.”
“Okay.”
Fortunately, CEO Park’s assessment of the two was correct.
As if sensing Hyun-woo’s worry, the two quickly made up, just as the CEO predicted.
Although things were a bit awkward between Eun-ho and Eun-ji, by the time they arrived at the shop, they were back to their usual selves.
‘At least they’ll be quiet today, since they already fought once…’