The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 14

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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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The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge
Episode 14
“Director Kim! What on earth do you think you’re doing right now?!”
Song-ha didn’t even have the patience to knock on the door.
The moment the handle of the director’s office twisted, the door flew wide open.
Brushing aside any semblance of manners, she burst inside like someone who had never learned the word politeness.
Director Kim stood up halfway, caught entirely off guard.
“Oh, oh, Song-ha, you’re here?”
The man sitting opposite him was Park Jeong-cheol, the Director of Finance.
Song-ha didn’t bother hiding her sour expression as her gaze swept over Director Park.
“I didn’t realize you had a guest.”
“Yes. Clearly.”
Director Park’s tone wasn’t sharp.
Instead, it left behind a heavy, unpleasant pressure, much like a blunt weapon.
That only irritated Baek Song-ha even more.
As the head of finance, he had to know exactly how much Daekyung Group had invested in YU Entertainment.
Despite that, Director Park always went out of his way to be a nuisance.
Every single time he ran into Song-ha, he would repeat the same old-fashioned nonsense about how singers needed to be recognized for their actual talent.
‘As if I care.’
Director Park’s gaze lingered on Song-ha for a long moment.
Without shifting his eyes from her, he spoke directly to Director Kim.
“When a single corporation holds too high an investment ratio, it becomes impossible to clean up the mess if something goes wrong.”
‘Look at that. He’s saying that for my benefit again, isn’t he?’
A sneer bubbled up inside Song-ha.
In this industry, success was the only metric of talent.
The more options you had, the better, and the subtler the methods, the more effective they proved.
Baek Song-ha had previously debuted at another minor agency by leaning on her father’s influence.
But that group had failed to make a splash.
Who didn’t know that major conglomerates offered better backing?
She simply had no desire to endure the grimy, pathetic lifestyle of a typical trainee.
After a couple more failures following that venture, Song-ha had finally begged her father to tie an investment condition to YU Entertainment so she could join as a trainee.
‘Transparent competition? A pure battle of skills?’
A mocking smile flitted across her narrowed eyes.
Did people honestly believe the real world operated that way?
That kind of idealism was usually nothing more than self-consolation for those who lacked any real ability.
When you had nothing, words were the only weapon left.
According to the rumors, Director Park’s position was already hanging by a thread.
The single political lifeline he had been clinging to had frayed.
With Chairman Yoo collapsing, his footing within the company had narrowed drastically.
‘Hypocrite.’
As Director Park stood up, the leather seat let out a loud groan.
Song-ha’s brow furrowed slightly, mimicking the creased leather of the sofa.
“I’ll take my leave now, Director Kim. It seems you two have matters to discuss.”
Song-ha merely gave a shallow nod to Director Park as he passed by her.
The moment the door clicked shut, Baek Song-ha’s face hardened completely.
“Is this how you’re going to handle things? What on earth was your intention behind putting out that company-wide announcement?”
Director Kim shrugged his shoulders, looking deeply troubled.
“Oh, Song-ha. I have to follow protocol too. What choice do I have when the next CEO gives an order?”
“What did you say?!”
The current head of YU Entertainment was Chairman Yoo.
However, his health had deteriorated to the point where it wouldn’t be surprising if he stepped down at any moment.
If he was talking about the next CEO…
“Producer Yoo Young-jae?”
“Yes! He’s a producer in name, but he suddenly got obsessed with finding a solo female artist! He firmly insisted that a group wouldn’t work for the audition program.”
“What does that have to do with anything?!”
Baek Song-ha raised her voice, loud enough to pierce the ceiling.
“Ouch! Someone will hear you! Lower your voice first.”
Director Kim glanced toward the door before shrinking back.
Covering his mouth with one hand, he leaned in and whispered to Song-ha.
“He delayed the debut date for A-two indefinitely. For all intents and purposes, the project is dead.”
The entire plan had been completely derailed.
The strategy had been to build public recognition through the audition program and then debut as a girl group.
The moment to finally step into the glamorous spotlight had finally arrived, only to be met with an indefinite delay.
Gradually, the muscles in Baek Song-ha’s face twitched, twisting into a bitter grimace.
Reading her expression, Director Kim nervously fidgeted with his knuckles as he added to his explanation.
“Don’t worry too much. I used my connections with the production crew to lock in your appearance on the show. We can handle the scoring too.”
Clack.
A nail charm broke off.
As her awkwardly stripped fingernail was exposed, Song-ha’s lips trembled.
The ruined smudge of her manicure mirrored the turbulent state of her mind perfectly.
She had genuinely believed a group would be far more advantageous.
They could offload any difficult parts to other members, and above all, it provided an easy backdrop to make her stand out.
That was why she had deliberately selected girls who would make her look better by comparison.
‘A solo artist all of a sudden?’
Her heart rattled like a boiling kettle.
The anger surged inside her, but with no way to vent it, a frantic clattering sound echoed relentlessly in her ears.
