The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 13

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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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This Life’s Hit Song Is Revenge
Episode 13
“Phew……!!”
A hot breath escaped her lips and scattered into the air.
Lee Jae-i shook out her damp hair and threw herself onto the sofa.
Water droplets soaked into the fabric seat, but something else occupied her mind.
‘Why didn’t he ask?’
She had expected Kang Ki-baek to shower her with questions.
He was a man who wouldn’t even miss lyrics murmured in a dream.
Yet, after he drank his water, their entire conversation had been strictly about the contract document.
It was a relief that he hadn’t pried.
If he had, she would have been flustered.
But at the same time, it felt unfamiliar.
‘Should I have just told him beforehand?’
About the wiretap.
If she had confided in him, would it have been easier to track down clues about the spy?
‘No.’
Lee Jae-i gave her head a sharp shake.
It was a place where finding a single voice that vanished behind the sets was nearly impossible.
Pinpointing everyone who passed by as a suspect was out of the question.
Moreover, this wasn’t a matter that could be disclosed based on mere trust.
She wanted to utilize this situation more meticulously and slowly.
Instead of severing the line immediately, causing interference would deal a far more fatal blow to Yoo Young-jae.
Perhaps, in that regard, she was using Kang Ki-baek.
The moment that thought crossed her mind, a thorn of guilt pricked her conscience.
However, what mattered more than her conscience was her position on the chessboard ahead.
If she mistimed her moves, the advantage offered by this second life would vanish.
Every judgment had to be deliberate.
‘For now, let’s focus on the urgent matters.’
Towel-drying her wet hair, Lee Jae-i opened the email Kang Ki-baek had organized for her.
The composition lesson schedule, and the response regarding her participation in the Korean audition program.
There was even a comment noting that the production team’s feedback was highly positive.
The opportunity was drawing near with giant strides.
Now that the exclusive contract was finalized.
All that was left was to start moving in earnest.
The situation was shifting at an unrealistic pace.
A mixture of excitement and apprehension stirred deep inside her.
Lee Jae-i pressed her palm firmly against her swelling chest.
“We’ll be seeing each other very soon, Song-ha.”
She murmured under her breath.
* * *
“Don’t you even know where you’re supposed to stand?!”
Baek Song-ha’s sharp, screeching voice tore through the practice room.
“How many times has it been, and you’re still messing up the formation?!”
At her fierce berating, the girls, panting heavily, lowered their heads one by one.
Baek Song-ha waved her finger dismissively, her tone condescending.
The only daughter of Daekyung Group.
From the very day she walked into the practice room, her name alone made her special.
Her skills weren’t even overwhelming, yet her scores on monthly evaluations and weekly missions were always at the top.
The atmosphere among the trainees naturally split into two camps.
Those who treated her like royalty, and those who resented her as a trout muddying the waters.
One girl organized the belongings left on the sofa while carefully reading Baek Song-ha’s expression.
“Unni! Why don’t you take a break here? The rest of us will practice the formation again.”
Baek Song-ha gave a curt grunt in response and sat down on the spot the girl had wiped clean with her palm.
Just then, another trainee wiped the sweat pouring down her forehead and stood before Baek Song-ha.
“The formation is a mess because you skip out every time we practice.”
Baek Song-ha tilted her head at a crooked angle.
“Are you talking to me right now?”
“If it’s too hard for you to practice together, you should at least maintain the blocking after your part is over. You change it every single time, so it’s confusing.”
Baek Song-ha dropped both her eyebrows completely, looking at the girl as if she pitied her.
“So you’re confused.”
A heavy silence fell over the practice room at the brief, dry response.
The muscles in the girl’s jaw quivered slightly.
Baek Song-ha did not miss that tremor.
Scanning her slowly from head to toe, she locked her gaze onto the girl like a predator securing its target.
“Why boast about being stupid? If you’re ignorant, you should at least possess some passion.”
The corners of her mouth curved upward.
“But you don’t even have that, do you?”
It was a sneer, though whether it was a question or a warning remained unclear.
Then, she winked.
Baek Song-ha’s smile was an equal blend of a sigh and pure disdain.
The girl squeezed her hands into fists.
Who cared if she was the daughter of Daekyung Group? How dare she ruin the atmosphere like this?
This was a sanctuary for children who endured every day solely on their dedication to a dream.
But the moment Baek Song-ha appeared, the air changed.
It was quiet at first, but once rumors spread that ‘the team would be built around Song-ha,’ the others began walking on eggshells one by one.
Some fought to secure a spot right next to her, while others even yielded their own parts.
In front of the girls competing to stay in her good graces, Baek Song-ha’s arrogance reached new heights.
Acting as though she were already preparing for her solo stage, she naturally took center stage.
