The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 36

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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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This Life’s Hit Song is Revenge
Episode 36
It was just a single spotlight, yet the difference in illumination was staggering.
Lee Jae-i instantly widened her eyes, staring toward Yeon Eun-soo.
However, she could not fully catch the dark complexion of her face all at once.
“Trainee Yeon Eun-soo.”
Before she knew it, Judge Hae-su’s crisp voice cut through the air into her microphone.
“You may continue on to the next challenge.”
Blink.
Simultaneously, the light that had been aimed at Eun-soo’s head pivoted back toward the waiting room.
At that exact moment, the embers buried in Jae-i’s chest ignited into a spark.
Only then did she notice the corners of Eun-soo’s mouth curving up into a bright, sweeping arc.
‘She did it.’
Eun-soo’s face, brimming with sheer ecstasy, struck a deep chord in Jae-i’s heart.
‘It’s different from before.’
A teammate who had shared the stage with her had forged a completely different outcome from the past.
That alone was an incredibly precious achievement for her as well.
Suddenly, the warmth of the lighting grazing her skin felt even more intense.
‘That means first place can change too.’
Following that train of thought, the roots of her resolve began to anchor themselves even deeper.
Eun-soo’s photo on the LED screen took up its designated slot, capturing her with that exact, bright smile.
The evaluation of the trainees standing on the edge of the cliff marched on.
Some plunged into total darkness, while others walked toward the waiting room, their paths diverging completely.
Before long, four photos flickered onto the screen all at once.
That was when the host’s voice shifted the atmosphere in the room.
“Only the results of the leaders whose teams delivered incredible performances during the last mission remain. Will the four trainees please turn and face the judges?”
Baek Song-ha was the very first to move this time.
Confidence practically radiated from her shifting shoulders.
Jae-i etched that posture into her memory as she, too, turned her body toward the judges’ seats.
“Before we announce the final results, shall we hear the evaluation remarks from our judges first?”
It was a classic broadcasting tactic, mirroring the agonizing commercials dropped right before a grand prize announcement at an awards ceremony.
She knew it was a brilliant hook to prevent viewers from flipping the channel.
Yet, for the trainees who had to maintain their peak, suffocating tension, it was nothing short of torture.
Jae-i let out a long, heavy breath she had been holding in.
“Phew…”
Watching Eun-soo pass had actually made her own heart thump-thump even harder.
It was a pulse driven far more by anticipation than mere nervousness.
Even the reaction erupting from the audience section was reminiscent of a packed concert hall.
Perhaps she might actually score higher than Baek Song-ha.
‘Besides, I gave it my absolute all.’
Recalling the sweat she had poured out and the bruises scattered across her body, Jae-i’s eyes gleamed with renewed brilliance.
Judge Hae-su, still holding the microphone, continued her commentary.
“For the last team mission, the judges in charge of producing intentionally selected tracks that would expose each team’s specific weaknesses.”
A collective wave of sighs and groans rippled from the rows behind them.
The remaining two teams had seen their flaws completely stripped bare, after all.
“Even so, there was one team that left a remarkably deep impression.”
Judge Hae-su’s gaze was locked dead onto Baek Song-ha.
It was a stage so undeniable that no one could object, even as the glowing praise poured in.
“Since Trainee Baek Song-ha’s team is traditionally strong in performance, I deliberately assigned you a monotonous song. Yet, you turned every single beat into choreography to maximize your strengths.”
However, that statement was only half-true.
The melody simply hadn’t shifted drastically; the rhythm itself was constantly being chopped into complex beats.
It was actually a perfect song for crafting a routine.
“Knowing how far everyone traveled to come see us, we approached the stage with the mindset that we absolutely could not disappoint our audience,” Song-ha replied.
Hearing that hypocritical remark over and over now made Jae-i simply shrug it off.
‘Baek Song-ha is always Baek Song-ha.’
If anything, it was a relief that she remained exactly as she remembered.
It meant she wouldn’t have to waste a single second agonizing over showing her any mercy.
The rest of the judges piled on their compliments, noting that it didn’t feel like an amateur performance at all.
Then, finally, Judge Choi Du-o took hold of the microphone.
“Personally, I think the directing fell short.”
That blunt critique struck like a heavy blow to Song-ha’s ears, which were entirely accustomed to praise.
For a split second, she desperately pulled back her twitching cheekbones, forcing her expression under control.
Judge Choi Du-o pressed on with his critique in a thoroughly flat voice.
