The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 32

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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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My Next Hit Song Is Revenge
Episode 32
Early morning.
The lights came on in Kang Ki-baek’s private Workshop.
He straightened the sheet music resting on the piano, organizing them with sharper precision than usual.
In a schedule that rarely offered a day off, the Workshop was the only space where he could catch his breath.
Whenever he used the keys to echo through the air that hung quiet and soundproofed, his stray thoughts would vanish.
It was a sanctuary he had never let anyone else enter, simply because he lacked the leisure for collaborative work.
But today was different.
‘It’s just because this is the first time anyone else is coming.’
Feeling a strange tension, he offered a pointless internal excuse.
Ki-baek turned over the already organized sheet music a few more times before finally sitting down in his chair.
Deciding it looked clean enough, he glanced at the wall clock.
‘She should be arriving soon.’
Just as that thought repeated itself for the third or fourth time.
Knock, knock.
It was a light knock, but Ki-baek’s head snapped around toward the door.
The moment he opened it, a rush of air brought the subtle scent of Lee Jae-i’s lotion drifting inside.
Perhaps it stood out because he was so accustomed to the raw, rugged smell of instruments.
Realizing that he had unconsciously straightened his posture, he accepted her greeting.
“Wow…! It’s incredibly neat in here!”
Jae-i’s eyes sparkled.
The keyboard nestled beneath the console desk, the massive speakers occupying the wall.
Even the stand microphone positioned off to the side.
Amidst all the equipment that could easily look cluttered, a sense of orderly arrangement shone through.
“Come on in.”
Stepping inside with an expectant heart, Jae-i’s gaze landed on a particular spot.
“Oh, is that a Ukulele?”
Her voice rose in unexpected delight.
Stepping a bit closer, she noticed it possessed an entirely different aura from her own.
His Ukulele, with a faint luster flowing along its smooth curves, looked as though it would ring with a crystal-clear sound the exact moment its strings were plucked.
Ki-baek followed her gaze and added a comment.
“It’s the first instrument I ever learned. I still play it from time to time. You know how to handle one too, right?”
“Just a little.”
Jae-i murmured softly.
She could strum a Ukulele, but in truth, she didn’t know much about it.
She merely remembered the notes each string produced and plucked them accordingly.
She had tried searching for sheet music before, but she never had the time to properly master it.
What with all her part-time jobs, she barely even had enough time to sleep.
Jae-i turned around with an awkward smile.
“What should we start with?!”
“Since I imagine you’ve already researched the basics countless times before coming, shall we start from the basics?”
At his half-joking, half-serious remark, Jae-i’s eyebrows shot upward.
Reading her reaction perfectly, he nodded understandingly.
“That burning desire to rush to the next stage. I know the feeling well.”
“Those basics don’t happen to be solfège, do they?”
“Something much more important than that.”
Jae-i tilted her head slightly at his cryptic answer.
Suddenly, Ki-baek walked slowly toward the piano.
The lighting, faintly reflecting between the black and white keys, brushed past his jawline.
“Here, try pressing this.”
As she placed her fingertips on the white key he indicated, she felt its slightly cool surface.
Then, as she applied her weight, a clear and neat tone blossomed into the air.
“How is it?”
“Isn’t that a C Chord?”
Faced with her textbook response, the CEO shook his head with a gentle smile.
Then, he pointed to the key once more.
“Not the chord. The emotion.”
The unexpected word lingered slowly in Jae-i’s ears.
No matter how much she had scoured the internet, she had never encountered such a concept.
‘An emotion felt from a keyboard?’
Jae-i placed her finger back on the same spot and chewed over his words.
The same tone resonated once more, vibrating through the air.
Jae-i focused entirely on the sensation delivered to her ears.
Listening to the sound stripped of the label ‘chord,’ she felt her heart grow remarkably cozy.
“Is it… a sense of comfort?”
“Yes. More precisely, stability.”
Simultaneously with his words, his presence drew close right behind her.
With the distance so tight, the warmth radiating from behind her became even more distinct.
