The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 42

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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 42
Every eye shifted to the stark white monitor resting on the platform.
When no one ventured a guess, the trainee who had asked laughed awkwardly.
“I just meant… because they said it was for monitoring. Just in case.”
She wasn’t entirely wrong.
You had to gauge the viewers’ reactions to really see how you came across on screen.
The same curiosity began to spread through the room.
Right as Lee Jae-i’s eyes sank into a thoughtful gaze,
the cell phones resting on the desks vibrated simultaneously.
[ The audio-visual room is designated for monitoring; the message board search function is temporarily enabled. However, only one post may be viewed per trainee, so please choose carefully based on the title.]
The ultimate outcome was the same, but the method had shifted subtly.
‘Just one…’
It scratched an itch, but the restriction only offered half the satisfaction.
No such minute detail had ever been shown in the broadcast before.
She had assumed it was simply cut in editing.
Perhaps it was a calculated move by the production team to capture their agonizing expressions.
For a moment, everyone’s gaze remained glued to their phone screens.
Breaking the brief silence, Yeon Eun-soo stepped forward.
“I’ll go first.”
Anxious yet expectant glances followed her unhesitating steps.
As Yeon Eun-soo stood on the platform, the light shining up from below cast sharp angles across her face.
“Why am I the one getting nervous?…”
Another trainee’s voice drifted over as the cursor moved.
A click without a moment’s hesitation.
Soon, the brutal, unvarnished text appeared on the screen.
[Yeon Eun-soo. Feels like something that would only work at a high school festival. The a cappella mission was a total stretch.]
The sentence was enough to make one choke.
Yeon Eun-soo stood completely frozen in silence for a few seconds.
“Who wants to go next?”
Though Yeon Eun-soo spoke calmly, Lee Jae-i caught the bitter undertone at the edge of her voice.
After that, things moved rapidly.
One trainee buried her face in her hands over a short video clip, while another managed to find a post full of encouragement.
As joy and sorrow alternated across the room, Baek Song-ha pushed back her chair.
“I’ll go this time.”
Standing before the monitor, Baek Song-ha became instantly absorbed, her face an unreadable mask.
The cursor remained still; only the scroll wheel clicked softly as it turned.
Numerous titles already mentioned Baek Song-ha’s name, so what was she searching for?
Baek Song-ha hovered her mouse over a specific post.
Click.
The sound of the click snapped sharply through the quiet room.
[Look at her staring right into the camera when the MR cut out. Baek Song-ha is a total natural born fox.]
Beneath the eye-catching title, a stream of praise-filled evaluations followed.
It was a natural viewer reaction.
There was no law forbidding people from being impressed by Baek Song-ha’s stage.
‘She shouldn’t have been able to predict that part, though.’
It seemed luck was still firmly on Baek Song-ha’s side.
Wearing an expression that suggested she was deeply moved once again, Baek Song-ha lingered on the platform.
Rather than scoffing at the performance, Lee Jae-i sank into deeper reflection.
‘Which post should I pull up?…’
A light tap nudged her side.
“It’s your turn.”
At Yeon Eun-soo’s voice, Lee Jae-i slowly rose from her seat.
Heading toward the platform, she mentally organized the titles she had skimmed through earlier.
The moment they brushed past each other like runners passing a baton,
she noticed the proud, confident set of Baek Song-ha’s shoulders.
Everyone else had clicked the back button before stepping down, but Baek Song-ha had left her screen fully displayed.
‘Unbelievable…’
Without a word, Lee Jae-i closed the window first.
The board reset to its clean state.
She immediately clicked on the second page.
The trainees’ gazes shifted in tandem with the movement of the cursor.
The mouse halted over one spot.
“I’ll look at this one.”
At that, the trainees’ eyes widened in unison.
Even Baek Song-ha’s did.
[To everyone hyping up Lee Jae-i: here’s why she can’t win. (Warning: Long Post)]
That was the title of the post beneath her cursor.
She could have chosen a safer option, but that single sentence had caught in her chest.
Personally, she harbored almost no regrets about her a cappella stage.
‘If anything, it was thrilling.’
Despite that, she had received a lower score than Baek Song-ha.
With their cell phone usage heavily restricted now,
she had no chance of winning unless she truly captivated the general public.
‘If it’s constructive criticism and not just blind malice, I need to read it.’
With that thought, Lee Jae-i boldly brought the post up on the screen.
The very first thing that caught her eye was a number.
‘Number one.’
The author had even bolded each item, making the post remarkably easy to read.
[1. The Baek Song-ha vs. Lee Jae-i narrative.
