The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 70

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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 70
A broad desk in deep walnut tones.
Park Jeong-cheol set down the papers he’d been shuffling through, his hand heavy.
Then he sank deep into his chair.
The backrest supported his spine, but comfort was nowhere to be found.
His eyes fixed on the ceiling.
‘Why did he go to the CEO’s office?’
Yoo Young-jae was the Chairman’s only son.
There was no real reason for him to venture into an empty office now.
There was nothing inherently strange about a son moving through his father’s space.
Logic alone would support it.
If he accepted it simply, the doubt would dissolve.
Yet that woman’s voice kept forcing its way through the cracks.
‘Once Yoo Young-jae takes the CEO position, any chance to set things right will vanish. By then, you won’t be staying at YU anymore.’
Park Jeong-cheol pressed his lips together.
He knew that Yoo Young-jae didn’t regard him favorably.
He couldn’t outright deny that the woman’s words held truth.
He harbored no regrets about leaving the company itself.
But to him, who had endured this far in service to Chairman Yu’s vision, that ideology was worth more than anything.
Yet what of now?
Since the Chairman lost consciousness, the air inside the company had changed.
The Daekyung Group’s investment.
And then, right after that, the sudden arrival of a trainee named Baek Song-ha.
Yoo Young-jae was pushing that trainee aggressively.
Up to that point, it wasn’t something he couldn’t understand.
But then.
‘The outsourcing costs are inflated far too much….’
The internal production system was already sufficiently equipped.
Yet the outsourcing expenditures had swollen to abnormal levels.
He recalled that the same name always appeared in the approval requests.
‘Yoo Young-jae.’
It made his skin crawl.
Yet he hadn’t dug into the numbers completely.
Because a single word from Chairman Yu had clouded both his eyes.
‘He seems to want to show me something. I’d like to give him an environment where he can focus on production.’
It was something the Chairman had said from his sickbed, which made it impossible to dismiss so easily.
Even as he wrestled with the question of whether it was the right choice hundreds of times, he ultimately buried it.
“Haah….”
Park Jeong-cheol exhaled heavily.
He rose from the chair and moved toward the monitor.
He accessed the internal personnel information search system.
[-Employee Search: Yoo Young-jae]
After taking in the personnel file, Park Jeong-cheol opened a new window and clicked on the finance accounting security file.
Data sort search year: April 10, 20XX.
The day Yoo Young-jae joined YU.
* * *
Several weeks rushed past in a blur.
Lee Jae-i bit into a sandwich as she pushed open the Recording Room door.
“Haven’t eaten yet?”
The CEO’s gaze lingered on the bread in her mouth.
Lee Jae-i shook her head and pulled the sandwich away.
“I did eat. But I’ve been talking a lot, so hunger keeps creeping back in.”
“You have a packed schedule?”
There was concern woven through the question, but she couldn’t deny it.
For weeks now, starting with recordings alongside Kim Se-jin, she’d been running on catnaps.
Music broadcasts, variety shows, interviews, talk shows.
There wasn’t a blank space on her schedule.
The CEO had said she didn’t need to accept every offer.
But Lee Jae-i had agreed to most of them.
Especially every program that Baek Song-ha had appeared on.
The scenes where Baek Song-ha’s face lingered in her memory—she wanted to overwrite them even if it meant sacrificing sleep.
Lee Jae-i beamed as she popped the last piece of bread into her mouth.
After chewing and swallowing, she nodded.
“It’s fine. I said I’d do it anyway.”
Her voice was deliberately pitched a notch higher.
“If it seems like you’re pushing too hard—”
“I know. I know. Pacing myself.”
Lee Jae-i spoke quickly, cutting him off.
“I’ve got it down to my bones, so you can stop worrying. If I’m struggling, I’ll make it obvious.”
Lee Jae-i preempted the CEO’s nagging, which always started the same way.
Kang Ki-baek looked at her for a moment, then let out a short breath.
“Hmm. All right, I’ll trust you then.”
