The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 35

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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 35
An unfamiliar scent lingered in the studio set.
The sleek walls and lighting of the newly renovated set felt strangely different.
Before anyone could grow accustomed to the atmosphere, the sign signaling the start of filming flashed.
“I’m Your Singer Season 3. Thank you all for waiting.”
The MC’s voice cut through the brightened lights.
On the stage, twenty trainees stood packed tightly in a line.
And, right next to her.
Baek Song-ha’s hair brushed against Lee Jae-i’s shoulder.
It was a placement that suggested the production team had meticulously monitored the viewers’ reactions before positioning them.
‘This isn’t a distance where we should be standing this close and smiling.’
Every time they drew near, the hostility radiating from Baek Song-ha usually stabbed at her, but today felt somewhat different.
Jae-i instantly sensed the subtle shift in the air.
‘She must have prepared a lot.’
Jae-i suppressed a smirk, hiding her discomfort behind a neutral expression.
She also had to make sure her displeasure toward Baek Song-ha wasn’t overly obvious.
Even that would likely be translated as mere tension by the cameras.
In the waiting room, ten chairs she hadn’t seen before had been set up.
Ten.
It meant that half of the group had already vanished.
The trainees who had teamed up with Baek Song-ha since they entered looked triumphant.
In fact, the look in their eyes as they stared at the waiting room seats even gleamed for a fleeting moment.
‘I suppose they would think that way.’
However, those seats weren’t meant for people who had simply achieved good results in the team mission.
Furthermore, if the past results remained unchanged, those ten seats would not be fully occupied.
The camera zoomed in toward the waiting room.
“For the trainees who will take those seats, we will exceptionally announce the next mission today before revealing the eliminations.”
At the MC’s announcement, anxiety rippled through the waiting lineup.
It was a natural reaction, given that the team mission results—which everyone had expected to come first—were being pushed back.
Jae-i also parted her lips slightly and blinked, putting on a bewildered expression.
“You trainees will be taking a class from the composer, Casey.”
The briefly murmuring air suddenly stiffened, freezing like a solid block.
Casey.
A figure who had always sat at the edge of the judges’ seats without much presence had become the most powerful name at this very moment.
The trainees’ gazes naturally shifted toward the shadowed area where Casey sat.
“As this is the mission where the ultimate winner of I’m Your Singer will be born, please ignite your determination.”
Up to this point, the comments only induced suspense.
However, as the MC’s next words followed, faces began turning a ghostly gray one by one.
“After the composition classes, you will be tested every other day. For the final stage, you must present yourself with a self-composed song.”
Except for special cases, composition was rarely included in the basic curriculum.
Even if some had taken a similar class, it likely didn’t go beyond sketching out a simple melody.
‘It’s better not to look shaken here.’
Conscious of the camera, Jae-i calmly cast her gaze downward.
“Trainees who wish to take on the challenge, please take one step forward from where you stand.”
The sharpened air conveyed even the slightest movement.
Someone’s trembling fingertips, the gesture of holding one’s breath and placing a hand over the chest.
Jae-i caught her breath, focusing entirely on her own senses.
Just as the tension blanketing the stage began to spread like wildfire.
Click—.
Two rows of lights snapped off.
Simultaneously, the cameras relentlessly closed in on faces and fingertips.
She could almost hear the sound of the trainees’ inner conflicts pouring out like waves.
The tension gripping the space was far tauter than when the audience seats were full.
This very moment was not mere entertainment; it was a battleground where passion had to be proven.
If one stopped the challenge here, their perseverance would be put on trial.
And if one challenged it with a clumsy attitude, they would be branded as lacking talent.
She fully sympathized that this was a difficult moment for anyone.
Jae-i clenched her fists tightly.
‘If I’m lacking, I can just learn more. There’s still time.’
The moment she stepped forward, a spotlight dropped directly over her head.
A mere half-beat later, Baek Song-ha’s light snapped on as well.
And following that, bursts of light erupted one after another from various spots.
‘…Fifteen.’
The number of illuminated lights stopped there.
Five people had given up on the challenge.
When Jae-i turned her head, Yeon Eun-soo was standing under a circular beam of light.
However, Kim Se-jin stood frozen in place, her feet firmly planted in the shadows.
Originally, Se-jin should have been eliminated without even making it through the group mission.
‘I thought a lot of things had changed.’
Jae-i had hoped Se-jin would continue the challenge.
Setting aside the fact that it meant more competitors, she wanted to cheer her on.
The more the situation changed, the closer she felt to her revenge against Yoo Young-jae and Baek Song-ha, which made her want to encourage others even more.
Yet, Jae-i quietly turned her head back.
‘Intervening any further would just be meddling.’
The stage was already moving on to the next segment.
Holding the microphone, the composer Casey let his voice ring out toward the trainees.
“I will now announce the theme to you all.”
At the ongoing proceedings, the trainees standing beneath the lights held their breath once more.
“For the final stage, you will create a song based on a story selected from the viewers’ submissions. Since it is a difficult mission, we are revealing it in advance as a courtesy.”
There was no way it was a courtesy.
It was a deliberate ‘script’ designed to boost viewership ratings.
From somewhere behind, someone let out a scoffing sigh.
Jae-i kept her gaze fixed on her toes, maintaining a deeply contemplative expression.
Then, as if making up her mind, she raised her head toward the judges’ seats.
The camera quickly zoomed in on Jae-i, following her movement.
“As you can see, ten seats have been prepared on the right.”
Casey’s voice suddenly took on a firmer tone.
“From this moment on, we will announce the team mission results to see who will take those seats.”
Behind them, an LED screen larger than before flashed to life.
“Everyone, please check the screen.”
The trainees all turned around simultaneously, their gazes completely sucked into the bright light.
Twenty photographs emerged on the screen that had been washed in white.
Every single face was smiling brightly.
However, the expressions of the trainees looking at their own photos were far from identical.
“We will only announce the results of the trainees who chose to take on the challenge.”
The moment the words ended, the photos of the trainees who hadn’t stepped forward vanished as if scattering away.
When Se-jin’s photo disappeared, Jae-i’s lips tightened.
Soon after, a single photograph expanded to fill the screen.
It was the face of one of the members from the team that had performed second.
Objectively speaking, it had been a disappointing stage.
Sure enough, the light clicked off, and that trainee’s spot vanished into the shadows.
“Trainee Yang Sa-ra cannot continue with the next challenge.”
The cold voice of Judge Hae-su, who had taken the microphone at some point, fell upon the room.
The trainee whose feet had been plunged into darkness stood dazed, fighting back her tears.
How painful must it be to watch the determination of the step you just took crumble away?
As the critique continued, the trainee ultimately couldn’t hold it in and burst into heavy sobs.
However, there was not enough time to feel pity for her.
‘Eun-soo….’
This time, Eun-soo’s photo occupied the screen.
Jae-i felt her palms grow slightly damp with sweat.
‘Originally, Eun-soo would be eliminated here too.’
While the fact that Eun-soo had expressed her intent to challenge was the same, the outcome remained unknown.
The Eun-soo of the past had been paired with Baek Song-ha, but now, she had created a stage together with Jae-i.
Naturally, Jae-i’s gaze shifted to Eun-soo.
Uncharacteristically, Eun-soo was staring at the screen with a completely frozen expression.
‘I hope she doesn’t drop out here.’
Jae-i also desperately prayed in her heart for the result to change.
Only then would it feel like the stage they had built together could actually alter the future.
However, Eun-soo’s shining hair vanished into darkness in an instant.
‘……!!’
The moment her eyes landed on the shadow, Jae-i’s breath hitched as well.

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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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