Look at the pattern. Do you really think a major agency isn’t applying pressure? Is everyone that naive? Look at how blatantly they’re pushing the rivalry. One of them is definitely a plant. So, which one is it? Curious?]
Her finger froze instantly as the text cut off dramatically.
This was a far more sensitive issue than she had anticipated.
If she scrolled the mouse wheel now, the next line would appear immediately.
As a stunned silence stretched through the audio-visual room, the door swung open.
A beam of light sliced through the gap, cutting across the screen and bisecting the text.
“The production team will review this post. Jae-i, would you mind looking at a different one?”
Approaching with quick strides, Son Hyun-joo took the mouse directly from Lee Jae-i’s hand.
The screen reverted to the main page.
Yet, everyone’s thoughts failed to return to their proper place.
Sensing the frosty atmosphere, Son Hyun-joo spoke up naturally to break the tension.
“This is the reality of reality TV. But since this is a recorded broadcast, let’s take a break here and reset.”
Despite her calm demeanor, the oppressive air in the room did not dissipate easily.
It was particularly suffocating around Baek Song-ha’s seat.
‘She did it again…’
At first, she thought Lee Jae-i had simply given up in despair.
When the arrow stopped over that specific title, a feeling bordering on encouragement had flashed through her.
She had wanted her to click it quickly.
However, the text that appeared had chilled her to the core.
‘How out of all things did she pick a post like that?’
Her irritation had been building since yesterday, and now the girl had managed to provoke her again today.
Baek Song-ha stared at Lee Jae-i’s hands as she stood on the platform.
The other girl was the one wrapped in bandages, yet Baek Song-ha felt as if her own hands and feet were tied.
‘That bitch always interferes with everything!’
Why did the name Lee Jae-i blaze so vividly every time her stomach knotted with anxiety?
An insignificant, pathetic girl.
The fact that she was getting tangled up with someone like that and feeling anxious made her feel even more nauseous.
‘What else did they write in there?’
A conflicting urge sparked within her; she felt a desperate need to read the contents of the post, yet simultaneously wanted to bury it forever.
Son Hyun-joo stepped out of the room once more.
Baek Song-ha steadied her breathing, watching the mouse cursor begin to move again.
Then, another post appeared.
Along with a lengthy piece of writing, a video of Lee Jae-i’s busking was attached.
She despised it from the very first paragraph.
[Personally, I think this is where Lee Jae-i’s charm absolutely explodes! There’s no blatant attempt to seduce the audience. No desperate bid for attention. It’s a video where pure, raw singing just drives people wild. Isn’t that what star quality is all about?]
Grit.
Baek Song-ha bit the inside of her cheek where no one could see.
It read like a piece of praise that belonged exclusively in a fan cafe.
The harsh, grating click of the scroll wheel echoed too loudly in her ears.
As the comments underneath came into view, Baek Song-ha’s brow furrowed sharply.
└Spot on. Except one thing is wrong. She is blatantly seducing us.
└I’ve been saying this, Lee Jae-i reeled us in first.
└Raise your hand if your cheeks started cramping from smiling while watching this video.
└222. Raising both hands and feet right here.
└Jae-i unnie. ㅠㅠ Please officially release this track. I can’t keep looping a video forever!
The further down the screen scrolled, the more her stomach turned.
‘People actually like that garbage?’
The sheer volume of comments didn’t even compare to what the other trainees had received when they stood before the monitor.
It eclipsed her own engagement as well.
She had dismissed that video easily because of its simplicity.
It was monotonous and juvenile.
Yet the public reaction was entirely polarized in the opposite direction.
Baek Song-ha scratched the tight space between her eyebrows with her index finger.
‘Wait a minute…’
Baek Song-ha recalled the sheet music she had committed to memory.
Objectively speaking, the song Yoo Young-jae had given her was perfectly to her liking.
But if the public’s tastes were moving in the opposite direction, would her song truly deliver an impact?
‘What if the song Lee Jae-i wrote gains more traction?’
The mere fact that such a thought crossed her mind struck her with a sense of shock.
‘I absolute must win the composition mission!’
An arrow sharpened by obsession pierced through her temple, bringing on a throbbing headache.
She desperately wanted to scatter a handful of tacks right beneath Lee Jae-i’s feet, but taking action herself carried too high a risk.
Still, she had to do something.
Otherwise, those kinds of comments would only continue to pile up under Lee Jae-i’s name.
Just as her eyes began to burn with frustration, a cautious voice drifted into her ears.
“Songha. Are you feeling sick somewhere?”
Baek Song-ha glanced sideways through half-opened eyes.

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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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