The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 46

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

Revenge is the Hit Song of This Life
Chapter 46
‘Why did she come back?’
Casey remembered the look on Baek Song-ha’s face as she left after her consultation.
She had looked so visibly displeased that he hadn’t expected her to return.
The trainee sat across from him and held out her sheet music.
“This is the revised sheet music. Please take another look.”
He had told her it didn’t need any work, so her proactive attitude toward getting feedback was admirable.
Yet, Casey couldn’t shake the lingering impression of the sheet music he had seen yesterday.
A level of composition skill that went beyond proficient.
She had packed the notes tightly to ensure the sound never felt empty, even during the bridge transitions.
‘…It’s impossible unless she’s a genius.’
However, the trainee he was looking at now seemed far removed from that kind of intuition.
Still, he couldn’t openly show his suspicion.
Left with no choice, Casey took the sheet music Baek Song-ha offered.
Glancing through it briefly, he didn’t see any major changes to the notes.
‘What changed? The melody?’
If that was the case, there was no need to look further.
He started to trace the melody in his head, then quickly stopped.
Ultimately, his instincts as a composer flared up.
‘I shouldn’t touch this.’
Drawing a firm line between himself and Baek Song-ha, Casey repeated the exact same words.
“There’s nothing to fix. Go to the Recording Room and make the MR file with the recording engineer.”
“Yes.”
Baek Song-ha replied bluntly, snatching back the sheet music he had carelessly returned.
She, too, had noticed that Casey’s eyes had merely grazed the edge of the paper.
She had only come because she figured making an enemy of a judge wouldn’t do her any good, but at this point, she didn’t care anymore.
‘He’s just one person, after all.’
With a slight jerk of her head that was somewhere between a bow and a nod, Baek Song-ha abruptly left.
* * *
Lee Jae-i stacked her finished sheet music neatly and pushed back her chair.
‘This should do it.’
She had completed two songs.
The one she had leaked to Kim Cho-a, and the one she would show to Casey.
Neither was something she could just throw together carelessly.
As she stood up, Lee Jae-i’s gaze drifted toward the center seats of the Lecture Room.
‘Baek Song-ha.’
Baek Song-ha was the only one who had completely finished up to the recording stage.
While the other trainees were wrestling with their sheet music, panting at their respective desks.
Baek Song-ha looked completely relaxed, the light catching the glossy sheen of her hair.
Lee Jae-i turned her body and looked at Kim Cho-a, who was burying her face in her arms.
Ever since she had discarded the song, Kim Cho-a had been frantically immersed in nothing but composition.
Her previous habit of guarding the adjacent seat had vanished without a trace.
If Kim Cho-a had actually taken and used that song, she wouldn’t be struggling this hard.
She was even tossing aside multiple sheets of manuscript paper.
Lee Jae-i’s gaze slowly drifted back to Baek Song-ha.
‘I’ll find out once I go in.’
Whether she used that melody or not.
Staring at Baek Song-ha until the very end, Lee Jae-i murmured quietly under her breath.
‘I hope you did.’
Just one piece.
She hoped that single piece would lock into place on the unfinished puzzle.
Lee Jae-i turned around and walked away.
On her way to face Casey, a faint tension vibrated beneath her feet.
Before long, Lee Jae-i stood before the door and knocked.
“Come in.”
“Phew…”
Allowing her heart a single beat to steady itself, she pushed the door open.
“Hello. I’m Lee Jae-i.”
Casey was sitting in front of a heavy-looking electronic keyboard.
Turning around at her greeting, Casey met her eyes.
“Right. Shall we look at the song?”
She immediately handed over a copy of the sheet music in her hand.
His fingers moved through the air as if bringing the notes to life.
Lee Jae-i’s head, which had been tracking Casey’s movements, stopped short at his question.
“The vibe feels sorrowful. Is that what you intended?”
As he voiced her precise intention, the corners of Lee Jae-i’s mouth relaxed into a comfortable smile.
“Yes. I wanted to capture that kind of emotion.”
“You hit the emotion perfectly. The structure isn’t bad either.”
“Thank you.”
It was unexpected feedback.
A slightly relieved breath escaped her lips.
