The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 19

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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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Hit Songs in This Life Are Revenge
Episode 19
Hae-su scanned Lee Jae-i’s profile.
Her agency was Star Entertainment.
And her training period was a mere…
‘Two weeks?’
A sneer hooked the corner of his lips.
She was nothing more than a placeholder to fill a headcount.
Concluding that she couldn’t possibly outperform Baek Song-ha’s recent stage, he abandoned any expectations.
And yet.
“To me, every trial is just a stepping stone.”
Thud—.
Hae-su’s eyes snapped up at the very first footstep.
The lines were rough and unrefined.
‘She’s never learned how to dance.’
Judging by the technique alone, it was clumsy.
Yet, there was something bizarre about how those raw movements felt deliberately staged.
‘Was this what the song was about?’
The vibration resonating from her footsteps and the waves rippling from her fingertips completely locked his gaze.
Hae-su leaned forward without even realizing it.
‘This is fresh.’
The momentum in her eyes was brilliant.
He tried to write it off as the sheer force of her commanding presence.
But then, the powerful lyrics struck again.
“I set the limits right beneath my feet.”
In that instant, the picture on stage shifted completely.
It wasn’t just a dance; the movements aligned perfectly with the lyrics to unfold a narrative.
This wasn’t a performance that could be explained by mere technique.
Not a single gesture was dressed up for show, yet she didn’t miss a single subtle beat.
Doom—. Da-doom—.
Especially this rhythm.
If a hidden beat is visualized, it immediately becomes audible.
That was the difference maker in details.
Yet this trainee visualized that hidden beat by snapping the microphone left and right.
“You-you see.”
Even the lyrics made it clear that this was entirely intentional.
Clever.
Hae-su found himself riding the rhythm internally, layering movements over Lee Jae-i’s stage.
Bam!
The final pose, turned to the side.
At that moment, a single thought consumed Hae-su’s mind.
‘I want to see it again.’
The judges’ panel remained dead silent even after the performance ended.
Breaking the silence was Moon Jung-woo, a singer and former vocal trainer sitting at the far end.
“I absolutely loved it. There’s nothing to criticize.”
The composer and producer judges nodded in agreement as well.
Hae-su’s mind was a tangled mess.
In terms of structure alone, the previous stage was undeniably more polished.
His duty as a choreographer was naturally to award a higher score to that performance.
‘Why am I agonizing over this?’
His professional pride collided head-on with the impression he had just witnessed.
‘Am I letting emotion sway my decision?’
For the first time, Hae-su realized the standards he had built were wavering.
“Hae-su?”
At Moon Jung-woo’s call, Hae-su picked up his stylus.
“Yes, I’ve finished entering mine too.”
Moments later, the screen flashed.

