The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 53

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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 53
The dinner mission itself had vanished from the broadcast.
‘They completely cut it out in editing.’
The only scene that made it to air was all the trainees gathered amicably around the dinner table.
The audio was nothing but praise for Baek Song-ha’s cooking.
It was a scene that had played out in the opposite way from what she’d expected.
This week’s broadcast had doubled down on that.
The viewer story selection even made it on air, but her own segment was virtually nonexistent.
Lee Jae-i narrowed her eyes.
‘Was this why the main PD got replaced?’
Last week’s and this week’s edited versions practically felt like Baek Song-ha’s vlog.
Past broadcasts had never been like this.
It seemed the changed circumstances because of her had produced this result.
If it was any consolation, the comment section was filled with viewers’ sharp reactions.
└Seriously? I wasted two weeks for this garbage.
└Why does Baek Song-ha’s sleeping face even make the cut lol.
└Nothing but Baek Song-ha, so of course her sleeping made it in too.
└But why is the screen time distribution like this. Who’s on strike—the production team or the cast?
The Production Team couldn’t have failed to anticipate this response.
There had to be a reason they had to do it this way.
Baek Song-ha’s name was completely drowning out the comment section.
Despite the hostile reaction, the ratings hadn’t dropped.
If viewers just endured a few more episodes, they’d get to see the final stage.
‘One thing’s for sure.’
When Son Hyun-joo was there, the semblance of fairness that had been maintained, however slightly, had crumbled.
It wouldn’t be strange if all five judges gave perfect scores.
Lee Jae-i set down the spoon she’d been clutching, letting it drop.
‘Do I have to rely only on the viewers’ scores?’
Even then, it wasn’t a good sign.
All the attention—good or bad—had poured onto Baek Song-ha.
If the stage was satisfying, that attention might translate into points.
Literally, she had to stake everything on one thing: overwhelming skill.
“Sigh…….”
Her shoulders slumped of their own accord, and a long breath escaped.
Was it even possible?
To touch everyone’s heart with nothing but the stage itself.
Before that sentence could reach its period, she shook her head hard.
“Lee. Jae. I.”
Slap. Slap. Slap.
She struck both cheeks with the precise force of her palms.
The sting seemed to snap her mind back into place.
Worrying now wouldn’t help one bit.
“You need to get to rehearsal anyway. Eat.”
Lee Jae-i barked the command at herself and picked up her spoon again.
* * *
At that same moment, Son Hyun-joo lay sprawled on the sofa and clicked the remote.
“There’s nothing interesting on.”
The moment she transferred to the Documentary Team, she’d burned through all her remaining vacation days.
Since it wasn’t a program she’d been part of from the beginning, her absence wouldn’t affect anything, and she didn’t want to dampen the mood either.
She couldn’t shake that sour expression—how would that help?
Son Hyun-joo irritably jabbed the power button.
Then she raised her arm over her eyes and closed them.
The thought of returning after her days off made her head spin.
“God… I don’t want to go.”
It was something she said every morning when she clocked in, but the weight was different today.
Her emotions were particularly turbulent.
Today was the rehearsal day for I’m Your Singer Season 3.
‘Shouldn’t I be checking the audio right now?’
But reality had her glued to the sofa instead, limp and listless.
“Ugh….”
Another long sigh spilled out.
Sighs kept leaking from her at all hours, and the air was growing stale.
Bzzt—
A cell phone, carelessly left somewhere on the floor, began to buzz.
There was no one who would call her.
Even though it was probably nothing important, she didn’t feel like moving and just lay there.
Bzzt—. Bzzt—
The continuing vibrations made her brow furrow.
‘A call?’
Son Hyun-joo sluggishly hauled herself up.
If she moved this slowly, it should’ve stopped by now, but the buzzing wouldn’t cease.
Even as she picked the cell phone up from where it lay facedown, she thought, ‘Please be spam.’
But the moment she saw the name on the screen, her head tilted sharply.
“Huh?”
[I’m Your Singer Audio Director]
Why would the person who should be most swamped with rehearsal prep be calling now?
Son Hyun-joo’s face full of questions as she pressed the answer button.
“Yes, hello.”
– Son Hyun-joo! Um, I know you’re on vacation, and ugh, I don’t know how to… say this.
Between each broken breath was a tremor of anxiety.
“Is something wrong?”
– It’s just… I’m not sure I should even be telling you this.
From the hesitant tone, she could tell it was program-related.
In that instant, Son Hyun-joo’s expression went cold.
“Is it about the program?”
– Well, yes, it is.
Then there was no need to listen further.
It had been how long since she transferred to the Documentary Team anyway?
If it was a personal favor from the Audio Director, she could grant it gladly.
But advice related to the program felt awkward.
More precisely, she didn’t want to help Hwang Seong-su.
And she had no right to.
Son Hyun-joo lowered her voice a notch.
“Then consult with the PD in charge. You must be busy today. I’ll let you go—”
– Wait, wait! Son Hyun-joo. I called because this doesn’t seem like something to discuss with Seong-su.
What the Audio Director had just said was mutually exclusive.
What could it mean—a program matter that couldn’t be discussed with the PD in charge?
She had no idea.
Yet curiosity swelled alongside the rising alarm.
As the two conflicting feelings measured each other’s presence, the Audio Director’s voice came through.
– What would you have done if you were still our PD? I wanted to ask you that personally….
At that, one side of her inner world suddenly expanded.
“What is it?”
For several minutes.
Only silent audio drifted through the receiver.
Once the sound ended, the Audio Director’s cautious voice seeped out.
– Son Hyun-joo. What do you think?
Son Hyun-joo pulled the cell phone away from her ear for a moment and pressed her forehead hard with the edge.
‘They overlap.’
The MR of the two trainees heard through the receiver followed the same melody line.
‘How is this only coming to light on rehearsal day?’
The first feeling was disbelief, and the second was an ugly sort of anger.
Coldly speaking, it wasn’t even her program anymore, so she shouldn’t care.
But she couldn’t understand why she was so furious.
The last words Hwang Seong-su had said came back to her.
‘I’ll wrap this up well so as not to discredit your hard work, senior.’
And he doesn’t even know about this crisis?
Running things like that, and some little trinket he shook got him a red carpet to promotion?
Wasn’t this infuriating?
Son Hyun-joo clenched her teeth hard, then brought the cell phone back to her ear.
“Where is Seong-su and what’s he doing that only you know about something this important?”
– Well, I’m the audio director, so… and Lee Jae-i’s stage song isn’t this one.
She read the implication perfectly.
But this MR was for the final stage audio.
The stage where the champion would be crowned.
It was something the main PD couldn’t afford to miss.
“I’ll call you back right away. I think it’s best if you leave the file as is.”
– Understood. I’m not trying to put you on the spot, Son Hyun-joo.
Son Hyun-joo hung up and lowered her head.
‘One of them definitely has to be….’
As for who plagiarized the song, the scales had already begun to tip one way.
There was no evidence.
But her gut feeling was certain.
Because of how she’d shown herself all this time.
Wasn’t that person the reason she’d been cut from the program and stuck in this situation?
At the unjust thought, her eyes automatically turned upward.
‘That’s not what I should be thinking about right now.’
The real problem was how the higher-ups would react to allegations of plagiarism.
It wasn’t hard to guess what Hwang Seong-su or the higher-ups would do if they learned this fact.
“They’ll try to cover it up, of course.”
Ordinarily, original footage had to be kept for the long term, but they could order its deletion anyway.
And then it couldn’t be contained even if it blew up.
But this wasn’t a problem so simple.
A self-composed song naturally connected to copyright.
“God! This is giving me a headache!”

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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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