Siblings Work in Business (76)
Hello, DUO
The day before meeting Eun-ho and Eun-ji…
CEO Park and Seul-gi were seriously discussing Eun-ji’s outfit for the next day.
“Eun-ji will definitely choose this, and then the two will fight endlessly…”
“Fighting over this…”
Seul-gi paused.
She had only been at NRY Entertainment for a few days.
But as a fan, she had watched all of their vlogs multiple times.
So she knew their personalities well.
“Let’s use this then.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t mention this outfit at first. Only show it to them if Eun-ji chooses the other one and Eun-ho objects.”
“Okay.”
“And when you talk about this outfit, make sure to say, ‘The CEO wants you to wear this.’”
“Yes!”
Seul-gi, curious about the last instruction, nodded.
And back to the present…
Eun-ho would have been rubbing his throbbing forehead if it weren’t for the makeup.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down, as if he would explode if he didn’t.
“Hey, that’s too much. Let’s wear the other outfit, please.”
“What’s wrong with this?!”
“No. Ha…”
The situation unfolded exactly as the CEO predicted.
‘The CEO knows them so well…’
Seul-gi was impressed.
Eun-ji’s outfit was a tight, short-sleeved crop top that revealed her midriff.
CEO Park knew why Eun-ji usually preferred loose-fitting clothes.
‘Normally, she would choose a different outfit, but…’
Lately, Eun-ji had gained confidence in her figure after working hard on her fitness.
So, he anticipated that she might choose a more revealing outfit this time.
And he was right.
Eun-ho sighed deeply and calmly explained to Eun-ji,
“Lee Eun-ji, who are you performing with?”
“You.”
“Right, me. So, you know our choreography, right?”
“Of course.”
“And you think this is okay?”
“Yeah!”
“…No. I’m not okay with this.”
“Why?! It’s pretty!”
Eun-ho, trying not to ruin his makeup, pressed his temples and took a deep breath.
Eun-ji, annoyed for a different reason, was fuming.
The same argument, as if talking to a wall, repeated.
Eun-ho finally exploded, and the two started bickering in earnest.
“Seriously, what’s the point of a pretty outfit when you look like a pumpkin?!”
“What?! Look who’s talking, you rockfish bastard?!”
“I wouldn’t be saying this if I wasn’t disgusted! You know I don’t usually act like this!”
“Then why are you being such a jerk today?!”
“Even if it’s just business, I hate touching your skin during the choreography! I can’t focus!”
“I hate touching you too!”
Seul-gi, who had anticipated this, was about to bring out the secret weapon she prepared with the CEO.
But their ‘real’ fight was more intense than she expected.
“Stop! Stop it, guys!”
“Why are you so insistent on wearing that belly-baring outfit?!”
“Because I want to wear it!!!”
“You can wear it next time, when the choreography doesn’t involve touching!”
“No! I’m wearing it today!”
Even Hyun-woo couldn’t stop them; it was pure chaos.
Then, Hyun-woo turned his attention to the outerwear Seul-gi was holding.
“Stylist.”
“Y-Yes…?”
Seul-gi, who had been watching their fight in a daze, looked up at Hyun-woo’s call.
“That’s the jacket that goes with Eun-ji’s outfit, right?”
“…Yes.”
Seul-gi looked down at the jacket and answered.
It was a faux fur jacket with a loose fit and a black spotted pattern on a white background.
“Can I give it to her?”
“Yes. P-Please.”
“Thank you.”
Hyun-woo took the jacket from Seul-gi.
He was momentarily surprised by the soft, almost real, texture of the faux fur.
Hyun-woo quietly unfolded the fur jacket between Eun-ho and Eun-ji, blocking their view of each other.
‘Be surprised.’
Hyun-woo flinched momentarily at their intense glares.
“Manager oppa?”
“…I apologize.”
Thankfully, their heated argument subsided as their line of sight was blocked.
Eun-ji seemed interested in the fur jacket Hyun-woo was holding.
Meanwhile, Eun-ho, seemingly having regained his senses, looked down, embarrassed by his earlier outburst.
“This goes with Eun-ji’s outfit.”
Ah.
「“When you talk about this outfit, make sure to say, ‘The CEO wants you to wear this.’”」
Seul-gi, remembering CEO Park’s instructions, said,
“…The CEO wants you to wear this.”
Seul-gi understood why he had given her that instruction as she saw their expressions.
Their eyes were filled with surprise and fear.
Eun-ho took the jacket from Hyun-woo and tossed it to Eun-ji.
“Wear it. No questions asked.”
“…Okay.”
Eun-ho’s words implied, ‘It’s the CEO’s order.’
Eun-ji, seemingly understanding the hidden meaning, nodded obediently, a stark contrast to her aggressive behavior moments ago.
‘CEO, how did you…’
It was as if they were perfectly trained.
Eun-ji, perhaps also liking the jacket itself, became docile as a lamb after putting it on.
“I apologize, Seul-gi.”
“It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry you had to see this on our first day working together…”
Eun-ho kept apologizing to Seul-gi throughout the makeup and wardrobe process.
