Chapter 57

### Chapter 57: I Became the Older Brother of a Top Star

1st Place

“······.”

Is this a dream?

I pinched my cheeks several times and refreshed the page to check, but our song with Yuna was still firmly at the top of the list, as if it had been nailed there.

“No way-!!”

I finally snapped out of it thanks to Yuna's voice.

“Bro! We're number one! Number one!!”

Her fists, which kept hitting me in quick succession, helped me regain my senses even more.

“Wow. To be number one with our debut album. You guys are really something. You're really something.”

After the recording ended, I came to the studio in a daze.

There, the PDs were waiting for us.

“To be honest, I thought you would eventually reach number one, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.”

“Everyone was ignoring music shows because of the low ratings, but it seems they still have some power. The rankings changed immediately after the live broadcast.”

“But as you saw on the broadcast, the song and the performance were really good. The camera directors seemed to have put a lot of effort into it.”

The impact of the broadcast was significant, as our ranking shot up immediately after our performance ended.

“Hey, look. Yoonseong and Yuna are number one on other music sites too.”

“Yeah. At this rate, we might really achieve a clean sweep.”

“Where are we not number one right now?”

The PDs were more enthusiastic than we were, checking the rankings on various music sites.

We first topped the charts on the largest music site in Korea, and now we were gradually taking the top spot on each site.

“Yoonseong, Yuna!”

At that moment, the door burst open, and Father came in.

He had taken us to the recording and then left for company business, so he only found out about our number one ranking later.

“You beautiful kids!! Let me give you a hug.”

Father quickly came over and hugged both Yuna and me at the same time.

“Yeah. I believed in you. Of course! Who are you, after all? Haha!”

The PDs looked at us with satisfaction and said,

“Congratulations, sir.”

“Yoonseong and Yuna really made a big contribution. Congratulations.”

“Ah, thank you. Your help was also significant. Even though it wasn't your own project, you treated it as if it were.”

“Ah, we just did it because we wanted to.”

“Yes. Just hearing the two of you sing here is a great healing experience.”

“Sometimes I feel like we should be paying you. Haha.”

Father, who hadn't even had a drink, was already blushing.

“I'm going to treat you all today. Is everyone free?”

“Wow, really?”

“Of course. If not today, when will we spend money?”

Father hugged us again and then left the studio, saying,

“Congratulations again, my son and daughter. I've been smiling a lot lately because of you. I'll come back after I finish my work. Let's all go out with the staff then.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Dad, see you later~”

After Father left, the PDs were still excited and checked the real-time reactions of the audience.

“There are a lot of comments saying today's music show was great.”

“Yeah. I checked the community, and it's all about Yoonseong and Yuna.”

“Look at this. A post titled 'Real-Time Selfish Gene Siblings' just came up?”

One of the PDs showed us a community post with a photo of Yuna and me performing on stage.

The TV screen was a mess, but the two of us still looked radiant, and the post described us as having "selfish genes."

“Both men and women seem to really like you.”

“Well, men like Yuna, and women like Yoonseong, right?”

“That's true. And regardless of gender, the two of you together are just so cute and beautiful. It's impossible not to smile.”

The PDs were even more enthusiastic.

“Yoonseong. Let's start preparing for the next album soon.”

“Yeah. We need to row hard when the tide is in. Since we got number one with our debut album, we should release the next one and get number one again.”

Do we really need to think about the next album already?

Because we hit number one with our debut album, the expectations are high, and I feel a bit of pressure.

“Wow. Bro. Are we already making our second album?”

“Huh?”

“I'm so excited. Since you're making it, it will probably be amazing, right?”

Yuna's aura, filled with high expectations, was blossoming.

* * *

JH Advertising Agency was working day and night on an ad for a school uniform brand they had taken on.

School uniform brands are limited and often monopolized, with almost no new brands emerging, thanks to the dominance of the brand 'Elliot.'

However, a company called 'Range' was challenging Elliot, though it was still relatively small and had only been established recently.

“They want us to create an ad that can surpass Elliot... Is this a joke?”

“Well, they might say that, but they probably don't really think they can surpass Elliot, right?”

“From the meeting I had with them, their CEO seems to have a strong will.”

It's like David challenging Goliath.

The CEO of Range had that exact spirit.

“I heard that if the ad couldn't surpass Elliot, they wouldn't even make it, so many advertising agencies avoided this brand.”

