The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 18

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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 Songs of This Life Are Revenge
Chapter 18
The lights blinked, and the first flash signaling the start of today’s shoot swept by.
“Hello, viewers. I’m the host for I’m Your Singer Season 3—”
Unlike the smooth remarks of the host, the air behind the studio set was taut.
Lee Jae-i looked around at the faces clearly marked with anxiety.
‘There’s no way she isn’t here.’
She had kept an eye out since roll call, but even at this very moment, Baek Song-ha was nowhere to be seen.
“Let’s invite the stars who will become your singers.”
With a gesture from a staff member, the line pushed forward.
Thirty-three trainees walked toward the waiting area one after another.
The moment she stepped onto the brightly lit studio set,
“I’m Your Singer. We begin now.”
A strange tremor crawled up from the soles of her feet.
Chairs arranged in tiers.
Four judges sitting on a high platform beyond the massive stage.
Above all, dozens of cameras made her body shrink.
As the red lights pierced her eyes all at once, her gaze dropped naturally.
‘Whew….’
Jae-i drew a long breath inwardly.
The air inhaled at the vivid scene of the beginning felt heavy.
Her seat was in the center of the fourth row.
However, the seat right in front of her was empty.
Her breath caught in her throat at the sudden vacancy.
‘We lined up in order, so why is there an empty seat?’
It was then.
From the very end of the line, the click-clack of shoe heels echoed.
As the studio lights beat down, the hair of the woman walking from the very end caught the light and shimmered.
As Jae-i’s gaze followed the strands of hair, a jawline that looked as if it were carved with a knife cut into her eyes.
The moment she lifted her head and her eyes flashed, lightning struck in her lower abdomen.
‘Baek Song-ha….’
How could she forget that face?
When she first saw her, she thought that cat-like smile was charming.
But now, it was nothing but malicious.
When Song-ha finally took her seat, every spot was filled.
“All of your singers have arrived. Joining us as judges for this season…”
The host’s voice echoed again, but Jae-i’s gaze remained pinned to the seat in front of her.
Her eyes traveled first to the line of Song-ha’s shoulders, which had once been cradled in her husband’s arms.
She had even grabbed that thick hair covering the nape of her neck.
‘Calm down.’
Jae-i clenched her fists at the emotion surging up instinctively.
“Allow me to reveal the first mission.”
The large screen in the center of the stage flashed to life, and four words filled the display.
Dance Song Battle
Sitting in the judges’ section, choreographer Hae-su picked up the microphone first.
“This season, we will first meet the singers who will capture the eyes of our viewers.”
She already knew.
That this season’s curtains would open with dance, Baek Song-ha’s specialty.
A day before the shoot, they had only received the title ‘Dance Song Mission.’
There were no details.
They had packaged it nicely as a new project, but in reality, it was a push for Baek Song-ha.
The host explained the rules.
“Trainees, you must perform the assigned song live while mastering a piece of original choreography within the time limit to complete your stage.”
Dry sighs escaped from here and there.
However, groans erupted shortly after.
“You will pair up in twos to take the stage with the same song.”
It was certainly provocative.
Two trainees being thoroughly compared.
Unlike the other trainees who had to rely on chance, Song-ha would choose an opponent she felt she could easily defeat.
Girls with faces she was already familiar with also caught her eye.
‘Who will it be this time?’
As the audio volume soared, Jae-i’s thoughts were instantly cut off.
Lee Jae-i vs Baek Song-ha
Her own name appeared right on the screen.
‘Me?’
Long wavy hair swayed from the seat in front of her.
Baek Song-ha turned around with a relaxed smile and offered a greeting.
“Please look after me.”
Jae-i swallowed her breath whole.
Facing that countenance directly caused her heart to lurch to one side.
She had to pull her consciousness together quickly.
Because the cameras were capturing every tiny tremor and lip movement.
“Hello. Please look after me as well.”
It was a brief instant, but Song-ha’s eyes clearly swept over everything.
Gestures untainted by tension.
The match-up couldn’t be a coincidence, and that greeting couldn’t be an act of goodwill.
Unlike the other trainees who looked around and scanned the name tags, Song-ha looked back precisely at the seat behind her.
‘Does she know me?’
She carefully reconsidered the possibilities.
If she had seen the performance videos, it was entirely possible.
Since Song-ha would have also used many search terms related to singing.
She could understand up to the recommended videos popping up with the same keywords.
But happening to see a video was different from singling someone out.
‘Why?’
