The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 43

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

This Life’s Hit Song is Revenge
Episode 43
Kim Cho-a.
Her face was distinctively familiar.
It wasn’t just because of the repetitive filming; they had crossed paths once before.
‘Where was it again?’
The company’s name slipped her mind.
How could she possibly remember every single subcontractor under the massive Daekyung Group?
Yet the impression remained sharp.
She was the girl who had consistently turned up every holiday and birthday, politely holding out a gift box.
Because they shared an acquaintance, she felt even less inclined to pretend she recognized her.
“No. I’m fine.”
A short, clipped response.
But Kim Cho-a seemed thrilled just to get a reaction and eagerly pressed on.
“I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I stayed away in case it bothered you.”
“Sure.”
Baek Song-ha replied, her tone remaining icy.
She had kept her mouth shut during the Team Mission, making her seem perceptive, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.
A sharp sentence surfaced at the tip of her tongue.
‘Stop talking to me and just get lost.’
However, with a microphone strapped to her, she couldn’t let those words slip out.
Just as irritation threatened to flare up.
Suddenly, a memory of something Kim Cho-a had said flashed through her mind.
‘Song-ha. If you ever need anything, just tell me. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.’
At the time, she had brushed it off as meaningless fluff.
People who approached her always tossed out those kinds of empty pleasantries like standard greetings.
Their underlying motives were entirely transparent.
Please look favorably upon our company. We want to work with Daekyung.
‘They should just say that directly. How annoying.’
She knew very well that the people approaching her in that manner were merely donning a mask of sincerity.
Especially that offer to help.
What could someone like her ever possibly need help with?
And yet.
‘Right now… there might actually be something she can help me with, right?’
As that thought took root, her eyelids fluttered open with a strange glint.
In that instant, Baek Song-ha turned her head toward Kim Cho-a with far more composure than before.
It didn’t matter whether Kim Cho-a truly wanted to help her out of pure kindness.
There was no need to verify that anyway.
‘She wouldn’t want her own father to end up in a tight spot because of her, would she?’
That single thought softened her tense expression.
* * *
Dinner time, inside Baek Song-ha’s lodging.
She checked her watch with a detached glance before shifting her gaze toward the door.
While she despised letting anyone into her personal space, the lodging was the only area where she could take off her microphone.
It wasn’t entirely free of cameras, but it couldn’t compare to carrying recording equipment directly on her body.
Knock, knock.
At the faint sound, Baek Song-ha pushed herself up.
Opening the door, she didn’t bother with a brief greeting, instead dragging her slippers across the floor and slumping heavily onto the sofa.
“Are you going to keep standing there?”
“Oh? No. I’ll sit.”
Kim Cho-a offered a rushed reply, and after a moment of hesitation, carefully settled herself on the floor.
She simply looked down at her in silence.
When the silence stretched on, Kim Cho-a straightened her back, her expression tightening further.
Only then did Baek Song-ha slowly tilt her head.
“Why are you so tense? Is this uncomfortable?”
“No! Not at all!”
Her gesture was so exaggerated that her palms were completely exposed.
Even her initial reaction was laughable.
“It’s just… to be honest, I’ve been a huge fan ever since you first debuted.”
“Ah.”
An empty exclamation escaped her lips in response to the cliché remark.
Of course.
For a broadcast, that was the most natural angle to play.
‘She isn’t as stupid as I thought.’
The passing thought was all she gave it.
Kim Cho-a darted her eyes up and down several times before finally opening her mouth as if she had made up her mind.
“I actually… applied for this show because I wanted to stand on the stage with you.”
‘She certainly knows how to flatter.’
Up to this point, she was quite satisfied.
The girl was delivering the exact lines that would look perfect on television.
If a narrative like this was established, it would provide an escape hatch even if a problem arose later down the line.
A twisted fan’s devotion.
It was a convenient label to slap onto almost anything.
She naturally shifted her posture while scanning the cameras installed inside the lodging.
‘This part was definitely captured.’
Baek Song-ha slipped down from the sofa and pressed herself right next to Kim Cho-a.
Then, her voice dropped to a faint murmur that blended with the sound of her breathing.
“You remember saying you’d do whatever it takes to help me?”
A chilling curve traced the edges of Baek Song-ha’s lips.
* * *
An entire week had already slipped by.
Lee Jae-i twirled the tip of her pen with her hand, which was now free of bandages.
Casey’s composition class had only been easy on the very first day.
