Siblings Work in Business (87)
Eun-ho was cutting a small kimchi pancake in half with his chopsticks to share.
Although there were scissors on the table, he used his chopsticks.
His intention was to get the bigger piece for himself by cutting it roughly.
But Eun-ji seemed to have the same idea; the moment he cut the pancake and reached for the larger piece…
Eun-ji snatched it and popped it in her mouth.
Eun-ho glared at her, but he couldn’t yell because CEO Park was still talking.
‘You…’
‘Hehe, you should have been faster.’
‘You’ll regret this.’
‘You’ll be the one regretting.’
A silent war unfolded on the table.
The next targets were the donggeurangttaeng (Korean meatball patties) and pink sausages, but the donggeurangttaeng, made with real meat, were clearly the more desirable prize.
The moment Eun-ho put a donggeurangttaeng in his mouth…
Eun-ji smirked and quickly shoved two into her mouth.
“Of course, you two must be grateful for all the support I’ve given—”
“Hey, that’s not true!”
The timing was unfortunate.
“…I’ll be right back!”
“Ah…”
An awkward silence fell over the table.
Eun-ji, realizing her mistake, quickly excused herself.
She had already eaten four out of the five donggeurangttaeng.
Eun-ho stared at her retreating figure.
“I-I didn’t mean it like that, Eun-ji…”
He was about to explain to CEO Park that Eun-ji had eaten two donggeurangttaeng at once…
…But he couldn’t finish his sentence, feeling ridiculous.
“…Let’s eat.”
“…Okay.”
The kimchi jjigae was boiling over.
CEO Park lowered the heat and gave Eun-ho the largest piece of meat.
“Eat a lot.”
“…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Eun-ji, looking sheepish, returned to the table.
She got her revenge for the donggeurangttaeng incident and the awkward atmosphere by monopolizing the meat in the kimchi jjigae with CEO Park.
Although she was annoyed, she couldn’t complain, conscious of CEO Park’s presence.
Unlike the beginning, the meal ended quietly.
“It’s getting late, so go upstairs and rest.”
“Okay.”
“You should head back too, CEO.”
“Don’t go back to the studio after I leave.”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji just smiled, avoiding a verbal response.
“Get a good night’s sleep at home.”
“Yes!”
“Okay.”
Eun-ho and Eun-ji replied cheerfully, seemingly interpreting it as permission to record until bedtime.
CEO Park left the old building and headed to the new office building across the street.
Only after he was gone did Eun-ho and Eun-ji open the door to the first floor.
CEO Park knew these two wouldn’t listen.
He was a bit concerned, but it wasn’t a big deal.
‘At least they ate a proper meal.’
He knew them well.
He also knew they got sleepy after eating.
An hour later, Eun-ho and Eun-ji, their eyes drooping, stumbled out of the first-floor entrance.
As he predicted, they headed straight back to the second floor.
Ji Ye-chan opened the file with the lyrics, preparing for the upcoming recording session with E-UNG and Toxin.
‘Wise, huh…’
Ji Ye-chan muttered as he read the lyrics.
These kids were interesting.
‘It reminds me of our younger days…’
He was pleased with the results, a bit worried, but ultimately, he liked them.
He was curious to see how far these kids could go, using them as leverage.
“We’re here.”
“You’re here.”
“Yes, you made it.”
As he was checking the lyrics and the parts distribution…
Yeong-hee, followed by the three maknaes and Choi Tae-hyun, entered the studio.
“Oh, the hoobaes aren’t here yet?”
“No, they should be here soon after they finish recording. I called you guys an hour early.”
“Why?”
Joo Song-min, the mastermind behind the wish incident, asked.
“I have something to discuss with you.”
“What?”
“What is it?”
“This. The lyrics Eun-ho wrote. Hyun will sing the part Eun-ji chose, and Tae-hyun will sing the part I chose. I already sent you the guide tracks, did you listen to them?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah.”
Oh Hyun flinched as his name was mentioned.
“Why did you call us here then, hyung?”
Seo Seung-yeon asked.
If only Choi Tae-hyun and Oh Hyun were recording, there was no reason for them to be here.
“I’ll switch one of you with Song-min or Seung-yeon if Hyun’s not in good condition during recording. So, all three of you should familiarize yourselves with the lyrics.”
As the maknae line sat down, Ji Ye-chan placed the copied lyric sheets on the white marble table.
“As seniors, we can’t be outdone by rookies, can we?”
“But comparing us to rookies—”
“I’m not joking.”
Ji Ye-chan added, smiling, as Seo Seung-yeon spoke.
Choi Tae-hyun, who had been listening quietly, sat down on the marble table and asked Ye-chan,
“They’re that good?”
