Siblings Work in Business (93)
After our emotional moment, the tteokbokki had simmered down, the sauce slightly too thick.
But thanks to the MSG, it tasted amazing.
While we were eating, the chat was active, and for some reason…
…it felt like a pleasant, bustling background noise.
Like having a meal with family in a warm, cheerful atmosphere.
Eun-ji, focused on her food, was unusually quiet.
Her eyes were gleaming as she stuffed her mouth with fish cakes, too busy eating to talk.
While Eun-ji was busy with the fish cakes, Eun-ho, who wasn’t as obsessed with food, answered questions from the chat.
[Ji-ji unnie, do you have a boyfriend?]
“Eun-ji having a boyfriend? You’re asking because you think she might have one, right?”
Then…
Eun-ji, as if she had something to say, chewed rapidly and swallowed before speaking.
“I don’t have a boyfriend! Anyone want to take me?”
Normally, a comment like that would be met with a flurry of “Me!” responses, but the chat was just filled with “lol or hehe”.
“Haha. Look at the chat, so quiet.”
The E-Percenters were a mischievous bunch.
And it felt like we were closer to them because of their teasing, rather than just constant praise and “I love you” messages.
[Rangi, do you have a girlfriend? Or have you ever had one?]
“Nah, I’m a bad boy, I don’t do relationships.”
“…What a load of bullshit.”
Eun-ji muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Eun-ho to hear.
Eun-ho smiled and turned to her.
“Watch your language.”
“You’re the one who shouldn’t be talking nonsense. ‘I’m a bad boy, I don’t do welationships,’ pfft.”
Eun-ji’s exaggerated imitation of my voice made me embarrassed.
I don’t think I sounded that bad…
“…Sorry.”
As I apologized, pushing her head away, the chat exploded again.
‘Pfft, Lee Eun-ho, a bad boy? Seriously?’
I chuckled inwardly, but Eun-ji was also curious.
‘He did say he had a girlfriend before the regression…’
And she was a celebrity!
I wasn’t interested in my brother’s love life, but since she was a celebrity…
‘I am curious who she is. Was it around 2018…?’
Was that why he called himself a bad boy, because of what happened with his girlfriend?
But we were on camera.
‘He’s not going to tell me, is he?’
Eun-ji, thinking, ‘I’ll ask him after the broadcast,’ continued picking out fish cakes.
Smack!
“Ow!”
Just as she was busy eating…
Eun-ji turned to Eun-ho, startled by the stinging pain on her back.
“Why?!”
“I told you to eat the rice cakes, cabbage, and green onions too.”
“I am going to eat them!”
“Eat them with the fish cakes! Look at your plate. It’s overflowing with mangled fish cakes!”
“I’ll eat what I want! Just…”
“You should at least eat a balanced meal on camera. If you’re picky even here—”
“Agh! I’ll eat whatever I want!”
Despite our noisy bickering, the chat seemed to be enjoying it.
[LOL]
[Lol like a mom]
[Rangi is like Ji-ji’s mom lol]
[LOL]
I didn’t understand… but it seemed like a positive reaction.
After our meal, seasoned with bickering, we were discussing what to do next.
[I’m diligently collecting EG Points, when are we getting merch?]
[Right?]
[We even have a fandom name now!]
[Give us merch!]
[Merch, merch, merch!]
I should ask the CEO about merch.
Just then, the CEO, who seemed to be watching the chat, made a large ‘O’ sign with his arms.
I turned to the camera and asked,
“What kind of merchandise do you want, E-Percenters?”
Echo bags, slogans, mugs, photocards, posters, mood lights, cushions, phone cases, tumblers, transportation cards, key rings, logo bracelets, necklaces, earrings, standees, umbrellas, bags, hoodies, t-shirts, stickers, air fresheners, figurines, calendars, albums, light sticks…
The chat was flooded with suggestions, despite the speed limit.
The CEO’s eyes sparkled as he checked each item.
Perhaps because albums and light sticks were mentioned last…
[Oh, a light stick would be nice!]
[Light stick!]
[Light stick!]
The fans seemed particularly excited about a light stick.
“A light stick… we could design it ourselves—”
It was a casual suggestion, but the staff seemed to take it as a cue and started bustling around.
I craned my neck, wondering what they were bringing, and…
‘How many iPads does the company even have?’
A moment later, iPads were placed in front of Eun-ji and me, with a drawing program open.
“You want us to draw…?”
A staff member nodded enthusiastically, as if saying, “Yes!”
The CEO also seemed on board; it looked like he was determined to finalize the light stick design along with the fandom name.
The chat was excited.
“What should I draw…”
Unlike me, who was still thinking, Eun-ji started drawing right away.
I looked at her drawing…
“Wow, that’s terrible.”
It seemed to be a light stick with the E-UNG logo encased in an octagonal glass panel.
“Done!”
“Seriously?”
That’s it?
