The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 12

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

I’m Your Singer
Episode 12
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No. It’s nothing like that.”
Having successfully finished her performance, Lee Jae-i sat across from Kang Ki-baek inside the makeup vehicle.
Silence piled up between them in heavy layers, and the conversation refused to flow.
Could starting the stage with an unscripted monologue have been the problem?
It wasn’t a pre-recorded broadcast, and such occurrences were common enough during live performances.
Besides, the audience’s reaction had been fantastic.
‘Surely he wouldn’t get angry over something like that?’
Every time she peeked upward, her eyes collided with his locked-on gaze.
His face looked as though he were carefully calculating something.
After their awkward glances crossed for about the fourth time, Ki-baek finally spoke.
“Is there perhaps something you’re hiding from me?”
“What?!”
Her heart plummeted instantly, and her voice spiked.
There was only one reason this particular question pricked her conscience so sharply.
She actually was hiding something.
“Before we sign the contract, you need to tell me in advance about anything that might cause trouble down the line.”
Her lips pressed into a tight line.
If it was a secret, it was the fact that she was living her second life.
‘But… would that really be a problem?’
Jae-i questioned the idea again in her mind.
‘To tell you the truth, I have memories of the future.’
If she said that out loud, would a single soul actually believe her?
It sounded utterly absurd.
If anything, he would probably run away.
“There’s nothing.”
At her firm response, Ki-baek countered with polite persistence.
“Even if it was under an alias, if you’ve ever promoted anonymously or had a contractual relationship with another agency, you must tell me. Is there truly nothing?”
Only then did Jae-i relax her brow and let out a small breath.
‘What on earth was I thinking…?’
It wasn’t as if she had committed a crime.
Her heart, which had momentarily dropped into her stomach, was still thumping heavily.
To think that holding a single truth known only to herself could make her this tense.
Jae-i was suddenly reminded of Yoo Young-jae and Baek Song-ha, who hadn’t even blinked while spinning effortless lies.
‘Where do they even keep their hearts locked up?’
After studying her reaction, Ki-baek eased back and continued in a softer tone.
“I apologize if I offended you. It’s just that your performance was so… natural. You didn’t falter in the slightest, despite the unexpected situation.”
It was an unanticipated compliment.
Jae-i immediately took his words as a positive sign.
‘So he means I did that well?’
The corners of her mouth twitched upward.
“I honestly thought it was a scenario directed by our team. Even the stage production had a tremendously powerful impact.”
“So that’s why you suspected me?”
“Well…”
Jae-i flashed a mischievous smile.
There was no rule saying she had to be the only flustered one.
Ki-baek cleared his throat. Quite loudly, at that.
“I apologize if it came across that way.”
“It’s fine! In the end, it just means you liked my performance, right?”
Faced with her bold energy, Ki-baek finally relaxed his expression.
He placed a crisp document down on the table.
The text at the very top read: [Contract Document].
Anticipation sparkled in Jae-i’s eyes as they naturally gravitated toward the paper.
Yet, there was a separate discussion they needed to have before stamping the contract.
The negotiation for her appearance on I’m Your Singer Season 3.
If the stage had been impressive enough to make him suspicious, then now was the perfect timing.
“Let me go over the crucial terms of the contract with you once more.”
Bzzzt—.
A strange static sound bled into his explanation, creating an odd sense of dissonance.
‘What is that noise?’
At first, she thought her own tension had made her mishear.
However, her nerves grew taut when the sound distinctly repeated a second time.
“If you look at the first clause…”
The annoying mechanical noise was a secondary issue.
‘I’ve definitely heard this sound somewhere before…’
Jae-i groped through the fog of her memories.
The moment her eyes darted around,
A bright flash erupted in her mind.
‘Yoo Young-jae…!’
The wiretap she had discovered on Yoo Young-jae’s desk one day.
And the memory of Yoo Young-jae listening to those recorded files.
Furthermore, CEO Kang was currently speaking about the details of the contract.
“Stop.”
Jae-i hurriedly pressed her finger against Ki-baek’s lips.
Then, using mouth movements even more exaggerated than Joshua’s on the electronic screen, she delivered a silent shout.