Furthermore, she treated the trainees who were supposed to build the performance with her like mere background dancers.
Baek Song-ha crossed her legs with a leisurely posture.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you practicing? Planning to stay ignorant forever?”
The girl swallowed a long breath.
Baek Song-ha flicked her wrist, gesturing to start the music, completely disregarding the girl’s reaction.
As the intro echoed through the room, everyone stood in their designated spots.
The other girls glanced toward the trainee who had just argued with Baek Song-ha.
Their sympathetic gazes read, ‘The one getting eliminated this week is decided.’
Nobody spoke, but everyone shared the same thought.
Amidst the sweating girls.
Only Baek Song-ha stared down at her phone with a perfectly fresh, dry face.
She had already heard from a high-ranking executive that her appearance on the audition program scheduled to film next month was locked in.
To her, evaluations were a mere formality in the literal sense.
Right now, her sole focus was on ‘who else would be appearing on the same program.’
Her algorithm pushed Lee Jae-i’s video to the top of her feed.
– The New Korean Singer Who Took the Stage at an American Festival, ‘Lee Jae-i’ –
A woman was smiling brightly in the thumbnail.
From her striking appearance, which wasn’t easily forgotten, Baek Song-ha disliked everything about her.
‘Is she Korean-American?’
She pressed her thumb firmly against the center of Lee Jae-i’s face.
Baek Song-ha watched the video until Lee Jae-i’s performance ended.
Initially, she only intended to check who the girl was, but she found herself pulled into the screen against her will.
Her heart hammered uncomfortably.
‘What is she? Who is this?’
Naturally, the algorithm suggested Lee Jae-i’s busking videos at the bottom.
Her finger reacted before her mind did.
The mood was entirely different from the festival performance.
She executed the song so well that it made Baek Song-ha wonder if it was a completely different person.
And she did it flawlessly.
‘Is this girl seriously a rookie?’
Inside the video, her eyes met Lee Jae-i’s as she sang.
An ominous premonition brushed past the back of her neck.
Baek Song-ha immediately opened the search bar.
‘Lee Jae-i.’
There wasn’t even an official profile yet.
The search results merely brought up the same videos she had just watched.
Returning to the first video, Baek Song-ha scrolled down to the comments.
└ This is hilarious. Her face is the most entertaining part.
└ I guess I don’t have ADHD. I’m completely hyper-focused and rewatching this on loop.
└ Her vocal volume is insane. She literally shot a music video with a phone. Wake up, mainstream agencies. Someone sign her for a commercial.
Her stomach turned at the sea of praising comments.
She only wanted to find information about the girl’s agency, but it only fueled her irritation.
Even without knowing English, the abundance of hearts and emoticons made it obvious that the international reaction was identical.
Baek Song-ha bit her thumbnail.
‘She isn’t planning to debut in Korea, right?’
Her own debut was just around the corner.
There was less than a month left.
‘If a girl like this ends up on the same program…….’
For the first time, she felt a burning jealousy that bordered on fear.
To perform at a festival of that scale meant she couldn’t possibly belong to a small, obscure agency.
‘Could it be Star Entertainment?’
Excluding YU Entertainment, that was the only agency large enough to pull it off.
Baek Song-ha went as far as visiting Star Entertainment’s website to scour their artist roster.
‘She’s not here…….’
Did that mean she was still a trainee?
She accessed the websites of several other agencies after that, but it was a total waste of time.
The moment she realized she was obsessing over something pointless, the echoing music began to grate on her nerves.
“Oh, damn it!!”
Baek Song-ha shut off the music in a fit of rage.
The girls, deep in practice, flinched in surprise at the sudden silence.
At that exact moment, a chime rang out.
An alert sounded from Baek Song-ha’s phone.
In the quieted practice room, notifications and vibrations went off simultaneously.
Every single trainee received the exact same alert.
Sensing something unusual, Baek Song-ha immediately looked down at her screen.
[ Additional Guidelines for Weekly Evaluation
Hello, YU Entertainment trainees.
Please note that the criteria for this week’s weekly evaluation have been partially modified.
In addition to the existing performance evaluation, a solo song evaluation will be added.
In particular, we plan to select the trainees who will appear on ‘I’m Your Singer Season 3’ based on the results of this solo song evaluation, so attendance and preparation are mandatory for everyone.
• Song Length: Within 1 minute and 30 seconds.
• Accompanied: Unaccompanied or AR allowed (MR prohibited)
• Evaluation Date: Thursday at 2:00 PM.
• Location: Main Building, 3rd Floor, Practice Room
※ The existing weekly evaluation will proceed at 4:00 PM.
※ High scorers will be notified separately following an internal meeting.]
‘What?!’
Baek Song-ha’s expression distorted with every passing second.

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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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