The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I’ll go to the restroom for a moment.
Lee Jae-i ran straight toward the back of the stage.
Staff members bustled past one another, cradling equipment and cables in their arms.
She quickly scanned the area where the consoles and transmission racks were clustered.
There was no separate space to hide herself.
‘It’s definitely in here.’
If she could just hear it one more time, she could find it.
Jae-i’s heart grew anxious.
“What was it you asked me to check?!”
It was a flash of quick wit.
If she prompted a reply, there might be a reaction.
Jae-i’s eyes darted back and forth as she waited for an answer.
However, the response came from an entirely different direction.
A woman who had been buried among the cables straightened her back.
“You’re the one who just finished your stage. I’m sorry, but here—”
The woman swept her cable-clutching hand across the various items strewn about.
“It’s a war zone.”
“I didn’t mean to interfere. But—”
“Behind the stage is packed with equipment, so it’s dangerous. If you stay here and get hurt, we’ll have to reset everything again.”
The woman cut Jae-i off sharply.
“Next! Setup number six!”
At the instruction coming from afar, the woman shrugged her shoulders at Jae-i as if to say, ‘You heard that, right?’
The staff’s movements quickened at the radio order.
Jae-i stopped just as she was about to speak.
In this chaos, she couldn’t exactly grab every single person and question them.
Just then, someone popped their face right in front of her.
“Lee Jae-i! Here you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. If it weren’t for Han Myeong-geun, I would’ve gone in circles.”
It was a woman with a bright, lively smile.
Jae-i didn’t want to be rude, but her gaze kept drifting behind the woman.
“Choi Sang-hee from the Star Entertainment styling team. You have to go right now! We really don’t have time.”
Flustered, Jae-i’s pupils trembled even faster.
‘I need to find them…’
To make matters worse, the rehearsal for the next team began.
The sound blasting from the massive speakers drowned out everything in the vicinity.
‘At this rate, I won’t be able to find them no matter how loud I shout.’
Jae-i had no choice but to suppress her lingering regret.
The only shred of hope she could cling to was that Yoo Young-jae was absolutely not the type to reform his ways.
As long as she remained with Star Entertainment, they would surely cross paths again.
‘The opportunity will come back.’
She turned around, following Sang-hee’s guidance.
“It’s cramped, but please understand. Since it’s an outdoor venue, it can’t be helped.”
The vehicle Sang-hee pointed to looked like a bus at first glance.
The massive wheels and a chassis that looked robust even from a distance felt almost intimidating, so where exactly was it cramped?
The interior she stepped into was even more surprising.
Complete with curtains, indirect lighting, and high-end beauty equipment.
It was a setup fully furnished like a salon in a space the size of a small studio apartment.
Sang-hee lightly tapped a velvet chair.
“The hair and wardrobe teams are on their way. Let’s start with makeup first.”
Preoccupied with other thoughts, Jae-i merely nodded her head.
“This might feel a bit cold.”
Even as Sang-hee’s busy hands touched her skin, Jae-i’s thoughts did not easily settle into peace.
‘Are they from Star Entertainment, or do they belong to YU?’
Tracing back the rehearsal order, the band group right before her was an artist under YU.
If so, the YU staff must have been backstage as well.
‘Could a field staff member really leak that kind of information?’
No.
It might be a high-ranking official.
Even in the case of Star Entertainment, their CEO had come down personally to oversee things.
Her mind didn’t stop racing even after the base makeup was done and a soft brush swept across her face.
“All done. How do you like it?”
Sang-hee asked with satisfaction as she delivered the final brushstroke.
Only then did Jae-i snap out of it and check her reflection in the mirror.
The lighting hadn’t changed, but her subtly glowing face resembled a pristine pearl.
As if coated in candy syrup, Jae-i’s glossy lips parted slightly.
“My goodness, what kind of magic did you perform…?”
Sang-hee was overjoyed by her words and continued with the finishing touches.
The hair and wardrobe teams arrived shortly after, transforming Jae-i into a veritable swan.
When Sang-hee first said they had no time, Jae-i had wondered why she was rushing when there were still hours left until the festival.
However, completing this entire process made her realize exactly why the rush had been necessary.
