The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 6

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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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My Next Hit Song Is Revenge
Episode 6
Jae-i turned her head immediately.
A woman with short, curly hair approached her, her brow furrowed with curiosity.
“[I came to see my aunt.]”
Peer at the address written on the paper, the woman’s face instantly lit up with a bright smile.
“[Oh! Olivia!]”
Without hesitation, she pressed one of the buttons.
It was the one where the name had been most cleanly rubbed away.
Jae-i let out a short sigh of relief.
There was no way she could have found that button on her own.
After the woman spoke briefly into the intercom, the door swung open with a loud buzz.
The woman pushed open the half-open iron door.
Red dust scattered from the gaps in the rusted iron, and a sharp screech echoed all the way to the end of the hallway.
The voice from the intercom had sounded like a radio submerged in the ocean, and the interior was exactly the same.
It looked somewhat dreary, and just as she was about to feel a bit intimidated, she raised her head at the sound of hurried footsteps coming down the stairs from above.
“Jae-i? Is that you, Jae-i?”
“Yes! Hello, Auntie.”
Though it was her first time seeing her in person, her aunt was not much different from what she had imagined.
“Follow me. We have to go up to the fourth floor. Do you know how shocked I was to get your message? You didn’t contact me after that, and I was so worried! You silly girl!”
She could understand why her grandmother had called her ‘gregarious Kyung-sook.’
Even upon their first meeting, her aunt was as natural as someone she had seen just the day before.
After sharing a brief greeting with the woman who had helped find the button, her aunt motioned for her to follow.
Her aunt’s apartment was much smaller and cozier.
“Did you take a taxi from the airport? If you included the tip, it must have cost quite a bit.”
“A tip?”
When Jae-i’s voice trailed off in confusion, her aunt, who was pouring juice from the refrigerator, turned around.
“Oh dear, you didn’t tip?”
“Well… do you have to tip when you take a taxi, too?”
“Ahahaha. That driver. He must have been cursing up a storm the whole way.”
She knew about America’s tipping culture.
She just hadn’t known exactly where it applied.
Judging by her aunt’s reaction, taxis were no exception.
Only then did the driver’s attitude make sense.
“Oh well, forget it! It’s not like it’s a law or anything. Why couldn’t I reach you? Didn’t you turn on roaming?”
“There was a bit of a problem. I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“As long as you made it safely.” Her aunt smiled coolly and replied.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, her aunt suddenly shifted the subject.
“How long do you plan on staying?”
“About two weeks.”
Nodding, her aunt wore a thoughtful expression for a moment before speaking again.
“I’m so busy with work that I won’t be able to show you around. Sorry in advance.”
“Not at all! I’m just grateful you’re letting me stay. Besides, I came because I wanted to see you.”
She meant it.
The aunt she had only seen in pictures resembled her mother.
Since she couldn’t remember her mother’s face, she had truly wanted to meet her.
If she could talk to her mother right now, would it feel like this?
That was why when she married Yoo Young-jae, she had suggested going to America for their honeymoon.
‘Who goes to America for a honeymoon these days? How old-fashioned. He’s busy with work, so what if something happens over there? If you really want to get on a plane, just go to Jeju Island.’
At her mother-in-law’s firm words, she hadn’t even been able to bring up the fact that she wanted to see her aunt.
It was no big deal, so why had she walked on eggshells like that?
As those memories resurfaced, Jae-i squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again.
Her aunt mentioned she had to work the night shift and needed to catch some sleep.
She then laid out some blankets on the sofa.
“If you run around before adjusting to the jet lag, you’ll be exhausted and ruin your trip.”
But she had slept the entire time on the plane.
She wanted to go fix her phone issue first, but her aunt shook her head.
“The sun stays up long because it’s summer, but everything is closed now. Do it tomorrow.”
She really wanted to make the call soon, though.
Jae-i lay on the sofa, deep in thought.
‘Star Entertainment…’
YU Entertainment, where Yoo Young-jae was the CEO, and Star Entertainment were fierce rivals that stood shoulder to shoulder.
