The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 71

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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 hit song in this life is revenge.
71
The dimly lit space brightened all at once.
Ring-ring. Ring-ring.
Lee Jae-i fumbled for her cell phone at the alarm sound.
‘…Already morning?’
Even living two lives, some things never changed.
That sensation of having just lain down to sleep every morning—it persisted stubbornly across both lifetimes.
Lee Jae-i blinked slowly, fatigue weighing down her eyelids.
As she pushed back the blanket, cold air swept across her skin.
A sign the season had deepened.
Lee Jae-i stretched her arms long, shaking off the drowsiness with a yawn.
She sat at the edge of the bed and rolled her head in circles.
“Ugh…”
Lee Jae-i turned on her cell phone to check her schedule.
The date marked with a heart-shaped sticker.
‘It’s the day after tomorrow already.’
January 1st, when the year changes.
Instead of filming a Teaser, they’d announced her Comeback through a video Fan Meeting.
By current standards, it wasn’t a conventional approach—several staff members had expressed obvious reluctance.
But knowing the future had helped her set the direction of her choices.
‘At least it won’t be wrong.’
Not distant mystique seen from afar, but me as a singer who feels present, right beside them.
Going forward, fans would definitely prefer that way of consuming content.
So this approach was valid.
As she surveyed the calendar full of tasks on the screen, a thought brushed against her mind.
How much had truly changed.
‘It hasn’t even been a year yet.’
It was nowhere near a long time.
And yet the world around her wore a completely different face.
Especially these past few weeks.
Getting makeup done while half-asleep, heading straight to the Filming Site the moment her eyes opened.
It was the period when her life as a debuted singer was beginning to feel real in her body.
She sang until hunger set in, laid bare her own story on the Stage.
Of course, it was harder than imagination prepared her for.
‘I didn’t know hardship could feel this good.’
A world she could only watch on TV, unable to stand on its Stages.
But now she stood not in that screen, but in the center of it.
Living the dream she’d held all these years—it made someone happy in ways like this.
Lee Jae-i kept a soft smile lingering at the corners of her mouth as she rose and drew back the curtains.
“Oh? Snow.”
Small, light snowflakes scattered through the air—delicate enough to look like drifting light.
Perhaps because of the season.
Overlapping memories drained the strength from her hands gripping the curtain.
That day she’d run out after hearing Yoo Young-jae and Baek Song-ha’s confession of their affair.
That day, too, had been marked by these tiny snow petals falling.
“First snow…”
Watching that landscape of such sorrow through the Lodging window again, her thoughts deepened for a moment.
The audition song that had poured out from in front of the jazz bar.
The footsteps that had stopped before it.
And the chance given once more.
What would they be feeling right now, watching this same snow fall?
At least they wouldn’t be smiling that way—that nauseating smile.
‘Still far to go.’
Lee Jae-i engraved the faces of Yoo Young-jae and Baek Song-ha on her heart once more.
Hoping that in the future that lay ahead, those corners of their mouths would never lift again.
Then it came.
Buzz.
At the short vibration, Lee Jae-i’s gaze pulled away from the window.
A name on the screen.
[Park Seong-ho Manager]
‘Of all the timing.’
She resented it all the more because she’d been thinking of him just then.
The message was terse enough not to bother opening.
[I’ve arrived.]
The way he stuck to her schedule felt overprotective, burdening.
‘I could walk, no need…’
His excessive taciturnity—did it just feel like observation, or was that true?
She couldn’t help wanting distance, as though Yoo Young-jae were standing before her.
[I’ll be right down.]
Lee Jae-i sent a brief reply, then slowly combed through her stacked messages with narrowed eyes.
“Still nothing…”
She’d passed her contact information to Park Jeong-cheol.
Of course, she’d known that given his personality, contact from him wouldn’t come easily.
But hope was always treacherous, delivering disappointment without fanfare.
How wonderful it would be if Park Jeong-cheol stood with her.
She could have found his contact if she set her mind to it.