Eun-soo, who was sitting in the front row, twisted around toward Lee Jae-i, letting her head drop despondently.
“Ah. I really must have zero talent for composition.”
Reassuring words didn’t immediately spring to mind.
‘Hmm….’
The test required them to continuously build upon the initial melody they had created.
It didn’t even demand complex chords.
Yet Eun-soo had barely managed to alter one or two notes from the baseline melody that Casey had provided as an example.
Casey’s expression had been utterly transparent.
The sharp thorns piercing through the gaze he directed at Eun-soo were impossible to miss.
Lee Jae-i offered her reply a beat late.
“You’re incredibly talented in other areas, so it’s only natural to lack skills in composition. Wouldn’t you say that keeps things fair?”
“Other areas?”
“Your dancing is truly exceptional.”
She meant it.
Eun-soo possessed a unique knack for breathing physical movement into lyrics.
Setting aside the advanced technicalities of professional dancers, that was her honest impression.
The moment the words landed, Eun-soo pouted her lips and instantly spun back around.
A small tsk slipped from her mouth.
Turning her head slightly, Lee Jae-i caught sight of Eun-soo’s slightly raised cheekbones.
‘Well, tsk to you too.’
A gentle amusement rippled through her.
Even so, Lee Jae-i didn’t neglect to give a final piece of advice.
“Still, it’s the final stage, so you need to step it up, Eun-soo.”
With a swift motion, Eun-soo’s short bob shook entirely.
It was right when she locked eyes with a determined Eun-soo.
Another trainee squeezed between Eun-soo and Lee Jae-i, her voice ringing out brightly.
“Your stage on yesterday’s broadcast was absolutely incredible!”
It was true.
Yesterday, everyone had gathered in the Audio-Visual Room to watch the latest episode.
Most of them had ended up with tearing eyes.
Confronting the image of their past selves drenched in beads of sweat naturally made everyone emotional.
Seeing the clips of team members who were no longer with them only heightened those emotions.
Lee Jae-i had also felt a bizarre wave of sentimentality the moment her voice blended with Kim Se-jin’s.
However, the atmosphere completely flipped during the final ending sequence.
[I’m Your Singer Season 3. Your story is reborn on the stage. Please share your story with us.
※Submit your application via the link below.]
Perhaps because they felt so isolated living in the lodging.
Those words felt like a text message sent straight from reality.
The trainees all swallowed hard at the sight of that ending screen.
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor shattered the lingering afterimages of the broadcast.
“Seeing the group mission broadcast made me realize just how hard you guys practiced.”
The one approaching with an amiable smile was Kim Cho-a.
Lee Jae-i instinctively looked up at her.
‘Out of nowhere?’
She was far more curious about the hidden intent behind the words than the actual compliment.
It didn’t strike her as a simple expression of admiration.
Up until now, the glances Kim Cho-a had directed her way leaned toward the colder side.
Her gaze naturally drifted toward Baek Song-ha’s seat.
As if lost in thought, she was running a hand through her hair while pushing the desk with the tip of her foot.
She was excessively quiet.
Baek Song-ha, who had always commanded the center of attention, had been taking a step back lately.
She kept her replies short even when praised, and she stayed quiet when it was her time to step forward.
Kim Cho-a wasn’t lingering around Baek Song-ha’s side either.
‘It’s nice not having to waste emotional energy, but….’
That very tranquility felt rather unsettling.
Seizing the moment during the brief silence, Kim Cho-a chimed in once more.
“The broadcast went out yesterday asking for viewer stories. Isn’t everyone nervous?”
“You don’t exactly look nervous yourself.”
Eun-soo shot back ruthlessly.
She even crossed her arms with a sullen expression, making her distaste completely obvious.
Yet Kim Cho-a responded in an even more cheerful tone.
Now, Kim Cho-a was leaning in quite openly.
“The screen completely showed how incredibly hard you guys worked!”
Lee Jae-i offered a light smile at the intense gaze fixed upon her.
“Everyone did. Still, it feels great to be recognized. Thank you.”
At the gentle tone, Eun-soo’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits.
Kim Cho-a completely ignored Eun-soo and slid into the seat right next to Lee Jae-i.
Then, she settled herself comfortably.
‘Does she really just want to become friends?’
It wasn’t something to judge right this second.
Sincerity had a way of bleeding through even a single phrase.
Lee Jae-i returned Cho-a’s smile with a subtle grin of her own.
Right then, the lecture room door swung open, shifting the entire flow of the room.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————