Reaching out past her shoulder, the CEO slowly pressed a different key.
“This is A Minor. It quietens, soaking into you.”
A soft resonance rippled outward as if drenching the entire space.
Following the vibration of the note, Jae-i’s heart pulsed to the exact same rhythm.
Even without their eyes meeting, it was a distance where they were fully connected by the lingering trace of a single tone.
‘An emotion that soaks into you…’
Perhaps she had immersed herself too deeply.
Even though the note he pressed had faded, the vibration still remained in her chest.
“In the end, a good sound is conveyed from the emotion you wish to express.”
“Un… Yes! I understand.”
“Good. Keep that in mind.”
Caught off guard by Ki-baek’s restrained tone, Jae-i found her breath escaping before a proper answer could form.
Her short gasp seemed to echo awkwardly loud.
‘Why is this so strange?’
Jae-i needlessly clenched and unclenched her hand over the keys.
Realizing her palms were slightly damp from her nervous gesture, she wiped them against her clothes.
At the same time, the figure of the CEO moving to her side entered her field of vision.
Come to think of it, the CEO had always worn perfectly ironed shirts.
Today, however, he wore a casual T-shirt, and his hair naturally framed his forehead.
It was a completely new look.
‘Right. It’s just because I’m not used to seeing him like this.’
Jae-i quickly denied the feeling in her mind, as if whispering to herself.
She attribute the sudden, taut atmosphere strictly to his change in appearance.
Ignoring the subtle emotion, Jae-i turned her head to look at Ki-baek.
“This makes it much easier to remember.”
“You just need to think of it as connecting the feeling you want to put into a song with the notes. Give it a try. No need to be nervous.”
Ki-baek stepped further aside, smoothly making space for Jae-i.
Standing at the center of the keyboard, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
Ki-baek’s gaze glided along that soft contour.
It was an entirely unconscious movement on her part, yet it was difficult to look away.
The exposed ear and neckline amidst her hair caught his eyes instantly.
‘…….’
Belatedly, like someone caught staring by another person, he hurriedly shifted his gaze.
Even so, his eyes merely landed near Jae-i’s eyelashes.
The woman’s eyes were fixed quietly upon the piano.
‘She looks… just like glass.’
It was the texture of concentration unique to those completely absorbed.
It was only natural for her to wear such an expression when working.
Yet, it looked strangely beautiful.
About to press a key, she seemed to ponder something as she lightly pinched her chin with her small fingers.
And why were the lips above them so vividly red?
‘Ah.’
Allowing his appreciation to prolong any further was dangerous.
Even if he didn’t know the exact nature of this emotion, he knew with absolute certainty that he had to stop.
“Jae-i.”
Ki-baek called her name as if slamming on the brakes.
“If you’re unsure, we can always try again later.”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
Though he had spoken gently, her head drooped dejectedly.
After a few seconds of silence, Ki-baek spoke up first.
“By the way, about what you asked last night.”
“Harmony?”
“You were curious as to why rules even exist, right?”
“Yes!”
Jae-i’s slumping posture instantly straightened up again.
Faced with her vibrant reply, Ki-baek’s expression softened into a warm smile.
“They’re essentially guidelines to minimize Dissonance. However, you don’t absolutely have to follow them.”
Her quiet eyes rippled with curiosity.
When someone focused like this, it only made him want to teach her one more thing.
Ki-baek pulled a blank sheet of music from the bookshelf on the wall and brought it over to the table.
“Transfer what you studied onto this. I’ll break it down and explain why.”
“Can I write it all down?!”
“Of course.”
Quickly pulling up a chair to sit down, Jae-i opened the notepad application on her Cell Phone next to the sheet music and began moving her fingers.
Within his line of sight, her screen was packed with text, looking much like a novel.
Letting out a soft chuckle, Ki-baek slowly settled into his own chair.
Scratch, scratch.
The sound of writing filled the space between the two for quite some time.
And Ki-baek found himself gazing once more at Jae-i’s captivated face.

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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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