It was almost time for the festival to begin.
* * *
The moment her foot touched the steps leading to the stage, a wave of tension surged through her.
Of all things, the performance right before hers had been a band.
Explosive drum beats and guitar riffs.
Their stage, which had seized the square with sing-alongs and cheers, lingered like residual heat in the air.
‘Can I fill that massive stage all by myself?’
Jae-i’s palms slowly grew damp.
The vibration of her accelerating heartbeat seemed to bleed into the microphone.
A staff member managing the stage sequence raised an arm high over their large headset.
It was the signal to go up.
“Whew… hah!”
Taking a deep breath, she extended her stride onto the wide stage.
The stage was vast and empty.
She alone traversed the expanse.
Until she reached the dead center, the audience section remained boisterous.
The spectators, still intoxicated by the excitement, were clapping as if savoring the lingering afterglow of the previous performance.
Not a single person looked directly at her.
Just as tension was about to tighten her fingertips at the atmosphere so different from moments ago—
A spectator in the very front row, right at the edge of the seating area, caught her eye.
A man stretching both arms high in the air, shouting something.
Because the intensity of the stage lights had dimmed, the man’s presence stood out even more vividly.
‘That person is looking at me.’
She felt as though their eyes met.
At that, the man waved his arms even more passionately.
The concert host picked up the microphone to introduce her.
Conscious of the residual heat left in the crowd, the host opened his mouth with a light chuckle.
“[We can afford to take a little breather for this next turn. This sequence is—]”
From that opening phrase alone, Jae-i could tell.
The audience held no expectations for this stage.
Even the host shared that sentiment.
This was an open-air square where sound dissipated easily.
It was not an ideal space to capture people’s attention with a single voice.
‘What should I do?’
If it were a voice breaking through absolute silence, it might work, but in an atmosphere like this, drawing their gaze had to come first.
At that exact moment—
Before the host could call out her name, Jae-i spoke into her microphone.
“[Excuse me, but the gentleman in the front row is drawing far too much attention.]”
At the sudden remark, half of the audience’s attention shifted toward the man.
The host paused for a beat at the unscripted dialogue, but he smoothly steered the mood with slick professionalism.
“[Oh! Now there’s someone who truly knows how to enjoy a performance.]”
The broadcast camera instantly locked onto him, and the switcher flashed the footage onto the electronic display board.
Seeing his own face appear so largely, the man bounced up even higher.
The unexpected spectacle drew the rest of the audience’s gaze to a single point.
‘[I. K.N.O.W.]’
Thanks to the exaggerated shape of the man’s mouth, she could tell what he was trying to say.
“[I understand as well. I can see that you are truly sincere.]”
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd at the host’s comment.
‘If I can at least capture their interest like this.’
Jae-i’s calculation hit the mark perfectly.
Not wanting to miss this opportunity, the man immediately held his phone up high.
Reflected on the electronic screen was text filling the display.
“[The video I took of you got featured in a news article!]”
‘News?’
Only then did Jae-i realize the man’s identity.
‘He’s the person who filmed the busking video.’
She quickly walked over to the absolute edge of the stage.
With the distance between them narrowed, the man grew even more thrilled.
She offered a bright smile and asked.
“[What is your name?]”
Whether they were the man’s friends or just people nearby, the surrounding crowd shouted his name along with him.
“[Joshua!]”
Jae-i took a step back.
She turned her feet toward the rear of the stage.
“[Joshua. The video you filmed for me that day was deeply moving. Today, I’ll return that moving experience to you.]”
And walking backward, she naturally returned to the center of the stage.
The electronic display board was now filled entirely with Jae-i’s face.
The signal that the intro was starting came through.
“[The stage for ‘Jae-i’ begins now!]”
The audience’s eyes were all fixed upon her.
‘It worked.’
The song she originally intended to sing had an intro without any ad-libs.
‘Right now, I need to respond to their expectations.’
Jae-i began, raising her high notes step by step against the rhythm building up in the intro.
“Wowaaa!”
Cheers poured out from the audience at the spectacular introduction.
And Kang Ki-baek, who had just returned to the venue, watched the stage and asked.
“Whose idea was Lee Jae-i’s stage?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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