Casey immediately slid his chair over to the front of the keyboard.
He moved as if measuring the tempo with his body, and soon tapped out a few short notes on the keys.
Casey’s pen tip swept across her sheet music.
Scribble. Scritch.
By the time her seat had warmed up, Casey turned around to face Lee Jae-i.
“I’d like to see this part brought out a bit more. It’s better to keep the rest simple.”
On the sheet music Casey handed back, a few measures of notes and a bassline had been added.
He had only moved his hands a few times, yet the color of the song had become distinctly vivid.
“Producing like this is fun. You can go ahead and record.”
His voice carried genuine sincerity rather than just formal encouragement.
Lee Jae-i’s grip tightened around the sheet music she received.
“Um, this too!”
Casey’s gaze instantly locked onto Lee Jae-i.
Instead of picking up the offered sheet music right away, he looked at her face first.
As if trying to read her attitude beforehand.
“You wrote two songs? Why?”
The question was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
“I thought I would only know for sure after recording them and adding lyrics.”
Casey paused at Lee Jae-i’s bold answer.
Shifting only his eyes, Casey scanned the sheet music resting on the desk.
‘She wrote two?’
There were no flashy arrangements.
But composing a single song was no easy feat.
More often than not, trainees brought him completely blank sheets.
Yet this was unexpected.
Casey narrowed his eyes as he picked up the sheet music.
With every passing measure, the notes grew deeper.
This was far from a simple attempt to flatter a judge.
Casey lifted his eyes to look at Lee Jae-i.
The trainee stood there waiting calmly with a straight posture.
Though her outward demeanor was composed, the aura around her felt intense.
Casey turned the page again.
The moment he flipped to the back, something akin to a chuckle erupted internally.
‘Look at her go…’
It was actually easier to mix in a variety of colorful sounds.
This trainee had chosen breath over notes.
By placing definitive silences in the bridge and climax, she allowed the emotions to explode.
Casey’s gaze drifted slightly past the sheet music.
Between her neatly folded fingers, ink stains remained unwashed.
‘She certainly worked hard.’
At this level, it was fair to say she possessed the talent to back up her effort.
‘She truly wants to make music.’
That sentence spread through the notes like lyrics.
In that moment, something inexplicable tugged at his chest.
‘I had times like that too.’
It felt like watching his own forgotten passion flash from an unexpected place.
Would it be excessive to feel proud of her?
Even though he knew he had to remain cold and rational, he was still a man moved by emotion.
Could he not see the passion writhing inside the rough diamond?
On a personal level, he wanted to help her, even if it meant dedicating his own time.
‘No. I shouldn’t cross the line.’
To maintain the semblance of fairness, he couldn’t get any more involved.
Checking the sheet music to the very end, Casey let out a short sigh in his mind.
‘I wish she had shown me this one first.’
The previous song was good, but this one was far clearer.
If the order had been reversed, he could have naturally handled the production for her.
Casey started to offer his thoughts on the song, but quietly pressed his lips together.
Adding unnecessary praise would only deepen the regret.
Casey spoke in a significantly lowered voice.
“Producing two songs might raise fairness issues, so you’ll need to discuss this with the head PD.”
“Ah… Yes! I understand what you mean.”
Despite the euphemistic rejection, the trainee replied brightly.
That reaction actually weighed on his mind.
Casey hesitated for a moment before adding more.
“You might only be allowed to record one song.”
“…….”
This time, the trainee firmly shut her lips and merely nodded.
It was a sign of understanding.
‘She must be disappointed.’
As a composer, Casey knew all too well what it was like for music to remain solely on paper.
“I’ll try to ask the PD for his understanding regarding the MR recording permission.”
It was the greatest consideration he could offer.
At that, the trainee’s voice instantly bounced up.
“Thank you!”
She did not forget to offer a polite bow until the very end.
Casey stared quietly at the space Lee Jae-i had left behind.

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