But she pushed that thought away immediately.
It was information that couldn’t reach Yoo Young-jae, and she’d promised not to force him.
Lee Jae-i stared at her cell phone for a moment, wheedling softly.
“…Please contact me, Park Jeong-cheol.”
She released her eyes from the phone with a short sigh.
‘Let’s focus on what needs doing today.’
Today was the final meeting about the Fan Meeting schedule.
Lee Jae-i cut off her thoughts as if snapping a thread and left her room.
She entered the bathroom and turned on the faucet; cold water filled the space.
She finished her usual preparations methodically.
The moment she stepped out the door, a White SUV Vehicle parked in the Parking Lot caught her eye.
A man sitting in the driver’s seat.
Before he could look up, Lee Jae-i hurried to the vehicle, opened the door, and settled into her seat.
Thunk.
As the door closed, the man turned his head to look at her.
“You came down quickly.”
“Yes. Good morning.”
She bowed briefly, then immediately reached for the seat belt.
The click of the lock sounded clear in the car.
The manager shifted gears without a word.
The vehicle moved quietly, exiting the Parking Lot.
The drive was only three minutes.
Too short a distance to even gauge whether the falling snow had accumulated on the ground.
From the basement Parking Lot through the Elevator and back down again.
The silence maintained itself, unchanged from the car.
As she turned the corner toward the Meeting Room Hallway, her eyes met those of Han Myeong-geun.
“Lee Jae-i, here you are. Park Seong-ho came with you?”
Han Myeong-geun approached with a bright expression, turning to face them.
“You must both be tired? We should wrap this up quickly—you have the Year-End Awards Ceremony Stage to prep for too.”
“Yes!”
Lee Jae-i answered brightly, moving a step toward the Meeting Room, when—
“Breakfast seems to be ready. Why don’t you grab some with Park Seong-ho?”
Her feet faltered at those words.
The invitation was natural enough, but she wanted to avoid sitting in on the meeting together.
Hearing about something secondhand and participating directly were worlds apart.
Besides, today was just supposed to be a briefing—reviewing conclusions already reached.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lee Jae-i looked up.
“Yes, that sounds good. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
Even moving together all this time, it felt like an eternity since their eyes had met.
The manager regarded her silently for a moment, then shook his head.
“No. I’ll coordinate the timing and come at the end.”
Han Myeong-geun placed a hand on his shoulder at the formal tone.
“Come on, take something with you.”
“It’s fine. I have some post-meeting scheduling to sort through, so I’ll head on ahead.”
Han Myeong-geun withdrew his hand from the manager’s shoulder with a light pat.
“Alright then. Thanks for the hard work.”
The manager bowed to both Lee Jae-i and Han Myeong-geun, then turned away.
As his figure receded, a moment’s tension released from her shoulders.
By the time he’d passed through the Hallway, Han Myeong-geun pushed open the Meeting Room door.
“So, shall we get started?”
Lee Jae-i entered with a slight smile.
* * *
“There she goes smiling again.”
Baek Song-ha glared at the TV screen, her hostility laid bare.
On screen, Lee Jae-i was beaming.
As if she were doing it on purpose—it grated on her nerves.
Even a happy face could look grating to her.
But today, fatigue accumulated all day added fuel to the fire.
Baek Song-ha tightened her grip on the Remote Control.
The conflicting emotions—seeing her face repulsive, yet having to watch it with both eyes—blazed up in anger.
While recording the album, she’d kept her cell phone at arm’s length.
‘Lee Jae-i. Lee Jae-i!’
That name floated everywhere across every program and community site.
Today was the Year-End Awards Ceremony.
Afraid she might win something, Baek Song-ha pressed the power button.
As Lee Jae-i’s Stage ended, the MC’s voice carried over the speakers.
– That was the Stage of I’m Your Singer Season 3 champion Lee Jae-i. Such a polished performance—it’s hard to believe she’s a true rookie.
Her jaw muscle tensed visibly.
‘That bi—’

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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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