I couldn’t voice my thoughts on camera.
A staff member displayed Eun-ji’s drawing on camera and announced it to the chat.
[Design #1…]
I’m not going to do that.
‘E-UNG… E-UNG…’
After thinking for a while, I started drawing.
Unlike Eun-ji, I drew a stick with our logo inside the Korean letter ‘ㅇ.’
[What is he drawing?]
[A circle?]
I was coloring it light blue to give it a glassy feel when…
“Oh, this would look pretty if it glowed.”
“Glow?”
“Give it to me.”
Eun-ji took my iPad and added something, saying, “Make this part glow!”
And my light stick design #2 was revealed to the fans.
[Design #2]
Since it was better than Eun-ji’s design #1, the staff member announced it without the awkward comments.
[Ah, it’s E-UNG!]
[ㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇ]
[That’s their main characteristic lol]
[It’s cute!]
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, oblivious to the chat, were now engrossed in designing light stick #3.
“Instead of the logo, how about using the symbol from the E-FAN app?”
“Ah, yeah, yeah. I know what you mean.”
Eun-ji nodded.
“Let’s put that here. And since it would be a shame not to have the logo, let’s put it on the button…”
“Oh, I like it!”
“Redraw the arrow in red.”
“Why?”
“The white arrow isn’t visible against the white glow effect.”
As Eun-ji just tilted her head, Eun-ho took the iPad and fixed it himself.
“Lee Eun-ho, Lee Eun-ho.”
“What.”
“How about making the E-UNG letters mirrored? On both sides!”
“Mirrored? Why?”
“So the light reflects and it’s more visible!”
Following Eun-ji’s suggestion, Eun-ho wrote the letters and then drew a red arrow.
[They’re like kids drawing together lol]
[Lol so cute lol]
[Rangi just gives it to Ji-ji when she takes it lol]
After a while, they came up with design #3, similar to #2 but with more details.
[Design #3]
As we showed it to the fans, suggestions poured in.
Then, a message from the CEO silenced the chat.
[This is CEO Park Chang-seok of NRY.]
[Waaaaah!]
[Ooh!]
[It’s CEO-nim!]
[We’ll have actual light sticks based on E-UNG’s designs]
[No way?]
[Seriously?]
[OMG!]
[…made and revealed to E% during the live broadcast with Toxin in a few days!]
[Waaaaah!!!]
[Amazing!]
[The voting will take place then, so during the live broadcast with E-UNG and Toxin,]
[I, Park Chang-seok, ask all E% to participate in the voting.]
[Yes!!!]
[Yes]
[Okay]
[Yes]
[This has been CEO Park Chang-seok of NRY.]
The chat was ecstatic.
“Are you seriously making these? For real?”
“Of course.”
CEO Park made an OK sign with his fingers and winked.
Ignoring his cringe-worthy wink, Eun-ho and Eun-ji also seemed excited.
Seeing their drawings come to life was exciting for them too, not just for the fans.
After the light stick design preview…
We had already been live for four hours.
Although still enjoying themselves, Eun-ho and Eun-ji were starting to look tired.
CEO Park, sensing it was time to wrap up, signaled us to end the broadcast.
“So, any last song requests?”
[DUO!]
[Last Day!]
[Last Day!]
[Last!]
“‘Last Day’ seems more popular, so we’ll end with ‘Last Day.’”
Just as I was starting to feel sentimental…
[Is it ending? ㅠㅠ]
[ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I don’t want it to end.]
Sad messages started appearing.
But this wasn’t the end.
“It’s a shame, but we’ll meet again soon, so please come back.”
“Right. Wait, no. We should call them ‘our E-Percenters’ now.”
“You’re right. See you again, E-Percenters.”
Heartfelt farewell messages flooded the chat.
Eun-ji received a guitar from a staff member, and Eun-ho, cherishing each message, couldn’t take his eyes off the screen.
The sound of a guitar changing chords…
The Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
Your approaching steps take my breath away
Eun-ji started singing, playing the guitar, and Eun-ho joined in, harmonizing.
[)) ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[((]
[))]
[((]
The chat was filled with crying emoticons and wave-like symbols, as if waving their arms.
Don’t hurt me
If you care, don’t move
“Haha.”
Eun-ji, about to tear up, burst out laughing.
Remember that day
The Last Day we first whispered our love
Eun-ho also chuckled, then continued singing, a smile playing on his lips.
The Last Day we shouted, claiming each other
(That Last Day we shouted, claiming each other)
That Last Day
(That Last Day)
Eun-ji, wanting to give her best, even added ad-libs, which she rarely did.
After the last guitar strum, Eun-ho and Eun-ji slowly opened their eyes.
And looking at the chat filled with crying emoticons, they said,
“E-Percenters, see you again during the ‘Wise’ broadcast.”
“Goodbye.”
The screen turned black.
The last message in the chat was, “ㅠㅠㅠ I’ll definitely be there ㅠㅠ”