“During the ‘Co-Sign’ recording, and E-UNG’s debut song, ‘DUO,’ was it?”
“Yeah, ‘DUO.’”
“They recorded that here.”
“Were they good?”
“Very. They were on par with the maknae line back then, they must be even better now, right?”
Ji Ye-chan looked at Oh Hyun pointedly.
Oh Hyun had seen Eun-ho’s skills firsthand while hosting the ‘Co-Sign’ showcase.
Choi Tae-hyun nodded slowly at Ye-chan’s reply.
“It would be embarrassing to be compared to youngsters, especially now that we have some experience.”
Ji Ye-chan’s last provocation seemed to have triggered something.
The eyes of the three maknaes lit up.
Starting with Oh Hyun, Joo Song-min and Seo Seung-yeon reached for the lyric sheets on the table.
“These are well-written.”
The previously lighthearted atmosphere vanished, and Seo Seung-yeon said, scanning the lyrics with a sharp gaze.
“He said this when he gave them to me.”
“…”
“‘I wrote them easily.’”
“Impressive.”
Oh Hyun’s fist clenched under the table.
“Let’s do well this time, Hyun.”
Ji Ye-chan’s voice, perhaps due to anticipation, was brighter than usual.
At Senior Ji Ye-chan’s studio…
It was my fourth visit, so I felt more comfortable than the first time.
I was also excited about recording with the seniors.
“Hello, Senior!”
“Hey, E-UNG’s here?”
But the studio had a serious atmosphere.
I didn’t know why…
But Senior Ji Ye-chan’s bright greeting seemed to make the air even heavier.
“We look forward to working with you today!”
“Please take care of us!”
It wasn’t wise to acknowledge the tense atmosphere.
It was better to pretend I didn’t notice and try to avoid it.
At least, that’s what I had learned from experience.
‘Lee Eun-ho, isn’t the atmosphere a bit heavy?’
Lee Eun-ji, also seemingly sensing the unusual tension, nudged me and whispered.
I nodded and forced a smile.
The heavy atmosphere seemed to be coming from Oh Hyun, Joo Song-min, and Seo Seung-yeon.
The three of them were staring intently at the lyric sheets I brought.
It was a completely different atmosphere from the after-party.
But their professionalism was also admirable.
“Shall we start with our lyricist?”
“Uh, m-me? Yes!”
“Don’t be nervous, just relax.”
“Okay.”
I was so flustered by the senior’s sudden suggestion that I didn’t even register my own reply.
I found myself inside the recording booth, putting on the familiar headphones.
“Phew.”
I couldn’t make a mistake in front of my seniors.
I took a deep breath to focus, and then…
I heard the talkback button, and I looked up, thinking they had something else to say.
“Lee Eun-ho.”
“Uh! Yes, wh-why?”
It was Eun-ji, not the senior.
I was about to reply “Yes!” but my voice cracked.
Eun-ji, seemingly unfazed, went straight to the point.
“I’m next, so leave my part for me.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah.”
I took a sip of water, wetting my mouth.
♩♩♩♩
A slow cymbal sound signaled the start of the song, followed by a Wurlitzer piano.
It was the intro I had heard countless times while writing the lyrics.
I skipped the first part of verse A, which was Eun-ji and the senior’s part, deciding it was better to leave it entirely to Eun-ji.
The second part of verse A began, with a more elaborate 808 bassline added to the cymbal rhythm.
One, two.
As my part approached, I counted the beat and started singing at the right moment.
Three monkeys dancing above my head
Evening will soon greet me
I just mouthed the words rhythmically, since this was Eun-ji’s part.
Then, my turn.
Hear no evil, cover your ears if you hear their voices
See no evil, close your eyes if you see them
Speak no evil, cover your mouth lest you make a sound
I had written ‘Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil’ with Choi Tae-hyun in mind.
Perhaps that’s why…
It felt a bit… lacking when I sang it.
I had initially written these lyrics, thinking about the Toxin seniors.
I heard that their path after joining TaKa Entertainment wasn’t easy.
Although our starting points were different, some of their struggles resonated with me.
Toxin, the iconic group of the 2000s.
The hardships they faced during their pre-debut training period.
Criticism about their appearance due to their late debut.
The malicious comments comparing their age and skills to younger groups.
‘There must be countless other hardships I don’t know about.’
The seniors had forced smiles for over 10 years.
They endured and persevered to reach where they were now.
Three wise monkeys
The wise monkey reaches out its hand
And takes a hand it shouldn’t have taken
Who knows, maybe it will be okay
I hoped their decision back then, although uncertain, was the right one.
The title of this comforting song, for those who are hurting, were hurt, or have been hurt, was “Wise.”