Even if she had watched everything, there were only two videos.
For now, she could definitely guess the reason why Baek Song-ha had chosen her as the first opponent.
Either regarding her as an opponent she could lightly defeat, or wanting to break her spirit from the start.
A faint smile spread across the lips of the deeply contemplative Jae-i.
Whether it stemmed from a sense of crisis or disdain, this was undeniably a good sign.
‘You made a mistake, Baek Song-ha.’
Because this time, you won’t be getting the solo shot.
“Now, we begin. We will be waiting for your performances.”
* * *
The allotted thirty minutes passed.
The trainees’ performances began, and Jae-i waited for the next turn.
The difficulty of the song performed by the girl who had just finished her stage was high.
It was a song where breath had to be mixed into the high notes, and since she even had to dance, it was bound to be that way.
‘Did Baek Song-ha calculate all of that too?’
It might be an excessive assumption, but nothing looked pleasant.
The girl who finished the first stage sat down with her eyes brimming with tears from the harsh criticism.
Next was Baek Song-ha’s turn.
Jae-i let out a laugh upon receiving the song.
Without a single section where the notes bounced, it was a song focused solely on variations of beat and tempo.
It was a song that seemed custom-made for dancing.
Song-ha stood in the center of the stage.
A preparatory pose with her head bowed and only one toe slightly pointed.
The moment the first beat echoed, the light resting upon her hair burst out brilliantly.
As her arms and waist stretched out, a sleek silhouette was clearly revealed.
A movement that captured every single beat without missing even the finely hidden ones.
Delicate fingertips, angles of the body splitting along with the rhythm.
“Wow….”
The admiration bursting out from around her was a sound mixed with jealousy and praise.
A stage where even the sound of her breathing seemed orchestrated.
It was a perfect performance with confidence brimming right down to her expressions.
‘Right, it’s decent.’
Jae-i’s impression ended exactly there.
As soon as Song-ha’s stage concluded, choreographer Hae-su picked up the microphone first.
“Did you really create this choreography in just thirty minutes?”
The other judges also nodded, adding a word or two.
“It was a stage that wasn’t boring from beginning to end.”
“She really uses her facial expressions well, doesn’t she?”
The more the critiques poured out, the more calmly Jae-i’s heart settled down.
After sharing opinions for a moment, the judges displayed Song-ha’s score on the screen.
Combined Score: 92 Points
While the camera closed in on Song-ha’s face, Jae-i, sitting in the waiting area, pressed down hard on her knees.
The host called her name.
“Trainee Lee Jae-i, please step up to the stage.”
Jae-i and Song-ha’s shoulders crossed side by side.
Her gaze brushed against Baek Song-ha, who was returning to her seat.
A wink.
Right. That smile she was wearing on that day too.
Jae-i clenched her fist once and repeated inwardly.
‘Now it’s my turn.’
Standing in the center of the stage, she slowly raised her head.
The camera lenses aimed at her all at once.
It felt as if the entire world had rushed in to compare Song-ha and herself.
Thump. Thump.
The intro of the song echoed.
Jae-i did not move on the first beat.
The puzzled glances of the judges fell upon Jae-i.
Instead, the moment the lyrics burst forth, she threw her body into it.
“To me, every trial is merely a stepping stone.”
Like a thick line slashing across a canvas, Jae-i’s movements tore through the stage.
There were no sleek lines or flamboyant techniques.
Yet wherever the lyrics reached, her fingertips, her shoulders, and her tremors came alive.
The more artifice was stripped from the movements, the clearer they became.
If Baek Song-ha’s stage was a single pretty photograph, Jae-i shook the stage with a single roughly drawn line.
The gazes captivated by that freshness stopped even blinking their eyes.
“I dictate the limits beneath my feet.”
She lowered her body completely, sweeping the floor with her hand.
At the movement close to a declaration, the people watching Jae-i flinched in unison.
It was different from the anticipation Baek Song-ha had built up every time she transitioned to the next verse.
The people watching Jae-i’s stage grew tense with a new shock.
Every gaze captured by her stopped blinking.
And then, the ending pose.
When the song ended, complete silence fell over the studio.
Amidst the bated breath in the air, Hae-su picked up the microphone.
“You certainly have a charm that captures the eye.”
Hae-su trailed off with an ambiguous expression.
Another judge continued the critique.
“It made me wonder if this is what it looks like when a song dances.”
A moment later, all focus shifted to the screen.
“The score for trainee Lee Jae-i is.”

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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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