Now that the official announcement was out, the competition was bound to skyrocket.
Baek Song-ha rapidly pictured the faces of the trainees who actually posed a threat.
‘One, two…’
Especially that girl who had scored high during the Monthly Evaluation.
Director Kim slid his chair closer to the silent Song-ha, leaning in tight.
“Honestly, winning first place and debuting alone makes for a much better narrative than being stuck in a team with girls who hold mediocre ranks.”
Baek Song-ha’s eyes narrowed instantly.
From the very beginning, appearing on the show wasn’t an opportunity meant for everyone.
She swallowed a sharp, thorny breath.
If things couldn’t be reversed, how could she twist this situation to her absolute advantage?
Thinking it through calmly, Director Kim’s words actually made sense.
Provided there was one strict condition.
“If that’s the case, I should be the only one from YU Entertainment appearing on the show. Right?”
He let out a hollow, awkward sigh.
But Song-ha pinned Director Kim down with a steady, pressuring gaze.
She was demanding a specific answer, leaving no room for negotiation.
“We can’t do anything about the announcement that already went out. Your appearance is secured for now, so let’s just focus on that. Alright?”
Director Kim tried his best to soothe her.
However, his words failed to register with Song-ha.
If he hadn’t wanted to clean up a mess twice, he shouldn’t have swung the hammer so carelessly in the first place.
Song-ha took it for granted that Director Kim was the one responsible for resolving this disaster.
‘If we’re going to fix this, it’s better to make it absolute.’
Baek Song-ha had to be the sole representative from YU Entertainment.
Only then would every other option be erased completely.
Baek Song-ha looked at Director Kim with her characteristic, crinkled expression.
Director Kim instinctively sensed a cold threat hidden beneath that smile.
“You can’t alter the announcement. So instead, you’ll have to alter the producers’ schedules a bit.”
* * *
Around the same time Baek Song-ha’s resolve was hardening, Jae-i was preparing for her new beginning.
As dawn broke, the deep blue shadows of the night quickly dispersed.
Gazing out at the newly emerging morning light, Jae-i murmured quietly under her breath.
“Ten days.”
A staggering amount of things had changed in a mere ten days.
She reopened the airline ticket file in her inbox.
The destination was Korea, Incheon Airport.
The date on the ticket was today.
When she had recklessly flown out to America, her life had felt like a sheet of music with nothing but a basic rhythm written down, but now, a full bar had finally been composed.
Someday, this piece of music would find its final chord.
At that thought, her heart gave a heavy thump.
Jae-i picked up the ukulele one last time, gently running her fingers over the back of the instrument.
As her fingertips brushed against the carved groove, the texture that had once felt rough somehow felt remarkably smooth today.
“K…”
A single initial.
It was the only recognizable letter among the marks left behind by the previous owner.
‘Kang Ki-baek.’
Out of all the possible names, Representative Kang came to her mind.
Now wasn’t the time to be distracted by such thoughts.
“Jae-i. You didn’t sleep?”
The door opened, and her aunt stepped out.
Her messy hair was loosely pinned up.
“Auntie. You should have slept a bit longer.”
“I have to feed you breakfast before I send you off.”
Her words were gruff, but they were soaked in a tender warmth.
Jae-i considered stopping her aunt as she walked toward the kitchen, but she sat back down instead.
Refusing such sincere kindness would be bad manners.
Soon, the rich aroma of frying bacon wafted through the air.
The sizzle of melting butter and the scent of toasting bread filled the small house.
Following the sharp crack of an egg, a gentle bubbling sound continued over the pan.
She hadn’t felt hungry at all, but her stomach instantly reacted to the noise.
Her aunt even brought out plates and cups from the cupboard that Jae-i had never seen before.
“Now that it’s all laid out, why does it look so sparse?”
Her aunt’s eyes were still scanning the kitchen, searching for something more to offer.
“Auntie. I’m suddenly starving. I want to eat right away.”
“Oh, right. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”
As Jae-i spoke with a smile, her aunt closed the refrigerator door and finally took a seat.
Sitting across from each other at the dining table, Jae-i noticed a gray shadow cast over her aunt’s face.
‘She’s going to feel so lonely once I leave.’
She suddenly recalled the heavy silence that had filled the room after her grandmother passed away.
A suffocating weight, as if she had been locked in a box and dropped into the deep sea.
Of course, she would see her aunt again.
But a parting without a set return date always made the impending absence feel vast.
“Auntie. I’m going to make a lot of money and come right back to visit you.”
“This place is just completely unfamiliar. There’s nothing fun to do here anyway.”
Her aunt’s smile faded quickly.
The fleeting expression was thick with worry and affection.
Jae-i resolved to hold onto the memory of that smile for a very long time.
Before long, the ticking of the clock grew noticeably louder.
The time to depart was drawing near.
‘Now, it really begins.’
A brilliant, sharp spark flashed in her eyes.

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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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