“What? Damn. We really picked the wrong one.”

While advertising is a crucial marketing tool, it's almost impossible to elevate a new brand to the level of a large, established one.

“Shouldn't we just give up? We might just end up making a great ad and getting criticized...”

“We should still try. We can't afford to be picky right now. Plus, they said they would provide strong financial support.”

“Yes. They said they would do their best to support us and asked us to create a proper ad. Of course, they added that it should be one that can surpass Elliot.”

It's not surprising.

Such requests are common in design and advertising.

Some clients even make truly bizarre requests.

Their job is to create ads while appropriately meeting these demands.

At least this client said they would provide financial support without interfering too much, so they could be considered decent.

Even so,

“Surpassing Elliot seems impossible.”

Team Leader Hwang Hojin muttered this and absentmindedly looked at his phone.

Sometimes, staring at the internet can spark inspiration.

He noticed an article.

“Daily Siblings?”

“Oh, you know them.”

Then, the subordinate who was nearby spoke up as if waiting for the question.

“They became incredibly famous on NewTube and even achieved a clean sweep with their debut album.”

“Oh, those busking siblings, right?”

“Yes, that's right.”

“They even released an album.”

Since I haven't been interested in idols or popular singers since my military service, I'm quite behind on such news.

“But their faces. Don't they seem too unrealistic?”

“Yeah, it's almost unfair.”

“Right?”

“Yes. Did you hear? The clothes they wore on their debut stage sold out completely. Even the expensive brands sold out. Plus, the rose guitar Yoonseong played is so popular that you have to wait until next year to get one.”

“Oh, really? That much?”

“Yes. And this is just after their debut stage. Imagine what will happen in the future.”

“Indeed, with that visual, even if they wear sackcloth, people will still buy it...”

Suddenly, Team Leader Hwang Hojin had a flash of inspiration.

“Kim, don't you think this could work?”

“Huh?”

“You just said that all the clothes they wore sold out.”

“Yes, I did.”

“They're still students, right? So what do students wear?”

“School uniforms... Ah!”

“Exactly. That's it!”

It seemed no further words were needed.

They exchanged a look and decided on their tasks.

“I'll call this agency right away.”

“Okay. I'll get confirmation from the top first.”

The ambition of Range, which aims to challenge Elliot, might just come true.

* * *

Ding

“Hmm, tsk-”

Yuna was pressing the keys one by one, deep in thought.

Then, when she made a decision, she wrote the notes on the staff paper.

But soon, Yuna finally lowered her head.

“Ugh. It's hard.”

I had been watching from a distance and chuckled as I approached Yuna.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, Bro. Look at this.”

“Hmm?”

Is this graffiti?

The staff paper was filled with notes, but there were so many erasures and overlays that even the person who wrote it might not be able to read it.

“Yuna, staff paper isn't a canvas. If you want to draw, use a sketchbook...”

“Hey! They're all notes!”

I know.

I was just teasing her.

“Did you suddenly want to compose a song?”

“Yeah. In five months, it will be Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary. I want to make a song and sing it for them. Hehe.”

Five months.

That's all that's left.

I gently stroked Yuna's hair.

Not only because I find it endearing that she wants to compose a song for our parents, but also to steady my own heart.

“Yeah. They'll love it.”

“Right? But it's so hard. Bro, you're amazing. How do you make songs like that, like a magic wand?”

“Well, Bro is a genius, right?”

“Yikes.”

I laughed and put down the sheet music.

“I want to help, but this really looks like an alien language. Start over with a new staff paper.”

“Hmm... Should I?”

Yuna took out a new staff paper and glanced at the one she had just scribbled on.

I just need to copy it over...

“I, I don't know.”

“Huh?”

“What did I write here?”

Indeed, even Yuna couldn't read it.

“Ugh. The melody was great, but I can't do it.”

“It's okay. The melody is in your head, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then hum it. I'll listen and play along.”

“Can that work?”

“Just trust me and try.”

Yuna nodded and hummed the melody she had in mind.

I listened and slowly pressed the keys. As I added notes, the melody was indeed as good as Yuna said.

“Oh! That's it. Exactly! Bro, it's amazing.”

“Keep going.”

“Okay!”

I unconsciously started playing the keys faster, following Yuna's humming.

Perhaps it was because of my restless heart.

‘Five months.’

The last wedding anniversary before our parents' accident is only five months away.