Ki-baek’s gaze instinctively followed her lips.
‘Stop?’
As if casting a spell, she moved her lips slowly and clearly several times.
Yet, there was no real need to repeat herself.
Ki-baek had already frozen like a stone statue from that single finger.
His breath hitched at Jae-i’s next move.
As she leaned her upper body toward him, a soft strand of her hair brushed past his cheek.
Left side, right side.
Faced with the woman’s hands meticulously scanning him, Ki-baek forced his eyes toward the ceiling.
Far from pushing her away, even the question of what she was doing remained trapped behind his teeth.
‘Is this truly the same person who just stepped off the stage?’
As the sweet scent of freesia drifted into his nose, his entire body locked up tight with tension.
Had he ever been this physically close to someone before?
It was an unfamiliar distance.
Given how parched his throat felt, it seemed uncomfortable.
Yet, strangely enough, the urge to push her away never crossed his mind.
“…”
The woman’s fingertips were openly sweeping across his torso.
With every trace of her touch, an unfamiliar emotion that he couldn’t quite name spread deep within his chest.
Conversely, Jae-i was entirely focused on retracing her memories.
This had to be the work of whoever owned that voice she heard backstage.
Which meant they had run into CEO Kang.
Had there been enough time for them to get close enough to plant a wiretap?
He had even stepped away before the rehearsal started.
‘When on earth did it happen?’
But right now, action took priority over contemplation.
“So, CEO Kang, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”
Jae-i carried on the conversation as if nothing were amiss.
It would look suspicious if their dialogue suddenly cut off entirely.
Tracking the minute vibrations, Jae-i detected something out of place inside the pocket of Ki-baek’s suit jacket.
A cold, blunt sensation.
A piece of metal exactly the size of a coin caught against her fingertips.
‘Found it!’
She immediately balled it into her fist and withdrew her hand.
Strictly speaking, it was pickpocketing, but just for today, it was an act of justice.
She needed to keep the conversation going naturally, but Ki-baek wasn’t responding.
“CEO Kang?”
“…! Yes.”
His reply came a half-beat late.
The exact moment Jae-i turned her head to check on him.
Tilt.
The table she had been leaning against lost its balance.
‘…Whoa!’
As her equilibrium shattered in an instant, Jae-i’s hand instinctively braced against his chest.
With the hand tightly clutching the wiretap, no less.
Ki-baek grabbed the table with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist.
Just like that, the two found themselves face-to-face.
Eyes like black glass that seemed as though they would reflect absolutely nothing.
As if trapped inside them, Jae-i felt a momentary illusion that all surrounding sound was fading away.
‘He’s… he’s too close.’
The arm wrapped around her waist tightened minutely, yet unmistakably.
The quality of that strength felt subtly different from a mere movement to stabilize her balance.
A dizzying proximity.
Jae-i pulled away with exaggerated motion, but it was only after her heart had taken a massive leap.
“Ah, haha! I’m sorry. I tend to trip rather easily. Would you… would you like some water?”
It wasn’t an excuse; she genuinely needed water.
Her mouth had gone completely dry in an instant.
Besides, no matter how excellent a machine’s waterproof functions were, nothing could survive a total submersion.
Jae-i immediately poured water into three visible cups until they were full.
‘Two cups to drink, and the last one.’
Jae-i dropped what she was holding straight into the third glass.
Plop.
The wiretap sank to the bottom of the cup with a clean swing.
‘Enjoy listening to the sound of water all you want.’
* * *
The man who had successfully planted the wiretapping device according to Yoo Young-jae’s orders returned to his vehicle.
He had only intended to check if it was operating properly.
However, a crucial conversation was currently flowing through.
– If you look at the first clause…
The talk regarding the contract had begun, but nothing followed.
‘Is it a malfunction?’
Suddenly, a low, thumping bass sound began to accelerate in speed.
Thump.
Thump, thump.
Thump-thump, thump.
He tilted his head and pulled out his earphones.
He wondered if it was the sound of a bass leaking from afar, but the tone was strangely off.
‘…What kind of noise is mixed in?’
When the man plugged his earphones back in, there was nothing but a soggy, muffled sound, as if the device had been completely submerged in water.

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