There was laughter in his voice, but the end came out closer to resignation.
Then the CEO turned his attention back to the console.
“I’ve made the changes you mentioned. Listen to this.”
As Lee Jae-i took a seat beside him, sound flowed from the speakers.
The mini album would contain five tracks total.
She’d wanted a full album, but right now, making an impression on the public came first.
Work progressed at a relentless pace.
Two songs were her own self-composed pieces from the program.
One song was a rearrangement of something she’d performed while busking, and the remaining two were the CEO’s compositions.
And the song she was listening to now was the one she’d heard on the airplane.
As the sound from the speakers faded, Lee Jae-i slowly nodded.
“It’s so good, isn’t it? I want to record it right away.”
“That’s reassuring.”
A faint smile played at the CEO’s lips.
But that smile didn’t linger long.
The Recording Room light was supposed to turn on next, but a brief silence passed instead.
In the stillness, Lee Jae-i spoke first.
“Is there something on your mind?”
The CEO’s gaze, which had been lowered, lifted toward her face.
“Ah. It’s nothing else, but—is there anything making you uncomfortable?”
“Uncomfortable? What do you mean?”
When Lee Jae-i asked for clarification on the vague question, Kang Ki-baek spoke in a forthright tone.
“…Actually, I heard from some of the staff that you seem uncomfortable around the Manager. If that’s the case, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”
“Ah.”
Lee Jae-i let out a short sound.
That would make sense.
Of course, the Manager had accompanied her through every schedule.
But aside from initial greetings, she’d barely exchanged personal conversation.
The thought that they might be eavesdropping somewhere.
Although she hadn’t heard that metallic sound like before, she still didn’t want to engage much.
Just because the Manager was Yoo Young-jae’s person was enough to repel her.
‘Did I seem too guarded?’
If it was noticeable enough to look uncomfortable to others, she was clearly overthinking it.
Lee Jae-i deliberately smiled wider.
“Not at all? There’s nothing like that. Since they’re so reserved, I actually find it nice to rest in the car.”
“You can be honest with me.”
At the CEO’s words, Lee Jae-i waved the sandwich wrapper slightly.
“The Manager bought me this too, right? They take such good care of me. I really do appreciate it.”
“…I see.”
A sound escaped Kang Ki-baek’s lips like a held breath released.
There was a hint that he wanted to add something more, but his lips pressed shut again.
The CEO nodded and turned his attention back to the console.
‘Did it show that I was lying?’
Lee Jae-i watched his darkened profile and that thought came first.
After a moment’s hesitation, she modulated her voice to sound more sincere.
“I should try talking more with them and getting closer.”
Before the sentence was even finished, the CEO’s low voice followed.
“You don’t need to do that.”
Lee Jae-i blinked, and Kang Ki-baek slowly opened his lips.
“You don’t have to make that effort. They’ll understand that you’re tired.”
Click.
The CEO pressed a button on the console.
“Shall we record?”
“Yes.”
Lee Jae-i stood and headed straight into the Recording Room.
Only after hearing the door close did Kang Ki-baek look up toward the booth.
He could see Lee Jae-i’s silhouette standing before the microphone, adjusting her headset.
“…….”
This was when he should have been thinking about the audio track to play.
But his mind was full of the voice she’d just left behind.
‘It’s good, isn’t it? I really do appreciate it.’
He’d asked out of worry, hearing she seemed stiff around the Manager.
Contrary to such concern was her bright smile and the words of praise that spilled from her lips.
And she’d said ‘good’ twice at that.
The woman made a circle with her fingers in the booth, sending him an OK sign.
Just as his hand reached toward the record button.
Crackle.
The sandwich wrapper she’d left behind caught on his pinky.
‘The Manager bought me this too, right?’
Kang Ki-baek crumpled the wrapper with the hand that had been reaching for the button.
Then without hesitation, he let it drop—thunk—into the trash.
“Let’s record.”
Only then did his hand feel light as it moved toward the record button.

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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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