[E-UNG – ‘DUO’ Special Dance Video ★VERY IMPORTANT★ (with cookie video)]
The CEO seemed to have prepared in advance; shortly after filming the video…
A dance video was uploaded to YouTube.
After the dance video ended…
Eun-ho, in a black shirt with a ribbon choker, and Eun-ji, in a tight, short-sleeved black crop top and a spotted fur jacket, appeared on screen, greeting the viewers.
—Hello!
—E-U.N.G!
—E.U.N.G!
Although their greeting was slightly out of sync, Eun-ho continued unfazed.
—I’m Lee Eun-ho of E-UNG.
—And I’m Lee Eun-ji!
The new staff members gathered in front of the screen cheered and waved their hands.
Although it wasn’t as enthusiastic as a concert, it was a decent amount of cheering for the video.
—Our CEO made a bold move today.
—He said he’ll gather all the scattered E-UNG fans in one place, ta-da!
A phone with the E-FAN app appeared on the screen.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji took turns introducing the app’s features.
From the daily check-in feature to mini-games, and the convenient serial number registration for future merchandise and albums.
They also promoted various services accessible with E.G. points.
—Let’s chat more on E-FAN from now on!
—We’re always waiting for your messages.
—We’re waiting!
The video ended with a brief greeting from Eun-ho and Eun-ji after introducing the E-FAN app.
Despite the slightly chaotic nature of the video, the response was explosive.
The scattered fan cafe members, and even the YouTube subscribers who didn’t know about the cafes…
The app downloads quickly surpassed 1,000.
Initially, most downloads came from YouTube viewers.
But as word spread through various fan cafes, many people downloaded the app after hearing about it.
Since there was no merchandise yet, the E-FAN app currently only had the daily check-in, mini-games, and a section with unreleased videos, including Eun-ji’s composing process, which wasn’t uploaded to YouTube.
The most active section was the ‘free board.’
Mid-February, after their debut, nearing March…
In the waiting room of MJC’s ‘Show! Music Core’…
“Wow, Lee Eun-ji, did you see this?”
“What, the free board again?”
“Yeah, it’s fun. Anyway, did you know your nickname among fans is Ji-ji?”
Eun-ho, sitting in front of the mirror, looking at his phone, nudged Lee Eun-ji, who was sprawled out on another chair.
“Ah, is Ji-ji the nickname they used when we first met, unnie?”
“Yeah. But do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because your room is a ‘ji-ji’ (mess).”
Eun-ji’s expression hardened.
“Don’t lie!”
“Give it to me! Haha.”
Eun-ji snatched Eun-ho’s phone and checked the post he was reading.
“It’s true.”
“Why would I lie about that?”
“You lie about useless things all the time.”
“That’s true.”
Eun-ho quickly took his phone back.
“Then what’s yours?”
“I’m Rangi.”
“Why Rangi?”
“Because of the CEO’s ‘tiger’ obsession.”
“Ah, because you hated it?”
“Yeah.”
“What? I hated the ‘Tiger’ series too! I want to be Rangi! Why am I Ji-ji?!”
“Well, even if you hate tigers, it’s still better than Ji-ji.”
As Eun-ho chuckled, Eun-ji slumped back in her chair, defeated.
Eun-ho, looking at her, clapped his hands and exclaimed in a dramatic voice, as if he had just remembered something,
“Ah! That’s right.”
“What now?”
Eun-ji frowned and glared at Eun-ho, annoyed.
“The number of times the CEO’s cat appears in the O-Tube videos is an indicator of how messy your room is.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“You should clean your room.”
“Ugh, seriously. That’s so annoying.”
Although still annoyed, Eun-ji couldn’t help but laugh, dumbfounded.
Eun-ji spent the first day glued to the app, fascinated.
But perhaps because she wasn’t a frequent social media user…
After a few days, she only checked it occasionally.
Meanwhile…
Eun-ho, who had only occasionally seen comments on YouTube and hadn’t even created a social media account this time because of the malicious comments before the regression…
Was enjoying the positive attention, a new world for him.
Perhaps because of the fans’ support, Eun-ho’s recent lyrics had a brighter tone.
At the same time, his fear of this happiness disappearing was also reflected in his lyrics.
—The next stage is!
Eun-ho turned his head towards the door at the announcement from the TV, which was on for monitoring.
The MC introduced an unfamiliar group.
Time seemed to have passed quickly while we were chatting.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, seemingly sensing it was almost time, finished their touch-ups and prepared to leave the waiting room.
Although the screen was showing another group, it was also a signal for E-UNG to get ready.
“E-UNG! Please get ready!”
“Okay, we’ll be right there.”
And as expected…
A staff member entered the waiting room and called out to us.
Eun-ho replied readily and left the waiting room with Eun-ji.
Through the in-ear monitors, we could clearly hear the voices of the seniors performing on stage.
Time had flown by since our debut.
We had performed “DUO” on various music shows and attended numerous events.
And today…
Was the last scheduled public broadcast for “DUO.”