Right now, Star Entertainment might have the upper hand, but once Yoo Young-jae took over as CEO, the landscape would shift.
Jae-i recalled the conversation she had overheard when she visited Yoo Young-jae’s office.
‘This is the title track and concept for the group scheduled to debut this time. I’ve included the artists’ expected comeback dates and teaser videos.’
It was a blatant act of industrial espionage.
‘How typical of him.’
Back then, the moment Jae-i opened the door and walked in, the man standing in front of Yoo Young-jae had hurriedly rushed out of the office.
‘I should have taken a closer look at his face.’
The passing glimpse of the man’s face felt just on the verge of coming back to her.
When she told him that this was no different from stealing, Yoo Young-jae had actually flown into a rage.
‘What do you know to butt in like this? Don’t you dare breathe a word about this.’
‘Young-jae, you shouldn’t do this. If this causes trouble later on—’
‘As long as you stay quiet, nothing will go wrong. Are you going to rain on the parade of the company my father built with his own hands? Who do you think you are?’
Jae-i hadn’t even been able to counter his half-threatening remarks and kept her mouth shut.
Because she knew all too well how much his father loved the company and how passionate he had been.
Back then, she had foolishly chosen the method of trying to persuade Yoo Young-jae.
Was it because she had pushed him so hard?
That he lost his mind over Baek Song-ha, who did nothing but smile and flirt at everything he said.
Jae-i held up the business card again.
“Star Entertainment CEO. Kang Ki-baek…”
Jae-i had sensitive ears, so she could hear well and remembered things vividly.
Once she heard a song, it was stored in her mind like a sheet of music, and sometimes she remembered people by their voices.
She had once instantly recognized the voice of a reporter she had spoken with in the past inside Yoo Young-jae’s office.
Although the face of the man who brought the information to Yoo Young-jae wasn’t clear, his voice remained sharp in her memory.
If she ever got the chance to converse with him again.
‘Yes, I can recognize him by his voice.’
This wasn’t about tearing down his father’s company.
She had no intention of condoning a crime through silence ever again.
Surely, if his father knew his son was dragging the company name through the mud like that, he would wail in grief.
She hadn’t been able to stop anything back then, but things were different now.
Beyond just participating in the festival, Jae-i’s heart throbbed with another ambition.
Though the man had shown goodwill by handing over his business card first, it was too early to let her guard down.
She needed to capture his attention. All at once, and with absolute certainty.
What should she do to catch his eye?
‘Something with just moderate impact won’t cut it.’
Jae-i closed her eyes tightly.
To keep her resolve from wavering, she gripped the business card in her hand tightly once more.
* * *
The hotel fitness center.
Ki-baek gradually increased his speed on the treadmill.
‘Those eyes.’
When the music flowed out, the woman’s pupils had trembled ever so slightly.
It was a momentary tremor, but he had definitely caught it.
Was it just simple appreciation?
It could have been that she genuinely liked it.
Yet, what was this bizarre sensation?
Perhaps he was overanalyzing.
Along with his heavy strides, his heart rate accelerated.
By the time beads of sweat formed on his forehead and rolled down his neck, he shifted his gaze to his phone.
– The check you requested is complete. No signs of hacking were found. The battery is…
Since it wasn’t his work laptop, the probability of hacking was low, but he had double-checked anyway.
Even without opening his phone to read it, he could grasp the contents well enough.
However, Ki-baek slowed the treadmill down to check the screen.
What he tapped on wasn’t his message inbox, but his email.
It was filled with nothing but business emails.
The email address he was looking for was nowhere to be found.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
It was a ridiculous laugh at what he had even been expecting.
‘Waiting for a message? Me?’
Ki-baek roughly tossed his phone back onto the treadmill rack.
He abruptly turned up the speed of the machine.
Only after the muscles throughout his body flared with tension did he return to his room.
After surrendering his body to the cool streams of water for a while, he sat on the sofa with damp hair.
Then, he opened his laptop.
As if his fingers were moving on autopilot, he clicked on his email inbox yet again.
“…….”
Ki-baek stared at the empty inbox once more.

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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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