Lee Jae-i’s expression remained calm as she checked the screen.
Conversely, Baek Song-ha forced herself to hide her distorted expression, tightening her lips to keep her makeup from smudging any further.
She had been confident in her dancing.
In a dance mission, she could win even without any behind-the-scenes influence.
She believed a trainee who had just signed a contract wouldn’t even pose a challenge.
Besides, Lee Jae-i’s movements in the videos she had seen were pathetic.
She had even worried that the girl lacked the talent to make things interesting and considered picking someone else.
‘What on earth was that?’
It was a stage she had never anticipated.
Baek Song-ha wanted to rip at her chest, which had briefly tightened with a sudden surge of emotion.
The faces of the two trainees appeared side by side on the massive screen.
On the left was the pure and clear Lee Jae-i.
On the right was the glamorous and sophisticated Baek Song-ha.
The sheer contrast of their visuals made them look like absolute opposites.
“Trainee Baek Song-ha takes a slight lead in this mission.”
Lee Jae-i nodded slightly.
She felt no regret.
If anything, the score was higher than she had anticipated.
Ordinarily, this match should have been a one-sided slaughter by Baek Song-ha, ending with a picture of her comforting her opponent.
‘But I stole the spotlight.’
A faint smile brushed Lee Jae-i’s lips.
“It was a razor-thin margin. Don’t you find it disappointing, Trainee Lee Jae-i?”
“I will show you even better performances in the future so that you can feel proud watching me grow.”
Lee Jae-i purposefully locked eyes with Baek Song-ha as she walked back toward the waiting area.
A hairline fracture appeared on that heavily manicured expression.
Rage was leaking through the cracks.
It was too early for her to look like that.
‘What kind of face are you going to make later?’
* * *
The individual interviews followed.
It was just as Lee Jae-i settled into the chair inside the booth.
“It’s not Trainee Baek Song-ha’s turn yet, is it?”
“Yes, I know. I asked to switch the interview order. Is it alright if I wait here?”
The staff member frowned in annoyance but eventually nodded.
The lights adjusted to face Lee Jae-i.
Because of that, it was hard to see past the camera, but Baek Song-ha’s gaze was so piercing that she could easily guess where she stood.
Producer Son Hyun-joo conducted the individual interview herself.
“Just relax and think of this as a casual chat with me.”
As Lee Jae-i gave a light nod, Producer Son Hyun-joo flipped her papers, signaling the start of the interview.
“What did you find most regrettable about your performance just now?”
“There was a point where my breathing and movements fell out of sync by about a beat. I regret that part.”
She revealed it honestly and plainly.
It was a mistake that could have remained buried if she didn’t bring it up, but it truly bothered her.
Her breathing had faltered because her excitement hadn’t settled.
Lee Jae-i calmly continued the interview.
“But thanks to that mistake, I now know how to handle it in the future. I think I can prepare for the next stage with a firmer foundation.”
Baek Song-ha’s face hardened with every word Lee Jae-i spoke.
‘Where did she mess up?’
Even as she replayed the scene in her mind, nothing looked like a mistake.
That frustrated her even more.
Had she failed to notice it, or had she been completely spellbound by the performance?
Whatever the case, it was nothing but an option that only served to grate on her nerves.
Baek Song-ha held her breath in the shadows and glared once more.
Producer Son Hyun-joo’s questions continued.
“This was a matching mission. What did you think of your opponent’s stage?”
“She completely heated up the stage, so I felt it was my job to capture and hold onto that heat.”
Producer Son Hyun-joo smiled slightly at that response.
And Baek Song-ha smudged her freshly touched-up lips yet again.
‘In the end, she’s just talking about her own stage.’
Right now, she wouldn’t even welcome praise directed at her from those lips.
The final question followed.
“Let’s hear a brief word about your resolve moving forward.”
Lee Jae-i paused for a moment.
Staring into the camera, she traced the peripheral vision extending to her side.
The faint silhouette of Baek Song-ha.
The image of Baek Song-ha sitting in that very same seat, answering this exact question, came to mind.
‘They say dreaming is wistful, but achieving it is powerful. I will not remain a wistful singer.’
Yes, she had said those exact words.
It certainly had been powerful.
Because she hadn’t forgotten a single thing—neither the hypocritical acting nor the moment her husband was stolen from her.
Lee Jae-i’s gaze drifted from the shadow back to the camera.
“Dreaming is wistful, but achieving it makes you powerful. I want to be remembered as a powerful singer.”
“Excellent. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
At that answer, Baek Song-ha’s brow furrowed violently.
‘Is she insane?’
That was the comment she herself had prepared.
Yet, right before her eyes, it had been stolen before she could even try to stop it.
‘How did this happen?’
An inexplicable anxiety struck her even before the rage did.
The stage already hadn’t gone according to plan.
By now, the narrative should have been about comforting her while she wiped away tears.
Just now, the one who wavered was herself.
‘That… bitch is really…’
Baek Song-ha suppressed her emotions, feeling her fingernails digging deep into her palms.
There was no reason for her pride to be wounded, yet she couldn’t understand why she could hear the sound of things shattering inside her.
‘How did I even make it this far?’
It felt as if an invisible rope was caught around her ankle, repeatedly dragging her down.
A mass of irritation broke loose and surged up her chest.
‘A piece of trash like that.’
Shaking her?
No matter how much blame and contempt she heaped upon Lee Jae-i, the sound of cracks continuously spreading echoed endlessly inside her ears.
A chilling gleam flashed in Baek Song-ha’s eyes.
Lee Jae-i finished her interview and slowly walked out of the booth.
Each step fell with rhythmic precision.
Moving away from the harsh lights, Lee Jae-i’s face drew closer and closer.
“Have you been waiting long?”
The composure laced within that gentle voice grazed Baek Song-ha’s heart.
However, Baek Song-ha feigned ignorance and brushed past her without a word.
Lee Jae-i caught the passing Baek Song-ha in her peripheral vision.
The faint trembling around her eyes, her tightly tensed shoulders, and even the anxiety gripping her fingertips.
Even in that silent, passing moment, Baek Song-ha’s unease rippled out like a small wave.
Lee Jae-i turned her body to watch Baek Song-ha take her seat.
Internally, she quietly left her final greeting of the day.
‘Come back better prepared next week.’
In the dead center of the interview booth, where light and shadow drew a sharp line, a strange tension of impending war seeped in.
Leaving behind the fuse, Lee Jae-i quietly stepped out of the booth.

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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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