“Despite it being a team mission, it felt as though the performance strayed entirely from the theme. It would have been much better if there was more harmony.”
‘What is he even talking about? That old geezer.’
Baek Song-ha spat the unfiltered, disrespectful insult internally, but externally, she bowed her head submissively.
“Thank you for your valuable feedback.”
Keeping her upper body bent at a sharp ninety-degree angle, Song-ha took another moment to compose her face.
It was incredibly annoying when the camera caught those fleeting expressions.
Baek Song-ha had already seen online community comments pointing out a face she had made for just a fraction of a second.
‘They only care about useless things.’
They didn’t even know anything about music, so why on earth did they make such a massive fuss over a single look?
Ever since filming started today, she had deliberately acted as though she didn’t care about Lee Jae-i at all.
If she openly showed discomfort at Judge Choi Du-o’s critique here, that expression would undoubtedly become a talking point yet again.
‘Seriously.’
Having so many eyes on her was such a tedious chore.
Song-ha cast her eyes downward, her face hardening significantly.
Right after, Judge Choi Du-o turned his head slightly.
“The performance shown by Trainee Lee Jae-i possessed a remarkably high level of completion.”
It was an absolute miracle that she had kept her eyes downcast.
Otherwise, there was no telling exactly where her gaze would have snapped.
The moment Baek Song-ha felt her molars grinding together involuntarily, she brought the memorized sheet music to the forefront of her mind.
‘How could someone like her ever beat me?’
Every single time she had struggled to memorize the sheet music, Lee Jae-i’s face had flashed before her, driving her nearly insane.
But gradually, her thoughts veered in a completely different direction.
‘I already heard it in that busking video anyway.’
Even on a casual listen, it clearly sounded like a self-composed song—a crude track where she had just thrown random rhythms together.
And what about those childish lyrics?
In terms of song completion alone, it was practically at the level of a children’s nursery rhyme.
Crawling all the way up to this point might have been pure luck, but it meant her true skills were finally about to hit rock bottom.
Once she framed it that way, her chest felt considerably lighter.
‘Actually, this works out better. She has nothing left to do but utterly embarrass herself.’
Those supportive comments left on that video?
Looking back, that was hilarious too.
A Korean girl babbling on a foreign street corner.
It was simply the kind of video the general public loved to react to.
She looked appropriately pitiful, seemed to have some sort of vibe, and stirred up just enough patriotism.
Jae-i had merely garnered attention through a mediocre image; it wasn’t anything worth losing sleep over.
Baek Song-ha let out a silent scoff.
‘She stepped forward so boldly, but imagine how incredibly anxious she must be.’
If composition was truly her forte when she had absolutely nothing else to show, she would have flaunted it ages ago.
At most, she had taken composition classes for a mere two weeks.
Wasn’t that a laughably short amount of time for any dramatic improvement to actually occur?
As Song-ha envisioned the messy, haphazard sheet music Jae-i must have drawn, the tension in her lips softened into a relaxed smirk.
From that point on, Baek Song-ha completely tuned out the rest of the judges’ evaluations.
The tedious, drawn-out remarks from the panel finally drew to a close.
“Now, shall we reveal the results?”
Following the host’s seamless transition, Jae-i turned her gaze back toward the LED screen.
All movement on the stage ground to a halt.
Though the images displayed on the screen were still photos, they appeared to tremble minutely.
The four beams of light vanished.
In stark contrast, a single photo smoothly dissolved away from the brilliantly glowing screen.
Instantly, the remaining three faces slid up into the center of the display.
Exactly three spotlights now illuminated the path to the waiting room.
“Trainee Ban So-mi cannot continue this challenge. Will the remaining three trainees please move to the waiting room?”
The decree-like declaration dropped from the judges’ seats.
With that, the layout of the eight lights shining down on the waiting room was officially complete.
Jae-i stepped slowly toward the waiting room.
A vibration traveled up through the soles of her feet, making her knees tremble strangely.
As the chairs drew closer, their metallic frames caught the studio lights, flashing brightly across her vision.
In a fleeting moment that went entirely unnoticed by anyone else, the inside of Jae-i’s lips went completely dry.
‘…I’ve made it this far.’
She quietly swallowed that fierce determination deep down into her throat.
Once all eight trainees were safely seated, the host’s voice echoed loudly across the room.
“Since this competition will be contested with self-composed songs, all trainees will be living in the dorms for the next fifteen days to ensure a thoroughly fair evaluation.”
Now, she wouldn’t be able to let her guard down for even a single second, not even while she slept.

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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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